One thing nobody told me when I first got into quilting was that it could be a dangerous hobby.
Expensive? Yes.
Time intensive? Yes.
Invade your office/living room storage? Yes.
Dangerous? No.
Well let me tell you fellow quilters, quilting can be dangerous. And I'm not talking about the run of the mill oops I sewed through my finger kind of dangerous. I'm talking need to see a doctor right away because it hurts so bad get x-rays and then see more specialists type of dangerous.
Apparently quilting can give you carpal tunnel (I have conveniently linked you to webmd in case you are not fortunate enough to have a future doctor living with you) or maybe tendinitis or maybe some mysterious ailment that can as yet be identified due to the immense amount of inflammation in your wrist.
As of this moment I have been told to limit the use of my wrist for the next week or so which means that all the projects on my to finish list will remain yup, unfinished for the time being. In fact if my husband saw me typing he probably would get angry so I'm off to go take my medicine and watch movies.
So word to wise for all you quilters/sewers out there...be careful!
12 comments:
So sorry to hear that! Hope that you're feeling better soon! I hope to get a stocking or two made up this weekend. :)
Hi Lyanna! I'm sorry to hear that! I can imagine how difficult you feel - you shouldn't do anything but still you would like to do a little bit. I have had 'frozen shoulder' and it took one year to get back to normal again. Then I didn't sew much anyway so I didn't miss quilting but knitting yes.
I do hope you get well soon! Take care!
xxx Teje
yeouch! sorry to hear about your quilting injury. now ... how about some words of wisdom (perhaps that future doctor you have hanging around has some) about PREVENTING those injuries when one is sewing (he can write the post while you recover).
Ouch! I was expecting a rotary cutter injury, as that is a common one for us. I took off a good chunk of my finger right before Christmas last year. It was so big I actually found the piece I cut off (puke)! Needless to say a number of gifts did not get finished and I still have a slightly flattened fingertip.
No more typing for you! Hope the pain eases soon.
oh yes- it hurts!! I have it due to typing at work, but the quilting doesn't help. both hands too! lots of hand braces, stretches/massages, and sometimes, just forcing yourself not to sew... :o(
Feel Better!
Sorry to hear about your carpal tunnel. I had that problem in the past. Mine got much better. In addition to the repetitive motion we in quilting, one thing I realized activated it was carrying heavy grocery bags (holding the handles with my hands, not draping the handles over my arms) from my car to my kitchen!! I stopped doing that and started carrying them one at a time, kind of hugging them with both arms. I hope that makes sense!!
Oh yes, I can entirely relate! I have arthritis in my thumbs and yes, sewing can make it totally unbearable!
I've also had tendinitis in my wrists...I can feel your pain! Have you heard of 'IcyHot'? if you can get your hands on some, it's really nice. Also braces for your wrists really help...to stabilize them.
Unfortunately, we use our hands all the time, whether we're sewing or not, so it's sorta hard to really rest! =) Get better soon!
So sorry to hear about your injury! I hope it is a speedy recovery!
I've had the same problem and find that the fingerless gloves they sell for quilters help prevent pain. Hope you're better soon!
Didn't read all the other comments but can relate and have a couple ideas. One is get what i call my wristy thingy...it imobilizes my wrist in such a way that my hand forms sort of an open mouth shape. At the very least, if i can't find my wristy thingy i gram a towel or part of a blanket to make my hand into that shape. Here's something similar to what i have: http://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Wrist-Brace-splint-Black/dp/B000RZHPOM. I first had the problem from making 600 wedding invites for my daughter's wedding about 15 years ago and it HURT clear up my arm. Never gets that bad anymore but i keep my brace close! Hope you're able to find relief asap!
Can't believe you posted this, because I was just thinking about this yesterday! I cut fabric for several hours, and all evening had an "ache" in my left thumb and wrist. This is not the first time it's happened to me, either. Let me know if the R&R works for you!
Yikes! and I thought sewing through your finger was the thing to be afraid of. Hope you feel better soon!
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