Quote:
Originally Posted by bobber
Im at the 1yr mark with RSD, Ive seen it progress from my right heel to the the oposite heel and progress up both legs , but it more prominate on the original leg, it has gone into both hips and the small of my back. Recently [about a month ago] Ive noticed smal varicose veins in both my feet abd the sides of the ankles,more so on the outside of the ankles, Now ive noticed that the right leg[original leg]the outer shine and outer calf is really bad,,they are not big veins but a large patch of smaller ones,some patches are are in a 4-6 inch diameter,,but ,they are also all over the lower legs spaced out too,,,Im not over weight [6ft 190lb], and im staying as active as possible,,,in my mind its has to be the rsd,,ive not ever had anyveins in my legs until rsd,,I do know and am aware that RSD does affect not only the submotors[sweating ] but vasamotors as well[circulation,,] I know some people have alot of swelling in their limbs,,i have some mild swelling on the r-ankle , but the variccose veins are getting worse[spreading] I keep a low salt diet, stay moving,exercise,and try not to stand long ....any help and stories would be very appreciated,,,,,,and I do use compressing socks too..Thank you ,,, bobber
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My RSD spread to my right leg last spring, about 10 or 11 months after it was finally diagnosed. (My original site is my right brachial plexus - which is shoulder, neck and occipital region of my head). The varicose veins in my right leg are nasty looking, so I usually keep the leg covered so no one can see it. The whole leg is more swollen than the other one, and during the summer it hurt so badly I had difficulty sleeping. The 5 lidocaine infusions I've had, and one lumbar block, have helped quite a bit with the pain by now, but not much with the swelling. When I saw Dr. Getson in the beginning of December and he tested the temp of my limbs, the right leg was a hotter than the left.
Because my veins are so bad, I've had 2 doppler ultrasounds to check for DVT's - one in the summer and one about 3 mths ago. During the last one, the Tech told me that she had never seen so many big fat veins in such a small leg before (I'm 5'3" and fairly thin). She noted that the varicosities were blocked and had been replaced with other veins that were pretty big and wide. The test was really painful because the wand needed to be applied forecfully to my leg in order to get a good reading. After all of that, due to my RSD, my PCP recommended that the blocked veins (varicosities) not be removed because it would involve making incisions in the affected area.
I also have those little purple veins you described around my ankles. And the color changes. As a matter of fact, the very time my leg changed color I was working outside in the garden and had shorts on and my daughter noticed it and told me. I didn't even know! And the other day my husband pointed it out to me in the morning. We've had a off and on snow showers for a number of days so I am flaring a bit.
I am grateful that the lidocaine helped relieve a lot of the leg pain, so it's not as bad as it was (I wish that the infusions had been a more successful with my head). But it still looks awful. And my left leg is becoming very uncomfortable quite often. It still looks normal, aso I am ignoring the pain for now! I walk a lot unless its too cold out.
Good luck to you. XOXOX Sandy