Advanced varicose veins cannot always be successfully cured using conservative treatment methods. Therefore, varicose veins are removed by surgery. Surgery for varicose veins of the lower extremities has its own characteristics, rehabilitation methods and contraindications.
In what situations is vein surgery performed?
The following situations require surgery, which is performed only in a hospital 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 enlarged;
- If the movement of blood through the vessels is disturbed, as a result of which the legs constantly ache, quickly tire and become overloaded with heaviness;
- If the skin is trophically affected;
- If there are non-healing trophic ulcers on the legs;
- If thrombophlebitis worsens.
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 by passing all the necessary tests and undergoing the necessary studies of the body. On the day of the operation it is necessary:
- Take a morning shower;
- Shaving your legs so that excess hair does not interfere with the doctor's work with varicose veins;
- Arrive at the hospital a little early for your appointment to prepare for the upcoming procedure.
In cases where venous veins are removed under general anesthesia, the patient receives a cleansing enema at night.
If your doctor has prescribed surgery to treat varicose veins in your legs, it is important to inform him or her about the presence of allergic reactions to medications to avoid serious consequences. The surgery is performed with an anesthetic and iodine-containing agents. Therefore, if you are allergic to such medications, you should inform your doctor.
If, after surgery in the lower extremity area, the patient needs to stay in the hospital for rehabilitation, the doctor must also inform him about the medications he is systematically taking.
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 those 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, an extraction is performed. This operation for varicose veins is performed through an incision in the inguinal fold. Veins that have undergone surgery are tied and a tight bandage is applied to the leg;
- During sclerosis, diseased vessels fill 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 a trace;
- Treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities is carried out using a laser beam that penetrates the venous veins through special punctures. With laser therapy, the veins heal, dissolve, and disappear after a while. Patient reviews indicate that such surgical intervention is quite effective, so relapses of the disease do not occur.
Leg surgery for varicose veins today is not scary. Any intervention is performed through a small incision in the skin. 24 hours after the surgical procedures, the patient can be discharged home and after a few days allowed to return to work.
It is important that before undergoing leg surgery, the patient is aware of the possible consequences. Rehabilitation is carried out 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 very much and even bruises appear, which disappear after a while. During laser therapy, mild pain is felt in the lower extremities.
Rehabilitation after surgery.
After surgery on the lower extremities, relapses are very rare. The patient's future well-being depends only on him. To avoid bruising, bleeding and other complications, all doctor's recommendations must be strictly followed.
When varicose vein surgery is behind us, it is important to carry out the following rehabilitation measures:
- Rest completely;
- Walk outside;
- Perform physical exercise, taking into account the permissible loads, which are determined for each patient individually;
- Follow the diet;
- Firmly bandage the operated areas of the legs with elastic bandages;
- Wear special knitted compression underwear;
- Do not lift very heavy objects;
- Watch your weight.
After surgery on the lower extremities, it is strictly prohibited to drink alcohol, do 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 appear. To cope with such unpleasant symptoms, it is recommended to massage the 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 agents. The doctor may prescribe treatment with acetylsalicylic acid. To thin the blood, the patient is given injections of glycosaminoglycan.
Treatment or prevention of the inflammatory process is carried out with the help of antibiotics. To reduce pain in the lower extremities, pain relievers are prescribed.
You must be very careful when cleaning your operated leg. Do not wet the bandage before removing the stitches! The stitches are removed seven days after the operation, as soon as the wounds have completely healed.
Once removed, it is necessary to shower carefully. Scabs near scars cannot be forcibly removed; They should fall off on their own. When bathing, wash your foot gently with a soft sponge and baby soap. Then they are dried 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 rehabilitation
To strengthen blood vessels, it is recommended to drink a little dry red wine, beet 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 should be diluted with half a glass of water;
- Among vegetables, cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots and herbs are considered useful. You can prepare salads with them, seasoning them with vegetable oil or lemon juice;
- As for fruits, it is advisable to eat currants, black currants, oranges, strawberries, apples, lemons;
- To saturate the body with useful substances, prepare cereal porridge;
- To enrich your veins with vitamin E, add vegetable oil to your 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, prepare salads with mussels, crabs, shrimp, oysters and squid;
- To maintain vascular health, it is recommended to consume several nuts a day.
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 home after two days. But sometimes unexpected complications arise that need to be known in advance.
Possible complications after surgery on the extremities:
- The formation of bruises that disappear on their own after 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. After a month, the seal resolves on its own;
- If the skin incision touches the nerve endings, the patient may feel pain in this area. It also takes some time for the wounds to heal completely;
- If the legs are subjected to heavy loads after surgery, swelling may occur. Therefore, during the first days after vein surgery, it is recommended to avoid heavy work.
To avoid the consequences described after surgery, it is necessary to prevent it.
Precautionary measures
Some people's wounds heal very quickly, while others suffer from the appearance of keloids. For this reason, it is not only necessary to eliminate varicose veins, but all preventive measures must be taken to avoid undesirable consequences.
After the operation, experts recommend moving around and not sitting in one 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 you sleep, make sure your legs are slightly higher than your torso;
- After a couple of days, start actively sitting up in bed;
- Place an elastic bandage on the operated leg and begin walking and doing light physical therapy exercises. It is recommended to wear an elastic bandage for three months after surgery.
To prevent the disease from returning, it is important to lead an active lifestyle, perform physical therapy, go to the pool and eat a healthy and balanced diet.
To prevent the development of varicose veins and their elimination, it is necessary to exercise, run, walk a lot, swim and attend yoga classes.
If you spend a lot of time on your feet during the day, you should take short breaks every two hours: walk on your heels, then on the balls of your feet. To avoid varicose veins during pregnancy, it is recommended to use special compression stockings or pantyhose.
Contraindications for varicose vein surgery.
It is not always possible to remove veins through surgery for varicose veins. Treatment of the disease by surgical intervention cannot be carried out in people suffering from hypertension (late 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 put your health at risk, you should carefully read the reviews that different doctors have. Only after a thorough analysis of the information collected about doctors will you be able to go to the chosen specialist and entrust him with your problem.
What to do if surgery is contraindicated for you
If for some reason it is not possible to undergo surgery, the treatment of varicose veins is carried out using conservative methods. The initial stages of the disease can be treated as follows:
- Thanks to compression garments, swollen blood vessels can be kept in good tone. To choose the right compression, it is necessary to consult a doctor;
- You can make lotions for sore areas of the legs from a decoction of yogurt and wormwood. A compress made from hop infusion, alcohol tincture of Kalanchoe leaves, honey cabbage or raw potatoes will also be useful;
- The initial stage of varicose veins is treated with hirudotherapy. For the treatment, leech saliva is used, which thins the blood and helps it circulate better through the veins. But after this type of therapy, sometimes small scars remain on the skin;
- To treat the disease, lotions, masks or baths are also made from blue clay;
- After consulting with a doctor, varicose veins in 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 indications for surgery, you should not be afraid. Feel free to do so and strictly follow all further instructions from the doctor. And very soon you will forget about varicose veins and all their unpleasant symptoms.
Now you know what types of surgical intervention exist for varicose veins in the legs. How to prepare for surgery and what to do after it to avoid unwanted complications and relapses.