Hello world!

Welcome to my little corner of the world in blogs. I hope you enjoy my “thoughts out loud” as I share about my latest knit and crochet projects, activities and my reflections about the challenges of living with chronic illness. Don’t forget to view my other pages on this blog with my favorite quotes, books and recipes. Thanks for visiting.  For those who happen to stumble upon my blog, I hope you find moments to laugh and hope with me.

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Find a Yarn Store Near You with Yarnphone!

OMG!  Stop what you are doing and turn on your iPhone! There is a group of iPhone lovers on Ravelry, and they always share the latest iPhone application or tool, and this one is the best ever! Do you want to know what yarn stores are near you right now? Then turn on your iPhone, and go to he following site on your Safari browser: http://yarnphone.com.  The site will find your current location from your iPhone and give you a list of the yarn stores near you! I love it! Don’t forget to bookmark the Web page and put it on your home screen so that you have quick, one touch access to this great search tool.

Note: You have to have  the latest iPhone 3.0 update for this site to work.

Now I don’t have to type in all the information for a google or map search to find the yarn stores near me. That is what I have been doing in my yarn adventures prior to this great new tool created by a Ravelry guru. Another great reason to love Ravelry.

 

On Board the Pineapple Express, Not the Movie

Gabriel Says Hello

So it has been a few weeks now since my first prolotherapy treatment. And, yay! I can truly say it is making a difference in my pain levels. The worst of my bad days is still better than the worst of my bad days before the prolo!

There are a few other things that  has helped make  prolo therapy a success, decreasing the inflammation in my body so it can continue to its natural healing processes:

• Going on the gluten-free lifestyle.  Before prolotherapy, you need to be off your anti-inflammatory medications for an entire week. That was terrifying for me because when I did this for a few days prior to my epidural shots for my back, I was in hell and could barely walk through the door for the appointments. But, I realized that when I went to my first prolotherapy appointment, I was not in the same hell that I had been before. Just in purgatory. I attribute my ability to survive solely to my gluten free diet.

• Don’t stop the circulation process with anti-inflammatories and nSaids! One of the key points to prolotherapy is that when you trick your body into starting the healing process again, you want to keep the circulation going in your body to continue that healing process. Nsaids (and I am assuming other over the counter anti-inflammatories) actually work to decrease inflammation by decreasing circultion in your body! Thus, your body stops its natural healing processes!  Think about it, when you get injured, and you touch the injured area, what do you feel besides pain? Heat. That increased heat is increased circulation -your body is kick-starting its natural healing processes.

• Moist heat keeps the circulation going – don’t use dry heat or ice to treat the pain. How do you create moist heat? You can buy those moist heat heating pads, but there are more budget friendly solutions. If you have one of those rice packs covered with fabric, heat it up in the microwave as directed. While it is heating, place a thin washcloth under warm water and squeeze out excess water. When the rice pack is ready, wrap the damp wash cloth around it. Viola! Moist heat.  If you don’t have those rice packs, just take the damp washcloth and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds. The rice packs hold heat longer, so you will have to microwave the wet washcloth more frequently if used alone.

Stainless Steel Pineapple Slicer

And, last, but definitely not least, get on board the Pineapple Express! Eat fresh or canned pineapple (not the kind in heavy syrup, but the one in its natural juices) every day to help reduce your inflammation and pain. Pineapples and paprika were two items that were listed for natural remedies for inflammation. And, the pineapples have definitely worked for me and several others on Ravelry.  I am eating almost an entire pineapple in a 24 hour period! It may sound crazy, but pineapples help with the pain.

The pineapple enzyme that is supposed to help in the inflammation and pain is Bromelain, and is also available as a supplement. I have not tried to get that yet – I would rather eat the fresh pineapple as I find too much variation in quality when I get supplements. But, that could be an option for some of you to try. Click here for an article on the enzyme.  Also, IndiaJoy on Ravelry just shared this about the enzyme and its supplement version:

“For those with acid reflux – the good news is that Bromelian is also a digestive enzyme  that can help with reflux and other stomach issues. As far as the supplement goes, it is important to note how the supplement is prepared. If you are using it as a digestive enzyme, you want a variety without enteric coating so that the tablets dissolve in your stomach. If you are using it as an anti-inflammatory, you must get the bromelian preparation with an enteric coating so that it gets to your small intestine before dissolving and, thus, has the anti-inflammatory effect.”

Eating fresh or canned  pineapple won’t get rid of your pain, but it has helped me extend the time between pain medications and thus reduce the total intake of pain medications that I need each day. And, that, is a good thing!

