I like the doctor I see for my elbows. He's a nice guy and he tells you like it is. Yesterday (Aug 11), I got my third, and probably final, shot in my elbow. It is extremely painful. Unlike a knee or shoulder (I've had both) shot, there is no lidocaine in the elbow shot because there isn't enough space for both that and the medicine. So, he's just pretty much ramming in medicine in a space not meant for anything to be rammed in to. He tells me, "yeah, it's going to hurt a lot." And, it did. However, the upside is that after a few days, the tendinitis disappears for hopefully forever, but I know it will come back. So I enjoy the pain-free time as long as I have it. When the first twinges of inflammation come back, I know the ride is done. Then it becomes the battle of how long I want to put up with the pain until I do something about it.
He suspects, well, actually knows that my chain mailling (CM) is the culprit to my elbow woes. I'm inclined to believe that there are other things that are causing my problems, but I don't disagree that CM is also contributing. My right elbow started bothering me last November when I was snow shoveling. That never bothered me before that even though I've been CM for years. I have come to believe that it is a mixture of house work, carrying in heavy bags, and pulling weeds that are the big culprits to my issues. Why? Because those activities hurt the most when I do them. My elbows don't really hurt when I CM. After I'm done, yes, but not while I'm doing the actual work. When I pull a weed, it hurts right away.
I have been working on a project that I would like to eventually enter into the Bead Dreams contest through Bead & Button. I was hoping for a 2016 entry, but I'm not so sure I can CM for the length of time I have left. So maybe 2017. It is a chain maille shawl, done in cobalt blue anodized aluminum rings 19g 3/16" inner diameter (ID). I've never made clothing before, so I'm going from the view point of making squares for the body of the shawl and then I'll have to figure out how to make the neck. I'd also like to put a hood on it, but I'll have to see if I have enough rings.
I made the mistake of ordering rings in two different orders, and yep, they are two different colors. I'm not sure how noticeable it will be in the final piece, but I can see it, and so can Scott and the PT person. She asked me if I made the stripes on purpose. So, I think that piece will have to go on a sleeve or part that isn't looked at first. I spent an hour yesterday opening all 175 remaining packets of 500 rings each and mixed them all together in a big bucket. That way, any color differences will be mixed in and will not be noticeable.
I haven't been told to give-up CM. So, now that I have both elbows under some control, I'm going to try and keep them that way. I have warm-up exercises and time limits so that hopefully, I can continue in my favorite hobby for a long time yet. We gain pleasure in life by doing things we love. And if this hobby of mine becomes too painful, that's going to be a very sad day for me, indeed. And a day that will hurt more than getting a shot in my elbow. Yeah, that day, it's going to hurt a lot...
