new here, terrified about hand pain and weakness

[JuneFly37]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and feeling scared. I know no one is here in a medical capacity, but I would like to air some of my concerns in hopes someone can offer some non-medical advice.

I've been having a lot of problems with my hands recently, mostly my right (dominant) one. I was working out pretty heavily about three weeks ago and when I came home one night, I had some terrible cramps in my left hand. I did all sorts of strength testing, squeezing and gripping a million times. It felt like my thumb was too close to the index finger. I went to the doctor and he said it seemed fine, but by the time I'd gotten home, the tightness had spread to my other hand. Now it's mostly in the right hand. It's like my thumb is rotated the wrong way. I'm a teacher and I spend hours a day with my arm up in the air, writing on the board, and even more time grading papers by hand, but now, holding a pen feels strange. My hand feels weak when I hold a fork, too. I've always typed with only two of my right fingers (my thumb and mouse index finger) and those now feel achy in the joints, tendons, muscles, you name it.

I have a history of hypermobility (double-jointedness) and twitching. I've been to physical therapy before, mostly because of hip and shoulder problems. My hands bend strangely sometimes, but this tight feeling is new to me. I have had the neurological fears before and I have been very scared about the progressive neurological disorders that could cause this. I can't even type the name, one scares me so much.

Around the same time my hands started acting up, I was on the computer, reaching my right mouse hand out, and I feel something pull in my shoulder. Then, my whole shoulder sort of rotated forward. I was afraid it had dislocated (my other shoulder tends to be too loose) but I went to the ER and they said it was fine.

I've been to a neurologist, who said everything seemed fine. She did an NCV/EMG which I'm told was normal. (I didn't see it.) She took an MRI of my spine, which was okay, and did blood work, which also showed nothing. She said it wasn't carpal tunnel and she wasn't concerned about the neurological stuff, but she did tell me to start taking my anti-anxiety meds. She prescribed physical therapy for the shoulder. I've only been once (an issue with my work health insurance), but the therapist said he thinks it is related to my hypermobility.

I have an appointment with a hand doctor this week and I am so, so scared. My fiance doesn't want me to keep talking about this but sometimes I feel like it's all I can think of. I'm scared to go back to the gym. I can't relax. My anti-anxiety medication takes a while to build up in the system and it isn't working after only a couple of weeks.

Has anyone felt similar symptoms? Where do I go from here? Can anxiety cause problems with my thumb? It makes no sense to me that that could be possible. How do I stop thinking about hand when I have to do everything with it?

Thanks for taking the time to look at my post. I know this was lengthy but I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can offer.


- June

[JunoX]

Your anxiety can not cause problems with your thumb but your anxiety can cause problems to you when something goes wrong with your thumb. A lot of times people are so consumed by their fears that they fail to see that when they have an issue, even if its not their anxiety, it is their anxiety. If it wasn't for your anxiety, this thumb issue would just be a nuisance rather than an all consuming obsession.

If doctors have already checked you out and have not found anything wrong, then there nothing seriously wrong. Your hand is most likely cramping from the constant use you have been putting it through. Probably the way you hold your arms, hand, can cause tendons, nerves to act up and the thumb is the first thing that starts showing symptoms when there are problems in your wrist from constant movements or positions that strain the hand.

[wegngis]

When my anxiety ramps up, I have tons of trouble with the nerves and blood vessels as they pass under the collar bone and through the shoulder.  It's an entrapment thing, and yes it definitely makes my hands to weird things.  I had trouble holding pens and pencils, and doing work on small things.  It's even gone so far as making my hand completely numb, twice.  When I mean "completely, I mean completely.  I could have amputated and not felt a thing...well, at least until it came back.    I went to physical therapy, and after about 25 sessions and self exercise, I believe I finally have control over this.  Even still, my middle finger on my left hand was doing weird tingly things this morning, and I started doing my exercises like crazy.  It still feels like coincidence that my exercises are helping, but if I do them, I'm ok.

[trainwreck]

The good news is that you had a clean NCV/EMG. That is going to rule out anything degenerative disease.  An EMG would pick up on that before you were symtomatic.
The bad news is it may or may not be anxiety.  I have weakness in my non-dominant hand and at times it literally hurts to shake someone's hand.  I know it isnt anxiety. And while bothersome this doesn't cause me great anxiety.  At first they diagnosed a tendon issue, but couldnt say for sure.  It has been going on now for 3 years, off and on.  The hand specialist can't figure it out either. 

[JuneFly37]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Very much appreciated.

"If it wasn't for your anxiety, this thumb issue would just be a nuisance rather than an all consuming obsession."
Really interesting point, JunoX. The people in my personal circle have said to me "so you have a problem with your thumb? So what?" To me, that just doesn't cut it. I'm sure there are people, both with and without serious illnesses, who don't dwell on their problems, and yet I can't stop thinking about mine.  My fiance asks me when I'll forget about it, and I really believe the only time I could ever forget about the problem is if it went away.  I have a hard time believing that will happen. 

You sound a lot tougher than me right now, TrainWreck! The fact that you aren't bothered by your symptoms is, well, impressive. As was said earlier, plenty of people have minor (and major) problems and just aren't affected by them the way some of us are. I don't think I used to be this way, but it's hard to tell what came first - the symptoms or the anxiety.

Was there an issue with shoulder impingement, Wegngis? I've been referred for my hypermobile shoulders but I won't be able to go for another couple of weeks. I've done physio before and it seemed to help with some of the pain and sensory stuff.

[wegngis]

Was there an issue with shoulder impingement, Wegngis? I've been referred for my hypermobile shoulders but I won't be able to go for another couple of weeks. I've done physio before and it seemed to help with some of the pain and sensory stuff.

They were never able to say, yes, right here is the problem.  Physical therapy helped it, I'm 95% better (just have a few tingles now & then to remind me it's still there.  Just had one in fact).  It was more of deductive reasoning.  All my blood work and other tests looked good, PT helped, soooo, must have been structural in nature.  Took a lot of visits, and a lot of outside work to get where I'm at.