The good- Free wireless in the ER!
The bad- one mistake after another and no central communication
Last week we had our introduction to Israeli hospitals. I know it was bound to happen sooner or later, but we are all generally healthy and so it always sort of seemed like something we would just get away without having to deal with.
Anyhow, Thursday of last week I woke up with a really sore spot on the back of my neck. It felt like a terrible bruise, but I figured I must have banged myself without realizing it. By that night there was a big bump and it was tender, but, as I really hate doctors, I decided to continue ignoring it. Friday was much the same, but by shabbat I was in so much pain I decided I would call after shabbat to see when I could get an appointment.
The first one I could get with my doctor was for the following Thursday. Ok, I would stiff it out.
I woke up Sunday morning and could not turn my neck. MY head hurt all up the left side to my ear, and moving my shoulder would send spasms of pain down my arm and my back. I called the doctor's office and said I needed to see someone, anyone, ASAP.
they put me in with a new doctor for later that day. Within about 2 minutes of seeing me, she said we needed to go to the Emergency room at Hadassah Ein Kerem (HEK). That it was an infected abscess, probably caused by a scratch or something, but it needed to be dealt with immediately. She gave me a piece of paper that I needed to gain admittance to the ER, and off we went.
Great, how does one get to HEK on short notice with no car? Fortunately we have amazing friends and Lorien offered to loan us their car and to watch Channah. We drove off on what is a stunning drive that I could not particularly enjoy. Got there, saw the entrance to the hotel, found parking, walked through the giant mall to get to the emergency room.
At the ER, we checked in and opened a file. They took the letter she sent, detailing everything about why I was there. Scanned it in to the computer, than apparently added a "DO NOT READ" stamp since apparently no one ever looked at it again before sending us to triage.
Triage was fairly standard, except for the fact that my normally VERY low blood pressure was elevated. No worries, said the nurse, it is probably because you in a lot of pain, I am sure it is temporary (incidentally, she was right. The next morning when I went to the local nurses station to have the bandage changed, it was back to well within normal ranges)- however that does not mean that I did not hear about how terrible my high blood pressure was from everyone else all night long!
I was actually really impressed with how efficient the ER was- we were seen really quickly. They said it did need to be dealt with, gave me a painkiller and said see me in 45 minutes once it had time to kick in. They used a local anesthetic, dealt with it, bandaged it up, gave me a dose of IV antibiotics and a script for pills the next morning. I tried to tell them I was pretty sure it was not drained properly as I knew how big it was and saw how little they got out of it, but they insisted I was wrong. They gave me a form to take back to my doctor, and off we went. Start to finish about 4 hours.
Jason went to fill the script the next morning. Apparently, it could be filled, but not at our insured rates because it was not written as a maccabi script. So Jason ran with the script down to the doctors office (he took the form also- she looked at it and then gave it back) to have it transferred. While there he mentioned I could not turn my head still, so they told him I should come back in right away.
So I went to have the bandaged changed at the local nurses station. I was in AGONY. She told me it was bandaged really badly. Much too tight and it was cutting off circulation and not letting me move my arm/neck at all. She re-bandaged it and ordered in some of the good bandage she was using, told us to get it in the morning, and home we went.
Spent all day in worsening pain. Next morning Jason went to get the bandage that had been ordered. The doctor I saw was there and when Jason mentioned I was still in pain she pretty much ordered me back down.
Down I go. she takes one look at it, tells me it is not drained, and sends me back to the ER RIGHT A WAY. Now how do we get there this time. No one we know with cars are available. We ended up taking a taxi. No idea how we would get home. That was for later.
Went through the whole thing again, again with the high blood pressure (although only half of where it was the first night) and the nurse being the only one to recognize that it was because I was in obscene amounts of pain (and now had not slept since Thursday!) only this time, I also got yelled at by every single medical professional for not bringing back the release paper from 2 days earlier! Of course they could not just look up on the computer what antibiotic I was on or who I had seen previously- that was impossible.
I got put in line to see an orthopedic surgeon. Why? I have no idea. I tried to tell them that is not what I needed, but they told me he would be there in 15 minutes. Ok, so I waited. An hour and 45 minutes later he calls me, rips off the bandage, pokes at the thing for minute or two, then tell me it is not his problem and goes to yell at the nurse who put me in that line. Another hour to wair for a regular surgeon.
Finally see the right doctor, he looks at it, yells at me for not bringing the release papers from the earlier visit (I had no idea I am supposed to bring my whole medical file every time I go in!) Drains it, bandages it, puts me on a different antibiotic, and sends us home. Thankfully, Lorien was able to come get us.
So I now have 2 huge nasty incisions on the back of my neck and a bandage that is killing me every time it is changed because the adhesive is destroying my skin- but, other than the ache from the cuts, I am mostly pain free. I do have a list of complaints that is much more detailed that I am sending to the patient advocate at HEK (you know, like trying to give me medication I am allergic to and not listening to me when I say NO!) but on the whole it was better than I expected, but not as good as I would have hoped.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Big News :)
Tonight Channah will get her first visit from the tooth fairy :)
This has, of course, led to numerous interesting conversations over the last few days including
-does anyone know the current tooth to shekel exchange rate?
