Chilblain (finger) or something else

[Nome11]

Hiya,

I have a fairly swollen knuckle joint on my index finger, which also has redness above and below it. It isn't hot to touch so the pharmacist didn't think it was infected. It's achey when I bend it (this is worse in the morning) and I don't have full movement but I think this is due to the swelling more than anything. There's also a weird lump below it which may or may not be related. My great grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis and we've had autoimmune diseases every generation since (all different).

So, is this looking like a chilblain (I have had them on my toes in the past but never on my fingers) or maybe RA? Seeing gp next week, just looking for experiences; this is my only affected joint and I'm very careful with extremes of temperature with my (from childhood) Raynaud's.

Thanks very much 🙂

The pictures don't show the extent of the redness or swelling very well, but if you compare the actual knuckle with the ones next to it it shows how puffy it is.

I wanted to respond as I actually thought I had athritis starting in my left hand a few months ago. I was getting pain/struggle bending and general pain in knuckles and throbbing feeling. I've since found out I have a clot and think it affected the ability in my hand. I also don't want to cause alarm, but if you have had any breathlessness, leg pains or dizzy spells, I would consider that as well. I think often extremities alert us to other issues.

Thanks so much for your response, a clot isn't something I'd considered (no throbbing feeling thankfully). I hope you are ok now?