Feet and legs swelling

[Ladybug]

I hope I am putting this on the right thread.  I have PAH (Pulmonary Atrial Hypertension) diagnosed in 2013.  So far I have been doing good and I am on min meds.  Of course I am on fluid pills , Lasix 20 mg, and Spironolactone 20 mg.  9 mounts ago I got up to 145 lbs, when they put me on the 2nd fluid pill I got back down to my normal weight of 134.  I am climbing again, this morning I was 140 from 137 and I can feel my legs and feet swelling as I sit here (I am proping them up as I type) u can almost feel the feet and legs growing or fill with fluid - awful feeling. I have contact my 2 doctors but no call back yet

3 questions i have:
(1). Does anyone here have PAH
(2) any suggestions on how to reduce fluid.  I know limit my liquids - I am going to try that today
(3) does pain meds (don’t know if I can say the kind) cause fluid retention ?

I appreciate all of u and the help I have received from u very smart people

[Linville]

Ladybug
I am sorry to hear you are having this troubles

I never heard of P K ‘s causing fluid retention

But I’m not sure with holding normal fluids for hydration is best way to try and control it

Hmmmm

[MrGrruumm]

Hey there

I don't have PAH, and I've never heard anyone mention pain meds causing fluid retention, but I'm currently on Spironolactone @ 25mg in tandem with Furosemide @ 40mg. I can honestly say it's a real damn struggle managing fluid retention so I can certainly sympathise with you. I'm limited to a max of 1.5litres fluid intake per 24hrs which has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to try and live with day-to-day, it's just really not much fun being desperately thirsty all day every single day :'( oh and Spironolactone commonly causes breast enlargement in males when taken for long periods, so thats awesome too right? :

Anyways, for me, spreading out my 1.5litres through the day is key, keeping a complete food&drink diary helps with this tremendously since things like soup or milk in my cereal also need to be accounted for in that 1.5litres. Also, try and stay the hell away from salt (and ham/biscuits/cakes/anything processed really these days), which you are probably already doing because of the hypertension but even just small amounts make me noticeably retain more fluid than usual and of course makes me thirsty too :'( yay :p 

Lastly, I've always been a gamer at heart, and long periods of being stationary whether standing or sitting or anywhere in between can be really bad for my legs swelling up, so as well as taking loads of little stretching breaks I also bought one of those mini-cycle things for under my desk to keep my legs moving while sitting at my pc. Not entirely sure if its just a placebo effect since my regular doctor actually laughed when I told her about it, but I saw there's one in every room when I was admitted to the transplant assessment centre after I had a teensy tiny little bit of a heart attack last year  

Oh yeah I just remembered, in the evenings at home I usually have ice instead of an actual drink, sucking an ice cube or flavored ice pop/pole thingy is great for keeping the amount of fluid intake down

[Linville]

Good post

Full of info and humor along with it
Made me chuckle a few times

But
Darn side effects

[Ladybug]

Thanks to both of you. Good inf mr GRRUUMM (not really I bet) Is Furosemide a fluid med too - i will google. I dont have high blood pressure actually low 100/48 (as i sit in the ER) dr sent me here to get blood tests make sure not my kidneys ugh 3 hrs and i think they forgot me .

PAH is Pulmonary Atrial Hypertension which in simple terms is high pressure in the artery that goes from lung to heart . It is chronic and i am blessed because mine was discovered early and I am on a uncomplicated med (used for blood pressure NORVAS ) up until the last 8-10 yrs they only had 1 or 2 meds, now they have 14 - anyway people reading this might want to look it up because many times it is misdiagnosed as asthma and by time they test for PAH it is bad. Anyway fluid retention is one of the side effects. Asthma and PAH have a lot of same symptoms -SOB,etc
Beginning about 6 months ago I had to start using oxygen at night. Other than fluid and oxygen at night oxygen i am good. Got to go dr said kidney function great now after 3.5 hrs I can go home

[Caver]

Well kidney function is good when was your last Echo of your heart? You could be having problems with it enlarging or a subtle problem with the valves or your pulmonary artery pressure may have increased warranting another medication to control it. PAH puts a lot of strain on the heart.

[Ladybug]

Yes, u are righU seem to be familiar with PAH. Does someone u know hve it? I imagine a echo is the next step when my Pulmonary Dr gets back. I have one every 6 months. They indicated last time it might be time for another Rt hear cath since my last was about 18 mo ago.

[Caver]

My mother does and the doctors are unwilling to treat it due to her age. Looking back in time I can see the symptoms and just didn't know what it was at the time. She has been severely mismanaged medically her whole life.

[Ladybug]

Sorry to hear that. Medical issues get to be more troublesome as u get older. I

[Raven]

Hello Ladybug:

I'm hypertensive, but I don't have PAH. Swelling in the ankles and feet is a classic indicator of strain on your kidneys. This condition is typically related to heart disease, and may possibly be related to your PAH. It sounds like you have already had a recent blood test and that is what I would have recommended for starters since it will be important for you to assess your kidney function relative to your existing condition(s).

Hopefully, you get some good numbers back on your blood test and your Doc recommends more activity (i.e. walking ...) as therapy to reduce the swelling.

Stay positive Ladybug. I too experience swelling in my right leg / ankle everyday, but for completely different reasons. I broke my right leg (tibula / fibula) badly in a skiing accident when I was 25 years old and the daily swelling never went away. I again broke the same ankle when I was 50 years old while walking my dog in the ice and snow and I'm convinced that my right leg / ankle will never stop swelling daily until the day I die.

I Wish You the Best of Luck
Raven