Posts belonging to Category Health

I have had several painful conversations with friends and acquaintances recently about the effects of pregnancy on our bodies. I am so saddened to watch women near tears over their weight gain and changing shape. Yes, hormones don’t make it any easier, but neither does a culture that glorifies the female body as an object, rather than celebrating the beauty of being a woman, especially when with child.

I was so angry when celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michael told Women’s Heath Magazine about pregnancy in 2010, “I’m going to adopt. I can’t handle doing that to my body.”  What a profound disservice to women. Rather than celebrating what makes a women unique and elevates her, the ability to bear children is feared and denigrated, something to be sidestepped at all costs.

I remember my insecure days of disordered eating and excessive concern about my body.  Thanks be to God, grace, marriage and motherhood have made that a thing of the past. Counterintuitively, watching the miraculous way that my body can enlarge to cradle and care for new life has helped me escape from the culture that is excessively concerned with the superficial rather than the transcendental. As the quotation From Cardinal Mindszenty on our sidebar says, “A mother is the most important person on earth. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral — a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body.” What could be more beautiful than this life generating change in our bodies?

Part of the equation is an unconditionally loving, supportive husband.  I think it is Kat’s husband that always says “there is more of her to love” when she’s pregnant. And he really, really means it. It is the sweetest thing. My husband has helped me to learn that being a woman whose body changes to nurture the fruit of our love is truly beautiful.

Yet I am sometimes at a loss on how to convey this beautiful truth to other women, especially the two non Christians with whom these issues have come up (I’m not speaking of the inevitable discomforts of pregnancy, but the physical changes). They are embarrassed and insecure about their changing bodies. I try to talk about the beauty of being a woman and the great, God-given gift it is to bear children.  This is what makes women unique. It is a gift, another life. I know women who are unable to have children who ache and yearn to be in their shoes.

On another level, I also reassure them that they will want to exercise again after the baby is born. As an athlete, the freedom of movement that returns after childbirth is so liberating that I usually want to run a marathon within days of birth (even with the extra pounds). I am so sad that many feel that the miraculous changes wrought are something to be ashamed of. How do you present the dignity of the vocation of motherhood to others who do not share your worldview?

Not a healthy halftime snack

For the past month, we have been in full soccer mode.  Our Saturdays are spent at the soccer field, and with only two children on teams, we regularly have practices 2-3 nights per week.  The kids are loving the time outdoors, the competition, and the new friendships, and we are truly enjoying spending our weekends watching games and killing downtime on the playground.  There is, unfortunately, one thing we are not loving about soccer season—half-time snacks.

At some point in the last twenty years, an appropriate half-time snack went from orange slices and your own water bottle to oreo cookies and Hi-C juice boxes.  I’ve also seen Fritos, Doritos, and even Twizzlers.  I’m serious.  As a former Division 1 collegiate athlete, I am horrified.

I’ve seen my coaching husband have to chase children back onto the field as these children clung to their Hi-C juice box and fig newtons.  I then watch and deal with the tears as my own younger two children grab and ask for any “leftover” team snacks. Apparently the majority of adults in our town are completely unaware of the obesity problem in our country?  And it isn’t just our town.  My husband recently informed me that a neighboring town has banned half-time snacks because the snacks were unhealthy.

Just to clarify, soccer games are 40 minutes playing time, and no more than an hour and 15 minutes between departing and returning to your own home.  A snack of any kind is completely unnecessary, let alone a snack that is simply junk food.

Yet I am continually amazed at how seriously parents take the “snack sign up” sheet, and I almost laughed at another mother’s horror as she realized someone had forgotten to bring the half-time snack.

As someone with a number of years of experience in competitive sports and proper training/nutrition, allow me to clarify a few things–

1)  When working out for less than an hour, it probably does more harm than good to consume any food.  It is best to eat something low in fat prior to the workout (preferably 1-2 hours beforehand) and then eat again after the workout.  If your child feels low energy during short workouts, consider having him consume something higher in protein about 1.5 hours beforehand (my personal preference is a hard boiled egg!).

2)  Avoid extra sweet foods during a workout–examples include candy, soda, cookies or cake.  These cause a spike in blood sugar, and then cause sugar levels to drop.  At best kids can become dizzy and sluggish, at worst, the sugar will cause an upset stomach.

