swollen hands and feet | Arthritis Information

 

Hi everyone,since delveloping RA a year ago, my hands and  feet have remained very swollen,I am on 20mg of mtx a week,will the swelling go down sometimes I think it has and then it hasnt, I would li8ke to hear from anyone with info, thankyou Carole

Carole,  All I can tell you is I had the same experience to an extreme a couple weeks ago.  My hands were so swollen that I could not move the fingers at all and my feet were so swollen I would collapse trying to walk on them.  I was home alone.  It really upset me, I could not even crawl because of the pain in my hands, to get to my pain meds.  My family finally came home and had to hand feed me.  The whole thing was a nightmare.  My heart goes out to you.  I hope both your feet and hands don't swell at the same time.  Stick around for info from others, lots of good experience here.  Welcome -  Roxanne

Hi Carole...welcome!

How long have you been on the mtx?  If you've been on it for a while, have you mentioned the swelling you still have to your doctor? Are you taking anything else or just the mtx?

Hi Carole,

Had a similar experience back in Dec. - but the prednisone really helped me. I've just started MTX - not noticing a difference yet, but everyone says give it time. Are you on prednisone, or have you been? Please tell us more about your situation.

Good luck!
Are you checking in with the rheumatologist about the swelling.  Mine keeps adding more meds and it has really helped with the swelling.if you can take it try Tylenol Extra Strength,it helps with my swelling.also ice 20 minutes on 20 minutes off I would request to try another medication.  It sounds like you might need something more than what you have.  I wish you luck. You should call your rheumy and tell him what is going on.  I also have hand mittens you can freeze or heat up in the microwave - heat usually helps me more than ice but everyone is different about that too.  A few times my feet and ankles have swollen and had such pain I couldn't walk and then I tool around the house in my computer chair (hey it works).  Do you take mobic, ibuprofin, aleve, Tylenol, anything?  Keep us posted on how you are doing.  Hugs and good vibes.2manyaches - where did you get those mittens? I've heard people talk about them, and I'd like to try a pair. Thanks! Fiona, I bought mine on line at isabellacatalog.com - I have the mittens, the booties, and the wrist cuffs.  One of my friends from another board said that she went to order some new ones and they still had the cuffs but no booties or mittens (I certainly hope this is not true, but have not checked yet).  I love my wrist cuffs and keep a pair at home and at work.  Walgreens here carries the mittens too but they are definitely not the same quality.  Hugs and good vibes.  Thanks for the info! I'm trying to find things that help, and these sound promising. I hope they still make them - or will make them again.

When I first got RA, my hands and feet were so swollen I couldn't wear shoes, etc., As soon as I went on prednisone, the swelling  subsided . 

Susan

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee from the united kingdom

I was on it for about 2 months. It made my face really round. I had to get off of it because my bone density scores are already low. Too bad you dont live in TX--we have a little country town called Brenham where they make the best ice cream in the world called Blue Bell. The old commercial for it showed the cows grazing in the pastures and asked "Why does Blue Bell ice cream taste so good?" ----"Because the cows think Brenham is Heaven!"

My feet started swelling recently and hurt so bad I couldn't walk. I thought it was RA related. Nope. I was retaining water and my blood pressure was high (side effects again). They put me on a diruitic, potassium, and increased my blood pressure medicine. What a difference! The cardiologist said if the swelling and redness didn't go away after that to see a vascular doctor. Fortunately, those tweaks in medication did the trick and I feel much better.

Thought I would pass this on just in case any body else has the same situation. My RA didn't check any of this out. He had sent me back over the cardiologist because I thought I might have pericarditis (inflamation of the heart) again. So sometimes, it takes a different kind of doctor to help you out.

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