Erosive hand osteoarthritis

[Pippins2]

Hi I have severe erosive osteoarthritis in the DIP joints of my fingers .The pain is unresponsive to medication and I am considering fusion surgery .Has anyone had this done and was it successful? PIC shows my index finger which is affected compared to unaffected middle fingerThankyou

[Madlegs1]

Looks nasty-- and must be painful.

I hope you can get a successful treatment. 💚

[wonkydonky]

I have erosive arthritis and have had 4 DIP joints fused and it definitely helps with the pain. Also had some PIP joints replaced. Makes living more bearable just frustrating as obviously joints don’t bend when fused. Good luck

[Pippins2 in reply to wonkydonky]

Hi Wonkydonky thanks for your reply, good to know your fusion has been successful and helped your pain .Can I ask apart from the fusion surgery have you found anything else helpful, any meds /splints etc ? Thanks again

[wonkydonky in reply to Pippins2]

I have oval 8’s for each finger, support splints soft and hard, total resting splints but the best thing is a huge mitten like a boxing glove that has a liner filled with microbeads The whole thing heats in microwave and keeps hands lovely and warm

[Cup-cake7]

I use Cbd obvs without the thc kick when pain overwhelming. It works for me

[Awesomeanji]

Hi there, finally, I'm not alone!. I was diagnosed with E.A back in 2018, docs have determined that mine is both hereditary and down to a weakened immune system, hence mine has been aggressive. At the beginning of 2023 I finally got to see a Rheumatologist, then in May of that year I was invited to receive steroid injections to various parts of my hands, unfortunately out of 3 injections, only 1 actually went in, that was in the palm of hand, the other 2 couldn't be done as there was no space between the joints. It was actually at this point that they declared declared that my ea, was aggressive. If I had been referred earlier, they stated, them they could have tried Methotrexate to slow its progression, has your Rheumatologist suggested it yet?, as from your pick, your nowhere near as nobbly bobbly as myself!. October of 23 they wrote me off Rheumatology and referred me to Orthopedics, so August of this year I saw the surgeon. After my consultation they have now declared that I am officially a salvage operation!, they strongly suggested that I have bone fusion to 3 of my dodgy digits!. There in lies a problem, 21 yrs ago, I broke my Ulna, was in plaster for 10 weeks, bone wasn't regenerating, 3 weeks after, my ulna broke again, so back in plaster for another 10 weeks, followed by 3 months in plaster splint, so I know I'm looking at a minimum of 10 weeks recovery, time I can ill afford as my husband is disabled and I am his care giver. I sat with my consultant at length about my concerns, I also told him to give me brutally honest answers, he did. The consultant rang me back late October, he had taken on board everything I had said, it was a revelation as far as I was concerned, so we have now put a hold on the fusion at the moment, however knowing that my rate of progression is rapid, he has offered me an open appointment in his clinic for the next 12 months, plus I can ring in at any time should I need splints etc. I am intolerant to most strong painkillers, they make me sick. I have found worst pain is from the inflammation, as an avid coffee drinker n I like mine strong, I have used CBD infused coffee, I drink 2-3 mugs of Skull Crusher Cbd infused coffee throughout the morning, and I always have another mug of coffee when I go to bed, found its really helped with the inflammation, I've got none now!. On really painful days, usually mornings, I use Flexiseq Max gel, to help aid a bit more movement before the pain sets in again, and I can just about cope with Solphedine Max fizzy tablets, though they do make you feel rather floaty!. Heat helps to, so I've got a thermal base layer, and winter jacket, both heated, I use a heat lamp when needed etc. Am including a pic of my hands, however this was taken some time ago now, so things are slightly worse now x

View of erosive finger arthritis