Cosima makes her way to the clinic, she hated to admit it, but she was willing to start trying alternative options. It's in an old house, in a perfectly nice part of town. It's reputable, from the reviews. And there's at least physiotherapists and RMTs operating out of the same clinic. That has to be a good sign.
She looks up at the sign, noting a variety of practitioners operating out of this joint. She'd even booked with Elsa, the middle-aged osteopath her ex had urged her to see - right before she finally went under the knife. Years of pestering for it for confirming her diagnosis finally paid off,
"She's a middle aged German lady. Totally non-threatening. Just try it."
She remembers what Shay had said, she'd ignored her and when her gynecologist finally offered the laparoscopic surgery she'd jumped on that instead. Unfortunately, endometriosis comes back and well over a year after the inevitable breakup, she's given in. But she'd put pain on her intake form, not endometriosis. She was a skeptic and was going to stay that way until proven otherwise. Sighing, Cosima opens the door and walks in.
Cosima finds herself in a waiting room that looks like any practice. Nice chairs. People were still in masks, but that wasn't an issue. At least this summer was shaping up to be more normal.
"Hello!" One of the receptionists greets her.
"Hi. I'm Cosima Niehaus. I have an osteo appointment with Elsa for 2 pm?" Cosima gets this out as quickly as possible.
"You missed our call?" The receptionist grimaces, she has a look on her face that makes Cosima think she's forgotten something important.
"Umm I guess so. Sorry. My phone is like super old and it doesn't always notify me when I have voicemail. I did the Covid screening?" Cosima prompts helpfully.
"Elsa had a minor bike accident this morning. She won't be in office for at least 3 weeks." Cathy tells her apologetically.
"Oh. Wow… is she OK?"
"Elsa has some road rash, but will be fine." Cathy assures her. "And she tore ligaments in her foot. But nothing broken, thank god."
"So it's like cancelled?" Cosima winces. She isn't sure she'll bother to rebook. Maybe she'll try going on a full endometriosis diet or see a… naturopath. Then again, wouldn't that be even more fringe? Cosima is contemplating this when the receptionist answers.
Cathy looks at her with a smile. "Oh no. I asked one of our other osteopaths and she's taking Elsa's clients today, just for today. But there may be a wait for future appointments unless you want to see a different osteopath."
"OK." Cosima nods. "I had it on my form that I only wanted to see a female practitioner."
"Delphine is taking you. Not David." Cathy smiles again. "If you'll have a seat, she'll be out shortly."
"Delphine… the French woman?" Cosima vaguely remembers the name from the website, a youngish looking French osteopath. She recalls quickly choosing the older practitioner, hoping for a minimum of awkward.
"Yes. Dr. Delphine Cormier."
Cosima nods, wanting to protest that this woman isn't exactly a doctor, at least in Canada. Unless she has a PhD. Back home in the US she thinks osteopaths are actually recognized by the medical profession for some reason. But she cannot remember why right now, and maybe it doesn't matter.
"She'll come and get you when she's done with her 1 o'clock." Cathy tells her, greyish eyes looking at her from behind a face shield. A blue mask in place. It was the same everywhere.
"Thanks." Cosima nods and picks up her phone, she scrolls aimlessly trying to kill the ten minutes before her appointment.
One of the two doors clicks open and out walks a mostly bald older man, followed by a lean woman with dyed blonde curls pulled back from her face.
The man steps out. "Thank you, Delphine."
"No problem. I'll see you for your regular appointment in six weeks." Delphine looks over to Cosima. "Cosima Niehaus? Just let me get the room set up for you."
"Of course." Cosima nods, expecting the cleaning procedure to take a while. And it gives her a chance to get a look at her substitute osteopath.
Cosima takes in her new osteopath a little nervously. Young, close to her in age with an accent that makes her too intrigued to see the rest of Delphine's face under the blue medical mask.
She enters the room and finds herself only halfway listening to Delphine, mildly distracted by her lovely accent. She doesn't sound québecoise either, Cosima thinks she must be from France and she'll have to check the clinic website to see before she embarrasses herself completely.
"So osteopaths work with the container, and all the containers inside… So bones, muscles, organs...are you following me, Cosima?"
"Yes. Yes." Cosima nods, quickly redirecting her attention.
"My patients typically undress to their underwear. Are you comfortable doing so? Your dress is tight. It will impede examination and treatment." Delphine states this simply. "If not, you can wear leggings or yoga pants next time. They're thin enough that I can work through them."
"Got it. And I was warned about that. It's why I said female practitioner only." Cosima grimaces. This is ridiculous.
"Of course." Delphine nods, and Cosima quickly disrobes to her bra and underwear, laying her garments on the chair. She supposes there's no real point to having Delphine leave and come back again but there is a difference.
"OK. Now what?" Cosima looks around, a small heater plugged in to the side, no doubt for client comfort.
"Stand up please." Delphine guides her through an assessment that reminds Cosima vaguely of physio… maybe this is all OK after all. She bends over, leans over, touches her toes while Delphine's hands touch her back, near her sacroiliac joint and her spine.
"Your sacroiliac is sticking, I can fix that." Delphine tells her as she continues her assessments. "Remind me to adjust it before you leave."
"You can?" Cosima perks up a little.
"Yes. Please lay down on the table. Would you like a pillow?" Delphine grabs her one from the side of the room and offers it to her for under her head.
"I am now going to examine how well tissues are moving. This may be uncomfortable." Delphine's long strong fingers begin palpating her abdomen. "You have severe menstrual pain?"
"Yeah." Cosima winces as Delphine's fingers wedge in above her pubic bone and grasp, as she … What on earth is she doing?
"Your uterus isn't moving well… probable adhesions." Delphine speaks as she continues. "Endometriosis?"
