My HWP, 84 1/2 yrs old has swollen feet for a few years now. Reported to me that his feet hurt and woke him up this morning. Mostly the tops of his feet are swollen. Had to buy him shoes with a loose tongue and velcro straps so he can get his chunky feet into the shoe. My thumbs get a good workout acting as a shoe horn. I'm 71yrs old in basic good health aside from arthritis which seems to be creeping up everywhere. He's my love and I'm forever researching medical information to keep him with me.
Doctors (primary doc, physical therapist and hematologist/oncologist doc) said tired old legs. Seriously. Heart is good. No edema elsewhere in body. Told to exercise and elevate legs. Swelling did not reduce. Primary doc said let's try water pills however not safe as he has a kidney condition due to taking Ibuprofen for knee pain years ago. Tried them for a week and had blood test. Uric acid level increased and can cause gout.
Honestly, he doesn't exercise enough. We have a stationary bike and will be up to me to remind hubby to go on bike to get circulation going and hopefully reduce some swelling in his feet.
Putting this out to my HU buddies to see if you have any ideas.
Thanks!
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LindaP50
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You mentioned kidney issues caused by ibuprofen. One of the main symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is swelling of the feet, ankles or hands.
Some common supplements for CKD are :
Melatonin, if he tolerates it, it would be useful for the kidneys at higher dosing.
Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract (GSPE) is good for CKD as well as reducing uric acid levels, which you suggested he might have. PwP seem to have lower uric acid levels. If he does have gout, GSPE can also offer some pain relief. Here is a product I use at the label recommended dose of 3 capsules per day for a total of 1200 mg :
Additionally for the foot swelling, compression socks can help reduce swelling of the feet.
Also, one pillow under the full length of the calves while sleeping will help reduce foot swelling and reduce pressure in the lower back. Was he using it correctly?
Odd, but than again not really, none of his doctors made any correlation to his feet swelling and CKD.
Hubby is on B1. Don't know anything about B1 as Benfotiamine, or Hesperidin. I'll read the link you provided on Supplements.
We have a wedge suggested by a physical therapist to use during day to raise legs and also have an adjustable bed in which we raise the legs. We have not tried one pillow under the full length of the calves while sleeping at night. Will chat with hubby and suggest giving this a try, and perhaps raise the leg of the bed a bit.
Some days hubby doesn't move around enough. If he's on computer in mornings I say time to get up and walk through the house. Haven't pushed him hard enough to go on the bike which is in same room as computer.
Since his doctor didn't mention that feet, ankles, legs or hand swelling is a common issue with CKD, here is a list of common symptoms you can keep an eye out for :
We do keep a careful eye on urinating as to avoid a uti which is terrible for seniors and more so for PWP. Will keep an eye out for more, now!
His hematologist/oncologist checks his creatinine about every 3 to 4 months (has essential thrombocythemia which is a blood cancer disorder - high platelets). Hubby has a primary care visit with doc at the end of the month. Will chat with him to see if it's time to see nephrologist.
Be sure his vitamin D level is in the upper half of the reference range (30 - 100 ng/ml) to help keep his platelets lower in essential thrombocythemia :
' Vitamin D treatment lowered platelet counts. This may be beneficial in medical conditions such as essential thrombocythemia in which platelet counts are higher than normal, and may help decrease platelet counts. '
A couple of years ago hubby's Vit D was 90. Yes, 90. I'm lucky to get mine to 30. Anyhow, his primary care dr at the time said he could stop taking Vit D and was rather persuasive. We did stop the Vit D.
After a few more blood tests and his Vit D was down to 60 I had read it was beneficial to PWP. Put him back on and said nothing to doctor.
Art, you found something I didn't know - ET with Vit D. Thanks for the link. Hubby has a primary care dr appt (only had this dr for 1 year) at the end of the month and the next day he meets with his hematologist/oncologist.
Much appreciated. (We are in the process of applying for VA Compensation due to the ET (and possibly Parkinson's but he didn't have boots on the ground in Viet Nam as he was stationed in Germany). He was a radar technician and nuclear missile crewman which could have caused his ET. I delved into tons of information on the subjects of ET, radiation and ionizing radiation, met with our County who help Vets with the claim process, it's a 50/50 chance of getting compensation and benefits. Mostly interested in the benefits which would be durable medical equipment and home care and more (if needed). Fingers crossed.
