facial swelling

Question
Hi, so last year i lost a lot of weight between January and May.  I kept loosing weight rapidly, then gaining a little bit back, and then loosing it again (I was really busy and under a lot of stress).  During those months I was between 80 and 85 pounds, and normally I'm around 100.

Since I started gaining the all my weight back in May, I've noticed that my face has gotten a lot puffier than it used to be.  Even when I was a lot heavier years ago, my cheeks never looked or felt this fat.  I'm not really sure what's going on here, is it water retention?  Why won't it go away? I also notice some swelling in my arms, legs, ankles, and feet, but I notice it in my face the most.  

I went to my doctor a while ago, got blood tests done and everything, and he couldn't find anything wrong.  Any idea what this is, or why?

Answer
It certainly could be water retention and even sounds like water retention. A physician would be able to assess what you are stating and give you a definite answer as to whether the swelling is edema related. The concern that I would have is to find out the cause. If it is water retention, it could be related to hormones, allergies, kidney concerns, liver concerns, and a number of other things. My initial reaction is that you should see a physician or nutritionist that will spend the time doing a bit more investigating than simply blood tests. Things do not always show up so immediately in a blood test. An endocrinologist or a gynecologist would be a great start once you know for sure that it is water retention. Unfortunately, without seeing you, there is no way for me to tell you if it is in fact water retention.

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