Leg Swelling & Pain: Any advice?

Hey ladies,

Does anyone else deal with swollen, aching legs during these summer months? Especially when this heatwave hits.

Every day I come home with my legs feeling completely bloated—it’s miserable. My only fix is alternating lukewarm and cold water from the knees down in the shower. That's the only thing that helps.

If you're struggling too, what are you doing to manage the pain? It gets especially brutal right when you finally lie down for the night.

James Cox6 said:Hey ladies,

Does anyone else deal with swollen, aching legs during these summer months? Especially when this heatwave hits.

Every day I come home with my legs feeling completely bloated—it’s miserable. My only fix is alternating lukewarm and cold water from the knees down in the shower. That's the only thing that helps.

If you're struggling too, what are you doing to manage the pain? It gets especially brutal right when you finally lie down for the night.

Putting two pillows under my legs
Just like you, I find cold showers
help a lot! I also use a massage gel morning and night.
Whenever I can find the energy, I hop on my standing massage plate—it’s honestly a lifesaver, 👍 though I have to admit I can be a bit lazy sometimes!
A few years back, I tried some herbal supplements and they worked wonders, but after a year, they just weren't agreeing with my stomach anymore.
Nowadays, I take some herbal diuretics to help with fluid retention, and I think they're actually helping.

It seems like I've dealt with this forever.
Even back when I was 14 and weighed about 110 pounds, it was always there.

edit:
Also, whenever I manage to stay away from all those grain-based products, I feel so much better!🤷

Yeah... they say as those first seven digits of your Social Security number go up, so does the leg pain... 😂

Honestly, I felt the exact same way back in middle school 😢
it didn't matter if someone was young or old, skinny or curvy, it was all the same to me

hm. I guess you could call this women's health:S?

Charles Thomas70 said:hm. I guess you could call this women's health:S?

Look... women's legs? Where else would it go?

Hold on until you've actually gone through childbirth, Charles Thomas70... then you'll see the real difference in how veins look on women versus men during the summer...😂

My legs swell up like crazy every single evening. I went to see my doctor, but she was stumped. She basically told me she doesn't know what's causing it and suggested I follow up with an endocrinologist, but I can't get an appointment until September. 😢

What actually causes swelling like this? Should I be worried?
James Cox6, what's causing yours to swell?

They just puff up, they swell. 🤣

Alex Hall4 said:My legs swell up like crazy every single evening. I went to see my doctor, but she was stumped. She basically told me she doesn't know what's causing it and suggested I follow up with an endocrinologist, but I can't get an appointment until September. 😢

What actually causes swelling like this? Should I be worried?
James Cox6, what's causing yours to swell?

They just puff up, they swell. 🤣

It’s probably just the heat...

Have you noticed if it gets worse when the temperature spikes?

That sounds like deep vein issues—they tend to dilate in the heat.

Dammit. 😁

Is there really nothing I can do to stop this?

Alex Hall4 said:Dammit. 😁

Is there really nothing I can do to stop this?

Try this... at night, rinse your legs alternating between lukewarm and cool water. (Don't go extreme with hot and ice cold—you'll just burst capillaries and create an even bigger mess.)

Then prop them up on a pillow.

That's about all I know.

Now, does anyone else in this massive crowd here actually use any specific creams, gels, or whatever?

I haven't a clue. 🤷

I forgot to mention that it’s my feet that are swelling, not my legs. 😁

I try to sleep with my legs propped up, but it doesn't seem to help much. By the time I wake up in the morning, my feet look relatively normal, but by the evening, they feel like I'm wearing heavy boats instead of feet. 🙂 🙂

Are you dealing with any tingling sensations or a dull sort of ache?

Alex Hall4 said:I forgot to mention that it’s my feet that are swelling, not my legs. 😁

I try to sleep with my legs propped up, but it doesn't seem to help much. By the time I wake up in the morning, my feet look relatively normal, but by the evening, they feel like I'm wearing heavy boats instead of feet. 🙂 🙂

Are you dealing with any tingling sensations or a dull sort of ache?

Tingling on the outside and pain in my calves.

That’s just poor circulation—likely deep vein thrombosis.

Alright. 😢

Now we’re just waiting on some suggestions from the rest of the group for a good cream. 🙂 😁

I've heard people say horse chestnut actually helps...

Heparin, Heparin Gel, various circulation creams... you can find them all at CVS. Just massage it lightly from the bottom up. You don't even need a prescription, though they run you about $17. That's what I use. It's nothing special, I guess... but people say it works. Maybe it hits those deep spots you can't see 🙂

Alex Hall4 said:Alright. 😢

Now we’re just waiting on some suggestions from the rest of the group for a good cream. 🙂 😁

Honestly, you can find them at any CVS or Walgreens you want!
The only downside is that some of them stay sticky for hours—ugh! :fuj:

Personally, I feel like the massage itself does more heavy lifting than the actual creams. So, I just grab a gel and have a little fun with it! 🙄
I've got some Neutrogena stuff right now, and I'm dying to get up and go check out that other thing I mentioned. 😁
I'm happy with this one; it spreads really smoothly, has a nice cooling effect, and my skin feels great afterward.

Yeah, James Cox6, horse chestnut is actually super helpful.
It's like an old-school home remedy—people used to carry a piece in their pocket everywhere! I even tried it once when someone gave me some serious advice about it. 🤣
I mean, it might work, but where am I supposed to carry around a bunch of chestnuts all day?

Anyway, this is what I was drinking.

Heparin creams aren't actually necessary for women experiencing leg swelling during pregnancy, if that was the implication; they are intended for individuals dealing with chronic conditions
...

Honestly, those heparin creams and gels are pretty much useless, unless you count the fact that you get a nice little massage out of applying them, which I guess we all kind of enjoy... As far as whether that heparin actually does anything on the surface or deep down—🙂

Come on, let's make up our minds—is this actually worth it or not? 😬

Based on my own experience, I’m right there with Scott Allen10 on this one.