I have been plagued with thrombophlebitis since 1979. So much so, that I have been hospitalized seven times with blood clots in my legs resulting in hospitalizations for 7 to days each time and one hospital stay with a pulmonary embolism. The clots have left my legs with unsightly dark patches mostly around my ankles. Consequently over the years, my legs have had a tendency to feel very heavy, achy, tired and I couldn’t stand on them for long lengths of time. In 2001, Dr. Schlotter stripped some veins on my right leg with 13 incisions on the inside of my leg under a general anesthesia and it took me six months to recuperate. He told me then I needed the other leg done, but after I had one done, I probably wouldn’t be back for the second. He was right, I didn’t go back.
Apprehensively, this January, after six years, I returned to his office because I had venous stasis ulcers on both my ankles which were very, very, very painful, and that kept getting worse as time went by and, consequently, would not heal. Dr. Schlotter prescribed several LASE surgeries, on both legs, over a period of months. I shuttered to hear the word surgery again. However, he assured me that these were new procedures that were virtually painless with only one incision and no need for a general anesthesia called the LASE treatment. Skeptical me, thinking back on the first surgery I had, I doubted that this was true. While lying on the table during the surgery, I kept waiting for the pain to begin. Approximately, 45 minutes later, when he said, “you can go home now.” I was utterly amazed that I was able to get up, walk to the car and drive myself home. There was virtually no pain and the recuperating time was minimal, at best. As a matter of fact, I returned to work the very next day. I’ve had this surgery 3 times (on different veins) and each time I’m still amazed. Isn’t technology great! Oh, and Dr. Schlotter is pretty great too. Thanks a lot!
~Sandra
