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Please Help! Aching, Heavy, Pitting Edema legs - causes?Ok, I've finally given up in my search for answers. I'm hoping someone out there can give me some ideas of what could be wrong. I have had pitting edema in my legs for about 3 months now. I've been to the doctor numerous times and have ruled out my kidneys and heart...which is good....but, it's driving me crazy as to what this could be.
Here's some history: I have a whole host of existing medical conditions, which are probably not related...but, I'll list them just in case. I have:Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Osteoarthritis, Depression / Bipolar, GERD, Barrett's Disease, Hiatal Hernia, IBS, Urinary Incontinence, Seborrheic Keratoses. These are confirmed diagnosis. I take the following medications: Lamictal, Paxil, Elavil, Diclofenac, Flexeril, Lortab, Omeprazole, Protonix, Detrol, Ultram, and Oxycodone (when needed). I am a 40 year old female that is 50 pounds overweight.
Like I said, the heart and kidneys have been ruled out. I've been careful about reading labels to ensure my sodium intake is around 1500-2000 mg per day. That has not made a difference. I've stopped taking the Dyclofenac for a couple of weeks since that has been known to cause edema. That didn't make a difference either. I also stopped taking my Detrol for a couple of weeks as I was allergic to Ditropan and thought maybe I've suddenly developed an allergy to the Detrol as well. This also has not made a difference. I was on Lasix for a few days, but it didn't make any difference in the edema.
I had testing about 1 1/2 years ago that showed I had an enlarged liver and cyrosis (non-alcoholic). At that time a Liver function test was done and it came back normal. I asked my doctor if that test had been run again with the other testing since the onset of the edema. She said since it was done before, it doesn't need to be done again.
She's an awesome doctor! I've been seeing her for years and she has been wonderful with all of my medical conditions. So, I trust her. However, when I asked last week what else we can do or what other testing can be done, she said that sometimes these things just happen, especially to women over 35 and that the heart was her main concern with this. She recommended that I get some compression stockings. So, I have ordered some, but they haven't come in yet.
My real concern is that perhaps we're missing something that could be very important. I don't think it's natural that someone should have to wear compression stockings for the rest of their lives. And I'm in an extreme amount of pain with this. I have a career which requires me to be on my feet for a couple of hours at a time. I try to sit when possible, but even when I'm not on my feet much (like on a day off), the edema is still there. My legs feel so heavy and constantly ache. The pitting is so severe at times that an indentation has taken a couple of hours to return to normal. This happens mostly on the days that I work.
I'd really like some input with ideas of what I could be missing. I've been doing research for 3 months now and am very frustrated. Any input/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Yes, I know I need to lose the 50 pounds...that goes without saying. I had never been overweight until 5 years ago when I was diagnosed with all these medical conditions and started on all the medications. So, if there are any other comments not related to my weight, they would be greatly appreciated.
-Mum Mum
Loose 50 bls ! and do what the doctor says !
-gillianprowe
Right here I go. You know about the blood system, veins and arteries that contain blood and that is pumped around your body by your heart. Well we also have a Lymphatic System, like the blood system, except it is missing a heart, or pump. Instead the Lymphatic Fluid relies on the blood system. So the lymphatic drainage is undertaken by wrapping itself around the veins, arteries and as the blood moves along, the lymphatic fluid moves along. Problem being we have Gravity that likes to pull everything to the centre of the earth, so making it harder to drain lymphatic fluid from the lower extremities, legs, ankles, feet, back up the legs to drain, hence Edema! So the answer is in exercise. If you increase your cardiovascular rate, then it will allow the lymphatic fluid trapped in the legs, ankles to drain faster. Failing that you will end up in very tight stockings or bandages and having the fluid drained via massage, which I do not recommend. So even if you have to go to the local swimming pool and join in classes of aqua jogging, you do not need to be able to swim to do this, you will soon see that the legs are reducing in size. However, if you maintain your present life style, well the legs will just get bigger. Sorry to be so blunt, but I have the same problem with my Mother, who sits in her chair all day watching the TV and then complains about her swollen legs and how they hurt, but refuses to go walking. Best of Luck
-Cats
Um okay, first of all, I'm confused. The liver tests came back and indicated that your liver is enlarged and cirrhotic?? If that is the case, and the doctor doesn't believe she needs to repeat the test and follow-up you definitely need to see another doctor! Liver could definitely be the cause of these problems!! You should have your ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, bilirubin, anti-mitochondrial antibodies, anti-smooth muscle antibodies all measured. Go to a doctor and ask for all of these tests. That will rule out something to do with the liver. Again if you were diagnosed with cirrhosis, this needs to be follow up. If not, you still need to look into the liver as that can certainly cause your symptoms.
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