"CRUISE" feet

[Moshewil]

I don't want them again! I will be going on my second cruise in a little under 2 months. My first cruise was a 5 night, and by the last day my feet and ankles were so swollen. I was thankful for flip flops. Anyway I was wondering if this happened to others, and what I could do besides watch my sodium intake while onboard. My upcoming cruise is a 7 nighter and I'm afraid what they would look like by the end of the cruise:eek::eek::eek:

 

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[hftmrock]

cruises tend to heavily salt food. keep that in mind and drink a LOT of water. that should help at least a little.

[sassy0930]

I agree, lots and lots of water. You could also get an extra pillow or two and sleep with your feet up at night.

[Quincella]

I agree with the others. Monitor your sodium intake AND your alcohol consumption, if you partake, and drink more water than you ever thought you could drink.

 

The same thing happens to me. It also happens when I fly. I've found that when I eat more carefully and avoid alcohol (which I don't actually do on a cruise!) it's much better.

[Moshewil]

I definitely will drink lots of water this time. I hardly drank any water on the first cruise because we purchased CHEERS, and I was too busy trying to make sure I got my money's worth, so every time I had a beverage in my hand, it usually contained alcohol:D:D

 

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[hftmrock]

I definitely will drink lots of water this time. I hardly drank any water on the first cruise because we purchased CHEERS, and I was too busy trying to make sure I got my money's worth, so every time I had a beverage in my hand, it usually contained alcohol:D:D

 

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alcohol can dehydrate you so that must have made it worse... good luck and have a great cruise

[bigdawg_cb]

drinking alcohol makes me retain water, so that might contribute for you as well. If it's a matter of your feet hurting I've found that cheap thin flip flops make my feet hurt. I wear better quality thicker flip flops and that makes them not hurt as bad.

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

Grabbing an over the counter diuretic can help too like Diurex for example. I tend to retain a lot of water when we travel in the south due to the climatic differences not to mention added sodium from eating and drinking. Taking one dose of those every morning helps keep the swelling down. I also have an inner ear problem that causes me to get terrible vertigo when I retain water so a diuretic is a must when travelling and it really helps.

[1kaper]

I was pregnant on my last cruise so I had cankles for half of the time. I'v never had them that bad before. Alcohol wasn't a factor and I drank tons of water. My husband also experienced it which is even more odd for him.

 

For me bad shoes are a huge cause. Even when not pregnant, my feet usually swell after being on them for a long period, especially in uncomfy shoes. So I plan on sneakers or a good pair of flip flops/sandals with some support or cushion when I know I'll be walking a lot.

 

The other thing I found helped a lot was keeping them elevated. Easy enough to do while lounging around the pool. I also put a pillow underneath them when in bed.

[hftmrock]

Grabbing an over the counter diuretic can help too like Diurex for example. I tend to retain a lot of water when we travel in the south due to the climatic differences not to mention added sodium from eating and drinking. Taking one dose of those every morning helps keep the swelling down. I also have an inner ear problem that causes me to get terrible vertigo when I retain water so a diuretic is a must when travelling and it really helps.

 

 

ummm... a diuretic make you 'empty yourself' more often which will cause dehydration which will exacerbate the issue. The last thing you want is a diuretic.

Edited March 16, 2014 by hftmrock

[wuvgal]

ummm... a diuretic make you 'empty yourself' more often which will cause dehydration which will exacerbate the issue. The last thing you want is a diuretic.

 

I would be worried about electrolyte imbalances as well.

[hftmrock]

I would be worried about electrolyte imbalances as well.

 

 

agreed. maybe bring on some Gatorade too. dont take a diuretic though

[barbeecat]

I ALWAYS get swollen ankles by the 3rd day of a cruise and like the OP am reduced to flip flops the last few days,even on elegant night. I cannot get my feet into my dress shoes,no way. I just got off the Dream and this worked for me..I bought a pair of 20-30 mm pressure compression stockings on E bay($10)... Put them on at nite for a few hours after getting back to my cabin...never had one bit of swelling...first time ever...and my legs felt great all day! I did also increase my water intake but I always drink lots of water and it didn't help before so these compression stockings are washed and back in the suitcase fore my next cruise!

 

 

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[Moshewil]

I would be worried about electrolyte imbalances as well.

 

I was thinking about an otc diuretic, but I already take one for hypertension. I am worried about electrolyte imbalances as well, being that I have had some problems with low potassium in the past. I will drink lots of water, try to keep my feet elevated as much as possible, and limit my alcohol intake....food intake is another story:p:p:p

 

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[Vonchillis]

Never had this happen before but my wife and I came back from dinner one night to freshen up before a night of dancing and her feet were so bad I made her stay in the room the rest of the night. Finally got better after a couple of days.

