symptoms are swelling and redness around middle finger nail and to the first joint.

Sounds like paronychitis. If you do not have a physical mass/bump at the base of your fingernail, then what you have is paronychia. This is usually caused by either yeast or staph infection of the skin. An antifungal cream should work for the yeast. For staph, you need to take an antibiotic. In any case, try to limit the exposure to water to a minimum. The home remedy to try for this is diluted vinegar in water solution or diluted bleach in water (1 part bleach/4 parts water).

Good Luck!

Your Friendly Dermatologist