Life's a Stitch

Have you ever had a headache that keeps you from knitting? I’m not talking migraine here, I mean one that is migraine times two, a headache that brings you to your knees in tears. This was a first for me having never in my adult life cried from pain. And why, with a headache that even every four hours of percocet and several doses of Imitrex couldn’t control, that kept me from food and knitting for two days, would I hesitate getting help? Stoicism can only go so far.

Back to the hospital  we went with my severe spinal headache. It’s caused after spinal anesthesia, when you develop a leak in your spinal fluid, lowering the fluid pressure to a point your brain isn’t being supported properly. No wonder there’s pain. And nausea and lots of other severe symptoms. Permit me a mini rant. I spent more time in the hospital with this headache than having my knee reconstructed partly due to the fact that I don’t fit the spinal headache demographics. Apparently my spinal fluid pressure level defied my age, letting me experience something usually reserved for spring chickies, not a tough older hen like me. So I laid still for eight hours in a dark room waiting for a chance at a cure. I think their ulterior motive was to have this thing resolve itself, which wasn’t going to happen. My road to hell was paved with good intentions, I packed along two knitting projects that stayed abandoned in my bag all day.

After careful consideration of the risks involved, I was given a shot at a procedure called a blood patch. It’s where you have an epidural, but instead of anesthetizing drugs, your spinal area is injected with four teaspoons of your own blood, which clots and seals up the leak.  I’m getting into the more than you want to know department, I know. I call it therapeutic blogging. Indulge me, please.

To make this long story short, thank you, Dr. Ho, for going beyond your doubts and allowing me the chance at relief. It worked, and recognizing his talents in pain control, I asked him where he was when we first moved to Canada and there weren’t routine epidurals for childbirth? I became painfully aware of the answer – he wasn’t even born! OK, maybe born, but still looking for a Fisher Price doctor kit under his tree.

I will post this knitting picture, to stay within the knit blog rules. This is me in more painfree times, having just finished Sally Melville’s Shape It Scarf in Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair: