Happy New Year!

Happy 2022! Ray and I are hoping this is a good year; I’m sure everyone else is too.

I’m getting better! Although my only exercise is walking, my left leg is getting stronger and I can now go up and down steps while alternating feet. I still get very tired and need naps, and I still begin sweating like a little pig if I do too much, but I think my back is doing great. In a couple of weeks, I see my neuro-spine surgeon’s PA. I’m hoping to get rid of some if not all, of my restrictions. 

 

I’m helping more around the house, especially with meals. It was a nice break of not worrying about what we were going to eat each day but now I’m sure Ray would like a break. He bought groceries a couple days ago and I pretty much made the list and decided some meals. He still helps A LOT and cleans up but appreciates my efforts or so he says!

 

My long-arm (technically a mid-arm) is set up and running. It's been rather eventful. Getting the boxes upstairs was quite a task. A neighborhood man, who grew up with our kids, and his high school sons helped. Then we had to clear space before we could even open boxes – so we shoved things into dormer closets. What a mess.

The mess on the left side of picture will be leaving.

Next, we put things together little by little depending on my endurance, so it took many days. When we set up the frame (which is an 8’ frame but takes up about 9’), it did not fit according to my plan. I didn’t know I needed so much room in front on and behind it. It actually fit in the room but blocked the doors of two dormer closets. So we moved more stuff and some of the same stuff. Then we moved the frame 90 degrees. Please know that whenever I say we, I mean Ray – I just supervised. Next we had to move the frame even further from the wall to facilitate the opening of one dormer closet door. This meant the only original item that could remain in the room was the ironing table. All fabric and a 35” by 60” cutting table had to move. Thankfully DS2 and his boys came to help. Whew!

The cutting table in it's new home and a large mess.

 

While DS2 and boys were here, they also shoveled snow for us and cleaned out most of the dormer closet that contained toys. Most of the toys were for younger kids and they did a good job of tossing damaged things, rescuing a few treasures to take home, and sorting things for me. As a result, I am almost ready to begin emptying another dormer closet. Of course, we will have to do that. I can’t wait to restore order and have access to everything in the studio.

Our dining room is now overrun with toys...but I do have a plan. By next week, I hope they are all gone.

I love the long-arm but need practice. Of course, I’ve done very little free motion quilting in the last year. I don’t think my learning curve will be nearly as bad as I had thought; I just need lots of practice. I’ve been using the machine a little each day and I’ve graduated to working on a real quilt vs. a practice sandwich. The quilt was partially quilted on my domestic machine as I practiced ruler work. It will eventually be cut in half and used as  a mat for my domestic machines. I never thought I’d have a long-arm so I’m still a little giddy.

 

Hopefully as we progress through 2022, I’ll get caught up with the quilts that need to be quilted. I also look forward to sitting at a sewing machine and stitching. I am not setting any goals other than to be grateful for and to enjoy each day. Its is absolutely wonderful to feel good.

Recovery continues...

I'm 6 weeks post op and here is an update.

Short story:

I am doing pretty good. My brace is off and I hope to have many of my restrictions lifted in 6 weeks.

 

Long story:

I turned a corner about a week ago – I no longer have the excruciating pain in my left leg; now I just have pain that I can tolerate. I saw the surgeon’s PA Monday – I still can’t have any anti-inflammatory drugs. I had the option of another pain med but what I’m using seems to be working so I chose to stay with that. I am still taking one nerve pain med and one very strong pain med. I hope to begin weaning off the strong med soon. The best news of my doctor visit was that my brace is off! I still have many restrictions but the brace is optional for a few weeks. I haven’t put it back on since I was in the doctor’s office. I don’t like it but I will use it if needed. 

 

We got to see my new x-rays – the screws, the rods, the donor bone, and the cage. It’s quite interesting if you can forget it’s you. 

 

The only exercise I can do is walk. My goal this week is 2000 steps a day. We were in Madison both Sunday and Monday and those days I had over 4000 steps each. Tuesday I was well over 2000. I’m ready to get my strength back but I’d also like to get off the meds and I don’t want to irritate the nerves anymore. So I’ll stick to 2000 steps the rest of this week. In 6 weeks, I’ll know about Physical Therapy – that will be 3 months post – op. There is a chance I won’t need it. The doctor thought I was doing very well!

 

My restrictions include no Bending, only light Lifting, and no Twisting. (BLT is the way it is referenced.) I’d like to begin doing squats but not yet so it’s hard to do some normal things.  I just use my grabber/reacher or call my dear husband.

