Suggest Treatment For Swollen Legs In An Elderly Patient

Posted on Sat, 24 Jan 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 24 Jan 2015 Answered on

Sat, 21 Feb 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My 91-year-old mother has had blisters on her lower legs that weep constantly. This has been going on for about 3 weeks and she gets new blisters often. They weep constantly. It started out with 1 blister on her left leg and over time they have appeared on the other leg. The blisters start out with a "sack" that fills with clear liquid and bursts. Then the blisters continue to weep. She also has quite a bit of swelling in her legs due to water retention. She has been to her doctor several times. He has her on antibiotics and she changes the dressing on her legs twice a day, using an antibiotic cream and spongelike bandages. Then she wraps her legs. She is taking Lasix and tries to keep her feet up. She has been taking a water pill every day for about 60+ years. Thank you! XXXXX XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Caused by the fluid retebtion!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this query.

am so sorry to hear about what your mom is going through. Considering the information you have provided, this condition is most likely caused by the fluid retention. This also greatly decreases healing and makes it very difficult to come by.

As rightly mentioned, raise the legs as often as possible but, this would be an uphill task. Cleansing regularly and understanding that results over night are not a possibility here would be helpful.

I recommend you continue the same measures, avoid any invasive approaches and hopefully they soon get treated. I wish you well.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar