Hello There,

FULLTIMER

Hello all, I'm Mark and have recently been diagnosed as having Erosive Arthritis, I believe I might have had this for a few years possibly starting up after a bout of campylobacter, I've always had a few back problems but previously never any problems with joints like my fingers / hips / wrists & feet etc. What caused me to finely see a doctor was a couple of my finger joints swelling up to a pretty impressive size, then I was sent for x rays of my hands hence the diagnosis unfortunately the covid 19 came along and my appointment with the specialist was cancelled as was the scheduled telephone appointment so up until now I really have no idea what this Erosive Arthritis is , or is it just another name for inflammatory arthrits. Still at least I'm still mobile and able to work most of the time (self employed) and hopefully will start getting sorted once things start getting back to normal.

ajolly

Hello Mark, welcome to the forum.

Receiving and understanding a new diagnosis can be overwhelming at the best of times, let alone in the current climate with COVID19. I am sorry to hear your appointment has been cancelled. The good news is that you have received a diagnosis and with that comes the potential for treatment options when life does start to return to normal and you can see your specialist.

In the meantime, I hope I can provide you with some useful information and although we cannot offer medical advice, I am sure our members here will also jump in and share their experiences with you.

I have never heard of erosive arthritis myself but from what I can gather it is a form of osteoarthritis primarily impacting the hands. Based on this I have provided a link to some information from our website specifically on hand & wrist pain. You mentioned that your finger joints suffer from swelling and there is a section on using ice to manage swelling that may provide some relief. There are also some exercises, which if you feel up to, may help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hand-and-wrist-pain/

It is great to see you are still mobile and able to manage with work most of the time. If you do find things are getting too hard or you want someone to chat to, please give our helplines team a call on 0800 5200 520, they are open Monday to Friday 9am-8pm.

Best wishes,

Alice