# Strange Bumps on Knuckles



## akhomesteader

Does anyone know what this is? About 4 months ago, I started getting a tiny pink/reddish bump on one knuckle. They don't itch, burn, or cause any discomfort. They aren't dry (like dry skin), and don't weep. The first one started with a tiny, flat spot that looked more like a small, round scar. Gradually, after a week or so, it got a little bigger and raised. Then when it was less than 1/8 inch in diameter, it began to divide into two bumps. Each of those divided in two after another week or so, and on it went, sort of like cell division. About that time, another one started on the same hand, and then about two months later, one started on the other hand. They are on or between the knuckles. As the bumps divide, they sort of spread out into an irregular circle.

Any ideas on what this could be, or what to search for on the internet? I live in the bush, and since we're in the middle of freeze-up, I can't get to a doctor at the moment without spending many thousands of dollars on a helicopter, so that's not an option. Even when it's not freeze-up or break-up, a regular charter plane costs around $1200 for a trip into town and back, so our trips to town are few and far between. No insurance anyway. I generally do a good job treating anything that comes up with natural home remedies. This one baffles me. Nothing I have tried has had any effect, and I'm starting to get a little worried.


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## Pink_Carnation

Sounds like the warts I used to have on my hand when I was a kid. They were smoother than most descriptions I have heard and much smaller than any warts I had seen.


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## Caitedid

I used to get warts like that too. I wouldn't worry about it, think mine finally went away when I went on high dose antibiotics for pneumonia.


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## akhomesteader

Well, I sure never would have thought these things were warts. They don't look anything like warts I've ever seen. But this sure does put my mind at ease. I was beginning to think all sorts of things (some rare, horrid cancer)! This gives me a starting point to research. I worked with a doctor once who had a group of awful warts on his finger. He couldn't get rid of them for anything. He even tried chemically freezing them, but all that did was make them uglier. Finally, a patient told him to try wrapping his finger in duct tape. After about a month the warts were gone. He changed the tape every few days. I might give that a try. 

Thanks!


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## PNWest

I am not a dr. but I practice on myself. Try Vicks rubbed in the bumps.

Have you tried Balm of Gilead. Instructions are available on the web, made with natural ingredients available in your area. It works. Plus it is an interesting read.


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## akhomesteader

Thanks, PNWest. I make Balm of Gilead and have plenty of it here, so I will give that a try. I began using a thick oil I made with spruce pitch and a little olive oil. Today my son mentioned that it was beginning to look better. Hard to tell, but I think it does look a little better. Spruce pitch has antimicrobial properties, and is very effective on many things. I might give this a few more days before switching to the Balm of Gilead. 

Thanks again for that suggestion!


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## cowboy joe

Sounds familiar as I have a similiar condition also on my knuckles which come and go without any particular rhyme or reason. I had a biopsy which came back as granuloma annulare. Basically raised bumps which may or may not form a circle. They don't hurt unless I wack them against something and other than being a bit unsightly they are otherwise benign. http://www.skincareihub.com/granuloma-annulare-causes-and-symptoms/

Obviously not saying that this is what you have...only passing this on for informational purposes.


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## akhomesteader

Thanks for the info, cowboy joe. I know it may or may not be what I have, but these posts do make me feel a little better. I wish I knew how I got these dang ugly things! They started a few weeks after we got three new goat. One was a doe in milk and the others were kids. Bought them sight unseen. The kids are turning out good (AI breedings). The doe is junk. All sorts of problems with her. I'd never have bought her if I'd seen her. The gal has a reputation for being less than honest about goats she sells. I've since heard that the goat's living conditions are pretty disgusting, so I suspect it might have something to do with that. Oh well, that's neither here nor there. 

