Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Everything will be OK if I repeat numbers six and seven... a lot.

Azriel is fine after surgery, and resting well, Baruch Hashem. He was such a trooper! He was pretty miserable when he woke from the general anesthesia, but that passed. He gave us an award- winning smile just two hours after he woke up. He keeps saying his nose feels stuffed. That's from the swelling from the adenoid removal. B'ezrat Hashem he'll keep getting better and heal fast. I will feel "out of the woods" when we reach Shabbat and he is fine, please Gd. I just want to get over the time period of post- surgical complications. We are on the look-out for bleeding from the nose or mouth, or fever. 98% of me has faith that everything will be fine. :-)

I'm exhausted, even though I had a nice nap this afternoon with Wazi. I have to go to bed soon, but I'll get in a short update beforehand.

Yesterday I spoke with Prof. Giladi, the ID doctor. [BTW- in Israel, 'Professor' is a title given to medical doctors who have achieved excellence in their field with assorted credentials. Not sure what those credentials are, but these guys are often heads of departments, and have published major theses in the medical journals.]

He agreed to be the coordinator and the central voice in my treatment.... what Prof Gur called "a father for the case". So that is good.

We talked about the meeting I had with Prof Gur last week, and the consult he suggested with this Prof. Halperin, whom I am going to on Thursday (at 6am). He said that getting an opinion with Halperin is a very good idea, but that he also wants an opinion from another of his colleagues. I am slightly frustrated that I have to travel again to Ichilov on another day to see yet another doctor, but I trust Prof. Giladi, so I am going to do it.

The colleague he wants to have an opinion from is an orthopedic oncologist. He is the best in the field of dealing with tumors (of many sorts) in joints. I don't like the dark cloud that I feel when I heard he wants me to see an oncologist, but Giladi (ID doctor) said that he can give us an expert opinion of how, or if, to biopsy, and how to excise this tumor. Giladi still feels that the tumor is infectious in nature, and is taking many opinions to come to the best treatment for me. When he gets a picture of how to treat it, then he'll go about figuring out which antibiotic to use so I'm covered when the procedure is going to happen. I really hope there will be another solution that is not Vancomycin. I had such problems with that for many months the last time I was on it; permanent hearing & inner ear difficulties as a result.

I just want this thing out of my hip already. It hurts a lot, and I am taking more advil to make it liveable. But it is scary taking the whole infection thing into account. I want to be out of pain, but I am scared that fussing with this mass in my hip joint could make things worse for me.

Fear. I always suggest to my pregnant women to try to remove the word 'fear' from their lexicon and replace it with the word 'determination' (an idea originally learned from Michal P... megirot. :-). Now I have to do it, too. "Practice what you preach".

In short:

1. Azriel's surgery is over. We are praying for a full recovery for Azriel Josef Ben Sarah Rachel.

2. spoke with Prof. Giladi (ID), the father of my case.

3. Wed. evening (tomorrow) I travel to Modi'in to sleep over at BIL & SIL (& niblings!) house.

4. Thursday morning I go to get an opinion from Orthopedic surgeon/ hip specialist, Prof. Halperin. (Asaf Harofe Hospital)

5. go to orthopedic oncologist (a Proffessor Mellor) for another opinion about taking the mass out of my hip joint. I made that appointment tentatively for March 8th, but the secretary said she'd do her best to get me in sooner.

6. Get as much sleep as possible

7. Give as much love as possible.

3 comments :

  1. Wow! I haven't read for a few days. You've sure had a lot going on lately. I pray for Azriel to continue recovering and for peace for you while he does this. I also pray for your doctors to make good choices and to be able to really make a difference in your health. Sounds like they are all on the right track and you are dealing well with it, albeit tired.

    Get some rest, enjoy your new old nanny, and keep writing.

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  2. Hey, Sarah,
    Good catching up by the blog (but not as much fun as in person). So thrilled to hear Azriel is on the mend. Your no. 7 reminded me of a song my grandfather used to sing: "Love is something when you give it away. Its just like a magic penny. Hold it tight and you won't have any. Spend it, lend it and you'll have so many, they'll roll all over the floor!"

    Sending you much love!
    Miriam

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  3. Hurray for Azriel!!!

    A hearty refuah sheleimah to all who'd like one.

    And hurray for the spirit of determination!

    Larry

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