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October 20, 2024

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Hizbulla war, Israel Gaza war, Israeli-Gaza War, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, medical centers, MidEast, War stories

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Deep Underground (to Cathy & Harv & Mona-). 20 October, 2024. Day 380

What an interesting time and place in which we live! Life during wartime goes on as ‘normally’ as possible here. If you ask me to describe Israelis with one word it would be RESILIENT.

Shabbat began for us with a heavy barrage of missiles that continued in bursts about 20-30 minutes apart until about 01:00. It was all around us, but in our part of town we didn’t get a siren. At 06:29 (sunrise) we were awakened with my phone going off. “TSEVAH ADOM! TSEVAH ADOM! TSEVAH ADOM!!” I looked and saw the missiles were headed towards the Haifa suburbs, the Krayot.

The volleys from Hizbulla continued throughout the day. My phone would go off; I’d check to see where they were headed (whew! pray!); we’d hear sirens in the distance; go about what we were doing as normally as possible (breakfast, packing for our upcoming trip, reading); wait for and count the booms. Sometimes the thunder came low from the distance, other times it seemed as if it was overhead and the windows would rattle and the house jolt a bit. Keep calm and carry on. What else can one do? Resiliency. How I love this word!

In addition to the missiles falling as far south as Zikron Ya’akov area (south of Haifa), Iranian supplied drones were flying in from Lebanon carrying payloads of explosives. Several were shot down. This is nothing new. Last weekend, the situation escalated as a drone snuck through and got as far as an army base in Binyamina (towards the center of Israel just east of Caesarea). It was planned. 07:15. The soldiers were all gathered in the mess hall. Boom!!! No warning. The drone hit and exploded the dining hall.p

In that incident, 3 soldiers were critically wounded, 14 in serious condition. They were helicoptered to nearby hospitals. Another set of drones, which went undetected by radar, were again launched that last Sunday evening following the same path. One was intercepted by an F-15, the other slipped through and hit another dining hall in a military training center near Caesaria. This time, 4 soldiers died, 62 of the new recruits were injured. It was the highest casualty toll in a single day since the war started a year ago. Just how did Hizbulla know where and when to strike for maximum impact? Satellite imagery?

Ofri Tamari, 19; Yosef Hieb, 19, a Bedouin Israeli soldier; Yoav Agmon, 19; Alon Amitai, 19 All Golani soldiers in training

Most of the drones are made from plastics. They fly at very low altitudes, are incredibly fast, and can fly between buildings and trees as they are controlled remotely by operators. Yesterday, Hizbulla launched more of these suicide drones. In one swarm, three were shot down and one flew as far as Caesaria, exploding near the publicly known private residence of the Netanyahu’s. This was very serious and takes the war to a whole new level as it targeted the Prime Minister directly.

John and I left home at 6 this morning, just as light was brightening the eastern sky. He is having a colonoscopy at Rambam Hospital in Haifa and we needed to leave early. All of the hospitals in the North have literally moved underground. That way they won’t be affected by bombing. Rambam was the first to do this.

The Sammy Ofer fortified medical center was begun in 2002 in response to the Second Intifada. Three stories underground is the hospital parking lot. In the event of emergency or war, the structure can be converted into a full service 2000-bed medical facility in 36 hours. The entire space is sanitized and services like oxygen, gasses for anesthesia, power cables, water are piped in from the ceiling and within the walls.

Post surgical suite
Carts wrapped, sterile & waiting
Medical resiliency
All hospital bays once parking stalls
Storage carts stand ready
Oxygen piped in
Reception
In reserve

I sit here writing as John has his procedure. There was a red alert for the Haifa suburbs just 5 minutes ago. Down here in the deep underground I neither heard sirens nor felt the ground tremble beneath my chair. John will be anesthetized in the parking garage. All of the medical staff and necessary equipment is there. Surgeries are all on the lowest level. It’s an amazing sight to behold. On the level above, -2, newborn babies cry in their little cots. So far this month over 70 babies have been born here. I pray the rest of the facilities never have to be used.

