Last week I had work done on my Varicose Veins. I had no idea how bad my legs had gotten as I guess over time, small changes become the norm and you forget was the ideal looks like. I don't think I have seen ankle bones for some time and I guess I just assumed it was due to repeated sprains and getting older. I had noticed over the last few year that my legs seems to swell a lot when I was on my feet for an extended period of time and my upper leg would ache. Sometimes if it was hot I would get red splotches on my ankles. I had not idea that was from bad vein flow. Sitting helped relive it some as well as putting my feet up. My legs were also tender, so when I went for a pedicure I had to tell them to just lightly massage as any deep pressure was painful. Now I look down and see ankle bones. Where the skin was always taut around my lower leg, it is relaxed and supple. Some of the bulging veins in my legs seem to have diminished greatly and are no longer tender. Pretty amazing that there is such a difference in just a few days and should continue to improve over the next few weeks. So I am a very happy camper and happy I finally got this done. If you are interested, below I will try to provide some details of my experience but if medical stuff makes you queasy you might want to skip it!! GrMy vein Journey actually started 7 or 8 years ago. I went to one of those Vein Clinics and Med Spa places in CT. They did the sonogram and confirmed that I needed vein work and that medicare would approve it if I told them I had already tried losing weight and wearing compression stockings of which I had done neither. I agreed to proceed and they fitted me with compression pantihose that I would need to wear for two weeks. After trying to get into the hose, they brought another pair and although I finally go it on the toe part extended 6 inches past my toes and when I bent my knee it was so tight I was sure it was cutting off the circulation in my leg. They also did cosmetic surgery and gave me a free facial and tried to sell me more of those. I left feeling very suspect about the place and decided not to go back.
Fast forward to last winter as I was sitting on the beach in Florida, I noticed brown patches on my lower legs that I had not seen before. Google told me it was a symptom of CVI. Chronic Venous Insufficiency. While in Florida I heard or read about a new treatment called VenaSeal that was now approved by medicare that did not require compression hose after treatment and no activity restrictions. I immediately searched for a provider in CT and went to see them when we got back. They confirmed that I needed the vein surgery and I was ready to go. Then the house sold so fast and we had to get ready to move so I put off the treatment until we got settled in Florida. I found a vascular surgeon in Florida nearby that treats vein disease and uses the Venaseal procedure. He does not do facials or all that cosmetic stuff and I liked that. I went to see him and after the sonogram they determined I had bed valves in both legs in the Great Sapehenous Vein. They showed me on the sonogram how the valve just flopped around and allowed the blood to back flow creating pressure in the leg. Tuesday I had my left leg done. I have to admit I was pretty anxious not knowing exactly what to expect and what the outcome would be. After drawing a map of the vein on my leg, I went to the procedure room where they wrapped a sterile drape around me and the leg. The doctor came in and after getting into sterile gown and gloves, checked my leg with the sonogram himself and then numbed the area where he would put in the access port for the catheter. That was the most painful part since my legs are already pretty tender. Then he inserted the catheter which I could feel the pressure of it going up my leg but no discomfort. He has a caulk like glue gun on the end of the catheter and once he got to the bad part of the vein, he inserted the medical adhesive, compress for 30 seconds and then move the catheter down, click click, more glue, repeat down the leg and then out it comes. The nurse wrapped my leg in a compression wrap like when you give blood to stop the bleeding from the access point and off I went home. I went to the beach that afternoon! Thursday I went back for the second leg. That one was a bit more uncomfortable as he ad to access just above my ankle as there there some bad valves lower in the leg. The vein down there is smaller so it was a little painful going in but just for a few seconds. I could see the improvement by the evening after the procedure. I have a few tweaks of discomfort as the feeder veins sometimes get a little inflamed as they reorganize where the blood is going but nothing more than an Advil once a day the first couple of days. All in all, a great experience and I wish I had done it sooner. My legs feel so much better and I look forward to being able to be more active.
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Author: Penny
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October 2020
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