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edema solutions

Nanc

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances (Sept 2016)
SDC/ Finesterre/ Muxia (2016)
I have peripheral edema- it has developed since I had last done long hall climbing or hiking. The degree can vary greatly. My legs can swell with pitting edema . I am a bit stymied about foot wear- how do I get enough space to accommodate bad days and not leave me swimming on other days- blisters a risk either way.

no one in the medical field has had any advice
I have a game plan for the plane ride but I see a lot of people buying shoes of larger sizes to accommodate foot swelling on the pilgrimage- so not sure how bad it is for "normal" people

does any one else have edema issues and how did you work with it?
nanc
 
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I don't have that problem. But it might be a situation where you should consider taking a second (perhaps lighter) pair of shoes suitable for walking.
 
Hi, @Nanc !

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT to be confused with a doctor! My medical experience is almost 40 years old and was confined to the ER and ICU in a major Chicago teaching hospital.

Sooo, as this advice is free, please make sure you place the value upon it that you paid for it... I seek to offer ONLY suggestions that you might find helpful in discussion with your doctor(s). Okay?

@C clearly has very good advice for you regarding "backup shoes".

Beyond that, have your docs ever run an "SMA-12" blood analysis? It might be revealing of the source issue behind the edema. (Liver, kidneys, electrolytes, etc.)

Things for you to try whilst the experts do their analyses...

1. You may find the issue disappearing as you train. Keep a record of symptomatic occurrence for every day that you go about your training. Give a copy to your medicos. Your docs may find some info there that was not included in their clinical understanding before.

2. How well do you monitor your water and electrolyte intake? This is, again, info that your docs need to complete their assessment. (You might log (diary) your sodium intake for them as well.)

3. Have you ever done a food allergy assessment? Yeah - I know it seems "out there" but it is a fairly inexpensive assessment, easily done with minimal discomfort and an oft-known trigger to (some) docs for edema.

4. Your docs should already know whether you have heart disease in your family. If they do not - - alert them! There are other tests they might wish to run if they were unaware of that fact.

5. DON'T STRESS! Worry is a waste of imagination (or so I have heard.) Chances are, after review with your docs and some training under your belt, that this becomes a non-issue.

Buen Camino!

B
 
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I have seen shoes with two pairs of insoles - must be useful for swelling feet. (Last time, I ended up wearing my shoes without insoles for the last 70 km because my feet got wider than they were at the start. Worked fine - but I have strong feet that never have given me any trouble.)
 
Take a look at the Sigvaris Merino compression socks. They are 20-30mmHg. Expensive but they may help with the edema while you walk.
 
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Thoroughly support all the advice above. You say that nobody in the medical field has had any advice - are you able to find a doctor who specialises in sporting injuries? This was a lifesaver for me when I broke my foot. They are experienced with patients - athletes or otherwise - wanting to solve problems preventing them from achieving their goals.

After I was able to walk without my CAM/Moon boot, my foot swelled up something awful and my sports doctor recommended Powerstep Compression Recovery socks. They were totally different to other compression socks that I had tried and have been a great aid to my rehabilitation. I use them for walking, not just recovery as they are also very supportive of all my weak muscles and joints at the moment. Just been for a 5km walk in 30℃ to see how they fare in the heat and they were great.

powerstep.jpg
Good Luck!
 
thank you all
as for medical concerns yes I have had thorough work ups and despite having a family cardiologist and internist- my problem boiled down to the idiopathic- duh! peripheral edema that women are more prone to-
I hadn't thought of using compression socks on the Camino as well as plane! I will try sock layering in these prep days to see what wear rub etc they create

or variable insoles- sounds like wear and tear makes it likely a new insole will be needed anyway and swapping out may work to two advantages

I will also revisit my thoughts for town shoes at the end of the day and will see if I can get a weight that might work for walking as well- I'm not fond of the idea of 3 sets of shoes as some people have packed
again the varied opinions are VERY useful as I experiment and see which of your ideas works for me
Nanc
 
I wore SKINS compression tights under my pants the entire camino. They really helped with muscle soreness and I didn't have any swelling in my ankles and feet. Loved them!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I tried knee-high athletic (runners) compression socks and got solid hiker's rash from feet to knees. Just shows how complicated things are!
 
I agree with using compression stockings. Put them on before you get out of bed in the morning so any swelling will be minimal. Be sure you use these on training walks before you travel to make sure the ones you choose will work for you. If you feet/legs are really swollen at the end of the day, prop them up on something (pillows, jacket, whatever) when you go to bed. Elevating your legs above the level of your heart during your lunch break may also help (elevating for 30 minutes three times a day can work wonders!).
Buen Camino! Sue
 
And then there are always diuretics. Take them the minute you arrive at the albergue. This way you'll be visiting the servicios in the day time off route. 1 farmacia in San Sebastian would not sell them to me, the one down the street did.
 
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And then there are always diuretics. Take them the minute you arrive at the albergue. This way you'll be visiting the servicios in the day time off route. 1 farmacia in San Sebastian would not sell them to me, the one down the street did.

