I have really sore hands. Particularly thumb/wrist joint on both hands and swollen little finger on right hand. Three or four finger joint too. My GP has done blood tests over several years and said it Osteoarthritis, not rheumatoid.
Over the past 3 months I have had a couple of episodes of really badly swollen and painful hand joints which last 3-4 days. It’s So sore I can’t even lift a cup, hold a pen to write and have trouble pulling my pants up/down when going to the loo. (Sorry too much info 🤪).
I have autoimmune thyroid disease (hashimotos) and coeliac disease.
Is it possible to now have rheumatoid arthritis?
I use voltarol max strength 12hr gel. Is there anything else I can buy over the counter or ask my GP for? Should I just treat when I have a flare up or ask for something for continuous use (daily)?
Thanks in advance for replies.
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W3ndy2159
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I’d ask your GP to do tests for RA again. Don’t let him put you off as sounds like a lot of pain you’re having. If you can manage to, take photos of the swollen joints and add dates so you can prove how they’ve been. Good luck.
Recently diagnosed with sero negative inflammatory arthritis which doesn’t show up on any blood tests. An ultrasound of my hands revealed active synovitis which led to the diagnosis. They didn’t son one of my feet but likely would have shown the same. The treatment is the same as for RA. Apparently there are 200 different kinds of arthritis so it is worth insisting that you be referred to a consultant rheumatologist. Also - I have been there with the level of pain and immobility you describe. Ask yiur GP for a steroid injection (one into muscles) - in 24 hours you will feel like a different person. Good luck
Hi, it’s not me who was asking/posted the problem/thread. It’s W3ndy. My blood tests didn’t show RA for over a year but I’d want to ask as it’s worth a try. A rheumy and not a GP would be best to see I also feel. Anyhow, as I said it’s W3ndy and not me. (I had my RA diagnosis in 1995.)
I know autoimmune diseases often go together which is why I think I may now have rheumatoid arthritis after previously being diagnosed with osteoarthritis. My mother has rheumatoid arthritis and I have two autoimmune diseases. Thinking RA might be hereditary 🤷♀️
Yup I got all three too. You might not have obviously we are all different but your GP can organise a blood test and you go from there. But don’t panic RA is treatable and the sooner the better. X ask for a CRP test and read up on RA on the NRAS website.
Can I just add that your more than likely to test positive for RA as coeliac and hashi are both AI diseases.
must admit this morming i woke up with swollen and painful wrists and fingers . I would ask for a retest . my RA did not show up until i had a knee op and had a camera down the knee for keyhole and the consultant took a biopsy . I had blood test before nothing showed up until that point .
unfortunately you sound exactly like I was a few months ago. Even if you now have blood tests done they may not show the inflammation, mine didn’t. You need to insist on a rheumatology referral from your GP if you can, or self refer and go private if you can afford to. Saves a lot of time and suffering - I had a shot of steroid and when that didn’t work I started on methotrexate within 3 weeks
This problem has been long term but becoming more frequent and more severe each time it flares up.
I rely on my hands for my job (housekeeper) but if I can’t wring out a cloth, hold a vacuum cleaner or mop the floor. I’ll have to give up work 😳. My hands are a major part of my financial livelihood. I can’t afford to retire yet. X
strangely, I have a very similar job - a mixture of housekeeping and admin. I too could not wrong out a cloth or use a hoover/mop for a number of weeks, but I am able too now. I just have to be careful I don’t do too much for too long, I have gradually built myself up. Those sponge cloths you can get I find a lot easier to use than a microfibre, you don’t have to squeeze so hard. I am self employed so I know how hard it can be. You will improve with the right treatment, keep positive x
thank you this😊 it is encouraging news. My boss is understanding. I have worked for her for over 25yrs and made to feel part of the family but if I can’t do my job properly I fear I’ll have to retire. I’m 64 but have it I’m head I’ll retire at 70!🤪. It’ll be me who retires from pain rather than given notice, but my conscience won’t let me take advantage of her generosity. She often says she’ll get help for me 😂😂 as it’s companionship she values most. #i’mblessed
This is very like what happened to me. I already had bits of osteo. Then in 2019 my hands blew up dramatically...so sore as you describe and unable to use one at all.Because it happened so quickly my surgery nurse prac got me referred to rheumatology, and put me on naproxen as a tide-over. Bloods neg for rheumatoid factor but high for inflammation.
