Hi I read that fibromyalgia is not a swollen/inflammation disease BUT my fingers swell up terribly when I have a flare ! does anyone know ?

[Shazza1968]

Not a great photo

[Dizzytwo]

Hi Shazza, it could be a few reasons. Mine do the same. It could be OA, water retention or just heat. Same thing happens with my feet and toes. I dont have any reason to think its fibro related xx

[Hidden]

Hi Shazza. My fingers do the same during a flare at this time of year. The warm weather doesn’t suit me.

[claireandrew]

Yes I saw a consultant last week and swollen fingers are a symptom of fibromyalgia, I had mine confirmed

[JKW1]

Me too 🙋🌻

[Makie-Uppie]

I don't get swollen fingers what I do get is fingers that not longer bend (great for Karate chops not so good for anything else). What does swell up is the area between all the bones of my hand and my wrists. Looks like I'm wearing baseball gloves. When I poke them they are like jelly and painful. I showed the doctor and he said "that's just the Fibromyalgia, it will come and go". He gave me Piroxicam for inflamed tendons in my shoulder and as a side effect of applying it, it helps my hands too.

[Shazza1968 in reply to Makie-Uppie]

I have piroxicam for my back and sciatica I don’t get any relief from it 🥺 I use little spring rings which I roll up and down the fingers .. it’s quite therapeutic… it’s just all the write ups say it’s not an inflammatory disease !!

Spring rings on fingers

[Makie-Uppie in reply to Shazza1968]

F-word all over, what helps one person does not help another, quite fancy those ring things. A bit like biting your nails or cracking your knuckles without the negative connotations or annoying the perfect people. crunch crunch 😇

[Sahil2rahman]

Hi Shazza, sorry to hear what you suffer from and totally symphatize as I do too. I bizzarely am relieved to see someone else suffer from the same symptoms as myself have forever swollen hands which I haven't been able to explain and wanted to know if anyone else had the same effect of fybro. I think it might be looked at as just weight but I know what it should look like when its to do with weight and when it to do with swelling on hands and fingers and ankles. The conaultation who has only spoken over a phone call consultation (due to covid), never seen me face to face has explined why my inflammatory mark might be slight up down to me being over weight but I know lots of people who might be over weight but not necessarily suffer from swollen joints. Hope things get better as do for myself and all those out there that have and know what its like to have this fybro condition xx

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Sahil2rahman]

Hi Sahil2rahman, My fingers swell a bit sometimes but when I was playing violin regularly they never swelled. I am slightly overweight and suffer from one swollen ankle at times but that only started after I had an ulcer removed from my ankle three years ago. Having said that I am slightly overweight, I have learned that I have lost 3" in height, so that could make a difference to my BMI (I'll have to check). I think moving your fingers is the answer, or using a massage ball.

[Sahil2rahman in reply to MaggieSylvie]

Sorry to hear what you have and are encoutering MaggieSylvie, I think each person sufferring from FM either have few similar issues going on, while others have a whole set of other health related conditions intergrated and thats what makes each one of us distinguish in our own way and what we may encounter on a daily basis, nevertheless simataneously one thing is evident we all seem to have some form of health related matters (FM) that brings us together and most of the time we cant't explain but we understand its real, so I totally get where you coming from.

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Sahil2rahman]

Thanks Sahil, The swellings do not bother me too much; I have other issues, but overall, I think Fibromyalgia is making a lot of people very sick through pain. I am grateful my FM seems to be pretty much in remission.

[CheetieCat]

Hi Shazza, me too! I get quite a lot of swelling with pain (of course) in hands, wrists, ankles (or cankles as they sometimes look) feet & toes. Working really affects all of them, heat makes them a lot worse but I get it just the same in winter too so I'm a bit dubious of the no inflammatory involvement too. 🤷

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee]

People put everything down to fibro unfortunately. At least 1 in 5 people are likely to have a comorbid Autoimmune condition never mind some other condition. Add in age and general deterioration etc and pickling up more ailments then people should appreciate that fibro does not cause everything that happens to someone.

Women are more prone to swelling for example with water retention being common. More women are diagnosed with fibro. So there will be a correlation but this is not causation or indeed a relationship at all.

Consistently when they have looked at cohorts of people with fibro they have found no signs of inflammation i.e CRP and ESR tests.

