Weird Finger Symptom

[Sangye]

For the past several days I've noticed a weird sensation on my fingertips. They feel like they have fiberglass or little splinters in them. Not all of them, but more each day. They look completely normal. I only feel it when I touch them. I have no idea what's causing it. Any ideas?

[misskay]

Are they cold to the touch? Any discoloration? Just from your description it sounds like the vasculitis I have in my fingers when it first began. Try to keep them warm (my doc suggested lightwieght gloves but it was too uncomfortable). Be careful not to injure or bump them hard or sores my develope... and trust me, those are HORRIBLE!

[Sangye]

No change in temperature. They are always discolored at times but nothing has changed with that in a long time.

I remember your description of vasculitic lesions on your fingers. I've had them on my legs and it was excruciating, but fingertips, yikes.

[Jack]

I have had whole fingers go a bit numb and develop "pins and needles" usually on my left hand. It did not seem to be associated with blood flow and I put it down to a trapped nerve or something. It has always cleared up after a few days. I know this doesn't help too much - just my 2 penny worth.

[Sangye]

Nope, not pins and needles!

[Luce]

I used to get this, a couple of years before being diagnosed. It felt like I'd put my hand on hundreds of tiny cactus needles or in some irritant substance. No amount of hand washing would make it go away, it just faded after a while. Never found the cause and still get it very occasionally - I always wondered if it was an early symptom of the Wegs. I know kidney problems can cause itching of the hands and feet but this wasn't really itching as such.

All I can say is I've felt it too but don't have any answers, sorry Sangye.

[Lightwarrior]

I agree with Misskay, it's the vasculitis, as the inflammation settles the pain or sensation goes away. I get this sensation sometimes in my fingers.

[drz]

I used to get this, a couple of years before being diagnosed. It felt like I'd put my hand on hundreds of tiny cactus needles or in some irritant substance. No amount of hand washing would make it go away, it just faded after a while. Never found the cause and still get it very occasionally - I always wondered if it was an early symptom of the Wegs. I know kidney problems can cause itching of the hands and feet but this wasn't really itching as such.

All I can say is I've felt it too but don't have any answers, sorry Sangye.

I have had these feelings for years in feet primarily and to lesser degree in hands but it has been attributed to neuropathy from having diabetes for many years. These feelings started shortly after diagnosis and treatment for diabetes which meant I had diabetes for many years before it was diagnosed and treated. I believe the presence of neuropathy symptoms complicated my diagnostic picture and made it more difficult to recognize the Wegener's Disease when it appeared since symptoms of Wegener's were often or generally written off as new neuropathy symptoms.

[germaine]

Hi Sangye, I want to thank you for your recommendation to get of the chemo. I am finally on Methatrexate. Your's and Jacks strong recommendations made me really keep asking to get off it, but it took a while to work through a flare and the long reduction of prednosone.

I too have had a lot of discomfort with tingly and numb fingers. Sometimes it seems there is very little feeling in them. Oddly enough, that has returned to some extent after I did more walking. It is my right hand (I notice Jack said it was his left hand) - I am left handed. I think keeping good blood flow helps. The truly odd thing - one day my wrist felt really tingly - I looked at it, it was kind of cringly twitchy then my blood vessels shrunk into grooves over my wrist, then in about the time for about 5 or 6 heart beats the veins puffed up to about 1/2 again normal (i have large veins in my hands) and my entire hand all the veins stood out strongly and everything else looked really strange. the next day I had all those funny red spots in about 5 or 6 locations on the lower wrist and hand and one bruise. I didn't really like the whole thing too much, although it was more curious than in an way painful. I had more numbness after than, and wondered if the numbness was associated with this kind of thing, maybe in my sleep. That has kind of gone away, but I always have some loss of sensation in that hand.

[Jack]

It is worrying when you get affected by these weird unexplained symptoms isn't it? I get random aches and pains that are sometimes quite severe, but very quickly go away. On more than one occasion I have thought to myself "Is this it then?" if you know what I mean.