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How bad do they have to be?

Posted , 6 users are following.

archie68821
archie68821

i'm 28. ive had varicose veins for 15 years and have been told i dont stand a chance of getting nhs treatment in Leicestershire as my skin isnt like a lizard and i dont have blisters. ive tried to explain the pain to my gp but its as tho they dont believe me. i cant put my foot to the floor much of the time. when i can walk, its with a cane, and i cant wear socks or trousers due to constant swelling. their solution is that nhs guidelines say varicose veins dont hurt and i should try running or cycling..... with a cane and the inability to put my foot to the floor. i'm exasperated. what can i do and where do people live who have had nhs treatment? i dont mind renting a room elsewhere for the sake of getting my life back. 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • archie68821
    archie68821

    Posted

    i forgot to add that last year i had phlebitis three times and dvt once. last time i visited my gp he said i had lymphodema due to the veins, but still no treatment, not even a consultation or scan since i dont have severe enough eczma or bleeding infected blisters. 
  • amanda07073
    amanda07073 archie68821

    Posted

    Hi Archie, I had a Vein removed last year (DVT) it was only one but it ran from below the right knee and upto my groin. I use to get a lot of pain in my groin. I also would scratch the vein to relieve the itchiness but this i know was a bad idea, as I could have made it bleed. 

    Whilst studying year before last I was in a classroom, wearing a dress and one of my friends had noticed I had bruising to the back of my leg, She asked what  happed? I couldnt explain it as I was surprised myself. I went to the doctors asap. As when I looked up on the net it sounded like I had thrombosis. The doctor was good as they booked an appointment for me at the hospital, I had a scan and said they could see that the vein was severed and was leaking. It was now down to me if i wanted to go through with the operation. I thought about and went ahead. I had the vein stripped from my leg. I didnt recover as quick as they say you do 2weeks instead i was off work 2 months. I had a lot of bruising and I was very tender, One year on, i am glad i had it done? yes ...I have no more pain, It worked for me, I do however have thread veins in the area where I bruised. But its worth it. Best of luck for you with your veins,

  • EVRF_Treatment
    EVRF_Treatment archie68821

    Posted

    Archie - the new National Guidlines by NICE, introduced in 2013, states that all symptomatic veins should be referred for treatment. You should go back to your GP and insist upon it. There are new procedures now available which have reduced the cost of treatment to the Trusts, such as EVRF, and so now there is no excuse not to offer it. If there is a waiting list locally, then you may be able to Choose & Book, but even that isnt generally advertised. You need to put some pressure on them - it is not acceptable that you should suffer.
    • willy278
      willy278 EVRF_Treatment

      Posted

      I agree to the post about NICE. You must push it more with your G.P. if they refuse to do anything about it then simply asked for a separate opinion elsewhere. I'm suprised after your history that they're not believing you - my consultant had wished that I had seen him sooner but I  told him my G.P. seemed reluctant about it and presumed I was thinking about a 'cosmetic' procedure which was a load of bull.

      My present G.P. sends me off as soon as I ask about it now .... I think a lot of us were fobbed off by G.P.s not knowing about the treatments available.

      Hope you get in soon.

      regards

      W. R.

  • Jinnyn
    Jinnyn archie68821

    Posted

    I live in co Durham and 2 doctors said I can't have anything done. I wonder WHERE you have to live to have it done. 
  • willy278
    willy278 archie68821

    Posted

    unfortunately it seems the funding is with the local Primary Care Trust and they're not all following the same path.

    If a G.P. thinks you have to have 'lizard skin' before you get looked at then I'd say they were wrong.

    If it is purely for cosmetic purposes because they don't look right then that's when the rules should kick in and, again, it's different all over.

    It's all about money so it must be if you're in a huge built up area then you may be unlucky.

    I think the Medical Council should get their act together and sort it all out.

    W.

     

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