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I have slowly watched my joint and surrounding tissue swell. The diameter is now bigger than a golf ball and the raised area looks like I have a golf ball under my skin. You can't see it well in this pic and you can't see the redness but . . .Is this similar to what you are experiencing? Of note, the outside of my left knee is swollen and the balls of both feet are swollen.

Ouch! That looks so sore.

My finger joints aren't that swollen. Mine is more of a universal swelling in the hands and joints at times, like after they have been still for a bit (after sleeping or after reading etc). The finger tips and now the left thumb joints areas are always a bit swollen though.
It hurts (sharp pain) to bend the joints of the hands & wrists when they are like that, but after a few flexes, the swelling and stiffness go down some.

Sometimes there is no swelling at all but the stiffness and pain is still there along with redness. I also have the index, 3rd and 4th fingers do a trigger thing at times. Nothing I've tried so far reduces the pain except Ibuprofen.

The redness is sometimes like what you get after handling beets in the kitchen; worse on the palm side and in the thumbs, as well as on the finger tips, under and around the finger nails. Then sometimes it is barely noticeable.
Since having a reaction to Lyrica, the swelling, redness and pain have been more pronounced, more often. It has been affecting the wrists as well for the last few weeks.

I'm thinking that it may be a rheumatic type of thing too because it feels like the tendons are affected as well as the joints themselves.

With love, ERika

I tried to move your hand to see your face, but it wouldn't move.

I am so sorry for your pain, Trish. What does your Doc do to
relieve that swelling? That is nasty!!!

My face is not in there as it was late at night, I was so tired as I didn't nap and was in my pjs and in bed. So, just for you Sally, just this once . . .This is me and my girls taken about a month or so ago. It doesn't look like it but I was pretty sick at the time (fever, vomiting all night, etc.) and ended up in the hospital two days later (diverticulitis that didn't respond to oral abx). So, now you don't have to pull my hand down to see my face. haha

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As for the swelling, this is the reason they think I have lupus. Long story short, I haven't seen the test results and the dr won't give them to me despite me asking her at my last rheumy visit. She said, "I told you at your last appt., you have lupus and sjogrens." OK. It's not RA as my RF have been negative right along and my PCP had just done the test prior to me going to the rheumatologist. The rheumy said I don't have RA. So who knows.

I've been dealing with this for a few years but it has gotten so much worse and is happening more frequently. It used to only happen once every six months give or take. Every since February, it's been happening quite a bit and it's almost all joints/tendons that do this. My last PCP saw it and ran tests. He said it was tenosynovitis. It was the only time, that I know of, that a lupus test came back positive (antiDS DNA or something like that). Upon further testing, the lab said it wasn't lupus. It flares up and then disappears so I'm pretty sure its autoimmune related.

Trish- in the pic that is "just for you, Sally," which one is you? Yes, I am serious. I can't tell.

Best to you,
A.

Ann - You are so kind! You just made my day!!! I'm the one on the far right. The one in the middle is DD22 and the one on the left is DD23.