About 3 months ago, my gf's ankles started to swell pretty bad. She said that periodically over her life, her ankles have always swollen a little, due to the fact that she is voluptious. But now they have swollen really big. I've been massaging them to help the pain. She feels numbness in her feet. We've been going to doctors, and getting checked for a lot of things like diabetes, heart problems, retension of water, etc., but nobody can find anything. And my girlfriend doesn't eat much salt. Just tonight I went to massage her ankles again, and found that now the swelling had gone from just her ankles, up past her knees. She is getting really scared, and thinks something horrible is gonna happen to her, and as strong as I act for her, I'm getting scared too. Please help if you can. Thank you.
2006-12-05 00:09:10 · 4 answers · asked by Deuce_727 2 in Health ➔ Women's Health
She needs to be tested for factor five . I had the same problem and it turned out i had factor 5 and itp... dont ignore her symptoms . she may have a dvt and could die.
2006-12-05 00:44:54 · answer #1 · answered by private n 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Poor circulation would cause swelling such as you describe. Though I wouldn't like to say one particular thing was the cause, I would imagine there are several factors contributing their part. If by "voluptuous" you mean she is on the heavy side, then the extra weight would tend to affect it. As to how much salt she is eating, that isn't just the salt from the shaker that needs to be watched. Sodium comes in many forms, and it's the overall sodium content of things you have to watch. That bit of info is on the side panel in the nutritional information box. Just about any pre-prepared food, or even partially prepared food will have sodium in some form. In the list of ingredients, the key word to look for is "sodium", even in connection with other unpronouncable chemical names. It still amounts to salt, and that would aggrivate the tendency to hold water and swell.
If she spends much time on her feet, or in a sitting position without moving the legs much, or sits with her legs crossed, she is decreasing the circulation in the lower legs. Knee hi stockings or even socks with elastic can further complicate the problem. Massage is about the best way to alleviate the congestion of the vessels in the lower legs, and to help the swelling go down. You can also apply mild heat to dialate the blood vessels of the lower leg, and that should help the swelling go down some. Otherwise, it's a matter of finding the root cause or causes. What she may need to do is try several things, including some weight loss and exercise to help increase the circulation of the lower legs. Watch the sodium content in everything, not just the salt shaker and the salt you can see, but really watch for the salt where you don't expect it to be. Read the labels to find it. Have her avoid socks and stocking with elastic, and look into support hose designed for people with circulatory troubles. Keep the legs in motion, propped up when possible and legs uncrossed at all times. Drink plenty of water, because water is it's own diuretic, and will help prevent retention by keeping her hydrated and flushed of excess salts in the blood. Have her eat plenty of fruits and veg, whole grains, and avoid fast or preprepared foods as much as you can. Keep working with the doctors, so if there is a problem you can catch it as early as possible.
2006-12-05 00:29:48 · answer #2 · answered by The mom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
her age could have something to do with it as menopausal women tend to swell. is the edema pitting or non-pitting. in other words when you press on it does it leave a finger indention. if it does it is the pitting type and does mean fluid retention....hhmmm... it can be caused by many things if it is in both feet and legs it means it is systematic like the kidneys or heart. if it is is one leg it can be a blood clot. google the causes of the type of edema she has. her weight can be the problem and there may be an underlying cause of the weight. thyroid maybe.
2006-12-05 00:27:52 · answer #3 · answered by Enigma 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does she keep her legs elevated? She needs to see some different doctors. This sounds serious. No salt, be careful about rubbing. Don't rub if there is any redness or iincreased warmth.
2006-12-05 00:16:28 · answer #4 · answered by dbarnes3 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