Still More Leg News

 In early September of 2020, I made a post about my legs/feet.  They were swollen maybe twice normal size and were red.  Had been that way for awhile, and I was getting panicked.  It wasn't just the swelling that bothered me.  It was uncomfortable, of course, but along with that comes a skin condition that feels even worse.  The skin, particularly around the ankles, becomes dry, coarse, thick and hide-like.  Even when my legs were naked, they felt like I was wearing something restrictive because of the skin.  

I was referred to a podiatrist.  She took x-rays, ordered a Peripheral Artery Disease test, prescribed antibiotics for potential cellulitis, and recommended that I purchase compression socks.  Test results were normal.  Antibiotics did nothing.  Legs stayed swollen, plus I couldn't get the compression socks on, no matter how much I tried.  And I did try!

Next order of business was for my Primary Care Physician to send me for an echocardiogram, looking for heart failure.  Normal.  Later, my cardiologist ordered a blood test to confirm the ECG results.  Also normal.  

I was put on a diuretic.  I piddled just a little more than usual, but my weight stayed mainly the same, and my legs stayed swollen.  Through it all, I was getting blood tests about once a week to check on my kidneys.  At one point, my kidney function took a nose dive into the "Stage 3 Kidney Disease" stage.  My PCP called, taking me off all diuretics, and advising me to go to the ER if I began to feel "bad".  I was given the weekend of flushing my kidneys with fluids before another test.  Then my cardiologist's office (in the same network) called to take me off my blood pressure meds because, apparently, they also contained diuretics.  I was a good girl and did everything they said to do.  Three days later, I had a "perfect" kidney score.  Yay!  But my blood pressure shot up sky high.  And...you guessed it...my legs were still swollen.  No difference at all.

Okay...so...back to the BP meds, including diuretics, but the latter was only to be taken every other day.  I'm due for another blood test, which I will take on Tuesday.  None of any of this medicinal merry-go-round has done a thing but mess me up...but right now, my legs/feet aren't nearly as swollen.  WHY??

My cardiologist ordered Physical Therapy for me...for leg wraps.  I had no idea what he was talking about and was reluctant because of potential expense and distance.  The last time I did PT was after arthroscopic surgery on my knee in another health network, but it was just down the road from me.  This network required twice-weekly trips to another facility quite a bit farther away.  But, again, I was a good girl.  I went. Had no clue what to expect.

I was assigned to an absolutely delightful therapist named Natalie.  She measured the circumference of my legs and feet, then put something called a Pneumatic Compression Device on my legs.  For 30 minutes, the device inflated and deflated.  Felt kind of good, actually.  Like a leg massage.  At the end of the 30 minutes and the device came off, my legs were normal size!  It was the first time in a year that I could look down at them and smile.  My deflated toes were wrinkled.  Can you imagine being happy about wrinkles??

After that, Natalie put a compression wrap on my legs--this was a Tuesday--and advised me to leave it on until my Friday appointment.  She asked me to bring my purchased compression socks at the next visit, which I did.  Although the wrap was a tiny bit annoying, it was not nearly as annoying as the neuropathy of the swollen legs!

Next PT visit, my legs had responded well to the wrap.  The swelling was still down.  We did the PCD treatment again and devised a less-effective answer to compression sock...but one that I could actually do on my own.  The purchased ones I simply couldn't do on my own.

So where do we go from here?  My physical therapist is taking me in the direction of having a PCD in my own home, which involves some Medicare hoops through which to jump.  We'll see how that works out.  It's not as if I haven't been working on the problem.  To this day, no one knows exactly why my legs started to swell.  I do live a very sedentary life due to my back problems.  Compression is the answer AND the problem.  When one can't adequately reach one's feet to put on socks, one suffers.  I am "One"! 

In spite of all, I do have some common sense when it comes to health.  "One" doesn't live to be 74 without some clues.  I'm not an idiot, but I am not a doctor, and I use the grain-of-salt approach to Dr. Google.  I'm so thankful for the God-given technology that helps the likes of me!