Socks, Socks, and More Socks

In January, I started the Certified Public Manager Program through KU's Public Management Center.  Knowing that I would have less time for knitting between working full time and having homework, I decided at most of my knitting was going to have to be fairly mindless this year.  Fortunately for me, basic stockinette socks are pretty mindless for me.  I have to concentrate a little when working on the heel and toe, but other than that, I can pretty much go on autopilot.

Since finishing the socks I made for Christmas gifts, I have completed another five pairs of socks.  The last three pairs I have done in the last three weeks.  Yes, I managed to make three pairs of socks that fit me in less than three weeks.  There have been a lot of changes at work, and while some have resulted in less stress, others have resulted in more stress.  At least sock knitting is a good way for me to deal with it.

I started the Kiwi Socks on January 8, 2011 using some Steinbach Wolle Strapaz Norweger Ringel in a green colorway that I purchased at The Studio Knitting & Needlepoint in Kansas City, Missouri.  After starting them, I noticed that they did not match.  To deal with it, I decided to call them Another Pair of Dobby Socks.  I like my socks to match, and when they do not, it bothers me.  Calling them Dobby Socks makes it a bit easier to handle.  However, after finishing them, two different friends remarked that they made them think of Kiwis (the fruit), so I renamed them.  Because I also worked on some other projects during this time, I did not finish them until February 17, 2011.

I started the Bryce Canyon Socks on February 18, 2011 and finished them on March 8, 2011.  I made these for a friend of mine, using Universal Yarns Ditto in the Bryce Canyon Black colorway.  When I was initially looking for a suitable yarn for his socks, I saw the colorway and knew it was perfect, because he has actually been to Bryce Canyon.  As I continued working on this pair of socks, it became readily apparent they did not match.  The stripes lined up just fine, but they looked like they were made from different dye lots.   When I bought the skeins of yarn, I made sure they all had the same dye lot, and if you held the yarns up together, they look the same, but as you can see, they look rather different when knitted up.

Luckily my friend did not care that they do not match exactly.

I started the Salt River Socks on March 8, 2011 and finished them on March 14, 2011.  For these I used Wisdom Yarn's Marathon Sock in the Phoenix line.  When I made socks for my stepsister and stepsister-in-law, I was a bit jealous, because I really liked this yarn.  Now I was finally making a fair for me in this yarn.

After these I made a pair of sock using Regia's Kaffe Fassett Design Line in the Mirage Jungle colorway.  I started these on March 15, 2011 and finished them on March 20, 2011.

I started the Grönland socks on March 21, 2011 and finished them on March 26, 2011.  I used Regia's Jacquard in the Grönland colorway.

Armed and Dangerous

Based on this title, one might think this post is about guns, but it is not.  It is about poor customer service.  In this day and age, many people have smart phones with cameras.  Pissing customers off is a very bad idea, and as one of my friends commented on my tweet that cross-posted to facebook, it goes viral.

A little over a week ago, I went to my usual weekend hangout.  Over the last so many months, there have been changes and other issues.  Fewer of the regulars go there now.  Some have moved, and others have different reasons.  Two of them quit going after the place switched to Pepsi products.  Now, that may seem like a silly reason to stop going to a hangout, but there is more to it that.  The friend in question cannot drink Pepsi products--she cannot physically tolerate them.  Tea makes her sick, and she cannot drink alcohol for health reasons.  So she and her husband no longer go.

After last Saturday though, the place may have lost other regulars--possibly for good.  I am sorry to say I may be among that number.  I work in a service industry too, albeit a different sort, so I try to be fairly patient with the waitstaff.  I have my limits though.  For some time now, it has not felt right there, and I have not been going there as regularly as I once did.  However, one of my friends was celebrating his birthday, and he chose to have it there, so I went.

The customer service has not been very good on Saturdays for quite some time--largely due to turnover, but this time it was much worse.  It was not terribly busy at the time, yet some of us were having to flag down the waitress just so we could order.  The friend who was celebrating his birthday (a regular) ordered cheese fries.  This waitress has worked there long enough that she has probably served him cheese fries before, so when she got them from the kitchen, she should have realized they were not right and taken care of it.  She did not. She brought them out to my friend without the bacon.  When he complained, he was told they were running low on it.  Okay, they ought to know that the weekends tend to be busy, and they either should have made sure they had adequate supplies, or they should have warned him ahead of time.  Apparently they did neither. She eventually brought him a little bacon, but it was not the usual amount.  He eventually talked her into bringing him more, but I doubt it was equal to the amount they normally put on them.

It did not stop there.  Another person at our table ordered potato chips.  The business in question makes its own, and they are usually quite good.  This time they were undercooked--so much so, that she could bend them without breaking.  She complained, they were sent back, and someone brought her out a fresh batch, guaranteeing they would be crispy.  They were not, and back they went.  Third time was the charm though.

Undercooked potato chips are one thing--they are just annoying.  Undercooked chicken is quite another.  The person who ordered potato chips also ordered chicken wings.  So did one of my other friends. Both of them were brought chicken wings that were noticeably undercooked.  I went and asked the bartender if the owner (I asked for him by name) was around.  He indicated the owner was not there, but that someone else was.  I told him the kitchen was sending out undercooked food.  The person who appeared to be manager of the day came over to take them back, and eventually more chicken wings were brought out.  The person who ordered the potato chips went ahead and ate hers without looking at them, but my friend's new batch of chicken wings were once again undercooked.  They went back and she ended up getting something else that was pre-cooked.

Another of my friends ordered a burger.  It was fully cooked when he got it, but it was also cold.  My burger was both fully cooked and warm when I got it, but that may be because I complained about the kitchen sending out undercooked food.

We were told that they had lost their head cook, but still, that is no reason to be sending out undercooked food.  Apparently it was enough of a problem that the owner did come in.  I saw him there, and someone else saw him head back to the kitchen.

I decided I was not having a very good time and I asked for my check.  The amount owed was only $8.17, because she did not charge me for my drink.  I brought it to her attention, and she told me not to worry about it.  I gave her a twenty to pay for it, and she only brought me back $11.00.  Okay, unless I tell them to keep some of that or to only bring me a specific amount, I expect all my change back.  I still tipped her, but it was not as much as I would have normally tipped.

I do not know if people were comped for their undercooked food or not.  I asked my friend if the owner ever came over to apologize to us, and he did not.  An apology could have gone a long way.  The owner used to be a waiter there before he bought the place, and he knows we are regulars.  However, a couple of us feel that he really does not care about making us mad.  Maybe he thinks we will remain loyal and continue to patronize his business.  Maybe he really does not want us there.  Either way, I did not go this weekend.

And that brings me back to why I named this post the way I did.  I was pretty unhappy with the way things were going that night, and I posted it as my facebook status.  I also posted something a bit more generic to twitter which also posted to facebook.  The friend who was celebrating his birthday posted something to facebook about his unhappiness.

The next day I deleted most of my posts about it.  However, one of my other friends posted something on facebook about getting a little upset with people who do not treat people in the service industry very well, especially when they are busy.  I responded, and I brought up the undercooked food--which he had not known about.  So any one who saw my posts, or either of my friends' posts now know there was a problem.

Unhappy customers are bad for business--they tell their friends, family, coworkers, etc.  In the age of smartphones, they can do it more quickly and effectively.  As an unhappy customer, I expressed my displeasure by not going there this weekend.  Granted I do not spend as much money there as some people, but I have been there both Friday and Saturday nights many a weekend.

One of the other regulars was there Friday night, and he told me that it was fine.  It does not really make me want to go back though.  I used to encourage people to go there, because it used to be such a fun place.  Now I do not want to go, and I am not the only one.

Happy New Year!

This is the third year I am posting something on New Year's Day, and I feel that it has become something of tradition.  Last year I reflected on how crazy a year 2009 had been and hoped that 2010 would be a better year.  In some ways it was.  I recovered from Pancreatitis.  I traveled to California to visit a friend twice.  I also was accepted into the Certified Public Managers program which is through the University of Kansas.

There were some bad things too.  A friend from school died in March.  She had a cardiac incident in 2006 that left her severely brain damaged.  Eventually she became ill and finally succumbed to the illness.  We were not close friends, but she was still a friend.  Even though she passed away in March, the funeral was not until April 24, 2010, but I suspect that was to give adequate time to make arrangements, allow people to attend, etc.

In April I learned that a close friend had attempted suicide.  In July she succeeded.  We had been friends for a very long time, but I know I lost her a long time ago.  I hope that she is at peace now.

Even with the bad things, 2010 was a better year than 2009.  

That being said, I make the same resolutions I did a year ago: to keep enjoying life, to trust my instincts, and to put myself first more often.  This last one is particularly important.  I cannot help others if I do not take care of myself.  This is one of the lessons I took from being ill with pancreatitis.  Trying to help people who do not want my help is counterproductive and it prevents me from helping those who do want my help.  The trick is realizing when people do not really need and/or want my help.  This one is a bit tougher for me, but I do feel like I am making progress on this.

Happy New Years everyone!  May 2011 be a good year!

