Was put on furosemide 40mgs about 6 weeks ago for swollen ankles. Helped a lot with my breathlessness. Lost weight too which Pharmacist told me to expect. I noticed a few days ago I am getting a bit more breathless (not as bad a before) and calves are swollen but ankles don't seem to be.
My wife seems to think it because of my socks but I doubt that.
Thoughts anyone?
My husband often has fluid retention in his legs & calves without his ankles swelling. If your socks are marking you & the mark remains after you've taken your socks off then it's a good chance you may be retaining fluid particularly being breathless as well. Another way to check is, press your finger into the swollen area and if the area remains indented for a few seconds (ie the indented area doesn't immediately spring back) that is also an indication. I would contact your medical team and speak to them about it.
Thank you. I will contact the Pharmacist tomorrow and ask
It could be socks get some socks for people with diabetes
I usually buy mine from Oxfam shops. New.
As (Peripheral Arterial Disease) developed I had slight swealing as the poor feed affected the return. I brought Soft Top socks by HJ Hall. As we are all different they may or may not suit you. I did try diabetic socks but found them more expensive ,and less comfortable and less hard wearing. Are you diabetic? If so you should have a Doppler test with ABPI (Ankle Brachial Pressure Index) to check for PAD. Whilst diabetes is a major cause of PAD heavy smoking (even years ago) is also a significant cause. In fact the two first people I met as group amputee physio therapy had smoked from about 14 . They were both in their mid-sixties, one having stopped a decade earlier and the other when he found out he was going to lose his leg.
First though check with a medical professional. They may adjust the dose or prescribe a different diuretic.
Thank you
As a fellow Gooner,I suugest you buy some ,socks for diabetics ,could be of help,for the swollen legs,certainly helped mine.
Fluid retention can be caused by heart failure or kidney pathology or... If you are only on furosemide and haven't had a diagnosis of a cause, this has to be sorted. If you are continuing to have, or increasing, fluid retention, this needs to be assessed further. I recommend going back to the doctor. Not safe to simply increase the furosemide dose (which might be all the pharmacist can suggest). In the meanwhile, keep doing daily weighing, which can give you a feel for whether you are retaining fluid still and will be helpful if further medication is added as baseline reference. All the best.
Thank youThe fluid retention was all part of the process I have been going through after being diagnosed by cardiologist with aortic stenosis 2 months ago.
My GP put me on furosemide 40mgs. Was also told that it would be monitored regularly, along with apixaban, by Pharmacist at surgery.
Hence my attempted contact with her. As yet no reply.
Your reply also made complete sense too and thank you
Sounds like things are mostly under control then ... but you may be needing aortic valve replacement sooner rather than later (??). As a (twice) recipient - first bovine, then replaced with mechanical valve - I wish you well. I had my first replacement in my early 50s and 14 years down the track we're off to Japan next month (from Australia) and Europe next year. I hope you have good outcomes.
I saw cardiologist 6th August. He said a possible 3 month wait for coronary angiogram.I've had whole aorta ct scan and carotid Vascular Ultrasound in past few weeks. Before seeing cardiologist I had echocardiogram and ecg.
Had blood tests arranged by GP for kidneys and all ok except that she has referred me to haematologist because someone found in blood re myeloma that needs checking out.
I actually rang cardiologist's secretary yesterday to try to find out where I'm at.
Was all via an answerphone.
As yet no reply.
Do you mind me butting in here??? Do you know what they found in your bloods that warranted the haematologist referral & what route did your GP follow to get to that point? This is very relevant to me as my husband's Dr isn't happy with my husband's last bloods results, he's got to have them repeated in a month. It's been impossible to get hold of the Dr to ask questions so I've spoken to his nurse who said, that it isn't her field of expertise, but his white cells are too low. This could be due to bone marrow damage caused by his cancer treatment, it could be due to a blood disorder/blood cancer, an inflammation somewhere in his body or it could be his heart failure. However, all his bloods results, including his white cells, have all been abnormal for some years, though this is the lowest they've ever been.
Thank you
I received a call from my surgery to see GP following the results of kidney blood tests.The GP told me all was OK except a certain protein was found linked to myeloma.
She reassured me that it doesn't mean it's cancer but wants to refer me to haematologist to get it checked out. Some can be benign.
That was 2 weeks ago. Still waiting to see haematologist.
Glad to hear you were able to speak to your GP, we don't seem to be able to get passed the receptionist which is incredibly frustrating & so wrong! We don't even know if there's a protein problem or if it's just a case of the results being too abnormal!! Could you phone your GP and ask if there's a way of hurrying up the appt? I do know from experience that if cancer is suspected in anyway then you should be referred within 2 weeks under the 2 weeks pathway.
I take your point but because of how the GP explained it to me I got the impression they wdnt see it as urgent. I will try and see her soon if I don't hear back from Pharmacist re my other issue.
Also I am waiting for coronary angiogram and rang secretary of cardiologist via answerphone to find out when angiogram may be done.
If we ring or go into our surgery between 8am and 10.30am we can normally see a GP. It seems to work even if you're hanging onto phone for aged. I try to pop in about 8am and talk to receptionist. They are helpful at my surgery thankfully
Ah... aortic valve replacement can't be done until your coronary arteries have been checked. And ?? myeloma is an added worry/ possible complication. So, any significant increase in your fluid retention needs to be assessed properly. If it's only minor (you're not breathless etc), it can wait until you're seen again (presumably soon!) and everything already underway is completed. All the best
Thank you. Your replies much appreciated. My Ejection Faction was 63 apparently and don't really know what thst means in the greater scheme of things.
When I saw cardiologist I found everything difficult to take in. I remember him saying coronary angiogram is done as day surgery.
I wish I knew then what I know now and would have been better placed to ask questions.
Does aortic stenosis mean a new heart valve is needed?
I get most of my information now from this BHF site.
Waiting in the unknown is what I struggle with.
I am 77.
Every year we go away for the winter to India and then onto our own cottage by sea in The Philippines.
We're still trying to be hopeful to go this coming winter but gradually feeling less confident about it.
Oh I wish some doctors would explain things properly and in a timely fashion and follow up with written explanations! Again, without knowing all the complexities of your situation, what I can tell you is, in general, an ejection fraction of 63 in a 77 year old is NORMAL. The ejection fraction is what proportion (as a percentage) of the blood in your left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of your heart) is ejected with each heartbeat (contraction). It is never 100% and 63% in your age range is satisfactory. This implies that the narrowing of your aortic valve (the aortic stenosis) doesn't seem to have put too much extra strain on - and therefore hasn't damaged - the heart behind it (the left ventricle). So that is good news.
Whether you need an aortic valve replacement depends on how severe the narrowing (stenosis) of the valve is, what symptoms if any you are getting from this, whether your heart is otherwise ok (e.g. do you have significant coronary artery disease, as can be shown by your angiogram), and what the rest of your health is like. To put it bluntly, for instance, if a person had other disease such as liver failure or metastatic cancer and wasn't expected to live for long, they probably wouldn't be having an aortic valve replacement. You may be told you don't need a new valve for now and they will continue to monitor you.....
There is certainly plenty of info on angiograms available. In Australia, they are done as day surgery, but if angioplasty + stent/s are required to open up one or more arteries, this can be done at the same time, in which case it is usually at least an overnight stay.
Keep trucking along and making plans until you're advised otherwise! India and the Philippines sound marvellous
Thank you so much for your very informative reply. It has certainly helped me understand it all better.Thank you!!
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