Tingling sensation in hands

[mindutopia]

If you had a tingling, burning, pins and needles like sensation in your hands, what were you eventually diagnosed with?

I've been having this tingling feeling since at least the beginning of the year. Sometimes it's pins and needles, sometimes it more of a burning feeling. It used to come and go (along with some joint pain and other symptoms), but now it's pretty much constant. It seems to get worse if I have a few drinks the night before (something I don't do regularly, but in the absence of knowing what the hell it is, I do enjoy a few glasses of wine on a Friday or Saturday and just live with it being worse for a day or so - because I still just want to feel normal sometimes).

I am seeking out private testing for a few things because GP hasn't been super helpful, but I want to make sure I'm exploring all possibilities for figuring out what the heck might be causing this. It's awful.

[BlackInk]

Hi OP

Has your GP ruled out carpal tunnel syndrome, and done standard blood tests checking for things like anaemia and vitamin deficiencies?

BI

[moreismore]

As above. And is it the whole hand or just some fingers?

[mindutopia]

I don’t think it’s carpal tunnel. I have no wrist pain but the pain I do have is in the joints of the fingers. The tingling is also sort of my whole arm. It’s not really just my hands, but it’s worse in my hands.

Blood tests have so far common back mostly normal. Iron levels always great, same with b12. I did have a mild vitamin d deficiency when tested about 6 months ago. I’ve taken a lot of vitamin d since and stopped breastfeeding my toddler. Vitamin d is now 96. I’ve had tests for rheumatoid arthritis and a lot of thyroid tests (done privately so included free T3 and all the thyroid autoimmune ones). All normal.

Only thing that has been abnormal was my C-reactive protein, which was elevated, but there is no indication of why or where the inflammation is coming from.

[Robs20]

I get tingling in my hands, feet and occasionally other places (tummy, scalp etc) when I am stressed. I took vitamin b12 for a while and had an mri to rule out MS.
Have you had an mri?

[mindutopia]

I haven’t had an MRI. I did have a hand xray as part of investigations for RA (I’d had a few instances of joint pain and swelling where a joint got red and swollen for several days, in hands and feet). Xray was normal but maybe the MRI is something to push for.

[moreismore]

Did the joint swelling move around a lot between different joints? Any gastric illness predating symptoms? Possibility of a reactive arthritis maybe?

[moreismore]

Also have you had a full neurology work up?

[sweetkitty]

Fibromyalgia and Raynauds Syndrome

Had full blood tests but everything suggested fibromyalgia was diagnosed by a rheumatologist.

[mindutopia]

A GI bug did predate when symptoms started, sort of. I had a tummy bug in early November of last year, but it seemed to stretch on and I was exhausted and not feeling right until middle ish of December. Joint and other symptoms started in January, though the worst of them with joint swelling not until probably March (the day after Mothering Sunday, actually). It was different joints, yes, though mostly feet, knees, hands, and also some costochondritis. The worst of the joint pain and fatigue (which was horrible, could barely get out of bed some days) subsided after I started high potency vitamin D, so I think that did have something to do with it.

Some of it has persisted though, even though my vitamin D levels are now great (96). The tingling in hands and arms (sometimes I feel it in my whole body, almost like I have an electrical short somewhere) has gotten worse though. I did sort of have something similar when I was in my early 20s. I had a full neurology work up then, MRI, etc. and they sent me for physio for my hands. It was eventually diagnosed as 'fibromyalgia' but I don't think I really fit the criteria. It eventually went away on its own after a couple years. I've had no symptoms at all for nearly 20 years now. I'm not sure that they are related but they could be. I've had no investigations by neurology since then (all those tests were negative anyway).

I also sometimes have a pain in the left side of my abdomen. I'm not sure this is related in anyway though. It could just be stress related from worrying about this all the time!

[jpea1]

Hi, just wondering if you got any more answers as to why you are feeling this way? I can relate to a lot of this!

[SilverOtter]

I had an MRI to rule out MS with very similar symptoms to you. My neurologist said mine is due to nerves being pinched in my neck.
Definitely push for an MRI.

[MrsDaisy2]

I have this but not just in my hands. Mine's caused by small fibre neuropathy, linked to Sjogren's syndrome. Also had an MRI to rule out MS.

[Stopyourhavering64]

I have tingling in hands legs and feet due to neuropathy ( confirmed by nerve conduction studies) caused by vasculitis which has caused inflammation of blood vessels pressing on nerve endings
I take Gabapentin for the neuropathy and ensure I keep warm ( wear fingerless gloves in house ) as the cold exacerbates symptoms

[Davros]

I had pins and needles in my hands as first symptom. I have Scleroderma

[Redannie118]

@Davros me too.

[MerylStropp]

I had this, and an MRI scan confirmed MS.