Projects, Projects, and More Projects

I know I have been really bad about blogging. While I have been knitting, I just have not been in the mood to blog about it. Usually I just post on facebook and Ravelry. Then in July a close friend committed suicide, and I definitely was not in the mood to blog. However, now that the year is coming to a close, I figured I really needed to update on my projects.

Last January I bought some Berroco Sox in a black and tan colorway, and I immediately got the idea of naming a pair of socks the Ultimate Irish Rebel Socks. One of the songs we sing at the pub is "Come Out Ye Black and Tans," and for a while it was considered the ultimate Irish rebel song. As I understand it, some of the British in Ireland wore uniforms cobbled together from whatever they had and were called Black and Tans. In the song there is a line about the British walking all over the Irish, and now the Black and Tan socks are getting walked in. (For the record, I have both British and Irish heritage).

After I finished that pair of socks I started on Anne Podlesak's Rattlesnake Creek Socks. I used Jojoland Ballad in Bay Blue to makes these. This yarn felt so wonderfully soft in the skein, but it did not feel quite as soft while knitting it. However, the socks softened up nicely after washing. Unfortunately, I recently discovered that one of the socks had a hole in it (and I had not even really worn them yet), so I ripped out past that point and am knitting it again.

Next I started some socks using Regia Galaxy Color. I started these in June, but I did not finish them until November. These were often put on hold to work on other projects, which I will talk about shortly.

I made two more pairs of socks after this--one for my stepsister and one for my stepsister-in-law. I made the pair for my stepsister in law out of Wisdom Yarns Marathon Sock in the McClintock colorway, since Shirley likes greens. This was the first pair of socks I had made for someone else, and frankly I was a bit jealous. I really like this yarn. It felt fairly nice while knitting it, and it felt even better after it was washed. Shirley seemed to like them--she put them on after getting them and modeled them. I made my step-sister's socks out of the same yarn but used the Camelback colorway, since Susan likes browns. I finished her socks up on Christmas Eve then washed them. Susan seemed to like them pretty well.

However, I did not just work on socks over the last few months. In June I started Kerra Quinn's Felted Chess Set. My dad did a lot for me while I was so sick last year, and I wanted to make this for him. I got most of the pieces done over the summer, but after a while I put them aside to work on other stuff. I finished these up on November 28 and gave them to Dad when I went for Thanksgiving dinner (my parents had their's the Sunday after Thanksgiving due to scheduling issues). Dad really liked it and he even set it up in a position.

This summer I joined a knit along where we made fingerless gloves to send to Marines serving in Afghanistan. I ended up making two pairs. My friend Stepheny also made two pairs, and her husband Rob made one as well. To save on postage, we sent all of ours at once to the guy who started the knit along. He later reported we sent fourteen pairs to Afghanistan.

I also had three baby blankets to make this fall. I use A Simple Baby Blanket with Knit-On Lace Edging by Nancy T. McGlynn. I found this pattern online years ago, but lately I have not been able to find it anywhere, otherwise I would provide a link to it. My cousin Kayla was expecting her second child in October, so I made a blanket for her. A coworker and his wife were expecting their first child in December, so I made one for them. My friends Shane and Nancy were also expecting a baby right before Christmas. Kayla knew she was having a boy, so I made her a blue blanket. Brett and Annie knew they were having a girl, and I do not care for pink, so I made them one that is a pale yellow. Shane and Nancy opted to not find out their baby's gender, so I opted for green as a neutral choice.

Between the first two baby blankets, I made a lap blanket for my grandmother's 90th birthday. She resides in a very nice nursing facility that is more like a big house than a nursing home, and a bunch of us gathered for her 90th birthday. Many of us were not sure what to get her, and I decided I might as well put my talents to use and make her something. As I understand it, she spends quite a bit of time sitting in chair in one of the sitting rooms just looking out the window, and it occurred to me she could use a lap blanket. I used some yarn I had in my stash and looked for a pattern on Ravelry that would work with the amount of yarn I had. Unfortunately, even though the pattern only called for 525 yards and I had over 600, I still ran out and had to get another skein of yarn. I did not get the same dyelot, but it does not really matter for this one.

Okay, back to socks, well sort of. One of my friends collects magnets, so I ended up getting a few magnets to give him when I did the 2010 Central Kansas Yarn Shop Hop. I also decided to make him a couple of magnets. I made a couple of tiny socks using Debbie Jennings' Key Chain Sock Blocker pattern using leftover sock yarn and size 0 needles. Once I finished the socks, I used some adhesive magnet backing that I purchased at Michael's.

More projects

While I have not been very good about blogging lately, I have been pretty good about knitting. Since Ravelympics, I have finished two pairs of socks, a pair of mittens, and a pair of fingerless gloves.

