Information For The Recently Diagnosed

Surgical vs. Non-surgical Issues with Clots

Once you have had a DVT, the resulting damage to your veins can be a rather large pain. There are options both surgically and non-surgically to deal with damaged veins:

• They can be stripped (if the vein is not too deep)
  
  
• You can have a Greenfield filter inserted
  
  
• You can have a vein taken from your good leg and wrapped across your stomach to your bad vein (for legs only as far as I know)
  
  
• You can wear compression stockings- which help keep the blood from pooling at the end of the bad vein. The stockings help push the blood up so that it can recirculate. To avoid complications of chronic leg swelling, pain, heaviness, leg tiredness, or skin breakdown, good individual compression stockings have been shown to be beneficial. Recommended are grade 2 stockings. TED hoses are not sufficient.
  
  They come in all different lengths and strengths. And now you can even get colored ones! Some insurance plans will reimburse you for them, some won't. You can also shop on the web for them. Here are a some site. You can always search Google for more:
  
  
  • Compression Store.com
  • BrightLifeDirect.com
  • supportsockshop.com
  • Healthylegs.com
  • Ames Walker Support Hosiery Center
    
  
  Make sure the stocking is fitted correctly. If your legs hurt while wearing them, something is wrong. They should help not hurt.
  
  
• You can strengthen you legs as much as possible with exercise to help build the remaining good veins.

There are new procedures being developed every year. It's important to include a vascular checkup as part of your yearly exams if you have had a clotting episode so that you can keep up with new research.

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