I have a swelling on the palm side of my pip joint that has been present for a couple years. my first trouble with the area was in may 2008, when a small "bulb" was causing minor pain. i dug it out with little effort, again it was bulb shaped and no larger than a pinhead. a relatively large amount of (but really very little) blood escaped and it quickly healed. about 18 months later, swelling ensued slowly. a week ago, the affected area was struck accidentally by a sharp object, without any change. less than 24hours later, i noticed it "come to a head" and lightly lanced it. it took a while to drain, and the internal pressure was impressive; during draining, bits of tissue exited the relatively small hole along with the rest of drainage. it was like kleenex coming out of it's box. this has continued, with larger and larger pieces exiting, but now it's all that's coming out. my most recent attempt to draw this out using pressure around the area has resulted in a large (5-6mm wide, 7-8mm tall) piece sticking out. a very small amount of blood and pus came with it but nothing to alarming. there is a little pain affecting the site, but it's VERY painful if i try to draw more out. what on earth is this?