Excess swelling in both feet, ankles and legs

[katslim]

I am 62 yo female with no major health problems. I am overweight and working on losing - 19 lbs lost so far - and a smoker...less than one pack a day. I am on meds for depression, pain in lower back, headaches, nerves and acid reflux. I have had swelling, severe, in both feet and ankles and a bit up the leg for years. I have been given fluid pills which don't provide any results. I drink only water. My feet and ankles get so swollen that they feel very tight and hard to move. If wearing shoes, the swelling occurs around the shoes so when I take them off, I can see a perfect impression of the shoe straps or edges. I have elevated my feet while asleep and that will work sometime but as soon as I get up, they begin swelling again. If I stay off my feet, sitting or laying down, they still swell. I urinate frequently due to the amount of water I drink. I have bouts of constipation but with my new diet program, this has been helped greatly. I had my heart checked because of the swelling with no results. This was years ago and had a cardiac cath but no heart problems except for Mitral Valve Prolapse. I am fairly sedentary as my back prevents me from doing many exercises. I am going to start using a recumbant bike which I just received as well as using the Wii Exercise program for minimal impact. My abdomen is where I carry most of my weight. I had gall bladder surgery in 2002 and after being blown up to access the gall bladder, my upper abdomen became distended also. I am getting on track with eating a more balanced diet with protein, carbs that are lower in sugar, and fruits only in the AM to burn off any sugar that is in the fruit. I have tried compression hose and my feet and ankles still swell. I do have a problem when walking as the swelling makes my ankles, feet and legs feel very heavy. There is no discoloration however they do look much whiter as they swell. I realize it might be the weight but I would like to know how I can determine what is actually causing this problem. What specialty physician should I consult with to determine if there is an underlying problem? Any suggestions that I can get would be helpful when I consult with my primary care physician. I am going to ask for blood tests to be performed before going to a specialist. What type of blood tests, other than the normal blood tests, could I ask my family practitioner perform to maybe narrow down a cause? Thanks in advance for your help. I would love to be able to see my ankles and feet again without the excess fluid or whatever in them.

[katslim]

Thanks for the reply. I don't eat canned foods, we use lite salt on any foods, I don't get processed foods, use only deli meat for protein. I am on a specialized diet program thru Xyngular that limits sodium. I do appreciate the reply though.

[ann2800164]

My aunt had that.. she is 87 now and I had it when I was in my forties.  I was taking in more salt then I realized.  So was my aunt.  We cut out chips and can goods and anything that had high sodium even cans of soup.  our feet both went down and so did our hands