Good day. This post is from my own experience and my intense stare at the subject. Because if it were other people's experience or intense stare, I wouldn't know.
Etymology
Greek ΟΙΔΗΜΑ (OIDĒMA), meaning "swelling" (noun).
From ΟΙΔΕΩ (OIDEŌ) = "to swell" (verb).
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Roman (Classical Latin) ➡️ OEDEMA. Taken directly from Greek.
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Medieval Latin ➡️ ŒDEMA.
Typographic ligature of "oe" emerged (and other "variative pointers"), started from 8th century (manuscripts from the Carolingian period) and more common in printed Latin texts in the 15th–18th century.
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English (British): oedema. Directly from Latin's term.
English (American): edema.
ΟΙΔΗΜΑ ➡️ OEDEMA ➡️ oedema (or edema).
Medical Definition
💡 Oedema is fluid retention — typically affecting the legs, feet, or hands — resulting in visible swelling. ✅
Common Cause
In this era of "sitting down" or "doomscrolling", well, that is precisely the cause. Generally, a prolonged immobility.
Examples:
- Coding at 12-hour stretches.
- Gamers attempting 72-hour boss fights on energy drinks and crisps.
- TikTok zombies slouched with circulation like a medieval leech on strike.
- AI prompt sorcerers crafting novels while their legs quietly become bloating hot porridge in plastic bags.
- Online shoppers stuck in a trance, scrolling for sales as their lymphatic system become inflatable pool rings.
- And many more.
Why Is That?
🤔 That... is because... we're doing various abnormally, paradoxically, inactive activities. Sedentary lifestyle.
To be more specific, the statue-wise plonkerism slows down our metabolism. It goes as such:
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Venous return slows down.
Without leg movement, the calf muscles (aka the second heart) don't contract, so blood struggles to return to the heart from the lower limbs.
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Blood pools in the lower limbs.
Gravity pulls blood downwards, and without muscular help, it just sits there. Although there's no seat to begin with. Please sit. Where? On the ground.
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Increased pressure in capillaries.
The stagnant blood raises venous pressure, which forces plasma (fluid) out of the blood vessels into the surrounding tissues.
💡 Venous = relating to a vein or the veins. ✅
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Interstitial fluid builds up.
That leaked plasma accumulates in the tissue — usually around ankles and feet — causing swelling known as dependent oedema.
There is non-dependent oedema. But there is no independent oedema — it is a blasphemy to call it that. Back in 1847, (Medical Goblin) Oh, Dave, now this case is categorised under non-dependent oedema. Shut up, Dave. Bloody thesaurus can shove its... (inaudible). (Dave) 👀 (Writes.) B-l-o-o...
1847 is a randomly chosen year, it has nothing to do with oedema or "non-dependent" term. It was the time when the Medical Goblin and Dave simply documented a peculiar disorder. It was in the land of the fairies with prosthetic wings. The trees were trees, and such.
Non-dependent oedema: mystery swelling or locally justified puff. Not directly related to statue-wise plonkerism or congested fluid metabolism. Instead, often due to factors like inflammation, infection, or bee rage. Difference: when we press our finger on the swollen area, no indentation or pit is left behind. Non-dependent = not leaving a mark. -
Lymphatic drainage slows.
The lymph system also needs movement to push fluid around.
No motion = no drainage.The fluid remains where it should not.
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Prolonged compression on veins.
Sitting with bent knees for too long (exempli gratia, desk, gaming chair) can kink the veins, further blocking blood flow like a garden hose tied in a knot.
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Inflammatory response may kick in.
If tissue remains swollen too long, it can trigger local inflammation, worsening the oedema and potentially leading to skin breakdown.
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Risk of clots increases.
Stagnant blood is a breeding ground for clots (DVT — Deep Vein Thrombosis). That's when our immobility becomes a proper medical emergency.
In short,
sit still too long ➡️ circulation collapses ➡️ fluid escapes ➡️ swelling ensues.
It doesn't apply to a kosher meditation. Never in history, a Shaolin monk after a 9 hours stone slab perch would say, Good grief, my posterior. My ankles! 👀 My hands are now twice. Aside from the cut remark, "twice" what, that's because:
- Forged granite sculpture posture.
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Proper breathing technique discipline. Breathing like a breeze over rice paddies.Paddy is taken from "padi", Malay (Melayu), which actually means "rice". "Rice paddy" literally means "rice rice". Just like the ketchup and sauce confusion. Indeed, maritime travel contributed 90% of it. 10% was common laziness.
- Applied mind conditioning philosophy, like "Yi Nian" (intentional awareness — the intention). We do not zone out while meditating like some lads staring at bonfire after 2 pints.
- Thus, all of those above synergically produce a mountain-stream circulation, despite the fact it is a prolonged immobility.
- And most importantly: no Pringles, no desk chair, and definitely no RGB gaming rig.
In medieval Ireland, if someone was sitting down for more than 4 hours, Seamus would simply consider the person was either dead or being not alive. First, perhaps would be thrown three pebbles, then ignored.
