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If you notice your hands are swelling, it could be both uncomfortable and unsettling, but in most instances the cause could be situational — caused by factors such as temperature, exercise, diet, medications you’re taking or certain health conditions.  

You may notice your rings aren’t fitting correctly, among other things.

To find out more about the condition, Fox News Digital asked two doctors what causes hand swelling and what can be done to treat it. 

ASK A DOCTOR: ‘WHY AM I HEARING MY HEARTBEAT IN MY EARS?’

Here’s what you need to know.

Most commonly, hand swelling is due to fluid buildup in the soft tissue. 

"Soft tissue swelling, or edema, is not always a cause for concern, and can occur with weather changes or fluid shifts in the body," said Amy Kehl, M.D., RhMSUS, a board-certified rheumatologist with Saint John's Physician Partners in Santa Monica, California.

Most patients observe some degree of soft tissue swelling or edema with hot weather and with exercise, according to Kehl.

Fluid shifts can also occur with too much salt intake, she noted, which can lead to increased hand or foot swelling, she said.  

"Additionally, certain medications, such as blood pressure medications like amlodipine; steroids such as Prednisone or Medrol; or hormone treatments, can contribute to soft tissue swelling in the hands or feet," Kehl added. 

If a person notices an increase in hand or foot swelling that is not reversible or intermittent — or if the hand swelling is also accompanied by leg swelling with marked elevations in blood pressure or shortness of breath — medical attention should be sought, Kehl said. 

ASK A DOCTOR: ‘IS IT DANGEROUS TO SWALLOW GUM?’

A person "should ensure they have had proper medical evaluation to assess both kidney and cardiac function, as hand or foot swelling can be an indicator of kidney dysfunction, protein loss in the urine, or cardiac dysfunction," she cautioned. 

"Your doctor may order tests to assess your kidney function, urine studies or, in some cases, an echocardiogram." 

Diuretics may be needed to remove the excess fluid if it is related to cardiac dysfunction, she said.  

ASK A DOCTOR: ‘IS IT DANGEROUS TO CRACK MY NECK OR BACK?’

Another possible cause of fluid build-up is lymphedema, which can occur if the patient has had surgery, such as a lymph node resection for breast cancer treatment, according to Kehl.

"This may be treated with local lymphatic drainage treatments, arm elevation, compression sleeves and exercise," the doctor said.

Individuals should also be cognizant of other symptoms. 

"Certainly, if the hand swelling is associated with joint pains, this may indicate an underlying inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis," Kehl told Fox News Digital. "Again, an examination may be warranted to distinguish soft tissue swelling from articular or joint swelling."

Patients should also be aware if the swelling is asymmetric. 

"This can be a sign of something more serious, such as a blood clot, and patients should seek medical attention right away if new and asymmetric swelling and pain develops," Kehl warned. 

ASK A DOCTOR: 'HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY POSTURE?'

If a patient notices hand swelling in association with facial or lip swelling, this warrants immediate medical attention, she said.

If the hand swelling is deemed to be due to "benign causes," this is typically reversible, Kehl noted.

"For instance, to reduce hand swelling after exercising, elevating the hands and performing arm circles may be helpful to increase the blood flow to the hands," she said. 

Similarly, it may be necessary to review your medication list with your medical provider to identify any pharmaceutical culprits. 

"Typically, with discontinuation of the offending medication, the swelling should subside," Kehl said.

ASK A DOCTOR: 'HOW CAN I PREVENT HIGH CHOLESTEROL?'

Diet should also be monitored. 

Maintaining the proper balance of salt and water is important, and reducing salt intake and following a low-sodium diet may be advisable for some patients, the expert noted.

Lifestyle changes, such as movement, can also be incorporated to help alleviate the swelling. 

"Stretch both arms up, move your hands and wrists, and make fists several times," Beth Oller, M.D., a family physician with Rooks County Health Center in Stockton, Kansas, told Fox News Digital. 

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Running your hands under cool water may help, she said, and taking off jewelry or constricting clothes while exercising can also help prevent swelling due to temperature changes. 

"Staying well-hydrated can also help keep fluids circulating," Oller added.

Pregnancy is another common cause of swelling. In that case, Oller said that moving the extremities can help. 

"If swelling in pregnancy occurs suddenly or is extreme, talk to your physician immediately, as this can be a symptom of elevated blood pressure," she also said. 

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ mosquito reduction programme will forge ahead this week when the Vector Control Unit visits areas in the parishes of Christ Church and St Michael.

Fogging will begin on Monday in the following Christ Church districts: Coral Lane, Seaside Drive, Seclusion Road, Ocean Mist Drive, Enterprise Coast Road, Light House Drive, and surrounding communities.

