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Legs and Feeting Swelling
Hi B. & Daniel,
Mum is on furosemide for up to two years to reduce water in her legs and feet. I think, it’s causing more issues but we’re keeping being told to increase the dosage, but not helping. Also, encountering dry mouth.
Is this a lymph issue? When I press her legs with my thumb, the skin comes back slowly.
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8 Replies
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Hey ,
Usually, water retention can happen because of various reasons. Sometimes it is just as simple as that a person doesn’t move enough, since lymph fluid moves in the body through body movement. But a lack of movement can also cause slower blood flow in the veins in the arms and legs since blood in these parts isn’t only dependent on the heart pump function.
Other problems that could cause water retention are kidney issues, liver cirrhosis, heart problems use of medications and hormonal changes.
How old is your mother? Perhaps you could share more about your mother’s health (including other current medications she might be using) to narrow things down.
Assessing pictures only without context can cause misinformation. Perhaps you know if her doctor diagnosed her with venous insufficiency? Or something else?
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Hi Daniel,
Thank you.
Mum will be 78 next month
Type 2 diabetes
Hypertension
CKD3
Heart failure patient
Gastritis,
Osteoarthritis and Osteopaenia
Constipated[901685ec-832b-4546-ab01-dd585ee992c1.jpeg]
[476af06f-e92c-4969-83c9-ece8c5a25964.jpeg]
[31b13697-8941-4339-aac2-8097a2ccb58d.jpeg] -
Unfortunately, her mobility is very limited due to the pain and relies on a zimmer frame or tri wheel walker
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blood sugar and constipation. Start there!
Would your mom watch the Blood Sugar Regulation course? This is foundational and so much will improve if she can start by improving her diet, which I share in that course. If she doesn’t have the attention span, then perhaps you can share the following short videos with her:
• What is the best diet?
• Carb hacks to reduce glucose spikes
• Dietary Guidelines & Sample Daily Meal PlanAnd she needs to prioritize the constipation – even if it’s with rapid relief solutions like Bowel Mover by Cellcore, manual “I-Love-U” massages, and topical castor oil packs for example.
As Daniel mentioned, swelling happens when there is lymph congestion and electrolyte imbalances. The congestion will be made worse if she can’t excrete the toxins due to constipation.
So prioritize that for her, get her moving daily (walking – start slow and build up gradually daily), and work on her diet. So much will begin to improve – diabetes is harsh on all blood vessels and it causes a lot of oxidative stress/damage.
She’s lucky to have you looking out for her.
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Just to be sure: on the images with the list of medications you posted, she only uses Furosemide?
As Bernadette mentioned, getting her to move more and addressing her insulin resistance can help her reduce stress on the veins and heart. In this case, relatively easy advice (walking more, reducing sugar/carbs, etc) can already impact her health a lot.
Adding in some practical advice to address constipation:
• Eat plant foods. Make sure she gets enough fibre
• Physical inactivity can also contribute to constipation
• Healthy fats like Extra Virgin Olive Oil and avocado can improve gut motility as well.
• Drink enough water (but this one should be consulted with her doctor because she is in the third stage of Chronic Kidney Disease and uses perhaps medications on which drinking too much can be contraindicated). Water is also important for gut motility.
• Be aware that magnesium supplements that are often recommended for constipation are not good advice because this can tax her kidneys.Good luck!
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Hi Daniel,
She’s been taking Magnesium Glycinate for her cramps and anxiety.
For constipation, she takes both Laxido (prescribed by her GP) and prunes.
This is Laxido; Laxido Orange 20 – ExpressChemist.co.uk – Buy Online.She’s not tried Magnesium Citrate. Can she take both Magnesium Glycinate and Citrate? How many scoops of the Citrate and when please?
Water – Due to renal function being 26, and the swelling, heart failure team have restricted her water intake to 1.5l.
The medication on the three white slips are mum’s current medications.
Thank you for the above healthy recommendations. I’ll get her to try and B. get her to watch the videos. Walking is a big challenge.
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Hey ,
When I formulated the first version of my answer in my enthusiasm I recommended magnesium citrate since I was focused on writing tips that address constipation. I corrected this response quite fast, but for some reason, you still have read the older version.
With CKD-3, magnesium taxes the kidneys and it is important to stop supplementing. The best recommendation here is to avoid magnesium supplements unless her doctor advises her otherwise.
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I’ll stop the glycinate. Thanks for letting me know Daniel.
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