In with the New

So I picked up a box from Julie at the Post Office yesterday. I was so excited!! Finishing a project makes me happy but it's more a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Starting a new project is just a thrilling rush of excitement!!

So there is a Mountain Colors (sic) Yellowstone River scarf. I think that this is going to be a challenge. I'm going to get it set then sit down and knit it, no stopping, and see how long it takes.




Then there is also 30 balls of FDC Zara Melange in lovely shades of pink. Julie & Beth are deciding what it is to be ... I'm not even bothered, I love the colour so much!!

The body on Elise's top is blocking. I have less of the solid yarn left than we had anticipated so I used the scale and divided the solid in half. The sleeves will be as long as the yarn will allow. 

I am making Lucky Stars again! 

I couldn't for awhile because of my thumb and while the thumbnail on my right hand is still not long enough for the job I have practiced enough to be able to do them with my left hand. I'm so happy. I find a place of peaceful and restful mindfulness when I'm making them. 

I am utterly exhausted today. Maybe the week of stress, recovery and lack of sleep has caught up with me but writing this post is the most I've done all day. I've mostly slept, drank water and had a burger. I am likely going to sleep more before going to bed eventually. I am just complying with my body's needs - listening, not arguing and complying.


The wounds are healing well. I've been using Bio Oil, massaging it in gently a couple of times a day on the scars. 
The scars on my belly are strangely sensitive and numb. My stomach still feels tender and bloated inside and there are strange pulls and twinges when I turn or move somehow it doesn't like.
My breast is numbish all over. There is a strange sensitive area just on the swell of it just before it goes numbish and the muscles across the top of my right chest are still sore. Not even quite sore but tight. The patch is healing well, still bruised but hopefully the Bio Oil massages will help. I take 81mg of aspirin and garlic capsules as well. Nerves are healing - every once in awhile there are sharp, piercing pains that just come and go.



Thanks for all of the support - I do write this as a therapy, to keep track of what is going on, (I tend to live in the moment and I forget a lot of what happens week-to-week), to stay in touch with my friends and to try to help anyone that I can with anything that I know.

Corrective Measures

When I met with the surgeon a few months ago he drew this plan on my foot. Yes, I think that he may have been a football or hockey coach at one time. My family Dr. called it a bone spur; a rose by any other name hurts as much. Even running shoes cause pain and I'm just too young to wear only sensible shoes. Besides, it's affecting the structure of my toes so it's only a matter of time before it would be a more involved surgery.

So I am going to have a bunionectomy and 1st metatarsal osteotomy done next Thursday. I am healing well from the DIEP Flap reconstruction and I can run the two recoveries concurrently so that I should be able to return to work on schedule with maybe only some duty modifications. And with seriously curbed mobility perhaps I will be not as inclined to push my limited limits. It truly is revealing how much even the smallest movements require deep core muscles.

Progress

So ... Day 12 post op. 

Not pretty but healing is a slow process; I'm not in a hurry. There is still significant bruising on the "patch" on the breast but it doesn't hurt - it never has. There is a tightness/tugging on the upper pecs and an overall numbishness. The swelling is going down and I still love that the shape is back!! And I love my new belly button!!


Either Bonita or Simone come twice a week - I change my own dressing in between. I totally missed my calling!!

I have made excellent progress on my Starbucks Socks. The difference between the more vertical patterning on the leg and the lovely swirling patterning on the foot is 1 stitch. I know ... I love the swirling so I will be making that adjustment on the 2nd sock. You know me - I'm about the fraternal twin socks.




 Day 15 post op. Improvement. I am truly trying very hard not to lift more than 10lbs. But needs must and even lifting too much of a lighter weight or reaching too much gives me cause to feel the deep stitches. It will be awhile before I can do Cobra Pose again. I am pretty much on my own but I don't have much to do but it doesn't take much for it to be too much.

 Both Simone & I are quite puzzled by the thin swirling red marks that begin at the base of my stomach and trail up to the inside of each breast. They itch & I have been putting calamine lotion on it which is effective.

 
They must be from the TAP catheters but neither one of us can fathom how the marks are appearing on the skin surface when the catheters were always internal. How Bizarre. I will be mentioning it to the surgeon when I see him next week for my follow-up.

I still love my new belly button!!! I know, I'm easily amused!!

Knitting on the Knitting Blog

I know ... novel concept!! I still whiled away most of the day but I have knit over 2400 sts so far and I'm feeling a few more in my fingers. This is the lovely article for Elise - shhhhhh.

Silvermist is the Fairy of the Day. The collage seems a bit not right, but I'm sure that I'll perfect the technique eventually. ;)

Hugga Mugga

My fave nurse from St Elizabeth's is back - Simone!!! She cared for me a lot during my chemo and I'm happy to see her again.

I haven't done much yet today - I'm waiting for the cooler of the evening to go for a bit of a walk. I did play around with Pixlr-O-Matic editing a few pictures. 

I love mugs. I have a collection of knitterly mugs and I try to keep a rein on my day-to-day use mugs. I have my Queen of Hearts mug and Judith gave me a new mug when she visited (without even knowing about my weakness!!). I have my Fairies mug. Iridessa is one of my favourite fairies, so she is featured today.