Should my aunt be worried about her foot swelling?

[Anonymous]

She's 68. She's been living with me for a couple of months. She was living in a tiny travel trailer for two years and she was sick pretty much the whole time. Her Sciatica was really bad too. So when we started moving her stuff from her old place and to mine, her left foot swelled. It went away, and a couple of days ago, it swelled again, and it goes halfway up her shin. She said that the same thing happened to her mother, and it turned out to be her heart. She passed away several years ago from heart disease. My aunt smokes and drinks a lot too. This has got us worried, so she's gonna see her doctor on Friday, but I'm thinking maybe I should take hee to the emergency room. What do you think?

Updates

1 y

Maybe I should mention as well that when she was sick, she was puking up black stuff and it was difficult for her to breath. The doctors found nothing wrong with her though, and ever since she moved into my place, she's felt mostly normal besides some minor chest pain.

[Oliverlogan263]

Woah, that's definitely a concerning situation with your aunt's foot swelling up like that. It's good that she's got an appointment scheduled with her doctor this Friday, but I definitely think you should consider taking her to the emergency room sooner than that.

The fact that her mom had similar issues with her foot swelling that ended up being related to heart disease is really worrying. Especially since your aunt also has a history of smoking, drinking, and other health problems. That could all be pointing to some kind of heart or circulation issue.

And the black vomiting and breathing difficulties she was having before - that also sounds really serious. The doctors not finding anything wrong is a bit puzzling, but it could mean there's an underlying condition that's kind of hard to diagnose.

I know taking someone to the ER can be a pain, but in a situation like this where there are clear signs of potential heart/circulation problems, I really think it's the safest bet. Better to get her checked out right away than to wait and potentially risk something really bad happening.

Your aunt's health and safety should be the top priority here. If you've got a gut feeling that this foot swelling is a bigger issue, I'd trust that instinct and get her to the emergency room as soon as possible. Definitely better to be safe than sorry with something like this.

Let me know how it goes, and I hope everything turns out okay for your aunt! Wishing you both the best.

[slatyb]

Absolutely she should be worried. This is extremely dangerous and she should see a physician immediately.

[Asker]

She refused to go. She elevated her leg for a while, and the swelling whent down. Don't know if that's good or not

[slatyb]

Of course it did -- that's one recommended treatment. If she refuses to see a physician, you can't make her.

[DreamCrescent]

technically swelling in the legs is a sign of poor circulation or kidney dysfunction. which isn’t surprising considering your aunt’s history.

HOWEVER, when the swelling is asymmetrical like that, only one leg, it could indicate a clot. you can look up DVT. this is serious and would require urgent care because if it truly is a clot, there’s a possibility it can move to a worse spot than the leg, if you know what i’m saying

take care

[Anonymous]

The most likely cause is fluid in the lungs caused by a heart condition. Extremely serious, emergency room stuff. Take her now. Call and ambulance if she won't go, they know how to talk her into it (and at least check her out there).

[Nikki1989]

Err on the side of caution. Seek more immediate medical evaluations.