Tendinitis - Anyone dealt with this?

I just had to have surgery last May for sever tendinitis in my thumb, and now I'm having a lot of the same issues with another finger on a different hand. I don't do any repetitive work, I am mostly a stay at home mom right now, but I occasionally work part time in shoe sales. I don't understand why I keep getting tendinitis in my joints. My doctor suspects I have it in areas other than my hands, but the flare ups haven't been as noticeable and much more easily managed. When it flares up in my hands though, my god it is painful to the point I can't sleep, and normally I lose almost complete hand function.

I'm 28 years old, and I'm really getting frustrated with this. I feel like a really old person whose body is falling apart. Has anyone had this same problem and found some type of underlying cause? I have a problem with my potassium getting really low sometimes, but the doctor says he doesn't see that causing tendinitis... I just don't get it I guess. Any homeopathic remedies that have worked for anyone? I can't afford another surgery and right now my left hand is completely useless.

I have a whole bunch of stupid chronic incurable illnesses, including POTS which can be related to low potassium also. I'm a SAHM too and had tendonitis in my elbow. I'm sure i triggered it washing cloth diapers! I rubbed an anti inflammatory gel on the area 2-4x a day for 2 weeks, gave up because it wasn't working, started it again for a week and bam it was cured! It's come back a little and the gel has fixed it again.

My mother is dealingwith this also and she also doesnt do repetitive work she ended up having gout in her hands along with the tendonitis she may have to have the surgery in the spring if the pain doesnt go away after the gout is resolved

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" I have a whole bunch of stupid chronic incurable illnesses, including POTS which can be related to low ... [snip!] ... it wasn't working, started it again for a week and bam it was cured! It's come back a little and the gel has fixed it again. "

I've tried gel and things like icy hot, but it doesn't do anything more than irritate my skin.

Ice makes my tendon burn like its about ready to just snap in half and I usually end up feeling worse later.

Maybe I just need to start at square one and try again with everything. Is your tendinitis in your elbow so bad its hard to function with that arm?

Thanks for the advice! I will try the gel stuff again and hopefully get lucky.

Quoting Emmy's Mom:" I've tried gel and things like icy hot, but it doesn't do anything more than irritate my skin. Ice ... [snip!] ... so bad its hard to function with that arm? Thanks for the advice! I will try the gel stuff again and hopefully get lucky."

Yeh i couldn't use that arm properly it was ridiculous. I was on crutches at the time aswel it was pretty darn awful as obviously i couldn't really use them. and a single mama with an almost 1 year old.. yeh i'm glad it's gone now! It was generic motrin gel i used, ask for the highest strength you can get.

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" Yeh i couldn't use that arm properly it was ridiculous. I was on crutches at the time aswel it was pretty ... [snip!] ... an almost 1 year old.. yeh i'm glad it's gone now! It was generic motrin gel i used, ask for the highest strength you can get."

Thank you!

Wow that sounds awful btw. I couldn't lift with my right hand for 4 weeks with a six month old running around. Tendinitis sucks.

also i can't do ice either, it just makes it worse. I know it's meant to make it better but the cold hurt like hell and just made my joint stiff and the muscle spasm/ache. I guess different things work for different people, which is annoying because you have to go through the whole trial and error deal. Anything to avoid surgery though.

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" also i can't do ice either, it just makes it worse. I know it's meant to make it better but the cold ... [snip!] ... people, which is annoying because you have to go through the whole trial and error deal. Anything to avoid surgery though."

I had no choice with my thumb, it was either just give up using my right hand or have the surgery. Literally nothing was working to make it better. This time around, I just can't afford it, nor do I want to deal with the down time. At least now I can try to use my hand and grit my teeth.