Sigh! Please consult your doctor first before using diuretics. Especially when planning to walk the Camino. Diuretics (loss of water) and physical exercise (loss of electrolytes) can be a really dangerous combination. Buen Camino, SY
 
Just had to cut short my Camino Portuguese due to extreme peripheral oedema. Rather than mess around medicating on the Camino, I came home to consult my doctor and found that it is a well-known side-effect of my blood pressure drug, amlodipine. Never happened to me before but a change of prescription has resolved the issue. At the time I put it down to leg stress, extreme heat and salty food - not their fault after all! Worth checking for the side-effects if you are on medication.
 
Just had to cut short my Camino Portuguese due to extreme peripheral oedema. Rather than mess around medicating on the Camino, I came home to consult my doctor and found that it is a well-known side-effect of my blood pressure drug, amlodipine. Never happened to me before but a change of prescription has resolved the issue. At the time I put it down to leg stress, extreme heat and salty food - not their fault after all! Worth checking for the side-effects if you are on medication.


Sorry to hear but you made the right decision. Like you said it is not done to mess around with meds without consulting your doctor.
Have a quick recovery.
 
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Yes meds can do it. I had an extreme (elephant leg) flare when i flew after
starting diltiazem.
Sorry you found out on the Camino
Nanc
 
I have an optional solution you might consider for any edema. I will just tell you the story right off. My mother has suffered with edema most of her life. Taking lasix for about the past 40 years. In which if you have taken lasix you know you have to take potassium with it and it doesn't solve your edema problem just relieves it when it flares up. In my research for my problems with my liver I found a protein that I took for that problem plus it was recognized for healing a bunch of other problems. The protein I am talking about is Taurine. I researched it to see if it helped with edema and it said it did. My mother started taking some and her edema is pretty much non existant now after using it for just a couple of months. She no longer uses lasix at all. Taurine cured her of her edema problem that she had her whole life and it doesn't deplete potassium or anything or drain water out of your muscle. It is some pretty miraculous stuff. We stumbled onto it purely by accident. We use the 100% pure powder form of it. Of course, always check with your doctor first but most doctors do not know about this. Her's didn't. I just thought I would share this and if it helps anyone or makes anyone's life better. Hallelujah!! Praise God!!

This thread is from 2016, just as an FYI.

Let me underscore your advice - -and it should be an ironclad qualification - - that folks follow your advice to NOT take Taurine as a supplement or therapeutic until consulting with a physician. Although it is an amino acid, supplementing it can create problems with potassium depletion, and can increase lithium retention, both of which can create serious side effects in some folks who are susceptible.
 
All I can say is it does work. Her bloodwork is perfect on everything taking the taurine. Skeptics miss out on a lot of great things.

I read your first reply which was deleted, and I understand why it was, given the purpose and function of this Forum. . . this Forum does not allow the same rhetorical tactics used in much of social media these days. This Forum is a refreshing respite from the nastiness which exists on those platforms.

Now I see you've modified the content of the original post. Hopefully my reply here might be of help to your concerns.

What confounds me is the fact that I stated nothing to contradict your post about Taurine. I merely echoed your advice to seek professional consultation, expanding a bit about why doing so is important for those few who may have a special risk and need to be counseled against taking taurine.

Were you not serious when you wrote that before taking taurine one should consult a doctor? The other curious contradiction with your taking exception to my urging of provider consultation, is that you had lab work done to assess your mom's health, likely measuring various electrolyte markers. Did you order and perform the lab assays yourself, or were they done by a health care provider?

If my post is read in proper context, I fail to see where I stated that Taurine WON'T work as a diuretic.

I did focus on two specific and documented side effects which have clearly occurred, and which can create serious problems if someone is sensitive to such risks. Those at risk include individuals who already have challenges with potassium and lithium issues.

Your labeling of me as a skeptic is silly, especially when I have recommended the use of taurine in intractable cases of severe edema, and even with congestive heart failure as an adjunct to Rx meds with physician consult.

I am a licensed Professional Midwife who received training at Seattle Midwifery School. Much of the coursework during that 36 month classroom and clinical course involved Naturopathic disciplines. As such, I have a tremendous understanding and appreciation of alternative therapies and treatments.

During my university studies for my BS/ed and MS/ed, much of my coursework focused on pre-med sciences. Also included in my degree work in public health, was a lot of coursework in epidemiology and statistics. I also have minors involving athletic-sports training.

As a midwife, I also have a great concern about the potential issues of taurine supplementation during pregnancy. . . more so during the first 2 trimesters. . . due to the incomplete and contradictory information about potential teratogenic effects. But that, again, is a departure from the recognized general safety of taurine supplementation to the public at large.

There is a good body of NCBI based studies on the positive aspects of taurine (stuff doctors and other practitioners read). And while you focused on liver function as one possible pathophysiological reason for some cases of edema, even more important is taurine's role in renal function and health.

Hopefully this will correct any of your misconceptions.





I hope you choose to re-read my post.
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I just thought I would share this
It is surprising that you joined the forum just to make a post on this subject, which is only very incidentally related to the Camino. I guess you haven't read our recent discussion about giving medical advice here on the forum.

Skeptics miss out on a lot of great things.
They also miss out on a lot of bad things and money wasting.
 
@rrich600 you are welcome as a new member of this forum. This forum is dedicated to Pilgrims past and future to the shrine of Santiago in Santiago de Compostella. Your personal experience of the use of a particular therapeutic has little relevance to that topic.

This forum does not offer medical advice nor encourage members to seek or offer medical advice.
 

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