Bulging Superficial Leg Veins

[Alexandru Matei]

hi - I have had onset of bulging superficial veins in my legs for about 2 months now, I cannot find a picture online that looks like my condition which makes me believe that this is an autonomic dysfunction. I have had POTS episodes before and swollen veins on my legs but not this bad.

There is no redness around the veins or ulceration, they are just inflamed, hard and warm and whenever I lift my legs up they go back to normal, heart checkups come back normal, I have a chronic candida condition and many other diagnosis, you can read my story in my signature, please help any had bulging veins on their legs I feel very sick with dozens of symptoms and this is my forth relapse and I'm alsmot bedridden and in pain, my immune system is seemingly not working at all, esophagus candida says it all along with many other infections detected though testing - my veins don't look like the veins in these conditions: My veins are just swollen when standing up, on both legs, all the superficial veins, the legs are hot to touch and pain and tingling which I had for years since 2004, but the burning and stinging was never this ad.

my veins don't look like the veins in these conditions:

Thrombophlebitis,
Varicose veins
Superficial Thrombophlebitis
Phlebitis

In Phlebitis and deep vein thromosis (DVT) the area around the vein is red, warm, swollen, and often painful. Because the blood in the vein tends to clot, the vein feels hard, not soft like a normal vein. The vein may even feel like a "rope" with knots along its length. When the superficial veins in the legs develop phlebitis, swelling of the ankle or foot is common.

If I have any of the above conditions it's most likely to be Superficial Thrombophlebitis from so many Intravenous injection and cannulations that I have received in October in 4 ER visits. Over 16 cannulations and probably 10 or more intravenous pain injections. I have had gallbladder crisis and possibly pancreatitis (no doctor mention pancreatitis but my pancreas was inflamed) so I took 4 ER visits for my crisis. All of my story and updates are in my signature first link...

Although uncommon, untreated superficial phlebitis can spread to deep veins. More serious complications occur with DVT, where a blood clot can break free from a deep vein and move towards the lungs. The moving blood clot, called an embolus, can block blood flow to the lungs and is known as a pulmonary embolus.

I have dizziness, headache, balance issues and what not, I have had this symptoms before as well, but they got worse.

Did anyone have swollen leg vessels, hard at touch, warm and only when standing up? They get worse with walking, standing and exertion (I believe this is all autonomic and has to do a lot with POTS)

What do you think should I go to ER see a doctor?

Thanks

 

[Martial]

You should absolutely see a doctor immediately if its a DVT then it could cause a fatal blood clot in your lungs. I also saw your Lyme isses, I also have Lyme and can't afford expensive treatment. Have you ever thought of using cheaper protocols like Dr. Lee Cowdens, or Dr Stephen Buhners? These are natural approaches using herbs and other supplements to support the system but is much cheaper in the long run. It gives very successful results compared to long term antibiotic use for chronic lyme, on top of that you already have candida issues then pharmaceutical antibiotics are potentially dangerous.

 

[Alexandru Matei]

You should absolutely see a doctor immediately if its a DVT then it could cause a fatal blood clot in your lungs. I also saw your Lyme isses, I also have Lyme and can't afford expensive treatment. Have you ever thought of using cheaper protocols like Dr. Lee Cowdens, or Dr Stephen Buhners? These are natural approaches using herbs and other supplements to support the system but is much cheaper in the long run. It gives very successful results compared to long term antibiotic use for chronic lyme, on top of that you already have candida issues then pharmaceutical antibiotics are potentially dangerous.

hi - I don't think this could be DVT since it doesn't look like it - these are the symptoms in DVT

• pain, swelling and tenderness in one of your legs (usually your calf)
• a heavy ache in the affected area.
• warm skin in the area of the clot.
• redness of your skin, particularly at the back of your leg below the knee.

I have no pain or swelling in my legs, it's rather a burning sensation, I don't have a heavy ache in a particular area either, the skin is warm but my skin feels warm to touch all over my body for years on and off, it's not particularly warm in just one region of the legs, I have to redness of the skin either - no redness anywhere, the skin is normal.

I tend to believe this has everything to do with dysautonomia and pots, the blood is pooling in my legs and doesn't find it's way back to the heart and rest of the body normally, I will see my GP or ER if I get any of the symptoms above.

You're right about antibiotics, I can't take them due to candida, it can worsen my condition, actually my candida overgrowth started after 12 days of antibiotics this time. I have considered Buhner's protocol, I'd give it a try ..... have taken cats claw before but never the entire protocol.

 

[Martial]

hi - I don't think this could be DVT since it doesn't look like it - these are the symptoms in DVT

• pain, swelling and tenderness in one of your legs (usually your calf)
• a heavy ache in the affected area.
• warm skin in the area of the clot.
• redness of your skin, particularly at the back of your leg below the knee.

I have no pain or swelling in my legs, it's rather a burning sensation, I don't have a heavy ache in a particular area either, the skin is warm but my skin feels warm to touch all over my body for years on and off, it's not particularly warm in just one region of the legs, I have to redness of the skin either - no redness anywhere, the skin is normal.

I tend to believe this has everything to do with dysautonomia and pots, the blood is pooling in my legs and doesn't find it's way back to the heart and rest of the body normally, I will see my GP or ER if I get any of the symptoms above.

You're right about antibiotics, I can't take them due to candida, it can worsen my condition, actually my candida overgrowth started after 12 days of antibiotics this time. I have considered Buhner's protocol, I'd give it a try ..... have taken cats claw before but never the entire protocol.

Well it is possible that its just something like varicose veins which happen when blood flow becomes a problem, It is just very important you get a DVT checked out even if it only feels like you have one or two of the symptoms. Extended bed rest is a huge risk factor for a DVT. You would benefit from it much better I am sure, I didn't tolerate antibiotics either. Had to take diflucan and nystatin for a while after. You should also look into any possible blood clotting disorders going on, Lyme disease can cause sticky blood which makes you more at risk for clotting throughout the body. It is a pretty simple test you can take with your doctor to figure that out.

 

[Alexandru Matei]

Well it is possible that its just something like varicose veins which happen when blood flow becomes a problem, It is just very important you get a DVT checked out even if it only feels like you have one or two of the symptoms. Extended bed rest is a huge risk factor for a DVT. You would benefit from it much better I am sure, I didn't tolerate antibiotics either. Had to take diflucan and nystatin for a while after. You should also look into any possible blood clotting disorders going on, Lyme disease can cause sticky blood which makes you more at risk for clotting throughout the body. It is a pretty simple test you can take with your doctor to figure that out.

I'll ask my GP to test me for blood clotting disorders because this is not the first time I have bulging veins like this, I had them on everyone of my flares, but still no DVT signs or pulmonary embolism (they actually did 2 CT scans of my lungs in the ER recently and they both looked great as well as an x-ray.

There's definitely sometimes going on, blood flow issues because I don't see any other reason for such bulging veins, I always had them swollen on my hands but not on my legs (except during flares of this mystery illness). As I said believe this has a lot to do with autonomic dysfunction (if nothing comes up on x-rays) no real signs of DVT, blood just pools down my legs and doesn't make up its way up naturally, but who knows there are a whole lot of tests to rule out a clot in the veins.

 

[Gondwanaland]

@Alexandru Matei I think it is high ammonia

 

[Alexandru Matei]

@Alexandru Matei I think it is high ammonia

It might be that too since I have smoked 15 years (and my body does not detoxify properly, I rarely sweat and I sweat on antifungal and antimicrobials mostly.

But I believe bullging veins in my case has a lot to do with blood pooling from POTS or the systemic infections.

Thanks for your imput, anyone else had bulging veins?

 

[Butydoc]

It might be that too since I have smoked 15 years (and my body does not detoxify properly, I rarely sweat and I sweat on antifungal and antimicrobials mostly.

But I believe bullging veins in my case has a lot to do with blood pooling from POTS or the systemic infections.

Thanks for your imput, anyone else had bulging veins?

Hi Alexandru Matel,

It sounds like you have venous insufficiency of your leg veins. Generally this is caused by failure of the valvular system between the superficial veins and the deep system. The veins tend to be bulging when standing and mostly flat when the legs are raised above the level of the heart. A burning or aching sensation is common. The veins can appear firm when standing ,but become soft when supine. A vascular surgeon can generally make the diagnosis easily in their office with a non-invasive test.

A DVT, phlebitis, genetics and standing for long periods of time over many years can predispose to the above mentioned condition.

Best,
Gary

 

[Alexandru Matei]

Thanks Gary, I will see my GP and see what I can do about this.

Can certain medication induce bulging veins?

 

[Alexandru Matei]

It doesn't look like DVT or phlebitis at all, no redness and no swelling - it just doesn't match. In the last few days it started to subside. My GP had me undressed looked at my veins and said that this is by no means DVT, phlebitis..

I suspect POTS, because POTS can cause this blood pooling condition, I always get a racing heart up to 130 beats per minute upon standing from 60 beats when sitting which is a clear sign of POTS (I had these symptoms with everyone of my flares)

 

[dannybex]

Hi Alexandru Matel,

It sounds like you have venous insufficiency of your leg veins. Generally this is caused by failure of the valvular system between the superficial veins and the deep system. The veins tend to be bulging when standing and mostly flat when the legs are raised above the level of the heart. A burning or aching sensation is common. The veins can appear firm when standing ,but become soft when supine. A vascular surgeon can generally make the diagnosis easily in their office with a non-invasive test.

I agree. I have the same issue, from becoming more housebound and less able to walk over the last year and a half, so a lot of sitting, not enough "exercise". Plus right now I can't seem to tolerate the high-phenol/flavonoid compounds or herbs that can help reverse this, but will try to start w/tiny doses in the next month and slowly increase them. Diosmin, horse chestnut, and butcher's broom have studies that back up their effectiveness. Also more standard bioflavonoids might also help.

 

[Gondwanaland]

@Alexandru Matei my suggestion is to try some magnesium supplementation only for a while. It it's salicylate intolerance/high uric acid it helps and if it is high ammonia it helps too.

I've had DVT, high uric acid associated to salicylate intolerance and high ammonia.

4 days in hospital and 1.5 years on blood thinners helped with DVT. Now dealing with blood thinner side effects.

For the other conditions magnesium only helped. If it is ammonia something to bind in the gut can also speed up reversal (e.g. charcoal - don't overdo here, take no more than 500mg 1x or 2x in a month). Sodim bicarbonate footh baths or a full bath also relieve both uric acid and ammonia excess.

 

[Alexandru Matei]

@Alexandru Matei my suggestion is to try some magnesium supplementation only for a while. It it's salicylate intolerance/high uric acid it helps and if it is high ammonia it helps too.

I've had DVT, high uric acid associated to salicylate intolerance and high ammonia.

4 days in hospital and 1.5 years on blood thinners helped with DVT. Now dealing with blood thinner side effects.

For the other conditions magnesium only helped. If it is ammonia something to bind in the gut can also speed up reversal (e.g. charcoal - don't overdo here, take no more than 500mg 1x or 2x in a month). Sodim bicarbonate footh baths or a full bath also relieve both uric acid and ammonia excess.

Sorry to hear you ha DVT, how this this manifest in your case? DVT is not just bulging veins, it comes with swelling, redness and other symptoms.

I stopped taking too much charcoal because I don't get bloated as much as I did in the past two months. Also started magnesium and vitamins to see if it helps. In my case I think it's both ammonia and heavy metals, just guessing because I do not afford testing.

 

[Gondwanaland]

DVT= swelling and bright colored blood vessels.

High ammonia or uric adic= bulging veins

Vitamins can mobilize metals too much, I found that taking magnesium only for a few weeks helped with uncomfortable symptoms. Watch out for further electrolyte imbalances from taking magnesium after a while. It can also lower blood pressure.

I found that magnesium glycinate worsened ammonia symptoms. I had to experiment a lot until I found the best magnesium form for me.

 

[Alexandru Matei]

DVT= swelling and bright colored blood vessels.

High ammonia or uric adic= bulging veins

Vitamins can mobilize metals too much, I found that taking magnesium only for a few weeks helped with uncomfortable symptoms. Watch out for further electrolyte imbalances from taking magnesium after a while. It can also lower blood pressure.

I found that magnesium glycinate worsened ammonia symptoms. I had to experiment a lot until I found the best magnesium form for me.

It's so hard to determine things without getting proper testing, my veins bulged for 3 weeks then stopped then started bulging again. My health went downhill since I started a fluconazole protocol for my candida overgrowth, stopped the fluconazole and started natural anti-microbials now I stopped all anti-microbials alltogether because I highly believe they are taxing my digestive systemic, kidneys and liver.

Tomorrow I will see my GI and he will probably admit me in the hospital for a whole lot of testing.

I agree with your theory with high ammonia because once the Candida dies off it produces high levels of ammonia and ethanol which might be the main reason my veins bulge on antimicrobials. Have had this before and I guess I am just not allowed to take antimicrobials of any sort. ( not eve natural ones) I used liver protection (silimiarin, charcoal, lots of water and what not) and still didn't help with the toxin overload.

I feel pretty sick, galbladder attacks, nausea, brain fog, burning body, aches and pains, head pressure etc..

I hope my GI will take me seriously and find out what going on.

This is my 4TH flare and I felt so sick every time on natural antimicrobials. (I have candida overgrowth, lyme, herpes, HPV etc) so I though I should take them but seems that I cannot tolerate them.

I have POTS in my flares so the blood pressure drops now and them, not sure what is causing it.

 

[Gondwanaland]

I agree with your theory with high ammonia because once the Candida dies off it produces high levels of ammonia and ethanol which might be the main reason my veins bulge on antimicrobials. Have had this before and I guess I am just not allowed to take antimicrobials of any sort. ( not eve natural ones) I used liver protection (silimiarin, charcoal, lots of water and what not) and still didn't help with the toxin overload.

IME any antimicrobial (both allopathic and herbs) AND die off will deplete you from magnesium, reducing the liver's ability to perform detox pathways, creating a snowball effect where high uric acid and high ammonia are implied.

I was able to get out from the snowball by finding the ideal magnesium supplementation for me. Sodium bicarbonate baths also helped. The problem here is that this kind of intervention can worsen low BP. I do have low BP, but it didn't worsen though.

If you are going to hospital, be sure to get all tests that matter like anion gap and urine electrolytes to compare to blood levels. And blood uric acid and ammonia, of course.

When I have been to ER they only tested serum electrolytes (and not all of them) and it showed nothing. Actually it showed high serum magnesium (within range) - and a week later I got a dr. to test my serum, RBC and urine magnesium levels and it was allarmingly low in urine.

 

[Alexandru Matei]

IME any antimicrobial (both allopathic and herbs) AND die off will deplete you from magnesium, reducing the liver's ability to perform detox pathways, creating a snowball effect where high uric acid and high ammonia are implied.

I was able to get out from the snowball by finding the ideal magnesium supplementation for me. Sodium bicarbonate baths also helped. The problem here is that this kind of intervention can worsen low BP. I do have low BP, but it didn't worsen though.

If you are going to hospital, be sure to get all tests that matter like anion gap and urine electrolytes to compare to blood levels. And blood uric acid and ammonia, of course.

When I have been to ER they only tested serum electrolytes (and not all of them) and it showed nothing. Actually it showed high serum magnesium (within range) - and a week later I got a dr. to test my serum, RBC and urine magnesium levels and it was allarmingly low in urine.

The problem is that I live in Romania where medicine in general is a wack, they do just basic testing, I will ask my doctor to check my liver, kidney functions as well, apart from the colonoscopy that I have to get done. Something is definitely wrong and making me this sick. A lot of the tests that are done in countries like UK and US are not done here, they just do the basics to rule out serious conditions..

I think that my galbladder had to be out about 2 months ago but they said no in the ER. I'll see what my GI says, I have constant digestion issues, galbladder attacks, aches and pain in my tummy for two months now. Ultrasounds and CT only show up a galbladder with malformations since birth, they say that if I don't have gallstones then they can't take it out, which is not always the case, it has to be removed if it does not function (or functions at 2% - 10% i.e)