A few days after she was born, I noticed several blood clots in my varicose veins, in exactly the same place as last pregnancy. How is this possible?!
I met with the vein specialist today (remember him from A Tale of Two Doctors?) to make sure the clots were not in the deep venous system. Everything looks good--no DVT, just superficial clots. I'm planning on having the varicose veins removed before the end of this year. At my request, the HR person at Eric's university changed our health insurance contract to cover medically indicated VV treatment. (She's pretty awesome, don't you think?)
Although I don't care a whit about "preserving the youthful appearance of my legs," I do look forward to ditching my compression hose and to having legs that don't ache all the time.
*****
In case you're looking for compression hose, I have tried the following brands & styles:
- Jobst UltraSheer thigh-high 20-30 (my favorite--I got these when insurance covered them)
- AmesWalker Sheer thigh-high 20-30 (similar to the Jobst but more affordable--I bought these when I had to pay out of pocket)
- AmesWalker 20-30 Microfiber Maternity hose (couldn't stand them--hated the band around my waist, plus the crotch kept slipping down several inches)
- AmesWalker 20-30 surgical weight full-length thigh-high hose (Tthese look and feel like classic Granny Hose. Don't wear them unless you want to feel like you're 80 years old)
Ugh, I am sorry you have to go through with this. Have you ever tried taking Horse Chestnut supplements? I've taken them for my hemorrhoid that I had before and after pregnancy (which I recently had removed). The supplements helped stifle the hemorrhoid in the past and I take them to prevent it from coming back. It also works well for varicose veins, you can get a "vein strength" supplement. Wishing you luck.
ReplyDeleteWow, I can't believe it came back! I am sorry :(
ReplyDeleteVERY cool you can get them removed, though.
Thank you for blogging (again) about this! Currently pregnant, and just had the thought this week "I wish I knew what kind of hose Rixa has" (really...this week) as I was more than one hour into an internet search on maternity compression hose.
ReplyDeleteAnymore, if I don't wear mine I PAY for it within hours. My dr. said that all subsequent pregnancies the veins are going to get worse, sooner. Greeeeat. I've already told Drew that he's going to have to pay for my vein surgery.
ReplyDeleteI'm just hoping I don't have them forever. But there is no denying how good my legs feel when I wear them!
So glad you have insurance that will pay for the surgery. I haven't had varicose veins and they sound just awful.
ReplyDeleteDo you happen to eat garlic? I ask because garlic is supposed to help break up and stop clotting like this. :) Just a thought. I hope you can get some relief soon. So sorry you have to go through all this.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how anecdotal these so-called remedies are.
ReplyDeleteOuch, this happened to me with my last two pregnancies as well. I'm also thinking of having my veins treated as I've been told the pain will get worse as I get older. Right now, they only ache when I get my period and after having sex or when I'm pregnant. In my case the biggest vein will have to be stripped which means general anaesthesia; and I have the willies about that. Have never had any kind of surgery. I hope you'll blog about your treatment. : )
ReplyDeleteProbably the same reason they had me on blood thinners for not only the pregnancy but the 6 weeks after I gave birth too. The chance for blood clots is high.
ReplyDeleteSorry you have them again. :/
I'm going through the same thing.. I hated my 20-30 (which I was wearing before I got pregnant) so I ordered 15-20 which are easier to get on.. I just turned 28 and I've been dealing with this since I was 25, no dr wants to perform the surgery on someone so young, especially b/c this is my first pregnancy and won't be my last.. good luck!! I envy no pain!!
ReplyDeleteI've heard that taking Cayanne Pepper regularly has already made varicose veins disappear! It's very good for blood circulation and many other thing. We've taken it in capsules, with a meal and noticed improved over all health. May be it's worth a try?!
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