PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[HAND_PAIN]

Thank you for reading.  In becoming a massage therapist, i discovered swelling, pain, and a POP Sensation whenever I move my hand in a certain movement.  EXAMPLE : to scratch the middle of shoulder blades.  Sharp pain when holding or grasping things, in muscle that  controlls thumb.  Brusing has traveled up my arm, and i have been out of work for most of a year.  The pain is travelling up my arms to my elbow.  between my thumb and forefinger is a hard thing, <like tendon or something> that nobody else has.  when bad, it is swollen and purple. When i ice my hand, it becomes tingly, and painful.  this is the ONLY tingling, when iced.  i cannot afford a doctor, and am applying for mediCAL so i can get treated.  i still need to wait 60-90 days, even though i have problems brushing my hair. I would like my life back, anyone willing to offer something, advice, anything.  these clicking sensations through my wrist, and hand are painful, and i need some help.  i am only 22, please help, advice, anything
thank you

[wishingyouwell]

i am sorry to hear that you are in such pain i can relate in every way .i had surgery done on both my hands approx. 1 1/2 years ago for what they call trigger digets it is very very painful and it did cause swelling  and redness(inflamation) of my hands it also caused my fingers to lock into place and once locked had to be forsed back open which caused a great deal of pain.my rhumetologist sent me to a orthopedic surgeon and the problem was fixed for the affected four fingers, how ever he told me the others would follow and they have . as soon as i get this  lesion on my left temporal lobe repaired  that is causing epilepsy (seizures),and have enough recovery time in between i will have to have surgery on  the other six fingures, by the wayi t is possible for the pain to travel up the arm and make it painful to use both hand or arm, also to have probs dropping items , opening  ,closing ,or picking  up items with out it causing great pain .they thought mine was corpal tunnel at first until my doctors did test to rule it out(actually i ended up having both .trigger diget are not heard of that often so most people don't concider it when diagnosing the patient. you may want to mention it while talking with your doctor and ask if they can refer you to a ortho specialest when your ins.kicks back in .god bless you because i do know how it fills not to have ins.and be able to see the specialest you need to see.it is a sad world we live in when money out rules the well being of a human life.but god sees all and he will see you through this.wishing you well (stay  strong in will)!!!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Without personally examining you and seeing your arm for myself it's extremely difficult to "guess" at what this may represent.  It's somewhat concerning that a year out from the onset of the symtpoms, you're having extreme pain, swelling and ?purple discoloration of the arm without any history of trauma or infection. One thought that comes to mind is a condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy also known as complex regional pain syndrome.  It's exactly that, a pain syndrome resulting from minor trauma or overuse that causes skin and temperature changes.  No cure, but can be treated wit different pain management modalities.  Other possibilities include carpal tunnel syndrome (wouldn't explain the color changes),tendinitis, or connective tissue disease (rheumatological disorder).  

Health care can be very expensive and I understand how you must be anxious to get medical attention.  In the meantime, try putting the arm in a sling or brace and do gentle stretching exercises for a while until you can get help.  Over the counter meds like motrin or tylenol may also be helpful. Good luck.

[SweetSense]

Maybe you could call your local health department and ask if they know of any free medical clinics you could go to. I don't know what it would be but maybe that carpal tunnel syndrom or could you have broke your hand ever and its hitting a nerve when you move it a certain way? Maybe you could research those online and see what comes up. I've done that a lot, I go to yahoo and would type in things like sharp pain shoots up arm. If anything, you might find others that have the same symptoms. Good Luck in finding some answers here and there.