Would extremely painful swelling along knuckles of left hand be arthritis?

Question:

Our doctor took a brief look at my husbands hand and pressed on two fingers, then said it's arthritis. There has been no relief from this pain and just came on about three weeks ago. I'm wondering if the diagnosis is correct. Is this what rheumatoid arthritis is like?

Answers:
Tell you what rather than go into a long speech about what RA is like and its symptoms and treatments and all of this and different types of arthritis why don't you just email me at poohinmissouri@yahoo.com I will be glad to talk with you about it since I have had severe RA for 6 years now and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have about it.

Arhtritis is by definition swelling of the joints, so I would believe your doctor. RA also sounds like a fitting diagnosis according to your description.

You might look into accupuncture for pain relief and mobility care.

Good luck!

unfortunately arthritis can attack very quickly. Your husband should see a doctor of rheumatology as they specialize in arthritis treatments.

For the time being have your husband soak his hands in hot water with 1c. of dissolved Epsom salts. Do this for fifteen minutes twice daily. Follow with an analgesic cream massaged into the knuckles. Advil liquid capsules are very good for this type of pain. Have him take them four times daily until he sees the rheumatologist.

Before you worry too much about rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a blood test, there are clear indicators for RA which are evident in a large number of cases. There are lots of arthritis related diseases so again lots of tests to rule things out first. But don’t wait to long as bone damage happens so quickly, at least that’s my experience with RA. There are lots of drugs available, although trial and error seems to be the order of things, that and managing side effects. Some drugs just treat symptoms, like anti-inflammatory drugs, while others are called disease modifiers like Methotrexate. Regardless of such medications for arthritis I suggest you always take fish oil, liquid not tablets, you would need way too many tablets. If you do a web search you will discover that Arthritis as a diagnosis is a catch all for joint inflammation, so I would say your Doctor is right. However Arthritis itself is a symptom not really a disease, there are lost of diseases that cause Arthritis, (like RA and some Mosquito born diseases and many others) just like many diseases or disorders cause headaches or nausea. If the local doctor has no action plan in mind, see a specialist!

Would extremely painful swelling along knuckles of left hand be arthritis?

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