Tag: Job 14:5

Got Covid?

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My Currently Developing Story

Got COVID? I guarantee having Covid isn’t fun. Here’s my currently developing story.

Fully Vaccinated with Two Boosters

I am fully vaccinated with two boosters. I have the Moderna vaccines and boosters. My second booster shot was on April 2, 2022. My medical history/issues makes me an immune compromised person. 

Saturday evening I arrived home after an eight day trip. Attending the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference was the trips purpose.

Sinus Infection?

I started have a runny nose and symptoms like a sinus infection. They started on Saturday, June 4th during the afternoon when driving home. I was sure I just had a cold or sinus issues. 

Day Zero

To be safe and responsible, and after I had seen a post that a few people who attended the conference had tested positive for Covid, I took the home test on Sunday, June 5th, and was shocked it was positive. My symptoms were a a very bad runny nose, sinus like drainage, a severe scratchy sore throat, and feeling tired. This is considered Day Zero, the day you first test positive.

I immediately went into isolation and contacted family I had visited and stayed with Thursday evening.

My blood oxygen levels have been staying above 95%. I drink a bottle of water almost very hour for staying hydrated.The water intake helps the blood oxygen levels.

My blood pressure has stayed good. My heart rate has been high. The high heart rate can contribute to the night sweats. I have had heart issues for forty years – I’ve had a couple of stroke and three times been in coronary icu – so we keep a close eye on this.

Day One

Day One – On Monday, June 6th, I saw my primary care physician and had another Covid test. It was positive. 

The doctor prescribed a Azithromycin (Z pack), Paxlovid Antiviral Pills (Paxlovid is an oral antiviral pill that can be taken at home to help keep high-risk patients from getting so sick that they need to be hospitalized) and Prednisone (It’s a steroid used to treat many diseases and conditions associated with inflammation).

My son Jason delivered me the prescriptions Monday evening and we maintained proper isolation/distancing. I started the Z pack and Paxlovid Monday.

My symptoms of a very bad runny nose, sinus like drainage, a severe scratchy sore throat, and feeling tired continued. I also had very bad night sweats where I changed clothing four times during the night from sweating so much. I did not have a fever. 

Day Two

Day Two – Tuesday, June 7th, I started the Prednisone Tuesday morning as it can keep you from sleeping. The Z pack and Paxlovid seemed to cause some mild intestinal distress and bathroom trips.

The symptoms remained about the same though I started feeling slightly better.

Day Three

Day Three – Wednesday, June 8th. Continuing to follow the doctor’s treatment and taking meds. I can still smell and taste. The steroids are not affecting my sleep. Yes, I have some body aches. Yes, I tire easily. 

Where Did I Catch Covid?

Of course there is no way of knowing when or where I caught Covid.

First Reaction to Having Covid

My first thought when I tested positive was to quote Scripture. I selected Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” This is scary, even for a fully vaccinated and boosted 68 years old man. I had my Uncle Vernon die from Covid in December 2020. I had a member of my Bible fellowship class die from it in August 2021.

Faith in God and in Modern Medicine

I’ll continue the medical treatment, appreciate prayer, and reflect on Job 14:5 which says “Our time on earth is brief; the number of our days is already decided by you.” I truly believe that the Lord has our days numbered. I know He’s with me and knows what is best for me. Trusting in Him reduces the fear, after all I’m His child and He cares for me.

I’ll update my journey this weekend.

How to Use Your Remaining Time

Posted in Blog, Cancer, Caregiver, Caregiving, Devotions, Hope, How to Become a Christian, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, Memoir, PrayersLeave a comment

How to Use Your Remaining Time

8.1 My Story

“How long …”

I asked the question doctors dread to hear. How long will my wife live? 

I had spoken those words to the physician when my mother had her kidney transplant. I also said those two words when I took my ninety-years old father to the emergency room and found out he had suffered a major heart attack that would take his life in hours. I repeated the words when my wife had Melanoma cancer surgery and had thirty-four lymph nodes removed because the disease had spread into them.

With my spouse, I remember the oncologist giving the five-year survival rate’s very depressing odds. She emphasized enjoying the now. She strongly stressed if cancer recurred it would be terminal. She said, “Live for today. Enjoy every day.”

Less than six months later, the Melanoma cancer returned. My wife lived another two years and two months after the recurrence. She survived nearly two years longer than what we were told to expect.

I worked hard to make each day she lived a positive experience. I also took her on a multi-week “bucket list” trip where we had quality time together.

The trip was challenging as I had to get a refrigerator for our car for her prescription chemotherapy medications. Daily, I also had to pack and unpack a cumbersome lymphedema therapy machine. My wife had to sit for an hour every day hooked to the device to control swelling in her left arm, wrist, and hand.

My point is we made good use of the time available. I made sure my wife saw her sisters multiple times. I made sure our grown children were engaged in her life.

God was gracious and gave her 1001 days from the first surgery. He also gave me the patience and desire to serve her.

The hope we both had through Jesus Christ allowed us to face each day with hope.

8.2 Use the Time God Has Given You

Part of caring for a person with a chronic illness is learning to use the time God has given you. The Bible teaches that God has the days of our lives numbered. Here are five examples:

  1. Job 14:5 King James Version (KJV), “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;”
  2. Job 21:21 (KJV), “For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?”
  3. Psalm 31:15 (KJV), “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.”
  4. Psalm 139:16 (KJV), “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:2 (KJV), “A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

8.3 Bible Verse

Psalm 39:4 (KJV), “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.”

8.4 What the Verse Means

The verse shares thoughts concerning the psalmist meditations on human life. He reflects on life’s brevity, life’s vanity, and life’s sorrows.

He wonders why life was so short. Why was it so vain? Why was it so full of pain?

