Rheumatoid 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. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Has anyone had their RA cause their swollen joints to turn blue & purple?
I ask this because yesterday I noticed the knuckle on my right pointer finger swelled to 3x normal size. It was sore to the touch but not achy. I had been moving a lot of big rocks in garden making new beds. So I took 2mg prednisone + aspirin at lunch and then went on a long trail ride to test out a young tn walking horse I might buy. By end of ride my knuckle had turned blue and around it was purple over half hand. Still was just a bit tight feeling when I made fist and only hurt when I pressed down on it with other hand.
Figuring that I had actually hurt it or caused a stress fracture - I iced it last night and took an antiinflammatory. Woke up and looked at it. Swelling is down by half, color is almost normal, still tight and still a bit sore to pressure.
Now I did give into craving for grains yesterday and ate a bowl of granola. But gluten usually just causes general joint achiness for me. Not drastic swelling. I'm still wondering if this is RA or injury? Don't remember smashing knuckle at all - nor was I stung. I've had quite a few 24-48 hour hit-and-run flares in reaction to food allergies - but they were always red and swollen - not blue & purple.
Anyone else here had this?
I ask this because yesterday I noticed the knuckle on my right pointer finger swelled to 3x normal size. It was sore to the touch but not achy. I had been moving a lot of big rocks in garden making new beds. So I took 2mg prednisone + aspirin at lunch and then went on a long trail ride to test out a young tn walking horse I might buy. By end of ride my knuckle had turned blue and around it was purple over half hand. Still was just a bit tight feeling when I made fist and only hurt when I pressed down on it with other hand.
Figuring that I had actually hurt it or caused a stress fracture - I iced it last night and took an antiinflammatory. Woke up and looked at it. Swelling is down by half, color is almost normal, still tight and still a bit sore to pressure.
Now I did give into craving for grains yesterday and ate a bowl of granola. But gluten usually just causes general joint achiness for me. Not drastic swelling. I'm still wondering if this is RA or injury? Don't remember smashing knuckle at all - nor was I stung. I've had quite a few 24-48 hour hit-and-run flares in reaction to food allergies - but they were always red and swollen - not blue & purple.
Anyone else here had this?
Went to my medical group's walk in. Got xray (BTW one of the main diagnostics with stress fractures is they don't show up on xrays until healing begins)... nothing showed up. Left with tramodal, an ace bandage and NO clear diagnosis. The RNP said I could call her in 2-3 days if I want an MRI set up.
$25 and three hours for nothing... THAT'S why I never bothered to go back for the second and third foot fracture. The old doctor diagnosed the stress fracture first time and told me to go buy a boot online. Nothing he could help me with but pain killers...
I now have purple bruising showing up on palm side too. Half of the hand is now purple. Guess the diclofenac sodium I took last night is the only antiinflammatory I can get hands on for this.... Treating myself from my old stash again...
And no one can tell me why a healthy, active 41 year old is getting these purple swollen hands and feet from everyday activities like simply walking and picking up 5-10lb rocks... My bone density scans were low-normal. But normal enough apparently..
Grrrr...it's very frustrating to not have any preventative treatments/supplements/etc offered as suggestions by the clinic. She just shrugged when I asked for advice...
Swelling's mostly gone except a knot next to pointer knuckle right along where tendon runs.
I'll let it go with prescribed wrapping and pain meds until Sunday/ Monday. Have my first horse endurance race in six years this weekend. Thankgod my horses steer with one hand and my teen daughter's competing with me. She can do what I can't with this bum hand. I'll go to the walk in with the old grizzled doctor who diagnosed my foot stress fracture on Monday or Tuesday after work.... never go back to the RNP lady.
Still doesn't hurt a fraction of when RA flare hits joints. Sad to be so pain tolerant nowadays... but that's our lot in life...
Mom with her advanced RA and twisted hands, rode pony last weekend while I tested new horse. Her only difficulty is swinging leg over and getting off and on. My daughter helps her. But again, her RA has never really hit back or hips much.
It really depends on where your RA is flaring. And smooth gaited horses are the only way to go. In fact I sold two small gaited horses over the last 2 weeks. One went to a 78 year old man with lots of OA. The other to an older couple where the wife had a hard time walking due to fibro.
But its also where your interest are too. I've been horse crazy since I was little.
I pray you get some relief soon Sally
Still a little tightness making a fist with the pointer. I'm just going to keep wearing my old carpal tunnel brace I wore for all those years RA targeted the wrists. It protects most of the hand and reminds me to be careful.
Still haven't a clue as to what happened to this darned hand though! Grrrrrrrrrr... want to avoid a second round