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Have Watery Legs, Legs Collapsed And Fell, Senile, Over Weight. Cause?
My 85 year old Dad is really in good shape for his age, maybe about 20lbs overweight, but what really concerns me is that about once a month or every so often he tells us his legs get watery, and they just collapse. He is fairly active for his age, doing some minimal yard work, volunteers at a shelter once a week, and is still able to drive well. Yet, while walking a block to the shelter, his legs just gave out and he fell. Also, while raking in the yard for about 1 hour, he also fell. He gets only cuts & bruises so he thinks this is no big deal. What could possibly be a cause of this???
Wed, 3 Jul 2013
hello,
thank you for the query.The problem you have mentioned is due to the age as he is 85 years old and by gods grace he is still active but along with his increased age our internal organs like kidney will function less so that might be the reason for watery legs and even heart problems may lead to edema so i think nothing to worry more but still have blood urea and serum.creatinine done to know function of the kidenys and as he is over weight just have the lipid profile so that you have manage the diet for him accordingly.Its good to take much care than before in this age.If needed consult a gp so that they may examine and if required he may prescribe to some medicines like frusemide to get relive from that edema after doing examination.Thank you.
thank you for the query.The problem you have mentioned is due to the age as he is 85 years old and by gods grace he is still active but along with his increased age our internal organs like kidney will function less so that might be the reason for watery legs and even heart problems may lead to edema so i think nothing to worry more but still have blood urea and serum.creatinine done to know function of the kidenys and as he is over weight just have the lipid profile so that you have manage the diet for him accordingly.Its good to take much care than before in this age.If needed consult a gp so that they may examine and if required he may prescribe to some medicines like frusemide to get relive from that edema after doing examination.Thank you.
I find this answer helpful
Hi,
The legs getting watery and then he collapsing sounds like he is losing sensation in the legs. I cannot comment directly on the cause of the illness. What I can do is to give you a list of the differentials for this and then you can read up on them individually and decide what your father has most probably.
Peripheral neuropathy
Transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke)
Stroke
Porphyria
Wernicke syndrome
Cauda equina syndrome
Lead poisoning
Lyme disease
Multiple sclerosis
Thoracic spinal stenosis
Burn (heat or fire)
Chemical burns
Spinal tumor
I recommend that you concentrate on the first three causes I have listed above. Due to the age profile of your dad, it is likely that he has stroke or transient ischemia. I hope this helps.
Dr Vineet
The legs getting watery and then he collapsing sounds like he is losing sensation in the legs. I cannot comment directly on the cause of the illness. What I can do is to give you a list of the differentials for this and then you can read up on them individually and decide what your father has most probably.
Peripheral neuropathy
Transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke)
Stroke
Porphyria
Wernicke syndrome
Cauda equina syndrome
Lead poisoning
Lyme disease
Multiple sclerosis
Thoracic spinal stenosis
Burn (heat or fire)
Chemical burns
Spinal tumor
I recommend that you concentrate on the first three causes I have listed above. Due to the age profile of your dad, it is likely that he has stroke or transient ischemia. I hope this helps.
Dr Vineet
I find this answer helpful
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