Pain in pinky finger that turned blue and then purple

Today at work, I was doing nothing in particular when all of a sudden I developed a sharp pain in my right pinky finger. When I looked at it, the area around the vein closest to the top (the vein closest to the nail) had turned bright blue on the right side. A co-worker suggested I flex my finger to return circulation, so I did. After a while, the blue became a deep purple/light gray color. It also looks a little swollen and it's painful to touch. Any ideas as to what happened? It's never happened before.

[FurballsMom]

This sounds like something that should be looked at immediately.  If you can't get in to see your doctor today, you should be seen in the ER for urgent care.  No idea what happened, but since it sounds like the circulation is involved, it's better to play it safe.