Maybe the duct tape will fix me

[SusansSoulShines]

Hi crochet lovers of C.T. world! Thought I'd post this in the chat section instead of always putting my personal things in the crochet section. I've never been great at posting in the right areas of forum sites but I try. Since I'm not blogging now I'm using my fb crochet page: https://www.facebook.com/crochet.by....?ref=bookmarks not my personal one: https://www.facebook.com/susan.nash....ochetCreations

Also I'm using Ravelry & Craftsy for my patterns and all crochet related. I'm susansoulshines on them, and on Ravelry my 'store' is Soulshine Creations By Susan, same as the blog site. I've been busy taking the Curvy Crochet class on Craftsy, It's in depth and extremely helpful, everything I hoped it would be. The patterns we'll make in the class and the one we'll design ourselves based on the favorite top we own now are going to be beautiful. I want to get Marly's book titled the same name as the class, it's got 8 patterns in it I think she said - all figure flattering and she helps you pick good stitches and yarn for your body type, like the ones in the class do.

There is some math and measurements, but that's why I never could get too far with a garment before - I simply didn't know some of the most important things, so I'm learning them now. This is time consuming but is what I want to do, and is why I had to stop my crochet blog site. It was time to learn new things and move forward. *As per the class lesson of the ten hours total, I'm at the part where now I will have my husband DUCT TAPE my upper body today and then carefully cut it off, so I can make my upper torso mannequin of myself to measure body parts on it and try clothing on it as I make pieces. It's to help be sure all parts like sleeves, armholes, arm pits, neckline, waist length and width, bust area, etc. will all fit well on every piece I make, and be a guide to making it as I go! I only wish the duct tape would fix all of my aching body, lol!* I plan to make a stand for my body torso and cover the duct tape with material, fabric or burlap, to make 'her' look pretty. I'm going to call her Suzanne, my French body double!

I finally got my done MRI a week and a half ago, the one I told the surgeon and orthopedic dr's I needed last year when they were trying to see what happened in the back of my right knee. My family dr already did everything he could, got me in for a CT Scan immediately last year, checking for a blood clot or an arthritic cyst since I have such bad osteoarthritis, and the Fibro pain has been my first nightmare from many years ago, so the pain has been unbearable. He luckily found negative on what he was looking for, so he referred me to the orthopedic specialists. Using the walker has been horrible too but at least I've been somewhat mobile. It's rough on the shoulders, arms and wrists when you have to actually lean on it for support. I've never been so angry and let down as I am right now, by a supposedly good a orthopedic dr and then their surgeon in the same group, same office.

I've never had knee problems. I only had this one incident, but all they talked about last year when this happened, TEN months ago, was knee replacement(s)! which I disagreed with due to the area of the incident and all the circumstances. I agreed to get some very painful gel injections which did nothing. All the orthopedic surgeon did was more x-rays than my family dr had taken, even when I told him what happened, and he should have known wha t was wrong immediately since this is a typical tear, the whole way it happened is well known by orthopedic dr's everywhere. Oddly it's a problem for many football players and athletes. The MRI was finally ordered by my family dr after I insisted, and then it went downhill from there. I kept telling the drs that something literally popped in my back right knee, and I heard it and felt it. Then I went down to the floor and couldn't get up walk at all, so I crawled to the closet and thank God I have a walker in there that I dragged out. Then I proceeded to use it for many months.

It's now been discovered thru the MRI that I have a break in the medial meniscal, one of the main two large cartilage areas in each knee area. It's well known to be a loud popping sound and feeling, which is exactly what I told them all happened to me! I saw a picture of this part online and read a lot of information when they told me what it was. No wonder it still hurts and I can barely move it or hardly lie down even more so than normal. I'm limping even when using my walker. In the house I try to hobble around holding onto furniture and walls to give my arms a break from the walker, but if I leave the house, which is rare except to go to dr appts, the walker takes me there. Needless to say that driving is out since this is my right leg. The surgeon should have ordered the MRI when I asked him to last year instead of offering knee replacements so fast.

Now there is probably more damage to the torn area since I've been trying to live day to day with it damaged. It makes me sick to be like this, I don't know what to do now, since my one option is bad. They ignored me even I told them all they needed to know, and they never knew what happened. So I started looking for a different dr., as I don't want to go back to the same one from last year, but when I called around I learned that patients who have this problem get sent to straight to a orthopedic surgeon for it to be repaired surgically, so there is no place else for me to go. The other place doesn't take my insurance so I'd have to pay a lot for my part to a specialist.

