lymphedema?

Maybe the horseradish was a coincidence, or maybe it showcased an underlying problem.  Lymphedema is the closest match to what's going on with Kaiden's fingers.  They are fine when he wakes up, whether from a nap or overnight.  But as soon as he's active again, the swelling & bluish color comes back.  His fingers are not consistently hot when swollen; it's not inflammation.  They are not consistently cold, either, and do not turn white; not Raynauds Syndrome.  It's a fairly slow progression from turning pink to swollen . . . the swelling will last days or weeks before the the swelling gets bad enough that it bursts the capillaries, making his fingers basically bruised.  It's in 3 fingers on his left hand, extending into the palm, and has spread to one finger on his right hand.  That one is pink and swollen, but not nearly as swollen as the others got and looks to be receeding, so maybe the swelling won't burst the capillaries on that one.

According to western medicine, as long as you aren't born without a lymph system, there is no known cause and certainly no cure.

According to holistic medicine, hawthorne (for the heart) and/or dandelion leaves added to the diet will take care of it (along with a healthy holistic diet, of course). 

Kaiden's hands have always spontaneously turned blue, then within 30 seconds to a minute they go back to normal . . . I took him to an endocrinologist for this about a year ago and was told it's very common with Down's kids; it's a "hiccup of the vascular system".  And not to worry about it unless his fingers turn blue and stay blue, which they don't.

Kaiden's heart has been extensively checked out by ultrasound/echocardiogram (at least I think that's the right term) - while in utero and 3 times after birth.  In utero we were told one wall of his heart leaned a little to the left, but everything else looked fine and he would be monitored after birth to verify there were no problems.  He was born with an open ductus; common with preemies (which he was) and it's also common with Down's kids (which he is).  Either way, 2 doses of neoprofin and it closed, verified by the last 2 monitoring checks.

But, as heart problems are so common with Down's kids, it is possible they missed something tiny, or something not visible on the screen.  So, hawthorne it is for now.  It can't hurt him at any rate!  Dandelions will come when the snow melts. ;-)