I've been having pain in my hands on and off, my ankles were 3 years ago which I thought to be a weight issue, I got the weight off, got pregnant (which often puts things into remission such as RA). I'm a new mom again now and having the following -
Left hand is alarming this morning:
-feeling of puffiness when I try to make a fist, but no visible puffiness specific to my ring and middle finger knuckles (lasted about an hour)
-pain around knuckles of ring and middle fingers, radiating top to wrist and bottom to center palm into the wrist (still going on in a lessening degree)
-stiff inbetween the fingers
-radiating sharp pain in my pinky
-feels like pulled muscles with an achy soreness with or out movement (my new normal lately)
-can't rub the pain away, it's deep inside
Right hand:
-minor stiffness
-pain in the wrist radiating down to same area on right hand (just was not as dramatically painful as the left)
-no puffy feeling in the fingers

I often wake up with 1 or both hands numb and tingling. It does not seem to matter how I sleep I end up in a position that cuts off circulation.

Now what is so eye poppingly strange is with my pregnancy I started having symptoms of underactive thyroid, really that started after my 3rd birth in 2004 and that is when the joint pain starte too. Now I've just read a symptom list of RA and it has similar symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, etc. This is so not good.

I wrote this stuff down on my patient history, but the Endo didn't seem to have read it. Maybe he'll read it when he gets my labs back.

I'm anemic with a low thyroid factor index test. So, the endo is going on that with more thyroid test including antibodies. And a Cushings test. BUT man, I'm freaked reading RA symptoms and knowing my own.

I always thought my eye sight would give out and prevent me from doing needle work, now I am thinking arthritis. I'm 32 for crying out loud.

I play the viola which contourts the left hand a bit, I haven't played in a while. Sometimes I'll just be doing house work and move something wrong and my left hand with feel sort of like a charley horse. It's happened a handful of times in the last 3 months.

Sound like RA? I'm really concerned. I'd rather be Celiac than RA or MS as far as autoimmune disorders go. I often felt that I would probably end up with MS just b/c I was so overly vaxed as a child living overseas, makes me wonder if MS will increase amoung the military population and then the general poplulation of kids born after 2002 and fully vaxed.

Have you seen a rheumatologist? If you suspect you have RA that is the type of doc I'd see.

Having RA, if it turns out to be that, well, it's not a "death sentence." I've lived with arthritis for eons - it seems - but it was dx'd formally when I was 22 and you're 32. You've had 10 years longer than I did without suspecting it . I'm not discounting your feelings and emotions, but...

Having arthritis isn't the end of life. But only a doc can do an accurate dx.

I hope it turns out that you don't have RA. What you are describing, though, is something that a doc should definitely be assessing. It could be a range of things. The only pathway to treatment is accurate dx.

Yes, I'm going to mention it to the Endocrinologist when he gets back with me about those test.
Today I didn't wake up with pain, but I have it know shooting in my wrist, nearest the thumb.
I'm trying not to worry about any of it, let the test speak first.

When my docs order labs, they usually have the results in 3 to 5 days. I hope that you get yours soon .

You probably do as I do, and as many also request: Copies of the lab results.

Yeap, always get a copy to read for myself.
The labs were drawn last Friday, the doc said 10 days. We are not really need excellent lab facilities and I already knew that the thyroid test other than TSH are sent out.
SO, mid-next week. I'll be going up there to drop of my urine too, so I'll ask while I'm there. My dh said he would not take 2 kids and drop off my urine for me tomorrow. So, I'll do it next week with 4! LOL

Will you update after your doc has your labs back? I hope so.

Here's holding onto the best thoughts for you .