My last EKG was in November, and it was fine. My blood work was also fine.

I drank glasses and glasses of water at every meal on the trip. I'm not used to having as much wine and salt, that's for sure. I rarely add salt to my food here at home.

I see my endocrinologist on Thursday for my annual thyroid ultrasound and checkup. I thought I'd talk to her before calling my GP.

Any chance you were experiencing an allergic reaction? I am so sorry this happened you. Maybe you could take a diuretic with you in case this happens again, provided there is no underlying health issue, which it seems there is not.

When DH and I were in Alaska his ankles started swelling and got quite large esp after the flight home. Within 3 days of arriving home he lost about 6 lbs and his ankles went back to normal...it was all water weight from the excess salt in the food...especially on the cruise... the food was very salty....even though we ate at the buffet a lot opting for fresh foods and salads. The compression socks help during the flights...make sure you get them fitted properly so they work, and be sure to wash after each use so the elastic tightens up again. When able, lay with your feet elevated above your heart as much as possible. Avoid as much salt as possible. And drink lots of water. DH has both low kidney function and varicose veins that contribute to his issue.

I'm wondering if it was the trifecta of wine, salt and heat? It's difficult to obtain different food when on a food and wine tour, because it's all arranged!

Last year, I had a CT scan, with and without dye, as well as cystoscopy for my kidneys due to unexplained mild hematuria. They also scanned all of my abdomen/other organs and found nothing except a little damage to the lower part of my lungs due to pneumonia and pleurisy many years ago. The urologist said there's nothing wrong with my kidneys, I'm just one of those people with a little blood in my urine. I had my colonoscopy last month and okay there, too.

BTW, I ordered a pair of Lily Trotters compression socks as soon as I got home! I have the Futuro brand from the pharmacy, but thought I'd try these (dots a plenty for me)l

DH's doctor wanted him to get Jobst compression socks. You go to a medical supply place and they fit you for them. Not cheap, but very effective.

Did you drink a lot of mineral water?

Salt and potassium are closely linked so you really need to add dietary potassium as well as extra water to really excrete the excess sodium from the meals. Humans eat thousands of milligrams of excess salt daily and half of the recommended potassium that we need. This really messes up things sometimes. Each gallon of water weighs 8 pounds so weighing yourself is a good way to keep track of your water balance as well. Our bodies need only 300 mg of sodium a day. One restaurant meal can have thousands of milligrams of Na so a vacation will have a huge impact on our fluid balance

Here is a great article that explains how it works. You need to drink more water, eat more potassium and decrease the sodium to get your fluid balance back to normal. Plus it is a healthier way to eat all the time.

Edited to add: The most effective way to do this is to eat foods with high Potassium/Sodium ratio.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Potassium_and_sodium_out_of_balance

When I went on a cruise a few years back, I let myself only eat one regular salty meal per day. The other meals were fruits, salads etc. I ended up feeling great and actually lost 2 pounds.

Edited: i need to find another article as the other one may not work. . Here Is another. https://www.livestrong.com/article/520918-sodium-and-potassium-imbalance-and-swelling-ankles/

Great links! Dad is now on a salt-restricted diet although I doubt he will stick to it. SO and I are sort of following it anyway, easier on our vital organs as well. Not that we ate high salt foods but we are still able to cut down considerably by avoiding salting our foods now. Plus buying lower sodium versions of some of our common condiments. For example, I make all my own salad dressings now.

Yes, salt! I just traveled last week. I also think with thyroid issues we are also subject to fluid retention.

Yes on the compression socks. Put them on as soon as you get on the plane

It's been high 80s here today and I've been running errands, on my feet, since 11:00 am. Wore Dansko sandals. No swelling at all!

I took a potassium tablet with my magnesium this morning. I didn't take potassium with me, but I have to take the magnesium, so I took it on the trip.

I picked up bananas while grocery shopping.

Another thing that I noticed -- while my friends "of a similar age" were sweating a lot, I don't unless I'm doing heavy garden work in the hot sun.. Maybe since my body doesn't sweat much, I just retained all that water?

I also noticed I've lost 3-4 lbs since getting home. It had to be water retention.

Since the swelling is gone, I doubt I've got any serious disease such as congestive heart failure or kidney problems.

I'm grateful to have this discussion group just to be able to chat about it.

So sorry you encountered this problem. Before you buy anything, please talk to your doctor. I would not mess around with potassium supplements without your doctor's suggestion.

We have a lot in common: age, weight and thyroid. I hope your doctor can help solve this for you.

I’m blessed with swelling in my legs and ankles frequently. I’m even more lucky to get “golfers vasculitis” on trips where I’m walking a lot in hot temperatures. There is no cure, but I soak my legs in cold water every night. It still looks awful.

https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/exercise-induced-vasculitis/

The only time I swelled up was after a 30 hours half way across the world trip that involved 4 flights.

One of my relatives saw me the day I arrived and then saw me 3 days later and couldn't stop commenting how great I looked at that second meeting. Yes, I looked like hell that first day right after I landed!

I was able to use DH's gazillion airline miles to upgrade to business/first, so it could have been much worse!

Potassium supplements should not be considered without your doctor's advice. Potassium has such bad effects when even slightly out of whack. That said, if you drink such vast quantities of water, you may be washing many vital elements from the blood. Please get doctor's advice - I have been through all this with my mother!

I took only one 250mg this week. Today, I put sliced bananas on my cereal.

My blood potassium level a few months ago was 4.0 mmol/L (normal range is 3.5-5.0)

Allergic reaction? I'm allergic to seafood and fish. While I didn't knowingly consume any, everyone around me was eating it. My reaction is usually nausea with fish and voice loss/constriction (but never had anaphylactic shock) with seafood. Shrimp is worse than anything.

The only time I have ever had a problem with swelling is when I'm on a cruise and it's bad.

I have my own ideas about why - the desalinated water on the ship and, even more, the sea air.

I have no health problems and take no medications. I alleviated some of the swelling on my last cruise by drinking bottled water only but it was still an issue.

Swelling is also never a problem at home even though I live very close to a Great Lake, but it's fresh water, not salt.

I travel to Europe a couple of times a year and have never had a problem with swelling either, not on land or in the air.

I don't stay near saltwater though (Rome and Paris) so I'm thinking that's why Venice was a problem - I'm no doctor obviously.

Our Italian hosts never served anything except bottled water, both naturale and frizzante. I asked about salt in the bottled water and they just shrugged. Even in restaurants, only bottled water was served. I was suspicious of the bottled water being the culprit

In France, I always ask for carafe d’eau (tap water) and don’t carry water around with me like I had to do in the heat in Italy.

I’ve searched and searched the web today about salt content and find very little information as most topics are about whether it’s safe to drink the tap water in Italy.

The water in Italy is by region and I was in the Venezia-Fruili region.

I found one photo where I could read the label for that meal—and tracked down this info...comparing that brand to others I probably also drank.

JePenseTrop—- we had a salt water swimming pool at my previous home. During those 11 years, I never had an issue with swelling.

I would suggest that you see a rheumatologist. My first symptoms were extreme swelling of my feet and ankles. It eventually progressed to the point of swelling so much I couldn't stand or walk. After many types of testing it was determined I had rheumatoid arthritis along with several other auto immune disorders. It is not something to ignore.

I saw my endocrinologist today (at Duke) for my annual thyroid ultrasound and follow-up. She sent me for an immediate needle biopsy because the mass on my right lobe had increased with a more significant calcification and micro calcifications. Awaiting those results.

As for the swelling, she wasn't concerned since it was equal in both ankles. She believes traveling (at my age) is traumatic for a body, combined with the food and wine. She also handles diabetes (no concern) and other metabolic diseases.

I hope the needle biopsy shows nothing serious going on.

As for traveling at your age (mine too) being traumatic for the body, I do not want to believe that! Blame it on the food and wine instead. It is far easier to cut back on those items then on travel at our age.

Thank you for posting the update.

My biopsy indicated surgery rather than repeating the biopsy again in six weeks. My endocrinologist is usually conservative about surgery but she doesn’t like the look and characteristics of the mass with a focal calcification and several micro calcifications. I’ll have a surgical consultation before I know how much thyroid will be removed.

I am sorry you will need surgery. Is the growth the cause of the swelling, though?

Oh gosh, sorry to hear about this, but I'm glad you got this checked out.

Don’t know if the swelling is related. Thanks

I hope the surgery goes well and you have a quick and easy recovery. Sending you my best wishes.

Ugh....thinking good thoughts. Stupid thyroids....I hate mine and it hates me back!

Sending good wishes to you Ms. Garden. Hope all goes well.

So sorry to hear that you will need surgery. Sending wishes for a speedy recovery.

I have several friends whose feet and ankles swell on trips. I am very curious about this. I am going to Scandinavia with my mother that has this issue soon, I hope that it won’t be too troublesome for her.

My DH had this issue only twice that he could remember.. It occurred on two fishing trips where he spent most of the week on a small boat. The trips were a year apart. We were mystified as to why, on both trips, his feet and ankles swelled so much. I've always thought it must have something to do with his daily proximity to the saltwater. Good luck with the surgery. Good to get that done.

Happened to me for the first time ever just 2 days ago. We left last Thurs to drive to Chicago, had to take my DH's truck because we were picking up my grandfather clock. No problem with swelling on that trip which was 12 hours driving straight through. After the return home on Sunday, however, both feet and ankles were swollen. The night before we left we had dinner out with friends and I'm sure the combination of alcohol, way more salt intake than normal and then the long drive starting early the following morning caused it - swelling was down but not gone yesterday but is gone today. One other element I suspect is the type of seat in his truck that causes my legs to hang almost straight down much like a dining chair (I'm short) as opposed to my car seat and we usually make that trip in my car.

I haven't been able to read the entire thread. My Mom's neighbor had a problem, went to doctor and it was the new shoes she had purchased (Dansko) that caused the swelling.

I'm sorry to hear you need surgery - sending good thoughts your way for a speedy recovery.