For some reason I got on a mitten kick. I have downloaded a number of patterns, and so far I have made one pair of mittens. I made the Rubya'it Mittens (available on Ravelry) by Heather Desserud using Black Louet Gems (fingering) and Wisdom Yarns Poems Sock Yarn in the Vista colorway. Because the first mitten only ended up using green and blue from the ball of Poems Sock Yarn, I used the another portion of the same colors for the other one. I have not gotten around to blocking them yet, so one is a bit bigger than the other.

After finishing the mittens, I felt the urge to make another pair of socks. I opted to use Brown Sheep Company's Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn in the Blue Grass colorway. It is the same basic sock pattern I do for most of my socks, but I think they turned out very well.

After finishing that pair of socks, I felt like making another pair of socks. This time I opted to use Regia's Kaffe Fasset's Design Line in the Landscape Jungle colorway. It is the same basic sock pattern, but I used a sturdy heel instead of a short-row heel. When the yarn tends to stripe, I find I do not always care for how it pools on the short row heel.

I also started on a pair of cabled fingerless mitts, but they are currently on time out. Needing another project I opted for another pair of fingerless gloves using the pattern and Laines du Nord Guinco.

Ravelympics 2010

Ravelympics is Ravelry's own version of the Olympics. Instead of sporting events, we had crafting events. With the exception of projects that were works in progress, we were not able to start our projects until the opening ceremonies. Mass cast-on was at 6:00 Pacific Standard Time. Works in projects could be started before February 12, 2010, but they had to be dormant for at least a month before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

For Ravelympics I belonged to two different teams: Team Bobble Crushers and Team Tardis. Team Tardis is a Doctor Who themed team, and Team Bobble Crushers is the name the local knitting group came up with (what can I say, we really dislike bobbles).

For Team Bobble Crushers I did another Habitat Hat, this time in Zaol Camelon. I entered it in the Hat Half-Pipe and Cable Cross Country events.


My other Team Bobble Crushers entry was the Wintergreen Gloves. Since they were a work in progress, their event was WIPs Dancing. For this event, projects had to be dormant for at least a month prior to the opening ceremonies, but this was hardly a problem since I hadput the Wintergreen Gloves on hold to finish up Cold Mountain in time for a wedding at the end of January.



For Team Tardis I did the Tam of Rassilon by Ellen Hyde, and I entered it in the Hat Half-Pipe and Nordic Colorwork Combined events. The Tam of Rassilon is based on the Seal of Rassilon. While no stranger to fair isle knitting, this hat proved more challenging than I had originally anticipated, but I think it turned out fairly well.

Side view:


Top View:

Surgery

I spent Thursday evening taking care of things that needed to be done before surgery, such as grocery shopping and laundry. I also packed a bag in case they could not do the surgery as a laparoscopy, figuring at least that way my dad would not have to hunt for stuff at my house. When Dad picked me up Friday morning, I also packed my computer. I did not take it with me, but I figured it would be a good idea to have it ready to go in case he had to come by and pick it up.

After checking in at hospital I got out my knitting to keep me occupied. I have been participating in Ravelry's olympics (Ravelympics), and I was working on the Wintergreen Gloves for the WIPs Dancing (Works in Progress event). I had been working on them on and off since the end of October, putting them aside to work on Christmas knitting and then Cold Mountain. To be in the WIPs Dancing event, projects had to be dormant for at least a month before the Olympic opening ceremonies, so I just opted to work on other stuff. I finished a pair of socks I had been working on here and there, and I also made some preemie hats for a friend whose daughter made her entry into the world a couple months early.




It was a morning of odd coincidences. The patient care technician who had taken care of me with my last ERCP three weeks earlier saw me and recognized me. He was not the patient care tech taking care of me this time, but I ended up being in the same pre-op room as I had been three weeks earlier. Then one of the nurses who took care of me was one who had taken care of me during a previous ERCP--the one on December 24, if memory serves.

So I get changed into the hospital gown and keep knitting. Eventually they started an IV, and the managed to put it in a vein in my right arm, which enabled me to keep knitting. And unlike last time, someone came in from anesthesia fairly early on. It was not the person who would be doing my anesthesia, but he did take a history.

After all the times I have had anesthesia, I have learned a few things. I need to make sure they know I am asthmatic and have had problems with anesthesia before. I also have learned that using my inhaler before being put under actually causes me more problems with anesthesia, and I told him this.

I did not get one of the people I had requested for anesthesia, but I knew I probably would not. Nor did I get the guy who did my last ERCP. The guy who did my last ERCP was not bad, but he also does not like using Versed. However, I like getting Versed. It helps me relax, and I seem to do better with it than without. This guy did give me Versed though which helped. Actually he said something about how if I had not talked much before I would be talking a lot. I made a remark about it being Veritaserum and the guy laughed. I actually did not talk quite as much after it kicked in--I tend to talk more when I am nervous.

