Friday, November 09, 2007

Off To RETREAT!

My bags are in the hall, my sleeping bag is out of the shed so that it won’t be freezing cold and I am just sorting through what projects to bring along for the weekend retreat at Camp Wildwood with some of the most awesome stitchers I know.

I brought lots of little things to work on this year because I’m not sure how long I can sit at a stretch in the camp chair. I have also promised myself that if I want to go and take a nap, I’m just going to do it!

I have lots of stuff that isn’t even stitching (knitting, felted dragon, sketchbook, journal etc.) but that is all part of the fun. Best of all, I won’t have to answer a phone, cook a meal, mediate a fight, drive anyone to an activity or other such commitment until Sunday after lunch. WhooooHoooo!

Part of being creative, is giving yourself time to recharge and just play. I brought along an assortment of my favorite Just Another Button Company Buttons to play with. If my camera weren’t already packed, I would take a picture of them now... but instead I will take one once I get to retreat and get settled in.

Did I mention I don’t have to cook any meals until Sunday at supper time?

Did I mention that I could sleep in tomorrow morning or take a nap if I wanted to?

Whooooooo Oho!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

One more test down...

Having all that icky stuff to drink for the CT scan certainly didn’t agree with me! I was in such pain (and VERY bloated) by Monday night that I went and sat in the Emergency department hoping to be seen. I thought perhaps that they could feel something different when I was all puffed up like that. However, there were several cases that came in on the acute side and after 6 hours, I gave up and went home!

Yesterday, I was still uncomfy but not as “puffy” (No jokes about PUFF the magic dragon, please!) and I managed get a hold of my doctor’s office. They squeezed me in and she managed to pull up my CT scan results.

The good news is, aside from the slight beginnings of some bone degeneration in one of my spinal disks (common in tall people but I’m going to take more calcium just in case!) the CT was absolutely clear of anything strange or startling going on with my liver, kidneys and intestines. Given my Dad’s battle with colon cancer right now, that was VERY good news indeed.

The bad news is, that means they still have no idea what is causing all this pain... which keeps getting steadily worse. After her examination yesterday, my doctor said that perhaps we needed to take a second look at the possibility of a small hernia or tear in one of the muscles, especially since the 6 sessions of physio didn’t improve things.

So... one less thing to panic about, one more silver lining of good news to be thankful for, but I’m still getting a bit cranky from not being able to sleep well at night or get comfy during the day. Having been a VERY active person the past few years, I’m also finding it hard being a more idle dragon.

The good news is, this gives the dragon lots of time to think up twisted ideas, fun stuff, crazy illustration ideas etc.

I can’t wait for the cross stitch retreat this weekend either. I am going to work on the felted dragon kit that I bought in Toronto, take naps whenever I feel tired, be free from cooking any meals for almost 48 hours and spend time with my Mom. She’s coming along to her first retreat! I think she’ll be hooked!

Time to go dig some more Why Hoard Gold patterns out of the self store for my Hoffman order (not lifting too many at a time) and then pick up something that’s NOT mine to stitch on at retreat!