Looking for pictures of early swelling in wrists | Arthritis Information
So far, I have had, according to the RD, "no visible swelling" until today. I'm starting to feel like I'm crazy with all of this so wondering if its RA at all. The only thing I can picture is extreme distortion or the nodules. This is more like a thick, tender area on the wrist bone on the side of my pinkie. To me, it is visible but that's also because I can feel it inside so it feels bigger than it looks. I had thought that nothing was really helping so when my Rx for tramadol ran out, I didn't fill it and decided to take a break. The next 48 hours were/have been horrible! I have been awake a lot a lot with shooting pain and throbbing, aching. I guess I had forgotten how bad it could get and didn't realize how much the constant pain meds were really helping!! Anyway, I then noticed the lump and wondered if it wasn't related. Its the first time I've had any visible signs of my RA so I don't know what I'm looking at. Can't imagine its anything else, though. I tried taking a picture but its on my right hand and DH is out of town. Its very early in the swelling so it doesn't show up on camera much to anyone else I don't think anyway. Just curious what more advanced swelling looks like in the wrist to see if the general area and appearance is the same so I can at least tell my dr at my next appt.I will post pictures in a little bit, that I took yesterday. Swelling in the wrist can be deceptive. I went to one of the best RD's at Vandy. He had an intern examine my wrist, and at one point I heard the intern say to himself/to me "doesn't seem that swollen." But when the experienced RD came in, one of the first things he said was "yeah, that's really swollen." My wrists are naturally small and the swelling isn't super obvious.
Before I was on NSAIDs (or Aleve or anything-I was breastfeeding) they were comically swollen, but it was more obvious in my hand than anything. When it's bad I get a red patch over the bottom of my hand (outside, not the palm) and I get a bruise like mark right on my radial joint from swelling (but my ulna is really messed up too).
I'll try to get the pictures up tonight. I think other people have more prominent nodules & swelling. Mine is just gd persistant. Hasn't gone all the way down since it started.
What is most obvious in the pictures is my loss in range of motion. Neither the RD nor my ortho can definitively tell me if the loss in ROM is due to permanent damage that has been done in these 7 months, or because of ongoing swelling. I think I'm going to ask for an x-ray next time. Until the swelling goes down, its impossible to say without an xray, I guess.
Alrighty then...worried about posting link to where I have my photos online, so I made a facebook album (if that is any better!)
The pictures have captions. The first 2 are from December 2007. At that time it hurt to even move my hand or have it touched. Thank god for Mobic. The next pictures were taken a few days ago. Firm pressure hurts, and some tasks. I can type though, and write, and drive, and that is what is critical. But my ROM is seriously screwy.
Katie,
Thanks! That was a lot of effort to help out a gal you don't know!
I could see the swelling but know what you mean about it not looking as bad as it feels. Does it ever make you feel a little crazy to have your joints look so normal and feel so broken? For me, its like if I don't look broken, I shouldn't BE broken and feel that much more need to try and perform at 100%. Its like I feel the need to only complain as much as I think someone will believe, otherwise they won't believe any of it. I say that as if I talk about it to much of anyone but really its only when I go to the RD and I feel the same way there. I saw some posts while searching about how cranky people get during flares. I have found myself having to seriously fight acting downright PMSy the last few days. DH is out of town and the only one who I can unload on is our 3 year old and that's not fair to him. I've been taking a lot of deep breaths these days!!
Thanks again and I hope you get some relief!
Rachel
Sunam2008-07-09 20:13:20No problem! I am constantly wondering "is the methotrexate finally working?" and staring at my range of motion to see if it is different. So I have been meaning to put some pictures together for a while so I can track things, and this was the excuse i needed! I hope it helped.
It is hard, and I end up shaking people's hands when I really shouldn't because I feel stupid to say I can't because my hand is hurt when I have no splint, cast, etc. and it's not really obvious. My family is finally beginning to understand/accept because they've seen how I pick up my kids and can't grip with that hand worth anything.
I hope your flare subsides and don't pick up your 3 year old more than you need to! Easier said than done, I know. I'm getting used to saying "I need YOU to hold onto ME or I can't pick you up!" :)
No one (including me) knew how swollen my hands were until I finally got on the right medication for me, and the swelling has gone down so much all ten fingers are wrinkled from the skin stretching. I also asked for MRIs of my hands and wrists, which show severe to moderate damage, but this was already there when I finally was diagnosed two years ago - I could look at my own hands and wrists and watch them change shape. (They sent me to a psychiatrist because I said I could see my body changing shape)
I also had my third set of hand xrays taken by my chiropractor, who has sent them off to a radiologist to read for three straight years, and the xrays say everything is fine.
So, xrays show no damage, MRIs shows damage. What do you do?
I've got some photos of my left wrist. It is the one that is most affected.
that kind of looks like a ganglion cyst....the MRI shows that it is the inflammation due to the RA in the wrist bones.YeOWch!!! Pammy I hope your meds are giving you some relief. That looks just awful!synovitis, is that what yours is called? that kind of looks like a ganglion cyst.... "
Funny because that is the only thing remotely similar to the "patch" I have. It isn't as ball like as a GC but its an isolated patch that rises from the boney knob at the base of my wrist when I flip my hand over, palm side up. Wow...only someone who has examined their hand enough might understand that one!
Anyhoo...the bottom "corners" of my hands are tender to type for more than a line or two and I can't lay my elbows on the counter or even the arm rest in the car. No obvious swelling, though, so they can't seem to take it very seriously. Its the ironic reason many of us hope to get visibly worse, I guess, so that people (doctors/family) will take us seriously. Crazy, eh?
It's all in our heads :)
Pammy...that looks horribly painful!
I am sorry to both pammy and sunam.
Much hugs to both of you.
My recent wrists/hands MRIs I asked for showed synovitis and ganglion cysts in both wrists. I knew about one in my right hand as it popped up about 30 years ago. At least I now know why my hands swell up. It is painful, good luck to anyone with this RA symptom, as my readings says this is when the damage is actively happening. I had an MRI when my swelling was at its worst in December, and what was odd was that there was synovial fluid everywhere and some edema but the synovium themselves were not inflammed, nor the tendons. The doctors were really confused (but they are sure this is inflammatory arthritis). I guess other connective tissues--ligaments--can also be involved? I've read other tissues can be implicated in AS or PsA, so sometimes I worry about those. So confusing!
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