DS excessive hand wrinkling. Cystic fibrosis? So worried!

[Beebatron]

First of all pleas be gentle with me, we have suffered a lot of illness in our household recently and I am having such a horrendous time with health anxiety. I'm in treatment but tonight I just am at my wits end.
Ds came down after a (admittedly long) shower and his hands were so wrinkly, to the point they were hurting him and I'd genuinely never seen them like that before. He says its been happening for a while and sometimes they hurt after. Stupidly I googled and the first thing that came up was as a possible sign of cystic fibrosis called aquagenic wrinkling. DS is now 11 and had the heel prick test at birth plus has had no chest issues in his life, he does however have recurrent issues with his sinuses and has just recovered from a terrible sinus infection.
I know my GP will give me the look if I take him in about this but I have gotten myself into such a state. Attached is a picture of his hands for reference although it looked much worse in reality, though completely back to normal after ten-fifteen minutes.
Opinions/advice/reassurance would be greatly appreciated. I have to go to hospital tomorrow for an unrelated issue and I don't think my anxiety can get much higher!

Cf can range from severe (the typical CF we know about), to mild, only pick up later in life. Thing is those picked up later in life is mild CF and doesn't come with the issues that you will read about when you read about CF. Mild cf can range from never knowing about it. To difficulty putting on weight to mild chest infections. But nothing serious. If it was the severe level of CF you would well have known about it by now.
In saying all that I've never ever seen anyone present with this as their symptom. I would get the over sweaty hands checked out though as. I'm sure GP will be able to help

I honestly never realised CF could be mild until today. I also read that carriers of the CF gene can have some symptoms without actually having CF. If it was just the hands I don't think I'd have worried, it's just everything else combined.

Hyperhidrosis sounds more likely. I know a few people with it and their hands can get sore and look really wrinkled after the shower. His hands are probably a bit irritated and the shower made it worse.

Hyperhydrosis

Those with Palmer Hyperhydrosis( excessive sweating of palms) can also also have Palmer hyperwrinkling( what you saw on your boys hands)

Not strictly true - as I said, my sister wasn't diagnosed until her 30s when she got a pseudomonas infection that landed her in hospital for weeks and it has been very difficult to shift. She has been pretty unwell ever since and it's only recently after a couple of years on CFTR modulators that she's regained her health.

She had lots of lung infections throughout her life before that though and was generally not a very well person. She has had infertility issues and pancreatitis.

They're all connected to CF but we don't look at the whole body in the nhs - just treat symptoms of individual ailments.

I think this is much more likely. I had a colleague with this and it's easily treated with Botox injections

That's really interesting about hyperhydrosis causing this when showering. He's struggled with incredibly sweaty hands for over a year now off and on, but it happens nowhere else on his body.

He’s had the heel prick test and was ok so can’t have it.

The heel prick test was around when your son was born - I know because my son just unfort missed out on it and he’s a lot older than your son.

My sons hands do this too! It's gross and weird. He also gets excessively sweaty palms although the rest of him seems to sweat normally.
He is fine and when I googled it I didn't find CF. It went eventually when he dried out. I put some nourishing cream on (a Wella product I use on his eczema)

Just remembered it happened this badly when he handled a bath bomb while it dissolved. Maybe check if he used a bath bomb or bubble bath or anything like that.
Good luck hope he's ok

It's an insult to people suffering from cystic fibrosis for you to worry about your 11 year old son suddenly having it. That is an absolutely hideous and life limiting disease that is genetic and affects children severely from BIRTH. He does not have it. I think you need help for your health anxiety honestly

There is so much mis -information on this thread it is depressing! Much of it is very very out of date!

It is not insulting to patients with CF to consider it, there is a vast range of symptoms and experiences of the disease, much of which comes down to genetics ( causative genes and moderators).

CF absolutely can be missed by the heel prick test ( this was introduced gradually across the country so some areas had is sooner than others). The heel prick only tests for the most common genetic mutations causing CF, there are many many more uncommon or nonsense mutations it does NOT test for.

With CF genetics are hugely important, the new CFTR based drugs are only suitable for patients with particular genetic mutations, but for many these have been life changing ( my dd included).

My dd whilst having the most common genetic mutation, has never had huge problems with her chest. So the picture painted by previous posters is inaccurate.

Whilst CF is VERY unlikely it is not impossible, and posters should be careful not to give false information based on very little knowledge. it may be worth taking to the GP and looking at the wider symptoms and asking for a referral to the paediatric team.

Don’t be daft. It’s not an insult to consider it, and op, whilst a bit worried, hasn’t said anything About cf I’d consider out of order.

you however, piling in with phrases like “hideous” and re-iterating that it’s life limiting (we know!)…

Spot on
hope your daughter is doing well

It's an insult to people suffering from cystic fibrosis for you to worry about your 11 year old son suddenly having it. That is an absolutely hideous and life limiting disease that is genetic and affects children severely from BIRTH. He does not have it. I think you need help for your health anxiety honestly

How on earth is it an insult ? OP may well have health anxiety around her son but that in no way means her worries are an insult to people with the disease she’s worried he might have. As this thread has shown CF does not always present in the way we think it does (I had no idea about this till I read this thread).

I have CF and I'm not insulted in the slightest.

I think you need to educate yourself. Children are not always affected from BIRTH.