By far the majority of the people I treat for a vein condition tell me that they’ve been experiencing their symptoms for years and they never knew they were treatable. In fact, they had no idea that they were actually symptoms of anything other than age.
I find that most people write these symptoms off as simply signs of getting older. People I speak with, men and women of all ages, have simply adjusted their lifestyle to accommodate a “new normal” - one where you just accept the fact that you can’t do what you used to do. People change their lives to work around the fact that their legs, feet, and poor sleep are now part of life. More than anything, I want people to know that these are all treatable symptoms that point to the presence of a vein condition.
To help understand what lifestyle experience you may be having that indicates the possible presence of a vein condition, here is an easy self-evaluation with 12 quick questions. Chances are you recognize yourself in more than a few of them.
12 Easy Questions to Self-Evaluate Your Vein Health
- Do you wear long pants or skirts to cover your bulging visible veins or discolored legs?
- Do you avoid activities where you would have to wear shorts or a bathing suit because of the appearance of your legs?
- Is your sleep interrupted by restless legs or leg discomfort?
- Have you experienced itching or burning in your lower legs or found yourself scratching your calves or ankles at night?
- Do your legs swell up by evening each day, and go back to normal by the next morning?
- Do you avoid activities that involve standing for long periods of time?
- Do you feel so tired in the evening that you put your feet up in a recliner or sofa, and struggle to get up to do evening activities or chores?
- Do you avoid evening activities that require sitting because of jumpy restless legs, such as car trips, plane rides, theatre, movies, sporting events, etc?
- Are you waking up in the middle of the night because of painful leg or foot cramps?
- Do you experience itching, burning, or stinging in your feet, or are your feet constantly cold? Do you notice that this is worse at night and gets better in the morning?
- Do you wake up feeling exhausted or unrefreshed, no matter how much sleep you seem to get?
- Have you gained weight due to reduced activity at work or at home? Do you find yourself sitting down, taking breaks, or avoiding activity because you're tired?
If you found that you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you may have a vein circulation problem. The pattern of abnormal vein circulation:
- Symptoms occur primarily from the knees down.
- Symptoms worsen in the evening or at night and when standing or sitting.
- Symptoms are improved with overnight rest or leg elevation.
- Common symptoms include:
- Leg aching, swelling, or cramps
- General fatigue
- Restless legs
- Foot numbness, tingling, burning, or coldness
- Some but not all may have visible leg veins
A vein screening will provide a next-step evaluation. Ultimately, the only way to know for sure is to have a specialized vein ultrasound done. With any of the indicators above, a vein ultrasound will reveal the presence of vein reflux. Vein reflux causes inflammation, and inflammation is the cause of most of these symptoms.
When people finally schedule a free ultrasound, it’s typically because someone who cares about them noticed what was going on and encouraged them to schedule a free vein screening. While other conditions may cause some of these symptoms, our team knows how to recognize the patterns of a vein condition and how to spot the difference.
