Advanced varicose veins cannot always be successfully treated with conservative treatment methods. Therefore, varicose veins are removed by surgery. Surgery for varicose veins of the lower limbs has its own characteristics, rehabilitation methods and contraindications.
In what cases is vein surgery performed?
The following situations require surgery, which is only performed in a hospital by experienced specialists. Surgery of the lower limbs is mandatory in the following cases:
- If the disease has become extensive and advanced;
- If the saphenous veins are very enlarged;
- If the movement of blood through the vessels is interrupted, therefore the legs constantly ache, get tired quickly and are overloaded with difficulties;
- If the skin is trophically affected;
- If there are non-healing trophic ulcers on the legs;
- If thrombophlebitis worsens.
How to prepare for surgery
Varicose vein surgery is called phlebectomy. It is important to prepare well in advance. The treatment of varicose veins with surgical intervention begins with the completion of all the necessary examinations and the completion of the necessary examinations of the body. On the day of surgery, you will need:
- 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 a little earlier than your appointment to prepare for the upcoming procedure.
In cases where varicose veins are removed under general anesthesia, the patient is given a cleansing enema in the evening.
If your doctor has prescribed surgery to treat varicose veins in your legs, it is important to inform him of the presence of allergic reactions to the drugs in order to avoid serious consequences. The operation is performed using anesthetics and iodine-containing agents. Therefore, if you are allergic to such drugs, you should inform your doctor.
If, after surgery in the area of the lower limbs, the patient has to stay in the hospital for rehabilitation, the doctor must inform the doctor about the medications he is systematically taking.
Types of surgery for varicose veins
Varicose veins of the lower limbs are treated in different ways. The following types of surgical procedures exist:
- During phlebectomy, only those veins affected by varicose veins are removed. Diseased veins are removed through small incisions in the legs;
- Stripping is performed to remove the great saphenous vein along with its tributaries. This varicose vein surgery is performed through an incision in the inguinal fold. The operated veins are ligated and a tight bandage is placed on the leg;
- During sclerosis, diseased blood vessels are filled with a special substance that sticks them together. Instead of diseased veins, scar tissue appears, which dissolves without a trace with the help of special preparations;
- Varicose veins of the lower limbs are treated with a laser beam that penetrates the venous veins through special punctures. With laser therapy, the veins are welded together, dissolved and disappear after a while. Reviews of patients show that such surgical intervention is quite effective, due to which relapse of the disease does not occur.
Leg surgery for varicose veins is no longer scary. Any intervention is performed through a small incision on the skin. The patient can be discharged 24 hours after the operation, and can return to work after a few days.
It is important that the patient is aware of the possible consequences before foot surgery. Rehabilitation takes place in several ways. The treatment after surgery depends on how, in which area and under which anesthesia it was performed. Often after phlebectomy, the legs hurt a lot, and even hematomas appear, which disappear after a while. During laser therapy, slight pain can be felt in the lower limbs.
Rehabilitation after surgery
Relapses occur very rarely after operations on the lower limbs. The patient's further well-being depends only on him. To avoid hematomas, bleeding and other complications, you must strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations.
If varicose vein surgery is not performed, it is important to take the following rehabilitation measures:
- Get complete rest;
- To walk outside;
- Perform physical exercises, taking into account the permissible loads, which are determined individually for each patient;
- Follow the diet;
- The operated areas on the legs should be tightly bandaged with an elastic bandage;
- Wear special knitted compression underwear;
- Do not lift very heavy objects;
- Watch your weight.
For two days after surgery on the lower limbs, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, do heavy physical work, take a hot bath, or drive a car.
In four days, pain in the lower limbs and body temperature may rise. In order to cope with such unpleasant symptoms, it is recommended to massage your feet. In order to quickly restore blood flow and increase the tone of venous vessels, it is advisable to exercise a lot.
In order to prevent the formation of blood clots, the postoperative treatment of varicose veins is carried out with antiplatelet agents. The doctor may prescribe a course of acetylsalicylic acid. The patient is given a glucosaminoglycan injection to thin the blood.
Treatment or prevention of the inflammatory process is carried out with the help of antibiotics. Pain relievers are prescribed to reduce pain in the lower extremities.
You need to be very careful when performing hygiene on your operated leg. Do not wet the bandage before removing the stitches. Sutures are removed seven days after surgery, once the wounds have completely healed.
