Hi

My mums over to see her grandchild and she seems to have really swollen ankles due to the heat. Has anyone got any advice to help get the swelling down. Is there anything she can by over the counter at the pharmacy or would she be better going to the doctors?

Thanks for your help

Reduce salt in diet and elevate feet over a stool.

Another thought, if she has recently arrived by air, it could be as a result of flying. Another toptip is to rotate the ankles and pull them backwards and push them forwards (that doesn't make a lot of sense although I am doing it at the moment)

manual lymph drainage - otherwise very gentle massage/self massage over the skin (no oil).

avoid walking/standing for too long, keep body temperature down, rise your legs up on some pillows/bolsters when sleeping, drink a lot of water (to flush out salt and other toxins from the body)

Have her see a doctor, too. Swollen ankles can be indicative of heart trouble, so it's worth checking. Especially if she is short of breath and has distended jugular veins in her neck.

How's her blood sugar? Is she diabetic?

This could be a sign of circulation problems due to diabetes.

Get compression stockings from a doctor or pharmacy. The kind that have no toes and reach to mid-thigh. Can be difficult to put on but they will force circulation back up the leg and reduce swelling. You must compress the whole let, however, as applying pressure to the foot and ankle only makes the leg swell.

Assuming she has come from the UK or similar country with a cold climate, Thailand is very hot in comparison. When the body dehydrates it tries to store water, hence water retention problems and swollen ankles in particular. The remedy is to drink lots of water, maybe 4 to 5 litres per day. If all else fails, consult a doctor.

Thanks for all your help everyone, healthwise im sure she is ok. Yes she has come over from the UK where it is pretty cold this time of year and its really hot over here now. Shes been resting them every now and then raised with some pillows. Shes a nurse in the Uk so she knows abit about it, she already brought the stocking type things, she wore them on the plane. I think its a combination of the heat, not drinking enough fluids and being on here feet to much. Shes been cleaning and on here feet every day since shes been here, ive tried to get her to stop but you know what mums are like. Once again thanks for all your help and if the swelling continues I will take her to the doctors.