First, not asking for medical advice, just about opinions and possibilities. If this situation doesn’t get better soon I am calling my doctor.
I got back from a (wonderful) vacation a few weeks ago. It involved a very long airplane flight. The following day I noticed my feet and ankles were swollen. I have never had this happen before. I looked up deep vein thrombosis and the symptoms do not seem to match up, so I did not immediately call for medical attention.
However, they are still swollen. It’s annoying and uncomfortable. My shoes are all too tight now. My reluctance to go immediately for medical help is the thought that the doctor is likely so say, big deal, an older woman has swollen feet because she’s old and it’s summer, and to tell me to just stay off my feet and wear support hosiery (yuk!). But: I am not that much older than I was a month ago and my feet weren’t swollen then. And I am not on my feet very much anyway. And most of the time I’m in an air-conditioned office or home, so I don’t think heat has anything to do with it. I am trying to elevate the feet when possible, and the situation is still essentially the same. I take some ibuprofen. Maybe the swelling is related to the travel, maybe not.
Here’s my question, which as I said before is NOT a request for medical advice:
Has anyone else had a similar sudden problem? Did it go away eventually? Other than rest and support hosiery (yuk) did you do anything? And finally, if anyone knows of possible causes that could imply something really dangerous if not seen to immediately, please let me know. My internet seaches have not come up with anything of interest.
Is it just the feet and ankles, or are your legs swollen too?
A few years ago, I woke up with over a 10 pound weight gain (yes, in literally one night) and was severely swollen in my legs, ankles, and feet. I had swelling elsewhere, but the majority was below my waist. This was in the dead of winter, so heat was not to blame. I had not been on my feet all day, I avoided taking in a lot of sodium, etc.
After ruling me out for more serious health problems, I finally talked the doctor into giving me water pills. I had fought edema off and on for years, and had asked for water pills, but this finally convinced him.
I don’t take them every day, but go through periods every once in awhile, where I find it necessary.
I’m 46 now. I’ve been dealing with the issue since I was in my early thirties.
Also, I’m sure you know to avoid any food or drinks with sodium.
I had a similar problem; not to scare you, but mine was deep vein thrombosis, with pulmonary embolism to boot. I’d see an MD just for the peace of mind.
yeah - your airpline ride and the additional cabin pressure could have activated the thrombosis, or you could just be suffering from poofy-ankle syndrome.
I started noticing mine when I lived in Denver at the higher altitudes than what I was used to. "You’ll laugh - but I used to solve mine by having sex because the ankles in the air and the endorphin rush seemed to always do the trick.
But 2 years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and the medicine they have given me has a diuretic built in - and all the water weight I had in my ankles and feet went away.
This was a longstanding problem for me. When I quit drinking in June, it pretty much went away, but prior to that my feet and ankles were swollen more often than not. Sitting in chairs with my feet hanging down always brought it on and even now they puff a tad if I spend too long in that position (I’m short so my feet never rest on the ground; without some sort of footrest they dangle and circulation is cut off behind my knees and my ankles swell badly). My sure-fire way to reduce the swelling was activity–ideally something aerobic that got my heart pumping, but even just a long walk would help. They were always back to being bony after a good brisk aerobic session. Staying very well hydrated helped, too. Good luck with it, I know exactly what you are going through with shoes being tight.
Thanks, all. Nothing in my legs, just the feet and ankles. So exercise would help, eh? Darn. I was putting off going back to the gym (which I hate) so as not to overstress my poor feet.
Pravnik, thanks. Everything I read described the symptoms as being swollen and often painful legs, not feet. Just goes to show you can’t trust everything you read on the internet, even if it is from the Mayo Clinic. Or from you LOL.
It’s weird that both drinking more water and taking diuretics to get rid of fluid are both mentioned as remedies.
Not to scare you, but my mom had swollen feet/ankles for awhile and hers ended up being a result of congestive heart failure (diastolic dysfunction, I believe they said).
It could be nothing, but it’s definitely worth having a doc take a look.
Or your kidneys could be starting to go wonky. I echo the sentiment to see a doctor.
My father had swollen ankles and calves off and on for years, as his doctor put him on or took him off of diuretics; this was, I think, due to inadequate kidney function.
By the way, the reason drinking water might help is that if you are dehydrated, your body will tend to store fluids, and it might just be storing it in your ankles. Drinking plenty of water can stimulate your kidneys back to normal functioning.
You are not my patient, and I am not your doctor. The fact that I have clicked on this thread puts me in an ethical dilemma, as I think you should seek treatment.
The story you have told raises the possibility of deep vein thrombosis. I very strongly recommend that you go to the ER or your physician - whichever is faster - to exclude this very serious possibility. You need to be promptly seen by a physician who can evaluate this situation.
First, I am a long distance runner in good shape with no heart problems.
During one period of layoff with an injury, I was walking long distances instead. One day all of a sudden I developed something called pedal edema on one side only. I had trouble even getting an unlaced athletic shoe on that foot. I had also cut back on calories a bit due to less exercise and figured that it may have been some weird mineral imbalance. The problem went away over 3-4 days and then suddenly went completely away as fast as it arose. The was 5-6 years ago now. I’m sure glad I did not spend time and money on medical advice.
Huh, I thought it was Ms. Cantara writing this. We just got back from vacation with a lot of walking, far more than she would ever attempt at home. She had very swollen feet and ankles and they were tender to touch. They also had some redness to the ankles. They have returned to normal (almost) now that we are home.
I think we’ll make an appointment to see the doctor…
I definitely second your getting to an ER right now.
My mom had swelling in the feet, ankles…She went to the doctor about a day or two later, and he said that she needed to get to emergency room right away, as she was going into heart failure.
I would concur on seeing a doctor. It’s not surprising that the feet would be swollen for a few days, but it sounds like past time for them to have gone back to normal.
In the meantime, you might make a point of keeping an eye on the sodium intake and drink plenty of water.
Mine normally are puffy for a few days after a long flight, the result of being stuck in a sitting position for so long. We flew from the East Coast to the Southwest last month and my feet / ankles were swollen during practically our entire vacation. Not extraordinarily so, but it was starting to concern me. Fortunately in my case, once we got back home and back to a more normal diet / routine, that went away. Otherwise I’d have been to the doc by now (and will be mentioning it when I see the doc in a few weeks, anyway).
I am glad that you are going to see a doc. It might be nothing, but there is enough of a chance that it could be something very serious that it’s worth investigating.
Swollen feet and ankles for a day or two with reasonable explanation for the change, not really a medical emergency. Talk to your dr if you have a family history of thrombosis and put your feet up, avoid salt, etc.
Swollen feet and ankles for several weeks? yeah, something’s definitely wrong. Glad you’re going to your dr. That’s not a symptom you mess with.
