Calcinosis Infection

I know my original intention was to keep this blog positive but lately that has been difficult. And now I have a new problem to report. the basal knuckle of the index finger on my right hand has become infected and it is, to put it lightly, making my life difficult. A week ago today, last Sunday evening, I noticed that the knuckle in question was red and swollen and it was causing me some discomfort. I progressively grew worse such that by Wednesday I could no longer put off a visit to urgent care at a nearby hospital. Over the next three days I was given antibiotics by IV, saw a hand surgeon who switched me over to oral antibiotics and am now receiving daily visits from a nurse who changes the dressing on my now draining, very raw looking and painful knuckle. (Of course getting the IV started was also a major challenge just to add to the discomfort.)

I have calcinosis in said knuckle and apparently some bacteria have made their way into the area through a small opening in the skin caused by the calcinosis which, in turn, caused the infection.

So, there you have it, yet another complication from scleroderma.