Mutilating and cursing the fresh pineapple won’t help your trip on the Pineapple Express. But I have the perfect pineapple slicer, and I love it. I can core and have fresh slices in less than five minutes.  You can find this great kitchen tool at some local grocery stores, often right where the fresh pineapples are sold.  Amazon also sells it; click here for the link.  QVC sells a stainless steel version of the pineapple slicer that is awesome; click here for that link.

 

Prolo, Prolo, Where For Art Thou?

I am in love – with Prolotherapy.

To tell you how Prolo and I met, I need to vent to you first about some stupid award-winning doctors at an award-winning hospital. I saw them a month or so ago, hoping for some award-winning solutions for my my continuous back, hip, butt and leg pain.  But, instead, I got statements like, “We can only treat what we can see, and we don’t know why the pain is so severe or why it is on both your right and left sides of your back.  Usually, the pain is more centralized. We have nothing for you.” They saw how incredulous I looked, and how much pain I was in, and they gave me absolutely nothing for the $100 co-pay they required at each visit. When I asked them about alternative treatments,  one doctor asked me if I had tried prolotherapy.  I said “No, what is it?” But, instead of answering, long story short, his  response was, “It is too complicated to explain, look it up on the internet.” Can you believe that?!!! You recommend something to look into but you can’t take the time to explain what it is or why you are even suggesting it as an option to me, the patient?!!!

Tony joked saying, “Maybe he thought it was too complicated for your pretty little head?” I don’t think so. The first thing that doctor said to me when he came into the room is, “You look miserable.” Welcome to my world.

After some yarn therapy at the local yarn store, I looked up prolotherapy on the internet. It is not too complicated to explain! They are glucose injections. That is it.  Sugar-water injections! These injections into damaged soft-tissue areas actually help re-trigger the body’s natural healing process for weakened muscles and ligaments.

Prolotherapy is expensive, but Tony is helping me with the costs.  At this point, I joke with him and others, it is Prolo or pot. And, sadly, I am too scared to get pot even if it is legal for California.

So, I had my first prolotherapy treatment last week.  The injections only took five minutes.  I stopped counting the number of injections when the assistant distracted me by asking me about my knitting. Of course, I raved about Ravelry! I am guessing that I had about 25 injections down my lower back and butt area. Yay! Someone finally saw the pain in my butt was not just in my head!

My back is sore,  I still have pain and my pain medication but the pain is still better than the worst of my bad days. I have learned so much about inflammation, circulation and the natural healing process just from this experience. But, I will write more later another day. I will continue to have monthly injections for the next six months or so before I can really judge its effectiveness. But, based on this first set of injections, I finally see a road to potential recovery rather than a road to permanent disability. 

Prolo, Prolo, Where for Art Thou?

Here are some prolotherapy links to check out:

What is prolotherapy:
http://www.prolotherapy.com/prolodefine.htm
http://www.caringmedical.com/therapies/prolotherapy.asp

Where to get prolotherapy:
http://www.getprolo.com/

Conditions Prolotherapy Helps:
http://www.prolotherapy.com/prolohelp.htm#select

Prolotherapy in the News:
New York Times article
USA Today article

 Prolotherapy video (lumbar back area):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NsgU4FVYOA

 

 

Revised Lace Water Bottle Holder Pattern

Lace Water Bottle Holder

Well, I am back to making knitted water bottle holders for friends as we all get back into shape for the summer heat.  I decided to make a revision to my original Lace Water Bottle Holder pattern because I was finding that I would drop stitches without realizing it when working the yarn overs on three double pointed needles.  I would realize it when it was too late — when finished with the pattern — and I began placing the water bottle in the holder!

At first I thought it was just me dropping stitches while knitting through my pain.  But, after another attempt, I decided to take another approach to my pattern. I found it was easier to switch from three to two dpns when beginning the lace pattern.

And, voila, the water bottle holder ends up with no dropped stitches. I have updated the file at the same link. The file can can be downloaded here or on Ravelry.

 

A Horse, a Guinea Pig and a Bed …

The past several weeks have been filled with unbearable pain,  several visits to idiot, yet award-winning doctors who gave me no options, no hope to treat my pain and made me feel like a horse ready to be shot and put out of its misery …

Thank God for Tony and my friends on Ravelry who reminded me that I am not a Horse, so you can’t just shoot me and forget that I exist.  It is so important to have friends who remind you that your life is worth so much more than how you are feeling right now.

And, then I discovered that I am allergic to the medication I was taking for my fibromyalgia! For the past several months,  I could not stop itching and my body was breaking out in hives, execema, and psoriasis! My kind dermatologist, who deserves an award for her compassion and understanding,  said that becuse that medication is the only thing I have changed in the past several months, it is possible that my skin reaction was caused by an allergy. Of course, rashes and itching is not a side-effect mentioned in the drug insert. My body is so weird!

