What Causes Swelling Of Face And Neck After Damage To Liver And Kidney?

Posted on Mon, 2 Mar 2015

Question: Last year I got a staph infection from some unusually invasive dental work. I waited too long to see a doc, and ended up with damage to several organs, especially my liver, kidneys, and heart. Okay, waiting almost killed me, but paramedics and ER folk were initially most worried about the severe swelling of my face and neck (the infection was in my perodid (spelling?) glands. They managed to keep me breathing, and most of my organs are doing okay. My liver is still cranky, and I've had chronic pancreatic problems for years, but the issue vexing my doctors is why I still have a lot of swelling in my face and neck. I haven't taken more than a few limited doses of steroids (Crohn's and RA) in more than a year. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thank you, xxxx

Answered by Dr. Binu Parameswaran Pillai (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
cushings syndrome

Detailed Answer:
Good day
Noted your concern. I guess you are mentioning about parotid gland swelling. In view of the facial and neck swelling, we need to rule out cushings syndrome and Thyroid disorders as a possibility . We may need to do few tests to confirm this. You can discuss about these possibilities with your doctor.
Regards.
Binu

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Binu Parameswaran Pillai (41 hours later)

Thank you for your suggestions. I should have mentioned that my thyroid is always low, and I have gone from years of being very thin to growing into elephant sizes despite taking great care with my diet. Exercise has decreased mostly because of damage to my feet that makes walking extremely painful. The RA damage to my knees and hips, and fibromyalgia are contributing factors to my fast trip to obesity. I don't know if this additional information is helpful, but here it is anyway.

Thank you,
xxxx

Answered by Dr. Binu Parameswaran Pillai (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Recommendations

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the reply. Hypothyroidism itself can cause puffiness in face. However, I would also like to rule out Cushing's syndrome as a possible cause of swelling. I hope you are on some thyroid medications for the low thyroid levels.

If arthritis and fibromyalgia limits your exercise, the best option would be swimming. This is a great exercise and is gentle on your joints. It is relaxing too.

Regards
Binu

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar