Can Back & Ab Aches of Microscopic Colitis Feel Like PMS?
Here’s the only article you’ll find comparing joint aches of microscopic colitis to those of PMS.
Having been diagnosed (colonic biopsy) with microscopic (lymphocytic) colitis, and being a woman who knows all too well what the joint aches of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) feel like…I am here to confirm this:
Joint aches of microscopic colitis and those of PMS feel identical in every way, shape and form.
At least for me they do. But I’m sure I’m not unique.
Researchers cannot solidly define the mechanism that causes joint aches that precede the menstrual cycle (“PMS”) nor the joint aches of microscopic colitis (enteropathic arthralgia).
But suspect in both cases are chemical messengers called prostaglandins. NSAIDS such as Naprosyn and Alleve suppress production of prostaglandins. This is why these drugs work so well on the joint aches of PMS.
However, when I had my second flare-up of microscopic colitis, Naprosyn kicked butt with the joint aches.
This tells me that the MC arthralgia was caused by a flood of those nasty prostaglandins (not to mention that the feeling is identical to premenstrual syndrome).
“Aching joints can be a symptom of microscopic colitis, but not necessarily. Many patients with aching joints don’t have microscopic colitis, but aching joints and gut problems often go hand-in-hand.
They’re both associated with inflammation, and many doctors speculate that cyclo-oxygenase (COX 2) or prostaglandins are involved because of the function they provide. Prostaglandins are chemicals that generally cause inflammation of our joints.”
– Dr. Jeffrey Fine, MD, the chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving, from an interview for another post of mine, Why Does Microscopic Colitis Cause Joint Pain?
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/George Rudy
Sources:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04686.x/full (prostaglandins and MC)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3629156/ (prostaglandins and MC)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6350580 (prostaglandins and PMS)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594490 (prostaglandins and IBD)
ccfc.ca/site/pp.asp?c=ajIRK4NLLhJ0E&b=6349433&printmode=1 (flare-up of joint aches can occur separate from gut problem flare-ups)
Aching Joints: PMS vs. Microscopic Colitis
Is there a way to tell if your joint aches are related to PMS, your monthly cycle, as opposed to microscopic colitis?
Microscopic colitis, as well as PMS, are strongly associated with joint aches. However, not all people with microscopic colitis develop aching joints, and not all PMS symptoms consist of this, either.
As a woman, I know what both feel like. Is there a way to tell the difference, however, between the joint aches of microscopic colitis and those of PMS?
Yes. You do it by timeline.
My first flare-up of microscopic colitis came when I was expecting my period.
My periods were irregular, so the anticipated date of my first day of flowing was not pinpointed.
But I was approaching that day—it was anywhere from a day to a week or so out.
I began experiencing joint aches. I also developed strange diarrhea that I was having several times a day, and at times, overnight.
I do not recall which came first: the diarrhea or the arthralgia. But I definitely recall they came within pretty close approximation of each other. I blamed both on PMS.
Then I began flowing. Now, historically, joint pain from PMS always disappeared the first day I began flowing (not spotting, but FLOWING). Rarely, the joint pain persisted into the second day of my period.
In general, for women who experience premenstrual syndrome, the symptoms disappear when the period begins.
MedlinePlus states:
Premenstrual syndrome refers to a wide range of symptoms that:
Go away 1 – 2 days after the menstrual period starts.
Gooddaypharmacy.com states that the symptoms usually go away after the first day or two of flow.
The Premenstrual Syndrome In-Depth Report from nytimes.com states: The symptoms typically go away within 4 days after bleeding starts.
This is why it’s called premenstrual syndrome.
Oddly, though, my joint aches in this particular case not only persisted throughout the entire duration of my period, but they were about the worst I had ever had—really distracting me while I tried to work at my computer (ankles, low back, wrists, even neck). I didn’t take NSAIDS because they could damage the liver.
When my period ended, the “PMS” joint aches continued!
They just persisted for days after I stopped flowing.
Nevertheless, I attributed this to hormone fluctuations related to my monthly cycle, even after I was diagnosed with microscopic colitis.
