Swollen knuckle

Hello
I have mild lymphodema following treatment for BC in 2004. I was diagnosed with lymphodema about three years ago and wore my sleeve religiously for about 18 months. However, I now don’t wear it as it really didn’t seem to be making any difference. My arm seems stable and feels ok so far.

Having said that, about a month ago I woke up and found that my little finger knuckle was a bit stiff and sore - felt a bit like a mild sprain. This is still the case and it is also slightly swollen. I’m not sure if this is connected to my lymphodema or not, and whether I should be doing anything about it. I’m a bit reluctant to go back to my Lymphodema nurse as I know that I will just be told off for not wearing my sleeve!

Any advice welcomed.

Is there anything like arthritis in your family, has it had a hard knock there in the past? Or do any tablets that you take have joint pain as a side effect, that’s fairly common. If there is anything mechanical like a fracture trying to heal, lymphoedema won’t be helping and it will also be exacerbating the lymphoedema too. You’re probably due for a new sleeve in any case as they don’t last for ever (even if they lie unused in the drawer, the stretchiness will still perish over time) Suppose you could try the GP first or ask if you have an orthopaedics hand specialist or a rheumatology dept in your hospital. Or an physio or occupational therapist, they do a lot with hands too, some of them are based out in the community working from health centres etc and might have more ideas. Hope you get answers, appropriate treatment and relief soon.

PS It’s great to hear from a 7year survivor, well done!

thanks for your comments hymil. Really useful. There is no history of arthritis in my family but it’s useful to think that it may not be the lymphodems, it could be something else. One get’s so obsessed with cancer and lymphodema that you forget that there could be another cause! I will keep an eye and then seek further advice if it doesn’t seem to be improving. Thanks again.

Yep it’s good to remember we can still get other unrelated illnesses and to take appropriate care: It would be a shame to survive cancer and then get run down crossing the road, or forget to exercise and die prematurely of a heart attack! Doctors are especially at risk of wanting to link all your symptoms to one root cause, hence the sound advice to only bring one symptom for one appointment. I currently have a sore heel; there is a 1% chance, which I am ignoring, that it could be a bony metastasis but there is 99% chance it is a consequence of my running exploits. When cancer and lymphoedema seem to take over my life, it’s nice to know my leisure activities can have an effect on the outcome too, even if it’s a bad effect! Good luck with your hand.