Swollen Fingers, Arthritis/lupus?

[Nadia2009]

My fingers are swollen and I am worried and hoping I am not getting another auto-immune disease. It is not the first time I had swollen ankles (more visible) 18 years ago. I also have pain in my right hand fingers only.

I have terrible headaches and migraines. I drank a lot of water today hoping that my headaches are results of dehydradatiion as I had the D thing lately.

At night time, car lights bother me and generally, I became photo sensitive for the last few years even before I realized I was gluten intolerant.

[WheatChef]

What is the photo sensitivity caused by? Mine was absolutely terrible since I was a little kid (around the same time I believe I developed my gluten problem) and lasted all the way up until a few months of being gluten free.

[Nadia2009]

What is the photo sensitivity caused by? Mine was absolutely terrible since I was a little kid (around the same time I believe I developed my gluten problem) and lasted all the way up until a few months of being gluten free.

I know some medication cause photo sensitivity but in my case maybe it is just linked to migraines and sinus headaches. But I wonder if my headaches are linked to the swelling and pain in the fingers.

[dilettantesteph]

I had terrible swollen fingers before diagnosis. I had given up wearing rings. Now it only happens when glutened for awhile. Could you be getting gluten in your diet by accident?

[Pac]

Does the swelling get better or worse during the day? I used to have terribly swollen fingers and ankles before going gluten-free and I only got rid of it after being completely gluten-free. The slightest gluten exposure and my fingers are swollen again. Things that make it worse in my case are eating late (3-4 hours before going to bed) and drinking too much water in the evening (or not drinking enough water during the day?). Eating less carbs and more protein helped, not sure if because of less gluten cc or beacause of increased protein intake, possibly both.

[ravenwoodglass]

In my case the swelling was definately related to gluten. My fingers would swell so much at night that they looked like little sausages in the morning but would go down after I had been up for a few hours. In my case it was because of the effects of gluten on my kidneys. The only time they swell now is if I have been getting glutened.

[FooGirlsMom]

Very interesting thread.

I had terrible swelling prior to going gluten-free. Like the original poster, I still have pain (arthritis? I'm only 42) in my right hand. It's getting a little better, esp. since cutting out soy & corn, but it's still a little painful when I open and close it. (I'm right handed by the way). My knuckles even pop in the my middle finger when I close my hand and start to slowly reopen, it resists and 'pops' to open. (ew I know)

I'm still having some joint pain in other parts of my body here and there. Nothing like before. A year ago I found it painful to walk up stairs. I used to tell people I thought I was dying of something no one had discovered yet. It seemed I was growing new symptoms by the month...

I'm sorry others have this problem too. In a sad kind of way, it's almost -- comforting? Horrible. I'm hoping this will go away or diminish greatly over time.

Anyone else have their painful joints go back to normal after a time on gluten-free?

Thanks

FooGirlsMom

[ravenwoodglass]

Very interesting thread.

I had terrible swelling prior to going gluten-free. Like the original poster, I still have pain (arthritis? I'm only 42) in my right hand. It's getting a little better, esp. since cutting out soy & corn, but it's still a little painful when I open and close it. (I'm right handed by the way). My knuckles even pop in the my middle finger when I close my hand and start to slowly reopen, it resists and 'pops' to open. (ew I know)

I'm still having some joint pain in other parts of my body here and there. Nothing like before. A year ago I found it painful to walk up stairs. I used to tell people I thought I was dying of something no one had discovered yet. It seemed I was growing new symptoms by the month...

I'm sorry others have this problem too. In a sad kind of way, it's almost -- comforting? Horrible. I'm hoping this will go away or diminish greatly over time.

Anyone else have their painful joints go back to normal after a time on gluten-free?

Thanks

FooGirlsMom

I have been pain free now for quite a few years. It took, if I remember correctly, about six months or so and my joints in my hands are still deformed but I have full use of them. A couple of the fingers on the hand that was effected the worst do still 'trigger' a bit but it doesn't hurt it is just annoying. The pain in the joints that were less effected, like my hips and knees, got relief sooner than the joints in my hands. My hands were so bad that I had trouble even holding a cup and any needlework or glass cutting was out of the question for a few years before diagnosis. I was on a lot of the arthritis meds, some pulled off the market now, and none of them really gave me any relief even the ones that were for RA. The diet put everything in total remission. I never expected that. I only expected the diet to help my severe GI issues. I also had to give up soy for total remission and although gluten no longer fflares my arthritis unless I get a lot of it for a few days running soy will flare the arthritis for a few days.

[Dixiebell]

I had a problem with my hands and wrists that started a couple of years ago. It got so bad that I had to wear a brace so I wouldn't keep hurting myself. Went to my Dr., thinking she would help me, and she said I had over-used my hands and wrists. Yes, I had been planting flowers but I had done this for years and never had it hurt like this did. Shortly after that I found out my vit D was extremely low. I want to say too that the importance of my vit D level, from what I can remember, was not stressed enough. I also wanted to sleep/rest all the time and I had to quit my part-time job because I was just too tired and had no energy. Now that I think back, I also went to the Dr., before the hand and wrist pain, because I had pain in my thighs. It felt like it was my bones. No one could tell me anything. Fast forward to about one year ago, my feet would hurt so bad I could barely stand. Not sure if they were swollen, but they felt like they were. Went back to Dr. and she tested my D again, it was low again. This time I had been reading here and different places about the importance of vit D, and made sure that I took them everyday. She also told me that anxiety manifests in some very strange ways and she recommended a mental health care specialist. I have not been back to see her. The good news is that all of that pain has gone, vanished. I'll never know for sure if just the vit D would have helped or gluten-free. My guess is both. I am for sure not willing to go back to gluten again to find out. I do get pain sometimes, not often anymore, if the barometric pressure drops.

