What to do about my Dad's swollen legs?

[HaoPengYou]

My Dad is 74 and suffers with horrible swollen legs and feet. It has got to the point now that his feet no longer fit in CosyFeet shoes and his foot is now so numb that he has fallen this weekend.

He has Atrial Fibrillation and had a pace maker fitted last year. He is terrible at going to the doctors and has completely let himself go over the years - very overweight, inactive, heavy drinker etc.

I have 2 kids aged 4 and 5, I work full time in demanding job, my DH has poor mental health and I'm fed up of everyone being dependent on me to sort them out.

Has anyone had any help from doctors to manage leg swelling, I'm not sure what type of help my Dad needs to be honest. A couple of courses of diuretics from the doctor haven't helped.

Thanks in advance.

Your poor DF and poor you - as if you need even more responsibility put on you. I really sympathise with you, it's hard when essentially you have to start parenting your parents!
Yes the GP can start/help management of this. Did you say your DF has some heart problems too? The GP could potentially refer on to cardiology.
While waiting encourage him to use a footstool to elevate his legs when he's sitting. That's the only advice I can give as someone who has been in a similar situation I'm afraid.

My father's legs were swollen. It's down to his utterly crap circulation (spends most of the day sat on his backside and the blood just pools so his legs swell). He's had some surgery to try and help the circulation and has been encouraged to move around more as well as sitting with his feet elevated. If he doesn't comply he's in danger of losing his lower legs - I'm not sure he believes the doctors (he knows best about everything).....

My mum’s are always due to water retention. Water tablets fixes it pretty quickly. She’s meant to take them all the time but only takes when she starts feeling puffy or legs swell.

He needs a review with the GP. It could be a sign of something more serious, and needs managing. My Mum has got terrible swollen legs but won't take her diuretics as she can't get to the toilet quickly enough... it's a constant battle with her, and she's horribly prone to cellulitis.

All you can do is encourage him to see a doctor for medical advice.

Thank you for the messages. I do appreciate it. I find him so infuriating as everything he does makes the situation worse and he does absolutely nothing to help himself. I am feeling very unsympathetic as a result!

Has he seen a doctor after his fall, they are always cautious if a patient is on blood thinners which he might be with his af and pacemaker. Does he have a district nurse who could visit,mhe should elevate his legs if he can, what help is everyone expecting from you, he needs to see a doctor or nurse,if he refuses he'll just get worse,

My DF had badly swollen legs, stomach and hand shortly before passing from cancer. He tried water tablets (hid it from DM for weeks) but ended up being hospitalised as it was ascites. Best get it checked out by GP.

Have you looked into Revitive? Advertised on tv by Claire Balding and Ian Botham. I’ve heard it’s good for swelling.

It has very limited effectiveness at best, just celebrities advertising for money.

Not when there's an underlying medical condition

With the history the OP has mentioned I wouldn't treat this like something that just needs a home remedy.

We took him to A&E after his fall as he'd been on the floor all night as he refused to ask for help even though he had his phone with him (another reason for me being so annoyed).

What is most draining for me is having to constantly tell him to book a GP appointment, tell him what to tell the GP, tell him what to ask the GP and then tell him to go back to follow up if what he has tried has not helped. He has retired and has all the time in the world but just won't do anything unless I am constantly chasing him. I think water tablets are what he needs but he is avoiding it as he doesn't like having to get up to go to the loo all the time.

Luckily my brother has just said that he will stay with him tonight and get him to call the GP tomorrow.

Your brother needs to tell the GP that you are constantly reminding him,if has capacity he can refuse any doctor or treatment but the doctor may want to talk to him in depth especially with his history, I'd also ask them to refer him to social,services for a care assessment if he'll agree. A falls alarm and keysafe might be a good idea and some adaptations at home which social services and therapists can arrange. His legs may need more than diuretics with his heart condition and heavy drinking.

What medication does he take op?

When my Dad's legs swelled he needed the dosage of his blood pressure medication adjusting. Definitely worth getting him to the doctor.

Dm has AF but no pacemaker. Sh started on water tablets earlier this year, they sorted the swelling really quickly. She finds she needs the loo more in the morning after she’s taken a pill at breakfast time, but by the afternoon she’s fine. Doesn’t affect her overnight (she just gets up once a night for a wee as usual.)

Thanks for all the messages. My Dad now has water tablets, has had a blood test and is waiting on a chest x ray so seems like the GP is taking things more seriously. He is also laying off the booze a bit and seems willing to do a bit more exercise. Fingers crossed this will be a turning point for him...

My dad had AF and a pacemaker. He then got swollen legs and was diagnosed with heart failure. He was on daily diuretics alongside his other meds and saw a heart failure nurse every 6-8 weeks for about a year to check on his vitals and tweak his medications. What really helped his legs was the heart failure nurse getting him a daily diuretic drip every day for two weeks as an outpatient at the local hospital. It took 2-3 hours every day but he lost over a stone of fluid in 2 weeks. His legs really went down and then stayed down on his regular diuretic medication for the next 6 years.

Would your dad let you go with him to his next GP appointment? I know you are busy but being there to ask questions to the dr and get the full medical picture would really help you understand what your dad needs to do to look after himself. Plus advocate for him getting referrals etc if he isn’t good at doing that.

My poor mum suffers with this. I've just purchased her an electric adjustable bed, which helps her sit up in the mornings etc, but also elevates the foot of the bed either independently or at the same time as the head is raised. She finds a couple of hours of this per day (when reading for example) makes a big difference to the swelling. Getting your legs above the level of your heart can be really helpful.

Can you book a podiatrist appointment for him as well ?

My FIL has heart failure and the swollen feet and legs was a symptom of this. He has stage 4 untreatable cancer in the stomach, brain, kidneys and lungs.

He needs to keep his feet elevated higher than his heart. Failing that some compression socks up to his knees . He also may need a diuretic to help him excrete the water . He needs to see his GP firstly if you can take him OP . Good luck l hope you get some relief for your DD.