Idiopathic Edema/OSA Connection in Women

[WearyOne]

I'm headed to the doctor Tuesday for a thyroid check (Graves' Disease) and to the PCP Thursday for a physical to check on pitting and non-pitting edema I've been having for a while in my lower legs and feet. In my Internet research, I ran across this that I thought might be interesting.

Idiopathic edema is associated with obstructive sleep apnea in women
http://tinyurl.com/2bz5jb

Hopefully, mine will turn out with no major cause and be idiopathic.

Pam

[IBTeri]

Thanks that was interesting.

[catbirdgirl]

I'm having problems with edema.

I thought it was a reflux medication that caused it.

I went off the medication, and I still have edema in my legs and sometimes my fingers.

WHAT do I do about it.

I don't want to be on water pills all my life.

Exercise helps but only so much.

Suggestions?

[WearyOne]

catbirdgirl,

I'm finally giving in and having a physical to make sure it's nothing serious. But then again, on Tuesday, I could find out my thyroid levels are off. I'm also extremely fatigued like I was when my thyroid levels were off before. If that's the case, then that's probably the culprit. (I'm on Synthroid, a thyroid hormone.) Or I could go through it all and find out there's no cause and I'll just have to live with it.

If you haven't seen your doc about it, you might want to. On your own, you might try restricting the sodium (salt) in your diet. Sodium retains fluid.

Pam

[Tkuentz]

I originally went to the doctor about this same thing. The doctor just told me to limit salt. A year later, I went to him for a referral to the sleep study. He did all of the thyroid tests and told me they were fine. I had not heard of the connection. I have been on cpap for 3 months now and I do notice that when I am able to sleep for about 8 hours, it is lessened and when I only sleep for about 4-5 hours per night it is worse. (I try to limit salt and put my feet up, but with two kids, job and hubby --- it is a challenge!)

Thanks for posting this link!

Terri

[WearyOne]

Hey, Tkuentz!

I'm glad I found the link. Thanks for mentioning about the difference you notice when you sleep 8 hours versus 4-5. I'm forever not getting enough sleep, so I will start paying more attention to that.

Pam

[nightingale]

This is very interesting, as I have been having this problem( ankle and lower leg edema) for about last 1 1/2 mos, and Dr cannot find a reason. I would be interested in hearing more on the subject. I do not sleep well because I have been unable to find a full face mask that does not leak and awaken me periodically during the night--I get about 4-5 hours sleep total

Nightingale

[DeltaSeeker]

Chiming in here with a "Me too!" I have had edema of both ankles and hands for 2-3 weeks now and was attibuting it to Provigil and looking up the side effects of that and the other meds I'm on.

I have also noticed a connection between the number of hours I'm "down" lessening the edema. If I only get 4-6 hrs. sleep (I know, shame on me...) it's worse, and better if I get a full 8.

I agree it's tough with 2 kids, work, and being a single mom (which I think is EASIER than having to care for hubby too ) to get all the sleep we need. But then I think women invariably take on the role of caretaker and sometimes to their own detriment. I've really been working on that and trying to force myself into a decent bedtime. After all, what good is having a CPAP machine if you're not going to lay down and sleep? Or if you find yourself running on empty and sitting down to watch TV and sleeping on the couch 3/4 of the night w/o CPAP???

Let us know what the doc says...

[Tkuentz]

LOL - You might be right on the hubby . . . sometimes he is just another six year old!

I have to say that I try to get to bed earlier now because I don't wake up all night long! FINALLY!!! However, even though I quit my job after 22 years, I still wake up at 5:30 a.m. --- and haven't been to work in 2 years!

Please let us know what the Doc says. Thanks

Terri

[WearyOne]

The results of today's thyroid blood check I won't know until at least tomorrow afternoon. Thursday is what I'm really waiting for, though.

That is amazing about the edema being less when you sleep more! And here I am, after reading that, going to bed at 3 a.m. and getting up at 7 a.m. this morning!! Had a computer problem and since I use the computer for my job, I "just had" to get it at least in decent working order before I could even think about going to sleep.

Just one more good reason to get to bed early.

Pam

[christinequilts]

That is amazing about the edema being less when you sleep more! And here I am, after reading that, going to bed at 3 a.m. and getting up at 7 a.m. this morning!!

