Aa
SEVERE ANKLE SWELLING W/ RED ITCHY SKIN
beinging about 2 years ago i noticed for the first time that my ankle was incredibly swollen for seemingly no reason. i hadnt been doing anything out of the ordinary. the swelling also affected the top of my foot on the same leg and about half way up my lower leg (up til about the base of my calf muscle) but my ankle
was definitely the first place the became swollen then my foot and lower leg began to swell (within 24-48hrs after i noticed my initial ankle swelling). this wasnt slight swelling in my opinion either. it was what i would consider SEVERE swelling. the swollen areas were swollen to the point where putting on a shoe was beyond impossible. to give u an idea of what the swelling looked like, for example. both the inside ball and outside ball of my ankle were about the size of a softball! imagine a full sized women's softball cut in half and each piece forced under the skin on both the inside and outside ankle balls. thats what it looked like to me. it was so swollen that it felt like my skin was stretched to its max around my ankle foot and lower leg and would eventually split or rupture if it continued to swell. it never did thankfully but the skin in area did begin to ooze some clear fluid which would evetually dry to a crusty matter on the surface of the skin.
the skin surrounding the affected swollen area also became incredibly itchy would be a deep red color sometimes purple especially around the ankle. several times i wanted to grab a fork and just go to town scratching the areas to try to relieve the itch it was so itchy but somehow m naged to hold back and tried using some OTC hydrocortizone cream which helped some but not very much. what did help the itching, oddly enough, was pressure. i tried using an ace bandage wrapped tightly around my lower leg, ankle, and all the way down to my toes to act as a makeshift, fitted compression sock of sorts to desperatley try and help the swelling. it helped the swelling a lil bit but the pressure for some reason did a great job at relieving the itch. as soon as i removed the tightly wrappped bandage the itching would immediately return though.
there was also some pain accompanying the swelling but it was mild to moderate pain at best. at this point, considering the mild to moderate pain, i thought it would be wise to begin taking some naproxen not only to help manage the pain, but i figured taking some naproxen would also have a secondary beneficial affect as naproxen is (as im sure u already know) a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug (NSAID) and would most likely help a lot with the swelling too. it did work quite well. it may help u to know,however, that the pain was confined to mainly the ankle area only
i got really concerened when the swelling and itchy red purple skin wouldnt subside. it persisted for literally weeks! i started to notice the syptoms slowly subsiding about 3 weeks after the initinal discovery of the swelling and took probably around 2 months before the swelling had gone down to (what i considered) an acceptable level. it was at an acceptable level for a few weeks then i noticed the same exact thing happening to the ankle,leg, and foot on the opposite side! i was extremely frustrated and upset when i noticed the opposite leg and ankle begining to rapidly swell becuase i knew i was most likely going to experience these symptoms all over again on the other leg now and indeed thats what happened, although the other leg's symtoms werent as severe as the 1st leg's.
this severe ankle swelling accompanied by extreme itching and discolored skin still plagues me til this day. the severity of the symptoms and which leg is affected vary randomly with no noticeable trigger .
either side could flare up at any given time without warning. ive tried to keep track of what im doing, wearing, eating, drinking, exposing my self to etc.hoping to pin point a certain controllable factor that i can eliminate to prevent this from occuring but to no avail.
im a caucasian male. im currently 33years old and this began around 2 years ago at 31yo. i work on my feet everyday so im a fairly active person. i used to workout alot 2.5 hrs a day 5-6days a week until it the weightlifting
started affecting my rotator cuffs in both shoulders so i stopped regularly excercising because of this plus my job requires me walk A LOT so i feel i get plenty of excercise anyway. im not terribly over weight by any means. i maybe 10lbs heavier than i should be for a person of my height and age. initally i thought this ailment was gout related `because my dad suffers from it til this day and i know its a hereditary condition so as his son i will most likely inherit it gout as well. but after comparing my symptoms to his symptoms during a gout flare up, im pretty sure its not gout because his symptoms differ from mine quite a bit. also a few other factors that may be relevent, i was diagnosed with hand eczema when i was 18. another factor that im ashamed to admitt but did occur for several years of my life and thought may possibly be relevent is i was an IV drug abuser for a few years in the past. in particular, heroin. i kicked my habit years ago and remain clean til this day. i dont use any illegal at all these days and havnt for many years. i dont drink alcohol or smoke either. i mention my past substance abuse mainly because it was intravenous drug use and i did inject in my legs often, though not exclusively. i would also inject in my arms and sometimes my lower torso. i figured this ankled swelling/itching im plagued with may possibly be blood vessel related. other than what i have mention, i dont have any other known health isssues.
im begining to get genuinely concerned because it keeps reoccuring and has for the last 2 years and after doin a little online research i realize it could be signs of more major problem that i would want to address immediately like some sort of vascular issue like DVT or even some other underlying major medical condition involving my liver or kidneys etc. i thank you so very much for takin the time to read this lenghty message. i would be so appreciative and grateful
for any info or insight youre willing to share on what u think could be causing this problem. again ,thank you and i look forward to hearing your opinion
was definitely the first place the became swollen then my foot and lower leg began to swell (within 24-48hrs after i noticed my initial ankle swelling). this wasnt slight swelling in my opinion either. it was what i would consider SEVERE swelling. the swollen areas were swollen to the point where putting on a shoe was beyond impossible. to give u an idea of what the swelling looked like, for example. both the inside ball and outside ball of my ankle were about the size of a softball! imagine a full sized women's softball cut in half and each piece forced under the skin on both the inside and outside ankle balls. thats what it looked like to me. it was so swollen that it felt like my skin was stretched to its max around my ankle foot and lower leg and would eventually split or rupture if it continued to swell. it never did thankfully but the skin in area did begin to ooze some clear fluid which would evetually dry to a crusty matter on the surface of the skin.
