terrified

[jonsi]

my thumb and index finger are turning in different directions and im shit scared. I phoned to see if I could get appointment with rheumy early but nothing is free, so I need to wait till my appointment in late august, anyone else got any advice, im terrified and constantly looking at both of them now.

[kizzy12]

hi when you say different directions do you mean the joints are bending the wrong way ( bending up instead of down)..if so this is called swan finger and just a symptom of ra..occupational therapy can give you these plastic ring things that can stop it getting worse and sometimes reverse it......if they are going sideways from the knuckle joints there is not a huge amount you can do about it although again occupational therapy do have some velco things that go between your fingers to help and can also give you a hand splint to wear when resting to help slow the progress.....i know because i have both types of deformity with my fingers...hope this helps a bit xx...either way you should get an appointment with your oc to see what they can do for you xx

[earthwitch]

I was going to say too that occupational therapy can give you splints, but Kizzy got there first. You may find that the wait list is just as long though.

[Hidden]

Don't be terrified. Kizzy's suggestion is good but also, my husband pointed out that I'm an artist and my wonky hands reflect this in a rather sophisticated way - which helped me accept these changes a bit. I know you're much younger than I am and I'm sure the RA drugs and some help from a hand therapist or OT would help to stop this from worsening through splints and hand exercises. But if you can try and see it as a unique sign of your being special and creative then that might help you come to terms with physical changes a little at least? Tilda x

[jonsi]

Yeah sideways. Making me rather upset. But i like your way of thinking tilda. Thanks for the feedback. Much love