I never connected the dots—until quite a while later when I learned that MC and arthralgia often go hand in hand.
So, the big tip-off that your joint aches are related to an inflammatory bowel disease such as microscopic colitis is that their timing does not correlate with your period.
Another tip-off that the symptoms aren’t PMS is that you’re postmenopausal, as I was at the time I had my second flare-up of microscopic colitis.
It began with joint aches that felt very “PMS-ey” or hormonal, but I had completed menopause four months prior.
The diarrhea came 27 days later (ranging from porridge-like to explosive pale yellow), and most of the arthralgia went away a few days after that.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Stasique
Sources:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04686.x/full (prostaglandins and MC)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3629156/ (prostaglandins and MC)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6350580 (prostaglandins and PMS)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594490 (prostaglandins and IBD)
ccfc.ca/site/pp.asp?c=ajIRK4NLLhJ0E&b=6349433&printmode=1 (flare-up of joint aches can occur separate from gut problem flare-ups)
nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001505.htm
nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/premenstrual-syndrome/print.html
Ultrasound Tech Says Ovarian Cyst Is Complex?
Find out what it may REALLY mean when an ultrasound technician tells you that part of an ovarian “cyst” looks “complex.”
If you’ve been keeping yourself medically informed about the human body, then you know that when an ovarian cysts has “complex” qualities in a postmenopausal woman, this gets the attention of the radiologist fast.
So imagine my anxiety when I asked the ultrasound tech, when she completed the external exam, if the “cyst” she said was possibly on an ovary, had any complex portions – and she said yes.
If this happens to you, I strongly recommend that you ask the tech to repeat the ultrasound—after you let your bladder get more full, even if you feel you really need to relieve yourself.
She wanted to do a transvaginal ultrasound, but I declined because I knew this would be intolerable.
She said that if she sent the results to the radiologist, the impression would be “sub-optimal,” and the radiologist would want a transvaginal done.
So I’m lying there, weighing my options. I then asked if it’s possible that the transvaginal would show that the alleged ovarian cyst was not “complex,” and she said it was possible, and that the external image has limitations.
Only after a few minutes of this back and forth did she finally suggest a repeat ultrasound, because it appeared as though my bladder wasn’t maximally full.
In fact, from the get-go, I didn’t feel all that urgent and wondered if I was full enough, and I even asked when she began the procedure, if I was full enough, and she said yes.
Nevertheless, she changed her tune and said to drink more water and wait in the lobby, and when I felt extremely urgent, to have the clerk notify her.
She repeated the ultrasound, and it was uncomfortable due to my urgency (whereas the first one wasn’t).
She said the image was much better. As for the “cyst” on the ovary, she now said that based on her better view of it, she no longer felt I needed a transvaginal, and that the radiologist would probably just recommend a “follow-up in two or three months.”
The so-called cyst was average 1.5 cm, and the tech said this qualified it as a “follicle,” and that only when they’re at least 2 cm are they called a cyst.
With a much clearer image, she was able to see that it was “homogenous,” meaning same throughout, rather than more than one pattern or variegated. This was good news.
Another feature she was able to discern was that the “follicle” lacked “septations.”
Another good sign was that when she did a “flow” to see if there was a vascular network within the follicle, nothing “lit up.” This meant that the follicle did not have its own blood supply.
These are all features of a benign finding.
She had let me see the image and showed me the negative result when she did another “flow” test.
I might add that she told me she was NOT supposed to reveal such information to me (she told me this at least twice), but I guess there was something about my demeanor that encouraged her to break the rules.
But thank God I saw the image; it was very homogenous. However, it wasn’t black (which would indicate a very shallow object). It was a smooth gray. What WAS it? I’m postmenopausal, so it couldn’t have been a functional cyst.
Several days later I received a voicemail message from the doctor’s nurse with these exact words: “YOUR PELVIC ULTRASOUND WAS NORMAL.”
Hmmm. I sent an e-mail to the doctor asking to send me the report. No way would I mention what the ultrasound tech had told me, as this would get her in trouble.