Got to rheumatology within the month, ultrasounded and there was lots of inflammation. Diagnosis RA, sero negative. I was put on prednisolone short term along with methotrexate for the duration.
A few weeks later I had my hands back, and currently the RA is well managed with MTX.
My mum has RA and has been on methotrexate for years (20+). Her hands are so deformed. ☹️Reading previous replies it seems early intervention and meditation may slow down the joint damage/deformity.
My hubby was on naproxen for plantar facitius I wondered if Naproxen would help me short term until (hopefully) I get a rheumatologist appointment?
I am a housekeeper and will have to give up work if I can’t wring out a cloth or use the iron/hoover or mop the floor.
My hands are my financial livelihood.
Glad to hear you RA is under control with medication. 🥰
My hands were my financial livelihood, as a jobbing musician. Once I got my diagnosis and onto the medication, I got my hands and my livelihood back.The rheumy I saw said 'we hit it hard, and now'.
I was fortunate that I responded well to the 'steroids to damp it down while the methotrexate took effect' protocol. And equally fortunate to have a rapid referral.
Be insistent, don't let yourself be kept hanging around, and don't take 'it's just osteo' as an answer. You can have both (as I know too well)
Wishing you all the best and hope you get the treatment you need to get your hands back xxx
Hello W3ndy2159, unfortunately it is possible to have more than one type of arthritis. Thumbs and wrist are usually osteo. There is very little help for hand arthritis as there are only a few specialists in the field of hand care. Keeping hand joints active does help, but the problem is finding the best treatment for you, I found gels were easier for hands and exercises as found on line. I've learn't over the years that you have to adapt the use of your hands to minimise pains. There are many gadgets to help with this. I use things that don't require gripping, like electric can opener, saw handle knlfe or even a meat slicer helps. Two handled pots and cups balance the weight more evenly. It does however require support from the medics & understanding. And what we call "I" when speaking to medics. Example I would like to try an injection for pain or patches are good I have heard. During flare ups you may have to alter your treatment, or rest a little more. But please don't let anyone fob you off with minor painkillers , there are many things out there to control pain and manage the flexibility issues. To manage your illness you need help& support from others. Take care and pace yourself within your limits.
I am already adapting my hands to use them differently. Eg. Pulling my pants up with fingers on inside of pants/trousers waist bands as opposed to pulling them up with my thumbs. I’ve altered several things to accommodate my sore hands. My hands are in constant pain despite using voltarol gel 12hrs twice a day. but the flare ups are excruciating and unbearable. Sometimes it makes me cry 😢
I need to get something on a permanent basis as I need my hands to do my job.
Glad I could help you to rethink hand use. Do you not use splints , I use thumb splints with wrist support. But there are gloves to that you can wear and things like naproxen inflammatories are very good if you can take them. I have been changed to a slow release painkiller that keeps the pain down . Gabapentin is another one many use for pain flares. Soak your hands in warm water , or buy a wax bath from the chemist , you dip the hands in the warm wax and it gives temporary relief. On arthritis Action there are many ideas for pain releive including our hands which we constantly in use. Doctors are not always aware of the advances in gadgets to support hand sufferers. There are also some good massage products for your hands & feet. Mainly you need a proper diagnosis because of the many different Arthritis it could be. Good luck There is no single one answer to arthritis it has to be managed no matter what.
Didn’t have much swelling but my thumb/ wrist hurt and fingers hurt - my GP ‘shook/ squeezed my hand’ and said ‘did that hurt?’. It did.
So he referred me. I said that my hands didn’t look like I had RA and he said if people were treated early enough there was no reason for their hands to be deformed.
And I only had a sore finger but like you the GP squeezed and 2 weeks later after an urgent blood test I was sitting in front of a Consultant. Treated aggressively and RA is no more that pop a couple of pills and inject once a week. No bone damage and in fact my broken leg and ankle healed well last year, no Oesto to worry about and the Adcal must work as been taking that for years. My mum had Osteoporosis and that is nasty.
