more stuff christians should stop doing

Posted on January 9, 2011 by caryschmidt


Hello from left field again! Apparently a lot of you have brains that spend time in left field as well, because the post that I almost didn’t post turned out to be one that many of you responded to. Thank you for the comments, emails, messages and for those who referred the first half of this article to others. One friend said, “Thanks for the slap in the face—I needed that.” I laughed. I guess it was a bit of a “wake up call” but at least I slapped myself first, if that’s any consolation.
So, in the first post we saw a downward spiral—a progression that starts in our minds when fleshly thinking creeps in during a trial. It starts with murmuring against God—”why me?” Murmuring leads to moping—draping complaints on the heart and weighing it down with despair. Moping leads to comparing to others and envying those who have it better. Envying always leads to criticizing which leads to a harsh disposition and hurtful spirit towards others.
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Posted in Encouraging Thoughts | 2 Comments

stuff christians need to stop doing

Posted on January 5, 2011 by caryschmidt


This is a bit out of left field—but that’s where my brain has been spending a lot of time lately, so here goes.
Over the past few months, I’ve been making a short list of really bad habits—not like nail-biting or over-eating. These are more elusive bad habits—and a lot more dangerous. They are the things that tend to creep in—emphasis on CREEP—when life takes a turn we didn’t approve of. These are attitudes or behaviors we tend to default into when expectations go unmet, or dreams are left unfulfilled—when our hopes are smashed on the rocks of disappointment.
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Posted in Encouraging Thoughts | 11 Comments

happy new year!

Posted on January 1, 2011 by caryschmidt


Just wanted to post a quick update and wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Since my last treatment I’ve had a couple of good days and a couple of bad days… and I can’t quite tell what today is yet. 🙂 Late Thursday and then most of the day yesterday I was down with moments of respite in between. We did get to go out to lunch as a family, but other than that I was in bed all day.
Over all this treatment still hasn’t been as bad as the other two, so I’m thankful for that. My goal today is just to pull out enough to participate in church tomorrow, and of course to start the new year for the Lord and with a good attitude.
2011 will certainly be a journey! I wish you and yours a blessed and Christ-centered new year for God’s glory!

Posted in Health News | 1 Comment

one day after treatment #3

Posted on December 28, 2010 by caryschmidt

Well, to my surprise and delight the sun has started coming out a bit earlier after this treatment than the last two. It’s probably because so many friends are praying, and I’m hoping that the new combination of meds is having a better impact. And I’m REALLY hoping something doesn’t change and make things go south again. Everything I’m about to tell you could change before I’m done writing this. 🙂
Last night I was groggy and weak, but no nausea, and slept like a rock. This morning I awoke with weakness and aches, but still no nausea, and best of all I was lucid and semi-functional all day. That past two Tuesdays after treatment have just been something to hang on and endure through. Today, while in bed most of the day, I was still able to read, think clearly, and interact with family with a high level of coherence.
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Posted in Health News | 10 Comments

back in the chair

Posted on December 27, 2010 by caryschmidt


Signing on once again from the “big green chair.” I’m figuring out the routine this time. As of right now, I’m all plugged in and getting pretty doped up (light headed, dizzy, and on new meds), so before I’m off to la-la land again, I just wanted to check in. This round we’re trying some different combinations of anti-nausea meds, and it doesn’t look like I will need to give myself injections this week. That’s good news.
I read a great statement today: Cancer isn’t so bad—it’s the medications that kill you! There’s a lot of truth in that. Hopefully the side effects will be minimal and sanity will return sooner than last time.
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Posted in Health News | 4 Comments

our christmas

Posted on December 26, 2010 by caryschmidt

God really gave us a great few days together as a family, and in all fairness, I figure if I’m going to share the roughness of treatment, I’d better be sure to give the blessings of God equal or greater time, right? After 10 days of chemo come-back and related side-effects, life, energy, and mental stability returned in time for Christmas! (Thank you, Lord!)
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Posted in Health News, Random Thoughts | 1 Comment

possible reasons why i contracted hodgkins

Posted on December 23, 2010 by caryschmidt


I was doing some reading last night on the causes of Hodgkins and considering where this might have begun. After lots of study, I’m suspicious of the following possibilities (This is just for fun):
I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan—this is the fault of a family in our church who lured my boys astray years ago. I was just trying to be a supportive father, but I fear it was a bad decision.
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Posted in Funny Stuff | 8 Comments

my personal portrait of grace

Posted on December 22, 2010 by caryschmidt


“Oops… I’m sorry…” This has become my opening line more than I care to admit. The scene, on a sick day, is something like this. I’m convalescing in some reclined position, propped up by pillows in bed or on the couch, without much strength. It’s mid-morning. Dana has awakened long before me, helped the kids start their day, worked around the house, and done her absolute best to keep our room quiet so I can sleep. (Her favorite trick is to surround me with little electric fans so their humming will mask out the sound of the kids preparing for school. It works, but when I actually do wake up I generally feel like I’m sleeping in a manufacturing plant for small electric fans.)
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Posted in Encouraging Thoughts, Funny Stuff | 5 Comments

systems failure—reboot in progress

Posted on December 20, 2010 by caryschmidt


It would be hard to describe the past two days other than a multiple systems failure. By Friday, I really thought I was pulling out and all systems seemed to be rebooting well. Other than being very weak, it was a good day. By Saturday I could tell that things were not normal, and then Sunday morning came. I made it through the first church service, but barely, and that was it. I came home and crashed—in bed all day and night. I hated missing Sunday, but I’m sure I would have been teaching heresy in my class any way!
Here’s a short list of what was going on and why: physical instability and shaking, muscle-twitching and pain, tightness of chest and shortness of breath, strong headaches, disorientation and confusion (yikes!), body aches, extreme physical weakness, indigestion, and just a general inability to function in any way that positively contributes to humanity.
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Posted in Health News | 4 Comments

three days after second treatment

Posted on December 16, 2010 by caryschmidt

Today I was still whipped, but finally had enough energy to pick up a few Christmas gifts with Dana for a couple of hours. We enjoyed getting out of the house together. Still had a real lack of energy most of the day.
One really odd part of chemo is appetite. I haven’t had much of an appetite until today at lunch time, which was really my first “meal” since treatment. And what the stomach can take at any given moment is really random. Chocolate drinks or smoothies still have a very settling affect on my nausea for some reason. Feelings of weakness and sickness still come and go unpredictably.
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Posted in Health News | 3 Comments