Whats Up With That? (That=Jen)

When I was 13 I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia purpurra. (ITP). ITP is an autoimmune disorder where the body thinks that healthy, functioning platelets (the blood cells that clot) are foreign bodies and the body kills the platelets. As a kid, I would have a low platelet count, around 50k - 70k. A normal platelet range is 150k-400k. My treatment then was a steroid, prednisone, because prednisone would suppress my immune system. The treatments left me bruise free and overweight.

As an adult, my platelets began to drop down to 30k, so in 1999 I had my spleen removed, and I was able to keep my counts around 50k-70k again.

If you read the first word in ITP is "Idiopathic" meaning that there is no known reason why my body does this, it just does. So when you see what "treatments" I do, you will notice that they address the symptoms, not the actual disease.

Some of you may remember I dealt with this in 2007, missing almost 4 months of work. During that time my platelet count would drop down to 10k and steroids and other treatments did not work. I went through a round of chemotherapy and HIGH dose of intravenous steroids. For whatever reason that "reset" my body and I was pretty healthy up until last December.

I started to notice unusual (for me) bruising and petechia (litte red dots that are small blood "explosions" just under the skin) all over my body. Anyone who has seen my Facebook page has seen a picture of me with blood blisters in my mouth and on my tongue. That was not from licking a gravel road- I woke up one morning and my mouth and nose were filled with blood. BTW I took that day off and then went to work the next day to finish out the month of December...




When I came back to work on the first day back in January, I had a bit of bronchitis and some more red spots. I decided that I should definitely go to the doc and deal with the bronchitis and ITP. My platelet count was 5k- a number so low and so critical that I was immediately hospitalized.

Let me out this number in perspective for you. I had 5k platelets, you probably have at least 150k to 400k. As blood is pumped through our bodies, little "leaks" occur. This is normal, and fine when you have 150,000- 400,000 platelets circulating to stop the blood leaks. When you have only 5,000, normal "leaks" can turn into full blown hemmorages, that can NOT be operated on. Worse, if it's in the brain... or, a simple "fender bender" car crash can turn into a critical trip to the ER.

I spent 5 days in the hospital, receiving platelet infusions and steroids. Unfortunately my body doesn't respond to steroids, and worse yet, it kills ANY platelet in my system. Finally, I was given a round of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IvIG) and that brought my platelets to above 50k. The doctor said "There are some new treatments that are specific to your case. One is a pill you take everyday. The other is a shot you will receive every week in my office. I would like to start you on the pill as soon as possible."

As these two new treatments are just out of clinical trial, I had to apply to the pharmaceutical company and my insurance for approval. I was approved, and spent February and March taking a daily pill, Promacta.

It didn't work.

So, on to the weekly shot.

Same hoops- apply; Wait, Approval, treatment...

It didn't work.

Next step, a form of chemotherapy treatment that really isn't chemotherapy... 4 weeks in the "chemo lounge"...

It didn't work.a

At this point I ran out of sick time, and the school district I work for will only extend my unpaid leave for 100 days so I am dangerously close to losing my job, which is a big problem because...

HEALTH INSURANCE!

While all of this was going on, my platelet counts kept dropping, and every other week I had to go to the hospital for IvIG. After my 6th overnight stay, my insurance, doc and hospital worked out a plan for me to receive the treatment in the ACU. This means I go to a nice recliner in the morning with my laptop and reading material and try to fight off the Benadryl side effects. (BTW Benadryl wins every time, hands down!) The treatment is 8 hours long, and must be given twice, on consecutive days. Sometimes after treatment I feel fine, but most of the time I am flat on my back sick for two - three days immediately afterwards. I say that when I feel great I am probably sickest, and when I feel horrible I am healthiest.

One last point to note about the IvIG treatment is it's cost; $30,000 a round. A big part of this is because it involves blood product from 1,000 donors. A big thanks to you and ALL the folks who donate blood. I literally would not be alive without you.

I said that was the last point, but I was wrong; This is: No one knows why IvIG works. It just does. And IvIG is used to treat a bunch of other stuff too.

Between rounds of treatment and being sick I have been able to do a few things here and there. My physical activity is VERY limited, but i work closely with my doc to make sure that I am healthy to do the few things I get to do.

So what's next? I am starting a course of Oral Chemotherapy. This treatment is expected to last 4 months. While the treatment is much lower than that of a breast cancer patient, I may still experience the side effects- hair loss, nausea, etc. Will it work? Only time will tell.