I remember being wheeled into the operating room and getting on the operating table. After that the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. I had an easier time coming out from under the anesthesia than I did last time, but I still felt kind of sleepy. The nurse in recovery told me that was okay and to sleep if I needed to. I did have some pain, and she gave me morphine. I was not particularly thrilled about that, but she said it was the standard procedure.

More importantly, I learned that the surgeon had managed to remove my gallbladder laparoscopically.

Eventually I was wheeled into another room back in the pre-op area. I got there right around 1:00 p.m. or so, so I turned the television on and watched As the World Turns. I did have some pain in the area of my back that tends to spasm, and the nurse who was taking care of me post-op said something that was probably the gas they used during the surgery. She said getting up and moving around would help with that. I managed to send out text messages to a bunch of people letting them know surgery had been laparoscopic--it took a bit longer though because I was having a little trouble focusing.

I got home around 5:00 p.m. or so. I had left the hospital about 4:00 p.m., but we had to go to Walgreens to get a prescription filled. I posted an update to facebook and sent messages to people who are not on facebook.

Not wanting to wake up a bunch of times during the night, I ended up staying up for a while. It is kind of funny, but I would sort of nod off while I was on the computer. However, I did not really do it if I was knitting, so I divided my time between both.

Today I feel pretty good. I am still a little sore in areas, but I know that will get better with time.

Another Update

On Monday I called my primary care physician's office to get a recommendation for a surgeon within the same medical practice. They referred me to a surgeon and I called his office to schedule an appointment. They told me they had a cancellation so they could get me in at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

So I went to the appointment today, and I am very glad I sought a second opinion. The original surgeon had told me months ago he could not do the surgery as laparoscopic procedure, and he indicated I would be off work 4 to 6 weeks. However, this surgeon told me he would try do it as a laparoscopy, and that if he could do it that way, I could be back at work in a few days. I asked what kind of recovery time I would be looking at if he ended up doing an open procedure (big abdominal incision), and he said I would only be off work a week or two. Then I asked about stairs, explaining that stairs were unavoidable since I lived in a townhouse. He said stairs would not be a problem.

He was very good about explaining what he was going to do for the surgery, and I feel much better about doing this. Good thing too, because surgery is scheduled for February 26, 2010 at 10:45 a.m.

Update

When I had my first ERCP on November 3, 2009, it turns out there was a 4 cm leak where the pancreatic duct was gone. Fortunately there was still some pancreatic duct left in the tail of my pancreas, so they ran a wire and placed a stent. When they did another ERCP on December 24, 2009, the leak was down to less than 1 cm, and my GI doctor replaced the stent.

I had another ERCP on Friday, February 5, 2010, and the leak has sealed up. So my GI doctor removed both the wire and the stent and cleared me for surgery.

Cold Mountain

Back in August I started working on Cold Mountain by Kieran Foley. The plan was to have it done in time to wear to my friend Lynn's wedding on October 3. I used JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk in the colorway Ebony.

I actually managed to get a good portion of it done before I got sick. This is the second Kieran Foley design I have done, and I think it was easier than Seascape. After I started feeling like knitting again, I tried working on it, but I would find mistakes and get frustrated, so I decided not to work on it for a while. Then I received an invitation to the wedding of a friend's son. That was the motivation I needed to finish. I was so close to finishing on January 22, 2010, I decided I was finishing that night. It did not happen. I ended up having to rework a section three times, but I finally finished it on January 23, 2010.

Here are a couple of pictures of it I took before blocking.




I am not enamored of the yarn. The first skein of yarn had a number of bad spots where either the yarn simply came apart or otherwise looked bad. By the time of Irish Fest, I had spliced it seven times. A couple of my friends have used this yarn and not had any problems with it, but I happened to mention it to one of the judges for the knitting contest, and she indicated she knew what I was talking about. I ended up having to splice it another time before joining the new skein and one time after joining the new skein. And then to top it all off, it ripped along the bind off edge when I was blocking it!

I had been incredibly careful when blocking it, but I guess this yarn just is not very strong. Or maybe it was just the skeins I bought that were bad. Fortunately I was able to undo the bind off and splice the yarn again. This time I bound off even more loosely. I did not block it again, but it is not terribly noticeable.

Back to Knitting

While I was in the hospital, I did not feel well enough to knit. Even after I got out of the hospital the first time, I did not feel like knitting much. It was Cailyn Meyer's Wintergreen Gloves that got me interested in knitting again. The pattern calls for Knit Picks Palette yarn, so once all of the colors were available, I put in an order.

