A Needlepoint Post

So these are the two projects I’ve just finished. The rooster I made for me, for fun.

The covered bridge is an anniversary gift for my parents – they had their second date in a covered bridge just like this one. Pretty cool find, huh?

I’m about to embark on a series, canvases made by the same artist who did the bridge. She’s got a whole heap of pretty sweet canvases of houses and scenes from the town I grew up vacationing in, Cape May, NJ. It’s not like I’m doing them all, or even half, but still – should keep me busy for awhile.

A Tale of, Oh, Eleven or So Doctors (Part 1)

So, as all you normal readers are aware, I’m sick, and I’ve been sick for quite a while. And I’m not really thinking straight. And I’m in pain all the time. And thus, I have been doing a lot of needlepoint and watching movies and tv shows and very little writing. 

BUT… I am going to see a lot of doctors. And it has occurred to me that I can be as loopy and out of it as I currently am and still pass along some basic stories that might be interesting. You might even laugh – as likely at me as at the doctor or his/her staff. 

So hey. Here we go, dropping smack dab in media res. 

Current players:

• Dr. One – reproductive endocrinologist who I’ve worked with occasionally over the last 3.5 years
• Dr. Two – obgyn buddy of Dr. One who did my first laparoscopy and found endometriosis
• Dr. Three – new obgyn who actually had new ideas and gave me some options besides, you know, a hysterectomy or “we can’t do anything, so I’m sorry you are in so much pain, you wimp, but you’re gonna have to deal with it.” – PS, I am not a wimp.
• Dr. Four – spinal pain doctor
• Dr. Five – new internist
• Dr. Six – gastroenterologist/allergy specialist

Physicians Coming Down the Pike :

• Dr. Seven – an MD with extensive homeopathic/alternative medicine practice
• Dr. Eight – urologist with female focus recommended by Dr. Four
• Dr. Nine – ear-nose-throat specialist, referred by Dr. Five
• Dr. Ten –  sleep doctor recommended by Dr. Five
• Dr. Eleven – the pain doctor that Dr. One originally wanted me to see, but he put up a stink about it. so I’m on his schedule, but we’ll see if that actually happens. it’s always disheartening to see a doctor who protests the idea.

So today I met Dr. Six. He brought up the possibility of a certain kind of infection that could explain all of my symptoms – ALL OF THEM. That’s been the big problem – different specialists have been approaching the pieces of the puzzle that they major in, rather than considering the whole problem. But this guy blew my mind.

Dr. Six also had two incredible quotes from today. One was “Well, we’ve got to get you better and back to work!” No other doctor has said something like this. I’m thinking, this guy actually thinks this is urgent! He’s not wanting to try something for 3 months and then see what happens. It was a breath of fresh air, let me tell you.

The other killer quote was, “I think it’s wrong for me to send you out of here in just as much pain as when you came in.” Do you have any idea how little effort doctors have put into decreasing my pain, despite my begging, and not being able to sit in a chair like a normal person, and walking very slowly clutching my stomach… This guy is fabulous! He thinks, “While we figure out what is wrong, let’s see if we can make your symptoms less miserable.”

So, Dr. Six, you win best doctor of the summer! (He’s also qualified for the finals of Doctor of the Year.)

 

[And here’s another finished needlepoint project, since I know you are just dying to see it.]

So I’ve Been Bedridden Since June 26…

And here are some of the things that being bedridden for over a month has given me a new appreciation for:

(And no, I currently do not care that that is an improper use of the semi-colon.)

1. TV shows on DVD – Recently, The Mentalist and Alias have been fabulous comforts to my convalescence. Next stop: Early Hitchcock series.

2. DVR – I’ve always loved DVR; TV on my time and fast-forwarding through commercials always seemed like a good idea. But nowadays, it’s extremely handy – readily available distraction from pain FTW.

3. Scrumptious-smelling candles – thanks to Nancy, this is the candle I’m currently enjoying.

4. Homemade cookies.

5. This amazing work of technology.

6. That the Scriptures are an incredible and reliable avenue for me to get to know God better. Right now, I am holding onto Him rather desperately, and it is important for me to deeply know Who it is I’m holding onto, so that I might actually trust Him not to let me go. My current favorite is Isaiah 64:4. “From of old no one has heard or seen by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, Who acts for those who wait for Him”

7. Chick lit and detective novels – Now, I’ve always loved these, ever since I read my first Nancy Drew in first grade, but right now they’re the easiest books for me to understand. Complex or technical arguments – not computing these days.

8. Needlepoint – I do have to exert some self-control, because after a couple of 10-hour days of sewing, it kinda does a number on my hands and I have to quit for a few days. I think I should be able to continue my current project starting tomorrow. I’ll be done with it after about 3 days of work, so then (hopefully) I’ll be able to make another quick trip to my favorite needlepoint shop to pick out a new canvas.

9. Spellcheck, because my sense of spelling is waaaaaaaaay off these days.

10. LOFT capris, because they are comfy daywear on the days I can get out of pjs, and they look a little more like normal-people clothes than my yoga pants. Unfortunately, the ones I refer to seem to be sold out, so no linky love. But I will say this: I have them in sea glass and pale salmon. The colors make me happy. Right now I’m wearing the seaglass pair with an RUF summer conference T. So comfy.

A Girl’s Gotta Have a Hobby

Recently finished my first big needlepoint project, which is bound for my nephew Brad’s nursery wall. It took almost a year for me to finish – I started it before Brad was a zygote. So excited to see it all finished up and on the wall.

Hoping there will be a spot to put those great lyrics from Rain for Roots below the piece.

 

Fun Facts for May 1st

• My nephew, Brad, was born on Friday, five weeks early. He is adorable and such a trooper. Here is an enormous picture of the little guy (this is my favorite that I snapped of him this weekend). 
• I just tried that whole pour-a-beer-on-your-hair-and-let-it-soak thing, and I think it worked. It looks pretty awesome and feels all bouncy and stuff. (Don’t worry, it was an expired beer.)
• My dog is like a paranoid barometer. She refused to come out of her closet this morning because of the changing air pressure. When it storms, she comes upstairs and hides in my closet. (Of course, she is so dumb that she can’t figure out how to back out of the closet. So she’s stuck there until someone comes home.) She is ridiculously sweet, though.
• I have recently started an Excel spreadsheet where I am logging outfits as I wear them. The goal is 100 unique outfits by the end of the summer; I’m hoping this exercise forces me to be creative, to use a broader set of items than I have been. Since I am still pretty new to this whole “work clothes” thing, I think I have quickly fallen into a bit of a fashion rut. Here’s to digging myself out of it. I’ll let y’all know how it goes.