Lone Star Vein Center

Symptoms of Poor Circulation

Varicose veins appear when blood is actually flowing backward in the vein. There are many noticeable signs of poor circulation, but there are also ways you can improve your blood flow. Some of the warning signs include feelings of dizziness or faintness, pain in the arms and legs, and varicose veins. Some things that may help your circulation are eating healthy, high water consumption, and cardiovascular exercise, but it is always suggested to visit a doctor first if you notice these symptoms.

For more information about circulation, varicose vein treatment, or spider vein removal, call Lone Star Vein Center in Houston at (281) 661-1491 and make an appointment today.

The Causes of Leg Swelling

Leg swelling or leg edema is a common medical problem. The underlying cause of Leg swelling should be determined and treated. It should not be ignored, and it should not be treated with fluid pills unless the cause has been determined first. There are six main causes of leg edema: 

The most common cause of leg swelling is chronic venous insufficiency.  Vein disease or vein disorders occur twice as often as coronary artery disease, three times more commonly than peripheral arterial disease or PAD, and almost five times more common than congestive heart failure. 

Vein disease has five names:

1. Venous stasis
2. Varicose veins
3. Chronic venous insufficiency
4. Venous hypertension
5. Venous reflux disease
6. Lymphedema

In this disease the veins in the legs lose their ability to carry the used blood back up and out of the legs to the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys to be filtered, replenished with nutrients and oxygen, and sent back out to the body.  When this occurs, high pressure develops in your leg veins.  This high pressure creates leakage of fluid and other blood components into the leg outside of the blood vessels.  When the veins are unable to effectively carry the blood out of the legs with each heart beat your heart pumps blood into your legs under higher and higher pressures.  This causes a generalized engorgement of the veins in your legs and along with this comes additional leakage.  In addition, the blood in your legs becomes somewhat toxic as it has not been filtered by your kidneys. The amount of oxygen in the blood drops below normal. The nutrition is used up, and the waste products from your legs accumulate in the uncirculated blood in your legs.  This creates a generalized toxic state in your legs.  This “toxic” blood makes your legs sick and causes inflammation.  All of these factors; engorged veins, blood and fluid leaking from the veins in your legs, and the “toxic” blood in your legs creates swelling.  Swelling from veins is best in the morning and  worst in the evening.  When you lie down at night the blood finally comes back out of your legs and it is then filtered by your kidneys, nutrition is added by your intestines, your lung adds oxygen, your liver treats the blood, and your heart is able to pump the clean fresh blood back out to legs that are no longer engorged, the pressure in the legs is back to normal, and the blood is now clean and healthy.  By the morning hours your legs should feel at their very best and the cycle begins again as you stand up and gravity along with broken venous circulation prevents the blood from returning again.

The second most common cause of swelling to the legs is congestive heart failure.  In the past, before venous disease was understood very well, congestive heart failure was felt to be the cause of all leg swelling until it could be proven otherwise, thus many patients with leg edema in the past and even currently will undergo a variety of cardiac tests to eliminate heart failure as a cause.  By far and away venous disease is the most common cause and most people will have a normal cardiac workup.  In the patients with congestive heart failure the most common signs and symptoms will be shortness of breath.  In addition to shortness of breath at rest they will have shortness of breath on exertion and they frequently have shortness of breath when they lie down flat.  this type of shortness of breath is called orthopnea and it frequently results in these patient's having to sleep with their head elevated because when they lie completely flat it causes significant shortness of breath.  Congestive heart failure is most commonly caused by one or both of two underlying diseases; these are coronary artery disease or blockages in the arteries that supply oxygen-rich and nutrient-right clean filtered blood to the heart and undiagnosed or untreated longstanding high arterial blood pressure or “hypertension”.

The third most common cause of leg swelling or leg edema is kidney failure.  Advanced kidney failure will impair the body’s ability to clear itself of excess fluid resulting in fluid retention and leg swelling.  This can also be associated with undiagnosed arterial hypertension and it is much more common in persons with diabetes.

The fourth most common cause of leg edema or leg swelling is liver failure.  This is somewhat more complicated, but when the liver is not  functioning appro

priately the protein in your blood drops to dangerously low levels and this causes leakage of fluid out of the vascular system and into the tissues, which results in swelling in your legs as well as abdomen.  These patients frequently have significant swelling in their abdomen as well.

The fifth most common cause of leg edema is low thyroid or hypothyroidism. This is known as pretibial myxedema.  This is also somewhat complicated, but when your thyroid hormones fall to a dangerous level and remains there for a significant period of time your overall rate of metabolism drops very low and this results in swelling in your legs.  

