Hand problems, pain and other issues.

[Guest]

The only pain I have experienced is in the joint in my thumb but in the last few months I have found myself dropping things at work. My wrist just gives way and it's on the floor. At the moment it just seems to be things that are slightly heavy.

[Hayley]

Mine isn't just how heavy an item is, it's how wide it is too. I cannot pick up a jar of mayonnaise, for instance, because the pain is so bad when I try to open my hand wide enough to do that.

My hand scan showed arthritis and the doctor who did the scan also did his own hand so that I could compare images. My rheumy had said in my notes that if arthritis was present I should be offered a cortisone/steroid injection, so I had that done there and then. It was extremely painful at the time and I even watch the scan of the needle going in and the fluid going into the joint. Anyway, the good news is that it's really helped so Natt, it may be worth asking for an x-ray or scan.

Hayley

[Natt]

hiya,

when i saw the rhuemy at the beginning of the year, I had many x rays on my hands and feet as they were really affected me - but they all came back clear.

I havent had an episode for a while now which is good..... but I couldnt turn the cold tap on the bath this morning, so had to fill up bowls from the sink to chuck in to cool down my water

Natt xxx

[nonyanomemory]

Hiya Natalie, have you got tap turners? Here is a picture click on the link tap turner The link doesn't go to tap turners but type in on their search the site facility and they are there Other sites may be cheaper - so worth a Google. Social Services OT suppied mine and they really help. nonya

[Natt]

we've been doing out bathroom up (well, trying to for a year!!) so have new taps waiting to be fitted which are different handles so havent got a tap turner yet. to be honest, its always been stiff, but this morning I even got in the bath and put all my weight behind it and it still wouldnt turn, so think its actually stuck

Rang Matt and whinged, and he said he'd fix it tonight. if not, he'll just have to run my bath at 7am before he goes to work every morning - or it will be plastic bowls again!!

Natt xxx

[Retro]

My ex's house was built specially for our Autistic son (although most of the design is actually meant for a wheelchair user). All the taps in the house are easy turn with levers C15400 - CB SWAN QT 1/2" BASIN PILLAR LEVER TAPS

[weggy]

moderator note - post copied below - a lower case version for those who find reading capitals tricky.
HI CAN ANYONE RELATE TO THIS I HAD HMS FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE BUT WAS JUST DIAGNOSED AT THE AGE OF 24.
MY HMS STARTED IN MY FEET AND BACK AND I ALSO HAVE A BONE CURVATURE BUT THE HMS HAS GONE TO MY HANDS AND IS EXTREMLY PAINFUL I WEAR SUPPORTS BUT THEY DO NOT SEEM TO HELP A GREAT DEAL AND HAVE SEEN A O.THERAPIST.
iTAKE CO - CODOMOL BUT THEY DO NOT TOUCH THE PAIN.
MY HANDS HAVE BECOME STIFF AND HARD TO MOVE, THEY HAVE COLLAPSED IN THE CENTRE OF MY HAND AND MY BONE STRUCTURE HAS JUST SPREAD OUT AND COLLAPSES WHICH ALSO HAPPENED TO MY FEET YEARS AGO. ONE MINUITE MY HANDS ARE BEARABLE AND THE NEXT MY LEADERS GET STUCK AND MY FINGERS GET STUCK UP IN THE AIR AND ARE HARD TO MOVE HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS WITH HANDS OR ANY COLLAPSING OF THE BONE STRUCTURE !!! IT SEEMS LIKE HMS ATTACKS ONE PART OF THE BODY BREAKS DOWN THE BONE STRUCTURE AND THEN LEAVES AND ATTACKS ANOTHER PART OF MY BODY ANY VIEWS ON THIS PLEASE HELP
I AM 27 YRS OLD AND FEEL NINETY AT THE MIN HA HA

[nonyanomemory]

Hi can anyone relate to this I had HMS from a very young age but was just diagnosed at the age of 24.
My HMS started in my feet and back and I also have a bone curvature but the HMS has gone to my hands and is extremely painful I wear supports but they do not seem to help a great deal and have seen a o.therapist.
I take co-codomol but they do not touch the pain.
My hands have become stiff and hard to move, they have collapsed in the centre of my hand and my bone structure has just spread out and collapses which also happened to my feet years ago. One minute my hands are bearable and the next my leaders get stuck and my fingers get stuck up in the air and are hard to move has anyone else had this with hands or any collapsing of the bone structure !!! It seems like HMS attacks one part of the body breaks down the bone structure and then leaves and attacks another part of my body any views on this please help
I am 27 yrs old and feel ninety at the min ha ha

Hi weggy, if you do a search via the facility above and type in hands there are a fair few posts with varying titles which mention the many difficulties those with hms are having or have had with their hands. it could be helpful to you to read through a few of these to see if anyone has mentioned anything which you may find useful.

I am not sure if in your description of your current problems with your hands you have been told by a medical professional that the bone structure is collapsing. The ligaments/muscles supporting my fingers, thumbs and hand have become so lax that they are not supporting my hand very well at all. My fingers curl alsoas though they are on a permanent visit to the centre of my hands!

Your description of your fingers going 'upwards' sounds as though they are sublucating/dislocating but have you asked the occupation therapist why she thinks they are doing this or could it be that they are spasming in a response to the pain you are in.