3)  If other kids or coaches insist on a snack, even for a short 40 minute soccer game, here are some good suggestions–orange slices, bananas, apple slices, or grapes.

It was my turn to bring a snack last week.  I opted for oranges.  They were not popular, there were even some complaints.  At least my younger two had their fill of uneaten oranges.

Some of my older friends tell of a time when they went en masse with their siblings to the hospital to get everyone’s tonsils removed. While those days are over and surgery more rare, 3 builders will have had children who needed tonsils removed within a year, all for different reasons and I know many more who have had the same.

B-Mama’s son is next up, with his slatted to be removed on tomorrow, Friday. Please say a prayer for their little man (and his mama). While we all hate to see our little ones in pain, the long-term benefits of removing them when they really need to go can’t be overstated.

Here are some tips that we learned through the ordeal.

• Pediatric ENT’s are great because they and all the nurses are used to dealing with little ones.
• Loveies/blankies need to make the trip to the OR.
• Break the news with a spoon. I bought at least 6 kinds of ice cream/sherbert and then Jack-Jack and I grabbed spoons and sat by the garage freezer tasting all the kinds while I told him how the doctors were going to fix his breathing, though his throat would hurt afterward. He was so excited about getting to eat the treats that he didn’t get too upset.
• Sucking was painful for at least a week, so thing eaten with a spoon (ice cream, slushies) were easier to eat that sucking on a popsicle or a straw.
• Pain meds are essential, this coming from a very grin-and-bear it rather than a medicate-it mom. When I stopped waking our little guy in the middle of the night to take the meds, we were in a world of hurt. Stay on top of the meds. If they won’t take it, mix it with something they will drink like gatorade or juice, though avoid acidic juices.
• It was also helpful to move a mattress into his room so I could sleep on the floor, since he was most comfortable there and I wasn’t disturbing others getting up every few hours.
• Take it easy on yourself. It is ok if the other kids watch a PBS  marathon while you tend to the healing one the following week.

Any other post-op advice?

So, my older children had their bi-annual dentist cleanings yesterday afternoon, and the dentist found two (!) in-between-the-teeth cavities in my 7 year-old son. Apparently I am supposed to be flossing my son’s teeth – somehow I missed this, which makes me feel quite negligent, although I don’t remember flossing MY teeth at the age of 7 and I never had these problems! In any case, my son also had a regular cavity in his molar a couple of years ago, so this is his third – and he is only 7! I’m hoping to avoid future cavities because they are expensive, not to mention unhealthy, and as my dentist told me yesterday, I’m hoping that “an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure”

So, here are my questions:

1) When your children need to get cavities drilled and filled, do you use nitrous oxide to relax them before the novocain shot and drilling begin? My dentist is not a pediatric dentist, and seems quite hesitant to work without the nitrous oxide – he’s worried that the child will squirm and that the novocain shot will be misplaced, and that the drilling will be impossible. I’ve gone with the nitrous oxide option these past couple of times, first because I’m not able to help the dentist hold my son down while watching the two younger children, and second, because I don’t want my son to be deathly afraid of the dentist. However, part of me wants to go without the nitrous oxide – having a cavity filled should be somewhat unpleasant, right? Perhaps good motivation to do some excellent flossing and brushing in the future?

2) How much/often do you help your children with brushing? I still try to brush my children’s teeth in the evening, and will now be helping with flossing as well, but my 3 year-old especially wants to do it herself. Should I have them lie down so that I can floss and brush really well, at least a couple of times a week? This is what my dentist suggests, by the way.

God bless you all on this Tuesday morning! Happy brushing and flossing

It’s been a while since I’ve been pregnant, 20 months to be exact.  I’ve run a 1/2 marathon, I’m generally fit, and I’m happily my “regular” weight, if there is such a thing.  While I am tall and thin, I’ve never had the most flattering mid-section, and after delivering 5 babies, I don’t expect to get many compliments on my abs.  But not getting a compliment and brushing off an insult are two very different things.

