Questions about edema and general preparedness

[LisaS67 1]

Hello,
I’m having a fair amount of difficulty with edema. I’m on two diuretics, twice a day, and still have pitting in my legs up to both knees. I know I would feel much more comfortable if I could get rid of some more Fluid, and it would probably put me in a better place prior to surgery. Does anyone know of any good, safe home remedies that might help with this?
Also, for those of you who’ve already had the surgery, what kinds of things do you wish you had done prior to your operation that would have helped after surgery?? I’m guessing that mine will be in early September, as I have a bit of a wait to see my surgeon. I apologize for any mistakes; this is my first post to this site. Thanks for reading.
Lisa

[Mattymatt 491]

This is going to sound strange but are you drinking enough Water? I had some pre-surgery edema in my ankles which subsided when I upped my Fluid intake. My doctor said that due to my excess weight, I needed to drink more water. She said sometimes not drinking enough can cause overweight bodies to hold on to water. Perhaps you want to have a discussion with your doctor?

[James Marusek 5,244]

Since you are at the beginning of this process, I would recommend three things.

1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success.

2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery.

3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

1. Walk, walk, walk. Move those tissues and pump the fluids up past the crappy vein valves.

2. Water pushes water. Drink more.

3. Watch salt intake and keep it low.

4. Wear your pressure stockings if your doctor prescribes them for you.

I had terrible pitted edema in my lower legs. It was one of the major things that inspired my choice to do surgery. My ankles were getting super thick...even the tops of my feet were starting to dome and squish out of my sandals like marshmellows. It wasn't pretty, and it hurt and worried the hell out of me.

These days, my legs are gorgeous. No diuretics, no bp meds...and they look athletic, muscular and tight. You can see the tendons in the top of my feet again:) My ankle bones are back, and my ankles are skinny. Tall boots fit!

Even when it's 90 degrees out...my legs don't swell anymore.

It's one of the most wonderful results of the surgery...just this one singular result was completely worth it. And there were so many other wonderful benefits.

Best wishes on your upcoming procedure! You will find your pretty legs again:)

[Frustr8 7,886]

Welcome my new friend and fellow Edema-mate Lisa. Like this 2 previous posters I too have lymphedema, mine was bad enough my surgeon lifted one eyebrow and Said" You are taking your diuretics, right?". And like @ Creek Imp and @ Mattymatt won this battle with SwellMonster with. Baiatric Surgery's help, I too hope to claim victory. I suspect mine is one part bad valves, one part the Fluid is trapped at the thigh- pelvic junction by upper body weight. But I do have surgery upcoming in September, the 5th of September to be exact when I will have a RnY bypass, and will claim this victory with the others of weight loss. So let's agree to be friends, if you like I'll tell you more of my past life and future hopes.
A new friend Frustr8. PS I HATE pressure stockings!👣

[LisaS67 1]

Thanks to all for the wonderful replies! Before I continue on this particular topic, a bit more about me that is probably relevant to the discussion... sort of. :-) I am totally blind, and have been so since birth. What this means as it relates here is that my profile won't be very picture-intensive. Also, web-based forums are often a bit tricky to navigate with the tech that reads the contents of my screen. Please hang in there with me as I learn, and accept my apologies if I put the wrong thing in the wrong place. Anyway, on to the "good stuff."

Mattymat, I just downloaded the Water Minder app on my iPhone to help with this. I think I'm probably drinking well over the recommended amount, but got the app to make sure after surgery. It says I should be drinking 82 ounces a day. at 10:40 AM my time, I'm already at 32. I don't make a hormone that tells me when I've had enough to drink, so I am thirsty all the time. In this case, that's likely a good thing. I had this discussion with my doctor, and she wanted me to cut down my water to about 48 ounces. I couldn't do it. I was thirsty all the time -- even more so than usual, and I felt terrible. I'll be interested to track fluids and see how much I'm actually drinking in a day.

James, I appreciate your suggestions. I'm getting a Before picture taken so I have it, even though I can't see it. Having one seems important to me, somehow. If I encounter someone in ten or twenty years who did not know me at this weight, I might want to show a picture. I'm keeping an outfit, which will be a benchmark I can relate to. I used to walk a lot, but in the past year and a half, the edema has gotten worse, and I haven't done as much. I'm aiming for 10,000 steps a day, but for now, most of that is done on a stability ball. I'm trying to get back to more actual walking. Your comment about carbonated beverages and caffeine really hit home. May 7, I stopped drinking regular soda, and even harder at this time of year, sweet tea. I've switched to diet soda, and probably have one every day or every other day. I could see my intake increasing, and this is not the direction I want to go, so thank you for that reminder.

Creekimp13, I've addressed the walking and water suggestions, but it is highly motivating to hear the same thing repeatedly. The imagery of getting out the Fluid while walking is very compelling, and will help me push a bit more. Tall boots? What the heck are those? I think I haven't had the ability to wear those since age 8 maybe. Nearly any boots are almost impossible at this point, unfortunately. My jaw dropped when you said it gets up to 90 degrees and your feet don't swell anymore. Just having half of that to look forward to keeps me moving forward. My legs are enormous, and I'm short -- four ft. nine, so it's a challenge. I hate to even go up stairs when other people are around; I'm embarrassed at how slow I am.

Frustr8: Good luck with your upcoming surgery. I can't wait to have an actual date! I have to have bloodwork, and can then make an appointment with the surgeon. Based on my research, I think I'd like to go the Gastric Bypass route, but would not be opposed to the Gastric Sleeve if she thinks it's best. I've worn pressure stockings, and they aren't fun. I'm not currently wearing them. My legs have lots of hills and valleys, and the stockings bunch in those areas, and very quickly start to break down the skin. So, for better or worse, no stockings for me right now. I'd love to hear about more of your journey!

Thanks to all for such a warm welcome. When I started preparing for surgery, I thought I would kind of do the Lone Ranger thing. I could find the facts I needed, and that would be enough. However, as I got further into the process, I realized I would benefit from giving and receiving support, and am glad to have found this site.

Lisa

[Frustr8 7,886]

Lisa, my own Mama suffered with that same diuretic hormone lack, I remember when I got old enough to notice she drank a whole lot more Fluid than my friends mommy's when I would go to visit them. I just thought she was weird until she sat me down one day and explained, just thought she did it because she LIKED to drink and pee all the time..

[LisaS67 1]

Nothing beats kids' logic! Lol It's not a very common thing, so it's interesting to hear of others who have it. The syndrome that caused my blindness also comes with a host of hormone deficiencies.

Lisa

[Frustr8 7,886]

Might be the same thing . Mama was visually impaired too. I was an only child, always suspected it was PCOS but maybe this?