O'MacMick! Bejaysus, O'MacMick, ye look half-buried! (Throws three pebbles. Forehead hits.) Begorrah! Oh well. (Continues herding the sheep. Muttering about the moon.)
Mac = "son of" in Gaelic (Scottish/Irish).
O' = also "descendant of", usually used more in Irish naming.
O'MacMick = "descendant of the son of Mick."
Nobody would approve this, but hey, "rice paddy".
NSAIDs
💡 NSAID is Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug. A class of medications used to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever. NSAID is the singular form and NSAIDs is the plural. ✅
Like mefenamic acid, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. They can cause oedema. Because:
- NSAIDs inhibit prostaglandins, which normally help keep blood flow steady in our kidneys. (Kidneys malfunction effect.)
- Well, that's about it basically.
My experience was taking NSAIDs (particularly mefenamic acid) and amoxicillin (penicillin base — antibiotics) in large dose to treat my gum, because I was a known mad — the pain was gone, the decayed molars fell apart, and I had big feet, an awkward neck, "thick-numby" arms, and a swollen face. For more than a day, a tomato I was. It was in COVID time. Thus, in daily video conference, I looked like a fresh vegetable.
My case above is categorised as non-dependent oedema, no mark when it was pressed. The swollen parts were not purely position-based, they were (often) symmetrical, and they appeared in multiple areas. Not dictated by position or gravity.
And it's not fluid buildup because of congested circulation, rather it was a drug-induced oedema — hence, non-dependent. Well, it was then a case of poor (jumbled or confused) fluid circulation, but the primary cause was the drugs. Not... me sitting down for 12 hours and got a proper swollen face. 🤣🤦
The oedemata were gone after 2-3 days after I stopped taking NSAIDs and the antibiotics.
Other Drugs
A good number of medications can cause oedema, usually by messing with fluid regulation, kidney function, or blood vessel permeability. Some do it through sodium retention, others by altering capillary pressure, or simply making the kidneys throw in the towel.
Here's a list of drug classes commonly associated with causing oedema—especially peripheral oedema (peripheral = legs, ankles, feet — not computer peripheral like mouse, printer, etc.):
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Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs)
Examples: Amlodipine, Nifedipine, and Felodipine. -
Corticosteroids
Examples: Prednisone and Dexamethasone. -
Antihypertensives (some types)
ACE (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme) Inhibitors and ARBs (Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers — e.g., Lisinopril, Losartan) — less common, but can lead to angioedema (sudden swelling, usually around face and throat)Angio- = blood vessel.
Angio + Oedema = Angiooedema ⬅️ double o's plonkerism in the middle, thus angioedema it is.
Angioedema = swelling caused by fluid leaking from blood vessels into the surrounding tissue. For instance: face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, sometimes genitals, or hands, or feet.
Cause: allergic reaction or genetic dysfunction — not fluid buildup due to poor circulation, unlike peripheral oedema (which is also located on hands or feet).
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Hormonal Drugs
Examples: Oestrogens (oral contraceptives, HRT), Androgens, and Progestins (synthetic Progesterone). -
Diabetes Medications
Example: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) like Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone. -
Chemotherapy and Immunosuppressants
Examples: Docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, and sirolimus. -
Antidepressants and Antipsychotics
Examples: MAOIs, SSRIs, lithium, and olanzapine. -
Others
- Minoxidil (hair growth or hypertension): notorious for peripheral oedema.
- Gabapentin, pregabalin: affect vascular tone.
- Some antibiotics, e.g., penicillin derivatives in rare cases (immune-mediated).In my case above, it was the combination of NSAIDs and antibiotics — it leaned heavily toward the NSAIDs side effect with the antibiotics further "polished" it.
To summarise, any drug that causes:
- Vasodilation (the dilatation of blood vessels, which decreases blood pressure).
- Kidney workload increase.
- Hormonal shifts.
- Sodium/water retention.
- Or vascular permeability changes.
Can end up giving us oedema.
And thus, the Medical Goblin Lore is unveiled. A bit.
Allergic Reaction
Swelling caused by allergic reactions like seafood, peanuts, insect stings, or medication (as mentioned above) is indeed a form of oedema.
But it is caused by immune misfire (allergy) or confused metabolism (caused by medication), not fluid pooling.
Treatment
Oedema from Medication Side Effect
For example, oedema which is caused by Amlodipine (a hypertension treatment) is not categorised under prolonged-immobility oedema or allergy-induced oedema, but rather as medication-induced (or drug-induced) oedema. In such cases, medical doctors typically reduce the dose, and if that proves ineffective, they may discontinue the medication entirely and switch to an alternative.
Similar to any other oedema, the accumulated fluid must be excreted through urination.
If the adjustment is effective, the patient would begin to urinate more frequently, and the swollen areas would gradually deflate.
Another example is that case of mine above — simply stop taking the medication.
Oedema from Prolonged Immobility (Sedentariness)
We need to excrete the buildup. It needs to be through:
urination.
