Last day at sea my calfs and ankles swelled and became hard and painful

[big_duck]

Now *thats* funny.

~~My vote for post of the day~~

:)

 

I was going to reverse the personal pronouns, but that would have earned my a good thumpin' and probably another time out. :eek:

[parrotthead]

But I look better the more you drink. ;):D

Now *thats* funny.

~~My vote for post of the day~~

:)

[halos]

But I look better the more you drink. ;):D

You always look good to me, Luv :)

[S.E.]

Thanks for all the replies. The pain became stronger as I was walking. (Which I definitely did more of than I usually do.) Behind my knee and mid calf felt like they were being squeezed in a vice and like they were going to explode. :eek:

 

There is still some pain but there is also more of a tingly feeling. While both ankles and calfs swelled, the pain is mostly in my right leg.

 

I called the doctor but he is on vacation (maybe a cruise?) :D till next week. Thanks again for the replies.

 

Any more opinions or advice is appreciated.

[valancy1]

I had a horrible experience on our first cruise. I already have leg/ankle problems due to Hashimoto's disease. I drink a lot of water, so I was thrilled to bring my own water bottles and drank the water right from the "fountain" on the ship on the Lido deck.

 

Found out that they do reverse osmosis water purification and it is loaded with sodium.

 

For me, on the next cruises I have brought water on board with me and did not have the problem.

 

Having said that, if the OP's legs are warm to the touch, red, and hard, they better get to the doctor. I know the symptoms of leg clots and you definitely don't want to mess with that. I've gone 2x thinking I've had something wrong and have twice had ultrasounds of my veins, and twice have gotten the all clear... THANK GOODNESS.

 

Once I had cellulitis, and that isn't something you want to mess with either.

 

I'm glad you had a great time on your cruise... please let us know how you are!

[kujobie]

No pun intended, right?! :eek:

 

j/k :)

 

I'm glad somebody caught that. I didn't even catch it til after I posted :)

[kujobie]

DVT can cause both legs to swell even if the clot is in only one leg: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/seniors/common-older/800.html

 

Plus, yes, there is such a thing as bilateral DVT. (both legs)QUOTE]

 

You're making that up. I call shenannigans..

[cruisinJenF]

I had horrible swelling in my ankles and calves my first three cruises. Last cruise I packed heavy duty diuretics expecting it- but also had read on cruise critic about someone not drinking the water to avoid swelling.

 

Guess what? I only drank bottled water this last cruise and not once did my legs swell up like they previously did. Didn't even need the diuretics. So I can't help but think that for some people the water does cause swelling. I drank the same, ate the same- only thing that was different was no water on the ship.

[SCFCRUISER]

It happens to me every time. But our last cruise on the Emerald I drank 32 oz. of water every morning before the first bucket of beer & 12 oz. before bed & I was good to go for the week. It's the SALT & ALCOHOL!!! DRINK A LOT OF WATER & YOU'LL BE FINE!!!

 

Steve

[aubreysmom]

Wow! I have never had my ankles swell on a cruise until this past one on the Dream. We did a lot of walking - but I walk anywhere from 4 - 8 miles 6 days a week - or MORE!

 

I am sure I did drink a bit more than normal - but not too terribly much.;)

 

I do drink lots of water normally and thought I was doing well on this cruise with my water intake. However - I was drinking mostly the ship's water - not bottled. Hmmmm?

 

Next cruise I will have to try to duplicate the circumstances and see if the same condition reoccurs :D

[kujobie]

 

Found out that they do reverse osmosis water purification and it is loaded with sodium.

 

 

This is not true. The water is distilled, and has absolutely no sodium or any other minerals. This may be where the problem lies. Wikipedia says: The drinking of distilled water has been both advocated and discouraged for health reasons. The lack of naturally-occurring minerals in distilled water has raised some concerns. The Journal of General Internal Medicine[10] published a study on the mineral contents of different waters available in the US. The study concluded

 

Drinking water sources available to North Americans may contain high levels of Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+ and may provide clinically important portions of the recommended dietary intake of these minerals. Physicians should encourage patients to check the mineral content of their drinking water, whether tap or bottled, and choose water most appropriate for their needs.

It is often observed that consumption of "hard" water, or water that has some minerals, is associated with beneficial cardiovascular effects. As noted in the American Journal of Epidemiology, consumption of hard drinking water is negatively correlated with atherosclerotic heart disease.[11] Since distilled water is free of minerals, it will not have these potential benefits.

