Started treatment today.

This post is not easy for me to write. Both physically and mentally. My hands hurt and I'm stubborn.

I have arthritis in both hands and carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. I've been putting off medical treatment for a few years and dealing with it on my own. I take an anti-inflammatory every day.  I take a prescribed muscle relaxer as needed. I sleep with padded braces on my hands. I wear a brace on my right wrist on some days. I use spring handled scissors when I'm cutting fabric. I've done all of this as a way to baby my hands and put off the inevitable: surgery.

So, this week I had appointments to see a Physical Therapist and a Hand Specialist/Surgeon. The Physical Therapist praised my efforts of what I've been doing, but reminded me to stretch and showed me some stretches to do. I saw the Hand Specialist today and he agreed with the Physical Therapist and we talked about some options. Surgery is most likely going to happen, but I want to put it off as long as I can since with three young boys I have no time to take off. So, I received a cortizone shot in each wrist. The pain and numbness were supposed to last 2-3 hours, and white the numbness is mostly gone right now, the pain is still there. Within 24-48 hours I should be feeling a lot better. If this goes well, my hands and wrists should be feeling well for about 4 to 6 months.

I'm so excited that I want to sit down at my sewing desk all weekend long. Sadly, I have to take it easy for a few days while the cortizone gets in my system. So, my plans are to sit down at my craft table next week.

My craft table has been moved around and my craft space reorganized, so I'm itching to get back to crafting. I picked up a box of vintage fabrics recently and I have a Colonial dress cut out, so both projects have me chomping at the crafting bit. 

I'm sorry for my blog absence. Now that my hands should be feeling better soon, I should be back to sewing/blogging regularly.

-Until next time...