Michelle Chucaralao enjoyed every moment of her pregnancies but along with her bundles of joy, came the pain of varicose veins.
“The pain from varicose veins is sharp and sets in when I stand for too long,” says Michelle.

After the birth of her second child, the pain caused by her varicose veins got worse, limiting her activity.
“You really can’t do much, you can’t run too much,” says Michelle.
Michelle wanted to avoid traditional varicose vein treatment-surgery. The surgery involves multiple incisions and the tedious process of hooking and pulling veins out. Instead, she opted for the Trivex procedure, a minimally invasive technique to remove veins.
“We use a light to see the veins, because they are under the skin, and we use a mini-vacuum to remove those veins,” says vascular surgeon, Dr. Steven Elias of Englewood Hospital.
The operation requires at most 3 or 4mm incisions per leg. A probe fitted with a light is placed into one incision. This illuminates the varicose veins in a particular area under the skin allowing the surgeon to see the veins with complete clarity. Then the veins are approached from another very short incision with a device much like a rotating blade that “vacuums” them up.
Veins carry the blood back up the leg in the direction toward the heart. If they aren’t working correctly the blood will just sit in the vein, become enlarged, which can then cause significant throbbing or pain.
Pregnancy, being overweight and family history are the prime culprits in causing varicose veins. For some they can be not just painful, but a source of embarrassment.
“I didn’t wear shorts and I didn’t wear skirts. It was always sweat pants, something long. I tried not to show my legs. It was really uncomfortable,” says Michelle.
According to Dr. Elias, because all veins are visualized with the assistance of light, patients will receive a more complete removal of varicose veins which also lowers the chance of recurrence. The procedure which usually takes less than a half hour has patients back on their feet relatively soon
“Patients can walk that day and they are encouraged to walk. We don’t want them laying in bed, we want the blood flowing in their legs,” says Dr. Elias.
Michelle is no longer hiding under long pants and she’s able to join in all of her children’s activities.
“It makes you confident when you don’t have something you’re trying to hide, when it’s gone it feels so much better,” says Michelle.
Dr. Elias advises patients that before they get the procedure, they should really do their homework. Find out how many procedures the doctor you’re considering has performed. Significant training in this technique is crucial to a successful outcome.

Related Stories

 - CLINTON SURGERY
 - FAINTING DIAGNOSIS
 - Seniors Taking Calcium Supplementation Benefit From Reduced Bone Loss