Do your feet swell during/after a cruise

[smoothdancer]

Cruising is not my problem, but everytime I fly my feet swell. I have learned if it is summer I always wear slip on sandles, and if winter a slip on closed toe.

 

First time it happened I was in a panic because I always slip my shoes off on the plane... I was certain I would not be able to get them back on to get off the plane!

[sgttami]

For the most part, all water on a cruise contains salt...(desalinization does remove some salt but not all)...the foods are cooked in the water, coffee, juices..everything you eat will basically have a higher salt content..Yes, even a cup of coffee or tea..(made with the ship's water)..salads are washed with it..etc..

 

Ever notice how the ice melts quickly in your cabin?? That's because it has a high salt content. (Compare it to throwing rock salt on your driveway to melt the ice in winter...see how fast the ice melts)

 

Some people retain water more than others which causes the swelling. Some have no problem. Airline foods are loaded with salt which does cause swelling in some..and high altitude can also cause swelling. Combine flying with a cruise and BINGO...swollen ankles and feet!!!

 

Usually, when getting back to a "normal" setting at home, the swelling will disappear after a day or two.

 

Our friends have a desalinization plant in the Caribbean, so I've known this for some time..(they have a medical background also)..

 

For the most part, if you normally retain water, you will see some swelling.

 

The salt air has nothing to do with it..bottled water, activity and not overeating will help reduce swelling..(so I was told!!)

 

Sometimes I swell, sometimes I don't!!!

[AZPam]

Glad to see that I am not the only one with this problem. My feet are so huge by the end of a cruise I have to plan to wear flip flops or sandles home. This year I came prepared with a water pill prescribed by my doc and it helped a lot. I've also tried limiting what I drink, not salting my food etc, but the water pill is the only thing that did the trick.

[wmorrell35]

My feet, ankles and face all swell badly whenever we are on a cruise. I cut down on salt (never used much anyway), always drink tons of water, don't really dink that much, and don't drink soda. I know it's not the healthiest thing, but I have given up. My doctor now writes a prescription for a strong water pill, I take one every other day and I am good to go, no more issue.

[KLLund]

I had a miserable time with this once .. spent hours with the feet elevated etc.. Talked to doctor before the next cruise and she told me to drink a lot of water ... bottled not desalinated water .. NO carbonated beverages ( she did say a scotch and soda would be ok a few times LOL ) and then she prescribed I diuretic to take in addition to the drinking lots of water. It has never happened since.

[wraithe]

i've noticed the last cruise my feet were swollen and I drank a lot of water.. the water we drink on the ship, unless it is bottled spring water has come from the sea and is desalinated on the ship.. could there still be a lot of sodium content in the desalinated water which they also cook, and wash the fruits and veggies with and make ice with...possible?????

 

Have to disagree with sgttami on this one, they desalinate the water in an evaporator, using waste heat from the diesel exhaust (or in the case of Radiance class, from the gas turbines). If you put a pan of salt water on your stove, and boil all the water away, the salt you put in there is going to be in the bottom of the pan when you're done. Minerals and other solids don't carry over with the steam, if the evaporator is working correctly. The water boils at about 150 degrees since the evap runs at about 5 inches of mercury vacuum, which also removes almost all the air. Since it's greater than 140F, and they add chlorine after the fact, all the germs are dead. This warm water goes straight into the hot water pipes, and is what you get when you turn on the hot water faucet in your stateroom, what isn't used goes into tanks below the water line and is cooled by the ocean, that is what comes out of your cold water tap, and is why you can't get cold water in the Caribbean in summer. When the ocean is 85 or 90F, you aren't going to get cold water out of the tap. Some desalinization plants add brine back in to the purified water to keep it from growing stuff inside the tanks, but the ships don't, since they add chlorine just like your tap water at home. Land based plants can use plastic pipe as well, which salt water won't hurt, whereas ships use copper pipes, which are more prone to chloride corrosion. I know there are some that will just dismiss what I've said, but after 20 years of operating sea going engine rooms, I do have some idea of what I'm talking about. Hope this helps some.

[CaliforniaDreamer]

i can't believe i just saw this thread.:eek:

i had this same probably on the cruise i just returned from. i was a little scared but decided to elevate my feet when i could and i went out a bought extra bottled water when ashore. it didnt help alot but now that i am home, it looks back to normal!

i figured it was from all the salt in the food and such.

[BlueHerons]

i've noticed the last cruise my feet were swollen and I drank a lot of water.. the water we drink on the ship, unless it is bottled spring water has come from the sea and is desalinated on the ship.. could there still be a lot of sodium content in the desalinated water which they also cook, and wash the fruits and veggies with and make ice with...possible?????

 

This is exactly correct. All juices, ice, cokes, etc are made with the water the cruise ship makes which is very high in salt.

 

Unless you are drinking bottled water or beer, you are drinking salt and which causes your body to retain fluids.

[madhouseinc]

This is exactly correct. All juices, ice, cokes, etc are made with the water the cruise ship makes which is very high in salt.

 

Unless you are drinking bottled water or beer, you are drinking salt and which causes your body to retain fluids.

 

I am cruising for the first time from the east coast. I have never had swelling on the west coast cruises - although I did find I did not need to salt my food and I am a major salt addict!

[WebNanny]

For me it's carbohydrates. I'm carb sensitive and if I fall off my usual controlled carb routine I start retaining water like crazy. Normally I don't eat sugar or white carbs at all, but if I do for a few days my feet and ankles will be swollen and it can take a week of careful attention to my diet to get rid of it. But--I was not going to worry about dietary regimens on the ship and as expected my feet did swell. I tried to keep up with drinking water but I know I wasn't able to get in the amount I usually drink at home. Fortunately, because of some minor orthopedic problems with my feet, I was equipped with flat-heeled thong-style sandals, even some gold ones for formal night, so I didn't have problems walking.

[cruisinmommie]

someone told me once not to drink the water. You know the water at the tables. Dont know what that has to do with it. But I have tried it on my last 3 cruises and HA HA no sweeling.very strange! jmo

[blambition]

I always have this as a problem when I travel. I just came back from the Zenith which required flying coast to coast and was a one week cruise to Bermuda. Well the toes looked liked little sausages and my ankles were really bad. My legs were actually hurting from the water retention this time and it did not help that I had just come off an eight week diet that was salt free. Long story short home on Sat. and today is Wed. and today they look fairly normal! By the way I take an asprin every day and I tried to drink water during the trip. I really think restaurants and cruise ships add a lot more salt to everything. Wouldn't be surprised if they put it in the little chocolate they leave on the pillow at night. I know this could not possibly have anything to do with the wine I was drinking or the extra slice of pizza I ate.

Have to say it makes me feel a little better to know I'm not the only one suffering and others get the elephant feet and ankles. I guess I could give up drinking all together and only drink water but then what fun would that be?

Vicki

PS Oh yeah the answer from me is 4 to 5 days

[nanner10]

I have responded to several threads about this very issue. This really causes a problem for me as well. Any shoes I take on a cruise are chosen with this issue in mind.

 

When I take a land based vacation with a flight involved I do have some issues but nothing like a trip with a cruise included. Someone mentioned that Midol was a mild diuretic so I bought some (first time since I was a teen, LOL!) it did not help. Compression socks and elevating my feet help some, but not much. Next cruise (December) I think I will try the bottled water.

 

Once I am back home I find I spend a lot of time running to the "powder room" and my legs feet are pretty much back to their normal size in a day or two. It has gotta be the salt: in the food, in the ice, in the water, tea, washed veggies, whatever!

[sgttami]

I have no doubt that you definitely know what you are talking about!!

 

But ultimitely, doesn't the ships water does contain a higher amount of salt?? I was told that for years. It's safe and it's fine to drink but has a higher sodium content because of all the processing...

 

I guess that most of us don't worry about the technical aspects of desalination..we just want to know why we can't wear our shoes!!!

 

Thanks.....

[shawilson]

Ah Ha! I have suspected the ship's water for my feet and ankles swelling. Never have had the problem due to flying or certainly not being around salt air (I grew up on an island). I first noticed it when I went to put on my ankle bracelet and it didn't fit! I was filling my water bottle with ship's water, and I drink a ton of water every day. I never salt my food. I'm sure that is it.

[wraithe]

I have no doubt that you definitely know what you are talking about!!

 

But ultimitely, doesn't the ships water does contain a higher amount of salt?? I was told that for years. It's safe and it's fine to drink but has a higher sodium content because of all the processing...

 

I guess that most of us don't worry about the technical aspects of desalination..we just want to know why we can't wear our shoes!!!

 

Thanks.....

 

For the record, the water coming out of the evaporator will contain somewhere between 5 and 50 ppm (parts per million, which is equivalent to mg/liter) of sodium. Nothing is perfect, and evaps aren't either. I took the liberty of copying the following from the US EPA website, basically it says that 3/4 of the 989 water systems tested, had less than 50 ppm sodium in tap water. That of course, means that 1/4 of the 989 water systems had greater than 50 ppm sodium, so folks drinking that tap water routinely get more sodium than what's on the ship. Reverse osmosis systems allow 300 to 500 ppm tds at the output. That's what your friends probably operate in the Caribbean, most land based desalinators are RO.

 

I'm guessing sgttami, but I would bet that the swelling comes from people not being used to the amount of salt in the food. From what I can find on the net, the water on the ship is at least as pure as what you find in tap water, or American bottled water. I doubt this is going to change any minds, but it might help make some decisions. I would say that if you're really prone to this, maybe ask for a salt free diet and see if that helps on your next cruise. Good luck.

 

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/bottle.html is a link to a page about what a lab found in bottled water in Europe. It's not pretty.

 

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccl/sodium.html is the link to the page that has the stuff below.

 

  How much does water contribute to sodium in my diet?

