Just a query

[Yumz199725]

It's been so hot today and I've noticed a weird dip in my leg just under my knee and when I press it it stays like that so is it just the hot weather or is fluid build up? Just wonderd as its only on one leg 🤔. I'm aware I'm clutching at straws lol but it's weird.

[Tos92]

Can you post a picture of it Yumz? It sounds like it could be oedema from the hot weather.

Does it leave a dent when you press down?

[Yumz199725]

Tos92 hope this helps?

Picture of my leg not sure it's clear but there's definitely a dent or dip not sure why?

[Tos92 in reply to Yumz199725]

Yeah, I can see the dip. It looks like potential fluid build up. Do you have it in the calf as well?

[Yumz199725 in reply to Tos92]

Aw glad it's not in my head! My calf does look shiny if that helps?? X

[Tos92 in reply to Yumz199725]

As the area stretches due to fluid build up, it can appear shiny! Do you have any chest symptoms?

The reason I’m asking is you don’t want it to be anything like DVT (deep vein thrombosis). I’m sure it’s not and it’s just the weather giving you some grief x

[Yumz199725 in reply to Tos92]

I always get pain in my ribs at night so I wouldn't call that chest discomfort. I think the heat definitely caused it will definitely keep eye on it and if dosent go down will go to gp and contact my consultant maybe x

[Yumz199725 in reply to Tos92]

It's weird it's only one leg 🤔x

[Tos92 in reply to Yumz199725]

I don’t think it is a case of DVT.

My mum sometimes gets more swelling in one leg than the other, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much at the moment.

Keep an eye on it, you may find that keeping the weight off it will help which might mean fewer walks or trips to the gym this week. Keep your legs elevated whenever you can too. Sometimes the oedema disappears over night x

[Yumz199725 in reply to Tos92]

Thanks hun x yeah I always have to sit with my legs elevated or I get swollen feet like my dad. Yeah I definitely think it's the heat. Thanks for your help appreciate it x

[Bingofox007 in reply to Yumz199725]

my right leg is swollen from knee down, foot swelling doesn’t go over night, just reduces, I’m waiting to have that knee replaced and been told prob due to knee. Left foot swells in hot weather but goes overnight which is good. It’s just fluid, sit with your feet up, or if they’re down make sure they’re in a paddling pool with a cold glass of shandy in the other hand! Take care 🦊xx

[Yumz199725 in reply to Bingofox007]

Aw hope your knee replacement goes well. Yeah I do sit all the time with my legs elevated but only time is when I'm round my mums. Yeah I think I will definitely do that especially in this heat I will replace the shandy with a cold sprite 😅😋xx

[BeKind28-]

Hello

You got me pressing under my knees to see what happens

Could be a little fluid just keep an eye on it sometimes these things appear one day gone the next if it got worse or no better then you would let your Doctor take a look but chances are it will go as quick as it came on x

[Yumz199725 in reply to BeKind28-]

Yeah thanks hun hopefully it's just the heat. Aw good to check hope you haven't got any 😅. I noticed some on my thigh last night when I had a bath so hopefully just heat x

[BeKind28- in reply to Yumz199725]

Hello

Sometimes I can sit with my leg under me a bad habit and I get a dent then takes ages to come back to normal

Just see how it goes but don't be worrying yourself says me who worries over everything x

[Yumz199725 in reply to BeKind28-]

Yeah your probably right I have done alot of walking today well this whole month to be honest and this heat doesn't help but it's only one leg thats got the dent and shiny surely if it was something it would. Be both legs right. I think your right! That's anxiety for you worrying about everything especially small things it seems 😅😁. X

[BeKind28- in reply to Yumz199725]

Hello

You know my Doctor came the other day I had a mole I was convinced the wrong colour then some dry skin on my arm I showed her both she looked at me and said I am not going to get excited over that

I said you should do it is never right she said there is nothing wrong except you looking for things and yes that is what anxiety does x

[Yumz199725 in reply to BeKind28-]

Yeah Im the same it's horrible in it x I worry way to much although you can't help it when you have a chronic illness 😅x thanks for your help aswell hun hope your feeling better 😊.

[BeKind28- in reply to Yumz199725]

Hello

I understand and when you have an illness and been through what you have it is not uncommon at all you think the way you do but tell yourself ok it is there but lets see what it is like next week and if I want I can show it them and they will sort it

Try and enjoy your evening x

[Yumz199725 in reply to BeKind28-]

Thanks BeKind I will see what it's like tomorrow hopefully will be gone by then 😅x you too I'm probably gona be going to sleep soon we'll if I can in this weather! X

[BeKind28- in reply to Yumz199725]

x

[Lezzers]

Hi Yumz

Is your leg swollen at all? Does it look anything like this? This is fluid retention in the ankle. If you elevate your legs & it goes down or it goes down overnight it's possibly not fluid retention, it's unusual to get it just under the knee. I think lots of people are reacting to the heat. Even my ankles have been a bit puffy at the end of the day with the heat and wearing the wrong shoes for this weather. I've never heard anything about skin being shiny though.

