Advanced varicose veins cannot always be successfully cured using conservative treatment methods. Therefore, varicose veins are removed through 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 in the lower extremities is mandatory in the following cases:
- If the disease has become extensive and advanced;
- If the saphenous veins are greatly enlarged;
- If the movement of blood through the vessels is interrupted, this is the reason why the legs constantly hurt, quickly get tired and 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. The treatment of varicose veins with surgical intervention begins with passing all the necessary analyzes and performing the necessary studies of the body. On the day of the operation it is necessary:
- Take a shower in the morning;
- 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 venous veins are removed under general anesthesia, the patient is given a cleansing enema in the evening.
If the doctor has recommended the treatment of varicose veins in the legs with surgery, it is important to inform him about the presence of allergic reactions to medicines in order to avoid serious consequences. The operation is performed using an anesthetic and iodine-containing agents. Therefore, if you are allergic to such drugs, you should tell your doctor about it.
If after surgery in the area of the lower extremities, the patient must stay in the hospital for rehabilitation, the doctor must also inform the doctor about the medications he takes 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 interventions:
- During phlebectomy, only those veins affected by varicose veins are removed. Diseased veins are removed through small incisions in the leg;
- Dissection is performed to remove the great saphenous vein along with its branches. This operation for varicose veins is performed through an incision in the inguinal fold. The veins that underwent the operation are tied and a tight bandage is placed on the leg;
- During sclerosis, the diseased vessels are filled with a special substance that glues them. Instead of diseased veins, scar tissue appears, which, with the help of special preparations, is then dissolved without leaving a trace;
- Treatment of varicose veins in the lower extremities is carried out using a laser beam that penetrates the venous veins through special punctures. With laser therapy, the veins merge, dissolve and disappear after a while. Reviews from patients show that such a surgical intervention is quite effective, due to which relapses of the disease do not occur.
Leg surgery for varicose veins today is not scary. Each intervention is performed with a small incision in the skin. 24 hours after surgical interventions, the patient can be discharged home and after a few days is allowed to return to work.
It is important that before undergoing foot 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 a lot and hematomas 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 occur very rarely. 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.
When surgery for varicose veins is left behind, it is important to take the following rehabilitation measures:
- Take complete rest;
- To walk outside;
- Do physical exercises, taking into account the allowed loads, which are determined for each patient individually;
- Follow the diet;
- Tightly bandage the operated areas on the leg 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 forbidden to drink alcohol, do heavy physical work, take a hot bath or drive a car for two days.
During the four days, pain in the lower extremities and an increase in body temperature may occur. 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 blood clotting, postoperative treatment of varicose veins is carried out with antiplatelet agents. The doctor may prescribe a course of acetylsalicylic acid. To thin the blood, the patient is given glycosaminoglycan injections.
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 performing hygiene on your operated leg. Do not wet the bandage before removing the stitches! The stitches are removed seven days after the operation, once the wounds have completely healed.
After they are removed, you should take a shower carefully. You can not forcefully tear off the crusts near the wounds; they should fall on their own. When bathing, wash the foot gently with a soft sponge and baby soap. They are then wiped with a soft towel and the lines of the scar painted with alcohol or brilliant green. You should not steam the wounds in a sauna or hot bath for a month.
How to eat during rehabilitation
To strengthen blood vessels, it is recommended to drink some dry red wine, beet or tomato juice, grape juice, eat cranberry, 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 beneficial. You can prepare salads from them, seasoning them with vegetable oil or lemon juice;
- As for fruits, it is useful to eat eggplants, 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, make salads from mussels, crabs, shrimps, oysters and squid;
- To maintain the health of blood vessels, it is recommended to consume a few walnuts every 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 occur that you should know about in advance.
Possible complications after surgery on the extremities:
- The formation of bruises that disappear on their own within a month. They rarely stay on the skin for more than two months;
- Sometimes in the places where a wound or cut has been made, the skin begins to thicken. Within a month, the seal resolves itself;
- If the skin cut affects the nerve endings, the patient may feel pain in this 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 days after vein surgery, it is recommended to avoid heavy work.
To avoid the described consequences after surgery, it is necessary to carry out their prevention.
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, experts recommend moving 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 legs 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 in bed;
- Put an elastic bandage on your operated leg and start walking and doing light physiotherapy exercises. It is recommended to wear an elastic bandage for three months after the operation.
To prevent the recurrence of the disease, it is important to lead an active lifestyle, perform physical therapy, go to the pool and eat a healthy and balanced diet.
To avoid developing varicose veins and getting rid of varicose veins, you should exercise, run, walk a lot, swim and take yoga classes.
If you stand a lot all day, you should 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 to surgery for varicose veins
It is not always possible to remove the veins using varicose vein surgery. Treatment of the disease with surgical intervention cannot be performed for people suffering from hypertension (late stage of the disease), coronary artery diseases, 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 endanger your health, you should carefully read what assessments different doctors have. Only after a thorough analysis of the information collected about the doctors, you can go to the chosen specialist and entrust him with your problem.
What to do if the operation is contraindicated for you
If for some reason you cannot do 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 tone. To choose the right compression, you should consult a doctor;
- You can make creams for the sore areas of the feet from a decoction of yogurt and wormwood. A compress made from hop infusion, alcohol solution from Kalanchoe leaves, cabbage with honey or raw potatoes will also be useful;
- The early stage of varicose veins is treated with hirudotherapy. Leech saliva is used for treatment, 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, creams, masks or baths are also made from blue clay;
- After consultation with the doctor, varicose veins of 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, then surgery cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor at the right time to protect the health of your feet.
How do patients react to surgery for varicose veins?
If you carefully study all reviews about surgical intervention for varicose veins, you can draw the following conclusion. If you have indications for surgery, there is no reason to fear. Feel free to do and follow carefully 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 interventions exist for varicose veins in the legs. How to prepare for surgery and what to do after it to avoid unwanted complications and relapse.