Swollen feet – any advice?

I’ve been dealing with this for three days now... At first, I figured it was just the heat hitting me hard last night, but then I woke up this morning feeling like a total balloon. 😕

My foot and ankle are all swollen, and it seems like it's starting to creep up my calf too.
Calling myself a balloon might be a bit much, but the swelling is definitely there... my right leg looks significantly larger than my left.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? I'm just worried I'll have some kind of sudden heart attack while I'm halfway through cleaning the house and dusting...

I had swelling like that during my second pregnancy.
If I were you, I’d get it checked out. Could this be one of your first signs? 😁

LOL
Nah, pregnancy is definitely out of the question. (I can tell because... well...) 😁

Alright, folks, let's brainstorm. Does anyone remember anything at all that might cause swelling in the feet and legs? I'm just throwing ideas out there... maybe I'll stumble onto something. Honestly, I haven't got a clue, but clearly, things aren't going quite according to plan with God's design. 😁

I'm no medical expert, but I know my mom's legs started swelling up because of poor circulation... 🙄 🙂

Steelsailor17!
It’s possible this is nothing at all—really—but something about this whole situation keeps nagging at me... I can't shake the feeling that there might be other factors at play here. I don't want to alarm you, but honestly, it seems unlikely that these things are entirely unrelated. If you don't mind, you should probably head straight to the doctor and get some blood work and a urinalysis done immediately. Better to be proactive than to sit around wondering...

Look, you aren't going to scare me off, no matter what "might" happen. Seriously, just lay it all out there... tell me every single thing that crosses your mind as a potential reason.
Nothing’s going to knock me down that easily, and I'm not exactly shaking in my boots, it's just... I really hate being left completely in the dark when I don't have even a clue what's actually going on. 😁

If this doesn't clear up, I know I'll have to head back to my doctor next week to have them dig for the root cause, but it would honestly just be easier if I had a few ideas to work with beforehand... 🙂

Could be kidney issues—though you might just be overthinking the facial swelling too. Or maybe circulation? Like poor lymphatic drainage. Could be anything from your cycle to just the heat wave hitting hard. Hormones, some random inflammation in the abdomen... How are your groin and behind-the-knee lymph nodes feeling? Maybe early signs of a blood clot?

Are your feet actually hurting, or is it just the swelling?

Honestly, could just be dilated veins, low blood pressure, and this damn heat.😉

Jack Harris3,

First off, clarify whether you're looking for advice from a medical doctor or a veterinarian... I mean, we're talking about a dog here, after all. 😁

Now, jokes aside—are there any other symptoms? Are you feeling pain in your legs? How is your mobility when using stairs?

Kidney issues are a possibility, but if that were the case, you should be noticing decreased urination, and the swelling would likely appear in other areas, not just the legs...

I assume your heart is perfectly healthy? ... Also, can you sleep flat on your back at night, or do you find it difficult to breathe in that position? If you're even half as eloquent in real life as you are on this forum, then forget it... you'd be gasping for air mid-sentence. 😉

Is the pain centered in the ankles? Or perhaps the small joints in the hands?
Just a stupid question—if they were actually hurting, you wouldn't be able to type. 😁

There is a chance it's venous insufficiency, in which case the edema becomes much more pronounced during heatwaves. However, venous thrombosis is also a possibility, especially if one leg looks thicker than the other, or if there's pain when you extend your toes... how does that sound?

Nothing really hurts, and everything else seems totally fine. My face isn't puffy or anything, nothing is swollen elsewhere, I can't feel any lumps, and my blood pressure stays low.
I don't have varicose veins, at least nothing visible on my legs, thighs, or wherever they usually show up. 😁
No other weird signs anywhere... just swollen feet throughout the day and thicker calves. They looked perfectly normal when I woke up this morning.

A blood clot might actually make sense in my case... I smoke like a Turk, and I've always been pretty bad about drinking enough water, though I've tried to drink more lately... Maybe something thickened up or some little vessel got blocked.
Does anyone know what other symptoms I should be looking out for?

granitebadger25, give me whatever you've got. It could be a doctor, a vet, or even some old-school folk healer, I honestly don't care. 😁

P.S. I'm not on any pills. I smoke way too much to ever consider something that might make my breasts grow... 😁

I figured it was just the combination of my meds and smoking. (Andrew Anderson6, thanks for that advice earlier!😉 ).
Now, it only happens occasionally when I’ve been sitting on a high stool for too long (cuts off my circulation a bit).

Jack Harris3, go see a doctor right away... I don't think it's the kidneys; it's gotta be something else (I have a few cases in my family, so I know how this looks).

Jack Harris3 said:Thrombosis might actually make sense for me... I smoke like a Turk, and I've always been pretty bad about drinking water, though I've started drinking more lately... Maybe something coagulated or some little vessel got blocked.
Do you have any idea what other symptoms might look like?

Well, if you’re smoking and taking birth control, the odds are pretty high.

There is something called Homan's sign, but it isn't particularly reliable. Even if it comes back negative, it doesn't mean you're definitely in the clear regarding thrombosis.

