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swollen feet
I've had really swollen feet for the last three days. I don't know if it was triggered by my mega allergy attack or something else (I drink plenty of water and try to watch my sodium, so I dunno?), but it's really obnoxious. My ankles are fine and my toes look normal, but the tops of my feet are all puffy - when I walk, I can feel the fluid swishing, like I have little waterbeds on top of my feet.
I'm a bit nervous about preeclampsia (with twins, I have a 1 in 5 chance of getting it) because my blood pressure was on the high side - 130/80 - at my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. My doc said it wasn't immediately alarming at this stage, but definitely something we'd need to keep an eye on, so when my feet started swelling, I immediately looked up other preeclampsia symptoms. Since my hands and face aren't swollen and I haven't put on a sudden amount of weight, I think it's most likely not preeclampsia...but if the swelling doesn't go down in a few days, I'm going to check in with my doc. It's the suddenness of the swelling that's alarming me somewhat, along with how early it still is in the pregnancy - if I was 38 weeks, I'd probably just ignore it, but this seems early for regular pregnancy swelling (am I wrong?).
In the meantime, does anyone (pregnant, not pregnant, I don't care) have any tips on how to deal with this? Most online advice is stuff like keeping your feet elevated, which is great if you work in a job that allows you to do that, but it's really not practical for me until I get home, and then it takes several hours to be effective. Does soaking in an epsom salt footbath actually work? Any other ideas?
Re: swollen feet
Maybe you can also put ice on them when you get home? Or maybe even while you're at work?
You don't sit much at work?
Not really. I work in a library, and most of the jobs we do involve being on your feet (even for loaning items, we have a standing desk, not a sitting one). It's one of the reasons why I always laugh maniacally when people ask if I sit around reading books all day at work.
the book I have says not to sit w/your feet elevated (that's what I used to do) but to lie down on your left side with your feet propped up with pillows. you obviously can't do that til you get home but it may work faster than other methods once you are home.
otherwise I'd recommend compression hosiery
though I know it's probably pretty warm there right now...
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
Cerclage placed @ 21w6d due to CI (IC)
oh yeah, my doctor suggested this too. they said just 30 minutes in the pool each day and I'd feel a lot better
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
Actually I have been told not to cut out too much sodium (not to have excessive amounts either) because it does help with fluid balances. So just have salt to taste on your foods. But if you find you're eating a ton, you should definitely cut back. Any bubbly water or soda has sodium as do most pre-packaged and fast foods. Some veggies are high too, like celery. Drink lots of water (at least 100 oz or more a day) and yes, putting your feet up.
Perhaps you need a note from your doctor for work that states that you need to put your feet up for 10 minutes every hour or work using a tall stool so you're not standing the entire time. Can you get something like that?
Compression socks/hose help too....put them on in the morning after your shower but before you've really been moving around much. When standing, try putting one foot up on a box or step stool...it has helped me with swelling while sitting at my desk all day (the difference between having my feet up on a step and not is amazing).
When you get home from work really prop your feet up for a good hour or so...I mean up a wall, if you have to. You can get on your bed and get your bum as close to the headboard as possible and get your feet up the wall. Then lie on your left side for another 20-30 minutes to aid circulation.
Finally eating aspargus is a natural diuretic and can help get some of the swelling down.
Good luck!
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
Thanks for the tips, ladies! I'll definitely put my feet up as soon as I get home to try to deal with the swelling, and maybe look at getting some compression socks.
I may ask my doc for a note, but I'm thinking of waiting until my next appointment (about 3 weeks from now), simply because I may need to be excused from other duties (such as shelving, which is pretty common to get an exemption from) as well and it would be simpler just to do it all in one hit.
I'd read that swimming helps, but the only pool I have access to is the public swimming pool, which is...not great. It's not nasty or anything, but it's not huge and since summer is coming on here, it tends to be pretty full and I'm one of those obnoxious people who likes to be virtually alone in a pool even if I'm just sitting there lol.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
Hmm - this is a good question! I'm wondering if the reason the pool works is because it makes your feet (relatively) weightless and distributes your body weight? In that case, our current tub wouldn't be much use because it's very small, but in our new house we have a massive spa bath, so I could always try it in there in a couple weeks!