Swelling of hands,feet, and ankles.. will not go away!

I've been through hell in the past month. Let me give you a quick run-down of what has been happening with me:

I'm only 30 years old, female, to start off with.
-Went to the hospital because of terrible burning when urinating, the doctor could not find an infection when doing a urinary test, but they gave me Keflex antibotic to treat whatever was happening to me.

-Few days went by, the pain was worse and not getting better. I then went to my gyno and she did STD testing on me. Visually, she said she didn't see anything wrong, but the tests were still done because I was having so much pain. My results returned that I was positive for having Herpes, but they couldn't tell if I had oral or vaginal herpes. Herpes is very easy to contract, condoms do not help protect from this disease. The doctor put me on Acylovir to clear up the Herpes symptoms (burning urination) and that went away after about 3 days, so the doctor knew then it was vaginal herpes that was causing my discomfort.

-A few days after dealing with that issue, I started noticing that my pants weren't fitting. My stomach looked very swollen, like a balloon. I felt like I had a lot of gas pain that went clear to my back, I could barely sit down or even walk. There was very noticable swelling in my hands and feet and ankles, so bad that it was uncomfortablet to walk. I couldn't put on my shoes because my feet were so huge.

-The first part of my body to get better was my stomach, it doesn't have the painful gas going on anymore, and just a little swelling. My hands and feet and ankles are still swelling and it's been 3 weeks so far.

-At the beginning of this week, I went to the emergency room.. again.. for an ear infection. I was put on Keflex AGAIN.

I have no idea what is going on. I've been tested for EVERYTHING. My doctor thought my thyroid was acting up since I have Hypothyroidism, but it was fine. He also thought it could be my kidneys, but that checked out just fine. I did a complete blood and urine test and nothing came up. My doctor will NOT call me back to talk to me about another possible cause for this swelling. I asked my gyno if the Acylovir was causing this and she said it could be an adverse reaction, but it's already been two weeks since I stopped taking that medication.

I don't know what to do at this point. I've looked up numerous articles on the internet and can't find anything close to what I am feeling right now. If anyone can help, that would be great. I have spent way too much money on hospital bills and I am still not well.

I do not know about the other medication you mentioned Acylovir(?), but Keflex can cause damage to the tubular structure of the kidneys in rare cases. You may or may not have positive results on a blood test for kidney function. May need a biopsy to confirm damage to kidneys.

Keflex is a cephalosporin type of antibiotic. I have learned recently that it can cause kidney damage and can be neurotoxic in rare cases. Rare seems to mean "less than 1% of the population." I had a now-confirmed neurotoxic reaction that temporarily damaged the GABA neurotransmitter function in my brain. The antibiotic I took was cephalexin, generic for Keflex.

Are you by any chance allergic to penicillin or sulfa drugs? It seems that some people with penicillin allergies also have allergies to certain types of cephalosporins. I have not confirmed this yet, but it seems that there is a connection between those people with sulfa allergies also having cephalosporin allergies.

If you haven't already, try researching pubmed.com where you can find latest medical journal articles. A search will sometimes give you access to the journal articles, but sometimes you only get an abstract so that you can at least get an idea what the article is about. In order to get a copy of an article that isn't readily available, check with your local library or university library and see if they can get it for you. Try searching on keflex, cephalosporin, cephalexin, and cefalexin, and Acylovir. Some kidney terms are tubular necrosis and interstitial nephritis.

I hope this helps.


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Hello,

Yes, you are right. I have a sulfa allergy and cephlex and penicillin allergy. All are connected.

larissalle wrote:

I do not know about the other medication you mentioned Acylovir(?), but Keflex can cause damage to the tubular structure of the kidneys in rare cases. You may or may not have positive results on a blood test for kidney function. May need a biopsy to confirm damage to kidneys. Keflex is a cephalosporin type of antibiotic. I have learned recently that it can cause kidney damage and can be neurotoxic in rare cases. Rare seems to mean "less than 1% of the population." I had a now-confirmed neurotoxic reaction that temporarily damaged the GABA neurotransmitter function in my brain. The antibiotic I took was cephalexin, generic for Keflex. Are you by any chance allergic to penicillin or sulfa drugs? It seems that some people with penicillin allergies also have allergies to certain types of cephalosporins. I have not confirmed this yet, but it seems that there is a connection between those people with sulfa allergies also having cephalosporin allergies. If you haven't already, try researching pubmed.com where you can find latest medical journal articles. A search will sometimes give you access to the journal articles, but sometimes you only get an abstract so that you can at least get an idea what the article is about. In order to get a copy of an article that isn't readily available, check with your local library or university library and see if they can get it for you. Try searching on keflex, cephalosporin, cephalexin, and cefalexin, and Acylovir. Some kidney terms are tubular necrosis and interstitial nephritis. I hope this helps. **this post is edited by moderator ** web addresses not allowed ** Please read our Terms of Use

