Sugar Sandwich at 4:00am | Arthritis Information

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I guess I will go in the kitchen and try one of Joonies sugar sandwiches after I finish typing this, since obviously nothing else makes me feel better.  I know everyone is sick of me whining about my hands; but if you had a manitou growing in your palm, youd probably be worried too.  I went to the hand doctor last week and he gave me two cortisone shots in these nodules growing across my palm.  My RA doc gave me a Medrol dose pak the other day to try and help the sausage fingers that are killing me.  The pain in my fingers is better but they are still just as swollen so I figure the Pred is just masking the pain.  My palm looks like it belongs to an alien.  Not only do I have the nodules in between the upper first two creases in my palm, but I have swollen somethings (vein, nerve, heck I dont know) by my thumb that is protruding/bulging. It feels like someone is sticking  a knife in my palm and twisting.  Has ANYONE ever had any strange painful things like this literally in the upper palm of your hand?  Does anyone know a good hand specialist in the Dallas area?  Sorry for ranting, its the anticipation of that sugar rush I am going to get from the sandwich.Cannot say that I have had a RA nodule, yet. At least I do not think I have.

 
It is normal to be worried or rant about something like what you have. I mean women are suppose to have nice hands, feet, fingers, toes, legs. SO... it is depressing when one of the lady-like features gets jacked up.
 
My fingers are actually not swollen, for once! they just look so skinny and bones can be seen without feeling! But since no inflammation in my hands, my fingers act like they do not want to bend. Like there is something there keeping my fingers from bending all the way. I guess it is what a trigger finger feels like, except I can force mine to bend without much pain.
 
Yep... the good ole pred! Masks the pain and some problems from ya. It is really weird to have knees as big has softballs and not much pain out of them, but you know if you did not have the pred the pain would drive you to the nut house!
 
I hope I can get off the pred soon. Lower dose of 5-10mg is not working so well for my swelling anymore, but knew that since last year. I need to see if my RD is willing to help me get off the pred and put me on some thing else for my swelling, because the pred at the doses she wants me at is not cutting it that good anymore.
 
I hope your sugar sandwich was good! Mine was, and I did not even have to share with anyone! Woohooo!
 
Joonie, what dose Pred are you taking today?  So happy about your fingers being better!!  I have the same deal, my doc wants me OFF Pred and wants me to keep trying MTX which isnt helping much and then Enbrel.   I took six Medrol (equal 30mg of Pred) first day then five second day, its only a six day pack.  Well, Im sure that sandwich was as good as any McD!    thanks for your reply  patandpaula
 
So sorry you had these worries in the wee hours of the morning- that's the pits. What does the doctor say about this growth? Will it go away? I must have missed your previous post.
Hope the sugar sandwich made you feel better.

Thanks for your kind post.  The RA dr said it was Dupuytrens, which doesnt make sense to me since Dupuytrens runs in families and has other things that influence it like alcoholism etc which none fits me.  Plus Dupuytrens is very uncommone in people with RA which my doc says I have.  THe hand doctor literally said he didnt know; can you beat it?  So now I am scaring myself to death with the unknown.  Sheeeesh, its one thing after another.

Gee I never heard of that in all my life! If the hand doctor doesn't know who the heck would? I would ask the RD for a referal. Did you google it?I know, thats why Im getting so depressed, no one can tell me.  I have another appt with another hand "specialist" in two weeks.  I googled it and it kindof fit Dupuytren's but it doesnt, plus according to internet this is very rare with RA.  Plus, what worries me is that I have all these things going wrong, the Polymyalgia, the RA, this hand thing, and NOTHING tests positive in my blood, not the RF factor, ANA, CPP Sed all are normal.  The only thing wrong is elevated CRP and platelets.  SO I start imaginining all these symptoms swelling, pain, nodules weakness are all a result of some underlying cancer or something they cant see or havent tested for.  Its wearing me out.  I'm very sorry you are having to deal with these "nodules" in the palm of your hands. I can't offer much advice about them unfortunately. I hope your docs are able to figure out what it is - so it can be treated.
Oh yeah - I missed the "sugar sandwich" explanation - what exactly is it? I'm intrigued - LOL!
Hugs
~Brenna
[QUOTE=Brennaboo]IOh yeah - I missed the "sugar sandwich" explanation - what exactly is it? I'm intrigued - LOL!
Hugs
~Brenna
[/QUOTE]
 
it is spoons of sugar on a buttered up pieces of bread. You not need the butter, but it helps the sugar to stick to the bread and not make a mess when you are eating it.
 
A spoonful of medicine helps the medicine go down... the medicine go down...
 
hope you get to the bottom of your hand issue soon.  that's the pits.  BUT, a sugar sandwich sounds gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

you described your fingers as sausage fingers...that's a typical descrition Psoriatic Arthritis..and PsA affects the tendons and often tests negative in blood.  Has that ever been discussed.

and just because something isn't typical does not mean it does not occur.  If the hand doesn't improveover the weekend I would give the hand dr another call

Mummmm, sugar sandwiches are sooooo good. Have you ever heated one in the oven until the sugar melts and then ate them? They are good this way too.Oh that sounds sooo delicious. I don't think we ever had them that way. I have psoriatic arthritis and I was diagnosed because of the sausage shape of my fingers and on xray I had the typical cup and pencil  long bone deformity of the fingers.  Sausage shaped fingers can be the first symptom of PsA. 
 
The treatment is basically the same as for RA, usually Enbrel or Humira and MXT but there are differences in areas of the body that are affected. 
 
Tendons and joints closer to the end of fingers and toes are affected.  It's an extremely painful type of arthritis because of joint and tendon involvement.  Tendonitis is a common diagnosis along with joint inflammation and swelling.  I would mention it to your RD. 
 
Even though I'm in clinical remission with my RA, PsA is still active and all my labs are negative.  Lindy
LinB2008-08-01 10:14:59Mom2three, they are great that way. My mom used to fix them for me that way for breakfast on the weekends as a treat. All week long I ate cereal or oatmeal dreaming and drooling just thinking about the weekend!Thanks for all the  comments, and about the psoriatic Im going to google right now.  I just said sausage fingers because they are so fat and stiff.  I had a MRI done of my hand and there was fluid in all the flexor tendon sheaths in fingers . THe doc who read it said "tenosynovitis and the appearnace of fluid in so many tendons sheaths is commonly associated with arthritis"  But there was only one erosion about the middle finger PIP joint, which I told my doc could have been caused by my  bowling for many years (well it sounded good at the time)  Anyway  Im googling now.

Well, Paula, I hope you can get some answers soon. It sucks to be in pain and all the problems when you just want to be better already!

I hope you feel better real soon!
I for one am not sick of your complaining and I think it's safe to say most, if not everyone else here feels the same.  That's what this board is for, to rant, rave, moan, groan, get and give advice from and for the people who understand like no one else can.  I'm sorry I can't offer you any advice since I haven't experienced what is clearly a very painful condition.  But I'm here to listen, if that helps any. 
 
I sure do hope you get some relief soon.  It sounds just awful. 
 
Edited to add:  Can I make a suggestion about that yummy sugar sandwich?  Sprinkle on a touch of cinnamon.  It tastes great and is good for you too!
Jesse882008-08-02 16:15:04Thank you so much to all.  I love this forum because the people are so very nice.   I hope you're feeling better soon.  Thanks Jenn, the medrol is helping my fingers not to hurt as much and swelling has gone down but the manitou growing in my hand looks and feels the same.  I have three more days on Medrol pak, hope the swelling in my fingers stay down afterwards, that would be really nice.

Sandwich would be better with cinnamon with the sugar!


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