Be careful Schoolhouse! The doctor I saw said that the feeling an ankle will turn again is a sign of ligament damage. Try keeping that wrapped! Broken ankle didn't hurt near as much as torn ligaments and the sprains! I just cracked up the top of my foot - the weird thing is, you can still see all the marks from the little "accident" - my ankle looks like the permanently bungled mess it is!! Most ligament pain now is on the curving arch - inside of my foot. Be careful with that. I am thinking arch supports might help. If you have very high arches, this can be a real pain to heal!

I woke up with right hand swelling and within weeks the swelling included the left hand. Then it was the right and left foot, right and left knee, back of right and left knee, legs, both forearms and elbows, swollen veins under tongue, swollen eyes from the beginning. My hands will not close so I have no grip but I do have muscle strength. Mid Feb 2011, I started to get short of breath. I do have speckled ANA antibodies but that is it. Nothing else in my blood work is abnormal. They did 2 weeks of in hospital testing (Doppler of legs, vascular study, lymphatic study, CT stomach, Ultrasound stomach and liver, X-ray chest, Echo of heart, pelvic ultrasound, mammogram, CT brain). The doc are giving me prednisone to deal with the swelling symptoms but I think the drug has made me as weak as a kitten and raised my resting heart beat since being sick from 72 bpm to 115 bpm. I think the docs are on the wrong track. Not one doctor will agree to a body MRI. All the symptoms just came on too fast. I will be 50 this year. I am hoping someone out there can relate and share their answers.

I have severe swelling in my feet and ankles and lower legs. I am supposed to take a water pill every day but I don't. I found if I get enough exercise I can get thru the day ok. If I spend the day sitting or in the car I swell up bad. And it does itch. It itches again as the swelling goes down. This week I have been having to stay in and take water pills. It's too hot to go out during the day anyway. I have replaced about half of my cola intake with lemon water. But sitting at my computer all day isn't helping. I do a lot of sitting during the day. I prop my feet up every chance I get. I have a box under my computer table to prop my feet up on. It helps some. I sleep in an adjustable bed. I have it set up so that I can prop my head up and my feet. I sleep in a wide V. In the mornings my feet are back to normal and doing fine. This is how it was explained to me. Blood vessels are elastic. When your heart pumps (pushes blood) the blood vessels expand and then contract (push back) and this helps the blood move along thru the circulatory system. But (for a variety of causes) the blood vessels in my legs have lost their elasticity and can no longer help push fluid. So gravity causes fluid to collect in my feet and lower legs. Prop my feet up for a while and gravity helps drain it off. Ideally, I would keep my feet propped up at the level of my heart. I sleep with my head propped up cause it helps my breathing. If you have trouble breathing it could be a sign that fluid has collected around your heart and lungs. This makes it very hard for your heart to pump and for your lungs' diaphram to take in air so you can breathe. I have been hospitalized several times for those reasons. Almost again this week. I used to if I was gonna be in the car for a long time, I would wrap my feet and ankles tightly with a big ace bandage. This contained the swelling but may cut off circulation entirely. It's something to consider for a long trip but it is risky. I've often wondered, If I strapped my ankles into one of those inverting tables and hung from it at night like a bat to sleep would I wake up with my head all swelled up?? I think it's best if I just keep sleeping in my V. Just like a bear sleeping in the fork of a tree. Pooh Bear

this is our third BC. Have no idea what he's crossed with. They suggested it was there sons miniature Aussie. Maggie our first was an amazing dog. Rags the next one was a bit of a clown and wouldn't listen to anything he didn't want to but was a good guard dog. This boy is stubborn but does respond to praise. Guess I'll try the yelping also. Hope my family realizes I haven't lost it with the noise. Thanks to all suggestions. Been 13 years since I've had a pup so maybe I need a refresher too.