Left leg is fatter than right! - Obesity Message Board

pixietwin · 08-28-2005, 11:35 AM

It's not like I'm looking for something to be wrong with me. But I was sitting down yesterday and happened to look down at my bare feet. I noticed that my left ankle was 'fatter' than the right. It's more noticeable from the front where a 'fat pocket' sits. Then I went inside to get a full length mirror that was in our attic (we still haven't unpacked all of our house since we moved) and looked from behind. I noticed that my left knee indent (whatever that area is called) is more pronounced than my right. The light was on in the room and the shadow effect was much more obvious - much more. I asked my husband to examine this, and he agreed. Now, when you weigh a certain amount (300) it is hard to really notice some increases in size, you know what I mean? So we got out a tape measure. My left ankle is about half an inch larger....left knee is half an inch or more....at once point we came up with one inch larger but we knew that the tape measure wasn't always in the same exact spot for both legs. He said that this could be normal. I got paranoid because fluid retention can be a sign of heart disease or kidney disease (I'm type 2 and on Altace along with my Glucovance). I am going to go get some new labs next week, but hopefully it's kind of normal if one leg is fatter than the other. But it's not like I"m a runner with more muscle mass on one leg - it's fat! I have the money for labwork but not the doctor visit so I'll get my labs and see if anything big has changed. If so, then I'll have to see the doctor. I imagine she'll say the same thing - when your leg is large to begin with, it's hard to really see the defining areas well enough to measure. Anybody else experience this who is a diabetic - or not?

I have been on the SBD for a week and lost 7.5 pounds, so now I am just hoping to have good labs and no bad news of some different ailment!!

wiredqs · 08-31-2005, 02:58 PM

Pixie,
If this is still going on, I would see your Dr. now! This could be a symptom of deep vein thrombosis(a blood clot in your vein). It could break off and go to your lungs or heart or brain and cause very serious problems. They do an ultrasound to check. I had both legs swell and the Dr. sent me directly to the ultrasound people, but it was and allergic reaction. I hope you are already better.

deficio_minimus · 09-02-2005, 11:23 PM

My left leg is bigger then the other too. By an inch and a half at the thigh but even when I was thin, it was bigger (just not anywhere near as much).

chaney p · 10-14-2005, 09:41 PM

Anyone who experiences swelling needs to do some research on Lymphedema. I was diagnosed with it a year ago. It causes chronic swelling in both of my legs, but it could be in just one leg, or arms, or other parts of the body. I am trying to spread the word about this because MANY doctors know about this, and even fewer know how to diagnose it. You will need to see a specialist. If it goes untreated, it has the potential to make the affected limb extremely large and grotesque and it irreversable. Please look into it, one of the main causes is obesity.

GatsbyLuvr1920 · 10-25-2005, 03:31 PM

I agree with chaney that it sounds like severe edema. See a doctor right away because it could indicate cardiovascular problems. Good luck and God bless!

-GatsbyLuvr1920-