Treatment #2

2/4/13

It's the third time we come to the hospital and see the sign in the parking lot: "Cancer department - full" A sign that when photographed - the word "full" is not seen in the camera no matter how we tried. Eli and I think that there is a mystical meaning behind it...

He drops me off and goes looking for parking. I go and grab a place in line for my blood count. Within twenty minutes I'm done. While waiting for tests results I make attempts to build groups on WattsApp to update my wonderful friends consisting of many people. To my horror, I realize that a WattsApp group is not something discreet but common to all members. I decided not to mix and rather, to build only groups of people who know each other.

After I've gone and made groups I realized that there are people listed on WattsApp but do not use it regularly.... Well, regular SMS does great work with copy paste.

I was circling the department loby, when suddenly I spotted a hairdresser. Yesterday I discovered my hair started falling out. I would have forfeit the new & fresh successful haircut now and postpone it for the future...  Believe me, previously I would not dare to cut my hair, above the shoulders. Now I think I would go for short hair when it grows back. 

I thought that it would have been a good idea to remove it today had I brought my wig, and to stop spreading my hair around the block, car, elevator building, and our house.... :-)

Blood tests results arrived. Moving on to the oncology treatments department to discover once again, all positions are occupied, this time due to the holiday, Monday and Tuesday patients were mixed together. I'm waiting patiently while reviling a new electronic band I had downloaded from ITunes just before we left , called - Many coloured butterflies. Most successful in my opinion. I say hello to Iris - my serious thin blue eyed nurse - Today I will learn to decipher her great personality a little more. She did not recognise me until I said my name and then said briefly - "Put your folder on the table" and continued to the next patient.

We wait and accept the over load of patients in the treatment positions. Finally Iris comes back with a rolling table and an infusion pole, placing it near the chair were I'm sitting in the hallway. Eli takes a place in front of me and immediately takes over the power plug he finds, connecting his laptop to it. Someone has to work here. For me everything is cool. I immediately dive into the world of music and text messaging. Iris arrives again. She begins to ask questions, how am I? how I felt over the previous treatment? I tell her happily I feel very good, perhaps too good, and I'm wondering if this is normal? She says it's probably normal and that's great. I tell her proudly how I even did the cleaning for Passover and she says - I would give you an exemption for that. I tell her about the feeling of pleasure and relief knowing the cleaning is finally over with. Only those how know and apply this cleaning tradition, knows what I'm talking about (Eli even once found me proof that there is such a thing - depression from cleaning for Passover, there was a different terminology I can't remember exactly), Iris understood me certainly knew what I'm talking about. 

“Off we go” says Iris when she is done with connecting my infusion. Before leaving me at the improvised position, Iris wants to thank me for being understanding and patient under the great load. She explains that not all patients understand they need to allow the nurse to devot a few minutes to talk with the patient beyond connecting them to the infusion.I thanked her much for her patience and said I hope that I will never see such an over abundance of patients ever again.

I plunge back into the music. I was so absorbed in it, that suddenly I meet Eli's severe look saying that I was just informed that there is a free post for us but I didn't hear it because of the music in my ears ....

Eli is the ideal partner for this situation. I don't want to talk at all just sit and wait for orange juice to flow into my blood... Eli on his side dives into his work and writes awesome presentations for investors. They had better be impressed! If they could only imagine the circumstances. But in this case they would be too foolish not to invest regardless of the circumstances. Eli defiantly has a great idea and a wining case! I must also praise Eli for doing all sorts of distanced errands within the hospital. Local cafeteria ran out of all the cakes and most sandwiches are gone.It's Mimuna today - the feast of eating bread, remember? People do not eat bread for a whole week. No wonder they grab everything in sight.

I must also note that Eli needs a lot of patience with me. As time passes I become more and more blurred. Later I will cause him to take two wrong directions. One will be straight into the path only for public transport on Dizengoff Street. But we do it safely without getting caught or fined.... By the way, there we went to buy the most delicious selection of tartelette at the Boutique Central. If there was anything I could put in my mouth two hours later after treatment, it was that ...

Towards the end Michi and Yossi arrive - Eli's dear parents. It is a busy day for us. Immediately after treatment and being already five minutes late, we had a private meeting with the professor. The one who informed us she was going to go on a half a year sabbatical, immediately after I was officially received to Tel Hashomer hospital! And also only after I asked BTW if I would be accompanied by her at treatments. She only then told me I had to chose a doctor from a list she gave...The great expert professor, many recommendations we had received about her through the connections we were lucky to have by Yossi and Michi. 
On our first meeting she never gave us a clue for plans of holidays of any kind, except for a conference for which she made sure we met her just before she flew out. Annoying isn't it? this is way I could not resist and I dared to raise it gently to her today, while Eli gently urged me to respect the situation.

But do not worry. The Professor assured us that everything is Under Control - of hers. If necessary or should a dilemma arise, she is to intervene and give her opinion. That was what we wanted to hear. She was also glad for me that the treatment went well and was  nice and empathetic, while complimenting me on the earrings I was wearing. When we left I told her I should hope therefore that there will be no need to see her again, and she agreed with a smile.

Grandma Coco (Colette) my dear mother had arrived at noon. When we got home the laundry was all folded, and she had only storage dilemmas to deal with. The kids had spent the morning with Karen our beloved ex nanny who worked for us a few months ago.

I went to bed after I managed to eat some sweets from Boutique central and to drink lots of green tea. I waited for the feeling of heaviness to settle. The kids knew they had to give me some space today and not to be with me in the room. Except for a few invasions of hugging and kissing they accepted the decision.

Half an hour ago Grandma Coco comes to my room, as she bent over laughing and having difficulties to speak. When she calms down she tells me how she accidentally marched on the fresh new hand color painting done by little David with Karen today, that was put out to dry on the back porch. She told me how she saw her slippers leaving footprints on the floor and how she hopes that David will not notice the new twist created on his painting. I had a good healthy laugh for quite a few minutes. I'll be fine. May it continue like this.