I realize that this isn't the best way to end an update, e-mail, or blog, but it is basically where I am today. I hope everyone at least has an idea of what is going on with me. I realize that most you are well-mannered and courteous, meaning you feel that by asking me what is going on you are "prying" but I assure you that is not the case. Of course, if you asked and I gave you this whole spiel, you might miss something important, like your kids birthday or your state mandated break and then we would ALL be in a world of hurt. I really hope you read this tome in your spare time or in line at Costco. At least someplace to help you pass the time.

Again, thank you for all your support, well-wishes and time. It really means a lot to me.

Cheers!

Jen

A Post Script to my earlier post...

As a PS to my long manifesto…

After writing a mere six pages and barely scratching the surface of my Lankershim Experience, I really had to pare down some of the stories, One of big ones was a student named Felton who was a down right hellion on A track. He was so memorable that I named a huge stuffed animal after him- mostly because I couldn’t believe that someone so caustic could have “Felt” in their name. And because in my first few years of teaching, I couldn’t believe someone would name their kid “Felton.” Of course, that name turned out to be totally mainstream…

In any case, I took an interest in little Felton, watching him go from 1^st to 3^rd grade. He was a curious boy, with enough anger to form a Sith Lord, and in 3^rd grade, his teacher, Sue Reynolds and I did all we could to help him out. He had a little sister, Felicia, who was as mean as a junkyard dog, and looked JUST like him. He left Lankershim after 3^rd grade, and I often wondered what happened to him. This story was going to be left out, until yesterday, when I read in The Sun newspaper that he was shot and killed walking down Baseline Road in San Bernardino.

Bicyclist shoots two San Bernardino men, killing one

By Melissa Pinion-Whitt Staff Writer

Posted: 06/02/2011 03:14:09 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO - A gunman on a bicycle opened fire on two men early Thursday, killing one and wounding the other.

Felton Strong Jr., 19, and Kevion Barnes, 21, both of San Bernardino, were walking in the 100 block of East Base Line at 1:10 a.m. when two boys on bikes approached, authorities said.

One of the bicyclists shot at the victims, hitting both, said San Bernardino police Lt. Gwen Waters.

"There is no indication that this is gang-related," Waters said.

Paramedics took both victims to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where Strong died.

Barnes, who suffered more than one gunshot wound, is expected to survive, Waters said.

Police arrested two boys - ages 16 and 17 - on suspicion of homicide and attempted homicide.

Investigators say the 16-year-old pulled the trigger.

The teens were booked into San Bernardino Juvenile Hall.

Their names were not released because they are minors.

A motive for the shooting is not yet known.

It really is a shame that Baseline Road has become so dangerous at 1:30 am.

Which leads me to my next tragic story, eliminated to “keep things light” but now, unfortunately, has become relevant.

One of the things NEVER discussed in education reform is the influence of the parents on the students. When begging for money or educational reform, Parental Involvement is rarely, if ever factored in to the equation.

A few years ago, a quiet, shy 5^th grader arrived as a new student to Lankershim right after testing. Mynisha was placed in a class with one of our stronger upper grade teachers into a tight-knit group of students who had know each other since kindergarten. (As a side note, Lankershim has a high transient population, and classes that stay together this long are rare.) Mynisha was overweight, liked “Spongebob,” academically low and absent quite often. One day the class misbehaved and the teacher kept them after school for 15 minutes. The classroom door was locked and parents and siblings waited patiently for the students to be excused for the day. One woman, tired of waiting, began to violently bang on the door and yell. Incredulous at the ruckus at the door, the teacher opened the door, to which the woman threw it open all the way, entered the room and began screaming.

“I ain’t got time for this. Mynisha, we need to go NOW! I ain’t got time to wait around for this shit! I got bills to pay!” She yelled in front of the class, while pounding her chest with her two fists. Mynisha gathered up her belongings and went home.

When she returned the next day, her classmates EMBRACED her. They understood her pain and embarrassment. From them on she was included in recess activities, lunch table fun and class groups. EVERY student felt her embarrassment and instead of shunning her, they took her in as a friend. She was only at Lankershim until the end of the school year (about 6 weeks totally) but the heartwarming story of Mynisha at Lankershim is truly a testament to the sweet nature of that class. Unfortunately, the story does not end here.

A few months later, I was getting ready for school when Michelle told me that the news was reporting that a girl had been shot and killed in San Bernardino. Expecting to see another tragic story, the news was reporting that Mynisha was shot and killed in a drive by shooting. Her family had just moved into a new apartment that was previously occupied by gangsters. Evidently the rival gang had not received the forwarding address and decided to pepper the apartment with bullets. The family was sitting down at dinner and took cover when they heard the shots. Mynisha had just gotten up to get seconds from the stove.

