osteoarthritis

[luvflorida]

I suspected that was the reason for the swelling in the joint of one of my fingers. I had x-rays taken of both of my hands yesterday, and today the doctor confirmed that it was indeed osteoarthritis.

The first joint (the one closest to the fingertip) of the middle finger on my right hand has been swollen for quite some time, and only recently has gotten worse. It really hasn't bothered me until the past couple of weeks. The finger periodically hurts when I put pressure on it or bend it. It almost feels like a stinging sensation.

I have to say, though, that I was relieved when the doctor said it was osteoarthritis and not rheumatoid arthritis, which was a concern of mine. My mother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis in her hands and I know it was awfully painful and debilitating.

It is only affecting one finger joint, so far. The doctor said not much could be done other than taking Tylenol for it. By biggest concern (other than it being RA) is whether it will eventually affect other joints in other fingers. The doctor really couldn't say. It's possible that it won't, but just as possible that it will.

Does anyone else here have any experience with osteoarthritis? I'd love to hear the good AND the bad. I am not looking for sympathy (I know there are many other people coping with much worse things in their lives) but would love to hear from others that have experience with OA. Thanks!

 

[Mermaid02]

I have OA- in my thumbs where they are jointed to the hand....... it hurts a lot if I have to hold something for a while. Since I got done working and am not on the phone so much they are better. I also have it in my hip (just one because the other is new and artificial, but I had it bad in that one) and my knees. I'm 42. I'm trying to take off some weight for the knees and hip- but other than that I'm not doing much.

 

[buckler]

I have something similar to OA but not in my fingers. Are you seeing a hand specialist? If not, I'd consult with one. The hand is very complicated. You can find a hand specialist on the American Society of Surgery for the Hand website. I'd pick an orthopedist, not a plastic surgeon. Both kinds of doctors can specialize in hands.

Info on OA from the ASSH site:
Osteoarthritis of the hand

 

[Feralpeg]

I have osteoarthritis. It started out in the joints in my little fingers. Over time, it has spread to the other joints in my hands. Over the past six months, I've noticed that my hands get very stiff. When I first wake up, I have a difficult time bending my fingers.

I also have osteoarthritis in my back and one hip. I try to stay active, but I think, in time, it will make getting around pretty difficult.

Getting old is no fun!

 

[minkydog]

I have OA- in my thumbs where they are jointed to the hand....... it hurts a lot if I have to hold something for a while. Since I got done working and am not on the phone so much they are better.

I have OA in both basal thumb joints(same as yours.) The rt thumb was the worst, although as my rt hand became more and more painful I started using the left hand more and that thumb became pretty inflamed. I had several cortisone injections into the joint, but finally the pain just couldn't be helped. It was waking me up at night and I had lost most of the use of my rt hand. It started curling inward from disuse.

So I had the thumb joint replaced. Best thing I ever did. Honestly, the pain after surgery wasn't as bad as the arthritis pain! I now have about 90% of former function(as compared to <30%) and although my rt hand is weakend, I have absolutely NO PAIN> I call that a success!

I have something similar to OA but not in my fingers. Are you seeing a hand specialist? If not, I'd consult with one. The hand is very complicated. You can find a hand specialist on the American Society of Surgery for the Hand website. I'd pick an orthopedist, not a plastic surgeon. Both kinds of doctors can specialize in hands.

I agree. I found a really good hand surgeon in Marietta, GA. He was a jerk and I wouldn't want to marry him but he was a great hand guy. Orthopedists are not all the same. My foot guy won't touch my hands. And the hand guy won't touch my feet. So I have two doctors in the same practice treating different things.

 

[Nancy]

I have it in my feet and knees. Most days not too bad...some days hurts. I can't wear shoes with too high a heel anymore because it hurts to have my toes bending and my shoes now have to be a wide width. My doctor made it seem so serious and told me "you HAVE to see an orthopedic doctor right away"....made it seem like having it was life threatening.

 

[minkydog]

I have it in my feet and knees. Most days not too bad...some days hurts. I can't wear shoes with too high a heel anymore because it hurts to have my toes bending and my shoes now have to be a wide width. My doctor made it seem so serious and told me "you HAVE to see an orthopedic doctor right away"....made it seem like having it was life threatening.

Well, as you know OA is not life-threatening, but it sure can limit you. He probably wants to get you in to see an ortho before you sustain too much damage. I have extremely flat feet which is causing me a lot of pain and disability. Up until this year we've always been able to treat it. Not anymore. My doctor has recommended surgery to permanently fix the foot. Of course, I don't *have* to do it--I could just sit on the couch for the rest of my life. But he suggests that i get it fixed now while the arthritis is at a minimum, for a better outcome. Once you have a lot of arthritis in the foot, the surgery is much more complicated and it's not as easy to fix. So I'm having the foot reconstructed this summer by my foot guy. Pretty soon I'll be the bionic woman!

 

[luvflorida]

...Are you seeing a hand specialist?...

Not at this time.

I have osteoarthritis. It started out in the joints in my little fingers. Over time, it has spread to the other joints in my hands. Over the past six months, I've noticed that my hands get very stiff. When I first wake up, I have a difficult time bending my fingers.


Getting old is no fun!

There are many things that are great about getting older, but you're right about this not being one of them! I have a feeling that OA will spread to my other finger joints over time.

...I had the thumb joint replaced. Best thing I ever did. Honestly, the pain after surgery wasn't as bad as the arthritis pain! I now have about 90% of former function(as compared to <30%) and although my rt hand is weakend, I have absolutely NO PAIN> I call that a success!

Glad to hear that your hand is pain-free. I agree; that IS a success!

I have it in my feet and knees. Most days not too bad...some days hurts. I can't wear shoes with too high a heel anymore because it hurts to have my toes bending and my shoes now have to be a wide width. My doctor made it seem so serious and told me "you HAVE to see an orthopedic doctor right away"....made it seem like having it was life threatening.

My doctor seemed pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.

I have OA- in my thumbs where they are jointed to the hand....... it hurts a lot if I have to hold something for a while. Since I got done working and am not on the phone so much they are better. I also have it in my hip (just one because the other is new and artificial, but I had it bad in that one) and my knees. I'm 42. I'm trying to take off some weight for the knees and hip- but other than that I'm not doing much.

We need our hands for so much, it's awful when they hurt.

 

[teacherforhi]

I have osteoarthritis in my fingers (all of them), shoulders, one knee (the other one was replaced), and lower four vertebrae. Yes, some days it hurts to get out of bed, especially considering I'm only 34.

I take meloxicam on a daily basis. It helps most of the time, except when it's really cold and rainy. Then nothing seems to do much good. My orthopedist gave me samples of Celebrex to take one time, just to see if they helped. It did, a lot, but on my insurance it was $80 a month, compared to $4 for the meloxicam.

Another thing that helps is head. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I've been known to just pour a cup of hot water in a mug so I can hold it in the mornings while I'm on car lot duty. The heat really helps with my finger joints. I teach students who are deaf, so I really need those.

 

[buckler]

Another thing that helps is head. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I've been known to just pour a cup of hot water in a mug so I can hold it in the mornings while I'm on car lot duty. The heat really helps with my finger joints. I teach students who are deaf, so I really need those.

Have you looked into buying a pair of heated gloves? There are types that use a battery to generate the heat and others that you warm in the microwave before wearing. That would be safer than holding a cup of hot water that could spill.

 

[erincon23]

I've had OA in most of my joints since I was a teenager -- I have a deteriorating cartilage condition. If you can tolerate ibuprofen, it does a much better job than Tylenol (ibuprofen helps with swelling, and tylenol is more a pain reliever). I used to take Vioxx (and would do it again in a heartbeat, signing any release they wanted me to, and so would the orthopedist I've been to...), but since they've taken that off the market, I've tried just about everything. The newest one is Arthrotec, which is Diclofenac with a special coating to help with stomach problems -- any anti-inflammatory can cause stomach issues. Your OA may never progress to any other joint -- hope that it goes that way -- but there's no way to predict. I feel it in my hands as well -- I know I have one joint in my left thumb particularly that's a problem -- putting the heating pad on low and putting my hands under it while I watch TV or something helps a lot. You can get a pair of knit gloves and cut out the fingertips (for dexterity) and wear those around the house.

Nancy, you mentioned a foot problem that sounds like mine -- the joint between the plates in my feet has grown together. My ortho recommended New Balance rollbar shoes -- they look like old lady shoes and they're expensive ($115), but they saved my life. Your feet generally don't bend when you walk in them. I went to Disney in Oct '07 and thought I was going to require an amputation, then went to the doc and found out what was wrong and bought these shoes -- within a day I felt great -- six months later I went back to WDW for five days and sailed through (well, comparatively). When I don't wear them for a day or two, like today, I can really tell the difference.

You would be surprised at the things you can change to make a difference. Scissors -- get a pair of spring action scissors, especially if you sew or craft. Never wash your hands in cold water. If your doctor has you take an anti-inflammatory, see if you feel better taking it at night rather than in the morning -- with OA, mornings are usually the worst, and I can handle the pain better in the evening as the medication wears off, so I find that I start my day better if I take the meds right before bed. Get some fat pens with soft grips, or buy the grippers the kids use in school. You may find that you have a new sensitivity to heat -- taking hot things out of the toaster never used to bother me much until my hands started to develop OA -- now I can't do that easily at all. Anything that makes your hands swell -- salt, especially -- should be avoided.

Doctors are mixed on the effectiveness of glucosamine, but you may want to try it (it can't hurt you, and it isn't that expensive). You won't see any difference probably for at least 2 months.

Good luck! Try some small changes, and don't get frustrated if the first med or two doesn't help --- there are several available.

Erin

 

[buckler]

Doctors are mixed on the effectiveness of glucosamine, but you may want to try it (it can't hurt you, and it isn't that expensive). You won't see any difference probably for at least 2 months.
Erin

Consult your doctor before taking glucosamine just in case some other medication you are taking would interact with it. One potential interaction is with coumadin (warfarin, blood thinner). There could also be problems for people with shellfish allergies depending on how the glucosamine is made. There is a lot more info here:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-glucosamine.html

 

[erincon23]

Consult your doctor before taking glucosamine just in case some other medication you are taking would interact with it. One potential interaction is with coumadin (warfarin, blood thinner). There could also be problems for people with shellfish allergies depending on how the glucosamine is made. There is a lot more info here:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-glucosamine.html

I apologize, you're right -- none of that has ever been an issue for me, so I had forgotten about those reactions.

Erin

 

[luvflorida]

For those of you with OA in your finger joints, is it noticeable? Not only is the first joint of my finger swollen, but I also have two small bumps (bone spurs, I guess) on the joint. They are very noticeable to me, but my husband says he never noticed them until I pointed them out to him. I find myself being self-conscious of them and will sometimes wear a band-aid to cover the joint.

I have never liked taking any kind of medication, and only do so when I find it absolutely necessary. (Disclaimer: That's just me and I am certainly NOT judging anyone that does!) I'm not taking anything at this point, but I know things could change in the future.

Has anyone found any kind of creams or topical treatments that help? Thanks for the advice about heat that some of you have mentioned.

 

[luvflorida]

Any experience with creams, topical treatments, exercise, physical therapy, splints? Just looking for more info! Thanks to anyone that can provide any advice!