How to prevent swollen legs from water retention
 

Lately, it seems that every time I travel far distances, whether by car or plane, my legs get swollen and sore. I think that it is water retention. How can I prevent this from happening or fix it quickly?<BR><BR>For example, after a 10hr flight from Munich (not including connections and layover time), it took five days for my legs to stop bothering me and return to their normal size. After a 10 hour drive out of state, it took 3 days. (FYI, the drive was 3 weeks prior to the trip to Munich.)<BR><BR>I don't want this to happen again.

Cut down on your salt, put your legs up as much as possible, walk up and down the aisle on the plane, get compression stockings to wear on the plane, eat lots of lettuce (a natural diuretic), put your feet up, put your feet up, do not stay in one seated position for prolonged time. Ask your doctor for a diuretic pill or get one of the over the counter types.

A natural diuretic is cocacola mixed with water. It will drain you right out.

Although I am not on a diet, I eat very little salt and drink LOTS of STRONG coffee. I thought that coffee was a diuretic. Is it?<BR><BR>WHINEY: I want to sleep on the overseas flight; is there any way that I can sleep on the plane and not get up so much and still not get swollen legs?

Most of the same as what Gretchen said. I'd add drink lots of water. (you'll get the exercise on the plane by walking to the bathroom several times...)

I sat by a doctor on a plane and asked him his recommendations for preventing this problem and he recommended taking aspiring before and during the flight. I tried it on my last trip and it seemed to help.

Hi<BR> Haveyou spoken to your physician about this? Your problem seems to be worse than the usual swelling.

Of course you should speak to your doctor.. but one thing I know you should avoid is any food served by the airline. Last year I read a nutritional content report from several meals served on an overseas flight on Virgin Atlantic (the only one that actually allowed their nutritional info to be published). OH MY GOSH the amount of sodium in the food was absolutely staggering! I couldn't BELIEVE how much salt the average airplane meal contains, I don't remember the exact number I just remember thinking &quot;now THATS why I feel so puffy after a long flight&quot;. The sodium and the sugar amounts were seriously out of control... like little heart diabetic heart attacks waiting to happen. After reading that report you can bet I won't eat airplane food, I don't respond well to salt at all. I suppose you could order a sodium free alternative, but when I try to imagine an airline creating that.. well it just makes you shudder.

I had this and tried the compression socks that go to the knee. What a huge difference it made. I bought one pair and liked them so much I ordered another pair. I also bought some at a shop at Heathrow but they are not as good. I also wear them when walking especially in museums on marble or other hard floors. I think I ordered them on magellans website but can't remember for sure. It could have been travelsmith. I no longer have but a very small amt. of swelling which is gone by next day. I do try to rest with my legs up above the heart about 30 minuttes or so each night also.

Since I don't normally eat much salt maybe my body didn't respond well to the salty airline food. However, this also happened on the road trip 3 weeks earlier. Maybe, I ate too much salty fast food on the road trip.<BR><BR>Guess I'll have to start fixing a picnic for the road trips and ordering the sodium free meal. I'll also try the aspirin.<BR><BR>BUT I need to sleep on the plane!!!! So I doubt that I will walk around any more than before hope the diet change is good enough.

This happened to me the first time I went to computer school in New Jersey. Over several days, my legs got more and more swollen. Curiously, the situation improved all the way home and was gone by the time I reached my front door, after a five hour drive. I determined that it was the water. Next trip, I took bottled water and the problem did not recur (though others at computer school complained).<BR><BR>You know, all that coffee is made with tap water...and there is no question but that fast food and airline food is loaded with salt.