The community was outraged. The newspaper and TV news stations carried the story for weeks. But not ONCE was Mynisha’s school mentioned. In fact, the paper said they couldn’t confirm which school she went to. I was curious. I wanted to talk to my colleague, the PE teacher at her new school. I wanted to help in any way I could. The first thing I did when I got to school was tell the principal. Surely we would need to get some counselors available for her former classmates! Our Principal was unconcerned- no counselors necessary. Next I checked Mynishas enrollment and found out she had not been enrolled in school since she had been at Lankershim. Her new “home school” (meaning school within her home boundaries) did not have any attendance for her. A little more research showed that her parents had kept her home to BABYSIT her little brothers and sisters! Moreover, her frequent absences at Lankershim were FOR THE SAME REASON! While Mynishas death was truly a tragedy, it is, in my mind, almost overshadowed by the tragic circumstances in her life.

Where the Bodies Are Buried

I am being bumped from Lankershim. The bump isn’t because I am sick, it is because I am next on the seniority list to have my contract reduced. Since Lankershim stayed year round, I have to move to a school that is modified/traditional. After 13 years, I am going to recount some of the highlights at Lankershim in a book entitled "Where the Bodies are Buried."

I knew I was in for a wild ride when Tricia McCarty, Lankershims “other” PE teacher, warned me to keep a pad of paper and a pen in my pocket to write down descriptions and license plate numbers of the car thieves in the parking lot. Even better, she told me that earlier in the week she walked out of the Resource Room to pick up the class in Room 1 when a man with a gun ran past her, chased by cops with their guns drawn… 4 bells means lockdown!

Who can forget the unnamed teac her who sat down with a former librarian, and spread cream cheese on a bagel while our Principal, Marv Johnson, and an Assistant Superintendent walked in for an observation. I’m pretty sure wherever I land I won’t be able to hold students by the neck, interrupt instructional time to call parents, or be challenged to a fight after school. I’m very certain that my offer to host a fight between warring 6^th grade girls after school so I can sell tickets and popcorn to make money won’t go over well. What other school in the district can boast that their principal literally worked her way to the top? My first year at Lankershim was Ms. Morales’ (Or “Ms. V” as she was called then.) first year as well. The Original “Ms. V” was an instructional assistant in Mrs. Southworths Special Ed class, AU (now known as CU. Note the name, “AU = HEY YOU!). At the time I had NO IDEA it was her first year, nor any inkling at how young she was. I will say that those kids were quite difficult; the 5^th grader who was 180 pounds of solid muscle and anger management, the Leonardo DiCaprio look-alike, or the dangerously asthmatic sweetheart. When Michelle Southworth left Lankershim, those kids rioted almost daily. The Original “Ms. V” absolutely held those kids together through 5 years, 4 teachers and COUNTLESS long term subs. As a 3rd grade teacher, her stellar skills in interrogation and discipline were finely honed. An example:

-----Original Message-----

From: Johnson, Marv

Sent: Wed 2/4/2004 8:05 AM

To: Albright, Laura; Baxter, Clementina; Belmudes, Diana; Betancourt, Linda; Billings, Lynn; Bordeaux, Debbra; Bowman, Mary; Canelo, Carmen; Cauldren, Kaija; Chrismon, Kathryn; Cuevas, Patricia; Dahl, Teresa; Duebbers, Pat; Earnest, Barbie; Emery, Kim; Evans, Breanna; Figueroa, Martha; Garza, Angelita; Gifford, Allison; Haines, Kathy; Harper, Rebecca; Islas, Adrian; Jimenez, AlmaE; Johnson, Jennifer; Johnson, Marv; Kaisershot, Edward; Kaisershot, Katherine; Kosman, Donna; LankershimCafe; Library, Lankershim; Ludwig, Carrie; Luna, Rosalba; Mantz, Jacqueline; March, Francine; Maroney, Colleen; Maroney, Linda; Martinez, Olivia; Matthews, Armone; McCarty, Judy; McElfish, Sharon; Morales, Victoria; Navarro, Olivia; Parker,Janet; Parrott, Allen; Patterson, Angela; Pena, Ida; Pendleton, Trinidad; Polder, Linda; Reyes, Oscar; Reynolds, Susan; Robinson, Linda; Ruiz, Araceli; Saterfield, Catherine; Shaw, Gail; Shaw, Rebecca; Steele, Maria; Sutton, Catherine; Taylor, Tanisha; Torres, Elycia; Villavicencio, Janice; Winn, Pam; Woolard, Caroline; Young, Rhonda

Subject: bulletin- Feb. 4

1. Footnote to Dr. White's visit;

I had a doctor's appointment, yesterday, in the afternoon. When I returned, I was informed that two second graders had ripped off $60 from her purse while I was walking Dr. White around the campus and bragging to her about our great kids. Fortunately, Victoria got wind of the situation and retrieved the money. Two suspensions and one visit to Dr. White's office to return her $60 were not exactly the way I wanted to end my day, yesterday.

