Spiritual/Christian Thread

Caroltina! what a fantastic idea! someone could give my phone number to her, someone in authority that cares, like Pams bosses. You are a thinker, I would have never thought of it! I don't think the chemo did any damage to your brain cells. Although I can't brag too much on my own brain power. Thanks for the thoughts. God bless you all.

I am asking for prayer from all the sisters! God placed a burden on my heart for having a prayer/fasting retreat with a few women. I received this impression from God as I sat in church on 5/29. We have been talking about revival and going past our comfort zones in ministry in our Sunday school class for the last few weeks. Our church leaders have a vision for evangelizing the neighborhood where the church is located. It has the highest crime rate in our city. Several have gotten involved with the elementary school that is a couple of blocks away and the church officially sponsors the school. I felt the Lord telling me that I needed to get a small group of women together and pray and fast. I talked with my friend who has a ranch house that could sleep 10 women (more on the floor). She is a long time friend and a member of the same church. We were in a Mom's In Touch group together several years ago, but we currently are not in a prayer group. She was excited and felt that this was confirmation of her prayers. We planned it for this weekend 6/10-11; getting started Fri. at 5:00p and ending at 5:00p on Sat. We just got together to plan and pray. While we were talking we realized that the enemy is throwing spears our way. We need prayer covering for this. God has placed it on my heart to pray for our marriages, our families, drug abuse, pornography, sexual perversion, gay marriage, teen pregnancy and promiscuity, the media, local, state, national, and international leaders, missionaries, terrorism, the persecuted church, our church leaders, as well as giving thanks and praise to our Almighty God. Thank you in advance for your prayers.

God bless your day!
Kathy

Thank you, Pat!

God bless your day!
Kathy

Thanks, Carol!

God bless your day!
Kathy

Rachel,

I am so glad that your friend got to keep her job. The hand of God is wonderful! He will truly protect your job, too. Have a great time in Orlando!

God bless your day!
Kathy

I gotta share a "God Thang"... Three weeks ago went for my dental cleaning... mentioned to the dentist one of my crowns felt "funny"... maybe getting loose (now, I don't volunteer for pain... I really thought something was wrong). The dentist said that she wanted to yank it off and reglue it but she had to go to a funeral which was in 15 minutes and needed to have me come back. She is a BC survivor x 7 years and a Christian. Well, I went back today. The x-rays looked great. She yanked and pulled... the crown won't budge (it is 25 years old to boot). She had me bite on various things... no reproduction of the discomfort... blasted it with cold water... cold air... nother. She said, "There is absulutely nothing wrong with your crown."
I said, "Well, God must have healed it!"
She looked at me strangely and softly said, "It's back."
I said, "What's back?"
She said, "The cancer," and pointed to her breast. She saw the surgeon this morning and needs a mastectomy. I told her that I would do anything for her. She asked for my phone numbers which I gladly shared. After a big hug, I went on my way... thinking that if she had taken care of my tooth three weeks ago I wouldn't have been there for her today. She even said, "God sent you to me!"
I called my husband on the way home and wailed. He sees her also and was saddened by the recurrence. I was asking God what I could get her... when I thought of pink flowers... Yes, that's it! I went by the florist and saw a lady I hadn't met... blabbed on about how I went to the dentist and God healed my tooth... I was there for a reason... wanted to send my dentist pink flowers...
The florist stepped away from the computer she was using to put in my order and moved in front of me. Shared that her husband had cancer... 18 months ago given 30 days... needed to get things in order... Found a wonderful onc who didn't buy into the death sentence... He is also my onc and the dentist's onc...
Went on to say her sister had a recurrence several years ago of BC but is fine now. However, her niece was just diagnosed with metastatic BC... age 16!!! Her name is Heather. I asked if I could put her on our church prayer chain and she agreed.
Tomorrow is my dentist's birthday. The flowers will arrive Monday. Surgery will be this month. When I left the florist... I was overcome by how God had moved in the span of 1 1/2 hours. Had been dealing with some unpleasantness this past week and felt that the Godcidences were a reassurance that God is personal and awesome.
He cares so deeply for us and wants us to partcipate in an intimate relationship with Him. He has been tugging on me and I am not sure what plans He has... As a NP, I am privileged to be with people when they are the most vulnerable... The BC has made me braver because I know Him a bit better... I KNOW He is in the valleys... He is my banner... the lifter of my head...
Cancer is part of my testimony. It has allowed His majesty to shine forth in the darkness. Ideclair, you and your pastor will be used in the situation that you have been placed. Before I was Christian, I didn't understand victory in adversity... but I am learning. All I know is that if all you have is Jesus... He is more that enough!!
Pat

The Red Sea Rules
The book arrived and I've been reading it. It is very easy, quick reading. It is so simple that it almost seems too simple. But, the thoughts and concepts really make sense, and they stick. I recommend it. I'll finish it while we're gone and let you know more when I get back. If you think you'd like to get it, though, I recommend e-bay. My book is used, but in super condition.
Caroltina

Did the prayer meeting happen? If so, how'd it go? I've been thinking of you, and praying some.

"We are friends with a couple that are leaving in two weeks for Sri Lanka for two years+."
That is so wonderful to hear! Will your friends have e-mail where they are going? Do they have a digital camera? If they don't, you should make sure they get one. Wouldn't it be great to get pictures of their work there? I love to hear about people stepping out and doing things like this. This so great! I'm glad you had a good word for them from the Lord. (I looked up the verse.) I'm sure it blessed them greatly.
Caroltina

Pat, what an amazing story of the power of God and His constant presence in our lives. The hardest part for me is getting quiet, and listening for His presence and guidance amid all the hustle at work. How you do it, is simply amazing! Or better yet, it's simply you allowing God to take the reigns. God bless.

I am so upset because I have an interview, within my hospital, tomorrow for a position that will be a dayshift, in the OR, on Fri/Sat and Mon that will give me around $6-8 an hour raise if I get it. I will be off night shift, feel better, more human! My benefits (long term and short term disability will increase as my income increases, so in the future, if cancer rears it's ugly head, I'll be financially in a better place) I am so scared that I can't stand on my feet in the OR for these long periods of time, even if I get the job. I was so painful, miserable etc last night that I had to call in sick at work. I am so bummed by this, thinking I should just be able to suck it up, and go on. I think the Tamoxifen is the source of some recent issues with pain, and I am hoping that it will go away SOON. I know, have faith that God will not put me where His grace cannot keep me, but I still am sad. I have been able to do some things in the last 4 months that I would have thought impossible before I returned to work. But, I'm afraid of stepping out on a limb and maybe taking this position, not be able to do it, and then what? I will have lost a position where I currently work, in a job that I know I can do, in familiar surroundings. I know, let it go, let God take it, guess my hormones are just running wild today. Thanks for listening to my rant. I know I should be grateful for what I have, and I am.

As I typed this, I could hear a friend from church saying "it's when we step out on a limb that we are really trusting God, when we have to be totally dependent upon Him that's when we show our faith". Just remembering that helped me, and helps me know that I don't need to figure this out, just go with it and trust that no matter what, no matter how, it will be okay, God's in control.

Well Kathy, I'm back from the peer interview. When someone applies for a job where I work, you are interviewed by 3 or 4 of the people from that department, to see if you're a good match etc etc. In theory, it sounds good. LOL

Well, it's for an OR position, as I said. I don't think I'll be getting the call back, but I'm laughing as I type this. There was one guy, with obvious short man syndrome, who was trying to intimidate me, trying to simulate how stressful it could be in the OR, "with a surgeon screaming at you, nobody to turn to for help, what are you gonna do? hurry up! how will you know what to do? are you up for a challenge? and then he seemed to stress the fact that the weekend circulator now has never been seen having a lunch break, could I handle that? (maybe my obesity gave him the wrong impression??) and then he was trying to tell me how hard it was, could I physically do it after bc and treatment? 12 hours is a long time you know." Okay, it sounds like a comedy skit now, but let me first say, I had already told them, I currently work @ this hospital, 12 hour shifts, and I am the only remaining person from night shift since the unit opened in 03, it's a tough unit, and explained what my duties were, that I had circulated in OR before, just that I wasn't proficient at orthopedic cases, if they needed someone who could walk right in on trauma cases, then I wasn't the person for them. Here's some of the questions, and I PROMISE you this is almost an exact word for word quote in my replies....

Question: what are your goals Rachel?

Answer: to be at home with my family as much as possible. LMAO (oops, did they mean career goals?LOL)

Question: Why do you want to work in the OR?

Answer: I want to be a jack of all trades I guess.

Question: Are you up for a challenge? Do you think you can do this, it's not what you think, it's hard, like nothing you've ever done before.

Answer: I think I can do it, I'm not stupid, I can learn. (Does my annoyance show with this answer? LOL I already told them I have OR experience, they don't have a monopoly on it)

Question: You know, 12 hours is a long time. Do you think you can handle it physically? (this was asked after they were told I had been off work with bc for a few months, isn't that illegal?)

Answer: I'm doing 12 hour shifts now, have been since March. In fact I've missed less days than the other co-ordinators on the floor. (their name for charge nurse)

Question: How will you be able to handle the stress? It's a high stress enviroment, how do you cope?

Answer: I am responsible for 24 patients, and staff right now, with the ER breathing down my neck for beds, house supervisor calling with transfers, the cath lab sending patients, endoscopy unit sending patients, not enough beds, and nobody on the floors upstairs wanting to take my patients with an inadequate staff, every night I work. In the OR, it's one patient at a time, I can generally take good care of one person at a time, and make them happy, keep them safe.

Statement: Oh you may have more than one patient at a time.

Answer: You can't circulate more than one OR case at a time, can't be in two rooms at once. I can handle anything, one patient at a time.

Question/Statment: What will you do if you have angry surgeons asking for something you don't understand, you won't get all the orientation you'll need. There will be something you will run into that you haven't been taught.

Answer: I will ask someone else, there will be other staff in the OR, the surgeon, the OR tech, the assistant, the anestheologist.
Then he said "oh no, they're not there. You've got nobody to ask. What would you do?" (So how would we be doing surgery without anyone but me there?)

Answer: Well, there has to be a policy and procedure book that would cover anything done. If nothing else, I would have to look it up. Or ask the surgeon to clarify what he's wanting. I'm pretty autonomus, I can punt, if that's what you mean. I've been thrown to the wolves before, if that's what you're trying to tell me.


Question: But how will you react to this? how will you cope? (he seemed bent on asking the same type questions, did he think I'd crumble under his Nazi interrogation?)

Answer: Well, I've had angry surgeons throw bloody lap sponges and hit the walls, I think I understand how it can be. I've never cussed anybody out or been inappropriate if that's what you mean, so far anyways. I can't speak for what I'll do tomorrow.

I swear these were my answers. I can't believe I had the nerve to do this, but I just didn't have the time or inclination to put up a front. In fact, sometimes one of the interviewers would laugh when I answered this guy. The other interviewers would just look at Nazi boy with big, round eyes, as if to say "oh my God, what IS he doing?". Too funny, now that it's over. At the time, I was not amused. But for some reason, I was totally unable to give the answers they were searching for, I knew what they were searching for, a bullsh** kind of answer. I never planned on this, but in all honesty, I'm proud of who I am, and bc has freed me to be okay with me. If it has done nothing else, I am free to be Rachel.

I just laughed so hard when I came home and told my DH how it went... I said "well, thank God we aren't depending on this position for our groceries". He had this shocked look on his face when I told him some of my answers. But, as I told them, what you see is what you get, this is who I am. And, basically that's it. LOL What a day! and waste of time. And what were they trying to prove with bizarre questions like that? I went to the same training on doing peer interviews, and that was not in the training manual.LOLLOLOL

Kathy, I enjoy long posts from you. You always have something good to share, words of wisdom, or in some cases things that crack me up... you remember what your children told you long ago, about winning arguments??? LOL
I bet your heart is so full of pride and love for Katie, it must feel like it's swollen twice it's normal size. I know you are concerned about this new transition too, you know what it's like. I know she must be laughing about the LPN who failed ACLS... not that I dislike LPN'S, I was one first. But, I've seen my share of them who seem bent on making new RN's feel inadequate, trying to beat them down before they manage any self confidence. Katie has your strong will, faith and spirit, you know she will be amazing. Bless her heart.

I am very open to ministering to people with cancer on a one-on-one basis, but I'm not taking time for "causes" right now. I get it, and agree. I don't want to think about bc from a clinical standpoint, but I feel so priviledged to meet and take care of various cancer patients as they come thru my unit. It's such a blessing, and probably a calling for me and you. We love them, and because we've lived thru it, we can relate in a whole new way. Just like you said, it's the one-to-one stuff that we crave.
Guess what?? I just worked, (really worked hard too) for almost 18 hours. I worked 13 and 14 the two nights before. Why am I bragging about this??? Cause God is certainly good, all the time, in every way. Who would believe I could do this??? And I know my butt will be dragging, sore and tired when I get up, but how wonderful to be alive and able to work again, no matter what it takes out of me. LOL I have my first follow up mammo tomorrow.........UGGGHHH but still, am anxious to see the proof (that I know is there) that I am just fine. It's gonna be such a comfort, hearing those words. Thanks for the lovely post, again, I love the long ones from you, Pat, Caroltine (is she still on mission work?) and anyone else who likes to share their faith and experiences with God. Thanks for being there.
God bless. Rachel

Rachel, Are you getting wet? How is the weather where you are?

God bless your day!
Kathy

Hi, gals!
We, got a few bursts of showers today... I gotta share what happened on the 4th. I invited my neighbor... also one of my patients to our barbeque. We had just finished eating when he bacame diaphoretic and ashen. Long story shortened... became unconscious and I couldn't get a BP. He has a pacemaker so there was an apical pulse. My husband called 911 and ran outside to make sure the ambulance wouldn't pass the house. My mom took our Shih Tzu and disappeared(?) My 92 year old dad was the only one who stayed with me as he leaned on his cane and said,"Can I get you a cold cloth?" I was talking to God and said, "OK, God, I KNOW you allowed this to occur and are going to give me wisdom." I just had an umbilical hernia repair 10 days before and couldn't move my neighbor who was out cold at the dining room table. All I could do was talk to him and reassure him that I was there for him even though it appeared he could not hear me. The EMT's got there in about 7 minutes (like I wasn't timing them!). Anyway, he responded to emergency measures and I was able to speak with him about the Lord in the ER. I was keenly aware that God was in the mix of this. My husband and parents said after I got back from the hospital that night that it was obvious that I was in the right field and my profession was my ministry... I have to agree. I love what I do and have been so keenly aware of the doors that God has opened. He really seems to provide opportunities when we show love and concern for others regardless of their personal circumstances. Because of the BC experience this past year, now there are others who have been faced with cancer that are able to speak with me about their fears... so far there are two fellow church members with prostate cancer. God has allowed me to use the wisdom gained from my experience and use it to encourage others... wow, I am so awed by how He transforms our trials into treasure! Blessings!
Pat