Severe Edema in both feet, ankles and calfs

Don't increase the water, if you hjave water retention that could add to your problem. I have had this problem since I was thirty and month after next I hit sixty. I hasve had friends with relatives that have died from this because they did not do what has to be done, Stay off your feet as much as possible, reduce salt but no salt mostly.,cut down on water and sugars. This is the only things I know for a fact that works!!! 

 Hi,

sip water through the day, so you don't overload your system but, will help your lymphatic system to do its job. Maybe ask about compression tights? I wear them and they are amazing. You can even get colours now!

had Lymphangectasia and Lymphoedma for 46yrs. 

I have lymphedema in both legs, feet, ankles.  For  14 years.  I have tried many prescription medicines but the heart specialist and the doctors conflict in their opinions of furosimide or however you spell that.  So i haven't been taking it.  I have been diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency.  A condition caused mainly by sedentery lifestyle, overweight, etc.  I have no veins on my legs showinbg so i didn't think this was possible, but indeed, yes.  Deep veins.  So i wear medical compression stockings special made  and so costly and also they wear out within 3 months.  I take no medication other than Ibuprofren over the counter.  My legs are increasingly heavey, sore and am fighting this by working at  my job only part time, moving not sitting, and getting to the pool for exercise.  The only exercise i enjoy is bike riding.  this seems to help it.  But overall the diet is important, and what a person eats (salt or sugary stuff) this definitely gets worse.

Noone seems to think my heart is in danger, i had the tests for that, and my blood pressure and kidney is ok,  so i think it was my slack in 'just staying home and babysitting' and being too lazy to tackle it in the beginning-that trapped me.  I see people jogging and being active and everywhere, and i do wish i had taken care of myself better, but this is a new day, and each day is a new day for a better way to do this exact thing.  I was on water pills, direuitics but the doctors conflicted.  And I am still here, it is still here - i think it is genetic.  It skipped my moms generation but i remember my mom's mom, hobbling around in these stockings....

I  too am experiencing swelling in both feet, ankles and calves. I've been with child 5 times and have delivered 4 children, and still never had edema before. I started swelling last week, and after elevating my feet the swelling went down, but came right back the very next day! Its been 6 days now and each day the swelling gets a little worse. It's been dxcessively hot already this year, but I've experienced hotter temperatures than this before without swelling. I don't know what pitting and non-pitting means, but i can tell you this: when I press on my feet, there is only a small indent from it but it vanishes within seconds. My ankles and calves however don't get the indent in them when i press on them. This has become quite worrisome and painful. I'm definitely not overweight, and I've always been extremely active. I do have a number of health problem though such as fibromyalgia, sle lupus, sever advanced copd, asthma, herniated lumbar discs, degenerative disc disorder, sacreiliac arthritis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, and a few psychological disorders as well. Could any of these things cause edema? I've had these disorders for years though and have never had edema before. I too am having the itchy dry skin when the swelling occurs. If you, or anybody else could help me solve this riddle I'd greatly appreciate it. Bu the way, I live in the US, and here medical testing is extremely costly so I cannot afford ayeads and years worth of testing to tr to figure out why my feet, ankles and calves are swelling to the point that I've gained 9 lbs of water weight in just 3 days!

2 1/2 years ago, l had a stroke, 3 weeks in hospital, released, went home for 5 hours.

l then had a heart attack, from there every thing went downhill. my legs and feet have blownup like two big balloons. l have been to all different doctors, and not one of them knows what to do.Every now and then my legs break out in sores, l have them wrapped with medically treated wraps. They stay on fror a week. Lately my legs got bigger. l live on Long Island, l am trying to find a doctor in New York City that might be able to help. Lots of luck to you. Joe Russo

This is for all of you furs amid or lasix are the same. If you have to take it for any length of time except occasionally, while taking out the fluid in your body, it also removes the electrolytes. Therefore blood tests are necessary !

If you are dissatisfied with results from your dr. Get another one, take all tset results with you.

The lady who has only one kidney, you have to drink to keep that kidney going, rinsed out !!!!! I hope you go to an urologist. Take his advice.

There is definitely a problem if your hormones, that includes thyroid are not tested at least once a year, if there is an imbalance it can cause lots of problems in your body inluding edema.

Lymph edema is very difficult to get rid of, mostly through special message. Not everyone is able to do it correctly, so beware.

The best one I had, lasted me for 6months, even my dr. was extremely surprised.

Hope this will help some of you.

For two consecutive days this week, my husband had no choice but to be outdoors in temperatures near 100 degrees F and heat indices well above 100 degrees F. Both days he didn't adequately hydrate while outdoors.

