07:52
I'm negotiating with Avi that he should get out of bed. Raising the senseless argument that had he listen to me and gone to bed at 10 PM instead of 11:30 PM, his head would not be hurting now... After several tense moments, including non helpful threats to ban electronic games, I hand him a paracetamol pill, force him to take it and make him fly off to school.
08:20
A phone call from Avi, who sounds alert and full of energy, explaining to me that if I would not bring him at once, a board game and page labels which he forgot, he will not be able to attend a volunteer activity with his friends at a special children's school. Again I lose my temper, when just a few minutes earlier, I was able to eat a bowl of cereal. At least David will cooperate with me and -- get dressed quickly so we can be on time to provide Avi with his essential items for the day...
Children's school Journey dispersion ends - Little David is at kindergarten.
After such a beginning, nothing like a visit to the gym, to exhaust the rest of my renewed energy accumulated towards the end of my previous treatment. Unfortunately two good days were stolen from me due to the Passover holidays and the fact the last treatment started in the middle of the previous week. Fortunately I found a solution for training at the gym with a wig, by tying a bandana around my head, thus ensuring stability and gaining a natural sporty look. Amazing how I can fool everyone with that little fraud on my head ...
09:45
Le Moulin Bakery - better to take with me a fine sandwich, than eat the local AROMA cafe horror. I remember the good days of AROMA cafe15 years ago when it was a local empire in Jerusalem. Memories of the last sandwich Eli brought me from there at the hospital two weeks ago, were not so positive to say the least.
11:10
Tel Hashomer Hospital. Waiting for blood count results takes longer than usual, somehow time passes quickly here. Perhaps it is the music in my ears, perhaps my preoccupation with writing. No doubt that any place can be totally different than what it truly is in the eye of the beholder, with some rhythmic music in his ears. Particularly fine rhythmic music, this time - fila Brazillia, and no, nothing to do with typical Brazilian music.
In the treatments department on one hand I'm pleasantly surprised when a station is immediately available for me, whereas very disappointed when I find out my nurse Iris is not here today : (
If there was any particular medical personnel with whom I spent more than ten minutes at a time and to which I became a little emotionally attached to, it was Iris. I notice my personal physician in the department is sitting right at the front desk, busy behind a computer. I'm standing right in front of her for a long time, but somehow it seems that she makes a special effort to avoid eye contact with the patients around her, and all my attempt to achieve eye contact with her failed miserably. I simply want to say hello... Later I will hear from Eli that she recognised him and said a very nice hello, so it looks like I was fooled by my imagination...
The nurse who previously told me to sit at one of the stations, helplessly informs me that she doesn't know yet who will look after me today and that I should wait. I really don't like the distant feeling from the patients that prevails in the department. It's incongruous with the severity of the disease. I understand that there are a lot of patients, I understand that the nurses are busy. It still makes us - the sick people sort of helpless objects on a conveyor belt... And not that I'm spoiled. Then it hits me - this is what is called being sick in a hospital. Something I had luckily never experienced before, and even today I try not to think of myself in those terms. Thank God my visits in the hospital so far are relatively short, every two weeks for a few hours to be injected with the poison that should kill the disease. Speaking of the poison, It's also the place to mention that it does the job. The treatments are working, according to my physician and my surgeon whom we visited last weekend. The lumps had shrunk, and may even shrink more and disappear within the next treatments. Certainly encouraging news, but as my surgeon explained, it does not cancel the planned surgery and following radiations. Well, I'm sticking to the original big plan. My goal - to win at all costs.
Eli is sitting in front of me working vigorously - His last presentation created in the same environment we are sitting in today, was very successful and has contributed greatly to the hot phase it's currently facing with the investors.
I'm crying out for 'orange juice' infusion for over an hour now. My nurse Iris has taken the day off, and I am at the mercy of the other nurses who find it difficult to welcome me ... At least we found a position to sit and wait in. I'm about to fall asleep on the couch mostly due to the learning material I brought with me towards the Priority final course exam....
15:10
The nurse comes to connect me to orange juice infusion. She asks me substantive questions. She looks obviously tired from this day... in the background she is being called by her name, she is needed to finish up with more patients. My heart goes out to her. It is noted this is not simple for her. When I see Iris on my next treatment I will tell her how much I had missed her. I return to the music realms.
Leaving the treatment department I didn't want to complain before, but I swear this time, from the beginning I felt pain from the infusion connection. While waiting for Eli who went to bring the car from the distanced parking (The sign on the local parking lot stated again: Cancer department - Full) I discover the swelling of my hand where the infusion was connected. It would not have happened with my nurse, Iris.
I'm so glad to find my dear mother at our home again. She will be staying with me for a whole week. What -- fun. It is Independence Day tomorrow. If all goes according to the previous pattern, I will be able to go out in the evening and watch the fireworks. Do you know when I last watched a fireworks display with my mom? Seems to me that it was over 30 years ago....
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