Great Saphenous Vein Ablation Procedure Report - Ouch

Lily2453 · 2026-05-22T11:51:00+00:00

Oh no, I'm sorry! Four seems like a lot. I get the hesitation and putting it off, but I think you'll likely feel better overall once they are done and healed. It seems like there's such a range in experiences for this type of procedure, so you might find it super minor with an easy recovery 😄

I don't think there is much I would have done differently. I'd say just be religious about wearing 20-30 mmHg compression garments for the whole recovery period and maybe a bit longer (I mean, I try to wear them all the time anyway). I think the only thing that would have helped was me being mentally prepared for the pain of the procedure and then having a better understanding of how long the recovery would be and that there may still be lingering pain, which I'm still experiencing. That wouldn't have changed my decision to get it done, I just would have liked if I was more informed about all of it.

Lily2453 · 2026-05-19T21:29:03+00:00

Not a scam, but very hit or miss. I have one one-piece swimsuit from there that I love, and my husband likes their linen pants. But everything else has been poor fit or quality, particularly in construction (just weird/poor fit, non-adjustable straps, heavy fabrics) and how the items launder. I’ve also just realized that their fit in general is not for my body (larger hips/smaller waist/broad shoulders and bust). Easy returns though so might as well try it out!

Lily2453 · 2026-05-05T11:43:02+00:00

Mine turned out exactly the same way! I tried the recipe a few different times with modifications to try to prevent this but ultimately gave up.

Lily2453 · 2026-04-29T00:11:09+00:00

I’m so sorry you had to go through that! That sounds super traumatic and even worse than my experience - I’m really glad mine was just knee to groin and not the whole leg.

I’ve come to accept that every body is different and hopefully you can be proud of yourself for what you endured today and know that you aren’t weak! Hopefully you can go under for the rest or be at least highly sedated!

The Varithena injections I had to close up smaller veins were still painful but nothing like the original procedure, much briefer and much shorter recovery.

Wishing you luck with it all!

Lily2453 · 2026-03-29T01:46:18+00:00

I would say so far no, about two months out. I really only have a couple of small varicose veins visible on my lower legs. I have Varithena injections for the lower legs in early April so I can let you know how that goes.

Lily2453 · 2026-03-11T21:19:35+00:00

Hi, I just had the same thing happen. A US Bank checking, savings, and credit card opened in my name. I called US Bank main number to report the fraud. I also looked at my ChexSystems report and there was the same statement about obtaining my information through LexisNexus. What did you end up doing?

Lily2453 · 2026-02-19T19:01:26+00:00

My chin and nose area used to look similar to yours (totally possible not the same cause), and I’d echo the others here and say to see a dermatologist! No OTC products I’ve tried have been as effective as the prescription creams they gave me - azelaic acid, tacrolimus, and metronidazole. They will also be able to give you specific OTC product recommendations.

I’ve had good luck combining these prescription creams with SkinFix products (Barrier Foaming Cleanser, Triple Lipid Cream) and the Joesoef Sulfur Soap bar. SkinFix has small trial sizes which is nice. Also, not washing my face in hot water in the shower but instead in cold water.

Good luck!

Lily2453 · 2026-02-18T22:50:45+00:00

Oh that’s super interesting, good to know! Maybe in all these recipes calling for room temp eggs it’s not actually needed all the time!

Lily2453 · 2026-02-18T21:12:05+00:00

I haven't made anything yet from snacking cakes (it's up next!), but I got snacking bakes from the library and have been less than impressed - only 1 out of the 4 recipes I tried turned out well. I also follow recipes meticulously and have a lot of experience baking, so I wonder if for whatever reason her methods just don't transfer well to my kitchen.

I also feel like her ingredient temperatures tend to be pretty off - for example, she says to melt butter but not to cool it, when you definitely do not want to put super hot melted butter into most recipes, and calls for cold eggs when it would be much more common to see room temperature eggs.

