Cruise ankles?

[colesc15]

So I know I'm not the only one lol. I'm generally a fairly healthy male, but when we travel on cruises to the Caribbean, the humidity, sugar in drinks, Sodium, it all hits my ankles and balloons them by day 2 or 3 & goes back to normal a day or two after being home. What do you guys do to help alleviate this? Other than raising them at night. 

[sara mom]

Drink lots of water!   

[hotsauce126]

Doesn’t happen to me but have you tried compression socks?

[jean87510]

try elevating your feet on a pillow in bed, sofa in room, or rolled up towels on the pool deck.  Also, walking on treadmill or on the track, drinking water, and avoiding the sugary drinks.  Avoid sitting for long periods.  I used to get this and the above suggestions worked for me.  I do jog a lot but if I sit outside on the upper pool deck on sea days, even in the shade, I can start feeling my ankles getting itchy.  I then will start drinking water and walk around.

[neverbeenhere]

Ask for no sauce or sauce on the side. Ask for a baked potato not rolled in salt. Go for steamed vegetables without the buttery sauce".  - In the Windjammer, it is easy to talk with the cooks to help reduce salt. In the MDR - usually works to tell your wait staff.  In Specialty, I found it hit and miss to lowering sodium leaves in the foods.

[DaniDanielle]

Try a low dose water pill.

[silentbob007]

I thought I had read at one point this could also happen in some people because desalinated water may contain more salt than you are used to. 

[sunluva]

I've been cruising for many years and never had my feet and ankles swell until I turned 50. Now by day 3 I can't wear shoes to dinner. I need to wear flip flops! I now bring compression socks to wear at night and keep my legs elevated while in bed. It helps! But by the next night they are swollen again but at least they are fine during the day. 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, colesc15 said:

So I know I'm not the only one lol. I'm generally a fairly healthy male, but when we travel on cruises to the Caribbean, the humidity, sugar in drinks, Sodium, it all hits my ankles and balloons them by day 2 or 3 & goes back to normal a day or two after being home. What do you guys do to help alleviate this? Other than raising them at night. 

Drink more alcohol. No longer will be a concern. 

[dunedinmaiden]

2 hours ago, colesc15 said:

So I know I'm not the only one lol. I'm generally a fairly healthy male, but when we travel on cruises to the Caribbean, the humidity, sugar in drinks, Sodium, it all hits my ankles and balloons them by day 2 or 3 & goes back to normal a day or two after being home. What do you guys do to help alleviate this? Other than raising them at night. 

This is a constant cruise issue for me.  However, our last cruise was on Celebrity and we had the premium drink package.  I ordered a bottle of water between each alcoholic drink and bottled (not tap) water in the dining room.  It really made a difference -- the first time my ankles didn't swell!

[Mikew0805]

3 hours ago, colesc15 said:

So I know I'm not the only one lol. I'm generally a fairly healthy male, but when we travel on cruises to the Caribbean, the humidity, sugar in drinks, Sodium, it all hits my ankles and balloons them by day 2 or 3 & goes back to normal a day or two after being home. What do you guys do to help alleviate this? Other than raising them at night. 

Drink more water. Lots of it. There is a lot of sodium in their food. 

1 hour ago, DaniDanielle said:

Try a low dose water pill.

Do not do this without speaking with your physician. 

[PhoenixCruiser]

I also elevate my feet while sleeping. When not vacationing I have to take a daily sodium pill so my feet are always up on pillows while sleeping.

Edited February 15, 2023 by PhoenixCruiser
spaces

[bgoff60]

Walk on the outside track...

[jbrinkm]

2 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

Drink more water. Lots of it. There is a lot of sodium in their food. 

Do not do this without speaking with your physician. 

 

Speaking with your physician might be a good idea? Just to see if he/she has any other ideas or suggestions for you?

[fairywren]

I’m in the “drink lots of water” camp. My ankles would always swell up on cruises but last time I pre-ordered a 24 pack of water for the cabin and made sure to drink them all and also the water in the restaurants.

No swelling for the first time ever!

[JamesEM]

Skip the soups, they are loaded with salt.

[gingerpeaches]

Simple self lymphatic drainage can also help. It's a really light massage usually done for cancer patients but will work for anyone who has lymphoedema. You could do it several times a day to help move the fluid along. But I'd still drink lots of water.

 

Simple Lymphatic Drainage

Edited February 15, 2023 by gingerpeaches

[Sunshine3601]

I have had this happen sometimes and I found drinking bottled water makes a difference.   

[superduper123]

Interesting topic. This does not happen to me, and from reading the comments, maybe I should be surprised. I drink non-bottled water, alcohol, and add salt to (almost) everything. 

[A&L_Ont]

15 minutes ago, superduper123 said:

Interesting topic. This does not happen to me, and from reading the comments, maybe I should be surprised. I drink non-bottled water, alcohol, and add salt to (almost) everything. 

 

Head to the casino because you are lucky. It hits me by day 3/4 and it is not a fun feeling. 

[chengkp75]

11 hours ago, silentbob007 said:

I thought I had read at one point this could also happen in some people because desalinated water may contain more salt than you are used to. 

This is a common misconception.  Water produced onboard comes from two sources.  The first, evaporation, produces water with a sodium content less than 10ppm (most commonly 1-2ppm).  The second, Reverse Osmosis, is set to produce water with less than 20ppm (both systems will dump the water produced if above this limit).  Your water quality for Ann Arbor, for 2021, showed an average sodium content of 65ppm, with a range of results from 46-91.  Even a place like Miami, that does not use salt on roads in winter, has a sodium level of 36ppm.

[crewsweeper]

Swelling ios a common problem for some whether cruising or flying.  Most common reason is sitting for extended periods blood will pool in ankles and feet.  Especially true for flying.

Another reason is big change in climates.  Going from a cold environment to a warm environment can cause your body to swell.   

And then changes in diet.  On cruises, you probably eat differently than at home.  Cruise cooks to tend to use salt and other ingredients with high sodium content in food.  so this may be different from what you're used to at home. Without salt added people will complain the food has no flavor.

 

So best way to avoid swelling or reduce swelling is to stay hydrated.  Bottled or ship water is good for this.  Also watch adding salt to food at the table.  Taste before seasoning. And walk.  Don't plop down on the lounger and stay there.  Get up and move.

[colesc15]

Thanks everyone. I definitely drink a lot of water (and alcohol lol). It's definitely more of an annoyance than anything. In the morning they're usually good but midday, right back at it until bed

[Tatka]

16 hours ago, sara mom said:

Drink lots of water!   

 

In addition to salty food this creates a problem.

[orville99]

17 hours ago, colesc15 said:

So I know I'm not the only one lol. I'm generally a fairly healthy male, but when we travel on cruises to the Caribbean, the humidity, sugar in drinks, Sodium, it all hits my ankles and balloons them by day 2 or 3 & goes back to normal a day or two after being home. What do you guys do to help alleviate this? Other than raising them at night. 

Well, we can rule out pregnancy as a possible cause...😇

Seriously, I just had my annual visit with my cardiologist yesterday, and the first question he asked me was if I had experienced any swelling in my ankles, lower legs, or feet. Probably the best advice in this thread was to talk to your physician the next time you go in for a visit so you can rule out any medical causes.

Edited February 15, 2023 by orville99