What is wrong with my pinky finger?

About a week ago my right pinky finger lower knuckle felt kind of sore, I noticed because I couldn't crack it. Yesterday I noticed it was much worse, swollen and more sore. The soreness has spread to above and below the knuckle.

Went to urgi-med and got xray. The radiologist won't see it until tomorrow, but the doctor didn't see a break. He saw a bright area on the knuckle that he thought might be arthritis. He said try heat and gentle movement and offered pred (no thanks).

But this feels a lot like when I broke my toe, and didn't know it was broken and tried to move it and whoa, did that make it hurt something awful. And cool is soothing, would that be the case for arthritis?

I'm concerned because I have lupus and have never had arthritis and if this is arthritis that could be kind of serious. And the hypochondriac in me is screaming bone cancer (I know that's probably wrong).

I don't remember injuring the finger but it's totally possible I did and forgot. What does arthritis feel like in a finger, what does it act like?
I trust you guys more than the Saturday doctor at the urgi-med -
Erica

Arthritis usually makes your joint stiff, often a bit swollen too. It often hurts toi move it (bend it, or in the case of shoulders, raise your arm in the air or reach behind you). It can also throb at times, with bolts of pain when it's really bad. It can feel hot at times. Osteoarthritis doesn't usually cause redness at the joint, but rheumatoid arthritis does (but the symptoms are usually bilateral with RA- both sides). I somehow have so far escaped arthritis in my fingers/hands(I have it in my knees, shoulders, hips) so maybe the symptoms are slightly different for fingers, but that's how it is for the joints I have it in.

I once smashed my pink on a doorknob. I was sure I had broken it after a couple of days of pain. I went to the doctor's, got an xray, only to find I had bruised the bone, but not broken it.Do you remember hitting something?

Hope this helps!

Thanks Caroline!
It's much better this morning - still sausage-y but less uncomfortable. I really think this is an injury.
Erica

Stupid finger still hurts. Xray said no break and no arthritis. Still sausage-y, better in morning and worse as day wears on and I use it, which seems like the opposite of arthritis. I think I must have jammed it and forgotten. I hope.
Erica

Tendon? I don't know much about that stuff. I have trouble with my thumb that way and joint near my toe. I get shooting pains sometimes. I haven't gotten around to asking about that yet.

Is it getting better though?

No it isn't getting better yet. It seems better in the morning and then gets worse. It feels a whole lot like when I broke my toe, the only time I've had a broken bone. It's mobile enought that I can still type normally. But sore and sausage-y and distorted.

My fear now is infection, so I'm staring at it watching for red lines and checking to see if heat makes it hurt worse. So far so good. Stupid finger.

Erica

Here are a bunch of pictures - does it look like any of these?

www.bing.com/images/search?q=finger+infection+pictures&FORM=IGRE1#focal=a1338a0a6b30c30687aeed98a650eacd&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fdermimages.med.jhmi.edu%2Fimages%2Fpulp_spac_%2520infection_1_070413.jpg

Can you post a picture?

EWW. I'll tell you the interweb is a wonderful thing and I've found many useful pictures but it can be startling when you look up an illness or skin conditions.

No I for sure don't have that sac thing.

The second joint of the finger is the center of the soreness, and above and below the joint is swollen. The swelling and sorenss stops before it reaches the joint above or below. The joint is least sore on the palm side but there is no one clear spot that is the problem. If you saw it you'd see it was swollen but you wouldn't recoil in horror(to give you a sense of the degree). It looks slighly bruised on the knuckle but not ITP bruised.

I totally could have injured it and not remember. There is kind of a labryinth deal in my bedroom due to a spare mattress with no place to be and I have to climb over the bedframe and several dogs if I go to the bathroom at night, so bumps do take place. That's my theory for now, and I'll reconsider MRSA if it starts to get red and spread.
Erica

Could have been some kind of insect bite that has now affected the joint? A spider, a tick, something (like a tick) that is miniscule that you wouldn't have noticed it biting you until you got a reaction from the bite?

Caroline, maybe, others have also suggested that - maybe a chigger? There is no sign of a bite.
Erica