I have severe COPD, just wondering if anybody with this condition suffer with swollen legs, mainly the right leg & feet. Dr thought it maybe due to blood clot, had the test & no sign of a clot.I'm wondering if because of my lack of mobility is what is causing it as so short of breath to do much walking about. I'm taking 2 mg of Bumetanide a Duiretic which isn't helping at all. I use to be reasonably fit until this COPD which I've had for 12 years. 79 years old in a weeks time, also starting to suffer with depression as can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Feeling so down.
Hoping someone on here can offer some advice. Thank you for listening.
Written by
Jansy16
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi Jansy, my feet swell too. This winter they have been worse than last when I have been stuck inside and not very mobile. I have furosemide tablets but find they have little effect. Sitting with my feet up equally has little effect. I'm hoping that with the better weather I will be able to get out and walk more.I have stage 4 emphysema and think the swelling is related to that. Last year it was just my right foot now both are involved.
I'm sorry that you are beginning to feel depressed, it isn't easy to stay positive with advanced lung disease. There are various help groups. It may be worth doing an internet search as to what is available in your area. Best wishes.
Hi I hate to hear the suffering and anxiety some of us go through and wondered if at a time of severe incapacity due to breathing difficulties are steroids ever prescribed to help with 1. the breathing and 2. The easing of movement ? I know when I had a severe asthma attack I could hardly move an inch without getting out if breath and just flopping back down ... After being given approx 9 steroids I felt like I could run a marathon ?..!
I have had 3 courses of prednisolone this year each lasting 7 days. They did little to help my breathing and nothing to help my anxiety. I'm glad you got such benefit.
That's such a shame 😞 I admit that was my first experience with prednisolone and really thought they were a miracle drug . I now however have osteoporosis after a fall into the garden and am very reluctant to make things worse by relying on steroids .. so while I wouldn't encourage relying on them too much ... when desperately needed they are a godsend for some of us ...
Hi. I too have very severe copd and my ankles are massive! 🤣 Well, they are definitely swollen. Blood pressure is ok and although walking is difficult I do yoga, pilates and seated zumba so I don't think it's lack of mobility. It's a mystery.
would love to know if your seated Zumba class is on Zoom and if so can I join? I was participating in one class two years ago and it definitely helped with my swollen ankles and feet. But they forgot to renew their music licence so it came to an end. I also take furesemide which works for me.
I am sorry about the depression . It’s hard to get out of. Better not to look too far ahead but just small events to look forwards to at a time. And enjoy lovely spring days like today.
Please don't be sorry. The consultant at Harefield transplant centre told me it would be unusual not to experience depression. I call it crawling out of the treacle tin. Sometimes I'm sat happily on the top, others I'm stuck crawling up the side. The zumba class is a live class . I just sit at the back. Usually I'm the only one sitting, occasionally some one new will join me. I just adapt the moves to suit myself. In one of my pilates classes several of the ladies have chairs and the instructor adapts the exercises for all sorts of maladies. 😂 I don't need a chair for pilates and yoga. My leisure centre does offer seated yoga but it clashes with another of my pilates classes. More and more places locally seem to be offering seated excercise classes. Is your council running the 'Move together' initiative as they may be able to help you find zoom or live seated classes. Also some care homes have classes that are open to non residents. Through these classes I have also made some new , funny and kind, friends so that helps to keep me cheerful. I think I've waffled on enough! 😂 Take care.
Thanks for such a lot of information. I will start with the council to see if they have a Move Together project. And also perhaps a couple of care homes. You sound on top of managing your depression. At least if you know there are good days and bad days, then the bad days are a little easier to deal with. One day follows another, as they say.
I love thé description of crawling out of a treacle tin. That’s just so good. Stay strong, and best wishes.
I would go back to your doctor and tell him the tablets are not working and you need something different, there are so many people with this problem and dont think doctors are doing enough to help. I would also try chair exercises even if its just lifting your feet and moving them around, have a look on the internet for ideas on this and try to get up and move around a little a couple of times a day. Do you have family or friends that could help by popping in to see you. Its very hard being alone with long term illness, perhaps give the helpline on here a call they may have suggestions that you haven't thought of and of course come on here to ask your questions or tell us how you are xHelpline 0300 222 5800
hi i am a male 59 years old i have copd / plus other illness to my doctor told me to raise my leg in the night while in bed so i have got the cusionds of sofsa at night put them botton of bed keep my legs high through the night ; also try your hall hall i live in a flat i have a 21 ft long hall i walk up & down there nice & slow a many times aas i can for a walk spelley when raining tyr that it work for me not brilliant but it helps good luck ghoust rider
Has your heart been checked as mild heart failure can become a problem as we advance in age as had my husbands been given heart medication and compression stocking and much better now.
