nerve pain?

[Guest guest]

Hi all. I've had something somewhat new happening and could use

some feedback. I've been awakened three times in the past week with

pain so intense in my right hand and wrist that is different than my

usual pain. Instead of bad pain in just the joints, it feels like

nerves are involved (I can't open and close the hand totally and it

feels kinds of that numb fuzzy feeling along with the pain) and the

pain really radiates. The surface of the hand and wrist is slightly

swollen and the skin itself is really sensitive as well. Does this

sound familiar to anyone? I'm pretty nervous because it lasts at

least 24 hours every time it's come on and I have finals coming up.

I'm also calling my doc. tomorrow but you guys often have such great

advice! Thanks tons.

Oh.. I also thought I read somewhere that the wrists are an area

that is especially worrisome because it indicates a progression of

the disease. Has anyone else heard this or am I mixing up a bunch

of different stuff I've read?

[Guest guest]

I have experienced similar nerve pain on the surface of the outside of my left knee. It is very specific and at times it was so bad that it woke me up. I thought that maybe it was some kind of drug reaction. But now that my RA seems to be better under control, it doesn't seem to be happening at much. It's a weird sensation and there didn't seem to be anything I could do to alleviate it. I don't know if it's part of RA or not - I hadn't previously heard of anything quite like it. The sensation I feel is a sort of burning/stinging feeling that is only skin deep - it sounds like how people describe shingles.

Anyway, good luck with it. Hope it gets better.

gloria

[Guest guest]

My wrist and hand and finger pain, swelling, tenderness, turned out to be soriatic arthritis. The numbness like carpel tunnel comes and goes depending on swelling. The rheumy advised not to rush to surgery when I consulted the ortho Dr. The xrays were negative, blood tests were not too bad. Then in a few short months the soft tissue irritation showed up big time in a bone scan and blood work began to show major inflamation. Shortly after that the xrays showed joint damage consistent with psoriatic arthritis. My hands constantly feel like I have pulled every tendon, muscle (very little of that in your hands) or beat them to death somehow. I didn't correlate the soft tissue irritation with arthritis. I think of that with joint damage. The official definition of arthritis is deterioration of soft tissues resulting in joint damage, I think. My rheumy acted surprised that I didn't seem to understand the feeling of of problems with all the soft tissues, like I should have expected that.

I have had negative nerve conduction studies twice, but the ortho told me that doesn't mean you don't have carpel tunnel. Currently I just think it is all the irritation from the arthritis. I don't think the carpel tunnel surgery would do anything. The occupational therapist told me to tape my fingers with light pressure and that helps. I tape both my fingers, hands, and wrists and can still type to do the majority of my job. I tape them at night and that helps also. She said that would keep the swelling down. It also provides support for already damaged joints.

-----Original Message-----From: Matthies [mailto:smatthies10@...]Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 12:42 AMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: nerve pain?Hi all. I've had something somewhat new happening and could use some feedback. I've been awakened three times in the past week with pain so intense in my right hand and wrist that is different than my usual pain. Instead of bad pain in just the joints, it feels like nerves are involved (I can't open and close the hand totally and it feels kinds of that numb fuzzy feeling along with the pain) and the pain really radiates. The surface of the hand and wrist is slightly swollen and the skin itself is really sensitive as well. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm pretty nervous because it lasts at least 24 hours every time it's come on and I have finals coming up. I'm also calling my doc. tomorrow but you guys often have such great advice! Thanks tons. Oh.. I also thought I read somewhere that the wrists are an area that is especially worrisome because it indicates a progression of the disease. Has anyone else heard this or am I mixing up a bunch of different stuff I've read?