Your MD’s advice is indeed correct as this is sometimes all that can be done for excessive swelling as you are witnessing. You are also correct in inferring that the problem is because of a kidney issue, as it is the kidney that is responsible for ensuring the correct balance of fluids in the body. Your doctor would refer to the swelling as a condition called edema. Edema occurs quite frequently in the lower load-bearing joints and is caused due the vascular system in the body not being able to pump out fluid as efficiently as fluid being pumped in. This can even happen in healthy people who remain in a seated position for a long period of time. In the case of this patient, the high amount of fluid in the body is causing the blood vessels and capillaries to deposit a high amount of fluids in the tissues.
Curing this edema might be a bit tricky and a lot of the treatment depends on the current state of the kidney itself. When water retention happens in individuals with a normally functioning kidney, the medication given is a diuretic. This medication will basically induce urination; thereby restoring the balance of fluids in the body. Diuretics exist in the plant world as well and can be found in the form of a humble cup of coffee or tea. It might therefore be a good idea to ask your MD if you can administer these as a method of establishing the fluid balance. Another suitable diuretic can be found in horseradish.
Wrapping a joint in a bandage is usually a method used to reduce water retention when diuretics are not an option or the edema is out of control. Follow your MDs instructions but also follow another simple procedure. Let the patient lie down for a few hours even when it is not bedtime, like during a siesta,and raise the joint that has edema to a level such that it is above the level of the heart. Edema is chiefly caused by an inability of the heart to pump blood against the pull of gravity, so raising the joint would turn the gravity equation in favor of the heart. Reduce the amount of salt intake in the diet as a higher level of salt intake requires more water to establish an equilibrium in the body, and consequently, this increases the overall amount of fluid in the body.