Monday, 15 August 2016

I had set my alarm for 5:00 this morning, but I woke up much earlier, despite having gotten to bed a little late last night. I actually got up by about 4:15. After a brief time outside with Pascal (it's an important tradition for him), I fed us both breakfast. I had originally thought I might have to eat at the airport, but I certainly got a healthier meal at home.

I started walking to the airport around 5:20 and got there in plenty of time to check in for my flight, which was at 6:40.

When I arrived in Tel Aviv, I immediately set out walking to the hospital. Since it was still quite early and there were some clouds in the sky, it was quite pleasant going, although I did get a little bit sweaty eventually.

I made it to the hospital and was in the urology department more than an hour before my 10:00 appointment, so I had to wait quite a long time there, especially since I didn't get in until at least 10:30. Part of the time while I was waiting, there was a Muslim Arab couple (identified by her attire) sitting next to me. Someone they knew who works at the hospital (in Purchasing and Supplies, according to his badge) came along, and the 3 of them chatted for some time, mostly in Arabic, but with a fair amount of Hebrew thrown in, too. This is actually a VERY typical scene in EVERY Israeli hospital I've been in (and I've been in quite a few of them!). There is absolutely NO such thing as apartheid, or even anything remotely resembling it here.

The urologist, Dr. Gal Keren-Paz, was absolutely excellent. We first talked in Hebrew, but when I didn't quite get something, he switched to fluent English. He carefully explained the whole situation, had obviously READ my file beforehand, and was very clear about options, pros and cons of different treatments, and possible outcomes. The news is generally very good. My chances of being cured are over 95%, and my chances of essentially no serious long-term impairments of function are about 70%. I was very pleased with everything and easily chose the surgery, which will be robotic. He said their secretary will call me soon to schedule the surgery (which should be within the next couple of months) and a visit with the anesthesiologist beforehand.

After the appointment, I walked over to the adjacent mall (within the same security perimeter as the hospital), and had my usual lunch there. I don't know what it's called, but it's delicious: a couple of eggs, together with mushrooms and cheese (I think) partially wrapped in a something like a thick pizza crust.

Then I used the Moovit application to smoothly catch 2 buses and get back to the airport about an hour and 45 minutes before my flight (at 2:00).

I took a number of pictures on both flights, as well as several in Tel Aviv. Today's pic of the day is the last one I took, just before we landed back in Eilat, showing the North Beach:

I took the #2 bus home from the airport because it was definitely too hot to be out walking for long. Somehow, though, the heat when I first step out of the airplane always feels so welcoming, and I know I'm home!

After resting and catching up on a few things, I walked over to Elimelech Supermarket to stock up on a few groceries. Then I got a nice amount of work done, touching up more of my orchestral pieces. Things are REALLY coming together nicely now with that project, and I'm very pleased.

I walked a total of 8.55 kilometers today.