Question What is the best way to apply pressure stockings?
After heart surgery my husband needs to wear pressure stockings. They are VERY difficult to put on him. Have any tips?

Best Answer Pressure stockings are definitely tricky! The best way I can advise is before you put them on, roll them all the way down in your hands and put his toe in. Try to roll them up, stretching the stocking as you go up. Make sure the legs are not damp. I have heard that putting a little baby powder on the legs beforehand also helps. Once they are on, it is very important to make sure that the stockings are free of wrinkles and don't overlap anywhere up the leg. This assures that the same amount of pressure is being placed on all parts of the leg. Hope this helps!

Question How can a blood pressure patient reduce swelling and pain in the legs?
My friend is a long time old female blood pressure patient she is on medication and an eldery person has swollen legs and sore please if any one knows what she can do to relieve the pain she finds dificult to walk and recently she has been diagonised with sugar. She is on medication now for both bp and sugar thank you life saver

Best Answer One must never assume oedema in the legs is the result of heart failure, this needs to be investigated even though there is a most likely obvious cause in your friends case. Both hypertension and diabetes are risk factors for congestive cardiac failure, but it could also be an infection associated with her diabetes too. Certain medication like Ca channel blockers can do this as well as can certain drugs she taking for her diabetes such as pioglitazone and rosiglitazone which can both exacerbate heart failure and pulmonary oedema . You said "legS" so I presume the swelling is in both legs? Bilateral swelling is usually due to systemic conditions, such as cardiac failure, whereas unilateral swelling is often the result of local trauma, venous disease or lymphatic disease etc. Basically, her Doctor needs to run tests to find out exactly why she has this swelling, or rather, to exclude other possibilities. It could also be the result of pressure on the kidneys, anaemia and even hypothyroidism. But because she has preexisting high blood pressure and she is diabetic, the most likely explanation is that this is congestive cardiac failure and/or obesity. Her Doctor needs to do a urine test, a general blood count, renal function test, liver function test, thyroid function test, chest X-ray to rule out pulmonary oedema and an ECG to exclude heart failure. Treatment depends on the cause. For now, encourage your friend to elevate her legs. Also ask her Doctor to do a Doppler and if there is good arterial flow, compression stockings would be advised too. If she is overweight then she MUST lose weight and if I am correct about the cause being CCF, then diuretics+ace are indicated.