Swollen Ankles - Side effects of Cruising?

[hpf]

Sheila your thread may be over 2 years old but it seems we are all having the same problem still.

Rev Neal you had almost exactly what my Dr told me in your post and it all helps. We just have to remember to do that and then not have as much trouble.

Helen

[Ineke]

Interesting thread! There was a similar one on the X forum and the consensus was that the biggest culprit is the 'tap' water, which has been desalinized but retains a lot more sodium than regular water. To test this theory, we drank only bottled water on our last cruise and wow! no swollen ankles and no weight gain during the cruise. That was a Baltic cruise, we'll test it again next month in the Caribbean.

[innlady1]

Sheila your thread may be over 2 years old but it seems we are all having the same problem still.

Rev Neal you had almost exactly what my Dr told me in your post and it all helps. We just have to remember to do that and then not have as much trouble.

Helen

 

Helen,

I still have the same problem, too...I will re-read Reverend Neal's advice. I do believe what Ineke said to be true...I'm bringing a case of water on our next cruise!

Edited November 17, 2012 by innlady1

[mamaofami]

Sheila, me too. I was talking about this to my DH yesterday before I even saw this thread.

Edited November 17, 2012 by mamaofami

[vermilch]

Thanks for all the advice. On my cruise next month we have already ordered the low salt meals. We did that last time but my ankles still were swollen. This time I am going to bring more water and will give up coffee, tea and anything made with the ships water like juice. I am also going to try to not have drinks with ice in them. I will stick to martinis, beer and wine. Fingers crossed that it will help.

[ncgolferette]

This may be a no no but can a person take their own water into the dining room at lunch or dinner?

[innlady1]

Thanks for all the advice. On my cruise next month we have already ordered the low salt meals. We did that last time but my ankles still were swollen. This time I am going to bring more water and will give up coffee, tea and anything made with the ships water like juice. I am also going to try to not have drinks with ice in them. I will stick to martinis, beer and wine. Fingers crossed that it will help.

 

Same here after being on the low sodium diet. Thanks for all these tips. I might limit myself to one latte at Explorations each day.

 

Do they add water to the juices? i.e., the fresh squeezed in the Lido?

[Daisyloo]

I mentioned to my Dr. last week that I have had swollen ankles on cruises. He said this is fairly common. He recommended compression stockings for the flight, try to limit salt, keep active and hydrated. He also gave me a prescription for a diuretic in case the swelling is too bad.

[innlady1]

This may be a no no but can a person take their own water into the dining room at lunch or dinner?

 

I would think so, golferette. If anyone were to say anything about it, you could tell them you're staying away from the ship's water because of the sodium in it.

[buckirj1]

In addition to the other excellent suggestions, you (generic you) might want to hang out more in the Lido and bump up your consumption of raw fruit and vegetables. The water and minerals naturally occurring in raw food is a Very Good Thing - and a very good diuretic.

 

Also (and I shouldn't have to tell you this), pee!! As soon as you feel you have to go. Don't give that stuff a chance to absorb.

[penny49]

Hi,

 

I have always suffered with swollen ankles/top of feet for every cruise in the last several years ....until our recent T/A...no swelling at all...none...the only thing I did differently was to drink bottled water...usually I drink a huge amount of ice water and ice tea but this time cut way down on the ship "ice water" and had no ice tea but stuck to juice/soda/ and a bit of coffee....what a difference it made! I plan to do the same on our next cruise in January and see if I have the same great results!!!

[CI66774]

Limit salt - get up and move around to help circulation - walk around the ship often to get exercise. I've never experienced swelling but exercising, eating right and limiting salt is a good start. :)

[cp556]

I read the labels on the bottled water (because I drink LOTS of it). Spring water has no sodium. Mineral water DOES have sodium, in varying levels depending on brand.

 

I've found both spring and mineral water on HAL, and some bars offer one or the other. It's worth it to me to find and drink the spring water.

 

Just my $.02....

[innlady1]

I read the labels on the bottled water (because I drink LOTS of it). Spring water has no sodium. Mineral water DOES have sodium, in varying levels depending on brand.

 

I've found both spring and mineral water on HAL, and some bars offer one or the other. It's worth it to me to find and drink the spring water.

 

Just my $.02....

 

Thank you so much...I did not know that! Although I think most bottled water we drink is spring water, I'll be more vigilant about it.

[Sue from Canada]

Same here after being on the low sodium diet. Thanks for all these tips. I might limit myself to one latte at Explorations each day.

 

My ankles swell so much it's not funny. This past August I did two things different on my 14 day cruise and no swollen ankles:) I stayed out of the MDR -- 2+ hours at night is too long and I didn't have any soup. At dinner/supper I went to the Lido and ordered a lot of veggies, salad and whatever meat/fish I wanted. I also ate at Caneletto twice. What a relief. Now I can go and book an even longer cruise w/o worrying like looking like a French poodle.

Edited November 20, 2012 by Sue from Canada

[cp556]

Thank you so much...I did not know that! Although I think most bottled water we drink is spring water, I'll be more vigilant about it.

