Hello,
I'm happy to report that my Enbrel seems to be kicking in and finally I am seeing systemic results. Less fatigue, less swelling. Don't need my walking canes or handicapped parking pass. Yay!
The only problem area right now are my finger joints, particularly two joints in both thumbs. I telecommute and work on a laptop all day. This is a problem as typing is getting harder to do.
Anyone else like this? Any advice?
Lorrie
Yes, I'm like this. First off, it is possible that you now have osteoarthritis in some of those finger joints, which would explain why they are not responding to Enbrel. I have that issue in my thumbs. You may want to ask to try Voltaren in place of oral NSAIDs. I found that when it was just my hands/wrists hurting, it worked pretty well. Not neat to use, but worked well. You can also wear support gloves.
It may be worthwhile to see a hand specialist as well, and get imaging done to figure out where to go from here. I wish you luck.
At this point I am wearing CMC braces much of the time, as well as a few finger splints. I finally ordered a silver ring splint, as one of my fingers needs it all of the time now.
Thanks, Stoney,
Good info. Looking into Voltaren.
The silver rings looks way cool...now that I have more months behind me and know what to expect these may be worth it. The splints i wear now get sooooo dirty!
Lorrie, are they stiff and swollen, or do they just hurt? Occupational therapy did an awesome job for me when I had a sausage digit.
What type of splints are you wearing now? I've been wearing the Oval 8 plastic splints, on an as-needed basis. But multiple fingers have developed locking swan-neck deformities, and for my index finger, it's painful most of the time if I don't wear the splint. I am wearing one that I made for myself, similar to the murphy splint, but wanted the upgrade.
Piganli said:
Thanks, Stoney,
Good info. Looking into Voltaren.
The silver rings looks way cool...now that I have more months behind me and know what to expect these may be worth it. The splints i wear now get sooooo dirty!
This is my home made splint, similar to the murphy splint. Notice too the fashionable head wrap, as I have hair loss, particularly around the edges, due to leflunomide. You can't see the attractive thumb splint in this pic.
I use soft adjustable spica splints for my thumb issues and they work wonders. They provide support, I can adjust them to position my thumb properly, and they totally make the difference between being able to do all the typing and work with my hands that I do (blogging, homeschooling, volunteer work, housework, changing diapers, craft projects, etc.) and being in too much pain after just a short time.
I hope you find something that works for you!
The silver splints look awesome. I wish my body wasn't reacting to EVERY metal I come in contact with, including surgical steel!
Wow. I just have the $30 neoprene splints from the sports store. I didn't have an idea there were so many options.
Thanks!!
Andrew,
They are not in pain like my PSA joints. I say those feel like pinpricks of fire (or a white hot needle). The thumbs (not the DIP or joint closest to nail but the second and third joints towards the wrist) just ache solidly now and are weak and painful to touch. No swelling that I know of.
Sounds more like osteo?
I'm so glad the Enbrel is working for you !!!! Yay !!!!
Piganli- Reading through what you have written, I still encourage you to see a hand specialist. They can do some imaging, and then decide on an appropriate course of action. Right now, I had a custom splint made, primarily for the CMC joint. I also am doing some hand therapy, to strengthen the surrounding areas and stabilize, because that joint is very unstable. It's worth looking in to at least. Good luck with it.
I find 3/4 finger compression gloves really help when typing a lot on the computer (which I do often). They support all my fingers just that bit extra and it makes a huge difference. For more severe, specific joint problems I suggest trying some of the many finger splints suggested above. I have a hard time typing with my splints on, so I use the gloves.
Hi Stoney,
Did you find the sizing accurate for the Oval 8 splints? I keep seeing reviews saying either they fit great, or fit terribly. I would like to get one for my finger starting to swan-neck. I have a silver ring splint for the last joint, but it doesn't support enough.
Stoney said:
What type of splints are you wearing now? I've been wearing the Oval 8 plastic splints, on an as-needed basis.
The Oval 8 splints are fairly good. I have needed them for most fingers at different points, so I have sizes 5-10, I think. What I like about them is that they are cheap enough that if it doesn't work well, it's not a big deal. I think my biggest complaint regarding fit with them is that they are relatively wide. So if I am bending my finger a lot, it is more likely to rub, and possibly irritate.
This is why I tried making some of my own. There is someone on Etsy who is selling similar splints. Check her out here- http://www.etsy.com/listing/105019903/adjustable-steel-swan-neck-splint-for?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=ring+splint&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto1&ga_search_type=all
Oh Stoney I think you look beautiful with your head wrap and ring splint! We PsA women are so creative; way to make something wonderful out of something not so great! Bravo! <3
Thanks Michael.
michael in vermont said:
Oh Stoney I think you look beautiful with your head wrap and ring splint! We PsA women are so creative; way to make something wonderful out of something not so great! Bravo! <3
Do the splints help you to be able to write more neatly. I find when my fingers are swollen and sore that my writing suffers a lot.
Nothing is going to help me write more neatly at this point. It's legible, but even when my hands are not particularly bad, it's not great. When a finger is really acting up, it does get worse.
The splints help me keep my fingers in a better position, and from locking.
Wow. You guys are talking about my biggest problem at work. My poor hands! I start out the week with normal looking fingers and by the end of the week they are swollen and tender, especially on my right hand. I also get these little painful growths on my fingertips and dips. They appear on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning and then disappear over the weekend! I haven’t splinted them because I haven’t found anything that provides the correct support, but also allows me to use my hands. The ring splints look pretty nifty. I’ll have to read more about them. I had not heard of them until now and I’m not sure what they are intended to do. It looks like they would give me the mobility I need though. I’ll ask my mom the OT about them. Thanks guys!
Thanks for the info, sorry to hear that you are going through the same problem. my grandmother lost her ability to write completely and my writing is starting to look like hers so I worry if I will share the same fate.
Stoney said:
Nothing is going to help me write more neatly at this point. It's legible, but even when my hands are not particularly bad, it's not great. When a finger is really acting up, it does get worse.
The splints help me keep my fingers in a better position, and from locking.