fingers infection

[JBJBJB]

I hope to find answers for my fingers infection. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I am away from home for my conference. The infection area is very painful. I am attaching a picture.

Thank you all,

Hugs,

JB

 

[Trudi]

JB–

Ouch!! That does look very painful.  This is what I would do:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4512223_cure-infected-finger.html

Hope others chime in and you find something that works.

Take care,

Trudi

Lyme/RA; AP 4/2008 off and on to 3/2010; past use of quinolones may be the cause of my current problems, (including wheelchair use); all supplements (which can aggravate the condition) were discontinued on 10/14/2012. Am now treating for the homozygous MTHFR 1298 mutation. Off of all pain meds since Spring '14 (was on them for years--doctor is amazed--me too). Back on pain med 1/2017. Reinfected? Frozen shoulder?

[aynurrzepa]

Hi JB,

Very sorry for you.. I know very well what such pain is.

First thing I did was check what diagnosis you have. Unfortunately this is what can happen with Raynaud's and MCTD if you have signs of CREST/SD. These infections must be given a serious attention. I found using Vit E orally as well as topically helped a lot. A had sores which would not heal up for over 1.5 years (concurrently and for the first time in my 30 years of SD they were taking so long to heal) and as soon as I started taking Vit E they healed very fast! I also started taking better than before multivits, antioxidants and used coconut oil, also orally and topically. Some say tea tree oil helps them to keep the infection down if you want to use natural remedies. The advice Trudi gave in the link is also helpful even with normal salt (sea salt) but you must make sure you use antibiotic cream regularly to avoid furthering of the infection. You must keep your hands very clean. Also, moisturising hands helps a lot. I find Nivea Soft great, probably because it has Vit E in it, too. If they are very painful (mine were so bad I used to wake up at night) you can use some cream made with ledocaine (novocaine). If you ask pharmacyst they might be able to prepare you the cream.

Take care and hopefully your fingers will get better soon. Mine always do!

[Maz]

JB, are you still on flagyl? Any chance you could email this pic to Dr. C for his assessment? I'm wondering if it might be a fungal infection?

Peace, Maz

[JBJBJB]

Hi, Trudi, Maz and Aynurrzepa

Many thanks for helping me to figure out that this ulcer like infection. I realize the same finger on the other hand is also having infection…. it's almost like symetrical thing. Now I have three more fingers are getting sore and red. If this is not SD related, I will go and see a nurse after I get back.

The convention center was freezing cold. My Raynaud's was very bad. One of my professor friends has Raynaud's. We both had purple fingers….that wasn't help my infection at all. I walked in the heat to the CVS and got myself a tripple antibiotic cream. I hope that will be helpful.

I remember Cheryl mentioned about digit ulcer. Is this SD digit ulcer? I am very worried.

Maz, I don't think it is fungal infection.  But it does not look like fungal….Perhaps I am wrong. hmmmm, you are making me thinking…. if antibiotic cream does not work, perhaps I should try anti-fungi cream….. nice thought…

Yes, I am still on Flagyl.

 

[aynurrzepa]

Hi JB,

Yes, symmetry is the giveaway for SD. By looking at your picture, unf it does look like SD ulcers. Normally they are on fingertips like I have but can be on knuckles, sides of the fingers or anywhere else (also toes). When mine get inflammed, they are excruciatingly painful!

I also used to use hydrocortizone cream (thin layer twice a day) to calm the inflammation and stop it from getting worse or even reverse it. I have also read mixing antibiotic cream with anestetic cream (lidocaine/novocaine) helps as antibiotic creams can really burn sometimes and only if one uses anestetic creams can he/she continue with the antibiotic cream. Also, sometimes doc may prescribe an oral antibiotic to treat the ulcers. Not sure if tetracyclenes are suited for than purpose and even if they are if the low dose is of any help or some other antibiotic administered at a higher dosage would serve better. I always managed without any oral antibiotics, though. 

