Swollen Ankles - Scary

For about 2 months my ankles have been swelling up.  Some days are worse than others, sometimes my legs hurt as well.  I have no tingling or swelling anywhere else.  It really is scaring me now, because the past two days have been bad.  I woke up this morning and they were still swollen.  I go to my doctor on Tuesday, but was wondering if anyone else with Crohn's has had anything like this?

 

I had this problem for about a month. My parents thought I was nuts for having joint pain at the age of 23, but when I showed them the massive swelling they believed me. It was also in my knees and elbows. It got so bad that when I moved while sleeping at night I would wake up from the pain and really... walking around was quite the task. And for this reason, I intend to purchase a ranch style home! Anyhow, doctor told me that it was a systemic effect of the crohn's disease. He put me on relafen which was specifically for arthritis pain and it did wonders! I used to be a runner, but after that bout, my joints don't do high impact anymore, and my PCP told me to avoid those types of activities.

Hi,

My right ankle has been swelling every day for three months. It goes down with elevation overnight, but is achy all night, and if I turn it the wrong way, it throbs. At one point it was so bad that I was on crutches for 2 weeks. I could not wear shoes other than flip flops. I had an x-ray and MRI, which were normal, other than showing a lot of fluid and edema (the joints/tendons were fine). My GI finally prescribed Mobic (an NSAID similar to Advil), which seems to help with the pain, but not the inflammation. It works during the day, but it wears off at night and is quite achy. The swelling started on the outside of my ankle and shifted to the inside after about two weeks. Now it's all around. I still don't feel as if I can put my foot flat to the floor most days. At the same time, my knees started alternately aching, too. It's called migratory arthritis and is associated with Crohn's. It is so frustrating and debilitating! I feel like I'm missing out on so many things - with friend, my husband and kids. I cannot do any activities that require a lot of walking. I put myself on turmeric, Osteo Biflex and DHA fish oil a couple of weeks ago and added Align probiotic, too. My ankle seems to be marginally better - no more crutches, and I can get myself in normal shoes most days, as long as I don't wait too long. A naturopath suggested that I use arnica cream/gel 3 x a day. I started seeing an acupuncturist last week who seems to think she can help with the inflammatory processs. My stomach has not been bothering me, but I had a colonscopy 2 wks ago that shows the inflammation/Crohn's has returned. I'm sure the swelling is related. My GI suggested remicade, too. Scares me to death. But I have been researching it and will meet with my GI to discuss all my concerns/benefits and risks. I cannot live the rest of my life with this debilitating conditon, so I am warming to the possibility of Remicade. I have a co-worker with rheumatoid arthritis who has been on remicade for a couple of years. He says it has been a Godsend.
I also take Pentasa, a multivitamin, Vitamin D and acai berry.

Good luck with your decision. I will be praying that both of us (really all of us) make the right and best decision.

Hi,

I just posted about this very same thing a couple weeks ago.  I had been in a bad flare for about 3 months at that point and my feet and ankles were like wpainful water balloons.

Say my GI, got some bloodwork done and it was totally from malnutrition and super low protien levels.  I drank protein shakes, and tried to eat things with extra protien.  Now my feet are pretty much normal.

One of the things that I found helped a lot was sleeping with 2 pillows under my feet so that they were elevated.  The next day they did not seem as bad.

I hope you get some relief soon.

Saw my doctor today. He ordered blood work and a urinalysis. He seems to think it's a protein/malnutrition issue.

MMMNAVY - I asked him about heart disease, because it is a prominent issue in my family, and he told me I was too young. (23) If nothing comes of this blood work, I will definitely push the issue of heart disease. Thanks!

I really appreciate all the input! Thanks.

Dr called today with results. My hemoglobin, protein, and potassium are all really low. He said to start taking protein supplements, iron, and eating a banana a day. We'll see. Thanks again!

Had the same problems some years ago, had the symptoms for 2 - 3 years. Asked my GP, he ignored my question, so I thought that this was nothing to be concerned about. If this was today, I would ask him to let me meet a specialist in cardiology. Often swollen ankles could be a sign of heart issues.

Interesting that swollen ankles also could be a sign of malnutrition or artritis when having Crohns disease though.

Post Edited (BeeSting) : 5/31/2009 4:09:42 PM (GMT-6)

hi and yes i sometimes get the swelling also and it comes and goes as it pleases . Not only do i get it in in the ankles but in my knees elbows and at times hips . My main places for swelling tho is my hands ,not only do they swell but they get very hot and sore . I was until last week on inflixamab which maybe called something else if your not in england as i am ,which is supposed to be helpfull in crohns disease and also arthritis but i found it makes my joints feel worse but doesnt matter now anyways as my last infusion i had a recation and am unable to have anymore. I hope this helps and you can find some answers from your doctor .Good luck geordiedi x