Varicose Veins Support Group

DonnaSue,

If he has pain every day, he needs to do something ASAP.

Yes, there are things he can do on his own:

-- lie down and elevate legs (so that they're above heart level) for at least 15 minutes at a time so that blood can flow back to the heart
-- wear compression stockings (if his veins are very bad, he might need stronger stockings that just over-the-counter ones, in which case he would need to see a doctor to get a prescription for correct tighntess of stockings
-- walk, walk, walk -- so that blood gets pumped back to the heart
-- avoid extended periods of standing or sitting
-- do not sit with legs crossed
-- possibly the herbal supplement horse chestnut extract (I've started taking that) which has been shown in studies to strenghten the walls of weakened veins

I'm only 42 and just a few weeks ago got my first varicose vein. It's a bulging vein on the top side of my foot where the veins run).

I have spent hours googling varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency - you should too! Some articles are more helpful than others.

Here's one with some basic info.

http://www.vascularweb.org/patient...

If your husband's symptoms do not lessen, please try to find a way to get him to see a doctor. From everything I've read, varicose veins are manageable. But if he waits until they're totally out of control, they won't be -- and then he'll really have to see a doctor!

Best of luck.