Advanced varicose veins cannot always be successfully cured using conservative treatment methods. Therefore, varicose veins are removed through surgery. Lower limb varicose vein surgery has its own characteristics, rehabilitation methods and contraindications.
In what situations is venous surgery performed?
The following situations require surgery, which is performed only in a hospital setting by experienced specialists. Surgical intervention on the lower extremities is mandatory in the following cases:
- If the disease has become extensive and advanced;
- If the saphenous veins have become very dilated;
- If the movement of blood through the vessels is disturbed, which is why the legs constantly hurt, quickly get tired and become overloaded with weight;
- If the skin is trophically affected;
- If there are non-healing trophic ulcers on the legs;
- If thrombophlebitis gets worse.
How to prepare for surgery
Surgery for varicose veins is called phlebectomy. It is important to prepare well in advance. Treatment of varicose veins with surgical intervention begins with passing all the necessary examinations and carrying out the necessary studies of the body. On the day of the operation you must:
- Take a morning shower;
- Shave your legs so that excess hair does not interfere with the doctor's work with varicose veins;
- Arrive at the hospital shortly before your appointment to prepare for your next procedure.
In cases where venous veins are removed using general anesthesia, the patient is given a cleansing enema at night.
If your doctor has prescribed surgical treatment for varicose veins in your legs, it is important to inform him about the presence of allergic reactions to medications to avoid serious consequences. Surgery is performed with anesthetic and iodine-containing agents. Therefore, if you are allergic to these medicines, you should inform your doctor about it.
If, after surgery in the lower limb region, the patient needs to remain hospitalized for rehabilitation, the doctor must also inform the doctor about the medications he is taking systematically.
Types of operations for varicose veins
Varicose veins of the lower extremities are treated in different ways. There are the following types of surgical intervention:
- During phlebectomy, only the veins affected by varicose veins are removed. Diseased veins are removed through small incisions in the legs;
- To remove the great saphenous vein along with its tributaries, stripping is performed. This operation for varicose veins is performed through an incision in the inguinal fold. The operated veins are ligated and a tight bandage is applied to the leg;
- During sclerosis, diseased vessels are filled with a special substance that binds them together. Instead of diseased veins, scar tissue appears, which, with the help of special preparations, subsequently dissolves without leaving a trace;
- The treatment of varicose veins in the lower limbs is done using a laser beam that penetrates the venous veins through special punctures. With laser therapy, the veins merge, dissolve and disappear after a while. Patient reviews indicate that such surgical intervention is quite effective, without recurrences of the disease occurring.
Leg surgery for varicose veins is not scary today. Any intervention is carried out through a small incision in the skin. 24 hours after surgical procedures, the patient can be discharged home and after a few days they can return to work.
It is important that before undergoing leg surgery, the patient is aware of the possible consequences. Rehabilitation occurs in different ways. Treatment after surgery depends on how it was performed, in which area and under what type of anesthesia. Often, after phlebectomy, the legs hurt a lot and even bruises appear, which disappear after a while. During laser therapy, slight pain is felt in the lower extremities.
Rehabilitation after surgery
After surgery on the lower extremities, relapses rarely occur. The patient's further well-being depends only on him. To avoid bruising, bleeding and other complications, you must strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations.
When varicose vein surgery is over, it is important to take the following rehabilitation measures:
- Rest completely;
- To walk outside;
- Practice physical exercise, taking into account the permissible loads, which are determined for each patient individually;
- Follow the diet;
- Firmly bandage the operated areas on the legs with elastic bandages;
- Wear special mesh compression underwear;
- Do not lift very heavy objects;
- Watch your weight.
After surgery on the lower extremities, it is strictly prohibited to drink alcohol, perform heavy physical work, take a hot bath or drive a car for two days.
Over the course of four days, pain in the lower extremities and an increase in body temperature may occur. To deal with these unpleasant symptoms, it is recommended to massage your feet. To quickly restore blood flow and increase the tone of venous vessels, it is advisable to move a lot.
To prevent the formation of blood clots, postoperative treatment of varicose veins is carried out with antiplatelet drugs. Your doctor may prescribe a course of acetylsalicylic acid. To make the blood thinner, the patient receives glycosaminoglycan injections.
The treatment or prevention of the inflammatory process is done with antibiotics. To reduce pain in the lower extremities, analgesics are prescribed.
It is necessary to be very careful when cleaning the operated leg. Do not wet the dressing before removing the stitches! The sutures are removed seven days after the operation, once the wounds have completely healed.
Once removed, you need to shower carefully. You cannot forcibly tear off the scabs near the scars, they must fall off on their own. When taking a bath, gently wash your foot with a soft sponge and baby soap. Then they are wiped with a soft towel and the scar lines are smeared with alcohol or brilliant green. You should not steam scars in a sauna or hot bath for a month.
How to eat during rehab
To strengthen blood vessels, it is recommended to drink a little dry red wine, beetroot or tomato juice, grape juice, eat cranberries, garlic and lemon.
