Not enough hours in the day

So far today (November 14), I have done the following, post-breakfast: visited the orthopedist and get another shot, this time in the front of my shoulder; dropped by the library to pick up a requested book (and have nearly finished it!); made 6 more fabric and insulbright sandwiches to quilt for mitts (to go with the 2 already made); eaten lunch; gone to JoAnn's and spent a pile of money on fabric and notions, but saved a lot since it was the last employee double discount day of the year; run two loads of fabric through the laundry; opened a birthday goodie bag from Jaymie of WhiteStoneStitchery; quilted 4 of the aforementioned fabric sandwiches; ate dinner; ironed 5 yards of various fabrics for bias tape; had another piece of my birthday cake from Tuesday (can't let it go stale, can I? ;p) and outlined 4 sets of mitts, ready to cut out tomorrow, at which point I said enough was enough and quit for the day. Whew!

Tomorrow, I have to cut out the mitts and mark fabric for bias tape, at which point it will be almost time to go to work.

I might actually get these done for my nephew to take home with him on Thursday so my sister can try to sell them at the show next weekend.

"I'm Sorry, You've Got A Bad Case of Faucet-Nose"

This has just not been my week. On top of the persistent tendonitis, over the last few days my nose has decided that it would rather be a faucet than a working body part. :o( I can't begin to count the number of tissues I've gone through since Wednesday. It's so bad I took a plastic bag to work to collect my used tissues and keep them out of the general trash. I even took a box of kleenex with me! That's the only high point, since I discovered they were the ultra soft kind. At least my nose isn't as sore as it could be.

Back to my shoulder woes. Monday was not a good day in shoulder city, nor was Friday. My shoulder joint hurts when I cough, when I sneeze, when I breathe deeply. And my thumb is still kind of numb. When I squeeze the thumb joint I can feel it in my shoulder, so I'm pretty sure I have a pinched nerve. Unfortunately, my chiropractor died a few months ago, so to get this taken care of I have to find a new practioner. :o( That'll be a lot of fun, I don't think.

drip. . . drip. . . drip. . . I think I need a plumber for my nose.

My arm! My arm! I can move my arm!

After a week and a half of assorted anti-inflammatory drugs, including one that I can only take once a day (it must be really good; I didn't take it this morning and I'm regretting it just a bit), I can now move my arm without wanting to either scream or cry for a large part of the day. That's not to say it doesn't still hurt, but I don't feel like curling into a ball and sobbing in pain. :o)

Anyway, I've been working up a list of things I can now do if I'm careful (in no particular order):

1. Wash my hair. I've got a lot of it and the job requires a working shoulder.

2. Change my sheets. My bed is in a corner so it's a bear of a job on a good day; with a bad shoulder it was out of the question.

3. Get stuff out of the washer and dryer. We have a stacking set, and getting stuff out has always been a stretch for little old me. It's either past my reach (washer) or over my head (dryer).

4. Get out and put away the cereal. We keep it on a high shelf, and even though it slides out it's hard to get to when it hurts to move your hand past your shoulder, let alone over your head. I could just barely get the box out from the bottom, but putting it away was impossible.

5. Pick up a glass with one hand while sitting at the table. The action involved awkward, painful movements, so for several days I reverted to childhood and used both hands. ;P

6. Cutting my own meat. The back-and-forth motion put too much stress on my shoulder, so I've mainly been eating fairly soft foods, or at least ones that didn't take any cutting.

7. Taking off my bra. There were a couple nights I just couldn't get my hand back there and had to get help.

8. Taking off my sweater. I usually meet my hands behind my back and pull the cuffs off, but that was not possible this past week or so. And you don't remember how painful it was last time until you do it again. (ow! ow!)

9. Sleep! I've had to sleep sitting as straight up as possible to ease the pressure on the shoulder, but last night I slept in something approaching my normal posture. :o)

If I think of any more, I'll let you know. :o)