Experiencing dramtic swelling of lower legs, ankles, and feet-what might cause this?

Question

Skin is very red on legs where swelling is present - hard and tight. Condition has persisted for about 3 weeks. I seem healthy otherwise - no illness, disease or injury. Drinking water, reducing salt intake, elevating, cool soaks, and walking have not relieved the swelling. Seems to worsen when I sit for long periods at my desk or in a car. I don't want to spend hundreds to go to a doctor to hear the remedies that I have alredy tried - I really wonder what could be causing this. Any ideas? Any other solutions/remedies?

Answer 1

See a Doctor - NOW! There are so many things that could be happening. you could have kidney failure. You could have heart disease, you could have varicose veins, infection of the skin, etc.
It will only get worse without treatment. Cut back on sodium, drink lots of water & keep your legs elevated until you see the doc. You need medical intervention.

Answer 2

sounds like lower leg circulation blockages - suggest you see a vascular specialist - they can diagnosis better than I. They test before and after brief exercises. I had ankle swelling during the day and it would disappear after a night sleep. I have numerous knee surgeries, ankle surgery + arthritis and being over weight, so any diagnosis can be for multi reasons - you really need a professional who can zero in to you and your specific issues. Don't loose a leg or your life by ignoring proper care. If you have hardening of the arteries - you have it allover your body. There are many treatments and the cure is livable!

Answer 3

Could be DVT witch means you have a clot in your veins. This could be dangerous because the clot can travel to your lungs, Heart, or brain causing a stoke. You need to get check ASAP. If this is the cause for your swelling, you will need to start on blood thinners called Coumadin (warfarin). Then you will need to get you blood tested every so often for an INR to see how thick or thin your blood is. Good luck

Answer 4

Could be secondary to poor venous circulation.....if the valves in your veins don't work for instance or you have something occluding your veins like thrombus or possibly a mass in your pelvis. Other things can cause swelling.....too much water in your body related to kidney failure or heart failure.

You can try special stockings to help reduce swelling (Ted hose) BUT I'd get to the doctor. If you let this go on, it can damage your soft tissues so it's not trivial.

Answer 5

You might want to take another guess about the condition of your health. The symptoms you describe could be congestive heart failure, chronic renal disease, phlebitis, vascular occlusion of the great veins of the legs, just to name a few of the more serious conditions that could be causing these symptoms. I would get to the E.R. without delay. I hope I'm wrong. Good luck.

Answer 6

you might have a clot in your legs. if it looks like a rash and warm in that area then you might have a clot. i had one similar to it. it hurts especially while you stand, then when you sit up and have your leg at your heart level the pain goes away. they had to give me shots of blood thinner in my stomach. it takes awhile for a swelling to go down. it took me almost a week without getting out of bed,with the exception of going to the restroom. dont walk on it that makes it worst. and soaking yourself make that worst too. you absorb water through your skin. my sister in law had to do that because her amniotic fliud was low. best thing to do is go to the hospital.

Answer 7

Could be lots of things. Diabetes, thyroid imbalance, elephantitis, gout, edema. You can get info on all of these on-line. Then when you do see a doctor tell him the research you did to speed up his diagnosis and treatment.