Pills, thrills and backaches...

Those who've seen me in the last 8 months will know that I'm suffering with a back problem, namely bulging discs, trapped nerves, lots of pain etc. It was at it's worst 8 months ago and the fabulous NHS that I've been paying for for years is doing a great job of making me wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. (Sorry to all those nurses and doctors who I know work so very hard), but the frustration has been building up as much as the pain recently and 8 months on I've finally got an appointment for an epidural injection into the base of my spine to do something to my nerves and my muscles - whatever, it's about time, but also too late.

I've already taken 2 months off from work, I've put on weight, I've closed down socially, and although I have managed to get out and about to the knitting group nights it's always been tainted by being in some sort of pain, or just uncomfortable. The levels of pain have varied from agony to ache....last weekend the agony returned and when I found myself lying on the bathroom floor unable to move it's led to a whole new set of experiences - I had my first ever ride in an ambulance on Sunday (second ride in an ambulance on Monday). A&E at St Thomas', which is nothing like on the telly, intravenous morphine, lots of screaming, and discovering that laughing gas should be available like water from a tap. My second new experience is diclofenac suppositories...

I've never taken so many pills before in my life - I used to try to avoid them whenever possible and now I'm mixing them together like Jellybeans. The experience hasn't been an uplifting one. I've missed tonight's Chandos get-together, I've missed having a drink, I've missed work too and I guess in a few years time my liver will pack up too.

But it's not the drugs that have really got me through all of this - it's Gerard. We have so much on our plate at the moment - there's big news afoot at the shop, there's the small matter of organising the I Knit event in September, there's a brilliant little knitting shop to run, knitting group to organise, and there's lots of bills to pay. He's put up with me for 8 months, most of which time I could get about, I could grit my teeth and bear it and he's hardly ever lost his temper ;) He's also better at telling people what he really thinks than I am so he gets things done where I might just fold. I wouldn't have got through this whole depressing experience without him.

If you've ever met him you'll already know it, but it needs to be said: he is amazing. If you have someone amazing in your life don't take them for granted.

Craig

The IKL sock club...

Well, we reached the last month of our inaugural sock club this week. We must apologise for not getting it out first thing in August but we hope everyone in the club has got their third package by now and is suitably excited by it. This month's climax was courtesy of Jon at Easy Knits who we've been banging on about for ages, who is a good mate, but also a damn fine knitter and dyer. His sock yarn is somehting special and we hope that the sock clubbers agree that we saved the best til last - not least because you are the only people in the whole wide world who have that yarn! Do feel free to leave us feedback here on the sock club and the three designs that were prepared exclusively for us - huge thanks to Jon, Esther and Sue who provided those. And, if you missed out this time we have decided to continue with the sock club, and you can sign up at anytime to receive your three months worth of fabulous footwear. If you don't think you can handle a whole sock just yet....then join our sock knitting for beginners starting next Saturday (18th), with, yes Jon again (he really can do everything).

Links can be found on the website.

I know this post looks like a big plug, but, honestly, if I just posted about what I've been up to for the last three days you wouldn't believe me anyway - trapped nerves, ambulances at 3am, crawling on my hands and knees along the pavements of South Lambeth, two days locked away from the world spun out on a cocktail of Diazepam, Codeine and Diclofenac when I should have been at friend's wedding in Liverpool. Really, it's not worth writing about. I'm 34 years old and I bought my first walking stick today. Don't ask. The pain has gone, but the mind is all over the place.