I have had Fibromyalgia since 1994 (Fortunately I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist who recognised fibromyalgia)
The last 6months my hands and fingers have become so painful. I tend to wake up with closed fists and to uncurl them is agonising and once I have done that they still remain extremely painful. I just wondered if anyone had this issue or it could be my arthritis.
Thanks
Could be either fibro or arthritis - would suggest you speak to your gp about it
Thanks but he can't decide either🤦♀️
Potentially both x
I have the same condition and have put it down to arthritis. I’m currently visiting family and have had a dreadful time with extensive pain in my back, left hip and leg. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll talk to my doctor re fibromyalgia which was also diagnosed by a rheumatologist about 25 years ago.
Yep I have this too.
Yes I’m struggling with hands and fingers really badly right now. It’s making my hobby of knitting and crochet nigh on impossible!
I’ve also noticed for the last few years that if I spend a reasonable time on my feet (work or leisure) my back is terrible. So much pain and stiffness in the lower back area that I can barely move for days😖
Yes I have something similar to this . More so in the cold. I try to keep warm and wear gloves. But I would have a word with your g. P
hey, yes I have this too. When it’s quite bad I wear compression gloves for a while and it helps. My feet always feel like they are burning too, I wear insoles as I have plantar fasciitis, but it is probably both 🤷♀️ I long to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed but alas I think that’s not for us fibro folk.
I am suffering with my hands very badly at the moment and have been for about three months now. Soaking them in warm water for about 3 minutes and then putting on compression gloves gives me enough time to Hoover, dust, and tidy around a room. Then I have to stop and do nothing else with my hands for at least 2 hours. I can then boil the kettle and fill a flask for tea or coffee to last me a day. I can only stand for about 10 minutes at a time, or my lower back goes into spasms. I have recently begun to wet myself on standing; according to my GP, it is my age. 🫣 . I know it's not, but I am too tired and hurting to argue; I have asked to see a different doctor to discuss my pain and mental health because my fibro flares are higher than they have ever been.
Gentle hugs 💜
That's total laziness on your GP's part!😫 Hope you see a better, more informed GP soon. Some GP's do deserve the bad rep they have right now, sadly I've met a couple too!
Sending gentle hugs 🤗
Hi Loki, I may be on the wrong track about this but my friend, the demon weeder who does my garden has taught me about 'trigger finger, which I have recently developed from doing too much with my hands and fingers. I don't know if this is basically the same you have or properly different to arthritis but I know I'm getting stiffer as I age because I've been overdoing everything and overworking the hand recently. - Even typing does it, and perhaps especially typing as that is very repetitive, so it could be repetitive strain as the cause.
If it's any help, I often find it easier to uncurl my finger if clutch all three fingers on the left tightly together and pull and then uncurl them all at once. Sometimes I press on the base of the worst finger just above the middle of the palm too and pull it about. Wearing plasters around the finger to stop me bending them completely also helps and I am trying the Chinese made splinty things you can get off Amazon. - Have just started using Voltarol on them and I think Boswellia capsules may help too, but I take these at different times. and always check for compatibility with other otc drugs or remedies I may be taking.
Sorry you have this horrible annoying thing to contend with. If mine gets much worse I'm thinking a one-off dry-needling session might help, or straighforward acupuncture even. My friend the demon weeder tells me that some people get an operation on their hands where the tendon is cut so it doesn't keep contracting but that seems a bit drastic. - Perhaps some spring warmth may help a bit! - In the meantime though, I hope you get to find out what the cause is and can get the right and totally appropriate treatment.
Hi, I was referred to Hand Therapy by the Rheumatologist, where I was advised to perform exercises and use Hand Putty (which is like Playdoh and involves squeezing and pinching) which massively helped. I have also been using Arnica gel which has been helpful for sore muscles , tendons and ligaments.
Thank you so much tje for your very welcome and helpful reply. I will look for Hand Putty and Arnica Gel on Amazon. Have used arnica cream occasionally before but have not tried gel ever. Arnica is good stuff.
I've been (gradually) cutting back a low elm hedge along my road boundary in the cold because it has to be finished by the time nesting starts and I need my hands to function and to recover. I can imagine putty might help with that a lot and it sounds like fun. My granddaughters will help me with it I'm sure! Thanks again and have a soreness and pain free year.
Hi KimiJay, I jusy wanted to come back to you and correct this, It was actually Arnica cream, my mistake! I have been researching since, and a brand called Weleda do an Arnica Bath Soak and Arnica Massage Balm. Available in Boots, with good reviews. I am hoping Arnica will be my salvation and on those bad days I will turn to it in all formulations!
