I just woke up a month ago with pain in my hands and feet they feel swollen and are stiff, but the joints are not red is it RA?

[Purpose_for_my_Life]

I

[Hidden]

Hiya Purpose_for_my_life, Thank you for writing on this caring page. can i suggest you visit your GP & ask him/her if it could be Carpul tunnel that could be the problem? That how i was when after a long time found out what was wrong with both of my hands. Just a suggestion. Hope it helps? Please keep in touch to let us all know how. You are not alone. weemikec

[Purpose_for_my_Life in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for responding. I have an appt on July 30th with my Internal Medicine Dr. The symptoms I woke up with a month ago were my hands and feet were stiff and felt like I had maybe consumed a lot of salt. I get new symptoms almost daily. I have alot of pain. The newest symptoms are that my feet are sore especially my big toes on both feet. I have that off and on pins and needles pain, a burning/hot sensation off and on with both my feet and hands. these symptoms have never gone away. I have days that I feel weak and very tired. The pain is the main thing. I work at a hospital and I am off work until my Dr. appt. Its hard to tell if my joints are really swollen, but they look big to me just not really red. I have a couple of bumps, one on my wrist and one on my big toe. I am new to this sight and actually I have never joined anything like this. You guys just seem real, that's why I decided to join at least I know where to go for some support. If you have any more thoughts please let me know.

[Hidden]

Hi Purpose,

I woke up one morning with stiff painful fingers and sore feet, particularly the balls of my feet and big toes. From there I then over days/weeks experienced pain in multiple joints, and lots of tiredness.

I was then diagnosed with RA, after lots of tests.

Hopefully you will get some answers from your doctor and a referral to a specialist.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Mary

[Purpose_for_my_Life in reply to Hidden]

Hi Mary, thank you for responding to my message, I have never belonged to a on line group but I must say it is comforting to talk with someone who has been through it.

I have been reading about all the tests they can do to get a clear Diagnosis so I am sure it will take a while to get a answer and the right medication. What did you do while you were waiting and did they treat your symptoms while you waited?

purpose_for_my_life.

[helixhelix]

Hi there, it sounds as if you're on the right path as you've got a doctor's appointment coming up, and really that's what's needed to get a diagnosis. It could well be RA, but could also be other things as mentioned, so try to take things one step at a time. RA can be slow and difficult to diagnose, as it affects different people in different ways, and some don't have clear signs in the blood tests or obviously swollen joints. But keep asking questions until you get an answer.

The other thing to say is that for the majority of people RA is manageable, so try not to get too down about it. A lot of what you read on the Internet is based on what happened in the past, before the newer drugs started to be used. These days the future is much, much brighter for us. It'll probably take a while to find the drug combination that works for you, but believe that this will happen. Good luck. Polly

[Purpose_for_my_Life in reply to helixhelix]

Polly, thank you for your response I am so grateful that I have someone to talk with because this is all knew. Your right in that I will know more after my Dr. does a exam, runs tests and we get them back. My Dr. is really good and I think he will be able to help. It is hard waiting because my pain is constant and I am not getting a lot of relief. How long have your had RA and what were your symptoms in the beginning? Do you have a lot of side affects from your medication? But the most important question is how are you doing now? Thanks again. purpose_for_my_life.

[Hidden]

Hi, I hope you get some answers when you see your Dr but like Polly says don't get too down about it. My own experience of ra started with pain and stiffness in my fingers which then spread to my wrists, ankles, balls of feet, hips and knees. It's a strange pain which flits between the joints so an area can be extremely painful one day but perfectly fine the next. I've not had any redness in the joints at all and only minor swelling. I started medication in May and it has already made a big difference to my pain and stiffness. Good luck for your appointment and welcome to the site.

Paula x

[Purpose_for_my_Life in reply to Hidden]

Hi paulywoo, thank you so much for responding to my question. My pain has not spread to my knees, ankles or hips. I agree the pain is strange because today I woke up with Bee like stings and pain in my finger tips on both hands and yesterday it was the backs of my hands and some in my wrist, the stiffness and feeling of my hands being very swollen and heavy remain every day and in my feet also. How long did it take for you to get a Diagnosis? What do you do to manage your pain or is it almost gone? I have pain every day but some days are really bad. Until I see the Dr. I take 600 mg of Naproxen twice a day and Tylenol in between and for the night time he gave me Ultram 50 mg. I still feel pain through what I am taking is that normal? Did you think you had RA before going to the Dr.? Are you able to work?

I hope this isn't too many questions, if it is let me know.

purpose_for_my_life.

[Hidden in reply to Purpose_for_my_Life]

I'm afraid it took a long time for me to get a diagnosis which unfortunately is not uncommon. All in all it probably took 10 months from developing severe wrist and finger pain to starting methotrexate. I must point out that a lot of people do get very good treatment and can be on medication in a matter of weeks. I too took Naproxen and found that 500mg a day took the inflammation away completely. Unfortunately the drug caused bad water retention so I had to come off it. I personally was in an awful lot of pain until I started on methotrexate, frequently sobbing with pain after being prescribed just standard ibuprofen. They were very dark days and probably a lot like you're going through now. Now however my pain is minimal and I don't even need to take paracetamol so I can't really advise on pain relief. I know there are others on here who have much more experience in this though. Before I went to the Dr I knew 100% that I had RA, even having to question a wrong diagnosis of carpal tunnel and getting referred to a different consultant. If you care to look back at my old postings I was discussing it on here months before my diagnosis and I must say I got the best support and advice a person could wish for. I don't work now but I'm in the fortunate position that my husband has a good job and is happy for me to stay home. I think I would struggle to hold down a job as my hands are affected worst and I can only type a little(today is a good day). I also struggle to use a pen. I hope you can get a diagnosis soon as the stress of not knowing is awful. While waiting for diagnosis I took the opportunity to improve my health. I took up swimming, changed my eating habits and lost weight so although I've been diagnosed with RA you could say I look healthier than I have done in years. Good luck to you and keep us updated.

Paula x

[helixhelix]

I guess if you're taking Tylenol that must mean you're in America? So it's a bit of a different system than the one I'm used to, so can't really help about what the process is for diagnosis where you are. Here we're often given a short course of steroids to help with the pain while we're waiting to go on the longer term meds. But that may not be as common in the US as it's only suitable for short term use.

But also try the non-chemical types of pain relief, such as hot and cold packs. I find that they really help ease things. It can take quite a while to get RA under control, so you also need to prepare yourself for that. If it is RA, some of the meds can take months to work properly. Good luck. Polly