On Easter Sunday I wore a new dress.  Bright and flowery and flowing and cute, I dressed it up with some pearls and felt really great.  The dress gathered in the front, just under my chest, and fell freely to my knees.  It *could* have been a maternity style dress, but it wasn’t.  I was standing in my parents kitchen when their neighbor approached me and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you expecting again?”  Turning beat red I said, “No, I am not.”  (As an aside, there really is no good way to take this comment and so there is a general rule that you should NEVER ask a woman if she is expecting based on the look of her belly.)  Not looking the least bit embarrassed, she said, “Oh, good.  I don’t know how you could handle another kid, I can’t even deal with my three.  You must have a little extra left over there, just like me.”  I’m not making this up.  She really said that.  And I’ll just add that the woman was pretty overweight, and the majority of her weight was centered in her mid-section.

I suddenly felt very insecure.  I dealt with this feeling by telling my sister, mom, dad, and my husband about her comments.  They all let me know how rude she was and tried to give me a pep talk.  I, on the other hand, started an ab workout routine that night.

This past Sunday I wore the dress again, and had two ladies ask me if I was expecting.  They were embarrassed when I said no.

I have decided to burn the dress.  (I’m kidding, I am simply going to put it away with my maternity clothes because apparently it makes me look pregnant.)

For two whole days I believed it must just be the dress (but I kept doing the ab workouts, just in case).  After all, I was wearing the same dress all three times.  And then last night I had the following conversation with my children.

Charlie (age 5):  “Mom, you look pregnant.”

Me:  “Charlie, that isn’t a nice thing to say.  When you tell someone they look pregnant, you are really telling them that their belly is big and they look fat.  It hurts my feelings because I am not pregnant.”

Charlie:  “Sorry Mom.”

Gianna (age 7):  “Well you only look like you are pregnant with a little baby.”

So I guess I need some more serious ab workouts.  Any suggestions?

I am sure that many of you have seen this column in the New York Times which reports the American Academy of Pediatrics updated advice on rear facing car seats.  We got similar advice from one doctor somewhere along the way, to keep the child rear facing as long as possible and to use height and weight rather than age as a guideline for use of car seats and boosters.  We are pretty intense about our carseats, but we have not always been able to follow this advice, perhaps because we just thought it was overly conservative.  I mean, it sounds like, based on the “orphan seat” quote, that we should just ALL be rear facing in the car, and in five point harnesses.  So where do we draw the line between safety and convenience?

My children are huge, PT was 20 pounds at 4 months, so we had to buy a bigger carseat to keep him rear facing even until age 1.  These days he is nine years old and 4’11″, 90 pounds.  We have set a very standard “graduate from your booster” rule at age 8, the kids do think of it as a milestone, but 4’9″ is a pretty tall height recommendation, I think that this will keep many kids in their boosters long past age 8.  I had to buy a bigger car to accomodate 6 carseats/boosters, because even a larger mini-van didn’t fit the extra width of the carseats.  I know that others have decided to just move their kids out of the boosters sooner to make the Odyssey work.  My kids are really well conditioned to the car seat situation, the older ones have a complete freak out if they are asked to sit in a seat that has only a lap-belt, they respond as though I had asked them to juggle knives.

And then I remember the beginning of the seat belt movement, and how my parents had some work to do to convince us, as school age children, to buckle up at all.

I think it will be interesting to see how quickly, without legislation, rear facing car seats to age 2 becomes the norm.  Will information from pediatricians and nurses be enough, along with a collective guilt/responsibility movement in the Mommysphere, to get us all to change?

Our home has been doing a major nutritional overhaul in the past weeks.  We’ve gone from all things processed and chemical to whole foods and more fruits and vegetables.  We’re trying to eat out less and eat in more, consuming more nuts and whole grains and even making our own bread.  Many of the Builders have been a great inspiration to us in this endeavor–we’re just slow on the uptake and finally got the message!  It really took me sitting down to enter receipts into our budget back in November to realize we were eating out WAY too much; to the point that I was worried for my husband’s arteries.  With his job being very demanding, with little time for exercise, and with plenty of excuses to eat fast food on the run, he was shaping up to be the next 35-year-old heart attack victim (despite looking generally “healthy” from the outside).  Something had to change.

Out went his daily trips to Wen.dy’s (they have a joint on the first floor of his building), in came lunches made by me.  In the past I’ve refused this nicety for my dear one, citing small children and the busyness of the morning.  But I was willing if it meant helping him eat better and stay with us longer.  And to be honest, it doesn’t take too much time, especially when I’m already making a lunch for our kindergartner.

