Does it hurt if you have a varicose vein?

Answer 1

I started to get varicose veins at around the age of 10 years, like some other people on my fathers side of my family (including my father).

They began to hurt about 19 years later - I felt no sensation at all associated with them until I was 29, although I could see that they were becoming steadily larger and more pronounced.

At 30 I was told I had developed "phlebitis" (manifested as red lump and soreness in one place on the inside back of my calf, where there were some varicose parts of the veins) and given an operation to remove the veins "saphenous avulsion".

This operation made my leg look better, although not all the varicose veins were gone. The soreness stopped completely. The pain stopped completely.

After this operation, I felt no sensation associated with my veins again for about 10 more years - although, as always, I could see the residual varicose veins steadily becoming larger, and new ones appearing. Then they started to hurt again at around age 40. Now I am 47 and the amount of pain I am getting from the veins, while not great, is gradually increasing (and the veins are continuing to become larger, and new varicose areas developing).

So, in summary, I am now 47, have had visible varicose veins for 38 years, have had one operation for them. During the years that I have had visible varicose veins, they have hurt in total for about 8 years and not hurt at all for about 30 years.

According to Duke Heath clinic they only get worse

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