Painful Red Lumps

[misty14]

Hello everyone

I have been getting painful red lumps appearing on the sides of my fingers. I have never had them before and wonder what could be causing them?.

I have Raynauds and UCTD and take Steroids and Adalat successfully for these conditions. Overtime they do go away but then new ones come on different fingers.

I would love to read of anyone's experiences of them to know what they could be.

Many thanks

MistyX

[Hidden]

Hi Misty. Whereabouts on your fingers are these lumps? Are they hard or squidgy? Could you attach a picture to this post I wonder? Tx

[misty14 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Twitchy

I haven't got a pic, they come up on the side of my fingers near the joint and I've got one going that was on the top of my finger next to the nail bed. They are hard and can split. Do you know what they might be?.

Just seen your comment about filling in the ESA form. If you can get CAB help to fill it in it would greatly enhance your chances of success as these forms have to be filled in in a certain way!. They know how best to do it. Health questions you must give your symptoms on a bad day and how your illness affects your day to day life. Good luck for TuesdayX

[Hidden in reply to misty14]

I think I posted about gout/ high uric acid levels on here recently with a pic of red lump on finger attached? You could maybe look this up and see if yours look similar.

Basically top finger joint nodules closest to nails are usually osteoarthritis and swollen, bruised, hot boggy knuckles ans middle joints on fingers are usually RA. But there are things called ganglion cysts which can be caused by synovial joint swelling - the synovial fluid can travel into the sides of joints and cause red slightly shiny lumps. I've had all three at various points. Currently got the osteoarthritis type but one the size of half a pea is really red and annoying me just now!

I believe Raynauds and Scleroderma can cause calcified swellings abd chillblains if bad but not experienced this myself although I do have mild Raynauds.

"Searching for answers as always - raised uric acid anyone?"

Tx

[misty14 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Twitchy

Thanks for all your helpful info re my painful red lumps, given me lots to think about. I did see your Uric acid post and pic, could be similar. I've got a Rheumy appt end May so will mention them then.

I'm pleased your GP has given you Tramodol for the pain. Have you tried one?. Hope you can take them and they help?. Your son and husband are spot on about taking 'sometimes'out of your ESA form. Good luck with it and the endoscopy Tuesday. X

[Peter55]

Hi misty

They're mucous cysts and are caused by a mixture of your condition and steroids. Their proper name is inter phalangal digital synovial ganglion they can last anything up to 12-18 months. They're painful and if swollen if you bang them against anything they are agony. You're not supposed to puncture them although that or accidentally puncturing them is the only way to get relief.

[misty14 in reply to Peter55]

Hi Peter

Thank you for your helpful reply re painful lumps. Touch wood they've stopped coming. Hope it stays that way.

[Peter55 in reply to misty14]

Hi misty.

I'm afraid they come and go. You'll be cyst free for two years then you start getting sore on a knuckle. They're back!!!

Do yours appear on knuckles?

Mine do due to arthritic joints. The way it was explained to me was (after a lot of heavy usage normally) the sac that contains the synovial fluid that lubricates the joints bursts. And every time you then bend that joint it acts like a pump forcing the fluid to the surface. The reason they are so painful is that they literally tear through your flesh. If you look at one from the top you can see a hole which goes right down to the joint. That is the reason you shouldn't burst them coz of the possibility of infection.

But they don't half hurt don't they. I've been getting them on and off for 15 years. Haven't had one for about 6 months but had one before that, that lasted 18 months. Ouch!!!!!

Pete xx

[misty14 in reply to Peter55]

Hello Peter

The lumps really do hurt, mine appeared on the side of my fingers not the knuckles!. Weird, may have caused a recent finger infection I've had too so thanks for your info. Hope you get a long break from yours . Misty.

[strawberryshortcake]

I've got them on both my index fingers. I have arthritis,raynards and CMT . Maybe lupus as well. I thought it might be the arthritis causing the red bumps.. I've. Got 2 on each finger.

[Peter55 in reply to strawberryshortcake]

Hi

Are you taking steroids for any of your conditions? Coz it's normally a mix of steroids and the condition that cause them (so I was told by my specialist.).

[misty14 in reply to Peter55]

Hello Peter

I don't think you got my last message I wrote on your Methotrexate feed!. I do take steroids and realised I've had one lump on the side of my knuckle but it went down, still see it's outline!. Interesting they can't decide if cause is illness or steroids. You'd think one or the other wouldn't you?. Hope your feeling much better. Misty.

[Peter55 in reply to misty14]

The outline will stay. Do they look like warts to start with? When I got my first one even my doc thought it was a wart and was going to book me in with the nurse practitioner. Then he looked closer and said that's a mucous cyst. My specialist said it's caused by the illness AND the steroids. No illness no cysts no steroids no cysts. So it's not that they don't know it's just that coz you have the illness you have to take steroids. Therefore you get the cysts. Mine are very painful coz I got a nice little side present from colitis which is serum negative RA and osteoarthritis on my hands and feet. So when I get them, I get them on hugely deformed knuckles which makes them incredibly painful. I now have an as yet undiagnosed Underlying inflammatory disorder. Specialist nurse has ruled out fibro as steroids seemed to keep it in check. Her bet is CFS so I thought oh great. I love being asleep 16 hours a day!!! Really helps on the job front. And of course the aching and pains. I've found out why I get such terrible pain in my hands and feet. It's called "rebound neuropathy". My pain nerves have apparently been under the control of steroids for 18 years. When I stopped and went on to HC of course you have times in the day when you have no cortisol in your blood. That's when all my pain nerves just start firing together. On a pain scale of 1-10 where 1 is just mild and 10 is unbearable I would say that when this starts up I rate it at 8-9. It's that bad.

[Peter55]

Also was going to ask if you'd read through my long lost on methotrexate

Should give you some idea how I got where I am today.