Knitter's Corner

Good News!

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:12:20 GMT

I had an appointment with Dr. Arrogant today. To say I was dreading it would be an understatement -- who likes being talked down to?

I had several surprises in store for me. First, my appointment was earlier in the afternoon than it has been, and my wait wasn't as long -- about an hour, when I've been waiting for nearly two hours in the previous appointments. Second, Dr. Arrogant...wasn't. Or at least, not as arrogant as he has been. He shook my hand, he looked at me, he spoke to me (instead of talking at me), he listened to me.... I had a strong temptation to ask who he was and what he'd done with the doctor!

I told him how much better I was doing on the higher dose of Savella (averaging a 2 - 3 1/2 on my personal scale, which was my goal). He was surprised -- apparently, in his experience, most fibromyalgia patients don't show this much improvement on only one med. He expected me to say that the pain wasn't low enough yet, and I needed narcotics. Since I'm not on narcotics, and apparently won't be needing any other med than the Savella (at least for the present -- who knows what the future holds!), he decided that he doesn't need to see me every month. I only need to go back when I need a refill -- about every six months. He actually seemed happy to tell me that!

I've been thinking about why fibro patients so frequently need narcotics as well as meds like Savella, and I have a theory. I suspect that many fibro people are trying to get back to a pain-free life, instead of accepting that they will have some level of pain every day for the rest of their life (unless, of course, there's a medical breakthrough). I, on the other hand, have known for years that I'll never be pain-free again. I just wanted the pain to be reduced to the point where I could function, at least to some degree, on most days.

Would I like to be pain-free again? Hell, yes!!!! I don't even remember what it's like to not have pain. But until medicine discovers how to turn off the over-sensitive pain sensors in my brain, it ain't happening. Denying that will just use energy I don't have to spare.

Ferret Show Report

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:29:08 GMT

This past weekend, we went to one of the ferret shows we regularly attend, the Fall Ferret Fandango in Gilbertsville, PA. It's typically a small show, and we tend to do fairly well at it.

This weekend, we did really well at it! Two of Ruth's ferrets took first place in four of the specialty rings. Dementor took first place in Green Card (for ferrets with at least 25% foreign bloodlines) and in Black Sable (which Ruth has wanted to win for a long time now!). And her 6 month old little girl, Myfanwy, took first place in the Chocolate and Point rings! Considering that it's only Myfanwy's second show, and she can still be a holy terror, that's absolutely fantastic!

The crowning glory of the day came at the end, when they announced the winners in the Breeder championships. (Brief explanation -- in the championship rings, the ferrets are examined and scored by three separate judges. The ferret that scores the highest across all three rings is the Best In category winner. There are 4 championship categories -- Companion [for ferrets neutered before 12 weeks old], Alter [for ferrets neutered after 12 weeks old], Adolescent [for intact ferrets under a year old], and Breeder [for intact ferrets over a year old]). The championship rings can be split into male and female if there are enough entries. At this show, the championship rings were combined -- there were nearly 80 entries in the Breeder category.

We had 5 boys entered in the Breeder category. When we got their scores, we could tell from experience that only one of them was likely to place, my boy Taranis. He's placed before, but never in the top three, so I was just hoping for a top three placement in at least one ring, so that he could get his Gold championship once he has enough points. They called the list of numbers (each ferret gets a number, and that's how the judges know them so there's no bias in the judging), and sure enough, Taranis was called back.

The first judge started handing out her ribbons, and for 10th place, she called Taranis' number. I was thinking, well, they must have been scoring really high today. Then she took another look and said, "Oh, that should have been [another number]. Sorry!". No problem. She called everyone who won a ribbon up to third place, then called the second and first place ferrets up together, without saying which was which. And Taranis was one of them! So I'm thinking 'Cool! He's got his top three placement -- I'm good!'. And then she said he got first place! Well, I was in shock, but very happy.