The report stated:
FREE FLUID: Trace free fluid identified in the right adnexal region.
IMPRESSION:
Minimal free fluid in the right adnexal region.
I asked the doctor what this meant. Her response:
Your abdomen has fluid inside at all times bathing all your organs, and sometimes if they see some at the time of an ultrasound they will mention it because it may be associated with menstrual bleeding or an ovarian cyst etc. However, there was no comment of pathology and your right ovary as well as left was normal without cysts on the imaging.
So if the ultrasound tech tells you an ovarian cyst looks complex, ask yourself if your bladder could be MORE full, then ask for a repeat ultrasound in 30 or more minutes.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock
Ultrasound Can’t See Ovary Doesn’t Mean Anything’s Wrong
The ultrasound technician gave me a very normal reason why she could not “find” my left ovary.
If your ultrasound technician informs you that she can’t “see” or “find” one of your ovaries, do NOT panic or worry. If she says it’s “hidden,” do NOT worry.
The ultrasound technician told me that she was unable to see my left ovary.
She said the “bowels” were in the way of the ovary, and that the waves kept “bouncing off,” preventing her from getting an image.
If this happens to you, it does NOT indicate a medical problem. It’s an IMAGING issue.
In my case, the solution was to drink more water and wait for my bladder to get fuller.
That, I did, though it took a while, even though I had followed the water-intake instructions prior to the first imaging.
The technician took one or two patients while I waited for my bladder to get really uncomfortably full.
For the second attempt, she had absolutely NO problem getting a good image of the “hidden ovary.”
If you have an ultrasound scheduled, it will help you if you have this knowledge ahead of time.
Make sure your bladder feels ready to burst before you get the procedure done.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Cause of Mild Ankle Edema when All’s Been Ruled Out
Find out what my doctor said about my bilateral, mild ankle edema that doesn’t seem to have an identifiable cause.
The bilateral (both ankles) edema I first noticed several years ago was so vague that initially, my primary care physician didn’t even see it when I told her to look at my ankles.
Eventually she decided that I might have “trace” edema.
In fact, the “edema” was so mild that my veins and sinew were quite prominent, and I still had a thin ankle with bones jutting out.
But if a discerning eye looked closely, it appeared as though in certain areas, below the skin was more than just a thin layer of fat.
There was a fleshy, soft appearance, and I was able to grab at it with my fingers more than what I’d expect to for this location of my body.
The mild edema had not changed the shape of my lower leg or the diameter.
However, my cardiologist — during my annual routine heart health exam — immediately confirmed that my assessment was correct: that I had edema. He said it was “akin to a few grey hairs.”
Not long before this discovery I’d had extensive tests of heart function: all normal. Calcium score was zero. Stethoscope, EKG and blood lipids were all normal.
And, there were never any symptoms when I engaged in STRENUOUS exercise: high intensity interval training and intense and heavy weightlifting.
Blood tests for liver and kidney function were normal. Tests for celiac disease and low thyroid came back negative.
I wasn’t pregnant, and the mild bilateral ankle edema was not related to my menstrual cycle because I was newly postmenopausal at this time.
Menopause!
Could THAT be the cause of my vague edema in both ankles, I wondered.
The edema or whatever it was never went away overnight.
It was exactly the same at any time of the day. It had not changed in any way or degree since when I had first noticed it.
My OBGYN nurse denied I had edema, however. So did my dermatologist.
That’s three doctors (PCP, cardiologist and dermatologist) and one gyn nurse who had given their opinions.
But only two of these medical professionals believed it edema — one calling it “trace.” And two denied it. Very interesting!
Conclusion: I didn’t have edema in the ankles at all. It’s just that my ankle area isn’t going to look the same as it did 10 years ago or even five years ago.
I don’t excessively sit or stand.
I’m not on meds, and I have a low salt diet.
I have no symptoms that would suggest a kidney stone.
I don’t drink.
Lymphedema is a type of fluid retention characterized by marked swelling of the foot, which I don’t have.
