Escape from Ichilov
No it’s not the next James Bond movie, it’s the story of my life in Israel last week. I was there with more problems with my right side of my body like before but the doctors think it is probably just related to stress. Despite their lack of concern they decided to keep me and observe me for 3 days. I am better now and will continue to get some tests runs just to make sure but mostly I was just happy to make my escape. While I was there though I met quite an interesting cast of characters…here is the break down.
Sunday Night: Arrival in the ER
I was surrounded by such entertainment when I was in the ER that at one point one of the doctors actually said “ I know this is unprofessional, but I am having trouble concentrating with all of the soap operas happening around you”. Next to me was a pregnant woman who came in with her husband and another woman. I was a little confused because the husband was flirting with the other woman almost the entire time! Then across from him was a person (still unsure of the sex) in a full length white body suit and platforms who spent the entire time screaming “MOTEK!” (sweetie) and grabbing his/her boobs. Nest to that bundle of joy was a young guy who got sick from his surfing/fishing/hiking excursions. By the time I was wheeled into the old building so I could have a bed for the night, I thought I had seen it all. Oh no.
Monday Morning: Internal Medicine/Neurology
I was only in the internal medicine section because they needed a spot for me, but I am glad I was there because here is where I met Maya. I woke up feeling better on Monday morning but still had some trouble using my right arm. I was a little concerned about how I was going to eat my breakfast but that is where Maya came in. She is an 18 year old Israeli girl who had been in the hospital for 3 days with a kidney infection/fever. She came over and introduced herself and immediately made me feel at ease. She also helped me peel my hard boiled egg and laughed with me as I tried to eat my Israeli salad with my left hand. I had a great time talking to her , she is smart, sweet and funny and I was very sad when they moved me to the neurological unit. I hope she got better quickly and made it home soon.
After breakfast I was moved into the neurology unit. They wanted to run some tests on me to see what the problem was since Ichilov has a fantastic neurology department. At this point I was getting pretty lonely but luckily I was starting to get some visitors. My program directors came (with a plant!) and Guille came down from Jerusalem to spend the day with me. I saw a few different doctors who all tested me by having me follow a pen with my eyes. If one more person asked me to do this I was going to take the pen and shove it where it does not belong. After some more testing they decided they wanted to keep me for another day so that they could run more tests the next day.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Neurology
These days were kind of a blur of tests, Israeli salad and blue pajamas. I got another visit from Guille and from some of the girls in my program. I met about 7,000 more doctors and learned some Hebrew so I guess some progress was made. The doctors eventually let me go free on Wednesday night (although too much longer and I was going to climb out of my 7 story window) and told me that I had nothing to worry about but that they would set me up with an MRI just in case. I went home with Allie and took the best shower of my LIFE, but now before I saw 2 80 year old men racing down the hall in wheelchairs. Ah, Israel. I was really excited to be out of the Hospital before Thursday though because it was almost time for Thanksgiving and we all know how much I like to eat. You’ll hear all about it in the next blog!
Everything is fine though I am feeling much better , so please don’t worry back in the states! I am taking care of myself and I have plenty of people who care about me here and will take care of me if I need. I hope you will enjoyed my stories from Ichilov because I am not planning on going back to gather any more!