Just a quick piece of info -- when they call the list of numbers for the winners, it's a combined list for all three rings. It doesn't matter if your ferret places in one ring or all three -- the number will only be called once, so you have no idea how many rings your ferret has been called for.

So the judge for the second ring started ribboning, and the same thing happened -- Taranis was called up for the first and second place ribboning. This ring, he got second, and I was floating!

Then came the third ring. I was not expecting anything -- I was perfectly happy with the placements I had. And once again, Taranis was called up for the first and second place ribboning. And he got first!

By this time, I was in complete shock. And I was thinking 'Okay, that's two firsts and a second. But that can't possibly mean what I think it means....'. And just about the time I finished that thought, the judge announced that my boy was Best In Show Breeder! She called him a 'joy to judge'!

This is my very first BIS Breeder. I've had a BIS Alter before, and chryssalyshas had BIS Breeder and BIS Adolescent, but this was my first! I knew Taranis was looking good this weekend, but I never expected anything like this. I'm still flying, and I'm so proud of my boy!

BIS TCF's Taranis Thunderer of RN, with his trophies and ribbons:

Muscular Dystrophy Fundraising

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:54:49 GMT

Since I was a little girl (over 40 years, now), my Labor Day tradition has been to watch at least a part of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. I always try to see the end, so I know if that magic 'one dollar more' has been reached. In the past, I've answered phones at telethons, walked around the neighborhood and collected money, and done other fundraising activities.

For the past several years, the fibro has kept me from doing anything more than watch the telethon, but that's changing, thanks to the new med. Next year, I'll be participating in the local Stride-N-Ride to raise funds for research. I just got my fundraising webpage set up, and I've set up a group on Ravelry for people from my local area (Pittsburgh, PA) to join my team. Please, if you know anything about MD, if you know someone effected by it, if you know someone with kids (healthy or not!), if you just care about great causes, donate! My page is linked at the end of this post. Locally, research costs $82/minute (the national average is $87/minute), and my goal is to raise at least enough to pay for 5 minutes of research. Please help me reach my goal!

Thanks in advance!

Beth's Fundraising Page

Or, if you're in Pittsburgh, join my team!

Pain Management Continued

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:19:52 GMT

First things first -- my insurance did give me pre-approval for the Savella! For an entire year! And for whatever dosage I was prescribed! There was rejoicing the day that letter arrived, let me tell ya!

I had another appointment with Dr. Arrogant last week -- he wants his patients to see him every 4 weeks. My pain level at that point was averaging 4 1/2 to 6 on my personal scale, with occasional forays into the 7 range -- better, but not as good as I want.

So, he came into the exam room, sat down at the desk and proceeded to talk to me without ever really looking at me. Asked about my pain level, made mumbled noises that I think were supposed to be encouraging, and was very obviously going to leave the room without asking me how I felt about the improvement and if I thought it was enough. So I said 'There has been an improvement, but I'd like to see more. Could we try a higher dosage of Savella?' Now, understand, I had done my research, and I knew that the drug could be prescribed up to a dose of 100 mg twice a day. I wanted to try 150 mg and see if that was enough. His reply? 'Well, the recommended dose is 50 mg twice a day,' -- the dose I was already taking. So I told him that I'd done some research and that it could be prescribed at a higher dose. He told me he'd have to check the information! Now, what doctor prescribes a med without knowing that it's offered at higher doses? The upshot of it all is that I left the office with a script for 100 mg twice a day. I'd be looking for a different pain specialist, but the pre-approval is only for him, and chances are that I wouldn't get pre-approved again if I changed doctors.

I've been on the higher dose for 3 days now, and I think I'm seeing an improvement. It's been hard to tell because we went to a ferret show last weekend, and it always takes several days for me to completely recover from one of them. But in the past, it's taken at least a week, and I did some laundry today and lifted some heavy things, and I don't feel like my body wants revenge for it, so I think things may be looking up.

