Living with changes

Oh dear...  10 days between posts.  I'm sorry about that but I guess I have my reasons.

I think the last time I posted was right after New Year's and we had gone off to the movies.  I'm sorry to say that that was my last good day and since then I've been laid out flat!  Thus nothing positive to post about, and no energy if there had been, so no posts...  I do try to keep my blog on a positive curve...

So anyway, I still don't know if rheumatism or something else got to me since the beginning of January.  Since starting this journey with RA, I have a whole new vocabulary.  RA which stands for Rheumatoid Arthritis, is an autoimmune disease (as compared to Osteoarthritis which is the wear and tear on joints.)  Flares (a burst of symptoms). Triggers (possible causes of flares) and the whole glossary of medications.  

After two months of normal living, January arrived and I suddenly couldn't walk again.  I thought, "Aha.  This is a flare..." and took to complete bed rest for four days because we were in the holidays and knowing that I had a doctor's appointment on the 11th.  But I saw my rheumatologist this week and she actually thinks I'm doing really well and that all the blood tests point to an improvement...  Therefore she has now referred me to an orthopedic doctor at the University hospital.  That appointment is scheduled for next week...

I was able to go to my crosswalk guard job at the beginning of the semester from January 10 but even four days of that was exhausting...  I wonder if I can, or even should continue with this job, and if I'm not, I need to let the city know pretty soon.  But my doctor says not to make any decisions based on how I'm feeling at this low point and maybe wait until my mind gets out of the dumps.  So that is where I stand (or in my case, sit).

I tried to keep up with drawing, however simple and messy from a prone position.  And I did see a couple of friends who actually can give me advice on rheumatism as they or someone in their family battles it.  That was very uplifting.  I also had an appointment to keep with my dentist and Tetsu took me to that, so not all has been lost!

So let's start with the dentist.  Tetsu actually thought I LIKED going to the dentist because I religiously make an appointment every six months.  No!  I just don't want to have to have anything major done but my strategy didn't work this time...  I guess I'll be going a couple of more times this month.

My friend, Mrs. I is a magician with yarn!!!  Sometime in December she showed me a sweater she had been making of left-over yarn and I said 

"I have some left-over yarn!  Please look at it and tell me if I should just toss it or give me an idea of what it can be used for."   I took the bag of cream colored yarn to her at the end of December.

(Mrs. I on the left)

This was yarn that Marcy had given me like 10 years ago and was from her mother's closet who passed away before that.  It is shiny and looks like it's supposed to be for a baby blanket or something.  I tried knitting it up TWICE and it sagged and pulled so much when the cardigan was done that I ripped it all out again.  I was really considering trashing it!  This week I saw Mrs. I and she had finished the left-over sweater yarn and then pulled out this beautiful vest!  

She said she used an afgan stitch and more of her left-over yarn to create this beauty!  Mrs. I had made the vest with me in mind but it actually fit my friend Mrs. O better than it did me so she lucked out on this.  Mrs. I said that there was still some of the cream yarn left so she'd try to make something a little larger for me.  Pretty amazing work!

And this week was the Coming of Age Day for Japanese who become twenty though the laws recently are changing and some cities hold a celebration for 18 year olds.  I'm not really sure what goes on in these celebrations as neither of my children was in Japan when they were twenty, but it is great fun for the girls to rent a fancy kimono for the big day.  

Here I am ready for bed in the evening.  The room is icy so I have my fleece pajamas, a neck warmer, a down shoulder shawl and a knitted hat.  

And four cats who warm all sides of me!