Fed up day :/

[Jillybean1983]

Well still pretty new to this, diagnosed Sero Positive in March 2013 and hands looking vey different, the little pinky is bent now and ring finger had drifted in, I have only noticed this today, didn't expect my hands to change so quickly :/ fed up

[sylvi]

Jillybean,it is hard to come to terms with what this disease does to us doesn't it.xx

[Hidden]

my hand looks exactly same kinked little finger, and third finger from little finger is the one that has drifted in three and half years but im sero negative

[Hidden]

Hi - my left hand looks similar too but my right has little finger sticking right out away from the others. When I asked about this two people in the room showed theirs with other kinks and strange deviations but they don't have RA? Not saying its normal but then Osteoarthritis affects our hands too as we age. Your little finger looks like the one that is most different but hopefully the drugs you are now taking will prevent any further drift. You could ask to see a physio and an occupational therapist who may give you some exercises and devices to help prevent deviation. Its early days so try not to worry too much. Tilda x

[Jillybean1983]

It's bizarre, i was just looking through pictures and noticed how different they looked in 3 months difference, Tilda: I really hope it's not my age I'm only 29! Ill be buggered by 40 haha I just didn't expect any of this so I'm a bit miffed off x

[Hidden in reply to Jillybean1983]

Oh poo silly me - so your are I see your date of birth now. I too am far more aware of my hands than I ever was before - I've even started including them in my artwork monitoring the changes by stitching round then and photographing them. As others say my hands always used to be so neat and personable. The methotrexate really has helped mine a lot though. Hopefully yours will be better controlled soon too. Tilda x

[allanah]

Hi Jilly, mine look the same! Although this week after my lovely steroid they r having a holiday and nice and slim!! I talked tomy Rheumy about mine and he said I actually don't have much joint damage it's mainly due to my ligaments getting inflamed and then getting tight. There is a release job for the little finger but think I will put up with this little idiosyncrasy for now!! Hope they settle down soon with your treatment.

My physio gave me hand massage which was sore t the time but then started to ease the ligaments and hot wax baths which were lovely! Also the OT gave me splints but they mainly or me help your wrists and thumbs not so much knuckles and fingers.

I was worried to about looking like an old witchiepoo but as the treatment went on it seems to improve. Oh and love all your expensive bling on those fingers lol xxxxxxx

[mille]

Hi Jilly,

I worry too about my hands and i am always looking at them as they are swollen and i had to get my rings altered recently. When your medication becomes really effective they will stop the damage or at least slow it down and sometimes i have noriced my hands looking quite normal again so i think when the swelling goes down they do look improved. By the way, no one would notice anything wrong with your hands unless you pointed it out and some people even without r/a hands are not perfect. xx

[mille]

Meant to say, ask the physio for some splints as they can help, you don't have to wear them all the time but they do help. x

[craftygal]

Sorry to hear your hands are starting with problems.Plz tell me how you put phots of them on here as.I would like to show my hands too. Do hope that you feel some relief soon.

[jeanabelle]

Maybe it's a woman thing too. I always has very small, dare I say dainty hands. My rings always had to be cut to child size. All my life people would comment on how small they were, i dont get those kind of comments anymore! The problem I have with my hands is that when I'm not concentrating on them they naturally want to turn in on themselves. They form a loose fist with the tips of my fingers touching my palms. Is anyone else like that?

[cazh in reply to jeanabelle]

Hi

I've noticed this curling up effect with my hands. I always want to straighten them out at night though and find myself sleeping with a hand stretched out under my pillow. I've also noticed, like Tilda my right little finger sticking right out - it's quite painful if I try to push it back with the others.

[jeanabelle in reply to cazh]

That's amazing, I do that too! Jean x

[allanah in reply to jeanabelle]

ye the physio gives me exercises as i don't want them to stay like that, they have a "hand clinic" that i go to , maybe your team will have one.

[Franbie]

I have the same problem with my little fingers too. I have not been diagnosed with RA yet but I have a family history so still doing the rounds until someone gives me an answer to my problems. My dad & my sister were both sero negative & I don't show any positives on the blood tests I have had. I do worry that things are happening quite quickly with my hands & wrists. I have a big lump on the inside of my wrist which I am under the hospital for at the moment.

[Jillybean1983]

Thanks for all your replies, it's interesting to read them all. Cazh: I always sleep with my hands under my pillow as flat as possible, I see my rheumy nurse and multi disciplinary team in a few weeks so ill find out more then, I wear a splint now but it's more wrist than hand and fingers x

[7thheaven]

I have the same problem with my thumbs, used to have lovely hands but in 2 months the thumbs look like z thumbs, I know it's upsetting, I go to a hand exercise class, which helps, is there any exercises classes near you, a wax bath helps too. Keep your chin-up. Much love to you and all others that suffer from this disease xxx

[rattusrattus]

same here with my little finger on my left hand -it's curling inward at the joint near the nail but wants to move away from the others maybe at the knuckle?. i also have difficulty moving my fingers on my left hand too - especially if my arm is outstretched, if i have my elbow bent and my arm close to my body it isn't too bad but as soon as they're outstretched i'm going to be dropping things and having trouble gripping - also it isn't pain that stops them working - they just dont co-operate.

some of my toes are heading outwards too - i never wore high heels or pointy shoes but they look like i've been squeezing them into winkle picking pointys. again especially on the left side, i'm left handed so i don't need weekness on my best side. i don't know if i'm wrong here, but the loose fists might be something which is more tendon related than the actual joint. it sounds like a wrist problem. it is a scary feeling, especially when your under 50 - i'm worried about whats around the corner too because my hip hurts after walking short distances - i use a crutch but that messes my shoulder up for most of the following days afterwards and i dont like going far without some walking aid now. if i fall outside i dont think i'll get up!

[Kittykatxxxxx]

Hi Jilly I feel the same as you except my hands look worse. Hope we can both sort it out. Take care x