And in other news, I've posted my first original knitting pattern at Ravelry! People seem to like it -- lots of nice compliments, and over 20 people have marked it as a favorite!

Actual Pain Management!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:12:36 GMT

Almost two weeks ago, I had an appointment at the local pain management center. First, let me say that the doctor did not impress me. He's arrogant and obnoxious, and talked down to me until my partner made it clear that she was a veterinarian. I.E., a medical professional that couldn't be bullshitted.

That being said, he definitely knows his stuff as far as fibro goes. He did the pressure test to confirm that I have it (no doubts there!), and then he started telling me about a new drug, Savella. Very few side effects, and those show up in a small minority of the people on the drug. He gave me a prescription and a coupon for a free titration pack to get started with. It took a few days to get started -- no one carries the titration pack in stock, and finding a pharmacy to take the coupon was tricky. Say what you like about Wal-Mart, they took the coupon!

So, today is day 10 on Savella. It's my third day at the full dose (5o mg twice a day), and yesterday I did something I haven't been able to do for a long time.

One of my big jobs around the house is cleaning ferret cages. It's physically demanding, and for the past two years it's been such a painful thing to do that I haven't done it any where near as regularly as I should, especially the part where I change the bedding, which frequently requires getting down on my hands and knees to clean the lower part of the cage. When I've done it, it's taken an hour and a half to do one average sized cage -- the bigger ones have been impossible! Yesterday, I cleaned an average cage in 45 minutes, including a full bedding change! I used a foam kneeling pad, where I've been using both that and strap-on knee pads. I was able to get up and down fairly easily. And while I'm more sore today than I was yesterday, I should still be able to clean another cage!

So, while the doctor is not a fun person to be around, he does know what he's talking about. And that's what I really care about!

Ninety Degrees The Wrong Way

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:03:40 GMT

I was spoiled weeks ago. I knew what was coming. And yet....

I feel like the world has been tilted ninety degrees the wrong way. I'm numb. I haven't cried yet -- it still doesn't feel real.

I've been a media and SF fan for over 30 years. And I can only remember feeling this way once before -- when the character of Daniel Jackson was killed on Stargate SG-1. And that's the reason that even though the world has tilted, even though I'm so numb I can't cry, I still feel hope. We brought Daniel back. We fought for him, we stayed in it for the long haul, and we won. So I'll join the coffee campaign, and I'll make knitted hearts to send for the heart campaign, and I'll start a Save Ianto group on Ravelry, because these days that's where people have an idea who I am. If we did it once, we can do it again. And maybe then I'll be able to cry.

Huge Ohio Ferret Rescue

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:59:14 GMT

Lori is really ovewhelmed right now -- there were over 700 ferrets involved in this rescue! If you can help in any way, please do!

-----------------------------------------------

Due to personnel and health hardships, Unique Impressions Ferretry owner Douglas McKay surrendered all his ferrets to Ferret's Dream House Shelter.

Ferret Lovers PLEASE HELP!!! I have in my possession hundreds of breeder ferrets of all ages that were surrendered on Sunday 9/16 from Douglas McKay. I need each and everyone of you to assist in the distribution of these ferrets. You have permission to cross post this e-mail.

These ferrets have not been vaccinated at this time. A group in November were tested and ADV negative. Also, it is very important to remember these ferrets are not used to being handled and will need tender loving care.

The guidelines for adoption to be followed are:
1. A spay/neuter contract will have to be signed and you will be required to have them spayed/neutered within 60 days. Proof of spay/neuter must be sent to the shelter upon completion. Kits need to be spayed/neutered by 4 months of age. If you are picking up ferrets for someone other than yourself you must bring a signed contract by them.

2. Due to the large quantity, I cannot accommodate special color requests. I would prefer you take ferrets how they are grouped by cages if at all possible.

3. There will be no adoption fees, but a donation is requested.

I will be extremely busy taking care of these ferrets so I will not be answering e-mails other than adoption requests. If you are unable to adopt a ferret donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible.

