Nervous

[mamadeb]

It's still a balmy 97F (with heat index of 107F) and tonight/tomorrow is Tisha B'Av. No food, no water. 25 hours.

Frankly, even though we have air conditioning and I do have medical permission, I'm scared. I'm feeling lousy even sitting in an air-conditioned office and drinking water all day - how will I be without water? Although the feeling lousy could be nerves.

A big rabbi has ruled that fasting is forbidden to any one with any condition who is trapped in the heat wave, but he's not MY rabbi, and it's not up to them - I just emailed my doctor. He's said I could fast, but it wasn't a heat wave then. Also, the city is reducing voltage, so our air conditioning is not working 100%. This is good- far better than a power outage and not having ac at all - but makes things harder.

Edited to add - Jed the doctor emailed me back. Given HCTZ and the heat - no fasting. I can deal with that.

Comments

[nosebeepbear.livejournal.com]

Maybe you should ask the doctor about the water part, given the current conditions.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I did, considering he'd forgotten I'm taking a diuretic.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Really, I know several rabbis who'd actually go further and say you MUST drink, pikuah nefesh.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Rabbi Weissmandl (big rabbi I mentioned) agrees, but it's a medical issue, too.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I'm nervous about the fast too. I don't have any medical reason not to, other than the heinous heat, but I don't have AC other than at the office, and the current project includes long phone calls describing errors to be fixed, which are hard even when I can drink water.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Do you know anyone with air conditioning? Or will there be a Tisha B'Av program somewhere local?

[magid.livejournal.com]

I think I can get access to an AC during the day, but I can't take tomorrow off, and I'm worried about the talking. Plus, the getting to/from places.

IY"H, it'll all be ok... I'm just nervous.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Just saw your edit... I'm on HCTZ too; I hadn't thought about it being a diuretic (+ the weather, of course).

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Here is where you contact your doctor.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I tried calling in, but ended up on hold for so long I gave up (I assume there were a lot of people calling in about heat-related things yesterday). Now that I'm in an air-conditioned space, I'm feeling ok, so I'm going to try to make it through fasting.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Though it's been a long time, it was always impressed on me that health issues supersede fast requirements. Check with both medical and rabbinical authorities, and I suspect that they will confirm an okay (or even require) that you drink adequate water, at the very least.

Stay healthy. That's the most important thing. (Oh, good grief -- I'm turning into my mother! :-)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

It does and it doesn't. I might well drink water tomorrow but tomorrow is a RABBINIC fast and one rules leniently.

Yom Kippur is a bigger problem (but as it will be in late September, I'm less worried about it.)

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I forgot about Tisha B'Av. I don't believe it. Er, thanks for reminding me.

I'm confused as to whether you contacted your rabbi yet? That would seem to be the thing to do.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

For a rabbinic fast, I consulted my doctor. And he said I could...

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I see... but they are much shorter and there wasn't this heat wave, so e-mailing him again was probably a good idea.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

T"BA is rabbinic. I don't fast on minor days.

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

Ah... OK. I should have remembered that.

I saw your update though... I hope everything goes well.

[devilc.livejournal.com]

You have medical permission.

Use it.

The idea behind various kinds of fasting is, utimately, to make us pause, reflect, and grow -- all of which is undermined if we sick or the fast makes us sick(er).

And, as a desert rat, let me tell you, 107f is HOT.

(And if you can, get one of those battery operated personal fans.)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I have medical permission TO fast.

And, um. The idea behind this fast is to mourn and feel miserable. (Not that we need help right now.)

[devilc.livejournal.com]

Now, does fast include food and drink or just food?



And, um. The idea behind this fast is to mourn and feel miserable. (Not that we need help right now.)

LOL.

Requirements about modest dress aside, remember, in humid times, cotton, linen, rayon, and raime are your friends. Polyester and acitate are not.

Silk is, but only if it's very sheer.

And for goodness' sake, wear as little as you possibly can.

And when you get home, if permitted, curl up in a tub full of cool water.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Jewish fast= no food, no water. If one is on daily meds that require water, one takes as little as possible. I can swallow pills without water, so that doesn't apply.

But I just got told not to fast. So. I'm off the hook.

