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Stiff and painful hands but no swelling.?

Posted , 10 users are following.

Laurbach
Laurbach

Hi guys I'm new here but have found lots of great information already.

I've had stiff and very painfull fingers for 3 months now. It starts when I'm not using my hands normally in the evening when watching telly. It then gets worse during the night and is at it's worst in the morning. It takes me an hour to 90 minutes to get full movement in my hands again.

But I have no swelling at all ( although they fell that way) and they don't hurt when my GP gave my hands a squeeze. My blood test were fine and so was my x-ray....

I'm being referred to a rheumatologist now but I'm worried that my week symptoms won't give a diagnosis. So many stories about people who's been going with RA for years before given a diagnosis. Obviously I hoping it's not RA but if it is I'd like to know an get treatment started.

I'm a watchmaker and my job is very important to me but I won't be able to do my job if my hands are not working 100% during the day.

Sorry for the long post guy's.... I guess my question is if anyone else have had symptoms that are as week as mine and found out what I is?

By the way I'm a 38 year old male.

Thanks guys

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest Laurbach

    Posted

    Regardless of what anyone says, your hands do not have to swell to have RA. I have it in my hands and most of the time they don't swell. I have heard that some rheumys say you don't have it if you don't have swelling. Your doctor will do blood tests and that will give them more of an idea of what is going on if you have RA. Good luck and keep us posted 

    • Laurbach
      Laurbach Guest

      Posted

      That's what I'm afraid of... being sent home to wait for more symptoms. My blood and x-rays were fine. I've now been referred to a rheumatologist but they say the waiting list is long so I might not get an appointment before May- june ......

  • caz53535
    caz53535 Laurbach

    Posted

    Hi, my wrists and thumb base are painful and I don't have swelling either, apparently I have low disease activity according to blood tests, or last time they checked I did .  I did wonder whether existing damage could be causing the pain....?  

    • Laurbach
      Laurbach caz53535

      Posted

      Have you never had any/much swelling? And did your blood tests show RA?
    • caz53535
      caz53535 Laurbach

      Posted

      Hi, at first I had some swelling and blood showed ra, am on mtx and have done ok except for fatigue (almost constant and debilitating).   Wrists and thumb have been painful over last few months, but no swelling or redness which I was told should be there for ra, it seems to me only people who have ra agree this is not always the case!
    • Laurbach
      Laurbach caz53535

      Posted

      Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes maybe time will show what it is. Rheumatologist isn't until May/June and I have a feeling he's going to say "go home and come back if you start to have swelling and redness".

  • timothy11402
    timothy11402 Laurbach

    Posted

    Does you hand hurt when you use it to shake someone else's hand? Mine does some days and not on others. Yet my knuckles are not swollen. 

    I wonder if one of those wax baths would help you? They're great.

    • Laurbach
      Laurbach timothy11402

      Posted

      They don't hurt.... it's more a strange feeling, like my hands are full of fluid but nothing to see at all. Wax bath ???? What's that .....

  • bob_2020
    bob_2020 Laurbach

    Posted

    My hands a knuckles and swelling is there none stop the pain in right thumb and fingers now are gettin beyond a joke really gettin down with it and theres no cure for RA...ye shaking someones hand can be very painfull for me also needing to just start nodding my head lol i came of mtx there was on 25mg 10 tabs a week cos i was no feeling so good its now looking worse thing i did the RA is going through my body now dont think i wanna be here if this pain goes through me am just bloody sick of it takes ages to do simples things in the morning only 52 as well sorry to sound so negative just puts u in a dark place tryin to live with this does for me anyhow
    • Laurbach
      Laurbach bob_2020

      Posted

      It really sounds like you have it quite bad Bob..... I think it's natural to feel that way with the pain you describe:-( How long have you been struggling with RA ?

  • Gloria814
    Gloria814 Laurbach

    Posted

      hopefully you will see a good rheumatologist who can figure out what is going on

    My pain started gradually, in fact my first symptom was overwhelming fatigue and that was it for many months.  Then finger pain --I noticed swelling but the doctor did not.   He was able to put pressure on my hands also and my range of motiion was good

      Basically blood tests normal --first xrays which showed some symptoms but he wanted confirmation with MRIs of both hands . Erosions both hands so inflammatory arthritis diagnosis.   Now I have pain in both feet, both hands

      

    • Laurbach
      Laurbach Gloria814

      Posted

      I'm seeing the rheumatologist around May-June so hope they can tell me more. Seems like my symptoms aren't that uncommon. Still hope it's something else off course but at the same time I'm worried I'll end up without an answer.

  • Rowbirdie
    Rowbirdie Laurbach

    Posted

    Pain and stiffness when not in use and a 90 min warm up needed in the morning is a classic sign of RA. Do say how this impinges potentially on your work. If it was osteo arthritis it would likely wear off before half an hour.

    i don't know what blood tests you ve had but usually inflammation markers are raised and you may or may not have a positive RF marker. But pain when the hand is squeezed is another sign of RA , but you don't seem to have this. Nothing on X-ray, no red or swelling can  just be cos it's early stages. I had a lot of pain before anything obviously happening.

    • Laurbach
      Laurbach Rowbirdie

      Posted

      How long did it take from your pain started before other symptoms started?
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