20 yr old w/ swollen hands for 11 months now

[sbigmac]

Hi there,
About 11 months ago, my hands started being really swollen and stiff in the mornings, but swelling would go down after about an hour of movement. However, it started to get worse and the swelling has stuck around for almost a year straight. The first couple weeks this occurred, my hands and arms would go numb while sleeping and sometimes even when up and moving.

I started work at a bakery a month prior to any symptoms starting, but that's the only thing different I could think of! I tried cutting way back on gluten and dairy, and the tingle/numbness has gone, but my hands are Still swollen and hot. I took 5 months off from the bakery to see if it helped, but I noticed little to no improvement in swelling.

Sometimes my toes feel swollen too. Definitely not pregnant, and I don't think I would have gotten arthritis at 19... only other thing I've been considering is checking my thyroid. We have thyroid problems on both sides of my family, but I have no other symptoms besides swelling. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Gio77Italy]

Water Rentention can give swollen feet and hands too.

some of the causes can be

Kidney Disease
Properly-functioning kidneys maintain normal levels of fluid and sodium in the body. People with kidney disease or kidney damage have difficulty maintaining normal fluid levels. This leads to water retention in the hands and feet, as well as swelling of the eyelids, ankles and legs. Doctors prescribe diuretics, also known as water pills, to eliminate the excess fluid associated with kidney disease.

Medications
Some medications cause water retention in the feet and hands. Estrogen, a female hormone, causes water retention in some women. Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement drugs with estrogen cause water retention and swelling. Steroids also cause water retention, leading to the puffiness associated with their use. Other drugs that cause water retention include antidepressants and drugs used to treat high blood pressure.

Excessive Sodium Intake
Salt holds water and increases the volume of the blood, leading to water retention in the hands and feet. MayoClinic.com recommends following the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans when determining how much sodium to consume. If you do not have any major health problems, you can eat up to 2,300 mg of sodium each day. People with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease should limit their sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day.

[bigsissie]

I would definitely get it checked. Especially since it runs in your family. It is very important to get it checked at the right time also (while you have the symptoms) since Hypothyroidism can come and go. I have Hashimoto's and I started having problems with my thyroid for years before my diagnosis but put it off because of other health problems. Luckily I went in at during a flare up for my routine exam and they caught it. The thyroid forum on here is very awesome and the people on it have helped me a lot. I hope you are checked and in better health soon also if there is anything I can help you with feel free to send me a message. Best wishes, Sissie.

[Gio77Italy]

Did you look up those conditions and check the symptoms?

if you had swelling from Hypothyroidism by now you should have a series of other symptoms that you would have noticed.

Any ways my suggestion to you is that you can't manage your condition alone but you need someone to take care of it.

If you're oriented towards hormonal problem see a Endocrinologist!

maybe do the regular blood tests before so that he can have a look at them but don't venture into self-diagnoses alone. whatever you come up with you always need a specialist to verify what you think it is.

[sbigmac]

My hands are definitely Actually swollen. They look twice the size of their 'usual' size, and I can often feel a heavy pulse in my fingers. My toes usually just feel a little swollen (i.e. harder to curl toes)

I did a quick run through of that autoimmune checklist and the 3 things that pop up are: hypothyroidism, diabetes type 1, and celiac's. Maybe a blood draw is in order?

[bigsissie]

Here is a link to autoimmune disease check list that will help you. http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/autoimmune-checklist.htm

If it does not show up message me and I will resend the link to you. I hope it helps and you get better soon. Best wishes, Sissie

[Gio77Italy]

there's no way to come to conclusions from those symptoms only.

it is not even obvious which type of problem it is.

you should investigate it though, with no rush but as soon as you can.

first of all are hands and feet actually swollen or rather you feel them swollen?

your problem could be Neurological, I mean there is peripheral neuropathy because your hands are stiff. There  is no way you can get that directly from hormonal disorders. but maybe the swelling is affecting the nerves.

Obviously I'm not sure I'm not a doctor, I think the specialists you need to consult are Rheumatologist and Neurologist. maybe Angiology?

if it had anything to do with thyroid they'll know.

good luck!