HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Autoimmune Scared - hands changing quickly (added photo)

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/29/2020 11:09 AM (GMT -5)
Hey All I hope you all are doing well and staying well.

You guys have helped me so much before I wanted to talk to you again. I really need some help as I’m very scared I have a serious autoimmune disease like Lupus or Scleroderma. My skin on my fingers is very shiny, loose as if I pinch the skin on my knuckles it won’t go back to shape, fingernails are white with pinkish bands at the top, my hands lose color a lot especially when cold or stressed, I have lots of spider veins in my fingers, and I just generally haven’t been feeling much better. Please let me know your advice, if you’ve experienced something similar, and just what to do.

Thanks for all your help and God Bless you all.

https://i.imgur.com/LUpcWiV.jpg

Post Edited (Savedbygrace12) : 3/29/2020 12:02:18 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/29/2020 11:21 AM (GMT -5)
If I pinch the skin on my knuckles, it doesn’t go back right away either.
I think it could be lack of collagen from the disease.

I do see a pink/reddish line on the nails at the end of my fingers.
Not sure that was there prelyme.

My hands look really old - veins are more visible on back of hands.
Posted 3/29/2020 11:26 AM (GMT -5)
Yeah, this sounds like my hands, too. What do you mean by "changing quickly?" Is this all very new for you?
Posted 3/29/2020 11:27 AM (GMT -5)
It’s helpful to know someone is somewhat similar. I just turned 30 a week ago and so I know that’s the age you normally get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and so it just really worries me. I have been trying to do the paleo diet to, to help it but with this quarantine it’s harder to accomplish. The positive ANA with the positive anticardiolipins I had last year scares me as well. Now with the color losing from my hands quickly, spider veins in fingers, and the indents that are lasting it’s really freaking me out. I also did schedule an appointment with a rheumatologist but it’s not until July. I might just go crazy waiting till then...
Posted 3/29/2020 11:28 AM (GMT -5)
The indents and color changing all started within the last year or so
Posted 3/29/2020 12:36 PM (GMT -5)
Maybe keep calling rheumy to see if they have cancellations. Might be a lot of those right now.
Posted 3/29/2020 12:42 PM (GMT -5)
Can you post a picture? Just snap a pic and upload it to imgur and send us the link.

Scleroderma is usually a hardening or thickening of the skin. You do sound like you may have reynauds, but that in and of itself isn’t a huge cause for concern.
Posted 3/29/2020 12:43 PM (GMT -5)
I asked them if they had a cancellation list but they said that normally never happens and that it will likely take until July
Posted 3/29/2020 12:57 PM (GMT -5)
https://i.imgur.com/LUpcWiV.jpg
Posted 3/29/2020 1:06 PM (GMT -5)
Looks completely normal to me. Where are the spider veins you mentioned?

I understand being vigilant about any changes we notice in our bodies. We have to be!

But genuinely they look very normal to me.
Posted 3/29/2020 1:16 PM (GMT -5)
Look like pretty normal hands to me. My general feeling on this this autoimmune stuff is that the symptoms you read about online you always think they apply to you. But after talking to drs who have seen it in a clinical setting, you realize that the changes they’re talking about are much less subtle than what we end up getting ourselves upset about. W scleroderma you’re going to have a real thickening/hardening of the skin. With lupus you will get legitimate inflammatory rashes where it’s obvious that “something is going on”. Not spider veins and loose skin.

But you do have a an indeterminate Avise panel. Can I ask what else was positive on your Avise? Was it just your Ana and anticardiolipins? Were your WBC and RBC counts normal?

You most likely have reynauds if your hands are turning cold, which is common w a positive ANA. It’s possible that this is because you do have a connective tissue disease like lupus or scleroderma which hasn’t fully developed yet, but more likely you have a generic form of autoimmunity (some call it Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease) like me. My advise would be to take care of your health or you do risk it becoming something more chronic, but for now i think you’re ok.

My $.02, take it w a grain of salt
Posted 3/29/2020 1:24 PM (GMT -5)
dcd2103 I really appreciate your forward reply.

Here is my hands when they are in a Raynaud’s state:

https://imgur.com/gallery/GHeQnTJ
Posted 3/29/2020 3:04 PM (GMT -5)

Savedbygrace12 said...
dcd2103 I really appreciate your forward reply.

Here is my hands when they are in a Raynaud’s state:

https://imgur.com/gallery/GHeQnTJ

They look better than my hands... I don't think yours' look too bad. Your hand is a bit reddish, but that's all I see.
Posted 3/29/2020 5:50 PM (GMT -5)
Here’s in 2019 when I first noticed the Raynaud’s like symptoms:

https://imgur.com/gallery/jMR3Px6

I really need some help with my vascularity.

Also we’re planning to move to a new house. Hopefully this will finally change my mold blood levels. smile
Posted 3/29/2020 7:06 PM (GMT -5)
Looks like it’s improved since then.


Are you taking anything to reduce your mold level
Posted 3/29/2020 7:14 PM (GMT -5)
Well to reassure you -- your hands look totally normal. You know that Bartonella causes vasculitis and Raynaud's too, right? When I get Raynaud's it's a lot worse than that, and I don't have Lupus. Lyme and Bart cause all of this. My feet and hands turn dark purple.
Posted 3/29/2020 7:27 PM (GMT -5)
That’s really good to know. Thanks for telling me that. Yeah hopefully they are getting better. My whole hand will go white though sometimes and it that seems new and it really freaks me out!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply