Swelling / Edema

I got this from bartonella. Blood tests sometimes showed low protein (ie kwashiorkor, but the cause is bartonella eating the amino acids, rather than bad diet). It would come and go, as you describe.

After successfully treating the bartonella infection it has mostly resolved, but it took a long time so maybe there could be some permanent damage.

p.s. Do you think compression socks might help?

p.p.s. What's your sodium intake like? I've seen cans of Amy's Organic Soup that have 1,240 mg of sodium. Even the "reduced sodium" chicken breast I buy from the deli is fairly high in sodium.

Okay, I was just trying to brainstorm, based on some online searching. But, obviously, I have no idea. So, I'll leave this to those who are better informed.

in the literature - of the tick borne infections - rickettsia are most associated with oedema -
it does this by infecting and damaging the microvasculature and making it leaky - so that the plasma leaks through into the tissues faster than the lymph can drain it out and recycle it.
Buhner writes about this in his co-infections book

i have seen it - especially in the feet and ankles of people suspect have lyme et al - eg people diagnosed with "CFS"

as above - sodium balance is another thing that causes oedema issues - i have a friend who was on some depression meds that caused sodium balance issues ( low sodium i think) and his head would swell up overnight and then his feet would swell up in the day -

i think Buhner was pretty enthusiastic about red sage root / salvia Militorhiza for protecting the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels - so that might be worth a try - doses were fairly high if i recall - 3-4ml 3-4x day

I’m going to chime in here as someone who has experienced some of this.

First of all edema it’s kind of a general term that can have more than a few causes. It can be pretty complicated or pretty simple.

millions of people that have this and don’t have took infections so we cant automatically assume it’s a tick infection problem but we can’t rule it out either.

As far as the more common mechanical results. This can be caused by lymph fluid, too much sodium, vascular leakage, including the one-way check valves in your blood vessels that can become slightly faulty. Or a combination of these.

I have one of the genes noticed in blood clotting issues. Seven years ago I had a sub DVT in my right calf leg muscle. I woke up one morning and it just blew up, very swollen. I took blood thinners for a week and got better.

Ever since then you can see slightly blue, leaking surface, varicose veins, and I will get sock rings from socks that are too tight, now this will also increase or decrease based on my sodium intake.

To top it off I also have low blood protein. But it’s low globulin protein, which is what your immunoglobulins are made out of. This is different than albumin protein which is what your muscles use. you have to remember blood protein total test is divided into these two different types. If any one of these is low it will lower your total protein test. Which is why the total protein test is kind of stupid because you want to know what type of protein is low …if it is.

So my legs don’t get puffy enough to notice just on the row and I have to be wearing socks and order them to reveal his sock ring. In the summer I try to fine loose, low-cut, athletic socks. When I wear long socks, I have used the compression socks that you can get at Walmart, median compression by Dr.Scholls.

I have also had an ultrasound test in both legs that revealed somewhat faulty vein valves. So I am more likely to get this. They can correct it as a minimally invasive procedure. I’ve just not done that yet. Don’t know if I will since it’s not that bad yet.

So my experience in this is just with my legs, not arms. And you can have an athletically fit body and still get this. The key points I’m making here, even though I have evidence faulty, leg vein, performance, the amount of salt I take in is also a huge factor in this. And I love salt. I eat a lot of mixed nuts, and I started getting the non-salted ones, then my legs don’t leave a sock ring nearly as much. But I still have the salt craving.

Bumping my old post from a year ago. Here we go again.😢

Was doing really well the first of the year for a few months. Then, I started having to expose myself to mold again. Now I’m spending time in the house again on a daily basis.

Symptoms started returning the first of May. One of the main symptoms is edema, probably all over, but felt in the hands/feet/legs. It hurts. It disturbs my sleep. It makes standing and walking difficult. I feel it during the night and when I wake up. Once I get up, I don’t notice it as much for a while, but later, I will have trouble walking again once I stop and sit down.

Zyrtec helps because it acts as a diuretic, but even that doesn’t seem to work quite enough. I’m tired of this. It’s one of those symptoms, like many others, that seems to come and go. When it comes, though, it can last for weeks to months.

Now that I’m older (closer to mid-50’s), I find this concerning. What is this doing to my heart and kidneys?

You don’t have to respond. Most of you already did last year. I’m just documenting my symptoms here and kind of whining.

Hi WalkingbyFaith,

You can eat more foods that are high in albumin.
This basically means eating foods high in protein.
Meat, Egg, Fish, Dairy, Beans, Lentils etc.

My lower leg edema improved this last year in the summer and winter.

My total protein count is still low because the globulin Protein is at the bottom of the range or sometimes under the range but the Albumin protein remains mid range.

I have been on a lower carb diet (a little higher than keto ) for 11 months now and I eat two hard boiled eggs every morning. That may or may not have anything to do with my shin/ankle Edema improving.

I also eat more unsalted mixed nuts than salted mixed nuts now.

Edema is kind of a slang version, catch all term for puffy, bloated, hands, and feet low legs. So it can be both water retention and blood vien leaking or a combination of both. It’s different for different people. I think for me it’s both. (I have never been overweight either).