The more recent studies are suggesting and confirming that higher dose vitamin D is not nearly as toxic as previously thought. If doctors have time to keep up on studies, they will be aware of this development. Unfortunately in today's medical system, doctors rarely have such a luxury as having extra time to keep up on studies. My current impression is that when you are actually trying to treat a health condition it may be helpful to go all the way up to the top of the reference range or even higher to obtain the best results. His 60 ng/ml would be in the bottom half of the reference range. I had a forum member tell me that her husband got his 25 OH d level up to 90 ng/ml and his doctor asked him to cut back on vitamin D, but gave no reason for doing so.
As far as ionizing radiation, look into melatonin. Here is a typical study on its effects in animals.
It offers similar effects in plant life. If your husband is intolerant of melatonin supplementation, he can increase his level naturally with earlier morning and later afternoon sun exposure when infrared levels from the sun are high and UV rays are lower.
Ah, letting my doctor off the hook! 😉 Thanks for the link on Melatonin and ionizing radiation. In the past my gyn would give me a strong RX for Vit D since my levels were like 25-28. Now they say just take otc stuff and try to get close to 30. My thoughts are we should have left hubby's level of Vit D at 90. Going to review his blood work and see exactly where the number lies.
We will be trying Melatonin after I finish reading all the info on this site ... want to make sure purchase the right brand, etc.
His uric acid levels are ok. He cannot take water pills (which a doc prescribed last year when his feet were in the condition they are currently in) and the water pills raised his uric acid levels to a 6 which doc said with a 6 could develop into gout so he had to stop the water pills even though the pill was working.
That is why I mentioned the NOW brand herbal diuretic product as an alternative. Prescription diuretics can cause kidney damage. Less chance of that with herbal products.
I had a foot problem that caused a bit of swelling in my right foot that likely had a fracture years ago (it was never xrayed then) but when it was xrayed there is a lot of arthritis. My practitioner told me to elevate my feet 30 minutes per day. Your feet could be on pillows but they need to be over the level of your heart and head. I guess she has seen some people lie on the floor and put their feet on a chair. Since I have been doing this daily I have no swelling in my foot.
Exactly. Feet have to be raised high. We have a wedge to put under hubby's legs which a physical therapist suggested last year. Actually, I don't think hubby has used in the last two weeks.
Vitamin B-1, also known as Thiamine, is the vitamin that helps your body digest carbs and makes new red blood cells. When you don't have enough B-1 in your diet, you can develop edema. Edema is a condition where your body swells with fluid. Vitamin B-1 deficiency can also cause pain in the lower legs and feet."
He's on the B1 protocol and was taking 3 capsules daily. Last week I increased to 4 capsules daily because he was hesitating at every threshold. Earlier this year I took him off the B1 for approximately 2 weeks and then restarted with 2 and increased to 3 until last week when I increased to 4 because he was having issues going over thresholds. The B1 has shown to ease this up.
By the way, his neurologist doesn't believe in the HB1 therapy. We do.
Two things cause my hubbies swollen feet: Amantadine and sedentary lifestyle combined with constipation. (This often happens after hospitalization and resolves with Miralax and movement, usually requiring a physical therapist)
Apparently it can also be from congestive heart failure so you should make sure he’s been checked for this. (Oh, you say his heart is good)
Yes, no issues with heart. No issues with leg veins or clots. No doctors seemed concerned with his foot swelling. But, when he's in pain like now, I have contacted them and they say no salt, walk, raise legs, and wear compression socks and state he has tired old legs.
He does have a sedentary lifestyle as walking is hard. Uses a walker and cane in the house. Outside when we walk to car he has a cane and I hold his hand. Like a cute old couple. We have a Ring camera by our garage which aims at the back door. When we look at the captured pics of us walking with our backs to the camera and we are walking slowly holding hands - well, its just so darn cute and romantic looking.
He does have constipation often. Always did. Along with terrible GERD. Not on Amantadine.
