Yesterday, I finished mom’s sleeve. (Shouts and accolades to me.) However I am two rows and a little bit of length away from matching the other one. I’m going to frog the cap, add two rows, and reknit. Annoying? Yes. Really, really cool that I’m almost done? Yes. I am very anxious for mom to start wearing her sweater while it’s still sweater season. Here’s hoping it fits.

Next on the needles? That would be Mari’s poncho, for which I’m going to be heavily altering a pattern. The poncho pattern out of Vogue’s Quick Knits, if you’re curious. My yarn won’t make gauge, and she wants it shorter, so I’ve got some tinkering to do. It will be a very quick project. Hallelujah! Next, I should probably finish Nate’s birthday present, which is another quick project. After that, we’ll revisit this post, and reevaluate. (Having just been there, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be able to check off a few things! I’m also reminded of the satchel for my brother-in-law. That’s moving up on the list. Then there’s the Harry Potter sweaters, which didn’t even MAKE the list).

In other news….

I am checking into the hospital later today. I’m having steroids injected into my spine. Sound like fun? The problem is that while I know this procedure is relatively common, and I know that nothing bad is likely to happen to me, I have issues with needles. Completely unfounded, but issues just the same. I am not afraid of needles. They gross me out. The entire idea is pretty much horrifying.

When my doctor initially recommended the procedure, I froze up and could do nothing but stupidly stare at him. I couldn’t speak. Thinking that it would be helpful, he picked up a portion of an artificial spine, along with his pen, and showed me where the needle would be entering and how far in it would go. Would you like to know what happened next? My head began to swim, I heard a rushing in my ears, and wondered as I was rapidly loosing all physical control of my body, whether I was more likely to pass out or puke. Neither occurred, thankfully, but it took a couple weeks for me to get it together enough to call the nurse and ask the questions that I should have asked at my appointment. She scheduled me for another visit.

A little background… I pass out when getting IV’s. I am usually offered smelling salts when having my blood drawn. I am highly annoyed when medical staff thinks that drawing me into a conversation will somehow “take my mind off it” and make me OK. It doesn’t. I hate it.

I HAVE, however, learned something. My last IV was, as usual, not going well. And, par the course, the second or third medical professional was making their attempt at penetrating my veins. Some nurse who had obviously recently descended from heaven offered me oxygen. Have any of you ever had the pleasure of breathing pure oxygen when it wasn’t, you know, a scene from ER or something? Let me tell you….. if I am hoping for anything, it is that whoever is prepping me for surgery will give me oxygen when I request it. I was in a happy place during that last IV. Well, OK, I wasn’t. BUT, it was waaaaaay better with oxygen. That stuff’s amazing.

For those of you that pray, I would request your prayers on my behalf. For those of you that can send positive energy over great distances, it would be much appreciated. And for the rest of you, well wishes whether expressed, or simply held privately, would be fabulous.

Thanks, and I’m quite confident that however nasty today’s experience is going to be, I’ll still be here tomorrow.