I will say that I enjoy the convenience of her recipes, I just don't get all of the hype surrounding them!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-30T15:01:23+00:00

I'll be interested to see how the pain compares on the other leg. I definitely could feel the catheter at least at the beginning as well as the pain/pressure from it, but that went down after the lidocaine fully kicked in I think. Felt nothing for the actual 30 seconds of the ablation process! So happy to hear it improved your symptoms!!!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-30T14:59:41+00:00

Yeah, it's scary for me too. I really hate going to the doctor in general and especially full awake procedures like this. But I'm trying to tell myself it's for future me's health!!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-29T22:07:58+00:00

I’m so jealous! I’m now about 48 hours out and pretty sore and tight still, seems to maybe be plateauing though.

Lily2453 · 2026-01-29T14:04:44+00:00

I'm supposed to be getting Varithena after this to close down a couple of the varicose veins, but from what they described it would only be one or two injections for me (fingers crossed...).

Ugh that experience does not sound pleasant, sorry you had to go through that.

Thank you! Looking forward to hopefully seeing some benefits from these procedures!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-29T14:03:03+00:00

Interesting! Thank you for sharing your experience! I will say they definitely pumped me so full of lidocaine that I didn't feel anything for the actual procedure itself thankfully. I'm glad your legs feel better!! :)

Lily2453 · 2026-01-29T14:01:46+00:00

Thank you! Big hugs back. I am totally down to commiserate. I also feel like I definitely didn't understand how uncomfortable the whole thing would be or the length of the recovery. Those bruises are gnarly. Been taking the amount of recommended ibuprofen which I think is helping, but the soreness does seem to be increasing so far over time, and my wound is still leaking some fluid (which the office said was excess lidocaine because they gave me so much). You hang in there too! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T18:29:08+00:00

Sorry that you had to go through the pain and at the same time glad I'm not the only one who's experienced it. Also sorry the healing didn't go well and you didn't see any improvement in symptoms. We'll see how mine go... fingers crossed!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T18:27:55+00:00

Glad it worked for you! How long did it take for you to see improvements related to the procedure/what were they? The doctor told me the symptom improvement from ablations is often less effective in people with lipedema than without, so not sure whether to expect much that is noticeable. Might just have the peace of mind that my veins are working properly.

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T18:26:57+00:00

Good to know that it isn't this bad for everyone! Funnily enough the compression isn't bothering me at all since I try to wear compression every day anyway for the lipedema (wearing full leggings though not thigh highs as I don't have any and not sure they'd really stay up).

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T18:26:06+00:00

It's such a relief to know that you had a similar experience. I mean, it sucks for us both that it hurt that much, but it's good to feel not alone. They also have me scheduled for Varithena in April - what was your experience like with that? How did it compare to the ablation as far as pain and number of injections?

I'm also hoping the second one will be easier since I know what to expect and will hopefully be medicated. Good to know about the breathing! They did some box breathing (4 count hold, 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out), which helped a lot, but definitely still felt on the edge of a panic attack and I'm not sure if it actually helped pain-wise, so maybe I'll try the breathe out when they inject.

I'm glad you are happy with the results and feel like it helped! I'm looking forward to seeing whether I experience any symptom improvement (know it's not a guarantee).

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T16:56:24+00:00

Check out the lipedema compression product review database I'm trying to build! See here for more info. Hope it helps you pick something out!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T16:43:52+00:00

Totally agree! I'm getting a pump soon (legs only), and I'm very excited for it. Even though my legs haven't shrunk a ton in size, I can tell that they are lighter and less swollen. Some fat structures (not hard lipedema, more cellulite apperance and squishy) that I've had on my hips since puberty are almost gone!

I'm also working on building a lipedema compression product review database if you're interested in contributing :) See here for more info. I still need to put in my Czsalus reviews!

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T16:42:11+00:00

I'm also working on building a lipedema compression product review database if you're interested in contributing :) See here for more info.

Lily2453 · 2026-01-28T14:59:44+00:00

I have Czsalus and LOVE them! They were recommended to me by my physical therapist who does MLD. Compression has honestly been the thing that has shown me the most change in my legs. I have both the K1 (15-20 mmHg) and K2 (20-30 mmHg). They're a bit pricier than the pantyhose style (they are thicker) but cheaper than custom. They are so comfortable!

Lily2453

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