Your valued opinion

[bflat]

Got my first rheumatologist appointment through for the end of sep , now im doubting myself , doesy hand look swollen or am I just so used to it I dont see it anymore .

[jaclyn11305]

Def looks swollen to me but would help if i could see other hand to compare.

[bflat in reply to jaclyn11305]

there both the same , im thinking they might dismiss it , they never seem to go down .

[jaclyn11305]

My first appt with rhumy was a nightmare i hope yours goes better as the rhumy made me think i was crazy he stuff i had no swelling my joints wernt red wasn't going to help in anyway so im looking for a new one. You know better then anyone if you feel its swollen then im sure it is hunny.

[bflat in reply to jaclyn11305]

Im a musician and its geting harder to keep up with the others , but thats what im worried about just geting dissmised as imagining it , didnt they help you at all.

[jaclyn11305 in reply to bflat]

Not at all im looking for new one im in so much pain amd my hands feet and shoulders are swollen but im little to begin so it don't look swollen to someone who didn't know me but my knuckles are real red i have nodules all over already too. I hope you don't get dismissed.

[Hidden]

Your hands look like mine. Mine have been swollen for 1 1/2 years now. The first year, my hands had no pain so I just assumed since my rheumy paid no attention to them, that everything was fine. It's not. For the last 6 months I begun to have excruciating pain in my hands. Now that I have a new rheumy, and I am on my 4th dose of MTX, the pain is starting to subside.

Please don't doubt yourself, you know what your hands are supposed to look like. Don't allow your doctor to dismiss them.

When you see your rheumatologist please bring a friend with you so that you have a second pair of ears to understand and ask questions. It is also a good idea to take photos of your swellings to your appointment.

I wish you well

Sue

[bflat in reply to Hidden]

ah thank you , mine have been swollen for awhile you dont notice at first , iI only took notice last winter when they started hurting and I noticed my finger joints changing shape , and my wrists swelling , im a big wuss with medical stuff.

[jaclyn11305 in reply to bflat]

Mine started i would wake up with one hand swollen that went on for about 6 months then it was both but no pain until about 5 months ago and now i can barley hold my child's bottle.

[AngelaG1]

Yep, def swollen

[helixhelix]

Rheumatologists also go by feel - so even joints that are not obviously swollen can show signs of disease because they feel "boggy". So really don't worry as diagnosis should be made on a whole range of things not just whether or not your hands are swollen.

[GranAmie]

guess so - I don't see mine as swollen and no lumpy joints but they are sore poor grip can't unscrew tops etc. They used to freeze locked on steering wheel too.Got locked in a loo in Lanzarote abt 5 yrs ago but so proud of my Alevel Spanish [ at67!] cos i cd explain that i cdn't turn the knob lol. And those little signs were there along with fatigue before finally diagnosed at 72. keep notes of 'small' problems...to jog your memory at apptmnt. sorry typing writing diff but walking worse. Cool swims help. taken off mtx till lung ct scan can be done. take care xx

[pheonix2]

bflat

Hi

Have had psoriatic and Rheumatoid Arthritis for 16 years. Have got Fybromyalga as well. My hands regularly swell depending on the weather and the time of day. I put my hands in cool water then gradually cool it further, this helps the swelling and cools the hands. I can only do this for 5-10 minutes because my hands start to ache with the cold. If it helps with the swelling temporarily and it comes back you can see the results and know you have problems that need looking at. Hope this helps.