Bad day.....

Woke up this morning feeling a little under the weather, hands, feet and shoulders really stiff and sore. Starting to question the rheumatologists fibromyalgia comment on Monday especially after doing a bit of research into it and apart from painful joints I don't really have any other symptoms. Thought I'd take pictures of my hands to show people how bad they can get. The main thing that's worrying me is that on my right hand I can't separate the middle and ring finger

[Amy_Lee]

Hi Ray1988,

I am very sorry of your very stiff and painful feeling. May I know how long you have been diagnosed of RA and what medication you are taking now?

[Hidden in reply to Amy_Lee]

Hi, I haven't officially been diagnosed with anything at the moment. When I seen rheumatologist on Monday he passed a comment that he thinks it's fibromyalgia but awaiting blood results and ultrasound on hands before anything is official. The only medication I am on is naproxen. If it is diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis I have had it since December 2015.

[Amy_Lee in reply to Hidden]

Oh dear! You have been suffering since Dec 2015? This is a very long time to suffer. I hope you are not having RA!

I had been a very healthy person, therefore when my knees were in pain, I visited the GP immediately after about a month because I had not heard of RA before then. My GP suggested me having RA hence he did a blood test on me. However, the blood test on RF was negative but the joints on my hands were in great pain and they swell. So he suspected RA hence sent me to the rheumy immediately.

Detected early and treated immediately put me back into remission after about 1 1/2 years. Work closely with your rheumy and do different exercise that you can at different stage that suit your condition daily will put you back to your normal life soonest. Check my link out and I hope it can inspire you to look at thing positively whether you have RA or not.

healthunlocked.com/ra-warri....

For RA, early treatment is crucial to avoid joints damaged. Below are 2 very informative and well organized videos on what is RA and how it should be treated for your reference. I found them of great help hence shared them here.

healthunlocked.com/ra-warri...

[Hidden]

Hello Ray1988. Your hands look like mine and I have RA. I was unaware that fybro causes swelling of the hands. Please keep us informed on your progress.

[oldtimer]

Please show the rheumatologist your pictures - and take several at different times so a comparison can be made. And keep a record of your signs and symptoms for your next appointment.

[Hidden in reply to oldtimer]

I will be keeping photos especially cause my hands were not like that when I seen rheumatologist