stinging finger joint

[Gottarelax]

I have RA but not really affecting my hands except that on one finger I have an almost constant stinging feeling at the distal (nearest the nail) joint. It feels like that after pain from a nettle sting. It used to come and go but recently it's more constant. I haven't spoken with the rheumy about it as it's not so bad as the other pains but now that it's more frequent, it's bugging me. I understand that RA is not normally seen in the joint that's affected so it could be totally unrelated - anyone else experience a similar sensation and is it RA related?

[J1707-]

yeah I do . I also get it in my toes . Peripheral neuropathy was the cause . Unfortunately they go together

[Gottarelax in reply to J1707-]

Thanks J1707, is there anything that you do to relieve this symptom and does it reduce if RA is under control?

[J1707- in reply to Gottarelax]

mine fluctuates with disease activity. Pregablin helps but I would get an official diagnosis. Your Gp or rheumatologist should refer you for nerve conduction test. Don’t ignore it x

[janmary]

RA is ‘traditionally’ not supposed to affect those joints but all of mine can get swollen, red, hot and sharply painful during a flare.

[Gottarelax in reply to janmary]

My RA seems anything but traditional so this is probably in line with my special variety 🤣

[AgedCrone]

Speak to your rheumy nurse…problems with fingers are often osteo arthritis l have recently seen a hand surgeon for another condition, & he wants to operate on one of my OA deformed fingers…but it’s rarely very painful…so I prefer not to take that opportunity.

[Gottarelax in reply to AgedCrone]

I think that my nurse when looking at my hands on the first appointment mentioned osteo in some finger joints but I didn't pay much attention as they didn't hurt.

[AgedCrone in reply to Gottarelax]

My Forefinger & my Pinkie on my dominant hand both have OA…..but only the forefinger is deformed…..it does sting a bit sometimes..but it’s nothing like as bad (for me) as a real RA joint pain.I just look at it & then ignore it.

[Gottarelax in reply to AgedCrone]

No it's not as bad as RA pain...but now that it's constant, it's 'another thing on top'. That and suddenly sensitive teeth. I think that the coping with RA takes your capacity to deal with the little things sometimes.

[AgedCrone in reply to Gottarelax]

Ask your dentist about Very High Fluoride toothpaste. I went to the dentist with what I thought was toothache, but it turned out to be inflamed gums, and this toothpaste has really helped.

I got an NHS prescription…..but I think you can buy it OTC….it’s very expensive, so do check with your dentist if it’s suitable for you…the instructions say “Do not Swallow”…so best not to just try it .

[JessicaEccles66]

I have this as well! Donty mean to sound excited but it's so hard to describe and you've got it perfectly. Mine is also my thumbs joints, but I also have patches on my fingers.

Spoke to my consultant and she thinks it's peripheral neuropathy.

the only thin g that really helps is wearing those constricting gloves.

[Gottarelax in reply to JessicaEccles66]

Funnily enough, immediately before reading your post, I saw my tight gloves on the side and put them on. Haven't tried them in ages and wasn't really thinking about what I was doing either. Perhaps they will help. I know what you mean about the joy of having someone describe your symptoms...it makes you feel like you're not just imagining it!

[cyberbarn]

There is a saying in medicine called Hickam's Dictum: Patients can have as many diseases as they damn well please!

I have nodal arthritis in my fingers on top of Psoriatic Arthritis. But where one stops and the other starts, who knows. Bodies don't read medical textbooks and often disagree with the medical taxonomies and nosologies that humans invent!

[Gottarelax in reply to cyberbarn]

I know what you mean and it seems particularly true of autoimmune diseases. I am convinced that 3 family members all have the same disease with slightly different presentations. Because I have helpful serum markers, I get treated more pro-actively for RA whereas they are just given steroids and otherwise ignored.

[LinaM]

yes .. I have that . In fact it’s always the first sign that a new joint is being “ attacked” I saw a private rheumatologist a few years ago and he reckons I have seronegative psoriatic arthritis rather than RA but that’s never been confirmed in nhs. It’s like a superficial bee sting type feeling that is worse when I touch it . Unfortunately I haven’t found a medication that works for me. I have a couple of distal joints that are more or less fused by the arthritis and there’s no pain left in them at all .