painful swelling of hands, arms, feet

[nopolis23]

I'm doing some research to try and help a friend.  Her doctors have not been able to diagnose a problem she has been having that's affecting her severely.

She has explained only one main symptom:  painful swelling (or bloating) of the hands, arms, and legs.

During the day, she says that her fingers are so swollen that she cannot wear her wedding ring and cannot write notes in class for more than a few minutes before the pain starts.

When she goes to bed at night, as soon as her body completely relaxes, her arms (as well as hands) and legs start to swell up and ache.  Because of this, she rarely gets any sleep.  Even if she falls asleep, she is awoken by the swelling and pain shortly after.

Any clue as to what her problem may be?  I am very worried about her.  She is having trouble in school and at work and is becoming depressed because of this serious problem.  She is currently waiting for an appointment which will be the third doctor she tries.

I sincerely appreciate any help in this matter.

[txtony]

swelling to extrmities can be due to dvt, or pulmonary emboli,or just plain poor circulation try a pulmonalogist, or a vein specialist. a clue to this is that the extremities are swelling at relaxation.blood is not returning or curculating fast enough.  have your friend quit smoking and drinking if their doing those things.  how old is your friend?

[EH601]

Did your friend ever get a diagnosis on her swelling hands and feet? I am having the same problem and don't have a clue why or what to do. Any information that you might have would be great.
Thank you so much.
Erin

[Josh20]

Hi, my name is josh and i have been having swelling in my feet and now my hands as well. It is quite painfull as it burns and itches for in most cases a day or more at a time. I also have tried using spa like treatments on my feet but only to receive more swelling/pain and cramps. If anyone knows any effective treatment please respond. thank you

[SWOLLENANDPUFFY]

I am not sure why your friend is having thses problems but i have been going through the samething for a few months now. the swelling is so severe that i can hardly walk or do many other normal activities such write a letter and it even hurts for me to type this comment. I have been unable to sleep because I can feel my feet and hands throbbing, itching and burning. I have tried soaking my feet in a foot spa with epsom salt but that only made things worse. My comment may not help much but you can let your frid know that she is not alone and that I actually know what she is going through and if my doctors happen to find out what's wrong with me I will let her know.