Varicose Vein Stripping - Anyone had it done?
Discussion
Hi All
I'm due to have the varicose veins in my leg stripped this week.
Rather unwisely I googled some post op images and it looks rather painful (although one of the pages was from a company pushing a new technique so no surprise that they must have chosen an extreme example...).
I was just wondering if anyone had any first hand experience and/or tips to help recovery?
Thanks
I'm due to have the varicose veins in my leg stripped this week.
Rather unwisely I googled some post op images and it looks rather painful (although one of the pages was from a company pushing a new technique so no surprise that they must have chosen an extreme example...).
I was just wondering if anyone had any first hand experience and/or tips to help recovery?
Thanks
I had it done about 5 years ago. Best thing I ever did. I had terrible legs with massive bulges and what looked like bunches of grapes on each ankle, looked terrible.
The operation was simple and straightforward, no real pain.
you do have to be careful though, I remember when I got home that evening I got up to go for a pee and I was standing in a puddle of blood
The Mrs sh*t herself 
I basically had to sit with my legs up for 2 weeks, although after a while you do get a bit bored/complacent and start moving around a bit.
One of the worst things was wearing the hideous surgical stockings that go right up to the top of the leg
Do not do what I did and go back to work after 2 weeks due to boredom. If I had my time again I would have taken 4 weeks off work and just sat down for that time, although it is really boring (didn't have Netflix then)
The varicose veins do/have come back but no where near as bad as before..
Good luck...
The operation was simple and straightforward, no real pain.
you do have to be careful though, I remember when I got home that evening I got up to go for a pee and I was standing in a puddle of blood
The Mrs sh*t herself I basically had to sit with my legs up for 2 weeks, although after a while you do get a bit bored/complacent and start moving around a bit.
One of the worst things was wearing the hideous surgical stockings that go right up to the top of the leg
Do not do what I did and go back to work after 2 weeks due to boredom. If I had my time again I would have taken 4 weeks off work and just sat down for that time, although it is really boring (didn't have Netflix then)
The varicose veins do/have come back but no where near as bad as before..
Good luck...
Thanks for the reply! The leg being treated is horrible and worst of all is when they swell and itch, Over summer I ended up with a sore that refused to heal for several months.
Everyone (well wife and work) seem to be think I will be up and around in a few days, fingers crossed however I could work sat in the armchair with my leg up.
Everyone (well wife and work) seem to be think I will be up and around in a few days, fingers crossed however I could work sat in the armchair with my leg up.
Pain usually isn't a major problem, there are plenty of very effective analgesics these days but paracetamol is adequate for most. In fact, for most, pain is one of the qualifying criteria so it'll be less painful than pre-op even though it may look a bit of a mess. Follow the instructions given by the surgical team and the nursing staff on discharge regarding post op care - do not ignore them, amend them or take short cuts. You may be ok if you do, but you'd be taking an unnecessary risk.
The single commonest mistake is how far to elevate the leg - it needs to be above waist height, and ideally chest height for as much of the time as possible when you're not walking. While you're standing still, blood pools in the legs but the repeated contraction/relaxation of the leg and calf muscles causes a pumping effect on the blood in the deep veins of the leg while your walking or running. If blood is looking in your legs, it will ooze through the scars. Most of the small vein branches are torn off and not ligated or clipped, haemostasis is achieved by pressure dressings and body's ability to form blood clots and heal. Therefore, if you're moving at pace, standing up is ok, but otherwise you need to elevate your leg to stop there being too much blood around to keep oozing out of the as yet unhealed small veins and venules.
On the plus side, these days, your operation isn't going to be done by a still hungover house officer who was attached to a drip on the ward until an hour before the operation started so that he could sober up a bit and stopbeing sick all over the place redecorating the nurses' coffee room.
The single commonest mistake is how far to elevate the leg - it needs to be above waist height, and ideally chest height for as much of the time as possible when you're not walking. While you're standing still, blood pools in the legs but the repeated contraction/relaxation of the leg and calf muscles causes a pumping effect on the blood in the deep veins of the leg while your walking or running. If blood is looking in your legs, it will ooze through the scars. Most of the small vein branches are torn off and not ligated or clipped, haemostasis is achieved by pressure dressings and body's ability to form blood clots and heal. Therefore, if you're moving at pace, standing up is ok, but otherwise you need to elevate your leg to stop there being too much blood around to keep oozing out of the as yet unhealed small veins and venules.
