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Sudden pain and buzzing in wrists & hands

bspg

Plant Queen
Messages
547
Location
USA
Yesterday and today my hands and wrists are aching horribly! :cry: My right hand is so bad I can barely use it. My fingers and wrists are throbbing and my right hand has also has a weird, buzzing/vibrating feeling going through it.

I've never had this experience before so I'm not sure what to think. Ibuprofen, ice water, and heat have not helped. :(

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Is there anything that helped your pain? I'm really hurting!
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
'buzzing' feeling in muscles has been helped by B-vitamin mix in the past: Terry's Naturally Healthy Feet and Nerves is what I use for that.

However, the throbbing / swelling is a new one on me; we may not be talking about the same thing.
 

lafarfelue

Senior Member
Messages
433
Location
Australia
This is one of the main symptoms a friend of mine with ME/CFS gets. They use medical marijuana to help with their pain and insomnia... so I'm unsure if that info will be of much use to you..?

For me, when I get the horrible joint pain that won't go away with tablets, I've found that 1/4 tablespoon of bicarb soda powder in 1 Litre of water and drinking about 200ml of that in one go helps reduce the pain. (Then drinking the rest of the water as I would any other plain water.) Sometimes I drink a bit of bicarb soda'd water for a couple of days when the pain is bad, and that helps my recovery time. I hope this helps you.

I hope it subsides very soon. Thinking of you
 

bspg

Plant Queen
Messages
547
Location
USA
Thank you, everyone :heart:

Shortly after my last post I got very tired and had to lay down. It felt like a crash but different. I didn't get flu-like symptoms like I normally do -- instead I felt very heavy, my hands and wrists got worse and became extremely weak, to the point that I had almost no fine motor control. :(

This lasted for ~3 hours and was scary! I've never had anything like this happen before. I'm feeling better now and the muscle weakness in my hands is a little better but they're still swollen and very, very painful. :cry:
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
Thank you, everyone :heart:

Shortly after my last post I got very tired and had to lay down. It felt like a crash but different. I didn't get flu-like symptoms like I normally do -- instead I felt very heavy, my hands and wrists got worse and became extremely weak, to the point that I had almost no fine motor control. :(

This lasted for ~3 hours and was scary! I've never had anything like this happen before. I'm feeling better now and the muscle weakness in my hands is a little better but they're still swollen and very, very painful. :cry:
Hello @bspg it may be worthwile to go see your doctor. If your hands are still swollen now, take pictures, and if you have something that can be videoed, do so. Not having motor control of your hands absolutely needs to be investigated.

Best wishes.
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
I've found that 1/4 tablespoon of bicarb soda powder in 1 Litre of water and drinking about 200ml of that in one go helps reduce the pain.

Ah, maybe I misunderstood the symptom. For burning pain, I do take something called pH basic by Enzymedica, and I'll rub baking soda right into the hands / joints in a paste with some water, or sit in a bath full of the stuff. That seems to work well.
 

bspg

Plant Queen
Messages
547
Location
USA
@Shoshana :hug::tulip:

@JaimeS I take B-Right everyday but maybe need something different for the buzzing? I've never tried the baking soda thing before. I'll try that next time.

@lafarfelue Thank you :hug: I tried an MMJ salve earlier and it helped a little but not much. Both you and @JaimeS recommended baking soda so I'll definitely be trying it. Do you only find it helpful for joint pain or for other pain as well?

@Kati Thank you for your comment. I was scared enough that I took videos and emailed them to my doctor.

I've had so much weird crap like this dismissed by doctors in the past that it was emotionally difficult for me to send that email. I've been gaslighted (as I think MANY of us have) into believing that weird symptoms don't mean anything or they're not as bad as I think so when something weird is happening, I feel like I must just be crazy or overreacting. :(

I'm so grateful to have found PR and have the ability to share my experience with people here who are supportive, concerned, and not dismissive. Thank you everyone for your help and support. :heart:
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
I take B-Right everyday but maybe need something different for the buzzing? I've never tried the baking soda thing before. I'll try that next time.

