Itchy Joint from stress??

Strange but true, I just don't understand WHY.
This occurs only along the outside of my left pointer finger, slightly above the middle joint. Every now and then, usually during periods of extreme stress, that little spot itches the dickens out of me. I'll scratch it with anything I can find- my teeth, the underside of a table, a comb etc lol. Even when I refrain from scratching it, the area appears red. There isn't a bump on the outside of the skin so there's no bug bite (and it's always this ONE spot for a couple of years now).

There's a little bit of fluid under the skin from inflamation, but that's it.

Why? Taking an anti-inflamatory medication seems to do little or nothing... it goes away on it's own eventually. It's been bothering me this time for about a week.

Suggestions to soothe it? Theories on why or how this ??? (errr... is medically possible?)

Arg... last night, my finger was itching so badly I looked for something sharp to cut it. I found a pair of scissors and :dur dur dur: and cut my thumb while cleaning it. But while abusing my finger, 2 blisters appeared. I popped them with a needle but my finger still itches!
My youngest daughter said she thinks it's poison ivy. But I'm not allergic to poison ivy *hmmmm*
I have itchy places on the tops of my feet now... so poison ivy sort of makes sense.

The more you mess with it, the worse it'll be. Try washing the itchy places with hydrogen peroxide solution and maybe a little lotion, then leaving them alone. No scratching! =p

Thanks! I will have to try this. It's not itching quite as badly so I've been able to resist the urge to scratch.

Grrrrr.... the itchiness, inflamation and swelling returned last night. I tried the peroxide to no avail so I a slit in my finger and achieved immediate relief.
A few hours later, the symptoms recurred so I made another slit and again had immediate relief.
Both slits were just deep enough so see the meat of my finger. Both times, I squeezed the slits and bled them. I cleaned them and bandaged them until the bleeding stopped, then removed the bandaides (IMO air exposure is more healing).
I had relief all night, but the problems coming back. My hubby told me to go to a doctor but I'm hesitant because it's just a stinking itchy FINGER. He thinks I have some sort of arthritis, but who knows.
I'll try one my slit, a little deeper, and if the problem doesn't stay away, I'll see a Dr.

But, why do the slits even help? Is it an endorphin side effect? I'm curious now lol

FINALLY... relief. I have three deepish slits running the length of the middle joint to the top joint. That only worked a little, so I made a deep slit over the other three running across them. At least I now know I don't have a problem clotting! The last slit is wide enough that I can see inside it. It didn't bleed for long and even then not much. It stays open, which has relieved the swelling and inflamation and there is NO itching at all.
I looked up arthritis. Rumatoid (sp) arthritis tends to effect both sides of the body and there's nothing wrong with my right finger. Psoriatic arthritis usually presents with scaly skin. All I had was a red patch that looked like inflamation to me.

Whatever the cause, I've found a cure. If it returns I'll see a doctor.

I'm keeping neosporin on it.

Bloodletting is so 2nd century. I doubt slashing yourself cures the itch, rather, at best, just distracts from it. I get the itching too, in hands and feet, coincidentally where I also have arthritis which started in my 40s. I went to the doc when I first noticed it and I asked what I could do. He said, "blame your mother." I asked, "is that your professional opinion?"

For me the itching usually comes at night, maybe a few times a month, and more often than not follows a large scoop of ice cream so limit your sugar intake. An antiinflamatory like asprin sometimes helps. If it gets real bad I take a benedryl as itching is often a reaction to histamine. Heat releases histamine from the cells so soaking the effected area in hot water might help. But, dry skin can cause itching too so stay hydrated and use a moisturizer.

As to poison ivy, I also was immune to it in my childhood but now not so much. I was clearing out some vines on my new property, just ripping at it, unaware of the ivy there, only to discover just how much I am no longer immune to it. Slashing as a cure? that would have required the krueger touch.

Many thanks. It's been settling down a lot.
It bothered me a LOT after my last post, so I finally went to a doctor. He said it was either a wart or a callus. He's an idiot. But in his defense, he did say it was hard to say because of the slashes. I bought some callus remover. All it did was eat my healthy skin. I filed the dead skin away. I've been keeping it moisturized, filed and use anti-inflamatories and hydrocortison cream regularly.

I think cutting helped because I had a lot of swelling. The slits reduced the swelling.

I have been itchy other places. Mostly on the top of my feet and my shins. But that's pure itchiness, and even though I try not to "scratch" them, I rub them with the back of fingernails and still manage to rub the skin away (OUCH!) So I think you're right about the poison ivy. I walk through the stuff a lot in sandals. I'll experiment later and rub a bit on my arm...

Having experienced poison ivy as an adult, I'd never rub it on myself on purpose. I'm out in the garden every other day with poison ivy poison trying to rid this property of it. Found 14 young plants this morning alone. Nasty stuff. It's a problem even if you don't touch it but have pets because they can carry the ivy oil into your home on their coats. Highly stable, the oil remains an irritant for up to five years. When I had it I kept my nails real short so that I wouldn't open my skin on scratching. Also, if it is poison ivy, when you first go to wash it off use cold water, not hot, so as not to open your pores and invite more in. Once washed, you can later use hot water to try and temporarily reduce the itching.

I'm 90% certain I'm still immune, which is the only reason I considered it. It's nice to be able to eliminate it as a suspect.
I found a mature patch next to where I park the car. I broke off a leaf and rubbed it on a small patch on my arm. I guess I'll know (???) a couple hours or tomorrow if I'll have a reaction.
Thanks for the advice if things turn out badly lol.

***EDIT***
So far, so good. Hubby says if I don't break out within 48 hours, I'm good to go. He also called me an idiot lol, saying I could sensitize myself.

I didn't break out at all... BUT, can a person be sensitive to (let's say) poison ivy on their legs but not their arms?
My legs are itching the crap out of me. I have scratched off my skin in several places and I scratch off scabs, not realizing it. It's driving me bananas. Nothing else is bothering me but my legs (upper feet to lower thighs).