DAVENPORT, IA—
There's a new technology to help treat men and women suffering from varicose veins.Not only can they be unsightly, but varicose veins are often very painful. Men and women get varicose veins for two reasons. The first is genetics, and the second is occupation.
Many women and men fail to seek treatment, sometimes due to a lack of understanding of the symptoms, and other times out of fear. Traditional treatments can be extremely painful.
But, this time it will be much less painful thanks to a new way of doing things. Dr. Richard Sadler says most of his cases are now treated with only local anesthetic in about an hour or less.
He compares it to going to the dentist, "The goal of any kind of vein surgery, no matter how we do it, is to remove the pressure that's pushing down on the leg."
It used to be that doctors would strip the vein, a horribly painful and sometimes disfiguring treatment that has a chance of permanent nerve injury.
But now, Dr. Sadler says the procedure is safer, "Instead of stripping the vein we just microwave it and it's microwave energy. Adjusting this little computer we know exactly how hot to make the vein which is 120 degrees and that's how we do it. As the vein cools down the structure now collapses on itself and shuts itself off."
Liz had the procedure, called Closure, done a few weeks ago. "The only thing that is uncomfortable is wearing the compression socks for three weeks because it is the middle of July."
As for today's patient, she'll be back to normal tomorrow.
Liz says, "It's hard for me to believe! I normally walk two miles a day and they said I could do that tomorrow, and there's no way I could have done that the first time. No way."