After his procedure, John was moved to hetosh’shoot, recovery, which was upstairs on main floor near the emergency room. Another siren. This time I heard it. All the patients and their caregivers were wheeled into a protected space by the nurses. Calmly. Calmly. “Opa!!Welcome to Israel!” Well that was just a little exciting. We waited for the sound of booms as the rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome overhead. Bang! Bang! boom! Boom! Bang! Wait 10 minutes. All safe. Time to get wheeled back.

Doctors, nurses and patients waiting out the missiles in a protected area It’s a little nuts now that I look at it.

In other news, the fighting in southern Lebanon has intensified as more terror tunnels are uncovered there (what else is new?). There is so much evidence that Hizbulla was planning another Gaza Envelope infiltration into northern Israel and massacre. We can hear the explosions from our house. Yet the children are playing outside, albeit close to home and the workers are doing their jobs reconstructing the house below us. Another brigade of reservists was called up for active duty yesterday. All are reservists, and all are highly trained.

I couldn’t believe this but it’s verified from a friend. Not all of the soldiers going in still have up-to-date protective gear. They still have the old helmets and vests (without ceramic plates) from 1973. This is more than outrageous. It’s a matter of their lives and death. Chaya Hitin started Unit 11741 to raise money for helmets and breastplates. She and Daniel Mael (aka The Maelman) started a production facility in Netanya, Israel to make the bulletproof helmets and plates to give full coverage for the soldiers. The helmets can be camouflaged or mounted with a camera. Please help them help the soldiers by donating to unit11741.com. You can read all about them on their website.We fully support the work they are doing. 100% of the donations go directly to the manufacturing of the protective gear.

Five more young soldiers fell in battle in southern Lebanon. May the memories of their lives be a blessing to all. We can hear when the helicopters go overhead bringing the casualties of war to Rambam.

Maj. Ofer Bachar, 24; Capt. Elad SimanTov, 23; st.Sgt. Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, 22; st.Sgt. Yakov Hillel, 21; st Sgt. Yehudah Dror Yahalom, 21.

And another heartbreaking death. After serving in the Border Patrol unit, Adair Kaddish, 33, became a police officer. He was engaged to be married in three weeks… but was shot by a terrorist at an intersection south of Tel Aviv. The assassin was eliminated shortly thereafter.

Also, two more fell yesterday, Sgt. Ofer Berkovich,20, and Sgt. Elishai Young, a Hebrew African from Dimona (originally from the U.S.). They were warriors of the 401st battalion in Gaza.

In other news, Israel has once again given in to US pressure. The reprisal from Israel against Iran’s huge ICBM attack last month has still not come. Biden/Harris have called for Netanyahu to hold off (until after the election?) and have called for limits on possible targets. No oil production or refineries can be hit. Nuclear facilities are all off limits.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has seriously been trying to work with the White House, but too many parameters have been set on how to conduct this war. Too many secrets have been leaked by the administration to the press. Israel has been very concerned, especially now, as this seems to have happened again. Quietly, secretly over the weekend, classified Pentagon information concerning the strategic and tactical plans against Iran were leaked to CNN and other mainstream media outlets. They have since been circulated on Telegram and other social media. The authenticity of the documents from October 15 and October 16 was confirmed. They contained vital information on air strikes against Iran sourced to the National Security Agency. Supposedly, this will be examined by the FBI.

This has happened multiple times, in the Obama administration and in the Biden administration. If American is Israel’s friend, who needs more enemies? It is further isolating this tiny country, forcing the people – the government, the military and the general citizenry – to rely on G-d alone.

Enough of the bad news, now for the good. We received the test results and John is free and clear of cancer. Woohoo! Baruch HaShem!!! He’s officially cured! This is amazing! I’ve years ago he was given little to no chance. It was a long battle, but he is cured! Yaaaaay!

