Legs swelling, pitting edema or lymphedema
 

Has anyone had success with medication or theropy to help with leg swelling. I've had RSD 17 years with short bouts of swelling before, but this time it won't stop getting worst. Press down on the swelling and the pressed imprint stays for several minutes.

One doctor mentioned #50 compression for the legs... Off to a lymphedema clinic on Monday.

Hi Poko, I have done massage for lymph edema. Not all therapists know how to do it. But a good one knows where to starts and work in the right direction. I have lymph edema in arm pits and work on it dailey. It's the pits and hurts.Reminds me I needs to make appointment for my feet. Hope this helps, your friend, loretta:grouphug:

The clinic where I had a consultation required that you wear compression stockings between treatments, and I can barely tolerate a sock. (So much for the lymph specialist.) I'm now back in PT for the time being and am being given tips on how to pull the fluid out myself, essentially using a gel or lotion and stroking/pulling at all times up and away from the feet and the effected part of the legs.

And an obvious point: the closer we can get to a salt free diet the better off we are.

Finally, I had good luck with diuretics for a couple of years, until I realized that I was dependent upon having taken a Lasix within the last six hours in order to urinate. At which point I was referred to a nephrologist, who explained that even though I understood the mechanism of the edema (neurogenic vasodilation) what I didn't understand that there was twice the volume of interstitial fluid in and around the muscles of the body as there was blood in the system, but that diuretics only work indirectly, by reducing the blood supply that feeds the interstitial fluid. As a result, for every liter of fluid I wanted to get rid of in my legs, I had to part with two liters of blood. Not a good long-term plan for the health of the kidneys.

I hope this is helpful. Good Luck!

Mike