Varicose Vein Care Prepares This Marathon Mom for the Next Big Thing

Like many young moms, Emily F. has a full and active life. At age 32, she is virtually unstoppable. She puts her all into nurturing her children, ages 3½ years and 18 months, teaching her kindergarten class, and excelling at her sport: marathon running.

But when leg pain, throbbing, and swelling from varicose veins on both legs became an obstacle to fulfilling her desire to expand her family, in true Emily fashion, she took control of her life and sought the care of a vein expert. She consulted with David Calcagno, MD, lead vein physician at the Mechanicsburg, PA, Center for Vein Restoration location.

Pregnancy, family history, and varicose veins

Emily recounts that she noticed "little varicose veins" had developed on her legs during her first pregnancy. She describes these early varicose veins as being “not too painful but definitely there.” These initial bulging veins eventually went away on their own. It wasn’t until her second pregnancy that the full force of her vein disease, which Emily says runs in her family, was revealed.

During her second pregnancy, Emily says her troublesome veins came back, “but this time a lot worse.” She describes this second bout with varicose veins as far more painful and noticeable and had developed across more areas on her legs. And, unlike after the first pregnancy, the second struggle with painful veins didn’t go away on their own.

Emily knew enough about the progressive nature of venous insufficiency (vein disease) to understand that she had to seek the help of an experienced vein doctor to get relief from her painful veins before a planned third pregnancy.

How to find the right vein doctor

Just as many people do, Emily relied on recommendations from trusted people she knew as well as her own research to find the right doctor. In Emily’s case, her sister-in-law told her about a great experience at Dr. Calcagno’s office. Emily supplemented this endorsement with her own investigation.

Emily says that she read reviews and found Dr. Calcagno and his team are “well known in the area for treating painful legs. They have been doing it for a long time and are successful at what they do.”

Varicose Veins and multiple pregnancies

Emily was not surprised when Dr. Calcagno recommended during her consultation that she have her painful veins treated before any subsequent pregnancy. He explained that her veins would get worse and may make her third pregnancy very uncomfortable. Leg pain after multiple pregnancies occurs because the pressure of the growing baby on the lower extremities strains the tiny one-way valves in the pregnant woman’s legs. Multiple pregnancies expand these stressed blood vessels even further. Damaged vein valves allow blood to flow backward and pool in the veins, causing them to stretch, bulge, and twist—resulting in varicose veins.

Successful Varicose Vein Treatment

Emily says that a total of six treatments (three on each leg) over two weeks were necessary to rid her of her painful varicose veins. She adds that after each procedure, the staff went over post-treatment care thoroughly and that she knew exactly how to take care of herself to ensure the best result.

The team answered all of Emily’s post-procedure questions and permitted her to run immediately following her vein closure (radiofrequency ablation) procedures. Emily says that she is prone to blood clots and that it “felt good to move around” after these procedures and “not let the blood settle.”

Emily describes her treatment experience as follows:

“The staff was great. Dr. Calcagno and his assistants told me everything that would happen and doubled checked the treatment area before every procedure. The nurses talked to me through the whole process. They made sure that I was comfortable and that I knew exactly what was being done as it was being done.” -Emily F., CVR patient

Dr. Calcagno provided an overview of Emily treatment plan:

• Radiofrequency catheter ablations of both great saphenous veins (left on one day and right on another)
• Ambulatory phlebectomy procedures on each extremity (left thigh one day, left leg the next day, and right thigh the next week, right leg the day after that)

Results After Vein Treatment

Emily says that she felt “great” after treatment and completed the Wine Glass Marathon in Corning, NY, just two weeks after the final procedure. She describes the run as “pain-free,” even finishing five minutes faster than her first marathon two years earlier. Emily says that before treatment her veins "ached, hurt, and were swollen" while running, especially in the heat. Since treatment, she has run comfortably.

In conclusion, Emily says that she is relieved to know, looking toward a third pregnancy, that she will not have throbbing, painful, swollen visible veins as she did during her second pregnancy. She adds that this will be a big help during her next pregnancy as she will be on her legs all day while teaching and caring for her children and running.

She closes by saying:

“Everyone at Dr. Calcagno’s office was fabulous. If I had any questions, they answered them right away, or they would put me in touch with Dr. Calcagno, who called me directly. Patient support and care were awesome there, which made everything a lot easier. Even though I’m not a fan of needles, they made it a good experience!”

How do I get my varicose veins treated?

Center for Vein Restoration (CVR) is the nation’s leader in vein care. With experienced, board-certified vein specialists who consistently achieve a 98 percent patient approval rating (when have you last heard of 98 percent of people agreeing on anything?!), CVR is the right choice to help you restore your quality of life.

Call 240-965-3915 or visit centerforvein.com for more information and to schedule your consultation. Treatment is covered by most major insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid.