Has anyone experienced edema in their ankles and feet?

Posted by robgone @robgone, Jun 6 6:56am

I contracted PMR 8 months ago when I came down with Covid. it’s started with stiffness in my neck and swelling in my hands rests. It has progressed to my shoulders, hips, and even a little in my knees. Within the past six weeks, I have gotten edema swelling in my feet and ankles and a pain in my right calf muscle. I am not taking prednisone and just intermittently use Advil for pain. Has anyone experienced this swelling in the feet and ankles?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

robgone | @robgone | 3 days ago

Thanks, hopefully it will go away for me too, since I’ve started the prednisone a few days ago.

megz | @megz | 3 days ago

In reply to @robgone "Thanks, hopefully it will go away for me too, since I’ve started the prednisone a few..." + (show)

Remember to drink extra water with prednisone. It might even help with the edema too.

joan7 | @joan7 | 3 days ago

Don't wait too long to seek treatment, because the pain usually only gets worse over time. From muscle pain to joint pain, to neck and shoulder pain, nerve pain, etc. I also contracted PMR after having severe Covid in February, 2020 and being very sick for 2 months; I never felt a 100% better after that. My more pronounced symptoms started in June, 2020, when I woke up with a really nasty salty taste in my mouth. Over the next 3 1/2 years I had all the symptoms you mentioned, but the Specialists couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I was bedridden for the last year from my symptoms. I was just diagnosed in August with PMR and my symptoms totally resolved after being placed on 60 mgs of Prednisone for possible Giant Cell Arteritis. I'm now down to 2 mgs every other day with 3 mgs in between; a slow weaning process. I have had issues with edema throughout my body but mostly in my legs. If I sit in my car and my leg leans up against the door, when I get out of the car I have this huge indent in my side of my leg and it's really red, and the fluid gets displaced and forms a another huge ridge next to the red spot; really scary. It doesn't matter whether it is 5 minutes sitting or 20 minutes, it's really pronounced. If I press on my lower leg, by my ankles and shins, I get a really deep indent that stays for a long time, and I feel nerve pain after the skin is depressed. So long story short I do get edema now, but plan to totally switch over to a anti-inflammatory, low sodium diet; I'm currently in the process of doing that. Oh, I also had anaphylactic reactions to salt/sodium which to this day no one can figure out. Good luck with your pain and PMR, but please don't wait too long to be treated. Some people, not all, can form Giant Cell Arteritis which sometimes comes along with PMR. According to my Rheumatologist, upon onset of symptoms of GCA you can go permanently blind with 10 days. So if you start experiencing headaches, blurry or double vision, etc. go immediately to a Rheumatologist to seek treatment and insist on an immediate appointment. I hope this info is helpful to you. Don't want to scare you but I wish I knew all of this 4 years ago. The delay in diagnosis caused unnecessary suffering for 3 1/2 years, however, I'm on my way to recovery and look forward to living a normal life again.