operation "DAIPIL"

Done. The icky test is done, and it wasn't that bad. Maybe because I was expecting really bad, and that expectation minimized the actual badness. Make sense? Anyway, as a dear friend (and faithful reader) said to me the other day "at least if you do the test, you'll know for sure that this is one thing you can check off the list. Otherwise, you won't know if something could've helped or not" (or to that effect... forgive my paraphrasing, MR!) They said that the results will come to me in the mail *within a month*. Socialized medicine does not lend itself to getting things done quickly. :/

Today also completed the test-gathering phase of operation "DAIPIL", or: Diagnosis At Ichilov for Pain In Leg. (like that one? ;)

The last test I needed to track down was an ultrasound I had done in November on the soft tissue of the thigh. I called the ultrasound place, they said they no longer had it, that I have to get it from my GP. Called the GP, he doesn't have it anymore either, he only saves tests for two months, (or he'd have to find a new office every 6 months, so he says). He said that if the ultrasound lab doesn't have it anymore, we'll just do it again, no problem. OK, dude, maybe no problem *for you*, but it was a really painful test for me. I literally had tears rolling down my face, and had to do labor breathing (for dealing with birth contractions) while the camera was pushed into my sore thigh. Robert was there with me, he was surprised at how much it hurt. I did *not* have any intention of doing that test again. So, I called the ultrasound lab again, and asked them about it, telling them my GP doesn't have it. They said "from November? There is no way we still have that in our system. Get a referral from your GP for another one". To which I responded "I really want to avoid that. It is very painful". Then she had the audacity to say to me "what, ultrasound? It's *not* painful!" Can you believe this!!??
I said to please check the records anyway to make sure. She (ultrasound lab secretary) said "Mrs. Klein, it is one chance in a million that we'd have your pictures from November". I said "I am the one in a million. Please check." So, somehow, something got through to her and she actually went to check. Yup, she found it in 16.2 seconds flat. She was so pleased with herself when she said she'd put it in an envelope with my name on it. I thanked her. :)

So, after the water-in-ear-still-a-bit-nauseous test was over, I went over to the ultrasound place to pick up the pictures from November. There she was, the secretary, still quite pleased with herself. I didn't have to give her a pat on the back, she was doing it all by herself. I thanked her very kindly and left her with with a big smile.

So, now, things are pretty much together to get the file over to Ichilov. The only problem is I actually have to go to Tel Aviv to personally deliver the file. It's a bit crazy, but Prof Bikels' secretary told me there have been many occurrences of lost tests because of mail problems. Even registered mail didn't get to the right place, and has gotten lost. I asked about a courier who'd bring it, and she told me about last week, when a woman sent her tests by courier; he didn't come up to the office, just left it at the main information desk. Lost.
So, either I take them myself, or pay someone I know well to do it the way I need it to be done. I may just go there one morning on the train, drop the file off, and head home on the next departing train. Robert has so much work to do, he doesn't feel like it's worth it for him to go do it instead of me. He'd be home earning money working, and if I stayed home I wouldn't be. Another option is to pay our friend the cab driver (whom we know well) many hundreds of shekels to drive (round trip), park at the hospital (expensive) and hand deliver it to the 8th floor. Round trip for me on a train would be around 80 shekels. And I'd be more confident if I did it myself, taking all things into consideration. But it's a draining thing to do, and it means at least a half day travel, and a half day recovery. But, like the icky test today; if I do it, then it'll be done.

It took me so long, and so much mental and physical energy to chase all these tests down, I cannot imagine having to do it again.

My leg hurts. All day, all night. Advil helps, but I don't have a great relationship with myself with regard to medicating the pain. Taking medication is admitting that it won't go away by itself. And if it won't go away by itself, I am subscribing to the thought that this may be forever. It's different than medicating a headache. You *know* that will go away at some point, it always does.

But this, ...this is all the time. I'm scared as h*ll that it's not going away. I can't live on pain killers, can I. I had this conversation with my good friend RM, who is fighting cancer and having chemo every week (she's around my age). She and her husband were with us for Shabbat. It was a blessing to get that; I've know her since my single days in Jerusalem! Our situations are different, of course, but there are commonalities that we relate to with each other. We talked about the psychology of taking pain killers, and she helped me understand where the resistance comes from. If you want to check out her blog about her life with cancer and being on chemo, it's here.

One day for NF to take me down, almost two years of pain, ...and counting.

hanging in there with faith,
Sarah Rachel Bat Tova

[update on the Sudanese lady with the skin graft problems: I got her an appointment with the head of plastic surgery at Soroka- the 13th of April. Now I have to line up the translator. This particular woman only speaks Arabic. I hope this will really help her get her life back!! I am so happy to be able to help.]