Cankles--Any tips to avoid ankle swelling?

[lynn62]

I found this subject interesting. Last year I was on a cruise with my aunt. She is on blood pressure medication that includes a diuretic but has never had any problems with her feet swelling. On the 3rd day of the cruise they started to swell really bad. She tried to keep them elevated as much as possible and took an extra pill one day but they remained swollen the rest of the cruise. She went to the doctor when she returned and she did not give her a reason for why her feet swelled. They returned to normal after the cruise. Does anyone know why this would happen on a cruise? I didnt see a reason listed. Would love to give my aunt some info on this as she is reluctant to cruise again.

[WayTooCool]

Excellent advice here!! I bet if you tell your doctor about this, your doc would probably give you a limited prescription of diuretics for use during the cruise (or any other activity that brings this on).

[98Charlie]

Greetings from another Buckeye.

 

Have had problems with my ankles as well as my fingers swelling while on vacation for a number of years. Doesn't matter if that vacation is on sea or land. However, it occurs most when we are vacationing to much warmer climates than where we live -- Florida, Caribbean, Mex. Riviera, etc. (Interestingly enough, never seemed to have a problem with it when we took long land trips in Europe by car.)

 

I'm not much for taking pills as a diruetic but have found that eating as much parsley as I can find and dropping a few slices in my water glass during meals helps prevent the swelling -- and help relieve the swelling when it does occur.

 

Of course I've had more than a few waiters look at me wide eyed when I asked for a small bowl of parsley to be be served along side my salad.:D They are always amazed when I sprinkle the entire amount of the parsley over my salad and eat the whole thing.:eek:

 

Dianne

[bills blasters]

I have bought rings while onboard. My fingers were way swelled up. When I got home, the rings were way to big to wear. It is wise to think of that when buying rings. Measure your ring size before you swell up, and get that size instead of the size that fits.

[98Charlie]

I have bought rings while onboard. My fingers were way swelled up. When I got home, the rings were way to big to wear. It is wise to think of that when buying rings. Measure your ring size before you swell up, and get that size instead of the size that fits.

 

That's great advice and one well remembered by all of us.

 

 

On the other hand, I have purchased a ``handful'' of rings (no pun intended :) ) on cruises while my fingers are swollen, knowing that those rings will be packed with my cruise only jewelry in the future. That way I always have a ring or two I can wear when my fingers plump up.

 

Now, I'm not talking about precious stones, etc. -- more in the variety of the 2 for $39.95 variety.:D

 

Dianne

[katiel53]

I take blood pressure pills and one of them is a diuretic. I also have swelling of the feet and my fingers when I fly and when we are on a cruise. My doctor told me I could take a second diuretic daily while on the cruise, but that hasn't stopped the problem.

 

I think the swelling is caused partly by the amount of salt in the food. At home, I cook mostly without salt and on the ships I eat a lot more salty food. For example, I eat bacon rarely at home, but almost daily on a cruise. The meats are cooked with more salt than I would use at home.

 

I have learned to not bring any of my "dress sandals" or fancier shoes as I can't get them on my feet. I have two pairs of shoes that I wear in the evening. One is a pair of wedge shoes and the other a plain black pump. Both of these are a size and a half larger than what I would normally wear at home. These are just for my cruises as they are too large to wear after/before a cruise. I also have larger shoes for daytime.

 

I do drink a lot of water even on a cruise but it doesn't seem to help. I do have some alcohol, but try to limit that too. Even though we live in Fl, it seems that the heat of the Caribbean, along with the humidity increase the swelling too.I guess I am just resigned to the fact that this is how it's going to be on a cruise.

 

In less than a week after we are home, my feet and hands are back to normal. The cruises that had the least swelling were our Alaska ones. I think the cooler air helped a lot.

 

Having said all this, I still love cruising and plan to continue doing so.

[Marie51]

I too have had a problem with my feet & ankles swelling 3 or 4 days into a cruise. I bought a cream called "L'Occitane cream gel for tired feet". It seems to help somewhat so I am taking it on every trip now.

[dorisday]

Place your lifejacket under your mattress at the end of your bed to elevate it.

 

This is something a lot of the crew do when they first get onboard to relieve their aching feet & swollen ankles.

 

Just remember to tell your cabin steward that you doing this :)

[98Charlie]

Place your lifejacket under your mattress at the end of your bed to elevate it.

