Varicose veins? Weight loss surgery?

MeganReid1991

I have very bad varicose veins on one of my legs. I have a appointment with a specialist but that could take 8 plus months.
I’m wondering if anyone that has lost weight seen. Improvement.
Or has anyone got treatment and seen great results?

puffbrat

I don't have personal experience, but I have family members who have had success with treatment. Weight loss didn't seem to help the varicose veins for them.

RelCanonical

puffbrat wrote: »

I don't have personal experience, but I have family members who have had success with treatment. Weight loss didn't seem to help the varicose veins for them.

I'll second your anecdote. My dad had rather severe varicose veins, they were quite bulging and extensive, and weight loss didn't really help (although he didn't have much to lose) but the treatment was very effective and you can barely tell he had varicose veins.

estherdragonbat

MeganReid1991 wrote: »

I have very bad varicose veins on one of my legs. I have a appointment with a specialist but that could take 8 plus months.
I’m wondering if anyone that has lost weight seen. Improvement.
Or has anyone got treatment and seen great results?

I've got circulation issues. Not varicose veins; the medical term is "Chronic venous insufficiency". Basically, because of my then-obesity-class-three bulk, the veins in my legs collapsed under the strain of too much... well, me. The primary symptom, which I ignored (it didn't cause me any pain or discomfort; I sort of had it filed under 'yeah, I should probably look into this', but never did) was my shins turning pinkish-red. The thing is, my bulk was also squeezing my lymphatic vessels. And one day, I got cellulitus, which led to lymphedema (my body produced more lymph fluid to fight the infection. It couldn't travel through the compressed vessels, so my leg erupted into water blisters and a weeping wound that took weeks, multiple courses of antibiotics, and daily dressing changes from home-care nurses to heal). My PCP referred me to a vascular surgeon who ran a bunch of tests and gave me the results. And he told me that the condition was manageable, not curable. There were two things I needed to do: wear compression stockings, and lose weight. That was what brought me here.

I can say that I have had great results. Almost two years since a flare up, skin's still a bit pink, but not like it used to be, and my vascular surgeon no longer feels periodic appointments are necessary for me. More of a "If things get bad, call me; otherwise, you've got this."

According to https://www.templehealth.org/services/conditions/varicose-veins-chronic-venous-insufficiency, varicose veins CAN occur with CVI. If so, weight loss should help. If no CVI, I defer to the posters above me who seem more knowledgeable.

zeejane03

I have vericose veins in one of my legs and have had two blood clots in them. If it happens again I'll get them removed. My veins were triggered by my pregnancies and weight loss did not help them, unfortunately.

peggy_polenta

they actually look worse as the weight comes off and you will like start to see more than you do now as the fat comes off your legs and the veins now show. i have had great success with scaralpthy injections. they won't go away on their own. once they are enlarged, that's it. they don't go back down.

Fflpnari

I have really bad ones and am having them removed. I don't think they look different with weight loss. I am hoping that having lost weight will help them from returning.

Fflpnari

Also recommend compression. Depending where your veins are. I have knee high socks with 20-30 compression and I recently bought a pair of black leggings to try with the same compression. It can help them from getting worse, and help with the symptoms of the varicose veins

150poundsofme

Had spider veins for a long while. Last 5 years my calf hurts. Every time I told the doc, she had me have a doppler test to see if I have blood clots. Still complained, sends me to vein doc, also had another doppler. No solution. 5 years later I now have different pain in calf and see that I now have varicose veins. I go to a new doc. He recommends compression stockings. I just don't get why in the last 5 years no doc mentioned that to me. The thing I have with the stockings is that by my ankles there are like 7 lines squishing into my ankle. And the top of toes are getting lines in it. I was measured by a pharmacist for the stockings. I want to make an appointment with a vein doctor and see what is up or what to do.

Torxa

I don't think weight loss is going to help. I got varicose veins on one leg when I was 21 years old and weighted 104 lbs.

Highest weight: 140, current weight: 127, varicose veins: identical to what they were years ago when I was early 20s and 104 lbs.

lorrpb

Did your doctor say that weight loss would help cure varicose veins? I'm not sure that I've ever heard that.