posted on August 5, 2007 08:21:44 PM new
I have a jewelry question that perhaps you can answer. My knuckles are somewhat enlarged because of arthritis; I've always worn a larger-than-normal-size ring, but now I'm into size 11, to get a ring over my knuckle. I've had to stop wearing my wedding band, since it's been widened a couple of times already; it's size 10 and frighteningly hard to get off the finger.
We're prepared to get a new wedding band for me, and a diamond.
Trouble is, size 11 will slide over my knuckle, but then the ring flops around and is about a size too large where it sits on the finger.
I've seen built-in metal gizmos that make a ring smaller; an aunt had several of her rings treated that way as she got older. Is there ANYthing out there that is sort of spring-loaded so that a ring would fit over a knuckle, then settle nicely in place? Short of something like that, I may have to use a tiny sponge or god forbid tape (like we used to do in high school when wearing a boyfriend's ring).
Any ideas for me?
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
posted on August 6, 2007 06:53:58 AM new
Hi, roadsmith. My mother has the same problem. The jeweler fitted the back of her ring with two knobby things. The ring fits over her knuckle now and still stays in place. I have a ring with a metal piece inside (I think it's called a snuggie or something like that) that seems to be what you're inquiring about. The ring will fit over my knuckle because the guard has give in it yet it won't flop around on my finger.
Cheryl
[ edited by CBlev65252 on Aug 6, 2007 06:54 AM ]
posted on August 6, 2007 07:12:40 AM new
The only good solution to this problem I've ever seen is the one my Aunt Betty has. Her jeweler made a hinge and invisible clasp for her ring so she doesn't have to slide the ring onto her finger at all, just put it on like a bracelet. Pretty neat.
Osteoarthritis progresses differently for each person, it seems, so there may be times that you still can't wear your rings even with this workaround.
posted on August 6, 2007 08:47:52 AM new
Does anyone else think it's strange that while we can clone many kinds of animals and we have drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, no one has come up with a solution for osteoarthritis?
Gee, could it be because it primarily afflicts middle-aged women? Besides, everybody knows Grandma is supposed to have gnarled knotted-up hands.
I'm the furthest thing from a feminist you're likely to see in this lifetime, but if hips and knees are routinely replaced (and they are), why can't it be done for worn-out finger joints?
I have an idea that if men had the slightest notion how painful it is to have swollen aching hands there would be a lot more done in this area. Or put another way, if they cared half as much about their wives' comfort as they do about their own pee-pees, the world might be a different, less painful place for osteoarthritis sufferers.
posted on August 6, 2007 09:50:36 AM new
Fluff,
That is an excellent point. I have been really stressed out (having panic attacks, etc...) and my husband does not have a clue how I feel. In fact, he tells me he has the same stresses. Yea, but he handles them differently obviously!
posted on August 6, 2007 10:07:23 AM new
I appreciate the advice here. Fluffy, I love the hinged idea--sort of like a bangle--but have trouble imagining how much that would cost. Wouldn't you think someone would have come up with a solution to this, by now, that's entirely unique?
And, about the arthritis: the form I have comes from my iron overload genetic condition (hemochromatosis). In some of us, the overload manifests itself in a gout-like form of arthritis in all our joints--a crystalline deposit which shows up as a little hook in xrays. It's one of the primary diagnostic tools for this condition.
Normal arthritis meds, like Celebrex, do nothing to reduce the inflammation, so I just take a couple of pain pills, and the occasional Tylenol for Arthritis, daily to keep me moving. The only "remedy" for this arthritis is to keep our iron overload under control with a pint of blood taken occasionally if our levels have increased higher than they should be. Not fatal if caught in time, which mine was, thankfully, by a diagnosing dr. I call Mr. God.
This feminist! wants you all to know that men with this condition also can have the arthritis.
I've noticed over my adult years that the handwork women do is not appreciated as it should be. At auctions, quilts, crocheted throws, etc., will bring money that translates to about 2 cents an hour for the work involved. On the other hand, every little hand-made wooden doodad some man has fashioned in his workshop is praised and bought. Just doesn't seem right! And when you figure that many of the women's things were fashioned by fingers bent and hurting from arthritis, it's doubly sad.
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
[ edited by roadsmith on Aug 6, 2007 10:09 AM ]
posted on August 6, 2007 10:25:48 AM new
This is really a follow the money thing. It's simple. The drug companies have not figured out a way to manage it. They could cure it, but that wouldn't make them money on the long run. They need a chemical solution to control it. When they do, it will be on the market. Until then, we will all suffer. Not just women.
posted on August 6, 2007 03:40:21 PM new
OT but speaking of drugs
my son-in-law is currently on the clinical trial for inhaled insulin and loves it. he was recently diagnosed for diabetes and they could not get his insulin levels right. he either gained a lot of weight or lost a lot of weight - within a week or two.
he signed up for the clinical trial and since then his weight/insulin levels have been pretty consistent.
posted on August 6, 2007 06:17:05 PM new
pixiamom - The sizing beads are exactly what my mother has. I've tried her ring on and I don't think I could stand those all day. She says she doesn't even notice them.
posted on August 6, 2007 07:39:11 PM new
I'd sure like to hear from someone who has sizing beads on a ring she wears all the time (like a wedding set). The beads don't look comfortable--but maybe they are!
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
posted on August 8, 2007 10:07:16 AM new
LtRay: That's exactly what I've been looking for! Wouldn't you know someone has invented a gizmo for all us aging boomers. I've e-mailed for a jeweler nearby. Thanks a zillion for finding this. I owe you one.
[edited to correct a weird spelling]
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
[ edited by roadsmith on Aug 8, 2007 10:18 AM ]
