Pain but no swelling?

[Brychni]

Does anyone with RA have painful joints but no swelling?

[Soundofmusic52]

Yes I have never had swollen joints but hot and painfull one day in my feet then it could move to hands no pattern to it at all hope I was helpful for you stay safe 🌞

[Brychni in reply to Soundofmusic52]

Hi Soundofmusic52 thanks for your reply. Since my diagnosis of Undifferentiated Inflammatory Arthritis which I found hard to believe, I have rapidly worsening symptoms. They often start as mild pain with stiffness on both sides, elbows more recently, it then sets in on the right. it's my hands and wrists again at the moment with a new entry (it's like Top of the Pops!) for feet, ankles and toes also mainly on the right. Knees have been a problem for a long time but getting worse. I run and walk every day and am noticing that far from being able to 'run through' the pain it gets worse with every step, the knees when running and the feet when walking. That's in both feet but different areas, toes are worse on the right. But I am coming back from dog walk limping.

This has been happening gradually over the last week or so, and I actually feel quite unstable on the right foot. Kneading dough and pastry was almost impossible, not so much pain but stiffness.

A lot of my aches and pains used to be 'exercised away' but not any more and it's happening so quickly.

My diagnosis was made with ultrasound on my wrists. that was it, got a letter to come in straight away and I've been taking hydroxy for a few weeks now. I know it doesn't work for a few months so I suppose the disease continues, untrammelled in that time.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Hope you are staying sane during lockdown!

[Soundofmusic52 in reply to Brychni]

Yes it do s sound like mine I have had RA now for 2 years still not properly controlled I am on benepali methotrexate injection s I am 65 I still work but only 4 hrs a day 4 days although it is hard work I do get tired no two days are the same no pattern I wish there was anyway keep going keep safe x

[listellor]

yes i am currently going through a phase . the blood tests are showing normal but i am really suffering over the previous 8 weeks or so

[Ms-D in reply to listellor]

im the same. Pain but no swollen joints. Frustrating

[Brychni in reply to Ms-D]

it's a few months on now and after a lot of reading and talking with rheum. nurse I am pretty certain that my Undifferentiated Inflammatory Arthritis is going in the direction of PsA. In the last week my heels and bottoms of feet have been characteristically painful. Yesterday and today, walking on tiptoes.

What little patient info there is on PsA makes it clear that pain seems to be worse than swelling which, as far as I have read is mainly in the toes and fingers which is what I get.

although the treatment pathway is the same for PsA, RA and other inflammatory arthritides I have read that methotrexate is not always preferred and so I am concerned about starting it, which is the plan. However, as I said, in the last week the pain in my feet is beginning to go from moderate to severe several times a day and it's starting in my elbow/arm more frequently too now.

The pain in my feet is bad in the morning, when I walk downstairs and hangs around for a while, it might go but then come back when I'm sitting down, walking or not! there is no rhyme or reason to it.

[Hessie5]

Hi Brychni - can be painful or tender in feet and in particular hands and wrists. Usually feeling tender in mornings gets better as the day wears on. I am on meds that control it but not fully. Just grateful I can function to be honest. Take care - hope your pain subsides swiftly. Hessie ☺️

[JFlay]

Hi,

I've never had any visible swelling, just pain and stiffness. I've been on hydroxychloroquine since last August after not getting on with MTX.

Feeling loads better now but still get aching and stiff feet, toes and ankles, it's manageable though.

[Brychni]

thanks for your replies. JFlay - how long did the hydroxy take to work with your symptoms?

[Hidden]

I’m usually the opposite. Lots of swelling and stiffness and lack of mobility but very little pain. Until recently no swelling a little stiffness but lots of pain but not sore to touch. Nurse thinks possible intolerance to meds. I’m on methotrexate and a biologic

[Brychni in reply to Hidden]

I have 'puffiness' once or twice but that was years ago. another one of my weird symptoms, rather than painful.

[FunBalloon]

Yes definitely. I certainly have more pain than swelling. It takes two to three months for hydroxchloroquine to work and I think that you'll feel the difference in pain and stiffness in a few months. I've been on hydroxchloroquine for about 6 months

[Brychni in reply to FunBalloon]

Any side effects? I have been feeling so sick at night that it often wakes me up.

[Lizard28 in reply to Brychni]

I felt very sick at the beginning, my doctor told me to half my dosage and build up slowly, it seemed to work for me doing it that way. Always take it with food as well. I take mine with my breakfast and one with my dinner at night.

[Brychni in reply to Lizard28]

I've slowly brought it forward from evening to midday. Seems to make me feel less sick during the day.

[JFlay in reply to Brychni]

Are you on 400mg? as in one tablet twice a day? I am and I asked my pharmacist could I take the two tablets together once a day, she said definitely not as there needs to be a certain amount of hours between the two doses so take at breakfast and evening meal. I've never felt sickness with hydroxy but did with MTX.

[Brychni in reply to JFlay]

Hi JFlay, I'm taking 200mg a day. I've posted pictures of a weird rash I have under my arms - one member thought it is probably a reaction. I refuse to go to GP, they will be so dismissive, tell me it's heat rash or something equally silly. So I have left another message with Rheumatology nurse to see if I can email her the pictures. Honestly, it seems that just as I was beginning to think it was OK and I had avoided the worst of it, my feet are starting to hurt really bad and the medication is giving me a rash! Lose/lose. The sickness at night was really awful. Uurrgh.

[JFlay in reply to Brychni]

My feet were very painful during the first 3-4 months but they have gradually got a lot better. Good idea to check the rash. I had persistent cold sores around my lips at first but they cleared up after a while, not sure if that was caused by the tablets or not? always something to contend with! 😒

[Summerrain14]

It has been so reassuring for me to read your post. I often feel like I am going mad with the levels of pain I can have. I do have subtle swelling of joints lots of stiffness but definitely a lot of pain. Sounds very familiar to me. Take care. Gail x

[wishbone]

I've had RA for about 18 years, lots of painful joints but rarely any visible swelling. RA has been poorly controlled for most of the last 5 or 6 years resulting in some serious joint damage. Recently deveolped 2 sacks of synovial fluid, one on the back of my hand next to my wrist and the other on one of my ankles. These can be painful on times.

[Brychni in reply to wishbone]

So what is the next step for medication for you? Also, how do they deal with the synovial fluid sacs, are they operated on? sorry to hear that you're not able to stay on top of it. it creeps up.

[wishbone in reply to Brychni]

My rheumy looked at the one on my wrist, which is the worst, a few months ago and said it was best left alone. These things have only occured since my RA has been better controlled over the last 18 - 20 months, so guess they are more to do with joint erosion.

[wishbone in reply to Brychni]

Meant to add that I've been on baricitinib for the past 20 months, which is doing a decent job of controlling my RA.

[Brychni]

Undoubtedly the worst, most debilitating and nastiest pains are my upper back, neck area. Yesterday morning I woke with it creeping up over the back of my head. I could barely distinguish it from a migraine ( I knew it wasn't). I didn't know where to put myself and when my husband leaned over to give me a hug I said I couldn't bear to be touched. My head felt kind of wobbly too, unstable. I got up and took a 500g Naproxen and it did get rid of it but my God it was horrible. This pain sometimes goes into my ear and seems to be related to pain in the angle of my jaw. I think one sets the other off.

It also gave me flickering in my eyes when I looked up. I was fumbling around in my drugs drawer (!) and every time I looked up I had lines at the top of my vision.

It's episodes like that, that are always met with a blank look from the GPs so I won't bother reporting them any more. I am assuming it's all part of the RA/PsA or whatever it is and the hydroxy will eventually sort it out.

[wishbone]

Not nice! I hope the hydroxy works for you.

[Brychni]

Thanks. Hope you get some improvement!

[Brushwork]

Oh yes, quite a lot actually. Always have, but swelling too, more now after 20 years

[Knitmare]

Sometimes yes.

[Arefivecatstoomany]

I occasionally have puffiness of hands and ankles but no swelling. Worst pain in feet, ankles, wrists and elbows. Currently my legs feel like I’m dragging a couple of tree trunks around. Stiffness and fatigue seem almost permanent features of this condition. Am on methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, naproxen (when desperate!). Stay safe (and sane!) everyone.

[mickam]

I have constant aches and pains, and stiffness, but rarely any swelling except in my hands. It seems from the other replies to your post and from other information that I have read on this forum that, when it comes to RD in all it's forms, there is no normal. Everyone seems to be affected in different ways. Still, it gives us something to talk about.

[6metal6head6]

All the time !! Diagnosed with RA 5 years ago but also Fibromyalgia confirmed last year so that won't help (and neither does the Carpal Tunnel in both hands)

good luck

[JJJA]

Yes I have had pain with no swelling it’s miserable different thing from day to day but mainly hips neck and jaw my hands feet and knees are more likely to show swelling x

[Nanabrodie]

I do, the only swelling I have is in my middle finger left hand. I have a lot of pain in my elbows but no swelling, thumbs, and pelvis but no swelling. I guess the medication might be keeping the swelling down? I’m on hydroxy and methotrexate.

[Brychni in reply to Nanabrodie]

Judging by the responses I have had it seems that although all the literature states that swelling is the hallmark of RA: it isn't.

[cl19]

My pain is in the tip of my fingers like little needles all the time. My doctor will be calling me on Monday , don't think anything will change,I believe this is something i have to live with. The nurse cam to my house to take blood, I live in Canada. Does anyone have any solutions or have had this problem? Tks take care and stay safe

[Brychni in reply to cl19]

Hi there - cl19 - is it RA that you have been diagnosed with? I seem to have new niggles, twinges and pains every day. Tops of my feet at the moment feel like they have stinging nettles in them. My toes have become painful and I am assuming that the nettle sensation is all related. It's good that you are being taken care of.

[cl19]

Yes i have ra and do all the fun stuff injections to myself every Monday and more meds , at the moment it is only tip of my fingers along with the headaches, which I thought that could be blamed on the stress of the virus and being confined to the house or walk only on our street . Long way from being over.

[Geney]

Reading all these comments have certainly helped me, newly diagnosed just days before the world went mad with Covid 19. So thank you everyone.

[Brychni]

it seems like a lifetime ago; I certainly have it now! Although it's still not the kind of swelling you get after bashing your leg or whatever. Enlarged and puffy with heat is more accurate.

[Brychni]

...although - I have had 'swelling' for a long time but it was only noticeable to me, if you know what I mean. I had weird one off swelling in my knee years ago which went on and off for about a week but my fingers on my right hand have been 'bigger' for a while although no one else would have noticed. They also got even bigger while exercising which I though was just because of exercising but I know now that it's quite common with RD. The other thing is it isn't necessarily accompanied by redness or heat and I've learned that it can literally come up while you're looking.

Ages ago I read, and I've never found the article again, that symptoms are often worse in the leading hand initially. that seems to be the pattern with me.