I don’t have venous insuffiency and never had a blood clot.
I do have a small varicose vein in each calve, but I’ve had those for years. I don’t have ulceritis or Crohn’s. My colonoscopy was normal.
The “pseudo” bilateral ankle edema is non-pitting (no impression left when pressing a fingertip to the skin).
My advice if you seem to be in the same boat: Get doctor and nurse assessments, but consider the possibility that you actually do NOT have ankle swelling or fluid retention after all.
Instead, you’ve likely lost familiarity with what your ankles normally look like, and/or body fat stores can shift and settle closer to the ankle — something that wouldn’t necessarily be prevented with intense exercise.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ArtFamily
How High Must ALT & AST Be for Liver Disease?
Here’s what a liver doctor says about the ALT and AST blood tests.
The cut-off point for whether or not an ALT or AST value should be of concern, can be confusing, especially since values can vary from one lab to the next.
“There is no definite value for this,” says Michael Blume, MD, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore.
“For example, patients with hepatitis C can have normal or near normal liver enzyme values and still have significant liver disease.
“In short, just because your liver enzymes are normal, does not mean that everything is necessarily normal.”
The AST and ALT number are not the be-all, end-all.
Dr. Blume explains “that you cannot interpret an isolated laboratory value or group of laboratory values as numbers that tell you something.
” You need to interpret these numbers in the context of why they were ordered in the first place, and what question they were supposed to answer.”
Dr. Blume adds: “It is important to remember that we treat people, not laboratory test numbers, so one needs to answer, what that number means in that particular person.”
Symptoms of Liver Disease
• Jaundice: the skin has a yellowish tinge. This may also be present in the eyes and inner lips.
• Abdominal swelling or pain (fluid buildup)
• Swelling in the legs and ankles caused by fluid buildup as well
• Itchy skin with no apparent cause
• Urine that’s the color of tea or cola
• Pale bowel movements
• Blood in the BMs or BMs that have what looks like gooey tar in them (old blood)
• Unexplained fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Tendency to bruise easily
Risk Factors for Liver Disease
• Heavy drinking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Drug use with shared needles
• Unprotected sex
• Exposure to toxic chemicals like insecticides and aerosol sprays.
• Tattoos or body piercings
Problems with the liver can also be caused by heart failure.
The ALT and AST values won’t necessarily be as high as expected for this.
In practice for 25+ years, Dr. Blume treats over 65 conditions including abdominal pain, appetite loss, blood in stool, celiac disease, colon cancer, esophageal and liver disease, gas and IBS.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/goodluz
Joint Pain from Fibromyalgia vs. Rheumatoid Arthritis
Here is what a doctor says about the difference between fibromyalgia joint pain and that from rheumatoid arthritis.
“With rheumatoid arthritis the pain is localized predominantly in the hands as opposed to the larger joints being more affected in fibromyalgia,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers nationally, and author of “The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution.”
“In addition, rheumatoid arthritis has red [and tender feeling] swollen joints, where there is no swelling or inflammation in fibromyalgia,” adds Dr. Teitelbaum.
The hands (or feet) of someone with rheumatoid arthritis have a distinct appearance that certainly does not look painless. Fibromyalgia does not alter the appearance of any joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis can affect the knees, hips and shoulders when it progresses, but not as commonly as does fibromyalgia.
Dr. Teitelbaum adds, “Morning stiffness is worse with rheumatoid arthritis than fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia pain intensity is flared by cold weather.”
The stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis is made worse also by extended periods of inactivity such as sitting in front of a TV.
Just what does the pain of fibro feel like?
“It feels predominantly like widespread achiness, but in time progresses to include neuropathic sharp burning pains, and sometimes even the skin sensitivity to touch,” says Dr. Teitelbaum.
This includes odd sensations involving the scalp.
Can it feel anything like “sore” muscles that one experiences after a hard gym workout?
“It actually can feel like that, but amplified many-fold, all over your body, and without going away.”