 

 

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[1kaper]

I ALWAYS get swollen ankles by the 3rd day of a cruise and like the OP am reduced to flip flops the last few days,even on elegant night. I cannot get my feet into my dress shoes,no way. I just got off the Dream and this worked for me..I bought a pair of 20-30 mm pressure compression stockings on E bay($10)... Put them on at nite for a few hours after getting back to my cabin...never had one bit of swelling...first time ever...and my legs felt great all day! I did also increase my water intake but I always drink lots of water and it didn't help before so these compression stockings are washed and back in the suitcase fore my next cruise!

 

 

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I forgot about the compression socks. I wore them on the plane. I unfortunately got a pretty bad sunburn the day before the cruise so I didn't use them on the cruise when my feet were worst. I would definitely recommend them though.

[Moshewil]

I ALWAYS get swollen ankles by the 3rd day of a cruise and like the OP am reduced to flip flops the last few days,even on elegant night. I cannot get my feet into my dress shoes,no way. I just got off the Dream and this worked for me..I bought a pair of 20-30 mm pressure compression stockings on E bay($10)... Put them on at nite for a few hours after getting back to my cabin...never had one bit of swelling...first time ever...and my legs felt great all day! I did also increase my water intake but I always drink lots of water and it didn't help before so these compression stockings are washed and back in the suitcase fore my next cruise!

 

 

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Great idea! Did you leave them on all night?

 

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[Moshewil]

Just want to thank everyone for all the great advice:):)

 

This was something I was extremely concerned about because it was extremely uncomfortable after 5 days so I was dreading what it would be like after 7.

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[LHT28]

There is sodium hidden in some things that you may not think about

 

I ask for low or NO sodium meals

it worked for me

Watch the sauces

drink plenty of water & walk as much as you can

Edited March 16, 2014 by LHT28

[OCruisers]

While many blame the swelling totally on sodium/alcohol ... the heat, sun, & humidity are HUGE factors.

Think about it. Do you swell on cruises to Alaska & NE/Canada like you do on Caribbean cruises?

LuLu

~~~

[Moshewil]

While many blame the swelling totally on sodium/alcohol ... the heat, sun, & humidity are HUGE factors.

Think about it. Do you swell on cruises to Alaska & NE/Canada like you do on Caribbean cruises?

LuLu

~~~

 

Well that's interesting because my prior cruise was to Canada and my upcoming cruise is to the Caribbean....so I'm hoping it's not worse:eek::eek::eek:

 

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[Lerin]

I definitely will drink lots of water this time. I hardly drank any water on the first cruise because we purchased CHEERS, and I was too busy trying to make sure I got my money's worth, so every time I had a beverage in my hand, it usually contained alcohol:D:D

 

Uuummmm...that's your answer.

Your swelling had nothing to do with the cruise. You'd swell on land drinking that much too. ;)

[Azure Moon]

On a previous thread about swelling I'd read people say that eating melons helped them.

 

I usually eat some cantaloupe and watermelon anyway, but on my '11 Spirit cruise I'd had some swelling in the ankles. So on the next two cruises I increased the amount of cantaloupe and watermelon a bit to see if it'd help. Don't know if that was what kept the swelling away or not, but... :)

[chengkp75]

Wow, 20+ posts about water retention and not one mention of the water onboard being the culprit. Maybe my crusade is making headway. One thing I will say about drinking as much water as possible, try to avoid using the water from your sink. Not that it is any less safe, or a different source, but that the chlorine added to shipboard water can affect water retention. The water from drinking fountains or the beverage dispensers have a carbon filter to remove the chlorine (more for the maintenance issues chlorine causes inside the machines than anything else). Brita type water pitchers or water bottles will do the same for your sink's tap water. The level of chlorination required on ships is much higher than that done to municipal water supplies.

[Sharon I]

I had swollen legs and feet on my last cruise, so bad that I stayed in bed one night because of the pain I had in my feet. My husband checked with the Dr. on duty and he was told that if you don't eat a lot of salt at home than the food they serve on the ship has lots of it and if my legs got any worse to come down to the infirmary and get a water pill from them. I went to bed that night and it was gone and had no problem for the rest of my cruise. I now get a prescription from my Dr. for three of four water pills and take them if I see my legs start to swell.

 

Sharon I