When to see Your Doctor about Varicose Veins

In order for our bodies to function properly, we rely on our veins to circulate blood around our bodies. We need our veins to move oxygen all around our bodies, including our heart and lungs. In order for the blood to properly circulate, our veins rely on the muscles around the veins as well as a series of valves that only open one way. These valves open and close to let blood flow through. And since they only flow one way, they close to prevent blood from going backwards in the wrong direction. People who are suffering from varicose veins have valves that do not work correctly. These valves do not close all the way and because of this the blood often flows backward and collects in the veins. When veins do not work properly the legs are usually the most likely to suffer pain. This can cause varicose vein bruising and pain along with other symptoms like vein bulging and twisting. These veins tend to be very uncomfortable and can cause feelings of pressure and increase the odds of the vein congesting.

If you are suffering from varicose veins, you may be experiencing some of these symptoms. Sometimes varicose veins do not have any major symptoms but typically there will be bruising and swelling around the veins. You may also see veins bulging out that are a deep purple or blue color. Often your legs will be tender and ache when you are suffering from varicose veins. The bruising and pain can also be accompanied by swelling of the ankles or feet, particularly if you are standing for a long duration of time.

Other symptoms can include:

• burning, throbbing in legs
• pain after standing
• bleeding from varicose veins

Treatment

There are several ways you can treat varicose vein symptoms at home. One of the most common methods of treatment is compression. Typically, these are in the form of stockings that go around your lower leg. The compression stockings used for treatment work by compressing the amount of blood that pools in your legs. This can decrease pain and swelling that is often accompanied by varicose veins. Insurance companies will usually recommend or require that you try this before trying other methods of treatment.

After you have tried compression methods, you may find that you need a more serious procedure to address your varicose vein problem and alleviate the pain. There are several medical treatment options for varicose veins. Laser treatments are often used to treat small varicose veins and to help them disappear over time. There is also a procedure called sclerotherapy which is used to treat more severe varicose veins. In this procedure, doctors inject a chemical into the veins that aids in the vein collapsing so it will not be used again and will not back up again. The most invasive of these procedures is vein stripping in which a doctor does surgery to remove the varicose veins and alleviate the pain.

When to See Your Doctor

It is important to monitor your varicose vein pain level because these can be signs of a greater issue involving the circulatory system and these symptoms should not be ignored. If you find that your symptoms become more than you can bear then you should see your doctor immediately. For instance, if your pain or swelling is overwhelming you and you’re finding it hard to function then you should see a doctor. Pay attention to changes in your skin near the veins that are causing you problems. If you notice that the skin surrounding your varicose veins begins to change color dramatically (becoming very warm and very red) then that would be a time to see your doctor as well. If the skin near the veins exhibits dramatic such as becoming flaky or discolored, that would be a sign that you should see someone as well. If you sustain an injury to one of your varicose veins and it ruptures then you should treat with compression to stop the bleeding right away and go see your doctor or vein specialist as soon as possible as there may be a serious complication resulting from an injury like that.