Painful Swollen thumb.... why?

[laRubiaBonita]

I have a question about my thumb, since Saturday it has been painful- almost like nerve pain.

A few weeks ago the thumb was really dry and my skin split (which happens all the time for me). But the split was on the pad of my thumb, not on the sides near the nail as usual.

My remedy for the splits is Neosporin and a bandaid, which heals the splits up in about a week. So it healed, and all was well.

Then this past Saturday it started really hurting, and it is where that split was on the pad. My thumb is still really really dry(i am putting lotion on though), and where it hurts so bad (almost feels like a burn) it is warm to the touch and my thumb is swollen.

 

Any ideas what it might be?

[edgeofdarkness]

subcuatneous inffection?

 

Gout?

 

see a doctor....?

[whichwayisup]

Can you get gout on a finger? For some reason I thought gout was just toes.

 

Go see your Dr, just to make sure it's not an infection under the skin.

[laRubiaBonita]

i thought gout only affected joints, namely feet too.

 

i feel bad going to the Dr. over this, plus i will probably catch something there- lots of sickos around lately.

 

it hasn't gotten worse; but it hasn't really gotten any better either.

 

i just keep putting lotion on it for now.

 

i was thinking maybe it was the nerves of where my finger did split and they are fusing back together? i base that on a really bad cut i had on my finger a while back, i still get odd nerve pains from where the skin reattched- it still feels numbs too- but even with that it didn't swell up and the pain was not a constant.

 

i will give it until next week- and if it still bad i will go to the DR.

[Crusoe]

Pain, swelling and warm to touch are pretty good signs of an infection, especially under a freshly healed wound. Only takes a little bit of poison to hurt like hell under a closed wound. I would give the thumb plenty of soakings in hot salty water, see if you can draw anything out. It will also help soften any scar tissue.

 

I doubt nerves fusing back together would cause that kind of pain and sweling. My hands are a misshapen mass of scars and scar tissue. Had more cuts and bust fingers than I can remember. Twice had surgery to sew things back together. Never experienced that from nerves healing. Nerves seem to alternate between tingles and sharp stabs when damaged.

[laRubiaBonita]

Pain, swelling and warm to touch are pretty good signs of an infection, especially under a freshly healed wound. Only takes a little bit of poison to hurt like hell under a closed wound. I would give the thumb plenty of soakings in hot salty water, see if you can draw anything out. It will also help soften any scar tissue.

 

I doubt nerves fusing back together would cause that kind of pain and sweling. My hands are a misshapen mass of scars and scar tissue. Had more cuts and bust fingers than I can remember. Twice had surgery to sew things back together. Never experienced that from nerves healing. Nerves seem to alternate between tingles and sharp stabs when damaged.

 

yeah..... it almost is like there should be a splinter in there, but the wound healed up before this occurred- but it could still have gotten infected?

interesting. i will do the warm soaks and stuff. thanks all!

[sally4sara]

That usually happens to either my thumb or index finger after I chop hot peppers.

[Crusoe]

but the wound healed up before this occurred- but it could still have gotten infected?

interesting.

 

Yup. Very common for a wound to seal over and leave a tiny bit of dirt in there, a week or two later you've got another "Ouch!".