Try putting your legs in a horizontal position, keeping your knees straight, and then flex your foot toward you as far as it goes, then point it away—like a ballerina. You might feel pain right where the vein is blocked; you can even point to it with a finger. You can get a similar result by shifting your weight between your heels and your toes. Homan's sign is okay for home use, but it's very insensitive, so I would still advise seeing a doctor.

Edit: I see now that you aren't on birth control, fine... but are you wearing compression stockings?

Jack Harris3 said:Thrombosis might actually make sense for me... I smoke like a Turk and I've always been pretty bad about staying hydrated—only started drinking more water recently. Maybe something just clotted up or a little vessel got blocked.
Anyone know what other symptoms to look out for?

Could be... Are you getting cramps in your calves (or even your feet), especially at night? ???

And, Pesica; if you suspect it might be a blood clot, go see a doctor RIGHT NOW; don't wait until next week.

To be fair, it's not all doom and gloom—I deal with the same stuff during the summer heatwaves. It's all been checked out and I'm mostly fine, except for my blood pressure which sits around 80/60 (whenever they actually manage to catch a reading)

I’m in total agreement with Blondie here.

Any suspicion of a blood clot (even if you get a negative result on the Homan's test 😉) is reason enough to contact your doctor IMMEDIATELY... don't mess around with this kind of thing.

P.S. What is going on with the women on this forum lately? Magic is sick, Jack Harris3 has swelling, ... 😕

Andrew Anderson6 said:It could be... Have you ever dealt with leg cramps (or even foot cramps) especially during the night???

My legs. It’s happened twice before, maybe five years apart. The last time was just a few months ago, but someone told me it was probably just a magnesium deficiency, so I didn't really think much of it. 😁

Oh man, don't tell me to go see a doctor! I am terrified of doctors. 😲

I'm not questioning the core issue or anything since I don't have any other symptoms or complaints (though clearly something isn't quite right), but I figured I'd ask you guys because you all know way more than I do... and honestly, blood clots seem like the most logical explanation for what's happening.

I just tried that thing with stretching my legs out. No pain at all, just that feeling of my calf and thigh muscles tightening up... which makes sense since I'm just a lazy pig who never gets any exercise.

I just thought about this P.S. part a second ago. 😁 Forget this forum and bad luck, if there really is something wrong with me, I'm just gonna log off! 🙄😁

Huhhhhhhh; honestly, I’d rather not even touch this subject—but maybe you should just get it checked out by a doctor.

It could be something else entirely 😢 (fingers crossed I'm totally off base here, and please feel free to set me straight if any medical pros are reading this): with heart failure or one side of the heart struggling—I think it's the left, but who knows—you can get that symmetrical swelling in both ankles.

Hope I am wrong...

Jack Harris3 said:Oh, please, don't drag a doctor into this! I'm terrified of doctors. 😲

Give me a break. So you're scared of one kind of doctor 😁 but perfectly fine with a veterinarian?

Look, maybe it’s nothing serious (by the way, with venous insufficiency, the veins don't necessarily have to be visibly swollen right away, at least not initially), but it would still be wise to have a specialist take a look just so you can stop worrying. 🙂

Andrew Anderson6 said:Huhhhhhhh; I’d honestly rather not even write this; but maybe you should just go see a doctor. Look—if it were a blood clot, you’d likely have issues with just one leg, not both symmetrically.

Hmm, true... unless it's bilateral thrombosis, I guess.
And Pesica says one leg is slightly more swollen than the other.

Don't be an idiot, Jack Harris3, just get to a doctor... don't worry, we'll make sure to throw you a little celebration over at ZK once you're better. 😉

Jack Harris3 said:This could potentially be something else 😢 (ugh, I really hope not...) and please correct me if I'm wrong, medical folks: when you have heart failure on one side—I think it’s the left side, but I can't be totally sure—it can cause symmetrical swelling in the ankles... I also think people tend to notice they're getting up to pee more often at night.

Frequent urination is pretty standard, nothing out of the ordinary, and the swelling isn't actually symmetrical. It's both legs, sure, but the right one is clearly more swollen than the left.
And honestly, just a little while ago, I was thinking it would almost make sense for only the affected side to swell if it were thrombosis.
Ugh, I just hate dealing with illnesses and all this stuff... I've never really been someone who cared much about medical topics or anything like that. 😢

allegra said:Jack Harris3, quit messing around and just go see a doctor... seriously, don't worry, we'll make sure you get a custom suit tailored just for you on Fifth Avenue 😉

I'm heading in next week if things don't improve. I promise.
And hey, if they end up locking me up somewhere, I'm bringing my laptop along. 😁

Jack Harris3 said:Come on now, it’s okay if you have something to be afraid of... 😁 but you aren't even worried about the vet, right?

It isn't fear—it's just total panic! 😁
Doctors and actual illnesses are pretty much the only things that make me lose my cool... really nothing else does.
Actually, wait... even bugs get to me... 😁

P.S. Someone just told me that if it's thrombosis, the clot could actually travel up... I'll probably be sleeping standing up tonight just to make things easier for him.