Insulin...whew...

I actually misspoke in yesterday’s blog.  I had about two weeks left of a certain type of Insulin.  I had about three months worth of the other type of insulin.  I could have made it work, but it would have just been a challenge.  So I found a diabetes hospital.  I programmed in my phone on my GPS and off I went.  I wouldn’t find anything without my GPS.  No one knows addresses around here.  They are just landmarks.  Like trying to find this hospital today, I asked for the address and they wouldn’t tell me.  They would say…you know where the Al Jafeer Hospital is…um no… Do you know where the Budaiya clinic is…um no.  I don’t know where anything is.  After I said no long enough, they put me on hold and someone reads to me the address from their letterhead or something.  The streets here are a little strange.  Other than the major streets everything is done by number like Road 3402, Bldg. 1144.  It seems logical at first then you notice that the street signs are incredibly obscure if they are even there at all.  Its not that big of island, so it won’t take me long to learn it.  But everything is navigated by landmarks both for locals and foreigners. 

Speaking of driving, Arabs are kind of notorious for being reckless drivers.  If they get in an accident…its Allah’s will, if they don’t get in an accident it’s Allah’s will.  So that takes the pressure off of them responsibility wise.    Their philosophy in driving is that everything in back of them. Is not their concern or responsibility.  Their only focus is on the road straight ahead.  That is why it’s incredibly common to get cut off on a regular basis.  You have to stay on your toes.  Probably the main reason why Arabs pay only attention to what is in front of them is because of the gutras (headpieces).  If they are wearing the gutra in the traditional way, it cuts of about 50% of your peripheral vision.  Its virtually impossible to look all the way behind you when your driving and wearing your gutra. 

 Everytime I go to the doctor they want to check my blood, do a battery of tests, and prescribe a proper insulin regiment.  I’ve been around to sooo many doctors.  I have found the best manager of my diabetes is me not some doctor that just met me.  So I’m always a little apprehensive seeing someone new.  Just give me the prescription Doc, and I’ll be on my way.  I found the perfect doctor for that.  He understood my situation.  His name was Dr. Hussain, if it wasn’t for his slight accent, you’d swear he was a westerner.  He was educated in Cleveland, then New Jersey.  He like talking about going to the Cleveland Indian baseball games and the Rock and Roll hall of fame.  He had fond memories of the U.S.  I told him what I needed and he gladly obliged.  If I wanted to come back for the tests, I could at my leisure.  So he wrote me a prescription to take as many insulin vials as I wanted.  I was also fortunate that this was the only hospital in Bahrain that carried the type of insulin that I needed.  So I think God was looking out for me.  The insulin actually is cheaper here in the Middle East because prescriptions are subsidized by the Government.  That is a great relief to me because I don’t have health insurance.  Because of my diabetes/pre-existing condition, I cannot get health insurance.  So im walking by faith that something catastrophic doesn’t happen.