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About 3 weeks ago Mom  (96, has dementia, and is bedridden) started to develop severe edema in her hands and arms. There is no swelling in her legs. She does not have any other pre-existing conditions apart from the dementia. Her lab work looks good, she has been alert and talkative, she is eating and drinking. Blood pressure is good and she isn’t diabetic. They did an ultrasound to check for blood clots and found none but she does have bad arthritis in her hands which shouldn’t be causing this level of edema. Last week she started to have trouble swallowing which caused aspiration pneumonia and she is now in the hospital being treated. We are considering hospice but would like to know what is causing the edema. Maybe the hospital will give us some answers. Had anyone experienced anything similar?

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This post is from August and a duplicate. The OP has not been back to even update us.
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I have to tell you that as an RN I have NO unless someone has some lymphedema from breast surgery, et all. I am familiar with CHF and have no seen this sort of edema strike the ARMS. Left failure usually affects lungs and right failure the legs and belly (liver area and etc). The arms are unusual.
I am leaving you to discuss this with MD. I have no familiarity with it. I surely would be interested in what they tell you. I can tell you that. Please update us on what you find out. So sorry you are dealing with this.
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I am not a medical person, however my friend has it due to chemo for breast cancer. It is in the arm where the cancer sat in her lymph nodes. Her arm is swollen and hard as a rock.
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An ideal time to get this Edema question answered correctly is RIGHT NOW, while your dear mother is in hospital. Nurses and doctors are evaluating her every day. It's the very best time to call "Edema" to their attention and to get true "medical opinions" on why your Mom is having this. She is an inpatient right now who can be evaluated properly
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jdg1027: This is a question for a medical professional and we are not doctors here on the forum.

However, a search on Google brought up the following - Edema, or swelling, of the arm or hand can be a result of many different conditions. Edema may be caused by abnormal movement of fluids, such as blood and lymph, in or out of the extremity. Edema can be extra fluid that is part of the body’s inflammatory response. Some examples of causes might be trauma, tight wraps or braces, lack of use, or whole-body problems of swelling. It can occur from too much fluid into the arm and hand or not enough draining out. In contrast to edema that is all over the limb or body, swelling or extra fluid specifically within a joint is called an “effusion.”
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How has she been mentally since your last post about this on August 16? Alert? Cognizant? Awake?
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Southernwaver Aug 2023
Have you had another hospice evaluation since she has been in the hospital? If not, I think you should ask for one today. 🌼
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Please ask the doctors. They’re helping her in the hospital. They know all the details of her health.

The body is complicated. Here on the forum you’ll get a bunch of guesses.
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Hugs. I’m sure you are worried.

Heart failure?

Edema at the end of life? https://www.crossroadshospice.com/hospice-palliative-care-blog/2018/march/21/managing-swelling-and-edema-at-end-of-life/
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Southernwaver Aug 2023
There is more if you want to google peripheral edema + death process

But I guess if the docs haven’t told you this then it’s not that?
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Something with the lymph system?

Hope you figure it out. Good luck!
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National Library of Medicine - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/484412/#:
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Mayo Clinic info on edema:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/edema/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20366532#
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I truly wish doctors would bother to actually look at ALL the symptoms and not just assume it is or isn't something because they have never seen it.

My dad had Atrialfibrilation (a-fib) and congestive heart failure (chf), he retained water in his torso, not his lower extremities, causing untold suffering for him. When he arrived at my house, he had 70 pounds of water weight and 99% of it was in his torso. He would have died if he had not changed medical providers. They never even looked at anything but his lower legs, ankles and feet to see if he was retaining water. Ignorant, untrained medical professionals, and I use that term loosely, are the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. It's labeled medical errors.

jdg, you keep on advocating for your mom. May God be with you all during this time and may HE touch your mom.
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NeedHelpWithMom Aug 2023
Thank God, you were advocating for your dad. Such a sad story.

That’s a lot of additional fluid. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable that must have been for your dad.
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My dad had swolleness due to his heart condition
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You now have 2 different(yet similar)posts going about your mom. I will just say that since your mom is now in the hospital with pneumonia, why don't you ask her doctors there what is going on? They can better answer your question than any of us lay people can.
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jdg1027 Aug 2023
Yes I have been asking them and they can’t seem to figure out the edema issue which is why I’m asking here if anyone has seen this sort of thing. The other post was more a post about hospice and trying to get opinions about that.
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Could be several things. It's a good thing she's in the hospital. They'll work it out.

Usually extremity swelling is in the legs and feet--indicating renal insufficiency or CHF. In the hands? Maybe circulatory failure?

Being 96 is probably the best explanation.
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jdg1027 Aug 2023
Kidneys are basically normal. They are a little out of range but the doctor isn’t worried about it for her age and it isn’t causing the edema. They are doing an echocardiogram to check for heart failure but they don’t think its heart failure either because her lower extremities are fine, her heart isn’t enlarged, and her ekg is normal. There is definitely something going on other than her age as this issue just popped up and there has to be a root cause. Age alone doesn’t cause edema especially if all her other tests and labs are good so I’m hesitant to chalk it up to her age and give up on her.
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Was she prescribed medication for her arthritis? was that discontinued recently?
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jdg1027 Aug 2023
No she isn’t on any meds for her arthritis except for ibuprofen.
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