“If I don’t have vein disease currently, how can you help me prevent it?”
Even if your Kauai vein care specialist finds that you don’t have vein disease currently, he or she may find that you have risk factors, which means you have a likelihood of developing it in the future. Some of these risk factors – age, sex, and whether vein disease runs in your family – you can’t do anything about. Other factors, such as your weight, how much exercise you get, whether you smoke, and how many hours you sit each day, are within your control. This is your opportunity to discuss with your doctor ways that you can lower these risks and thus reduce your overall vein disease risk.
“If I do have vein disease, what are my treatment options?”
This is the most important question you should ask. Depending on your condition, there may be many different treatment options. If you have varicose veins, for example, these options range from conservative (the use of compression stockings, exercise, lifestyle changes) to more aggressive forms of treatment that can eliminate your swollen veins permanently. If you have a more serious form of vein disease such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), your doctor will explain techniques that can be used to remove the dangerous blood clots.
Whatever the treatment options presented, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions such as “How long will this type of treatment take?” or “Will it produce permanent effects or just provide temporary relief?” or “Will I experience pain, either during the procedure or afterwards?” The most important follow-up question you’ll want to ask is “How long will it be before I see results?”
“What happens if I decide to avoid or delay treatment?”
From our point of view as vein doctors, this is one of the most important questions you should ask, because we know that many patients listen patiently to the various treatment options presented to them but then walk out and decide not to pursue any of them. You may consider doing the same thing. This is your decision, of course, but you should know what the consequences of such a decision may be. For example, varicose veins don’t magically go away or “get better on their own” without treatment. They get worse and sometimes much worse. If you have a more serious condition such as DVT, the decision to not treat it can potentially result in a stroke or pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal. So you should understand not only what happens if you go ahead with recommended forms of treatment but what happens if you decide not to.
Whatever your questions, we’re here to answer them for you
One of the reasons we are considered the best Maui vein treatment center is our emphasis on patient education and making sure that the people who come to us for treatment understand all aspects of their conditions and what can be done to improve them. We welcome your questions, whatever they may be, because our goal is to help you make the best decision and become as healthy as possible. So give us a call at Vein Clinics of Hawaii today and set up an appointment to come in and ask your questions. You’ll be happy you did.
