Earlier today, I noticed an area of my left calf (side/towards calf, not behind/under knee bend) felt tender to the touch. Just took a shower and noticed that I have a quite visible vein there and that is what is tender when pressed. I don't feel any pain while standing/walking/flexing my foot, don't see any redness or swelling, the area does not feel warm, but of course, I am wondering if I have a clot/DVT. Anyone else experience this? I am going to give it another day to see if it feels/looks any better, and am hoping I don't end up having to call my doctor. I *hate* the health anxiety and worrying that every little thing is actually something major!
hi there tebrown - You sound just like me, i freak out over every new ache/pain sensation. i dont know if this is the same, but everytime i go for my acupunture treatments, that same area you describe on both my legs is very sensitive to the touch before treatment & when she zero’s in on that spot to place a needle it really zings…i asked her what that point was & she said your hormones/reproduction etc. i also notice that at different times during the month, different veins seem enlarged more so than before & i am past menopausal - believe me, i have been to the drs 2 different times thinking i had blood clots, so you are not alone in your health anxiety. take care -
if you had a DVT it would be very warm and red at the very least. im a former athlete but had always had problems with veins in legs which made my legs tired with poor circulation. my third child was first c- section and even though they had the leg pumper things on me, the day after I got home from the hospital I developed a clot in the side of my calf. It was incredibly painful and I could not even stand up without feeling like my leg was going to explode. my husband had to carry me in the ER that painful. you could see it VERY clearly on my leg as well. ultrasound showed it was superficial clot and not DVT. they dissolve on their own. a few years later i had the VNUS surgery on that same leg (insurance paid since ultrasound showed problems) and have had no problems since.
You could try wearing compression socks and if that gets rid of the discomfort you know it’s just a bad vein. A superficial clot will hurt regardless if you wear compression socks.
bad vein meaning just a varicose vein 