FIT IN THE LITTLE PLEASURES!

I cut the two borders for the little charm pack on point quilt before I had to head out to the doctor's.

I was able to stitch half of the blocks on another one.

The annual March photos of the Fringe Tree in bloom!  And it smells good, too!

These flower clusters are large and feathery soft.

And the walk up the driveway is filled with azaleas!  Hot pink, 

pale pinks and 

fuschia even!!!

The appointment went well and there is no cancer in the bladder which is wonderful good news.

But that means the inflammation they see is causing the bleeding but they don't know what to do about it.

That's  ok. At least I am not ignoring something 

that I shouldn't have!

Just one more dr appointment today and then I should be done with the fun for months again! 

(this one to the rheumatologist who will try to figure out the inflammation)

 

TOO MUCH FUN

I was able to start sewing the rows together but had to interrupt my pleasant thoughts to go the doctor's office in St Augustine.  Bill was my taxi driver this time.  The verdict is that I have to go again today for a cystoscopy which sounds like too much fun.  

We are hoping to get to the source of the UTI problems.

DREAMING

I have had some set-backs from the new medicine--I have quit taking it and am starting to feel tons better.  I am just not made to handle strong medicines, especially when I am allergic to the other three in that family of medicines!  I have learned to listen to my body and responded quicker this time so that it didn't require a hospitalization to realize I was in trouble!  Slowly getting back my energy and letting the pain subside--how is it that a medicine that is supposed to relieve arthritic pain made it 20x worse?!

Anyway, I did a lot of this while laying in bed.  I sure am hooked on the relaxation of paint by numbers!

 

SLOW AND UNSTEADY!

Tuesday, I had to go in for a CT scan and an ultrasound to see why there is such a problem with my bladder.   I had to fast for these tests, so by the time I got in finally,  I was a bit shaky.  I did alright during the CT but the contrast made me even more unsteady.  Not to mention the problem getting the IV to work.

I was done in by the time I got home and I went right to bed.  

I was still 'off' yesterday, but did make the binding for the small rail fence quilt.  Bill was in the studio with me as a repair man-- our washer quit and he spent Monday trying to repair it, ordered a new part and decided that it was a no-go after all.  He had a 'spare'  old washer in a shed (we have seven) 

and so he was installing it while I sewed.  He even did a very good job of picking up when he was done!  After all that, we did decide that it was time to go ahead and order a new stackable washer/dryer to install in our large kitchen pantry, so that will be a big project for next week;  getting all of the prep work done I mean!  Think plumbing, drains, and ripping out shelves  

It will eventually be a win-win.

 

SUCCESS

Something old is new on the design board;  I have had this panel and the jelly roll to match for years.  Well, its day has come!  I have had my pencil and graph paper out and have made a design which works with blocks and borders to make me happy!

 I bought some new backings on my reward shopping after the rheumatologist appointment yesterday.  I can't believe how wonderful it is to find two new-to-me doctors who are both thinkers and not just robots in a white jacket!  I have high hopes for this year and working on building my body better to be able to participate with less pain and fatigue!  Thank you, Lord, for bringing me to a good team of doctors!

SOMETHING NEW AND BLUE!

I have wanted a brad nailer for several years; in fact, back when I crawled on my hands and knees for weeks drilling pilot holes and hammering finishing nails into the baseboards in my whole house!!!

There were a few spots that were not quite completed and today, I filled in some of those gaps--the ones behind big pieces of furniture and this corner.

I had to pull the bookcases  out from the wall to fill in the baseboard behind them, too.

 I still have 3 major ones to attack but one is off the list and this tool is a life-saver! This is a souvenir of the grand-dog's visit. 

I will save it for another day--I am not going to ruin the piece by trying to remove it from the wall--I am going to use wood putty!

(I still have to crawl around on my knees, though!  UGH!)

When I was totally undone from walking back and forth to the chop saw in the garage and into the house over and over again, I sought comfort by piecing the batik blocks into a sweet little rail fence quilt top!  I even spent some time at the frame and the last QOV is more than half done, too!

Today I am headed to a new Rheumatologist's appointment;  

Mary will go with me and we will do our usual shopping and lunch also.  I don't know why, but I am feeling nervous about this appt! 