So, even tho my insurance would cover it completely and we'd done everything else and I still have pain and trouble walking, living, etc.,the ones who wouldn't for some odd reason just go ahead do an MRI last year after I told them what happened are the only ones to go to without going waaay out of town. This area is just full of hospital systems and dr's of all kinds, people actually come here from miles around for medical care. I'm frustrated and tired of being in all of this new excessive pain, it's stressing my body out so much more than my usual pain which is more than enough. A body can only handle so much, and the mental wear and tear is dragging me down now. I keep going carefully from day to day and am used to pain but that doesn't make it any easier to live with.

So I'm just keeping you all up with my little problems, like we all do on here. I know you all have your own and I hope you're dealing with them well - it's not easy! I have been reading and catching up on all of your posts recently! I'm going to go now & look around the other section of C,T. now and see what everyone has been doing. I might post pics of my new design of a rectangular Willow Wrap and Willow Headband, the multicolored yarn I made them from is called Spring Willow, so I used part of that for the name. Thx for reading to those who do.

[sonnetta]

I will be praying for you Susan. I just went Friday and got my second blood test done so now I am waiting on it. I am so weak in my legs and my arms. I fell almost 4 times in the last few weeks. I have never made any clothing other then for dolls. Could you tell me how to make the duct tape shape? I so want to make some tops and that for myself. I found some pretty ones. I just made a tissue cover, toilet tissue cover to match the tissue cover to match it and a barbie dress. I am in the process of making a barbie hat right now. I am sorry to hear about your knee. I just had some injections in mine. So far so good. I know how hard it is to get around. the weakness in my legs is giving me problems. I am still using the cane around the house.

[SusansSoulShines]

I will be praying for you Susan. I just went Friday and got my second blood test done so now I am waiting on it. I am so weak in my legs and my arms. I fell almost 4 times in the last few weeks. I have never made any clothing other then for dolls. Could you tell me how to make the duct tape shape? I so want to make some tops and that for myself. I found some pretty ones. I just made a tissue cover, toilet tissue cover to match the tissue cover to match it and a barbie dress. I am in the process of making a barbie hat right now. I am sorry to hear about your knee. I just had some injections in mine. So far so good. I know how hard it is to get around. the weakness in my legs is giving me problems. I am still using the cane around the house.

Hi Sonnetta, Thank you for the prayers, I'm also praying for you & all of my many friends with health problems that cause their life quality to be lower. The Craftsy class I'm taking is a plus size class, and there are tons of not-skinny people who can make their own crocheted wearables! The class is normally 29.99 but is often marked down to 14.99 or 19.99, ten hours of invaluable teaching (my Craftsy referral link if you'd like it - http://shrsl.com/?~8iop).

You can't make the duct tape form yourself, someone has to do it for you. I wish it could be done alone, many people have written in on the class notes and those who have tried it alone said forget it. You can't cut yourself out of it up the back through a top you don't mind ruining that stays inside the form forever, and not cutting the bra. I'm going to cover mine after I stuff it good.

My husband did mine last night and it took 2 hours. He did a great job, we watched the class video as we went along. I was hurting a lot from standing on my hurt leg and the muscle pain has been horrible all over lately, so I was miserable and also started getting panicky about being wrapped in that tape with restricted movement. We both knew that would happen so he got the last bottom rows done and then I had him cut a small place in the back asap so I could move a little better. You need to measure a lot of body parts and sections, and you have to have someone hold the measuring tape. If any of it is wrong the clothes still won't fit well.

It took us a long time to measure my body and we got better and different dimensions than when I did it by myself so that told me mine were wrong. I'm going to put mine on a stand but some people set theirs on a table, but I'll be using my torso form for pics of shawls/wraps/scarves and one day soon I hope, tops of all kinds. I'm bargain hunting & saving up finer yarn weights and good types for warmer weather to like cotton blends, to have non bulky pieces.

[Susan2014]

Read and you are very wordly? Such talents you have. Im Praying for you and any of those Pit falls that come along. Hope all is
lifted off your Painful sweet self soon. Im in pain to 24/7 nothing but Tylenol3 as My Dr does'nt want me to if possible. Going in for shots in Knees, shoulders & lower back. Not all at once. I want a specialist tho. Hubby wont like that. My Reg Dr could for knees, back??? NO WAY.$$$$ means nothing if you get Proper Help. God Bless and Glad to hear your Posts.

Susan2014

[DonnaPBradshaw]

I'm very sorry for your"cross' that you are carrying right now susansoulshines! It seems very hard and with no comfort in sight would seem unbearable. I know that the Lord will not give us more than what we can endure, so just hang in there and your friends here on CT will pray for you!!

[crochetdiva]

You've been busy, Susan!

