What's wrong with my finger? (photos)

[LaMadrilena]

The middle finger of my right hand has been really swollen around the nail for days, hasn't got any better or worse. The pain is disproportionate! It's throbbing under the nail and feels like it's going to explode. The tiniest brush against something is almost enough to make me cry.

As you can see from the photos, I've had hangnails/dry skin around the nails, so I assume an infection's got in there.

I'm in Spain so my options are pharmacy, GP (long wait) or A&E (seems absurd).

Photos - nail side, underside and with other hand for comparison (not a great pic as I'm on my own and needed more than 2 hands!)

Pharmacy or gp I think, if it's that painful.
You can try soaking in hot salt water too

id see if i could get some kind of antibiotic cream from a pharmacy

Soak regularly in salt water. Should burst and you'll feel very relieved when the pus oozes out!

I think it’s called a whitlow. Definitely see what a pharmacist can suggest.

You have my sympathy - I had one, and it is sore!

Paronychia? Our GPs usually give antibiotics, but I got rid of mine with an antibiotic cream I had at home from something else (fucidic acid). I don't think you can buy it in England but maybe you can in Spain. As PPs have said, soaking or warm compress may help, but if the redness spreads then definitely get antibiotics!

Hi op. This looks like a whitlo (possibly spelt wrong!) warm water to soak the skin then try to pierce the skin to draw out the gunk. You should feel instant relief!!

it needs to come to a head (yellow pus visible under the skin). soaking in hot water will help this. Then you need a sterile blade to open the skin and allow pus to escape. Cover with antiseptic cream and change dressing at least once a day.
they are painfull though!

I'd ask in a pharmacy, have just Googled and it seems you can buy antibiotics in Spain so worth asking what they suggest.

familydoctor.org/condition/paronychia/ this page has advice, as per PP's soaking in warm water several times a day then antibiotics if no better.

Looks like paronychia. Soak your finger in warm salty water several times a day and try and keep it clean. If it gets any worse you may need antibiotics.

Thanks all. I didn't think it'd be something with a name, I assumed it was a generic infection. I'll see if I can get to the pharmacy today or tomorrow.

And I'll soak in salty water. If the 13mo lets .e sit still long enough!

I had this recently so you have all my sympathy! It's so much more painful than it looks and took about a week to clear up

Mine started off the same as yours and then got larger, redder and more tight feeling around the nail bed so don't be alarmed if this happens you too

In the end the doctor prescribed me with antibiotics and I kept it covered over with a plaster of I was doing something/out an about.. that same day before I even started the antibiotics it just popped by itself 

Only thing that helped me was holding my finger in water, or I put magnesium sulphate on it and covered it with cling film

I've had similar a couple of times in the past, normally pussy and yellow skin too.
The thing I found relieving was getting a sterile needle and bursting it, then soaking it in warm salt water and coating with turps and germolene cream.
If that's not an option then I would try Dr's and just hot water a couple times a day and stick some numbing antiseptic cream on it.

I can see it's going to end up on sporners' corner...

I used to get whitlows a lot when I was younger from biting my nails. My gran used to treat them with a bread poultice. Worked every time!

Whitlow. Get it sorted ASAP, DH had one that was awful, the go had to pierce it with a needle to let the kid drain out + antibiotics

Paronychia.

I would guess by looking at it that if you poked at the dry bit of skin next to the nail that looks a bit scabby and yellow with a needle, you would very likely release some pus, get massive relief and your problems would be over.

I'd put tea tree oil on that a few times after soaking in warm salt water, antibacterial/antifungal and seems to cure all for me.

I get these and I just squeeze it til the pus comes out

Yes this looks like a whitlow infection antibiotics will be needed.