Varicose Vein Surgery
This Leg Laser Surgery gallery is posted for education about treatments for varicose veins.
If you have this real health issue or you know a friend or family member who does, it is my hope that information may be of help to you in considering your treatment options.
Do not look at this gallery if you are squeamish!
I had really bad varicose veins, which are not only ugly, but also achy and quite painful at times. I do not have health insurance, but I finally saved up enough money to have the laser surgery to rectify the problem.
The people at East Tennessee Vascular Center are really great, and Dr. Shahin Assadnia is the best doctor I have even dealt with. He is quite compassionate and understanding. Robin, the nurse is also extremely nice… just like everyone who works at ETVC. They have renewed my faith in doctors and the medical profession.
Just because the surgery is done with a laser does not mean it is pain free. The laser part actually did not hurt, but it was all the prep work shots and follow up that shots did.
I was given a Valium before the surgery and was quite conscious the entire time. I amused teh doctor and nurse by taking photos with my Treo cellphone/PDA during the procedure on my left leg. Below are photos from the surgery on on Oct. 12, 2007 with some step-by-step running commentary with each photo.
I saved up my pennies (lots & lots of them) and returned to have my right leg done on Jan 18, 2008. I didn’t take photos during the right leg.
I may be crazy for sharing this personal stuff, but I find it very interesting and some people who have bad varicose veins and might be considering this procedure may be interested to see how it is done as well.
Click on the first (upper left) thumbnail and view the series in order. There is commentary at the bottom of each photo. You can move the photos up if you need to, to read the commentary.
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6 Responses to “Varicose Vein Surgery”
Posted:
Jan 25th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Molly—You should these with the WVU Medical School. They could use for marketing to get more patients. The fact that you coiuld take the pics during the process should encourage others to do so. John
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Posted:
Jan 25th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Hey…Nice Roy Orbison glasses…
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Posted:
Feb 4th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I had vein ablation and a minor phebectomy in November as an option to injections I had been getting for years. Everything went fine except for one incision which swelled. The doctor remove a small amount of fat from the site and stitched it up in December. Now its worse. I have been told that it is a lymphnocele that is leaking and is causing the swelling the size of a goose egg on the side of my calf right on the tendon. I was told to use compression hose and that it might take two months to heal. So far nothing has improved. I have another month to go before I see the doctor again. What do I do if it is still there. It seems to swell and get big when I walk or exercise and goes down a bit at night when I’m sleeping. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had this challenge or any ideas as to what to do.
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Posted:
Feb 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
YIKES! Thats all I can say. I haven’t been able to look at the close ups yet. Maybe after lunch…which I am eating at my computer while I watch Delilah, who is standing at the edge of the goat paddock, watching the horses, chewing her cud, looking spacey…I’m not normally home during the day. Maybe she does this every day. Or maybe she is getting ready to kid…5 days early. I wish. I wish all the girls would kid while I am on vacation. Hmmm. Lots of things to ponder. I’m so nervous about the babies coming. I think I’d rather be in the hospital myself. I’ve even had THREE children of my own. Without medication. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I was a nervous wreck when my beautiful arabian mare was pregnant. I spent every night in her stall, and I was there for the big event. It was a so sacred. So special. People at work are laughing at me right now for “wasting” my vacation on my goats. These same people, however, “waste” (in my opinion) their entire vacations on HUNTING! Hmm. Life and Beauty VS masacre. I think I’ll take the former.
Thanks for sharing all your “weirdness” with us Molly. Anita
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Posted:
Feb 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
My glad to hear you enjoy my weirdness
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Posted:
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 am
I got my leg stripped of varicose veins a few months ago and would much prefer to do it his way. It was day surgery with no pain at all during the procedure as i was anesitised and I limped out of the hospital and had little pain to follow. It just ached for a while and the kids could not sit on my leg as it was a bit bruised. It was great. My leg looks great and I am just about to go in and have my other leg done.
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