Update on my legs...

This post is coming kind of late. Six months late to be exact.Whoops.

If you've been here for a while, you know I have varicose veins. Really bad. Like, wakes-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-because-of-chronic-pain bad. Bad enough to make me want to wear a sheet over my legs all summer long. Bad enough that people stare. A lot.

If you are a new follower...whelp, now you know. Fun stuff. This is not my favorite thing to write about. But, my hope is to encourage other women who might suffer from the same thing. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. If you'd like to start from the beginning read THIS first, and then THIS to catch up to speed. This post will make much more sense if you read the background shhtuff.


Now, for the update...

After my three laser treatments last October, I was anxious to see my results. Right away I noticed my legs felt a bit lighter. There was less pressure in my upper thighs and a little less swelling at the end of a normal day. However, while the veins themselves appeared smaller, they were pretty much ALL still there. And a few months later I was waking up in the night again with sharp pain in the back of my knee. What?! Are you kidding me? I just went through a solid month of poking, zapping, recovering, and hobbling around in a bulky ace wrap for THIS? Only to have nearly ALL the same side effects, and for people to STILL gawk at my nasty legs?!! Ohhhhh, was I mad. Mad at the doctor for "lying" to me (even though I clearly misunderstood him). Mad at myself for believing it was actually going to make a difference. Mad at all that time wasted. Wasted on what?! Nothing, that's what. It left me nothing but two legs with the same outward appearance and slightly-less the discomfort. Big whoop.

My follow-up appointment went something like this:

DOC: Well, your ultrasound looks good! [As he's rubbing the gooey gel over my legs] The laser treatment did what it was suppose to. The vein deep in your leg is nicely sealed shut!

ME: [slightly annoyed] Well, that's good 'cuz it sure doesn't look like it on the outside. I thought the bulgy veins would be gone...

DOC: [very matter-of-fact] Remember, we took care of the root of the problem. The veins that have already been damaged will remain damaged until we remove them.

ME: [feeling foolish] Ohhhh.

DOC: Sometimes the laser treatment will reduce the bulgy veins just enough so they are not as visible. But, when they are as large as yours, they won't go away completely until we do a procedure called "mini-stripping".

ME: Ummm okay. [while thinking, "Gee thanks.....as LARGE as mine"]

DOC: Mini-stripping is when I would make a bunch of marks on your leg (with an actual marker) and then go back and remove 2-3 inch portions of the bulgy vein. I would start at the top of your leg and work the way down until all bulging veins are removed. Your leg would then be wrapped in a full length ace wrap for 3 straight days.

ME: Okay. So what does that mean for the future if I were to get this done?

DOC: Like I said before, the laser treatment is what takes care of the root of the problem. It reduces future bulging veins but does not guarantee they won't come back. If you remove your current bulging veins, those ones will not come back. Overall, your pain should be eliminated and the bulging will be gone, for now.

ME: Okay. I'll have to think about it....


So, where does that leave me today?

I mulled over it for a couple weeks which turned into months. I went back and forth. I called our insurance for the umpteenth time and talked things over and over and over with Greg....and in the end decided it was worth moving forward. We will need to meet our deductible which is less now (at $3,000) before insurance will cover anything. But, we decided with all the pain these are still causing and future babies we want to have (emphasis on down-the-road-FUTURE!), it's a good time to get it done.

I just finished the "mini-stripping" procedure on my left leg today. Pretty much the grossest feeling ever. I was totally numb but it felt like someone pulling large noodles out of my leg (which is pretty much what he did!). Sorry for the visual. And NO, I did not watch (which was the first thing my husband asked when I got home...boys!). My right leg is significantly worse and will be done next week. So much worse, in fact, that the Doc said I need to have it done at the hospital because he can only pump so much local anesthesia into a person's body. (meaning I have a TON of veins in tricky places). So, I'll get some laughing gas and not remember a whole lot. It shouldn't take more than an hour he said to do the whole leg. Not looking forward to the recovery on that leg.

Nervous but excited for the results this time! I'm not expecting to look 18 again but would LOVE to have zero pain and feel comfortable in a swimsuit this summer.