I love to crochet. For years, it’s been my escape from the computer and the online world and also away for me to make others happy with the gifts I’m able to make them.
About a 18 months ago, I started experiencing increasing pain in my left wrist. Crochet and some pain have always gone hand in hand. Any repetitive movement like crochet is going to cause pain for someone dealing with a disease like Ehlers-Danlos. But, the pain had always been relatively minor and usually only occurred if I was exerting myself trying to get a project done.
Unfortunately, my left wrist has no become hypermobile to the point that the pain while crocheting has been intense and also wasn’t going away. It was leading to pain while I did other activities — like working out, typing, sleeping or trying to lift and carry things in my left hand.
While Ehlers-Danlos isn’t technically a degenerative disease, the problems with joints can be cumulative, and I’ve been worried about pushing my wrist past the point of no return — especially for something as frivolous as art.
Do I want to risk potentially needing surgery on my wrist just to crochet a few more blankets?
Do I want to risk potentially harming my career because I lose function in that hand / wrist just for a few more blankets?
I’ve been struggling with these questions the past several months.
I miss crochet. I miss the art I was able to produce.
I don’t know what’s next and what can replace the enjoyment I received from crochet.
At Christmas-time, I bought a bunch of supplies to do some other Christmas crafts, but I couldn’t get inspired. The supplies are still sitting in the same bag they were brought home from the store. Every time I thought of doing some of the crafts, I just kept thinking about how much I missed crochet.
Sue Anne's Life 