I had one leg done this summer (thanks to someone on MN who said NICE guidelines had changed - loosened up a little).
I was hugely impressed. Thrilled to have the leg done in the first place, andnow that it has been done, very glad to be rid of the achiness. I think I might feel OK about wearing knee length skirts next summer, as well, which is just brilliant. I am so pleased and happy.
I was also really pleased with the experience. It wasn't nice,but it really wasn't all that bad at all. The surgeon told me he'd stop and give me a 'breather' anytime on request if the experience was getting a bit hairy. But actually I didn't need that, and concentrated on chatting to the male nurse who was standing at my head.
What happened was, I was unable to see anything (what a blessing!) as a screen like a table tennis net was put up at chest height. There was a TV screen where I could watch a bit of what was going on, if I really wanted to- that is, I could see the probe and laser doing their stuff.
The surgeon made lots of nicks alohg the vein-I don't remember them hurting all that much; he'd used local anaesthetic- and I think the probe and laser were threaded through. I had to wear protective goggles to safeguard my eyes against the bright light of the laser, and every so often there'd be that bright light, a certain sound and a burning pain. Just as the burning was beginning to make me feel 'hang on, I can't quite cope with this', it would stop again - phew. Each burst lasted just a few seconds. All this time the lovely male nurse was making jokes and telling me I was doing really well. I meanwhile told HIM there was no way I was going to complain about anything - I was just so grateful to have the thing done.
Near the end there was an unpleasant dragging feeling - sore. I thought at first that maybe the vein was being pulled out, but now I realise what it was, was the laser and the wire being pulled back out, having done their job.
I was sprayed afterwards (my leg I mean) with some sort of strange waxy stuff, and then the leg was bandaged. I couldn't immerse it in water for a week, so I had shallow baths with my ankle lifted out of the water on an upturned beaker!
Now, two months have passed and I have to go back to the hospital next week to be looked over and, I suppose, be discharged fully. I've still got a few bruisy marks and nick marks from where I was cut, but they're very minor, and I am so, so pleased and grateful to have had that operation done. It was really absolutely fine, and it was just amazing to get up straight afterwards and go out on to the ward for an hour's sit-down and a cup of coffee!
The brusing was bad, not surprisingly, and one of the places where I was cut, went hard and lumpy. I was a little worried about it, but before I got to the point of asking if anything might be wrong, it started to settle down like the other places where the cuts had been made. The bruising did last quite a long time - maybe four weeks, or five - I'm not sure.
About the operation itself, the nurse taking care of me made me feel as if I'd been quite brave, but really I hadn't. The experience wasn't too bad at all; I felt very well cared for, and my leg now does feel better and I'm very much happier about its appearance as well.
I should add I had a couple of veins out years ago, the 'old' way, and there's just no comparison.
Laser vein surgery - yay! Way to go! I am SO grateful.