Pain

"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Anonymous

I agree with Anonymous if she/he was referring to Mosalsalat Ramadan (painfully boring TV series). Thank God for the remote control. However, I am sure that this person never suffered from, or watched a loved one suffer from, kidney stones. I assure anonymous that the excruciating pain of this ailment, and maybe I should add the pain of natural childbirth and a couple of other illnesses, guarantees that suffering is sometimes inevitable too.

This past week, and for the first time in my life, I saw the tears of pain roll down my husband's face. Knowing that he has incredible tolerance to pain, his pain must have been in the infrared zone, beyond "Unbearable Distress" on the shown pain-scale. The pain brushed his face with a dark purple color, and cruelly twisted its muscles in ways I did not know possible, yet somehow, my hubby still managed to suffer in silence. I hate for anyone, with a short list of exceptions (don't worry, they're all public figures) to ever go through the pain & suffering he endured. Al hamd l Allah he is much better now, and has been released from the hospital.

I guess the only good thing that came out of this experience is that he is so keen to avoid another episode that he actually is, for the first time in his life, taking his medication on time, and is drinking obscene amounts of water as advised by his physician.

In my husband's opinion, another good thing came out of this episode. He claims tit made him realise that I do need immediate psychiatric help to treat my OCD!! I strongly disagree. Please be the judge.

What happened was that while he was in the emergency room, he needed to go to the men's room. As a dedicated and loving wife, I helped him out of the bed, and walked him to the door of the nearest men's room. azzon le7ad kida 3adani el 3aib!! But what happened next is the reason for our disagreement.

I guess he was expecting me to open the door. But unfortunately for him, I had no tissue to hold the knob with. And this is not only a public men's room, it is a public men's room in a hospital so there was no way I was gonna touch that germ infested knob. I could hear a voice whisper in my ears: "He is the one who needs to go so he should touch it. Once inside he can wash his hands with soap and water. It's true that he is holding his IV stand with one hand and the back of his hospital gown with the other, but this is no excuse, he could let go of the IV stand (no letting go of his hospital gown was not an option) ." I am sure that he too could hear a voice whisper in his ear: "lama neshoof akhretha ma3a el magnoona eli itgawiztaha di." Al hamd l Allah, that after a couple of awkward minutes in front of the closed door, a janitor who just happened to be passing by (and who must have thought that we were a couple of nuts!!), saved the day (and saved himself some extra work) and opened the door.

What do you think? Walahi thank you for agreeing that I am perfectly normal. I too think it is the hospital's fault for having restrooms with door knobs. (those who dared agree with hubby are sentenced to reading my whole blog)

In any case, pray with me in this "moftarg" (holy) month of Ramadan, for good health to all humans, speedy recovery for all the sick, and a pain-free delivery to all expecting mothers and stone formers.