OT : Any one had Sclerotherapy?

I'm curious if anyone here has had Sclerotherapy treatment for varicose veins (in which medicine is injected into the veins to make them shrink).

I've had ultrasounds done on both my legs and some of the returning veins are not working properly, plus i have the bulging veins at the top of my legs.
Its not major but the doc showed me some pictures of what my legs could look like years down the road if i do not treat it. Plus i will notice a huge difference in the level of fatigue I feel in my legs, especially during cycling. I did not ask but i'm not expecting it affect my sleeping, although i might get improved oxygen levels

I just wanted to get an idea of what to expect. I'm having 3 procedures and 2 follow up ultrasounds once the paper work goes through with the insurance (to prove its medically required and not cosmetic). They will do each thigh (two visits) plus both calfs (third visit) under a local anaesthetic.

Although its not required I'm going to have my wife drive me home.

Does any one else have any information or ideas of what to expect. Pain levels? recovery issues?

Cheers
UB

If you have bulging veins, the shots will not help. Shots will treat very small veins only. You need the veins removed. I had this done on 1 leg last December. It was a very easy 2 hour procedure. I watched the entire process. It was painless. I needed to wear the compression stockings 24/7 the week after and awake hours the week after that. The procedure was easy...getting medicare approval was difficult. I had 2 turn downs...after 2 appeals, they agreed.

I have an appointment for a consultation tomorrow, sounds like the the same problem I'm having. My mom had her varicose veins stripped many years ago, don't think I'd ever sign up for that. Sure hope we get some feedback. kathy

LSAT wrote:If you have bulging veins, the shots will not help. Shots will treat very small veins only. You need the veins removed. I had this done on 1 leg last December. It was a very easy 2 hour procedure. I watched the entire process. It was painless. I needed to wear the compression stockings 24/7 the week after and awake hours the week after that. The procedure was easy...getting medicare approval was difficult. I had 2 turn downs...after 2 appeals, they agreed.

The procedure was easy, thats good to hear
I've already had 2 ultrasounds because of insurance requirements.
I'm used to the thigh length compression stockings I've been wearing them for 6 months as required by the insurance.
They are starting to get a bit uncomfortable now the temperatures are getting into the 100's.
I'm going to call and ask what the plan is regarding the bulging veins, I had incorrectly assumed that they would be taken care of by this procedure.

Thanks for the info

Wow, surgery must have changed, I thought it was a big deal, inpatient, long recovery etc. Good to know, thanks LSAT, hope I won't be a candidate for it though.

My sister had Sclerotherapy in one bulging vein an it changed almost nothing. Her veins are as bulging as it was before the treatment.

I have bulging veins in the back of my left knee, I need to push my family Dr to send me to an specialist and for sure I'm not going to accept Sclerotherapy as an option after having seen what it made in my sister case, "noting".

unclebob -
So interesting to have you post this query. I had an appt with my gyn md and as a part of a more casual conversation she asked about my xpap experiences. We ended up discussing rls and she said that she had a couple of patients who had quite significant resolution of rls with sclerotherapy. She referred me to a clinic - I totally forgot about it until they sent some material in the mail to me that I received yesterday.

I was going to post to see if anyone had rls resolution with scloertherapy. I don't have apparent varicose veins and the description of the sclerotherapy procedure did not sound appealing.

Your question about sclerotherapy may not be "OT" at all.

Good luck to you with your procedure!!!

I had the same issues. the shot the give into the veins wil actually seal them off and they will shrink and disipate. Eventually they will be gone completely. Your body will compensate .

My legs were bothering me very badly . The procedure made a 200% improvement.

Uncle bob,

IMO, it's the veins' valves which are located in our thighs near the groin which are defective. They don't close completely to allow the venous blood from our lower legs to continue climbing to the lower vena cava at the entrance to our heart. A good part of the blood volume drops down back to the lower parts of the legs.

As long as these valves are defective the varicose-veins would return.

see what Mayo Clinic says about varicose-veins:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/varico ... -and-drugs

Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure, used to eliminate varicose veins and spider veins. Sclerotherapy involves an injection of a solution (generally a salt solution) directly into the vein. The solution irritates the lining of the blood vessel, causing it to swell and stick together, and the blood to clot. Over time, the vessel turns into scar tissue that fades from view. Thanks.

Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure used to treat varicose veins and “spider veins.” During sclerotherapy, the physician injects a solution directly into the affected vein. The solution irritates the lining of the vessel, causing it to swell and stick together. Over time, the vessel turns into scar tissue that fades from view. Sclerotherapy is a well-proven procedure and has been used since the 1930s.
sclerotherapy

I've had it on hemmorrhoids, and it wasn't terribly effective, but it was especially painful!

And while this may seem totally unrelated, check out the documentary: "Forks Over Knives", where they cover some pretty amazing evidence about cardiovascular health and diet.

So, has there been nothing new developed for 90+ years?
I can't believe this is IT!

Well i got it done. I had visible bulging veins on the inside of my right thigh but i was told that both legs needed attention. Given that the insurance had been sent the ultra sounds and they approved it i figured it probably needed to get done.

So Sclerotherapy was a little bit painful during the procedure and no pain after. Although I felt nauseated and was sick after each procedure due to the anesthetic
They did it in multiple visits because they have to inject you with a local anesthetic every inch or as the catheter moves through your veins. I did feel it during a couple of painful moments; it felt very tight, like the catheter was too wide for the vein. I had to complain a couple of times so the doc could use some more local. Its the machine that seems to do most of the work, my doctor was watching TV during one of the procedures occasionally glancing at the ultrasound screen.

Not being able to shower for 48 hours after each procedure and having to wear ace compression bandages in the Arizona heat was a bit uncomfortable.

Also I was told a complete recovery can take a year, I get these tingling sensations which can cause so balance issues, apparently it’s a nerve related and will go away over time. The bulging veins went away immediately.

The biggest draw back is that I’ve been off my bike for 3 months during all this and have gained 15 lbs that I need to get off

I’m a bit concerned about time off work though, I was told it would need 5 separate procedures but now know I will need a total of 15 office visits. I’m on visit 9. I have a $40 co-pay.

visit 1 : Sclerotherapy of top right thigh.
visit 2 : Followup ultrasound
visit 3 : Sclerotherapy of top left thigh
visit 4 : Followup ultrasound
visit 5 : Sclerotherapy of lower right leg
visit 4 : Followup ultrasound
visit 5 : Sclerotherapy of lower left leg
visit 6 : Followup ultrasound
visit 7 : Sclerotherapy of both ankles
visit 8 : 3 month post procedure ultrasound
visit 9 : ultrasound results and findings
visit 10 : 6 month post procedure ultrasound
visit 11 : ultrasound results and findings
visit 12 : 9 month post procedure ultrasound
visit 13 : ultrasound results and findings
visit 14 : 12 month post procedure ultrasound
visit 15 : ultrasound results and findings