I agree with Helen1946. I had swollen feet and ankles but was only on a mild diuretic for blood pressure. An exacerbation saw me in A&E even though an ECG and an echocardiogram revealed nothing. It was mild heart failure (I stress the mild) as revealed by a chest Xray and a result of overworking the heart by struggling to breathe. I was on Furosomide for the week in hospital and then Bumetonide which I still have to take and apart from slight swelling at night I have not had to be seen by the cardiologist again. I did lose 10lb in five days with the diuretic though. x
I was given Furosomide in hospital. Within 2 days my sense of smell and taste had changed and even a slice of toast seemed terrible. I lost 3 kilos in two weeks. It has taken a long time to regain any weight. My ankles normally only swell once temperatures are in the 30s (live in Portugal) although having slight problems still this winter. Will never take them again
I have COPD and osteoarthritis and chronic back pain so cannot exercise partly through my breathing being bad and the pain,my ankles and legs swell and when I saw the doctor he said compression stockings will get the swelling down and it does a bit hard to get on but they definitely work good luck
Like Helen I wonder if it is something to do with your heart. I have recently been diagnosed with an enlarged heart (but nothing to worry about the doc said) and according to the literature I should have swollen legs. I haven't as it happens. This ankle swelling seems to be a funny thing to judge by the comments on here. My husband's ankles are very swollen, but he does not have heart disease. 😨😵🤪
2 years ago I was suffering badly with my breathing. I had not long lost my Husband, been smoking heavier than usual and put it down to anxiety. It was only when I started suffering with swollen feet and legs, I realised it must be more. I was sent for chest x rays and diagnosed with COPD. I had extremely high blood pressure and was sent for heart scan for possible heart failure. I was put on blood pressure tablets, they refused to put me on water tablets. My heart was working ok, just a bit harder than normal and did not require any follow ups. I purchased some low compression socks off Amazon. I exercised a bit more and after about 9 months I realised my legs were no longer swelling. I no longer need to wear the socks, only to keep my legs warmer in the winter !! I joined a Pilates class which I think also helped. I am now on permanent oxygen therapy which I found very depressing at the start but 3 months on, I am coming to terms with it and still live independently, it is what it is and I cannot change it !!
Please try not to feel too depressed, think of the positives, try and focus on what you CAN do and not what you CANNOT do. I wish you all the best x
Any condition that stops you from walking about a lot can lead to swollen legs. The blood in your feet is a long way from your heart and is fighting gravity to get back to the heart. When we use our legs and walk, the muscles act like a pump, helping the blood return to the heart.
Try seated exercises if you can't walk much. If you are able, put your feet up when you can so that gravity helps instead of hinders.
Well, one of the things COPD doctors always look at is whether you have oedema in your ankles as a result of heart problems. I am forever having consultants and respiratory nurses prodding my ankles! So it needs checking out. It might not be anything serious. My slightly swolen ankles are nothing to do with my heart which various scans and tests have shown to be working very well, and everything to do with middle aged woman body changing! But you really should get it checked out. And if the diuretics aren't working, something else needs to be found that does work. Speak to your GP or consultant or respiratory nurse.
Thanks for your reply, I had a test done last Friday to see if blood clots were causing the problem with my legs swelling & came back negative. I've been on Furosemide & Bumertanide Duiretics & still not reducing the swelling, I asked if there was anything else to try & they said no. Because of my lack of mobility they think that is the cause. My shortness of breath leaves me inactive so can't walk more than a few steps. I'm not over weight!but I know exercise would benefit me if I only had more breath.
Really sorry to hear how much its getting you down. I think the mental strain of living with COPD and other chronic illness is pretty much ignored by the medical profession, and certainly no help is offered. I hope you have friends who listen to you and help you plan activities that you can manage and that bring joy. I really do sympathise.
Hi Jansy, I have severe asthma and atrial fibrillation. When I have an asthma attack and am incapacitated, sometimes for a week or two, my feet and legs can swell up. This is down to lack of any exercise and taking steroids. I bought a leg rest and sleep all night with my legs in a raised position. I find this helps plus it is very relaxing.
Your consultant says he’s not surprised you are depressed. I wonder why he didn’t offer anything to relieve your depression? Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. I have had episodes of depression over the course of my life and now take a low dose of Sertraline (an anti depressant) every day - probably for the rest of my life. It is excellent at reducing anxiety too. Living with chronic lung conditions is incredibly stressful, so it’s no wonder you feel in low spirits. Why not have a word with your GP or consultant?
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Misdiagnosed with COPD
COPD - ANYONE HAVE HELP WITH WASHING/DRESSING ETC
New medication for COPD.
Severe COPD and cycling
Hip replacements with copd
