Dropsy or edema of abdomen, plus other symptoms

I have been struggling with a set of symptoms for nearly 4 years (started after a c-sec), and I would really like it if someone could help me figure out what remedy to take. I saw a homeopath for around 18 mos, but we just couldn’t afford it any more, so now I am on my own.

This happens right before period and before ovulating (definitely hormone triggered). I have a history of ovarian cysts, and I think the past couple of years they are back (pain when ovulating, dark blood spotting when ovulating, sometimes pain along incision from c-sections). I have had 4 c-sections. After each one, I experienced a fluid overload where fluid would end up around my lungs very quickly and I needed oxygen. After the first time, they started giving me Lasix to relieve the fluid before it got to the desperation point – until I got rid of enough fluid to stop it from happening. Once the excess fluid from the pregnancy was gone, I did not experience any more overload symptoms (difficulty breathing, high blood pressure) and it would not return. But, the flare-ups of the other issues described below would then start.

The symptoms are:

I experience first severe exhaustion (can hardly keep my eyes open), then notice increased swelling in abdomen (tissues look like they are filled with fluid, you can feel it in skin almost like grapefruit skin). My weight increases.

Sometimes red stinging rash around navel, extending out several inches. Skin is red in spots (like a rash without bumps), not solid color everywhere. Skin feels hot to touch when it is red. The redness is not always there now. When it first occurred, 4 years ago, I had a very hot swollen rash that spread out from my navel nearly 8 inches in each direction. It was almost solid red. At the same time, I experienced a temp of 104-105 which sent me into severe shivering and I couldn’t get warm. The Drs diagnosed it as a Cellulitis – but could never figure out what caused it, why it was happening or how to stop it. It would flare up and then go down periodically.

Other symptoms from it now:

Navel oozes either clear liquid which is abrasive, or thick almost like pus – after flareup starts.

Sometimes get fevers – feel hot all over, sweat more, when I get hot it seems to get aggravated. My head especially feels hot. When that happens, heat makes it worse.

Sometimes I seem like I can’t get warm enough – I am almost afraid to get cold. I want to be covered up to my head. When it is not “flaring up” I tend to get hot easily and want my feet uncovered when I am sleeping – I stick my feet out from the covers. In general, lately though, I seem to get cold more easily, even when others aren’t. The tip of my nose gets cold, and my hands and feet.

Exercise seems to aggravate sometimes, not others.

Pressure on outer abdomen (too tight of pants, etc), aggravates and makes it flare up worse when it is already happening. Other times it doesn’t seem to bother.

I am not urinating enough that I can tell – I could drink a lot of water and not eliminate nearly the same quantity. My legs are slightly edematous but not my ankles or extremities.

When it is happening, I am very irritable – nasty, snapping at my family, not wanting anyone to bother me. Everything irritates me. I feel angry but I don’t know why.

I also don’t feel like my normal positive self – very negative and doomsday feeling, impatient, selfish, want to retreat away from everyone.

Sometimes I crave sugar, other times I don’t want it.


The biggest signs that it is happening are the exhaustion – I can always tell when it is “flaring up” and the oozing of my navel. It lasts for a few days, then recedes a bit. Sometimes it lasts longer than others. I can’t tell what else seems to aggravate it.

Over the past 4 years, I have taken for this (through a Homeopath):

Rhus Tox, Staphysagria, Carcinosin, Medhorrinum All of them seemed to help for a time, and the pictures seemed to fit when I took them. It seemed to lessen in intensity for a while, then has started to increase in intensity this past year.


After stopping seeing the Homeopath (I just can’t afford any more) I have tried Mercurius and most recently Apis. Mercurius seemed to really help with the fluid retention (I suddenly started urinating quite a bit and really felt like it was getting rid of it), but then it slowed down. I think I was taking too much too fast and started to have a proving so I quit.

I seem to be pretty sensitive to dosages and the doses the homeopath gave of any remedy would often aggravate my gall bladder (he ended up with the last one – Med – giving me I think 30c in a wet type dosing where I would succuss it 8 times before doing a split dose into 4 oz of water then taking 1 tsp).