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swelling in the legs


stoydc

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Is swelling in the legs a common side effect of lung cancer? When were were having a second (actually third) opinion, the MD spotted bilateral swelling in my dad's legs - with more swelling in the left leg than the right. It's mostly in his foot/ankle/calf area. One day he woke up and it was painful to walk on and especially painful in the arch of his Left foot. Have anyone else has similar experiences? Our oncologist said my dad's albumin is low and that is common in cancer patients and when the albumin is low, the proteins leak out of the cells and take the fluid with them. He said it was a catabolic state and recommended my dad try to get more protein in his diet. Has any one else heard of a catabolic state in cancer patients? He had taken an chest xray so he said it was not due to congestive heart failure. Anyways, he ordered Lasix as needed. He said the swelling wasn't a bad thing, it was just bad it it was painful. and he thought if the swelling went down, the pain would also go down. Anyways, it's not hurting my dad anymore and he hasn't taken the Lasix yet. He just started on IRESSA 2 days ago and didn't want to take too many drugs at once. Thanks. shirley

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Shirley

Swelling of the knees, ankles, and feet was the reason my Dad first went to the doctor. I posted about this and no one had experienced it. I suppose it doesn't happen often. My Dad's albumin is low, 3.1, normal range 3.4-5.0. (It's not that low) My Dad's family doctor told us that cancer cells give off toxins and gases and they build up in the lower extremities. My Dad could hardly walk. They put him on prednisone. He is now going off of the prednisone and going on Bextra. (Both anti-inflammatories) MUCH improved.

Best wishes to you and your Dad.

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Shirley,

My mother experienced terrible leg swelling first in one and then the other. In her one leg she had a very large blood clot which caused a lot of pain. However, after the pain disappeared and clot disolved her legs remained swollen and getting around became very difficult.

She finally went into a wheelchair. It was very debilitating as her legs became so heavy it was hard to do anything. Her Dr. told us that it was lymphodema and not a thing could be done. It was the progression of her disease..extensive lymph node swelling in her pelvic region.

I hope your dad's swelling goes down. I hope in his case that it is treatable. It is very hard to watch, I know.

Kim

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My mother has also had swelling in her lower legs, much like you have described. The pain in her feet has made it hard for her to walk at times. Her doctors have given her no helpful information regarding a cause. Blood chemistries were normal, a pelvic mass has been ruled out, no blood clots and no CHF. I had her get some support hose from a medical supply store. These have helped her greatly. It forces the fluid out of the tissues and prevent further accumulation of fluid. My own hypothesis is that the lymph system is not functioning properly due to metastis.

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