What could be the cause of bilateral swelling of the feet, ankles, and lower legs?

Question

On night one my left ankle swelled followed shortly by my foot & lower leg. The following morning the swelling had gone down minimally but my right ankle, foot & leg were now swollen too.
By the evening I was getting what I feels muscle pains in both legs with occassional stabbing pains in what felt like the bones & joints.
On day three, both my legs from the waist down started aching and the arms started aching too.
It is difficult to walk due to the cramping type pain and what seems to be muscle tighness in my calves.
I have occassional tingling feelings in my feet and legs and sometimes it feels like I have ants crawling on my legs.
On the third night I went to the ED of my local hospital where they took blood and did an ECG. The ECG was normal.
I have had some small pains in my chest but in no one spot.
The doc i saw believed the swelling is not fluid, I agree as when you press on the affected areas there is not dimple left behind.
The affected areas are also tender when pressed.

When I was at the hospital my blood pressure was 125/80 as it always is, my temp was and still is normal.
I have no symptoms other than the swelling from the knees down and the aching with occasional stabbing. Oh, and the tingling sensations.
I already suffer from asthma and have had no complications with it. I have no contraindications with my current medications.
Keeping my legs elevated makes no difference to the swelling.

I only went to the hospital at my partner's insistance, I knew they would not be able to do much for me up there.

I currently have to wait to see my doctor because he is away at the moment.

I am not concerned with the possibility of it being related to a heart problem because as I said, an ECG was done and it was fine.

Hospital doc said that it is highly unlikely the the swelling is a result of DVT as it is bilateral. I have a better chance of winning lotto than of getting DVT's in both legs at the same time.

The swelling has now progressed to my knees.

The only testing done was the ECG and blood testing for liver function, kidney function, iron levels to check for anemia and one more thing I can't remember.
I was supposed to get a call yesterday to organise a time to go in for a doplar ultrasound but they haven't called yet, will be calling them tomorrow.

My doc is away until the 13th and I can't afford to see any other doc because he bulk bills (Medicare AU pays the bill).

Answer 1

First of all you need to see a specialist and not and emergency room doctor as they don't have all the capabilities to do diagnostic testing. You may want to see your GP and have him evaluate the issue, obviously the swelling is your body giving you some type of warning. My sister had something similiar but it was caused by the medication she was on. You may want to have your blood pressure monitored, have and ultrasound done on your legs. Sometimes you can have blood clots that will not appear on and EKG. It also sounds like something that involves your lungs, it wouldn't hurt to have an x-ray of your lungs as well. There are numbers of things that could be causing this, but you need to get to the doctor ASAP. Mention all of the above listed. Also, have them check you for asthma.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What could be the cause of bilateral swelling of the feet, ankles, and lower legs?
On night one my left ankle swelled followed shortly by my foot & lower leg. The following morning the swelling had gone down minimally but my right ankle, foot & leg were now swollen too.
By the evening I was getting what I feels muscle pains in both legs with occassional stabbing pains in what...

Answer 3

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 4

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 5

I think this might help you of understanding of the Question:

Swelling � of the lower extremities, often referred to as pedal edema, has a variety of causes. Most � causes of lower extremity edema are not due to a direct vascular problem; rather, the � swelling is a sign of another process going on in the body. The most frequent causes of � leg swelling, not caused by problems with the leg vessels, are due to congestive heart � failure, kidney disease or infections.

What � is Leg Swelling?

Leg � swelling, simply defined, is an increase in the girth (circumference) of the leg as � compared to the ``normal" state. Normal is defined as the size before the leg began � to enlarge and, if the swelling is confined to only one leg (unilateral), the opposite leg � can serve as a guide to ``normal."

What � Causes Leg Swelling?

Swelling � can be a sign of a very serious condition. Heart failure, as mentioned above, can cause � leg swelling usually in both (bilateral) legs. Kidney problems (renal failure) can produce � leg edema--usually in both legs. These problems need medical attention since left � unchecked, they can be life threatening.

Leg � swelling may be due to a problem with the veins in the leg. The veins typically transport � blood from the leg to the heart. If there is a blockage (clot) in one of the veins, the � outflow of blood from the leg can be impeded. This causes an increase in pressure in the � leg veins and results in leg swelling. Additionally, a blood clot in the deeper leg veins � is a serious problem since these clots have the ability to travel (embolize) to other, � more significant veins (heart) as a pulmonary embolus. This condition can be fatal if it � occurs.

A � less dangerous cause of leg swelling is Lymphedema. This condition occurs when there is � damage to small vessels in the leg call lymphatics. The function of the lymphatic vessels � is to transport excess fluid from the legs that ``leaks out" of the arteries and � veins back to the heart. If the lymphatic vessels are damaged, this ``clean-up � process" is impaired and can result in Lymphedema.

How � Can I Tell What The Cause of My Leg Swelling Is?

The � most important part of determining the cause of leg swelling is the history taken by an � astute physician. Specific questions can indicate the probable cause of leg swelling. Once � a history has been taken and an appropriate physical examination conducted, the use of � noninvasive tests mat be indicated to assure that there is no blood clot present. Since � this is the most immediately dangerous of all the causes of leg swelling, it is � appropriate to ``rule out" the presence of a blood clot in one of the deep veins of � the leg.

The � most appropriate test to assess the veins in the leg is the Duplex Ultrasound examination � performed by a qualified � vascular technologist. This test, done in � an accredited noninvasive vascular laboratory, is � highly accurate and easily performed. There are no injections or needles and the test is � pain-free and without risks.

Answer 6

There are about 116 diseases and conditions that cause swelling of the legs and 32 that cause tingling (parasthesia). See your own physician and have this evaluated. In the meantime, keep both legs elevated as often as possible and avoid clothing that constricts your legs.

Answer 7

Hi there, it sounds like there are no heart problems, did they do a veinogram? that would rule out veins and blood clots, blockages. Did they do blood work to rule out diabetes, kidney problems, organ problems? They need to do that. It sounds like it could be lymphedema, which is a malfunctioning lymph system. If it is lymphedema you need to get into therapy asap to prevent it from progressing.

Lymphedema can come on like that if you have the right genetics, less lymph nodes, all it takes is a little trauma and overdoing something and suddenly it's there. It's called primary lymphedema, there are several different kinds. You can read more about it my website, http://www.lymphland.com I also have lymphedema.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I ain't no Doctor or nothing but it does sound like CHF Congestive heart failure.