2 replies to this topic

[iwannalose]

This is not exactly a JC question but a general one. For all you nurses, I work the night shift. By the time the morning comes my legs are swollen from the knees down. Sometimes it is quite bothersome. Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening? I am going to get weighed in after my shift and I know with certainty the scale is going to reflect the water retention.

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated

[I Called Jenny]

I'm not a nurse but since you already realize it's water retention, what are you doing to make sure you drinking enough water to lose the water weight?

You really need to drink, drink, drink and yes, I'm sure that's tough as a floor nurse, but you still have to do it. It sounds IMHO that it would be easier to drink the water than deal with the discomfort from swollen legs, ankles and feet.

Think of it this way. If you're up an average of 16 hours in a day, all you have to do is drink a HALF CUP of water every hour (or one 8 oz. glass every hour for 8 hours).

[BelugaBabe]

iwannalose, on 05 February 2012 - 06:21 PM, said:

This is not exactly a JC question but a general one. For all you nurses, I work the night shift. By the time the morning comes my legs are swollen from the knees down. Sometimes it is quite bothersome. Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening? I am going to get weighed in after my shift and I know with certainty the scale is going to reflect the water retention.

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated

Oh, "IWannalose," it's tough for anyone but a fellow nurse to understand, LOL.
Since I'm also a nurse I can tell you that I also feel your pain. I'm on my feet, literally, for sometimes up to fourteen hours. Night shift here, too.
In my case the edema problem is dependent edema. I strongly doubt that we can do anything about it at all except for putting our feet up and you and I know how unlikely it is that we'd be able to pull off that trick. Drinking more water has absolutely nothing to do with it as it is not fluid retention, per se, but distribution of fluids to our lower extremities.
If there is a fluid retention component, as there would be with excess sodium intake, drinking more fluids might help. But if you are sticking to the JC foods it is unlikelythat this is an issue unless you are very sensitive to MSG, which is present in many JC food items and can contribute to fluid retention.
Sometimes our muscles retain fluid after prolonged intense activity (AKA exercise, LOL). I notice that, after a three day stretch of 12+-hour shifts I always weigh more. ALWAYS. I'm sore, tired, and beat so I figure I'm retaining fluid in my muscle tissues because of the physical stress of my job. It disappears in a day or two, without any increase in fluid intake. Natural fluid shift.