Left foot edema with pain

[Chublub]

Hello, I know this question has been posted before but it seems the thread is no longer active.
I am hoping someone has some idea of what to look at to find some answers as my doctor is at a complete loss.

I currently have edema with pitting of the left foot and pain on the surface. During this time I got sick (flu?) and left with a persistent cough that leaves me short of breath (I have asthma but have not needed my inhalers till now). I get really severe chest pain (this started a year ago & would last a couple months), with irregular heart beat (extra beat) but only occurs a couple times a week. Many years ago (12+) they found I have a minor dysfunctional valve (no idea which one since my doctor thought it minor enough not to tell me anything more on it other than it was what causes the heart murmur).

I do have other autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia (which is what my doctor thinks the chest pain is) & endometriosis.

They did bloodwork on my kidneys, liver & thyroid and they all checked out okay.
I don't think any of my medication can cause this as they are only pain meds and taken a few times a month.

So has anyone experienced this? Found answers? Ideas of what I can suggest my doctor to look into?

[Chublub]

Saw the internal medicine doctor today and will have another ultrasound done on my left leg (from calf to foot) and an ultrasound on my heart as well just to be thorough.
Never heard of that "'complex regional pain syndrome". There is one thing it did bring to mind that I had forgotten about. 2 months before hand I had injured the 4th toe on my left foot (sprained) but never thought it would be something to mention to the doctor. When I see the doctor again after the ultra sounds, I'll be sure to mention it.

I don't think I will see any results from the tests until after the first week of February. I'll post results, even if it's nothing.

Thanks for all your help Achillea.

[achillea]

You mention pain.  That occurs with deep vein thrombosis.

However, you have mysterious pain elsewhere, which your doctor attributes to fibromyalgia.  That is a reasonable guess, but there is another strange cause of pain (and swelling):  it is called reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which is associated with something called 'complex regional pain syndrome.'  Here is more info about this:

http://www.rsds.org/aboutCRPS.html

[Chublub]

Thank you for posting Achillea.
I've had the swelling/edema with pitting before (a year ago to be exact). At that time it had effected both feet & legs with my hands also swelling at night. They did an ultrasound on my legs to check for a clot but came back negative. My doctor is unsure if there is any point in sending me for another ultrasound on the legs to check for a clot.
I have never heard of a Baker's Cyst... will look that up and ask my doctor about it.

About the dysfunctional valve, I figured it wasn't enough to cause anything, as they didn't even do any heart tests. I was just worried after 12+ years that maybe it was the cause of this but from your clarification it doesn't seem like it could be.

I am hoping they can figure this out as last year the internal medicine doctor did tests to check liver & kidney and since finding nothing decided to just say it was "normal". I can't wear my shoes when this happens and it goes on for weeks at a time. :( Plus the weight gain ***** >.< (it does go back down when it goes away though).

[achillea]

Edema is visible swelling due to fluid retention anywhere on the body.  Pitting edema means that if you press on the area with one finger for a few seconds, a pit will remain for a while when you remove the finger.  Here is a picture:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gaHkmleDbVs/RtB9PhHiXiI/AAAAAAAAAHs/_ni4C8i7Srg/s320/swollen+feet+3.jpg

If the pitting is asymmetrical--one-sided--it generally implies that there is local pressure or backup, rather than a whole-body disorder such as a problem with the heart, the lungs, or the kidneys.  The most usual cause of one-sided edema is a deep vein thrombosis (a deep clot) somewhere low in the leg, or a Baker's Cyst, or some kind of localized lymphatic blockage as from injury or infection. There is are a few mentions on the web of a very, very rare link to systemic lupus erythematosus.  Occasionally this kind of swelling is 'normal' for a particular individual.

Personally, I would recommend seeing a vascular specialist, because there are several specialized ways of imaging and detecting clots and blockages.

[Jerry_NJ]

I'm not sure what "edema" is, so I'm off to a poor start.  I could look up but not taking the time at this moment - I'm sure you have a diagnosis from a doctor, not a self diagnosis and you and you have researched edema to learn symptoms and cures.  But it seems to no avail/solution.

You can find above under "Forums" the "Health Forums" the following forum:

This may be a better place to put this post.  Still, I would ask a doctor for a diagnosis or referral.  On the valve issue, I think most people have heart valves that are less than "perfect" and live quite well with them as they are.  Repair of a heart valve is a very serious surgery and not done unless the condition is life threatening - or that's how I understand it, I have had mitral valve repair surgery myself.