Leg/Ankle Edema

[John603]

Hi everyone,

Over the last 5 days or so my ankles/legs have been swollen. It is being caused by the nodes in my pelvic region being blocked by the cancer. My oncologist only offered wearing elastic knee-high sox to squeeze the fluid from the lower half of my leg, reducing my sodium intake. He told me to stop taking Lasix as he said the diuretic wouldn't help me in this situation. I am also elevating my ankles at night and as much as I can during the day. Does anyone have any other suggestions of things I can do to reduce the swelling?

Thanks,

[KarMel]

Couple of things, may or may not help. This is just some thoughts, not medical advice.

a. cut way back on sodium.
b. increase protein intake (but continue to drink water, too much protein in diet can be bad for kidneys... water will keep your kidneys flushed out. sounds contradictory, but it really isn't.)
c. can you exercise? walk? bike? anything that keeps leg muscles active might help push some of the fluid out.


Peace

[justsing]

MIne just started swelling up a few days ago. My onc suspects that it's a lack of protein for me OR it could be a small clot somewhere. I was off my Lovenox when I was neutropenic a few weeks back and it may have snuck in then.

Anyway, he said to increase the protein in my diet and reduce the sodium. He's also gonna look for zebras, but he didn't say what the zebras might be.

-mcd

[CRguy]

Does anyone have any other suggestions of things I can do to reduce the swelling?
Thanks,

Check with doc John, but in the vet business, apart from lasix / fluid balance / "protein" level issues....we have used gentle massage (if comfortable), light hydrotherapy (warm water shower head spray) and alternating cool / warm moist cloths /compresses to kind of generate a "thermal" pumping action of expanding-contracting tissues. We are usually treating edema secondary to infection and tissue inflammation, not primary lymphatic blockages. Gentle exercise/leg muscle movements (tensing-relaxing) also has the "pump" effect. Some yoga exercises have been shown to mobilize and enhance lymphatic flow through the chest area (cobra with breathing exercises) so that may be worth a try ??

Best wishes for some relief for you.

Cheers
CRguy

[hopeful]

Having had surgery in the past for varicose veins, an elastic wrap bandage like this: worked very well to keep swelling down. You can control how tight you feel comfortable with. There's much more control and support than with elastic stockings. You wouldn't want to go walking around in shorts with them on, they're pretty ugly looking.

Like several others have mentioned, cut down on salt and keep flexing your legs for circulation.

[surfingon]

John, I'm so sorry this has happened to you. If you can find a massage therapist who is certified to do Manual Lymph Drainage (MLT), I've seen it work wonders-- very obvious swelling reduced to no apparent swelling with just one treatment. This is a special certification and my sense is that few massage therapists are trained in this. Here in Hawaii, most of them are affiliated with hospitals. Many therapists will say that they do "lymphatic massage", but the key is that they have a special certification in MLT, so you have to question the prospective therapist thoroughly. At our medical center, the patient needs a referral from his/her doctor to see such a therapist.

BTW, our oncologist knew absolutely zero about this. You might want to consider a referral to a palliative care doctor. Ours knew all about MLT and thought it was a great modality for my husband's very swollen legs-- but we had to suggest it to her before the mental light bulb went on.

My understanding from talking to the MLT therapist was that the bandaging technique had to be done in a very particular way and that it was so cumbersome that she was pretty dubious about this "solution" being useful.

Hope this is helpful.

Blessings to you on this daunting journey,
Rachel

[karin]

John,

ask for a referral to a Lymphedema clinic, may be tied in with a wound care clinic, that's where you can find specialists in lymphatic drainage.

Also, Sequential compression devices (SCD's) can be very beneficial .... you may need a prescription for that. They are also used to prevent DVT's (Promote natural TPA), and this may be beneficial too.

Hope this help!
Love, always, and big hugs,
Karin

[jenfer71]

I know that this is going to sound so very crazy but it worked for me. Drinking rootbeer. None of my docs could explain why I had the edema and nothing we tried helped. One day I had a strange urge for rootbeer and had some. I noticed that the swelling started to go down a bit so again the next day had some more. Strangely within a week all of the swelling was gone. Maybe it was just me but who knows. Now that I re-read this I can almost hear the people from the funny farm coming for me!!

[Ivona]

Beer is another diuretic. When my 99 yr old grampy had an enlarged prostate the docs wanted him to pee more, so they told him to drink beer every day.

[Candyys03]

John,
I've had edema since my surgery last year.

No salt-try a salt substitute.
More protein.
Here's the tricky one -elevate your feet and walk walk walk as much as you can.

When I started chemo in Jan it went away ?
but then I started getting neutrapina shots because I am now neutrapinic and I got a lot of pain in my legs and my edema came back(I couldn't walk a lot which didn't help my edema).

I am having a scan Monday and then my doctor will decide the what we do next.

It might not go away but it gets better with time.
I hope you feel better soon.

I am definitely going to try some root beer.

Candy

[livingbyfaith]

An electric foot massager is very helpful. Homedics is the brand we have.

[Ellen]

wish I had an answer--I'm having the same problem! Lots of abdominal swelling, too. Ugh!!

Good luck!