Might be just an allergic response to anything, really. I mean, sometimes a rash is an allergic reaction to many medications but it could be an environmental allergy. Also, skin can get dry and flaky from not getting enough hydration, air conditioning, etc.

Are you left handed?

I am right handed, but my left hand, when I am driving home from work, is the one closest to the window so it probably gets more sun. I am definitely drinking at least 128 oz of water per day (I believe it was partially dehydration that got me the clots in the first place, so I make it a point to not let that happen again).
Thing is, when try to research this stuff on the internet, I just wind up scaring myself that I have some sort of auto-immune disorder.... I have had gallons of blood taken and been under the care of a hematologist, pulmonoligist, vascular surgeon and my GP, so surely they would have been some signs of this in my blood if that were the case, right?...

rmb is right. I could be one of many different allergies to anything and everything. I also have this strange skin condition. It's dry and very, very itchy. None of the doctors can figure it out? It mainly effects my back, legs, feet, and hands. So far, I've seen four dermatologists and none of them was able to help me. Anyway, skin problems are some of the most difficult medical conditions to diagnose. Is it psoriasis or is to dermatitis? So many of these skin conditions have the same symptoms. Very difficult.

Indwen

It's way too easy to just jump to a worse case scenario when researching on line. Autoimmune diseases usually have a collection of symptoms and are sometimes, depending on what it is, diagnosed through a process of elimination or based on a collection of different specific tests along with an assessment of clinical symptoms. I suspect if you did have an autoimmune disease you'd have presented with symptoms before your PE.

Do yourself a favor and lay off looking things up. It doesn't seem to be easing your mind so why do that to yourself? Plus, it's time that could be spent on other things that deserve your attention.

I know I shouldnt be obsessing on this and jumping to worst case scenarios, but I just find it so hard to grasp the concept that this just happened without any underlying cause or without warning. I felt like I was pretty healthy before this. I hadnt even missed a day of work in over 10 years.

Thanks for the advice. I really need someone else's feedback to slow down my overactive mind right now.

I know it's hard. You have to remember though that just because you had a PE, that doesn't mean you're not "healthy." I have an autoimmune disease that can make me more prone to clotting, but when I had my clots, I was in remission. So honestly, I can't say that the autoimmune disease caused my clots, just that it may have been part of a combination of factors that caused me to clot. I've clotted twice, with no specific cause identified. My hematologist said that there is so much they're still learning about blood clots, that there is likely some causes that just hasn't been scientifically identified yet.

I've met many people on the PE board and the DVT board who have clotted with no known cause. You just have to find a way to be at peace with that. Otherwise, you'll make yourself mental. When you are done with treatment, see a hematologist if you've not already done so. It may help you put things in perspective and address any additional testing you may need.

I tend to over think stuff too and I feel like I have an endless loop going on in my head pretty much all the time. It's exhausting and frankly, doesn't really render anything positive, you know. So I try to really manage that. One of the easy things you can do is just stop looking stuff up for now. I mean, just stop. Then distract yourself. If this all sounds too simple, well it kind of IS. That's where you can assert some control, in a situation where you feel you have no control.

Step back and regroup. It takes a little practice but you can change the way you think about things, so that you're not spending time looking for answers that you may never get.