Swollen hands and fingers.

Becky88

Good Evening. I have had RA for many years and last year I was also diagnosed with Raynaud's. I am writing this as over the past month my hands and fingers have been really swollen. I saw the GP last year with similar symptoms and she said that I had Raynaud's. I don't know if anybody has had similar symptoms but I thought I would ask for some advice. My hands and several finger joints have been extremely swollen recently. They look like they are full of fluid, then my skin splits open as the swelling is so apparent. I wonder if anybody has had similar symptoms? I am worried that it could be a sign of lupus. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Ellen

@Becky88 just wondering whether you are due to see your rheumatologist soon. Splitting skin does not sound good.

This is some information about Raynaud's:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/raynauds-phenomenon/

I'll leave our members to share their own experience.

Best wishes

Ellen.

Becky88

Thank you very much for your reply and the information, @Ellen. Unfortunately, all of my annual Rheumatology appointments have been telephone ones for the past 4 years. I did explain a few months that I had also been diagnosed with Raynaud's but nothing came of it. I just don't know if it is an RA flare up, Raynaud's or something else. The tissue is definitely inflamed and there is also fluid, causing the skin to split. No, not pleasant.

JessicaLizzie

That really sounds awful 😪 I have Stills disease and Raynauds and this weather definitely does not help! My fingers get so painful and my hands and fingers swell up too. I've found compression gloves do help. I've had some from the hospital but I've bought some from NeoG where they do the fingerless compression gloves and fingerless winter gloves in one set. They've been a godsend as I can wear both, or choose one or the other. I find by the evening my hands are quite literally 2cm in diameter bigger so with the fingerless gloves I can still fit them but then the other compression gloves are too tight.

My hands/fingers haven't been splitting though, and that really sounds awful, I really feel for you. I defo think you need to pester rheumatology and if they don't offer a face to face appointment, ask where you can email photos to. That's what I've done before and they did actually give me their email address.

I really hope they can sort you out soon. People don't realise just how valuable your hands are and how much it impacts your quality of life when they're affected.

Becky88

Thank you, @JessicaLizzie, I really appreciate your reply, and I will definitely try the gloves. My hands and fingers are very swollen which isn't nice. I will reply to your recent post about medication as I have taken both Hydroxychloroquine and Methotrexate. Many thanks for your help.

JessicaLizzie

Let us know how you get on 🙂

stickywicket

I think you really need to ne in touch with your rheumatologist again. The gloves should help but that's just the symptoms. You ,ight need a meds tweak. I'd also want to know what to do about the ski n. Moisturising with an aqueous cream might help but I'-d be wary if it's broken. Your pharmacist could probably advise there.

Becky88

Thank you very much @stickywicket. I hope that you are as well as possible.

Baloo

I kind of agree about the moisturising in general as its better for the skin less likely to split and more likely to heal, that much we do know. When my feet swelled up we eventually responded with foot cream. The last thing I wanted was open sores developing. My taxi driver the other day was wearing see though disposable plastic gloves. It was mysterious but he explained his diabetes made the skin spilt on his fingers but the gloves helped.