Monday, January 28, 2008

Knitter Found . . .

When I reported myself missing in my last post, I never intended to be gone for so long. But life gets in the way sometimes. They say bad things come in threes, and we got hit with three scary things in the past week. Now that I've wrapped my head around them, I know they could have been much worse. But it took me some time to work through them and see the silver lining in each cloud.

Our first bit of bad news was a major lay-off where Pea works. Luckily, he was not one of the employees to go. If he was not working on a big project right now, we may not have been so lucky. Consensus among all remaining employees is that his branch may end up closing for good, with all work transferred to the headquarters in Baltimore. So while we know we are safe for the next few month, we are very unsure of what the future holds. Luckily, we can start to prepare now. (And yes, that huge yarn stash is a blessing, considering we may not have yarn money for a while!!)

The second blow hit when Charlie stopped eating and started sleeping more than usual (which didn't seem possible, given the amount of sleep he gets on a good day.) A blood test showed that the problem is not his thyroid, as the vet had thought, but is his kidneys. He also shows signs of infection. The vet gave us antibiotic drops, but didn't sound hopeful that they would work. 27 hours after his first dose, our weak and sleepy kitty began jumping on the couch again, all bright eyed and strong!!!! He's starting to show real interest in his food again. And he's getting harder to hold down for his antibiotic drops. We are so relieved and thankful that the medication seems to be working, and are hopeful that once the infection is gone, we can manage the kidney problem with diet and medication.

The final blow came at my eye doctor appointment Thursday afternoon. She found signs of a leaky blood vessel in my eye. This is the first sign of a common diabetes complication. To say I freaked out would be a major understatement. Now that I've wrapped my head around it, however, I can see how much worse things could be. The eye doctor is not very concerned yet. She said it's quite common, and since it is just one small leak in one eye, we don't need to go into crisis mode right away. She will check again in six months, and if things have not gotten any worse, there is no need to proceed with anything. And if they have, we have caught it early and a specialist should have good success in fixing me up.

Phew!!! Are you still with me? I wouldn't be surprised if every one's eyes have glazed over and you've moved on to a more interesting blog!! For those of you still with me, how about a little knitting content? On the upside of diabetes, look what I got in the mail a few weeks ago? Two free books!


I've had these on my Amazon wish-list for a while now. How did I get them for free, and how is it diabetes related, you ask? Well, in December, I received an e-mail from the makers of an insulin pump, asking me to take a short survey. Compensation was a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Hurray, free knitting books. Finally, being diabetic has it's advantages!

Now that I'm back from my mini-crisis, I have lots to share and will try hard to post regularly again. What to look for soon? A couple of FOs, a resurrected UFO, some new socks, and a comforting new knitting project. And no more moping around feeling sorry for myself!

24 comments:

Ragan Knits etc... said...

Wow, oh my goodness. You certainly have had your share of worries lately. :o( I hope that things look up soon, instead of looking down. I will be thinking about your eye...saying some little prayers for you, Charlie and Pea's job. Take care.

Sonya said...

Well, if bad things come in threes, you should be good for a while. I'm so glad Charlie is feeling better and Pea's job is safe for now. It's good to have a little time to plan. I'll say a few prayers for your leaky blood vessel. ;o)

I have both of those EZ books and love them. Enjoy!

Heide said...

These are some major stressors! I'm sorry to hear about the job losses where Pete works and I hope that should his company relocate him to Baltimore that all will work out for you. Older male kitties are notorious for having kidney issues. How wonderful that Charlie is responding so favorably to the antibiotics. He's luck to have you to care for him. I'm very sorry to hear about the eye exams. Hopefully no more will appear and this one will remain small and not interfere with your vision. Major score on the books!

Chelle said...

Sorry to hear about your close calls...

The best piece of advice my mom ever gave me is that life is what you make it. I'm glad to see that you are making your life a good one!

jessica said...

Oh my, I'd be freaking out on all these things too. I'm glad pea's job is safe for now, thats scary. I'm also really glad that Charlie is responding well to the antibiotics. I was so happy that he found you guys and would be sad if anything happened to him. Sweet little guy! I'll be keeping your eye in prayer, along with everything else too! Its good to have you back:o)

I've had my eye on the knitters almanac for a while... what a score! Enjoy!!!

Ariel said...

So sorry to hear about the recent troubles. Cozy up with Pea and Charlie (and an awesome knitting book or two) and take care. I'm sending happy thoughts in your direction!

Anonymous said...

No wonder you haven't been around for awhile. Isn't it nice to know that you got your "three" and you're done for awhile?

I'll be sending all my good thoughts your way. Hang in there sweetie.

Julie said...

Good heaven's you've had a rough week! I'm glad things weren't any worse.

KT said...

Wow, that's a rough week! I'm glad things are all better than they could have been. Catching things early is a Very Good Thing. Hope things start looking up for you guys and the kitty!

Olga said...

Oh, Karen, I'm sorry to hear about all these worries! You're such a strong person that I know you'll come through everything just fine. I'm sending positive thoughts your way!

Anonymous said...

There's something for you at my blog.

Wannabe said...

I wish I could come give you a big gigantic hug, put on some tea for you and make you a nice comfort dinner. I'm thinking of you, sweet friend. I'm sorry you had such a rough week.

Kristin said...

I'm glad that things are looking up! :)

Confessions of a Knitting Diva said...

Wow, that is a lot to deal with. I am glad your kitty is getting better. Thanks for the nice comment about Gracie. Take care!!!

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

So sorry to hear of your worries, but glad that your Charlie is one the mend!

Jennifer said...

*Hugs*

Jessica said...

OMG you poor thing! That is *a lot* to handle in a short period of time! Glad that things with the kitty and your eye are good and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the job situation finds a good resolution. *hugs*

Macoco said...

That is a lot to handle! It sounds as if you're coping pretty well with everything though. :) I hope that things just get better and better from here!

thegabbyknitter said...

When it rains it pours. I think your handling everything with a great attitude though. Usually after 3 bad things happen the good stuff starts happening right after. So here's hoping you have nothing but good things coming your way!

Sourire11 said...

Wow that's alot to handle all at once! any one of those things would be a major upset but all together... It sounds like you are coping with it all really, really well!

Sarah said...

You poor thing! I hope this is the end of the run of bad things for the time being. You need a rest...

kathy b said...

Hey, How you feel is how you feel. Lots of concerns on your mind. I am worried enough about your eyes. I will pray to St. Lucy. She's the saint who carries the eyeballs around. You pray to her for vision issues. Sweet St. Lucy with the eyeballs. Fear not.

what is your comfort knit project!

Jennifer said...

You certainly have had a lot on your plate! I'm glad that it's not getting you down, and are trying to see the silver lining, although all of those things are certainly major stressors. I'm thinking of you!

Bernard said...

Karen

Sorry to hear about your eye. I hope that they figure something out that works for you. You might want to checkout anti-VEGF drugs. David Mendosa wrote about them recently on his blog.

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