I'm good at the dressing for the heat - frex, today I'm wearing a sleeveless tee under a loose, unbuttoned blouse. Everything is natural fabrics (the blouse is also coolmax) and as loose as possible (easy these days) and I'm not insane enough to wear tights this weather. I expose as much skin as possible (lower arms, lower legs) and I wear very light headscarves.

Baths are completely and utterly NOT permitted. No bathing, no clean clothes, no leather shoes, no annointing and no sex. As I said, we're supposed to be miserable.

[devilc.livejournal.com]

To further clarify -- what I mean is, of course, check with your doctor and Rabbi.

But don't think that because you've got a medical condition that you're somehow being "weak" or taking an easy way out by drinking water and that you should "try" anyway.

You're not being weak.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing. I don't want to fast. I HATE fasting and I don't fast well. So I know I'm willing to grasp at anything to not fast. Which makes my feelings suspect. I don't trust them.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

Hon, trust me, the Big Boss is not upset that you have to drink or even eat in this weather. I think He would not mind water to get through this weater. After all, it's no good if people die from the fast. Negates the reason for it.

But with this weather, one is not usually inclined to eat, but drinking is important. Very important. And don't look at water on your body as a bath. It's for cooling, not bathing.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

PS In this case, your feelings are probably good to follow. I feel one's feelings can be something that someone else is trying to tell us to do. There has been more than once where I was going to do something/had to do something or go somewhere and wound up doing or going elsewhere. And it was a good thing I had because something bad happened where I was going to go to.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Nah, that's Catholic thinking, not Jewish.

(Have enough Catholics in the family to know... *g*)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well.

You're probably right.

Except I'm stubborn. :)

[qilora.livejournal.com]

ugh...

i would guess that as long as the AC is up and running and you are sure to not be too active, then you'd be fine...

i would still make sure you have water set aside "just in case" the power goes kerplooey and you end up over-heated and sick...

you do NOT want to end up in the ER (G-d forbid)...

have a good fast!...
shalom!
Eve & Co.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

As I now have medical orders to NOT fast, I'm not going to. Well, maybe tonight, but not tomorrow.

[dhole.livejournal.com]

I talked to a friend of mine who is both a rabbi and a doctor about Naomi fasting -- she wasn't able to pump much before the fast, so the baby's going to be getting a certain amount of fluid out of her.

What he recommended was to try for, at a minimum, fasting until chatzot tomorrow. Then, if she really felt she needed it, to drink in the afternoon -- an ounce every nine minutes would be better than a big drink all at once, halachically. He also recommended either water or very diluted juice, as hydration is more important than calories.

I realize that he's not your doctor, or your rabbi, and that the situation isn't really analagous. But it is halachic advice, of a sort, and I figured it might give you something to ask about tomorrow, if you're not feeling up to fasting the whole way through.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

My doctor has told me no fasting. So, I'll at least drink water.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

I am nervous about the heat, too. The summer I worked as a camp counselor outside of Waco, Texas, none of the staff fasted -- the heat was so profound that we were all obligated to drink a certain amount every day, and to ensure that our campers did, too. Only one of my friends fasted that year, and she had a really tough time with it...

I hear you about suspecting your motives, inasmuch as you don't want to fast so on some level it would feel nice to have an excuse not to. That said -- this is record heat, and that can be genuinely dangerous. So please be careful, however you decide to observe.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Halachically, I have to listen to my doctor in this case.

So. No fasting and that has nothing to do with my feelings. Which is good.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

HCTZ? That's Kabbalah, right?

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

:)

[sisyphus91.livejournal.com]

I am very glad to hear you won't be fasting. I know you are devout, but I have had just a taste of what you are going through.

I just flew home from New York City (we arrived in Orlando @ 4pm) and I know how hot it is. My brother, who also lives in Brooklyn, doesn't have air conditioning, just fans, and I sweat the entire time. Despite drinking gallons of water (I don't think I am exaggerating, either) I hardly ever went to the bathroom. It amazed me when I realized how much I was sweating out.

I would hate to think of you going without water, even for 25 hours. Can you give up something else? What about speaking with the exception of work responsibilities?

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I would hate to think of you going without water, even for 25 hours. Can you give up something else? What about speaking with the exception of work responsibilities?

It doesn't work that way. If I really couldn't do this, maybe there are things I could study, but we can't exchange restrictions or pick them for ourselves. I'll probably drink something this afternoon, but so far I'm fine.