After they are removed, you should take a shower carefully. The scars near the scars cannot be torn off by force, they should fall off by themselves. When bathing, gently wash your feet with a soft sponge and baby soap. Then we wipe it with a soft towel and smear the scar lines with alcohol or brilliant green. Do not steam the 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, cranberry, garlic and lemon.
Recommended for varicose veins:
- Drink apple cider vinegar twice a day. Two tablespoons should be diluted with half a glass of water;
- Among the vegetables, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and herbs are considered useful. You can make salads from them, seasoned 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 cereals;
- To enrich the veins with vitamin E, add vegetable oil to food - olive, pumpkin or sunflower;
- In order to saturate the venous system with elastin, it is important to include seafood in the diet. Eating seaweed is recommended every day. If income allows, make a salad of clams, crabs, shrimps, oysters and squid;
- In order to preserve the health of the vascular system, it is recommended to eat several walnuts daily.
Only proper and balanced nutrition will help you recover faster after vein removal surgery.
Possible complications and consequences after surgery
In general, it can be said that 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 there are unexpected complications that you need to know about in advance.
Possible complications after surgery in the limbs:
- The formation of bruises, which disappear on their own within a month. They very rarely stay on the skin for more than two months;
- Sometimes the skin at the places where a puncture or incision was made begins to thicken. Within a month, the seal will resolve itself;
- If the skin incision affects the nerve endings, the patient may feel pain in this area. Wounds take some time to heal completely;
- If the legs are exposed to a lot of stress after the operation, swelling may occur. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid heavy work in the first days after vein surgery.
In order to avoid the described consequences after surgery, they must be prevented.
Preventive measures
Some people's wounds heal very quickly, while others suffer from the appearance of keloids. For this reason, varicose veins should not only be removed, but all preventive measures should be taken to avoid unwanted consequences.
After the operation, specialists recommend moving and not sitting still or lying in bed.
Prevention after surgery is as follows:
- First, slowly bend and straighten your knees. Make circular movements with your legs to increase the speed of venous blood flow;
- When sleeping, make sure your legs are slightly higher than your torso;
- After a few days, start actively sitting up in bed;
- Place an elastic bandage on your operated leg and start walking and doing light physical therapy exercises. It is recommended to wear an elastic bandage for three months after the operation.
In order to prevent the return of the disease, it is important to have an active lifestyle, perform physical therapy, go to the swimming pool, and eat a healthy and balanced diet.
To prevent varicose veins and to remove them, you should exercise, run, walk a lot, swim and take yoga classes.
If you stand a lot during the day, you should take a short break 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 the veins with varicose vein surgery. The treatment of the disease by surgical intervention cannot be performed in people suffering from high blood pressure (in the late stages of the disease), coronary artery disease, severe forms of infectious diseases, erysipelas and eczema.
The operation is also contraindicated during pregnancy (especially between the ages of 5-9 months) and the elderly.
It is important that the removal of varicose veins is performed by an experienced phlebologist. Therefore, in order not to risk your health, you should carefully read the opinions of different doctors. Only after a thorough analysis of the information collected about the doctors, you can turn to the selected specialist and entrust him with your problem.
What to do if surgery is contraindicated for you
If surgery cannot be performed for some reason, varicose veins are treated with conservative methods. The initial stages of the disease can be treated as follows:
- Thanks to compression garments, bulging blood vessels can be kept in tone. You should consult a doctor to choose the right compression;
- You can make creams from yogurt and wormwood decoction for sore areas of the feet. Poultices made from hop infusion, alcoholic tincture of Kalanchoe leaves, cabbage with honey or raw potatoes will be useful;
- The early stages of varicose veins are treated with hirudotherapy. For the treatment, leech saliva is used, which dilutes the blood and helps it circulate better through the veins. But after this type of therapy, sometimes small scars remain on the skin;
- Creams, masks or baths are also made from blue clay to treat the disease;
- After consultation with a doctor, leg varicose veins can be treated with special pharmaceutical ointments, creams, plasters, gels or tablets.
The described conservative methods can only be used in the initial stages of the disease. If the varicose veins have taken on a severe form of manifestation, then surgery cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important to see a doctor in time to protect the health of your feet.
How do patients react to varicose vein surgery?
If you carefully study all the reviews about surgical intervention for varicose veins, you can draw the following conclusion. If surgery is indicated, there is no need to 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 its unpleasant symptoms.
Now you know what types of surgical procedures exist for varicose veins of the legs. How to prepare for surgery and what to do afterwards to avoid unwanted complications and relapse.