Swollen legs/ankles/feet - THIS WORKED!

[sierra821]

We just got off an 8 day on the breeze, brought water pills, a body brush and arnica

Gel and did not swell once :) not even a little. Not sure what was different about this cruise vs our last. We did drink less alcohol because the kids were with us, so that may be a factor.

 

 

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[PattyW]

I'm really glad I found this thread. My feet have recently started swelling (all started after the birth of my 3rd child). I recently drive 9-10 hours straight and my feet were swollen for 3 days! I was in a panic over our upcoming vacation (which involves Disney, Universal, and a cruise), but I'm hoping this drybrushing technique will help me.

[SANJOSEGAL]

I am so glad I found this thread. We are just back from an Alaskan cruise and the swelling was crazy. I have a dry brush I've used primarily for circulation to help the appearance of cellulite, but it never occurred to me to take it with and use it for the foot/ankle swelling. I read the article posted suggesting that the salty sea air could contribute and that makes sense. I suspect that the food has the most to do with it, however. In retrospect, I can think of very little I ate that wouldn't have had salt added. About the only things would have been fresh fruit and veggies.

 

One thing about the ship's water vs. bottled water - I've heard before that you have to be really careful about bottled water as well as they can also contain sodium: http://weightloss.answers.com/nutrition/salt-water-why-bottled-water-companies-add-sodium Also, when you shower or wash your hands, you are absorbing whatever is in the water on the ship as well.

 

Clickchic it really helped me I'm sure your will equally get great results. Such a life saver while on a cruise or whatever you are doing.

[BaileyandBella]

I have a question......the brushes used for this look like they will send me into an painful itching frenzy. I have Lupus and extremely sensitive skin.

 

Could a softer brush be used? Thanks!

[SANJOSEGAL]

I have a question......the brushes used for this look like they will send me into an painful itching frenzy. I have Lupus and extremely sensitive skin.

 

Could a softer brush be used? Thanks!

 

I would think a softer brush would be fine just be sure you try a few different brushes out to see how you feel. You don't want one problem turning into two. Good luck and please let us know how you are after trying this out.

[BaileyandBella]

Thanks!!

[trixiegal]

I have a dry brush I brought with me on the Carnival Sunshine. I didn't get the oil but I can buy it from the spa if I need it.

[UandMe4Ever]

hi, is there a difference between the arnica gel vs the oil? what kind of brush should I buy and where? My ankles, legs, etc. swell terribly on a cruise. I do not eat soups, but do drink the water. I add no salt to my foods and do not overdrink by any means, and don't drink every day. I really need help. Also, will be flying back from Florida to NJ

 

Thanks so much. All help is very much appreciated.

 

Safe sails always.

[SANJOSEGAL]

hi, is there a difference between the arnica gel vs the oil? what kind of brush should I buy and where? My ankles, legs, etc. swell terribly on a cruise. I do not eat soups, but do drink the water. I add no salt to my foods and do not overdrink by any means, and don't drink every day. I really need help. Also, will be flying back from Florida to NJ

 

Thanks so much. All help is very much appreciated.

 

Safe sails always.

 

Hi UandMe4Ever I only used the oil so I'm not sure if there is a difference. If you read this thread from the very beginning you will find all the information on the brush. I bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond for under $5. I too still am very careful with my diet when cruising like you. It really has made all the difference in the world to my cruises.

[UandMe4Ever]

thanks. My skin is very thin and bruises easily. I don't want to walk around with red patches like I was in a "battle". Yes, battle of the swollen legs, but everyone doesn't have to see it. I will buy the oil or gel and pray for the best. Maybe even compression socks for the flight home. Appreciate your reply.

[iheartbda]

I swear by this brush. It looks coarser than it actually is. I don't use any gel or oil but I imagine for anyone who has sensitive skin or some kind of medical condition, either the gel or the oil would help.

 

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/purest-palm-body-brush/1010474574?Keyword=body+brush

 

 

SANJOSEGAL, If this is the one you bought, I don't know when you bought it but it is now $9.99, to me worth every penny and I would even pay $19.99.:)

[musicmom3]

thanks. My skin is very thin and bruises easily. I don't want to walk around with red patches like I was in a "battle". Yes, battle of the swollen legs, but everyone doesn't have to see it. I will buy the oil or gel and pray for the best. Maybe even compression socks for the flight home. Appreciate your reply.

