Sqad! Urgent Opinion Because I'm Vain.

[gness]

I know I'm Irish and we have our legs on upside down but.....since starting on the statins in November my legs and feet have started to swell...no pitting but quite a lot of fluid. Never had this problem before. BP is fine.
Struggled to look good in the black trousers last week so I stopped taking them five or six days ago. Still some swelling but I'm sure the statins are to blame...I think.
Do you have an opinion please? Gx

[slaney]

Hi gness - step away from the stockings - sparkled or no.

I see sqad has mentioned intermittent claudication, so I presume you have peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Compression stockings of various kinds are contraindicated if this is the case as they can lead to a further impairment of blood flow.
http://www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/donotdorecommendations/detail.jsp?action=details&dndid=434

Swelling of the legs can have many different underlying causes, and treatments are different and not interchangeable.

[Sqad]

slaney...well said....many of our contributors have confused venous drainage and arterial supply.

Yes.......gness has peripheral vascular disease.

[RATTER15]

See GP, he will probably put you on water tablets.

[gness]

Morning Slaney and thank you. I guess your advice applies even though the problem is in my tummy and my leg arteries are fine? Still, I will step away from the sparkly, black socks either way.
Morning Sqad and Ratter......looks like more pills then.....oh well. :-(

[boxtops]

Could you not get any cabbages, gness ? :-)

[DTCwordfan]

beware the washrooms, bathrooms, loos and wherever in Southern England, a flood of water to handle is imminent.....

[gness]

Aaarrgghhhhhhh!!!! Cabbages!!!!

[gness]

I can bring my own DT. :-(

[DTCwordfan]

No problem, gness, water retention or not, it is the person and her mind that count! :-)

[DTCwordfan]

as long as the pills do not interfere with your imbibement!

[gness]

Then I shall bring the mind if it's not in one of it's gone dancing days...;-) x

[gness]

I have a lovely GP....he knows not to do that to me.....x

[slaney]

Hi gness - yes, the advice stands even if the blockage is higher up (Iliac?) as the blood flow to the rest of the leg will be somewhat compromised.

[slaney]

"narrowing" would be a better word than "blockage" - I presume investigations are still ongoing.

[gness]

Thank you Slaney....I have an appointment in April to find out exactly where and what the blockage is. With my record of mistakes I will probably find I'm booked into the vasectomy clinic.
Thanks again. Gx

[frazerd]

Do away with Statins! Until the medical press make up their minds whether they are a good or bad thing I'd keep away. If they were prescribed for high cholesterol, I reduced mine from 6.4 to 4.2 by having porridge every morning with a tablespoon full of Oat Bran on the top (with a tiny squirt of syrup to sweten it up) and at least 2 pieces of fruit at lunchtime for additional fibre. I've changed little else and still have my daily chocolate dose! It also sorted out my sluggish bowels a treat!

[gness]

Hi Frazerd...Cholesterol has been 6 for years and I have always refused Statins til this episode.....but have ditched them now.
Have always eaten porridge and low fat so I think 6 is just normal for me. OH with the same diet was 2 and never higher than 3.
Thanks for your input. x