Prayers/Positive Thoughts Requested

[starcrossed]

My thoughts and prayers go out to them and to you Cheza. God bless and keep you all in his grace.

[keysunset]

Thanks Cheza for the updates. Positive waves to you and prayers.

Sid F'er says: "Oh, yeah, I'm still alive and check in Sunday at noon."

The check in Sunday is for the first round of chemo rad - four days in the hospital with chemo rad twice a day, then nine days home, then four days back in the hosp, etc.

There is still a ways to go here, keep praying for healing and wholeness for Sid and strength for his family.

[Cheza]

Thanks, Star and Key. Will remember Sid. I had to go to a Relay for Life training session Saturday. I'm currently in the process of building the online home for the local event.

Peace.

[keysunset]

Update from Sid:

"So I visited my ENT today so he could stick that scope thing up my nose and back down my throat, and stick his finger down my throat. Good times. But he was pretty excited to tell me that he can't feel the tumor anymore, so it's shrunk considerably. Of course, there's probably still some in there so they'll still irradiate me, but good to know the last eight weeks paid off."

Thanks all for your prayers, etc. Let's get him through this next phase with the chemo/radiation now!

[suzy]

I couldn't be happier right now. Things are moving in the right direction for Sid..my prayers will continue.

[Cheza]

Remember all that my evaluation is between 12:45 p.m. and 1:35 p.m. CST on Thursday, Jan. 11. Please keep me in your thoughts during that period. I'm really nervous. I know I'm just being overly concerned due to my last principal...he was hard to work for...he was OCD about neatness of the room, etc., and having all paperwork completely up to date at all times and the plan book/grade book with you each day. I'd often leave mine at home because I was entering grades...that was not good in his eyes. I'm just not superwoman.

We'll be covering the second part of Antigone and I hope the class will be as delightful and insightful as possible tomorrow. Even the veteran teachers said they get nervous when eval time rolls around...and they acted like it's not going to be as difficult as I fear. I'm just concerned. I want to do right by "my kids".

One of them cried today...one of the boys...a football player at that...I'm not sure if it was genuine or if he was playing me for a fool...but he cried after I repeatedly got on to him. He had initially retorted by saying I hated him and that I used his name anytime I'm talking about bad behavior, etc., and that simply isn't the case. He kept on until I finally just walked over as calm as I could and bent down and pointed my finger at him and said that I do not hate any of my students. I want them to succeed and do well in life. Then I got on my soapbox because all of the teachers are tired of hearing "you hate me" from the kids...I told them we don't hate them. I added they have no idea how much we worry about them and want them to do well. I also told them that if you don't want to go to college, you just want to get out of high school and get a job that's your prerogative and your right. This is America. However, nothing is more frustrating or aggravating to a teacher than a student who simply refuses to try. I kept three after class and by the time that discussion was over he was crying. He apologized and said he was just having a bad day. I'd like to think it was genuine, but I was probably played...oh well.

Pray for the kids who are having a rough time for whatever reason now.

[starcrossed]

My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone that may be having a difficult time right now. I know that life is hard but that god will never give us more than he knows we can handle. We all just need to keep the faith in him and know that we are all his children. God loves us all without any conditions.

[dawn]

starcrossed said:

My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone that may be having a difficult time right now. I know that life is hard but that god will never give us more than he knows we can handle. We all just need to keep the faith in him and know that we are all his children. God loves us all without any conditions.

I couldn't of said it any better Star.

[starcrossed]

God bless you too Dawn.

[Cheza]

Update: Well, wouldn't you know after I got myself all worked up...two of the kids decided to get in a slap fight (girls at that...in special ed.)...so my evaluation didn't happen today because he was having to do disciplinary duty in his office.

We're supposed to get together tomorrow and reschedule. I'll keep you posted.

Peace.

[keysunset]

Goodness, Cheza! I know you are nervous, but we are on the edge of our seats here too.

Sending all positive waves your way!

I saw this in a reading this week:
Lord God, sometimes we pray for healing that doesn't come as quickly or
in the way we want. Help us to continue to trust you boldly, knowing
that you are God, the giver of life and source of eternal wholeness.
Amen.

I was so struck by the phrase " healing that doesn't come as quickly or in the way we want." That has been true in my life. I try to look for the blessing, even if what I get isn't what I think I want!

Thoughts and prayers for all my .org family. Have a great weekend!

[Cheza]

keysunset said:

Goodness, Cheza! I know you are nervous, but we are on the edge of our seats here too.

Sending all positive waves your way!

I saw this in a reading this week:
Lord God, sometimes we pray for healing that doesn't come as quickly or
in the way we want. Help us to continue to trust you boldly, knowing
that you are God, the giver of life and source of eternal wholeness.
Amen.

I was so struck by the phrase " healing that doesn't come as quickly or in the way we want." That has been true in my life. I try to look for the blessing, even if what I get isn't what I think I want!

Thoughts and prayers for all my .org family. Have a great weekend!

This is so true, Key! Thanks for sharing.

Prayers and peace. Enjoy the weekend.

[keysunset]

Tomorrow, Sunday, Sid F'er checks in to the hospital. This is the first in the series of the combination chemo/radiation treatments. He'll check in on Sunday and check out on Thursday. The treatments are twice a day. He'll be home for nine days. And, as he says, rinse/repeat.

He has an incredible attitude about this. Please continue to lift him up with thoughts and prayers.

Thanks.

[Cheza]

Attitude is very important and it's good to hear he's going in there like a trouper! I'll keep him in my thoughts.

I have another request. One of my h.s. classmates is ill. They think he has heart problems, which run in his family. He's only 34 and has a wife and a baby. His older brother (who is a year older) is also having heart troubles. Please keep Brent and Brian in your prayers.

[starcrossed]

Prayers and positive thoughts go out to all of you. May God bless you and hear your words.

[keysunset]

Hi all!

I'm copying over Sid F'er's post about his 1st week so far with the chemo/rad treatments:

" Just an update - nothing funny - got to save the good stuff for the blog. But if you're interested....
I check in on Sunday between 12 and 1. Get labs/history/etc done and hopefully drugs are ready around 6. Start a chemo drug called 5FU that runs for 120 continuous hours, so I'm tied to an IV pole for my entire stay. Literally. A 1L bag per day. This makes the cells hate radiation. They also give me a chemo pill - hydroxyurea. I get this twice a day and it makes the cells hate radiation even more. Then I go to sleep, or try to. Get my vitals taken every 4 hrs, and then I have to wake up for my first dose of hydroxyurea 2 hrs before my first rad treatment, which is usually between 630 and 7 a.m. You do the math. I get escorted to radiation, where I strip to the waist, put on the mask, and get tightly bound to the table so I don't move. Very tightly. Very. After they're assured that I'm not going anywhere, the take the x-ray gun and aim it at my head from about nine or ten different angles shooting it for about a minute or two from each spot. Total time - 20 crappy minutes. I get released with a promise to do it again around 4 pm. Back at the room, I take my collection of magic potions and apply them to different parts of my body to make sure I don't die. Repeat four times a day. Then I try to nap in between visits from the vitals nurse, the regular nurse, the nutritionist, housekeeping, food service, pharmacy, oh, and the doctors and PA's. Not exagerrating. And today they asked if I would volunteer to show some 2nd year med students what a freakish rash looks like. I try to force some food down, so I don't get yelled at. And I'll hit the wireless or read a book if I'm too frustrated to sleep. I make it sound horrible, but it's fairly well-run and they do know what they're doing and it's very tolerable as long as it works. And it will.
Been asked a lot if the rad hurts. Nope. Just like an x-ray - don't feel a thing. Just the gentle buzz as they fry the bad cells. Side effects tend to show up the week off. Expect a sore throat next week, more mouth sores the following cycle, and gets progressively worse from there. My only job is to keep eating. So that's what I've been up to. As long as the rad stays on schedule, I leave the same time on Friday night that they started on Sunday - probably around 6:30.
So far two semi-cute nurses and one hot nutritionist. The four of us will probably go play squash this weekend. "


What a guy. Please continue to keep him in thought and prayers.

[Cheza]

May God bless Sid.

My eval hasn't been rescheduled yet. I'll keep you all posted...when it FINALLY is. *sigh*

Keep the kids at elementary in your prayers...around 100 were out sick yesterday. The high school had around 45 out today - and the high schoolers are trying to figure out how many people have to be out before they close school for a bit.

I would also like to request prayers for my blog buddy Santana. She lost her great-grandmother this week and she's having a hard time of it because she was more like her grandmother than a great...She said her grandma liked her brother better and that her Grannie Bonnie was the one who taught her to sew and bake a mean apple pie. She's also at the start of a new college semester and away from home. Please keep Santana in your thoughts.

[rockfan]

Our local weekend weather girl on our local CBS station has a very rare cancer but she is still doing the weekend weather casts despite her on-going treatments. Below is the most recent newspaper article about her latest "bad" news. Send some positive thoughts and prayers her way.

Chemotherapy isn't working -- or at least winning -- in Melissa Greer's battle against cancer.

Greer, weekend meteorologist at WBTV (Channel 3), learned in November she had large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, an aggressive cancer so rare that at any given time only a few dozen people in the country have it.

Complicating things even more was that the tumor was on her cervix and she was nearly six months pregnant with her first child.

After three rounds of debilitating chemo, she returned to her oncologist Monday for a status check on the tumor. Terrible news.

It has only grown. She will have another scan next week to see whether the cancer may have spread to lymph nodes. And on the afternoon of Jan. 22, she will have a Caesarean section to deliver the baby, Connor, at 28 weeks.

A team of specialists will be standing by to take the infant directly to the neonatal intensive care unit at Carolinas Medical Center, where he is expected to stay about two months on a respirator as his lungs finish developing.

"I'll get to see him for a few minutes," says Greer, 27. "I don't want to have the baby so early, but I want the cancer out and I don't want him growing near that tumor."

Doctors will immediately do a hysterectomy, probably followed by more radiation treatments.

Greer says she and her husband, Roger Polsky, are keeping a positive outlook. She's being urged along by others, including the unborn Connor. He's kicking away as if to say, "You go, Mom."

[starcrossed]

A special prayer out to our boys the Lovehammers, that are pushing themselves so very hard and are still making time to post when they can. There lifestyle is very difficult, but they are doing everything to include us in their lives. Thank you and God Bless.

[keysunset]

Cheza & rockfan - definite prayers and positive waves for your requests.

And starcrossed, always good to remind us about OurBoys:Lovehammers! Sometimes I take for granted that we are all sending them mental & moral support, but I know life gets busy for all and things get crowded out.

xo