I have them. They come and go right? Mine last a couple of days or so. I get them mostly on my fingers. I've never really gotten an explanation from the doctors.

Hi Miss Robbie. Yes they do come and go. Niether have I gotten any explanations from doctors. Thank for the info..

I have read about RA nodules. I wonder if that might be what they are? I had several large, swollen,and VERY painfull lumps that developed about 4 months after I was first afflicted...BUT it was diagnosed as Eryethema Nodosum. I had them for several month afterwards and was very ill during those months.(I was wheel chair bound during that time because my feet and ankles were so swollen and tender I couldn't even walk to the bathroom.) They slowly went away after I was on prednisone for a while. I don't know of that worked, or they just went away. This was at the peak of my pain and disability. Has anybody ever experienced or contracted Eryethema Nodosum? This is what I was first diagnosed with, and a year and a half later they realized I had RA. I wonder what the connection is...if there is one? Another Perplexing ailment!

Found this on the web. I never got a good answer from my doctor either, other than to say it was par for the course.

What are rheumatoid nodules?

As part of the rheumatoid process, firm, non-tender, subcutaneous nodules develop in about 25 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients. These are commonly found at pressure points like the elbow, back of the forearm, and metacarpophalangeal joint. Nodules usually occur in chronic active cases of rheumatoid arthritis, and are commonly associated with more joint deformity and serious extra-articular manifestations including lungs, eyes, and blood vessels. Nodules may vary in size during the course of the disease process, according to Raymond Federman, M.D.

Complications of rheumatoid nodules

Johns Hopkins claims complications of rheumatoid nodules include:

pain
limited joint mobility
neuropathy
ulceration
fistula formation
infection

Surgical removal is an option, but nodules tend to reoccur in as little as a few months when they are present over an area of repeated trauma. Intranodular steroid injections may reduce the size of the nodule.

i get them they are called nodules...mine seem to stay longer now then they used to!

Yeah, I've had them in my palms, fingers and elbows. My RA is under control right now (with MTX and Plaquenil) and I haven't had any nodules for over a year.

I don't have them but my mom does. They are fatty tumors. Almost all the time they are benign but docs like to get a biopsy just to make sure. I don't think the ra itself can cause hem but i know that it is a side effect of some meds. Check the material on the side effects of all meds you are taking RA meds and other meds. They should just be fatty deposits under the skin. Hope this helps.