Do you know your Edema?

I have noticed there are different levels of edema.

I know about the “+” indicator of pitting edema, and I’m not referring to that. I am talking the anasarca.

Anasarca is generalized edema, meaning it is present throughout the body; not just dependant areas.

I have noted over the years I’ve been dealing with this that even my muscle fibers seem to become edemic. How do I know this?

When laying in the hospital bed one day, I had my right forearm resting in my right hand. When I tpositioned to sit up, I noticed the huge depression in my forearm where my hand had been.

Another observation I’ve made is that doctors will mistakenly think I have ascites (fluid within the abdominal space). I actually had one doctor try to aspirate fluid from within my abdomen with a huge syringe. It didn’t work!

My fluid was third spaced within the skin and was unable ot be drawn out. I would leak however whenever I was given a subcutaneous injection in that area.

So, the point of this little post is to get you to pay attention to your edema. What are its characteristics? Is it only in your lower extremeties, or is it also in your lower back area?

Do you notice times when your fluid level is worse? If so, what are tohose triggers.

All these questions and their answers may be important to your doctor, so be honest and pay attention.