Varicose Veins.... You got them?
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Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:29 pm
Anyone have opinions as to whether surgery or laser is the better option from experience or to live with the massive veins a few more years longer.
Pro to Surgery is its free with my insurance and its more full proof with cons being it has the risk of appearing somewhere else especially being so young.
Pro to Laser is its less invasive and if it re occurs it will just come back on the same place. Cons being it cost around $3-4k (not covered by insurance) May require re-treatments.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby cp123 » Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:38 pm
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:40 pm
Thanks for your input cp.. Yeah mine are rather big but only really get pain now and again.cp123 wrote:I've got some super big ugly lumpy ones - and one that pops up like a rope as I ride. but i'm getting on. they don't bother me (as in pain) and I really don't care what they look like. until they give me any trouble I won't be doing anything.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby ZepinAtor » Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:23 pm
The valves which have stopped working are allowing blood to pool or return back in the wrong direction putting pressure on other valves & veins. It will only get worse over time as mine did. At first there were a few lumpy veins (6-8mm) then over a period of 5 years they just started popping up everywhere. If you have any discolouration on your lower leg or ankles it is time to get the problem fixed.
Cost wise was about $4000 with the possibility of a few more minor treatments over the next 5-10 years. There is a little bit of staining from the old dead veins, but it is fading slowly. I'll try to dig up some before & after photos for you.
Before treatment
After treatment
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Sun Jul 19, 2015 2:51 pm
I am leaning towards laser treatment at this stage so I'll seek advice from another specialist to get another opinion. My main bad vein is in fact 9mm..
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby ValleyForge » Sun Jul 19, 2015 4:04 pm
Just sayin...
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby ZepinAtor » Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:07 pm
I did experience some minor pain around the knee where most of the veins where, but not too much. Now the treatment is over there's zero pain & only a few very minor new veins have shown up.rabobank89 wrote:Thanks Zepin for your feedback and visual results (which seem fantastic).. Have you noticed an improvement in discomfort since your procedures assuming you had any?
I am leaning towards laser treatment at this stage so I'll seek advice from another specialist to get another opinion. My main bad vein is in fact 9mm..
By far the worst part of the treatment is the consistent wearing of very tight compression stockings 24hr/day. The first 3 days they applied tight bandaging top to bottom & compression tights over the top. It is very, very uncomfortable for weeks on end.
Well actually the laser treatment did remove the main offending vein. It was fried from the inside & has now collapsed or has been glued together from the healing process caused by the laser. Basically the laser or sclerotherapy scar the inside of the vein then by wearing compression stockings the vein walls are glued together stopping any blood flow.ValleyForge wrote: The other techniques don't remove the feeding vein,
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:43 pm
Thanks for your input ValleyF! You raise a good point and spot on in regards to the incompetent locations (mine is behind the knee). I don't mind the surgery and it seems effective however there is a chance that when and if I get a recurrence they will appear somewhere else... That's my primary concern and mostly the reason for leaning towards laser treatment.ValleyForge wrote:The cause of the veins is an incompetent valve in the groin & sometimes behind the knee. Surgical removal closes the feeding vein and removes the rope-like veins. The other techniques don't remove the feeding vein, incompetent valve or the ineffective hugely dilated veins. Why do one operation that works fantastically well with a very low rate of recurrence when there is the option of a more profitable procedure that you can do several times.
Just sayin...
I had one Vascular specialist mention surgery was the only option (older traditional gentleman) and the other specialist who said I am eligible for laser or surgery (younger gentleman) but would not say which was more appropriate.
Thinking of getting another opinion from a third specialist..
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby ValleyForge » Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:58 pm
When you do the operation, you pull out the vein like a bloody long tapeworm. With sclero or laser, the vein is damaged in such a way that with compression it scars closed. Usually. But certainly not always. And the vein is most certainly still there.ZepinAtor wrote:Well actually the laser treatment did remove the main offending vein. It was fried from the inside & has now collapsed or has been glued together from the healing process caused by the laser. Basically the laser or sclerotherapy scar the inside of the vein then by wearing compression stockings the vein walls are glued together stopping any blood flow.ValleyForge wrote: The other techniques don't remove the feeding vein,
And the "feeding vein" - meaning the long saphenous (usu) or the short saphenous (rarely) terminate in a valve onto the parent vein. Removal of this defective valve is the key to the operation. Sclero or laser don't.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:36 pm
Got another opinion and will be sticking with surgery (will be my first surgery ) primarily due to the size.
Hopefully the surgery will go well and recovery doesn't present issues. Will have to keep on top should they re-appear somewhere else in the future.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby jules21 » Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:13 pm
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby ValleyForge » Thu Aug 06, 2015 1:14 pm
Looking forward to the matching post-surgery images. And operations are fun. A general anaesthetic for elective surgery is actually pretty good.rabobank89 wrote:Thanks for the opinions and advice guys.
Got another opinion and will be sticking with surgery (will be my first surgery ) primarily due to the size.
Hopefully the surgery will go well and recovery doesn't present issues. Will have to keep on top should they re-appear somewhere else in the future.
The wait - however isn't. Admit at 6am, fasting from midnight, no exercise the day before. Checked in triplicate & go around to operating theatre at 9:30, Operation starts half an hour later. Ham & Coon sandwiches for lunch....
And the bandages....
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:05 pm
Yes the wait was horrible, went in 12pm and out of surgery at 8ish pm. Had to stay overnight then they decided to remove the bandadges the following day (after 12 hours instead of the minimum 24), got up and after 3 minutes I notice a pool of blood
Stayed another night just as they insisted and now I'm a few days out resting and doing my boring walks. Still numb near the bruise around my groin but hopefully it will get better.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby ZepinAtor » Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:56 pm
rabobank89 wrote:Soo had my Surgery last week.
Well that was quick. So do you have to be bandaged up for weeks on end with compression stockings or is the surgery the in-out approach ? The worst part for me was the endless weeks wearing tight compression stockings over a 3 month period.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby timbo » Fri Aug 07, 2015 9:36 am
Apart from reducing the ugliness, the swelling in the leg and the pain disappeared as well.
I had my surgery done under local anaesthetic, with a probe of some kind inserted in a vein just above my knee, which was then sent up to close off the vein near my groin.
The ugly veins were then injected with a type of foam solution which breaks down the vein. (perhaps there are different types of surgery, depending on the condition).
Compression stocking was on for two weeks full time, and I think two weeks part time.
Cost (around 8 years ago) was around $2200 with half of that able to be claimed back through Medicare.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby rabobank89 » Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:26 pm
Yeah I have to wear the compression stocking for 4-6 weeks. Not entirely bad as its rather cool weather for the moment.ZepinAtor wrote:rabobank89 wrote:Soo had my Surgery last week.
Well that was quick. So do you have to be bandaged up for weeks on end with compression stockings or is the surgery the in-out approach ? The worst part for me was the endless weeks wearing tight compression stockings over a 3 month period.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby fatherofmany » Fri Aug 14, 2015 8:32 pm
FoM
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby MichaelB » Wed Aug 26, 2015 1:10 pm
Main issue was minor pain and ugly. They have partially come back (same leg, but different area), but are not causing too much trouble at the moment, so wont worry about it.
The surgeon that did mine didn't rate the laser/chem versions as they don't have the same success rate, but each to his own.
I'm lucky in the sense that it didn't cost me, as it's covered under my Veterans affairs (issue happened whilst in RAAF), so lucky in that respect.
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Re: Varicose Veins.... You got them?
Postby UmaT » Sat Aug 29, 2015 4:39 pm
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