Ankle swelling and weight gain, worried about heart failure

[jadedreams]

Hey guys, I haven't posted on the health anxiety forum much as my anxiety has been more GAD with intrusive thoughts. Well my health anxiety just reared its head again, over the past couple of weeks I have noticed a lot of ankle swelling especially in the late afternoon and evenings. I weighed yesterday and have gained about 8 pounds in less than 2 weeks! This has me freaked out as I know that edema and weight gain can be a sign of heart failure. I googled a bit I will admit, but tried not to too much. I do have some risk factors such as being overweight and high blood pressure. There is also a family history of heart problems.

Needless to say I am very very scared. I also have been fighting a cold the past couple weeks and this morning actually vomited after coughing a lot. I have a lot of nausea with all this anxiety since last April, but this is the first time I have actually gotten sick. This worries me too.

I am on meds and seeing a therapist, just not sure what to do to calm my fears. I do have a message in to my doctor to ask about the ankle swelling just in case.

Any thoughts or ideas to help me with this? Thanks..

[MyNameIsTerry]

Could it be connected to your blood pressure issue? My mum has blood pressure issues which she takes meds for and she has swollen ankles. So does my dad. This can be a circulatory issue or a water retention issue, I think.

I think it would be a sensible idea to talk to whoever you see about your high blood pressure. My parents have check ups with a nurse at the surgery and meds are reviewed along with this.

I don't think you should jump to any conclusions, the classic HA thing as you know, because you have potential issues in the blood pressure area that could be connected so each time their is a factor that could be connected, it means that the original fear is less likely. (if you see what I mean?)

I'm not sure about the weight gain. The swelling could perhaps account for some of it or all of it, I don't know. If you are on meds like Mirtazapine, that could account for it too.

[jadedreams]

Thanks Terry, you are always so helpful. I actually did see my doctor yesterday - she listened to my heart and my lungs & said they both sounded fine. She wants me to do a bit of bloodwork next week to double check some things. My blood pressure is well controlled on medication, so she doesn't think that is the issue. She did put me on a different diuretic than I have been taking for years.

I'm still concerned, but not quite as much. It just came up so suddenly and with the fast weight gain it made me wonder. I actually am on a low dose of mirtazapine to help with sleep at night, but have been on it since last June. Not sure how much that is contributing to any weight gain.

In the meantime, I'm going try my best to think rationally and stay away from google if at all possible. Thanks again Terry, I really appreciate all of your replies.

[KeeKee]

I actually am on a low dose of mirtazapine to help with sleep at night, but have been on it since last June. Not sure how much that is contributing to any weight gain.

Although I've never taken Mirtazapine, I did take Prozac years ago. Started in the July and by the following May I was around a stone heavier. It was definitely from the meds as I didn't change my diet or anything. The same thing happened with Paroxetine, although the gain was quicker.

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's the fast weight gain issue and Mirt could perhaps have accounted for that if you were starting it or increasing around this time. So, this doesn't seem connected now.

However, we can fluctuate a few pounds anyway and women have this problem more than men due to water retention issues. So, perhaps it's not quite as much as you think? Perhaps the swollen feet could account for part of that and normal weight fluctuation the rest?

If your GP has changed your water tablet then they obviously want to see if it corrects the swelling. Sometimes things go wrong on these water tablets, my mum's had to change her a couple of times due to issues like this.

[jadedreams]

Thanks again everyone. I actually ended up going to the ER over the weekend, I started having palpitations, headaches and dizziness on Friday, got worse on Saturday and Sunday I woke up gasping for air and with palpitations. It scared me so much I went to get it checked out. They ran an EKG, did xrays and did blood work - everything came back normal.

I am still dealing with the swelling though and have had more weight gain, not sure what is going on, I actually have gained almost 20 pounds since the first of the year without changing my diet any. I let my GP know I went over to the hospital over the weekend and she wants to see me this Wednesday. My HA is up quite a bit at the moment, I'm trying not to panic and to remember they haven't found anything yet. Of course it's the not knowing that is getting to me!

Any and all advice appreciated.

[Nzxt27]

Well the syptoms you said you had that sent you to the ER are common anxiety syptoms

I went to the ER back in jan with chest pains and stuff my EKG came back a little abnormal but doctor said some variables are not uncommon and didn't seem worried about it. Of course it freaked me out. All my blood work came back fine and everything and doctor said he put his doctor on the papers for follow up I could go if I wanted more pills but he didn't see the need in it. I mean we have to trust doctors I don't see why they would get anything out of lieing to us.

And if it's like my hospital they have someone the next day that goes over the EKG's and X-rays before they are filed. The guy who went over mine was a cardiologist. And they are suppose to call you if they see something that was missed or anything.

[jadedreams]

Thanks Nzxt, I think what is bugging me is not knowing what is causing my sudden swelling and weight gain, since I know the anxiety can't cause it. Now my reaction to and the what if's are most likely anxiety, I agree. I'm just finding it real hard not to be scared at the moment. I was wheezing last night and coughed up some mucous (sorry if TMI) so that scared me. I went through a round of bronchitis for over a month but thought that was gone.

Then this morning I woke up anxious and feeling like it was harder to breathe, I had rattling sounds in my chest until I coughed. Anxiety went way up and is still there. I think what makes this worse for me is that my Mom had swelling due to heart issues and we lost her. Also I lost a brother who had sudden swelling with liver issues and pneumonia. So the whole swelling thing is really getting to me :(

[countrygirl]

The weight gain could be mostly to do with the mitrazapine. I tried it a few years ago and in 2 weeks put on half a sone without eating anymore as I am on a strict diet and keep a food diary so no argument it was the drug. It also gave me severe acid reflux so i stopped it after 2 weeks and the weight came off.

If they have done bloods for your kidneys which they would have done and they were normal then that is reassuring re the swollen ankles.

[MyNameIsTerry]

The weight gain could be mostly to do with the mitrazapine. I tried it a few years ago and in 2 weeks put on half a sone without eating anymore as I am on a strict diet and keep a food diary so no argument it was the drug. It also gave me severe acid reflux so i stopped it after 2 weeks and the weight came off.

If they have done bloods for your kidneys which they would have done and they were normal then that is reassuring re the swollen ankles.

But why would the Mirt not cause that weight gain for many months before and then suddenly cause an increase?

Given the water retention issue with the feet I would say at least part of the weight gain is that, just like all the women that complain of putting on weight when they are retaining more water.

[jadedreams]

Thanks guys, yeah I don't think the weight gain has to do with the mirt, I have been on the same dosage for 9 months. The weight gain is in the last few weeks with noticeably swollen ankles and calves.

I was supposed to see my GP yesterday, but she had an emergency and was out. They called and had me go to urgent care since I have been wheezing intermittently and the swelling has gotten worse. Scared me to death when they called and told me that, I broke down in tears. But I went, the doctor there was actually very good and explained things well to me.

I had a cold and bronchitis for several weeks, it seemed to get better then worse, then better and the past few days I started wheezing again. He checked my heart and lungs, did a chest xray and some bloodwork. All was fine except he heard the wheezing. He thinks I am still fighting the bronchitis and my airways are irritated/inflamed, he prescribed inhalers for me and also upped my water pill dosage. He said the swelling actually could be caused by the bronchitis or just be idiopathic. He said the blood tests ruled out the big things like heart, liver, kidneys. I'm supposed to follow up with my regular doc. I was feeling ok last night and fell asleep pretty early actually.

Unfortunately I woke up a lot throughout the night with congestion and then my health anxiety kicked in again, I started getting palpitations and woke up early where I couldn't sleep for a while. My anxiety was high this morning and I keep fighting the what ifs, what if they missed something or what if my bronchitis gets worse or never ends.. I hate these thoughts and just want to feel better, it feels never ending at the moment.

Any tips are always appreciated. Thanks again..

[Wilburis]

Hi

Ive just seen this post.

Apparently, Mirtazapine is notorious for weight gain. Have you maybe been eating more without realising?

I must say, Ive been on Mirtazapine for a few months now and have had restless legs at night since starting them.

Did you find out the cause of your problems?

x