I am now in remission and have stopped taking MXT and am reducing Plaquenil. But I have developed pain and stiffness in my right index finger, no doubt because I have started knitting again. Is there anything I can do apart from giving up knitting? I don't want to go back on drugs if I can help it.

Hi Anne

It is good to hear you have gone into remission, you must be over the moon.

I used to love knitting, only scarfs mind you, nothing too technical - personally I would leave the knitting for now and not aggravate your fingers and see how it goes.

Julia

Hi girls,

I used to be a big knitter and cross-stitcher but stopped when my hands got too sore.

Can I say though, that I think it's a bit of a double-edged sword. By giving up those kinds of activities that "exercise" the tendons in the hands, you start to lose the function in the hand and fingers. I have very little function left in my hands but have taken up cross-stitch again just to be able to give my fingers a bit of a gentle work-out. Just a few minutes at a time ... and certainly not to the standard of previous pieces. I use a larger weave cloth and bigger needle.

How about trying a pair of those really thick needles or even a large crochet hook?

I'm not saying knit 'til you drop but I do think a little bit is good for maintaing the function. What's that expression? Use it or lose it.

Joanna