Before I started the Wintergreen Gloves, I did finish a pair of black fingerless mitts for me using the Maine Morning Mitts pattern in Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn. I also made a pair of fingerless mitts for my friend Shane. His were based on the same pattern but made longer and with a few stitches added to make for a better fit. Unfortunately I did not think to get a picture of him wearing them when I gave them to him. And somewhere in there, I started on another pair of socks.

I started the Wintergreen Gloves on October 29, 2009. I have worked on them on and off, sometimes opting to work on the pair of socks and other projects depending on my mood. My Habitat hat is hiding from me, so I ended up making the Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat out of some Rio De La Plata bulky yarn I had. The pattern went fairly quickly and it only took me a few days to complete--good thing too with all the snow we have had.


I also ended up making a hat for my stepsister and her partner. Originally I was going to make the Unoriginal Hat for each of them. I had bulky yarn in colors they liked. Then it occurred to me that they probably would not appreciate hats that could not be thrown in the washing machine. About that time, the Winter 2009 Knitty went live and I found a pattern I really liked: Knotty But Nice. So I went looking for Lion Brand Wool-Ease in suitable colors.

It was easy enough to find Wool-Ease in green for one hat, but I did not find anything in brown other than one called Woodland Print. Well, I started knitting that one up, and it was looking too much like camo--which would be great for some guys I know, but not for my stepsister. So the Saturday before Christmas, I managed to drive myself to and from the Yarn Barn in Lawrence to get some Plymouth Encore in a light brown color.

I started the green hat on December 15, 2009 and I actually finished it while at the pub on December 19, 2009.


Knowing I was close to finishing the green hat, I had taken some of the brown Plymouth Encore with me to the pub, and I started my stepsister's hat that night. I finished her hat in the wee hours of the morning on Christmas Eve.



Once I finished the hats, I went back to working on the Wintergreen Gloves. I finished the right-hand one yesterday.

Happy New Year!

When I posted a year ago, I mentioned that something told me 2009 was going to be an interesting year. Interesting was certainly one way to describe it. I recently learned that one of my cousins had an aortic aneurysm in January. He survived, but he had to have another repair surgery to replace his aortic arch later in 2009. However, he is doing well. In March, one of my friends had a heart attack. Fortunately, he survived, and his recovery is going well. I have other friends who have equally, if not more stressful things that happened in 2009 as well.

Then on September 6, 2009, I developed a moderate case of acute pancreatitis. My recovery is ongoing, but it seems more tangible than it did even a week ago. On Monday, I got a call from the nurse practitioner that works for the primary radiologist on my case. She told me they wanted to reposition the remaining drain catheter. She mentioned that they were booked this week, but that there might be a cancellation. Said cancellation happened on Wednesday.

I was not really understanding why they needed to reposition it, so I asked. It turns out that the drain catheter was rather close to the replacement stent my GI doctor put in last week, and they thought that the stuff was draining through the drain bag instead of through the pancreatic duct.

However, I did get good news. The radiologist told me the pseudocysts had resolved, and that the drain might be able to be removed next week. I have a vague memory of him injecting a local a local anesthetic, and the next thing I remember is waking up, and they were done. Better yet, they did not have to give me any painkiller other than the local.

It turns out they actually inserted a new drain catheter. The drain bag is smaller and lighter, and I can actually fold it up and tuck it in my waistband instead of having to carry it around in a bag. There was not anything in the drain bag when I got up Thursday morning, and so far there is very little in there, so that is a very promising sign.

So in some ways 2010 is already looking better. Not that all of 2009 was bad. I made some new friends, and I paid off my student loans. I also kept my resolutions. I had resolved to keep enjoying life, to trust my instincts, and look into getting my concealed carry permit. The first one was pretty easy to keep. The second one was a little harder, but I think it ended up saving my life. My GI doctor said that waiting another hour before going to the ER that night probably would not have made much of a difference, but if I had waited until the next day, I would have been much worse. I kept the third one as well. I took a class in February 2009, and I turned in my application a little over a week ago.

So for 2010, I am going to make the first two resolutions again. I was already pretty aware of my own mortality, even before the pancreatitis, and even before the nearly fatal anaphylactic reaction to an allergy shot nearly six years ago. So enjoying life is an important resolution. Trusting my instincts has proven equally valuable. I am also resolving to put myself first more often than I used to.

Happy New Years everyone! May 2010 be a better year.

