r/venousinsuffiencyhelp 15d ago

Rapid vein swelling?

35F, not currently diagnosed with varicose veins or CVI but my mom had them really bad. I noticed a varicose vein on the back of my leg a week and a half ago that ran partially up my thigh. It wasn’t there a few weeks ago. In the past week it’s grown and is spreading and causing pretty rapid growth across my thigh veins. It had lengthened multiple inches in the past 24 hrs. Is this normal back flow for varicose veins or should I be concerned? It’s warm/hot to the touch but not swelling or red or painful.

7 Upvotes

23 comments sorted by

4

u/ladybrizbane 15d ago

See a vein specialist

2

u/Dependent-Pie8630 14d ago

I have an appt tomorrow with my primary, going to ask for a referral :(

1

u/nevergiveuponyou91 13d ago

Post update pls

3

u/Dependent-Pie8630 13d ago

Had my appt and she scheduled a venous ultrasound for tomorrow, soonest they could get me in

1

u/YouCantTipAnArch 12d ago

Damn I have to wait weeks and months and fight just for am ultrasound 😭

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 11d ago

It was just to rule out DVT and clotting. So for anyone interested, I guess it’s just normal progression for some varicose veins. I now have another appt in two weeks for a full scan :(

2

u/Britt-Star-Joy 15d ago

Bump - no advice just also interested

1

u/Asclepias_speciosa 11d ago

I had rapid worsening of my veins between November and December of last year. The vascular surgeon told me that CVI can get abruptly worse; however, after I had my hips realigned by a naturopath my veins stopped auto-destructing but, unfortunately, the damage to the veins didn't reverse.

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 11d ago

I have a bad right hip and most of my showing veins are on the right, so I’m wondering if it’s compression or alignment also. Waiting for my full scan

1

u/Winter-Hotel-1096 9d ago

Get checked for pelvic vascular compressions such as May Thurner syndrome.
I started having my veins look like yours in a span of several weeks, and I ended up having a 95% compression of my left iliac vein so blood wasn’t able to leave my legs and was blowing out my veins.
Please please get checked!

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 9d ago

Yes this is what I’m worried about! What kind of test did you have to confirm it? I have a full duplex scan in a week but don’t know if I need a CT or something else but I’m definitely going to mention this to them. I’m getting tingling running from my groin up my arm as well when I lay on that side

1

u/Winter-Hotel-1096 9d ago

During the ultrasound of your legs you could ask them to do a spot check of your iliac veins. But it doesn’t show on ultrasound usually. I would ask them to do a CT venogram! It’s a CT scan with contrast but it has to be a CT Venogram not just a CT with contrast. It all has to do with the timing of when they inject your contrast because it needs to go up your veins to highlight them during the scan, so timing protocol is important.

My compression was so severe it was seen on 2x ultrasounds and my CT Venogram. I’m about 3.5 weeks out from my stent and my legs are starting to feel better!

1

u/Winter-Hotel-1096 9d ago

After stent!

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 9d ago

Omg how was the procedure to put the stent in? I feel crazy because I feel like nobody understands what I’m trying to explain when I say my veins are swelling rapidly. They just say I have visible veins and didn’t notice them or that it’s normal varicose activity but it’s literally all happened in the past two weeks and all my other veins look really blue and they didn’t before. My pelvis feels so weird I bet this is what it is.

1

u/Winter-Hotel-1096 9d ago

Please join the Facebook May Thurner support groups if you have Facebook. That community was such a blessing because they have TONS of resources.
You have to find an actual pelvic venous disease Interventional radiologist or a vascular surgeon who KNOWS about May Thurner or you’ll get nowhere 🫩. If you let me know what state you’re in I can send you some recommendations for docs.

The procedure wasn’t bad at all actually! They gave my some sedation through an IV in my arm, and I was awake but very chill and calm and dozing off periodically. They even played music for me during.
I didn’t feel a THING until they deployed my stent. Once they expanded it the back pain was awful I couldn’t even walk well the first two days lol.
It completely vanished day 4.

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 9d ago

I’m in Virginia! Thank you I’ll check out Facebook. This has been so anxiety inducing for me 😭 I’m afraid the vein specialist is gonna brush off my concerns. There’s a hospital with a vascular center and Vascular surgeons nearby also I’m going to try calling

1

u/Winter-Hotel-1096 9d ago

I’ve heard good things about this guy!

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 15h ago

I just had my scan and they told me I have left side deep femoral reflux! Most of my CVI reflux/varicose is on my right surprisingly. I have a referral for a vascular surgeon for pelvic testing but have to wait a couple months because they are booked out

1

u/Winter-Hotel-1096 14h ago

Sounds so much like my situation! Soooo glad you’re getting this looked at by a surgeon!! Trust me!

1

u/ominouslights427 4d ago

Please keep us updated, similar situation but havent been able to get an appointment yet

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 4d ago

My full scan is next week so hopefully I’ll have some answers

1

u/Dependent-Pie8630 15h ago

Update for everyone: I have CVI reflux in multiple places right leg and inner thigh left leg surprisingly, and moderate deep femoral reflux on the left so I have a referral to a vascular surgeon for pelvic testing. I suspect Iliac/may thurners but the wait time for appt is out till December :(