Hi all- I haven’t been here in a long time but i need ideas please.
I don’t know if anybody else has experienced this, but starting last spring, I started to have hand pain, especially in the tendons and joints, and worse in the mornings.
It goes between all my different fingers and has coincided with trigger finger in especially one, but sometimes multiple fingers.
Around the same time I also developed carpal tunnel in my left wrist. It seems like everything is connected to the tendons.
x-ray was negative for arthritis but no MRI yet.
I recently tested positive for a Bartonella of unknown origin. The treatment ~ rifabutin and tetracycline - doesn’t really seem to be taking care of it, which is surprising because bart gets the tendons, so was sure that was it. i have been treating for bart for about 5 months (and treated in past despite negative tests).
Have not treated for babs in a long time… Wondering if that could be it. I’ve treated Lyme for many years.
It is bilateral, so it makes sense that it would be more co-infection than lyme. But I dont usually think of babesia as triggering tendon issues.
i did have bad hand pain when I was first sick with Lyme in the 90s… hmmm
I’m just racking my brain trying to think of anything that it could be before I become disabled because of my hands. i work with my hands all days for my job (acupuncture).
I know there’s other things like diabetes, gout… Tested negative for gout but those tests are unreliable also.
I just can’t figure out how to help it. I have to sleep every night with compression gloves and finger splints and Wrist splint.
Instay away from gluten and sweets and they do make it worse. I feel like it could be gout bc i have some symtptoms of it in my toes after eating gout foods.
Neither diabetes nor gout run in my family, I am not overweight, I exercise daily. But I know that that doesn’t mean I can’t get any of the above.
It’s better after I’m up and moving around and better with heat. any ideas are welcome. I’m desperate. Thank you.
[ 02-20-2024, 07:35 PM: Message edited by: luvdogs ]
Posted by kgg (Member # 5867) on :
See a chiropractor, imo. Or that is what I did. Many times what is going on in our hands and wrists, especially carpal tunnel. It starts in the shoulders/neck area. Get adjusted and work on your posture. I have left thoracic outlet syndrome primarily from a slouching posture. Many of us do, do to leaning over phones and computers.
Both of my ring fingers have trigger finger. I stretch my middle finger and ring finger back together as they are connected tendon wise.
I have a home mild hyperbaric chamber that I have used for years. When I take a long break from it, my fingers will stiffen and my hands hurt. I get in the chamber and all of that inflammation goes away, along with the pain. There is a long thread below this one. You can read up on mild hyperbaric oxygen treatment that treats inflammation, etc. I highly recommend it.
Lastly, I read somewhere that people with carpal tunnel should get their thyroid checked. And more than just a TSH, but a full thyroid panel. Lyme/borrelia loves the thyroid!
Thank you so much kgg - that is interesting and so helpful! We do watch my thyroid and keep it under 2.0, but since covid and more virtual appts, my Lyme doc minimizes testing... I don't think we have done it in a long time. It does try to creep up at times.
Also, I have been slacking with chiro.
SO these are both great ideas.
I also reduced my LDN bc of my stomach pain that I get when I take it. SO maybe I need to increase that a little bit again.
Posted by aklnwlf (Member # 5960) on :
I had carpal tunnel from weight lifting in the 90's and by coincidence stumbled onto using Sea Bands for sea sickness and it alleviated my carpal tunnel. I ordered the Sea Band brand from Amazon and wore them all the time when my wrists hurt constantly. As the pain abated I wore them only for wrist intensive work like typing, raking, etc.
I have trigger thumb and ordered the Oval 8 splints from Amazon (multi-pack of different sizes). They're flesh toned and not to noticeable. I wore it all the time. I'm in therapy for the trigger thumb but if it hurts badly I put the splint on.
I'm sorry I can't help with what might be causing it but hoping these tips will help manage pain.
Posted by Grace77 (Member # 39630) on :
I have bilateral trigger fingers too, came out of nowhere. Two on right hand, one on left. It's been a year or so. Have had corticosteroid injections in three fingers. Starting PT next week to see if that can help. Final step is surgery if it does not improve. Hands are sometimes in knots in the morning, fingers get stuck all day long. The splint helps when it gets really bad. I found an article abstract from 1993 which I thought was interesting: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8240439/ After reading this, my thinking is that once the lyme is gone (as if) all the crazy symptoms go too. So kinda means we're stuck with this. I don't know. But I wouldn't have known that lyme was related to trigger finger if I didn't read article abstract. Everyone's heads explode when you mention lyme with other established medical issues. Pffft