Friends Chat Thread: Wardrobe, Fun, and Whatever

[Genie27]

I have an update to share. But first of all, absolutely no expressions of sympathy please.

I had knee trouble all of January. Honestly, I think it was triggered by standing on a hard floor so long while I painted the cabinet to hold my bags. A lot of moderate intensity pain. So I went to an orthopedic surgeon and got a cortisone shot and had some discussion about maybe knee surgery sometime in the future as it turns out that I have no cartilage on the outer half of my right knee. Bone on bone. Big surprise to me.

In the category of every solution creates a new problem, the cortisone shot made my knee unstable. That inflammation was holding my knee together. I had an episode in which my bones slipped across each other in what I thought was a knee dislocation. I couldn't put weight on that leg at all for 3 days.

I wanted surgery right away after that. The stars aligned. I got someone's surgery slot for March 2 because they cancelled (rather than having to wait for 2 months). Insurance came through with pre-auth. I went for pre op at the hospital on Monday and with the doctor on Tuesday.

There was just one little problem. The hospital had me down for a full knee replacement rather than a partial. The doctor's scheduler tried to correct the insurance authorization, and the insurance company totally cancelled the authorization. I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was cancelled today.

Some peer review doctor decided that the guidelines say that you can't have surgery for 3 months after an injection. It is the injection that triggered my need for immediate surgery.

So I have decided to do the only sane thing possible. I am going to have a nervous breakdown. After experiencing additional minor slippages, I am fearful of tearing a ligament or tendon. I am fearful of falling and breaking a hip. So I may just spend the next three months in bed.

My husband and the doctor's office are both making appeals, which is the rational but probably ineffective thing to do. Since I am not optimistic, I am just go to focus on protecting my knee until their arbitrary 3 months passes.

Let me assure you that I am in zero pain. The cortisone was 100% effective in relieving my pain, but it turned my knee into a rubber band. So this is primarily an aggravating inconvenience, which I may respond to by making myself totally disabled.

I don't see that I need any sympathy, but I really would like some suggestions how I can keep myself entertained. The online purse shopping has been really boring lately. I am not a tv watcher. And I can't think of anything I want to read. I looked at a list of the 100 greatest books of all times, and as you probably know, they are all fiction. I like non fiction. I told DH I may plan our next six vacations. So help me out here. What can I do to keep from losing my mind while I have an elective nervous breakdown?

What a mess! I second the crochet/knitting if you have any spark of interest. You can learn crochet basics from youtube videos.

 

[nicole0612]

Cordie, I feel for you! When I have been limited in mobility in the past (forbidden to walk, in a cast for years in total), it is not only depressing but a desperate feeling. I have two types of suggestions. One is to do all of the things that you have been putting off and are in the back of your mind weighing on you. Even if you cannot get out of bed I’m sure there are some things that need to be done such as updating insurance policies (new purchases to add? better rates available? etc), catching up on correspondence, spending more time in person or on the phone with relatives and friends that it’s hard to make time for. The second category is more fun things, maybe you could work on writing a short story, or you could learn a new language. I do love your idea of planning your next vacation; you could research where you want to go, all of the sites to see, buy tickets, research restaurants and make an itinerary.

 

[gracekelly]

@cordie. I spent a fair portion of my work life dealing with the sometimes arbitrary decisions of insurance companies. Usually a phone call from the surgeon to the physician reviewer gets the most results. Many times the reviewer is not even Board Certified in the specialty that he/she is passing judgement upon. A letter from the surgeon would help as well. As you describe things your case demands special attention as you had problems whilst your physician followed the treatment protocol.

I think if I was stuck resting I would take up my needlepoint again. If you don’t know how to do it, it is pretty easy to pick up and a kit would spoon feed all the necessary materials to you. Sometimes revisiting books that you enjoyed previously is not a bad idea and brings comfort.

 

[chaneljewel]

I have an update to share. But first of all, absolutely no expressions of sympathy please.

I had knee trouble all of January. Honestly, I think it was triggered by standing on a hard floor so long while I painted the cabinet to hold my bags. A lot of moderate intensity pain. So I went to an orthopedic surgeon and got a cortisone shot and had some discussion about maybe knee surgery sometime in the future as it turns out that I have no cartilage on the outer half of my right knee. Bone on bone. Big surprise to me.

In the category of every solution creates a new problem, the cortisone shot made my knee unstable. That inflammation was holding my knee together. I had an episode in which my bones slipped across each other in what I thought was a knee dislocation. I couldn't put weight on that leg at all for 3 days.

I wanted surgery right away after that. The stars aligned. I got someone's surgery slot for March 2 because they cancelled (rather than having to wait for 2 months). Insurance came through with pre-auth. I went for pre op at the hospital on Monday and with the doctor on Tuesday.

There was just one little problem. The hospital had me down for a full knee replacement rather than a partial. The doctor's scheduler tried to correct the insurance authorization, and the insurance company totally cancelled the authorization. I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was cancelled today.

Some peer review doctor decided that the guidelines say that you can't have surgery for 3 months after an injection. It is the injection that triggered my need for immediate surgery.

So I have decided to do the only sane thing possible. I am going to have a nervous breakdown. After experiencing additional minor slippages, I am fearful of tearing a ligament or tendon. I am fearful of falling and breaking a hip. So I may just spend the next three months in bed.

My husband and the doctor's office are both making appeals, which is the rational but probably ineffective thing to do. Since I am not optimistic, I am just go to focus on protecting my knee until their arbitrary 3 months passes.

Let me assure you that I am in zero pain. The cortisone was 100% effective in relieving my pain, but it turned my knee into a rubber band. So this is primarily an aggravating inconvenience, which I may respond to by making myself totally disabled.

I don't see that I need any sympathy, but I really would like some suggestions how I can keep myself entertained. The online purse shopping has been really boring lately. I am not a tv watcher. And I can't think of anything I want to read. I looked at a list of the 100 greatest books of all times, and as you probably know, they are all fiction. I like non fiction. I told DH I may plan our next six vacations. So help me out here. What can I do to keep from losing my mind while I have an elective nervous breakdown?

I recommend knitting too. It’s such a fun, relaxing hobby and will take your mind off things as you need to concentrate on the pattern. You can purchase gorgeous yarns and fabulous needles to help with the knitting. And never fear as YouTube is a great teacher for any stitch you want to learn. I’m sorry about your knee and hope it all works out soon to have the surgery. Take care.

 

[papertiger]

I have an update to share. But first of all, absolutely no expressions of sympathy please.

I had knee trouble all of January. Honestly, I think it was triggered by standing on a hard floor so long while I painted the cabinet to hold my bags. A lot of moderate intensity pain. So I went to an orthopedic surgeon and got a cortisone shot and had some discussion about maybe knee surgery sometime in the future as it turns out that I have no cartilage on the outer half of my right knee. Bone on bone. Big surprise to me.

In the category of every solution creates a new problem, the cortisone shot made my knee unstable. That inflammation was holding my knee together. I had an episode in which my bones slipped across each other in what I thought was a knee dislocation. I couldn't put weight on that leg at all for 3 days.

I wanted surgery right away after that. The stars aligned. I got someone's surgery slot for March 2 because they cancelled (rather than having to wait for 2 months). Insurance came through with pre-auth. I went for pre op at the hospital on Monday and with the doctor on Tuesday.

There was just one little problem. The hospital had me down for a full knee replacement rather than a partial. The doctor's scheduler tried to correct the insurance authorization, and the insurance company totally cancelled the authorization. I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was cancelled today.

Some peer review doctor decided that the guidelines say that you can't have surgery for 3 months after an injection. It is the injection that triggered my need for immediate surgery.