"Yes. Actually. I had a lap but it came back. Apparently that happens." Cosima tells her, mildly impressed. "My gynecologist said it was pretty bad, but at least I didn't lose an ovary. She said next time I probably would."
"We can see if we can create more mobility. Ease some of the pain. No surgery or loss of ovaries with this method." Delphine tries to make light of it. "So how long have you had symptoms?
"Uhh symptoms, like age 18? 19? Diagnosis… almost three years ago." Cosima cannot contain her surprise.
"I am sorry. I know time to diagnosis is typically very long. Doctors do not take women's pain seriously enough sometimes." Delphine grits her teeth, continuing her awkward probing. "Do you have pain with sex?"
"Ummm sometimes." Cosima is taken aback by the question, and opts for trying to seem neutral. This is totally professional, Cosima reminds herself. It doesn't have to matter how attractive Delphine is.
"But… often enough to be a problem?"
"Sometimes." Cosima answers again, trying to be noncommittal. There was no way she wanted to start talking about the current limitations on her sex life with this clearly attractive osteopath. Maybe she should have seen the dude after all… maybe that would be less… intimate seeming?
"Well let's get a look at the rest of you. Is it affecting your bowels?" Delphine continues and Cosima finds it odd, so very odd watching this masked woman touch her, uncomfortably poking and prodding, telling her what she is doing all the while.
"And I have time for a short treatment." Delphine announced when she is finished making notes in a binder on the desk.
"OK."
Some of the adjustments aren't as bad, but then Delphine has her move into an awkward position and presses her fingers deep into her flesh beside her sit bones.
"Umm why…?"
"I am trying to work around your obturator foramen. It is a membrane… and this… this will be painful." Delphine explains simply and Cosima winces as Delphine's fingers press more deeply into her flesh.
Cosima manages to breathe through the pain for a moment or two before crying out. "Jesus Christ! Sorry… sorry." Cosima looks up apologetically at Delphine
"Let me know if you cannot stand it."
"I can take it." Cosima tries her best to breathe through it, staring at the ceiling and trying desperately not to think about how close Delphine's fingers were to her own genitals. Someone should have definitely warned her about this. This fucking hurt. Cosima looks back down at Delphine who is continuing to explain the treatment, as calmly as possible.
"Good girl…" Delphine breathes at her as she releases the pressure and something in Cosima gives out. She's in her underwear and looking up at this gorgeous french woman.
"It was very painful."
"I know… I need to do the other side. One is usually worse than the other."
"Shit…" Cosima shakes her head. "Fine… do it."
"OK." Delphine helps her adjust her position and begins pressing in on the other side.
Cosima thinks privately that she is never doing this again. She'll do the diet. She'll see a naturopath but the level of pain and awkward with an osteopath is too much.
"And done." Delphine announces. "We'll work your uterine adhesions now, and maybe do some other adjustments to increase blood flow and mobility. And then I will give you some stretches."
"For my uterus?"
"No for your general mobility, your back is tight and exercise will help with blood flow. Do you do yoga?"
"Umm I dance… Modern. Recreationally." Cosima offers.
"OK." Delphine nods at her.
When the treatment is done, Delphine asks her to get redressed, which she does quickly before sitting at the gestured to chair with Delphine scribbling notes on her patient chart.
"Are you doing anything else for your endometriosis?"
"Not currently. Just….self medicating with pot." Cosima admits.
"Some women find diet changes can help." Delphine suggests kindly. "I will send you a resource on the endometriosis diet. It is something to think about, most patients report improvement on the diet."
"I did most of it… except dairy. Like… I am having a hard time giving that up. Dairy and sugar both." Cosima makes a face. She'd long ditched red meat, reduced alcohol consumption, even ditched wheat… but the endometriosis diet was not much fun.
"It may help with the pain if you do." Delphine tells her calmly. "We can make a plan. I could do another treatment in three or four weeks and then I want to wait a couple months and see how you do. I've treated other women the same. They say the effects last a while and then they come back and we work again. But you wouldn't have to come in frequently. Think of it as occasional maintenance."
"So… you're telling me we have to do all this again?"
"The choice is yours, of course. I want to see you a few days before your period next time. Is that possible? Can you book in with reception for two days before your period on the way out?"
"Uhhh yeah. I guess." Cosima reluctantly books a second appointment hoping desperately this gorgeous French blonde had no idea what she'd been thinking near the end of their session.
"Are you trying to get pregnant, Cosima?" Delphine barely looks up from her chart.
"Umm no." Cosima answers quickly. "Just reduce pain. I mean… I'm like single now and just… not the time. Though I have a research job right now and it's tabled… But honestly it's probably never going to be the right time. I had a lap two and a half years ago but the pain came back."
"Well, if you are considering it I could see you more frequently, try to get you in a good state for conception and pregnancy. I've done it before. But I would like to work on you for six months before you try."
"Right." Cosmia nods. "I thought um… David did the fertility patients."
"He gets a lot of them." Delphine acknowledges. "His wait lists are long, that is why you booked with Elsa?"
"Yeah that and I just preferred a woman. I'm not really comfortable stripping down like this for a man."
"Of course." Delphine nods. "Plenty of women feel that way."
"Right." Cosima wonders how long she can deal with Delphine without somehow letting on that she was a lesbian. Maybe it didn't matter. Ottawa was liberal after all.
She books the follow up appointment with the intention to cancel it, but rushes out of the office. She walks a block before removing her mask and tucking it back into her purse. Osteopathy was insane. No one could expect her to put herself through it again. Especially on Delphine's table. Though maybe she'd try the second session, see if it could reduce pain. After all, she was getting desperate. But after that, definitely no more.