Varicose veins

[OctoblocksAssemble]

I've had on off vein pain since July. Compression Stocking was working well, but the problem literally covers my whole leg, so recently the thigh has been hurting instead of the calf. The pain is only end of day, so I don't think is DVT.
I feel so down though that at not quite 40 I have to wear compression stockings, deal with chronic pain and worry about blood clots for the rest of my life. I know it's my own fault, I know I need to lose weight etc, but I still feel absolutely gutted. Would love to chat to anyone who's managing the condition.

After multiple bouts of phlebitis I paid to have mine treated privately by laser ablation.

That was probably the best money I have ever spent and I just wish I'd had them done years earlier.

Is that an option for you?

Hi @Elphame , thanks for replying. The gp I saw pronounced them not severe enough to be worth the risk of surgery, although I suppose that could have been a cost saving advice. I haven't looked into private yet. Medical procedures scare me a bit, was it done under local anaesthetic?

I've had my 2nd trotter done just last week - the worst bit is that they inject your veins with lidocaine, so they are penetrating the skin and that hurts quite a lot. But then the lidocaine takes over and they laser the bad veins to kill them so the blood flows as it should. It was an outpatient procedure and done in 2 hours. It does take a few weeks for everything to calm down and the leg to heal, and then, at least for me, there will be follow-up more minor sessions.

I had surgery about 15 years ago to remove varicose veins down both thighs. The results have been amazing, no reoccurrence and no further pain. I did. have it done privately (it was done on my husbands work insurance). I have a friend who had a similar op on NhS although it took a lot of perseverance with the GP to get it done. You shouldn't have to put up with long term pain because of this!
I had surgery under general but I think the laser method is more common now and less invasive.
My advice would be to go back to the gp and emphasise how much pain you are in. Try and get on the waiting list for treatment
Good luck x

Laser ablation & foam sclerotherapy under local anaesthetic is the NICE- recommended gold standard. I had it done for extensive veins in both legs. Whether you qualify for NHS treatment depends on severity. I was told I qualified years ago but for various reasons I went private. I have a genetic tendency to varicose veins & have had one small recurrence on one leg nearly 3 years on, which I will be getting treated soon. As with PP, it's one of the best decisions I've made and I've never regretted it. I went to Veincentre because they only do veins so you know you're getting specialist treatment.

Weight loss, if needed, is a way to help yourself as it reduces the risk of veins getting worse or recurring. Keeping active also helps.

Yes all done under local. I was home for lunch. Very little post operative pain, I didn't even bother with paracetamol. My leg just felt a bit bruised. The worst bit was the horrible compression stockings afterwards for a week.

My GP would not do an NHS referral as they weren't bad enough! I asked him though who he would recommend and he referred privately for me.

The actual procedure took minutes. They make a nick in the skin and thread the laser up into the vein. I chose not to watch on the screen although it was offered. He'd actually finished before I realised he'd begun the ablation itself.

Laser ablation means the chance of reoccurrence is small. A friend who had the cheaper foam treatment has had to have further treatments every couple of years.

This conversation has come just at the right time! Have had big purple varicose vein marks at the back of one of my legs during my third pregnancy. Very unsightly though not causing any discomfort. Have been looking into getting them removed privately as purely cosmetic, and it looks like it would cost £4k at my local private hospital!!! Does that sounds about right or quite expensive?! Happy to shop around, but that seems quite steep purely so i can continue wearing shorter skirts.

I paid £3K for a top consultant vascular surgeon to do mine 4 years ago.

Thanks everyone, I can't afford to go private at the moment but you've given me some hope fir the future.
Appearance wise mine really aren't that bad, but the discomfort really upsets me. The section that actually bulges out is only about 10cm long, but the pain migrates across my whole thigh. Currently still worried about DVT, as the pain has been intermittent all day over the weekend, but it's mild pain so feels daft to go to A&E

@elphame could you dm me the name of your surgeon?

Thank you.

Fab thanks 😊

OctoblocksAssemble,
It's understandable to feel down about having to wear compression stockings and manage this condition, but please know that you're not alone in this journey.

I got varicose veins when I was 30, and then I decided to change my lifestyle. Here are some advices that reduced the spread and overall poor condition of my varicose veins:

1. Regular physical exercise, such as walking, swimming or cycling, helped me improve blood circulation and strengthen my leg muscles. Try to exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes during the week.

2. When I sit or lie down, I lift my legs above the level of my heart to reduce swelling and improve blood circulation.

3. I have been monitoring my weight and diet because maintaining a normal weight can help reduce pressure on the veins and improve blood circulation.

4. I started using nutritional supplements such as horse chestnut extract and grape seed extract.

I was doing loads of exercise, had (have) very toned legs, but unfortunately the varicose veins that developed during my pregnancies remained and got a bit worse every now and then. Once one valve has failed you tend to get a domino effect as it puts more pressure on the next valve down. My recovery from my first EVLA was a bit sore - both legs were very bruised for about a month. I had another valve failure 3 years on and had that treated a month ago, but because I got it early it was a much easier procedure.