Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Yesterday I did a little research and found out that my needle phobia can KILL ME!
Actually I was hoping to find some coping methods, and I found the following:
I also read that 80% of people with aversions such as mine have a close relative with the same-- maybe genetic. I don't think anyone in my family has it this bad though.
I know, I know, practically everyone dislikes needles, but do they try to pass out every time they have blood drawn, and have to have the nurses paged? Just thinking about it puts me on edge.
Actually I was hoping to find some coping methods, and I found the following:
- laughing gas (that might work, but I don't think the nurse will give me that if I just ask)
- desensitization MIGHT work, but probably not
- something called applied tension, which has to do with taking in a deep breath and tensing most of your muscles, with the idea of getting blood to your brain
- lying down and pulling your knees up to your chest (will look ridiculous, but might as well try it) - it's actually possible if you are sitting up and your blood pressure drops, for your brain to lose all its oxygen and kill you. (I know, extreme)
- any methods like meditation meant to relax you are contraindicated, because you're actually trying to keep your blood pressure UP, not down.
I also read that 80% of people with aversions such as mine have a close relative with the same-- maybe genetic. I don't think anyone in my family has it this bad though.
I know, I know, practically everyone dislikes needles, but do they try to pass out every time they have blood drawn, and have to have the nurses paged? Just thinking about it puts me on edge.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The past month?
We've been puttering mostly, keeping the seats warm at our local beer-serving cafe, dealing with the house, crafting, etc.
I picked up another night of cashiering at DNA Lounge this month, which was fun. Different crowd, including people I had not seen in probably 10 years. I choked back laughter as people told me sternly that they were in Steampunk costume, as though it was very serious business. The absolute best thing was parents showing up with their kids to take part in the dance lessons early in the evening-- too cute!
Then of course, New Wave City, where I got my 5 minutes/month allotment of the fabulous James and Tara!
We had advised the landlord that there was a stain on the wall in the dining room due to water damage from the heavy rains. After first asking us to find a contractor to get a quote, he instead sent over a guy to "fix" the problem with caulk. Of course this will not fix the problem, and we pointed out that we were worried about mold. We'll be testing for mold in a month or so to see whether the damage is our problem (toxic mold, we need to push to get it fixed) or their problem (rotting walls, even if they don't bring mold, do mean the house will eventually fall apart). The whole experience was pretty eye-opening. We had gone to Home Depot Saturday to get an 8 foot ladder so Paul could get up and look in the gutters. The gutters over the wall that has the stain were full-- of CEMENT. That had been put there wet (it was dried in the shape of the gutter and had to be removed by chisel) and was of course completely blocking 2/3 of that gutter. Nice work, roofers! If it were our house, we'd have the drywall ripped out and replaced to prevent more structural damage, but it's not our house. So, caulk! There, I fixed it!
Valentines Day rolled around and I made cinnamon rolls from scratch for Paul again. They were all kinds of tasty and not hard to make. We went to a nursery to pick out some flowers to plant and got seeds for vegetables too. Now we just need dirt.
Saturday we had a bunch of people over for craft day again, and I got to work on some embroidery for the quilt I am now, finally, working on. Paul fed us snacks and kept the fresh squeezed lemonade coming, and a good time was had by all. Next craft day is on the schedule for very soon. Let me know if you're interested in joining us.
Yesterday I went for a checkup and my nice-seeming doctor showed her true evil by sending me to get blood drawn. The appointment people had asked me to fast when I made the appointment, so I was already feeling pretty terrible (almost blacked out in the shower in the morning before I even went to the doctor) I keep thinking the blood draws will get easier, but they actually get worse every time. This time, they ended up paging two nurses to rush over to me and it was all very dramatic and embarrassing. This episode took the wind out of my sails and I was completely and utterly exhausted for the rest of the day. Did they get enough blood? ugh.
Today will be better, as I've been promised cupcakes.
We've been puttering mostly, keeping the seats warm at our local beer-serving cafe, dealing with the house, crafting, etc.
I picked up another night of cashiering at DNA Lounge this month, which was fun. Different crowd, including people I had not seen in probably 10 years. I choked back laughter as people told me sternly that they were in Steampunk costume, as though it was very serious business. The absolute best thing was parents showing up with their kids to take part in the dance lessons early in the evening-- too cute!
Then of course, New Wave City, where I got my 5 minutes/month allotment of the fabulous James and Tara!
We had advised the landlord that there was a stain on the wall in the dining room due to water damage from the heavy rains. After first asking us to find a contractor to get a quote, he instead sent over a guy to "fix" the problem with caulk. Of course this will not fix the problem, and we pointed out that we were worried about mold. We'll be testing for mold in a month or so to see whether the damage is our problem (toxic mold, we need to push to get it fixed) or their problem (rotting walls, even if they don't bring mold, do mean the house will eventually fall apart). The whole experience was pretty eye-opening. We had gone to Home Depot Saturday to get an 8 foot ladder so Paul could get up and look in the gutters. The gutters over the wall that has the stain were full-- of CEMENT. That had been put there wet (it was dried in the shape of the gutter and had to be removed by chisel) and was of course completely blocking 2/3 of that gutter. Nice work, roofers! If it were our house, we'd have the drywall ripped out and replaced to prevent more structural damage, but it's not our house. So, caulk! There, I fixed it!
Valentines Day rolled around and I made cinnamon rolls from scratch for Paul again. They were all kinds of tasty and not hard to make. We went to a nursery to pick out some flowers to plant and got seeds for vegetables too. Now we just need dirt.
Saturday we had a bunch of people over for craft day again, and I got to work on some embroidery for the quilt I am now, finally, working on. Paul fed us snacks and kept the fresh squeezed lemonade coming, and a good time was had by all. Next craft day is on the schedule for very soon. Let me know if you're interested in joining us.
Yesterday I went for a checkup and my nice-seeming doctor showed her true evil by sending me to get blood drawn. The appointment people had asked me to fast when I made the appointment, so I was already feeling pretty terrible (almost blacked out in the shower in the morning before I even went to the doctor) I keep thinking the blood draws will get easier, but they actually get worse every time. This time, they ended up paging two nurses to rush over to me and it was all very dramatic and embarrassing. This episode took the wind out of my sails and I was completely and utterly exhausted for the rest of the day. Did they get enough blood? ugh.
Today will be better, as I've been promised cupcakes.
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