Sweating won't specifically drain oedema fluid.
The go-to is usually a pee-inducing tablet, known in posh circles as a diuretic.
Furosemide. The heavy-hitter. Lasix is the brand name we might familiar with.C₁₂H₁₁ClN₂O₅S.Bumetanide. Similar to furosemide but smaller dose packs a wallop. Known to empty both fluid and weekend plans.Thiazidediuretics (like Hydrochlorothiazide). Gentler. Often used for chronic puffiness or blood pressure.Spironolactone. Doesn't make our electrolytes crash like the others.
They all work by forcing our kidneys to chuck out sodium and water, which reduces the fluid in our blood vessels and tissues — hence, less swelling.
But of course, those are chemically engineered compounds (allopathic medication), they have their side effects.
Standing up regularly, walking, jogging, doing light aerobic periodically would make our metabolism unclogged. Drink water for certain and less factory-assembled meal.
Look at it a snack is priced a quarter of a Lamborghini's bumper per bag or as heavy a bulldozer's hood. Well, try it. Snacks are fine — like wallpaper is fine to consume. Soft drinks are good, like 🤔 sewage is good to scare people's noses.
If it's due to heart, liver, or kidney trouble, then yes — these pills become sacred artefacts. With a prescription from a medical doctor. But if the prescription is from a theoritical physics doctor, simply try to comprehend it, we might have the sudden urge to urinate during the process.
Oi, gov'nor, if me theoritical spider's pub crawl scribblin' don't make you wee, it's not proper science! A wallop of me theorit will blimey you. 👀
For natural wee-inducing beverages: tea and coffee. Well, not both combined, I mean tea or coffee. Either sip tea or coffee.
Allergy-Induced Oedema
Allergic reaction-induced oedema is commonly related to histamine release, hence the antihistamine is the first line of defence.
Antihistamine (H1 blocker) examples:
- Chlorpheniramine Maleate or CTM — Old-school, drowsy effect, still widely used.
- Diphenhydramine — Sedating (like in Benadryl — cough syrup)
- Cetirizine — Non-drowsy (mostly), good for daily allergies.
H1 looks like an HTML heading tag. It has different meaning in Medical Goblin Lore. H1 receptors are found in smooth muscles, blood vessels, and the brain. They are responsible for itching, sneezing, runny nose, skin wheals/hives, and swelling.
H is short for Histamine, it has multiple receptors, H1-H4. The number behind the H is to indicate what "duty" it is latched upon. 🤔
Histamine is a chemical messenger. The receptor, for instance, H1 = Histamine Type 1 receptor. See the redundancy? H1 is already defined as a type of receptor and the "H1 receptors" bit. Like LCD display = Liquid Crystal Display display. (O'MacMick nods.) (Seamus) Tar thusa anois! Ye didn't blink for three pebbles, but this? 🤦
Tar thusa anois! is Middle (Medieval) Irish, meaning, "You come now!" (formal) or "Come on now, you!"
As an analogy of histamine and the receptors, look at them as a door mechanism,
- Histamine = the key.
- H1/H2 receptors = the locks.
- When histamine binds to a receptor = the door opens, and mayhem (or stomach acid, or other) is unleashed.
Then epinephrine for throat swelling.
Examples:
- EpiPen — Auto-injector, standard dose for emergencies.
- Adrenalin Chloride Injection — Hospital-grade ampoule, dose titrated manually.
- Auvi-Q — Another auto-injector brand.
All above are epinephrine (adrenaline) base, just in different delivery styles.
And corticosteroids to help prevent rebound swelling. Which paradoxically can also create oedema as its side effect.
Examples:
- Prednisone — Oral steroid, widely used, powerful immune suppressant.
- Dexamethasone — Stronger than prednisone, available oral or injectable, often used in hospitals.
- Hydrocortisone — Mildest, available in oral, IV (Intra-Venous or intravenous), and topical forms.
Corticosteroids can cause oedema...But they're also prescribed to treat swelling.— Because, why.. not? 🤷
For an acute case, oral intake or injection or IV is the preferable substance administration. Topical usually is for local itch, rash, light swelling.
Allergy Traditional Treatment
Prior to modern medicine, in China they applied herbal decoctions, acupuncture & moxibustion (targeting lung meridians to ease breath), and vomiting or purging. I believe it is still practiced and pretty much enhanced — especially for the herbs treatment. Effectiveness was way below modern medicine — because people back then, well, were not like today's "nutritionally-enhanced" population. Small amount of acute allergy case in those times — thus, if the treatment failed, welp...
In medieval Europe, bloodletting was the first common treatment (for any unfamiliar disorder basically), herbs, and some of that holy water (👀). Similar trope, the case of allergic reaction was not as plenty back then compared to modern time — hence, perhaps O'MacMick had it.
Therefore, it is better to prevent, by practicing a health-aware lifestyle.
That is all from me.
May we all stay healthy and active. 🫡🙂
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