Recently diagnosed with heart failure - swollen feet - any tips?

[Johngerman]

Recently diagnosed with heart failure and looking to speak to others with the condition. Doctor prescribed Furosemide for water in legs and feet. Been on it now 2 months nearly. Is a bit better but ankles, feet still swollen. Can anybody advise on how to further reduce the fluid in my feet? Many thanks

[10gingercats]

I had this problem .....swollen legs.....with underlying heart issues. Apart from Furosimide my GP did not take it as seriously as he should have done. I found myself in AAU,,,,sent by A and E at The Jon Radcliffe Hospital in oxford where ther prescribed Spirolactone.......a 'fierce' drug that drained all fluid from my legs, heart and lungs OVER NIGHT.I lost 8 lbs immediately such was the effect on the lowesr dose possible that I took for 4 mornings only! Talk to your medics abou this as nothing else worked for me. I still have the heart problems but the relief of losing the fluid was fantastic. I can now walk well and on going damage to heart and lungs has been relieved.Even large doses of Furosimide did not work for me.

[Johngerman in reply to 10gingercats]

Wow, thanks for sharing your experience with me. Yes, the swelling has definitely improved with Furosemide, especially my right leg, but the feet are so swollen I can hardly fit into my shoes. All the holding your legs up as much as possible doesn't help the swollen feet, well not visibly and it's impractical to hold your feet up all the time. How long had the swollen legs been going on before it got severe? so a normal doctor would not prescribe the Spirolactone? I am 61 yrs old (male) and the diagnosis has come out of the blue for me.

Many thanks for your info and advice on this. much appreciated

[10gingercats in reply to Johngerman]

On and off for a couple of years with underlying afib and tricuspid regurgitation plus now enlarged heart. Doc.,I think, missed the vital leg swelling as something more superficial such as hot weather. I am a a light weight 5.3. woman .Your GP if he/she is any good should be able to give your Spiolactone. But it is powerful.I took, on cardiologist advice /with registrars imput ONLY12 and half mg once in the morning. with 40mg Furosimide but it was definitely the Spiro. that was the catalyst. Hospital stopped the diuretics immediately on me losing all the fluid.Yes. I had one leg more swollen that the other.

[Johngerman in reply to 10gingercats]

thanks again for that advice. I will try asking my GP, as I have another 3 weeks to wait for the Echo exam and other ones at the hospital. Can I ask you if you had any problems with kidney or liver causing the water retention, or was it all to do with the heart?

[10gingercats in reply to Johngerman]

At one point I did have dark pee with no inffection. The hospital said my salt was low and kidney function therefore 'compromised. They gave me potassium for a short while to improve salt balance.Plenty of peeing and during night,,,,no retention.

[Johngerman in reply to 10gingercats]

oh ok, thanks...did you have high blood pressure before you started on water/fluid medication?

[10gingercats in reply to Johngerman]

No.It was on normal to high normal range .

[Mentdent]

Spironolactone has been shown to improve life expectancy and quality in most cases of ventricular heart failure. Usually used in conjunction with furosemide. It’s normal to have regular blood tests to check that the combination isn’t causing problems with kidney function.

[Johngerman in reply to Mentdent]

many thanks for your kind contribution. I appreciate it very much

[wheezybronch]

I had swollen feet and legs for a long while, I had furosemide amongst other drugs which helped. I have a lot of co-morbidities and this kept me hospitalised and even when home I struggled to move. Eventually I decided to just "go for it", I jumped into the car and drove to Wales and walked (staggered, crawled) up Snowdon, I really overdid it but this got me started and I found the more I exercised the more I improved. I have stopped furosemide and other heart meds. I still take Tildiem 60 mg twice a day, I now am not bothered with any real water retention. I hope you get to a better place and manage this well. Good luck.

[Becksagogo]

Have they put you on a fluid restriction. I also suffer with oedema (have just spent a week in hospital) and Cellulitis under the skin in my right leg. I am limited to a litre and a half of liquid daily. I was taken off furosemide and put on Bumetanide about two years ago and very rarely get any water retention. I also find sitting with my feet up helps.

[Johngerman in reply to Becksagogo]

I'm not on a fluid restriction so far. Have had cellulitis twice, first time 2018 then also again 18 months after in 2019. I'm scared of getting that again, as it often came after I knocked my leg or had a small scratch. The doctor said I could take 2 tablets a day to improve the effect of the furosemide. I found that the increased dose gave me a feeling of, how can I describe it, a bit like being 'hyped up' by coffee or amphetamine. And it seems to affect my sleep. I told the GP this and find that 1 or 1.5 tablets seem to work better than 2. The furosemide seems to work in the first 2 hours with obvious visits to urinate in that period, but for the rest of the day I don't notice the effect much.

The water retention is improved in my legs but my feet have remained pretty swollen, so that I can hardly get my shoes on. I have tried raising my feet, which does relieve but is a bit impractical, and the swelling of the feet does not seem reduced.

Does anybody have any particular good exercises for the swollen feet, as there are many online but thought I'd ask anyway.

I've been on furosemide now for about 2 months and thought the swollen feet and ankles would have reduced. I have an appointment on the phone to my GP this morning to discuss this.

Thanks all of you for writing about your experiences with this.

[MDR1]

Try restricting your fluids to 1500ml per day and also your salt intake - salt in your system retains water and there's enough natural salt in foods so we don't need to add any on top or in cooking.Not saying it will work for you but definitely worth a try.

[Johngerman in reply to MDR1]

yes, am not putting salt on anything any more. thanks!!

[Silvasava]

I had swollen feet, but they always seemed to go down overnight but my breathing was getting worse and I was not peeing much. Spoke to my doctor who wanted a sample. Over the weekend my breathing got so bad I went to A&E. I had pulmonary oedema! Was put on Spironolactone and furosemide. My feet still swell slightly in the evening but I make sure I do fast tiptoe raises to keep my lower legs pumping. I do have my right foot that turns purplish when I stand but the pulse has been checked so I think that is due to the drug regime

[Johngerman in reply to Silvasava]

he, thanks for sharing your experience with this. Yes, I try to do the calf pumps and doing some exercises, but the foot swelling just isn't going down.

[reidmar]

hi johngerman, i was diagnosed with mild heart failure 2 years ago and they recommended straightaway that i limit my daily fluid intake to 1500ml per day, at first i thought it was going to be difficult but found i got into a routine fairly quickly, 1x300 @ breakfast (the water in my porridge ) then lunchtime hot/cold drink, mid-day drink, tea time drink and bed time drink, luckily the mug i use is between 250 & 300ml so provides scope for working in tubs of yogurt etc which is meant to be taken into account. I was always told if ankles became swollen to head back to GP or hosp. Hope you get sorted sooner rather than later.👍

[Johngerman in reply to reidmar]

thanks for the advice. The GP has not mentioned drinking less fluid at all. Wonder why?

[reidmar in reply to Johngerman]

my own GP wasnt aware, the fluid restriction was from the heart failure nurses at the hospital

[S11m]

I had peripheral oedema, gout, cellulitis, Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia etc.Following three cardioversions, two Catheter Ablasions and two pacemakers, my feet are now normal - and (having been disabled for five years) I walk at least five KM a day! I am 71.

[Pollyanna23]

Hi. It might be that you might need to increase your water pill. Obviously I don’t know the amount you take a day. I take 40 mg in the morning once a day for my heart failure. You usually have to limit your fluid intake per day in my case no more then 2litre per day otherwise the fluid starts to build up around my ankles. Or have a chat with your GP and explain that your legs are still swollen see what they suggest.