I made a sling for my unruly joints!

I've been sitting here for several minutes, writing a few sentences then deleting them again, and trying to figure out what I'm trying to say here. I think I'm just going to jump in and share...

I'm currently being evaluated by my doctors for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. I was diagnosed at 17 with Hypermobility joint syndrome (which I've been told by one of my doctors is the same as EDS), and lately my joints have basically decided they're tired of behaving normally. Apparently they want to break up and separate... a lot.

Because I've been having a lot of joint issues, I've been ending up with even more pain than usual. (I also have fibromyalgia, as well as a laundry list of other things... wheee....). My right shoulder did something incredibly painful a couple of nights ago, and the next morning I realized I needed a sling but didn't have one.

I made due with a scarf tied into a makeshift sling yesterday, and today my shoulder is tolerable. But considering the way things have been going lately, I decided it would be good to have a sling on hand for the next time one of my arms decided to do its thing. First I went to the internet, but the cheap slings weren't good and the good slings weren't cheap. No big surprise there...

I then went to my fabric stash and pulled out the leg from a pair of jeans, the waistband from another pair of jeans, and some velcro. Because sewing denim is a chore for sewing machines I grabbed my hand sewing kit and got started.

I just finished it, and I'm really happy with it. It's not overly baggy like some slings, and the pocket part my arm rests in is actually long enough to reach to where my fingers start. I added a 1" parachute buckle that I slightly modified to work a bit better with the pattern in my head, so now I don't have to adjust the length of the strap every time I put it on.

This is only the beginning, though. I don't want a boring sling... I want to have fun with it. I'm planning to add some embroidery to it, maybe make some patches for it. I'm excited, because this is where the real fun begins!

Ahh, who am I kidding. Making the sling was fun too... and well worth the grand total of $1.50! I'm assuming this will be a fairly long-term project that I add to as inspiration hits me. Hopefully I'll have some cute photos of it soon!

So tell me- do you have any suggestions for what I should add to this? I'm gladly accepting suggestions!

Until next time!