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POSTED UNDER Sclerotherapy REVIEWS

Venefit (Vnus Closure) for Varicose Veins - Darien, CT

ORIGINAL POST

I am 42 years old and have had some unsightly...

josiegrammerMarch 20, 2013
WORTH IT$3,000

I am 42 years old and have had some unsightly bulging veins and spider veins in my left calf for the past couple of years that only seemed to be getting worse. I saw a vascular surgeon who confirmed via ultrasound that I had faulty valves in the greater saphenous vein and I finally went through with the Venefit procedure one week ago. I was very anxious about the procedure but in the end it wasn't that bad. I took some valium but to be honest I don't think it helped all that much. The actual procedure was kind of uncomfortable - mostly just getting the local anesthetic but it was fast, I think it took 20 minutes total.

Pain after the procedure hasn't been that bad. I only took advil once the first night. Wearing the compression stockings isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The bruising is pretty bad at the incision site but i was told that would happen. And the best news is that the ugly bulging vein in my calf is gone even though the discoloration from some spider veins is not. So I go back in a month and I imagine will need sclerotherapy to clear up the rest of the tiny veins. Again, I was told ahead of time that clearing all of this up is a process that takes time, but the first step is fixing the greater saphenous vein.

Replies (7)

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BethH
March 22, 2013

Thank you for your great review! You made a really good and helpful point about fixing the greater vein first. Glad to hear the procedure wasn't too bad...I think I would be taking a bit of valium too. Did your surgeon say how long your results would last? Looking forward to hearing about your next appt!

josiegrammer
March 27, 2013
I think they should be permanent since the vein has been essentially destroyed. Or at least in the studies I read it was 95% effective which is the same as stripping. Yes - definitely take valium.
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BethH
March 27, 2013

Thanks for the update. I forgot to ask if the bulging vein had caused any discomfort? I bet your thrilled it's gone! Hoping the discoloratin will fade in time.

josiegrammer
April 9, 2013
I don't know if that bulging vein in and of itself was causing discomfort but in general that leg and specifically the lower would certainly ache at times.
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BethH
April 10, 2013

Well I'm glad the discomfort is gone and hoping that the discoloration is fading. Anxious to her how your next appt goes!

TunyaPalmBeach
October 28, 2014
Hi, I'm 44 and I just had the Venefit Procedure done October 13, 2014 in West Palm Beach, Florida. I too, have had bad bulging veins in both my calves and thigh area. So I will have both legs treated. I had the left leg done first. I took the valium before the surgery, didn't feel any difference. Having the local anesthesia process was painful. I didn't expect to get stuck with a needle that many times. Once that part was over, the actual procedure was painless and quick. Now I did take ibuprofen the first night, sorry for me it wasn't working. My doctor prescribed something for me.Now I'm two weeks into recovery and I'm feeling ok for the most part. I have been experiencing some sharp spurts of pain in certain areas but I'm told that's just my leg healing. So I'm just waiting now for my next follow up and hopefully all is well...
Nomar
February 11, 2015
UPDATED FROM josiegrammer

Update on 3/26/13 I am exactly 2 weeks out. ...

josiegrammerMarch 27, 2013
update on 3/26/13

I am exactly 2 weeks out. Bruising still pretty noticeable at both incision sites. Pain has never really been that much of an issue but i do feel tightness along my upper inner thigh at times. I am still wearing the compression stocking all day every day and only remove it to bathe and sleep. The big bulging veins in my calf are completely gone and maybe the spider veins are a tiny bit better but I still need some work done to fix those. Also, where the bulging vein was on my calf, the area is discolored. I am not sure if that is the vein visible beneath the skin or some kind of pigment change but i will ask the doctor when I see him in a couple of weeks.

Replies (7)

Rosessun
June 4, 2013
I'm supposed to have the VNUS procedure done for the lower saphenous vein. I had the laser ablation done years ago on my upper thigh. The recovery was worse than I thought and I had a complication, therefore I am really scared to do the VNUS procedure this week. My varicose veins are not that bad, it's just that I did sclerotherapy and now it looks worse, because the saphenous vein is incompetent. Did you have your procedure done in your thigh or calf? Your recovery seems to be going very well!
josiegrammer
June 4, 2013
I had my upper thigh done. I do have issues with the lower branch as well but haven't addressed that yet. My MD said doing the upper might help many of the symptoms and it did, at least for now. I do know after talking to my MD, that doing sclerotherapy can cause discoloration that lasts for longer than a year. Is that what you have now? What was your complication? Also the laser ablation is different from the VNUS procedure so maybe you will fare better with this technique. I didn't think it was that bad at all really so hopefully you will have great results. Did you get discoloration after the sclerotherapy? I know that can be a big problem. Good luck!
Rosessun
June 4, 2013
What happened with my sclerotherapy is that I ended up with matting and one of the veins didn't close with the sclero because it has so much pressure so it looks worse now. The complication I had with the laser ablation was that I ended up with a bruise/abcess in my middle thigh. The MD said this can happen with the heat from the laser, basically the vein busted as they pulled out the catheter. My MD says this doesn't happen with the VNUS as it uses radiofrequency instead of laser heat. But the lower leg has more risks of nerve damage, since the nerves are so close to the vein. My thigh healed fine, but took much longer than usual, but my shin still looks bad with the spider veins and one vein that didn't close.
josiegrammer
June 4, 2013
I was going to mention the nerve thing but didn't want to freak you out! Basically because of that I decided with my doctor not to do the lower leg. Mine said there is some kind of newer procedure they are doing for the lower leg that has much less risk of nerve damage, but that insurance doesn't usually cover it yet. So my plan was to do the upper leg and wait for the lower until this newer procedure is a little more common - but right now I am happy enough that I am not even thinking of doing anything to the lower leg at the moment. I do have a lot of discoloration still, and some smaller spider veins, but no more bulges so that is a good thing. Anyway - I think the risk of nerve damage is small and only temporary. When are you doing it? I hope it goes well!
Rosessun
June 7, 2013
It was supposed to be done yesterday, but I've rescheduled it for after the summer. It would be too hot to wear the hose and I have vacation plans.
rach125
May 31, 2014
Did insurance cover this procedure?
Nomar
February 11, 2015
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