VERY prominent foot veins, swelling of feet and ankles

[Appa Yip Yip]

I am in a serious tailspin about this new symptoms I'm having. About a week ago I started noticing my ankles were a little swollen but I just assumed it was the heat. Then the swelling got a tiny bit worse and extended into my feet. I still wasn't too worried. But a few days ago, I woke up to the veins in my feet and ankles (and even up my shins) BULGING, I mean like super sticking out and prominent. I'm fair skinned and I'm used to being able to see my veins, but this was unnatural - I'm talking freaky looking. That same morning I was standing in the shower and out of nowhere had stars in my vision for about a second, then felt fatigued and shaky. That sensation came and went all day which was freaky b/c my energy is usually awesome.

It's now been 5 days of these crazy bulging veins and the ankle swelling is seeming to get worse. I went to my doctor yesterday and, while she wasn't terribly concerned about something scary like congestive heart failure or DVT, she suggested I consult with a cardiologist just to be safe (OMG). She said it's a stretch but humidity could possibly cause the veins to swell and even hormones.

I have an appt with a cardiologist in 3 days but I'm terrified and wondering if I should go to the ER. I have a 3 1/2 year old little boy and so scared I'll leave him without a mommy. :weep: Please help.

[Appa Yip Yip]

Here is what my feet looked like immediately upon waking this morning. The veins were already bulging and I hadn't been standing for more than a few seconds. It cannot be good to be waking up like this. SO SCARED. :weep:

[blackbroom]

My mum had congestive heart failure and (a) her ankles were really puffy - it wasn't just the veins sticking out, the whole ankle puffed up like the Michelin man. You couldn't see the veins, because the ankle blew up like a balloon. She also had breathlessness and extreme fatigue, not just a bit of dizziness. (b) it's a slow building disease - you don't develop it one day and then drop dead of it a few days later. My mum had had swollen ankles for at least a year before she consulted her doctor about it, so a 3-day wait to see the cardiologist isn't going to be dangerous.

Similarly, when my dad had a DVT his whole leg swelled up, not just the veins.

You've done the right thing in seeking medical advice from your doctor. Trust her when she says it's probably nothing to be concerned about. Hope the cardiologist can reassure you.

[Appa Yip Yip]

Blackbroom, thank you so much for responding. That was reassuring. My ankles aren't SUPER swollen but definitely enough to feel tight and heavy. They get much worse when I stand even for a minute, and when I press into them the skin around where I'm pressing puckers a bit so there's definitely fluid. If I flex or extend my feet, it hurts a bit around my ankles which I think is due to the swelling.

Did your mom have veins bulging out of her feet? Or was it mainly ankle swelling?

I keep having random brief spells of fatigue and shakiness and sometimes a tiny bit short of breath, like I need to take a deep breath to get enough air. This whole things really has me scared. Do you really think it's safe to wait the 3 days for the cardiologist and not go to the ER? My husband agrees with you but I'm really worried.

[Appa Yip Yip]

Thanks, Flipp, but my veins bulge out when I wake up in the morning and I haven't been standing. They get worse throughout the day but it's not caused by standing.

[blackbroom]

Do you really think it's safe to wait the 3 days for the cardiologist and not go to the ER?

Yes. In the extremely unlikely event that it is congestive heart failure, that is a slow developing, chronic condition that gradually gets worse over months and years - it's not an acute emergency like a heart attack or stroke that can strike from nowhere with no warning. And more importantly, your doctor, who (unlike me) has years of medical training, thought it could wait 3 days and that you have nothing to worry about.

No, my mum didn't have veins sticking out and her breathlessness and fatigue were constant - it didn't come and go.

Try not to worry - you're seeing a specialist in a couple of days, so it is being dealt with. Really hope the cardiologist can reassure you.

[Appa Yip Yip]

Thank you, blackbroom. I really appreciate it! I'm such a nervous wreck right now. Got shaky and fatigued again after a mildly warm shower. This never used to happen but has been happening almost every time lately.

[Leslie735]

I looked at the photo and my feet look like that sometimes and I noticed my Moms does too. I never thought anything of it before.

[NancyW]

Ok, now you got me looking at my feet.
They look just like your picture, except my polish is pink lol

Seriously though, my veins look like that that everyday and they always have. Looking at my hands, they do too.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm not a doctor but I have heart disease and frankly, they look like normal feet. Everyone has veins and depending on body type, some show more than others. I'm 100% sure you'll get an all clear.

Positive thoughts

[Appa Yip Yip]

Thank you, Leslie! I'm glad to hear that. It's just mine never look like this.

Lol, Nancy! Thank you. That's kind of a relief. I just don't know why mine would do this suddenly.

