weird medical question...

[Svartalf]

An acquaintance has submitted me a conundrum, that I in turn submit to you.

She is suffering extreme pain in her fingers, pain she likens to burns from extremely powerful chili peppers... except of course that she hasn't been handling any chillies. She says it started as she tried to open her cellar door, and her pet theory is that somebody ill intentioned has been messing with that and these are chemical burns, beside the fact that there are no externally visible lesions.

She assures me that the sensations she has have no relation to tendinitis or rheumatic pains... so of course, I told her to consult a doctor, but today and tomorrow are holidays... so she'll wait, and I'd like to see what you folk might see into this case before she can tell me of her doctor visit.

So people, what do you think?

[Ayaan]

If it were chemical, it would probably spread beyond her hands to any other part of her body she touched. I would guess something to do with her nerves. Something pressing on a nerve could cause that sensation, as could nerve damage.

[FBM]

Just one hand, or both?

[Svartalf]

Apparently just her main hand, or at least she didn't mention it spreading to the other hand.

Did I mention she washed her hands like mad, like a dozen times... ? seems to have been efficient in keeping possible chemical from spreading elsewhere, but I keep the possibility of nerve damage, or some untoward pressure... that sure looks more likely... the "chemical" thing sounds like straight paranoia to me.

[FBM]

When you say she "tried to" open the door, does that mean she couldn't? Was it jammed so that she had to use a lot of force? I like Ayaan's idea about maybe something pinching a nerve.

[Svartalf]

Actually, I said that because she never told me whether she had actually opened the damn door... as per the way she told me, she put her hand on the knob and started suffering.

[Jason]

This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that "cellar door" is the most beautiful.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that "cellar door" is the most beautiful.

Tolkein.

[Jason]

Well then, in Welsh for me cellar doors are extraordinarily frequent, and moving to the higher dimension, the words in which there is pleasure in the contemplation of the association of form and sense are abundant.

[pErvinalia]

An acquaintance has submitted me a conundrum, that I in turn submit to you.

She is suffering extreme pain in her fingers, pain she likens to burns from extremely powerful chili peppers... except of course that she hasn't been handling any chillies. She says it started as she tried to open her cellar door, and her pet theory is that somebody ill intentioned has been messing with that and these are chemical burns, beside the fact that there are no externally visible lesions.

She assures me that the sensations she has have no relation to tendinitis or rheumatic pains... so of course, I told her to consult a doctor, but today and tomorrow are holidays... so she'll wait, and I'd like to see what you folk might see into this case before she can tell me of her doctor visit.

So people, what do you think?

Ebola.

[pErvinalia]

Or, in the unlikely event that it isn't Ebola.... A pinched nerve.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Leprosy.

[pErvinalia]

Sarcoidosis?

[Svartalf]

Dammit folk, this is the serious discussion forum, not the pub.

But if it is ebola, leprosy and sarcoidosis at the same time, I ought to buy flowers.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Lupus