Knitting While Not Having a Heart Attack

The good news is that I didn't have a heart attack.  The bad news is that I do have pneumonia.  I should back up a bit and fill in some missing information. 

All last week, my shoulders, back and neck were VERY sore.  I thought I had a stiff neck, but as the week went on, I also felt sick and had chest pain.  Saturday morning, I said to my husband, "wouldn't it be evil if after 10 years of working online from home that knitting gave me carpal tunnel?"  Ha ha, yes, that would be more than evil!  Also more than evil would be after 18 months of carrying Orion around, I suddenly couldn't lift him anymore.

Sunday night brought sheer misery.  Couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't sleep.  I (who avoids going to doctors) told hubby that I had to go in the morning.  Doctor: "Where is your pain?"  Me: "Shoulders, back, neck and chest."  Doctor: "You have chest pain?"  Me: "Yes, I have pain in my chest, it's hard to breathe."

Long story short: Anyone who is my age that says the words "chest pain" will find themselves admitted to the hospital for a coronary workup.  Which is what happened to me.  Let me just say for the record that a stress test is no fun and is a very involved experience.  It's a good thing the morphine made me sleep through most of it.  (Hell, morphine itself is a good thing ;-))  I slept through all but the part where they gave me some medicine I can't remember the name of, that increased my heart rate to the point I couldn't even speak.  Anyway, I passed the coronary tests. 

The Epiphanies

• While trying to sleep Sunday night (read: 4am, absurd pain, cannot breathe, blah, blah, blah), it suddenly occured to me that the "M1 (make one)" stitch I'd done on my sock the day before was wrong.  If I changed it to what I now understood to be the correct way, it would change everything.  Not only would that one stitch change the way the whole foot looked, frogging back to that point would give me the opportunity to adjust a couple other things that were bothering me.  It's AMAZING what a difference those adjustments have made!
• The Knit must prevail.  Did you know that it is possible to knit with one of those clothespin type things on the end of your index finger?  You know those things that measure your oxygen saturation rate?  It took some practice, but I made it work.
• People who do not knit are almost always impressed with what seems magical to them.  In other words, a sock forming off the ends of dpns is pure magic.  Even well-educated medical professionals "admired" me!
• Knitting while stoned out of your gourd on morphine is not the best way to stay the course on your pattern.
• On the other hand, knitting while sick is a terrific distraction.

 

Last week's dishcloth pattern is complete.  As soon as I take a picture, I'll frog it and make this one instead:
Lacy 4 Leaf Clover Dishcloth

The Embossed Leaves socks are coming along very nicely.  TOFUtsies by South West Trading Company is an amazing yarn.  I LOVE the cotton and the "Chitin" (a fiber made from shrimp and crab shells) is an extra bonus.  It's a little odd and makes me giggle just a little.  I can't wait until they're finished!

Sorry, no pictures this time.  The batteries in my camera are out of juice, but then I'm feeling a bit out of juice myself these days.

Peace out and power to The Knit!

Oh, here's a pic!  My Belle:

Belle