Feet and hands killing me

[Bluebud]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has or is suffering from corns ulcers and hard skin on there feet and hands and if this may have something to do with the Lupus and RA which I have. It has just come from no where. I am in a great deal of pain and very tired. Cannot put any shoes or slippers on and can barley walk. My feet are bright red and feel like they are on fire just want to put them in cold water all the time but then this brings on Raynaulds Syndorme. I am in agony.

[Barnclown]

Hello bluebud. Am v much feeling for you. I can identify with these symptoms big time. I have them in my hands & feet too

Yes, there are various causes of this sort of burning, but my feeling is that researchers are discovering that erythromelalgia & its variations are implicated in many burning symptomologies

My suggestion is that you ask your Drs about simultaneous raynauds & erythromelalgia. I was diagnosed 5 years ago, and have gradually had some success managing & minimising this complicated, contradictory and downright miserable combination.

Please think carefully about trying to manage by immersion in cold water. If you do have raynauds & erythromelalgia, the expert advice is that soaking in cold water is definitely not appropriate and can do you harm. You can find out more about thus online. Very few doctors seem to know much about erythromelalgia, but a good up to date rheumatologist or complex regional pain syndrome expert should know something. The best erythromelalgia introduction, I feel, is on Wikipedia, where simultaneous raynauds & erythromelalgia is mentioned. The wiki website includes excellent up to date info re diagnosis & treatment (including lifestyle stuff):

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ery...

Erythromelalgia is also described on the Raynauds & Scelroderma association website (and you'll find others who have this on the R&S association's healthunlocked forum, right here in communities):

raynauds.org.uk/associated-...

I've posted on here at length about this condition and its combination with raynauds, so I probably shouldn't ramble on again here now, but with a forum search for erythromelalgia &/or burning feet, quite a lot should surface for you here...there have been lots of others describing these symptoms affecting hands + feet, & me replying at length

And for loads of advice re lifestyle management of these sort of ghastly burning symptoms, the erythromelalgia association website & Facebook page are hard to beat (whether you're diagnosed with erythromelalgia or not, the tips you'll find there are better than anything i've found elsewhere, regardless of the actual cause of your burning symptoms)

facebook.com/erythromel...

erythromelalgia.org

wishing you every best wish...my feeling is that you will find your way to managing this successfully....it's all about trial & error, and getting used to your daily cycle of flaring symptoms & how they respond to what, in my experience: keep on having a go exactly as you are already: e.g. avoid caffeine, alcohol, processed foods...i use v light layers of bedding so i can stick my feet & hands out of the bedding...and i go to bed with legwarmers & bedsocks + booties i can strip off when the burning is unbearable. Unfortunately, activity like massage & walking can stimulate the pain & burning symptoms to flare, so I always wear v light socks and footwear I can take off easily at breaks. i find heavy duty moisturising with shea butter helps my feet cope, and i make sure any hard skin is filed off regularly. arnica gel also is quite soothing. I do think my sle treatment plan does go someway to slightly reducing my RP&EM (daily hydroxy + myco + amitrip, with pred tapers as required & loads of prescription topical steroids etc etc)...but vasodilators like nifedipine make it much worse!

good luck xo🌻🍀