:?My hands and feet have been swelling for three weeks, and I cannot find the reason. My doctor has just changed my meds to Elevil (from Prozac), increased Duragestic Patch from 25mg to 50mg and changed pain med from Lorcette 10/650 to Oxycodone 5 mg, and pharmacist said none of these should cause swelling. I drink a lot of Gaterade because I have an ileostomy (for 30 years), I'm not on my feet a lot. Of course, it is the weekend and I cannot see the doctor.

Dear Jan,

I wanted to email you and let you know that your not alone with your swelling of your hands and feet. I am experiencing the same problem with unknown swelling and inflammation all over my body. I am a female, age 34 with three children. I have been to my family doctor and hospital many times complaining about this swelling and pain and specially losing my strength and ablity to use my hands and feet. I know that are symptoms are probally a little different but I wanted to contact you to see if you had any of my symptoms that you did not mention.

I started noticing a great deal of swelling in my left hand first! The swelling started at the top of my hand by my knuckles and then a couple days later it started hurting and swelling by my wrist. A week later I could no longer feel my fingers, they were numb with tingling and painful aching sensation. A couple of weeks later my right hand started swelling in the same spots as the left. The doctor told me that it was caused by stress. The hospital told me that I needed surgery because of cyst cutting off the circulation to my hands.

The next month both of my feet started swelling. I now have a hard time walking,getting dressed or for that matter doing anything! I was put on antiinflammorties which helped a little with the swelling.

The month after that I started having swelling in the right knee with no previous injuries at all. I still have the same swelling in the hands and feet but now the right knee has joined in on the swelling.

The next week, I had a bad tooth ache, so I limped into the dentist. The dentist took x-rays but did not find anything wrong, except for inflammation in the jaw.

I am going through all this pain and suffering and to top it off I was diagnosed with fibromylagia six years ago. I have been ruled out for having any kind of disease, such as arthritis, lupus, osteoporsis but nobody really has no clue about what is going on with my body, they now blame this all on stress.

The only thing is I do not have any female problems like you were having! The doctors are going to run more test for an explanation about this unknown swelling. I have had this unknown swelling for six months now! I do admit that the pain and numbness has wore me down physically and emotionally.

I wanted to know if anything has changed on your condition since you posted this email! I just wanted you to know that I don't feel that you had a reaction to any kind of medication. I think this unknown swelling is caused from something else and I am determined to find out what it is, so that I can walk normally again. I am only 34 and I should not be going through all this pain and suffering at my age. I am determined to find out some answers. Please keep in touch to let me know if you have discovered anything that could help!


Sincerely,

April[/enc]

I too have swelling in my hands and feet and am allergic to penicillin. I have had other symptoms also.it started with the burning when urinating and pain in my back at the same time. my doctor told me it was kidney stones. that all went away and now i have a pain in my breast, im tired all the time, and i just started getting the swollen hands and feet. its very painful and worse at night time. i am only 25 years old. i also have spots in my vision, dizziness and i have had an ear infection for about 2 months on and off. my bones ache and crack all the time and i have a headache and toothache a lot. i have two very young children and i cant seem to keep up with them anymore. for the past couple weeks i have stopped taking all medications and i feel like i have a little more energy but thats the only thing thats different. the doctors want to do a mammogram on my breast because ive developed a lump in the past week or so. i feel like i just wanna die the pain is so bad sometimes. i really would like to know what is doing this to me.

I've been trying to find a reason why my hands, feet, legs, arms etc have been swelling up.

About a month ago, I noticed I had little strength in my right hand, and it appeared swolen. I couldn't wring out a dishcloth and had some pain in my hand. No strength. Then it moved to the left hand, back of which is swollen, as is my right hand. Then my feet, next ankles, calves, arms, etc.

Went to the doctor, had every blood test under the sun, all clear, good liver, kidneys etc., but it shows severe allergy to something unknown.

My hands hurt if I make a fist, well, can't make a fist. My feet and ankles are stiff, and I feel as though I have been shrink wrapped or something.

Doctor has put me on fluid tablets which have no effect on the swelling, and anti-inflamatories. Nothing changed. If anything, it seems to be getting worse, not better.

Wondering if it could be due also to stress?

I need to be able to do stuff. I haven't had any other symptoms except the swelling and on the odd occasion have also had headachs. I don't have any blood pressure problems either.

Could it be circulation? I get heaps of exercise.

Just want this to go away, but it is getting worse instead of better.

NeonLights wrote:

I've been through hell in the past month. Let me give you a quick run-down of what has been happening with me: I'm only 30 years old, female, to start off with. -Went to the hospital because of terrible burning when urinating, the doctor could not find an infection when doing a urinary test, but they gave me Keflex antibotic to treat whatever was happening to me. -Few days went by, the pain was worse and not getting better. I then went to my gyno and she did STD testing on me. Visually, she said she didn't see anything wrong, but the tests were still done because I was having so much pain. My results returned that I was positive for having Herpes, but they couldn't tell if I had oral or vaginal herpes. Herpes is very easy to contract, condoms do not help protect from this disease. The doctor put me on Acylovir to clear up the Herpes symptoms (burning urination) and that went away after about 3 days, so the doctor knew then it was vaginal herpes that was causing my discomfort. -A few days after dealing with that issue, I started noticing that my pants weren't fitting. My stomach looked very swollen, like a balloon. I felt like I had a lot of gas pain that went clear to my back, I could barely sit down or even walk. There was very noticeable swelling in my hands and feet and ankles, so bad that it was uncomfortable to walk. I couldn't put on my shoes because my feet were so huge. -The first part of my body to get better was my stomach, it doesn't have the painful gas going on anymore, and just a little swelling. My hands and feet and ankles are still swelling and it's been 3 weeks so far. -At the beginning of this week, I went to the emergency room.. again.. for an ear infection. I was put on Keflex AGAIN. I have no idea what is going on. I've been tested for EVERYTHING. My doctor thought my thyroid was acting up since I have Hypothyroidism, but it was fine. He also thought it could be my kidneys, but that checked out just fine. I did a complete blood and urine test and nothing came up. My doctor will NOT call me back to talk to me about another possible cause for this swelling. I asked my gyno if the Acylovir was causing this and she said it could be an adverse reaction, but it's already been two weeks since I stopped taking that medication. I don't know what to do at this point. I've looked up numerous articles on the internet and can't find anything close to what I am feeling right now. If anyone can help, that would be great. I have spent way too much money on hospital bills and I am still not well.

Quote:

I've been dealing with the same issue for about 2 years and have finally found out that it is an endocrine problem involving the thyroid and adrenals. I would suggest that you find an endocrinologist or someone who specializes in alternative medicine with this information. You can also read online, all you can about the adrenals and thyroid to prepare your case. It's difficult to be heard. Let me know how you're doing.

Hi I am a 31 year old healthy female and I my swelling in my hands, feet, and knee began when I started taking the birth control pill. For years I didnt know what caused the swelling until now. I have been diagnosed with prediabetes and it was the SUGAR in my diet that would cause me to swell. It turns out that the sugar in the plocibos caused my swelling. It appeared when I had the swelling it was like an allergy to red dye. My immune system would break down every month and then i would eat something red in color and then I would get the swelling. The swelling in my hands and feet were only a small part of my symptoms. My symptoms progressed the more my life style changed. I began as a healthy athlete when I started taking the pill.

My first symptoms were the swelling of my hands, feet and knee along with excessive flu and colds throughout the years. I also lost weight when I was on the pill. When I went off the pill but was still an athlete I began having severe stomach gas as well as cronic muscle aches stomach pains (due to the gas) and constipation. At this time i was also getting sharp pain in my heart that would last a second but was like i was having a small heart attack. I also gained unexplained weight especially in my stomach area. Even though I was off the pill I still was getting sick (not as often) and swelling (occationally). When I stopped excercise (excercise appeared to cause more gas/pain and constipation no matter how much water I was drinking) I became lathargic and very unmotivated. I also had unexpected weight gain (again), lost muscle (in record time) and I would also get nausious and dizzy at times (tim hortons steeped tea was the colprit for my nausious and dizzyness). I also had muscle aches in my neck as well as slerred speach. I had heart pelpitations (flutterings when i was in a state of relaxation either sleeping, or sitting). I also had through this whole time a cronic yeast infection as well as my gums seemed to be inflammed for no known cause. All this and I am sure I have left out symptoms.