 

I still rest a lot. I’ve put together jigsaw puzzles, read many books, played many computer games, and spend way too much time watching videos and TV. Somewhere in the middle of all of this while I was a little high on lots of drugs, I decided that I had room for a long-arm quilting setup and I ordered one! Well, technically, the machine is a mid-arm. The frame is 10’ long and I actually can find room without building onto the house! All I need to do is clean out 2 large dormer closets and one of my sewing rooms. Then rearrange things and I’ll be set. The problem is that I ordered everything during a big sale and although it was supposed to arrive in January; everything arrived November 29 and is in our living room.

Ray and I spent some time today moving things around in the closets and my studio. (Ray moved; I supervised.) Hopefully we'll finish that part tomorrow. There won’t be any cleaning out right now; we are just trying to clear space for the long-arm frame. Then we need to get things upstairs. After Christmas, I think DS2 and his 3 boys will come help us put the frame and machine together and in place. Sometime in the future, I’ll get things cleaned and the way I want them. 

 

I am very optimistic that this leg pain is going away (it is so much better) -  my medical team is great and I do believe them. In case you didn’t know, extensive back surgery has a long recovery time. My projected time is 3 – 6 months and I’m on track. Ten years ago my timeline was 1 – 5 years. This surgery wasn't nearly as invasive at the earlier one and I like the timeline much better! 

 

I can’t wait until I can squat and lift things … patience. I’ve been learning patience and practicing patience for well over a year. One would think I’d be better at it by now.

Recovery!

Short Version:

Surgery went well with one complication. I am improving!

Long Version:

Surgery was October 21 and all went well with my back. The main problem after surgery was my left leg. Evidently the surgery was very hard on my leg. Hammers, mauls, drills,..., were used and evidently irritated the nerves and muscles in my leg. It happens. When I woke up after surgery, I could not move my left leg but was told to have patience.The pain in the leg was astronomical and the narcotics began along with a variety of other problems such as vasovagal syncopes (fainting spells). Ugh! 

October 25, late in the day, I came home with Ray, my fantastic caregiver. Ray suggested I leave the phone and the electronics alone for a while. (I think he actually told my friends and family to not call or text for a while.) He was definitely right. I really didn't need interruptions to my rest.

Yesterday, 11/9/21, I had all 32 staples removed from the 10” incision in my back and it is doing great. My leg is better but has a ways to go. My medical team is optimistic that it will recover fully given time. Many of the additional problems are gone. The rest are being addressed.

I feel good at least part of most days. In general, my back feels good. The 10-year old hardware in my back was removed, some replaced, and some new hardware added. I'll hopefully begin therapy in December and in a few months, maybe I'll be near normal again.  

I am wearing a brace and use a walker. I am working at getting more steps each day and also to "letting go of the walker" periodically. I still have restrictions and will for a few months so it limits what I can try to do. I am also slowly getting off of the meds which means I should need fewer naps.

So how do I spend my waking hours?

Well, I'm considering a free motion quilting frame. I don't have room for a longarm so I've been looking at other options. I think I'm zeroing in on the Grace Q-Zone Hoop Frame Pro. If you have recommendations, let me know. I've been watching videos and reading reviews. I won't order until I have a very clear head. 

I probably won't post much in the coming weeks since my focus needs to be on getting better, not quilting. But eventually, I plan to be back in the studio - I think touching fabric will help with this recovery!😉

At Last!

The wait is finally over. The blood tests, EKG, all the scans and x-rays are done. The weird saliva COVID test is done and negative. I've been giving myself daily shots to build up my bones for over 7 months. The back surgery is finally going to happen Thursday. I. AM. READY. I'm tired of the pain and the waiting. It's been over a year but the end is really in sight.

It will be a lengthy surgery and lots of precautions are being taken. Evidently in a 2nd surgery like I'm having, tears in the dura (one of membranes around the spinal cord) and infections are a higher risk. I had a tear in the dura the first time and am hoping not to have a recurrence. My surgeon has told me this surgery will not be as invasive as the one 10 years ago so I am optimistic that this will be somewhat easier.  He also is predicting my recovery time will be 3 - 6 months. Last time it was 1 - 5 years. In any event, the nerve pain will ease and I will be able to resume a more normal life. 

A normal life that includes quilting, travel, and hiking. 

Yes, I am ready!

Update on Ray: He is doing much better and will be a great support person. 

Update Time

Finally, after 6 months of daily injections to build my bones, I was able to schedule surgery with my neurosurgeon last Monday. It'll be another 5 weeks before it happens but the doctor assures me that surgery will finally happen!

