Sitting on the bench again

C Craft

Well-Known Member
The title pretty much says it all. I have had heart troubles for years and had a quadruple bypass back in 2010. Up until the last year or a little better haven't had much problems. Now I am experiencing nerve pain due to the back fusion I had in 1998. My feet get like pins and needles, not while I am on them so much but more when I get off of them! So going to bed at night is a real joy. Sometimes it is an hour or two before I can get them to ease up enough for me to go to sleep!

The biggest problem, that is really beginning to be the problem that is causing me to sit on the sideline is the poor circulation I am having in my feet and legs. My Grandson saw my legs the other day and said, Pop you have a good tan on your legs. Not a tan son! I have spider veins and varicose veins in my legs. Not that I am worried about how they look, I just want to be able to stand and work in the shop!

They say my veins that return the blood to the heart are not working good and blood pools in my legs, causing the dark look as well as all the spots and blotches. I have been sent to a Dermatologist, because they thought it was turning into cellulitis .

I sure miss being in the shop, in fact this time it is so bad I can't be on my feet for much!!

Makes you feel useless. Hopefully when I go back to the heart doc, he can do something to help!! You don't realize how precious your health is, till its gone! OK enough of the whining! I got to go, I have had the foot down long enough now!! You all keep up the good work guys!
 
Prayers sent up for you. From your description it sounds very uncomfortable and frustrating.
 
Cliff - did you ever get a vein doc to check out those veins? Sounds like my leg was before I had the vein work done - major difference as we've talked before. Best thing I ever at done.
 
Not yet, they sent me to a Dermatologist/MOHS surgeon/plastic surgeon. You know those are the ones who cut out skin cancers and don't stop till they get back to good tissue. You know the ones you see the patients they cut on that are missing large chunks for their ears or nose! The cut one off the side of my head a few years back My saving grace was it was in my hairline and it was all covered by the hair when it finally healed.
I saw the PA and she gave me measurements for compression stockings. I looked them up and they are about $50-60 a pair. Also gave me a script for some cream, I am sure my insurance probably won't pay for! I am hoping that maybe the VA will cover it when I go back to my primary, at the VA Clinic. ! I do not know if my insurance will pay for that kind of vein surgery or not Ken and if they don't I can't afford it. I am going to approach that subject though with the Dermatologist when I go back! I have an upcoming appointment with my heart doctor and gonna talk to him about that as well!! He had mentioned about doing a procedure on that right leg but, I don't think that is what he was speaking of!

I slept with the foot elevated on two pillows last night and a lot of the swelling is down! I say slept, as I didn't do a lot of sleeping. Even now I have the foot propped up while on the PC! The swelling is better but where the deep red area was, last night it had a lot of water blisters and today looks like a burn area, with rippled skin left from the blistering!

It is hell to get old but then again the alternative is not a lot better! One doctor told me this is the price you pay for all the fun you had when you were younger. If I would have known back then, what I know now well,...............I would have had a lot more fun!! :D
 
When talking to docs about this vein stuff, be SURE to stress this is NOT cosmetic work you're looking for on the veins, but medical to allow blood to be returned to heart up the veins. It might not be your trouble, but it sure did work for me! I had several veins in the right leg where the one-way valves in the vein were blown completely and didn't work at all. Once they plugged those bad veins, the body rerouted the blood to veins that still had one-way valves that worked - swelling went down in just a couple of days. I sure wish I'd had this done years ago.

I had talked with several docs in the past few years (family doc, cardiac, etc) and they didn't have a clue about this type of work. They all thought it was cosmetic only.

Good luck
 
Ken, is there any literature I can read on this subject. I can't seem to find a lot about the procedure as medical procedure! Maybe your doctor can recommend some literature on the subject.
I know they can close those bad veins by laser, foam, super glue, and a few more ways. How did they do yours Ken???
 
Combo of laser and foam - from what I understand anyway. He says one of the veins was so large he had to use the "expensive" stuff to close it up, and that took a couple of visits. I'll check with him and see if he's got any good links (or brochures) to the procedures.
 
Guys, I have been working on something. I have some old tube sock, (now that date me:)). Anyway I have been wearing them when I am on my feet in the shop. My leg that swells so badly is the one they took the veins from to do my bypass. I have been wrapping it at the foot and ankle and it is doing better.
I have got to loose some of this weight and get to walking again. I use to do 2 miles a day and I was doing better back then!
 
A day at a time Cliff...I am slowly dropping the weight for some of the same reasons. Don't get discouraged, eat healthy and try a little exercise and maybe elevate that foot during lunch and breaks. That's what I have to do sometimes....

No doc will tell you to do this... but I buy Sodium Ascorbate on Amazon and drink a tablespoon morning and night in 8-10 oz of water (you can add sweetener or put it in Oj, etc). My feet have done much better since doing this...cleans out your veins a bit and makes them a bit more elastic. (search Dr Linus Pauling for some interesting reading)

Praying for you Cliff.
 
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Guys, I have been working on something. I have some old tube sock, (now that date me:)). Anyway I have been wearing them when I am on my feet in the shop. My leg that swells so badly is the one they took the veins from to do my bypass. I have been wrapping it at the foot and ankle and it is doing better.
I have got to loose some of this weight and get to walking again. I use to do 2 miles a day and I was doing better back then!

I hate to hear this, Cliff- but I'm happy you shared this because I'm having the same problem and I'm not exactly sure why. I have had gout for several years now and I've been chalking the constant swelling up to that, but now I'm not so sure. The constant swelling got better once I went on the gout medicine, but there are lots of times I get the swelling without getting the gout flare. I think the gout medicine has been masking another problem. I even have two sets of shoes, my normal pair and a big loose pair when my feet swell up.

I believe the underlying issue is that I am so inactive now.
 
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It can go both ways. I had a TAI three years ago( pre stroke). They put me on some medicine tht made my legs and feet swell. I had to buy a bigger shoe also. After two years they changed my medication and now my original shoes are extra loose. At least my BP is staying in the 130s. I'm happy.
 
Thanks Ken, that Dermatologist I saw gave me three links, where I could buy the socks. However their compression socks all start at $50 -$65 a pair!!:eek: And I think I saw them for more than that on the one site!!!

Since I have been keeping the compression on my legs during the day and elevating that right foot those two bulging veins, one has dried up and the other is in the process of doing the same. I guess my legs are making a switch to the new veins taking over! I am gonna ask the Dermatologist about plugging any bad veins to make more new ones take over!!
 
Yep, my wife did the same thing, her doc gave her a referral to a place with compression socks, seems like one pair cost her $50! No better than the pair I got for about $9/pr.

It sounds like the compression socks will help your legs - and GOOD LUCK!!! with the doc.
 
Here it is 3:40 AM feet are driving me insane tonight! Feel like two blocks of ice, yet they have like they have fire shooting thru them! Guess sleep is not going to be my friend tonight!
 
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