[BeeBeeCee]

OP... I don't want to scare you...but i had a clot right behind my left leg just down from the knee a few inches. It felt like a charley horse and then when i went to the doctor I found out it was a clot. There was a red circular spot that almost looked like an insect bite.

 

It was attributed to the fact that I had taken an 8 hour drive to Memphis and back for a weekend trip. The clot did not even show up for a week or so after the trip...

 

did you take a long flight or drive before the cruise?

 

I was only 39 at the time :eek:

[spleenstomper]

Just curious on MSG-does waiter tell you what does not have MSG?

Just wondering as sensitive to it.

 

Oh, I meant at land restaurants... hadn't considered it for the ship... didn't even think about it. We're going to have to make sure we order low sodium on the ship.

[quickrate]

Just curious on MSG-does waiter tell you what does not have MSG?

Just wondering as sensitive to it.

 

just alert that you are allergic to MSG and your waiter will be aware and stear you clear of anything with MSG in it. Husband has gluten allergy and is brought a menu each night gluten free.

[BND]

I had a horrible experience on our first cruise. I already have leg/ankle problems due to Hashimoto's disease. I drink a lot of water, so I was thrilled to bring my own water bottles and drank the water right from the "fountain" on the ship on the Lido deck.

 

Found out that they do reverse osmosis water purification and it is loaded with sodium.

 

For me, on the next cruises I have brought water on board with me and did not have the problem.

 

Having said that, if the OP's legs are warm to the touch, red, and hard, they better get to the doctor. I know the symptoms of leg clots and you definitely don't want to mess with that. I've gone 2x thinking I've had something wrong and have twice had ultrasounds of my veins, and twice have gotten the all clear... THANK GOODNESS.

 

Once I had cellulitis, and that isn't something you want to mess with either.

 

I'm glad you had a great time on your cruise... please let us know how you are!

 

Where did you learn that they use reverse osmosis? Last I heard and have read is that cruise ships "desalinate" water and as far as I know most if not all use evaporators which leaves the minerals behind. That's what the US Navy does also. I have never read they use reverse osmosis and can't find anything online stating that they do. Actually desalinated water on a ship has less sodium than your tap water at home which probably is processed using reverse osmosis. Ever notice how "soft" the water is on a ship? That's because basically ALL the minerals have been removed. Food has a lot more sodium in it than water. I guarantee the food prepared onboard is VERY high in sodium. So, generally cruisers are getting a lot of sodium in their food and some alcohol based drinks, not to mention just overall eating more than usual. A lot of bottled water is simply tap water so do not assume it is "pure" with no sodium either.

 

Also, for those concerned about MSG. It is just another form of salt.

[dan40]

My whole body "swells" up, seems I'm allergic to 6 or 7 meals a day!!!

[BND]

My whole body "swells" up, seems I'm allergic to 6 or 7 meals a day!!!

 

I think you've figured it out. LOL

[mistory]

Anyone with swelling should see a doctor. It's better to be safe than sorry. I dealt with it for a while only to find out I had serious health issues. Listening to others I just drank water until I got dizzy enough one day to pass out. Could be nothing, could be something. Better to be on the safe side.

[NurseW2Kiddies]

Please go to the doctor. If you are still having pain, numbness, tingling etc, go to acute care, the ER or another MD in the practice. Yes there is such a thing as bilateral DVT's. I've seen and treated it myself more than once. If you have numbness and tingling it means that your extremities are not getting the supply of oxygen that they require for one reason or another. Do not take this lightly. It could be anything from to much sodium intake (as others have said) to DVT's. When I read your post that's the first thing that came to mind. PLEASE DO TODAY! It is NOT normal to have swelling, pain and tingling in your legs for this long.....

[n2rav4]

Are you sure it isn't a blood clot? Perhaps you should see a doctor? How can you be sure it is related to the cruise?

 

 

Last cruise, the night after visiting Cozumel we did a lot of walking. After dinner, I went to change clothes and suddenly I felt a chill and got into bed, under covers. I normally sleep on top of covers, so very unlike me. Next morning, one of my legs was blood red and swollen, about 2x normal. When I went to stand up, I couldn't put any weight on the leg. The infirmary could not help.

 

I went to ER upon arriving at home, and they determined that I had "Cellulitis"--infection under the skin. Doc said that more than likely, I could have run into a bush or weed, that could have caused the smallest of abrasions, so small that I might not have even noticed doing so. That caused the infection, which also caused me to have a high fever, get the chills, etc.

 

Took an antibiotic and the swelling was gone within 3 hours.

 

Strange......