I think it may be a good idea to phone your Dr's office. I had an infection in my finger once, that cleared up - or so I thought - then a short time later, blew up like a balloon, visit to Dr said it was Cellulitis. That was a few years before I had RA, I spent months being sent to 2 different Drs, had my finger drained, was put on stronger and stronger antibiotics that messed up my stomach for almost a year. One of my clients, an elderly man in very poor health, died from it.

Take care!!

Has been cold, hasn't it(I'm in northwestern CT).

Whatever it is it appears to be spreading so you should seek medical help to test the infection and see what it is...staph? strep?. You need some Rx antibiotics as this is an area with poor blood supply. For all you know, the bacitracin may be making it worse. And if it's a tube that's been around for a while, it may be infected and you don't know it. Yes, tubes of antibiotic ointments can become infected if they pull some bacteria back into the tube.

But first you get the infections and then you look for the source and yes, Raynaud's could be the problem. I treat even the tiniest cut or cat nibble or scribble with an antibiotic ointment just in case.

Since most skin infections are staph, I keep a tube of Mupirocin around....RX ointment for skin staph infections. My hospital in Boston tests every patient for staph or MRSA prior to surgery and treats them with Mupirocin inside the nostrils as studies have shown that most post-op wounds get infected with staph from people rubbing or picking their noses. Helps to keep that tube around!

So see your PCP or rheumy and get the wounds cultured!

hugs..........Jen