Hi all, I'm back from my road trip and had a great time. Also, I was able to give the RD a good report at my last visit and he doesn't want to see me for four months. After nearly 6 months of meds I'm really feeling better and my ANCA is normal. However, with the damp weather, my right pinky has been hurting a lot and I notice a new nodule starting. This is in addition to the one I've had for many years on the right lower joint and it's almost always red. I stopped the glucosamine and chondroitin on the advice of my RD, but now I'm wondering if it was keeping the disease at bay. Would the meds I take also help with osteo? How can I tell if these nodules are RA or osteo driven? Any advice/information is appreciated. Congrats and great news with your rheumy. I would make an appointment and talk to your doctor. Take care ~~ Cathy Jesse I have osteo in my pinky w/nodule, it hurts like the devil sometimes!Yeah, I guess the doctor is the final answer, but since I won't see him for four months, I was hoping to get some insight before then. There are some on these board with experience in both types of arthritis and I thought there might be some helpful information I could use beforehand. But my pinky finger sounds a lot like yours Moana. Jesse and Moana. Are your nodules at the end of the finger? I have one on
my left pinkie but it is in the middle joint. Is this more of a sign of osteo
than RA? I was thinking nodules were associated with RA.Lorster, the one I've had on my right pinky for many years is on the outside of the joint nearest my hand. The new one starting is on the inside of the pinky at the top joint. I know both osteo and RA can cause nodules but I was trying to figure out which is causing this. If it's RA, why aren't the drugs stopping the new nodule and if it's osteo, does that mean I should go back on the glucosamine. I'm still wondering if RA drugs do anything to help osteo, since some of us have both. It seems no matter how many questions I ask my RD, I always think of something else a few days later. GRRR.
Lori, the nodule/deformity on my pinky has been there for years. It is on the outside, first joint under my nail. Over the years it has made my top joint turn in. Mr Dr said it was osteo and gave me anti-inflams for the swelling and pain. The nodule never goes away but it does get smaller, until it flares up again
My advice is make an apptment asap....and don't pay too much attention to when 'they' say you should come in. It is your body and you know when you need help!!
Lynda
Jesse, I have had good luck with AP therapy and OA. A 2000 x-ray showed damage and a recent one showed no damage.
I just updated my OA page.
Ron
Thanks all, I guess the doctor is the only one who can determine what this nodule is. Just my luck it didn't start hurting until after my appointment. It's calmed down now but if it starts up again, I'll high-tail into his office earlier.
Ron and others, do you have any opinion of whether glucosamine/chondroitin really help you? I thought it was helping my painful knees for many years, but seemed to stop and now I have relief from the RA drugs. My RD has no faith in glu/chon. so I stopped it altogether. What's your experience with it?
My guess would be OA Jesse, but as you said, only the doctor will be able to tell you for certain.
I do not have RA, and have OA nodules on my hands. I have one on the end joint of my pinky and the pinky is a bit twisted, and I also have them on the middle joints of my pointer and third fingers. The outside of the nodule is also numb there.
Glucosamine and chrondroitin does help me quite a bit. In the early stages of OA it almost completely eliminated symptoms for me, now that I have reached the more severe stages it isn't as miraculous, but it does help. If I run out of it and take a few days to get out and buy more, I start feeling the difference, believe me.
I have OA and RA nodules on my fingers........aren't I the lucky one! OA nodule just began in the last 6 months. Even with the dmards and biologics the nodules appear. Talk with your doctor. LindyLindy, how can you tell which are RA and which are OA nodules? Do they look different?
Hillhoney, it's interesting that you had better relief in the earlier stages of OA. I wonder if at any point it becomes useless to continue with the glu/chon. or if there is always some benefit. I'm getting tempted to go back on the glu/chon. therapy, but I sure don't look forward to that gassy feeling again.
I have a nodual on my pinkie finger middle joint. I think they can tell by exray. Not sure. Upper joint near finger usually osteo but not always. Is it tender, is it hard? Tell your doctor the symptems and he should be able to help.Hi, I take the glu/chon, who knows if it 'helps', but it makes sense to me. LyndaMilly, yes, the nodule is very hard, red and sometimes hurts. It was OK for a couple of days and now both hands are hurting. I don't know if it's a coincidence that one month after stopping the glu/chon. the fingers of my hands have started to hurt. Guess I'll have to see the doctor sooner rather than later.
Hey, anyone out there know how to avoid the awful gassy feeling from the glu/chon. supplements? I'm thinking I need to go back on them.
I have one on my pinky finger closest to the nail and thought it was OA as I remember reading that RA does not affect these joints. Does anyone have RA in the joints closest to the nail?
http://www.cfpc.ca/cfp/2005/Jan/vol51-jan-clinical-2.asp
I've seen sites showing photos of rheumatoid nodules on the elbows but this is the first one I've found showing them on the fingers. An interesting point of reference for those interested.
People with OA experience growths in the distal joints. These are called Heberden's nodes. Also in OA, growths (or spurs as they are sometimes called) which grow in the middle joints are called Bouchard's nodes.
K.
Katalina, thanks so much for the link. It really helped. My old nodule as well as the new one starting is on the side of the joint, not on top and since I went back on glucosamine/chon. a couple of days ago, my hands feel so much better. Amazing....I thought it would take several weeks again for the effect to kick in, like last time, but I guess since I was taking it for several years and was only off it for one month, I may have still had some in my system. My husband thinks it's just a coincidence, so I'm going to stop the glu/chon. again and see what happens.
Anyway, that link was very informative and leads me to believe these nodules are not RA, but OA. How lucky to have both!!My Dr says they are definetly RA Nodules. I have had a couple of cortisone shots in them over the years and that really helps...Katalina, yes, the link was really helpful for me, too. I just recently got one of those on my left pointer knuckle, it looks just like the pictures. I tried to find pictures before, but none were on the hands. I have psoriatic arthritis. It too hurt for a while, but not much anymore. I've had it about three months. I have an appointment with Rheumatologist late this month, so I'll see what he says.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com