Hi Desi,
i'm glad you got good care in the ER but so sorry things have gotten to the point where you had to go. i am not a fan of ERs unless your doctor calls ahead and tells them what he wants done.
anyhow, unfortunately, yes, RSD can spread any time it wants. if we know one thing, it is that it has a mind of its own. however,you may just be having a flare up, and these symptoms will die down. i often have one during the fall for some reason, and i take a lot of ibuprophen to keep the swelling down and i give in and rest more. so far my RSD has only spread to my right foot, my primary RSD is left foot up to the knee, but i can balloon up to both knees and on to the hip area when i flare, and my hands can hurt and swell too, but i do get over it, and it seems to just go back to the feet area. i think the thing that helps is to medicate as soon as a flare starts. i also find i flare with stress.
it is a scarey thing. i feel so badly for you.
Joan