Hi Brenda and all Her fingers are beyond 'sore'. This is long term eczema on the fingers that are already misshapen with arthritis. It takes the form of deep cracks in the skin. I don't know if it is independent of or caused by the arthritis, but it is very miserable. She also has a lot of pain in her neck and shoulders, so can only work for ten minutes at a time, but bobbin lace is the only thing she can do. She used to tat as well but that is just impossible now.
She can't use plasters etc as that would irritate the condition, and needs to wear surgical gloves to be able to make lace, so she's not weeping all over the thread. With the lack of dexterity and feeling (made worse perhaps by needing to wear the gloves), and the pain from the deep cracks in her skin, even the big headed pins are difficult for her. She often has to use both hands to get the pin the right way round in her fingers, and once she has the point in the hole, has to try to find an undamaged bit of skin and the strength to push it into the pillow. A thimble would just get in the way of the little feeling and dexterity she has. I think between us we have thought of and tried most things - a card pricking seems best as she then has a proper hole to rest the pin into, pricking into the pillow as well eases the path of the pin, we have tried the smaller glass headed pins as they are not so thick to push into the pillow, we have tried the bigger ones as they are easier for her to handle and have a bigger area to push against. Each had disadvantages and benefits but it is still a slow and painful process. I was just hoping that someone out there has found a better combination of pillow, pricking, pin and handling technique. After many years she finally found a female dermatologist who realised how disabling her hands were, and tried all she could to find a solution. For a few months her hands were a little better then they broke down again; there apears to be no reason for the deterioration as she was following the same careful routine. To add to her problems her female consultant is 'moving on' and she will be back with the same ~#!*?/@! male consultant who has dismissed her as neurotic for the last ten or so years, and can't seem to understand why such damaged hands would make life difficult. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]