A Food and Drug Administration publication, "Scouting for Sodium and Other
Nutrients Important to Blood Pressure" Exit EPA Disclaimer (FDA 95-2284)
states that most American adults tend to eat between 4,000 and 6,000 mg
of sodium per day, "and therapeutic sodium restricted diets can range from
below 1,000 mg to 3,000 mg per day." It lists the following nutrient
guidelines for food labeling:

   *  Low-sodium: 140 mg or less per serving (or, if the serving is 30 g or
less or two tablespoons or less, 140 mg or less per 50 g of the food)
   * Very low-sodium: 35 mg or less per serving (or, if the serving is 30 g
or less or two tablespoons or less, 35 mg or less per 50 g of the food)
   * Sodium-free: Less than 5 mg per serving

In a National Inorganics and Radionuclides Survey, conducted by EPA in the
mid-1980s, about 3/4 of 989 water systems included had concentrations of
sodium of less that 50 mg/l. Assuming that an adult weighing 70 kilograms
(about 150 pounds) drinks two liters (about 8 glasses) per day, he or she
would typically ingest less than 100 mg of sodium per day from drinking
water. Based on this data, a 1/4-liter serving (about an 8-ounce glass)
would contain less than 12.5 mg of sodium, well within FDA's "very low
sodium" category.


It is important to note that sodium is an essential nutrient. The Food and
Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommends that most
healthy adults need to consume at least 500 mg/day, and that sodium
intake be limited to no more than 2400 mg/day.

To reduce my sodium intake, should I buy bottled water instead of using
tap water?

It is not necessary to switch to bottled water to maintain a healthy,
low-sodium diet. Levels of sodium in a serving of drinking water are very
low in most water systems. Also, FDA imposes quality standards for bottled
water that are equivalent to EPA's drinking water standards. To reduce the
risks of adverse health effects due to sodium, consult a physician or
registered dietitian to plan a healthy diet that reduces the sodium content
in your total food intake.

[wraithe]

danged double post

[Hoyaheel]

Thanks Wraithe--that matches what my husband was able to come up with in his searching (I think he found something that said the cruise we would be on would have comparable or LESS sodium than we have from our well water and RO system in our house:rolleyes: ) So now I'm not making him pack water bottles for me--I drink over a gallon a day, which obviously would have been too much to pack.

[shugzie]

Ok, seems we've come full circle on this subject. So what is it that makes our feet/body swell? I was thinking about bringing water as well.

 

Thanks!

[Hoyaheel]

So what is it that makes our feet/body swell? !

 

I vote dietary changes--more rich foods than normal, more salt than you're used to, just plain "different" foods and perhaps more to eat than usual.

[Guest CRUZIN' SUZIN]

My feet are back to normal. I got off the ship on Sunday morning and now, Thursday morning, my feet are back to normal (pretty much). I have never noticed this problem with my feet but I have always noticed that I seems to "gain" weight almost as soon as the cruise starts but the "weight" seems to go away after less than a week back home. I assumed it was whatever flavor enhancers the cruise ship was using. This was the first cruise where I noticed it so profoundly in my feet.

 

I recommend that unless it is a real bother to you that you just roll with the punches. I think taking medication during the cruise may be risky if you are also consuming alcohol. Just my thought.

 

I for one will just deal with it and if it gets too bad, get some bottled water.

[wraithe]

Ok, seems we've come full circle on this subject. So what is it that makes our feet/body swell? I was thinking about bringing water as well.

 

Thanks!

 

I honestly think that it's the food that makes some swell. I'm going to confess here that I eat tons of salt. I salt almost everything, even apples and watermelon, which gets me some really strange looks here in the Northern US (I was born and raised down South). The reason I say that, is that I don't swell at all. The food (or water, since I certainly can't rule that out) doesn't bother me at all. As a matter of fact, I taste, and then usually salt the food more. Like someone else said, most people eat and drink differently when on vacation. This causes them to react differently. Either way, you should talk to your doctor and get his/her advice and follow it. I'm going to do my own experiment starting tomorrow, by eating lunch in the Grandeur's Windjammer! Happy days everyone, back in about a week and a half!

[Sally Forth]

I pnce did Disney with my leg in a cast and my poor little piggy toes were like sausages. Here are a couple of things that help:

 

1. on the plane, and when you think of it while you are parked on a deck chair, write the letters of the alphabet in the air with your big toe. That gives your feet and ankles a good workout and keeps the blood going

2. on the ship, unless you are on heart medication that precludes it, eat lots of bananas and parsley. Parsley is a wonderful natural diuretic. An alternative is to take an alfalfa pill.

 

Viv

not a doctor but I could play one on TV

[forpaws]

This thread has made me feel so much better! My feet swell anytime I go on a trip, even if it's just a 3 hour ride in the car. I had begun to think my kidneys were functioning properly! Now I know I'm not alone. :)

[Vale]

Yes we all thought we were the only ones! I have given up wearing ankle bracelets on a cruise or flying and do not wear them at all now. I did buy one that was adjustable but it just called attention to my swollen ankles. When mine swell I look at everyone's ankles and just can't understand why some do and some don't. Still don't know the answer after reading all these posts but will try the bananas and parsley. Try to wear long slacks which cover them at night and make sure to take shoes that will fit when they swell.