I'm feeling a little down tonight because today I had to admit the arthritis in my left hand had so swollen my ring finger, it was no longer healthy to keep my wedding band on. I had to go to a jeweler and get it cut off since the swelling is so bad. As heart breaking as this is, I know it's the right thing to do. A good friend said to me, "The ring is not your relationship, it's just a symbol of it and it's not the glue that holds you two together." I must confess I can feel an improvement in the circulation already, and the good news is, that when I have a little extra, I can have it repaired and put on a chain so that I can wear it again. Still it was a little emotional at times watching those cutters snap through the gold, so the sky from this afternoon's quick shot seems to sum up how I'm feeling quite well. Cloudy with a chance of rain and the promise of the sun afterwards.
It is sad to do that. I take my wedding ring off every night before bed. Salt and artificial sweeteners make my hands swell too much. When my hubby takes his ring off to go play Army, I wear it on a gold chain. It's the thought that counts, not the location!
Thank you so much each and everyone of you! Your kind words have truly lifted my spirits! I could have it enlarged but the arthritis is such that I don't want to have it cut off again, so by the end of the month I'll take it back to the jeweler, have him repair the ring and the engraving and then wear it on a chain. Picture to follow!
Oh, Ann, I'm sorry! I had to have that done several years ago, and it's tough. I wore a silver and turquoise band for a while, and then one birthday my husband got me another wedding band. Very evocative shot.
What a very moving commentary. It is hard (I can't wear my ring anymore either), but the thing I did was had a lookout for a band I would like and found one a year or two ago. It's not the same, but it sort of fits the sunny spot down the way. Hope you cheer up soon. Think of it this way -- you have the real thing, so the symbol is less an issue!
Moody clouds in your pic.
Sorry to hear about your ring :( I hope the swelling gets better soon. Magic and Phoenix send some feather hugs to help cheer you up a bit. (Check my pic today - you'll see Magic on her way to you!)
I do not have arthritis, Ann and had to do the same with mine. The one I have is not the original which I lost in the sand. Like they told you, the ring is only a symbol. This is a very dramatic capture of the sky.
Beautiful picture...and wow...I understand about how difficult it is to not wear a ring. I still feel for the missing ring and then I remember why it's not. I hope you will share a picture of it after you have it repaired and with a chain around it.
Ann, I hope you are already feeling better. bless your heart. That is a tough day to see your wedding band removed. But your friend is right...the band is not the important thing. We get attached to them though. Have you ever posted a pic of your ring in your project? I know I have once...with my little Star wars storm trooper guy guarding it.... They were on my night stand because my hand was swelling at night and often I had to take the rings off.
I am wondering if I have arthritis or something else causes my swelling. At first,, a few years ago, it seemed food related. Like I'd eat something (not just high salt foods) and hands would turn spotty reddish and swell. I'd take my rings off. but in the past few months, they are not red or irritated, but swollen...and I have only been able to get my rings on a handful of times. And then I swell again,and take them off usually that day. My wedding band is my grandmother's and is almost 95 years old. And then my engagement ring was made from my grandfather's wider gold band, but with my Mom and Dad's diamond mounted on it from my Mom's "old fashioned" silver set from when she married my dad. So lots of family history in that ring. I don't feel good about putting it in a safe deposit box away from me...nor do I feel good about leaving it in a jewelry box at home. I may get it enlarged...once. And see how that goes.
I would feel the same way. I never take mine off. My hubby got me a new set for our 25th, and I still have yet to part with the first set. I still wear them! I have the band in between my new set and I wear the engagement on my right hand. Hope you can find away to still wear it, by making it into a necklace or something else. But most important are your fingers, you need them. Hopefully, it will all get better :-) Beautiful photo by the way :-)
Aww what a shame, but your friend is right. Hopefully you can wear it again in the future. At least it's improving your circulation and making you feel better
it is the best alternative to wear in on a chain. sorry you're feeling down about this but it is true, it's a symbol, and what matters more is in the heart and mind. smile!
Thank you so much everyone! It's so uplifting to come back after a few busy days, and a few days of winter slump to read all your kind words of encouragement and cheer. As much as I miss the ring, the circulation in my finger has improved drastically. I guess I had procrastinated the inevitable almost too long! The swelling is improving a bit, but this is the worst of all my fingers, so I don't expect it to go back to "normal". At any rate, my plan is to get the ring fused and (re)engraved as soon as possible and I'll either wear it on my pinky or on a pendant. I'll post a picture as soon as it's done!
Very dramatic sky. Rather sad that you had to have your ring cut off. Hopefully before long you will be able to wear it again in some fashion. My mum had to have her wedding band cut off a few years back due to arthritis. She now wears it on her right ring finger.