8.5 Pray Using Scripture

  • Father in heaven, thank You for reminding me of how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to use the days I have with my loved one to the fullest.
  • Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that You are in control of the length of a person’s life. Help me to trust that You know what is best for me.
  • God, help me remember how short my life is and to live my days to Your honor and Your glory.

8.6 Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Are you helping your loved live the remaining days of their life to the fullest? What can you do today to make a good day for your loved one?
  2. What can you do to encourage friends and family to engage with your chronically or terminally ill loved one?
  3. Make sure you include rest in the management of your one’s time. What can you do today to make sure you take time to rest?

8.7 Takeaway

The Bible teaches God has our days numbered. We need to live each day to the fullest.

If you are not a Christian, accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior is a prerequisite to obtaining God’s peace.
Click HERE to find out how to become a Christian. You can trust Jesus Christ and become a Christian now.

Photo Source: Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay.

This blog is from the forthcoming book, “Caregiving: Biblical Insights from a Caregiver’s Journey by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D.

To receive a notification when “Caregiving: Biblical Insights from a Caregiver’s Journey by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D. is available and to get occasional updates on the writing of Jimmie Aaron Kepler, please complete the “Email Sign-up” found in the far left column of the blog.

Time

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Devotions, Hope, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, Memoir, PrayersLeave a comment

8 Time

8.1 My Story

“How long …”

I asked the question doctors dread to hear. How long will my wife live? I spoke those words to the physician when my mother had her kidney transplant. I repeated the words when my wife had Melanoma surgery and had thirty-four lymph nodes removed because the disease had spread into them. Yes, I also said those two words when I took my ninety-years old father to the emergency room and found out he had suffered a major heart attack.

With my spouse, I remember the oncologist giving the five-year survival rate odds which were very depressing. She emphasized enjoying the now. She strongly emphasized if cancer recurred it would be terminal.

Less than six months later the Melanoma returned. My wife lived another two years and two months after the recurrence. She survived nearly two years longer than what we were told to expect.

I worked hard to make each day she lived a positive experience. I also took her on a multi-week “bucket list” trip where we had quality time together.

The trip was challenging as I had to get a refrigerator for our car for her prescription chemotherapy medications. Daily, I also had to pack and unpack a bulky lymphedema therapy machine. She had to sit for an hour every day hooked to the machine to control swelling in her left arm, wrist, and hand.

My point is we made good use of the time available. I made sure she saw her sisters multiple times. I made sure our grown children were engaged in her life.

God was gracious and gave her 1001 days from the first surgery. He also gave me the patience and desire to serve her.

The hope we both had through Jesus Christ allowed us to face each day with hope.

8.2 Use the Time God Has Given You

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness is learning to use the time God has given to us. The Bible teaches that God has the days of our lives numbered. Here are five examples:

  1. Job 14:5 King James Version (KJV), “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;”
  2. Job 21:21 (KJV), “For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?
  3. Psalm 31:15 (KJV), “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.”
  4. Psalm 139:16 (KJV), “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:2 (KJV), “A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

8.3 Bible Verse

Psalm 39:4 (KJV), “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.”

8.4 What the Verse Means

The verse shares thoughts concerning the psalmist meditations on human life. He reflects on life’s brevity, life’s vanity, and life’s sorrows.

He wonders why life was so short. Why was it so vain? Why was it so full of pain?

8.5 Pray Using Scripture

  • Father in heaven, thank you for reminding me of how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to use the days I have to the fullest.
  • Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding me that my days are numbered. Help me to trust that you know what is best for me.
  • God, help me remember how fleeting my life is and to live my days to your honor and your glory.

8.6 Responding to God’s Hope

  1. 1. Are you helping your loved live their remaining days to the fullest? What can you do today to make today a good day for your loved one?
  2. 2. What can you do to encourage friends and family to engage with your chronically or terminally ill loved one?
  3. 3. Make sure you include rest in the management of your one’s time. What can you do today to make sure they take time to rest?

Photo Source: Pixabay

This blog post is from the forthcoming book, “Caregiving: Biblical Insights from a Caregiver’s Journey” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D.

To receive notification when “Caregiving: Biblical Insights from a Caregiver’s Journey” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D. is available and to get occasional updates on the writing of Jimmie Aaron Kepler please complete the “Email Sign-up”  ound in the far left column of the blog.

Time

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Devotions, Hope, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, Memoir, PrayersLeave a comment

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness is learning to use the time God has given to us. The Bible teaches that God has the days of our lives numbered. Here are five examples:

  1. Job 14:5 King James Version (KJV), “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;”
  2. Job 21:21 (KJV), “For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?
  3. Psalm 31:15 (KJV), “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.”
  4. Psalm 139:16 (KJV), “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:2 (KJV), “A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

Today’s Bible Verse:

Psalm 39:4 (KJV), “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.”

What the Verse Means:

The verse shares thoughts concerning the psalmist meditations on human life. He reflects on life’s brevity, life’s vanity, and life’s sorrows. He wonders why life was so short. Why was it so vain? Why was it so full of pain?

Personalized Prayer Using Today’s Scripture:

  • Father in heaven, thank you for reminding me of how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to use the days I have to the fullest.
  • Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding me that my days are numbered. Help me to trust that you know what is best for me.
  • God, help me remember how fleeting my life is and to live my days to your honor and your glory.

Photo Source: Pixabay

Thy Will Be Done

Today’s blog post is from the book “Thy Will Be Done: 60 Prayers for the Chronically Ill” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler. It is available in print and on Kindle for Amazon at Amazon Print or Amazon Kindle.

If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member, the book is available to read for free in Kindle format. Over the next two months, I will publish each chapter as a blog post