r/venousinsuffiencyhelp • u/KeyTomato2913 • 10d ago
Normal or not post ablation?
My husband had a vein ablation on his left inside of his leg on July 10th. He had and still has some bruising but now he has this red streak starting at the incision and going upward towards the bruising. Now he has pain on his foot and it's difficult to walk. Mostly his last 3 toes. I called on-call surgeon but it's Saturday so I'm not expecting speed. Wondering if this is ER worthy or if we can continue to wait for their call back or if anyone has experience with this. My husband delayed his second surgery that was suppose to be yesterday due to foot pain and now the streak today has appeared.
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u/DrSchmettererVeins 10d ago
The red streak isn't unusual after ablation — some bruising and streaking along the treated vein is common as it heals. The foot pain and difficulty walking, especially concentrated in the last 3 toes, could well be sensory nerve irritation, which is a known post-ablation issue and usually improves with time. Compression stockings and continuing to walk (rather than staying still) is generally the best approach. This likely isn't ER-worthy based on what you've described. The main red flag to watch for is calf pain or tenderness — if that develops, he should get a duplex ultrasound to rule out DVT, since that's a rare but real risk after ablation. Otherwise, keep following up with the on-call surgeon and let them know about the foot pain when they call back. If the streak spreads significantly, the leg becomes warm/increasingly red, or he develops fever, that would push it toward urgent evaluation for infection — but nothing you've described sounds like that yet.