I was getting better, or should say feeling better while on steroids, however, I was on the 6 day dose pack. On the very first day of 6 pills, the swelling went down, my hands were no longer huge bricks !! The pain was gone !!

However, now that I'm over the 6 day dosing pak, I'm worse !!! The swelling in my fingers is so bad the skin is stretching, painful !! I can't make a fist and while the pain is minimal, it's uncomfortable and now I"m afraid the pain in going to come back worse also.

Does this usually happen after finishing your meds?

Yes, the pain usually returns but at a more gradual rate than yours. If you are having that much trouble, call your doctor! You may need to do a short course of prednisone rather than the steroid in a medrol pak.

You can also fill a cotton sock with long grain rice and either sew it shut or tie a knot in the end of it. Put it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and it makes the moist marvelous moist heat pack. I run my hands up inside mine when my knuckles are really being affected and it gives about an hour worth of relief.

thanks for the advice. I called my doc yesterday to let him know it's worse, however, he won't call me in anything!! I see the Rheum tomorrow at 11 and my doc said it would be better not to "mask" the symptoms and let the Rheum see me "as is" .....arrrgghhh.

Could this really be RA or something else? I've had all blood work, the sed rate - normal, the ANA - Normal, The RA - normal .......everything is normal. I had x-rays yesterday which I'm taking to the rheum.

Could this be something else? I started with swelling in my wrists only, no pain. The swelling came and went for about a week, no pain involved. Then one morning I woke up and couldn't move my wrists, a few days later the pain was in my fingers, however, no swelling in hands or fingers, just wrists. Then the ankles started to swell, no pain .....until a few days later, now my ankles swell, no pain in the actual ankles, but pain in my feet. I can barely walk.

When I'm sitting or not moving, there is no pain.

I stopped and bought some Bayer Extra Strenth last night .....no relief, I also bought some topical cream called capzasin - no relief ......

I'm just confused since I have all this swelling, but all blood tests are fine. This morning my fingers are so swollen that where my knuckles are don't even have the "wrinkles" that are usually there...........just tight fat stretched skin. Strange thing is ..........my wrists aren't swollen, which is where it started ......just my hands / fingers. Ankles swollen, but the pain isn't there .....it's in my toes. Also very stiff where my legs meet my body .....the groin type area .........