I since have taken sugar out of my diet (for the most part) and I feel great. I have my energy and motivation back and I have lost all the swelling. My friend commented the other day that she thought I lost weight because my face looked thinner. She said it looked swollen before and i have to agree that I think it was swollen before. I just took it as weight gain and age. Not the case!! I am now very regular and I do not have the cronic problems that brought me down. I thought I was a hypocondriac as many of my problems seemed more like complaints. All my tests came out normal. I had blood taken and my thyroid was fine as well as my blood pressure was low and normal. My heart rate was below normal but good for an athlete and I had a heart monitor on for 24 hours that came up with nothing. I had stole samples taken that were normal and a stomach altrasound which was normal. I am so greatful my doctor discovered my problem. I am a new person. All I had done was a 10 hour glucose fasting test. You have to sit in the office for 2 hours. My level was 6.1 which is not bad but with my symptoms explains a lot. My father who is also fit and never was a big consumer of sugar was diagnosed with diabetes one week before I found out that I was prediabetic. Nobody in his family had ever been diagnosed with diabetes before him. This is a serious problem in the world so it is worth checking out.

Hi I am a 31 year old healthy female and I my swelling in my hands, feet, and knee began when I started taking the birth control pill. For years I didnt know what caused the swelling until now. I have been diagnosed with prediabetes and it was the SUGAR in my diet that would cause me to swell. It turns out that the sugar in the plocibos caused my swelling. It appeared when I had the swelling it was like an allergy to red dye. My immune system would break down every month and then i would eat something red in color and then I would get the swelling. The swelling in my hands and feet were only a small part of my symptoms. My symptoms progressed the more my life style changed. I began as a healthy athlete when I started taking the pill.

My first symptoms were the swelling of my hands, feet and knee along with excessive flu and colds throughout the years. I also lost weight when I was on the pill. When I went off the pill but was still an athlete I began having severe stomach gas as well as cronic muscle aches stomach pains (due to the gas) and constipation. At this time i was also getting sharp pain in my heart that would last a second but was like i was having a small heart attack. I also gained unexplained weight especially in my stomach area. Even though I was off the pill I still was getting sick (not as often) and swelling (occationally). When I stopped excercise (excercise appeared to cause more gas/pain and constipation no matter how much water I was drinking) I became lathargic and very unmotivated. I also had unexpected weight gain (again), lost muscle (in record time) and I would also get nausious and dizzy at times (tim hortons steeped tea was the colprit for my nausious and dizzyness). I also had muscle aches in my neck as well as slerred speach. I had heart pelpitations (flutterings when i was in a state of relaxation either sleeping, or sitting). I also had through this whole time a cronic yeast infection as well as my gums seemed to be inflammed for no known cause. All this and I am sure I have left out symptoms.

I since have taken sugar out of my diet (for the most part) and I feel great. I have my energy and motivation back and I have lost all the swelling. My friend commented the other day that she thought I lost weight because my face looked thinner. She said it looked swollen before and i have to agree that I think it was swollen before. I just took it as weight gain and age. Not the case!! I am now very regular and I do not have the cronic problems that brought me down. I thought I was a hypocondriac as many of my problems seemed more like complaints. All my tests came out normal. I had blood taken and my thyroid was fine as well as my blood pressure was low and normal. My heart rate was below normal but good for an athlete and I had a heart monitor on for 24 hours that came up with nothing. I had stole samples taken that were normal and a stomach altrasound which was normal. I am so greatful my doctor discovered my problem. I am a new person. All I had done was a 10 hour glucose fasting test. You have to sit in the office for 2 hours. My level was 6.1 which is not bad but with my symptoms explains a lot. My father who is also fit and never was a fan of sugar was diagnosed with diabetes one week before I found out that I was prediabetic. This is a serious problem in the world so it is worth checking out.