Swelling?

Im almost 22 wks and for the past wk and a half, i have had major swelling in my feet and ankle area. i work usually 8-10hrs a day but its a desk job and i have my feet up most of the day, once i get home i prop them up as well. i try to stay away from salty products and try to watch my sodium intake but i also want to eat healthy for the boys because they have been growing good so far. im going to ask my dr when i see him on dec 3rd. but is this normal?? they are swollen from the time i get up and just get worse as day goes by, no matter what i eat or do....is there any way to make the swelling less severe besides staying in bed all day i cant do that right now, still working>??? any suggestions would be wonderful, thanks ladies

 

Are you also experiencing swelling in your face or hands? Have you had your blood pressure checked? Excessive swelling CAN be a sign of pre-eclampsia. (even though this is rare as early in pregnancy as you are) You may want to get checked out just to be on the safe side.

 

yes i do have swelling in my hands and its hard to open and close my hands but i dont think my face is swolle. i dont go to the peri for another week. should i go to L&D or just wait?

 

It's very rare to develop pre-eclampsia at 22 weeks. You could always check your BP at the pharmacy just to reassure yourself. My guess is you're just having pregnancy related swelling. You should try putting on compression hose (either knee high or thigh high) as soon as you get up to prevent all the fluid accumulation. You can buy them online or at a medical supply store. Sometimes even places like CVS carry them but you have to get the professional grade ones.

 

i would also have your blood pressure checked, if you can. it's true that pre-eclampsia usually does not start so early, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. however, i agree that it's probably just regular pregnancy edema (swelling). also, do have someone let you know how your face looks, because facial swelling would be more of a concern than just hands and feet.

does the weather effect you at all? i'm also in so cali and i find that when it's dry sometimes i get a little swollen in my fingers......

last thing, you said you try to cut down on salt which is great, but sometimes it's "hidden" in foods and we're not aware of it. it might be a good idea to check all the labels for things you already have on hand, and cut down on foods made by someone else which you can't really judge about sodium amounts (like restaurants or deli's. i personally live at whole foods and eat from their deli, hot and cold food bars all the time, but lately i'm starting to wonder how much sodium is in things, so i've tried to cut down on that stuff). a safe amount of sodium is around one mg per calorie of food...... eats lots of fruits and veggies and you won't have to worry about that!

best of luck and take care, jl (we're just a day apart!)

 

Well if you can press your skin and leave indentations, you really need to call the doctor immediately. Also like pp said if your face and hands are swelling you also should call the doctor. I stopped working at around 25 weeks because just being awake all day was too much for me. You can drink a lot of water which seems wierd but it does help with the swelling and also like you have been try and keep your feet elevated. Hope things get better.

 

oh yea, she's right about the water! most books will recommend 64 oz/day, but dr barbara luke, who's book is all about nutrition for a healthy twin/multi pregnancy, says to try to drink more like a gallon/day of liquids--mostly water. that should help w/swelling and many other issues, as well.

keep us posted!

 

QUOTE(happychck @ Nov 11 2007, 05:42 PM) [snapback]491261[/snapback]
i would also have your blood pressure checked, if you can. it's true that pre-eclampsia usually does not start so early, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. however, i agree that it's probably just regular pregnancy edema (swelling). also, do have someone let you know how your face looks, because facial swelling would be more of a concern than just hands and feet.

does the weather effect you at all? i'm also in so cali and i find that when it's dry sometimes i get a little swollen in my fingers......

last thing, you said you try to cut down on salt which is great, but sometimes it's "hidden" in foods and we're not aware of it. it might be a good idea to check all the labels for things you already have on hand, and cut down on foods made by someone else which you can't really judge about sodium amounts (like restaurants or deli's. i personally live at whole foods and eat from their deli, hot and cold food bars all the time, but lately i'm starting to wonder how much sodium is in things, so i've tried to cut down on that stuff). a safe amount of sodium is around one mg per calorie of food...... eats lots of fruits and veggies and you won't have to worry about that!

best of luck and take care, jl (we're just a day apart!)



thank u no one has said my face is swollen so that is a good thing and im trying to stay away from food that are high in sodium just to be on safe side, i read the signs of pre-e and it doesnt sound like me at all, but i prob should get my bp checked just to be on the safe side, im thinking that since i am measuring as if i am in my third trimester maybe im just getting the swelling as if it were my third lol idk. thanks again for ur post and ur right we are only 1 day apart!!! :banana:

 

Right around the same time I had a ton of swelling in my feet and ankles. I talked to my peri and he said that it was normal. My bp was normal too. So he said to keep my feet up and DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!! That was really important. My swelling has gone down considerably. HTH!

 

I would call your OBGYN and talk to them about the swelling as previously meantioned it could be pre-E