like this for a while now. has anyone else experienced this 
hi all. another quick question, my left foot and ankl... - NRAS
hi all. another quick question, my left foot and ankle, not sure if its my leg as well has gone twice the size of my other foot. it has been
Written by
jaqi1
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
6 Replies
•
One sided swelling like that in your legs can be a sign of a deep vein thrombosis (clot), which needs to be ruled out superquick. If it is that, then you run the risk of the clot breaking up and travelling to lungs or brain. Can you phone an emergency advice line for their assessment on it? If it was me, I'd be calling NHS24 and see what they say, as definitely better to be safe than sorry. Mum has had this happen a couple of times now, and on one occasion did leave it for a week or so before she went to the doctor - she was very lucky it didn't cause more problems.
Just to add to what Earthwitch has said, whilst this could be a flare up from your RA, it is probably best to seek medical advice, just in case it's something more serious, such as the DVT that Earthwitch has mentioned. If it is a flare, but has been going on for some time, you have need to contact your rheumatology team to discuss the possibility of a steroid injection to relieve the swelling, so worth getting it checked out either way.
Kind regards
Victoria
(NRAS Helpline)
Hi Jaqi, I would get a lot of swelling in ankles but it would be both together, maybe one would be a little bigger than the other but it would be minimal. Earthwich has good advice when she says to phone and get some medical advice. Hope you feel better tonight
Hi, my left ankle and foot is swollen and my right is fine although I suffer with more pain in my right ankle. I had a number of blood clots in my left leg 2 years ago which damaged the veins and blood flow, it has however throughout our warm summer got larger! I saw rheumy nurse 2 weeks ago and she said that I had a " double whammy" in that my veins are damaged and also swollen with Rheumatoid. I have been prescribed compression stockings but due to no strength in my hands I struggle to put them on unless husband is about and will confess that in the heat I have tended not to put them on so much as uncomfortable. I would get it checked out and then you will not worry. I am also worried about winter shoes as at present in adidas fit foams! and I am sure you are feeling similar, I am off to get my left hotter professionally stretched! Bev x
One swollen foot/ankle/lower calf was my first RA symptom, but the very first thing the GP did was to get me checked out for DVT. I went straight to A&E with a letter, I didn't have to wait with the other emergencies but was taken to the ward area where they were lovely. It didn't take too long to be reviewed by a Doctor, then I had an ultrasound of my calf where it was obvious there was no clot. I went through that process twice before someone started talking about seeing the rheumatology team, and the rest is history.
I still have one ankle more swollen than the other, so they've told me the symptoms of DVT to look out for.
My left ankle has always had the tendency to swell and be much bigger than the other so don't panic as this can be part and parcel of the RA in flare. When my knees are big with flare/fluid etc the left ankle will join in and gets "pooling" round it .... An excess of puffiness/fluid. It subsides when under good control wither from the meds or if I have had a steroid injection. I bought wide shoes for a recent wedding for the fat ankle, then was told I could have my knee injected and then my ankle came right down so I ended up wearing some other shoes!!! 
Still, happy the ankle is down. xx
