Daniel Goes to the Doctor

Daniel did not like going to the doctor. He liked solving problems himself. So when his back started to hurt, he did what he always did. He ignored it.

After three days, it was worse. After a week, he couldn't sit at his desk for more than twenty minutes. Even Biscuit seemed worried. She sat on the sofa and watched him walk around the room with one hand on his back, like an old man.

"Fine," Daniel said to her. "I'll call the doctor."

He found the number and called the clinic.

"Good morning, Green Street Clinic. How can I help you?"

"Good morning. I'd like to make an appointment, please."

"Of course. What seems to be the problem?"

"My back hurts. It started about a week ago, and it's getting worse."

"I see. We have an appointment tomorrow at nine, or today at four thirty."

"Today at four thirty, please," Daniel said quickly. He didn't want to change his mind.

At four fifteen, he was sitting in the waiting room. Or trying to sit. He moved from one side of the chair to the other. A little boy next to him was coughing, and an older woman was reading a magazine about gardens.

"Daniel?" a nurse called. "The doctor will see you now."

The doctor was a tall woman with short grey hair and a calm voice. She asked him to sit down.

"So, tell me what's wrong."

"My lower back hurts," Daniel said. "It started last week. It hurts most when I sit for a long time, or when I stand up after sitting."

"Did you lift anything heavy? Did you fall?"

"No, nothing like that."

"What do you do for work?"

"I'm a developer. I work from home."

"How many hours a day do you sit at your desk?"

Daniel thought about it. "Maybe eight. Sometimes ten."

"And how often do you take a break?"

He was quiet for a moment. "When I make coffee?"

The doctor smiled. She asked him to stand up, bend forward slowly and turn to the left and right. She pressed gently on a few places on his back.

"Does it hurt here?"

"A little."

"And here?"

"Yes, more there."

She sat down again. "Your muscles are tired and tight. You sit too much and move too little."

"Is it serious?" Daniel asked.

"No, I don't think so. But you need to change a few habits. Stand up every hour. Walk for a few minutes. Do these stretches every morning and every evening." She gave him a sheet of paper with simple drawings. "And go for a short walk every day, even when you're busy."

"How long will it take to feel better?"

"If you do the stretches, about one or two weeks. If you don't, it will come back."

"Understood," Daniel said.

That evening, he set an alarm on his phone for every hour. When it rang the first time, he stood up, walked to the kitchen and back, and did one of the stretches from the paper.

When he came back to his desk, Biscuit was sitting on his warm chair.

"That's my chair," he said.

Biscuit closed her eyes.

Daniel laughed and stood next to the desk for a few more minutes. Maybe, he thought, his cat had known the answer all along.

That’s all for today. See you next time on Study Brew.