The next day his left lower leg, ankle, foot and toes were all very swollen, slightly discolored, hot to the touch and so painful he couldn't walk. We consulted our doctor and researched online and began elevating his leg and icing it 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off for the next several hours. Before bed that night he sat in the shower on a bench and let cold water from the shower beat down on his leg until it got so cold he had to stop. When he went to bed, he propped his leg up so that it was higher than his heart. The following morning, the swelling was down alot. It was still somewhat painful though so until that's gone, he will exercise the leg by walking more, doing circles with his foot to promote circulation and eat foods that don't contain a lot of added salt. He cut out salting his food a couple of years ago, so that wasn't an issue for him. The name of this condition is peripheral edema or heat edema. Not sure if this is what's happening to you, but wanted to share our experience with this scary situation. Best of luck to you.

Thank you Roonie for sharing your experience, and l hope your husband stays well. That is not my case, l had a heart attack 2 1/2 years ago and everything went downhill. my legs and feet are like 2 balloons. lf they get any worse, l may have to go on dialisis. l wear support stockings as much as l can. l will close now by saying stay well  to you and your husband.  JOE R

I can my calves, ankles and feet have been swollen for 3 days along with tightness and pain in my left knee and pain in both ankles and feet; only being a little bit better first thing in the morning but yet I feel them as long night.

Hi baxb, and my sisters and brothers with big fat painful limbs!!!   lol

?My story is as follows:

In Oct. of 2014, I had a foot surgery which involved fusion in my big toe.  It didn't turn out exactly? like the surgeon wanted it to, but better than the huge calcified knot on my joint.  Went about the healing process.  Things were going along fine.  In Jan. of 2015, however, that same foot started becoming more and more tender--odd.  A couple of days later, a couple of girlfriends and I were at my apt. enjoying a few drinks, having a good time.  (We all live in the same complex, and I wear thongs all the time cause my feet are very wide and I have neuropathy on the bottom of my other foot and any kind of closed shoe is not comfortable.) 

?The night progressed, and the surgery foot (left) just kept getting more and more aggrevated.  Late in to our party prossession, I looked down and my God!  From my ankle down in was beet red, swollen and sore as hell.  We were all dumbstruck!  Went to the surgeon next day, and he said, "Gee, I've never seen that? before, I don't know what's causing it.  I'm sure it isn't from the surgery."  It would not have made much sense for the surgery I had 3 months prior, healing nicely, to be causing it.  Mystery, and very scary when the Doctor doesn't know!  I can relate to all of you who are SO frustrated!

?So it FINALLY began to stop hurting, the skin began to get normal color and the swelling subsided.  The whole process took about 3 weeks.  All the while I was frantically searching the Web for what it might be.  After putting in all my symptoms time after time, it always came back as most likely gout.  I thought so too.  Doc thought maybe.  My PCP ran bloodwork and my uric acid, which causes crystals to form like shards of glass in the joint I guess, was fine.  Not gout.   

?I am not diabetic, I am not overweight, I exercise regularly, I do not? eat healthy.  I cut way down on the salt, tried to change eating habits.  Long story short, this situation came again about 3 months later, lasted longer and hurt more.  I could not touch my skin, bend my foot it was so tight and was just miserable.  Again, about a 4 week process this time.  And the most painful it gets is when the cycle begins to subside and the redness, swelling and heat start slowly dwindling!  I took pictures and showed them to my PCP--she didn't seem terribly concerned.  So this has now progressed to happening about once a month, both feet, ankles up to my knees!  Everything literally is about twice as big and ugly ugly!  I have rather small shapely ankles for my stout build, and rather like them.  But during this damned whatever it is, huge!  Toes look like stubs, can't tell where my ankle ends and leg begins!!!!  Looks like 'Elephantisis'!  It is definitely a 'condition', being caused by something, and I'm sick of docs not being very concerned!!!!  Or not caring to dig down and find out what's causing it!    I live in Colorado, and this all started in Jan., so its not heat related for me.  I take many meds, but no changes were made.  I can't think of ANYTHING I did differently that first time.  So now, its fairly regular, and I can tell the instant I'm going to have an attack.  Feet don't look right.  And the party starts all over.  One of our residents saw me this summer and said, "By God, you better get to a cardiologist immediately!"  Course I didn't, figured my PCP would surely have referred me if she thought this was related to my heart. 

?Well ya'all, I'm going to go get another opinion, from an Internist, one who primarily takes care of ages 50+ and the problems that go along with aging.  Now, knock on wood, asymptomatic for about 2 months, and I've thoroughly enjoyed wearing my 'leggins', cute thongs, etc.  Oh, and at the height of the process, my legs are so big and the skin SO stretched (and shiny) that I'm afraid its going to rip!!

?I will keep in touch, post when I can, and apprise you of any 'revelations' that may pop up!  So glad I stumbled across this site months ago, I realized I wasn't alone!  I don't know anyone who has ever seen what happens to me.  They are in awe of what it looks like.    There IS? a reason for these symptoms, and thanks for the referrals re:Lymphoedma, possible thyroid, CHF, and Lymphangectasia.  If its CHF, I had better find out soon.  I smoke and love steak.  Ta Ta everyone, look forward to updates.  Oh, I am 60 yrs old.  Was 58 when this started.