So I have decided to do the only sane thing possible. I am going to have a nervous breakdown. After experiencing additional minor slippages, I am fearful of tearing a ligament or tendon. I am fearful of falling and breaking a hip. So I may just spend the next three months in bed.

My husband and the doctor's office are both making appeals, which is the rational but probably ineffective thing to do. Since I am not optimistic, I am just go to focus on protecting my knee until their arbitrary 3 months passes.

Let me assure you that I am in zero pain. The cortisone was 100% effective in relieving my pain, but it turned my knee into a rubber band. So this is primarily an aggravating inconvenience, which I may respond to by making myself totally disabled.

I don't see that I need any sympathy, but I really would like some suggestions how I can keep myself entertained. The online purse shopping has been really boring lately. I am not a tv watcher. And I can't think of anything I want to read. I looked at a list of the 100 greatest books of all times, and as you probably know, they are all fiction. I like non fiction. I told DH I may plan our next six vacations. So help me out here. What can I do to keep from losing my mind while I have an elective nervous breakdown?

OMG. I won't dwell on the sympathy for your poor knee but I feel your pain at such exasperating red-tape and mess-ups. It's all about covering their posteriors.

My new books are:
Pankaj Mishri's Age of Anger: The History of the Present
Laurence Rees' The Holocaust: A New History

I haven't even started them yet but we can 'review' together if you like?

I know you asked for non-fiction (my pref. too) but I can recommend a Hungarian classic Antal Szerb's Journey by Moonlight (Trans Len Rix). That book stays with me, a really wonderful study of the time and of pre-WWII Europe (especially Italy) as well as great character studies.

I read Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale last year (100 year anniversary of the 1917 Revolution) for a book club and the verdict was very mixed between love and dismissal. I was possibly the only one in-between. My Russian friends in the group loved it, which surprised me, but my historian friends thought it didn't have much that was new. I think it filled in a few blanks though perhaps hastily written-up to meet the Centenary deadline. @Sheikha Latifa may avoid at all costs ha ha.

 

[papertiger]

Yes! Thank you for such good and useful advice.
I did actually wear them both times with slim-leg pants, and I liked that look. I see what you mean about an overall slim line in the clothing pairing well with this style of shoes, and now I have more options for outfits to try using your suggestions, like slim skirts and dresses.
I appreciate that you mentioned a narrow dress/tunic over trousers. I have been really into this look (theoretically) lately. I would like to get some pieces. I was really inspired by the gucci runway look with the velvet pants and drapey dress/tunic over the top. Yes, the ones with the chains (pastie chains). That look translated to real life is what I am about right now, but I can’t have too much volume on top because I am petite and short so it looks out of balance. One of the things I loved about that look was that there was less volume on top and more volume on the lower body. Of course I would actually wear a top
When I was a teenager I loved and wore layered dresses (one knee-length skimming dress over another long dress with either a beaded detail or sparkle trim etc, different texture or color from the first). I am still that person and that style still inspires me, but with trousers and a well-made dress or tunic on top I can see how it could translate to my life now 20 years later.

Wow sounds gorgeous, thank you for the inspiration, sounds so Fortuny or Paul Poiret. So inspiring!!!

Summer clothes for warmer days are not my speciality. I often buy high-street cotton or viscose jersey dresses (same model but different colours) for work and wear them layered doubled for opaqueness and individualities sake. Works best with a butterfly/flounce/cape sleeve. Maybe I'll try different lengths and more precious textures and materials this year, thank you.

 

[cafecreme15]

Nice pic! Unfortunately, from SFO it’s all overnight flights...

I think they might only offer those day times from a couple of airports on the east coast; plus Chicago. My flight was surprisingly pretty empty. I was thinking to myself, do people not know this flight is the greatest thing since sliced bread!! (It’s better imo, I get jet lag REAL bag)

I have an update to share. But first of all, absolutely no expressions of sympathy please.