[CheetieCat in reply to desquinn]

You're probably right but I'm sure there can be inflammation present with no markers at all, maybe that's more arthritis related?Saw this, thought it was quite interesting sciencedirect.com/science/a...

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to CheetieCat]

If you look at risks there are a number of concerns. Also they reference other FM studies that do not show CRP. More studies are needed.

[CheetieCat in reply to desquinn]

Absolutely

[Hidden in reply to CheetieCat]

Hi CheetieCat,All very confusing I have osteoarthritis in nearly all my bones diagnosed with fibromyalgia years ago my blood crp and esr all normal then, then 2 years ago symptoms changed all similar to fibromyalgia but with itching had bloods done again most inflammatory markers high constant utis and then sciatica and ferritin low white blood count low too I have stiff and swollen fingers had since start of fibromyalgia anyhoo had to have a biopsy showed non specific inflammation and again saw a rheumatologist who said osteoarthritis no follow up just had to accept until I’m at crisis???? I kept being told I’m depressed well who wouldn’t be when life is being limited but not enough depressed to add to the massive cache of drugs I have to take I did ask one health professional so it’s do or die situation then yep penalised and pushed to back of cue was also told X-ray of spine said not bad enough for injection so I asked was that from his experience of the pain or his perception so guess I’m not the most favourable person in their book

[CheetieCat in reply to Hidden]

Very much so! How they actually diagnose one from the other is beyond me but the amount of people I know who've basically been fobbed off with 'you're depressed or it's just the menopause or it's your age' is mind blowing. I wasn't even told I had OA, I just happened to see it on my physio paperwork!😩😩 Do wonder though how accepting or happy they would be waiting until they hit crisis?🥴

[Hidden in reply to CheetieCat]

I worry sometimes as they tell people don’t do Dr google but do they do Dr google I agree moving around and keeping active just hard to do when all you want to do is lay down it helps the OA in my spine but not helping with my fybro and fatigue they also say don’t tell me my job but I say don’t tell me how I’m feeling x

[CheetieCat in reply to Hidden]

Yes it's really galling getting told how much pain you're in!😩

My first appointment with a neurologist went like this, he gave me a diagnosis ( never heard of it ) after a thorough examination. I asked, will it get better? No, it will progress in the next 10 years but these tablets will help your migraines and you'll lose weight!😊 I was so relieved somebody actually listened to me after so long I didn't even think to be offended 🙈 So obviously straight to Dr Google & Neuropathy Forums or I would still be totally clueless. They basically give you no information & no other options so what do they expect??

[Hidden in reply to CheetieCat]

It is a relief in some ways to know what you have and to get treatment not that you want whatever it is but validate how you’ve been feeling I was told oh yes I know what that is off you go for a biopsy byeee well I think we should be informed about it biopsy comes back oh good it’s not cancer but your more at risk of getting it now just carry on with the steroids again byeee so Dr google tells me I’m autoimmune but non specific talk about confused.com the nhs are very busy dealing with covid don’t bother them again confused.com argh sooo mind messing x

[CheetieCat in reply to Hidden]

😩😩I know or satisfactory! What does that even mean? We can understand numbers😳Good moan!!🤣🤣

[Hidden in reply to CheetieCat]

🤣🤣😂😬🤪

[Hidden in reply to desquinn]

When I was diagnosed with fybro my bloods were all normal just had a skin biopsy and bloods show abnormal the biopsy reports non specific chronic inflammation don’t figure x

[Kitten50]

Hi, yes I get it too in hands, fingers, feet and toes. I have no idea if its fibro related or OA related but it can be very painful 😒x

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Drs sometimes appear too keen to put anything that has no other apparent cause down to fibromyalgia. I've had it happen myself where Dr has said there is no obvious cause so it is probably your fibromyalgia.

I get swelling on my feet /ankles mainly... Has been put down to issues with fluid not moving back up my legs properly - potentially due to limited movement due to fibro.

The way my dr put it, it sounded like my swelling was due to fibro - and while this was correct in that it was indirectly linked to me being less active due to fibro - it does not make it a fibro symptom.

[Lucyloo67]

Mine do too. Xx

[AllthatGlitters]

I get swollen feet and fingers, take water retention tablets and it goes away, get them on prescription 😀

[JayCeon]

Interesting discussion, since some fairly reputable sources (one a book) I read did see swellings as part of fibro (but watery, not inflammatory), which I never really could believe.