Chai Bahem

אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם
My ordinances ... which if a person does, they shall live by them (Vayikra 18:5)


The third book of the Torah does not get the enthusiastic attention the first two books get because of its lack of compelling narratives as are found "In the beginning" through the exodus from Egypt. Vayikra has going for it some of the most compelling rules on which to build a society. It also has an escape clause, a rule that essentially says, you can break almost any of these hard and fast rules in order to save a life, pikuach nefesh, the highest value. Chai bahem, live by them is interpreted to mean, don't die for the sake of following these laws. Not that I purport to be a halachic Jew, but waking up Saturday morning, I was looking forward to a quiet Shabbat. It immediately became a pikuach nefesh day. 


Faina had not been feeling well most of the week. She had a few uncomfortable nights and was finding it increasingly difficult to get her pills down or to keep them down. Friday night was a new level of difficult and matters digressed over the night with the sunrise bringing pain and an inability to take the analgesics that would relieve it. This was "No Messing Around" time.


A few things were thrown quickly into a bag. We hopped in the car and sped along to Howard County General Hospital. Red lights became yield signs. There were plenty of parking spaces outside of the Emergency room at that quiet, chilly, early hour. Then came hospital bureaucracy, a form to fill out, the triage nurse, waiting for a bed to be cleared, the appearance of Dr. Martinez, and finally the first of many IV doses of Dilaudid. Pretty soon Faina progressed to 4 mg/hour and the pain receded. The doses consistently wore off before the hours ran out so I became the yenta-in-chief to various nurses. By sunset, she had been admitted to the hospital's 4th floor oncology wing. Saturday night was another long night, but of a different nature. Faina received a lot of attention. Sleep, wake-up in pain, get a dose of hydromorphone, repeat. 
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Sunday was a better day. It looks like there will be no return to the pain pills. Analgesic medication will be through IV while in the hospital and upon discharge. The pain management specialist wanted to start Faina with a Fentanyl patch. Despite us telling him that we have tried those, up to the maximum dosage, and they have been totally ineffective he was insistent. She now has a Fentanyl patch. She was also started with a pump delivering a steady dose of the Dilaudid which Faina can boost by pushing a button. She has added a few medications to her pharmacopia, but the IV pain killers are what this hospital visit was all about. She is finally sleeping easily.