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Fluid retention while cruising!!!


princessdivaapril
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:eek: I am very prone to fluid retention-during certain timesof the month(sorrry guys) during long car trips, when standing on feet long periods of time, etc. And no I am not terribly over weight(do want to lose 10-15 lbs before my cruise though) Anyway, what can I do to help with this while cruising? Should I take a fluid pill each day? I will be drinkg some alcohol while on board and of course eating will make it worse. I dont want my feet, ankles, fingers and knees to look like stuffed sausages!! Help!!:(I have heard that cruising makes this problem even worse so I thought some of you might have some advice.

This isnt related to a health issue-just something I have always been cursed with as is my mom.

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Make sure you drink a lot of water. WATER, WATER, WATER. I always bring some aquaban with me as well but take it as needed. I somehow don't think men have the same problem but every woman I know who cruises does have this same problem. My fingers swell so much I can't wear my rings. If you didn't get what I was trying to say, drink WATER, WATER, WATER!

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When we took our Crown Princess cruise 2 weeks ago, I also experienced swelling of the feet and ankles.

 

We had to visit the ship's infirmary for my husband on a different matter and I happened to ask the doctor if there was anything I could do about the swelling.

 

He told me to take the life jackets and wedge them under the mattress each night to elevate the feet.

 

Worked great! Didn't stop the swelling (I'll have to check out Aquaban, never heard of it) but at least I started each day with my feet back to normal.

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Don't put extra salt on your food ...I find the food seems to be cooked with more salt than I am use to.

Drink plenty of water & walk, walk, walk

Last cruise I did not swell up as much as I normally do so I am thinking the extra exercise must have done it !!

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I thought I was the only one who did this!

 

I work hard to look good in the swim suits and formal wear only to have myself retain water and look like I have the worse care of cellulite I have ever had.

 

I also cant seem to have a regular bowel when I travel. I eat prunes each morning, bring laxatives etc, to no avail. I think the moment i step on a plane everything just shuts down. ;)

 

I will try the water pills, and I do drink tons of water every chance I get.

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I know many people who suffer with fluid retention while cruising. It is quite common. Besides the humidity and the heat, change in diet contributes (especially salt). Putting fear into people by telling them to consult their doctor is not necessary. Not the day of but the day after I return home, my fluid retention is gone. Now if only the extra pounds were gone too. :D

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Water water water. Sounds sort of counter intuitive but it helps. And other liquids -- juice, coffee, tea, alcohol even flavored water do not count.

 

If you are flying, that will definitely make it worse. Do ankle circles and toe lifts during the flight. Also hand extensions. Not the entire flight but a least a couple minutes every hour. Or walk up and down aisles.

 

Watch the salt of course. And salty foods that might not be readily evident -- bacon, olives, ham,

 

AND during a stop at St Kitts a couple of years ago, a very friendly local vendor noticed my ankles were quite swollen. He recommended massaging them with ALOE. He graciously gave me three pieces of it. It worked like a charm! I rubbed the cut ends over my ankles and swelling was diminished within several hours. Don't know any scientific basis for this but then again I don't know why the skunk root ointment I got in Alaska works on almost any ache or pain -- including the bruises incurred during an embarassing tumble down several stairs during the muster drill.

 

Good luck!

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Be careful about taking water pills if you plan to drink alcohol. They can have a kind of "force multiplier" effect and you may discover your drinks are "stronger' than you imagined. Another problem, while you are adapting to water pills, you will run to the bathroom much more often than you are used to. That can be inconvenient on excursions. They also can cause a dry mouth, so you always feel thirsty, but it is a thirst that drinking liquids won't quench.

 

The water pills I took for one year also came with a warning to avoid the sun because you can burn more easily.

 

Perhaps the biggest problem with them was that when you first start taking them, you can have a problem with dizzyness, epsecially when getting out of bed or when turning suddenly.

 

The water pills I took were prescription-strength, but the weakest strength made. I'm not sure about over-the-counter water pills, but if they are weaker than what I took, they may not do much good. It just depends on how serious your swelling problem is. If you are like I am, swelling hands, ankles and even face, OTC water pills may be ineffective. Even with prescription-strength water pills, I still had swelling, but not as bad as without the pills.

