Sudden unexplained swelling, hands, feet, lip, wrists

I have the same problem all of you experienced. I was thinking it was an allergy; had a strong bout of poison oak just before the first incident of a swollen lip. Went to emerge and they told me they thought it was angio edema....then a week and a half later my foot swelled up and now(literally right after my foot has gone down.) The other side of my mouth(lip) is swelling up). I thought it was cats(am nursing 4 5 week old kittens) or a food allergy....now I am wondering about whether the allergic reaction to the poison oak set this off....I am 46 and when I read about Angio Edema it effects people in their 30s to 60s.....Symptoms are same as everyone describes....itching followed by swelling and then settles down. Some medical person HAS to read this.

I have read most of the responses and it seems like my symptoms are very similar to many of you.  However, I did not experience the lip swelling. (knock on wood)  About 4-5 months ago, both foreams, hands, and both feet was swollen for no reason. Can't remember if I had eaten anything that I may be allergic to or if I took anything for it, but they subsided in a few hours.  Maybe a week later or two, I felt a lump under my foot.  Although it's not painful, I feel discomfort when I walk so I just applied more pressure on the other foot when I needed to walk.  The lump usually goes after a day.  So far, I have experienced the lump under my foot maybe 4 times (within the last 4-5 months) and they are not always in the same place or same foot.  I bought various insoles to accommodate the ball, arch, and heel just in case.  My theory about the lumps are related to  poor circulation. There may be other underlying cause, but the reason why I believe it's a circulation issue is that I am not an active person.  Usually when my feet start to itch or the feeling of a bump is forming, it is soon after a day of walking more than usual.  Plus, I've gained weight, so the pressure may cause some issues around the ankles.  When I get the lumps, I wear thick cushioned socks.  As far as the itch goes, I just apply lotion on my feet. There isn't anything I can do since the itch is internal.  Currently, the heel of my left palm is killing me.  I woke up with an itchy left palm.  It is actually painful.  It's a burning pain.  It's warm to the touch. Maybe the change in weather is the cause.  Don't want to apply too much pressure on it.  Just frustrating to not know why this is happening to me.  I won't be able to seek professional care until early next year, unless it's a dire emergency.  Self diagnosing is also very scary.  Started doing research on all the symtoms I have and came up with many possibilities.  Diabetes, Lupus, Raynauds, Angioedema, thyroid issues, vein issues, gout, heart conditions, etc.  However, I do want to thank you all for enlightening everyone with your experiences and knowledge.  

I also have the same or similar symptoms.

I live in southern Florida, therefore I know none of my swellings are caused by the cold.

I also travel to other parts of the country, as well as to Europe, and have experienced these symptoms there as well.

This "affliction" began approximately 6 years ago, when my tongue began to swell during the drive home from an Oriental restaurant.  My tongue became so large, I could hardly swallow, and went to the ER.   They gave me steroids and I was prescribed Benadryl and other allergy medicines.

Without going into too much detail, let me state that these swelling have occurred repeatedly since then.  Sometimes a cheeck swells, sometimes the bottom of a foot or a toe - the worst is the tongue or the entire side of the face.  Then I look like a monster, and sometimes am afraid breathing will be affected.   There have been months without any symptoms, and other times where swellings occur often.  

I have eliminated chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, MSG and countless other foods; I have had reactions right after eating fruit, so now tend not to eat fresh fruit....

Usually, I wake up in the middle of the night with a pain/itch of the tongue or face, and it will continue until the swelling is huge!  

During the last year, I have learned to "manage" a little better.  At the first tingle, I take a Cetrizine Hydrochloride antihistamine, and it does help to keep the swelling from getting huge.  However, my lymph nodes below the chin tend to be slightly swollen almost permanently; and very swollen during an outbreak.  I am not, nor have I ever been on any type of medication.  (except for steroids and allergy pills, given after an especially terrible outbreak) 

Needless to say, I have been to many doctors (one of whom suggested I might need a psychiatrist), and no one can find anything I might be allergic to.  So, I continue to try to "manage", keep a list of suspect foods, etc.

My current doctor has had my thyroid tested, and tested for a gene (have forgotten the name), which would mean I had inherited some disease.  This test was also negative.  During my teenage years, I was frequently plagued by cold sores; these came less frequently, and discontinued at menopause.  Therefore, I sometimes think that perhaps these swelling episodes are another manifestation of the herpes virus.  But, I have never seen a single article which would substantiate this....

I am in my 60's, have a pleasant life without undue stress.  My husband and I eat mostly salads for dinner.  We may eat meat once a month or less; fish about once a week.... 

Somebody out there must have an answer!!