I had knee trouble all of January. Honestly, I think it was triggered by standing on a hard floor so long while I painted the cabinet to hold my bags. A lot of moderate intensity pain. So I went to an orthopedic surgeon and got a cortisone shot and had some discussion about maybe knee surgery sometime in the future as it turns out that I have no cartilage on the outer half of my right knee. Bone on bone. Big surprise to me.

In the category of every solution creates a new problem, the cortisone shot made my knee unstable. That inflammation was holding my knee together. I had an episode in which my bones slipped across each other in what I thought was a knee dislocation. I couldn't put weight on that leg at all for 3 days.

I wanted surgery right away after that. The stars aligned. I got someone's surgery slot for March 2 because they cancelled (rather than having to wait for 2 months). Insurance came through with pre-auth. I went for pre op at the hospital on Monday and with the doctor on Tuesday.

There was just one little problem. The hospital had me down for a full knee replacement rather than a partial. The doctor's scheduler tried to correct the insurance authorization, and the insurance company totally cancelled the authorization. I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was cancelled today.

Some peer review doctor decided that the guidelines say that you can't have surgery for 3 months after an injection. It is the injection that triggered my need for immediate surgery.

So I have decided to do the only sane thing possible. I am going to have a nervous breakdown. After experiencing additional minor slippages, I am fearful of tearing a ligament or tendon. I am fearful of falling and breaking a hip. So I may just spend the next three months in bed.

My husband and the doctor's office are both making appeals, which is the rational but probably ineffective thing to do. Since I am not optimistic, I am just go to focus on protecting my knee until their arbitrary 3 months passes.

Let me assure you that I am in zero pain. The cortisone was 100% effective in relieving my pain, but it turned my knee into a rubber band. So this is primarily an aggravating inconvenience, which I may respond to by making myself totally disabled.

I don't see that I need any sympathy, but I really would like some suggestions how I can keep myself entertained. The online purse shopping has been really boring lately. I am not a tv watcher. And I can't think of anything I want to read. I looked at a list of the 100 greatest books of all times, and as you probably know, they are all fiction. I like non fiction. I told DH I may plan our next six vacations. So help me out here. What can I do to keep from losing my mind while I have an elective nervous breakdown?

I have always been fervently convinced that insurance companies sole purpose for existence is to make everyone’s lives needlessly difficult, and the “benefits” they allegedly provide are just a cover story for their real MO. I’m not a huge non-fiction reader, but I’m about to start Old Masters, New World: America’s Raid on Europe’s Great Pictures. It’s about the gilded age barons who bought up tons of European art and started the first great private collections in the US.

 

[EmileH]

The downside of the day time flights is that you pay for an extra night of hotel rather than sleeping on the plane. Some people don’t like that. I prefer to sleep in a bed than a seat.

Cordie I second gracekelly’s words. The insurances companies deliberately make the doctors jump through hoops in the hope that we give up and don’t invest the time. The first few appeals go to doctors who aren’t even board certified in our specialities. Or nurses. If I jump through all of the hoops and get to a physician in my speciality I have never lost an appeal. Let me guess, you probably have U healthcare. They stink.

 

[Cookiefiend]

Had to go for Dress Up Friday instead of Thursday due to weather conditions - sorta like a school delay but not [emoji38]

Apologies for the terrible light - this is the only place I could hang a mirror!

 

[Cookiefiend]

I have an update to share. But first of all, absolutely no expressions of sympathy please.

I had knee trouble all of January. Honestly, I think it was triggered by standing on a hard floor so long while I painted the cabinet to hold my bags. A lot of moderate intensity pain. So I went to an orthopedic surgeon and got a cortisone shot and had some discussion about maybe knee surgery sometime in the future as it turns out that I have no cartilage on the outer half of my right knee. Bone on bone. Big surprise to me.

