Guest guest Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 My 77-year old father with MS spends 99% of his waking day in a recliner or sitting at his kitchen table. He uses a walker about 4x/day - to get from his bedroom to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the living room and back to the kitchen then to his bedroom for the night. The rest of the time he's sitting or reclining. So his legs are getting no circulation and have become swollen tree trunks. He was prescribed a diuretic by his doctor for edema last year, but if anything his legs have gotten much worse since taking it. A PT who comes to the house says he has lymphedema, not edema, and that people with lymphedema should not be taking a diuretic because it doesn't remove the protein associated with lymphedema. I don't understand the difference between edema and lymphedema. Should his doctor be able to tell the difference? He saw a vascular specialist who determined the fluid retention was not vascular in nature. Does that mean it is lymphatic, or not necessarily? Looking to the MS community for help. He is on the verge of ulcerations in his legs. Thanks, Mimi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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