During the night last Monday, Ray had a coughing spell. He's not sick or anything just a tickle in the throat. He evidently irritated some nerves in his back and leg from coughing so hard. He's having great difficulty moving and walking. He saw the doctor today (Thursday) and hopefully his meds kick in soon. (Just what this house needed - another old decrepit person 😉🙃🙃)

My days have become very predictable - lots of sleep. One way I deal with pain is to sleep and some of my meds make me sleepy so I nap a lot! If we do something, it takes a day or more to recover. Needless to say, I don't accomplish much. Now that Ray is out of commission for a bit, life could get interesting but most likely, meals will be simple, clothes won't be washed, and cleaning won't be done. We'll survive!

I haven't sewn much; in fact most days, I don't get upstairs to the studio. I had a pile of donation quilts though. Since I couldn't donate quilts to the children's hospital yet, due to COVID, we took 30 quilts to the Ronald McDonald house when we were in Madison on Monday. I think there are 3 quilts left on the donation pile upstairs. 

Thirty quilts ready to go:

I donated 

1st pile of quilts

2nd pile of quilts

3rd pile of quilts

The quilts from 2019 are:                                         

I Scream You Scream

Scrappy Trip Around the World 

Jenny's Flower Garden Too 

                                                                                        

From 2020:                                                                     

Crosswalks 

Six Degrees South North of the Equator    

Batik Bowties

Strings with Navy

Crazy Cars

Orphan Improv

Courthouse Steps

Flannel Baby Squares

Black/White with Teal

Blue with Yellow Jelly roll Race

Migration I

Migration II

Paint

Teal and White

Tiny Log Cabins

Scrappy Blue

Colored Strings

Pink Puppies

Basketweave Strings

From 2021:

Awesome Aspens

B/W with Red  

Diamonds with Squares

Easy Breezy

Pathways to Friendship

Magic Squares

Little Squares

The I Spy Tree

For the next 5 weeks I will try to help around the house, go to what seems like a zillion doctor appointments, work on staying healthy, and probably nap! And just maybe I'll find a little time to sew.

A trip to Iowa

We took a little trip to Iowa. We were gone eight days and eventually we were 4 1/2 hours from home.  We were able to spend a little time with some friends and family. I rested a lot (but evidently not enough). We ate well and had plenty of treats from some great bakeries. Ray took photos. I bought fabric.

IOWA 2021

Here's a few photos I took with my phone.

In Iowa City, there was a neat display downtown called Loop near the Graduate Hotel. One or two people can sit in the loop and push/pull the handle back and forth. Pictures go around inside the loop and lights on the outside get brighter the faster you move the handle.

Photos from Hotel Millwright which opened last October in The Amana Colonies. The hotel took over the buildings where the bales of wool arrived and where the wool was dyed.

Our huge suite in Hotel Millwright - this is part of the living room / kitchenette.

This is looking towards the door from the bedroom door. The open door is the bathroom with a closet next to it.

Lily Lake in the Amana.

Scenes in Pella, Iowa. 

We stayed on a farm in Indianola. These flowers were near the barn.

This is one of many quilt shops we found. This one is in Indianola.

Ray carried the bag of fabric that I bought at Quality Time Quilts and decided I should take a photo.

We went to the National Balloon Classic in Indianola. There were so many people. The area on the far hill was the least populated as it was the furthest from the parking. On stage were the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. 

It was fun to see the balloons inflate and lift off.

Over 100 hot air balloons were there.

Up, up, and away!

We loved traveling again although it was quite different from our usual trips. There was no hiking but in all honesty the weather was too hot and humid be outside much until the last couple of days. Our accommodations were the one hotel, 2 AirBnb rentals and 1 VRBO rental. All were great - clean and comfortable. We both enjoyed our Iowa trip.

Now I am recovering - I might have overdone a little. I got in a fair number of steps each day (far more than usual) but I only gained 1/2 pound from all those treats so I think that is a win! I've mostly slept since we got home Monday evening. I think I'm finally feeling better tonight.

Just checking in...

Well, not a lot is happening around here but I thought it was time to check-in. I no longer sew everyday - what a difference! 

I do have some finished tops that I don't think I have shown you. I'll tell you more about each when they are finished.

My pressing is now done while I'm sitting down. I have the log cabin squares finished; I just need to decide on a layout.

Health update: The pain meds are working but the pain has increased so I'm back to not doing much. Standing still is very difficult. Walking is ten times easier. A couple weeks ago we took a short overnight trip. We went to Quilting in the Valley in LaSalle, IL. On that 2-day trip, we also saw 2 grandsons play baseball. It was great fun but tiring. Upon my urging, we are about to leave on another longer trip. We'll visit family and friends and hopefully see an International Hot Air Balloon Festival. At the furthest point, we'll be 4-1/2 hours from home. We have LOTS of rest time built in and will only travel short distances on travel days. We are both looking forward to it.