". . .no salt, walk, raise legs, and wear compression socks and state he has tired old legs."
It's the recipe, Linda. Blame PD and immobility, especially for older folks. Hubby's feet are pretty normal in the morning after keeping them elevated all night. When he gets up, If he moves around, the swelling keeps down, but if he doesn't move enough the swelling comes back. I use compression wraps his chiropractor ordered for him as the swelling is from the knee down. These wraps are the best that I have seen.
Doctors just give water pills (Lasix) any time they see swollen feet, NOT ALWAYS the answer! That's very bad for liver and kidneys.
Sorry for the delayed response. JUZO is the name of the wraps, however, you have to get the right size. Hubby had decompression therapy by a chiropractor specializing in Lymphedema treatments, She measured my husband's legs (diameter, length, etc.) and ordered the right size for my husband. Once you get the measurements, you can go on line and order new ones if the old ones wear out or get damaged.
Oh! Last August when hubby was in hospital for a UTI (which hit us by surprise because we know all the signs but there didn't seem to be any) they put him on Lasix and sort of overdid it - but the results were - NO swollen feet at all.
I have had swollen legs and feet for years. Swelling hurt, pushed against my skin from inside out causing angry painful bright red shins. Found relief by going through lymphatic drainage therapy. Twice weekly for 6 weeks, a certified LDT physical therapist massaged then wrapped my legs with compression wraps which I had to wear 24/7. The swelling has subsided and kept in check as long as I continue to wear compression stockings.
We had considered lymphatic drainage and discussed with doctor a year ago. He thought not ready for that treatment as of yet. If hubby has pain regularly in his feet, will keep this in mind.
Will definitely add to my running list of things to consider, try and/or try again.
I think sitting cuts off a bit of circulation to the legs. Walking pumps the fluid around. So even if he is resting he should be getting up and walking a few times an hour at least.
Getting a dog has encouraged my hubby to walk every day whereas before he would have thought it boring. I wouldn’t recommend a puppy tho! Too energetic so it might knock him over. Maybe an elderly rescue dog.
Hubby loves dogs. Every now and then we will see a dog and both say wouldn't that be a nice dog to take home. Then we think it over for 24 hours and each time come up with the same answer. Dog could have the possibility of getting underfoot. Dog would be my responsibility and that list I strive to keep from growing.
Oh yeah, dog definitely gets underfoot and ties us down but we love him. Hubby once said getting the dog is the best thing we ever did. I said, perhaps not the best thing. We have 3 children!
Yes, he absolutely some days does sit too long. I'm lucky to get him up and moving once an hour. Honey, time to get up and move. Ten minutes later, repeat. Then I may forget and that hour has passed by. At this point, I walk over to him and say Get Up and Walk. Then I go away so he doesn't rush and fall, but takes his time.
Today, hubby's feet have gone down a bit and they don't hurt. I read him all your responses. Told him we've discussed his edema of feet, CKD, ET, supplements and more.
I can't say enough about everyone at HU - the responses have been absolutely wonderful. The thoughts, research, consideration - my heart is beaming. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 😘
I don't think exercise will cause swollen feet; more likely too much salt or high blood pressure will cause swollen feet. Heart congestion can also cause swollen feet.
If it's due to exercise, maybe he is injuring his ankles from running. Less stress on the angles with walking, bicycling, or swimming might work better.
actually more likely from being inactive. he's in his 80's and a high fall risk. every hour I try and have him get up and walk around house (uses walker). has a stationary bike and goes on once a day for as long as he can muster. doctor ok'd giving him water pills every other day. we do for a few days and stop to be cautious about getting high uric acid levels which could lead to gout.
If damage from gout is causing the swelling, he needs to drink more water not less, to keep the uric acid from reaching saturation levels and forming uric acid crystals in his feet. Has he been diagnosed with gout, or is that just a precaution?
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Blame PD and immobility, especially for older folks. Hubby's feet are pretty normal in the morning after keeping them elevated all night. When he gets up, If he moves around, the swelling keeps down, but if he doesn't move enough the swelling comes back. I use compression wraps his chiropractor ordered for him as the swelling is from the knee down. These wraps are the best that I have seen.
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