Vein problems can make your legs look so different. If you develop a condition called venous insufficiency, also venous reflux disease, your leg veins can enlarge, swell and twist. And if this happens, your legs might hurt, itch, swell and change their skin color. When you begin to see these early symptoms, call a veins specialist doctor from your area immediately. They will give you an appointment during which they will examine your legs and tell you exactly what is wrong with the veins.
If they suspect that you have varicose veins, further testing including venous duplex ultrasound might be done to help the doctor see how blood is flowing in your veins. Once there is enough evidence that you have a venous reflux disease, your vein doctor shall figure out the right way to treat you. While there is a chance that they will pick a medical treatment method that is minimally invasive, they might as well ask you to wear a Ted hose.
What does a Ted hose stand for?
The term Ted hose means thromboembolic-deterrent. It is hosiery that is designed to stop blood clots from developing. The hose is mainly prescribed to patients who have just been thorough surgery as they are always in danger of developing blood clots. Moreover, people who are bedridden might develop clots because of being immobile. To prevent this, their doctor might ask them to wear a Ted hose. This hose provides compression and is designed to imitate the way we walk and to keep the blood flowing perfectly.
A Ted hose is not similar to compression stockings, as you will learn shortly. If your veins specialist doctor recommends it for varicose veins and spider veins, it is just to help compress your veins and stop blood clots from forming. The hosiery will alleviate your symptoms, yes, but it will not heal the underlying cause. It is not a reliable solution for your venous problem. While a Ted hose is different from compression stockings, they look just the same.
They are stockings that are taut enough to stop blood from clotting and your legs from swelling. Sometimes they are recommended to seniors who have a history of blood clots. Just like medical-grade compression stockings, a vein doctor will first of all measure your legs to ensure that the Ted hose they provide fits well. Additionally, they will show you and your caregiver how to wear your stockings.
Things you should note
When wearing the Ted hose, there are simple things you should remember to do. These include the following:
- First, lie down and raise your legs using pillows for about fifteen minutes prior to wearing your Ted hose.
- To make the stockings more comfortable, sprinkle a little powder on your ankles. Don’t use just any type of powder; ask your vein doctor to provide the best.
- Then, pull the stocking over your foot while gathering the loose areas and using short and fast pulls to bring it up your leg.
As you can see, it is easy to put on the Ted hose and leave it on to do the work it is designed to do. Although you will receive some relieve from wearing these stockings, it is still advisable to seek medical help from a renowned veins specialist doctor. The doctor will look for the real cause of your spider veins or varicose veins and cure it via minimally invasive techniques. Additionally, if your condition puts you in danger of having blood clots, just wear your Ted hose to be safe.
What does Ted hose stand for? Is it compression stockings?
As earlier hinted, the two are stockings but are quite different. Compression stockings are typical pantyhose that are worn to compress your ankles area rather than the entire leg. That’s why compression stockings are prescribed to those who can still walk but have varicose veins of any size and/or leg tiredness. Just like a Ted hose though, compression stockings provide temporary relief from the heaviness and intense pressure triggered by varicose veins.
They do not heal the condition causing venous insufficiency. There are different compression ratings and ranges (15 to 20mmHg, 20 to 30mmHg and 30-40mmHg). So it is important to ask your vein doctor about the best kind to purchase based on your vein problems. A single pair of compression stockings can be usable for about half a year and can be bought from a local drug store. Sometimes these stockings get uncomfortable and hard to wear. If you reach such a point, go back to your veins specialist doctor and ask them to offer a better solution.
So, what solution is better when you have varicose veins?
If you have varicose veins and bad symptoms, you might be wondering if natural treatments will be best to try first. To answer you, solutions such as Ted hose and compression stockings can be tried first. However, one should have full knowledge that these will never cure the underlying cause of vein disease. If your vein doctor provides Ted hose for your varicose veins, it’s probably because they have found out that you have blood clots or have a history of blood clots.
A veins specialist doctor will hardly prescribe this hose to those who don’t have a blood clotting problem. Those who are immobile due to disease or surgery will benefit more from the Ted hose as it compresses the entire leg while compression stockings compress just the ankles area. If you want to completely heal your varicose veins and the underlying cause, you should aim to treat them soon.