 

I bought the palm-bristle brush a few weeks ago from Amazon, being proactive about our upcoming cruise to see if this would prevent my swollen ankles and that red rash. Although the bristles seemed coarse at first, I have to say that it's pretty amazing how fast your skin gets used to it--I started with very light strokes and now actually use a lot more pressure. It is very refreshing and my skin feels exhilarated for about 15 minutes afterward.

 

After reading the whole thread, I still don't understand if the oil or arnica gel is supposed to prevent swelling (important) or reduce the rash (not so important to me), so I don't use either. I do put on some light body lotion afterward.

 

We are cruising in September, so I will report back when we return. In addition to the brushing I plan to try to eat carefully and perhaps will even switch to bottled water, as some have suggested.

[SANJOSEGAL]

thanks. My skin is very thin and bruises easily. I don't want to walk around with red patches like I was in a "battle". Yes, battle of the swollen legs, but everyone doesn't have to see it. I will buy the oil or gel and pray for the best. Maybe even compression socks for the flight home. Appreciate your reply.

 

I bought the palm-bristle brush a few weeks ago from Amazon, being proactive about our upcoming cruise to see if this would prevent my swollen ankles and that red rash. Although the bristles seemed coarse at first, I have to say that it's pretty amazing how fast your skin gets used to it--I started with very light strokes and now actually use a lot more pressure. It is very refreshing and my skin feels exhilarated for about 15 minutes afterward.

 

After reading the whole thread, I still don't understand if the oil or arnica gel is supposed to prevent swelling (important) or reduce the rash (not so important to me), so I don't use either. I do put on some light body lotion afterward.

 

We are cruising in September, so I will report back when we return. In addition to the brushing I plan to try to eat carefully and perhaps will even switch to bottled water, as some have suggested.

 

Great to hear your skin got use to using the brush this info probably helps UandMe4Ever who had a similar issue with her skin. I can't wait to hear how it goes on your cruise.

[Anita Latte]

I have not read this entire thread...but I've read a lot of it.

 

Maybe this is too much to post...but I have a great personal interest in this topic...and I'm a researcher and life long learner...and I thought that someone here may find this information helpful, as so many people are interested in this topic.

 

It seems a bit much to try to explain why you swell at all. Without any supporting information, ONE reason you swell is because your lymph system cannot keep up with the current demand to regulate tissue fluid volume. That is to say, for whatever reason, your lymph is being asked to carry more fluid than it normally does.

 

You may or may not know that you have somewhere around twice to three times as much lymph as blood circulating in your body.

 

Body brushing is used to invigorate your circulatory system, especially the lymph, which does not have it's own pump (unlike your blood system, which does). The lymph is right under the skin...you do not need to press too hard to encourage the lymph to flow.

 

Body brushing is a convenient form of lymph massage. You can essentially do the same thing with your hands alone. Technically, you can apply lotion/oil to yourself in a way to encourage your lymph circulation. Same with sunscreen. ANY purposeful massage like pressure will help encourage your lymph to flow, which is what you need to do to reduce the water retention in your tissues.

 

If you research self administered lymph massage, you can learn some additional self care skills that will help those that really have issues. I have been using the techniques in the videos on this blog:

 

http://blog.massagebyheather.com/lymphatic-drainage-abdomen-breathing/

 

If your partner (if you have one) ALSO learns these skills...it can make for a very fun, romantic cruise. ;) Lymph massage uses only as much pressure as will move the skin without disturbing the underlying muscle/tissue. More like a rub down. So it doesn't require a lot of effort to do give a lymph massage.

 

Wearing some sort of graduated compression socks (my doctor recommended knee high) can also help to combat the swelling. The important thing to note is that your socks or hose have graduated compression. This will help stimulate the circulation of lymph and help prevent pooling in the lower extremity.

 

Raising whatever extremity is swelling above heart level will also help to combat the swelling as this gives gravity assistance to the lymph circulation. Remember that the lymph cannot move itself (it doesn't have a pump), so it has to combat gravity through your normal muscle contractions OR through you positioning yourself to get a gravity assist. The deal is that in order for it to be effective, you need to get that swollen limb above heart level. (Probably why the life preserver under the bed or propping up on some sort of object (luggage) is effective).

 

The active ingredient in arnica gel is said to stimulate white blood cell circulation. White blood cells are in the lymph and so this is how oils and gels with arnica as an ingredient or main ingredient are said to be helpful.

 

So many people have been wondering WHY swelling so often happens on a cruise?