The district makes some bonehead moves, but this time, appointing a principal who has been a classified, certificated and management employee as the leader at the site where she “grew up” has to be one of the top moves of the decade. What other leader is as invested in their school?

What other Vice Principal will let me get away with all of the shenanigans I have pulled? This is what happens when the Vice Principal is away and Jen and Araceli try to one up each other on Pranks:

We were going to cover the computer screen and keyboard, but we ran out of Newspaper and the aluminum foil was too expensive.

I wonder if at my new school kids will worry about letting their teacher down at testing, so much so that they throw up on their test. Probably not, only Angie Robinson can do that.

Will my new school have a teacher who loves Star Wars as much as me? Who screams passionately as she loves her kids? Surely no school has a better “comadre” for me than Olivia Navarro.

March 17, 2006 has to be one of the most memorable Lankershim days. I took Elycia Torres’ class out for PE, when the current Ms. V and Ms. Torres pulled 2 kids out of PE to search their personhood and backpacks. For what? Who knows. I returned those kids after PE and picked up CU. While the kids were sitting on the grass, listening intently to one of my fine lessons, a kid held up a gun and said “Teacher, I found this.” I replied, “Oh, that’s mine. I’ve been looking for that. Thank you.” My cell phone immediately called the office and Ms. V’s quest for the B2 contraband ended. My day, wasn’t over until the very next class when I took out Alma “I’m not Badillo” Jimenez’s chihuahua’s and one little darling decided PE was too hard and took off running down the hall, out the gate, through the parking lot and down the street. Me, I just watched. Alma, the poor sucker, chased the brat all the way home. Of course, when his mother came to the school to complain about PE, she told me he doesn’t like PE because I make him run and he has asthma. Niiiice.

What other school has crazy parents that scream and yell at the office staff? What other office staff just smile and nod as a parent yells “Unlovin’ @$$ teachers. That’s unprofessional, smiling at me!” Do parents at other schools drop their kids off, or just slow down as their kindergartener literally rolls out like they do at Lankershim? When a kid gets run over in the parking lot is there a school metiche who gets all the information from all parties and witnesses before the paramedics arrive and offers the facts AND her opinion to the officer taking the report. This story is only funny because the kid wasn’t hurt AND the Lankershim Metiche told me he is a brat and his mother has no control over her kids. (Metiche is Spanish for busy body, but best exemplified by this story.) Surely other schools don’t hold IEP meetings at the gas station, only because the parent refused to answer the phone when their “darling” was being suspended and the VP and Counselor were driving the student home…

Of course, there is always the transition people make when they are at Lankershim. There used to be a 6^th grade teacher who smoked, had bad hair and was mediocre with her kids. 13 years later Francine March is at the top of her game with clean lungs, a great hairstyle, a successful weight watchers figure and an absolute ACE in the hole when it comes to kindergarten teachers. In my humble opinion, one of the finest examples of “Gods greatest gifts being unanswered prayers.” Let us also remember the Ed Kaisershot/Kathy Davidians romance that changed them both for the better, and happier. And Lynn Billings… shes’s half the woman she used to be. By the way, that’s a major compliment.

Allen Parrott deserves some sort of award for changes, going from clean-cut prep to pirate to Jesus, back to clean cut… I think sometimes Scott was covering for his brother. Either way, the word on the playground was “Mr Parrott doesn’t get kids in trouble, he just gives them candy.” Boy, was Edgar disappointed his 6^th grade year.

Are first year teachers at other schools put through “trial by fire” like those at Lankershim? Like Rhonda “I’m not Young anymore” Wagner whose first THREE years at Lankershim were filled with mentally unstable youth? First graders turning over tables, stabbing classmates with pencil, no I’m NOT talking about Phillip… Danielle Boles, whose first day started with Arturo yelling “F*ck the pledge!” and throwing his chair on the ground. Let us not forget the unnamed teacher who confiscated an adult novelty item that was found on the playground, only to have a student steal it back and play tag with it during recess. I think that was the same day that a kid told me “Ms. Noel, so and so is eating nasty candy.” Evidently, eating nasty candy is a tattle-able offense, but regular candy is kept on the down low. I asked so and so “Why are you eating nasty candy?”

“Because I found it.”

“Let me see that.”

