Any remedies to avoid swollen feet/ankles on the cruise?

[perditax]

Couldn't hurt to ask your doctor (or Doctor Internet) for a basic diuretic for edema.

[Fla Senior]

Started getting swollen ankles after cruising many times with no issues previously so have read all the threads on the subject. One thing I've learned is, there is no ONE solution, what works for one does not work for another. I've tried every recommendation that people wore by and even combinations of suggestions.:( What worked for ME was brushing with am inexpensive brush from Bed Bath and Beyond rather than the pricey spa brush that was recommended.:)

 

We got the same inexpensive brush from Bed Bath and Beyond. No doubt that it contributed to my wife enjoying 21 days with no swelling. But I do think that the ship's water is the biggest contributor. Stick with bottled water.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Do you think its the salt in the air? Some people think its the drinking water because its recycled salt water?? Any remedies that helped keep your swelling down?

 

 

Are you kidding? Recycled (?) salt water? Salt in the AIR?

Neither the desalinated water or salt air is doing it. A most likely candidate is the over salted food meant to cater to the bulk of passengers (or, rather, the bulky passengers). I apologize for that but it was just too good to pass up.

[Harborfamily]

I am (ahem) under 50 & have never had a problem with edema on land. On my first several cruises, however, my feet & ankles became so swollen, at one point I could barely walk and was pretty scared since nothing like this had ever happened to me. I tried lowering my salt intake, the lovely compression tights, elevating my feet, & finally a prescription diuretic from my doc. All to no avail. A friend, who worked on cruise ships many years ago suggested I only drink bottled water. Because I take allergy meds that make me thirsty, I drink a ton of water everyday. Needless to say, I was desperate so I spent close to $100.00 on bottled water for my last two cruises. Zero swelling. Zip. Nada. I'm a social worker, not a scientist, so I have no idea what is or isn't in the tap water on the ship. But whatever it is or isn't, I'm sensitive to it. Not implying that everyone should buy & drink bottled water if their feet swell- it's just what worked for me. And thankfully the price of bottled water has come way down.

 

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[moniquet]

I think it is a combination of things. My feet slightly swell on flights. On arrival the weather is hot and this can cause swollen feet. Plus most cruisers are on their feet more than normal.

[gremlinbangles]

I like the life jacket under the matress idea. When I had knee surgery the physical therapist put a pillow under the mattress to raise the feet and ankles. This way you feet don't slide off the pillow. I ended up liking this and still keep it there. Makes the bed a little undeveloped as to my husbands side by way cheaper then automatic beds..and it works!

 

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[Fla Senior]

Are you kidding? Recycled (?) salt water? Salt in the AIR?

Neither the desalinated water or salt air is doing it. A most likely candidate is the over salted food meant to cater to the bulk of passengers (or, rather, the bulky passengers). I apologize for that but it was just too good to pass up.

 

Sorry but not true especially in our case. My wife ate same food as previous cruises but no swelling this time thanks to bottled water and calf massages.

[chengkp75]

Sorry but not true especially in our case. My wife ate same food as previous cruises but no swelling this time thanks to bottled water and calf massages.

 

I would put this more on calf massage than water. Question, did your wife drink water from the sink tap or just from the beverage stations?

[Fla Senior]

I would put this more on calf massage than water. Question, did your wife drink water from the sink tap or just from the beverage stations?

 

Neither. The only water she drank was from the purchased Carnival bottled water. I can actually taste a little salt in the tap water. You may be right about the calf massage, but we'll stick with both since it works.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I would put this more on calf massage than water. Question, did your wife drink water from the sink tap or just from the beverage stations?

 

 

Perhaps the chlorine if anything (plus the food)

[chengkp75]

Neither. The only water she drank was from the purchased Carnival bottled water. I can actually taste a little salt in the tap water. You may be right about the calf massage, but we'll stick with both since it works.

 

I meant on the cruises when her ankles were swollen. I would believe that you are tasting the chlorine in the tap water. The reason I ask is that the water served in the dining rooms, from the drink dispensers, from the bar guns, and from the ice machines have the chlorine removed by a charcoal filter to keep from scaling the machinery, though taste improvement is a byproduct.

[momoftwinteens]

I have a problem with my fingers swelling at night. I read that potassium is nature's diuretic so I purchased a supplement. Lo and behold, my fingers are no longer swollen when I wake up in the morning and it didn't require a call to the doctor.

[Kartgv]

Compression stockings/socks do help but not sure whether anybody wants to wear them on a cruise??

 

Don't forget you'd need black ones for formal night! Actually, it's not impossible, except maybe in very warm climates. You could wear flesh colored ones with long pants or under regular hose with a dress and no one would notice. Quite a few places actually have them in bright prints - no one would know they were compression socks. Google "compression socks for women multicolor" for lots of sources. I do wear them for long flights and they seem to help.

[flamomo]

My husband's nephrologist instructed him to spend 30 minutes a day immersed in our swimming pool to help combat the severe swelling in his legs, and it was quite effective. The explanation provided by the doctor was that the hydrostatic pressure of the water mobilized the fluid in the tissues, which forced it into the circulation, and it was ultimately excreted via the kidneys.

[Doggielover68]

I would get swelling too.

 

I stopped eating the soup, good but more salt than you might think.

Don't eat the sauce at the Mongolian Wok.

I drink water at all meals and chug a bottle a day too.

Diuretic pills help too.

 

 

FYI, low sodium soy sauce is an option for those who don't want to skip it all together. Just have to ask for it :)

 

 

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[Hlitner]

DW has dealt with this issue for over thirty years of cruising and found, as advised by our physician, that drinking lots of fluids (including water) does help. Another trick, which has been suggested by a physician, is to spend lots of time in the ship's pool just standing in chest-high water. The increased pressure of the water helps force fluid out of your lower tissue back into the lymph system. This sounds a bit weird, but it actually works. That is one reason you will sometimes see a few cruisers spending several hours a day just standing in the pool and chatting away :).

 

Hank