Cankletown

I've had swollen feet (or, as it's technically called during pregnancy, "edema") since about 16 weeks. Some days it's better, some days it's worse, but although it looked painful - the tops of my feet swell to the point where there's a little lip of flesh hanging over the tops of my shoes - it really only felt stretched and tight and would usually subside with a nightly foot rub from Mr Bibliosaur. Until yesterday, anyway.

I don't know what changed, but yesterday the swelling went to a whole new level. The tops of my feet swelled to a point they've never reached before, and my ankles puffed up until bending them was painful - I had cankles from hell. It was actually almost frightening to look down at my feet and see just how swollen they were.

Everything I've been able to find online says to try to keep your feet elevated during the day (this isn't really practical at my job, although I'm trying to stay off them as much as possible), and then offers the cheerful advice that the swelling usually goes away after giving birth. Which I suppose is very comforting to someone who is 36 weeks pregnant, but since I'm only at 23 weeks, the idea of waiting that much longer for relief is just depressing.

I already use compression stockings occasionally, and I've read that using a lotion infused with peppermint oil can help promote good circulation. Does anyone have any other home remedies that worked for them?