-Ima- do I need to leave my window open so she can get in? But what about my screeeeeeeeeeen????
-How does she come to so many places in one night?
She learned it from Santa. Who *ahem* of course learned it from Eliyahu
She will not let us take a picture until she "gets used to how she looks now".
This has, of course, led to numerous interesting conversations over the last few days including
-does anyone know the current tooth to shekel exchange rate?
-Ima- do I need to leave my window open so she can get in? But what about my screeeeeeeeeeen????
-How does she come to so many places in one night?
She learned it from Santa. Who *ahem* of course learned it from Eliyahu
She will not let us take a picture until she "gets used to how she looks now".
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Splitting a Community
"There are two sides to every argument, but I don't have time to listen to yours."
In the months leading up to our Aliyah, a peeping tom was caught for the second time outside our building. This time he was caught with his pants down (literally). Tom happened to belong to our community and was regularly seen at our shul. We decided to make a minimal amount of information public so people could take steps to protect themselves. The community rallied around Tom as they perceived him to be the injured party. Numerous people claiming to represent the Rabbi put pressure on those involved to keep the story quiet. Tom needed to be helped by the community and avoid facing the Justice System.. We were told that if we didn't like it we could leave.
The people who were hurt by the incident were of no concern to anyone. The victim moved back home with her family, undoing a year's worth of effort by tenants of our building to get out the previous drug dealing family. She was replaced by another drug dealing family. The older single mother who had caught Tom was terrified as she was told by police they considered it to be a gateway crime. Of course Rachel was terrified at night or when she was alone, especially since we lived on the ground floor and I would play hockey late at night. Aliyah happened to be our escape from dealing with the issue head on.
Our community has three mikvahs. There is Dolev at the top of the hill which is the nicest and newest. It is in close proximity to most of the Datei Leumi (DTL) community. Further down the hill is Lachish, which is currently closed for renovations. It is in close proximity to the more Charedi community. The Luz mikvah is supposed to be privately built million plus dollar to serve the Charedi community. At this point it is more of a bargaining chip, than having any realistic prospects of being built.
When the new Charedi Mayor came to power, there were plans to replace the Rabbis in charge of the Mikvahs. Our Rabbi who was heavily involved in protecting the DTL community's interests gave a personal guarantee, nobody would ever be subjected to an unwanted 2o minute "Mehadrin" Bedikah. One day Rachel did go to the Mikvah and was subjected to the "Mehardin" experience. She came home bleeding and in tears. We later learned the Mikvah had been split in half and Rachel had ended up on the Charedi side.
A few weeks ago someone posted that the Charedi Rabbis were once again taking over the Mikvah and action should be taken to stop it. Part of the political horse trading that lead to the original split was that the Charedi would take over Dolev and the DTL would take control over Lachish. The mikvahs would be traded again when the never to be built Luz mikvah was built. The political part of the agreement has been broken. Although it presents legal issues, it is not relevant to the needs of the community.
A local Rabbi (who's shul attracts a similar crowd to when we were in TO) had one of his henchman post to the list that everything the person said was not true. The Rabbi should be contacted for clarification. Rachel challenged the claim and was turned over to e-mailing the Rabbi. He was surprised she didn't report her experience to him. Going to our Rabbi who went to the Rav of the city didn't seem like a logical course of action to him. At his request she went into great detail as to what happened. Without answering any questions, he said that he would not continue by e-mail, he would be available for a meeting in person but not for at least another week.
A number of concerns emerged about the change in control. Numerous women have had similar experiences to Rachel. There had been a sign that it was forbidden for women to toivel at Ben HaShmashot on Friday night. According to Sephardic tradition this is the ideal time to go. Waiting until night fall to accommodate the Ashkenaz tradition forces them to deal with leniencies they cannot rely on. There is a legitimate fear that some women will simply skip out on this important mitzvah if it is made to difficult. Another variable is the DTL half of the mikvah was getting twice as many people as the Charedi side. It is not very often that there is such a clear cut way of measuring preference for one methodology over another.
The Rabbi mentioned before had the Charedi position clarified. As he does not write in his own name, a post written and approved by someone who interview the Rabbi sufficed. In the comments section the writer was forced to conclude that the Rabbi felt any complaints against the Charedi Mikvah were outright lies. The DTL had been pushing for Rav Ovadiah Yoseph to take up the Sephardic cause. As the spiritual head of Shas he could use his political power, especially since the Mayor belongs to Shas. He was told that the sign never existed. With all concerns swept under the rug he easily gave his blessing to the take over.
How often do we break our teeth to make excuses for inappropriate behaviour based on a persons religious or community standing? How often do we simply toss aside the feelings of those who have been injured emotionally or physically because it is easier not to deal with an issue? Why is it okay to threaten someone else for not following one particular Rabbi? How often is somebody tossed outside the camp for having a different perspective on a situation?