Also, re the putty. I urge you to take guidance from a professional, this was a prescriptive exercise for my individual condition and it has helped strengthen my grip and relieved pain,but this was after being assessed and given bespoke things to do. Sorry if I gave the impression that this is a remedy for across the board. Perhaps read up on it before you make a purchase? Best of luck!
Thanks tje. Please put your mind at rest. I am delighted with both purchases which came this morning. The 'Arnica gel I chose comes in a round plastic bottle with a plunger to get a measured amount out and it is easy to spread and not gloopy at all. It is also just the thing also for my upper leg muscles on and off as well as my hands, fingers and wrists which are threatening to cramp up because I was working in the garden twice this week. I can't take my prescribed quinine right now if my upper thighs seize up in a muscle spasm because I've been taking lots of magnesium and you can get a really bad reaction when the two of them mix. The gel is much better than the cream because the skin absorbs it and I know it will help the muscles lots. My failsafe if I have a real problem with anything is my brilliant chiropractor and/or the dry needling lady that works for her practice, so thanks, I'm covered.
My hands got worse since I plastered in some cracks the week before last with some ready mixed polyfilla I wanted to use up. We are having a massive amount of work done by a plasterer but I did the bit at skirting board level a couple of weekends ago and that is still very uncomfortable! - When I tried out the hand putty which came today I chose the softer green one. It was just the right softness for a safe workout and felt nice to do. It is going to be so much fun (especially with the grandkids) and I think it may help with my typing and handwriting which have been going downhill. - I think I'm very fortunate not to have arthritis. I think I would go mad if I had to contend with that kind of pain too. A friend has it and it's cruel!
Re: the bath soaks, be aware perhaps of how slippery they make the bottom of the bath. I once got to rescue an elderly client who had been gifted with some and found she kept slipping when she was trying to get out. I've slipped on similar too from a kind relative who gave me some. I mostly use epsom salts now and mostly use the bath gel to make the loo smell nicer! ... It's a good move to have a small towel by the bath to put under you in the bath if it does prove too slippery!
I do take homeopathic arnica sometimes if thoroughly worn out after a hard day and it doesn't clash with anything. Anyway, thanks again for what has proved to be the prompt I needed to get back into working with what are pretty much helpful and healing things.
Oh thats a relief! The gel sounds great what brand is it can I ask and where did you purchase it? Always good to have recommendations! I feel I need to loosen my tight muscles in the hips and buttocks, I am like the tin man in the film Wizzard of Oz!
Is the homeopathic arnica something you purchased or were you prescribed that? I would not have a clue what dosage to take and when. I am really interested as I feel worn out somedays if I have walked around town for an hour or so, it just floors me and I am worried about this interring with my ability to get back into my business, which prior to my car accident I was getting sorted to prepare for a new start!
The putty is great! I do my exercises whilst I am relaxing watching tv, its so therapeutic too. Hope it helps you!
Have a lovely weekend with your grandkids
Hi again, tje. I ordered Arnica Gel made by Anagel off Amazon because three of us in the house make it worth while paying a lump sum each year for free deliveries. - I hope to prove the gel will really prevent cramps. - You may be interested in what is called a Serola Belt too. Amazon also sell that. Mine cost 36 quid from my chiropractor. It does up twice on velcro so after fixing the belt around you another set of muscles really get pulled in so the inner hip and butt muscles are made to work. If I don't wear mine as often as I should it is because it gets to be a hassle with pee frequency but can feel comforting having something supporting round that area and it's good internally if you go walking.
Homeopathic arnica is good and safe also to take with anything. Doctors don't think or even worry about it because they all dismiss homeopathy. Your local healthfood shop though, will probably have a number of endearing owner/assistants - mostly ladies probably, who know all about it and can advise. Basically, the smaller the dose the more effective, but a bucketful with do nothing at all because homeopathy works with a strategy of minute doses. The little round pills are either made with sucrose or with lactose. They are good for when you've overdone things and have helped me in the past when I have felt worn out after working flat out at something. - Otherwise, try 1 tsp of d'ribose rather than glucose but not later than late afternoon unless you want to be on the go all evening and you still need to program in lots of rests so you don't get completely worn down.
