Pictures nails and nail folds

[Patricia2015]

Dear all,

Two weeks ago I made a posting about my health issues and had quite a few valuable responses (love this forum!).

Next Wednesday I have an appointment for a nailfold capillaroscopy. I'm looking forward to this appointment because I hope the results will contribute to a more specific diagnosis then UTCD and a good treatment as my health deteriorates further , even though some diagnoses are pretty scary. The capillaroscopy will be done in a different hospital as where I am treated by my rheumy because of the long wait I would have had in my hospital. My rheumy is on leave and her replacement (a doctor to be specialist) will see me the week after the discuss the results.

I really hope for a diagnosis and a treatment but before that I would like to ask your expertise and experiences about nailfold irregularities. I pasted four pictures in one collage about my fingernails.

My (little bit shiny) nailfolds are puffy, some are red some have more white surfaces, on all nailfolds I can see the capillairies with the naked eye and on almost all nailfolds I can see micro hemorrhages (see the detail picture of one them).

My nails show three colours in warm circumstances and in cold conditions they turn purple.

The pieces skin between the joints are a bit red but not always.

Please let me know if you recognize these as.... Please also see my health issues in my first post.

Wish you all much strength!

Patricia

[Hidden]

If we could tell you, you wouldn't need a nailfold capillaroscopy

Sit tight not long now. I'd go take your mind off it until then x

[Noni1]

I have had this test a couple of times and have found that the cuticle skin on one finger has grown up the nail. Having seen the capillaries under the microscope I call them my tadpoles as to me that's what they look like. Somehow I find that comforting! when they get inflamed I protect them with cream and a plaster or dressing and I find that helps too.

Hope this is useful! - good luck.

[Hidden]

My finger nails look pretty much same as yours only they are also dry, thin and chipped so I rarely grow them at all as they just split or snap. On toenails I have Beau's lines too. I have so far been diagnosed with Hypothyroydism, RA, secondary Raynauds (on basis of an idipathic small fiber neuropathy and toes that go white and red) and secondary Sjogrens. I see my rheumy in a few weeks and expect he may change my diagnosis to UCTD. I can't tolerate drugs at all so in a sense I'm beyond caring what they call it.

Never had a nailfold capillary test but good luck for yours. I wouldn't try to second guess the outcome though - just try and think about other happier stuff if you can and the time will pass more quickly. Over the last months I've had so many tests including a lumbar puncture but none have shown anything that explains my lousy symptoms yet.

[zenabb]

Its your capillaries that are important. If they look "a bit messy" when they do it or not.

[Patrick90]

I know this is an old post but my nails are very similar with yours and no doctor can tell me why, they're also like that on my toes.

My only diagnosis so far is Raynaud's on both fingers and toes, Celiac disease which was resolved with gluten-free diet and finally managed to gain my lost weight back and osteoporosis which is assumed to have come from Celiac. I also have Hashimotos thyroid but it's inactive - doesn't affect the thyroid's function.

Besides that, I have a constant "headache" feeling, but it feels more like my veins are pulsating around my scalp, and I feel it 24/7. My first theory was that this is a symptom of Celiac neuropathy, but then my nose began clogging and that was diagnosed as turbinate hypertrophy. So I went through the allergic test panel for common allergies and it came back blank.

To me it's almost obvious that this is a "small" circulation problem, that it affects the small veins at this point. But it's hard for me to get a solid diagnosis on what to do. Only things I started doing was taking Vitamin D because my levels are rock bottom, and go to the gym and for brisk walks for at least an hour a day.

My rheumas (and I went to 4-5 of them) are trying to blame some undiagnosed collagen disease but I feel like it's a case of "to those who are holding a hammer everything looks like a nail".

[Patatie50]

Hi Patricia. My nail areas look like yours. My hands blanch white when cold but turn a dark plum color when very cold. The purple color is indicative of Raynaud’s Phenomenon. I’ve had it for 25 years. At the worst point my fingers ulcerated, lost the tip of one finger and the red pealing marks on my other fingers looked like yours. Today, by taking Procardia XL daily, my fingers are much better. My nails still split, the area around nail bed gets red, painful marks (like your second picture). But compared to the progression of the illness of the past, they now look pretty good. Ask them to check for Raynaud’s. Seems like a fairly good bet that might be one of the things you are contending with. Hope this helps. Keep posting. Wish you all the best. It is a miserable thing to have pain in the fingers and toes.