On the plus side, these days, your operation isn't going to be done by a still hungover house officer who was attached to a drip on the ward until an hour before the operation started so that he could sober up a bit and stop
My dad had both his legs done over 40 years ago, foot long scars on both his legs!
I had my left leg done when i was about 20/21 which was a single incision in the groin and half a dozen tiny cuts down the leg to remove the veins. I had the surgery on the Thursday, took the Friday off to have a long weekend and was back at work on the Monday.
No idea how it's done these days?
One thing I would say is once you've had the surgery and recovered do try to keep the weight off and exercise/walk as much as you can. A few years back I was a couple of stone heavier which caused problems with the slightest scratch taking ages to heal, I have some horrible scars on my legs.
I had my left leg done when i was about 20/21 which was a single incision in the groin and half a dozen tiny cuts down the leg to remove the veins. I had the surgery on the Thursday, took the Friday off to have a long weekend and was back at work on the Monday.
No idea how it's done these days?
One thing I would say is once you've had the surgery and recovered do try to keep the weight off and exercise/walk as much as you can. A few years back I was a couple of stone heavier which caused problems with the slightest scratch taking ages to heal, I have some horrible scars on my legs.
I've just gone on the waiting list to have mine done. Won't be for a while yet as operations at Leighton are on hold for the forseeable future apparently.
I've gone for the other approach - I can't remember the name for it but it was some kind of radio treatment - the doctor explained it as a wire is inserted down the vein, and the vein is destroyed with heat. She said there are several injections of cooling fluid. Absolutely not looking forward to it, sounds fking awful. Local anaesthetic too so I'll be conscious.
Has anyone had this procedure done? I think it's relatively new, and I'm told there is a lower risk of clotting by doing it this way.
I get pretty bad swelling in the affected leg when I've been on my feet for a while - towards the end of a working week my lower leg is enormous. Weirdly my right leg is mint, no swelling and no varicose veins. The doctor said it's a bit of a 50/50 as to whether the swelling will stop once the veins are treated, I really hope it does stop as I'm fed up of wearing compression stockings!
I've gone for the other approach - I can't remember the name for it but it was some kind of radio treatment - the doctor explained it as a wire is inserted down the vein, and the vein is destroyed with heat. She said there are several injections of cooling fluid. Absolutely not looking forward to it, sounds f
king awful. Local anaesthetic too so I'll be conscious. Has anyone had this procedure done? I think it's relatively new, and I'm told there is a lower risk of clotting by doing it this way.
I get pretty bad swelling in the affected leg when I've been on my feet for a while - towards the end of a working week my lower leg is enormous. Weirdly my right leg is mint, no swelling and no varicose veins. The doctor said it's a bit of a 50/50 as to whether the swelling will stop once the veins are treated, I really hope it does stop as I'm fed up of wearing compression stockings!
imperium said:
One of my legs is rather unsightly, lumpy in places. I’d like it sorted out but I don’t have any other symptoms such as cramps and swelling. I assume they won’t put me forward for it until I have other symptoms.
No fun wearing jeans all summer!
Never stopped me wearing shorts.No fun wearing jeans all summer!
My leg is ripply as fk, looks horrid. I wear shorts 90% of the time when not in the house, but a few months ago got some compression stockings off Amazon. I had some off the NHS that I wore at home but didn't want to be seen wearing them (if you saw them you'd see why) They rolled down all the time if worn under jeans. So i got some mostly black 'sporty' type things off Amazon and just don't worry about people seeing me wearing it as it looks nowhere near as bad. Helps a lot, as does keeping it raised when at home. I'd definitely recommend some kind of compression stockings for anyone who has the swelling too.
If my leg is swollen (such as when I've been on my feet all day) the veins are a lot less visible. When it swells back down after sitting with it raised the veins are right at the surface and it looks its worst, but feels better than when its swollen.
