@hazelblumberg

Sauvee, yes, I am an obsessed knitter! Learned to knit when I was a little kid and found it the most boring thing ever. When I lived in Germany, though, everyone was knitting, and I took it up again. And haven’t stopped since. I make up my own designs or borrow bits and pieces from patterns. Sometimes I do follow patterns, but not often.

Being a newbie is good. It’s exciting. It’s fun. And it’ll become so soothing and such a way of life. And you will develop a Stash Beyond Life Expectancy, if you haven’t already. 😉

SO glad you’re going to go away nutless!!!!

I, alas, know nothing about Brazil. Except that Portuguese sounds amazing to me! A friend has lived all over South America. Let me send her a note and ask her if she’s lived in Brazil, and how she liked it if she did.

Hazel

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My friend who’s lived all over South America wrote back really quickly. She has never lived there, alas. However, my husband and I are going over to her house this afternoon to watch “Dr. Strangelove” with a bunch of other folks, one of whom is from Brazil. So, I will ask him all about it.

Hazel

@hazelblumberg

Sauvee, yes, I am an obsessed knitter! Learned to knit when I was a little kid and found it the most boring thing ever. When I lived in Germany, though, everyone was knitting, and I took it up again. And haven’t stopped since. I make up my own designs or borrow bits and pieces from patterns. Sometimes I do follow patterns, but not often.

Being a newbie is good. It’s exciting. It’s fun. And it’ll become so soothing and such a way of life. And you will develop a Stash Beyond Life Expectancy, if you haven’t already. 😉

SO glad you’re going to go away nutless!!!!

I, alas, know nothing about Brazil. Except that Portuguese sounds amazing to me! A friend has lived all over South America. Let me send her a note and ask her if she’s lived in Brazil, and how she liked it if she did.

Hazel

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Thank you very much for that! I like Purl Soho and now have a nice book that has patterns for making knitted cloth. My arms get tired pretty quickly though and have to pile pillows on my lap for support.

Purl Soho is wonderful! There are so many terrific online sites. Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island is wonderful, as well. Grand River Yarns in Canada. Knitpicks. The list is endless! A local yarn store (LYS) is also a wonderful things, so that you can fondle the yarn beforehand. We’re fortunate enough to have two yarn stores in Tallahassee (love Yarn Therapy!), one in nearby Thomasville, Georgia (Fuzzy Goat), and my all-time favorite in Apalachicola, Florida (Purl, inside Downtown Books)–if you’re ever in this part of the world.

@sandytoes14

@marieheld65
Marie
Let me first wish you a happy birthday and happy anniversary! It is so difficult to lose the active life we once had. I used to feel guilty about the limited things I could do. Like you I heard the ‘shoe on the other foot’ theory. As time passed I felt more depressed. Then my sweet husband said to me that he was grateful for the days I could do something fun outside the home. I realized I wasn’t feeling as much guilt as I was loss of what I had, who I was. I mourned the loss and began self- affirmations at the end of each day and soon began to feel better.
Phrases such as:
• Yay! You took a shower today!
• I’m proud of you for getting dressed/making dinner
• I walked the dog to the corner!
It was around that time I was introduced to the Spoon Theory. Simply put, we start each day with a number of “Spoons”. We use the spoons for everything we do. For those of us who are limited, not by our mind but by our bodies, use ‘spoons’ at a faster rate and run out. Here is a link to The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino
https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/
One of the things I love about our community on Connect is the cyber friendships we develop. I’ll bet you don’t give yourself credit for what you contribute to these boards. Each of us is learning by sharing. While it may not be face to face contact that you are used to by going to the pool, dancing, or aerobics I think it is better than walling yourself off from the outside. Is there a local library or daycare where you could go and read to children? Or maybe a Veterans home to go to visit those who have no one?

Jen

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@marield65 Marie I am so glad your spirits were lifted! Did you have a good time? I know just what you mean by sitting with the laptop. When I am on Connect I use a tray on my lap with my laptop. One time I wrote a post on my iPad and lost it! Usually I’m very good on the computer.
We are all in this together!
Jen

@ayankeeinnm

Hi, Jen,

Like your posts a lot. My partner has MS and introduced me to the Spoon Theory. She reminds me of it when I nag her to do something. Mostly, I remember. Thanks again. Michael

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@ayankeeinnm Michael Thank you so much! That is very kind of you to say. How are you feeling? I remember reading you have spinal stenosis. Have you ever had any steroid injections?
Jen

@sauvee

Hi everyone – I had an experience last week that provided temporary relief. A cupping massage. It was amazing but I was not stiff the following morning! Sore in certain areas where the focus was with the cups but did not feel the overall stiff, flu-like feeling the following day.

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@sauvee That’s great to hear you had relief from cupping. I have not tried it yet but maybe I will now. I get a flu-like feeling the next day after a massage even though I drink plenty of water afterward. Good to know I’m not alone in that but sure wish we didn’t feel sore.

I have had massages for about 30 years. My sister was a masseuse and used me as her “practice person” while she was learning. That got me started on massage. A couple of years ago my new masseuse talked me into “cupping”, and I tried it. I didn’t find any relief from it and was paying extra to get it, so I stopped. Regular deep tissue massage was much better for my aches and pains. Then I read about ART (Active Release Technique) on Connect, and decided to try that for the chronic pain in my right hip, thigh, knee and ankle. In 6 sessions my pain was nearly completely gone!! I am SO happy with the results. I went back for my first monthly followup, and had further relief so I wasn’t waking up in the night in pain anymore. My pain was completely gone after that. Amazingly I could go up steps without even a twinge of pain! I almost canceled my next followup, which is tomorrow. However, the pain at night has returned with a vengeance. I’m ok during the day with some pain, but I can hardly stand it at night. I think I caused this return of pain because we recently had to move from our home while it was going to be remodeled, so I helped pack, move (didn’t lift anything),and then unpack everything we owned. Two weeks after we moved our daughter, with whom we live, decided not to remodel after she found the original estimate had doubled in cost. We had to repack, move and unpack again. That was just too much for me I guess. I didn’t have any pain until after I unpacked the second time. So, I am keeping my appointment for ART tomorrow. You can read about the technique on Google. It has been amazing for me. I also have TMJ, and my chiropractor who does ART, works on that as well. ART is keeping me from having back surgery to fuse my F4-F5. I had a laminectomy in December, 2016, which eliminated my pain from L5-S1 nerve impingement and was not looking forward to another much more major surgery this year. Physical therapy for 3 months didn’t help my right hip, thigh, knee and ankle pain, but 6 sessions of ART over 3 weeks did! Check it out. Most practitioners are chiropractors who get certified in the technique. It was expensive @$95/session, but worth every penny for me. I understand that we’re all different in what helps us, and I encourage you to check out ART.

Warm regards, Gail B Ledesma

@gailb

I have had massages for about 30 years. My sister was a masseuse and used me as her “practice person” while she was learning. That got me started on massage. A couple of years ago my new masseuse talked me into “cupping”, and I tried it. I didn’t find any relief from it and was paying extra to get it, so I stopped. Regular deep tissue massage was much better for my aches and pains. Then I read about ART (Active Release Technique) on Connect, and decided to try that for the chronic pain in my right hip, thigh, knee and ankle. In 6 sessions my pain was nearly completely gone!! I am SO happy with the results. I went back for my first monthly followup, and had further relief so I wasn’t waking up in the night in pain anymore. My pain was completely gone after that. Amazingly I could go up steps without even a twinge of pain! I almost canceled my next followup, which is tomorrow. However, the pain at night has returned with a vengeance. I’m ok during the day with some pain, but I can hardly stand it at night. I think I caused this return of pain because we recently had to move from our home while it was going to be remodeled, so I helped pack, move (didn’t lift anything),and then unpack everything we owned. Two weeks after we moved our daughter, with whom we live, decided not to remodel after she found the original estimate had doubled in cost. We had to repack, move and unpack again. That was just too much for me I guess. I didn’t have any pain until after I unpacked the second time. So, I am keeping my appointment for ART tomorrow. You can read about the technique on Google. It has been amazing for me. I also have TMJ, and my chiropractor who does ART, works on that as well. ART is keeping me from having back surgery to fuse my F4-F5. I had a laminectomy in December, 2016, which eliminated my pain from L5-S1 nerve impingement and was not looking forward to another much more major surgery this year. Physical therapy for 3 months didn’t help my right hip, thigh, knee and ankle pain, but 6 sessions of ART over 3 weeks did! Check it out. Most practitioners are chiropractors who get certified in the technique. It was expensive @$95/session, but worth every penny for me. I understand that we’re all different in what helps us, and I encourage you to check out ART.

Warm regards, Gail B Ledesma

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Gail I am going to look ART up right now because tomorrow I have an appointment with a physiatrist to talk about back shots and I will bring that up. Thanks Marield65

I try to do watercolor. DDD of the neck keep me from doing it very much. I once was a free lance artist. I once was many things. Now even a recliner offers little relief. I cannot tolerate noise, smells or anything most of the time.
Distraction is my best choice when the pain allows. Been a rough week.

Hi, all f you. I appreciate the question you ask about being distracted from pain. For the past few weeks I have been gathering together as much of my medical history as I can find. I put it in a simple computer file and call Amyloidosis. Because that is the root of most of my pain. Then I put it in a spot where anyone can see and read it. If you wish. http://bit.ly/1w7j4j8 The reason I am saying this here is that this has really helped me ease the pain, just really realizing what is happening. Each time I gather some new info, I add it to the file. i.e., This time, I have the report from a CT done 18 months back. It is very detailed. So I just added the info in, and with each piece I had to stop and think about what it meant. I have a variety of nodules and growths in both lungs, and actually, it rather perturbs me that I did not see all this before. It might be a good practice and sorting-out practice for more of us.

Oldkarl, you’re doing an amazing job! Just getting together my medical information since the TMJ pain hit in about September 2016 has been quite a task. Sometimes I wonder if I should ask my PCP if she thinks I need a CAT scan or an MRI. What if there’s something else going on here other than just TMJ pain? You’ve made me think about this again, so I’ll shoot off a note to her. Thanks!

Hazel

Hazel, thanks for the kindnesses. This might be a good time to remind everyone to save those diagnosis papers and files we get from the med centers. If we do save them, it is a lot easier to put things together. I have seen about 50 doctors in the last 40 years that I know of, plus some I have forgotten. These dX papers sure help now.

I am from Canada and full of chronic pain from 2 car accidents both times being hit from behind. These accidents resulted in a
If entire of pain and I have been dealing with this for over 35 years. I am heavily medicated but today I started an 8 week,course at my pain clinic called Coping with Chronic Pain. As I just started I haven’t experienced too much yet but the intent of this education is to help us to learn how to cope better with our pain and ideally to reduce our dependence on our heavy meds. We are focusing on understanding the nervous system, why our bodies react the way that they do, physiotherapy, occupational therapy & goal setting. We attend for 3.5 hrs every Friday for 8 weeks and each week we have take away physio work to do. I am looking forward to decreasing my dependence on medication. If you ever have the opportunity to take a course like this I think that you would find it helpful!

@marychapman

I am from Canada and full of chronic pain from 2 car accidents both times being hit from behind. These accidents resulted in a
If entire of pain and I have been dealing with this for over 35 years. I am heavily medicated but today I started an 8 week,course at my pain clinic called Coping with Chronic Pain. As I just started I haven’t experienced too much yet but the intent of this education is to help us to learn how to cope better with our pain and ideally to reduce our dependence on our heavy meds. We are focusing on understanding the nervous system, why our bodies react the way that they do, physiotherapy, occupational therapy & goal setting. We attend for 3.5 hrs every Friday for 8 weeks and each week we have take away physio work to do. I am looking forward to decreasing my dependence on medication. If you ever have the opportunity to take a course like this I think that you would find it helpful!

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Mary, the program you’re enrolled in sounds terrific! It’s so important for us to know the whys and wherefors of pain. I know so little about it–other than it hurts! Am up at 3 a.m., hoping that my pain and muscle relaxer pills kick in soon.

Hazel

@oldkarl

Hi, all f you. I appreciate the question you ask about being distracted from pain. For the past few weeks I have been gathering together as much of my medical history as I can find. I put it in a simple computer file and call Amyloidosis. Because that is the root of most of my pain. Then I put it in a spot where anyone can see and read it. If you wish. http://bit.ly/1w7j4j8 The reason I am saying this here is that this has really helped me ease the pain, just really realizing what is happening. Each time I gather some new info, I add it to the file. i.e., This time, I have the report from a CT done 18 months back. It is very detailed. So I just added the info in, and with each piece I had to stop and think about what it meant. I have a variety of nodules and growths in both lungs, and actually, it rather perturbs me that I did not see all this before. It might be a good practice and sorting-out practice for more of us.

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Hi oldkarl, I am Marield65 and have chronic pain,arthritis, surgeries on my feet, Total knee replacement in April, and many other surgeries and disc problems. But the reason I am writing is How did you get all your information into the computer? Did you scan it first? I want to know how to do many things with the computer but I get overwhelmed. Like the show I love is “How you do that?” Thanks. Marie Any help you can give our audience will be greatly appreciated.