I am 62 years old. I am a right hand person.

Around 9 months ago, my left middle finger¡¯s middle and bottom joints
around the knuckle areas, started to be painful, particularly in the
morning. When I tried to bend my middle finger, I feel the joint movement
not smooth, kind of snap and bounce like a toggle switch.



I am unable to fold and curl my middle finger back to touch my palm, like
trying to hold a fist. When I put my finger in hot water, the joint movement
is smoother and less painful. I am taking Glucosamine Hydrochloride (1500mg)
plug MSN (methylsulfonylmethane 1500mg) daily, but showing no help.



My doctor has X-ray and blood test for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Everything
tested normal.



I have tried and see different physicians, physical therapist, orthopedic
specialists; none offer much explanation or help. Except one athletic person
suggested I have the ¡°soft bone¡± problem. This soft bone is suppose to be
part of the ligament and cartilage tightening problem. But he did not offer
much solution for my problem, except that I should have physical therapy
exercise.



After 8 months of daily left middle finger pains, now my left thumb starts
having the same kind of pain too.

Can anyone out there offer any suggestions and recommendations? Thank you so
much.

"A M Jackson" <no.spam@no.spam.com> wrote in message
news:K03Rj.3630$26.1749@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net ...
Have you been tested for gout?

Jo

A M, I have joint pain in my fingers and thumb also and I don't have
rheumatoid arthritis,. I have osteoarthritis, and you also might have it.
You need to see a rheumatologist who speciallizes in the different kinds of
arthritis and knows so much more about it than any other kind of doctor.
Please get one of your doctors to refer you to a rheumatologist and let
him/her check it out for you.
Gwen


"Jo Firey" <jofirey@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:SK3Rj.661$To6.534@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net. ..

"A M Jackson" <no.spam@no.spam.com> wrote in message
news:K03Rj.3630$26.1749@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net ...
Have you been tested for gout?

Jo

<sweetpickleNO@SPAMknology.net> wrote in message
news:e95a$4814daf2$45491df5$1432@KNOLOGY.NET...
I am in Kaiser healthcare in Silicon Valley.
Does anyone here know of any good specialist for this type?

"A M Jackson" <no.spam@no.spam.com> writes:
--
Robin Fairbairns, Cambridge

excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, as well as swelling,
redness, warmness, and stiffness in the affected joint. Low-grade fever may
also be present. The patient usually suffers from two sources of pain. The
crystals inside the joint cause intense pain whenever the affected area is
moved. The inflammation of the tissues around the joint also causes the skin
to be swollen, tender and sore if it is even slightly touched. For example,
a blanket or even the lightest sheet draping over the affected area could
cause extreme pain Gout usually attacks the big toe (approximately 75
percent of first attacks); however, it also can affect other joints such as
the ankle, heel,
instep, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, and spine. In some cases, the condition
may appear in the joints of small toes that have become immobile due to
impact injury earlier in life, causing poor blood circulation that leads to
gout.

Patients with longstanding hyperuricemia can have uric acid crystal deposits
called tophi (singular: tophus) in other tissues such as the helix of the
ear. Elevated levels of uric acid in the urine can lead to uric acid
crystals precipitating in the kidneys or bladder, forming uric acid kidney
stones.

I do not think I have gout problem. But is there simple test I can do
myself? Or, I have to ask my doctor to perform this at lab? Thank you.

"A M Jackson" <no.spam@no.spam.com> wrote in message
news:JJoRj.1012$1b7.1000@newssvr13.news.prodigy.ne t...
Sorry, but if you prefer Wiki and self diagnosis to reliable medical advice
you are on your own so to speak.

Doctors can do lab tests to diagnosis high blood levels of uric acid. And
there are medications to reduce it.

I had intermittent problems with 'hot' or sausage finger and toe joints.
They haven't recurred since I've been on medication to treat the acid
levels. Which by the way were high but not off the charts. RD didn't
think they were the problem. Ortho guy said even high normal levels can
cause digits to flare.

Jo

amj

one can test sero negative, have a reasonable ed rate, and still have
any one of several forms of arthritis - including osteo, and even rheum
type 'can' be sero neg.

nothing showing on the xray is good - for now - but for anyone with
arthritis, not indicative of anything other than damage hasn't
progressed 'yet' to the point of being readable on the plate

you do not mention if you have a history of 'hard use' of hands perhaps
in heavy physical work history? any family indication of diabetes? any
fairly rapid weight gain or loss?

you describe morning stiffness, and tendon/ligament contracture - while
this is most likely a form of arthritis, the above 'could' be a
causative agent.

i wouldn't settle for a 'wait and see' from my doc - if it is arthritis,
or diabetes, the sooner addressed the better.

my hands [total involvement] respond very much as yours are - i'm a
sero neg still's disease auto immune and my blood tests don't reflect my
condition either...

all i can recc. is that you take a more active stance and insist on
further work to diagnose

A M Jackson wrote:

It seems to me I heard somewhere that A M Jackson wrote in article
<JJoRj.1012$1b7.1000@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net> :


I don't recall if you've mentioned this, but do you have bumps or nodules in the
palm of your hand near the fingers that have the pain? My assumption is that
you would have mentioned it if you did, but this is just to rule out the
possibility of Dupuytren's contracture, the effects of which range from benign
to quite painful. In my case I have fairly large nodules but very little pain
(< 1 ) and no loss of hand function.

If you do have nodules, you can find more about Dupuytrens at
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dup...acture/DS00732
--
Don Kirkman

A M Jackson wrote:
joints and
crystallizes.

The uric acid test is used to learn whether the body might be breaking
down cells too quickly or not getting rid of uric acid quickly enough.

The test also is used to monitor levels of uric acid when a patient has
had chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

You might also want to look up pseudogout, which is similar to gout, but is
caused by calcium crystals. My RD has me on colchicine, but it is not a
fast acting med. I may have it in my wrists.

--
Navy
Take out the FISH to email me.
"A M Jackson" <no.spam@no.spam.com> wrote in message
news:JJoRj.1012$1b7.1000@newssvr13.news.prodigy.ne t...

"Jo Firey" <jofirey@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:7dpRj.1026$1b7.27@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net. ..
wish. Kaiser primary care physicans does not provide much care, and do least
for insured. That is why I do research myself and have to sure what to ask.

I do not have any swelling, bumps, nodules on palms or large joints. I had
blood test several time and found no arthristis.

<sweetpickleNO@SPAMknology.net> wrote in message
news:e95a$4814daf2$45491df5$1432@KNOLOGY.NET...
Dear Gwen, I have read up more about osteoarthritis.
Am I correct that there is no medication to treat and recover from this
problem?
Most of the medications and treatments are basically pain relief.

Afraid you're right, A M. But getting pain relief is really great! You can
also have joint replacements when it gets too bad to handle otherwise. I've
had a hip replacement, and basal joint replacement on my left hand. I would
not hesitate to get any joint replacement I needed. Many people have to
have knee replacements. When the joint is bone on bone, a replacement is
really the only way to go for relief. It is really important for you to see
a rheumatologist (RD).
Gwen


"A M Jackson" <no.spam@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:SRLRj.12510$GE1.6355@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
<sweetpickleNO@SPAMknology.net> wrote in message
news:e95a$4814daf2$45491df5$1432@KNOLOGY.NET...
Dear Gwen, I have read up more about osteoarthritis.
Am I correct that there is no medication to treat and recover from this
problem?
Most of the medications and treatments are basically pain relief.

On Apr 27, 12:49*pm, "A M Jackson" <no.s...@no.spam.com>


Hi,,,, Usually if it is inflam.arth., it would be your middle finger
on both hands or another finger on the other hand. This has been
going on for too long. Ask your doctor for help and remind how long
you have been dealing with this. Maybe a steroid shot in the finger.
Harv

Definitely get in to see your doctor and *insist* on something being done to
treat this. My inflammatory arthritis has been affecting my thumbs in major
ways since April of 2000 - I well remember it starting up the weekend of the
Spring Arts Festival in Gainesville that year. As much as I hate pain in
other finger joints, having it hit your thumb really affects everything in
your life, though it does teach you to appreciate the evolutionary advance
the opposable thumb was! Anyway, get in to see your doc - thumbs are just
too important!

Oh, and you can test negative for RA but still have it - 1/4 to 1/3 of folks
with it never test positive. There are also many other types of inflammatory
arthritis some of which affect the ligaments, muscles and organs of the body.
My brand is psoriatic arthritis and it has affected ligaments from time to
time as well as giving me some inflammation that makes no sense to anyone! A
referral to a decent rheumatologist should get this investigated more
thoroughly.

--
Nann
remove the Gator cheer to email me
Change everything. Love & forgive.



On Mon, 12 May 2008 9:22:55 -0400, Harv wrote
(in message
<1c8d79cf-a97c-4d21-a171-02be61d13608@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com>):

OK, now I got a name. Its called "trigger finger".
I google and found many references.

Most medications are for pain relief.
I found only direct medicate is inject cortisone steriod shots to the area.
Can you please tell me any side effect of this?

By the way, I have taken cholesterol reducing drug (small dosage Simvastatin
40mg and Fenotidrate 40mg). Is these drug caused this side effect?
Thank you.

"A M Jackson" <no.spam@microsoft.com> writes:
not that i've ever heard of, but then i've never had them.

apart from the (eventual) injections, the only relief i ever found was
heat. mostly, this came from filling up a wash basin with hot water,
submerging the hands, and repeating as the water cooled. (a
conference at a usanian hotel that had a hot tub was a godsend; i
spent some time pre-breakfast in the tub, and i was set up for a good
part of the day.)

iirc, my consultant called it "claw hand", but a after a google search
i _think_ that's a different condition. but then, i maybe simply
don't understand what the pages it turns up actually mean -- the
pictures are more-or-less the same.

all the pictures i've found so far show only a single finger stuck: i
usually had all four mia. (i was single at the time: dressing myself
could be difficult...)
--
Robin Fairbairns, Cambridge

On Apr 27, 10:49*am, "A M Jackson" <no.s...@no.spam.com> wrote:my left
middle fingers middle and bottom joints around the knuckle areas, <<

http://www.toomuchiron.ca/disorder/faqs.php

"Aching joints, especially in the knuckle and first joint of the first
and second fingers"


Who loves ya.
Tom


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snake oil <ironjustice@cashette.com> writes:
plainly not the snake oil merchants.
--
Robin Fairbairns, Cambridge