[txplowgirl]

Gluten caused me a little joint pain and swelling but I have found what was causing my main swelling and eye problems were the nightshade vegetables. (potatoes, tomatoes, all bell peppers and eggplant). Once I got rid of those the joint pain, swelling and my eye problems went away. Give it a try.

[Nadia2009]

I had terrible swollen fingers before diagnosis. I had given up wearing rings. Now it only happens when glutened for awhile. Could you be getting gluten in your diet by accident?

Yes, I had gluten in my diet too often for the last 3 months. Maybe I became more relaxed about my diet after I celebrated my first year of gluten free life.

[Nadia2009]

Does the swelling get better or worse during the day? I used to have terribly swollen fingers and ankles before going gluten-free and I only got rid of it after being completely gluten-free. The slightest gluten exposure and my fingers are swollen again. Things that make it worse in my case are eating late (3-4 hours before going to bed) and drinking too much water in the evening (or not drinking enough water during the day?). Eating less carbs and more protein helped, not sure if because of less gluten cc or beacause of increased protein intake, possibly both.

I usually wake up with swollen fingers and it decreases and goes away within a few hours. I may be drinking more at night time too. I eat more proteins than before going gluten-free but I dont always maintain it.

[Nadia2009]

In my case the swelling was definately related to gluten. My fingers would swell so much at night that they looked like little sausages in the morning but would go down after I had been up for a few hours. In my case it was because of the effects of gluten on my kidneys. The only time they swell now is if I have been getting glutened.

So this is definitely glutening for most of us. But did you have pain when your fingers were swollen. I have pain in my fingers and all around my body but mostly articulations. The pain isn't too bad (or I am just too used to it?) but I also have another issue specific to me: I have a misalignement that makes me feel I am carrying my own legs.

[Nadia2009]

I had a problem with my hands and wrists that started a couple of years ago. It got so bad that I had to wear a brace so I wouldn't keep hurting myself. Went to my Dr., thinking she would help me, and she said I had over-used my hands and wrists. Yes, I had been planting flowers but I had done this for years and never had it hurt like this did. Shortly after that I found out my vit D was extremely low. I want to say too that the importance of my vit D level, from what I can remember, was not stressed enough. I also wanted to sleep/rest all the time and I had to quit my part-time job because I was just too tired and had no energy. Now that I think back, I also went to the Dr., before the hand and wrist pain, because I had pain in my thighs. It felt like it was my bones. No one could tell me anything. Fast forward to about one year ago, my feet would hurt so bad I could barely stand. Not sure if they were swollen, but they felt like they were. Went back to Dr. and she tested my D again, it was low again. This time I had been reading here and different places about the importance of vit D, and made sure that I took them everyday. She also told me that anxiety manifests in some very strange ways and she recommended a mental health care specialist. I have not been back to see her. The good news is that all of that pain has gone, vanished. I'll never know for sure if just the vit D would have helped or gluten-free. My guess is both. I am for sure not willing to go back to gluten again to find out. I do get pain sometimes, not often anymore, if the barometric pressure drops.

I am also low on vit D but thought it wasn't so bad I was at lower acceptable level too close to deficiency the last time I checked. But I take about 2000iu daily so hoping it is fixed...maybe one last testing wouldn't hurt.

Your doctor reminds me of mine. He would have been "happy" a year ago if I had let him file my case as fatigue and depression my celiac was never shown clearly by blood test and and he is only sending me to a gastroenterogist now after almost 1.5 year. He wanted to put me on medication for depression but I refused and told him depression is a symptom here not the illness. He agrees now because there is no more sign of depression even though I never too his pills.

For doctor defence, celiac is working in strange ways too and it is sometimes puzzling gfor them and even more if they dont have much experience with illness.

[Nadia2009]

Very interesting thread.

I had terrible swelling prior to going gluten-free. Like the original poster, I still have pain (arthritis? I'm only 42) in my right hand. It's getting a little better, esp. since cutting out soy & corn, but it's still a little painful when I open and close it. (I'm right handed by the way). My knuckles even pop in the my middle finger when I close my hand and start to slowly reopen, it resists and 'pops' to open. (ew I know)

I'm still having some joint pain in other parts of my body here and there. Nothing like before. A year ago I found it painful to walk up stairs. I used to tell people I thought I was dying of something no one had discovered yet. It seemed I was growing new symptoms by the month...

I'm sorry others have this problem too. In a sad kind of way, it's almost -- comforting? Horrible. I'm hoping this will go away or diminish greatly over time.

Anyone else have their painful joints go back to normal after a time on gluten-free?

Thanks

FooGirlsMom

The pain I have lately makes it hard to walk the few blocks I always did or take the stairs but things got after I had a few sessions of chiropractor and acupuncture. I have to make sure I dont get glutened again.

I guess that for gluten intolerance the best medicine is STAYING GLUTEN FREE. Maybe I didn't feel the benefit of these different therapies because my body was just trying to cope with the gluten.