 

Someone mentioned how the air pressure on air planes wrecks havoc with many people's circulatory systems. If the pressure inside your blood capillaries is altered for any reason, it can release too much fluid into the surrounding tissues. The atmospheric pressure is greatest at sea level. If you don't live at sea level, then you are likely experiencing a change in atmospheric pressure...which could lead to swelling.

 

ALSO, because the water all around the cruise ship is SALT water...the very air around a cruise ship is laden with salt. You will naturally have a greater salt intake on a cruise because of the very air that you breathe and the fact that your skin is permeable and absorptive.

 

If you swim in the ship's salt water pool...or hang out in a whirlpool that is filled with salt water...

 

Or swim in the ocean...

 

And add to that the potential for increased sodium intake from restaurant prepared and processed food...not to mention the potential for increased sodium intake related to simply EATING more...

 

The fact is that your body is battling the onslaught of a lot of salt!

 

And IF you happen to have more times of inactivity...let's say that you are lounging more on the pool deck and doing less general movement than you would be in your normal day...that inactivity contributes to a lack of circulation of lymph.

 

And the weirdness of it all...gravitational pull is greater at sea level so your lymph has more gravity to fight against if you have lowered your altitude (in addition to the change in atmospheric pressure and all the salt...)

 

All this explains why swelling may not just occur on cruise ship travel, but on many other travels away from home...especially in greater proximity to the sea.

 

I'm sorry for the verbose post here. I hope the information is helpful. Like I said, I have a deep personal interest in this topic as I now combat leg swelling in daily life because of a knee injury.

 

In addition to all the self help techniques talked about throughout this thread, I would recommend that before you travel, be sure that you are well hydrated. Not just for a day or two, but for several days, if not weeks, before you travel. It's much easier to deal with water retention issues when you start with a body that is more balanced to begin with.

[SANJOSEGAL]

Anita you are a angel I can't tell you how much this information has been needed by so many people. Thank you for explaining exactly why this happens to so many of us only on a cruise. I will pass this information on to not only my cruise friends also my family and friends who deal with this on a daily basis. I'll be following the link you provided.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to post this information. :)

 

Yvonne Fennell

[Lois R]

Hi Anita, I found it an interesting read....not really verbose. You are

trying to be helpful:)....it is pretty amazing that some folks have no

swelling whatsover....not a thing changes....while others have a little

change and others? Lets just say my ankles/feet have really gotten

swollen in the past:rolleyes:

I used the brush in May when I sailed to Alaska.....I tried to remember

to use it twice a day. I think it helped me a little bit....by the end of

the cruise I could see a bit of swelling but not as much as before.

 

Again, thanks for the post:)

[SANJOSEGAL]

Anita Latta I have now copied and pasted your wonderful post and shared it with a family member who is dealing with swelling, while not on a cruise. I again want to thank you for taking the time to clearly explain all the possibilities. I've also shared your post with a few other cruise threads I follow in the hopes to help other cruisers.

[akcruz]

Anita, thanks so much for the wonderful explanation of why we swell and what to do about it. It definitely was not too much.

 

I purchased one of the brushes and have been trying to use it at home on a daily basis. Going on my first cruise in October since purchasing, will see how it works :)

[Anita Latte]

Anita Latta I have now copied and pasted your wonderful post and shared it with a family member who is dealing with swelling, while not on a cruise. I again want to thank you for taking the time to clearly explain all the possibilities. I've also shared your post with a few other cruise threads I follow in the hopes to help other cruisers.

 

I'll share this too because you say you have someone dealing with swelling.

 

I ruptured by ACL in February. I have chosen conservative treatment...which means no surgery. Anyway, now I can be more susceptible to swelling in the knee. My ortho said that if your knee swells, then your ankle swells too...they just go hand in hand.

 

For this, he recommended wearing knee high graduated compression socks. They have been a big blessing for me.

 

I just have fun with my compression wear. I have serious wool ones for in the winter and for major travel (especially long car rides and air planes). I purchased Sockwell brand on amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJHEU7Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

 

They aren't cheap, but they have been very durable...handling the wash well...and they work well. I just went for fun colors and patterns.

 

For summer, I found this fun company:

 

http://crazycompression.com/

 

when I was looking for sleeves so that I could wear sandals and compression.

 

The sleeves do not quite work as well as the socks and I would not rely on the sleeves for airplanes, etc. However, the sleeves DO help and are more tolerable in the warmer weather for everyday use to combat the effects of standing on your feet too long, etc.

