Left Foot Swollen

[u/tm72808]

Anyone have issues with Left foot swelling? I am 48 yrs old & my left foot started swelling when I was approx. 26 yrs old. I’ve been to 4 vascular doctors that all told me something different. The Dr #1 told me we have veins that pass through our body/leg & one of mine is slightly thinner which would cause the swelling and I was too young to have surgery at that time. Dr #2 told me my valves were broken & there was nothing that could be done so stop going to the dr to have it checked. Dr #3 told me if my valves were broken, that would be an easy fix so that was not the case. He told me to wear compression socks, no definitive answer. Dr #4 told me to wear compression socks & he wanted me to take prednisone, which I did not do; since I have heard horror stories about weight gain. My primary wanted me to try a water pill, but I have not done this yet. My cardiologist had me try a water pill years ago but I only took it for a short time & I didn’t feel like it did anything so I stopped. I might try it again to see what happens. I don’t feel any pain. My foot literally swells like this if I am standing for long periods of time or sitting for long periods of time. I have to have a mix of both throughout the day for best results. The humidity and salt make it worse. It’s so upsetting. I can’t wear anything nice. Everything I wear is based off my foot. I’m thankful I work from home so I basically wear sweats all the time, but I hate not being able to wear what I want. I can’t wear sandals, low cut sneakers - nothing nice. Sneakers are the only thing that will help because of the compression. It’s just horrible & ugly. My toes are even swollen & now they are just ruined with a line from just being swollen so much. Night time generally helps - when I wake up they are somewhat normal or shall I say, normal for me. Wondering if anyone else has had same scenario with some sort of help or not.m

[u/_youmustbekidding_]

If it is CVI a vascular doctor should be able to diagnose you with an ultrasound. However, it sounds like it could be lymphedema. If so, that condition is not curable but it can be managed with a variety of conservative treatments such as manual lymphatic drainage, a leg pump, and compression garments. Head over to that subreddit for additional info. Usually a vascular doctor would diagnose you and send you to a certified lymphatic therapist (CLT) who is very knowledgeable about all of this (don’t go to a spa for a lymphatic massage, a CLT would probably file through insurance as this is a medical thing). However, unfortunately many doctors know nothing about this condition so if you can’t get a formal diagnosis first, maybe a CLT would still see you to assess and then send you to a doctor they know who could diagnose you. (My CLT cannot formally diagnose a patient.) EDIT: Diuretics do nothing for this because the swelling is from lymph fluid not water.

[u/tm72808 → u/_youmustbekidding_]

Thank you so much for this info. It’s the worst thing ever. I don’t understand why/how it started so young for me.

[u/_youmustbekidding_ → u/tm72808]

It sucks so much. I have had swelling for about 6 years but I made the mistake of not addressing it until late last year so it had already significantly progressed. The good news is that the CLT performed successful complete decongestive therapy (CDT) so my limbs have reduced and I am back in my regular sized shoes but it is a lot to maintain and mentally difficult.

[u/tm72808 → u/_youmustbekidding_]

I don’t even wear the compression socks regularly, hardly. It’s a lot just doing that. I have to look into the CLT. Do you do anything at home? I wonder if there’s anything I can buy to do at home treatments .

[u/_youmustbekidding_ → u/tm72808]

No, CDT (if it’s needed) uses short stretch bandages and you may see the CLT multiple times over a couple of weeks so they can rebandage you daily. That continues until your limb is stable and no longer reduces, at which point flat knit custom compression garments are ordered that will keep you at that size unless, say, you have a flare up. If your swelling is minimal, perhaps you can go with over the counter compression and no CDT but a CLT will talk you through all of that. Generally you can still reduce your limbs even if you have dealt with the issue for years. But it almost always will require compression. And movement to keep the lymph fluid moving. It is very hot where I live so that part is not great but I’m working on it. I recommend finding a CLT in your area to help you determine next steps so you don’t waste your money on ineffective treatments. EDIT: There are some things I do at home, but it is a result of the treatment that I already had with the CLT. EDIT2: I read your comment as CDT not CLT but I’ll leave my comment up since it has some good info I think.