The nasty candy revealed itself to be flavored lubricant. My only out was to confiscate the “Nasty Candy” and toss it, because we’re not allowed to eat candy at school. Right?

Janet, you said that getting candy at the “Liquor Store” must be a California thing, because kids in Indiana don’t go to Liquor Stores. I guess I’ll find that out. That, and if everybody in San Bernardino calls Otter Pops “Ice Creams.”

I will miss saying Debbie Bordeaux’s name in my worst French accent. Mostly I will miss asking her what her previous name was when she was a classroom teacher and had the ever lovely “Gabriel.” And Gabriel…. Makes me think of my first year and Cathy Saterfield’s class with Myra, the girl who loved to run away, Jude “Jacob Thaddeus wearing that hat of his,” Nyleque, and Gabriel. Cathy, which girl in your classroom was always a “contestant” on “The Lice is Right?” The girls whose jacket I put on (yes, I was that thin then) and wore back to your classroom when you warned me “I wouldn’t keep that on for very long.” Oh, the story of Lice and Lankershim, and the teachers that were sent home…

I’m on page 4 here and I haven’t even gone past Room 7. Is there room in this email to talk about “The Teacher Formerly Known as Flathers?” Will Melanie PaynLin forgive me for calling her “PaynLin?” I just asked Michelle to proofread this. She sighed and said “Just say goodbye already!” But I just can’t. Not yet. I haven’t gotten to the really good parts! Like the poor teacher who moved to California to teach, her head filled with Lollipops and rainbows, to teach kids in the inner city. How excited she must have been to hear Erin Gruwell speak at our District Inservice! Then, returning to find her car STOLEN out of the school parking lot, I’m sure her emotions were just as high, but in a TOTALLY different way. I blame myself. I wasn’t in the field that day watching for car thieves with my pen and pad of paper. But had I been, surely I could have recovered her car as quickly as I recovered my stolen iPod. Getting my stolen iPod back only cost me an ice cream ticket, a walk to Jesse and Georges house, a trip across the street to find a guy named “Go-Go” and I got my iPod back. Duh, winning!

I’m sure at my next school I won’t have to get to school 30 minutes before I’m supposed to for Running Club. The teachers there won’t care about doing something like that. The kids will run, sweat and stink up the classroom. I won’t have to stay late after school to walk kids home and translate their sins to their parents because kids at other schools aren’t this bad, right? My next principal won’t hide behind classrooms like Marv did, or eat lunch in their car while “observing” my class, or have enough trust and respect in me to let me do my thing, right? I guess this means I’ll have to learn the PE standards. All of them. For all SIX grades. Unless I get a Kinder class too, then I will learn SEVEN grades of standards. And teach them, all week long.

Do other schools have teachers that throw RAGERS for Christmas and 1^st grade graduation like Carmen “I’m not Lara!” Canelo? That might be a good thing, because there was that year that Carmen’s “Buddy” 1^st grade teacher threw a rager, forgot there was PE, and insisted on having her planning time. That wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, except it was raining that day, I had to teach the class in her classroom FILLED to capacity with parents, younger siblings, and a spread that rivaled the best Vegas buffets. Of course we danced… and I slipped on Sopa de Arroz that spilled on the carpet, and entertained the parents and crying babies.

I’m really hoping I run into one of our most entertaining fomer students, a true “5150” who liked to turn into a tiger and chase his classmates around the field. Once he “caught” them, he would scratch their backs and try to bite them. Admittedly, his classmates said the scratching on the back was quite nice… But his kid was no chimp. When his mom came to the school, he tied her shoelaces together. (Unbeknownst to her, as she was morbidly obese AND oblivious) When she asked him why, he replied “so you’ll fall over and roll over the door so I can run away!” This child is the #1 reason Allison Ramsey will NEVER name her son “Joseph.”

I guess I’ll leave out the staff room fights (although that was REALLY good) and the explosion that deafened Maria and convinced her that Al-Quaida was attacking Lankershim. I’ll leave out the mental illness (mine especially) that was particularly unsettling and most importantly the list of people of whom I have walked in on in the bathrooms. (If only we had a stall!) I’m also leaving out “The Dead Gopher Story,” “What to Do When a Strange Dog Comes Up to You,” “What to do When a Strange Bee Flies Up to You,” “The time a dog wanted to play and the whole class screamed,” and “When EZ –Ups Fly Across the PE Field and Hit a Classroom. “ But 13 years has left me with a lot of stories, experiences and memories that are as permanent as the markers our neighborhood “Street Artists” use. I hope the District Maintenance team doesn’t paint over the “tags” in my mind.