Rheumatoid Nodules

March 29, 2000

,

My son has nodules that come and go. He has one he calls his " second

ankle " because it keeps returning next to his ankle. I recall reading about

nodules on this site recently, have you searched the jra onelist site for

information?

Jana

March 30, 2000

Thank you. I'm kind of new at using computers and I'm not real sure

where to look for info. I looked at a few different places and got

frustrated. I thought I would try here and see if anyone had experienced

the nodules or knew what they were. Thanks again.

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March 30, 2000

Hi ,

My son gets a sort of lump/bump near some of his joints, sometimes. The

first time one showed up, it was on his wrist. We were shocked by it's

appearance and worried that it was a permanent sign of deformity.

Fortunately, it wasn't. His tend to recur and later disappear, so

perhaps they aren't exactly what's known as rheumatoid nodules.

Sometimes they are painful and sore, sometimes they don't hurt him. He's

had them occur on his wrists, fingers, elbow and both ankles. I think

the longest one lasted was for about 2 months before disappearing. We

were so relieved. You know the bump by our ankle joint? When Josh had

his worst (what we call) nodule, it was near that and even larger than

the ankle joint itself.

I've read that people who take MTX are more likely to get nodule

formation. I've also heard that there's some relation between severity

of disease and nodule formation. I know this probably won't help too

much. Later on, I'll check in the archives and see if there is

anything better there about it. If so, I'll repost.

Take care,

Georgina

S Broyles wrote:

> Today, I took Kourtney to see her rheumy. I asked about a knot on the

> outside of her leg about 2-3 inches below the knee. About a month ago it

> showed up and I took her to the pediatrician. She said she thought it

> was a bump or bruise that calcified. She suggested asking the rheumy if

> it could be related to the JRA. He told me today that he thought it was

> a rheumatoid nodule. Of course he was running 3 hours behind and didn't

> explain what this is. I haven't been able to find info on these nodules.

> Does anyone have them and know what causes them? Also, is it treated

> with the same meds or is there a different treatment for them? Any info

> would be great!

>

August 6, 2001

Hi Pat, Dean here :

I developed the nodules a couple of months ago on both sides. Mine hurt when

I put pressure on the areas by resting the forearms on a table, etc. I

thought I was stuck with them but after taking a week of Clindamycin IV's,

they almost disappeared. Dr. Brown said the nodules were due to mycoplasma

concentrating in the area, and your body builds a capsule over them to

contain them and stop them from spreading. Makes sense to me -- as the

antibiotics kill the mico's , your body no longer needs to contain them and

they will dissolve. I hope that is what occured with me, but who knows ? The

nodules are also known to come and go for no apparent reason. Anyhow, that's

my story and I'm sticking to it !!! D.

rheumatic rheumatoid nodules

> Hello,

> Does anyone have nodules on elbows? Do they mean the disease

is

> growing worse or more active? What should one do about therm? What are

your

> experiences?

> Thanks so much for thinking about this. I look forward to

> hearing from you.

>

> Pat

>

> To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

>

August 6, 2001

rheumatic rheumatoid nodules

> Hello,

> Does anyone have nodules on elbows? Do they mean the disease

is

> growing worse or more active? What should one do about therm? What are

your

> experiences?

> >

" From page 149 of The New Arthritis Breakthrough:

Nodules: The Classic Harbinger

The most pronounced and classic symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is the

nodule, which appears at the joints as the first external evidence of

arthritic disfigurement. Because this is so widely recognized for what it

represents, some victims of the disease are actually relieved when the first

rheumatoid nodule appears; now, at last, the patient has something tangible

to take to the doctor. Nodules usually arise at the site of some injury,

such as a sprain or bump, and although it is possible to have one or two

without necessarily having arthritis, it is likely that all such nodules are

the result of disease activity at the site.

Nodules are unlike malignant lesions that keep on spreading, however, and

they can come and go. Sometimes a patient will detect one on an elbow or

wrist and make an appointment with the doctor, only to discover that the

nodule has receded and perhaps even disappeared by the time the appointment

is kept. Or it can vanish in one place and reappear later in another.

The most likely explanation for these nodules is that they contain fibrous

tissue that forms in a skein around the small lesions where the mycoplasmas

are located. The tisssue is a protective response by the body to contain

the infection and keep it from spreading. If the mycoplasma antigen stops

coming out for some reason, either because the body's defense puts it down

for a while or a medicine suppresses it, then the scar tissue surrounding

the germ is no longer needed and the nodule goes away. The process by which

this occurs is one of natural attrition; cells are periodically replaced,

and if the cause for defense is no longer there, the body will remove the

old cells without sending it new ones. "

For years I had a nodule just below the left elbow that was about two inches

long and a good quarter inch high. Then after starting the AP and going into

the Herxheimer, two nodules appeared on one ear and one on the other. About

19 months into the therapy they all disappeared.

Ethel

August 7, 2001

Ether: Are nodules always on a bone or joint? I've had a small one off to the side of my shin, in fleshy part of leg, not right on the shin. It's been there since the beginning when I was really sick with the RA, and my orthopedic dr. (during annual check of my ankle pin & screws) said it was a rheumatoid nodule and there was nothing much to be done about it. It's just that I had thought they occurred on only bones and joints???

Also, my shoulders gives me pain at times, esp. the rt. one. Dr. Trentham said it was most likely that I had some permanent damage due to the RA.

Should I get an X-ray and what could be done about it anyway?

Babs

February 1, 2003

on 2/1/03 1:44 PM, Den and Skip, at denandskip@..., wrote:

>

> Skip's weekly IV's have really caused the Rheumatoid nodules to appear on her

> hands and wrists. Here are some pictures if you would like to know what they

> look like. The picture of the outside of her wrist has a cluster of six or

> seven nodules on it. If anyone has any information on nodules please post it.

Denny, my posts to the list aren't coming through very quickly, feel free to

post this yourself to get them to the list faster.

Here are the photos:

<http://www.jeanprobert.com/test/rheumatic/skip.htm>

--

Jean

jpro2@...

February 1, 2003

If anyone has any information on nodules please post it.

>

> Thanks,

> Den and Skip

This site may be quite helpful - http://arthritis.about.com/cs/nodules/

Mark

August 10, 2003

As one who has had several " bumps " removed over the past 10 years...I will

put in my two cents. I go in about every two years and have four or five

things taken off. I let them accummulate and then have a plastic surgeon remove

them. Some of mine are rheumatoid cysts, others are just lumps that seem to

come with age. Once I hit 45....I was like a boat that accummulated barnicles.

Everything has been harmless, I have had nothing biopsied. On the other

hand if you are worried then by all means ask to have it done, it should not be

refused. I have taken care to study cancerous skin lesions as melanomia runs

in my family. There are definite signs for cancer and an experienced

dermatologist or plastic surgeon can spot them quickly.

My lumps tend to appear on my wrist or elbows and are painful when hit or

when I accidently lean on them. None of mine have ever gone away on their

own, but many others have told me theirs did. If they are bothersome....have

them removed!!! Martha

August 10, 2003

From The New Arthritis Breakthrough by Henry Scammell - page 149, or page 78

of the first book by Dr. Brown - The Road Back

" NODULES - The Classic Harbinger