During your first consult appointment, you will have a venous mapping ultrasound of your legs. This test can take up to an hour and a half, depending on your vein structure and anatomy. The ultrasound technician will ask you to put shorts on and lie on the bed while they take images of your veins with ultrasound. The ultrasound technician will be looking for varicose veins, and checking your veins for blood clots. They will also check your superficial (surface) veins for insufficiency, or in other words, blood going in the wrong direction. This “insufficient” blood can cause your legs to swell, varicose veins to form, leg pain/discomfort, leg discoloration, and in very severe cases, cause ulcers.
Once the ultrasound portion of the consult is done, Dr. Sandman will come into the room and review your results of the test with you, and explain what the procedures that could help your legs would be. She will answer any questions you may have!