I took dinner over to Mom last night. In the last few days she has been telling me how exhausted she is feeling. She talks about her heart feeling weaker. Her ankles and lower legs are also swollen with edema. I feel like I am watching her slow descent into the next and perhaps final stage of her life. The good news is that she had a good dinner and some company for awhile. After dinner I took out her garbage and then helped her get ready for bed.
From: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/edema
Edema is a condition of abnormally large fluid volume in the circulatory system or in tissues between the body's cells.
Heart failure. When the heart is unable to maintain adequate blood flow throughout the circulatory system, the excess fluid pressure within the blood vessels can cause shifts into the interstitial spaces. Right-sided heart failure can cause pitting edema, a swelling in the tissue under the skin of the lower legs and feet. Pressing this tissue with a finger tip leads to a noticeable momentary indentation.
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