"My vein surgery"

It's been a year since I had vascular surgery to close a superficial vain in my right leg ,which I was told was varicose. Now I suffer everyday since, and feel complete regret for going though with it.

Everyday I go over and over in my head what the doctors told me before I agreed to have the procedure done.

I was told I had reflux in my superficial vain and was offered surgery to close it. In my opinion, I was made to think this was a straight forward, easy procedure. I thought the doctors know best and so I trusted them.

I was never made to feel this surgery was a risk and could make things worse. They made me think and feel that this was a perfectly safe, straight forward, procedure. A quick in and out, back to 'normal' in 2 weeks operation, that totaly conviced me was the right solution to my problem. How wrong I was!

Before my operation my symptoms were mild. I had a vain on the inside of my leg that gave me occational aching or itching. But now my whole leg aches. Everyday, since the op, I've had pain and discomfort. Now my leg is heavy, I have swelling and tightness up and down my leg and I live in support socks. It affects me everyday and has total ruined my life.

Since the op, when I complained about how my leg feels, the consultant at the hospital said to me "You still have your deep vain problem" implying that I had this before the op and this must be why I'm getting these symptoms. But I was never told anything about having a deep vain problem before the op and I if I did have this before, why was I not told? Surely this was a more important than my superficail problem and also why didn't I have these symptoms before my surgery?

By having this surgery I know I have damaged my leg and I feel the hospital should not offer this surgery as a treatment unless the patient is already in complete discomfort everyday and they have offered all other options of non-surgical treatment first. which I was not.

I believe the hospital encouraged me to have this surgery to give their trainiee doctors practice, in what they believe to be an easy procedure.

I'm only young and I've gone from being fit and active to now feeling old and tired. I live wishing I never had this done and now I have to live like this for the rest of my life. I have gone from having a minor complaint to now having a deep vain problem that can't be fixed. I don't bother going to my doctor because I know there's nothing they can do and I'm scared if they did try something they would make it even worse.

I just need to tell someone that it may seem like a solution to have this treatment ,but as someone who's been through it, I can tell you I would have my old leg back in a heart beat than live with the leg and misery I have now.

My advice to anybody thinking of having this surgery done should ask themselves: Can I live as I am now? and Is it rearly that bad? because I wish I had and now I would'nt be like this.