Many people think that varicose veins are an “old person’s” disease. That’s simply not true.
I first noticed bulging vein in my leg when I was 15 years old.
Later, in medical school, I was standing at the scrub sink in surgery and my legs were hurting - really bad. In pain, I turned to the Chief Resident next to me and said, not really expecting any real response, "My legs are absolutely killing me just standing here.” He replied matter-of-factly, “You have a vein problem in your legs. You need to start wearing compression stockings.” I felt completely dejected, like my body was breaking down. I was only 25 years old. I thought leg pain was an old person’s disease. I know now that it’s not.
As time went by, year after year, the pain slowly got worse, as vein conditions always do. When I was an intern, I recall walking around at a state fair on a beautiful day and my legs hurt so bad that, in the middle of the crowded fair, I laid down on the cement in front of a bench to elevate my legs. The pain had gotten bad enough that I had no pride left. People were walking around me, but my only concern was of getting relief.
The only solution that I knew about back then was vein stripping - a procedure that was painful and required time off work for recuperation - and I knew I didn’t want that. So I kept hoping for a better treatment method, and I kept suffering. My legs continued to hurt more and more. It got to the point where, as a young adult, I would sit around during the weekend and not want to do anything...no exercise, no chores, no fun activities with friends...because my legs hurt so much. I found that, at the end of the day, what I began to look forward to was not being at home with my wife and kids, but hurrying home to sit and elevate my legs. I didn’t see any way to get relief and felt hopeless. I thought “this must be what getting old feels like.”
Finally, when new techniques with laser technology came available, I had a glimmer of hope that I could finally get some relief. I had my treatments 15 years ago. I will NEVER forget that moment the day after treatment when I realized the aching was gone. I was pain free for the first time in years! My dark cloud of leg pain and fatigue was so familiar to me that I couldn’t imagine life without it. Now a day after treatments, I felt like a new person! For the first time, I knew it wasn't something I had to live with because I was getting old.
Because of my experience, I could see how much this vein condition affects people and how treatments transforms them. People are able to get their energy back, enjoy their daily activities and resume a healthy and active lifestyle, which I certainly did.
My personal experience inspired me to bring these new treatments to help as many people as possible with vein conditions, many who don’t realize they have a problem. Most people are like I was....trying to live life limited by fatigue and aching legs, and not realizing there is a solution within reach. Fortunately, laser technology now makes the procedure virtually painless and rapidly relieves symptoms. After my own treatments, I was inspired to get the word out and educate as many people as possible about how these advances can improve energy, health and enjoyment of life.
I do this for a living because I’ve been there. I understand how debilitating a vein condition can be and I’ve worked hard to be in a position to help others. There’s nothing more rewarding than making a difference. For my staff and I, we get to do it every day.