Can we talk about varicose vein solutions and problems?

[Ginevra]

I have had vein troubles in some form since I was 15 years old. So my history here is very long. I had my first round of saline injections (sclerotherapy) at around age 22. At that time it was purely cosmetic; I already had many spider veins that were noticeable. I went through four treatments and ran out of money and tolerance. So then I did nothing more for a long, long time. After my fourth pregnancy, I again went back to have my veins addressed. By this point, I had both extensive spider veins covering every part of both legs, plus some varicose veins, mostly in my lower legs. So I had the veinous closure surgery done; this was covered by insurance due to being more than merely cosmetic. At the time, I also intended to finish by having more sclerotherapy on spiders, but the way this doctor proposed doing it was unacceptable. He wanted to start with MY ABDOMEN and proceed downward in bands. Well, I cannot afford that; it would be ten thousand dollars before we even got to any veins that people see. Not to mention I am squemish as hell, so telling me all about the ten thousand needles I'm getting in my waist, hips and hoo-ha is not going over super well. I actually passed out during the consult. For realz.

 

So that has been about seven years ago, I think, since the veinous closure. It probably did help, but I have many issues again/still. Now I have pain in my legs every day, especially if I am hiking or otherwise on my feet a long time. The last hike I went on, I could see a prominent rope down my calf. It is getting bad, but I don't know what to do now.

 

I don't know what procedure I should pursue or if I should do anything at all. There is a part of me that does not understand how it is even possible to continue collapsing veins near the surface to the extent necessay on my legs. Aren't veins a finite resource? ;) am I going to have just two skinny veins moving through the center because all the peripheral veins have been closed? I'm kind of kidding, but not really. At this piint, I hardly care about the cosmetics of it and don't have money for the sclerotherapy anyway, but I think I will have to pursue *something* to correct the medical problems; I just don't know what that will be.

 

Thank you if you got this far!

[Liz CA]

:bigear:  I don't think I have varicose veins yet but spider veins. My grandmother had varicose veins and so far I am genetically speaking very similar to her.

I expect it will become a problem.

How do I know when spider veins have morphed into something more serious? Is it avoidable?

 

 

[frogger]

I have had varicose veins since a teen too. The pressure from pregnancy did cause a lot of pain when standing when cooking doing dishes but now that my children share these jobs with me my main solution is to put my feet up when I can. Luckily, as a homeschooler I can school with my feet up with a variety of subjects.

 

I'm curious if you get more responses. I can't afford treatment now but one particular vein may need treatment at some point to save the tissue around it. I guess if we ever have to use our deductable for something else I'll look into it.

 

I'm curious what others will say.

[EmilyGF]

Do you wear compression hose?

 

When I first got varicose veins, my doctor told me not to do anything medical until I was done having kids, but to wear compression hose. I wear compression hose whenever pregnant and whenever I expect a flare-up due to a long time standing (hiking, going to a museum).

 

Compression hose aren't great, but I find them preferable to pain. They can also help slow or prevent longer term damage. My aunt ended up needing wound therapy due to problems with circulation due to bad varicose veins. She scared me into wearing compression hose religiously.

 

Emily

[Joyofsixreboot]

I was hoping someone would know something. I have some seriously large ugly veins but they don't hurt so I haven't done anything but I won't wear shorts or above the ankle skirts.

[Guest]

Do you wear compression hose?

 

When I first got varicose veins, my doctor told me not to do anything medical until I was done having kids, but to wear compression hose. I wear compression hose whenever pregnant and whenever I expect a flare-up due to a long time standing (hiking, going to a museum).

 

Compression hose aren't great, but I find them preferable to pain. They can also help slow or prevent longer term damage. My aunt ended up needing wound therapy due to problems with circulation due to bad varicose veins. She scared me into wearing compression hose religiously.

 

Emily

I do have compression hose that I had to wear after the closure surgery. But I don't normally wear them. I would absolutely not wear them when visible, because they look like a prosthetic leg. Perhaps I could look into having some better compression hose options. I did just notice socks at the pharmacy sold as "diabetic socks." I don't know if they serve the same purpose? But they would be acceptable for wearing with pants, as they look like typical white knee socks.

[teachermom2834]

I had awful varicose veins since I was a teen and 4 babies made them even worse.  They were so thick you could see the outline of them even through jeans.  I lost quite a bit of weight and then they looked awful (they were very prominent without fat around them). They were painful.  I would wear compression hose sometimes and those did help but my legs would ache and throb every night.  It was very uncomfortable with the hormonal changes that would come with PMS.

 

I finally got them taken care of about 5 years ago.  I am embarassed that I can't remember the names of the procedures but it was a long series of procedures that took 6-8 months of repeated appointments.  I had the veins closed (on both legs and couldn't do them the same day so repeat appointments)   I also had the procedures where they did an injection to close the veins.  I think they also then removed them?  I know I had three or four differents steps to the procedure in each leg.  I believe my insurance covered all but $800 or so of it that they said was cosmetic.

