I recently saw my doctor regarding what is obviously arthritis in my fingers. She seemed quite dismissive despite the significant changes.

I am 67 years old and have had arthritis for many years. Although I have had 2 total knee replacements and have pain elsewhere, the problem with my fingers only started to develop a year or so ago. I have got used to arthritis over the years but the issue with my fingers is quite bluntly terrifying me. I had the uncomfortable feeling my doctor's perception of my fingers was that it was tough but that is that. No treatment was offered. Without boring everyone to death, both hands are affected , the joints towards the tips are swelling significantly and the small fingers are beginning to turn inwards. There is some pain particularly when I attempt to grip objects coupled with a loss of ability to close my hand tightly. What I would like to know is should my doctor be offering treatment and what should this be ?

[summer32]

My mum (71) has had the same she has finger swelling. deformation since her late 50s early 60s, when she came to my first rhuem appoint nearly 4 years ago,, rheum said dismissivilvy thats osteo arthritis?? mum was 67 then.. hard to know as she didnt go to GP when younger.. my symptons started at 45 and I have slight finger drift and swollen middle finger joints which is suspect how mums started?? the considered diagnosis being inflammatory arthritis for mine..

I dont think there is much treatment other than pain killers if osteo but dmards can be used if an inflammatory sort of arthritis such as rhuematoid.. have you seen a consultant? if ont ask for a referral.

[Hidden]

Many thanks summer32.....my doctor didn't suggest whether it was osteo or rheum but up to now all other joints have been osteo. Really strange since up to now I have been offered some form of treatment for all my other joints but I get (maybe wrongly) the impression that fingers are somehow dismissed. I have had no referrals for the fingers but I clearly need to go back to my doctor and be more strident in asking for help. To be honest despite the arthritis I have had for some time I have been quite upbeat about it and adopted a view that "I can still do this"....rather than "I can no longer do that". Like most people its tangible support that is needed however small. Thanks again for your advice.

[Hidden]

Hello. I have very similar stuff going on in my hands too. I am only 50 and mine started 2 years ago. I do have RA but the OA started shortly after the RA. They are very different once you look into it. OA affects the DIP joints - the ones closest to the finger nails and RA affects the knuckles and the middle joints on fingers and the swelling is hot and spongy compared to OA. The pain of RA is excruciating - as if something was fractured, whereas OA is just sore and stiff - but with RA the fingers feel as though they have been bashed with a baseball bat.

I am sorry to say that neither rheumy doctors nor GPs are very interested in OA of the hands. This is because RA affects the hands usually as the first sign. So if your hands are affected by RA then they can diagnose it and try, often successfully, to halt the progress of the disease. And as RA is a systemic autoimmune disease (I.e in your blood) whereas OA is wear and tear/ mechanical and mainly affects older people, and they can't replace finger joints easily - they just shrug about it. With OA they can only offer you any-inflammatories and pain killers.

I hope this explains the attitude you keep meeting a bit. It isn't nice but if you feel your arthritis is becoming more than arthritis - ie you are feeling ill and fatigued and have symmetrical joint involvement with swelling and heat then that is the time to pester your doctor for blood tests and a referral to a rheumatologist - if you aren't already seeing one. If you have RA already then this could be secondary OA as mine seems to be.

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Many thanks Tilda T for an informative personal perspective.....from what you describe it looks as if its OA since my hands are ok and its the joints nearest the tips that are affected. Accept my sympathy with your RA issues. One day they will find a cure for arthritis and its possible it may even be within our own lifetime. Thanks again for your comments.

[helixhelix]

My mother, and now my sister, have a really horrible type of inflammatory hand osteoarthritis. The tips of my sister's fingers started by being hot and throbbing, and are now floppy. Other joints are a bit knobbly, and she says it feels as if the tendons are losing strength. She did get referred to a rheumatologist - partly because she kicked up a fuss and said that I had RA so wanted to be doubly sure. But conclusion was that it was inflammatory hand OA, and so they said that the best she could do was anti-inflammatories and a few things such as arthritis gloves to help protect her hands. It isn't nice, so much sympathy. But if it helps my mum is now 94 and still managing to live alone and do things with her hands, and says that it stopped being painful a long time ago. Polly

[Hidden in reply to helixhelix]

hello helixhelix....sincere thanks for your response. Your comments together with those of previous respondents is providing me with a better understanding of this condition at a human level rather than what is written on the net and elsewhere in carefully couched medical terms. The fact that your mother is able to cope on her own with the condition offers reassurance that I much appreciate. Thanks again.

[Hidden]

Just to add something else that might be useful. This forum is for those who suffer from RA and other forms of inflammatory arthrits - which as I've said are very different diseases to what you appear to suffer from. Arthritis is only one aspect to RA.

But to find advice and support which is more relevant to your own experience you might find that the Living With Arthritis forum on Arthritis Care arthritiscare.org.uk/Home is helpful. Tilda x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Tilda T......I did look for a site relating to OA under HealthUnlocked but there doesn't appear to be one which was why ended up communicating under NRAS. In spite of this I have received some useful information and learned a few things I was unaware of. I will try the address you recommended and thanks for the info.

[helixhelix]

And the thing I forgot to say is you could ask your GP at least to refer you to occupational therapist, as they have lots of good advice about how to manage. Px

[Hidden in reply to helixhelix]

many thanks helixhelix....I will see my doctor again and attempt to get referred as you suggest. I actually have a lot of faith in the group of people you mention......I will be the first to admit that I was sceptical regarding their abilities until I was involved with them following each of my knee replacements and also an agonising back problem. I think they can be a considerable help, they certainly were in my case. Many thanks.

[Hidden]

It's fine that you came here CorkyCat. The more people who understand how different RA is to OA the better really and I wish you the best of luck.

Tilda x

[Paper1]

First time here. I inherited hypothyroidism from my mother and I have been taking levothyroxine for 10 years. the problem I have is when I take enough levothyroxine to bring my test number in line, it kicks in my autoimmune and when it first started affecting my joints it was my knees and my hips as if somebody hit me with a baseball bat so my doctor decided we should reduce the dose of levo. My arthritic symptoms in the knees and hips went away but then I started having heart palpitations, the heart palpitations would go away in the morning when I took my levo and start to show up a little bit before i go to bed so we decided I needed to increase my levothyroxin. About two months taking the higher dose of levothyroxine my immune system kicked in again and in the middle of the night I woke up and my fingers were like frozen I couldn't even move them they were stiff and hurt. I stopped taking the levothyroxine for as long as I could until the heart palpitations started up again now I am taking a very low-dose of levo, although I know that my thyroid number is quite high but my fingers are starting to rebound and the pain and swelling is going away. I am in between a rock and a hard spot, if I take too much Levo the arthritis symptoms kick in because of the autoimmune, if I don't take enough levo then I start get heart palpitations and all the symptoms of hypothyroidism, I can't have a good medium, just saying.

[Beaches2]

Hi paper1 and welcome

I too take levo for my under active thyroid, have done for many years now. I also look on the Thyroid uk site here which has loads of info. If you start a new post over there I'm sure you will get some useful replies.I am quite surprised that your joint symptoms seem to be from higher levels of levo as I thought it was more likely when levels are low.it must be really frustrating for you not to be able to manage the correct dose as I know I feel dreadful when I don't have the correct levels of replacement. Has your gp tested for other auto immune conditions as having one does mean you have a greater chance of getting another :-((

Good luck with getting some answers x