Diuretic use for special occassions?

[ssg72]

I've heard that diuretics are bad for lymphedema-- they remove the water, leaving more concentrated amounts of protein and toxins behind. (if this is not true, please tell me the details)

Assuming that it is true, does anyone think it would be too bad to use a diuretic on special occassions, say, for an event, wedding, if I want to wear a short skirt etc . I've had really good results with prescription diuretics (my edema disappears). (un)fortunately, I have normal/low blood pressure, so I have to be really careful with diuretics because they're used to treat high blood pressure.

let me know what you think.

[Wanda]

Some doctors, who are not informed about lymphedema, prescribe diuretics to make the swelling go away -- but they are not the answer.

Diuretics affect the kidneys -- not the lymphatic system. They remove fluid from the body and this makes the lymphedema worse. You are right in your understanding about what happens when too much fluid is removed.

You mentioned already having low blood pressure. If you take this medication that lowers blood pressure even more you could find yourself feeling terrible, not having a good time, and still with swollen legs.

How about a chiche long skirt that will cover your legs? Then you can relax and enjoy the wedding

Wanda

[cici]

hi there,

do you have any compression garments at all?
i have just a little lymphoedema in my right leg so for that i wear a standard off-the-shelf CCL2 (20-30mmHg) garment.
it seems i also now have it on my left leg, just a bit at the ankle...so i'm going to wear one on the left as well.
if your lymphoedema isn't so bad, would you consider getting a standard pair from your therapist? it might be a safer alternative.....

i'm also on diuretics, but these have been prescribed by my lymphologists in the Foldi Clinic in Germany. however, i've not noticed any effects of using them to the "outside" of me.

were these diuretics prescribed with lymphoedema in mind, or for another condition?

[ssg72]

hi, thanks for the replies so far.

what is a CCL2 garment?

I don't have a therapist--believe it or not, I've never had therapy for it, and I've had it for about 20 years (since I was 14-16 yrs old)

the diuretic wasn't prescribed to me. It was prescribed to someone I know for blood pressure control, and I tried it (I took half a pill) and it worked! I have normal/low blood pressure so I couldn't keep using it, because it was getting my pressure too low. I since found out that diuretics were not good for lymphedema for other reasons, so I would have had to stop anyway. Too bad, cuz it's the only thing that's ever worked.

[analei14]

Hi,
I have had issues with secondary localized lymphedema in my face and I have found that following a healthy low or reduced sodium diet really helped to keep my edema form getting worse. I have never used diuretics and would not want to rely on medicinal ways to control my condition, particularly with the risk of any adverse side effects. The upside of adopting a low-sodium diet is that it really makes you pay attention to what you are eating. Once I adopted my low salt diet, I had to cut back on a LOT of processed and junk food. The change has done so much good for me-- I lost some weight, I felt more energetic and less sluggish and my skin really looked a lot better from eating less processed junk food. Becasue my positive experience with cutting back sodium, I would recommend it to anyone. I really felt that it has had a positive effect on my overall health, in addition to helping me manage the edema.

[analei14]

I also wanted to add to my prior post that when following a reduced salt diet, it is important to make sure that you are also drinking ample amounts of water.