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Swelling in the Legs & Feet: A Symptom of IPF?
Living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an ongoing learning process. Unfortunately what I mean by this is: symptoms will appear and dissipate seemingly at random and it is difficult for patients to know which of these symptoms are caused by IPF or some other ailment. There seems to be many unknown side effects or physical issues that arise as a result of this disease, or maybe they are as a result of the anti-fibrotic medications patients take to manage IPF.
It has been my experience that anything I notice that is abnormal for me, or is different from something my peers might experience, I suspect its because of my life-threatening lung disease. Do you find yourself quick to “blame” IPF, or attribute an abnormal symptom you experience to this disease?
If you’ve read my previous columns and posts, you’re likely aware that I was very active, physically and socially, before this cruel disease crept into my life. I rarely noticed issues with my body, despite putting it through some gruelling sports like rugby, hockey and swimming. I certainly never noticed aches and pains the way I do now, or breathlessness, a tight chest or sore back muscles from coughing. I also never noticed swelling in my legs and feet, which is something new for me.
Do you experience this latter symptom as a patient living with IPF/PF?
Thankfully this usually isn’t something that lasts for me, and after I put my feet up for a little while, the swelling tends to go down. Upon a quick google search, the most common causes of swelling in the legs include: problems with the kidneys, circulation or lymphatic system or the heart. That said, I can’t imagine these serious problems causing a sudden onset of swelling in the legs, but I could be wrong. For now, it is something I will monitor and try to note patterns of when it happens and what helps. At least this way I’ll have data to bring to my physician if I speak to him about it.
Since our forum members are so helpful, I thought I’d start by asking if anyone else has experienced this symptom since being diagnosed with IPF. If you have, and it is unrelated to a known heart condition, please let me know.
Charlene.
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