A good way to find out if you're retaining fluid is to weigh yourself daily, if you're putting on roughly 4lbs in 3 days then it's possibly fluid retention & you'll need to let your team know.

Good luck, hope it's better today although the heatwave continues! Xx

Fluid retention

[Yumz199725 in reply to Lezzers]

Hi lezzers yeah it's exactly like that! I haven't checked if its there today hoping it isn't, yeah my legs always go shiny it's not a new thing I thought that was normal 😅😂🙈🙊. Yeah will definitely keep an eye on my weight sometimes I can put about 3 pound on in a day wake up next morning and I'm 3 pound lighter 🤷‍♀️. Yeah I think the heat has really affected me this year even worse then last year some how! X hope you and hubby are keeping well in this heat 🥵.

[Lezzers in reply to Yumz199725]

I think if your weight goes down then it's not a problem but I would definitely keep an eye on things & it wouldn't hurt to mention it to your Dr. Do you take a diuretic? I've heard of people just having fluid in one leg, my husband's left leg is always worse than his right one, no idea why 🤷 unfortunately his ankles are swelling again just slightly but again the heat doesn't help. He's on fluid restriction but has been drinking more because of the heat so that doesn't help.

Unfortunately in weather like this we're housebound as the heat affects his breathing ect plus he's on amarodine and he's gotta keep out of the sun🌞

We're on heat health alert where we live, temperatures are supposed to be 29/30 🥵 I hope it's a bit cooler where you are xx

[Yumz199725 in reply to Lezzers]

Definitely will mention to my consultant at my next check up but they will probably say its the heat! Which is probably true if I'm honest. I have noticed my belly is always bloated aswell started in January been like that ever since I have been to doctors about it and I am on omeprozole for it. I mentioned to cardiac nurse but she didn't seem concerned which is good but I can't help it I drink so much in this weather and hardly need to go which is odd right? X

[Lezzers in reply to Yumz199725]

I know you worry so much about your health, which is totally understandable so please don't get concerned about what I'm gonna say. I think some people can drink lots & not go to the loo much but when they do they could win gold if having a wee was an Olympic sport 🤣 but if you're feeling bloated & not going much maybe mention it to your Dr, they may want you to complete a flow chart or do a flow test just to make sure all is good. Sometimes I think the specialist nurses are so concentrated on your heart that they forget about all the other parts.

I am definitely not saying there is anything to worry about but I always believe if you're not sure of something & it bothers you, even if only now & then, then definitely speak to a Dr so that you have one less thing to worry about xx

[Yumz199725 in reply to Lezzers]

Yeah thanks lezzers I'm probably drinking so much but this weather makes you so dehydrated so much that it just isn't making a difference lol I'm literally sitting here with 3 drinks 😂. I have checkup on 3rd July so will mention it then at gp. I did go bout 5 times yesterday I think my bladder just suits itself 😅😂🤣. I did tell them when it's bloated it's hard to touch aswell and they weren't concerned so I think it's probably my heart tablet doing it. I was on water tablets few years back bumentide and spirolactone but they stopped it cause I didnt need them any more xx

[Yumz199725]

Aw thanks hun. I haven't had any operations on my leg no, I have been drinking soooo much water and juice and everything really lol and elevating my legs as much as possible but I did do alot of walking yesterday and this whole month actually so probably didnt help x thanks will definitely keep an eye on it. Sorry to hear you have swelling hope its not too swollen in this heat hope your ok. 😊

[Yumz199725]

Yeah I think your right this heat doesn't do us hearties any favours 😅. Sorry to hear your getting alot of fluid at the moment that can't be fun 😕x

[LaceyLady]

try pressing 2 fingers on your shin/calves hold for some seconds. If this leaves an indentation that takes a while to go, you have fluid retention. Elevate legs and drink plenty of water.

[Yumz199725 in reply to LaceyLady]

Thanks I have been doing that x I haven't really been paying attention to my legs just been shopping 😅🛒🛍️. Had plenty to drink while I was out though. 😉

[Lezzers in reply to LaceyLady]

This is a genuine question, you're the 2nd person to have said drink more fluids. Why drink more fluids? The reason I ask is because I know of a number of people, including my husband, who are put on fluid restriction because they're retaining fluid.

[LaceyLady in reply to Lezzers]

ell, obviously I do not know your husbands condition and the reason why the medics hve said limit his fluid intake. But from my therapsit times I would repeat recommendation for good fludid intake for the kidneys to help get rid of the wastes in the body. The boyds ways of cleansing is defacation, urinating and perspiring. I always understood that people are put on diruetics to assist fluid retention. Without sufficient water intake in heat can be to the detriment of health. Many of us in the UK do not drink enough and I mean water. Fluid is used in the duodenum and not drinking enough can cause constipation and make our urine very strong.

