The Sleeping Beauty

Monday, 4-19
The urinary tract infection (UTI) is under control - I think.  Liam, however, is very very sleepy for the last few days.  In the beginning, it was great.  She needed the rest, we needed the rest - it was perfect.  But when it continued to beyond the weekend it became worrisome.  She started waking up very very gradually yesterday (Sunday) and more today, but she's still very sleepy.  Usually she complains while at dialysis.  Today, nothing.  She was extremely quite.

Well, as we stood there at dialysis, a pain management specialist, who knows Liam, came by and started asking questions about the meds she's getting.  With all the politeness I could yank out of my mass storage of kindness and gentleness, I very carefully suggested that she might want to look in the computer rather than rely on our answer.  DUH!!!  This is something she should have done BEFORE coming to see Liam.  DUH #2.

Anyway, when she was done we went back to her room and the nurse looked in the computer.  It turned out that for the past several days Liam received Clonidine twice a day!!!  This is something we gave at home only at as needed base.  It's quite sedative.  No wonder she is asleep all this time.  Makes me wonder if we ("we" as in Rachel) should inspect each and every step of the medical staff.  (On the other hand, maybe she needed all this sleep.  Maybe it allowed her time to heal.  Maybe it'd do her good.)

Tuesday, 4-20  (hey, 4-20...the Sweetwater Fest was next to us this past weekend...I didn't make it....BLAH!)

Liam is more awake today, but still very quite.  Laying awake with her eyes open.  She hardly speaks.  Only one word:  A fly.  Not sure why.  Does she see something in the air that we don't.  HEY, THERE'S A MOSQUITO IN THE ROOM.  I saw it.  Oh well, i guess she's not imagining it after all.


Memorials
Back in the kibbutz the Jewish holidays were fun. Each holiday had a theme to it and we did stuff: In Shavu`ot we  brought "bikurim" for real (except we didn't do any sacrifices to any god); in Chanukah we marched with real torches and ate sufganiot (Israeli doughnuts which taste much better that Crispy Cream); on Rosh Hshanah all 700 of us sat together for a holiday meal; etc.  There was always something fun and it was never a religious event.  But in the US the Jewish holidays boil down to going to synagogue.  Not exactly my cup of tea.  There are, however, two occasions that are very important to me and which I attend every year.  They're not really Jewish - they're more "Israeli" and they're not at all holidays, but rather memorial days:
Holocaust Day:  My dad's entire family - both his parents and 5 brothers and sisters - we murdered in the Latvian forest during WWII.  Some say by the Latvian themselves.  Only one brother - my dear uncle - survived by working for the Germans and surviving the famous Death March.  He still lives today in Israel.  An amazing man.  So I never had grandparents from my dad's side. 
Anyway, the ceremony is held every year at Greenwood cemetery over on the south-west side of town. 
Israeli fallen soldiers remembrance day:  Everybody in Israel know somebody who lost his/her life in a war or some other hostility event.  I have several dear friends who died young.  So this day is very important to me too.

This year, however, due to Liam's condition, I wans't able to attend neither ceremony.  One could say, metaphorically, that this year rather than deal with the dead I delt with the one who needs our support to stay alive.