Sorry to hear about your car accident and the frustration of your business setback. Good that you are battling on to get going again! Keep going. Spring is coming! - After over 20 years I'm still trying to get a messy mass of stuff sorted out so I have time to start finishing things I've started writing, but life events and the plans that make life feel more worthwhile, are the rugs that fibromyalgia constantly pulls out from under our feet... How high can the frustration get I wonder!? ... Best wishes with it all. Will look forward to your posting about your business getting under way.
Thank you KimiJay, good to know your recommendations and Ive noted them all. I had a response from the Homeopath I was considering, it was a lot more than I thought. I may just read up and then call the homeopathic pharmacy in London to confirm and order something.
Yes hoping to go for it business wise, the fatigue does worry me as in my business theres quite of lot energy required in certain occassions, but I hope to be able to factor this in to planning so that I can recruit a younger fitter someone to do the energetic stuff so I dont peg out!
It seems as though you are a writer, how wonderful. Are you based in the UK?
Sending healing positive wishes your way 😊
Hi tje. Calling up the London Homeopathic pharmacy to check it's the right remedy is a great idea! Wish I had thought of that. Yes, I am in the UK and have used two of the online pharmacies occasionally but brainfog is blocking the names out. - I was impressed by how well Potentilla worked as a remedy when my youngest got depressed after long term bullying at school. That remedy came from a local homeopath where we lived before and got an intense reaction that was then treated by a second pill.
The writing is just something I enjoy doing and I've met some lovely people in local writing groups I've joined in the past and had great times sharing work. It's very therapeutic and entertaining as we had many laughs. - Have always liked writing poetry but I had set out to qualify for work doing dramatherapy but that didn't quite work out. Was very much a stay at home mother, cleaner, cook, with odd jobs for years but had opportunities to work part time in geriatric care and a psychiatric unit. - I met a wonderful lady who is a fantastic music therapist and composer so we worked on a couple of children's stories together including a CD, many years ago but we were both bringing up families and she found an incredible direction in her life to follow. She had and still has incredible energy, but unbeknown to me, I was getting into menopause and sliding down into the wonderful realms of fibro-fog. Strange how she and I were both subject to migraines, but maybe her American genetics possessed the pioneer woman resolve and 'get out of jail card'!
I would be really interested to hear more about your business plans and how it all goes. If it is difficult to do that on here, I think there's some way of corresponding privately via this site if that would work for you and I'm intrigued to know more if you want to share them. Lol! I am saying this not even having done my Christmas letters this year! - Long story that and not just about fibro, but anyway, your plans sound interesting if you want to share them! - In the past I would have suggested keeping a journal about starting up a business, except the trouble with that of course is, as you say, the lack of energy for projects which is why I am still trying to get up to date with several boxes of writing ideas and also trying to finish cutting the hedge in the lovely sunshine outside. - Good luck with your proposed business anyway. Hope the homeopathy helps.
Hi 20Loki21,
What a coincidence that was the same year I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFS. I haven’t had the painful hands like you describe but do have occasional pain in a finger or thumb just random non consistent pain in my hands. It could be fibro or arthritis. I’m going through a similar issue with my back and neck. I would start with your GP then rheumatologist. I hope you relief soon.
Hi 2oLoki21Hi to everyone else reading
I'm having the same issues as alot of you, I was diagnosed by a rhymatologist with fibromyalgia many years ago, prior to this I was diagnosed by my GP with CFS
I also have widespread osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis in cervical, thoracic and lumber areas, basically all of my spine is affected.
Lately I too have been suffering really badly from pain in my hands and thumb area. Like many of you, my GP can't decide if it's caused by fibro, stenosis or arthritis. She has advised me to try wearing a wrist and thumb support which I purchased from amazon, she also prescribed extra strength ibuprofen gel (prescription only)
I also take prescription meds for pain relief. I have found since using the wrist supports and the gel it has eased the pain.
Gentle hugs 🫂 to all my fellow sufferers x
Hi Loki
I have had this painful problem with my hands and fingers for years now, even though I’ve only been diagnosed with Fibro for about a year. I would liken them to blocks of wood in the morning that are fairly unmovable and also when it’s too hot or too cold. I have fibrous tissue forming in the joints also that was found via ultrasound.
I find it helpful to put them in a fairly warm sink of water and wash them to massage them. And I also do yoga poses that stretches your hands onto the floor with some of your own weight. Just keep them moving and mobile as much as you can. There are times when they are so painful that I put some ibuprofen gel on them and put some cotton gloves over the top to get some relief.
Hope any of this helps
Swollen Fingers Knuckles and Wrists
Swelling in hands and feet
Hands 
Hands