My understanding from other therapists that restricting fluids made retention worse, not having the experience I couldn't swear to that. Men get prostate problems that inhibit urination.

[Lezzers in reply to LaceyLady]

Thank you for replying. I totally agree as a rule we don't drink enough fluids, it's really surprising how much taking in enough fluids can really help your body function better, sleep better, clearer complexion, etc. I try to drink 2 ltrs of water a day, most of the time I drink warm water as I read that cleanses the body better, but I don't know if that's true.

My husband has heart failure & fluid retention is quite common with that condition. Often, but not always, people with HF are told to restrict their fluids even though they're on Diuretics, this is because retaining fluids makes your heart work harder telling your kidneys to do its job. I'd just never heard of drinking more fluids if you're retaining fluids, so I did a quick Google! It seems the 'drink more fluids' is to flush out the salt/sodium in your body as that makes you retain fluids, bit of a vicious circle really. I'm guessing there's a fine balance there, maybe depending on the amount of fluid your retaining. Restricted fluids have helped my husband with his fluid retention though

[LaceyLady in reply to Lezzers]

I'm a Reflexologist, work on the feet and quite often my patients pee'd for England aftewards and it was smelly! :)) I got my in laws wooden foot rollers to use to aid circulation. Have you seen the 'Revitive' machines? We have one. My elderly neighbour tried ours and remembered his deceased wife had one, so went home to find it. It helped him walking!! He went out of our house a LOT easier! If of course OH has a pacemaker he'd have to check with hospital to see if he could use it, but no problems with wooden food roller!

[Lezzers in reply to LaceyLady]

Yes, my friend was a therapist she told me about the feet trick some years ago. I think there's a common perceptive that if you drink a lot then you'll be forever on the loo. But, as I'm sure you already know, that really isn't the case. I think initially you probably pee a lot but once your body adjusts to the amount of fluids you're drinking the loo visits calm down. I know I've drunk a ltr of fluids just before I've gone to bed and it's made no difference to my nocturnal habits 😳🤣 Unfortunately a revitive is a no no due to having an ICD. Exercise is really good for fluid retention, unfortunately my husband can't walk very far, so that's a good idea about foot roller's, we'll ask his nurse for advice about that. Thank you.

Psp: my friend also told me that the different areas of the foot relate to different area's of the body, Interesting stuff

[LaceyLady in reply to Lezzers]

Oh yes, body is mapped on the foot and when I get foot pain!!! The nurse may probably not know about Reflexology and the effects of a foot roller, it should do no damage but, depends if hubby has veins that might be a problem. If he has, you could just get him to lay on the bed, buy some nice cream and massage gently, something better than nothing AND pills!

[Lezzers in reply to LaceyLady]

Unfortunately he has just been told he has venous insufficiency. Ice cream sounds a good idea, though I would have to argue about the pills. It's pills that have kept him alive for the last 25 years & with the health issues he has had this year it's pills that have saved his life more than once recently & is still keeping him alive. But I do think there is room for holistic treatment alongside conventional treatment providing there's no contraindication. Thanks for your input, it's been very interesting.

[LaceyLady in reply to Lezzers]

There are times when you have to do what you have to do 'shrugs', me included, BUT i will ask questions again and again.

[Lezzers in reply to LaceyLady]

I will & I do. But his health has been so precarious this year we do need to consider that first & foremost.

[LaceyLady in reply to Lezzers]

If theres 'contra-indications' ask WHY :))

[LaceyLady in reply to Lezzers]

Not many medics know about Reflexology or other Complementary therapies, so they go on 'caution' don't use it :(( There are many qualified therapists, who should be insured and well trained. One body is the FHT(Federation oc holistic therapists I think) you should be able to google FHT and i've put it on somewhere here.

[Yumz199725]

Glad it's managed well especially in this weather. And I think mine was just from the heat and all the walking I did yesterday x

[LaceyLady]

My father in law years ago had had an op on his prostate, I did not know this at the time but years later he obviously still had the problem. His ankles and legs began to swell, fluid retention. This went on and on, he was supoosed to be waiting to see someone at the hospital but no appt came for months and months. His leg swelled more and more and then the other started to swell up too. A lady neighbour who both my parents in law have met a few times, told me this happended to her father and he was driving back home to Wales from England. He got in with the Dr instantly rang for ambulance, she impressed upon me that 'Dad' needed to see someone at the hospital asap. The ony way I could impress on MiL was to tell her the story. Dad had a small op that seemed to help the problem.

[LaceyLady in reply to LaceyLady]

PS They both would barely drink in the afternon because they didn't want to be geeting up at night!!