At a recent appointment at UCHL in London the physio there felt that possibly wearing latex gloves would help - a technique i believe started in the hypermobility clinic in leeds. It sounds bizarre but i believe the theory goes that the tightness of the glove acts as support and I suggested also that it possibly helps to wake up the muscles again to improve function - somthing learned from another physio who spent months 'waking up the muscles' in my shoulder. In short and forgive any innacuricies I am not a doctor - that muscles that have been in pain for a long time actually switch off, in essence a technique that the brain has learnt as a response to pain! Apparently the wearing of the gloves enables the user more functionality and less pain. I had difficulties finding gloves small enough but thats another story. I have posted about this somewhere on the boards before and perhaps a nice mod could find the thread!

The physio at UCHL also said that because us hmsers like to wriggle and move to help with the pain that supports etc can often not be very helpful as the hypermobile tend to move within the splints themselves. The OT was keen that I used the splints to prevent injury though so it is a difficult area.

Have you been offered nerve conduction studies at all I wonder? It may be worth your while to do this.

As I type I have the strong feeling this info is definately already in another thread, so wil leave you to browse the site on that.

With regard to the pain in your hands - did your occupational therapist suggest alternate warm to cold soaks and back again at all. This has a proper name but I can't remember it am afraid.

to keep the hands with some function would exercise with elastic bands used to provide resitance help do you think. I was shown these by a physio - it did only work with some fingers as even the loosest of bands popped my thumbs. It has also been suggested that clay is helpful as a therapy.

Pain wise - I find trying to keep my fingers moving during the day and if the pain is really bad, wearing a splint at night -a resting splint helps with the spamsing that my hands appear to do all by themselves whilst I sleep. Massaging with anything helps also.

On occasion I also use ibuprofen gel which offers some temporary relief.

I wonder if a pain mangement course would help you weggy? Details of these can also be found on the site.

In the meantime - as I say try the search facility using hands as a starting point and hope that somewhere there is more help than I have been able to give tonight!

Take care nonya

[Qwooks]

Hi there

I think I know exactly what you mean about your hand "collapsing" as mine is doing something similar possibly. It all started with pain in the wrist then one day i had a "popping" sensation and a crater like hole/dent appeared in the top of my hand just forward of the wrist joint. Over time this has gradually deepened.. and the bone forward of it began to stick out. I get pain that extends down my fingers and through my wrist. Now 2 weeks ago this "crater" suddenly popped even more and now there are 2 "craters" and the bone just above my thumb and forward of my wrist now protrudes quite disturbingly! All of this process has taken about 5 years from the first "crater" to the present day sticky outy boney thing! I have a lot of pain in it and wear a wrist support most of the time. I cannot hold anything for any length of time and cannot do anything load bearing on my wrist unless it is in a neautral position...and even then i have to be very careful! Now I have tried many times to get a diagnosis of this but so far have got nowhere. However, as it has just worsened to the extent that it is threatening my ability to work I am off to pressure the Doc to get it examined once again! I go on 04/05/06 so will let you know how i get on.

Unfortunately it seems as though the same is starting to happen on my other hand... although i already do have problems with it anyway ie pain and not able to hold things like pens or write. It really is quite worrying.... but I am on a bit of a mission to find out exactly what is going on and this time I wont be giving in so easily as I now have desperation on my side!!

Anyway... bye for now


Emma W

[Retro]

Hi All, Latex gloves have been mentioned in a few threads but this one has the most info (and a huge post from Nonya about it) and it also has information on where to get gloves.

http://www.hypermobility.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3244

Lindsey

P.S. St Andrews First Aidalso sell First Aid supplies

[nonyanomemory]

Thanks Retro for the links. nonya

[weggy]

thankyou very much for your help and advice you do not know how much it means thankyou xx
its jsut nice to know i am not the only one and few doctors know much about the condition x

[hannah]

I know that no-ones written on this thread recently but I was wondering whether you'd found out what was the cause of your hand pain Natt?

It sounds exactly like what I get. really sharp shooting pains in the back of my hands, feels like its up the tendons. it comes with no warning and makes me drop whatever I'm holding - kind of like a reflex action (although I've only been getting it regularly for the past month or so). I told my GP and he implied it was just another HMS thing.

Anyone got any ideas?

by the way, the weather here today was positively wonderful. I had to drive through Henley and Nettlebed where the Bluebells are just beginning and the trees are full of new green, ahhhh. makes me feel better all over

[in_the_dark]

hand pain where do i start.
i got that problem i gotta crack my knuckles to stop them stiffening up but cracking my tumb knuckle dislocates it but not cracking it means it stiffens and i can't use it till an ice pack takes off enough swelling for me to dislocate it myself and then strap it up for a few days my wrists are the worst and its only moving up and arcoss my body....

i aint the only one that feels old most days i gotta use a stair lisft walk with crutches i feel real old despite being 20

[weggy]

oh you poor hun you really are suffering you must find it hard, dont want to say chin up and get on with it becuase it aint that easy, but if ya wanna chat anytime just email me.
this condition reminds me of the film where unbreakable with samuel l jackson- wish i had his money to go with it thought hey. have you got any support groups in your area!! as far as i am aware i know of no one else personally with it !!