http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2788.htm is a doctor's written report with plenty of information about varicose veins, diagrams, and treatments.

http://www.varicoseveinstreatment.com/whatis.jsp shows some treatment options.

http://www.veindirectory.org/content/prevention.asp also lists some preventative measures and treatments.

Endovenous Laser or Radiofrequency Ablation of the Sapenous Vein is covered by medical insurance when deemed medically necessary. The insurance code for this treatment is 37204.

I couldn't find anything about this in the archives, so I wanted to share this information for others who may have this problem. Yesterday I had a "Radiofrequency Ablation of the Sapenous Vein" procedure done on both of my legs. (That is fancy talk for varicose vein surgery.) This was done under general anesthesia by a vascular surgeon in an operating room. It is an out-patient surgery and takes about 45 minutes. Some doctors use a laser. This particular doctor uses intense heat. A small incision is made above the knee. A long, slender filament is placed inside the main vein (Sapenous Vein). This vein runs along the inside of your leg from the groin to your ankle and when working properly, returns the blood flow to your heart. The heat or laser seals off the top of the vein and it will wither away. Healthy branch veins take over the job of transporting blood flow back to the heart. If just one leg needs the procedure, it can be done in a sterile environment under a local. Because I had both legs done, my surgeon chose general anesthesia because in addition a lot of local injections are used along the length of the vein and this would be very painful if you were awake.

I had been havng intense pain in the front of one calf for a long time. It would wake me up at night and a velcro wrap helped a little with compression. Recently the other heel started having shooting pains running up it. Sitting with my feet hanging down or standing still for any long periods of time was very painful. My feet and ankles would swell. A doppler ultrasound revealed the main vein had several areas of "reflux", causing blood to "pool" (in both legs).

The standard old method of treatment was "vein stripping" and involved an incision at the groin and the ankle, pulling the vein out, damaging connecting smaller branch veins, several days hospitalization, and long-term pain.

My varicose veins were not visible. I don't have the surface spider veins. Some people have very large, ropey, oozing varicose veins. (There are some pics in the links above.) These veins run very deep. Heredity, pregnancy, and obesity are just a few of the causes. Routine exercise is very important.

I had recently been riding my bike for extended periods and when I stopped and stepped down, both legs just collapsed (like water) - no feeling, no warning, just blam! I landed in a crumpled heap of bike and body. This was due to poor blood circulation. After this happened a second time and I was left with extensive bruising, I thought maybe it was time to get this problem taken care of.

I was sent home from the procedure with my legs tightly wrapped in heavy ace bandages, from my ankles to my mid-thighs for 24 hours. I am supposed to wear compression stockings for two weeks. Surprisingly the pain has been minimal. I took a couple of Advil yesterday afternoon.

I'll take it easy for a couple of days and should be able to resume bike riding in a week or so. I look forward to pain-free days and nights!

I'm very thankful that this minimal invasive procedure is now available to those of us that have this painful problem and wanted to share this information with you. If deemed medically necessary, health insurance does cover this surgery.

Wow, thanks Marie. I have the visible varicose and spider veins all over my legs...just like my grandmother. They got worse with pregnancy and I'm obese...go figure, right? I don't seem to have any noticable problems (certainly not what you have described) but I plan to have something done when the weight is down. Thanks for the links to info.

Recover beautifully!!!

Oh Marie! I'm so glad you are feeling better! I hope you have the speediest recovery possible!

Kathy, thank you for your well wishes! Spider veins are considered a "cosmetic" problem and not covered by health insurance plans. Here's a good informative site on them with treatment options: http://www.emedicine.com/plastic/topic437.htm This procedure is done in the doctor's office. A tiny needle is used to inject a saline solution into the spider veins (which are near the skin's surface).

If you're having problems with varicose veins, I urge you to check on that procedure. It's great.

Thanks so much, Crystal! I was so surprised how easy and painless the procedure was. My legs just felt like they had little "bee stings" last night - nothing major.

Marie - Glad to hear you are healing up good! It certainly sounded like it would be painful. (or, maybe you are just a tough gal)

Marie,I was wondering where you were I m so sorry you had to endure another surgery but Iam glad you are back and on the mend

Marie, so very sorry to hear that you are having this problem... goodness! Are you having to stay off your feet for any length of time?

*wishing you a very quick recovery*

BTW: I noticed that you said you took some advil... just be careful - Advil isnt band friendly!

Marie - Just checking to see how are you legs doing now? Have you gotten any more pain with them?

A lot of local anesthesia is used to separate the entire length of the vein from surrounding tissues. So I'm not sure if the little "bee stings" are caused from that or just from good blood flow trying to get established. It's very important to walk and keep your feet elevated when you sit down. Honestly, they had hurt so much before the procedure that anything would be an improvement!

Hopefully this information will help others know that there is a simple solution and it is covered by health insurance.

Walked one mile tonight!

wow! excellent work Marie!

WOW!! Marie glad you are on the mend. And I second Paula's warning about Advil. That is not band friendly so use that only if necessary. Would something milder help with the pain? Like Tylenol? Just don't want you to do damage to your band with the Advil.