 

They look great now.  Better than when I was a teen.  I have no pain at all.  I actually forgot what it was like for legs to not ache daily.  None of it was terribly painful or difficult but it was uncomfortable and there was terrible bruising initially.  A few times during the treatment time I did think to myself that no one really told me just how involved and uncomfortable it would be.  But I am really glad I did it.  Mine were apparently some of the worst they had ever seen so maybe my treatment was more involved than standard.  My doc said I had tons of veins and no matter how many they removed I wouldn't miss them.  I haven't missed them at all :)

[HSmomof2]

I've also had vein issues since my 20's---spiders and varicose. I also had the Venous Closure about 7 years ago. I have since developed new varicose veins in the same leg. They are painful at times and ugly. I saw my vein surgeon a few months ago to see what options were available. In my case, there is a little stub left of the greater saphenous vein near the groin that has caused the new varicose veins to develop. Dr said he could do the venous closure again on that small part with phlebectomy of the varicose veins. He did say they would most likely reappear again during my life---"once a vein patient, always a vein patient" is what he told me. My insurance authorized the venous procedure again. Spiders, as usual, are considered cosmetic, so I'll have to pay if I want those done. I have several spider veins around my ankles. This summer, so I can wear capris, I've been using a green colored concealer to blot out the redness, then cover that with a regular skin colored concealer. Not waterproof but does a nice job covering and lasts all day.

[Jenrae]

I think it might be best to go to a vein specialist and have tests ran to make sure you don't have serious issues going on with the valves in the veins. Testing and treatment may have changed considerably since you last had treatment. My hubby has a valve issue and he has to get checked out every few years. I can't recall the name.

 

I remember seeing a treatment performed on Dr. Oz show a few years ago that treated spider veins but I can't recall what it was. One of these day I want to get rid of mine. At the moment, all I suffer from is the spider veins.

 

 

[Tap]

I had the veins stripped in my right leg 10 years ago.  Great decision for me and it solved my leg throbbing issue.  I don't really deal with spider veins so I don't know if vein stripping helps with that or not. 

 

With stripping, they put you completely under anesthesia.  They make little cuts down your leg, and take the vein completely out.  Recovery wasn't too bad and since it solved my problem, I would say it was totally worth it.

[fairfarmhand]

I've been wondering about this.

 

I have very fair skin and I can see a vessels on one of my legs. it is not ropy or swollen. The skin is smooth, I can just see the color of this network of veins through my skin. No pain, no swelling

 

Is that a varicose vein?

[HSmomof2]

I've been wondering about this.

 

I have very fair skin and I can see a vessels on one of my legs. it is not ropy or swollen. The skin is smooth, I can just see the color of this network of veins through my skin. No pain, no swelling

 

Is that a varicose vein?

I would say no, based on your description. Sounds more like a normal vein that's close to the surface of the skin.

[Guest]

I've been wondering about this.

 

I have very fair skin and I can see a vessels on one of my legs. it is not ropy or swollen. The skin is smooth, I can just see the color of this network of veins through my skin. No pain, no swelling

 

Is that a varicose vein?

Doesn't sound like it, but when they removed a bunch of spider veins, they did go for some veins that were like this calling them "feeder veins." So, the vein was not varicose, but where it branched off, there were clusters of spider veins. I also have an amazing network of veins like you describe on my hips and upper thighs. These are the veins the specialist was talking about injecting to get rid of the thousands of spiders branching off from them down below. Having fair and translucent skin makes those veins very obvious. My hips look like a map of The Land of a Thousand Lakes.

[prairiewindmomma]

There are some decent looking compression options out there. http://www.rejuvahealth.com Essentially google search "compression stockings fashion" and a variety of companies pop up. You just have to monitor the Hg to make sure it's appropriate for your needs. 

 

I've had sclerotherapy surgery before.  Cosmetic surgery isn't typically covered, but symptomatic stuff usually is.  I'd look into your options if you're in pain that often.

[Vicki]

I order a herbal supplement on Amazon called Diosmin. My dh swears it has helped his varicose veins and his legs don't bother him as much. It couldn't hurt to try it.

[Lady Marmalade]

I was born with varicose veins in my right leg, and they never gave me problems until pregnancy, when one of them decided to clot.  Since then I've had three episodes of superficial clots, and the only thing that really helps when the leg is painful is compression hose and ibuprofen for pretty much an entire week.

 

I'm uninsured, and have frequently thought that if I had insurance I would do something about the veins, but after reading the descriptions above, and feeling queasy about the descriptions, I think I'll just continue to live with the mangled veins in my leg.  

[datgh]

It sounds like you need to find a good vascular surgeon who can do an ultrasound of the veins in your legs to see what is going on. But, as one poster said up thread once you have them you always will.  I had my varicose veins and my greater saphanous vein removed due to some blood clotting issues.  My legs looked great for about a year but then things started popping out again. Apparently the body makes new pathways to make up for the missing veins. When I am going to be on my feet a lot or if I am traveling long distances, I wear compression stockings.  I get them from supporthosestore.com.  They have guides on the site as to how to measure yourself so you get ones that fit correctly so they do the job right. I wear 20-30mg of compression per my doctors orders. Some of them look like regular stockings but boy are they not cheap.  I tend to wear knee hi ones. The full ones would really be better for me but I find them to be uncomfortable to wear.  If I ever need to wear them full time especially in the summer, you can just take me to the back pasture and put me out of my misery!

[MotherGoose]

For the spider veins that are cosmetic, you could get laser treatment. Like for superficial broken capillaries.

[Lanny]

The problem is not cosmetic. It can be life threatening.  The mutual friend who introduced my wife and me lives in the USA. She came to Colombia years ago and she had surgery here,  to correct the issues. I believe a Vascular Surgeon does that type of surgery. It can be merely a cosmetic problem, but it can also be life threatening.