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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Old Aged, Left Had Swollen, Had Couple Of Cat Bites. How To Reduce Swelling?

Hi; I m concerned about my mom, 89, who the past few days has her left hand swollen when she wakes up in the morning. It stays this way thru much of the day. She does have congestive heart failure , is on blood pressure medication for atrial fib. She did have a couple of bites on the same arm from her cat about two weeks ago, that became red and itchy. My sister, pediatric nurse, had given her some sort of medication for the itch and it is better now. Is there anything that can help this and should we be concerned. She is homebound as she has light sensitivities, so to take her to the doctor is difficult.
Sat, 16 Mar 2013
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi, thank you for the query and Welcome to HCM forum.

There are many possibilities that can cause left hand swelling. Congestive heart failure usually causes difficulty breathing and swelling of the dependent part of the body like leg and lower back region, though it can cause whole body swelling. but only left hand swelling from CHF is less likely. Another consideration is obstruction to the venous flow by some sort of external pressure during sleeping that cause morning swelling and it improves throughout the day as this time patient is mobile. Infection like cellulitis can also cause swelling as there is positive history of cat scratching.

So, for complete evaluation you do need to consult with a doctor as physical examination and some investigations are required. Hope, this helps. Bye, God bless your mother.
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Old Aged, Left Had Swollen, Had Couple Of Cat Bites. How To Reduce Swelling?

Hi, thank you for the query and Welcome to HCM forum. There are many possibilities that can cause left hand swelling. Congestive heart failure usually causes difficulty breathing and swelling of the dependent part of the body like leg and lower back region, though it can cause whole body swelling. but only left hand swelling from CHF is less likely. Another consideration is obstruction to the venous flow by some sort of external pressure during sleeping that cause morning swelling and it improves throughout the day as this time patient is mobile. Infection like cellulitis can also cause swelling as there is positive history of cat scratching. So, for complete evaluation you do need to consult with a doctor as physical examination and some investigations are required. Hope, this helps. Bye, God bless your mother.