Several weeks back, after some vitamin c infusions, but not necessarily connected to the vitamin c of fusions, I noticed that my left foot was swollen. Both the foot and the ankle itself were puffy. When I pushed on the swollen part it does not leave an indention. It stays white for a brief moment and goes back to its former shape.
I mentioned it to my nurse. She did not seem to concerned. I mentioned it to my doctor. He said it should not be a big deal because when I press it it does not leave an indent. he suspected it would go away and maybe it had something to do with the infusion.
The swelling reduced after a week. Maybe a week later my foot was full and again. The top above my toes and all around the ankle and halfway up my calf are unusually swollen. Again I brought it up with the nurse and the doctor.
the second nurse I brought it up with said that it could possibly be a problem but she did not seem concerned. She said there was a possibility that there was some pressure building up higher up my leg and possibly in my abdomen or chest that was contributing to the swelling. She offered no other input and I asked her to shirt with the hospice doctor.
Again I felt like I was blown off. Initially I agreed with them. I thought maybe it had something to do with infusion or just being on my feet a little more than usual.
However, now it seems to be staying swollen. Generally I could expect it to reduce in size after about a day or two. A couple days ago it started to swell and continued to get more and more swollen. Again I have brought it up with the doctor and the nurse and they do not seem extraordinarily concerned. Granted, they've only just looked at it and that's as far as they've gone. They seem to shrug it off.
Today it is far more swollen than it has been in a while and now my right foot is also starting to swell up a little bit. Normally I am a very bony footed person. you can see every bone in my foot and my ankles are prominent. I now have a cankle. A very large cankle compared to my typical leg and foot. I realized that when doctors and nurses deal with other patients they are often skewed in their perspective in that another patient might have a severely hugely swollen foot and I hesitate to necessarily accept what they are saying in regards to my foot because yes, if you compare it to somebody with hugely swollen feet then mine does not look so bad. But this is way out of the norm for me. Compared to my normal situation, the swelling is significant.
And the fact that it is now ongoing where before it was intermittent and the fact that it is now also happening in my right foot makes me highly annoyed that I am being blown off by the doctors and nurses. When I had a major issue with my heart and brought brought all of my symptoms to nurses and doctors repeatedly, I was repeatedly ignored until it became so bad that I ended up in an ambulance. And yes it turned out to be a big deal not a little one. Score one for me and a big fat 
for the medical team at this point. When I was complaining of breathing problems and what I felt like was fluid in my chest I was constantly dismissed with sweet smiles and comforting gestures but no actual action. Even as I went in to have the fluid drawn off- which, by the way, only happened because I insisted on going to the ER and at the time I did not communicate to them that I was taking chemotherapy right away. I waited till after they took the tests.
As it turned out the fluid buildup in my lung was quite serious and ended up resulting in two surgeries.
I won't even tell you all my other experiences like this but at the moment, I'd really like some input on what you all think might be the culprit behind this swollen foot phenomena and do you have any suggestions about how I might address this with the doctor to get someone to take me seriously?
But a background, I was on chemotherapy for two and a half years and stopped all treatment this summer. As of October I went into hospice . I am dealing with stage 4 ovarian clear cell carcinoma cancer. The growths are in my abdomen and lung area.
Have any of you had a situation similar to mine and what was your experience with it and how is it treated? I would kind of like to know why this is happening and not just take a medication to reduce the symptoms. While I am on hospice, I have made it very clear to my hospice team that my goal is to stay alive as long as possible within reason as comfortably as possible. If something can be addressed to promote my comfort and extend my life without further damage to my body outside of actual treatment of the cancer, I would really like to make sure that I get the help I need.
Thank you for all your input and help. I hope you enjoyed your holidays.
're Swollen stomach,
Swollen Tummy
Pin Cushion 