Lastly, Lymphedema is where vessels called lymphatics become damaged or blocked for a wide variety of reasons, resulting in the inability of your body to clear fluid from your legs. Many times this is caused by long standing untreated venous insufficiency, but can also be caused by trauma, surgery, and much less likely cancer. 

No matter what the cause, leg swelling is never normal, and an underlying cause should be determined and  treated accordingly.  To diagnose the cause of swelling in your legs, contact Dr. Morgan in Houston at the Lone Star Vein Center. We specialize in treating vein disease using non-invasive and painless procedures such as VNUS vein closure to restore the health of the legs. Visit our website or call (281) 661-1491 to learn more.

Do You Have Varicose Veins?

In an article from Women's World Magazine, a young woman named Emily talked about her issues with varicose veins over the years. From embarrassment to physical pain, Emily felt it all. That is when her husband urged her to "Please see a specialist." 

Emily saw a doctor who suggested saline injections, which was a painstaking process with down time. After getting pregnant again, she heard about the ClosureFast System, the same system used by Dr. Morgan at the Lone Star Vein Center, while watching TV one day.

Emily did some more research and found, "The ClosureFast system has a 98% success rate." She made an appointment with a doctor in her area and scheduled the procedure.  "The whole procedure took less than 40 minutes" and "For about a week, Emily had to wear compression stockings. But her pain was gone. And within days, her legs began looking smoother, prettier . . . normal."

Dr. Morgan at the Lone Star Vein Center specializes in treating vein disease using non-invasive and painless procedures such as VNUS vein closure to restore the health of the legs. So if you are suffering from the embarrassment and pain of dealing with Varicose Veins like Emily in the article, visit our website or call (281) 661-1491 to learn more!

Common Vein Disease Symptoms

Veins are responsible for carrying blood back to the heart so that it can be cleaned of waste and replenished with oxygen and nutrients. The veins in the legs are working against gravity, so they are often subject to problems. Valves line the insides of the veins to prevent backwards flow and keep blood pumping toward the heart.

Vein disease causes these blood-controlling valves to weaken. This leads to the swelling and bulging of the veins, which causes a wide range of problems. Here are some of the signs of developing vein disease:

• Varicose veins: The first sign of vein disease is the common problem of varicose veins. These are superficial veins that may be red, blue, or purple. They are twisted and often bulge from the surface of the skin. Removing varicose veins early may reduce the chances of further problems and restore the health of your circulatory system.
• Pain: When vein conditions get to a more serious stage, they will often cause pain and heaviness in the legs. This is often worse when standing or sitting for long periods of time. The pain may be achiness through the whole leg or cramping in a specific area.
• Swelling: As the veins become enlarged, inflammation will occur in surrounding tissues and cause the legs to swell. This can be very uncomfortable and often requires that the legs be elevated for temporary relief.
• Skin rash: Itching and redness are common skin irritations that occur with vein disease. Outbreaks of scaly rashes on the legs and a hardening of the skin are also seen in some patients. In severe cases, ulcers may develop that are very painful and slow healing.

Vein disease has many other symptoms including Restless Legs and Venous Stasis Ulcers. For more information about vein disease symptoms call Lone Star Vein Center in Houston. We can diagnose and treat your vein disease so that you can resume your favorite activities with ease. Our non-invasive and painless treatments are administered by Board Certified Surgeon Dr. Peter Morgan who has extensive experience in venous procedures. Schedule a consultation to discuss your symptoms by calling (281) 661-1491.

Steps to Take Before and After Varicose Vein Removal

If you have decided to have varicose vein removal at Lone Star Vein Center, it is important to take these steps before and after your procedure.

Minimize Venous Problems

It’s important to rest in the weeks leading up to your procedure to remove varicose veins. If you will be waiting a long time before your varicose vein treatment, consider wearing compression stockings, which will promote better circulation within your legs.

Make Pre-Treatment Preparations

After your varicose vein removal, it will take at least two weeks to make a full recovery. Be sure to talk to your doctor about what to expect and how long your recovery will take.

Exercise Regularly

After recovering from varicose vein treatment, it’s important to incorporate lifestyle changes that will reduce your risk of redeveloping the problem. Exercising regularly helps promote blood circulation within your body. Walking and running are ideal exercises to increase leg strength and encourage vein health.

Monitor Your Diet

Limit your intake of salty and fatty foods, which may trigger the development of varicose veins. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables will also help reduce the swelling caused by varicose veins.

To schedule an appointment at Lone Star Vein Center in Houston, call (281) 661- 1491 today or visit our website.