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General health

i have tiny painful bumps appearing on my fingers and thumbs

40 replies

IAmBooyhoo · 11/05/2012 23:35

for the last 2ish weeks or so i have had these tiny bumps appearing. no more than 2/3 at a time and on different digits. they only last about a day or 2 from first noticing til not there at all but for the last twoish weeks i haven't been without at least 1 bump. the first thing i notice is pain when pressure is applied to the area (like when passing the steering wheel through my hand or opening a door handle). almost like getting a tiny splinter. and that is when i notice that there is a tiny bit of what feels like hard skin but there is a tiny grey dot in the middle. when i say tiny, i mean the bump is about the size of an ink dot from a biro and the grey dot is smaller still in the centre of it. it is painful for about a day and then the bump and dot disappear completely but usually another one has appeared on another finger. it is on both hands and at different places on each finger/thumb so not restricted to the padded bit that types. but only on the front of the fingers not the side the nail is on. also, and this could be unrelated but about 3/4 weeks ago the inside of my right elbow got itchy all of a sudden one day and ever since it has been itchy on and off. there is no dry skin or rash or anything. just the itch.

any ideas what thsi might be? i'm thinking of seeing the gp but dont want to waste his time if it's something simple i can fix over the counter.

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LadySybilDeChocolate · 11/05/2012 23:37

Sounds like they are warts. Pop to the pharmacy tomorrow, they will have a look and sell you some cream.

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IAmBooyhoo · 11/05/2012 23:38

thanks lady. do warts come that small? i always thought they were big bubbly things? Confused

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Primrose123 · 11/05/2012 23:50

It might be hand foot and mouth (not to be confused with foot and mouth!).

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LadySybilDeChocolate · 11/05/2012 23:57

Hand, foot and mouth starts off with a mild fever and then the hands, feet and mouth start to peel IIRC. Warts come in all shapes and sizes. I have one on a finger, it's barely noticeable. Some are larger and have a spot in the centre, some are large and bubbly etc. It varies. You're best off asking a pharmacist. Smile

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IAmBooyhoo · 12/05/2012 00:01

ok i have googled both of those (boak) and it doesn't look like either but i will be at the chemist first thing to get whatever it is dealt with.

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xeno · 12/05/2012 00:16

It sounds very similar to the tiny bumps i used to get on the sides of my fingers. I think it is some sort of dermatitis. Mine were occasionally itchy but hurt if I poked them. At one point I had LOTS of them and my fingers were all knobbly! I just used to slather my hands in oily cream from the chemist. They went away Smile. HTH

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IAmBooyhoo · 12/05/2012 00:25

Sad noooo! i'm going back to college in september to take up my beauty therapy training again! as far as i know (this was from i last trained 8 years ago) dermatitis means you cant work as a beauty therapist ever! one of our tutors got it midway through the course and had to leave her teaching job and salon job. i'll be gutted if it is.

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sleeplessinsuburbia · 12/05/2012 00:26

Raynauds? I get the bumps.

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IAmBooyhoo · 12/05/2012 00:32

i have to stop googling these things.

it doesn't look or sound like raynauds from what wikipedia and google images threw up. these bumps are so tiny. they really are hardly notible unless you get the light at the right angle and barely noticable by touch except i can feel the pain so know where they are.

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EmmaCate · 12/05/2012 00:36

A vote here for contact dermatitis (eczema - shouldn't be contagious re. your ambitions?). I get these; they also itch and sometimes have tiny bits of fluid at centre. The splinter comment i can really relate to.

I am allergic to Fairy and I suspect antibacterial soap (very harsh).

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IAmBooyhoo · 12/05/2012 00:39

thanks emmacate. i really hope whatever this is doesn't affect things wrt college and work. im really looking forward to getting back into work.

i will see pharmacist in teh morning and report back what they say.

thank you all.

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sleeplessinsuburbia · 12/05/2012 05:52

Sounds like how my reynauds started, first dr tried popping them (?) next tried to burn some off thinking they were tiny worts although I kept stressing they go away!

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AmIGoingMad · 18/11/2012 09:01

I just found this when googling! OP you describe them perfectly! Did you ever find out what they were? I know this is an old post but hoping you still check in sometimes!

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gobbin · 18/11/2012 20:59

Google pompholyx, my husband gets these when he's a bit stressed or under the weather.

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lubeybooby · 18/11/2012 21:01

Was just about to say pomphlox, so another votre here for that.

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lubeybooby · 18/11/2012 21:01

vote*

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thereinmadnesslies · 18/11/2012 21:35

I'd never heard of pompholyx before but I have this, I just never knew what it was called. Thanks both. Do you have this? If so what treatments work best for you?

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AmIGoingMad · 19/11/2012 18:38

I've never heard of that before! This site is amazing- you're all so knowledgeable! Thanks! Smile

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gobbin · 21/11/2012 22:08

Thereinmadness - with my husband they just disappear once he's feeling a bit less stressed, it's def this that is the trigger for him. He doesn't treat them, although they are v itchy.

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SandStorm · 21/11/2012 22:10

I had/have these - look like tiny blisters, feel like little splinters. I went to the doctor and he had no idea. He was happy to refer me to a dermatologist if I wanted but he wasn't unduly worried by them as I told him they come and go and don't really bother me that much. I've also been known to get them on the soles of my feet.

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2beornot · 21/11/2012 22:17

My husband and I have got these recently. Not severely and not really an issue but we wondered what it was. Googled pompholyx and is definitely that.

Thanks Gobbin and lubeybooby

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PixieHot · 21/11/2012 22:31

Diseases that MN has given me:
Keratosis pilarsis and Pompholyx Grin

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Brightonite · 21/11/2012 22:35

Another vote here for Pompholyx...I have it and it's a blooming pain! First the pain and then the bumps. I use dermovate for a couple of days and that usually has an effect. It's worse if your hands get hot at night, so try and sleep with them out of the covers!

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Fozzleyplum · 21/11/2012 22:46

I've just found this thread and the subsequent Googling's been a real eye-opener.

I had an episode of a very similar-sounding rash on my toes a few years ago. The sore little blisters appeared quite suddenly in the thick skin on the pads of my toes, immediately after I'd had tonsillitis. I was a bit sceptical when the GP said they were a type of eczema, as they weren't like any eczema I'd had before. They did go though when I used the hydrocortisone he prescribed. I've now realised that the bumps that have recently appeared on the side of one of my fingers are the same rash, and am going off in search of the hydrocortisone cream.....

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morewood0207 · 17/10/2015 09:44

I have the exact same just started a few weeks ago , I'm going to book a GP appointment I've being doing some research and i think its DYSHIDROSIS not sure what causes it though but they say you are prone to it if you have a job where your hands are in water frequently or if your exposed to metal salts such as chromium. cobalt and nickel...if this is the case...i must absolutely 100% invest in a dishwasher !! LOL Grin as i spend half my life with my hands in the sink doing the washing up!!!!

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