Another difference in the way rheumatoid arthritis makes the body feel when compared to fibromyalgia is that with the former condition, the patient may have a fever or feel feverish.
Both fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis can make the patient feel fatigued.
A worst case scenario is when a person has both of these conditions.
Dr. Teitelbaum
is a board certified internist and nationally known expert in the fields of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep and pain.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Aaron Amat
Can Joint Pain Be the Only Symptom of Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is linked to many symptoms including joint pain, but can this symptom be the only presenting feature of this condition?
“It can present simply with joint pain, and but the way to distinguish it from arthritis is that it is both widespread, does not have red swollen joints, and is associated with insomnia,” explains Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers nationally, and author of “The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution.”
Symptom Specific Features
“The pain will tend to be more aching around the joints, and is actually coming from the tight muscles where they attach at the joints,” says Dr. Teitelbaum.
“In fact most people with fibromyalgia mistakenly think that they also have arthritis.”
If all you have is joint pain, and it comes and goes, this does not mean you have fibromyalgia or a degenerative form of arthritis.
You may have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia when, in fact, the cause of your joint pain is inflammatory bowel disease.
Have you been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or the much more benign microscopic colitis?
All three of these inflammatory bowel diseases can cause joint aches or what might be described as pain.
When digestive issues cause aching joints, this is called enteropathic arthralgia.
However, when a patient presents to their primary care doctor with complaints of joint pain, the doctor’s first thought isn’t going to be colitis.
A person with joint pain may have both an inflammatory bowel disease and fibromyalgia.
It may not be possible to determine which of the disorders is causing the discomfort in the joints.
Making the overall picture more vexing is that the cause of fibromyalgia joint pain — though speculated upon by many — is not truly known. A few theories:
Central Sensitization: This theory suggests that fibromyalgia involves an abnormal processing of pain signals in the central nervous system.
The brain and spinal cord may become more sensitive to pain stimuli, leading to heightened pain perception.
Neurotransmitter Imbalances: Imbalances in neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine may play a role.
These chemicals are involved in regulating mood and pain perception.
Dr. Teitelbaum is a board certified internist and nationally known expert in the fields of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep and pain.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/fizkes
Duodenal Cancer Tips for Treatment, Chemotherapy
A woman who was personally touched by duodenal cancer offers valuable tips for those going through treatment.
Unless you have a known “condition or illness” that runs in your family, most do not go for an endoscopy or any scope for that matter.
That is changing with each milestone; a test (endoscope) should be done just like annual mammograms, and starting at age 35, for sure at age 40.
I’m not a doctor, but I’m writing from experience and knowledge I’ve gained over the years from collecting information about a rare cancer: duodenal cancer.
When this type of cancer is even mentioned, many people say, “Where is the duodenum?” or, “I’ve never heard of that cancer.”
Duodenal cancer is so rare that there is minimal research out there and unfortunately it gets shuffled into the same category as stomach or colon cancer, when, realistically, duodenal cancer is in a category of its own.
I’ve read case study after case study on duodenal cancer and while I’d like to state that what I’ve read is getting better, there’s still a long way to go. The key is as always to catch any type of cancer in time.
Whether lack of testing is due to insurance, money, work or just that slightly dismissive feeling of “I don’t get sick and I feel fine” — a little health maintenance lasts a lifetime.
The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine located between the stomach and the jejunum (the middle part of the small intestine).
After foods combine with stomach acids, they descend into the duodenum where they mix with bile from the gall bladder and digestive juices from the pancreas, just to give you an idea of the importance of this canal per se.
Needless to say, duodenal cancer symptoms are both painful and very warring, ranging from abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, vomiting and chronic GI bleeding.
Depending on what stage of cancer a person may have is the “cocktail” of chemo, radiation therapy or, if the cancer is contained enough, a Whipple procedure (a major surgical operation involving the pancreas, duodenum and other organs).
I put together my own theory just from reading e-mails from people and seeing Google alerts that come up with the words duodenum or duodenal. The best way to get rid of cancer is to REMOVE it!