For varicose veins it is recommended:
- Drink apple cider vinegar twice a day. Two tablespoons must be diluted in half a glass of water;
- Among vegetables, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and herbs are considered useful. You can prepare salads from them, seasoning them with vegetable oil or lemon juice;
- As for fruits, it is useful to eat gooseberries, black currants, oranges, strawberries, apples, lemons;
- To saturate the body with useful substances, prepare cereal porridge;
- To enrich the veins with vitamin E, add vegetable oil to dishes - olive, pumpkin or sunflower;
- To saturate the venous system with elastin, it is important that seafood is present in the diet. It is recommended to eat seaweed every day. If income allows, make mussel, crab, shrimp, oyster and squid salads;
- To maintain vascular health, it is recommended to consume several walnut kernels daily.
Only proper and balanced nutrition will help you recover faster after vein removal surgery.
Possible complications and consequences after surgery
In general, surgery for varicose veins in the extremities goes well. If the surgical treatment is successful, the patient is discharged from the hospital after two days. But sometimes unexpected complications occur that you need to know about in advance.
Possible complications after surgery on the extremities:
- The formation of bruises that disappear on their own within a month. They very rarely remain on the skin for more than two months;
- Sometimes, in places where a puncture or incision was made, the skin begins to thicken. Within a month, the seal resolves on its own;
- If the skin incision touches the nerve endings, the patient may feel pain in that area. It also takes some time for wounds to heal completely;
- If the legs are subjected to heavy loads after surgery, swelling may occur. Therefore, in the first few days after venous surgery, it is recommended to avoid heavy lifting.
To avoid the consequences described after surgery, it is necessary to carry out prevention.
Preventive measures
Some people's wounds heal very quickly, while others suffer from the appearance of keloids. Therefore, not only do varicose veins need to be removed, but all preventive measures must be taken to avoid undesirable consequences.
After the operation, experts recommend moving around and not sitting in the same place or lying in bed.
Prevention after surgery is as follows:
- First, slowly bend and straighten your knees. Make circular movements with your feet to increase the speed of venous blood flow;
- When sleeping, make sure your legs are a little higher than your torso;
- After a few days, start actively sitting up in bed;
- Place an elastic bandage on the operated leg and begin walking and performing light physical therapy exercises. It is recommended to use elastic bandages for three months after surgery.
To prevent the disease from returning, it is important to lead an active lifestyle, undergo physiotherapy, go to the pool and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
To prevent the development of varicose veins and to remove varicose veins, you need to exercise, run, walk a lot, swim and attend yoga classes.
If you stand a lot throughout the day, you need to take short breaks every two hours - walk on your heels and then on your toes. To avoid varicose veins during pregnancy, it is recommended to wear special compression stockings or tights.
Contraindications for varicose vein surgery
It is not always possible to remove veins with varicose vein surgery. Treatment of the disease by surgical intervention cannot be carried out in people suffering from hypertension (advanced stage of the disease), coronary artery disease, severe forms of infectious diseases, erysipelas and eczema.
The operation is also contraindicated during pregnancy (especially from 5 to 9 months) and in old age.
It is important that the operation to remove varicose veins is performed by an experienced phlebologist. Therefore, in order not to risk your health, you need to carefully read the reviews of different doctors. Only after a thorough analysis of the information collected about doctors can you go to the chosen specialist and trust him with your problem.
What to do if surgery is contraindicated for you
If for some reason you cannot have surgery, varicose veins are treated using conservative methods. The initial stages of the disease can be treated as follows:
- Thanks to compression garments, protruding blood vessels can be kept in good shape. To choose the right compression, you need to consult a doctor;
- You can make lotions for painful areas of the legs from yogurt and wormwood decoction. A compress made from hop infusion, alcohol tincture of Kalanchoe leaves, cabbage with honey or raw potatoes will also be useful;
- The initial stage of varicose veins is treated with hirudotherapy. For treatment, leech saliva is used, which thins the blood and helps it circulate better in the veins. But after this type of therapy, sometimes small scars remain on the skin;
- To treat the disease, blue clay lotions, masks or baths are also made;
- After consultation with a doctor, varicose veins on the legs can be treated with special pharmaceutical ointments, creams, patches, gels or tablets.
The described conservative methods can be used only in the initial stages of the disease. If varicose veins have acquired a severe form of manifestation, surgery cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner to protect the health of your legs.
How do patients respond to leg varicose vein surgery?
If you carefully study all the reviews about surgical intervention for varicose veins, you can draw the following conclusion. If you have an indication for surgery, there is no need to be afraid. Feel free to do and strictly follow any additional instructions from your doctor. And very soon you will forget about varicose veins and all their unpleasant symptoms.
Now you know what types of surgical intervention there are for varicose veins in the legs. How to prepare for surgery and what to do afterwards to avoid unwanted complications and relapses.