Update

Yesterday's ERCP (an endoscopic procedure) went well. When I had the one on November 3, 2009, they overdid it with the anesthesia. My dad thinks that perhaps they did not take into account that I was also on a pretty healthy dosage of morphine at the time. This time, I was not on any heavy duty painkillers, and I would not let them give me any. They mentioned another possibility, but since I am allergic to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.), they could not do that. Either way, I am glad I did not let them give me narcotics, because I came out from under the anesthesia just fine.

Before going under anesthesia, I did talk with my GI doctor briefly. Apparently this remaining pseudocyst is not resolving, because there is a leak in the pancreatic duct. I did ask him why the radiologist needed to talk with him so urgently, and it turns out he was just wanting an update.

I did not talk with my GI doctor after the ERCP, but he did talk to my dad. It is my understanding that I have made a lot of progress in the last six weeks. They replaced the stent in the pancreatic duct, and hopefully things will heal up this time.

It sounds like I will have a follow up with the radiologist next week. My guess is they will inject dye into the drain catheter again (better that than into my veins).

And the Other Shoe Drops

When I had my last CT scan on December 2, 2009, the radiologist who I saw that day indicated he wanted to do another one early the next week. However, for whatever reason, that did not happen. I did end up getting a lower dosage of my pain meds so I could start tapering off them, and when I went to my GI doctor's office to pick up the prescription, they set up an appointment for Wednesday, December 16, 2009.

When I saw the doctor, he told me my surgery may end up being sooner than later, and it might not just be my gallbladder that is removed. He said that they may have to remove the distal portion of my pancreas. The first thing that came to mind for me was whether or not that meant I would end up needing insulin, but he told me a person only needs part of their pancreas to regulate blood sugar.

He did a really good job of explaining stuff, but I still do not quite understand it all. The remaining pseudocyst is apparently communicating with the duodenum, which is why the drainage out of it has looked bilious. There may also be a blockage contributing to the problem. I know he placed a stent in the pancreatic duct during the last ERCP (an endoscopic procedure). If I understood correctly, it was because the duct was damaged due to the pancreatitis. However, there may be a chance the duct is not sealing up right, and that could also be causing some issues. He did indicate he wanted to do another one, so that has been scheduled for this upcoming week before Christmas (trying to get as much done before the end of the year, because my health insurance deductible and co-insurance start over on January 1). He also mentioned that even though the surgeon did not want to do surgery until the last psuedocyst resolved, he may have to go ahead and do surgery and rig it so it drained through the digestive system.

I have also been having some issues with the insertion point for the remaining drain, so I called the nurse practitioner I have dealing with. She indicated she would call in a prescription for something I could use and that she would leave a new drain bag at reception in radiology. Then she mentioned that the radiologist needed to talk with my GI doctor about something. She said something about how they probably would not schedule any procedures next week, so I told her that I had an ERCP scheduled. She indicated that the radiologist she worked for would need to talk to my GI doctor that afternoon. So, I am not sure what else is going on yet, but apparently something is.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

I know I have been really quiet lately, but the road to recovery has had a lot of obstacles. I had a CT scan on October 26, 2009 which ended up showing that the pancreatic psuedocysts they had discovered on the previous CT scan were evolving. Then I ended up going back to the ER the next morning (October 27, 2009). I felt horrible, was in pain, was throwing up, and had chills. Turns out I was reacting to abruptly stopping my pain meds. Apparently it did not occur to the hospitalist who had discharged me on October 5 that I needed to gradually reduce the dosage of pain meds I was on.

On November 3, 2009, they did the endoscopic procedure that they had tried to do previously. This is when I learned about the pseudocysts evolving and found out one was invading my liver.

They overdid it with the anesthesia. Prior to this, I had had anesthesia on four different occasions. The first time, I was not able to breathe when I came out from under the anesthesia. The second time, it was even worse. The other two times, I had a great nurse anesthetist (I specifically requested him for the second of those two procedures), and I had no problem coming out from the anesthesia. This time I did not have the problems breathing like I had the first two times. However, I felt too sedated to breathe, and it took a very conscious effort to make sure I did breathe. I also tried going to work the next day, but I was unable to function and ended up having my dad come get me after a couple of hours. My boss told me to stay home the next day, which I did. Then I ended up having a couple of drains put in on November 6, 2009.

The drains were put in by a radiologist under a sedative and local anesthetic. They did a CT scan without the dye and contrast to see the pseudocysts and figure out where to place the drains. They put one in one of the pseudocysts on my pancreas and the other was put into the one that was invading my liver.

On Veteran's Day (November 11, 2009), the surgeon informed me they could not do my gallbladder removal (scheduled for November 19, 2009) at this point, because it could kill me. He did not offer any other explanation, and frankly I was too shocked to ask. I called my GI doctor's office the next day, and they contacted the surgeon. He told them he was worried about the pseudocysts rupturing and causing peritonitis. I have had peritonitis, and frankly, pancreatitis hurts more.

