I like injections

[hamletta]

So, this is exactly news to no one, but living with pain sucks. I've got tendonitis and inflammation in both my shoulders, combined with carpal tunnel issues and residual RSI, and over the last few weeks the pain has been steadily getting worse. But today I had the full diagnosis following the MRI results, and a steroid + anaesthetic injection in the right shoulder (the most painful -- I'm right-handed). In two weeks, I'm getting the second injection. And I already feel better. There's still pain, but milder, and most of all I now know what's wrong and have a physio plan to take care of it. Yay! 

I hope I'll sleep better, too, because the pain had been waking me up every hour or so. Combined with my self-inflicted destructive sleeping patterns (i.e., going to bed at 7 am and getting up at 4 pm, thereby missing daylight entirely) this has been making me tired and depressive. The prospect of Christmas isn't helping, but that's another matter.

I've been making slow but steady progress on the new novel, and I'm really liking my incentive program. The reward for hitting the first 10k words was a nib. A fancy nib, though, for the new Montegrappa pen I got, which has a very pretty nib but not as wet as I like. I could tune it, of course, but then I saw a Black Friday sale on a very stubby nib for this very pen (Montegrappa Ducale) and I just couldn't resist it. 

 (That's the pen, but with a standard nib).

The funny thing was that the sale was at Selfridges, which sell fancy stuff but are not exactly a pen specialist, so the nib was only described as "nib replacement" -- no information about size at all. All I had to go by was the picture:



I mean, this looks pretty stubby, right?

So I ordered it, and it has just arrived. The stubbiest stub in my possession. Still zero description, but it's 1.8 at least. Will I even be able to write with it? Who knows... :D 

Now I need to figure out what I'm getting for the next 10k...

Comments

[hilarita]

Looks nice! I hope it works well for you!

[hamletta]

Thank you!

[eller]

Yay, that's a lovely nib!

[hamletta]

Thank you! Now, fingers crossed is actually writes...

[yhlee]

I'm glad the treatment is helping, and what a lovely pen!

[hamletta]

Thank you! I may make another post to show how/if it actually writes...

[davidgillon]

Diagnosis is good, hoping the treatment is better still! And shoulders are definitely hell for sleeping.

I can sympathize on the missing daylight thing, I was doing okay until hit by a throat bug in the middle of last week that kept me awake until 6AM two nights running. Now trying to get back to something more reasonable, but it's slow going.

[sovay]

And I already feel better. There's still pain, but milder, and most of all I now know what's wrong and have a physio plan to take care of it.

I'm glad it's working!

[havocthecat]

You should! It's a beautiful pen. I was going to ask how you like Montegrappa pens. I'm always a little curious and I never have bought one.

Good luck with the treatments!

[hamletta]

I've heard mixed messages about them so I don't think I'd have bought one if I couldn't handle and try it. And since we were in Italy, it seemed very appropriate. :) From what I heard, the Ducale is one of the best lines (though by no means the priciest). They make some amazing looking pens like this Lord of the Rings one, but even if I had £3,500 to spend on a pen, I'm not sure it would actually write well enough to be worth it. But the Ducale is very pretty and handles well, is a bit dry.

[dhampyresa]

Hope you recover soon!

[hamletta]

Thank you!

[howsmyenglish]

I'm glad you feel better even though the diagnosis sounds scary. Still, always better to know what's wrong with you, right?
I love the idea of gifts for yourself... should i say I'll get myself a new pajama for writing the next two chapters? hmmm...

[karalee]

The pen looks very pretty, and congrats on 10k :D