The next bit of news is that we made plans quite some time ago to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in Italy. We leave Tuesday night and we will rent a car, and go from Milan/Lake Como in the North to Mantua, Venice, Ravenna, Florence,Pitigliano, Siena, Arezzo, SanGrimignano, through Tuscany to Luca, Assisi, Pompey/Herculaneum, the Amalfi Coast, Naples and Rome. Great art, beautiful scenery, an opera in Florence, gondola ride with serenade, stops to see friends, the food!! Archaeological wonders I’ve studied and taught… it will be amazing. We’re pulling out all the stops. We ‘ll be gone for three weeks.

I’ll be keeping up with the news from time to time. If anything major occurs that you might not hear, I shall let you know. For the time being, it’s ciao, ciao!

POSTSCRIPT, 30 minutes later. News updates:

Two barrages of missiles were fired this morning by Hizbulla from Lebanon targeting Israeli civilians. In Akko, a rocket directly hit a vehicle, critically wounding a man who later succumbed to his injuries. The attack left at least nine others wounded with varying degrees of injuries.

In Kiryat Atta, a 28 year old man was seriously injured by shrapnel from a direct rocket impact, while a man and a woman in their 40s sustained injuries from the same blast. Several individuals have been treated by paramedics for anxiety. Over 60 rockets at a time were launched towards Akko, Haifa, the Haifa suburbs and Uoper Galilee.

Yesterday, a man in his 50s was killed in Akko by falling shrapnel.

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February 7, 2024

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Day 124. War Update. 7 February, 2024

We’ve had 14 days straight of rain and finally the sun is shining. But more on that later.

The IDF is doing a stellar job of flooding some of the Northern Gaza tunnels and filling in more. Terrorists dressed as civilians have been venturing back into Northern Gaza ‘to check on their properties,’ but it has turned out to be a most deadly ruse on two separate occasions.

Mostly Northern Gaza is cleared. The same with Southern Gaza. The IDF have surrounfed the Hamas stronghold of Khan Younis. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated, “We are completing our mission in Khan Younis , we will also reach Rafah and we will kill every terrorist there.”

The Israeli military, so far, has been skirting around fighting around large civilian populations, trying to minimize the number of casualties. They have limited their air strikes and drone surveillance at the behest of the Biden administration. This means the soldiers are going home to home looking for terrorists, arms, tunnel shaft openings and information. They haven’t been disappointed.

In almost EVERY home, many have to be cleared before entering because they are mined with explosives, the IDF soldiers have found massive amounts of weapons. These include guns and ammo: from pistols (homemade Don Karlo’s), rifles, automatic weapons, grenades, to RPGs. Sometimes they are hidden in kitchen pantries and children’s bedrooms.

Very surprisingly, in almost EVERY home they have uncovered tunnel shaft openings leading to the wider underground “Gaza Metro System.” The underground tunnels are much more extensive then Israel ever imagined, being longer totaled that the London or NYC metro. Each home has an opening leading to multiple layers underground of passageways. (Confirming, unfortunately, the idea that most Gaza residents are at least complicit, if not full blown militants).

The Times of Israel reported in mid January that the Gaza tunnels stretch for at least 350 miles- with up to 6000 separate shafts found thus far. It’s like a giant complex ant farm. And Gaza is only 140 square miles in area.

All of this is being extensively recorded and documented by the IDF for posterity, as it will be defense in probable international court cases. Several tunnels are wide enough for large trucks to pass through. Others are equipped with bathrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms, storage facilities, dungeon-like jail cells, surgical/medical facilities.

