My hand and knuckles are paining without any trauma. Why?

Question

Hi doctor,

I had an outer ear infection about three to four weeks ago. I scratched the inside of my ear with a Q-tip, and within two days, it had swollen completely and shut. I went to Urgent Care and was prescribed a 10-day course of Augmentin and ear drops.

Three days after starting these medicines, my other ear too was swollen and blocked. Next, my doctor prescribed steroids and Levofloxacin. Then it got better after eight days. On the ninth day, when I woke up, my right hand was swollen significantly without any trauma, and the pain in my knuckles was pretty severe. It woke me up at about 4 AM.

About three days after that, I started getting an on-and-off fever between 99.1 and 102.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The pain moves up into the forearm, shoulder, and neck, and migraines occur on the right side. I am feeling fatigue, extremely dizzy, and my vision is going black, and I almost fall over just from standing up. I have been extremely thirsty but not urinating a lot. Also, I have had Hep C for three years.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

There are a couple of different possibilities here, and the most important one is arthritis due to cryoglobulinemia, which happens in people with a long-standing history of hepatitis C. The other possibility could be parvovirus B19 infection. You should get tested for rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune disorders. You should see a primary care physician as soon as possible. It needs a complete workup.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.