Miscommunication

I finally talked to my nurse. There was a miscommunication between my doctor's office and the infusion clinic. I'm back to my regular treatment. My next treatment is next Thursday. I also have a CT scan that day. Thanks for the prayers!

Confusing

I simply posted on Facebook yesterday, "prayer please." God is so good. He provided just the right people in my life. You all rose to the occasion and prayed for me, not knowing why. Sometimes I just have bad days and need extra prayer. Sometimes it's physical; other times it's emotional. It's usually a combination of the two. Yesterday was one of those days.

I wasn't feeling that great physically yesterday morning, and then the infusion clinic at UAB arbitrarily called to cancel some of my treatments. No explanation was given. I asked to be transferred to my doctor's nurse to find out why. I had to leave a message but the call was not returned. I still don't have an answer. I understand that they were in clinic yesterday, but my call should have been returned. I just called again and had to leave another message. I'm quite frustrated. I don't understand why my treatments would be changed without discussing the matter with me first. You may remember from a month ago when my doctor considered changing my treatment schedule because she was concerned about new growth. I haven't had any additional tests so why is this being done now? I'm just so frustrated!

Sometimes life is quite confusing. This journey that I am on has brought me back in contact with so many people with whom I had lost contact. We should not wait for bad things to happen to bring us back together, and yet we continually do. Life is busy. We get caught up in the daily routine and grind. Years pass and we lose touch with some of our dearest friends. We lose sight of everything but what directly touches our lives. I don't know how to change this or if we can. Our days are filled with the mundane--with obligations that must be met. I wish there was a way to change this so that we could spend more time with people in our lives who have meant so much--whether from the past or from the present. Our intentions are often good. We say we want to stay in touch with people, but it often doesn't happen. This is especially true when we graduate from high school or college, or when we change jobs or churches. Those people are no longer in our lives on a fairly regular basis and we lose contact. I guess we need to realize that sometimes people are in our lives only for a season, but they are always there for a reason. Thank you for being a part of my life--even if it was only for a season. You have definitely been there for a reason. You may never know how your prayers have helped me. Just know that they have.

Wow. I didn't mean to ramble so much. Just keep the prayers going. I appreciate them so much. God is good!

Spring Break!

Yay! I'm on spring break this week! I hope to be able to catch up on some much needed rest. I am making myself sit in my recliner and play solitaire, sudoku, and catch up on reading. It isn't easy to sit here when there is so much that needs to be done around the house. I laughed and sent Neal a text earlier that said he's probably one of the few men who does not want to come home to a clean house. And no, I'm not saying that we women are the only ones to clean; however, if he comes home and the house is clean, then I have not been doing what I am supposed to be doing--nothing! I feel pretty good today and I certainly don't want to jinx it. I am so grateful to have a good first day of spring break. God is so good! Go outside when you can. It's gorgeous here in North Alabama!

Provisions

"There is a Name I love to hear. I love to sing it's worth. It sounds like music in my ear--the sweetest Name on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me."

I don't feel well today. I made it to church and taught my small group, but I had to come home after that. God is so good and I know He has a purpose for all of this, but I get quite tired and would like very much for it to stop. Praise God that my school system is on spring break this coming week so that I will be able to rest. My doctor has recommended that I take some time off. I told her I have spring break so maybe that will help. The stress of it all is sometimes unbearable. Everyone needs to feel like they have a purpose in life. Mine is teaching. I know if I have to give it up God will provide something else, but the unknown is often scary. Pray that I will have the faith to allow Him to take me to the place where He wants me to be. He has allowed me to teach throughout all of this, and for that I am quite thankful.

By the way, we could use some extra help. Message me on Facebook or through email and I'll give you the passwords to the care calendar or I'll tell you how you can help. Neal is having a tough time as well. He has his own health problems, and he doesn't enjoy watching me go through this. The pressure and stress of it all is getting to him. Pray that the stress doesn't adversely affect his health.

Throughout it all, live for Him. He will provide.

Thanks for the prayers!

Thanks for ALL of the prayers everyone! God is SO good. Not only did I make it to the shower, but I felt well all during it. I'm home now and quite tired, but I feel A LOT better than I did this morning. We are so blessed to have the power of prayer. The fact that we can actually approach the throne of the Creator of the universe blows my mind!

