TERRIBLY CONFUSED!-CPAP/HIMIDIFIER/SWOLLEN ANKLES & WRISTS?

[Marietjie]

Hi - When I look down at me feet I see ankles that don't belong to me ! ? ! - they are swollen (morning till evening) and what worries me is that my hands got pins and needles so badly that I had carpal ligament release op. on last Thursday - right hand and left hand op due for early 2009 - NOW my question - is cpap therapy/humidifier the cause of this edema.
Will it help if I lower the temp of the humidifier(temp is set less than 1) . Something is wrong and I don't like this edema problem - 7 months now on cpap and edema for about 5-6 months.My eyes are also puffy. Now I'm really troubling you with my health problems - but maybe someone else is also experiencing cpap and edema and could give me answers to solve this very nasty problem. Thanx so long...Marietjie

[Julie]

Hi, I'm going to suggest that you see your MD in the very near future, because your symptoms are not Cpap related even if they may be OSA related. You need to be checked out as you're retaining water, which could be due to various problems, and your apnea is probably more of a symptom in itself of those problems, rather than the other way around. Your blood pressure should be checked out too, of course.

[Wulfman]

I agree with Julie.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/edema/DS01035

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/edema/ ... ION=causes

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/edema/ ... cal-advice


Den

[Hawthorne]

I have just been through this swollen ankles business, looking down and saying "Whose ankles are these!!!???"

I saw my doctor and she wanted to put me on diruetics. I balked at that so she discussed my diet with me in terms of salt intake. I do not add salt to any cooking but, of course, there is salt in a lot of foods.

Her advice to me was to read every label at the grocery store and if salt is the 4th ingredient or above 4, don't get that. I have done that for a month and my ankles are back to normal! I will continue to do this! It is not cpap related, in my case anyway. I should say, I am using my humdifier in passover mode but still got this problem.


Worth a shot anyway! Hope it helps. I would talk to your doctor though since our cases may be entirely different!

[Paul56]

I too have recently gone through the swollen ankles/lower legs issue.

With me it sort of sneaked up on me as one day I noticed that my lower legs were swollen up and I had some indications of stasis dermititis. I went in to see the Doc as soon as I could get an appointment.

The results were: high blood pressure and too much salt intake.

He prescribed BP meds along with a diuretic. It wasn't very long after the diuretics and drastically lowering my salt intake that the swelling went away and has pretty much stayed away. I'm now seriously working on losing weight... as that is the root of many evils.

[mindy]

I agree with previous posters - see a real doc and get it checked! Lots of possible causes but it basically says your body's electrolytes are not in balance. Because I have heart failure, I have to keep my sodium intake *below* 1500 mg/day. When I don't do that, my feet and legs really start swelling.

Mindy

[country gal]

Hi,
I started with cpap in May, and from the first day I had issues with swelling in my legs. All thought I have high blood pressure for several years before being diagnosed with OSA I have never had this problem. Even my husband (who never says, or notices anything bad about my appearance) said "how come your ankles are so swollen". I went to my sleep doctor, and my PCP and they both said that it wasn't due to CPAP, but they didn't know what it was from. It continued into August when I finally went in for an unscheduled appointment with my PCP and insisted that something was wrong. He sent me for an electrocardiogram, and it was determined that I had diastolic dysfunction. This can cause excess fluid to build up in the lungs and we think that the air from the cpap was pushing the excess fluid out of the lungs, causing the edema. Since I have been treated for the diastolic dysfunction the swelling went away within a few days. Without the CPAP the Dr's said that I would have never know about this condition until something very bad would have happened.

Please see you Dr. soon. Best of luck.

[Marietjie]

Hi again! thank you all for the interest shown in my problem - Confused - Yes........I amongst other, read : "Cpap side effects"
posted by Gregory Harper, on 8/23/97 !!!

I decided to do the following:..... set the humidifier on 'passover mode', lower cpap pressure from 10 to 9,5.
Lower salt intake and will also contact the sleep lab technician for her advice. Before my resent op (20th Nov) it was found that my heart, BP, sugar level, lungs, etc were all within limits -( BP 138/78 )

I will monitor the setting changes of my machines and see whether there is an improvement in my health (edema) situation.
Thank you once again for your contributions made. Good Day - Marietjie

[Julie]

Do everything you mentioned, but also see an MD because the edema is a symptom not only of i.e. too much salt, but also of serious problems that need addressing, or at least assessing, by a doctor first, then you can fuss about the 'small' stuff.

[MusicMan]

I will monitor the setting changes of my machines and see whether there is an improvement in my health (edema) situation.

As the others have stated, the edema has absolutely nothing to do with your CPAP. I would recommend checking with your doctor as soon as possible to have it checked out.

[MusicMan]

He sent me for an electrocardiogram, and it was determined that I had diastolic dysfunction. This can cause excess fluid to build up in the lungs and we think that the air from the cpap was pushing the excess fluid out of the lungs, causing the edema. Since I have been treated for the diastolic dysfunction the swelling went away within a few days. Without the CPAP the Dr's said that I would have never know about this condition until something very bad would have happened.

Like Country Gal said - her edema was due to diastolic dysfunction, which was exposed due to the use of the CPAP - not caused by it.

[Marietjie]

Hi all - thank you again for your response re: edema - 2 weeks before my hand op (20thNov - operated by orthopedic surgeon) I mentioned the swollen ankles to my GP - He asked if it's swollen when I wake up in the morning which would have been a cause of maybe some more serious problem. I told him my ankles are not very much swollen early compare to later during the day. He didn't think to take the matter any further apart from sending me for blood tests - all tests prove to be in order. BUT I want to say also, that I've got dropped arhes real bad! Being a housewife I'm on my feet all day everyday ! Could this perhaps contribute to the swelling - anyway, I took Renezide (diuretic) tablet yesterday and will continue taking this tablet till the swelling is gone. I'll give it a week - if not completely better, I'll consult my GP. This morning when I got up I could see my ankle bone again! So the Renezide did help. Marietjie