My Dad had them removed. He said they pull them out. Mine are getting bad now. Not too much pain yet.

You can have injections. A lady I used to work with has them done that way. My father had his stripped 37 years ago. I remember when, because he was in the hospital when my niece was born. My sister had hers done at the ripe old age of 18! They were that bad already. I have them, but they don't hurt so I'll leave them alone. I never wear shorts anyway, just capris. Nobody really notices the worst of them.

I was diagnosed with varicose veins about four years ago, don't recall how, as I don't have much if anything showing on my legs. I've had blue veins on my feet for quite some time, but they don't seem large. They prescribed a diuretic to reduce some of my water.

Anyway, they felt that I needed some vein reduction, so I was slated for a series of four shots, using MRI to guide the needle carrying a foamy stuff that was to shrink the vein.

After the first shot, I was to walk for a half hour, and two half-hour walks daily for two weeks. On the day after the last one, I did one half-hour walk, and on the next day another.

On the following morning, I was wakened early by a pain in my chest. I could take a small intake of breath without trouble, and when I pulled in a little more, there was some pain, which increased as I pulled in more, until I couldn't stand it.

Thinking that I needed to do something, without delay, I headed for the living room ... but, first things first, of course, visited the bathroom ... and, while sitting on the john, found that I could breathe without pain.

So - back to bed ... but couldn't breathe there without pain!

Didn't have handy the 800-number of the consulting nurse, so called police, they gave me hospital number, they gave me nurse's number. Called it, we had a discussion covering various aspects ... did I have pain all the time, had I had it for 5 min., etc., she said the decision was up to me, but she recomm. calling 9 1 1, I said that I didn't like to dispute an expert's testimony, but (sitting upright and having no pain) I didn't think that it was that bad, so she said that I should go to a hosp. emergency room, I agreed.

Sun. morning, I had some veggies to take to a couple of churches, had some tomatoes unpicked that were near death, I figured that whatever didn't get taken to church that morning were dead, so picked some, paying close attention to what my body was doing.

It has spoiled me, over the years, seldom, gives me trouble over anything that, within reason, I ask of it: rarely tells me, "Listen, you darned old fool - I can't do that for you, any more!".

Dropped the veggies off at two churches, at 10:30 the choir and minister ready to process up the aisle of the second when I went in, I went to hosp. emerg.

After checking in, I sat for some time, was taken to a cubicle about 2 ... so figured that I should have signed in, then gone back to church.

They did an X-ray and some tests, including of blood, plus MRI, I think, and I sat for some more time, a nurse came in about 7, saying that they had found something in my blood, and gave me a shot, telling me that I should give myself some for several days, with a nurse to come to my home the next day to get me started, and with several blood thinness tests. Also told that I was to go on pill-style blood thinner, Warfarin, and have been on it since, with tests of blood thinness, about every two-three months.

Scheduled a CT-scan the next day.

When the folks who'd done the shrinking of the veins heard of it, they took no time at all in cancelling the other three slated vein-shrinking sessions: convenience is one thing; life-threatening is another!

Seldom have needed adjustments in dosage for upwards of a year and a half or so, and it's to be the third anniversary of the blood clots in the lungs late this coming September.

If cut or scratched, I bleed a little more than I used to, but nothing of consequence ... thus far, at least ... but haven't had a major cut with which to deal.

I'm still on the diuretic pill for the veins that I began using well before the clot trouble.

I've had next to no reduction in lifestyle since those problems - for which I'm very thankful.

I said on here some time ago that I hoped that, if I were on the Warfarin for a long time, that I wouldn't start looking like a rat ...

... and one of the habitués here said that her Dad had been on it for (5+?) years ... and they hadn't seen any sign of a tail sprouting, thus far.

Having some osteo-arthritis, my doc put me on Glucosamine Sulfate, that I've been using for over a year ... and it has helped my arm movement substantially.

ole joyful

joyful, I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience!

I didn't get much response to this thread but I learned that only about 1/4 of the population, men and women, get varicose veins and probably only a small fraction try to do something about it. I have one very ugly one in my right leg so my goal is mainly cosmetic. I did have an initial consultation with the doctor last week. In order to know whether insurance will pay for the procedure you have to first wear support hose for 3 months. So I dutifully got my two pair and am due back July 1 to have a more intense consultation including various options. There are a couple of new minimally invasive techniques; no one performs "stripping" anymore evidently.

I didn't mention that following the diagnosis of the varicose veins they had me wearing knee-length squeezy socks and I was taking diuretic pills, and after the shot to shrink one of the veins they had me wearing thigh-high squezies for a short time, don't remember how long, then to return to using the knee-high ones, which I'm still doing, washing them each night. For some time I had two pair, then later another, and they have worked well for about three years, but I needed to darn a hole in the heel of one of the originals well over a year ago, and the other recently developed a small hole in the toe that I haven't darned yet ... so need to put it on the foot where it isn't over the big toe, each time it's turn comes up.

I wear a pair of regular socks over them daily, as I figure that they get less hammering from my foot than from my shoe/rubber boots, etc.

ole joyful

My (late) Mom, baby sister and myself all have/had ugly spider veins and varicose veins. You are right, insurance won't pay for them. I never wear shorts or go swimming I'm so embarassed by them. When they ache, I lie down and put my ankles up on a pillow.