I don't know if this belongs in the arthritis board or not, but it sure is starting to seem that way...

About 3 months ago I woke up one morning and my fingers ached a bit, I went on the day as usual and the next morning I woke up and EVERY joint in my body it seems was swollen and aching. Even my shoulders and toes had a dull pain. The pain was mostly concentrated on my fingers and wrists and elbows however. The pain was excruciating at first but as the day went on it gradually felt better. The next morning it was worse than the night before but better than the previous morning. This slight discomfort continued for 3 days following.
Towards the end of the second day I did some research and attributed my pain to a cold I was just getting over. All was forgotten for the next 30 or so days when...IT HAPPENED AGAIN.
Almost exact same cycle and this time I just waited for it to pass.

This morning it has been about 30 more days since my last experience and I woke up in terrible pain, worse than the previous times. I had no choice but to go to school and do everything as usual and eventually the pain started to subside. I now have almost full use of my fingers but they are still swollen to what could be rounded to double their sizes ( mainly my index and middle finger)

I'm terrified of the doctor...
Any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated as I'm beginning to really worry. thanks

well i know you dont want to but i think your best bet is to go to the doctor. i mean the pain could be from a number of things, it could be some type of arthritis, or it could be rsd, which is what i have. i started having severe pain in my left wrist after a few breaks. and ill tell you if its rsd then you def need to get to the dr before it gets too bad. but unfortunatley thats the only advice i can give you. i wish i could be more helpful, im sorry. but honestly your best bet is to try and get to a doctor. like i said sorry i couldnt be more help.
Amber

eesh. I never even heard of rsd until right now, and I looked it up. I'm sorry you have that, it sounds terrible. If it ends up playing out how I'm expecting it to (with symptoms lessening each day and fading completely the third) most likely I'll forget about it for another month... I am unable to even go to the doctor right now. But thank you so much for your response.
Any other responses would still be appreciated.