Blood clots in fingers? First me, now my son
A year ago, I started getting painful lumps inside my fingers occasionally. The lumps would hurt a LOT and then gradually soften and turn into a big bruise. After I suddenly got about 4 at once one day (they come on really suddenly), I stopped at an urgent care clinic and the doctor said they were blood clots and that I should take aspirin, stop taking any hormones, and go see a rheumatologist. I did all those things, but by the time I got to the rheumotologist, there wasn't much to see except a tiny callus over one finger joint where one of the bumps had stayed for several weeks. He told me to see a dermatologist and basically dismissed me. Oh. I also got tested for a rheumatoid factor and tested positive. All he cared about was whether I had rheumatoid arthritis or not and he said I didn't. The bumps kept happening, off and on for the next few months.
Yesterday, my 18 year old son grabbed his hand suddenly and said his finger hurt a lot and the tip of his finger had a tiny purple bump deep inside, just like mine. Sure enough, the next day he had a purple bruise across the first joint of his index finger. I never had this when I was 18. It's hard to believe it's some weird genetic condition. Could there be something in our house that's causing this? What is it? Vitamin deficiency?
The only doctor who believed me was an urgent care doctor who actually saw the lumps. Now I wish I'd dragged my son in yesterday... he didn't want to go the doctor, understandably.