Came on here looking for an answer - guess we are all on the same boat. 8-| I get swollen, red and itchy fingers and palms (almost like hives on them). Also, get it on the inside part of my wrist, elbows and all over my legs I get hives. With my hands I notice that sometimes when I wash them it triggers it - Ive tried all different types of soaps, aveeno, cetaphil, etc - nothing is really helping. Pretty frustrating when you have forums like this and it basically lets us know we are not alone, yet, no doctor can figure out what it is. :-/
Of all these posts.. yours sounds exacty like mine... It HURTS around my wedding ring, and It happens on my feet too. That deep itch. Someone said up higher on the post.. that going from hot to cold might trigger it... and I just took a hot bath... and when I came out of the bathroom.... BOOM... the itch... it's like a misquito bit.. if you accidentally scratch it... It seems to feel worse.... I have a lab sheet to go get my blood tested for thyroid problems.... Sometimes my entire body itches..... I DO notice that it FLARES UP WITH STRESS. :( I hope we can all figure out what it could be.
I have exactly the same issues with the exception of the itching. Mine flare up during times of stress, high blood sugars and illness. It is a type of nerve pain called Erythromelalgia and can be very severe when it comes to the pain portion of the illness. It is mainly characterized by sudden extreme redness of the skin on hands and feet (mine are lobster red at times), sometimes severe burning like your feet are on fire, swelling and hard fingertips only relieved with elevation and plain old Aspirin. They do however make multiple different medications your Dr can help you with. I am most certainly NOT making a diagnosis for your condition but giving you something to look into.
Same thing for me. It can happen in one hand or both. Palms and each segment of my fingers swell up, become itchy, and turn red. The swelling makes the fingers as hard as a bad bruise.
The best way to describe the sensation, is kind of like when you've been out in the freezing cold for a while, and you come back in. When your hands warm up, they feel just like how this feels.
I've found, the common factor tends to be when I'm doing some sort of work that involves getting different kinds of contractor dusts/dirts/greases. Whether I'm working on my car, or fixing something in the house. I think it's an allergy to some sort of chemical in the dust I'm handling.
Talked to an Allergist and told him about it. Did a full battery of skin allergin test, including rat feces which he thought it might be. Nothing showed up which he thought would have caused it.
Look up RSD/CRPS
I've had this red firey hot, itchy, painful burning hands for over 10 years but I have also had other problems with my hands for 22 years. Mine especialy got worse after i had a level 2 corpectomy and fusion and carpel tunnel surgery during the spine surgery 2 years ago. It can worsen as it progresses or simply last for long periods of time then go into remission or it can go in spells. There is no cure and can spread to other parts of the body in particularly the feet. Also RSD/CRPS can often have other symptoms that are not commonly listed under the "common symptoms" so its imperative to find a doctor that is very, very knowledgable and experienced perferrably a doctor that actually specializes in this disorder. When I say specializes I mean treats more that a couple of patients per year. It is considered a rare disease, so it's common for a doctor to only see maybe a few patients a year, however, a doctor that specializes in this disease will see, diagnose and treat many (a lot more than 10) patients a year. This is hard to find and you may have to travel outside of your area, even if a doctors office claims they "specialize" in this disease. Do your homework and ask questions before making an appointment to see that doctor. Ask how many patients with RSD/CPRS does this doctor treat per year. Often times its better to find a real specialist to begin with that you've researched their background and read articles theyve published, etc. and just get a referral for the specialist. I don't care if a doctor claims to know about it. There is a huge difference in doctors who just "know" about this disease and those who actually "specialize" in this disorder. The doctors who know about it will be steadfastly stuck on the common symptoms and treatments listed under RSD and doctors who specialize in RSD/CRPS understand and know every patient is different and often are many symptoms that aren't commonly listed. These doctors do think outside the box. The same also goes for treatments commonly employed to treat RSD/CPRS.
A doctor who only "knows" about this disease is going to use the basic run of the mill commonly used treatments and often times these will yield little to no results and when this happens these doctors that arent experienced in treating patients with RSD/CPRS will decide you dont have it because the inexperienced doctor doesnt understand the disease well enough and does not have the experience to know RSD/CPRS is extremely difficult to treat and what may work for one patient might not work for another. Whereas, a doctor who specializes in this disease will not only use commonly known treatments to start but will also know about and commonly use other treatments that often times are only available at a handful of hospitals across the US.