[JBJBJB]

Aynurrzepa

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I will try to take care of it when I get home, using your method and Trudi's, too. Right now I am trying to keep them from getting worse.

I really hope this is not part of SD package. It would be very scary if I am still progressing to more symptoms since I have been on antibiotics. It seems to me I have one new symptom each month. :angry: 

:JB

[mkay]

JB~

When I worked for the hospital a few years ago we sold this stuff by the truckloads Miracle Mist Plus Skin Spray.  People swore by it…it's supposed to balance out the ph in your skin so things heal if I remember correctly and it's very safe!  Might be worth trying if nothing else works!  Hope they heal soon!

[Eva Holloway]

JB, Maz,

my first thought was also a fungal infection. I have some fungal infection on my foot and it looks like this. I have been using GSE diluted to soak/wash my hands and feet and also wash my hands with some disinfection soap. It seems to help. I also increased my probiotic.

Take care,

Eva:D

Eva Holloway

[aynurrzepa]

JB,

I might be wrong and hope it is indeed fungal. Please let us know what you find out on your return home.

Aynur

[Maz]

JB, try not to worry….you know I'm no doctor and I'm no expert on digital ulcers, but it looks a bit like paronychia, which is why I suggested it might be fungal, as you are on longterm flagyl:

http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw017.htm

You can find paronychia pics online if you do a search…please don't be freaked, they always show worst case scenarios!

Are you on a systemic anti-fungal, right now, like Diflucan? If not, if you send a pic to Dr C, he may phone you in a script for it to help clear it up, as well as warm soaks with epsoms and a few drops of GSE.

Peace, Maz

 

[JBJBJB]

Thanks so much for all your great suggestions. Maz, I googled the imagines and I could identify myself with one picture of bacteria infection. It seems whenever I put triple antibiotics, it got better. Meanwhile I will keep my eyes on fungal.

 

[richie]

Hi-years ago when I had problems similar to yours –I did the following –dipped fingers in rubbing alcohol –pat dry then peroxide –pat dry –then neosporin or bacitracin  ointment –and kept it covered –never developed into an ulcer and cleared up in a week or so –
richie

[Maz]

[user=266]JBJBJB[/user] wrote:

Thanks so much for all your great suggestions. Maz, I googled the imagines and I could identify myself with one picture of bacteria infection. It seems whenever I put triple antibiotics, it got better. Meanwhile I will keep my eyes on fungal.

 

Hi JB,

Glad the suggestion may have helped to identify the problem. Yes, paraonychia can be either fungal or bacterial…sometimes both. My MIL in England has this problem in her big toes and it got so raw and inflammed around the nailbed that her toenails eventually dropped off…she's been on mtx a long time, though, and if this is what you have (and not the beginnings of sclero ulcers), it is very mild by comparison. 😉 My MIL's doc prescribed a medication that was both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial after she'd has some pathology run, as she had a bit of both infections going on. Unfortunately, her doc only prescibes her this med in 7-day supplies, so the infection around her toe nails just keeps coming back. It's hard without an immune system to fight these infections, particularly at the grand old age of nearly 80.  

Richie's idea to try peroxide sounds good and I'd probably use it in combo with an epsoms soak (as suggested above), just a hand bath instead of the whole epsoms/bath routine for detoxing. The peroxide would kill bugs, but the epsoms in a warm hand bath would also help draw out the infection.

Peace, Maz

PS MIL also tried fresh-pressed garlic oil she squeezed from a garlic clove and she swears by this, though it stinks to high heavens!

[JBJBJB]

Richie, Maz,

It's great to be back home. I tried Richie's method and the pain was gone even though the swollen is still there. That's a great improvement.

Maz, I will give the garlic oil a try. It sounds like a good idea.

Once again, thanks so much for helping me through this crisis as you know I have bad Raynaud's. The ulcers have hard time to heal. Your suggestions mean a lot to me.

JB

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