Fibro & Crochet

These two do not play well together. One wants to keep playing while the other says “Back off already! I’ve had enough. Leave me alone!”. Other days they might be the best of friends, helping one another to create a meditative & calming aura.

This is the life of a crocheter with Fibro (short term for Fibromyalgia), such as myself & others I’ve had the pleasure to come to know online.

For those of you who don’t know what the heck Fibro-whatchyamacallit is… here’s the jest of it; it is similar to Arthritis but deals with the muscles not the bones.

The National Fibromyalgia Association describes it as…

Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a common and complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, which is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, a syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause.

Fibromyalgia, which has also been referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome, fibromyositis and fibrositis, is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, fatigue and often psychological distress. For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.

For someone who crochets dealing with Fibro can be extremely frustrating. As a crocheter I, like others, love to pick up a hook & yarn whenever the mood strikes me – which is just about all the time. However, there are days when picking up a hook or holding yarn in my hand – even just a strand of it – can be an extremely painful experience. Those days are the hardest to deal with. Crochet helps me relax and if I don’t relax (among other things) I tend to find myself in a flare up. It’s really not a win-win situation some days.

One of the things I have found to help me continue crocheting even if I’m in a flare up where I can’t hold a hook in my right hand (which I use to crochet with most) I have started to teach myself to crochet with my left hand. This way I can switch between my right and left hand for each row – almost as if I’m knitting – and not be favoring one hand/arm over the other. So far it seems to be a happy medium between my Fibro and crochet. I am a bit slower crocheting left handed than right, but that doesn’t stop me.

However, there are days when I find I can’t keep my eyes open & my brain functioning long enough to even get a few stitches done. On those days I curl up with a crochet book – be it a mystery, my latest magazine, or my “Book of Yarn” – and fill my crocheting obsession passion with day dreams of all the things I will be doing when I am able to do so once again. Other times I (which I’m almost embarrassed to admit *laugh*) keep a skein of yarn with me at all times just so I can touch it. And yes that even includes having it in bed with me like a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. … I know, pathetic & a little scary. lol Though I know there are other yarnoholics out there that do the same – maybe not as far as taking a skein to bed with them lol, but keep their hook & yarn close by even when they know they won’t be able to take them out & play. There is just something about a skein of yarn that relaxes me when I can’t take up my hook & crochet. Be it the softness or the unlimited possibilities it holds, I know that I can count on it always to help relax & calm my nerves – especially when I’m in so much pain & just down right frustrated.

Whether it means coming up with other ways to hold our hooks or doing some research & planning for our next project in queue (or to add to it), Fibromyalgia crocheters will do what we can to get through our days & find a happy medium between our Fibro and our passion for crochet.