My mothers leg swelled up last thursday and is causing her great pain. The skin is yellowish with purple blotches, her red red blood cell count is well below normal. She has an underactive thyroid. The NHS doctors are still running tests. Any ideas what could be causing it?
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Is there a doctor in the house...........
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14 comments:
I ran her symptoms through WebMD.com and it came up with several possibilities, some of which are quite alarming. My best wishes for her speedy recovery.
Lots of causes and unfortunately most of them aren't good... blood clot and compression of lymphatic vessels or veins by a mass/tumor in the pelvis would be at the top of my list for a single leg swollen from calf to thigh. Infection is always a possibility, as well as something called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
A few questions: How old is she?
Has she had any trauma to that leg? Has she had any surgeries in her abdomen? (such as hysterectomy) Any recent travel to the third world? Is her leg hard and swollen or if you gently press a finger to it for a few seconds does it leave an indention?
In the setting of low RBCs and a swollen leg a tumor would seem to be most likely as it would explain both symptoms. She should have an ultrasound of the veins and arteries in that leg looking for blood clot and a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis looking for a mass.
I'm an Emergency Physician and we always look for the worst, so I appologize for the doom and gloom.
i dont wish to scare you needlessly but from what you tell me (i asked my uncle who is a doctor for over 23 years now) he said it could be liver failure, or liver related disease.
check her eyeballs thoroughly...if they have yellow spots on them or areas...its for sure the liver
Make sure they immediately check for critical limb ischemia (a blocked leg artery, aka CLI). If that's what it is (and I'm no doctor), she would need immediate treatment to save her leg.
I have no idea on the dx, but my prayers are with you and your mom.
cellulitis?
Could be a infected fluid sac. Some blogger 'round here just went through a very similar condition. Had to do several consecutive (planned) surgeries to remove grayish, infected tissues and drain fluid build ups from the thigh.
Prayers are with her. Can you take her to an Emergency department?
Doug.
Not a doc, but best of wishes for you and yours.
Prayers for your mom!
:]
My uneducated medical guess is a liver problem, blood clot or an insect bite. Would keep her off her feet, limit fluids, zero salt & wrap that right legs in an ace bandage to prevent swelling & keep the fluid out. For some reason her body is retaining fluid [& maybe a few toxins] is she healthy otherwise, no diabetes, no blood pressure probs? Keep us posted & we'll keep her in our thoughts.
I agree with the ER doc above, the swelling and discoloration most likely indicate either an obstruction to lymph or the venous return. She needs a doppler study of the veins in her leg looking for a deep vein thrombosis, a vein blocked by a blood clot that can break loose and go to her lungs causing a pulomnary embolus. An abdominal CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis can tell if there is a localized obstruction in the lymphatic system causing swelling. This needs to be delt with expeditiously, it is not something that should be put off. Good luck
With due respect how old is your mother? Looking at her legs (my compliments!) I would say 30....
My prayers for you and your mother Theo. This is not politics, I hope that you can get her the best medical care as fast as possible.
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