Whole body edema

[lil' plum]

I have full body edema. Two months prior to me beginning this fluid retention I had a Lithotripsy for a large kidney stone.  Everything seems to have gone fine. But two months later I also was changed to the narcotic Dilaudid due to RSD, C5-6 spondylosis,Adhesive Arachnoiditis, 7 back surgeries, fusion from L3 to S1,being hit by a truck only weeks after the last back surgery. I am in 24 hour a day pain. I see a Pain Specialist. He decided the Dilaudid has a "histamine" in it so they changed me to Oxycontin. However, I am continuing to swell. "IT" began one year ago and has consistently become worse each month. The Cardiologist worked me up and I have no heart problems.The cardiologist thinks that if the way the pain meds were "delivered" (ex: by patch rather than orally) that my vascular system would stop "leaching" fluid into my tissues.My triglycerides are 900 (I weigh 125 normally but have put on 20lbs. of fluid during this year)I can hardly walk because of the pain of this added to my other pain. My regular doctor isn't sure if he "buys" the cardiologist's reason regarding the way the meds are taken. I'm now going to be seeing a nephrologist. I wanted to know if narcotic usage (given by my doctor)can cause fluid to leak out of my vascular system?Can the high triglycerides be contributing to this? I've tried diuretics,doesn't help.I admit to have been drinking apprx. 4 glasses of 2% choc. milk a day.Can this be causing all this? But I just started to do this 3 mo.ago.MY husband has to fight with me to eat. I'm afraid each piece of food will make me swell. PLEASE HELP!!

[dldaisy]

I was wondering how your condition has changed in the past 3 years.   I recently began swelling.  I've done minor swelling for several months, but now it has become acute.    It became acute shortly after I developed lymphadenitis the first of this month.  I had painful, burning, swollen lymph nodes, axillary and chest, for 3 weeks before it began to improve.  During that time, I developed leg pain, particularly the back of the calf to the heel.  I think it is the achilles tendon, but why would that cause swelling all the way to the hip?  I have also been swelling around the chest for several months.  I, too, had a cardiac workup and they don't think the edema is related to the heart.