PNWest, I did some checking on Balm of Gilead for warts because it sounded really interesting since we have so much of it here. I was surprised by what I found. There's a lot of misleading information out there. Some of the first sites I found talked about "Balm of Gilead", but actually, after further reading, they were talking about Black Salve, which is made from Bloodroot, zinc, and other things, depending on the manufacturer. None contained true Balm of Gilead, which is made from buds of the Balsam Poplar (of which we have an abundance in Alaska). Some of the salves and info I ran across were selling things made with a really high percentage of zinc, and were water based. That combination can be very dangerous. From what I gathered from a few other sites, a lower percentage (around 30% or less), along with bloodroot, Chaga mushrooms (the black growths found on many dying birch trees, and several other trees) and a few other things in an oil base is safe, and very effective for many conditions. 

It just concerned me that this one big site was calling their water based "Black Salve" product "Balm of Gilead", when it isn't that at all (at the bottom of the page, they gave the ingredients of the product). I saw other sites that seemed to have taken that information, and placed all these "warnings" about how dangerous the use of "Balm of Gilead" can be, and how it can burn the skin. True Balm of Gilead is a wonderful salve for many things, and it is very mild. I even used it to cure and prevent diaper rash when my sons were babies. I made soap with it for a friend who said it's the mildest and most wonderful soap she's ever used on her babies. I have no idea whether or not it works for warts, though.


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## mekasmom

I would put frankincense essential oil onto them. That will get rid of warts. And they do sound like warts, but even if they are something else, frankincense has a wonderful outcome on most skin issues within a short period of time.


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## akhomesteader

Thanks, mekasmom. I will order some frankincense after freeze up to keep in case we need it. I'm starting to see great improvement with the spruce pitch oil I made last summer.


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## NeHomesteader

My husband had what sounds like you have on your hands on his for years,probably a good 20 or more. There were alot of them. He had to have gotten them from a cow or sheep. THey never spread to anyone else though. He tried everything and freezing them only made them spread. He custom fences for a living and while doing a big job he wore his leather gloves daily in the heat for a couple of weeks. They were gone after that and it has been 5 years or so ago. I'd say anything to smother them. Good luck,Dawn


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## akhomesteader

Thanks Dawn. I wonder why we'd get them from animals like that. Anyway, each day, they seem to get slightly flatter, and no new ones have begun since I started with the spruce pitch.


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## NeHomesteader

I'm not sure why,maybe a type of virus? A few years ago I was lambing and had to pull a lamb. I always wore elbow length gloves but didn't this time because I had to get it pulled. I started to get a sore in the palm of my hand that itched like crazy. It kept getting bigger and bigger and itched til I couldn't stand it. I put on creams and nothing fazed it. Had to go to the doctor and it was from pulling the lamb. I can't remember what they called it but she gave me a steroid type cream and it got rid of it. So I know that is possible. Hope yours gets better. Dawn


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## Sanza

How about trying this old home remedy?
File one of your fingernails and mix the filings up with some ear wax and spread that over the bumps.
This home remedy was given to me by my 87 yr old mother who said this is what her dad would do. She said it looked like it came alive when mixed together, also worked on any cuts and other small open wounds.
I haven't tried it myself yet....


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## ykcharrier

cowboy joe said:


> Sounds familiar as I have a similiar condition also on my knuckles which come and go without any particular rhyme or reason. I had a biopsy which came back as granuloma annulare. Basically raised bumps which may or may not form a circle. They don't hurt unless I wack them against something and other than being a bit unsightly they are otherwise benign. http://www.skincareihub.com/granuloma-annulare-causes-and-symptoms/
> 
> Obviously not saying that this is what you have...only passing this on for informational purposes.


I wanted to thank you for identifying this condition for me. I have had it for a year, had it looked at by a doctor who said it looked like a scar, and worried for as long that it might be cancerous. You have put my mind at ease.


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## akhomesteader

I was very worried, too. But, they are almost gone. I stopped using the spruce because I ran out and have not made more. But, I started applying heat. The simplest for me was to hold my hands over the woodburning stove for a few minutes, several times a day as I warmed up from being outside. I'd hold my hands there, as hot as I could stand it. Now that they are nearly gone (the bumps, not my hands  ) I forget to do that.


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