A good veins specialist doctor will suggest treatment techniques that will not cause you pain and difficulties during recovery. These are minimally-invasive techniques that will collapse and seal the problematic veins. And as soon as the veins are treated, venous insufficiency or venous reflux disease causing them will be addressed. These approaches are briefly outlined below:
- Sclerotherapy – It is a technique that uses injections to destroy problematic veins for good. Your vein doctor will inject your varicose veins with a certain chemical solution (sclerosant) that will cause your vein to collapse and disappear for good. No anesthesia is used during sclerotherapy as the procedure is done with super tiny needles that don’t cause pain. Traditional sclerotherapy has been replaced by advanced ultrasound-based techniques that allow the veins specialist doctor to treat bigger varicose veins as well. Before then, the technique was used to treat spider veins and small varicose veins. Today foam sclerotherapy is being used to cure large varicose veins. The technique is effective when done correctly by a vein doctor who understands the process well.
- RFA (radiofrequency ablation) – This is among the most effective ways to treat varicosities. It is designed for big varicose veins that may not respond well to other minimally invasive methods. RFA uses radio waves energy to heat up a vein and destroy it entirely. A fibrous tissue is left behind but it gets absorbed by the surrounding body tissue in a few weeks time. Radiofrequency ablation requires anesthesia shots to reduce any form of discomfort and pain. Two incisions are then made to ensure that a catheter and the device that releases the radio waves energy are inserted in to the vein that is being treated. This procedure should be performed by a real veins specialist doctor to ensure success. While it might cause mild bruising, there are no real side effects to worry about. The recovery is quick and there is no downtime expected.
- Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) – This technique is mainly recommended when people have small varicose veins like spider veins. A device that releases a powerful laser beam that heats up the vein is used. Once delivered to where the vein is, the light energy will be released to destroy it for good. It is the least invasive of all and has almost no side effects. Unfortunately, EVLA cannot be used to treat big varicose veins. If you have these, therefore, your vein doctor will recommend RFA or foam sclerotherapy.
No other technique will be offered until the above-mentioned minimally invasive methods are tried in vain. Sometimes your veins specialist doctor will use a combination of any two to see how best they will improve your varicose veins. If you have complications brought about by chronic venous insufficiency, you might undergo some form of surgery to correct the situation. These complications include the following:
- Venous leg ulcers – These are painful open wounds that are so difficult to treat.
- Venous eczema – A form of dermatitis that affects the lower leg. It makes the area tougher, drier and flaky.
- Skin staining – Having severe venous disease can cause this problem. Your leg skin will change its natural complexion and appear darker and stained.
- Vein bleeding – When you have spider veins and/or varicose veins, your skin gets thinner and the veins beneath it are more likely to bleed if you are bruised.
- Blood clotting – Your risk of suffering from DVT (deep vein thrombosis) is higher when you have venous insufficiency. It is also possible to suffer from superficial blood clots that aren’t dangerous unless they find their way into a deep vein. If a clot in your deep vein dislodges, it could travel to the lung where it could cause pulmonary embolism— a deadly disease.
If you can already notice some of the above-mentioned complications, take a quick action right now. It is a sign that your venous reflux disease is in its late stage and is becoming chronic. Get in touch with a vein doctor as soon as possible and begin treatment. If you have not seen any of the above, but has varicose veins, go and seek medical help before it’s too late.
Advantages of consulting a vein specialist doctor
As Ted hose and compression stockings will not address the real source of your vein problem, your uncomfortable abnormal leg veins will persist. To prevent complications that will be difficult to cure later on, get in touch with a reputable vein doctor today. Ensure that your physician has a strong education background, years of experience and the required certifications. Once you meet them for the first time, they will ask you about your medical history and whether there are people in your family who suffer from venous disease symptoms.
Next, the vein doctor will carry out a diagnosis to confirm that you have varicose veins. After this, they will recommend the best treatment path. No veins specialist doctor will recommend vein stripping and ligation surgery as the first line of defense. This is rarely done these days because of the longer recovery time and the fact that it requires general anesthesia to numb the areas being treated. It is also painful to remove all your veins by stripping them each time they develop. This method will only be recommended if other less dangerous techniques fail to deliver the required results.
If you select board-certified specialists at the Vein Treatment Clinic, you might be offered other advanced treatment options like Clarivein, VenaSeal and phlebectomy. So, the most important thing is to select a dependable veins specialist doctor who will know exactly how to help you. They will even help you seek compensation from your health insurer.
Conclusion
If you have been asked by your vein doctor to wear your Ted hose to prevent blood clots formation, do not hesitate to do it. Wear them all day and at night, if required. This will keep you from suffering from blood clots as these can be deadly. However, ensure that you check your toes for temperature or color changes every four hours. If you notice these changes in the toes, remove your stockings for a while.
When worn perfectly, the stockings will appear smooth and well fitted. If they roll down your leg, they will not do their work properly. If you notice some creases under the toes, remove them to avoid blocking proper blood flow to the legs and feet. Finally, maintain your stockings as your vein doctor has directed.