feet/legs swollen to 5 x size

[mercedybear]

after a painful 3.5 day labour process I had a csection. I was pumped with iv fluids ( 4 bags worth) over the days and given pitocin at highest level.....forced to stay in bed for long periods of time while also recieiving epidural, lets just say it was a nightmare.

Now..... after, my legs and feet are swollen 5X to the point where I CAN NOT walk, bend or basically function my legs!!!!!!! Medical professionals say "it will go away"..when?????? I am in pain and cant do anything, this is making my recovery 100 x worse! any advise!!

 

[sammynashley]

Sorry to hear of your horrible birth experience Hun I had a tough time with my first emcs, had horrible swelling, it took between 1-2 weeks to go down, sometimes being mobile if you can, can help the swelling go down, hope this helps!

 

[Nela]

I had the same but my bladder was not functioning normally so I had the catheter in for longer. Did they not do a fluid balance before releasing you? I know I still had some swelling when I was released and it can take a bit to go down while your body works to eliminate the extra fluids. If they checked that your output was good enough in the hospital, I imagine that it should just go down without a problem. Have they checked your lungs? I was getting fluid in my lungs as well. If it's getting worse or if you're not sure, I'd call/go round to the doc's to be sure. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

How long post csection are you?

 

[spunky84]

I've been having terrible swelling as well & tomorrow will be 2 weeks post csection. It's been hurting to bend my knees & wriggle my toes.

I did mention it to my dr as I was a little alarmed. Since I'm breastfeeding/pumping she didn't want to give me anything as it could hurt my milk production.

Did they give you stockings while in the hospital?

I had stockings on in the hospital & took them off after a little over 24 hours. I think being mobile helps too (though it sounds like in your case it might be a little difficult). The hospital sent the stockings home with me. I just put them on about 7pm last night and about 18 hours later, the swelling in my feet went down considerably, almost back to normal.

I don't know if it's from the stockings or if it was just coincidence & the swelling would have gone down anyway or not. But if you were sent home with stockings, I would definitely try putting them on and seeing if that helps! Otherwise, unfortunately, it's just something that it's going to require time.

 

[Claudia83]

It took about 8 days PP to get my legs back to semi normal. After the 2 weeks, my legs and feet were fine. I slept with a pillow under my knees and feet every night for the first week. Make sure you are drinking enough fluids so you are peeing regularly to get rid of excess fluids and minimize water retention.

 

[mercedybear]

I had the same but my bladder was not functioning normally so I had the catheter in for longer. Did they not do a fluid balance before releasing you? I know I still had some swelling when I was released and it can take a bit to go down while your body works to eliminate the extra fluids. If they checked that your output was good enough in the hospital, I imagine that it should just go down without a problem. Have they checked your lungs? I was getting fluid in my lungs as well. If it's getting worse or if you're not sure, I'd call/go round to the doc's to be sure. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

How long post csection are you?

I had my csection Sept 8 so 4 days ago. Thanks everyone for the tips, hope it goes away!!!!!

 

[babybaker2011]

Drinking green tea helped me with the swelling of my legs and feet after my C-section. You need to buy them bags and make it yourself though, don't buy the already premade stuff. Good luck! If you're breastfeeding, then make sure that you don't drink more than 2 cups a day because of the caffeine.

 

[Dollybird]

It took my legs Almost two weeks to return to normal- perhaps longer I can't remember properly. They were massive though!! Worse than when I was pregnant. Midwife assured me it was normal and caused by the csection. And they did go down on time. But if u gave been given compression stockings u should defo wear them they will help with circulation xxx

 

[mercedybear]

FINALLY 10 PPD the swelling is going down! Been drinking lots of water and elevating my feet when I sleep