Sometimes when it's not swollen (weekends generally as I do fk all at weekend at the mo) I'll get up for a pee and get a bad ache in the veins as I'm heading up the stairs, and sometimes a cramp type feeling. Doesn't seem to happen when there's a swelling.
Does anyone else feel like it's quite vulnerable and very wary not to get any cuts in the area? I imagine it'd be pretty messy. And no, I don't want to see photos or read stories about it happening
k, looks horrid. I wear shorts 90% of the time when not in the house, but a few months ago got some compression stockings off Amazon. I had some off the NHS that I wore at home but didn't want to be seen wearing them (if you saw them you'd see why) They rolled down all the time if worn under jeans. So i got some mostly black 'sporty' type things off Amazon and just don't worry about people seeing me wearing it as it looks nowhere near as bad. Helps a lot, as does keeping it raised when at home. I'd definitely recommend some kind of compression stockings for anyone who has the swelling too. If my leg is swollen (such as when I've been on my feet all day) the veins are a lot less visible. When it swells back down after sitting with it raised the veins are right at the surface and it looks its worst, but feels better than when its swollen.
Sometimes when it's not swollen (weekends generally as I do f
k all at weekend at the mo) I'll get up for a pee and get a bad ache in the veins as I'm heading up the stairs, and sometimes a cramp type feeling. Doesn't seem to happen when there's a swelling. Does anyone else feel like it's quite vulnerable and very wary not to get any cuts in the area? I imagine it'd be pretty messy. And no, I don't want to see photos or read stories about it happening
Jaaack said:
My leg is ripply as fk, looks horrid. I wear shorts 90% of the time when not in the house, but a few months ago got some compression stockings off Amazon. I had some off the NHS that I wore at home but didn't want to be seen wearing them (if you saw them you'd see why) They rolled down all the time if worn under jeans. So i got some mostly black 'sporty' type things off Amazon and just don't worry about people seeing me wearing it as it looks nowhere near as bad. Helps a lot, as does keeping it raised when at home. I'd definitely recommend some kind of compression stockings for anyone who has the swelling too.
If my leg is swollen (such as when I've been on my feet all day) the veins are a lot less visible. When it swells back down after sitting with it raised the veins are right at the surface and it looks its worst, but feels better than when its swollen.
Sometimes when it's not swollen (weekends generally as I do fk all at weekend at the mo) I'll get up for a pee and get a bad ache in the veins as I'm heading up the stairs, and sometimes a cramp type feeling. Doesn't seem to happen when there's a swelling.
Does anyone else feel like it's quite vulnerable and very wary not to get any cuts in the area? I imagine it'd be pretty messy. And no, I don't want to see photos or read stories about it happening
I went surfing and the small amount of friction between the wetsuit and my leg rubbed all the high spots off the veins which then scabbed up with very thin scabs.k, looks horrid. I wear shorts 90% of the time when not in the house, but a few months ago got some compression stockings off Amazon. I had some off the NHS that I wore at home but didn't want to be seen wearing them (if you saw them you'd see why) They rolled down all the time if worn under jeans. So i got some mostly black 'sporty' type things off Amazon and just don't worry about people seeing me wearing it as it looks nowhere near as bad. Helps a lot, as does keeping it raised when at home. I'd definitely recommend some kind of compression stockings for anyone who has the swelling too. If my leg is swollen (such as when I've been on my feet all day) the veins are a lot less visible. When it swells back down after sitting with it raised the veins are right at the surface and it looks its worst, but feels better than when its swollen.
Sometimes when it's not swollen (weekends generally as I do f
k all at weekend at the mo) I'll get up for a pee and get a bad ache in the veins as I'm heading up the stairs, and sometimes a cramp type feeling. Doesn't seem to happen when there's a swelling. Does anyone else feel like it's quite vulnerable and very wary not to get any cuts in the area? I imagine it'd be pretty messy. And no, I don't want to see photos or read stories about it happening
The following week at work I accidentally scratched one of the scabs off which resulted in a lot of claret turning my blue work trousers purple... Good thing I was on nights
My right leg has a big lump of vein just above where the thigh bone punched a hole in the leg, the lump of vein is so large it shows though my bike leathers
Thanks for all the replies.
