11-5-06

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November 5, 2006

"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be

mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4 NIV)

Had a very painful test recently. It is called a spinal tap. I was out of it a month and a half ago so I don’t remember any pain. This test was done at my local hospital to see if there were any Vanco cells left in my brain. Sadly, the results did not come back as hoped. There were about 200 cells counted. This was a significant decrease, which was great, but not completely clear. The main effect this has on me is what I feared. My doctors said it just isn’t safe for me to return to work. Since I am on some medications to keep my immune system suppressed, I would be at significant risk to be exposed to all the germs in a classroom. The best thing for me right now is not to be around all the kids. I need to get a stronger immune system so I don’t need to be worried about being exposed to germs. So I need to be patient for a while longer. Perhaps until the end of the school year. The tough part of this will be to give up my job for a while. My sick days run out this December and I will need to go on medical leave, which will mean I resign from my job. This has been tough on me. I long to be in the classroom with the kids. I miss them so much. It will also be difficult financially also, for my salary will be lost. I know it will all work out with the Lord’s help but it is a stressful time. I have fears of being without my salary and a lot of emotions about not being in the classroom. My faith will definitely be tested. However, I know it is important that I listen to the doctors and focus my attention on getting completely well.

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