Speaking of which:

We’re you aware that there were 83 hospitals in Gaza????? 83!!!! UN sponsored hospitals. Italian Hospital. Scottish Hospital. French Hospital. Irish Hospital. On and on and on it goes. 83 hospitals. In all of the Northern Israel from Haifa up, there are only 16 (some are very small private hospitals). In all of the hospitals, weapons, uniforms and tunnels have been found. With all of their vast medical network, Gazans traveled regularly every day into Israel for treatment- cancers, pediatric, cardiology, even reconstructive plastic surgery for women who have had acid thrown at them.

Speaking of surgeries and recovery, Israel has been blessed with some miraculously quick recoveries. Not always complete, but miraculous nonetheless.

NES gadol!!! Huge miracle!!

Part miracle, part perspicacity. Mayan goes to physical therapy daily. The 21 year old lost both legs in a tunnel explosion, but it is not stopping him. He is totally determined to overcome all odds and get on with life. He will receive prosthetic legs within the month.

On the morning of 7 October, the Golan family was awakened by red alert missile firings. That was nothing new for them as they were residents of Kfar Aza. But it didn’t stop. Soon they heard the noise of gunfire. And Arabic cursing outside their window. Speaking with family members on the phone, they were told to lock themselves inside their safe room.

Evyatar Hogeg, the brother of Elliah stayed in touch with his sister, her husband, Ariel and their 18 month baby, Yael for over six hours. Then Elliah said, “Pray for us. They are inside.” That was the last he heard until he received a call from Sheba Medical Center telling him to go to the ER immediately. The family was there, but in bad shape. Hamas had attempted to burn them alive.

Elliah had 3rd degree burns over 60% of her body. She also suffered extreme laryngeal and respiratory distress . Ariel, her husband had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over his extremities and lower torso. The baby, Yael also had burns over her head, limbs and body and was rushed to the pediatric burn unit. Elliah and Ariel were in the ICU of the burn center, sedated and intubated… placed into temporary comas.

The baby was the first to wake up after 2 1/2 weeks. She was cared for by her grandmothers who took turns at her side. Bandaged over most her body, she is now fairly active and beginning to speak.

Ariel woke up next by hearing his daughter’s voice. When she was able to have visitors, the Sheba staff wheeled Ariel in his hospital bed to see his baby. Soon he, too, was up and walking on crutches with daily rehab. His desire was to see his wife.

Elliah still remains heavily sedated, but is off the ECHO breathing system. Her husband pleads with her,”We are waiting for you. We want you to be strong. We will hear your voice again soon. Enough. Come on. Come back.” He strikes her head. She recognizes him, but still has a long way to go and needs all our prayers.

Elliah & Ariel Golan August, 2023

Ariel now stays with Yael, eats meals with her, and his bed has been moved so they share a room in the hospital. He says, “We didn’t survive all this for only two of us to go back. It must be all three of us. It can’t be otherwise.”

Evyatar, Elliah’s brother commented that “The people doing these atrocities are not people who want freedom. They just want blood. Jewish blood. Whatever happens, we’re waking up in a different country. We’re not going to be the same Israel. Maybe, just maybe, it will be a good thing. A loving Israel, a united Israel.”

Please pray for this family. It will be a long haul for all.

Baltimore’s Elman Retina Group’s Dr. Sid Schechet Heroically Restores Sight to Wounded Israeli Soldier
Beer Sheva, Israel – Feb. 1, 2024 – (BJL) Sid Schechet, M.D. of the Elman Retina Group, took two weeks off from his busy practice to volunteer as a retina surgeon at the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva. Soroka is the major trauma center for wounded soldiers. Since arriving on Monday, Dr. Schechet has been operating non-stop for more than twelve hours daily, helping to restore vision to severely wounded soldiers and anyone else in need. He has shared innovative surgical techniques he developed with the excellent staff in Israel. Dr. Schechet also arranged for a special laser valued at $200,0000 to be shipped to Israel, which allows for the repair of retinal tears in the ICU in soldiers that cannot be moved to the Eye Clinic. Periodically, he shares his experiences with the Elman Retina Group staff members. Here is one such story.