Thank you in advance.

Lori Sies
Ferret's Dream House Shelter
Lynx OH 45650
(937) 544-3313
A Non-Profit 501(c(3) organization.
ferret@dragonbbs.com

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Family Bragging

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:25:32 GMT

I've been waiting two months to tell people about this!

If you saw Extreme Makeover Home Edition tonight, you saw the commercials for the 2 hour special in two weeks, the one with the 9/11 hero. Well, I have a personal connection to this one!

A couple of months ago, my sister called me from her home near Columbus, OH. After she swore me to secrecy, she told me that the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team was doing a build about 15 miles from where she lives. The company she works for provided the doors, and my sister is the one who picked them out! Her boss and the president of the company gave her a list of doors that the show wanted and told her to find the doors that were the closest matches in their high-end inventory. She also went out to the site a couple of times. She was on crutches, so she couldn't volunteer, but she was absolutely thrilled just to be there.

Why can I tell you this now? Well, the show is airing in two weeks, and the network began running commercials for it tonight, so I'm allowed to brag. It's going to be a big 2-hour special. A hint for fans of Ed the Brit -- you don't want to miss this one! And watch for someone waving a pair of crutches in the crowd -- that's my sister!

Dave Alway

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:16:41 GMT

I found out last week that Dave Alway has died.

Who's Dave Alway? Well, I can't exactly say he was a friend. We only ever saw each other at SF cons. He was a big gentle man, and a gentleman in every sense of the word. Even though I only ever saw him at cons, he was one of the first people I looked for when I arrived. No con was complete without a hug from him. And when he hugged you, you *knew* you were loved and that if you ever needed anything, if it was in his power to provide it he would.

He had a wonderful smile and an even better laugh. He used to take photos at cons, and the next time he saw you he'd have a copy of any photos of you from the last con for you to take home. One of Ruth's favorite pictures of me came from Dave. He took pictures at our handfasting, and like every other camera there, when the circle went up, his camera stopped working properly. The next time we saw him, he apologized for not having pictures of our big day. We had to reassure him over and over again that it wasn't his fault and he shouldn't feel bad.

He was one of the sweetest, most special people it has ever been my privilege to know, and I can't imagine a con without him. I'm just glad I had a chance to hug him and tell him how glad I was to see him at OVFF.

Sing on, Dave -- we'll be listening.

Still No Babies...

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 07:19:41 GMT

Well, we were hoping for a litter of baby ferrets this weekend, but nothing. We took Shiraz to the clinic today and X-rayed her. It turned out to be another false pregnancy. Next jill is due in about 3 weeks -- maybe that one will actually *have* babies!

Been A While

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:01:41 GMT

Life's been crazy for months, and I haven't been updating this. The 'babies' from the previous entries are now 5 months old. One of them has a new home -- his new mom named him Toby. The other two are staying here, and they're as huge as I thought they'd be. It's been a while since I weighed them, but I *know* they're both over 4 pounds, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that they were at or over 5 pounds. We kept two because we lost Mongo, their daddy, to a severe vaccine reaction about a month and a half ago. We're planning to let both of them develop and eventually one will be used for breeding and the other will be vasectomized (all the fun, none of the babies!)

We've already begun this year's breeding program -- with any luck, the first litter will born this coming Tuesday, 1/4/2005. We've got another one due on 1/19, and possibly one around the beginning of February. We're just hoping the girls caught -- we'd like to get the craziness done earlier this year!

I'll try to do better with updates from now on!

Baby News!

Sun, 08 Aug 2004 02:46:33 GMT

Okay, they're 17 days old today. They weigh 124 grams, 120 grams, and 110 grams! They're so big I almost need two hands to hold one. Looks like one of the boys ('green boy' at the ferretry webpage) may be a silver, which would be a nice change from sables. Don't get me wrong, I love sables, but I like some of the other colors, too, and it would be neat to have one of the boys be a different color.