 

Here is my story: one day this summer the right side of my upper and lower lips started to swell...took two benadryl and gone by midday. During the night, I awoke to totally swollen lips...could not leave the house. Benadryl made no difference this time.  I went to the doctor (with a magazine to hide behind) and they shrugged and gave me prednisone.  I torture myself trying to think about what the cause could be...maybe that apple I ate (which was washed, but not organic).  no symptoms for about one week, then, swelling starts again, this time my lips AND my left foot.  I am really perplexed.  When i found this message board, I couldn't believe all the people with the same symptoms.  I am keeping track of what i eat and what i am exposed to...so far there is no rhyme or reason, except for the apple AND possibly these mini rice cakes that have alot of chemicals in them. 

One theory that i am especially interested in is the "candida" theory that if our bodies get to a "breaking point" with yeast internally it spills over and affects the lips, feet, hands...I have tried to stay away from sugar especially.  Am also eating one yogurt a day. so far, so good. 

I am also having issues with strange swellings. It first began 2-1/2 months ago when my lip swelled up for no reason. I ended up going to our local urgent care center and was told that it was probably just a bug bite. Nothing else happened for 2 months. We were on vacation the end of September and my foot swelled up. I had an itchy, red spot under the skin that was warm to the touch. I had been walking on the beach and stepped on a broken shell, so I thought that was the cause of my foot problem. Then the next morning, both feet were swollen and sore! A few days later, I woke up to a swollen lip. Took a Claritin and the swelling went down in a few hours. For the next few days, I had issues with my feet and the palms of my hands swelling. Then a few days later, my bottom lip swelled up so bad that it was 3 times its normal size. I again took Claritin, which didn't help. I put ice on it and took a Benadryl. It continued to swell. I ended up going to the ER where they started and IV and gave me Benadryl, Pepcid and steroids. They also sent me home with a 7 day supply of steroids. The diagnosis was Angioedema. About a week or so after I finished the steroids, I ended up with hives. They were just around my armpits and on the sides of my waist. I figured maybe my deodorant was causing a reaction, so I switched. Changed laundry detergent, too. I do have allergies to many things, so I'm thinking maybe something in these products caused the hives. But I'm also thinking that there must be an underlying trigger for these "allergic reactions". I am scheduled to have allergy testing in a few weeks when the steroids are out of my system, but I am guessing they aren't going to find anything. The allergist seemed really confused when I told him about my feet and hands swelling. After reading tons of info on the internet, I am beginning to think that this is going to be extremely difficult to diagnose. I tried to think about foods I had eaten and the only thing I can think of is wheat pasta. I also took Ibuprofen a few times. I've read that NSAIDS can cause these swellings to occur. I've now stopped taking Ibuprofen. My doctor tested me for auto-immune diseases....all negative. I'm at the point that i think it may possibly be stress related or Candida related. During the week we spent at the beach, we sat in a hot tub quite a bit. This ended up giving me a yeast infection 3 days into our vacation, right before all the other swellings occured. I am now eating yogurt daily and taking 500mg garlic caps as I have read that garlic is yeasts biggest enemy. I'm back on Zoloft for anxiety. I think that most of my anxiety is due to not knowing what is happening to my body. This is extremely scary and frustrating. I hope that we all find a cure very soon! God bless all of you.

 

OMG when i read this i felt somewhat at peace. I just started experiencing this about two weeks ago and it has me worried because im 3 months and dont know what to do. as im writing this my foot is feeling just like what u described and my fingers as well they are all starting to swell up and im scared i feel like they are going to pop or something. however as long as my foot is kept up it doesnt bother me as much. and i noticed the swelling only happen when im stayin with the father of my baby n he does stress me somewhat but nothin to crazy.. hopefully my doctor can tell me something

i have exactly the same issue infact literally the same experience wth my foot...and have woken up wth a swelling this morning on my lower lip and a huge one...

it didn't tell diagnosis

 

I had to go to the emergency room since my lips and cheeks started to swell, and then the back of my throat started to tingle.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to breathe.  They gave me a shot of benadryl and depo medrol and I am on prednisone.  The swelling took over two days to go away this time.  Wish this would get solved.

The crazy part is you know when something is going to swell. You can feel it. Its like a little knot heating up then spreading like something built up and burst. You can manipulate its movement but results vary. When i know my lip is going to swell i scratch my chin so it swells instead or it splits the swelling between the two. I get random swelling everywhere. The swelling always feels hard and only time makes it go away. I used to think benadryl helped til i realized it was just time, benadryl was just a comfort because it felt like i could do something about it. It might be stress related because usually when you take meds your mind is at ease and it goes down. I didnt start getting random swelling until after i suffered from emotional trauma and lost my will to live. Once i got over the trauma i was fine but my body was not and it responds to my moods by swelling randomly. How many of you become even more anxious when you feel the swelling coming on, particularly when its in the facial area? That probably sends it into overdrive

I had this happen to me all the time. It turned out to be caused by nephrosis, kidney disease. My kidneys were shutting down because of residual damage from scarlet fever, strep. At first, I had this happen in just a few places. My wrists, my feet, my face. Eventually, it happened all over my skin. Everywhere any clothing or anything touched my skin, I had hot, horrible welts. I ended up seeing a urologist and I still get flareups, but not constantly.