---------- Post added at 13:18 ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 ----------


I'm not a doctor but I have heart disease and frankly, they look like normal feet. Everyone has veins and depending on body type, some show more than others. I'm 100% sure you'll get an all clear.

Positive thoughts

Thanks, Fishmanpa. This isn't normal for me though, it's new. I also have veins that are bulging in my shins when I know for sure they definitely never did before. Plus my ankles really are swollen. I get that it doesn't have to be a heart issue but I'm afraid something else serious might be causing it. :(

[Fishmanpa]

Well, you'll know in a couple of days and I'm still 100% sure all will be fine. They still look like totally normal feet and legs and nothing looks swollen to me.

Anyway.... as always

Positive thoughts

[Appa Yip Yip]

Thank you very much ❤

[Appa Yip Yip]

Here is a pic of my shin. See the vein bulging?

[Appa Yip Yip]

So my doctor just called with my lab results from Monday. Everything including CBC, kidney, liver, electrolytes, etc was normal. However, my thyroid TSH came back abnormal at 6.9 (which would be considered hypothyroid). I have had complete thyroid tests multiple times and it's always been normal. She said we can repeat it again in 4 weeks since the thyroid fluctuates every 4 weeks. Is it possible this could be the cause of my swelling?

[Appa Yip Yip]

So I had my feet elevated last evening but it seemed the blood just moved to the back of my ankles because that's where it hurts when I stretch now and it's puffy there instead of in front. I'm really worried, shouldn't it be draining if they're elevated? Ugh.

[KeeKee]

Appa Yip Yip, my grandparent has very swollen ankles. Can't wear tight shoes or anything they are massive and even worse in the Summer. There is absolutely no cause for them though, she had a full health check and nothing was found. So even if you do have sudden bulging veins and swelling it could still be absolutely nothing like my relative. My relatives is also 'pitting' which doctor Google would have you believe is the worst type of water retention.

[Appa Yip Yip]

Thanks KeeKee. I forgot to mention in that last post that last night I realized I've actually been retaining water everywhere - I've gained a few pounds suddenly and my legs, especially thighs, look bigger all over. OMG I'm so scared :(

[KeeKee]

Could it not be hormonal?

[Appa Yip Yip]

I guess it could, but it seems excessive and I've never had this before. Plus the ankle swelling and veins bulging... I don't know, I'm so scared.

---------- Post added at 08:36 ---------- Previous post was at 08:35 ----------

Also, I just haven't felt like myself otherwise lately -lower energy (my energy is normally awesome), a little shaky sometimes, loose stools... I just don't feel right.

[KeeKee]

Lower energy could be a number of things. Stress, anxiety etc can cause and if your blood results show an underactive thyroid then that could very well be the cause. People with an underactive thyroid also have a tendency to gain weight (although not always like my relatives who have it) and I've read it could include or actually be water weight. The prominent veins could be caused by the water retention as I've also read water retention can cause spider veins so would make sense it could cause veins to appear bulgy (however your feet look very normal to me if I'm honest, but obviously you know your own body).

[Appa Yip Yip]

Thank you, KeeKee. The strange thing is I've had a myriad of thyroid symptoms for years and years with all normal thyroid tests (I'm talking like the complete thyroid panel, countless times). It's weird that something finally showed up.

I don't believe my lower energy is due to anxiety/stress this time because it was actually one of the first things to hit me a few weeks ago, way before the swelling started. I wasn't anxious then, I was actually doing amazing. My anxiety spiraled when I started getting all these other bizarre symptoms. I'm so worried of not being here to watch my son grow up :weep:

[Appa Yip Yip]

I saw the cardiologist today. He wasn't very concerned about this being a heart issue (I know, you're all shocked), but said he'd order an echo-cardiogram just to rule it out. He did recommend consulting with a vascular specialist because one thing that can cause edema and bulging veins is venous insufficiency, where the valves in the veins don't work as well as they should to push blood up against gravity. But he also said it's very likely that all of this is related to my thyroid.

I am a little nervous to have to see another specialist to rule something out. But the rational side of me says - Ok so I was feeling awesome consistently and then all of this hit the fan at the same time and I've been feeling terrible, and we find out that my thyroid is off for the first time in history. Doesn't that point to the most likely cause of all this as being thyroid related?

Also, I can't remember if I mentioned it or not but I've noticed in the past couple days that I've actually gained a few pounds since this all started and I'm actually retaining water everywhere - my thighs look bigger and get imprints from my shorts which is from slight edema there too. My torso is pudgier too and I'm normally a slender person so this is bumming me it. So considering the edema's not localized to my ankles and I'm actually retaining water everywhere, does that seem more likely to be thyroid? Or is this kind of water retention serious? Will I keep gaining water weight till I look like the Michelin man?