Diagnosis of 'funny patch'...Any ideas anybody?

LignumVitae

Hello lovely people!
I was wondering if any of you could understand this enough to be able to recognise it as something which may have happened to you...
About 10 weeks ago I had a steroid injection or three into a badly inflamed wrist (possibly aggravated by a possible break which I didn't identify as anything other than an arthritis flare so didn't get checked out for 7 weeks, stupid I know).
In the last three weeks a small patch on the inside of my wrist which may be at the site of one of the jabs (can't really remember) has gone 'funny'. At first I put it down to late onset depigmentation from the steroid but it isn't just depigmented and I still have freckles on it, it looks a bit like there is a bruise somewhere inside, is whiter in the middle and redder at the edges, and the tendon or ligament running under it is much more prominent and black than the corresponding one on my other wrist. I know I should probably get it checked out but it isn't painful, swollen or hot and I kind of would like to not have to go back and sort it out because getting it sorted the first time involved rude A&E doctors, running between x-ray, rheumatology and A&E and as it doesn't hurt I can't be bothered going back through the fuss and mess of all that (it was exhausting). Can anybody understand or identify with that one?!
Love LV xx

dreamdaisy

I can understand and identify all too easily with wanting to avoid the hoo-hah but as this doesn't sound right (let alone look right) then your first trip should be to your GP, yes? Let us know what he / she says. DD

LignumVitae

I heed your advice DD, thank you...I will call my rheumy nurse (my GPs aren't very useful and just send me there anyway) but as it doesn't hurt I have decided to treat myself to a weekend off - it's my birthday you see and I want to have no appointment on the two days off work I am taking after the weekend so I will call on Tuesday. I promise!

stickywicket

We all understand where you're coming from, LV, especially on a 'birthday weekend' but I do hope it's, at least, no worse. If the redness is spreading then, birthday or no birthday, I'd get it checked out. You could have an infection there.

lizzieuk1

Hi LV,
not sure if this is sorted but i would def get this looked at, occaasionally if you break the wrist-in particular it is the scaphoid bone am i referring to which sits at the base of the thumb, it can loose its blood supply and become necrotic this is why the wrist is often xrayed at the time of injury and 1 week after as the fracture doesnlt always show initially but it is nasty complication of a scaphoid break so def get it seen to.x

Soretoe2

Just a thought. I have had lots of injections/epidurals. Occasionally the needle hits a nerve or leaves a small pool of steroid at the site that doesn't disperse properly.This can result in several different reactions.
Mostly it's just a waiting game until it settles.
I would visit the gp or phone the hospital if you had it done there and have it checked out to put your mind at rest.

LignumVitae

Thank you all so much, I will be calling my lovely rheumy nurse on Monday morning and looking after my wrist til then. Nothing seems worse but my wrist is a different shape to the other one around that area. Of course, maybe it always was and I just never observed it but maybe it wasnt either! LV xx