If you can afford it, a way forward many have used is to find a Rheumatologist who also practises locally in the NHS and arrange an appointment with him/her. This is often quicker unfortunately due to the dire state of the NHS. But treatment privately is impossible, so you will need to then be referred back into the NHS. I hate that this is necessary but 'needs must'.
I have appointment on Wednesday 10th. I’m going ask for a referral to rheumatologist but in meantime something to ease the daily pain and the increasingly frequent flare ups. The voltarol doesn’t seem to do much for the pain unless I stop using it 😢
my GP told me to take co-codamol for 3days only. It made me hallucinate 👻 and sick after day1. So I stopped. Paracetamol don’t do much. 🤷♀️ wondering if naproxen would work temporarily until I (hopefully 🤞🏻) get a referral to see a rheumatologist
I never knew this until I broke my leg but paracetamol works best if taken regularly and not when you think you need it. So take the recommended dose for several days and see if it works better. It definitely helped with the broken leg as I’m not allowed Ibrufen etc due to CKD.
I felt happier taking naproxen. Less drugged up. I know we are all on high kit drugs but it still worries me. I lived on naproxen’s when my shoulder was really bad. Good luck my lovely 🥰
Hi , your symptoms sound exactly like mine were when my RA started. The onset can be sudden, out of the blue. I too have underative thyroid as the result of an op. As others have said they often come together. Also as others have said ...don't be fobbed off by the doc . My old gp sent me home with paracetamol twice and it wasn't until I saw a locum that my diagnosis started. By then it had spread to my feet and knees. It can be sorted, all the best 🙂
thank you for your reply. I have an appointment on Wednesday 10th so fingers crossed I get a referral to rheumatologist and better medication to to help in the meantime while appointment comes through. 😊
Sorry to hear that, that’s how my RA started , at first I thought I’d been stung but got it checked out after my hands being swollen and sore for about 4 weeks. Even though I’ve been diagnosed I still haven’t found a prescription that suits me . I know a lot of people will agree that I’m afraid it’s trail and error with the drugs, what suits one person doesn’t always work for another. Get an appointment with your GP and ask for a blood test then at least you’ll know what your dealing with. In the mean time I can highly recommend ‘Just CBD ultra relief gel’ you can buy it from majority of Vape outlets. I use one called Phoenix , strange I know as it’s a shop for people who want to stop smoking. But was recommended by someone who also has RA but cannot take any of the prescribed drugs. Good luck .
Hi Wendy I would say yes as you have all of the symptoms and already have an autoimmune condition. You do not need to be serum positive for RA to have it. Im serum negative for RrA but have been diagnosed for about 7 years. You need to be referred to a Rheumatologist. I'm sure you are already on supportive drugs but you probably need more specific drugs. I have a little Osteoarthritis as well. My RA is mostly well controlled with Methotrexate, Hydroxychloriquine, Sulfasalazine and painkillers when needed but I manage to work full time and try to excercise when I can which helps.
My own hands suddenly ballooned up last August and were very painful, which prompted me to go to A & E. They took a blood test and I had to wait around for a few hours. When the doctor called me in he said that he'd looked at the results, and was looking at my score for "C reactive protein". A healthy score is 5 or below, mine was 134! I was then referred to the rheumatology department and had to wait about four weeks for a specialist diagnosis. Unfortunately, my GP wasn't able to give me anything stronger than Naproxen (which doesn't work for me) in the interim, despite me pleading for a steroid injection, as the rheumatologist needed to make her diagnosis first.
As for your pain, all I could do was take Ibuprofen 400mg and Co-codamol, which helped take the edge off. Best of luck 😊
Definitely agree with advice given below - you absolutely do need to be referred to a rheumatologist, regardless of blood test results. If your GP flatly refuses, get another GP. All the evidence about RA stresses the importance of getting an early diagnosis and then prompt, appropriate treatment to put the brakes on it progressing, Everyone has RA differently - but treatment starts the same for everyone - with a diagnosis!
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