 

I cant believe i have the same symptoms as everyone on here and we dont have a prognose.I woke up Saturday morn and the side of my right foot starting itching and now swelling,woke up Sun. morn and my left foot did the same,Mon.morning woke up went to work about 2 hrs later had a lump on the right side of my forehead,then the same tues morn.unbelieveable..they go away in about 5 hrs..Every once in a while my left side of the bottom lip swells up along with my cheek(looks hidious),fingers swelling,eyes swelling top and bottom,wrists and the itchyness is insane.Ive experienced this now for about 3 yrs.Doctor told me could be from living with a cat(pet dander)or allergic to it,but ive been on vacation without animals and had it to flare up.So iam confused..and also sick of this already.I think i will take the gentleman advice and do a food journal and see if its something i eat.Iam opened to any suggestions..Thank You and hope we can get something resolved...

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I have been dealing with this for over 5 years. When first started was daily and swelling was signifant on my, hands, feet and forearms plus hives (usually from pressure).
Over the years tried many things, supplements, diet journals. What has been working for me (although the occasional flareup but swelling is minimal), no gluten, eggs or dairy, exercise on a regular basis (or just avoid prolonged static postiions).
i can get away with the occasion wheat or eggs but when eaten on a regular basis, I will have problems.

Although all testing shows no gluten or food allergies, when I eat it I am worse. It may not be one particular things, it could be multiple factors (stress, lack of exercise, poor diet etc), but this tends to help for me. It doesn''t help identify what the cause is, but still looking for answers

Hello all,

I was browsing the net and managed to stumble across this post.

I hope what I share with you all will provide some form of clarity.

In regards to the random swelling events, I have suffered the exact same problem for the past 6 years now. From experience and professional medical guidance I have been well informed that this is not life-threatening.

From what I have read, and from what I understand, we suffer from what is commonly known as 'IDEOPATHIC ANGIODEMA' (fancy medical terminology for 'god only knows'.)

In short, this is the body's way of saying the immune system is at a low point. For example, if you pay careful attention I'm sure you'll find that swelling attacks are predominantly more evident throughout the course of the flu or alternatively whilst you are under pressure situations. 

I noticed quite a few posts stating the doctors could not explain what it was, alternatively suggesting nothing other than 'don't worry, this is not life threatening'. Whilst they are most probably right, I can most certainly understand your concerns of thinking otherwise, after all, the doctor is not in your shoes.

A local GP will not be able to correctly diagnose such a symptom, it is for this reason you should seek to see an 'Immunologist Specialist.' They will firstly test to see if you suffer any form of allergic reactions, if you pass such a test, you will then most probably be treated for 'ideopathic angiodema.' In order to best handle the swelling episodes, an immunologist will start you off with the appropriate antihistamines. If this is unsuccessful they will then progress to the next level of medication whatever this may be.

Rest assured, these swelling episodes CAN be managed. You don't have to worry whether or not you are going to wake up the next morning with a swollen eye, lip, foot, hand etc. In saying that, you may very well suffer mild swelling attacks on the odd occassion, but nothing to the extent of what I'm sure most of you are all suffering at the moment.

To sum up this post:

1. Such swelling episodes are commonly known as "Ideopathic Angiodema."

2. Ask for a referral to see an 'Immunologist Specialist' to correctly diagnose you.

3. Manage your stress levels and monitor your immune system. Don't stress, external swelling is NOT life-threatening. However, should your swelling be internal, this may very well be a different issue. eg. Throat, Tongue etc (watch your breathing passages very carefully.)

I would just like to clearly state that I am not a medical specialist in any shape or form. What I have stated is simply a matter of opinion from past and current experience. I strongly suggest you seek professional advice immediately, do not procrastinate.

I hope this post has managed to help you in one way or another.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Kind regards,

Angelo Lambropoulos.

 

 

Amazing how many people have this.  I have had this sort of swelling for the last thirty years.  Giant lips, then feet, fingers, hands, and even private parts.  Yep.  It used to go to more random places not near joints, but hasn't for about 10 years.  It has also decreased in frequency over the years.  I have only had one doctor that called it something:  angio neurotic edema.  I disagree that it isn't dangerous.  On a few occasions, I've had my throat swell.  Lots of patience and big doses of benydril when it hits something embarrassing has been my coping strategy.