So Inconvenient!

I had a treatment yesterday and I'm not feeling well today. This is EXTREMELY inconvenient since DNow is going on at church this weekend and I'm usually a driver. (For those of you who don't know, DNow stands for Disciple Now. The youth of the church are divided into groups based on age and gender and stay at someone's house all weekend. Basically, they spend the weekend in service and learning more about Christ.) It isn't a problem for anyone but me because, knowing my situation, our youth director had it covered. It's only a problem for me because I LOVE being involved with our youth and want to do as much with them as possible. They are such awesome kids!

Another inconvenience is that David and Eva are having another shower today. They are my sweet children and I love them so much. God willing, I'm going to be at the shower but it's not going to be easy. If you read this before 2:00 this afternoon, please send up extra prayers for me! The only way I'll miss it is if God puts His Foot down!

Oh well. As Scarlet would say, tomorrow is another day!

God is SO Good!

God is so good! I went to the doctor today and also had a chest x-ray. The x-ray showed no significant difference from last time. The really good news is that my doctor thinks that what she saw on the CT scan last time might have been the result of an infection. She thinks this because I've been on an antibiotic and my cough has improved. If my cough had not improved, she would have been more concerned. Yes, one of the tumors has grown but not enough to be really concerned. We discussed a couple of treatment options and she thinks the best idea is to keep doing the same treatment that I've been doing until she can repeat the CT scan in four weeks. She doesn't want to change my chemo until this regimen is definitely no longer working. Additional chemo would probably make me even more tired than I already am. It's always nice to get good news!

I'm so proud of Rachel! She was in a play at the Princess Theater tonight called "Promedy." As it sounds, it was a comedy about the prom. I was amazed that a high school cast could do such a good job! They were all outstanding! Kudos to you all!

TTFN! Ta-ta for now!

Stay the course

I'm not feeling well. I've had a lot of back pain today. We go to UAB tomorrow for a doctor visit and a chest x-ray. I should also begin the new chemo regimen soon--possibly tomorrow. It will be in pill form like I am taking now, but they will be additional pills. I currently take five chemo pills each day. I don't know how many additional pills I'll have to take. I'm not looking forward to new side effects.

It's becoming more difficult for me to go to work. Please pray for strength and endurance. Financially, I need to work but I also need to feel like I am contributing. Teaching is my calling and I want to be able to do it for as long as I can. I love my students. It will be a sad day when I have to give it up. Let's pray that doesn't happen for a long time!

On a brighter note, David is coming home Friday for his spring break. Woo-hoo! I haven't seen him in quite a while. I better get used to it since he's getting married soon! I'm so excited about the wedding. Rachel and I are giving Eva a shower this Sunday. Yes, I know I've mentioned it. But if you are reading this blog, then you just have to endure my excitement!

Did you see the full moon tonight? Beautiful! It's like God is saying, "Hello! Look what I can do!" He's so awesome!

Live life to the fullest!

Day Planners

Wow! There's so much going on right now! Rachel got accepted to the school of music at The University of Alabama where she will be studying music therapy. I'm so proud of her! I'm trying to prepare for a shower next weekend for David and Eva. I've got so much to be thankful for. I'm certainly not looking forward to Rachel moving out, but I'm proud of the decisions she has made and of the beautiful young woman that she has become. I can't believe that David is old enough to get married, but I am very thankful for the woman that God brought into his life and of the man that he has become. I am one blessed woman!

I will be traveling to UAB this Thursday for another chest x-ray and to learn about my new chemo. There will be new side effects to deal with, but hopefully my body will respond well and the tumors will shrink. I have been so tired lately. I just hope this chemo doesn't make me even more tired. It's just so frustrating! There are so many things that I need to be doing right now with Rachel's upcoming graduation and with David's wedding, and this cancer is just in the way! I don't recall scheduling it in my day planner! Just keep the prayers going. I know God is using this for something. He uses all of our circumstances for His ultimate glory. That's my biggest prayer--that I will look beyond my situation and see that it's all for Him.

Enjoy today. Live for Him.