 

 

You're welcome, Sheila. If you read the label on ANY water (even Spring) and check the readings for Sodium (NA), hopefully that will be of help.

 

DH & I plan to bring a case of bottled spring water with us next cruise, just to be on the safer side :)

[PathfinderEss]

Just a warning to all of you that have swelling of your feet and ankles. Don't want to scare anyone and hopefully those of you that have had the problem, have check with a doctor to make sure that is all it is, to much salt in the food or water.

I had that experience once on a cruise and afterwards the swelling did go down. Went to the Dr. and everything seem find until about 2 months later I had swelling again and it turned out to be heart problems. So make sure your swelling is just from to much salt, sea air, salty food, etc. Just be careful. It can be a warning sign.

 

[nelenk]

I developed lymphadepa during a long flight from Athens to Florida with a lot of pain and swelling. Ended up with massage therapy and now wear compression stockings. I find that exercising in water is very helpfull so will try that on my next cruise. When I fly, my routine is on with the compressin stockings!!

[innlady1]

That's scary, Melodie. What was your heart problem associated with swollen ankles?

Edited November 21, 2012 by innlady1

[innlady1]

I developed lymphadepa during a long flight from Athens to Florida with a lot of pain and swelling. Ended up with massage therapy and now wear compression stockings. I find that exercising in water is very helpfull so will try that on my next cruise. When I fly, my routine is on with the compressin stockings!!

 

How were you diagnosed with lymphedema? I've wondered about that too...I do recall when I was having PT following hip replacement, they were doing PT for people with lymphedema.

[PathfinderEss]

That's scary, Melodie. My ankles (especially my left one) swells frequently. I had an ultrasound of my leg, ankle, and foot recently and it was normal. Blood flow, etc. What was your heart problem associated with swollen ankles? You have me concerned!

Well innlady it can be scary, that why you need to get it checked out. I did the same thing and had an ultrasound of my legs done to see if there was any kind of blockage and all was fine. A month later I was in the hospital for heart failure. My heart was not pumping well enough to get the fluid out of my lungs. So three bypasses later, I'm fine now except for a nice scar up my chest.

 

They even did several heart test on me and all look normal until they did an anagrams (not sure if that is the right word) and that told the story.

[innlady1]

Well innlady it can be scary, that why you need to get it checked out. I did the same thing and had an ultrasound of my legs done to see if there was any kind of blockage and all was fine. A month later I was in the hospital for heart failure. My heart was not pumping well enough to get the fluid out of my lungs. So three bypasses later, I'm fine now except for a nice scar up my chest.

 

They even did several heart test on me and all look normal until they did an anagrams (not sure if that is the right word) and that told the story.

 

SCARY. Maybe angiogram?

Edited November 21, 2012 by innlady1

[PathfinderEss]

and you know what, I had no idea I had a heart problem. Kind of was the furthest thing from my mind.

[silvercruiser]

This is a very interesting thread and brings up a problem I never thought about until last spring when I did a river boat cruise in Holland with Grand Circle. I already live at sea level, Florida, but am not used to cold weather, which I encountered there. For the very first time ever, my feet and ankles, after the first few days, were very swollen. I attributed it to all the walking we did at each little town we stopped at. I hate to think it was the food, which was absolutely the very best I've ever had on any trip ever. (and I'm adding my signature, so you can see what I mean.) It never occurred to me that salt might be the culprit. And I've also never given any thought to the water, as long as it's safe to drink.

Thanks everyone who contributed to this thread. It sure has given me lots of food for thought. Next week I'll be on the Emerald Princess for 10 days and I'll keep a close look at my feet, for sure!

[Joy2Day]

A month later I was in the hospital for heart failure. My heart was not pumping well enough to get the fluid out of my lungs. So three bypasses later, I'm fine now except for a nice scar up my chest.

 

They even did several heart test on me and all look normal until they did an anagrams (not sure if that is the right word) and that told the story.

 

I also have well-managed heart failure. Well-managed means that my heart is still a concern, but with meds and behavior modifications, I am living a relatively normal life.

 

For me and cruising, it means that I have to be very careful of my food and drink intake. In the 5 years since I was diagnosed, I have cruised several times on various lines. I indicate low-sodium on my reservation so that my MDR meals are prepared specially. I carry low-sodium snacks so I can avoid eating in port (which I REALLY miss doing). I make careful choices at the buffets. I avoid most sauces and soups. I take the time to meet with someone before dining at a specialty restaurant, .... And I limit myself to 2 or 3 bar drinks/day. I stay active, wear compression stockings at least some of the time on a cruise (if only in the evenings under my slacks).

 

But I drink a lot of the ship's water --- and I do not suffer from any more than very minor ankle swelling that will disappear overnight.

 

While each person's body reacts differently, it is my experience is that the swelling is from a combination of factors.

 

For others that may have similar dietary restrictions, I have found that I have to lower my expectations when it comes to food onboard. While it is generally edible, it may not be too flavorful .... No one cruiseline stands out as better than others at this. Some headwaiters/maitre'ds/waiters and chefs will rise to the challenge and others will not. However, a protein source and a plate of nicely steamed veggies makes a great dinner!