In the category of every solution creates a new problem, the cortisone shot made my knee unstable. That inflammation was holding my knee together. I had an episode in which my bones slipped across each other in what I thought was a knee dislocation. I couldn't put weight on that leg at all for 3 days.

I wanted surgery right away after that. The stars aligned. I got someone's surgery slot for March 2 because they cancelled (rather than having to wait for 2 months). Insurance came through with pre-auth. I went for pre op at the hospital on Monday and with the doctor on Tuesday.

There was just one little problem. The hospital had me down for a full knee replacement rather than a partial. The doctor's scheduler tried to correct the insurance authorization, and the insurance company totally cancelled the authorization. I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was cancelled today.

Some peer review doctor decided that the guidelines say that you can't have surgery for 3 months after an injection. It is the injection that triggered my need for immediate surgery.

So I have decided to do the only sane thing possible. I am going to have a nervous breakdown. After experiencing additional minor slippages, I am fearful of tearing a ligament or tendon. I am fearful of falling and breaking a hip. So I may just spend the next three months in bed.

My husband and the doctor's office are both making appeals, which is the rational but probably ineffective thing to do. Since I am not optimistic, I am just go to focus on protecting my knee until their arbitrary 3 months passes.

Let me assure you that I am in zero pain. The cortisone was 100% effective in relieving my pain, but it turned my knee into a rubber band. So this is primarily an aggravating inconvenience, which I may respond to by making myself totally disabled.

I don't see that I need any sympathy, but I really would like some suggestions how I can keep myself entertained. The online purse shopping has been really boring lately. I am not a tv watcher. And I can't think of anything I want to read. I looked at a list of the 100 greatest books of all times, and as you probably know, they are all fiction. I like non fiction. I told DH I may plan our next six vacations. So help me out here. What can I do to keep from losing my mind while I have an elective nervous breakdown?

Ugh - insurance companies are the devil. PbP is correct - you have to keep fighting them, I think of it as being the Squeaky (or Cranky depending on which end you're on) Wheel.

I read a couple good non-fictions recently:
438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Franklin, Jonathan - true story of a man who survives 438 days at sea in a very small boat. I have always had a healthy respect for the ocean (okay I'm scairt of it) but holy moly after reading this I *really* do. We went on a whale watching boat on Saturday and the weather was gray, dreary, and chilly… and the ocean was black/blue. I held on tight.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Gawande, Atul - very interesting book about that makes you think of how you want the end of your life to be. A bit morbid and sad, but very thought provoking.
Edited to add - look on GoodReads. If there is a book you really liked, search for that book and to the right side of the screen there will be books that are 'similar'. You can hover over them to see a brief synopsis or click on them and you can see more about it and what other people thought of it.

I am another proponent for needle work - especially needlepoint or cross stitch. For both you could design your own pattern (your favorite Hermès scarf perhaps?) and there are companies that will map it out for you so that you can transfer it to your canvas.

 

[Notorious Pink]

I have an update to share. But first of all, absolutely no expressions of sympathy please.

I had knee trouble all of January. Honestly, I think it was triggered by standing on a hard floor so long while I painted the cabinet to hold my bags. A lot of moderate intensity pain. So I went to an orthopedic surgeon and got a cortisone shot and had some discussion about maybe knee surgery sometime in the future as it turns out that I have no cartilage on the outer half of my right knee. Bone on bone. Big surprise to me.

In the category of every solution creates a new problem, the cortisone shot made my knee unstable. That inflammation was holding my knee together. I had an episode in which my bones slipped across each other in what I thought was a knee dislocation. I couldn't put weight on that leg at all for 3 days.

I wanted surgery right away after that. The stars aligned. I got someone's surgery slot for March 2 because they cancelled (rather than having to wait for 2 months). Insurance came through with pre-auth. I went for pre op at the hospital on Monday and with the doctor on Tuesday.

There was just one little problem. The hospital had me down for a full knee replacement rather than a partial. The doctor's scheduler tried to correct the insurance authorization, and the insurance company totally cancelled the authorization. I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was cancelled today.