So, as I was grieving and wondering “what the hell am I going to do now?”, a Ravelry member mentioned that a new drug – Savella – was approved for treatment of fibromyalgia. “Has anyone tried it yet?” she asked on our discussion board. Of course, it was too new for any of us to have tried this new drug. But, I decided to ask my rheumatologist about it that week.

And, now, I am the first patient at my doctor’s office and on the Ravelry discussion boards to try Savella for my fibromyalgia pain. I may not be a horse ready to be shot, but I am a guinea pig. 

So far, nausea has been the  main side-effect on the new drug. But, I am hoping that as I increase the dosage, my body adjusts to it and the nausea goes away.

So, today, I decided to do a simple thing to get my mind off my nausea and pain.  It all centered around my bed.  There should be a warning label on all chores.  The warning label for my task of changing the bedsheets would read like a  poem:

Changing the bed sheets, much harder than my body remembers,
Making the bed, more tiring than I remember, and finally
Going to bed, thank goodness!

Please dear body of mine,
Don’t take your revenge out on me for doing this “simple” chore today.
Let me be able to get out of bed in the  morning!

A Horse, A Guinea Pig and a Bed …. Don’t you get it? Laughter is the best medicine today.  If you can think of a better punch line, share it with me.

 

Cats, Sheep and G-Free Food

The pain in my body still is not getting much better – still having good and bad days, but I have not been posting here about it much because it is really all the same news.  And, I don’t want this blog to be a broken record. I have seen another specialist and they still are unsure why the pain is so bad or how best to treat it.  I will need to apply for social security disability soon; a process that I have heard is lengthy and not the most easiest experience. 

Knitted Cat

The fiber artists group I am a part of on Ravelry keeps me going with laughter, shared experiences in our pain-filled journeys, creative inspiration and random acts of kindness.  Because the pain and drugs I am taking sometimes overtakes my ability to concentrate and catch mistakes,  my knitting has been focused on simpler patterns.  My knitted bunnies are still multiplying, but I have also added some knitted cats.  I may try to crochet some animals soon too; I recently received an adorable crocheted lamb that has now become best friends with my little green bunny. The Knitted Cat pattern can be found here and the Little Lamb pattern can be found here.

Little Lamb

Several of us in our group have decided to try and go gluten-free. Although some of us have not tested positive for celiac disease, we share similar aches and pains, mystery rashes and digestive problems.  So, we may be gluten-sensitive. Going gluten-free may not cure our autoimmune conditions, but hopefully it will help us have more good days than bad. Because I live near both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods markets, it will not be too difficult to find some of the gluten-free products out there.  But, I have to admit, gluten is everywhere! Even in chocolate! Luckily, I found some yummy gluten-free chocolate cookies today. And, the best news is that rice is gluten-free! Yay! Sushi is still on the menu.  And, Betty Crocker has come out with some gluten-free bake mixes and a gluten-free Chex cereal. 

Here are some great links to help you go gluten-free:

• Karina’s Kitchen G-free Cheat Sheet
• All Recipes.com Gluten Free Recipes
• The Super-Allergy Gluten-Free Cookbook

 

Finding the Perfect Bag …

So, let’s admit it. We are knitting and crochet addicts. Most of the time, we have more yarn in our stash than we need or will use any time soon. We must complete the next row before we can move on with the rest of our lives. But our addiction goes deeper than the height of our stash. We are addicted to bags – lots of bags. To hold our projects. To hold our stash. To hang in our closet and be cool. Finding the perfect project bag is as much of a quest for perfection as finding the perfect pattern for the latest yarn we just purchased.

My Knitting Bag Has Friends

Well, I think I have found it. My perfect knitting bag is not from Namaste, Vera Wang, Knit Picks or Michael’s.  It is from a Seattle designer named Tom Bihn. The “Swift” bag was designed in collaboration with readers from Knitty magazine. This bag was designed by knitters for knitters and crocheters alike! You can order Tom Bihn Swift bag here on their Web site.  If you want to read about my perfect bag and others that may suit your creative style, click here.

My Swift knitting bag fits all that I need to carry four or five projects, a book and a few new knitted friends that have come into my life from Ravelry.

 

Some Bunny Loves You

I have to thank all my wonderful friends on Ravelry who have given me so much support during my many bad days of constant pain.  I am a part of a wonderful group of knitters and crocheters who share the common thread of autoimmune conditions in their lives. We share our frustrations, pain , health information and our celebrations of good days and our creative talent on our discussion board threads.  Although we have never met in person and our conversations are virutal via the world-wide Web, the friendships I have made has given me a true community that is hard to find these days.  For that, I am truly grateful.

