Severe pain in hands

Murrmurr

Murrmurr

SF VIP
Location
Sacramento, California
My hands are killing me, man! The pain is intense, and it's mostly in my fingers, mainly the middle joints of the middle fingers, and my right hand is worse by far than my left. I'm right-handed.

Norco and Ibuprophen are my regular Rx's. My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone plus 325mg acetaminophen, and I take 5 tabs per day. The Ib is 600mg and I take 3 to 5/day.

They don't help. The pain is the same whether I take my meds or not.

I've used heat...or, warmth, rather. That gives me temporary relief....like for 20-30 minutes, and it's minor relief.

My hands are also jerky (mainly the right one). They don't tremble, they jerk suddenly once in a while. Usually while I'm typing or using hand tools, and every now and then, a couple of fingers will go stiff-straight and lock up like that. That hurts a lot, too, and it lasts several minutes. Also, I drop things a lot, all day every day. My hands lose their grip, or don't actually get a grip in the first place.

Anyone else? Have any suggestions?

I'm really sick of it. It's tickin me off.
 

Murrmurr said:
My hands are killing me, man! The pain is intense, and it's mostly in my fingers, mainly the middle joints of the middle fingers, and my right hand is worse by far than my left. I'm right-handed.

Norco and Ibuprophen are my regular Rx's. My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone plus 325mg acetaminophen, and I take 5 tabs per day. The Ib is 600mg and I take 3 to 5/day.

They don't help. The pain is the same whether I take my meds or not.

I've used heat...or, warmth, rather. That gives me temporary relief....like for 20-30 minutes, and it's minor relief.

My hands are also jerky (mainly the right one). They don't tremble, they jerk suddenly once in a while. Usually while I'm typing or using hand tools, and every now and then, a couple of fingers will go stiff-straight and lock up like that. That hurts a lot, too, and it lasts several minutes. Also, I drop things a lot, all day every day. My hands lose their grip, or don't actually get a grip in the first place.

Anyone else? Have any suggestions?

I'm really sick of it. It's tickin me off.
Click to expand...
You should go to see your doctor as soon as possible!
 
Murrmurr said:
My hands are killing me, man! The pain is intense, and it's mostly in my fingers, mainly the middle joints of the middle fingers, and my right hand is worse by far than my left. I'm right-handed.

Norco and Ibuprophen are my regular Rx's. My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone plus 325mg acetaminophen, and I take 5 tabs per day. The Ib is 600mg and I take 3 to 5/day.

They don't help. The pain is the same whether I take my meds or not.

I've used heat...or, warmth, rather. That gives me temporary relief....like for 20-30 minutes, and it's minor relief.

My hands are also jerky (mainly the right one). They don't tremble, they jerk suddenly once in a while. Usually while I'm typing or using hand tools, and every now and then, a couple of fingers will go stiff-straight and lock up like that. That hurts a lot, too, and it lasts several minutes. Also, I drop things a lot, all day every day. My hands lose their grip, or don't actually get a grip in the first place.

Anyone else? Have any suggestions?

I'm really sick of it. It's tickin me off.
Click to expand...
welcome to my world ..you've just described the symptoms I have of Osteoarthritis.... verrryyyy painful joints.. eventually the knuckles will swell as mine have and become ugly...

heat helps.. a little.. my doctor prescribes Co-codomol.. it helps a little

Whn the pain is horribly unbearable I wear Compression gloves...
IMAKCompression_ArthritisGloves.jpg
 
hollydolly said:
welcome to my world ..you've just described the symptoms I have of Osteoarthritis.... verrryyyy painful joints.. eventually the knuckles will swell as mine have and become ugly...

heat helps.. a little.. my doctor prescribes Co-codomol.. it helps a little

Whn the pain is horribly unbearable I wear Compression gloves...
IMAKCompression_ArthritisGloves.jpg
Click to expand...
I'll look into both those. Thanks!
 
I feel your pain.i have the.same thing with my hands. my doctor prescribed me.Celebrex I also take Tylenol pm before bedtime. they help sometimes.today I have been dropped things all.day.dropping.right now they really hurt just because I cleaned out my garage this morning.
 
fatboy said:
I feel your pain.i have the.same thing with my hands. my doctor prescribed me.Celebrex I also take Tylenol pm before bedtime. they help sometimes.today I have been dropped things all.day.dropping.right now they really hurt just because I cleaned out my garage this morning.
Click to expand...
My OA is quite advanced, and I have got to the situation now where it's very painful for me if not impossible to grip anything slim like a pen..my fingers just won't close so I have to find ways around and so now I buy those really fat pens, and they are much easier to hold.
 
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I hear your pain Murmurr, I was just thru that awhile back,
primarily with my right thumb, had xray and it was due
to tendons not acting correctly, so doc gave me sterioids/n
something shot in that area, doing well now, but this weather
change is giving my hands fits.....good luck to you.....
 
hollydolly said:
My OA is quite advanced, and I have got to the situation now where it's very painful for me if not impossible to grip anything slim like a pen..my fingers just won't close so I have to find ways around and so now I buy those really fat pens, and they are much easier to hold.still hold
Click to expand...
While I started this thread, Meesh asked "What are you writing?" and I told her I was asking SF for ideas abt my hands.

She said, "Why don't you try wearing those latex gloves for a while?"

So, after Bonnie passed away, we were left with several boxes of latex medical gloves. They'll contain heat from my blood and skin and they're super grippy, so it sounded kind of brilliant.

So I've been wearing one on my right hand. It doesn't keep it as warm as I expected, but my grip is 100%!
I'm gonna try warming one in the microwave before putting it on, see if that helps.
 
Murrmurr said:
While I started this thread, Meesh asked "What are you writing?" and I told her I was asking SF for ideas abt my hands.

She said, "Why don't you try wearing those latex gloves for a while?"

So, after Bonnie passed away, we were left with several boxes of latex medical gloves. They'll contain heat from my blood and skin and they're super grippy, so it sounded kind of brilliant.

So I've been wearing one on my right hand. It doesn't keep it as warm as I expected, but my grip is 100%!
I'm gonna try warming one in the microwave before putting it on, see if that helps.
Click to expand...
Pleased that's working for you... but do try the compression gloves for your pain...

I don't want to give the impression my hands are painful 100 % of the time..they're not but they are painful for significant periods of the day ..and ESPECIALLY if I eat anything sugary...
 
Hi Murrmurr,
I'm sorry you are in such pain. Have you maybe tried
1. Ice topically
2. Stop pain meds, they're killing your kidneys! And they're constipating
3. Study 'Meditation for Pain Relief'
4. Examine your diet for foods that aggravate arthritis or that you may be allergic to with special attention to sugars, nightshades, excessive salt, canola oil, fast foods, assorted toxins, etc
5. Firmly manipulate/massage your knuckles with lotion
6. Drink water to lubricate the joints
 
@gruntlabor

Have you maybe tried
1. Ice topically. I have. Ice makes my hands feel very uncomfortable....not more painful, but not less painful, either.
2. Stop pain meds, they're killing your kidneys! And they're constipating. That's not going to happen. My kidneys and liver have been imaged annually for 20yrs; no problems. My bowels move nicely every day.
3. Study 'Meditation for Pain Relief'. I do practice meditation at least once a day, usually twice. It doesn't relieve pain, but it does relieve stress and worry, which exacerbate pain. I've also tried acupuncture, which didn't help at all.
4. Examine your diet for foods that aggravate arthritis or that you may be allergic to with special attention to sugars, nightshades, excessive salt, canola oil, fast foods, assorted toxins, etc. Okay. I can tell you I don't use most of what you listed, but I do like sweets. I don't eat them very often at all, but I put sugar in my tea.
5. Firmly manipulate/massage your knuckles with lotion. That sounds good! Michelle gives awesome hand and foot massages. I should ask for hand massages more often. I'm sure she'd oblige.
6. Drink water to lubricate the joints. Yeah, I drink plenty of water. At least a litre a day, usually more.

Thanks, Grunt!
 
I have some of the same issues with OA. My thumbs in particular are twisted and can be very painful when my OA is flaring up. Weirdly I can stop the discomfort rather quickly using glucosamine with MSM. It MUST have the MSM…because I have no doubt that is what gives me the rapid relief. Usually takes a couple days…
 
Murrmurr said:
My hands are killing me, man! The pain is intense, and it's mostly in my fingers, mainly the middle joints of the middle fingers, and my right hand is worse by far than my left. I'm right-handed.

Norco and Ibuprophen are my regular Rx's. My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone plus 325mg acetaminophen, and I take 5 tabs per day. The Ib is 600mg and I take 3 to 5/day.

They don't help. The pain is the same whether I take my meds or not.

I've used heat...or, warmth, rather. That gives me temporary relief....like for 20-30 minutes, and it's minor relief.

My hands are also jerky (mainly the right one). They don't tremble, they jerk suddenly once in a while. Usually while I'm typing or using hand tools, and every now and then, a couple of fingers will go stiff-straight and lock up like that. That hurts a lot, too, and it lasts several minutes. Also, I drop things a lot, all day every day. My hands lose their grip, or don't actually get a grip in the first place.

Anyone else? Have any suggestions?

I'm really sick of it. It's tickin me off.
Click to expand...
Murrmurr: It sounds to me like you might have carpel tunnel syndrome. My sisters' mother-in-law had the same symptoms as she was an avid knitter, but the pain was so severe she had to have an operation which gave her great relief. I suggest you see your doctor and have it checked out. Another friend, who was a plumber had the same symptoms, jerky and fingers locking up. He said he only wished he had the operation sooner. Don't wait too long.
 
hollydolly said:
Pleased that's working for you... but do try the compression gloves for your pain...

I don't want to give the impression my hands are painful 100 % of the time..they're not but they are painful for significant periods of the day ..and ESPECIALLY if I eat anything sugary...
Click to expand...
Glad you mentioned that Hols. What we eat makes such a difference. Too much sugar and carbs definitely makes pain worse. It increases inflammation.
 
Murrmurr said:
My hands are killing me, man! The pain is intense, and it's mostly in my fingers, mainly the middle joints of the middle fingers, and my right hand is worse by far than my left. I'm right-handed.

Norco and Ibuprophen are my regular Rx's. My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone plus 325mg acetaminophen, and I take 5 tabs per day. The Ib is 600mg and I take 3 to 5/day.

They don't help. The pain is the same whether I take my meds or not.

I've used heat...or, warmth, rather. That gives me temporary relief....like for 20-30 minutes, and it's minor relief.

My hands are also jerky (mainly the right one). They don't tremble, they jerk suddenly once in a while. Usually while I'm typing or using hand tools, and every now and then, a couple of fingers will go stiff-straight and lock up like that. That hurts a lot, too, and it lasts several minutes. Also, I drop things a lot, all day every day. My hands lose their grip, or don't actually get a grip in the first place.

Anyone else? Have any suggestions?

I'm really sick of it. It's tickin me off.
Click to expand...

hollydolly said:
Pleased that's working for you... but do try the compression gloves for your pain...

I don't want to give the impression my hands are painful 100 % of the time..they're not but they are painful for significant periods of the day ..and ESPECIALLY if I eat anything sugary...
Click to expand...

oscash said:
Murrmurr: It sounds to me like you might have carpel tunnel syndrome. My sisters' mother-in-law had the same symptoms as she was an avid knitter, but the pain was so severe she had to have an operation which gave her great relief. I suggest you see your doctor and have it checked out. Another friend, who was a plumber had the same symptoms, jerky and fingers locking up. He said he only wished he had the operation sooner. Don't wait too long.
Click to expand...
Could be gout (uric acid crystals precipitating when blood acidity is below ph 4.6 (?) ) which also occurs in the finger joints. Colchicine homeopathic remedy is available online (Amazon, ebay, or the manufacturer). Also available by prescription. If you do have gout, this remedy is amazingly fast. However, colchicine only relieves the pain and is not a cure. Diet changes and allopurinol are long term solutions.

A lot of Sugar acidifies the blood (carbohydrates included as it metabolizes into glucose) and thus uric crystals will accumulate in the joints.

OTC pain killers are of little affect, with NSAIDs actually aggravating the problem. NSAIDs acidify the blood quickly and is long lasting. Don't know about opiates - which gives me severe nausea.

Consult with your physician.
 
Last edited:
oscash said:
Murrmurr: It sounds to me like you might have carpel tunnel syndrome. My sisters' mother-in-law had the same symptoms as she was an avid knitter, but the pain was so severe she had to have an operation which gave her great relief. I suggest you see your doctor and have it checked out. Another friend, who was a plumber had the same symptoms, jerky and fingers locking up. He said he only wished he had the operation sooner. Don't wait too long.
Click to expand...
Yes, I worked with my hands a lot ...when I worked, and I still do a lot of projects around the house where I use my hands, and not only repairs and improvements but also projects that require a lot more dexterity; hand stitching, wood carving, stuff like that. 3D art projects, basically. Plus I do a lot of writing with a keyboard.

So I'm hoping my doc will refer me to a hand specialist. I had a cyst removed from my hand several years ago, but this feels a lot different. A lot more painful, for one thing.
 
leastlongprime said:
Could be gout (uric acid crystals precipitating when blood acidity is below ph 4.6 (?) ) which also occurs in the finger joints. Colchicine homeopathic remedy is available online (Amazon, ebay, or the manufacturer). Also available by prescription. If you do have gout, this remedy is amazingly fast. However, colchicine only relieves the pain and is not a cure. Diet changes and allopurinol are long term solutions.

A lot of Sugar acidifies the blood (carbohydrates included as it metabolizes into glucose) and thus uric crystals will accumulate in the joints.

OTC pain killers are of little affect, with NSAIDs actually aggravating the problem. NSAIDs acidify the blood quickly and is long lasting. Don't know about opiates - which gives me severe nausea.

Consult with your physician.
Click to expand...
My Rx NSAID and opioid are for multiple spinal issues, and they help that a lot, so I need them. I've tried a bunch of other meds but nothing has worked better. Well, actually, hydromorphone and oxymorphone worked extremely well, but I took those for just a few months after my accident and I didn't want to take 'em long-term.

I have an appt with my doc in a few weeks.
 
Murrmurr said:
My hands are killing me, man! The pain is intense, and it's mostly in my fingers, mainly the middle joints of the middle fingers, and my right hand is worse by far than my left. I'm right-handed.

Norco and Ibuprophen are my regular Rx's. My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone plus 325mg acetaminophen, and I take 5 tabs per day. The Ib is 600mg and I take 3 to 5/day.

They don't help. The pain is the same whether I take my meds or not.

I've used heat...or, warmth, rather. That gives me temporary relief....like for 20-30 minutes, and it's minor relief.

My hands are also jerky (mainly the right one). They don't tremble, they jerk suddenly once in a while. Usually while I'm typing or using hand tools, and every now and then, a couple of fingers will go stiff-straight and lock up like that. That hurts a lot, too, and it lasts several minutes. Also, I drop things a lot, all day every day. My hands lose their grip, or don't actually get a grip in the first place.

Anyone else? Have any suggestions?

I'm really sick of it. It's tickin me off.
Click to expand...
Have you been eating anything out of the ordinary lately? Anyone bring you food or drink you don't usually have?
It doesn't sound chronic but more reactive.
Anything different lately? Even breathed.
 
Try juicing fresh ginger and putting some juice in some latex gloves that you wear over night. have a similar lesser condition in my hands and this seems to help when it gets bad. It might help cut down on your ibuprofen use. Also, mix a tablespoon or two of the ginger juice in 12-16 oz of water, as I posted in a previous post.
 

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