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I just asked my GP about this last week. I take a RX diuretic daily. He said to take two a day when traveling, one in the AM and one in the late afternoon. I never use salt at home, but on a cruise (or traveling anywhere) salt is used in abundance :eek: .

 

On our last cruise I had "cankles" (as my friend calls them-you can't tell your calves from your ankles :)) from the second day until the end of the cruise. They were fine in the morning, but by evening I couldn't get into my shoes!

 

Like several other posters, I drink lots of water, but it just doesn't help all the time.

 

If your ankles (or other parts!) swell enough to be painful (mine have :( ) I'd suggest you talk to your GP, too.

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I agree with the other cruisemates, i would consult a doctor, i am a nurse, and the most important thing by far is to elevate and elevate as often as you can, this should solve some of the problem, also when you go to sleep put your legs on a few pillows.....you should see an improvement in the morning....:rolleyes:

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I too have big trouble with swelling/water retention once a month. I was told to take vitamin B6. I'm taking some on the cruise with me just to play it safe. Don't know if it works, but I don't guess it can hurt.:rolleyes:

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  • 10 years later...

I usually retain fluid in my ankles when cruising. I got the spa package and used the sauna and steam room. I used the heated lounger and elevated my my feet. The fluid retention was greatly reduced. Did this every day. Very relaxing, pleasurable and no swollen ankles.

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At breakfast, be sure to eat some melon, try to eat mostly fresh foods (fruit, salad, raw veggies), as opposed to cooked foods with lots of salty sauces. Avoid Asian foods due to the soy sauce. Also shrimp, lobster and other shellfish can cause this swelling. Drink lots of water, elevate your ankles when possible and if nothing else works, take a diuretic. If you are doing a lot more walking than normal, this can also happen just due to all the extra exercise. I also found Elemis Refreshing Gel to be helpful.

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This is SO common, and it seems to affect women much more than men. I have this problem on every cruise and every land trip where we go somewhere a lot warmer and more humid. And the problem disappears magically within a day or 2 of coming home.

 

I try to increase my (non alcoholic) fluids and water intake. Put my feet up whenever possible, and sleep with my feet elevated. The swirling action of the hot tubs seems to help a bit, as do the foot/leg massages I get from DH (I use the peppermint foot lotion from the Body Shop). None of this stops the swelling - just temporarily reduces it.

 

I spoke to my doctor about it. He refused to prescribe a diuretic because if the potential for electrolyte imbalance and dehydration in a hot climate where you're also losing a lot of fluid thru perspiration.

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This question does come up quite frequently, some people report great relief from switching to a reduced salt diet (I think this usually needs to be requested). I haven't tried it myself, so cannot comment on the efficacy.

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We’ve cruised about 20 times. Some cruises I’d have a little swelling, sometimes a lot, but always some. There have been a lot of this discussed on these boards over the years. Buried in one discussion a poster stated she talked to her doctor about it and he recommended eating a banana every day. I’ve done this my last 3 cruises. I’ve had ZERO swelling. Zilch, nada, nothing!! Just got home last night from a 2 week cruise. I know it’s not a scientific test and may not mean a thing but I’ll keep doing it until it doesn’t work.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Same thing - I was having "Cankles" - in fact so bad one time I went to the spa for a leg massage and they asked me to go to the infirmary instead! But I explained that every cruise I swell. I finally discussed it with my doctor - WATER - the ship water that I was pouring in me because everyone said to drink water. And the coffee and tea of course that is made with the ship water. Switched to only bottled water and only drinking expresso to cut how so much water and magically it worked. I never drink the ship water. I know its still in the cooked foods, etc. but even though people swear the ship water is just like back home - there is still more salt in it from the process of getting the salt out of the sea water than normal water.

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The only time my ankles swell is if we're cruising in the Caribbean...as soon as the ship sails away into the colder waters, the swelling subsides. We're not long back from a cold cruise, and there was no difference, although I couldn't get my shoes back on, after the flight home! :O

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Hi there, I retain fluid but for me it’s the total opposite as in I’ve a restricted fluid balance intake along with some heavy duty diuretics so drinking loads of water will only make my condition worse.

Tbh I’d probs mention it to gp anyhow. If you raise your feet when possible it will help a little too.

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