 

When the bloat gets to be too much...at home, I will make a diuretic tea.

 

It's best to use something with a wide mouth (if you hope to reuse the container) or an empty container from some sort of juice purchase (oj, cranberry, etc.) because cleaning out the parsley is a pain otherwise. Add a bunch of parsley to the container. I used an entire bunch in a typical OJ container. Pour boiling water over the parsley. Let that steep for a while. The tea will be pretty murky looking.

 

Parsley is very, very bitter...so I try to mitigate that taste by adding peppermint tea bags (a few) to brew together with the parsley.

 

When I drink it, I pour it over ice and squeeze in quite a bit of lime and/or lemon. I drink it as fast as I can because it doesn't really taste wonderful.

 

Drink the whole batch over a couple hours.

 

This will SERIOUSLY stimulate your visits to the bathroom. Combine your parsley flush with dry brushing, leg elevation (get comfy on the couch and enjoy your favorite Netflix indulgence (if you have access)), and drinking A LOT of water (preferably with some lemon/lime to help slow its progress in your system) to seriously help reduce a problematic bloat.

 

I don't recommend doing the parsley tea flush too often. It is effective and generally feels a little time consuming because you visit the bathroom A LOT. (Be sure to have the pause button handy for the movies). It's physically draining (literally) and somewhat mentally draining because you are so focused on your body needs.

 

Useful info though.

 

I once was so bloated. I did my parsley flush and lost 8 pounds in one day. I could SEE the difference all over my body.

 

It's very important to follow up any efforts to reduce swelling (be it dry brushing, lymph massage, flushing, etc.) with increased water intake as you can completely negate your efforts to reduce water retention if you don't provide adequate (even a temporarily elevated level of) water.

 

SanJoseGirl...I hope your family member can find some relief...battling chronic bloat/swelling is no fun at all. I hope that they have already ruled out any medical condition or have knowledge of what it is and that the swelling is just something to deal with (like me).

[Lois R]

That is pretty interesting.....I remember reading somthing on here

many years ago about eating parsely all by itself before going on

a cruise....and that the parsely is a diaretic......after reading your

post? I guess it is true......you lost 8 lbs in ONE DAY?

[Anita Latte]

That is pretty interesting.....I remember reading somthing on here

many years ago about eating parsely all by itself before going on

a cruise....and that the parsely is a diaretic......after reading your

post? I guess it is true......you lost 8 lbs in ONE DAY?

 

As a diuretic, parsley works to block the re-absorption of sodium and potassium. You can drink parsley tea on a regular basis to help with general water retention and several other body ailments. Parsley is good folk medicine that is now backed by some "proven science."

 

I think they sell parsley tea bags? I haven't tried any store bought brands...or dehydrating my own to made my own. I've often contemplating adding parsley tea to my travel kit (I already travel with Smooth Move tea :o). I think that I should try drinking it at home to see how it affects me first.

 

And yes, about the water weight lost. I was dealing with some serious bloat. I once had a spa tech (who was giving me a seaweed body treatment) ask me where I was in my cycle because she could SEE the water under my skin. She gently pushed on my skin and even I could see the ripple effect. :eek: Since then, my eyes have become educated to that look.

 

Anyway...as I said, I was dealing with some serious bloat. I knew that I was going to aggressively tackle it with the big batch of parsley tea, the body brushing, etc. and so I weighed myself in the morning. Then I weighed myself that same evening...and I was 8 pounds lighter.

 

And I still ate that day. And drank a lot of water.

 

I'm not advocating parsley tea for fat loss. But if you have water retention issues (which I do from my body type and now from my knee), parsley tea may be a helpful addition to your water retention battle.

[Bettyboop66]

Anita I really enjoyed reading both of your posts. I'm thinking of getting some of the compression socks for my next cruise. I've tried the dry brushing with the arnica gel and had pretty good results. I don't think I'd really want to wear the socks during the day, can you sleep in them? Thanks for all the information.

[Anita Latte]

Anita I really enjoyed reading both of your posts. I'm thinking of getting some of the compression socks for my next cruise. I've tried the dry brushing with the arnica gel and had pretty good results. I don't think I'd really want to wear the socks during the day, can you sleep in them? Thanks for all the information.

 

Compression socks are really meant for an otherwise healthy person to get help fighting the effects of gravity during daytime wear. It normally isn't recommended that an otherwise healthy person wear them at night.

