Swollen ankles/feet

Public Archive
1

Hi - can anyone offer any advice/solutions?

I’m 45 and have been on tamoxifen since last October. Over the last few days I have developed very swollen ankles/feet and walking is becoming painful. I was working in the south of france at the weekend in temperatures of 35 degrees plus and it started there - but swelling has not gone down since i got home. I know this is a side effect of tamoxifen but is there any way of stopping it. My weight is also going up again - I went from nine to 11 stone during chemo because of steroids, lost most of this after chemo but am now over 10 stone. I was pre-menopausal when I started chemo.

vikki

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Hi Vikki

I think this would be worth checking out with your GP or a BC nurse. I started on Tamoxifen about 4 years ago and I also had swelling on my ankles but not noticeably so. What brought it to my attention was I was feeling very headachey. To cut a long story short I was diagnosed with high (very!) blood pressure and one cause of this can be oedema. I was put on diuretics and blood pressure pills. I don’t want to scare you unduly (sorry if I have!) but Tam does have a side affect of fluid retention which can also show up as weight gain. I am convinced that this plus the combination of Zoladex I was on at the time brought this on, I had no problems before then. I’m not on the diuretics any longer but I do pactka couple when I fly as I’ve noticed my feet and ankles still swell then, particularly when I’m in a hot country.

Hope this helps

Nicky

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Hello Vikki

I would agree with Nicky I had oedema around the lower leg several years (not connected to BC) ago and it is well worth getting it checked out as it can be a symptom of a number of things. Mine was a thryoid problem but the medics took some time to reach that conclusion.

Don’t delay get it checked out.

all the best

Pauline

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Ladies

This is all very useful for me. I have come home late, but still searched the site for info on swollen ankles. (Where else would I look to find up to date, informative information!). I don’t live in the UK, and we are currently experiencing a heat wave. However, I have been on Femara for the past 6 months, and wonder if my feet will ever belong to me again. The pain in them is gradually increasing all the time, and my ankles are constantly swollen. I am convinced it is the medication, but will now check out with my doctor.

Thanks for the advice
Christine

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hi Christine, i have been on arimidex since the beginning of jan this year, i have found that i have suffered swollen feet firstly on tamoxifen, then on zoladex, but a lot worse on the arimidex, i can no longer wear a lot of my pre-cancer shoes, and boots are a definate no no as i can just about squeeze my feet into them, but cannot get them back off without a strong man to pull them!!! i have over the last week and a bit started with tingling and swelling down the good side of my body, just the lower arm and hand and the lower leg and foot, they swell, then go down after about 15 minutes, the gp is flummaxed as to what is causing it, my bp seems to be maintaining a slightly higher level, so who knows what these drugs are doing to us
Alisonxxx

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I was on Tamoxifen for 3 weeks and my right ankle became very, very swollen and painful. My BC surgeon told me to stop Tamoxifen immediately and arranged for me to have a Doppler Scan the next day to check for blood clot/s. I was switched over to Arimidex last Sept and not had a swollen ankle since.