Wow, to not be alone! I have tendonitice in my thumb and I can only hand sew or quilt a very little bit, maybe a small block a day? But once it flares up it's horrid, and I have to take arthritis meds for weeks to make the pain stop. This isn't an age thing either, would you believe it started when I was in college? Now I feel like it's more important to have full use of my hands rather than sew. Hence the very recient purchase of my first sewing machine, I suppose you could say I've had enough of not being able to "sew" what I want.
I even bought the soft touch scissors with the spring to help me (works wonders by the way). :D