the skin surrounding the affected swollen area also became incredibly itchy would be a deep red color sometimes purple especially around the ankle. several times i wanted to grab a fork and just go to town scratching the areas to try to relieve the itch it was so itchy but somehow m naged to hold back and tried using some OTC hydrocortizone cream which helped some but not very much. what did help the itching, oddly enough, was pressure. i tried using an ace bandage wrapped tightly around my lower leg, ankle, and all the way down to my toes to act as a makeshift, fitted compression sock of sorts to desperatley try and help the swelling. it helped the swelling a lil bit but the pressure for some reason did a great job at relieving the itch. as soon as i removed the tightly wrappped bandage the itching would immediately return though.
there was also some pain accompanying the swelling but it was mild to moderate pain at best. at this point, considering the mild to moderate pain, i thought it would be wise to begin taking some naproxen not only to help manage the pain, but i figured taking some naproxen would also have a secondary beneficial affect as naproxen is (as im sure u already know) a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug (NSAID) and would most likely help a lot with the swelling too. it did work quite well. it may help u to know,however, that the pain was confined to mainly the ankle area only
i got really concerened when the swelling and itchy red purple skin wouldnt subside. it persisted for literally weeks! i started to notice the syptoms slowly subsiding about 3 weeks after the initinal discovery of the swelling and took probably around 2 months before the swelling had gone down to (what i considered) an acceptable level. it was at an acceptable level for a few weeks then i noticed the same exact thing happening to the ankle,leg, and foot on the opposite side! i was extremely frustrated and upset when i noticed the opposite leg and ankle begining to rapidly swell becuase i knew i was most likely going to experience these symptoms all over again on the other leg now and indeed thats what happened, although the other leg's symtoms werent as severe as the 1st leg's.
this severe ankle swelling accompanied by extreme itching and discolored skin still plagues me til this day. the severity of the symptoms and which leg is affected vary randomly with no noticeable trigger .
either side could flare up at any given time without warning. ive tried to keep track of what im doing, wearing, eating, drinking, exposing my self to etc.hoping to pin point a certain controllable factor that i can eliminate to prevent this from occuring but to no avail.
im a caucasian male. im currently 33years old and this began around 2 years ago at 31yo. i work on my feet everyday so im a fairly active person. i used to workout alot 2.5 hrs a day 5-6days a week until it the weightlifting
started affecting my rotator cuffs in both shoulders so i stopped regularly excercising because of this plus my job requires me walk A LOT so i feel i get plenty of excercise anyway. im not terribly over weight by any means. i maybe 10lbs heavier than i should be for a person of my height and age. initally i thought this ailment was gout related `because my dad suffers from it til this day and i know its a hereditary condition so as his son i will most likely inherit it gout as well. but after comparing my symptoms to his symptoms during a gout flare up, im pretty sure its not gout because his symptoms differ from mine quite a bit. also a few other factors that may be relevent, i was diagnosed with hand eczema when i was 18. another factor that im ashamed to admitt but did occur for several years of my life and thought may possibly be relevent is i was an IV drug abuser for a few years in the past. in particular, heroin. i kicked my habit years ago and remain clean til this day. i dont use any illegal at all these days and havnt for many years. i dont drink alcohol or smoke either. i mention my past substance abuse mainly because it was intravenous drug use and i did inject in my legs often, though not exclusively. i would also inject in my arms and sometimes my lower torso. i figured this ankled swelling/itching im plagued with may possibly be blood vessel related. other than what i have mention, i dont have any other known health isssues.
im begining to get genuinely concerned because it keeps reoccuring and has for the last 2 years and after doin a little online research i realize it could be signs of more major problem that i would want to address immediately like some sort of vascular issue like DVT or even some other underlying major medical condition involving my liver or kidneys etc. i thank you so very much for takin the time to read this lenghty message. i would be so appreciative and grateful
for any info or insight youre willing to share on what u think could be causing this problem. again ,thank you and i look forward to hearing your opinion
id have to agree with u at this point. time to have this checked out by a local doctor despite the cost financially. i cant thank you enough for taking the time to read and reply to my lengthy post and offering your sound advice solace.. its sincerely appreciated. thanks again. have a good night and be well
Hi,
Surprised to note that you have not consulted any doctor for such a long time, inspite of having problems.
Since your father is also ahving the same, may be it has a genetic origin, or at least a common environmental effect. In any case, you have to see a doctor to ensure that your kidney or liver is not behind the symptoms.You also need to keep off possible baterial infection due to open wound, by taking suitable antibiotics. Diseases like filariasis which affect lymph systems can also produce such symptoms. Keeping the legs in raised position while lying down, reducing the duration of continuous standing position by sitting or lying down in between, taking diuretic medications and using a bandage around the swollen area may all help.
In any case, do consult a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Good luck,
Solace
Surprised to note that you have not consulted any doctor for such a long time, inspite of having problems.
Since your father is also ahving the same, may be it has a genetic origin, or at least a common environmental effect. In any case, you have to see a doctor to ensure that your kidney or liver is not behind the symptoms.You also need to keep off possible baterial infection due to open wound, by taking suitable antibiotics. Diseases like filariasis which affect lymph systems can also produce such symptoms. Keeping the legs in raised position while lying down, reducing the duration of continuous standing position by sitting or lying down in between, taking diuretic medications and using a bandage around the swollen area may all help.
In any case, do consult a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Good luck,
Solace
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Men's Health Community
Top Men's Health Answerers
London, United Kingdom
Indore, India
Southwest , MI
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
Chlamydia, an STI, often has no symptoms, but must be treated.
Bumps in the genital area might be STDs, but are usually not serious.
Get the facts about this disease that affects more than 240,000 men each year.
