Masking the pain

Or in my case: Masking – the pain!

So, a few weeks ago, I purchased some fabric masks on Etsy. The masks I purchased were Ready To Ship, but the next day, the seller posted some masks that had filters, which the first ones I bought did not. I messaged her and asked if I could upgrade to the ones with the filters. She agreed, and I paid the difference. But two weeks went by, and I still didn’t have them, and it was starting to look like we were really going to have to start wearing masks when we went out. I began to look for fabric and elastic so that I could try to make my own. None of the stores locally had any, and I wasn’t able to find any on Amazon. Our craft stores had all been closed for awhile. I found some fabric and elastic from separate sellers on Etsy, although now there are kits that sell both together!

Anyway, I got my fabric and elastic on Friday. I cut all the fabric, and was ready to start sewing. I used this YouTube tutorial. But of course, my sewing machine protested, after being delegated to the recesses of the closet for the last few years. I watched YouTube videos to try to fix it, but I couldn’t figure it out. After a couple hours, I called a shop to see about getting it serviced, and they said it was going to be $99 – more than I paid for the machine! So, I decided I would try to sew them by hand. I got one mask done that day.

The next day, I woke up and thought that I had slept wrong or something. My shoulder and upper back were hurting. I’m used to pain in the morning, especially back pain, so I just sat in my massage chair and then went about my day. Later, when I sat down to do another mask, I got about 20 minutes into it, and OMG. My back was in spasms! It felt like it was on fire. I finished that mask and then said I was done for the day. D-U-N, done, as my friend Tiffany says, lol. I sat with the portable back massager and the heating pad for the rest of the day. All of that being bent over the sewing machine and close needle work really did a number on me.

This just happened at an inopportune time, as I’m switching from one medication to another. My rheumatologist warned me that I may experience increased pain before the new one really starts to work. The medication I take for my psoriatic arthritis is a biologic, which suppresses my immune system, so I also need to be extra careful about infection. I wash my hands, use hand sanitizer, and try to limit my trips to the grocery store.

Back to the masks, though – I’ve made a couple more since then, and I still need to make a few: a large one, to accommodate my son-in-law’s beard, and a couple small ones for the kids. But the good news is, I got my premade masks yesterday! They were worth the wait. They fit well and are definitely better than the ones I did, lol.

Have you made or bought any masks? Tell me in the comments below: