the end

So you must be thinking what happened to me. Well quite a lot. I was in hospital. Several nights back I began having cramps in my chest, difficulty in breathing, burping alot, cold sweat, clammy hands. ..... and I thought this is it. Next day went off to the hospital. The blood pressure was 163 over 94. Then they took a cardio gram (I think that's what they call it) and after the result was studied by the doc, two nurses rushed in and put a pill under my tongue and ordered me to lie down and not move. The pill was terrible tasting - yuck. I nearly threw up. Was strapped to some machine or other, was too giddy to know what was happening. Anyway I was there for 2 hours lying down and luckily the superior of Nazareth was also there, and he kept talking to me and telling me not to worry. Now I'm on medication - one pill every 8 hours.

Anyway lots of advice - more rest, less stress, take walks, do exercise etc...... I just want to sleep. That's what I really want right now.

And Jesus said ......

Went back to the doc at 4pm yesterday afternoon. It was 152 / 94. He said he didn't want to put me on medication just yet but wants to obsevre me for the next 2 weeks - that means seeing him at 6am every other day. So I went up to our infirmary this morning at 6am. Everyone says the climb up the hill (not quite 1 km) to St. Saviour's is enough to give anyone a high blood pressure. And at 6am! Anyway no coffee, no wine (so how am I going to celebrate Mass?), definitely no salt. The doc says the HP is probably a side effect of the years of taking steroids to control my asthma.

After the checkup which including a blood test, I went to the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass. The Orthodox are beginning their Lent so the pilgrim crowds are incredible. And on the way home at the 6th Station of the Cross, I met a wave of Jacobite Christians - well over 100 including bishops and priests. They're also called Mar Thoma Christians from India; they're not considered Orthodox.

Back home everyone at breakfast asked me how it went and offering different types of advice and medication. They're very nice here and I really appreciate this community. Some of the students were whispering "Happy Belated Birthday" because no one knew it was my birthday - only Giovanni Loche who told Fr Kaswalder. Since it's not celebrated in our monastery, no one wanted to make a big deal out of it, so the whispers.

Yesterday I tried to convince the Dean that I'm sick and need to go home (everyone was winking). I tried my "Jesus told me" line but it didn't work. Instead the Dean insisted I should spend one hour a day outside the monastery, taking a walk. He said Jesus told him so.

Please ....

I know most of you are kind and mean well; but please before you send anything to me, it's best you let me know what it is and if I really need it. That's because i've just been taxed again for a pack of stationary - US$10. We are taxed for everything packet that enters and honestly with the US$10 I could have bought the same stationary here in Israel. Please no stationary - thanks. US$10 is alot to pay for taxes.

rest

Had a quiet night and didn't go down for Mass this morning. Will celebrate it later at the Condemnation Chapel. Khalil and Nadia our cooks say they will prepare some white rice and non-salt food for me today. Well practically everyone in the house came to tell me the house food is too high in salt and I have to take another diet - the one we call "per gli ammalati" (for the sick) which is boiled veggies. The plate gets circulated around the refectory and people will be calling out "per gli ammalati" and whoever cannot take the "normal" salt-filled food, takes something from the "ammalati" plate.

Hypertension should not be a surprise to me - it runs in my family; but I didn't think it could hit me now. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure 7 years back in HK but it never became a problem till now. Now on looking back the past 2 years, I can see why my headaches were so bad and frequent, and the edge of my head gets so swollen I can't even wear my specs. You guys from the Wed. grp. will remember that evening last year when my headache was terrible ...... like duuuh, you can't even remember last night's lessons!!!

Anyway the pressure dropped a little today - 148 over 90. But the doc is still not happy. My eyes feel like popping out. Will continue to rest and then go back to see the doc this afternoon. Matthew is also sick - has an abdominal hernia. he wants to go back to India for an op. Hope he'll get well. Both of us can't get started with our work just yet.

165 over 96

OK got my blood pressure measured - it's 165 over 96. Apparently that's high - I don't know what's normal. Was told to rest in bed, drink lots of water, avoid the food in the house (high sodium), stop smoking, do exercise ........ the whole list whether applicable or not. Apparently everyone said I should do more housework so I swept up the courtyard just now. Anyway the general instruction is watch the food (the sisters cook boiled veggies for those who have BP problems - and there're several in our house) and do exercise..... hmmm so how am I going to write my thesis? Figure that one out!

Doctors' advice?

So I think the mystery of my frequent headaches is solved - been having one for the past 2 days again. The professors here say it's high blood pressure - they suffer from it too, and say I've reached the age where it usually occurs as they had had. Headaches, dizziness, sometimes inbalance in walking. The professors sitting next to me at the refectory all got aggitated/excited and got me to lie down in my room, told me to drink water, do all kinds of stuff to get the pressure down; and of course the sisters were told and they got upset and tried to use the blood-pressure machine to test me but it didn't work - no batteries. "You'll get a stroke" everyone is saying to me. Well I don't want to be on medication because that means taking it for life. So let's see what happens next - our monastery doctor will come in only tomorrow so I might go to St Saviour's to see him. Imagine getting a stroke on my birthday - what luck.

Nothing much else to say except the canaries are throwing out their eggs from the nests; and I'm still trying to get some work done on my thesis but this headache is interfering. So you doctors out there, give me some advice!

April Fool

Yesterday morning the porter (guy who watches our gate. His name is Mahjed) called me at 10am to say a group from Taiwan wants to greet me. Thinking it might ne a group with a friar, I changed to my habit and went down. Turned out to be a Protestant group. Somehow they had head of me and wanted to meet me. Turned out I guided them for 6 hours through the Way of the Cross and other places. Came home at 4pm. Exhausted - and didn't get a bit of work done on my thesis. But mind you, it was a great encounter with these protestants. They were very very respectful - asking each time if they have to remove their hats when they entered a church, and not taking any photos unless I told them: which I said of course, take what you like - there is no restriction in the churches. Very nice people. Hope they keep in contact. They had an elder with them.

And yesterday was April Fool's Day. Was so tired after guiding the group I forgot all about it. Went down for Vespers and Cyriac said Sr Geronima wanted to see me. Went to the kitchen and found Srs Geronima and Irmina waiting. They said someone left the birdcage opened and two canaries flew out. Well I didn't exactly panic because there would have been no way of getting the birds back - so I went to the courtyard to have a look, and counted, and found none were missing. Went back to the kitchen and those two were laughing their heads off. "Very funny" Sr Geronima kept saying - and I didn't understand a word of what Sr Irmina said in polish. A few minutes later at dinner, I found out that while I was away with the group, everyone was playing tricks on each other. Just as well I was away with the group.

Am still not feeling good about Regis.