When it comes to staying in good health, people’s “weakest link” is often the condition they don’t pay attention to and have treated, because they believe they don’t need to. For many people, that “weakest link” is their varicose veins. Many of these folks have had varicose veins for so long that they have begun to take them for granted, as if they’re just “something inevitable that comes with age, something you have to live with.” Others may know that their parents and grandparents had varicose veins and never did anything about them or had them treated, so they feel that they can do the same.
If you have varicose veins, have you noticed other symptoms?
For example, if you have varicose veins but have been putting off seeing a Flower Mound vein specialist about them because you believe that they’re “just” swollen veins, and “just” an aesthetic or cosmetic concern, have you noticed that you also often experience swollen legs and ankles? This is a direct effect of the disease that causes most varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency. CVI is a circulatory abnormality that prevents deoxygenated blood from flowing back to the heart and lungs, and instead allows it to accumulate in the veins of your lower extremities. This increases pressure in the blood vessels and is what causes them to become swollen and discolored, as they take on the bluish-purple color of deoxygenated blood.
What many people with varicose veins don’t realize is that CVI is also causing their swollen legs and ankles, and the feelings of tiredness and weakness that often accompany this swelling. Left untreated, this swelling can become so painful that it can become uncomfortable to stand or walk for more than a few minutes, and can leave you feeling so weak and listless that all you can do is sit around moaning “my legs hurt,” while wondering why.
If you’ve experienced this, the “why” is probably your varicose veins. They’re not just a cosmetic problem, they’re the symptoms of a serious vein disease that is impairing your entire circulatory system. And the longer you leave the varicose veins untreated, the more time this disease has to also impair your immune system, increasing your likelihood of becoming obese and of developing more serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
How can you know whether your varicose veins are impairing your health?
Fortunately, there is a simple answer to this question – contact a Flower Mound vein specialist and schedule a venous health screening. In about an hour, after a short interview and a number of painless and non-invasive tests, Dr. Robert A. Handley can tell you exactly what the state of your vein health is, and the effect your varicose veins are having on your overall health.
In some cases that effect will be minimal, and can be treated conservatively with compression stockings, diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. In other cases, especially if the varicose veins have become infected and covered with toughened skin and sores, the recommendation might be to have them removed. Fortunately, eliminating varicose veins these days also takes only about an hour, is just about as painless as the screening, and can be performed in the comfort of our Flower Mound offices. So give one of the best vein doctors in Texas a call today at 972-410-5757 and set up an appointment for your screening. Eliminate the “weakest link” that could be negatively impacting your health as much as it negatively impacts your self-image every time you look in a mirror.