Two days later (November 13, 2009), I was in for another CT scan. I had been running a fever of 102 according to my thermometer, and I was told to call if that happened. One good thing that came out of it was that they discovered the psuedocyst on the liver had resolved, so they removed the drain.

Later that night, I felt really sick and texted my stepsister. She is a nurse and her partner is a professor of nursing. My stepsister decided to come over and check my vitals and brought her partner with her. I also called my dad as a precautionary measure. I had a fever, but we determined my thermometer was not giving accurate readings, so we do not know how high it was.

I ended up going to the ER, and this time I got in right away. They decided to admit me for pain management and bowell rest, and then they discovered I had an elevated white count, so the hospitalist who took my case ordered high powered antibiotics.

Low and behold, I ended up on the same floor I had been on during the last week and a half of my previous hospital stay. At least I was not in the same room (which it turned out was right under where the helicopters landed--okay so there was an empty floor between that floor and the roof, but it did not really do much to muffle the noise).

I have to admit, I was not quite as easy going this time. I was frustrated about being sick and in pain. They did another CT scan on Monday (November 16, 2009) and discovered the other pseudocysts were getting bigger. If not for the fact that I had already had a shot of blood thinner that day, they would have put in another drain that day, so they scheduled it for the next day (November 17, 2009).

Since they did not give us a specific time, my dad ended up being at the hospital all day (on his birthday no less). My stepmother got to the hospital sometime either right before the procedure or during. I cannot remember which--my memory is a little hazy on that. I do remember asking the radiologist where he was going to put it, and he indicated it would be about the same level as the other.

However, that was not the case. It turns out he could get a the one he had thought he would not be able to get to. So I ended up with a drain inserted pretty much right below my right breast very close to the diaphragm. I was in so much pain when they got me back up to my room that I consented to the pain pump that I had refused earlier that morning.

The pain pump did little good. It was not set to deliver a consistent dosage, so I only got pain killer when I pushed the button, and it was set on a 15 minute lock out. I apparently slept for a little bit that evening, but I woke up sometime before nine, and according to the nurse assigned to me that night, I did not fall back asleep until sometime after 4:30 a.m. The syringe in the pain pump ran out early--big surprise there--that had happened to me three times during my previous stay. This time I told them to take it away. When they started it, they neglected to tell me they would have to start another IV to run my antibiotics and pepcid. However, I would not let them--I told them to stop the pain pump while the other stuff ran. That did not go over very well with the nurse I had during the day shift (we had a bit of a personality conflict the last time I had been in too). Of course they would not do it without the doctor ordering it.

The doctor ended up switching me over to a patch, which worked somewhat better, but there were times I had to ask for more painkiller.

Friday (November 20, 2009), they did another CT scan. This time they gave me some Zofram ahead of time to see if it kept me from getting sick from the dye. No such luck. About a minute after they injected it, I got sick. Getting sick put me in incredible pain, and by the time I got back upstairs, I was in so much pain, all I could do was ask for painkillers. Dad had to explain to the nurse what had happened.

The doctor ended up deciding to keep me there over the weekend, because he did not want to send me home and risk something going wrong. However, on Sunday (November 22, 2009), I had another hospitalist, and she indicated she would discharge me if Interventional Radiology okayed it. Later that afternoon, the surgeon came to see me and he indicated I was not being discharged. However, that was not the case. Apparently the hospitalist signed off on the order that morning, contingent upon Interventional Radiology's approval. Around 6:30 p.m. a nurse came in and told me I was being discharged, so I called my dad. Turns out they had gone out of town for dinner. Fortunately a couple of friends had come to visit, so they took me home.

I went back to work Wednesday (November 25, 2009) then had two days off for the holiday. I ended up staying home both Thursday and Friday, but I did go to Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house on Saturday.

Two days ago (December 1, 2009), I had a follow up appointment with my GI doctor. They tried flushing the drain that was causing discomfort, because it was barely draining. However, the saline solution started coming back out. Oddly enough, the other one went into overdrive.

Yesterday (December 2, 2009), I had another CT Scan, and they tried injecting the dye into the catheter . Today they called me and told me they could remove the drain that was causing so much pain, but that they needed me to come in for another CT scan tomorrow. The painful drain is out, and I have already contacted my GI doctor's office about getting a lower dosage of pain patches so I can gradually stop using them.

I am really trying not to worry about what tomorrow's CT scan will find, but I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. The radiologist who looked at the CT scan yesterday apparently spent a lot of time looking at it, and there is some concern about where the catheter from the remaining drain is. I guess I will have to just wait and see.