[SusansSoulShines]

Read and you are very wordly? Such talents you have. Im Praying for you and any of those Pit falls that come along. Hope all is
lifted off your Painful sweet self soon. Im in pain to 24/7 nothing but Tylenol3 as My Dr does'nt want me to if possible. Going in for shots in Knees, shoulders & lower back. Not all at once. I want a specialist tho. Hubby wont like that. My Reg Dr could for knees, back??? NO WAY.$$$$ means nothing if you get Proper Help. God Bless and Glad to hear your Posts.

Susan2014

Hi susan2014, You should know that I talk a lot, remember my blog?! I hope you get some relief, you must be getting cortisone shots. I've gotten some but never in my back, and some dr's (orthopedics do mine) can do them without you feeling it but some will send you off the table, not literally, but they're painful. I had one in each shoulder and in my one knee. I didn't need it in my knee, I wish they'd just have done the MRI last year instead of those shots, I might not be in this shape now. I' know more than on person who had leg surgery and never did walk right afterwards. I really don't want surgery for this torn cartilage, but not being able to bend or straighten it any more than it is now is awful. Cortisone gives relief for a good while but you can only get 2 doses in a year unless it's an emergency or special situation. I don't know what to do, I'm waiting for the referral to get back to the specialists and then decide after we talk. I've never known of a family dr. giving shots in joints, be careful!

[SusansSoulShines]

You've been busy, Susan!

Hi Harrietta, You could say so I guess, but not as busy as I was when I did a blog post ever week! I'm not going to sit and waste away from pain, I'm going to move even tho it hurts, use my mind, advance my crochet, make my garments, everything I possibly can. It takes me longer than others to finish anything, like the duct tape torso form took longer because it hurt so bad to stand in certain positions while he taped me, holding my arms up and such, and I was getting really nervous the more he taped me and then I panicked.... but he was good about talking me out of cutting it off early.

He knew that would happen but didn't say anything, and I'd thought about it myself but was so excited that I only thought about it again when he started wrapping it around me and my arms were already sort of locked into position. I was ready to stop and not do it, but this is a key to the class and my clothes fitting properly, so I let him finish and took deep breaths, sitting down often to relieve the pain. If I want to do this, I have to do it all and do it right!

Last night I finally sat down and stuffed myself, lol, with yarn scrpas, fiberfill and small plastic grocery bags, then I'm going to put a pole lamp with a stand on bottom and make my stand mannequin. I'll need to reach around it easier that way to measure, put pieces on it, etc. Marly, the instrcutor, bought a custom made torso for $400.00!! She said her duct tape one was 55.00 but I only have $5.00 in mine so far, the other parts are coming from the thrift store except for the material to cover 'her' with.

[SusansSoulShines]

I'm very sorry for your"cross' that you are carrying right now susansoulshines! It seems very hard and with no comfort in sight would seem unbearable. I know that the Lord will not give us more than what we can endure, so just hang in there and your friends here on CT will pray for you!!

Thank you Donna, that's so sweet of you!I pray a lot, and I wonder how does God expect me to live like this, but look at me, I do it every day and He's right here with me! He must think an awful lot of me to give me this much burden, but He knows best. I break down but am mostly positive and happy in general, except for the constant pain, lol, which isn't funny but that statement sounded funny - and He gave me a sense of humor too!

[DonnaB]

Hi Susan. Sounds like you have a full plate right now with your knee hurting so badly and trying to continue with day to day living. I worked for about 15 years in a physical therapy/orthopedic office. The fact that you were offered knee replacement without new diagnostics is just awful. But, healthcare today has gotten like that. It's all about $$$$$$. Why take you to the OR for a meniscus repair when they can do a total knee and be paid so much more. I know I sound bitter, but I've heard a lot over the years.

Meniscus surgery is hardly invasive and most of the time folks leave the hospital with a cane. Your knee is probably inflamed so you probably would continue withth the walker. There is a wonderful contraption that they have devised. It's sort of a scooter/knee walker. I had two Achilles reconstructions. The right leg was in 2008 and the left was just last year. I crutched around with the first one and almost killed myself. I fell so many times that we stopped counting. I saw the knee walker when a patient came in for therapy. It looked so good that I ordered one when I had my Achilles done last year. My grandson loved it. (He's 5).

I have had the shots in my knee twice. They did help for a while. It's actually time for another coarse of treatment. I was pedalling stationary bike and felt a POP! Now I'm wondering what the damage is. I will definitely compare notes with you. Stay positive. You look like you can make lemonade when fate deals you lemons. God knows you can do that. You are a wonderful example of grace in adversity. Stay positive. You're added to my prayers.

Donna