The Unit will remain in the south of the island on Tuesday, when it visits Upper Carters Gap, Rollins Road, Bournes Land, Goodland Gardens, and Highway U.

On Wednesday the team will take the fogging programme to St Michael, where it will stay for the remainder of the week. The Unit will go into Skeete Road and avenues, Ivy and avenues, Hoytes Road, Gittens Road, and environs.

The next day, Thursday, Howells Cross Road, Pinder Gap, Back Ivy, Mayers Road, Proute Road, and Dean’s Road will be targeted.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday in Gittens Road, Gittens Gap, Martinique Road, Lovers Road, Welches Terrace and Avenues, and neighbouring districts.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the spray.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time. (PR)

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Santo Domingo – Private clinics and clinical laboratories are receiving a significant increase of patients in their consultation and emergency areas, as well as clinical laboratories of people with flu-like symptoms seeking tests to determine the presence of Covid-19, influenza or any other respiratory virus.

The number of people with fever, sore throat and muscle pain, headache and general malaise and in some cases diarrhea, vomiting and loss of smell and taste, has increased in recent weeks in the country, which is attributed by specialists to the rains and high temperatures that have been recorded.

The high demand of patients with indications to undergo respiratory panels, to determine the type of virus affecting them, or only Covid-19 and influenza tests has been increasing in the main clinical laboratories of the country, according to patients’ reports.

In addition, the search for information from people interested in knowing where the Ministry of Public Health is performing the free Covid test is increasing.

INFLUENZA A AND B
A similar situation is also being experienced in private clinics, with an increase of patients with respiratory processes, mostly with influenza A and B, both in their consultation services, emergencies and in some cases, hospitalization, confirmed Rafael Mena, president of the National Association of Private Clinics and Hospitals (ANDECLIP).

He said that so far it is a moderate increase, which has not overflowed the capacity of the centers, and that when the test is done most of the cases are influenza A and B.

The doctor explained that hospitalizations are occurring mostly in those patients who have comorbid conditions, among them those suffering from asthma.

Special attention to hygiene
Avoid conglomerates, use masks when going to health centers or where people are crowded, cover your mouth when coughing using handkerchiefs or your elbow, stay at home isolated, do not go to work, school, or places where there are more people, are among the recommendations made by doctors specialized in the management of viral processes to avoid spreading the disease.

They consider it essential not to self-medicate and to go to the doctor, because there is also circulation of dengue and other diseases and it is important to know what type of virus is affecting the patient and to sanitize hands frequently.

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Friday announced the successful completion of the first paediatric liver resection in Guyana.  The hospital said that groundbreaking surgery was performed on an 18-month-old female patient from Linden, diagnosed with a rare and aggressive paediatric liver cancer known as hepatoblastoma. The patient’s journey began with a diagnosis of ...

The Ministry of Health’s Chronic Disease Unit on Wednesday handed over a quantity of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) supplies to the Eccles Health Centre to support smoking cessation efforts. This initiative was done in observance of World No Tobacco Day which will be observed on May 31st, and aims to raise awareness about the dangers ...

In the Senate debate on the Child Protection Bill, Senator Andrew Mallalieu suggested there was a decline in healthcare and education with high levels of charitable donations to the healthcare system, and private schools becoming the main choice of students seeking secondary education.

But Senator Lisa Cummins, the leader of government business in the Senate, pushed back on the real estate executive’s charges, saying healthcare and education have been public policy priorities since independence in 1966.

Senator Mallalieu referenced key points from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is cited in the child protection legislation that was passed last week in the lower House of Assembly.

“Point 24 of the convention states children have the right to the best possible healthcare,” he said. “Point 28 says every child has a right to education, with primary education being free…. Point 29 notes children’s education should help them fully develop their personalities, talents and abilities.”

While acknowledging the convention sets minimum children’s rights standards which countries can exceed, Senator Mallalieu questioned the Mottley administration’s priorities.

“Having understood that, I worry greatly about what our priorities have been,” he declared.

On healthcare, the senator said: “We hear of difficulties in getting care at hospitals, polyclinics, wherever it might be. I worry when I see the amount of private charity money that has to go into our healthcare system to keep it running.”

Regarding education, the businessman lamented a perceived decline: “My recollection of the 11-Plus is we all aspired to go to a public school, that’s where the best secondary education was available…. Today, that’s completely reversed. The first choice is not to go into the public school system, because it’s a difficult place. If you’re not a top child and you can’t teach yourself, you will possibly not get a good education there.”

Senator Mallalieu stressed the importance of better working conditions and higher pay for teachers and healthcare workers: “If it’s going to be your top priority, I would think the people who work in those areas would be our smartest people who are paid the most and work in the best conditions, and I am fearful today that that is not true.

“In our school system, it is not the best facilities. Our teachers are not paid the highest salaries. Our doctors, nurses, healthcare providers are not working in the best conditions,” he lamented.

But defending the administration’s record, Senator Cummins said education and healthcare have been the two largest areas of public spending for successive governments since Independence.

It was “misleading to attempt to say that those have not been government priorities”, she said.

Acknowledging historical investment in health and education, Senator Mallalieu called for even greater emphasis: “Perhaps I would like to see even more prioritisation.”

He noted recent positive steps such as the government’s acquisition of the defunct Ursuline Convent private school, and partnerships with Ivy League universities in the US, including a memorandum of understanding with Columbia University’s teaching college.

Reiterating his support for the Bill and the need for an ongoing focus on the UN children’s rights convention, the independent senator said: “I do hope that we will focus on these as we have done and will continue to do, so that our children can have the best education and can look after the [Senate] president and I in our old age.”

The post Senator questions healthcare, education priorities appeared first on Barbados Today.

A Ministry of Health bond that stored mosquito fogging chemicals and other vector control supplies was Tuesday afternoon destroyed by fire, the Guyana Fire Service said on Wednesday. “Vapor from gasoline tank came into contact with heated exhaust pipe from fogging machine same ignited and exploded,” the fire service told Demerara Waves Online News. Residents ...

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Newly appointed chief executive Neil Clark has outlined a comprehensive vision to overhaul healthcare delivery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 

Clark, a seasoned healthcare executive who took up his post on April 2, laid out plans to address pressing issues and ensure “citizens receive the quality care they deserve”.

A key priority is improving the long-troubled accident and emergency (A&E) department, which Clark acknowledged had been blighted by overcrowding before its recent expansion. “It was very cramped, very tight. It didn’t look good. It didn’t feel good. Too many patients waiting, family members with them,” he said. “Working in that department must [have been] extremely stressful for the staff.”

But Clark insisted enlarging A&E alone would not solve the systemic problems. “It’s not just about having the A&E department the right size. What happens in the A&E is a consequence of a whole system, a whole healthcare system.”  

The CEO said he intends to work with polyclinics, private clinics and the Ministry of Health to educate the public and reduce unnecessary A&E visits. “A&E departments are for accidents and emergencies. Not all the patients in the A&E department are accidents or emergencies,” he said. “Some of those emergencies could have been avoided … people’s strokes, people’s heart attacks, and people’s chronic conditions could be managed better, stop them coming into the hospital when they’re acutely ill.”

Clark outlined a “holistic approach” to improving patient flow from admission to discharge, calling for coordinated efforts across departments like pathology and radiology to optimise operational efficiency. He also plans to review procedures for dealing with escalating A&E demand.

Lengthy waiting times for outpatient appointments and diagnostics are another “challenge”, Clark said, citing a lack of centralised data collection. But he revealed a new health information system will be implemented later this year to identify and address bottlenecks.

“We don’t have a health information system, so it’s quite hard sometimes to capture information on the waiting times,” he said. “We should be going out for tender for that system this summer, so we can bring in a system that will help us then gather the information to make sure that we’re very clear on where the pain points are.”

Clark also plans to closely scrutinise the functioning of the hospital’s wards to ease bottlenecks preventing patients from being transferred out of A&E.

“If the A&E department’s full because it can’t move patients from the department onto a ward, upstairs into the medical beds, we need to make sure that the wards are functioning as efficiently and as effectively as possible,” he said.

“So we’ve already started some work with the medical leads and how we can maybe manage the medical beds slightly differently to improve flow through those inpatient beds.”

At the other end of the care pathway, Clark said he must collaborate with external parties to ensure discharged patients have appropriate places to go, highlighting the need for “where will the elderly for care patients go and what are the different options”.

To drive these ambitious reforms, the new CEO has introduced “balanced scorecards” to identify top priorities and risks. He has also tasked the chief operating officer with developing “plans for how we’re going to tackle some of those areas” including outpatient waits, theatre delays and cancellations, and A&E waiting times.

Clark insisted data analysis would be central, saying: “I’ve already requested and redirected the chief operating officer to focus on what I call patient flow, how patients flow through the system and quality outcomes.”

The CEO, who has hit the ground running just weeks into his tenure, projected confidence that the QEH can turn around its fortunes despite long-standing issues.

“As a team of people, we can find solutions to this and I’ve seen that done in different places before,” Clark affirmed. 

(RG)

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