Thanks Okie Ginny and Babs--
I can't tell if its the top level of the skin. I had gained a lot of weight fast and thought it was water and the fingers just swollen, but when the Mayo rheumie looked at it, and he spent some time, he made me realize that it is like the tissue just beneath the top of the skin is hard and fused to the bone almost. There's been no pain, but I do have pain and heat in my thumbs, big toes and knees and now my left shoulder. I think the knees may be lupus like joint pain because the xrays werent that bad. My hands were done two years ago by my local rheumie and maybe I should call him, but was kind of wondering what the Mayo one was going to say. He didn't order an xray, my local one would've done one there in the office. I have one finger that is crooked but was injured. I assumed the arthritis there was from the injury. I'm afraid this is a tissue problem like scleroderma or maybe a muscle atropy type thing. I thought RA made your joints really swell. Mine arent, though my knees do, my fingers and toes just hurt bad. The pinkies haven't hurt at all, didn't notice them. My other fingers feel a like they are getting it too a little. Hopefully it is not scleroderma, because I have tightening elsewhere. Thanks for the info. I wondered. Does stuff like polymyositis and nerve problems/myositis cause this in the hands? I wonder about that too. Oh well, they'll figure it out, I hope. I guess I need to exercise and try to straighten these fingers if I can and work them.
I hope you are are doing well. I'm really nauseaus on this mother's day. Happy mom's day to you all.