Just take a deep breath and pray on the exhale... 

 

LEARNING ABOUT THINGS

This vine is growing through the 70-80' tall pines near Mary's home- and it is blooming all the way from the top to this part that hung down to the ground where I  could get my picture!  It is called a fire vine!  As I came down the street toward the tree, I thought the tree was covered with a vine of colored leaves that the freeze had created.  What a surprise when I drove close enough to see it wasn't leaves but a heavy cover of flowers!!!!

I had a busy day yesterday, my friend, Mary, went with me to grab a bit of shopping and then to a rather involved doctor's appointment.  I was sure the appt was going to be a waste of time but I was wrong!  She was smart and thorough and willing to get to the source of my UTI's.  I have a battery of tests ahead but they will give us direction for solving this pain!  

Mary and I enjoyed a relaxing lunch after the doctor's and mulled all I learned.

  It was also the one year anniversary to Ethan's death. 

Mary is the best kind of friend, one who doesn't have to talk but just puts her arm around you and shares the sorrow. 

 I hope to enjoy some sewing today and I might even finish the latest project on the lathe!

A SIDELINE ADVENTURE

 

So I learned that a prescription like Lyrica (pregabalin) cannot be stopped because it will cause withdrawals of the most horrible kind.  It has not been pretty and yesterday I woke Bill up to take me to the ER!  The doctors hooked me up to an IV, did a chest Xray and an EKG and then administered an anti-seizure meds along with something for the nausea.  After 20 minutes, they gave me some Lyrica and a 'script for a few more to take (2xday) until the mail order meds arrive.  I only missed two days of the meds which are from a mail order pharmacy and I'm telling you,

 I thought I was dying!

My official diagnosis was titled,

"Substance Withdrawal".  

Not one of my proudest moments.

SOME TIME OFF

I had to go to the doctor yesterday because of a UTI. 

 I didn't feel like doing much

 but Lena and I had a good long sit on the front porch.

  I do love this time of year!

This is what I was looking at from our bench--the sun going down, the sound of birds and being calm.

This is what Lena was focused on---birds on the ground, 

feasting and being 'noisy'!!!  lol

 

ONE NUMBER AT A TIME

I have started a new paint-by-number project;  this one is bigger (16' x 20") and more detailed. I am thoroughly enjoying it!  Since I am doing the lifting and carrying, I am needing some more down time and I love picking up the paintbrush to add a few strokes!

Bill is doing great after the stem cell procedure--he's trying hard to not use his arms too much--no moving his elbows away from his body!  You try that for an hour! lol  Anyway, he is doing very well and is already feeling improvement in his shoulders from resting them, too.  He is allowed short drives and he can use the golf cart as long as he goes slowly and carefully with hands low on the steering wheel.

We have church and a carry-in meal today and then back home for the Sunday nap!

STEM CELL THERAPY

We left early yesterday to head to St Augustine to the clinic for Bill's appointment.

As we crossed the intercoastal waterway, the tide was low and calm.

We were checked in quickly and soon Bill was called in.  They told me to head out and run errands because it was going to be at least 3 hours!  As I went into town ten minutes away to visit Hobby Lobby and Michael's, Bill went in and had 7 ounces of fat removed from his stomach to mix with his own blood to inject into his shoulders which have become so painful that he has a very limited range of motion.  This therapy is called ADSCs; What are ADSCs?

• ADSCs are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found in adipose (fat) tissue.
• They have the ability to differentiate into various cell types and can self-renew.
• They are abundant, easily accessible, and relatively low in immunogenicity compared to other stem cell sources.   

Bill will have 5-6 weeks of very limited use of his arms to let the shoulders heal.  Did you know that your stomach fat is this color?!  It was a shocker to us!

We stopped to take a quick peek at the ocean (right across the street from the clinic).

We are grateful God gave us a doctor who offers a wonderful alternative to surgery!

 

ROLE REVERSAL

I made several more of the red/white blocks, cut out all of the navy squares. I did look over the instructions for cutting the setting triangles but will save them for another day! lol

Today, I am driving Bill to have stem cell injections into both shoulders!  It should prove an enlightening day for both of us!  

The office for the procedure is about an hour away and today,    I am the taxi driver, the nurse and the rule enforcer!  

He has been in so much pain that we are hoping and praying this will give him the relief so many others have received from this treatment!  I will fill you in tomorrow on how it went!

 

WOOD AND WOUND!

Now this is a wooden bowl! 

 I am thrilled with the way this turned out!  

It weighs 7-8lbs, is made from a Live Oak Burl, 

16" long and 8" wide, and 5-6" high.  

This is a back  side of the bowl.  I think it needs a permanent place of honor on the shelf so I will need to do some rearranging to give it a proper spot!  It is too heavy to put on the table where I would have to move it for meals! lol  What an adventure!  

Here is how my ankle looks now--I have no pain or discomfort,

 I am very happy to report!  I have to change the bandage around noon;  I am very interested to see how it looks compared to the crater on my forearm, which is healing beautifully.  

Mary and I had a great day yesterday, shopping and then lunch at Applebee's then more shops-we even included a stop at a local quilt shop!  A perfect day!

 

CLOSE TO THE FINISH LINE

I figured out how I could add the diamonds for the reverse star points--the corners were a ton of fun but they did have a good finish!  I do need to do a bit of invisible thread zig-zags over the raw edges;  I used fusible to hold them in place.

The side stars were a piece of cake after the corners; 

 I hope to get the applique stitching done today!

I also forced myself to sew the borders on the Nordic Nights so I can add it to the quilting frame pile.  I do have fabric for the backing so there will be no delays, for a change.

So this is my healing wound where the doctor removed the suspicious spot.  It was indeed a basal cell carcinoma so I am glad he had successfully removed it!  The spot on my ankle was also pre-cancerous but I do have to go back in a few weeks to remove a larger area to be sure that is all the way gone, too.  Since the process and the healing were almost completely pain-free, I am not bothered about having to go back again.   

 And I did get the very good news that my iron count is up--we knew that because I am feeling more energy each day!  I see that doctor next week!  I like going and having good news!

 

STITCHES ADD UP!

I do accumulate a pile of dishcloths over the course of a month!  The top half of the pile is going with me to the lab draw today to drop off at the iron infusion nurses for their care!  I will find out next week, if I kept the iron boost up to normal levels. 

 If not, I will be doing some more infusions!

I know we've all made the corner to corner dishcloths but I wanted the same look without doing it diagonally so I figured it out!  It turned out nicely!  Good for my brain to have to solve issues like making a yarn over and remembering to also decrease right after so that I have a square and not a parallelogram!!! lol 

 I consistently forgot that step even after making 5 dishcloths

so eventually I will remember, I hope!

I have the pieces for the last block all stacked next to the machine waiting for me to come home after the lab this morning!

 

SOMETHING SPECIAL

My friend Mary drove with me to the dermatologist for a check on a 'spot' that was funny on my arm.  The doctor ended up removing three spots that he deemed suspicious!  I will know the results in a week or two.   Isn't the Oleander bush stunning!  It was so large and covered in RED flowers!

My arm, ankle and ear look like this.  I have to change the bandages each day.  I can bathe and then immediately cover them again.  That's doable!

Mary and I just happened to check out Michael's which is very near the doctor's office;  I bought several yards of this background fabric.  Soon they will be putting out their haul from the JoAnns stores.

When I got home, there was a new truck in the driveway--no not Bill's, it is my oldest grandchild, David!  He just finished college and is on a visit family trip until he has to knuckle under to being a full-time working man!

Oh, it is wonderful to have all 6'5" of him here for a few weeks!

 

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

I had my last one of these--an iron infusion, #5, which gets followed by 250ml of saline solution.  As things go, it was a memorable time because this vein almost blew and so we had to try 3 other locations.  A ton of fun but other than a blood draw today, I should be done with the pokes for at least a month!

When I get home from an infusion, 

this is all I can do--rest with Lena!

I do enjoy a few sessions with a new water coloring book!

And I can make a dishcloth every other day.

Outside hasn't been to hospitable because of the heat wave!  

This was pulling into our driveway after the last treatment! 

 Last week was filled with doctor appointments, labs and an ultrasound on my parotid glands--just too much fun. 

 After the lab work today, 

the rest of the week is a clean slate-hooray!