It's not just the traditional Bs that's helpful there, but the benfotiamine that's a part of the blend I take. :)
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
@Kati Thank you for your comment. I was scared enough that I took videos and emailed them to my doctor.

I've had so much weird crap like this dismissed by doctors in the past that it was emotionally difficult for me to send that email. I've been gaslighted (as I think MANY of us have) into believing that weird symptoms don't mean anything or they're not as bad as I think so when something weird is happening, I feel like I must just be crazy or overreacting. :(

I'm so grateful to have found PR and have the ability to share my experience with people here who are supportive, concerned, and not dismissive. Thank you everyone for your help and support. :heart:

Hi @bspg i think I can say that most of us here has been traumatized by the health care we have received in the past. I am so very sorry it happened to you too.

Unfortunately oftentime it means that patients avoid seeing doctors at all cost until it is fairly late, and after much suffering. No one from a patient forum can tell you exactly what is happening in this particular situation, even if they are nurses or doctors. (i am a nurse). However your report of sudden onset pain in the hand and wrist and loss of deterity and motor function is raising my nurse's hair. It may be nothing at all, you know, but it may be something too. It could be a nerve compression, litterally a kink in the neck, or it could be more serious with different causes. No one here can diagnose you, and no one knows your medical history, and neither should we.

You are entitled to be taken seriouly and to receive the appropriate diagnostics and care for this issue. You are entitled to see your doctor promptly, and to get this problem addressed seriously. If you get dismissed and still experience this problem, then you have 2 choices, to return to the doctor with this persisting issue, or to get a second opinion. If your symptoms get worse, you always have the option to go to urgent care. I know it's not the best area to go to but you will get seen.

Documenting your symptoms can be helpful. Like noting when the pain comes, how it gets started, what makes it worse. What did you do before losing your motor function- if anything at all.

Sending hugs
 

lafarfelue

Senior Member
Messages
433
Location
Australia
I've found Bicarbonate soda (I think baking soda has more stuff in it than bicarb?) to be good for reducing PEM generally... but I tend to take it for joint and myalgic type pain when my symptoms start ramping up. I think it helps with reducing inflammation to a certain degree. There should be some information about bicarb soda here on PR! This is where I saw PwME talking about using it :)

I can definitely understand that it's tough going to see medical practitioners... I hope that whatever you're experiencing dissipates, but if it doesn't in the next day, I do hope that you can manage to bring yourself to see a doctor. Motor function and swelling sure sounds like no good :(

Sending you gentle hugs
 

bspg

Plant Queen
Messages
547
Location
USA
Well, the appointment with neurology was a waste of time (unsurprisingly).

I told her what happened and she had no explanation for it, but assured me that it probably wouldn't happen again. :meh: She offered me gabapentin and lidocaine and sent me on my way.

:bang-head::bang-head::bang-head:
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
Well, the appointment with neurology was a waste of time (unsurprisingly).

I told her what happened and she had no explanation for it, but assured me that it probably wouldn't happen again. :meh: She offered me gabapentin and lidocaine and sent me on my way.

:bang-head::bang-head::bang-head:

The worst. Sorry @bspg
 

bspg

Plant Queen
Messages
547
Location
USA
Oh geez. Sorry :(

How do your wrists and hands feel now?

They're better then they were before but my right hand, wrist, and forearm still have residual nerve pain. I have to use my left hand to do things like push doors, open jars, etc. These things hurt too much to do with my right hand.
 

lafarfelue

Senior Member
Messages
433
Location
Australia
They're better then they were before but my right hand, wrist, and forearm still have residual nerve pain. I have to use my left hand to do things like push doors, open jars, etc. These things hurt too much to do with my right hand.
Oh dear, that sounds rough. Hoping that the pain and inflammation dissipate soon. Do let us know if anything else pops up or if it comes back again.