I had the operation two weeks ago under my PMI policy with the justification that there was a high risk of ulceration if left untreated.
To say the process was efficient would be an understatement, collected in person by the Consultant at 0800 in the operation room by 0930 and back home at 1430.
The worst parts for me were the main incision right in my groin and the after effects from the general anaesthetic. Recovery in the first week seemed slow and it took several days for the bruising to fully come out, overall there were 20 incisions top to bottom. The second week was much better, the pain mostly went and things healed much quicker.
For the first time in over a decade I have smooth non-lumpy legs, the benefits massively outweigh a week of discomfort.
I had the operation two weeks ago under my PMI policy with the justification that there was a high risk of ulceration if left untreated.
To say the process was efficient would be an understatement, collected in person by the Consultant at 0800 in the operation room by 0930 and back home at 1430.
The worst parts for me were the main incision right in my groin and the after effects from the general anaesthetic. Recovery in the first week seemed slow and it took several days for the bruising to fully come out, overall there were 20 incisions top to bottom. The second week was much better, the pain mostly went and things healed much quicker.
For the first time in over a decade I have smooth non-lumpy legs, the benefits massively outweigh a week of discomfort.
Krupp88 said:
Thanks for all the replies.
I had the operation two weeks ago under my PMI policy with the justification that there was a high risk of ulceration if left untreated.
To say the process was efficient would be an understatement, collected in person by the Consultant at 0800 in the operation room by 0930 and back home at 1430.
The worst parts for me were the main incision right in my groin and the after effects from the general anaesthetic. Recovery in the first week seemed slow and it took several days for the bruising to fully come out, overall there were 20 incisions top to bottom. The second week was much better, the pain mostly went and things healed much quicker.
For the first time in over a decade I have smooth non-lumpy legs, the benefits massively outweigh a week of discomfort.
That's good to hear, have they stopped swelling too? Doctor said regarding mine, it might fix the swelling, might not. I'm really hoping it does as I'm only 26 and don't want to be wearing compression stockings for the rest of my life!I had the operation two weeks ago under my PMI policy with the justification that there was a high risk of ulceration if left untreated.
To say the process was efficient would be an understatement, collected in person by the Consultant at 0800 in the operation room by 0930 and back home at 1430.
The worst parts for me were the main incision right in my groin and the after effects from the general anaesthetic. Recovery in the first week seemed slow and it took several days for the bruising to fully come out, overall there were 20 incisions top to bottom. The second week was much better, the pain mostly went and things healed much quicker.
For the first time in over a decade I have smooth non-lumpy legs, the benefits massively outweigh a week of discomfort.
Jaaack said:
Krupp88 said:
Thanks for all the replies.
I had the operation two weeks ago under my PMI policy with the justification that there was a high risk of ulceration if left untreated.
To say the process was efficient would be an understatement, collected in person by the Consultant at 0800 in the operation room by 0930 and back home at 1430.
The worst parts for me were the main incision right in my groin and the after effects from the general anaesthetic. Recovery in the first week seemed slow and it took several days for the bruising to fully come out, overall there were 20 incisions top to bottom. The second week was much better, the pain mostly went and things healed much quicker.
For the first time in over a decade I have smooth non-lumpy legs, the benefits massively outweigh a week of discomfort.
That's good to hear, have they stopped swelling too? Doctor said regarding mine, it might fix the swelling, might not. I'm really hoping it does as I'm only 26 and don't want to be wearing compression stockings for the rest of my life!I had the operation two weeks ago under my PMI policy with the justification that there was a high risk of ulceration if left untreated.
To say the process was efficient would be an understatement, collected in person by the Consultant at 0800 in the operation room by 0930 and back home at 1430.
The worst parts for me were the main incision right in my groin and the after effects from the general anaesthetic. Recovery in the first week seemed slow and it took several days for the bruising to fully come out, overall there were 20 incisions top to bottom. The second week was much better, the pain mostly went and things healed much quicker.
For the first time in over a decade I have smooth non-lumpy legs, the benefits massively outweigh a week of discomfort.
I was fortunate that my PMI covered it however the consultant did say that if I had come via the NHS then he would have still recommended the stripping.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff