I was really having trouble with my arm and hand - dropping my hairbrush, couldn't open a jar, felt like I was all thumbs when I was stitching - I couldn't really figure it out, since it wasn't hurting too badly any more. Then one morning I woke up with my pinkie and ring finger numb - and said 'AHA'!
I damaged the ulnar nerve that runs from your shoulder, through your elbow, to your hand, when I was about 16? I think. One of the sure-fire signs of the damage is those two fingers going numb. It's called cubital tunnel syndrome and the main treatment is resting it and using wrist braces, lots of padding, and elbow splints (since mine is pinched in my elbow), one to protect it during the day and one to keep your arm straight at night. When I first damaged it, the symptoms were gone within a week; it wasn't until I irritated it at my first job that it came back with a vengeance and I got a diagnosis and; treatment info. I was good as gold for six months, and it all went away. I haven't had a real problem with it for several years.
Apparently, when I sprained my wrist I also irritated that nerve. Now the whole lot of it is back again. And ouch. And it means very little stitching, because I can't handle the needle well - one of the symptoms is weakness and clumsiness in the affected hand - and I currently can't crochet more than about ten minutes at a time before it hurts. It's worse than it was before, even though surgery is still not recommended (it's very risky, and can easily damage the healthy nerves in your elbow). So I have all my padding and splints again, and hopefully in six months or so, it'll once again go away. I never needed injections before, but my doctor says I may this time.
So it will be very few stitching updates for me, and I'm going to have to let most of my SALs go, although not all! At least for six months, anyway! I'm hoping that it will go away by then. It can take eighteen months, according to the doctor (eek!) I'm not giving either cross-stitch or crochet up - I can do whatever I want until my fingers go numb or there is pain, then I 'cease the activity'. Stitching doesn't hurt like crochet, at least. It's just so slow! and it gets frustrating really, really fast - so if you're not having fun, what's the point?
Insert huge sigh here!
However, for IHSW I was determined to do a little of something - I didn't feel up to getting Lovers out this weekend, so I got out a little kit that my sister wants. It's called 'Oops':
And I did this much:
I was a bit disappointed, because I had more stitching time than usual this weekend, but then I thought that with my stitching ADD, it's entirely likely that if my arm was fine, I still would have only gotten that much done. So now I'm happy, lol!
I wanted to show this, too - my Afghan Plan for 2013 is now severely affected, of course, but I want to show what I had started. This, too, is for my sister.
Six of the ten skeins of the lovely misty green color she chose:
And how far I was when my arm started acting up (the color here is the most accurate):
I've only added about four rows since. I'm going to try to finish this one - it goes very quickly when my arm is not hurting! It's worked with two strands held double and uses a big hook, which helps. The other afghans I will just have to wait and see.
I'm going to be cleaning up my WIP list, putting all the projects with only a few stitches away like they were just unstarted stash, and then keeping a small rotation of four main projects and a fifth slot with projects rotating in and out. Otherwise I'll never finish anything at all this year.
None of this, of course, has stopped me getting my mitts on more stash! I have a great kit to show you guys in a day or so, and I paid off what was the last of my HAED layaways (not anymore, but oh, well!) Here is something from that:
Jackdaw by Babette VanDerBerg:
Chosen because she looks a lot like my sister. A LOT. And my sister loves Ravens.
(By the projects shown on this post, my sister may also be a spoiled brat when it comes to things being made for her).
I'll be back in a few days with that kit! Also with my new rotation :D
