You have noticed your Varicose Veins slowly getting worse and you don’t want them to get as bad as your mother’s legs so you have tried everything. You watch what you eat so you don’t put on weight, you work out at the Gym to help with muscle tone and circulation, you wear compression stockings when you exercise, you use flight socks when you take long haul plane flights, you take a supplement your naturopath says will help with the strength of your blood vessels, you avoid crossing your legs, you don’t wear shoes with high heels, you don’t stand still or sit for long periods of time without getting up and walking around and at the end of the day you elevate your legs when watching TV. Yet your Varicose Veins are still there and continue to worsen, what should you do next?
The next step is to have a Leg Vein Consultation and Ultrasound to work out the underlying deep vein problem that is causing the Varicose Veins. The Leg Vein consultation is with a medical doctor experienced in leg vein disease. As well as a History and Clinical Examination, a screening Ultrasound using a Doppler Ultrasound is performed to identify any significant underlying blood flow problems. The Leg Vein Consultation only involves Ultrasound gel on the skin and is not painful. You will need to undress so the full legs can be seen but loose fitting shorts are fine or a gown can be provided if required.
After the examination treatment options are discussed to determine the best management plan. It may be that it is appropriate to just monitor the Varicose Veins at this time or it may be that treatment is advisable before the Varicose Veins get worse. In some cases, further evaluation may be needed before deciding on the best treatment option and a further more detailed Mapping Scan using a Colour Flow Duplex Ultrasound Scanner may need to be organised.
A referral from your GP is not necessary for a Leg Vein Consultation and a Medicare rebate can be claimed. The cost for a Leg Vein Consultation is $180 (Medicare rebate $87.10) and takes 30 minutes.