 

This is something a lot of the crew do when they first get onboard to relieve their aching feet & swollen ankles.

 

Just remember to tell your cabin steward that you doing this :)

 

I think I would prefer to just ask my cabin steward for an extra pillow to put at the end of my bed for my feet. That way I won't be searching under my covers for my life jacket in case a dire emergency comes about on the ship.:eek:

 

Seriously, DH & I normally ask our cabin steward for at least 2 extra pillows on every cruise so that I can use them to elevate my feet at night or during naps to help with swollen ankles.

 

Those pillows are a lot more comfortable than those hard life jackets.

 

Dianne

[singsong]

I also take a diruetic, but I typically find my feet swell slightly on warmer days. My last cruise my feet were huge by day 2. I asked my cabin steward to bring me a large bag of ice. Every night he left me a shopping bag filled with ice in the bathroom. I would sit on the bed for an hour or so before dinner relaxing with the bag cooling my feet, and every night I could slip into my shoes by dinner.

Additionally I asked the waiter if he could point out the lowest salt content meals, and that helped a lot.

[betsy51556]

My Mom swears that if you don't have any soup on the cruise it will avoid most swelling because the soups are very salty! She now does it and it works.

[jaja]

you guys are great!! saving this thread for sure....

 

(but I do not want to give up the soups:o --one of my favorites onboard!)

 

and yes--I too..bring my "fat feet shoes" and larger rings!!!!

[fabulousmindy]

Greetings from another Buckeye.

 

Have had problems with my ankles as well as my fingers swelling while on vacation for a number of years. Doesn't matter if that vacation is on sea or land. However, it occurs most when we are vacationing to much warmer climates than where we live -- Florida, Caribbean, Mex. Riviera, etc. (Interestingly enough, never seemed to have a problem with it when we took long land trips in Europe by car.)

 

I'm not much for taking pills as a diruetic but have found that eating as much parsley as I can find and dropping a few slices in my water glass during meals helps prevent the swelling -- and help relieve the swelling when it does occur.

 

Of course I've had more than a few waiters look at me wide eyed when I asked for a small bowl of parsley to be be served along side my salad.:D They are always amazed when I sprinkle the entire amount of the parsley over my salad and eat the whole thing.:eek:

 

Dianne

 

Hi fellow buckeye! I am getting the best ideas from fellow cc'ers. I definately want to try the parsley. I have a big patch of it in the back yard, maybe I'll eat some before our flight. Do you know what is in the parsley that makes it work?

 

I think I will have some midol on hand and maybe the compression socks too. I am just to vain to deal with it...

[98Charlie]

Hi fellow buckeye! I am getting the best ideas from fellow cc'ers. I definately want to try the parsley. I have a big patch of it in the back yard, maybe I'll eat some before our flight. Do you know what is in the parsley that makes it work?

 

I think I will have some midol on hand and maybe the compression socks too. I am just to vain to deal with it...

 

Can't really tell you what is in parsley that makes it a natural diuretic, it just is. I've heard (on these boards) that you can purchase parsley tablets at natural food stores. Never tried them since I actually like the taste of curly leaf parsley.

 

There are several food items that aid water retention. You might try looking into them through a search engine like Google.

 

Dianne

[mgm3430]

To reduce swelling the legs need to be above the level of the heart--which would look funny poolside!

 

Just lay backward on the lounge chair at the pool! ha ha:D

[lassie in Ga]

I believe the water on the cruise ships still has some residual salt/sodium in it. You sure can't taste it...the water tastes great on the ships, but when I drink it I get the swelling in the ankles and fingers. I try to stick to bottled water and that helps, but still get alittle swelling when I drink the tea, even the ice seems to aggrevate the condition. May just be all in my head...but that's my 2 cents worth!:)

[98Charlie]

I believe the water on the cruise ships still has some residual salt/sodium in it. You sure can't taste it...the water tastes great on the ships, but when I drink it I get the swelling in the ankles and fingers. I try to stick to bottled water and that helps, but still get alittle swelling when I drink the tea, even the ice seems to aggrevate the condition. May just be all in my head...but that's my 2 cents worth!:)

 

Having sat through many a professional description of the water purification systems similar to those used on cruise ships, I'm with the thinking that there is probably more salt in bottled water and in the syrup used to ``brew'' ice tea and coffee on ships than in the water flowing from a cruise ship's tap.