The Charedi community has used the State to more or less build the type of community they want. For the most part I am willing to let them live the lives they want as long as I can do the same. The Charedi community has moved beyond looking after themselves to imposing their views on everyone else. The backlash has already begun. If their leadership and trouble makers don't learn to play nicely with everyone else, they will end up reversing the gains they have made. A good start in Beit Shemesh will be to let the communities function as an essential public service. Continuing with the status quo is the best way to serve both communities. Nobody wins from the nationally publicized religious battles.
In the months leading up to our Aliyah, a peeping tom was caught for the second time outside our building. This time he was caught with his pants down (literally). Tom happened to belong to our community and was regularly seen at our shul. We decided to make a minimal amount of information public so people could take steps to protect themselves. The community rallied around Tom as they perceived him to be the injured party. Numerous people claiming to represent the Rabbi put pressure on those involved to keep the story quiet. Tom needed to be helped by the community and avoid facing the Justice System.. We were told that if we didn't like it we could leave.
The people who were hurt by the incident were of no concern to anyone. The victim moved back home with her family, undoing a year's worth of effort by tenants of our building to get out the previous drug dealing family. She was replaced by another drug dealing family. The older single mother who had caught Tom was terrified as she was told by police they considered it to be a gateway crime. Of course Rachel was terrified at night or when she was alone, especially since we lived on the ground floor and I would play hockey late at night. Aliyah happened to be our escape from dealing with the issue head on.
Our community has three mikvahs. There is Dolev at the top of the hill which is the nicest and newest. It is in close proximity to most of the Datei Leumi (DTL) community. Further down the hill is Lachish, which is currently closed for renovations. It is in close proximity to the more Charedi community. The Luz mikvah is supposed to be privately built million plus dollar to serve the Charedi community. At this point it is more of a bargaining chip, than having any realistic prospects of being built.
When the new Charedi Mayor came to power, there were plans to replace the Rabbis in charge of the Mikvahs. Our Rabbi who was heavily involved in protecting the DTL community's interests gave a personal guarantee, nobody would ever be subjected to an unwanted 2o minute "Mehadrin" Bedikah. One day Rachel did go to the Mikvah and was subjected to the "Mehardin" experience. She came home bleeding and in tears. We later learned the Mikvah had been split in half and Rachel had ended up on the Charedi side.
A few weeks ago someone posted that the Charedi Rabbis were once again taking over the Mikvah and action should be taken to stop it. Part of the political horse trading that lead to the original split was that the Charedi would take over Dolev and the DTL would take control over Lachish. The mikvahs would be traded again when the never to be built Luz mikvah was built. The political part of the agreement has been broken. Although it presents legal issues, it is not relevant to the needs of the community.
A local Rabbi (who's shul attracts a similar crowd to when we were in TO) had one of his henchman post to the list that everything the person said was not true. The Rabbi should be contacted for clarification. Rachel challenged the claim and was turned over to e-mailing the Rabbi. He was surprised she didn't report her experience to him. Going to our Rabbi who went to the Rav of the city didn't seem like a logical course of action to him. At his request she went into great detail as to what happened. Without answering any questions, he said that he would not continue by e-mail, he would be available for a meeting in person but not for at least another week.
A number of concerns emerged about the change in control. Numerous women have had similar experiences to Rachel. There had been a sign that it was forbidden for women to toivel at Ben HaShmashot on Friday night. According to Sephardic tradition this is the ideal time to go. Waiting until night fall to accommodate the Ashkenaz tradition forces them to deal with leniencies they cannot rely on. There is a legitimate fear that some women will simply skip out on this important mitzvah if it is made to difficult. Another variable is the DTL half of the mikvah was getting twice as many people as the Charedi side. It is not very often that there is such a clear cut way of measuring preference for one methodology over another.
The Rabbi mentioned before had the Charedi position clarified. As he does not write in his own name, a post written and approved by someone who interview the Rabbi sufficed. In the comments section the writer was forced to conclude that the Rabbi felt any complaints against the Charedi Mikvah were outright lies. The DTL had been pushing for Rav Ovadiah Yoseph to take up the Sephardic cause. As the spiritual head of Shas he could use his political power, especially since the Mayor belongs to Shas. He was told that the sign never existed. With all concerns swept under the rug he easily gave his blessing to the take over.
How often do we break our teeth to make excuses for inappropriate behaviour based on a persons religious or community standing? How often do we simply toss aside the feelings of those who have been injured emotionally or physically because it is easier not to deal with an issue? Why is it okay to threaten someone else for not following one particular Rabbi? How often is somebody tossed outside the camp for having a different perspective on a situation?
The Charedi community has used the State to more or less build the type of community they want. For the most part I am willing to let them live the lives they want as long as I can do the same. The Charedi community has moved beyond looking after themselves to imposing their views on everyone else. The backlash has already begun. If their leadership and trouble makers don't learn to play nicely with everyone else, they will end up reversing the gains they have made. A good start in Beit Shemesh will be to let the communities function as an essential public service. Continuing with the status quo is the best way to serve both communities. Nobody wins from the nationally publicized religious battles.
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