Lower leg edema often improves when your feet are elevated, which is why it normally gets better when you sleep. You want to have your feet elevated above your heart, unless you have another medical problem that precludes it (certain serious heart/lung disorders). If it improves then, you probably have Dependent Edema, which is a descriptive term, not a diagnosis, per se. Here is an even more complete article on types of workup/testing & treatment for Leg Edema

I'll also mention, I went through years of dealing with very severe lower leg edema- I actually had it other places, but I didn't realize it until we finally figure out the cause. I slept with my feet elevated (have adjustable bed & used extra pillows) and took every 'water pill' under the sun. Nothing helped until I was put on Singulair, in addition to my regular allergy meds, and then the edema slowly went away, only to reappear suddenly when the Singulair was stopped due to insurance coverage issue. Nothing like gaining 20 pounds in 2 weeks-lol- which thankfully went away just as quickly when I restarted Singulair. We've figure out what caused it now- turns out I do react to corn maltodextrin & other minor corn derivatives, even though it only contains very small amounts of corn protein. Not a typical case by any means, but it was one of thing none of my doctors thought of, partially because the edema was consistent for several years. Now its easier for me to recognize when I get something with trace amount of corn as the edema starts within a couple hours, along with other symptoms...and I never want to go back to as bad as it was.

Good luck finding the cause~

[WearyOne]

Wow, Christine, interesting. I had allergy testing done about three months ago due to nose congestion on and off all the time. Along with steroid nasal spray and a few other things, she prescribed Singular and gave me samples, but I never took it! (Need to get them to fax me the results of the test! Can't believe I haven't done that yet.)

When my ankles are bad, they are better in the morning. And sometimes the small pitting on the front of my legs is better in the a.m., but is never gone. I don't have shortness of breath or any weight gain, blood pressure's okay with the meds I'm on, pulse rate is in the 70's, dont' have trouble breathing laying flat (as long as I don't go to sleep that way without my mask!!) So, hopefully it's not CHF or anything that serious.

I'm anxious about the physical on Thursday and hope whatever tests he orders will not take forever to get back. If the thyroid (done today) and any iron tests are off, that will explain some of it, but not all. Then there are those blasted female hormones bouncing me all over the place!

Thanks for sharing!

Pam

[WearyOne]

Well, thyroid numbers are "in range," on my current Synthroid dose, so that's not it. PCP visit today, he said he didn't believe it was CHF or pulmonary hypertension, two things I was really worried about. He did mention that it was a really good thing I got on cpap because going years and years untreated, OSA can cause either of these two things.

He rated my pitting at a +1 (whatever that means). He has scheduled me for a cardiolite stress test and had some blood work done, and gave me a script for a mild diuretic. So, the saga continues!

Thanks, all!

Pam

[DeltaSeeker]

Pam,

Glad to hear it's not Thyroid. One thing ruled out, several more to go I suspect. It's such a hit or miss deal. I'm amazed at how far we've come in the medical field and also amazed at how far we have to go. Even in psychiatry - well let's try this anti-depressant and if that doesn't work we'll try the next one on the list. Yeah, I know there's a "matrix" of sorts to figure out which med is the best for which symptoms, but within that matrix there's so much play. Plus you have to hope you were properly diagnosed to begin with!

Hormones playing havoc - phew - I sure know that route! I've never been on HRT and suspect at this point I won't, since all my life my hormones have been low. But boy, when they started falling out of whack, so did my emotions! Crying one minute, yelling the next, etc. Never had hot flashes, but I did have what I call "rage" flashes. Where out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, I'd start a royal scream fit about something that didn't bother me the day before

Christine, that's amazing that they were able to find the cause of your edema and that it's corn protein! I'm glad the Singulair works for you!!! BTW, I *do* have some at home if you ever need it I tried it and it made me too dizzy and lightheaded. My lips would tingle, etc. Not fun. Same sort of reaction I had to Leviquin (antibiotic) and for which they gave me Antivert (vertigo med) since my sinusitis hadn't cleared up for any other med and I was almost thru with it. The vertigo was REALLY bad! I'm talking about walking into the walls, lying down and room spinning kind of bad! Sometimes I feel like a walking pharmacy

Anyway, Pam, let us know how it goes and keep us posted! My dad had severe edema and towards the end, no amount of keeping his legs elevated would have any effect It looked so painful. I won't complain about the 5-10# I've gained from mine - at least it doesn't look like my skin is going to crack open...

[TxStarDiesel]

Pam,

Please keep us informed.

BUMP!