calypso Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Do any of you have problems with retaining too much water? I am still breastfeeding a little, so I probably have a little from that, but I think I am carrying quite a bit of water around. I wake up in the a.m. with swollen hands, and as I move around during the day, it goes into my lower legs and feet. They become very heavy and stiff.My question is two-fold: Does this seem typical of POTS? I know blood can pool in the legs, but this isn't blood, I don't think. And aside from drinking more water, any ideas on how to get rid of it?Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 try and keep your feet elevated as much as possible, but i would discuss it with your doctor. do you weigh yourself everyday. that's a good way to tell if you are retaining water. and drinking water is the only natural way i know to lose it. it's common to retain a little post partum but it should clear up fairly quickly. morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 Amy,Are you taking Florinef by any chance? I know that causes me to retain some water weight...but if memory serves me right, I don't think you were taking that. I dont' think that nursing would make you swell, even though it does cause you to hold a little extra water in your system. Props to you for keeping up breastfeeding after all you've been through I bet your lil' sweetie is getting big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ling Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I was told recently that my heart medication causes swelling. I swell up allot some days for no reason at all. My hands and feet are the worst. I drink allot of water and nothing helps. I also swelled up allot on Florinef and nearly a year later I am still loosing the weight slowly. Have lost 4 out 12 kg gained from 3 months of Florinef. No answer sorry, just one of our problems I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayley Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 really stupid question what does florinef do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calypso Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I am not taking Florinef or Midodrine, so that's not the issue. I am starting to get a little worried because I am waking up at night having to go to the bathroom one or two times, and this is very unusual for me (aside from when I was pregnant). It's like I carry this fluid around all day, then I lay flat and my body needs to get rid of it. I am always wondering in the back of my mind if I have some sort of mild heart failure going on as a result of the pregnancy, because I have never been able to get rid of the edema from being pregnant.But then I have had an echocardiogram and plenty of EKGs, and there are no signs of heart failure. But what else could explain edema and nighttime urination?Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 time to see your doctor amy. how much is your weight fluctuating? i'm not sure how far post partum you are, but it is not normal to retain water. so call your doctor. Hayley, i don't take florinef, but believe it raises your blood pressure somehow. someone on this site can explain it to you. i have really high bp, so don't take those kind of meds.morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Florinef causes you to retain salt, which in turn causes you to retain water and results in an increase in blood pressure. Calypso, are you on a high salt diet, even though you are not taking florinef? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calypso Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I am not on a high-salt diet. Wish it were that simple.I am calling my doc now to see what he says. Thanks for the advice.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 amy,i do not know enough of your situation to say too much...and i am not sure how much water you are retaining, etc.but, i have to pee more, esp. at night, when i am lying flat. i just learned that this can be b/c during the day with the pots you have pooling in your legs and stuff. then, at night when you lie down, that fluid evens out more and makes its way back up from the legs....then your kidneys say, aha, gotta pee!one way to "trick" the system is to prop the head of the bed up a few inches.i haven't done this yet though b/c i have an adjustable bed that weighs a zillion pounds!anyway, that can be another reason for increased peeing at night...plus...you were just pregnant right? could your bladder be weaker/more sensitive from that? this is way out of my ballpark though! anyway, i have to pee a lot at night too....but it hasn't been a sudden change either nor do i have all sorts of the water retention/swelling you are talking about...so i don't know...just throwing another possibility out there!florinef is a corticosteroid that increases the body's ability to retain sodium. so you eat a lot more salt when on it and retain more fluid and thus increase bp and blood volume.hope you find out something soon...and that the doctor takes you seriously!emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 amy,do you wear compression hose? my shoe size went down a whole size when i started wearing them...i hadn't realized how puffy my legs were from the fluid/blood pooling!and, my legs would feel so much heavier and achy as the day went on too before i started wearing them.i felt like i was walking through molasses...my hands are also puffy in the morning or after lying down and then it goes away pretty quickly.none of it is extreme for me though....sorry, enough rambling!i never realized how puffy i was until it went down!emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 gee emily, a zillion pound bed and a zillion pounds of water. you are quite the heavy weight aren't you, lol. just kidding. i should raise the head of my bed too, because all of a sudden, i have to get up and pee every nite. it's so frustrating, because i don't sleep well to begin with. and my feet are swelling, which is going right along with the drop in my bp and heart rate..... hmmmm coincidence, i think not. morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 morgan,did i really say zillion twice? oops! i guess i exaggerated a bit...thanks for teasing me! you crack me up! my bed is one of those tempur-pedic adustable beds and it weighs i think about 400 pounds (for real) but it seems like a zillion or fifty billion or something like that!i got that from my college roommate! she was so funny! and soooo southern! okay, off the subject but you made me laugh! emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Hi, My understanding is POTS persons need fluid retention to maintain fluid volume and reduce symptoms... tachycardia, syncope, tiring, etc... I am much more swollen in the am. But soon pee off some of this after am coffee. That's why I think I feel soooo FAT all the time Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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