Where does the fluid go when you elevate the legs?

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asked Nov 22, 2022 in Diseases Conditions by Katbabba (1,520 points)
Where does the fluid go when you elevate the legs?

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answered Jan 19, 2023 by Zoey123 (24,130 points)
When you elevate the legs the fluid goes back to your heart and through your circulatory system.

When you elevate your legs the fluid goes back towards your heart and gets circulated through to the rest of the body.

When your leg is swollen and you raise the leg higher than your heart, the force of gravity will be moving the fluid in your leg towards your heart.

And the more the swelling and the longer there has been swelling, the longer and more frequently your need to elevate your legs.

You can fix poor circulation in your legs by going for a walk daily, get moving, walk around the house, go for a bicycle ride, do stretching exercises, get up from sitting and walk around, wear compression socks, massage the legs.

Without treatment you can live for up to 5 years with blocked arteries in the legs although with treatment you can live 10 to 20 years.

Blocked arteries in legs and other parts of the body are serious and need medical treatment as blocked arteries prevent proper blood flow through your body.

When the blood flow is blocked off it can lead to stroke, heart attacks and even death.

Having a blocked artery in your leg you will usually feel a pain or a burning feeling and have a tired feeling in your legs and buttocks when you walk.

You may also have shiny and hairless foot skin that can get sores.

The symptoms of a blocked artery in your leg or legs include.

Coldness in the lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other side.
Leg numbness or weakness.
No pulse or a weak pulse in the legs or feet.
Painful cramping in one or both of the hips, thighs or calf muscles after certain activities, such as walking or climbing stairs.
Shiny skin on the legs.

The most common vascular disease is Peripheral artery disease and carotid artery disease.

The symptoms of vascular disease are.

Changes in the skin, including decreased skin temperature, or thin, brittle, shiny skin on the legs and feet.
Weak pulses in the legs and the feet.
Gangrene (dead tissue due to lack of blood flow)
Hair loss on the legs.
Impotence.
Wounds that won't heal over pressure points, such as heels or ankles.
Numbness, weakness, or heaviness in muscles.
Burning or aching pain at rest, commonly in the toes and at night while lying flat.
Restricted mobility.
Thickened, opaque toenails.
Varicose veins.

Vascular disease includes any condition that affects your circulatory system, or system of blood vessels.

This ranges from diseases of your arteries, veins and lymph vessels to blood disorders that affect circulation.

Blood vessels are elastic-like tubes that carry blood to every part of your body.

Cardiologists do deal with vascular disease as well as help treat vascular disease.

A heart doctor is called a cardiologist which is a doctor that treats and specializes in diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system which are mainly the heart and blood vessels.

A heart surgeon or cardiac surgeon is the type of surgeon that does heart surgery such as open heart surgery.

The reason they leave the chest open after open heart surgery is for low cardiac output.

This is also known as delayed sternal closure after cardiac operations.

Delayed sternal closure (DSC) is defined as delaying the sternal closure either as a principal method or after failure of one or several trials of closure at the end of the operation.

The long term effects after having open heart surgery are blood clots, kidney problems, trouble thinking clearly and memory loss.

Not everyone will experience these issues after open heart surgery but they are some long term effects that can occur to some people after open heart surgery.

Bleeding at the site of surgery or from the incision is the most common complication after having open heart surgery.

The most common complication after open heart surgery is bleeding which usually occurs from the incision or surgery site.

During the open heart surgery and recovery in the hospital you'll be monitored closely and your progress will be tracked.

The ribs are not broken for open heart surgery but the ribs are cut and then moved around and out of the way to gain access to the heart to perform the open heart surgery.

During open heart surgery your heart is worked on inside of your body and not removed.

During open heart surgery you'll be connected to a heart and lung bypass machine or a bypass pump during the open heart surgery.

Your heart is stopped during open heart surgery and while connected to this machine.

The surgeon will open your heart and work on it and then seal it back up and then restart the heart.

The machine you're connected too keeps you alive as it does the work of your heart and lungs while your heart is stopped for the open heart surgery.

Open heart surgery is pretty safe and rarely causes death although it's still a serious surgery.

Open heart surgery is a major operation that requires close monitoring and immediate post-operative support.

It is normal for a person to remain in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a couple of days after the procedure to receive further care.

Healing time after open heart surgery will take at least two to three months.

After the open heart surgery you can expect to have good and bad days during this time and you may feel tired, irritable, anxious, depressed or simply not quite yourself for a few weeks.

Don't be worried if you express your moods and feelings more than before.

The types of heart surgery include.

    Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
    Heart valve repair or replacement.
    Insertion of a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
    Maze surgery.
    Aneurysm repair.
    Heart transplant.
    Insertion of a ventricular assist device (VAD) or total artificial heart (TAH).

Generally, open heart surgery is not a painful experience.

One notable exception is the removal of the drainage tubes, which typically occurs on post-operative day one.

It may feel a bit odd and sometimes can be a brief source of pain.

It will feel uncomfortable when you cough, laugh or sneeze.

After having open heart surgery or heart surgery your recovery will begin in the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) and typically will continue in another area of the hospital for three to five days before you go home.

Once you have been discharged from the hospital, recovery typically takes six weeks or more.

The death rate or mortality rate of open heart surgery is only 2.9% which is pretty low.

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