Needing help or advice Dr's wont help...

[Christina8774]

Hello everyone

I have swelling in my legs really bad its been going on for 20+ yrs I work 12hrs in a factory on my feet or on a forklift. I've doen everything drs say to do I have been on water pills dont pee yes I drink plunty of water. Ive done compression hoe turns my legs purple i have no feeling in them. I cant wear blue jeans legs are ro tight cant fit socks or shoes. Drs have done tests everything is good so they blame my weight and I rell them how can i lose my weifht if i cant walk let alone wear socks or shoes fix the swelling and I will lose the weight. Im tired of drs slaping my ass and sending me home and telling me to lose weight if i cant fit socks shoes or pee how can i lose weight thats what i tell them or i ask wheredid you get your medical licions at.

this is so depressing im shutting people out and wanting just just end my life. I cant work when i do go to work im in pain I try to stay at work but cant cause im in so much pain. I cant do this anymore some one needs to figure something out or put me on disabilty or put me out of my misurary. Please help i need answers

[Lynora]

Where are you based Christina, so we can try and find expertise in your area.

Are both your legs swollen? Feet? Toes? Did the swelling appear suddenly following illness, or gradually develop over months? Are the tops of your arms affected by swelling?

[2198224]

Hi Christina8774. I am new to lymphedema and see it spreading from legs to abdomen and more. What I can do to decrease swelling is hampered by the fact I also have a stoma that i don't want to put into a compression garment. So I certainly wish and pray that you can get better answers than you have had to date. One thing is there are lymphedema therapists who can give you help with learning to do manual lymph drainage. I was told that this is not like the better known edema which is only water. Lymph edema contains protein and bacteria. When you take a water pill, you may get rid of water, but the proteins hold on even harder, so we have to do manual lymph drainage. Do you have access to a certified lymph edema therapist? Google to find one in your area. Even out in the boonies of the mountain west USA I found one. You can too. I send you tender thoughts and prayers that you can overcome this. ~mk

[GabbiD]

Hi Christina- I know how frustrating this can be. I also carry extra weight, and before I found help with my lymph edema, I also had pain and swelling in my legs and feet. It can get depressing. But let Lynora help you find somene in your area. I am in the US and since I have been compliant with manual massage and compression garments my legs feel great.

And mk is right, my lymphedema speciaslist said diruetics mke it harder to reduce the lymp fluid, because it gets thicker without the water in your body.

Good luck and take heart. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is just a bump in the road. Keep us updated....but dont give up. ❤

[Chocolate-e-clare]

Hi Christina. I am so sorry to hear that you are having so many issues and doctors just tell you to lose weight. It sounds like you need a team of people to help you on your mission - a caring lymphedema clinic/therapist, a caring doctor, a caring dietitian, a caring exercise coach, etc etc. It is really tough to sort out all these issues on your own. Pull in as many powerful, positive and caring people as you can. When my husband was getting very ill with his diabetes, I called in dietitian, exercise physiologist, great endocrinologist and GP - and me! With this team, he made great strides in improving his health. Without this support, it would not have been possible. For me, adding in a psychologist when the depression was hitting home was essential too. You can do many things to improve your condition - but it takes great motivation, patience and self-love. And, of course, money. Invest in yourself - you are worth it! It ain't easy, but you are worth it. My sister-in-law has been 150+ pounds overweight for many many years - she has finally had gastric surgery in an effort to maintain her mobility (she is 50) and I hear that she has lost 50 pounds rapidly - this was not an easy decision for her, but it will be life changing. Everyone has different issues and needs. Please pull in as much support as possible - and stay away from people who tell you what to do but don't offer support (or only give you negative information). I hope my rant has been somewhat helpful. Hugs xo.

[DeadfootMo]

It's a vicious circle. I have suffered with swollen feet and legs now for at least 6 years now. And like you Christina, I was told to lose weight, join a gym and go on a Low GI Diet or mediterranean diet. I can't wear compression as the act of getting it on, is enough to give me an asthma attach or COPD spasm. Not very nice being told to wear compression for 23 hours out of 24. As again they cause my feet to go almost numb apart from serious pins and needles and additional red lines or cracks which if they get dry can become itchy. In a matter of 90 minutes - 2 hours which is the length of time I wore them when the nurse put them on me. Only for me to be screaming in agony as a friend tried to get them off for me. So I now put up with it and tend to hope that at the end of everyday of teaching that the pain is not so bad, but sometimes it is chronic pain and this makes travelling home using public transport problematical. Especially stairs at train stations. So for years I have felt fed up by the lack of a proper treatment and then when treatment is offered my condition has gone from being possibly curable to none curable and worse. I am lucky I am still mobile but there are jobs at home I would not contemplate now, Such as decorating and painting the ceiling or putting belongings onto the top shelf in my cupboards nor the bottom shelf as bending and getting down on the floor is a real struggle to get up from now with my knees and feet being so swollen. Proper treatment I feel would be physio at start of the week, an affordable session in a gym thrice a week after work and finally a proper massage at affordable rates at weekends. Re drugs my doctors have refused to give me water tablets as he says they are addictive and turn you into an incontinent mess. So other than trying to stay active I know of nothing else I can do to improve.