Cancer, Chemo, Radiation…they all do a number on your body and senses, and every day is a goal to figure out how to handle it, what to do and how to get through it.
You’ll notice it does a number on the people around you as well, so you’re never alone; everyone is empathetic.
I wanted to end this with a few tips. Although they might seem like common sense, when you’re actually in the moment, you might not be thinking straight.
Prior to starting chemo, go for a nice teeth cleaning (check with your oncologist first as if blood count is low, you won’t be able to). Always have orange peels and put them under your nose for nausea.
There are many appetite stimulants which should be taken to keep your weight on, which will in turn keep your strength up.
The thought of a port (a small medical appliance installed beneath the skin) might seem so permanent and although you’re determined to beat it fast, consider the port as something that, in the long run, could save a lot of unnecessary poking and pinches.
Should the duodenum become inflamed and they want to put a stent in, think hard and long about that, as chemo could shrink it and cause the stent to shift, which would cause even more problems you just don’t need.
I’m always available to chat with anyone going through duodenal cancer.
Visit here to contact Adrienne.
Source: DuodenalCancer.com
Swelling in Both Ankles: Can’t Find Cause?
What can be causing the “edema” or swelling in both of your ankles when everything’s been ruled out?
One day I noticed that my ankle area (both feet) was very mildly puffy (swelling).
Did I have edema? Edema is fluid retention and has many causes, some serious and some benign.
I first thought it was because I’d been wearing tight socks, but I quickly ruled that out.
I then thought it was a menstrual cycle coming, but it never came (not surprising because I hadn’t had one for nine months).
I then blamed menopause, which I obviously was going through. However, I still wondered.
The cardiologist I’ve seen a few times for routine heart disease screening took one look at both my ankles and immediately agreed that I had mild edema and said it was “akin to a few grey hairs” and nothing to be concerned about.
My primary care physician took one look at both my ankles and said they looked great; no edema.
However, further into the appointment she then said that there could be “trace edema.”
A dermatologist looked at both ankles and immediately said they looked normal and that there was no edema or swelling.
A gynecological nurse examined both ankles and she too said there was no edema and they looked perfectly normal.
So, do I have edema in both ankles or not?
A cardiologist sees a lot of this condition because heart failure is a classic cause.
I’d also think that a gynecological nurse sees a lot since PMS can cause swelling, and so can pregnancy.
A primary care physician would see it too, since they see patients with all sorts of conditions just for routine checkups.
A dermatologist will sooner or later run into it and get a good look at it simply by checking for skin cancer on the lower legs.
When I discovered the “edema” I had to go with the consensus that I actually did not have this condition after all.
If you believe you have mild swelling in your ankle area, there’s a possibility you actually don’t have any fluid retention.
What can masquerade as fluid retention is your unfamiliarity with how the skin about your ankles has changed over time.
I wasn’t in the habit of examining this area because there are no moles there, and when I shave, I don’t really look closely at the area.
But the day I discovered what I thought was swelling was when I just happened to take a look from a viewpoint that I normally never did. I have no idea how long my ankles have had this appearance, either.
The dermatologist said that skin loses elasticity as we get older, and when I grabbed at the puffy areas, she said it was skin.
There’s less muscle in that area, so that’s why the skin was “grabbier” than the skin along the calve.
If you were to see my ankles you wouldn’t think they were swollen or had edema; they’re actually skinny. But what had caught my attention was their apparent composition.
There seemed to be fluid under the skin because the skin was fleshy and soft-looking. And “grabby.”
You may want to take a good look at your ankle area and make a note of what they look like. I had never done this.
A tip-off that you probably don’t have edema is that you can see veins under your skin (such as below), and the area has indents from sinew.
My blood tests for kidney and liver function were normal. My thyroid is normal.
My celiac test was negative. I don’t sit or stand excessively. My diet is very low in sodium.
My heart is in perfect condition. There are no other symptoms like pain in the legs that can signal venous insufficiency.
Again, the consensus is that I don’t have edema or swelling in the ankles. Maybe you don’t, after all, either.
