Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Sit. Stay. Heal.

Sit

Sorry for the absence. Lots happening in May.
Look at my buddy at 3+ months! He's so cute!
I look like Scary Auntie, but it's not about me...

Where's my brother?


This was taken at Mother's Day. Remember how the endorphins kicked in & lasted days when I first held him when he was born? Didn't happen this time!

Stay

Monday after Mom's Day, we get an email at work... "Emergency Mandatory Meeting @ 9am."
We all looked at each other... WTF?!

As it turns out, they're laying off 11 people from my group based on 'number of hours worked.'
We were all in shock. You know I only work 3 days a week, right?! Those who's start date was after me, all have more hours worked than me now!

No, I'm not sorry I'm working part time... even though I kinda shot myself in the foot.
They've never let people in my position go... ever. I'll survive this round of layoffs, but feel sick for those who are leaving. They're my friends & really good co-workers. I want everyone to stay.

Are you looking at me?!


These two black cats were yowling on our front stairs. I think the one looking at me is feral - real skittish. The other one has a collar & never looked at me. They both look kinda rough.

I wanted them to stay, but Wooly said he was going to throw water at them, so they left.
Wooly says the feral one is leaving deposits outside his window, by his chair. I reminded him that he IS the Shit Magnet. ;)

Heal

My right shoulder has been giving me pain since December. I was knitting like crazy, trying to get things done for Christmas & not taking breaks. It's been hurting ever since.

I went to my doctor, who blew me off & told me to lean into a corner & stretch out those muscles... I tried it. It hurt both shoulders, so I didn't continue. No, he didn't even do x-rays!

As a result of the stress of layoffs, it really started hurting. I looked in the mirror & couldn't put my hand on my hip, lift my arm straight up over my head or to the side, or put it behind my back.

I showed Wooly. He asked it was my brain misfiring. It's not. It's like my shoulder is locked. Impingement? Maybe, but I don't have full range motion of my arm - damn it! It's your neck. There's nothing wrong with my neck - damn it!

I was frustrated. He told me to call his Chiropractor. I don't like Chiropractors, but was desperate. As it turned out, I felt incredibly relaxed around him. He told me my 6th & 7th vertebrate were out, resulting in my tendons tightening up, everything is compensating for it. Sent me in for x-rays. Sure enough, those vertebrates were out & the ball of my arm was up too high - locked my shoulder - and my shoulder was too far forward & up. That's also why I've been getting headaches & feeling dizzy & lost strength in my right arm. Yes, I felt crippled!

He pushed my neck in. Pushed my shoulder down & back. We're now working on stretching out the tendons. He says the tendons take the longest to heal because so little blood goes through them. After 3 visits, I feel lots better & have my knitting control/tension back. I'm taking lots of breaks now. I didn't want to never knit again!

Hawaiian Sea Turtle telling a tale.

So I feel like I've turned from the speedy smooth rabbit or swift gemsbok, into a tale telling turtle. :)

Oh, and Smoothie is still miffed that the Easter Bunny never showed up. He washed his face & everything. He keeps showing me his tail & saying that someones pants is on fire (liar) for making him think EB was coming here. It wasn't me! He saw it on the evil tv! I told him maybe EB didn't have to come to our house since we have a resident rabbit... That really pissed him off. Oh! The tale telling turtle seems to have calmed him down. Finally, peace in Miyamojo. ;)

Wooly thinks it's so weird that I'm not knitting when he looks over at me during our tv time. I'm learning to take breaks... for my health!

Princess Havarti

Despite the pain (yes, I was in denial!) I managed to get pretty far on the Center.

So close & yet so far


My tension sucked for a while, but I didn't care. I've got 26 stitches left on each side to attach. 52 rows left! YAY! I'm on my last skein. I'm seriously wondering if I'm going to run out. I still have to do the rest of the edging around the bottom corner & along the top.

Humongous Havarti has a life of its own.


What blooming?

My Iris' are finally blooming!

I love these purple & white ones. I have lots of the solid lavender ones too. I keep thinking it would be a nice background for the Princess. I hope something nice is blooming by the time I'm finished with her!

So, take time to tell a tale! Or walk in your yard! Take pictures of your flowers!

For your health!

I'm off to stretch my shoulder.

Peace out! :)

7 comments:

Marina said...

Where to start ... Glad you still have a job and that your shoulder is finally improving. I don't particularly trust chiropractors or doctors, and so I'm using "Chinese medicine" for my tennis(?) elbow ;-)

Both the nephew and the Princess are getting big. One is cute and the other is scary!

The irises are beautiful. I'm going to order more soon, to plant in fall. I think I need some reds.

carolyninAlaska said...

Princess looks grand, as do your irises. We only get wild iris here, so I'm envious... no fancy ones ;(

I don't trust chiropractors either, so it's great that your shoulder is improving! Hope you'll be able to get back to knitting more, and good luck with your job/ layoffs.

Brigitte said...

Oh, I know the feeling of "impending layoffs"... In my 15 years at my company, I've survived countless of them. And it's always so sad to see your friends leave. :(

Bummer about your shoulder! But, I'm glad you're getting it looked at. What about acupuncture? I'm a huge fan myself.

Hi Guys! Gandalf sez he's still miffed about this whole EB deal too. Although he wants to know if the turtle can come over and tell him stories too?

Princess Havarti looks so yummy! Your lace stuff is amazing. I'd have cried.

life ldc said...

Layoffs are hard for everybody -- the ones who go and the ones who stay....hang in there and try not to worry.

Your nephew is growing so fast! If you knit anything for him -- knit it big, so that he can wear it for a while LOL!!!

Love your shawl, and your iris.....can relate about the cats....our yard seems to be on the highway to the barn next door....and Daisy goes absolutely crazy when she sees one coming down the driveway, over the front yard and over our fence !!!

I had a similar problem with a shoulder a couple of years ago....it takes ages to get over....yes, you MUST take breaks when you knit, and stretch it out before and after knitting sessions.....it still bothers me sometimes....I used a massage therapist and exercises she gave me to sort it out.....stick to it!

My Little Room In The Corner said...

Sit...glad you are back. Have missed reading your posts. They always bring a smile and a chuckle. Your nephew is growing! And so handsome too.
Stay...sorry about the lay-offs. And, sometimes, part time work is the best.
Heal...I love my chiropractor! Trust him completely! A few years ago, I slipped in the mud while feeding our livestock. Truly could not walk! Traditional medicine was give me a muscle relaxer and go to bed. Sure, works every time...right! My chiropractor at the time took x-rays and my spine was an s curve. After a few adjustments, couple with massage therapy, I was up and running again. Glad Woolly got you in there. Now you can mend.

Sonya said...

I'm glad your shoulder is starting to feel better. All the layoffs are really scary. I'm thankful every day for our jobs.

Cute nephew; amazing Princess, and gorgeous irises!

Lorraine said...

Michele- I guess these days we should be thankful for any job- not that it helps much.

Look at those cheeks on that baby- what a little doll.

We are all so addicted to knitting, that we tend to ignore the warning signs- kind of sad, isn't it?