Hi all. I'm new here and not yet diagnosed. However I've had a lot of similar experiences. Started in my heels, with horrible pain. I ended up limping until I saw a podiatrist who fitted me with inserts. Then maybe six months later, I injured my back with a gym ball and my SI joint has been awful since then. Next my spine started getting stiff on a regular basis. Then, my joints got into the act, knees and elbows, and recently my shoulders and fingers.
At any rate, I woke up yesterday to swollen fingers. Not wholly swollen. I've included a picture of my fingers and the swelling. On one other occasion I had a suspected dactylitis episode - after cutting about 30 silk flower stems with a wire cutter, my thumb blew up in size, seized up and was horribly sore. I couldn't move it at all for about a week and needed a cortisone shot to ease it. These swellings don't hurt on my own but the fingers are stiff and sore, as usual.
Does anyone recognize these fingers? Please let me know if this looks familiar to you. I feel like I have mini-sausages or little smokies. ;-)
Your hands look like mine, except mine are worse right now because of a storm and constant rain the past few days. I was just telling 2trees that I was puffed up like a blow fish! Seems this is all part of the curse!
I even have trouble opening and closing a zip lock bag, and yes using those cutters on silk flowers or on real bushes will tear you up! It gets harder to do the things we love, so we have to cherish every little accomplishment!
I have seen other pictures of hands here and they are like ours, so sorry for you!
2trees, by inflamed, do you mean something other than dacylitis? I'm open to that possibility. Sure am flummoxed as to why they're still like this. I have an appt. with the rheumy on next Tuesday so hoping it's okay to wait til then.
Awwww, SK, sorry about your hands being puffed up from the rain! Don't you hate the rainy weather?
But thank you for letting me know that yours do look like mine. And you have my sympathy on opening and closing zip lock bags. They're a pain enough without any issues! Opening jars is the hard one for me.
Yes , you're right, it darned well IS important to do cherished things while we can and value it.
Thank you both for your responses! I've been worrying about these fingers since they puffed up a few days ago and haven't known what to do or whom to talk to about them.
They look sore for sure, BUT they are not (from the picture anyway) sausage fingers. In sausage fingers the small joints swell first. They look more like a roll of coins, and most often (not always) involve only one hand and only a few (not all) fingers
Thank you, tntlamb, for the explanation. I know that people present differently and it's kind of hard to get a good grip on the different presentations. Well, it's equally puzzling as to what's going on with them, then. Guess it's back to the regular doc, then.
Yes I mean inflamed but not neccesarily dactilitis. They do not look like sausage fingers. One of your joints appears to lean toward the left. Have you got yourself a rheum appt yet. Or better yet see your GP ask for his/her opinion explain all your symptoms and then ask for a CRP test, a RA test( I have forgotten what that is called at the moment) . Do not be surprised if they come back negative. You could ask for a SED test too. Sometimes we have a sedimentaton rate. I do and at the present it is 4 yahoo low again. I happen to be sensitive when it goes up to 8 but over 20 is considered in the high zone. I have been as high as 68 when off MTX. But when off huirima it only jumped to 10. I know MTX works for me. Oh I read your 1st post and you do have a rheum appt. Please go prepared with some notes as to what has been happening to you in the last 6 months or so. I hope and pray you do not have an autoimmune disease.good luck
Thank you, 2trees! You've included a lot of info to chew on. For instance, I'd thought my finger looked a bit bent but it helps to have an objective eye notice it without my saying it.
I've already been tested by my GP for ANA and RF - both negative. So most likely not Rheumatoid arthritis.
Oh my gosh to your SED rate w/o MTX. Amazing how well it's done it's job for you, absolutely amazing! Congratulations on getting it within normal range. That's a lot to celebrate! Do you feel any better/different?
Thanks for suggestions on what tests to look out for. And about notes. It's a good idea because I know I won't remember everything.