RSD/CRPS & even Lupus, neurothopy, severe long standing carpel tunnel syndrome, severe Raynaurds phenomena & Raynaurds disease (they're actually different from each other) a Vitamin D deficiency & Thyroid disease can all cause these symptoms with the hands plus more. I was finally diagnosed with RSD/CRPS but only after years of no doctors knowing what it was, in addition to years of specialist after specialist and every test imaginable yielding no answers. It was a pain management specialist who also is an anesthesiologist that finally diagnosed me and began treatments. Stress,cold, heat, water, surgeries, new injuries even if they're as minor as a bump into the wall can trigger episodes or cause it to spread. A pain management specialist or neurologist is your best doctor to see for answers to start.
Don't let anyone tell you, you don't have it because you don't have one or more of the symptoms that come with the disease. Be assertive but respectful and request a referral if necessary to a doctor that specializes in this disease. Your doctor shouldn't have a problem with this considering you have nothing to lose in it. After all they "don't know what to make of your symptoms" so why not aid you in finding answers. It may not be it at all because it is rare, however, a doctor who is specializing in RSD can figure out if you do and often times if you don't have RSD they can figure out what you do have. It's a poorly understood disease and cause a great amount of suffering but there are really good treatments now that can at least begin to provide relief, remission and sometimes making it go away for years. While they don't consider it an actual cure any treatment that frees you from RSD/CPRS should be considered a miracle. Do your homework and research. Best of luck to you all.
I just started having these symptoms - red, swollen itchy hands and sometimes feet. It started when I had pneumonia and was put on antibiotics. First wasdoxycycline, which I could keep down. My doctor then put me on Azithromycin. This is when the symptoms started. Now it comes and goes since then (Jan. 7th). Anyone else have reactions starting after antibiotics?
It's pompholyx, dry itchy, red, swollen hands from a number of things but a lot from warm water, look it up! It's a branch of eczema.
I had itching, swelling , and pain on the top of my right hand while lying in bed reading. The swelling was between my knuckles. I timed it : every 2 minutes. I rubbed it with a rough towel. It would disapear and then return in 2 to 4 minutes. I put a numbing cream on it, then Dr. McClean's Volcanic Liniment OIl, then took 2 Benedyrl. I slept. The next day the swelling, redness was gone. I don't know if it will happen again tonight. I seriously thought of going to the ER it was so excruciating.
Mine started in Winter of 2007 and is still happening. I have had allergy tests and my GP advised that it could be pre-menopausal or even that my liver was over-heated. I believe now that there is a connection to the level of laptop and smartphone use. Antihistamines work but the thought of taking them forever is unsettling to me. I think that the issue is still too new for doctors to diagnose. What annoys me is that they think you're crazy becuase they don't know what it is so it must be your imagination or they tell you it's something like allergies. Anyone who experiences this know that it's nothing like anything you've ever felt. Maybe someday someone will figure out what causes it. By the way...I have scrubbing salts that I keep next to my bathroom snk. Using those to wash my hand in as hot of water as I can take for as long as I can take it, also helps.
I have had this for 20 years on and off - especially after/during shopping! No doctor ever had a clue - other than a possible contact allergy. I assumed perfume/cologne on door handles, hangers, etc. One time a nurse at the allergists heard me and said she thinks it could be a contact allergy to formaldehyde. We are used to hearing that from chemistry class or the morgue - but it is a strong preservative that some stores/clothing manufacturers use to keep clothes looking crisp and clean in stores. I have stopped touching things as much when I go shopping. It only happens occasionally now and benadryl does help. Hope this helps someone!
Forgot to mention - I stay away from dry clean items and most synthetics. And I ALWAYS wash items at least once after I buy clothing before wearing. Cotton and Bamboo are usually very safe.
After ready numerous posts, I realize what I am experiencing in my hands and fingers is not uncommon. I was scuba diving in British Honduras last week. I believe the problem with my hands and fingers is contact with coral on the boat mooring rope which causes minute lacerations to my palms as the swells were over 5 feet. Will try some Benedryl. The color is reddish-orange, very firm, itchy from within and sensitive to hot water. This was a nuisance for the 1st 24 hours but then re-occurred within a week
Check out angioedema
this is exactly what i feel. deep itch, when you scratch it, it get worse. this only happens on my hands. sometimes my fee too. i don't think temperature or weather affect it. it only happen when i touched sands and lift something heavy. my hands feel like swollen, burning and itch.
i hope somebody can tell us what is it.