Some peer review doctor decided that the guidelines say that you can't have surgery for 3 months after an injection. It is the injection that triggered my need for immediate surgery.

So I have decided to do the only sane thing possible. I am going to have a nervous breakdown. After experiencing additional minor slippages, I am fearful of tearing a ligament or tendon. I am fearful of falling and breaking a hip. So I may just spend the next three months in bed.

My husband and the doctor's office are both making appeals, which is the rational but probably ineffective thing to do. Since I am not optimistic, I am just go to focus on protecting my knee until their arbitrary 3 months passes.

Let me assure you that I am in zero pain. The cortisone was 100% effective in relieving my pain, but it turned my knee into a rubber band. So this is primarily an aggravating inconvenience, which I may respond to by making myself totally disabled.

I don't see that I need any sympathy, but I really would like some suggestions how I can keep myself entertained. The online purse shopping has been really boring lately. I am not a tv watcher. And I can't think of anything I want to read. I looked at a list of the 100 greatest books of all times, and as you probably know, they are all fiction. I like non fiction. I told DH I may plan our next six vacations. So help me out here. What can I do to keep from losing my mind while I have an elective nervous breakdown?

Ugh, how exasperating!!!

Well, if you have Netflix/Hulu/HBO Go you can bingewatch a few shows. My favorite by far is Game of Thrones, I have seen it all three times (and would go for a 4th if I could get one of my DSs to watch). DH and I have also enjoyed Power, and we are finishing getting caught up on This Is Us. Despite what everyone has said we did not like Breaking Bad AT ALL, and after four episodes we gave up on the masochism. Next we aren't sure - maybe Ozark or Handmaid's Tale.

I like the idea of useful crafts like Knitting. Also organizing things on the computer takes a lot of time. For me especially the photos. So - another project.

Books are good. If you haven't read The Pillars of the Earth, now is as good a time as any. Or, of course, the Game of Thrones books, which are called A Song of Ice and Fire.

 

[papertiger]

Had to go for Dress Up Friday instead of Thursday due to weather conditions - sorta like a school delay but not [emoji38]
View attachment 3985368
Apologies for the terrible light - this is the only place I could hang a mirror!

Really love the colour palate and clean look, brava

 

[papertiger]

Funny so many of you should be mentioning needlepoint. It was a Summer project to make a large applique and embroidered work for my bedroom. I've done plenty of little works which are dotted around the house but this was for a big wall. After I was given the thread colours, bought the scraps, the frame and the canvas, I felt totally daunted, if not defeated by the size. This is a work that may take longer than the the Bayeux Tapestry. Any advice, psychological or practical?

 

[Genie27]

Funny so many of you should be mentioning needlepoint. It was a Summer project to make a large applique and embroidered work for my bedroom. I've done plenty of little works which are dotted around the house but this was for a big wall. After I was given the thread colours, bought the scraps, the frame and the canvas, I felt totally daunted, if not defeated by the size. This is a work that may take longer than the the Bayeux Tapestry. Any advice, psychological or practical?

Can you break it down into smaller pieces that ca be worked on in sections? That is how I tackle large blankets - find a colour or section that appeals to your current mood, and work on that. Sometimes I'm blue to purple, sometimes I'm pinks to oranges.

 

[gracekelly]

Funny so many of you should be mentioning needlepoint. It was a Summer project to make a large applique and embroidered work for my bedroom. I've done plenty of little works which are dotted around the house but this was for a big wall. After I was given the thread colours, bought the scraps, the frame and the canvas, I felt totally daunted, if not defeated by the size. This is a work that may take longer than the the Bayeux Tapestry. Any advice, psychological or practical?

I think my record for working on a piece piece is 20 years. Good thing I wrote notes to myself about which color goes where and which stitch to use. I think the internet is to blame for my lack of work ethic. I keep meaning to pick it up and start again.