Advice on swelling needed

keith1971

Hi all.......

Just wanted to get a general consensus regarding protocol when you're experiencing painful swelling.

About a month ago my little finger went up......and is still up but not as much as it was at the start, if that makes sense. About a week or so ago my middle finger on the same hand decided to join the party. I've been popping anti-inflamms like smarties but nothing much seems to be changing.

So.....is it a case of just waiting it out in the hope it'll go down eventually or is there anything else I should try?

For some reason I'm able to deal better with general stiffness & pain but when something swells I tend to panic!

:roll:

Starburst

Does ice help at all? I don't like ice on my hands or wrists but ice on feet can be nice. x

keith1971

Hi, thanks for replying.

Ice seems to just make things hurt more & I can never leave it on for more than a couple of minutes!

Good luck with your op tomorrow

x

frogmorton

Hi Keith

If it was me.....

I would nip to the chemist and see if they do any kind of tubigrip for fingers???

I have some is*toner gloves for my hands which l am using for my two swollen fingers as well.

by the way mine are rt hand...which are yours!!!

Love

toni xx

keith1971

Good idea Toni, many thanks.

Yep, mine are right hand too......which doesn't help because I'm right handed. :roll:

x x

Starburst

Have you tried isotonic gloves, Keith? You can get full finger ones or ones which cut off before the finger tips. They're good for swelling. Oh and thank you for the good wishes. Hope your hands are less swollen today.

barbara12

Hi Keith
I have OA, and lately my hand has joined in the fun, at first the swelling seemed to go down but the last few days its not going anywhere, so thanks for asking the question, I am off to look for the gloves that starburst has mentioned.
Hope apart form that you are keeping wellish

keith1971

Thanks Barbara......doin' ok(ish). I think the anti-inflamms are making me a little woozy to be honest!

x

caprica

hi keith,
i think you need to question whether this swelling fits within your 'pattern'. do you fingers usually swell on and off intermittently (ie, do you expect it to go away soon) or is this the first time? if this is a new symptom and as you say has been with you for over a month then maybe you should wait another week or two to see if it goes away and if not give your doctor a bell. it might be an idea to get the finger(s) injected with a steroid. i had one of those in december and it was great, sorted it right out. they don't work for everyone but it's worth a shot to try and calm things down.

your hands are important and it's good to keep on top of any swelling in them because swelling often equals damage. plus, it's terribly frustrating not to use your hands properly!!!

keith1971

Hi Caprica.....

Well I've only been at this for a year and a bit so not entirely sure what's the norm for me yet!!

I had ONE swollen finger at the very very start.....big toes went up for a little while too at one point. Other than that, no swelling at all.

I've had the dreaded injection in the finger before.....was one of the worst pains I've ever felt! And I'm a tough guy

Thanks for the positive input

x