This month, our group decided to share random acts of kindness with one another. We posted wish lists of items we would like someone to send us. From prayers for good health, postcards and yarn, the items were usually small and simple requests. Anyone who wanted to send someone something would contact them for their home address. As people received packages, we would thank them on the discussion board. Participation was voluntary and you did not have to return the person’s kindness with anything in return.

My Little Green Bunny

So far I have received yummy yarn, teas, some handmade stitch markers and goodies. Each gift was like having the person stop by my home for a visit and a hug or two.  One of my favorite gifts thus far has been a handmade knitted bunny rabbit from Auntien. I carry my little green bunny with me to my doctor’s appointments.  It is my portable hug, and a reminder to me that some one cares for me today.

The bunny pattern can be found here. It is made from a simple knitted square that is folded and sewn together, plus knitted ears added at the end. The trickiest part for me was understanding the instructions of where to fold and sew the legs together. And, to stuff the bunny to get the proper proportions.  Here are some tips for the pattern:

Photo A

• Start with the front and back legs first, rather than the head. I did the head after all the legs were sewn.
• When folding the edges for the legs, you are creating triangles (see photo A).
• Remember that the back legs have a longer seam than the front legs.
• When creating the semi-circle for the head, the height needs to be 1/3 of the original square. It will look large when you first see the semi-circle. But, once you tighten the yarn and stuff the head, it will be in the proper proportions for the body.
• After sewing the body, do the ears. The ears will also seem larger than needed at first. But, once it is attached to the head, it will look adorable.

So, perform a random act of kindness today and remind someone that some bunny loves you.

 

Got Water? Water Bottle Holder Pattern

Ok. I have a confession to make. I have never been a water drinker and have always had a hard time drinking the recommended amounts each day. I can drink tea and coffee forever, but my doctors have told me that neither of those count.  Water keeps you hydrated, helps you with weight management and keeps your skin healthy. But even with those reasons on hand, drinking water has been a challenge for me. Until now …

Crochet Water Bottle Holder

My dear friend Alyce sent me a lovely crocheted water bottle holder recently, and now I find myself drinking water all day! What a wonderful idea for a project – it is portable, quick and helps you stay healthy.  So, I decided to try and create a knitted lace water bottle pattern. I sent it to her this week.

A few tips on choosing the yarn when doing this project. Find a strong and slightly stretchy yarn. Alyce crocheted my water bottle holder with nylon cord – it is very durable! I used a Katia Gatsby Lux yarn for her bottle that is not as strong as the nylon, but is slightly stretchy. Alyce says that worsted and cotton yarns did not work well because they lost its color, strength or piled up over time. We both added charms to our water bottle holders.  Alyce made me a charm that represents the hand and eye of God for protection.  I added a simple butterfly for her water bottle.

Lace Water Bottle Holder

My knitted Lace Water Bottle Holder pattern can be download here or on Ravelry.  It is also on my “More Free Patterns” page.

Correction April 1, 2009 9 p.m. PST: The rounds were mis-numbered in the original file at the base of the pattern. In addition there was a repeat of the decrease rounds that were missing so that you can get to the desired number of stitches listed.

Last correction April 3, 2009:  Please delete Round 2 in the decrease rows section of the April 1, 2009  pattern. The pattern file has been corrected and has the words “Revised 4/2/09.” in the footer.

The Decrease Rows section should now read as follows:

Round 1: On each dpn,  *  (k2, k2tog) repeat from  * until the last stitch, k1
Round 2: On each dpn, *  (k1, k2tog) repeat from   * until last stitch, k1
Round 3: On each dpn, * (k1, k2tog) repeat from * until last two stitches, k2
Round 4: knit

I am trying to get Alyce to write down her pattern so it can be shared too! I will keep you posted.  In the meantime, got water? Drinking it will be much more fun with this in your hand! Enjoy!

 

My Vent for Today

I am sick of not being out of control …
I am not in control of my body, which has apparently been taken over by aliens from another planet who have decided on medical experiments on all of us with chronic illness, mystery diagnoses and pain …
I am not in control of my day’s plans.  I don’t know from one day to the next if I will be in too much pain or fatigue to stick to my plans or promises.
I am not in control of my work situation …
I am not in control of when I go back to work or not – the doctors and disability folks decide that!

The only thing I can control is my mind, emotions and my knitting ….
I try to stay positive and try not to feel like this is all in my head and I am going insane from not knowing what is wrong with me today …
I try not to get depressed about the present and keep hope for the future …
I try to live one knit and purl stitch at a time ….

But, right now, I just want to scream at the top of my lungs and say
“Give me a Break!” And, Calling Dr. House?!!!

One final note …
My poem that is meant to be sung like the “Rain, Rain, Go Away Song”

Pain, pain go away
Don’t come back for another day
Took my meds, Fog in the head
Just let me get up without you in the morning