As Painless as Going to the Dentist

This is nothing compared to what Tammie is going through, but I thought I'd share my experience.
Microphlebectomy
This procedure is performed painlessly under local anesthesia. This is the preferred method for treating very superficial bulging veins of the saphenous system or its tributaries. It is very effective and safe. After the anesthesia is working, small punctures are placed over the vein and the vein is extracted with a tiny hook. No stitches are required. Some bruising may occur, but this usually resolves in a few weeks. Compression stockings area worn for 48 hours, and the patient may return to full activities immediately. When the local anesthesia wears off, most patients experience no pain whatsoever.

VNUS® Closure® is a clinically proven, minimally invasive procedure that treats varicose veins and their underlying cause, venous reflux, with little or no pain. Closure patients can walk away from the vein procedure and be back to everyday activities – either at home or at work – typically within a day. (Yeah, typical activities like walking and sleeping).

They also said it was as painless as going to the dentist. Yeah, right. I'm feeling much better today, just 3 days later. But let me tell you it is painful in case you wanted to know. And what they don't tell you is that they will wrap your leg in 3 aces bandages so wide you could use it as a swing. Your leg will resemble a mummy from toe to hip and it will be as large as the Michelin man. Your foot will become numb from the ace bandage, and you will wonder if the back of your knee is getting circulation. You'll wake up in the morning to find out that your leg is swollen and about to bust out of the bandages. It doesn't remember how to walk and upon removing the 3 blasted ace bandages and showering you'll discover you can't stand up either. Your leg will look like something from a horror movie, and you'll find a pile of bloody pads stacked up in your shower and wonder if anybody has really ever had this done before or were you just an experiment? If they knowingly did, they are crazy. At this point I just cried. Cried that I had this done to myself. What was I thinking? Before, at least all you could see was one thick blue line here and there. But now everything was purple and I had 6 or more punctures in my skin. And I have this lovely tattoo looking thing of what my vein looked liked. "It will fade in a couple of weeks." Yikes. When that is all over you have to hike your knee up to your face and squeeze your leg into a hose the size of a golf ball. Let me tell you, that's easy.

Yeah, I felt pain. I felt the stupid catheter being jabbed into my vein..my very painful varicose vein. I felt him take the catheter out, and I felt the tug when he removed one of the veins. I could also feel the blood oozing out of my veins. I tried not to think about that. I think he's really a mad scientist, you know looks nice and all in the daytime then he gets behind the curtain...

That's all the negative. Now the good stuff. I had no idea that he performed a phlebectomy. No idea. I felt the tug but honestly had no idea what it was. I had a hard time of it, but he told me later a lot of that had to to with my vein system. He said mine was unusually complicated. He said it didn't make the surgery any more complicated for him, it just meant I had a lot more bruising and a lot more entry points than most people. I think his nurse was way more queasy than I was. She freaked me out by biting her nails during the whole thing. That was a trip. All and all I really love my doctor and will use him again and again as he has been doing this for a long time. My leg looks horrible, but it is finally starting to feel great. I know the bruising will go away in a few weeks. We still have to work on the calf area, but I am going to wait a month to heal up and get over this one. See...they have me brainwashed, too. It's just like going to the dentist. Not!