There are new pictures up at the website, one set from when they were 12 days old and one from today. It's amazing what a difference you can see in only five days!

http://hometown.aol.com/ferrethealer/RNFerrets.html

Just bein' a proud grammy....

BethB

Test

Thu, 29 Jul 2004 02:19:09 GMT

This is a test -- I'm playing with my pictures.

Lord, They're Huge!

Wed, 28 Jul 2004 23:32:56 GMT

The babies are a week old today! They've grown like weeds -- this morning, their weights were 44 grams, 48 grams and 50 grams. They're all starting to show some grey coloring, so it looks like they're going to be sables.

We've got new pictures up at the site -- check out the breeding season page and follow the links. There are new pictures on several of the other pages, too!

http://hometown.aol.com/ferrethealer/RNFerrets.html

Let me know what you think!

Beth

Still 3

Fri, 23 Jul 2004 01:24:12 GMT

Looks like there are only three babies, and they're definitely hobs. They each gained 2 grams overnight! These are gonna be *honkin'* huge boys!

BethB

Baby Ferrets!

Thu, 22 Jul 2004 00:34:25 GMT

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we breed ferrets. One of our girls was due to have babies tomorrow, but she delivered a day early! So far, we've got three boys. When my partner the vet came home, she checked and she thinks there are more babies in there. It's been 7-8 hours since she had a baby, so we gave her a shot to re-start the labor. I'm so excited! This is one of my girls -- both of the litters we've had this year have been from my girls!

To see the mom and dad (and eventually baby pics!) go to this site and click on the link for the current breeding season.

http://hometown.aol.com/ferrethealer/RNFerrets.html

BethB

Things I Forgot To Mention About Myself

Wed, 21 Jul 2004 02:53:46 GMT

I make soap for a hobby. Primarily, I make melt and pour glycerin soap, although I make cold process from time to time. I also dabble in making mead -- I've got a 1 gallon batch brewing now.

My partner is a veterinarian, and we have the standard vet's menagerie -- 4 dogs, 8 cats, 1 rabbit and 26 ferrets. Or is it 27?

I also enjoy herb gardening and I'm finally getting a good garden this year.

BethB

A Bit About Me

Tue, 20 Jul 2004 01:28:31 GMT

Hi! I'm new at LJ, so hopefully this will be somewhat informative. :)

I'm 46 years old (yesterday!), and I'm a science fiction fan. I've been a fan since my teens. I edit and publish fanzines for various TV shows. Here's the URL for my fanzine website: http://hometown.aol.com/beth123b/allgen.html

I sell the fanzines through LionHeart Distribution, which has an LJ here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/lhd/

I also breed ferrets. There's a *huge* difference between a privately bred ferret and the ferrets you can buy at pet stores. Pet store ferrets are neutered at a very early age (before they're 5 weeks old), so they never get the benefit of the hormones that are produced as they mature. Privately bred ferrets tend to be larger and healthier, because they normally aren't neutered before 6 months of age, and many go longer. To see pictures of our ferrets, check out our website. http://hometown.aol.com/ferrethealer/RNFerrets.html

A few months ago, I got involved in an on-line business that I'm very excited about. I have a storefront here: http://thisway.to/CoffeeFair

CoffeeFair is a new opportunity selling fair trade, shade-grown organic coffees and premium teas. All of the coffee is fair trade, and most of it is also shade-grown and organic. If you aren't sure what shade-grown, or fair trade coffee is, you can find more information here: http://thisway.to/CafeCoffeeFair

The way the coffee is grown was the major attraction for me, and the reason I joined CoffeeFair. I'm a big believer in sustainable farming methods and in giving back to the earth. The other big attraction for me (are you coffee lovers ready?)is the fact that the coffee isn't roasted until you order it, and it's shipped within 24 hours of being roasted. This is the best coffee I've ever had, bar none!

That's all I can think of right now about me -- have a good day!

BethB