Varicose veins: will vascular consultant help?

[Charlock]

Hi,

I'm finally seeing a vascular surgeon this week about skin changes on my lower legs due to varicose veins. I saw two GPs who both wouldn't refer me, but I invoked NICE guidelines with the second so he referred me about a year ago. Anyway, I've got a big purplely/red patch made up of lots of what look like tiny, broken veins on each leg, and they are getting slowly bigger. I'm becoming extremely self conscious of them and worried about how all this is going to progress (I'm 47).

Because the GPs were so dismissive I'm worried that the consultant won't be bothered either. I know everyone says oh varicose veins are cosmetic, but these skin changes are progressing and the prospect of potential leg ulcers down the line is horrid. I've never had terrific legs, and I've had bulging varicose veins for years but the addition of these skin changes has really made me self conscious when swimming and wearing short trousers.

Does anyone have any experience of this and if so is there any treatment I could get that might help? Is there anything that could take these patches away? Thank you.

Hi OP, I'm sorry you had this upsetting and disappointing experience.

My parents and my sister both have varicose veins. Mine were pretty bad by my 40s.

I've had several laser procedures. First two were paid for through health insurance (and one that looked 'cosmetic' was a DVT risk and I hsd loads in the other leg that couldn't even be seen without a scan...) and the third I paid for out of savings. The consultant was super nice, experienced and efficient. He did freely admit I'd be waiting 2-4 years for his NHS list, and by then I would have had to give up teaching.

This is not an area where the NHS covers itself with glory, I'm afraid.

Please save up and go private - as it's such a common problem, there is at least some economy of scale and centres with a lot of expertise especially around London.

If you search on here you'll find other threads.

Recurrence rates with laser ablation are low. With the foam, it's much higher. Like most things, you get what you pay for. Foam is now rather outdated and I don't think any of the surgeons now recommend it, although it's common in the non hospital vein clinics. Most of the cost of mine was the private hospital charges.

No I don't wear compression socks. You have to wear them for a week after the procedure whilst everything settles down and that was more than long enough for me! Mine were triggered by pregnancy but they do tend to run in the family.

I didn't know that about the foam! I refused it anyway as it seemed a poor idea given the issues with other procedures that leave something in the body long term (mesh, lipids etc).

As far as I can tell, varicose veins are a hydraulics issue. The diagram my consultant drew made my legs look like a contraflow on the M25

@chickenpieandchips please could you PM me the details of your consultant? Thank you so much.

Thanks @chickenpieandchips other end of the country I'm afraid. I've made an appointment with Veincentre for a chat.

@Nightmanagerfan can you pm on the app, although just googled him and he seems to
Have gone into more central London and stopped his specialist company.! Happy to post his link on here.

I used veincentre @Charlock

@Phineyj thank you. I had hoped to get a scan at least per NICE guidelines but I think they only treat here if you're at the stage of having an active leg ulcer. I guess we're living in an age where people can't even get their ears syringed on the NHS so it's to be expected.

I was treated by Eddie Chaloner at Radiance Vein Clinic. I really liked him. He was very knowledgeable and mega efficient.

By the way his firm opinion was that while losing weight is often a good thing for health, BMI in itself doesn't materially affect these kind of vein problems if you're genetically prone in the first place (I am a bit overweight but my dad, mum and sister aren't - we all have very similar problems and my dad has nasty ulcerative stuff going on partly due to putting his head in the sand for ages).

@Mum5net did you find them good? They seem to get a good name.

I would not like to add up @Charlock what I have spent remedying NHS lacks in the last decade and a half (I am a bit unlucky to be fair - migraine - endometriosis - infertility - IVF - veins - various musculoskeletal stuff - child with autism) but I reckon I'm into tens of thousands. I was so, so lucky to have workplace health insurance for 5 years of it. I really got value for money from that!

Unfortunately I agree with this. I hope you get sorted

@Phineyj I feel your pain. I seem only to have issues which the NHS are awful at (mental health/menopause, veins) and have also spent a few thousands on these. So was really hoping not to for this, we just don't have the money. My husband has never needed to spend on anything private.

It is really unfair, isn't it! They shouldn't be able to pick and chose the way they do and the way everything's siloed into different departments makes it such a waste of public money - lots of health conditions cut across specialisms. I think we all know by now no-one cares in the slightest about wasting patients' time or them losing their job etc.

I must say I can see the point of a system like Singapore's where they make you save for health but you can then spend it as you wish (disclaimer: I'm not an expert on their system...)

I have a friend whose issues fall between endocrinology and some other specialisms and after years of trying to get the NHS to treat her partial paralysis (so not exactly something minor or cosmetic) she had to seek treatment in Germany. And she is not well off. But she does need to be able to walk...

@Charlock Yes, I found them to be excellent but I lost a stone before I booked my surgery, so that I got my money's worth. My knee was very impacted by veins prior to surgery. It is much improved but I see the op and the weight loss as equal partners.

@Phineyj it does frighten me, needing anything from the NHS now. @Mum5net that's great to know. I've booked the free phone call with Veincentre. If I can get an idea of what they could do I would lose some weight in the interim while trying to figure out how to pay.

I mean, they have their moments. My GP's really good and my daughter has an NHS dentist who's lovely. But I have the good GP only because I asked a friend who works for the primary care trust which practices they get the fewest complaints about...and I have to pay loads for my dental care so my daughter can be seen for 'free'...

I'm not holding my breath for Labour to fix this but I hope they can at least get it back to the average level of crapness of 15 years or so ago. And if would be nice if you could expect politeness in interactions. That goes for patients being polite to HCP too of course.

@Phineyj yes, I am hoping for same re Labour. To go back to my appointment, the reason it was so unpleasant was down to the consultation. I could have walked out of there with the same advice and outcome but not felt as humiliated and dehumanised. None of which cost money.

I got my leg veins lasered on the NHS a few years ago but mine were causing skin changes, clots and I had an under the skin haemorrhage which was incredibly painful. They haven't come back and my legs look loads better. If you get them done privately I would do the laser treatment.

I used Eddie Challoner too but couldn't find radiance veins any more but he's still practicing.
And don't get me started on NHS re menopause. My gp wouldn't take me seriously as I didn't have hot flushes. Luckily got a private referral from a private GP.My DH is worried we're going to be blacklisted from the private medical scheme. Oh and that's before my leg pains were diagnosed as neurological by the GP. Nope, actually I might need keyhole surgery on a multiple amount of tears in my leg muscle. Sorry rant over!

Following with interest!

Another vote for veincentre here, brilliant.

I had similar veins OP, although I'm not overweight, but also an incidence of vasculitis in one of the damaged one. Even then, I had a problem convincing our private insurer that is wasn't "just cosmetic".
They did eventually agree to cover it. I had laser and it was great and haven't come back.

You don't have a hope on the NHS!

@theeyeofdoe lol thanks!

What I don't get is this: why are they not following the NICE guidelines?

@olympicsrock or anyone really. Had nhs scan, then months later saw consultant who said might have to be done under general anaesthetic…

id given up by that point and booked private but that’s made me pause. Is tha5 what they say to everyone. I don’t live anywhere near a private clinic and it’ll be a plane or overnight stay ….so don’t want to get there and then say I can’t have them done.

also does the nhs treatment still leave the veins so I’d have to have them treated cosmetically anyway?