I am starting to refer to this year at the lake as “my summer of vein procedures” because before I am finished I will have had 7 procedures and 8 appointments. Plus, the doctor says “once a vein patient, always a vein patient.” I can’t believe this wasn’t even on my radar until now. My guess is that this area of medicine has grown exponentially as a function of technology advancements and boomers not willing to “go gently into their easy chairs.”
This all started with pain near the inside of my left knee/calf keeping me from ramping up my spinal fusion rehab walking program. After a thorough ultrasound diagnosing venous insufficiency or reflux causing blood to pool in my lower extremities leading to inflammation, heaviness, pain, etc. it was decided to start with “great saphenous vein ablation” that burns/seals this vein which often causes varicose veins and other vein symptoms. After prep and numbing, the procedure itself took all of 20 minutes with no pain or discomfort. It felt a little weird the first few days after which a large bruise appeared that is still healing 10 days later. A week later he did a phlebectomy removing a large bulging vein in my calf that has been getting bigger. They don’t just go in and remove the vein in one fell swoop; rather they poke the calf in multiple places and sequentially pull out small pieces of the vein with a sharp surgical tool resembling a croquet hook. I was surprised with the amount of pressure required to pull the vein material out but I was numb and felt no pain. After prep, this procedure took less than 30 minutes as well after which they wrapped the area with bandages and put on the compression stocking along with an ace bandage over the top of the stocking.
The compression stockings are worn for the first 48 hours after the procedures and continue to be worn during the day for another five days. As much as these compression stockings can be comfortable, too much was plenty. They recommend walking up to an hour a day after the procedure which was no small feat given walking causes pain and the heat and humidity is a deterrent to compliance. Once I took off the bandages the morning after the procedure, I had to manage continued bleeding/weeping from many of the 13 plus poke holes all over my now swollen aching calf. Boy was that 72 hours of fun taking off the now blood-stained compression stocking, trying to locate which poke hole/s were leaking, applying small Band-Aids and then wrestling the compression stocking back on again. I was a frustrated sweaty mess but still managed to weave, walk, cook and entertain guests. It will take 2-3 weeks for the swelling and bruising to dissipate from the phlebectomy.
I now get a six-week reprieve as you can’t fly until two weeks after these procedures and we are headed off on a trip the end of the month so the remaining five procedures will recommence upon our return in late August. Up next is ablation of the right great saphenous vein, chemical ablation of the small saphenous vein in the lower part of both calves and then two more procedures on smaller veins in both legs. The good news is no additional phlebectomy procedures are necessary! I wonder if this will all be worth the time and effort but I trust medical science and technology; plus, I already spend too much time in my recliner.