Out went crackers and chips and cereals where we couldn’t even read half of the ingredients, in came more sensible choices from better stores.  To look at our cupboards now, you wouldn’t recognize anything from the past.  We’ve started anew and it feels really good.  The boys have definitely needed some coaxing to adjust.  They don’t recognize any of our old brands and wallowed a bit before realizing that more nutritional mini-wheats from our new store taste really good and just as good as the old ones.  Other foods followed suit.  We’re still working on their transition to new ranch dressing.  Nobody does it like Hidd.en Valley.  The other night I had a good chuckle when M said, “Mommy, can we just please switch back to the dressing with chemicals?”  lol.  Change takes time.  And surprisingly, our budget hasn’t taken too much of hit thanks to great places like Trad.er Joe’s.  What a wonderful place–I get everything there now and have been so surprised at how reasonable their prices are.  We can buy organic (delicious) pasta from Italy for the same price as the store brand from Food Li.on.  I’ll take it!

Out has gone some of the items we used to purchase, in has come foods we prepare at home, like bread and granola.  I have always made my own pesto and guacamole, but how fantastic it’s been to add to my cooking/baking repertoire!  A breadmaker purchase using points from our credit card has made homemade bread a more feasible reality.  It is delicious!!  We also made our own calzone dough the other night.  Note: Things taste better when you know you made them.  Eating is more of a personal celebration.

To top things off, my hubby has started training for a half marathon in March.  This is such a great endeavor and one that I’m encouraging him to do wholeheartedly.  It has meant sacrificing my own evening time with him so he can hit the gym.  Sometimes it means I’m alone with the kids for bedtime while he gets in his workout.  But it’s worth it.  When the health of a loved one is on the line, I’m willing to make sacrifices.  I also downgraded my half-marathon aspirations to a local 10k this spring.  Our home can’t manage two people training for a distance race, but the outcome is that I’m really excited to do something shorter and faster that asks less of me on the training schedule.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Blessings to you in the new year!  Let us embrace the God of the universe and the good He has given to us on earth.  God bless.

I made this gem for my troops yesterday and *boy!* is it good.  My favorite way to eat it: on top of Tra.der Joe’s strawberry low-fat yogurt.  Just plain good.

Tracy’s Homemade Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 T ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup grade A dark amber syrup
2 T butter
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 325
2) Mix together the first 5 ingredients
3) In a small bowl, stir together the syrup and melted butter.
4) Pour the syrup mixture over the dry ingredients, coating the dry ingredients well.
5) Spread this mixture onto baking sheets (either greased or lined with parchment paper)
6) Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
7) Add the craisins, dates, and chocolate chips or whatever dried fruit combination you prefer.
Eat and Enjoy!

I recently went next door after my kiddos were tucked into bed to return a laundry basket. The sweet mom next door began regaling me with the schedules of her two boys,  5 and 8, their extracurriculars, multiple sports, etc., and I could feel myself getting overwhelmed and stressed out for her. To sum it all up, she said, “It’s only 18 years, right?” All I could could think to say in the moment was, “Enjoy them while they are young!!”

I mean in no way to cast judgement on her or her obviously hectic days as a working mom trying to provide the best opportunities for her boys. But I instinctively recoil at the idea that we are only trying to make thorough 18 years of chaos. Not that I am so perfect myself. Believe me I have days when I am counting the seconds until the reinforcements (my husband) arrive. But when you live each day in the presence of God, it is truly an invaluable treasure, full of graces, of joy and suffering, and of infinite value.

Sometimes we have to stop for a moment during the day to recenter ourselves and reflect on that reality in the midst of the trenches. For me, this is best achieved with a cup of something warm. For some reason, the cradling of the warmth in my hands and the inhaling of steam soothes me from the chaos. It is an invitation to reflection, prayer and peace. (It also helps that this is done during the baby’s naptime and the big boys’ quiet time).

A recently launched company aims to help us people achieve these moments of reflection.  Sancti-Tea’s philosophy is as follows:

Sancti-Tea is a family company dedicated to sanctifying ourselves and others through our work. We believe that each day is an opportunity to serve others as well as preserve the balance in our own lives. Our mission is to spread this message to others through our tea. A simple cup of tea can become a daily routine which provides an opportunity to slow-down.

At Sancti-tea we believe that if everyone took five minutes while their tea infuses to focus on bringing virtue into every area of their life, our communities would be much better places. It is our goal to change lives through our tea.

There is even a list of ideas for meditating on virtues on their website.

And the tea? It’s really good. I mean really good. This coming from a tea lover. The story I heard was that when they were determining the precise blend in a blind taste test, the winner was the absolute highest quality blend of Keemum and Assam tea leaves, a unique mixture of the best of China and England.

Just think if everyone took a break everyday

to reflect,

to pray,

to inhale,

would we be rushing headlong into getting through the next 18 years? Or would be we living in the present moment, grateful for the blessings around us, seeking to live charity in the most ordinary moments of the everyday? Because in reality we are not living for the next weekend or the next thing on our to-do list or the next 18 years. We are living for eternity as God intended.

Dear Mr. Incredible,

On Monday morning, you got the kids up and fed them breakfast while I laid in bed. When I finally dragged myself out, you were surely late for work, but didn’t say a word about that or the fact that I forgot to wish you happy birthday.

When you called to see how things were going in the afternoon, instead of saying a cheerful, “Happy Birthday, my love,” I said, “The baby threw up and I can barely stand, can you come home?”

And you said, “I’m on my way.”

When you got home you found the house trashed and a feverish wife holding an equally scalding baby on the couch trying to feed him a neon blue bottle of Gatorade spiked with motrin while watching Curious George. I certainly did not give you a birthday kiss.

You cobbled together dinner of reheated Chinese food for yourself and the big boys while I held my head in my hands and stared at a piece of toast deciding if it was worth the risk.

At 6:45 you sent me to bed with no fewer than 3 kids crying and I went, pointing in the general direction of the birthday cards the kids had made and the car seat cover that needed to be washed.

Laying in bed in my fever induced haze, I thanked Jesus for creating you and making you my husband, remembering, however sacrilegious, not the words of our wedding vows, but those of Horton the elephant saying, “I’ll stick by you small folk through thin and through thick.” Not just because you are wonderfully tall, though you are, but probably because I’ve read those words nine thousand and five times since our vows.

When I woke at 1am I wandered out of the bedroom in search of the working-overtime-thermometer to check my temperature to find you sleeping on the couch, either to not disturb me or to keep the monitors out of our room to not disturb me, both equally selfless reasons.

In the morning, when I apologized for the noticeably grim birthday the day before, you told me it was the best ever and I sensed that it wasn’t entirely tongue in cheek, because you were totally and joyfully loving your family.

So from all of us small folk…Happy Birthday. We love you.

Perhaps I’ll make you a belated Horton the elephant cake….in a few more days.

Here’s an insightful response to the discussion from Notes on Natural from our very own doc-in-training, friend, and fellow Princeton alum, Queen B:

I still remember sitting with our first daughter in Mass a few weeks after she was born.  As the priest raised the host and said, “This is my body, broken for you,” the words took on new meaning for me.  I suddenly realized that, as a new mother having just given birth to my daughter, I understood and experienced this body-sacrificing love in a new way.   As mothers, in pregnancy, childbirth, nursing and child-rearing, we really do give our bodies for our children.  Sometimes this gift comes at a great cost to us, sometimes it is just full of little crosses.  Either way, what an honor and privilege it is to participate so intimately in the Lord’s work.  As mothers, carrying out our vocations in love, we truly stand on holy ground (Exodus 3:5).

In a recent post, one mother was seeking help with one of the common crosses of pregnancy, varicose veins. These little buggers are superficial dilated veins that often occur without symptoms, but may cause itching, heaviness, cramping, aching, and leg fatigue that worsens with standing and in hot weather. They show up in about 30% of pregnancies and are more common in women with family history of varicosities, in tall women, women who stand for prolonged periods of time, those with a more sedentary lifestyle, or women who have had previous pregnancies. Unfortunately, they can increase in severity with each successive pregnancy. There is debate as to whether the tendency to develop varicosities in pregnancy is primarily due to the blood flow (hemodynamic) changes of pregnancy, hormonal changes (progesterone and estrogen may affect vein valve failure) or a combination of both.

So, how can we manage these annoying veins? The good news is that most pregnant women see an improvement in their varicosities after pregnancy, and some will see almost complete resolution of their varicosities. If you are having this problem while you are pregnant, some of the options below may help.

-TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF: Avoid standing or sitting with your feet on the ground for prolonged periods of time. Long car or airline trips or sitting all day can make the pressure build up in your lower veins, making the problem worse. Consider finding alternative positions for accomplishing activities that you normally do standing. For labor, are there positions you can tolerate which allow you to elevate your legs?

-ELEVATE: Periodically elevating your legs higher than your chest will also help prevent pressure build-up. Elevating your legs improves blood flow to the deeper veins and the heart and also improves oxygenation in your legs. This is a great excuse to rest and put up your feet! It is important to do this regularly throughout the day. The amount of time suggested based on studies is anywhere from 10 minutes every 2 hours to 30 minutes every 4 hours. Either way, the bottom line is to elevate regularly. Think of this as a health regimen, it may require planning. ONE NOTE: especially in pregnant women, you may occasionally experience leg cramps when you elevate properly, because of electrolyte (sodium, potassium, calcium) changes around your muscles as the blood flows back into the correct veins. This is uncomfortable but not dangerous. Stay hydrated, massage the cramps or try standing, all of which can improve leg cramps.

-ACTIVATE: Regular physical activity (low impact, like walking or swimming) is not only generally healthy for you in pregnancy but also helps maintain circulatory flow through leg veins and should make varicosities feel better. One study I saw also mentioned that exercises focusing on calf muscles may improve varicosity symptoms.

-COMPRESSION STOCKINGS: Although not glamourous, compression stockings really do help improve symptoms for most people. Studies suggest that they are more effective, especially in younger people, when COMBINED with regular leg elevation. Compression stockings come in 4 sizes: grade I-IV; generally grade I or II are used, with grade II (30-40mmHg) providing the most relief. Generally, it is recommended that you put on the stockings before getting out of bed in the morning and wear them until bedtime unless otherwise instructed (swimming would be a good reason to take them off), as swelling and symptoms will quickly recur when the stockings are taken off. If the stockings seem to make the problem worse they may be too constrictive or hot, both of which can increase varicosity pain. You may want to look for another pair or try a different size–call around to hospitals in your area or medical supply stores and see what kinds of compression stockings they offer. If, after a trial of 2-4 weeks you do not notice an improvement, you may want to focus your energies on elevation and activity rather than compression.

-Horse Chestnut Seed Extract: Unfortunately, there is not enough scientific evidence to recommend the safe use of this product during pregnancy and breastfeeding at this time. HCSE is a complementary therapy (an herbal supplement–meaning that it is not strictly regulated by the FDA) that has been historically used to treat chronic venous insufficiency and has recently gotten a lot of attention in the medical community because studies have shown some benefit for venous flow problems. Studies are suggesting that it improves symptoms of varicose veins. Aescin appears to the be active ingredient. It provides a weak diuretic effect (causes your kidneys to release more water), may decrease fluid leak out of veins (which causes swelling) and may improve vein tone. There are few reported side effects at standard doses (mostly nausea, and rare reports of liver and renal problems), but it is important to avoid unprocessed horsechestnut seeds and bark because both have been associated with significant toxicity and death. Again, this supplement HAS NOT been tested in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and should not be considered harmless for a pregnant women or her baby. If you use it after pregnancy, always tell your doctor that you are using it, just as you would tell him/her about other medications you are taking.

If symptoms are severe enough and you are up for surgery, there are several options for surgical treatment. They include:
-External laser ablation (better for smaller varicosities): uses a laser to clog the vein so it will disintegrate.
-Sclerotherapy (also good for small veins): an injection that causes obliteration of the vein by inflammation and scar tissue.
-Surgical ligation and stripping: small incision over the concerning areas to allow removal of the involved vein. These are generally outpatient procedures and most patients return to work in 2-5 days. Seems to have a longer lasting benefit than sclerotherapy, however up to 33% of patients have had a recurrence in their varicosities after 5 year.

Whew, that is a lot of information to digest. Hopefully your feet were up All of this information is from current medical literature, journals and studies (this is my plug to be careful of the sources when reading online!), but the author feels obligated to remind her readers that she is still relatively early in her medical training: in her senior year of medical school. It is always important to talk about your specific symptoms and experience with a doctor who you trust.

Saint Gerard Majella, patron saint of expectant mothers, pray for us.