My mom has really bad vericose veins in her feet, ankles, and legs. Her feel swell so bad, she can't even walk on them at times. She now wears only slippers because shoes cause too much pressure on her feet. Even socks hurt. My mom is such a loving and giving person who never complains. I would love to give her something special this Christmas to ease some of her pain. Does anyone have any suggestion that would help her vericose veins? I've thought about a foot bath, but I don't know if that would aggravate her condition. Someone suggested Pycnogenol, but she's on medication for HBP, and I don't know what's safe to use. She also has a torn retina and a dropped bladder.
Your help is truly appreciated.
Peggy
Follow Ups:
Re: Vericose Veins
Posted by Walt Stoll on December 07, 1998 at 11:16:22:
In Reply to: Vericose Veins posted by Peggy on December 06, 1998 at 22:33:24:
Dear Peggy,
This is one Christmas gift you may not be able to give her. It is one she has to give herself. You can tell her what to do and I can tell her what to do but, in the end, SHE is the one who will have to learn about it & DO it.
Is she over weight? Does she have elastic stockings that do not go past her knee? Does she know to apply them before she arises in the AM? Were they fitted before she got out of bed in the AM? Does she know about the work of the Schute Brothers in Canada with high doses of vitamin E? There is more, but...............
Talk at me. However, if she is unwilling to learn about this & do what she learns, you need to just love her as she is & let her go. You can lead a horse to water---------------
Walt
Follow Ups:
Re: Vericose Veins
Posted by Peggy on December 08, 1998 at 10:06:39:
In Reply to: Re: Vericose Veins posted by Walt Stoll on December 07, 1998 at 11:16:22:
My mom and I are ready and willing to learn all we can. My mom has limited reading and comprehension skill (I suspect she may be dislexic, labeled as slow in school), so I will be doing the research and relaying information to her. Please just direct us on where we need to start.
My mom is about 15-20 lbs. overweight. Her left ankle has been broken twice. The veins are bad from her feet to just above her knees. She has worn elastic stockings, but was afraid of the tops squeezing the enlarged vein near her knee. I think she may also have arthritis in her knees.
Your help is appreciated,
Peggy
PS. For myself, is there anyway to prevent getting vericose veins?
Follow Ups:
Re: Varicose Veins
Posted by Walt Stoll on December 08, 1998 at 18:11:00:
In Reply to: Re: Vericose Veins posted by Peggy on December 08, 1998 at 10:06:39:
Hi, Peggy.
The question with your mother is not that whether she can learn this herself. There is nothing wrong with your helping her. You are a blessing in this for her. The only question was whether SHE was interested in "doing" or if you wanted to help more than she wanted to help herself.
With this note, I am convinced that we can do this through you.
First, about her:
I would suggest she take at least 1000 units of mixed tocopherols (ask the healthfood store owner) vitamin E twice a day. Next, I need to know if it is her deep veins or the suprerficial system that is involved. Her doc would know----or should. Simple physical exam techniques determine which and the conventional management is almost totally dependent upon which system is involved.
The things I will suggest here help both kinds so can be started at once.
Any elastic stockings must not come to within closer than 2 inches below the crease of her knee. The top of the right kind of stocking has a flat stiffener sewn into the fabric so that there is NO binding at that point. The flat thing keeps the stocking from "rolling". Next, the stockings have to be fit directly to her legs at the appliance store (where you get splints, crutches, otrhopedic braces, etc.). She must not skimp on this. The stockings should have no toes or heel and be substantial enough that there would be NO swelling by the end of the day that was not there upon arising.
IF she has any swelling upon arising, she might have to spend a few days in bed (up to bathroom for minimal intervals at a time) until all swelling is gone. In that case a home visit for fitting should be arranged. This is routinely done but must be ordered by her doc. Any doc that would not cooperate with this (After all s/he should have already done it. The recommendation should not have to come from her [or you]) is not worthy of taking care of her & she needs to find a better doc.
Some docs are more attached to their egos than they are concerned about the welfare of their patients. It is better to find this out earlier than later.
She must make an appointment to be fitted the first thing upon their opening for business. She has to go directly from her bed to the car & keep her legs elevated in the back seat of the car until she gets there. Then, as quickly as reasonably possible she needs to get into the store & get her legs back up at least as high as her hips until they can fit her.
This makes sure that her legs are as small as gravity can reasonably make them and the stockings are designed to keep them that way. She must wear them all the time except when she is in the bath or in bed. SO, she will need at least 2 pair so she can launder one pair while she wears the other. A slant board would help her get her legs small & would help if she did it every day for about 30 minutes.
Once I know which system is involved, I can suggest more options.
If either of you want to know more about the research behind this, go to the library & ask for ANYTHING published in the past 40 years by the Shute Brothers (Wilfred & Evan) in Canada. They are both MDs and are known as the world's experts in this area.
Also, until the mechanics are controlled, ANY additional antioxidents will help avoid some of the symptoms she has (vitamin C, A, beta carotene, pycnogenol, etc.).
Finally, until I know the answers to the above, losing weight would help her a lot. Remember, she may need to be refitted with the elastic stockings after she loses weight. The actual, accurate, fitting of the stockings is the single most important thing for her right now and it is also the most neglected thing by most MDs.
A habit she needs to make is to never sit down for more than a couple of minutes without getting her feet up on a chair as high as her hips. Riding in a car should never last longer than 10 minutes without stopping and getting out to walk for a few minutes------------UNLESS she can sit in the back with her legs up on the seat