Medically speaking, I just cannot get a damn break.
Had to go BACK to my favorite place--the ER--because of my fingers turning blue and becoming extremely painful and hard to move. They diagnosed me with Raynaud's Syndrome. Here's an excerpt about it:
"Raynaud’s syndrome (RS) can be a debilitating condition that causes periods of severely restricted blood flow to the fingers and toes (and sometimes to other parts of the body such as the nose or ears). In the worst case scenario, this can result in amputation of the damaged digits.
The causes of RS remain a mystery in many cases. The disease causes significant free-radical nerve damage in the affected tissues. This damage leads to local endothelial dysfunction, thickening of the arterial walls, and the formation of scar tissue, or fibrosis (Simonini G et al 2000). RS is closely associated with more serious diseases (especially scleroderma, a connective tissue disorder). Many scientists believe that RS may be the initial diagnosis, before the actual diagnosis of scleroderma is recognized. Other diseases associated with RS include systemic lupus erythematosus and arthritis. In each case, RS may contribute to the more serious disease by encouraging the formation of scar tissue in the connective tissue and through damage to arteries. Therefore, it is crucial that patients who have RS pursue aggressive antioxidant therapy to lower their risk of developing a more serious condition."
Ironically, being diagnosed with Raynaud's does NOT explain the swelling in the hands that I've been having for nearly a month now. So now, I get to go to a rheumatologist to figure out whether this is primary Raynaud's (occurs on its own) or secondary (the more serious, which occurs secondary to another, more serious issue).
Related to this, between my regular doctor, the ER, and learning more about Raynaud's, I have heard the term "lupus" FAR more than I'd like to.