“I hope all is well on the home front. Today was another doozy but filled with miracles in so many ways. Here’s a nice quick story:

This young hero is a soldier who sustained a bilateral open globe with metallic foreign bodies. He was blasted by Hamas while sleeping with his team, and unfortunately, they all died. He was the lone survivor, with injuries from top to bottom. I honestly didn’t know what would happen to him after I repaired his severely damaged eyes earlier in the week. I was scared for when he’d first awaken to hear what happened to his team and to then to open his eyes only to realize he had no vision.

He woke up last night and realized what happened to his team and that he couldn’t see. Despite this, he immediately requested to return to his battalion to continue fighting against the terrorists. Today, when I examined him again, he miraculously could see parts of the letters I brought from my kids made for wounded soldiers. We both cried. It’s been stuff like that every second, exhausting but very uplifting.”

Given the extent and severity of his injuries, Dr. Schechet was concerned that the soldier, despite the surgical repair, would never be able to see anything again, but the Ribono Shel Olam ( the creator off the world) thought otherwise.

Our G-d truly is good and merciful. There are thousands of victims. People are suffering not only physically but emotionally and mentally. But Israelis are a resilient, determined bunch. There is so much support here in hospitals, with social services, rehab specialists, psychologists and of course, the miraculous from Above that we all depend upon.

As an update to this story : I just found out the main leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, living a life of opulence and luxury in Qatari exile, has a sister who lived in Gaza. She is now in an Israeli hospital being treated for an aggressive form of cancer. I’m sure she will get the best of treatment and then be released back to Gaza…. To commit acts of terror as did Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar?????

Today John and I took a long walk, the longest is ages, We went to a nearby mountaintop village. Absolutely spectacular!!!!! The scenery. The sun. The flowers. The homes. Birds chirping. It was such a peaceful break.

Tomorrow I will feature this community. I hope to be starting something new- because there is so much antisemitism, most Israelis are still more than convinced Israel remains the safest place. I will be featuring a different community: a moshav or kibbutz, a village or city, each with a unique flavor. If anyone is interested in making Aliyah, I’ll be more than glad to help. In the meantime, my weekly “Get to know the places better…” Come travel the Land with me vicariously.

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January 26, 2024

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There’s a crack in Everything. That’s how the light gets in. -Leonard Cohen. War Stories Day 112. 26 January, 2024

Yesterday was Tu b’Shvat in Israel. It’s the oldest Earth Day on record, a new year….for trees. It’s been on the Hebrew calendar for centuries. We celebrate by eating produce native to the land of Israel, namely dates, figs, pomegranates, grapes, barley, wheat and olives. And we plant trees. Fruit trees and sturdy oak, cedars and pine, eucalyptus and carob and nut trees.

This year trees were planted at the graves of fallen soldiers. An entire citrus orchard was planted outside Sderot (Gaza Envelope) for victims of 7 October. There were over 1000 orange and grapefruit trees placed in the ground in memorial.

Outside Kibbutz Nahal Oz a shade grove was planted. One for each of the 249 people taken captive into Gaza. It was very moving. There were red ribbons wrapped around each tree representing a returned hostage. Black ribbon for those who did not make it. And yellow for those still presumed alive in Hamas or PIJ captivity.

Another moving shade forest was planted at the site of the Re’em field where the peace concert took place. Friends and family put a tree in the ground at the site their loved one was found slain. Each tree had a picture of the deceased and an article of clothing hung from a stake in front of the tree. These will be permanent memorials. They celebrate death. We plant trees and celebrate new life.

Coincidentally, since 7 October, Israel has been blessed with a baby boom seen at no other time in its history. Maternity wards are filled to overflowing. In the early days of the war, and even now with many husbands gone, greater numbers of women are choosing to have a home birth with a midwife. There are many that are afraid to leave the house alone at night to travel to a hospital, so home births have boomed.