Oh Ann that must be very upsetting. I have my ring made bigger and the jeweler put an adjustable spacer in the curve of the ring. now it slides easily over my knuckles when I need to take them off and when I put them back on I adjust it to a bit smaller size so they don't constantly turn around on me. hope you're feeling a bit better..so take your time with posting pictures. I like the dramatic sky here.
The sky sums up your feelings. I agree with your friend, a strong relationship is more important than a ring. However, I cannot made the comment as Ring is not a Chinese custom so I cannot gauge the importance. Have you done anything about arthritis? There are a lot of self-healing techniques you can learn and use to keep it under control,
@salza Thank you Sally! I'm not sure whether I'll put it on a different finger (most of my knuckles have arthritis issues) or on a chain. But I'll be wearing it again in one way or another.
@bruni Thanks Bruni! Since all my knuckles have some sort of arthritis trouble, I'm not sure whether I'll try another finger or go with a chain. I'll be thinking about that for a while!
@yaorenliu Thank you Yao! I was at a Chinese wedding once and loved the beautiful dress the bride wore when she did the Tea Ceremony. I don't remember much else though because it was a long time ago! As for the arthritis, I have made some adjustment to my diet and eliminated most foods that cause inflammation and recently learned about acupuncture as a treatment for it. I am deathly afraid of needles, but I am trying to overcome that as I think this may offer some relief. As sad as it was to cut the ring off, I am noticing much improvement on that finger as a result. Thank you for your kind words!
Lovely story about your wedding ring, thank you for sharing. I love your photo too. And it's amazing how many memories you evoked in other people's comments.
@twinsplusone thank you Sharon! Yes, better now (o: @cassiejoy Thank you Cassie! It's so interesting to see how people react. To me, it just looked interesting and I'd shot it before I went to the jeweler. So it was only afterwards I realized how it fit the way I felt that day.
January 13th, 2014
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Thank you so much each and everyone of you! Your kind words have truly lifted my spirits! I could have it enlarged but the arthritis is such that I don't want to have it cut off again, so by the end of the month I'll take it back to the jeweler, have him repair the ring and the engraving and then wear it on a chain. Picture to follow!
Sorry to hear about your ring :( I hope the swelling gets better soon. Magic and Phoenix send some feather hugs to help cheer you up a bit. (Check my pic today - you'll see Magic on her way to you!)
Ann, I hope you are already feeling better. bless your heart. That is a tough day to see your wedding band removed. But your friend is right...the band is not the important thing. We get attached to them though. Have you ever posted a pic of your ring in your project? I know I have once...with my little Star wars storm trooper guy guarding it.... They were on my night stand because my hand was swelling at night and often I had to take the rings off.
I am wondering if I have arthritis or something else causes my swelling. At first,, a few years ago, it seemed food related. Like I'd eat something (not just high salt foods) and hands would turn spotty reddish and swell. I'd take my rings off. but in the past few months, they are not red or irritated, but swollen...and I have only been able to get my rings on a handful of times. And then I swell again,and take them off usually that day. My wedding band is my grandmother's and is almost 95 years old. And then my engagement ring was made from my grandfather's wider gold band, but with my Mom and Dad's diamond mounted on it from my Mom's "old fashioned" silver set from when she married my dad. So lots of family history in that ring. I don't feel good about putting it in a safe deposit box away from me...nor do I feel good about leaving it in a jewelry box at home. I may get it enlarged...once. And see how that goes.
Thank you so much everyone! It's so uplifting to come back after a few busy days, and a few days of winter slump to read all your kind words of encouragement and cheer. As much as I miss the ring, the circulation in my finger has improved drastically. I guess I had procrastinated the inevitable almost too long! The swelling is improving a bit, but this is the worst of all my fingers, so I don't expect it to go back to "normal". At any rate, my plan is to get the ring fused and (re)engraved as soon as possible and I'll either wear it on my pinky or on a pendant. I'll post a picture as soon as it's done!
@prttblues @mzzhope Thank you so much for the fav Bev and Hope!!
@bruni Thanks Bruni! Since all my knuckles have some sort of arthritis trouble, I'm not sure whether I'll try another finger or go with a chain. I'll be thinking about that for a while!
@yaorenliu Thank you Yao! I was at a Chinese wedding once and loved the beautiful dress the bride wore when she did the Tea Ceremony. I don't remember much else though because it was a long time ago! As for the arthritis, I have made some adjustment to my diet and eliminated most foods that cause inflammation and recently learned about acupuncture as a treatment for it. I am deathly afraid of needles, but I am trying to overcome that as I think this may offer some relief. As sad as it was to cut the ring off, I am noticing much improvement on that finger as a result. Thank you for your kind words!
@cassiejoy Thank you Cassie! It's so interesting to see how people react. To me, it just looked interesting and I'd shot it before I went to the jeweler. So it was only afterwards I realized how it fit the way I felt that day.