 

I'm a newsreporter by trade and have listened to my fair share of presentations on water purifying systems at city and village council meetings over the last 20 years or so.

 

Just took a bottle of our favorite bottled water out my fridge and read the ingredients: ``purified water, calcium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and magnesium sulfate.'' So in essence, bottled water companies ``purify'' the water then add back into that purified water items to make it ``taste better'' to their customers.:eek:

 

I'm also of the thinking (with absolutely no scientific fact to back me up) that those of us prone to water retention, for whatever reason, could possibly be ingesting salt from the sea air or absorbing some salt from that sea air through our skin.

 

I know how salty my eye glasses and skin get after standing out on deck or sitting on my balcony for long periods of time.

 

Just a few thoughts.

 

Dianne

[dixieva]

This happens to me on every cruise now. When I was younger I didn't have the problem at all. It started about 3 or 4 years ago. I do all the things mentioned here and nothing helps. By the 4th or 5th day of the cruise I can't get any of my shoes on. I bought a really nice pair of flip flop type of sandals and wear those for the remainder of the cruise even to dinner. I skip formal night. They are not the flat cheap kind but by that time I wouldn't really care if they were-shoes are not happening!

 

It goes away after a week or so at home.

[Carolinamamasita]

Looks like we are all in the

same Boat ...LOL;)

 

Im thinking 98Charlie may be on to something though :)

that those of us prone to water retention, for whatever reason, could possibly be ingesting salt from the sea air or absorbing some salt from that sea air through our skin.

I know how salty my eye glasses and skin get after standing out on deck or sitting on my balcony for long periods of time.

 

Just a few thoughts.

 

[jaja]

ok-went and bought some parsley capsules....can;t hurt!! and hoping they will help:rolleyes:

[DocF]

It has been said before in this thread, but I cannot emphasize this enough. Fluid retention can be a sign of serious health issues. If you have high blood pressure, are diabetic, have heart issues, especially congestive heart failure, you need a potent diuretic. That would be Lasix. It will do the job, for sure. I was taking it daily for over four years that I used Avandia as my oral anti-diabetic agent. I fought fluid retention all that time. I have changed to a different diabetes drug and no longer need it. I have tapered off the use of Lasix over a period of about three months. Sudden stopping of this drug can trigger congestive heart failure. If one is using Lasix only as needed, this would not be a problem.

 

Doc:D

[KruznKel]

I have the same issue mine is medical edema caused by having dvt in both of my legs.. I just want to say to those that state wearing compression stockings at night.. that is a no no.. Compression garments are not worn while sleeping because they provide too much compression when the body is inactive while at rest. Also, if the garment moves out of place during sleep, it can cause constriction that damages the circulation.

 

Please discuss with your doctor before even trying this. I do wear mine only when it is humid and when travelling..

 

What works for me absolutely freakin nothing (besides wearing the stockings).. I just have to live with it.. and since I enjoy cruising so much.. I can deal with a few days with cankles:D It is the humidity that makes me swell.. not salt .. I have no swelling while at home during the cooler months.. and I am a saltaholic;)

[weapon6]

I take 100mg. of lasix daily, and drink a lot of water and still have problems when on my feet too much, or sitting in one spot too long. If you are taking a diuretic, including over the counter varieties, you may lose potassium.

As far as the banana theory, it's my understanding that you would have to eat bunches of them to replace the potassium loss.

I agree, please don't take medications unless prescribed by your physician.

[pkrchkr]

I have this same problem when I cruise. I am ona med for HBP it has a diaretic in it(Thiazide)It works very well at home as I do not cook with salt or drink bottle water with salt(I read labels to make sure). It is just a feeling but is it possible that they use salt when they are creating the masterpeices that we love to eat for dinner?I will be asking my Doctor to up my dose of thiazide to 25mg for the trip to make sure I will not swell.It effects my BP drastically as on an earlier post where my BP was extreme.It is stable at 117/74 and I am happy.I don't know what you're med option is like down in the states but this med might to worth trying for the trip. I promise you,you will be visiting the louve several times a day and night.Just eat a banana a day as it will deplete your potassium and bananas have enough to replace your daily intake and also helps you absorb calcium from milk.

hope this helps

Good health!!

[The Chandlers]

I swell like crazy on a ship too. On our last cruise I decided to hit the sauna for 10-15 minutes each day to see if sweating would help. It did and I was so much more comfortable.