\"To have them out or not to have them out?\" Tha

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Hello there.....

I am just making an enquiry to see if anyone out there can give me some feedback.

I have a large swollen varicose vien at the back of my left Knee going up the back of my thigh towards my groin area. I also have varicose veins on my calf and left foot. Recently more have developed on the top of my left thigh and these are more painful and blue in colour.

I am contemplating having an operation to have them all removed but i have a concern that if the veins are destroyed or removed whether this will have other side effects or cause other problems in the future.

The other question i have is whether if i just leave the veins as they are and don't have an operation, whether the veins will grow even bigger or spread further leading to greater problems in the future......

I suppose i am wondering if it is better for me to have them removed now to avoid further spread of varicose veins and other problems . Or whether having the varicose veins removed now could create other negative side effects in the future.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks....

2

Hi Bruce

I have just had my varicose veins treated by radiofrequency. I asked my surgeon what would happen if my veins went untreated, he said that they would inevitably get worse and would become more difficult to treat.

There seem to be a few methods of dealing with varicose veins, the least invasive are apparently laser treatment and scleotherapy.

Only problem is the NHS policy of not treating varicose veins until the patient experiences skin changes (such as eczema and thinning skin) so you would probably have to go private and it's pretty expensive!

3

Thanks Zoe for your feedback.....that was very useful....

4

Hi I had every intentions of also having my painful varicose veins at the back of my left knee removed via

lazor treatment but after reading the horror stories on here I won't be doing that now. Also the fact you could

get a DVT which is life threatening totally finished me off. Will just put up with the pain I won't take my life in

my hands like that. To be honest with the comments that instil such fear on here I do wonder why they can't

be moderated - particularly the really awful frightening ones that put people like me off having treatment.

5

Hi,

I am a 40 year old male and I have had horrendous varicose veins on my leg which I have been upset and self conscious about for a long time now.

I left them and left them and they got worse. Recently I discussed it with my doctor and he referred me to the most wonderful consultant (Private) that I can honestly say is a wonderful man.

Mine had recently started the itching phase and I was advised that it was in my gift to sort them out, if I left them, then I I risked further complications and the decision would be taken out of my hands because of my long term health.

My advice is go and see a consultant, do some research etc. See what your consultant says and you still don't have to do anything. My consultant appears to be leading the way with treatment and literally thousands under his belt and is very pro the minimal approach. He has also been teaching a vast number of delegates his methods and that really swung it for me and there is not a single bad report out there about him.

I had the radio frequency treatment on my leg along with a fair number of phlebotomies. You will see on a post that I was really petrified on the GA and I had a meltdown on the day, but they team were wonderful with the 40 yo man that had literally lost control before them. They really helped me confront a major fear of mine and I honestly do not think I would have if it were not for my consultant and his anaesthetist getting me to pull myself together and regain control of my thought process! I did it and do you know what, one and a half weeks in, I already know that I have done the right thing. I am bruised and a little sore in places, but the veins are no more and I am really looking forward to not having a lethargic leg or the itching that drove me insane! Yes the compression bandages are a pain, as is the surgical stocking but it is worth it. I am already walking substantial differences and I cannot wait to get my shorts out for the first time in ages!

My advice is, if something is not right, then get it fixed asap. If you don't the likelihood is that you willl make the procedure more complex and thus more likely to have issues. If you leave it, then those issues will materialise and you end up regretting your decision to not do it!

I would say, research on the internet and there are some really really good people out there that are passionate about what they are do.

As I say, I was lucky enough to find a brilliant brilliant man who has actually changed my life a little and taken away some of my embarrassment etc. That may sound over the top but we are all different. I said to my partner, I simply do not know how I will thank him enough.

Given my anxiety, I asked so so many questions and researched google etc, that I seem to be full of knowledge. If you do need any help then feel free to ask. Also. I would say that it is human nature for people to post and comment when things go wrong, yet we generally walk on by when things are acceptable or right, so please bear this in mind when reading the horror stories. Select a reputable and capable person and you will be fine.