Does anyone have trouble with their hands cramping when peeling vegetables or holding something?

[Alley27]

[kosy2]

I don't have cramping, but I have noticed in the past 6 months or so that the strength in my right hand (my dominant hand) is less. As well as I am more of a butter fingers - Just can't seem to hold on to things light or heavy.

[Alley27]

Lol my boys say I have dropsey......my feet cramp also...strength in my arms, hands, legs is not how it used to be..it is frustrating...

But I read somewhere that muscle, joint, pain, weakness and waste are symptoms of PBC...also AIH.

[Hidden]

Sure do! Also can't unscrew the tops on jars anymore, are they putting lids on tighter these days? It must be like the time I noticed they started printing everything in much smaller print than they used to!

And they call these the golden years.......

[Annflanagan]

hi yes i have im finding im droping a lot of things, have no strenght sometimes in my hands.

[zipitydoo]

My hands and feet, mainly the left ones go into what I call spasm mode. They like cramp into a position I couldnt possibly get them into if I tried. Its quite painful but dosent last too long.

[catherine69]

I find peeling veg quite sore, after peeling a couple of items my hands start to go into cramps, also, recently Ive found my hands and wrists have been sore doing stuff like buttering bread, actually find myself holding the knife wrong tend to hold it like a child! need to be careful with heavy pots or pouring the kettle as well

[bobbyholly321 in reply to catherine69]

Hi Catherine, I can really relate to this. I need to get my husband to carry a heavy pot etc over to the sink for me. Also if I am trying to hang the washing on the line, I find the pegs can be hard to open. I sometimes need to ask my neighbour to open a jar for me and as for trying to open a packet of cold meat.....nearly impossible!!!!

[sandrakay in reply to catherine69]

Yes,I have this alot but never knew it was caused by PBC,Im a Dental Assistant and thought it was from repetative things i had to do!!

[bobbyholly321]

Hi Everyone, i am glad someone asked this question. I find that I can only use my right hand for a few minutes and then the strength goes. I had strength tests done in my local hospital and they said I only have half the strength in my right hand as I have in my left. As I am right handed this is very annoying!!

[Oidra]

I`m another "butter fingers" and have to be careful when carrying anything as my wrists suddenly feel weak. I don`t have spasms in my hands but do get them in my feet - very painful while it lasts. It usually goes across my foot to 2 toes which twist together and the foot turns to the right. Years ago I watched helpless as my mother went through a spasm like this and was in so much pain. I am sure she had PBC ( there were other symptoms) but it was never thought of at that time. She lived to 92.

Oidra

ps I use a tool my mother had for opening jars and it works well. Mine is 20 years old at least but I`m sure they are still out there

[bobbyholly321 in reply to Oidra]

Hi Oidra, Great to hear your mother lived to 92. I think it gives everyone with this awful disease hope.

God rest her. xx

[Hidden]

I have all the above problems as well, no way can I open a bottle, use a tin opener, get in a packet, peel or lift pans ect. and i also get very bad cramp in my feet and pain in wrists and fingers, it makes you feel usless at times and the more tiered you get the worse it seems to get, I also hav osteo and an old fracture in my back so bending down to get somthing from a cupboard or fridge is out as well.

[donnathompson]

Hi i dont get cramp but finding i get pins and needles in my little finger on my right hand a lot.xx

[PBC2012]

I have the weakness and tingling feeling as well as the cramping in my right hand mostly, getting there in the left hand. I have not seen my specialist yet so I never connected all that with my PBC.....makes sense though, thanks everyone for the insight!

[Jtxx]

I have found in the last month or so that my wrists and hands feel weaker at times and my fingers feel like they are swollen when they are not. Have had this sensation a couple of times. Strange.... 2 big toes joints sore. Seeing a podiatrist in July. X

[Alley27]

My hands also feel swollen when they're not sometimes as well, I am wondering if steroids are anything to do with it...I also see podiatrist/ bio mechanics.....I have one leg shorter than the other..and scoliosis.....apparently I was born with it, but it also went undiagnosed..only this last 6 months has it become more obvious, and I have a diagnosis.

Funny how we find things out lol.....I found out because went to see Gp because my clothing felt twisted..the rest is history....Gps got a lot to answer for.

xxconniefused

[Val02]

I have the weakness and tingling. Cant open screw tops any more, peeling veg is nothing short of hell! I decided a couple of weeks ago to buy pre-prepared veg so didnt have to go thru the daily hell of preparing dinner. Great for me but family moaned! I told them they got a choice help me or put up with it. Be carefully with heavy pans - I struggled with this and have twice dropped a pan of boiling water and scalded myself quite badly. Cramps were a big issue but I now take quinine which really helps with this - worth a try.

After the tiredness the pain in my hands and feet is the biggest issue for me.

[Alley27]

Lol..been shopping over the weekend and have bought the ready prepped veg from asda.....you can get all sorts of chopped veg, some are only 50p which is ok and enough for a family of 4/5.

Packets are a pain to open..but I use a knife.....ironically, I suffer from shakes as well, so using a knife is always fun lol...managed to go a week without cutting my fingers...and then cut finger on a plastic clothes peg hanging laundry....

Have to giggle lol......

xxconniefused.

[mandyc]

I too find the strenghth in my right arm muscles are very weak, i also drop things and i am unable to open jar and bottles and those pull rings on tins are also hard to get off, i have the most severe pain in my right shoulder, right arm muscle and bad arthritis in my right hand and the cramp in my hands and feet are so painful, i was wondering if Crampex from the chemist would help with this, but not sure if i can take this? does anyone else suffer from trembling hands it feels like my blood suger drops very low and as soon as i eat something it goes away, i have been tested for dieabetes, but this was negative.

[Alley27]

I get the shakes a lot and like you I sometimes feel it's my blood sugar;otherwise it has to be either steroids, or how antibodies react to glucose,insulin levels in the system. I am not diabetic, but I did buy a monitor because my friend who is diabetic thought the symptoms I have were diabetes related.

On several occasions when I have felt really exhausted, thirsty and shaky my blood glucose levels measured 16.9...normal is between 4.5 and 10.0....I do understand that steroids can affect glucose levels even in some cases cause diabetes. I have been tested, but my Gp has not said anything about the results so I expect I am not.

xxconniefused.

[mumofthree]

It is so comforting to find I am not the only one with these problems. I too have resorted to purchasing ready prepared vegetables. Its a great help not having to cut the veg but now find I can't open the packaging. If it doesn't get you one way it gets you the other!

Gone are the days when my children ask me to open a bottle of pop or sweets for them, its "never mind Mammy we'll ask Dad"!

I experience a lot of pain and tingling in both hands and the tips of my thumb and forefinger feel almost numb on times. I also have great difficulty getting tablets out of their packaging, I have to cut around them with a knife and then push them out.

I too have the dreaded dropsy!! I use both hands together to grip a pan as I don't seem to have any strength at all in my wrists.

My feet and ankles also hurt. I feel as if my feet are on fire and as if I am walking on pebbles. I get shooting pains coming up from my toes up into my feet. When I mentioned these pains to my Dr I was told nothing was showing up on my xrays or scans. He made me feel as if I was imagining them, just like all the other pains I had been "imagining" for about 10 years before I was finally diagnosed with PBC.

[sharon7716]

Hi, i find my grips really weak, got gadgets for getig lids off and opening cans, some days are better than others but also find it tiring having to hold arms up to dry hair or what used to be a fav pass time searching through the sale rails, only last 5 minutes now before i have to find somewhere to sit and rest, only 48 feel like 90 some days but the mind wants the body to behave like its still 20.