What Is Water Retention?
Water rich with oxygen and vitamins passes from your smallest blood vessels (your capillaries) into the surrounding tissues, where it nourishes your cells. But if something goes wrong with the pressure in your capillaries, or if they get too “leaky”, then too much fluid accumulates in the tissue spaces between the cells, and cannot get back into the blood. The tissue spaces can easily expand and allow more and more fluid to accumulate.
Water retention is a common problem. It can cause overweight, puffiness, bloating, breast tenderness and painful, swollen knees. Swollen legs and ankles are common, especially in older women and in pregnancy. Water retention raises the blood pressure, and in pregnancy this puts both mother and baby at risk.
It is sometimes hard to tell whether you have water retention. Your body can hold a lot of hidden excess water, which just makes you look overweight.
There are two basic types of water retention. With Type 1 there is too much water in the blood and in the tissues. With Type 2, there is too much water in the tissues and sometimes not enough in the blood. Type 1 water retention can be treated with diuretic medicines or herbs, but Type 2 can be made worse by these treatments, and is best treated with a diet.
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Comments
Comment from Linda Lazarides
Time September 8, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Unfortunately diuretics can have this side effect. You should come off them slowly and gradually to give your body time to adjust.
Comment from Michelle
Time October 19, 2009 at 3:25 am
Hello, I am retaining water in my legs badly So much so when my kittens climbed my legs last night, they didnt bleed, water ran out. It soaked my sheets, my house shoes, even my regular shoes Now 24 hrs later water is still running out of where the kittens scratched me. I am worried it may be more than just water retention. Any ideas?
Comment from Linda Lazarides
Time October 19, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Michelle, you need to go to an emergency treatment centre immediately. This is a serious problem.
Comment from kim
Time April 9, 2011 at 4:21 am
Hello, my mother has been retaining so badly that she has gained at least 30 pounds, her doctor, however is aware of her condition although, ibelieve that the fluid pills are not helping. she scratched her arm and now is not bleeding water is coming out, i have suggested to her physician, could this be a kidney or even cogestive heart failure? my mother is 66 and now her weight is 340.
Comment from rosalyn
Time August 23, 2011 at 8:18 am
At the end of the day i have sock marks from my legs swelling and if i have had a day on my feet all day a red rash appears just above my ankles.This gradually fades after e few days.Also i have noticed that i weigh more at night than first thing in the morning. I try to drink more during the day as i get repeated bout of cystitis .
Comment from Erika
Time November 3, 2011 at 4:51 am
When I walk on the beach about 75 yrs. or walk over 5 miles or 3 miles 2 or 3 days in a row my ankles swell, turn purple. Looks like water retention? The swelling goes away in 3 days but the pain is stll there for days longer
Comment from jayashree
Time November 26, 2011 at 4:28 pm
I have kidney hydronephrosis, my creatnine is 1.6, urea level is normal but i put on weight 8 kgs in 2 months, also oedema on feet, back,tummy, low urine.
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Time November 30, 2011 at 2:26 am
There are so many things that can alter the numbers on the scale. The two big ones for me are water retention or dehydration. One weekend I was so hungover that I lost 6-8 pounds. The moment I started feeling [...]
Comment from Lynn-Louise Zeeman
Time September 7, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hallo,I have a serious addiction problem with diurectics socalled Adco-Rectic.Started when I was 25 and now 30years old and my habit from 1 to 2 to 5 a day has resulted to sometimes even more depending on the water retention i have a 10 at a time.Please tell me what to do and if I can just stop taking them.I am really wanting to stop but tried before and swole up so badly that I have just started the bad habit again.Will a kidney cleanse/drinking more water help.