 

Certain people are recommended to wear light compression at night...like some pregnant women, some people with serious vein conditions, etc. But usually a doctor is involved in this decision.

 

Therefore, I would say that I would NOT wear them at night. If possible, do what you can to elevate your feet, even slightly...even for just a period of time. I discovered an extra comforter cover under my bed on the Allure. I ended up using it as another bed covering (because I keep my cabin cold and I like more blankets), but it would have worked well to fold and place at the foot of the bed for a nice foot prop. I'm hopeful to find the same thing to use as a foot prop on Enchantment. If not, I might ask my steward if something similar is available for such a purpose...I think a pillow is too much.

 

I would recommend that you do the same. If you are trying to increase your night time recovery, find a way to get your feet lifted above your heart, even if it's just a little...every bit helps.

 

I don't know your cruising location or itinerary... On my recent cruises in April (I went on two), I usually wore my compression sleeves in the evening. I wore several maxi skirts for our evening activities, including dinner...and I would just put the sleeve on with my sandals. Often, it wasn't very noticeable because my maxi skirts are long.

 

There were several times that I was happy to have the extra layer because the air conditioning was blasting.

 

Wearing in the evening was nice because the evening usually involved a lot of sitting with the longer dinner and going to a show or just hanging out in a lounge, etc. The compression really helped in the evenings with the decreased activity.

 

And when I wore pants in the evening...just not an issue.

 

I also wore my sleeves when I would be walking a lot in port (this was in Spain, in conjunction with the TA cruise).

 

I also tended to wear them when I exercised (I did physical therapy regularly). So I would wake up and wear my exercise clothing with my compression, have breakfast, exercise and then either be ready for more food or to hit the pool deck...at which point I would lose the compression sleeves for a while during the day.

 

I can tell you that if you have any sort of travel at all to get to and from your cruise ship...and you have issues with water retention...I HIGHLY recommend wearing the socks for your travel day. You may be surprised how helpful this preventative measure is to ward off water retention.

 

You know what you do cruising. Maybe hearing how I wore them and then didn't wear them can give you ideas on how they might be useful to you at different points in your day.

 

If you are looking at the Crazy Compression site...I can tell you that the patterns are very, very fun. I do think I prefer the black background because the elastic in the sleeve is also black. For the teal and purple colors (which I also have), the elastic is white, so when it is stretched out, it isn't as much of a solid color. It isn't bad though... I still enjoy those.

 

One of the most useful for "blending" but still fun were the black with zebra print style. At least for my maxi skirts.

 

Also...just to throw out there. It's amazing the difference little things can make. If you are a pool person and hang out on the pool deck, spend a bit of time on your chair in reverse. That is, lay with your head at the foot and your feet at the head and use the chair to elevate your feet. (Laying on your stomach). Not a huge elevation...a notch or two above flat.

 

If you don't want to lay on your stomach, go completely flat and stack some extra pool towels under your feet to raise them up above your heart level.

 

Finding ways to do this during the day can also help give your lymph a bit of a boost. Decide to add a bit more sunscreen before doing this? Use the excuse to give yourself a bit of a lymph massage before "going prone and elevated" giving a gravity assist to your massage encouragement to get your lymph moving.

 

And also, watch the videos at the blog I linked. I have had good results at home by just taking some time to do the neck lymph massage. The one that starts at the neck nodes, down the jaw, down the back of the neck, the "live long and prosper" hands at the ears, and then the reverse to back to the neck nodes.

 

The lymph is a negative pressure system, so technically, working it anywhere will have an effect all over. Not as great as when you also include the part you want to target. But the system is a whole and working one part of it affects all parts to some degree.

 

It takes about 3 minutes to do the neck lymph massage. You can add this as a pre-dry brush routine to help make your lymph system even more ready to move in response to the dry brushing.

 

The neck lymph message also has the added bonus of helping to relieve any puffiness in your face too! I can wake up with a bit of puffiness around the eyes...the neck message routine has really helped this too.

[musicmom3]

Anita, thank you SO much for all this great information! Especially useful to learn how the lymph system works--I like to know that type of stuff. And you even gave fashion advice on the socks/sleeves, how fun! Loved reading all of this and feel MUCH better prepared for my upcoming cruise!

[Bettyboop66]

Anita, thank you again for your helpful information! I'm going to watch the videos this weekend. And think some more about the compression socks. Betty