Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction.
Hi all, I've been a member on here *or a while, but never thought to join the arthritis *orum till now...lol BTW, my * key doesn't work so I use a star.
I have had symptoms since I was about 12. Till the last 2 years or so, I had mostly mild to bad pain in various joints and just used Ibupro*en or Tylenol. A lot o* times, it would be worse when it would get cold or rainy.
A couple o* years ago, I started having really bad pain in my *ingers which went on *or 2 to 3 months and then went away. Then last summer, the 1st 3 *ingers o my right hand began to hurt and swell. They curled under and I lost my grip. Anytime I barely hit my hand or jammed it into something, I had severe pain. Next, I started having carpal tunnel symptoms: tingling, numbness, etc. I had morning sti**ness, and o*ten woke early. I started wearing a brace on that hand and then it began in the 1st 2 *ingers o* the le*t hand.
I *inally went to my doc as this greatly a**ects my work as a cake decorator. He said it was unusual to see this in someone my age --I am 30. He tested me *or RA and prescribed anti-in*lammatories. My dad and his bro both had RA, but my test came back negative. He told me to take Osteo-Bi*lex and that he wasn't sure what kind, but that it was arthritis.
By September or so, most o* the pain and swelling had cleared. A *ew months later, the pain and swelling in the 1st 2 *ingers on the le*t side was back. It has been mostly mild until the last 2 or so months.
*or the last month or 2, I wake up with pain and sti**ness. It gets better a*ter an hour or so. The pain in the right hand is coming back and I am once again losing my grip. The underside o* my right wrist is sore and swollen, and I get sporadic shooting pain there as well. My le*t thumb is swollen and tender at the joint where it connects to the hand and my index *inger looks like a sausage...lol
My mom thinks I have carpal tunnel. I have explained to her that arthritis can cause the symptoms as well, or even lead to carpal tunnel. BTW --I have no wrist pain in the le*t hand.
My doc isn't sure what kind o* arthritis I have. It pretty much runs on both sides o the *amily. My grandpa is on his 3rd pair o* replacement knee caps at 81!
I have read that up to 30% o* people with RA that are diagnosed negative, actually do have it. I have noticed that my hands are worse in the humidity and that it is a*ecting me this year around the same time as it did last year.
Anywho, I thought that I'd ask others with arthritis or their opinions. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!!!
I have had symptoms since I was about 12. Till the last 2 years or so, I had mostly mild to bad pain in various joints and just used Ibupro*en or Tylenol. A lot o* times, it would be worse when it would get cold or rainy.
A couple o* years ago, I started having really bad pain in my *ingers which went on *or 2 to 3 months and then went away. Then last summer, the 1st 3 *ingers o my right hand began to hurt and swell. They curled under and I lost my grip. Anytime I barely hit my hand or jammed it into something, I had severe pain. Next, I started having carpal tunnel symptoms: tingling, numbness, etc. I had morning sti**ness, and o*ten woke early. I started wearing a brace on that hand and then it began in the 1st 2 *ingers o* the le*t hand.
I *inally went to my doc as this greatly a**ects my work as a cake decorator. He said it was unusual to see this in someone my age --I am 30. He tested me *or RA and prescribed anti-in*lammatories. My dad and his bro both had RA, but my test came back negative. He told me to take Osteo-Bi*lex and that he wasn't sure what kind, but that it was arthritis.
By September or so, most o* the pain and swelling had cleared. A *ew months later, the pain and swelling in the 1st 2 *ingers on the le*t side was back. It has been mostly mild until the last 2 or so months.
*or the last month or 2, I wake up with pain and sti**ness. It gets better a*ter an hour or so. The pain in the right hand is coming back and I am once again losing my grip. The underside o* my right wrist is sore and swollen, and I get sporadic shooting pain there as well. My le*t thumb is swollen and tender at the joint where it connects to the hand and my index *inger looks like a sausage...lol
My mom thinks I have carpal tunnel. I have explained to her that arthritis can cause the symptoms as well, or even lead to carpal tunnel. BTW --I have no wrist pain in the le*t hand.
My doc isn't sure what kind o* arthritis I have. It pretty much runs on both sides o the *amily. My grandpa is on his 3rd pair o* replacement knee caps at 81!
I have read that up to 30% o* people with RA that are diagnosed negative, actually do have it. I have noticed that my hands are worse in the humidity and that it is a*ecting me this year around the same time as it did last year.
Anywho, I thought that I'd ask others with arthritis or their opinions. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!!!
Do you have any cervical spine issues?
I had to look up cervical spine issues --and no I don't have any pain in the neck, shoulder, or arms. Only in my hands and wrists.
I *ell at work and hit the let wrist on a metal cabinet a *ew weeks ago and it swelled *or a couple o* weeks and I have been having sharp pains occasionally --like when using a rolling pin and putting stress on the wrist.
I had surgery on my le*t elbow when I was 7 and have tendonitis there that *lares *rom time to time. At 12, I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis.
I have pain in many joints *rom time to time. Sometimes my knees hurt so bad, I can barely walk and some times the bones in my eet will hurt making it painful to take steps. When I get down on my knees or a period o* time it is o*ten painful to get back up. My back seems to have a permanent crick in I and every time I bend over it's a little painful to stand back up. I learned that I can no longer jump down rom anything because the pain in the bones o* my *eet when I do is unbearable...lol
1st I did think that I had carpal tunnel since it presented itsel* 1st in the hand that I use *or work, and I may very well have it in the right hand. But, I don't think that I hand have it in the le*t hand. I've never had any o* the symptoms in that hand. I have had the tingling, numbness, and pain in my right hand and wrist. No shooting pain up the arm to the shoulder though. My doc seemed to think that the swelling o the arthritis was also working with the carpal tunnel to make it existent.
Anywho, thank you or your advice. I plan to make another appointment with my doc and see i I can get a referral to a specialist. ((HUGS))