Batsheva had a home birth
Her baby is named Amichai, my people live
A dad comes home from the front to see his new baby
Triplets were born to a couple who survived 7 October massacre

This week Elya and Novo were released from their unit after over 50 days of heavy combat in Khan Younis, Gaza. Both of their wives went into labor on the same day. The women share a recovery room and the new fathers have a week leave to be with the families. Brothers in arms; brothers in childbirth. Mazal tov!!

Meet Battalion 8103. They went into Northern Gaza from the beginning. Since 18 October, 29 babies have been born to this special group of elite soldiers.

Another heartwarming story:

And lastly, a friend sent around this pregnancy announcement from her daughter. Her son-in-law is a reservist serving in Samaria. This will be her third grandchild- B”H is an abbreviation for Barukh haShem or Praise the Lord

Israel is entering into its 4th month of the war. So far, over 32,000 soldiers have been injured. Over 400 critically. Since military tactics have been changed to appease the US requests for scaling back and slowing down, more soldiers have been wounded. The use of surveillance drones to make pinpoint surgical strikes is gone. Both sides are now incurring more casualties.

Yet despite the high numbers of wounded, this war is seeing the lowest death rate percentage wise (IDF) than any other war in history. Major medical advancements have been made. Each unit is trained in triage and battle care so as to stanch bleeding as medics are called in. Tank units become mobile ICUs, containing full ambulance equipment and paramedics including surgeons, anesthetists. Type O blood is held in reserve, so that for the first time in history blood transfusions can be started in a tank or helicopter. Surgeons are lined up in operating theaters awaiting the injured.

The mortality rate stands at 6.7%. This is a decrease of more than double. According to the data, the average time from injury to the operating room stands at 1 hour and 6 minutes. This is for Gaza and for the West Bank. If war were to break out with Hizbulla, these statistics would be quite higher due to the larger area, more difficult terrain and proximity to hospitals. Thus, field hospitals will be set up at strategic locations along the northern front in event of escalating hostilities.

The soldiers of the IDF realize that this is an existential fight- if they don’t protect the land on 4 fronts (Hamas/Gaza; PA radicals/West Bank; Houthi rebels/Eilat; Hizbulla/North). Israel would be wiped out. The country is united in their mission. Our soldiers, especially those that have given up everything in sacrifice for their loved ones, are being hailed for their valiant efforts.

I believe this attitude helps make all the difference in the recovery of the patient. They know their sacrifices were not in vain. We salute them and thank them and owe our lives to their bravery. Medical advances are being made in the areas of physical and occupational therapy. Prosthetic limbs are helping amputees get back to living more quickly. And a robotic type exoskeleton has been developed to help paraplegics stand and walk again.

Amitai Argamon was in one of the first units to enter a booby trapped building in Beit Hanoi. Four of his friends were killed. Five others were seriously wounded. At the initial blast, a wall fell on Amitai, crushing both legs beyond repair. He was on the verge of death, with almost no pulse, but a strong will to survive and a stronger faith in the Lord.

He knew to stay alert and talk with his rescuers, answering questions and asking questions of the paramedics continually engaging. The doctors at Ichilov made the split decision to do a double amputation which also saved his life. Amitai, surrounded by family and friends, medical staff and personalities from the Israeli music and film industry and religious groups, was in ICU for a month. He has remained an inspiration and encouragement to everyone.

“I knew that I was fighting for my family and for my home. I know my life has been preserved by the Lord. There is a reason I’m still here. There is a special purpose I will now have for my life. We are a strong and resilient people. There is always hope. There is strength in G-d and strength in Unity. Together we will win,” stated Amitai with a smile.

Even in the darkness the Light shines for the upright…

Shabbat shalom and May we have a peaceful weekend-

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October 1, 2019

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Craziness

Some say it’s the European model. Most explain it as an effect of socialized medicine. Add to that cultural and religious idiosyncrasies and I call it craziness.

If you read my last blogpost, you’ll know where I’m coming from (read it now to catch up). John was hospitalized a couple weeks ago, undergoing major abdominal surgery. Even though we were at the highest rated medical center in the MidEast, medical care was still very different from the US in many ways.

Because we have socialized medicine, the doctors and nurses make nowhere near what they make in the States. So, the care is very basic. No frills. No extras. The patient is monitored and given medications, IVs are given, drains and bags changed. That’s about it for nursing care. Most people have a designated caregiver who stays with the patient throughout their hospital stay. It’s a bit on the crazy side.

I was the caregiver for my husband. I fed him and helped him out of bed. I supported him on his walks around the hall; showered him; changed his bed linens (I brought pillows and blankets, towels and washcloths from home… through experience). When he needed something from the nurse, I went and got it… all typical for the caregiver. Things nurses or attendees would do elsewhere. As there was no TV, I would read to him (Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad) and raise or lower the bed.

Following last weeks’ debacle on Shabbat when I was caught in a world where everything was closed, I started panicking Sunday night. Perhaps it was exhaustion from sitting/sleeping bedside in a plastic chair, but my imagination was running fast and free. The High Holy Days we’re fast approaching. Friday and Saturday Shabbat followed by Sunday through Tuesday Rosh HaShannah. Yikes. What would that look like at the hospital? I’d be trapped in all respects!

All transportation would be down. All shops, stores, restaurants would be closed for five days. They would be on a skeletal nursing staff… I found out later there would be four nurses and one intern on the floor per shift. The only food for the caregivers would be that which was brought in by friends and relatives beforehand. What would I do?

There was talk on Tuesday about placing stable patients on “khofesh” or vacation/break/holiday from the hospital. So, if John was stable enough, he would be allowed to go home on “vacay” so to speak. Thursday evening until Wednesday morning. He’d still be admitted. Same room. Same everything. He’d just get to go home. I’m completely serious. It sounded like pure craziness.

I learned how to put the medicine in the little cup on the mask and give breathing treatments by nebulizer …. every four hours. No biggie. I used to do this with my son when he was little. Next came learning to give subcutaneous injections of blood thinner… once a night in the thigh to prevent embolisms. I can do this. Also intramuscular injections of another medication. Emptying a drain, a little plastic hollow donut attached to a tube inside the abdomen that sticks out of Johns side like a pocket watch on a chain and fob. Sheer craziness.

There were a couple more unpleasantries, but I learned everything I needed. A bit of IV morphine was given before he was “disconnected” and we were off. Backseat. Pillows to tuck in. Two hour car ride. Into the house. Up two flights of stairs. Into the bed. We made it. John was wiped out but home.

I had picked up catered meals for two weeks. I had an emergency nurse on speed dial on my phone. I had all the meds and all my instructions. I could do this! At least we were home and I could get some sleep in my own bed, take a shower, and enjoy a proper meal. And Max was home most of the time to help as well.

My parents always wanted me to be a doctor. For once, I felt like one. As of today, all is well. The patient is resting comfortably. I even snuck out of the house to go to synagogue yesterday for the New Year service.

The synagogue a block from my house is Sephardic/Moroccan. I had never been to such a place. Most of the old prayers and liturgy I remembered were there, but the melodies chanted and sung were completely unfamiliar. There were many additions to the services…. I really loved it. Even though there were separate men’s and women’s worship sections, all the ladies participated wholeheartedly. When I lost my place in the prayerbook, several different women were more than glad to help me out. It was a totally memorable experience and I cannot wait to return.

Tomorrow morning, first thing, we pack John back into the backseat with all the tubes and lines attached. The drive back down to Sheba should be uneventful… I can do it in my sleep by now. I have no idea how long he’ll be there. I’m thinking not more than a day or two since he’s already been home and all went well. Still, this entire process has been sheer craziness for me.