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EVLT for Varicose Vein - Worth It
Varicose veins are hereditary in my family and after having my child 12 years ago the veins in both my legs have got progressively more lumpy and more recently achy and painful.
I have been a paid up member of Benenden through my employer for a number of years. I asked my GP to send a referral letter to Benenden and was offered an appointment for a consultation approx 4 weeks later. The hospital itself is located in Kent and is open, modern, clean and quiet with free parking on site and complimentary tea and coffee. I was see at my appointment time where my legs were given an ultrasound scan and measurements of the veins taken. I was told I would be suitable for EVLT and went through my medical history and signed a consent form.
I then had blood and MRSA tests and was sent home to wait for an appointment letter.
I was given a surgery date of about 4 weeks later (18 November).
I arrived at the hospital and was taken through to put a gown on. The surgeon Mr Sweeney came in and explained what would happen and drew on the leg he would be operating on.
I then went into the operating theatre and laid on the bed. Everyone in the room had to wear safety glasses. I was given a number of injections running up the leg into the vein to numb the area - these were ok although some where the vein was swollen were quite sore when they were being given and stung a bit! But not too bad. Dr Sweeney then put the laser in - I could feel a dull ache which I informed him of and was immediately given additional anaesthetic injections in my leg and after that couldn’t feel anything at all. The whole atmosphere was very relaxed and the procedure was over in about 40 minutes from start to finish. My leg was then bandaged up and I was taken to the recovery room to have a cup of tea. I walked out of the hospital about 40 minutes later.
As the anaesthetic wore off my leg did feel sore but not unbearable. I have been having ibuprofen and paracetamol and that’s been taking the edge off. I drove for the first time after 5 days and felt ok doing so. It’s a bit like having quite a badly pulled muscle, in my case the most painful but is behind the knee and my inner thigh. I am having my other leg done in January. Although mine is covered through my health plan they do offer the procedure privately which is about 3700 for both legs. My bandage was removed today, it’s not as bruised as I thought it would be and there is definitely an improvement which should get even better over the next couple of months as the vein breaks down and is absorbed back Into the body. I would definitely recommend it and will uploaded another picture in a month or so so you can see the difference
Pros - quick procedure, relatively quick recovery time, no overnight hospital stays, minimal scarring, covered by my healthcare
Cons - still experiencing some pain 5 days later. (If I had to pay) it is quite expensive. May require further treatment in the future
I have been a paid up member of Benenden through my employer for a number of years. I asked my GP to send a referral letter to Benenden and was offered an appointment for a consultation approx 4 weeks later. The hospital itself is located in Kent and is open, modern, clean and quiet with free parking on site and complimentary tea and coffee. I was see at my appointment time where my legs were given an ultrasound scan and measurements of the veins taken. I was told I would be suitable for EVLT and went through my medical history and signed a consent form.
I then had blood and MRSA tests and was sent home to wait for an appointment letter.
I was given a surgery date of about 4 weeks later (18 November).
I arrived at the hospital and was taken through to put a gown on. The surgeon Mr Sweeney came in and explained what would happen and drew on the leg he would be operating on.
I then went into the operating theatre and laid on the bed. Everyone in the room had to wear safety glasses. I was given a number of injections running up the leg into the vein to numb the area - these were ok although some where the vein was swollen were quite sore when they were being given and stung a bit! But not too bad. Dr Sweeney then put the laser in - I could feel a dull ache which I informed him of and was immediately given additional anaesthetic injections in my leg and after that couldn’t feel anything at all. The whole atmosphere was very relaxed and the procedure was over in about 40 minutes from start to finish. My leg was then bandaged up and I was taken to the recovery room to have a cup of tea. I walked out of the hospital about 40 minutes later.
As the anaesthetic wore off my leg did feel sore but not unbearable. I have been having ibuprofen and paracetamol and that’s been taking the edge off. I drove for the first time after 5 days and felt ok doing so. It’s a bit like having quite a badly pulled muscle, in my case the most painful but is behind the knee and my inner thigh. I am having my other leg done in January. Although mine is covered through my health plan they do offer the procedure privately which is about 3700 for both legs. My bandage was removed today, it’s not as bruised as I thought it would be and there is definitely an improvement which should get even better over the next couple of months as the vein breaks down and is absorbed back Into the body. I would definitely recommend it and will uploaded another picture in a month or so so you can see the difference
Pros - quick procedure, relatively quick recovery time, no overnight hospital stays, minimal scarring, covered by my healthcare
Cons - still experiencing some pain 5 days later. (If I had to pay) it is quite expensive. May require further treatment in the future
Provider Review
Benenden