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Q: MS Symptoms - feet swelling ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: MS Symptoms - feet swelling
Category: Health > Conditions and Diseases
Asked by: jimen-ga
List Price: $15.00
Posted: 25 Dec 2005 15:58 PST
Expires: 24 Jan 2006 15:58 PST
Question ID: 609699
What information is available on feet swelling as an MS symptom?
Recent exams seem to rule out cardiac problems, kidney and liver
problems and treatment for circulatory problems is having no effect.
Answer  
Subject: Re: MS Symptoms - feet swelling
Answered By: crabcakes-ga on 25 Dec 2005 21:29 PST
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hello Jimen,

  While swollen feet are not one of the most commonly reported
symptoms of MS patients, it is something a number of patients
experience. Whether swelling occurs or not can depend on the mobility
of the MS patient ? limited activity increases chances of foot, ankle
and leg swelling.

Causes of lymphedema (swelling) other than MS and for which you were
already tested, are obesity, total knee replacement and trauma scars
(radiation, burns, injuries)
http://www.lymphnotes.com/article.php/id/5/

Lymphema and obesity
http://www.lymphnotes.com/article.php/id/182/


Are you currently taking any medications for MS that can cause foot
and ankle swelling?
Amantadine  is one medication that  can cause edema (swelling).
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic3/amantadine_ad.htm

?I went into a bad exacerbation within 1 month, so was taken off. Then
I was put on Amantadine and about 3 months later, my legs, ankles, and
feet became so mottled and swollen that neurologist had to take me off
this also.?
http://www.jsumption.com/imssf/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=131&page=1

?Swollen ankles are a common symptom for those who have had to limit
their activity. In most instances, the swelling is actually lymphatic
fluid which builds up around the ankle when inactivity prevents the
fluid from circulating within the body.

Lymphatic fluid normally flows along lymphatic channels, delivering
nutrients and other important substances to the body's organs. Swollen
ankles may worsen during the summer as heat causes these channels to
dilate (expand).
Diuretics, also known as "water pills," do not affect this type of
fluid buildup. The standard treatment is to elevate the ankles above
the hip level while sitting during the day and keeping them above the
heart level throughout the night. This will pull the fluid back toward
the body. Additionally, support stockings may help to prevent further
fluid accumulation.

Anyone who experiences swollen ankles should always contact a
physician to confirm the exact diagnosis. Other conditions, such as
heart trouble, thrombophlebitis (blood vessel inflammation), or
nutritional deficits, should first be ruled out before blaming
inactivity.?
http://www.msaa.com/publications/managing_symptoms/p_07_pressure.html

?Swollen ankles are common in MS. Too often doctors treat this with
diuretics that never solve the problem. They work initially, the fluid
then recurs, and the person is stuck on the diuretic. The reason it
does not work is related to the reason the swollen ankles are present
in the first place. The kneading action of their muscles to their
blood vessels is not occurring and the fluid is leaking and
accumulating by gravity. It cannot be mobilized. The fluid mobilized
with the diuretic is the intravascular fluid; thus, a person can
become "dehydrated" with excess fluid in their extremities. Elevating
the legs helps by pushing the fluid back into the body and allowing
more area for it to be absorbed.

 Support stockings can be of value, but there is a newer product. For
years alternating compression wraps have been helpful in the hospital.
There is now a stocking, the jobst pump. It is a zippered stocking
measured to fit. The stocking is placed over the swollen legs,
zippered up with a jacket placed over the stocking. Within this jacket
is a pump. This pump device then is attached to the jacket and then
the pump alternates contraction with relaxation giving a rather
natural kneading process to the muscles. This allows the fluid to get
back into the circulation and be carried away. Massage can do the same
thing but is time consuming and not practical on a long-term basis.?
http://www.cnsonline.org/www/archive/ms/ms-11.html

Please read this entire article, on how support hose helped one MS
patient with his foot, ankle and leg swelling:
?I wasn?t diagnosed with MS until 1971, almost eight years after my
first sensations. I was able to stay on active duty in the Air Force
until I retired as a lieutenant colonel.

During those years, using the pistol-gripped cane given to me by a
retired U.S. Navy captain, I made it a point to visit people who had
MS and had to use a wheelchair. Most were retired military personnel.
I always noticed tremendous swelling in their lower legs and feet. It
was just an accepted fact of life.?
?By the early 1980s, my lower legs were always swelling. I sat with my
feet raised whenever I could. I also got regular foot massages from a
physical therapist. Over the years, not one doctor ever came up with a
solution!?
?Pedaling also helps combat the swelling of legs. Consider getting an
exercise machine. And if you already have one, consider taking it out
of the closet!?
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/IMSJuly04-MenInHose.asp

?Lymph normally does an important job for your body. It carries
foreign material and bacteria away from your skin and body tissues,
and it circulates infection-fighting cells that are part of your
immune system. Lymph flows slowly through the network of vessels
called your lymphatic system, stopping at points along the way to be
filtered through lymph nodes (small bean-shaped organs that are part
of your immune system). Lymph first collects by seeping out of your
cells into the smallest lymphatic vessels near the skin. After
treveling through these small vessels, lymph drains into deeper, wider
lymph channels that run through the body. Eventually, lymph fluid
returns to the blood.


Lymphedema is not the same as edema, which is another condition that
causes arm or leg swelling. In both problems there is too much fluid
in the limb, but only lymphedema results from blocked drainage.
Without a blockage, the fluid can be pushed forward in your lymphatic
system, so you can see pitting ? small temporary indentations left on
the skin after you press on the swollen area. Pitting does not happen
when you press on skin if you have lymphedema.?
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/23829.html



I hope this has helped you out, Please request an Answer
Clarification, before rating, if any part of this answer is unclear.

Regards, Crabcakes

Search Terms
============
MS + foot swelling
MS + lymphedema
jimen-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
Thank you! I found this very helpful.

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