Hey Katie,
Re: the blue legs etc., I saw a dysautonomia specialist for years and this was seen as a typical symptom of blood pooling--sometimes in the abdominal area (splanchic) and sometimes in the lower extremities. There are thought to be numerous causes for this--including damage to norepinephrine receptors in the fine nerves (sorry about my poor medical terminology), and also some of us have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects collagen. Veins have a collagen component (they stretch too much and blood pools) as do vein valves. The valves are only supposed to work in one direction, but they can be prolapsed (just like heart valves) and leak blood in the wrong direction.
In fact, I was thinking last night that
a question about Ehlers-Danlos might be good. It is very common in those with mitral valve prolapse and that includes many of us. The most common type is usually called hypermobility syndrome. There is a significant association between this and dysautonomia (I have have both). The criteria for this diagnosis are clinical and there are websites with photos and the criteria listed so a self-diagnosis can be easily done. Most with hypermobility are very flexible, have long limbs, fragile skin, and are prone to dislocations or subluxations. The Wiki article on this isn't bad:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers-Danlos_syndrome#Symptoms.
This is another type of ED!
It is more known in the world of dysautonomia specialists than CFS specialists, but I'm sure a hefty subset here will have it too.
Whatcha think, Kim?
Sushi