Q: I am a 19 years old boy who underwent vascular surgery for varicose vein on the right leg by laser 15 days back. I have been given compression stockings to wear for 2 months. All the pain and tenderness was supposed to disappear within seven days, but the pain is still persistent on the thigh where the edge of the stockings presses into the leg. This has led to bruising, tenderness and pain even after removing the stockings. I have taken painkillers but they gave no or little relief. Sometimes the pain becomes unbearable. What should I do now?

A:I suggest that you should consult the treating doctor again and ask the reason for the continued pain. It is unusual to have continued pain after laser procedures. The only explanation I can think of is that the laser can sometimes cause a burn in the skin from the energy blast from within the vein (LSV). This is why during the procedure a local anaesthetic with saline has to be injected as tumescence anaesthesia for pain relief and to protect the overlaying skin by saline as a heat sink. Now that two weeks have passed it should not be long before the pain starts settling down. However the visit to the treating surgeon is imperative, may be he has a better explanation and can give appropriate treatment to get relief.