This was a completely new symptom for me. Up to now I've been relatively lucky in that I've not had a lot of pain, apart from some gastrointestinal issues a year or so ago.
Anyway I woke up last night with a lot of pain in both hands, eventually had to take painkillers. Today my hands felt less painful but still somewhat achey and tingly, and the aching went up to my elbows.
I've had tingling hands and feet for ages, but this seems to be a new and frightening development. Does it sound like a Sjogrens symptom? :(
Try copper compression gloves.
Rub CBD oil on them. Doctor gave me a dream but liver can't flush it so I went to the oil.
I have had Sjogrens for a long time, I also have RA and going thru a major flare right now. It started out with my hands and feet. It has progressed to my arms and legs this time. I know that means the disease is progressing. They have just increased my Plaquenil dosage and I see the rheumatologist in two weeks. I am expecting they may do some xrays to see how the bones are looking. I also have the burning and tingling in my feet, not sure if that RA or Sjogrens....or something different. Most of these autoimmune diseases don't come alone and unfortunately can overlap with other conditions. Hope you have a good rheumatologist who is willing to figure this out for you. Hang in there :)
Hi Araminta,
Yes, indeed, it's always something!
Some ideas:
1) Carpal tunnel Syndrome.
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/carpal-tunnel/symptoms-of-carpal-tunnel-syndrome#1
2) Nerve compression in your neck can cause problems in your hands.
3) Peripheral Neuropathy in your hands.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061
An EMG of your hands and arms can identify which kind of problem you are having.
Regards, Elaine
Thank you all very much for your thoughts and suggestions. It seems this could be one of several different things. I'll hang on for a little while as I am sick of going to the doctor, but if it happens again I guess I'd better take some action.
You must first rule out carpal tunnel. You can do this test at home https://youtu.be/rQJNrkq7tIs
It was kind of you to post the link, happylife. Well I tried the Phalen and Tinel tests, they didn't seem to show anything new. I'm beginning to think this is some kind of neuropathy.
Pain and swelling in my hands that was worse at night along with pain in my feet made the docs suspect I had seronegative RA. My x rays once showed a little bit of erosion but that was it. I really wonder about the RA diagnosis but sometimes my hands and feet will hurt exclusively. These diseases can be hard to pick apart. I hope you have a good rheumy.
I had the contracture on my little finger straightened (for the third time) and the skin all over my finger is swollen and extremely sore to the touch and the knuckle swells, bends, and hurts, especially in the middle of the night. Getting some open-fingered (gentle) compression gloves helped a lot. The compression "suggests" to my knuckle that it not swell.
But mostly, I think it keeps the nerves from going all jangly. They seem much calmer knowing there's a layer between them and the world (as my sister says, sometimes the world is a cactus). Isotoner has some compression gloves and I think stores like Bartells and Walgreens might carry them. They seem the easiest to put on. I haven't tried the ones with copper in them, as Joe suggested.
Compression gloves might help the jangly nerves, even if the cause is something different. And maybe the extra warmth would help.
You could try the wrist braces made for carpal tunnel. Wear them at night and see if they help.
One of the symptoms of Sjogrens and other autoimmune diseases is tendon problems. This can happen anyplace in the body. I have had problems with the tendons in my elbows for 40 years resulting in elbow, lower arm and hand pain. I have also had problems with my achilles tendons. My son with autoimmune issues jumped out of bed really fast during the night years ago when his smoke detector went off. That sudden movement ruptured his achilles tendon in one heel and he had to have surgery and missed 6 months of work.
I have had carpal tunnel surgery in right wrist 2004, left wrist 2013 and just had left wrist done again 2 weeks ago. I also had the ulnar tendon release done at the same time. This time the pain came on so fast and increased fast.I waited way too long to have this wrist done due to other health issues and family issues. The pain became very bad. I also have carpal tunnel in the righty wrist but not as bad and will do that in a couple of month.
Inflammation of the tendons in the wrist is what can cause the carpal tunnel. The inflammation along with repetitive motions such as computer keyboard use or other occupations that require repetitive motions can speed up the carpal tunnel issues. I would advise you to take time to research carpal tunnel on line and if your pain keeps on and you experience more pain, numbness, stabbing electrical pain, etc., it would be wise to see your doctor. Good luck. Irish
Thank you again for your kind suggestions and help. I'm sorry to hear what you all have had to put up with, and it seems it can take some time to get to the root cause of these problems. I will be trying some of the suggested remedies, and monitoring the situation.