Varicose veins advise please?
Posted , 3 users are following.
I'm an 18 year old female & i've had a varicose vein in my right leg above the knee for about 5 years now and I haven't worried about it as my mum & dad both had varicose veins and it hasn't caused any problems or pain until about 2 months ago. Everyday it hurts, my leg (both of them actually) feel so heavy and sore and tired although i've been exercising more - walking over 30 minutes almost everyday, elevating my legs, taking ibuprofen regularly, drinking plenty of water and moving about every half hour rather than sitting. I went to the doctors about my pain but they said there's nothing that they can do and told me to do what i'm already doing. Apparently I'm too young to have it removed and there's not much that they can do as it's not inflamed or sore to the touch. I'm sick to death of the pain now, it's making my anxiety worse too as I am constantly worrying about the pain :'(. It seems to calm when I walk can anyone offer me some advice please? I'd be very grateful.
0 likes, 4 replies
n5448
Posted
Also, I do not cross my legs, I elevate them while I sleep and everytime i've been for a walk my legs twitch really bad for about 5 minutes. I get a weird pulsating feeling in my varicose vein sometimes too. There has never been any swelling in either of my legs. I am trying to avoid tight clothes and usually just wearing leggings as the doctor said that's fine as they aren't tight on my waist/groin/ect. I'm worried about using compression stockings as i've read on a lot of different websites that doctors are unsure weather stockings help varicose veins or if they cause more
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cait99971 n5448
Posted
Hi Naomi,
Based on what you said, I highly recommend seeking a second opinion from another doctor. The pain you are experiencing isn't normal and isn't something that you should just have to deal with until you're older. Research some doctors on ZocDoc or a similar website and make an appointment with a specialist who has good reviews or is recommended by other physicians. Be sure to tell this doctor exactly what you're saying here (your leg is sore and tired, you can't stand for long periods of time, and the pain persists even when you do things to try to make it better). Pain and soreness can come and go at different levels when it comes to varicose veins, so the doctor shouldn't be basing a diagnosis on touch alone. He/she should do an ultrasound of your vein to identify where the problem is and then offer treatment other than "keep doing what you're doing." 18 years isn't too young for any kind of treatment of this sort. Obviously you're doing all you can to alleviate the pain but that isn't fixing the problem, and you deserve to be taken seriously.
n5448 cait99971
Posted
Hi cait99971,
Thank you for replying. The doctor said that they will only get worse and that I am too young for surgery and there's a lot of risks that come from surgery. I somewhat mentioned my leg pain to another doctor when I went to an appointment about my anxiety problems but they didn't say anything... I'm so worried and I can't stop thinking about my varicose vein. Another one is forming on my left leg and now i'm worrying about that one, it's making my anxiety worse. I'm worried that I may have poor circulation because of the symptoms but I could just be over worrying... I can't afford to pay for any type of surgery myself I currently get free medication and so on from the NHS but I highly doubt that they would give me the surgery for free. I'm fed up /:
cait99971 n5448
Posted
Hi Naomi,
I'm sorry you're going through this. While I'm sure the pain you're experiencing is very real, try to stay calm and remember that most varicose veins very, very rarely create life threatening problems. I had one for over 5 years and never experienced anything beyond the leg pain (not that that wasn't bad enough).
Unfortunately, there's always the chance that the surgery to correct varicose veins is considered cosmetic and is therefore not covered. And yes, all surgeries have risks but the ones involved in these types of procedures are very mild.
I'm not sure what the rules are in the UK, but in the US qualified Phlebologists will treat people as young as 13 for varicose veins if they are experiencing symptoms like yours. I hope you are able to find a doctor who is willing to treat you.
Best,
Cait