Hopped in the ever aging Land Cruiser yesterday and headed over my friend Tom's house to watch a movie. Now Tom lives two-and-a-half hours away so I made the decision to just enjoy the ride. Never did the old car get over 70 and most of the time only 65. As we plodded along other cars zipped on by, all of them headed for Atlanta at the end of the T-day weekend. Zoom, zoom, they went. Just flashes of metal and paint on the wet highway. I would normally be one of them, whipping and riding like a Flash Gordon with only one thing in mind. GET THERE. Though when I got there I would only watch a movie a go to bed. Decided that just wasn't worth a visit with state trooper and especially not a deputy sheriff.
Did you know there are some very pretty forests on the sides of our highways? I vaguely remembered something like that, but as I limped along at the speed limit I got into looking right and left. Even spotted a couple of coverts I plan to research for woodcock hunting come December. Since I had never before driven the speed limit, imagine my surprise at the people who were passing and giving me the finger at the same time. Ah, I just gave 'em the finger back. Few things better than a nice ride with a little meaningless combat thrown in.
Then I get to Tom's and get out of the car. My legs felt tighter than a new spring. I could walk, but each step seemed to pull skin tighter and tighter. What the hell (or heck, depending on your preference for words)? I reached down and grasped my left leg with two hands. It was literally the size of a small oak trunk. And hard. If it hadn't been limp as a wet cookie that morning, I woulda thought it was some magic cure for my atrophy. But no, just more swelling. The right leg, which wasn't swollen as badly, was not far behind. As Tom's family ate dinner I lay on a small couch with my legs propped.
Now I know I shoulda known, but swollen feet have never been an issue for me and besides, I just had to get the hell out of the house, hang out with one of my very best pals. And that was terrific. He's got one of those televisions the size of an outdoor drive-in movie screen and a sound system that makes you think you just got shot. We watched "Blood Diamond" and there was enough killing in it to last the rest of my life. Way over done.
Interesting thing about swollen feet and legs, seems the only real cure is time, putting your feet up and walking around, which is tough stuff when you are in an automobile. Tom's wife is a physician and I figured I would get some cool second opinion from her, but she just said put them up. So I did. And kept them up through the movie as well as through the night. Since this kind of thing, in my case anyway, comes from water retention, it wasn't so bad through the night. I only went potty once (a blessing) and slept better than I had in weeks. I may have only one kidney, but it is an active little sucker...unless my legs are swollen large enough for saw timber.
Overnight the legs returned to normal but still I contemplated on which was better: Peeing every hour or so with regular legs, or only once with with swollen ones. I decided the latter...but hey, that's just me. Especially since they didn't hurt or anything.
Well, may the Lord bless and keep me, I had to repeat that drive this morning. In a driving rain. This time I could almost feel my legs beginning to bloat. By the time I got home the tree trunks had returned. So I went in and put them up and took a good long nap, Sadie draped along my side. Bless her.
I got up about an hour ago and everything seemed normal again. Now I am pondering the evening. Maybe just a couple of hours of driving around getting them all swollen up and once more going to bed without a worry of rising before the dawn. Just kidding, but damn if that ain't tempting. If you gotta have RCC and all these niggling side effects might was well figure out a way to use them. And an uninterrupted night's sleep is as good as any...maybe better.
I asked google the exact same question as your entry title.
So, even though 2 1/2 yrs has passed would you mind telling how things went? What did you do to fix it?
I am female, 66 yrs old. My legs are exactly like tree trunks too. The only relief i get is from wearing really tight support hose, knee highs. Put them on first thing in the am and they won't allow your legs to swell all day.Especially wear them when flying.
I hope you're ok and have been cured of the mysterious tree trunk affliction.
Posted by: Marin | May 02, 2010 at 05:36 AM