Varicose Veins Update

me August 2013

I went for my first treatment yesterday for the hidden varicose veins. The bad news is that it hurt like hell. Dr. Morales Bravo said that people with narrow veins feel more pain with the injections. Also the smaller the vein being treated, the more I would feel it. So the spider veins are more painful to treat than the larger veins. The good news is I have no swelling, no bruising, my legs look better already and I slept reasonably well. 

After twenty injections (I counted the band-aids as I took them off), my legs felt like a bit of a pin cushion with various aches and pains last night. But this morning, other than a general tiredness, I feel pretty good. The amazing news is that the spider veins are already going away on one leg. The other leg, where he did four injections close together, is still full of spider veins - but they should fade with time. The most pain I have is in in right calf where he treated the one vein that was really hurting beforehand. 

I highly recommend Dr. Morales Bravo and this treatment. If you have any symptoms of circulation problems - like heavy legs or leg cramping at night, see spider veins on your legs or get swollen legs or ankles - it is definitely worth a visit to your GP. He or she can check the pulse in your foot to see if the blood is flowing properly. If not, you could go to Cancun or any vein specialist. I am really glad I took care of it now before it got worse. More information on the treatment I had, sclerotherapy, can be found here on Mayo Clinic's website. For information on Dr. Morales Bravo in Cancun, click here.

Old Lady Road Map

Courtesy of Dr. Morales website (definitely not me.)

If you had asked me at twenty whether I would want an Old Lady road map, I probably would have said no. Why worry about tomorrow? That’s how I was in my teens, twenties and even in to my thirties. Even at 58, I talk myself in to believing I am still young. I ignore the crow’s feet and laugh lines around my mouth. I look in the mirror at times and wonder who that person is that stares back at me, but I convince myself that I don’t look all that much different.

I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, chicken and seafood. I limit red meat and pray I get enough fiber. I lost thirty pounds two years ago and religiously keep track of my carbs, protein and fat. I get my blood work done to know my cholesterol and triglycerides readings. I am checked for sugar and blood pressure and it all looks really good. I feel for my age, I am a healthy person. But once again since I have no Old Lady road map, a health issue has come along that surprised me.

Having sore legs the last few years really didn’t come as a shock. I work on my feet, run around all the time and almost never sit still except while doing computer work. Even then, I get up a lot and try to stretch. I go to the gym and attempt to work on cardio. I do like to walk. Then last month due to some canceled flights, I ended up on seven flights in five days. When I got home, my legs felt heavy and weird, swollen. Everybody told me to keep my feet up and drink more water. But I do drink water, probably at least three liters a day. I don’t drink anything else. No soda, juice or alcohol. But it didn’t seem to help.

Finally after a month of this, I went to Dr. Cruz and he ran all the blood work to make sure it wasn’t something serious. It wasn’t my kidneys, liver, sugar or blood pressure. All normal. He checked the pulse in my foot and said it felt weak. So he suggested I go to a vein specialist to see if I had a blockage from all that travel. He was concerned for thrombosis or a clot.

My appointment was yesterday. The doctor, Dr. Morales Bravo, in Cancun, a vein and vascular surgeon, looked at my veins with a type of ultrasound and showed me the problem. I have hidden varicose veins. Can you imagine my surprise? I know I had ugly spider veins, but I don’t have varicose veins, I screamed. You are confusing me with my grandmother, who had the gnarly, ugly beasts sprouting from her calves. He told me that he needs to do six to eight treatments of sclerotherapy.

It was quite disturbing when I read about it that the doctor actually kills off the vein that is varicose, and he reroutes the blood to another vein. Who knew that we have 400% of the veins we need in our bodies? Again something that would be helpful to explain in the Old Lady road map.

More info on this procedure can be found here from the Mayo Clinic.

The good news is I had no blockage or clots. I spent last night going back and forth if I should do the procedures. Since I have symptoms, it seems I really have no choice. By the way, it was not due to any lifestyle choices, but purely genetic. Varicose veins run in families. 

After reading both Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic’s websites, they both recommend the procedure I am getting for my problem. I also got a personal referral from a neighbor, who has been going to Dr. Morales for four years. She could not have recommended him more highly.

So my post is two-fold. One is introduce the idea of the Old Lady road map, that I think a lot of us could use and would be happy to buy. Now somebody just needs to write it. The second reason is to alert other women my age about this problem. Since I saw no veins popping out of my skin, I assumed I was fine. Varicose veins start long before, hidden away undetected to the normal person. It turns out one in five women over 50 will have some type of problem with their veins. Since we have all become so much more attuned to tracking our blood pressure and diet to arterial hypertension, it is probably a good thing to also know about this type of hypertension. If you have spider veins, there is a good possibility you could have varicose veins hidden away, espcially if you have a family history of varicose veins. My suggestion is to get the ultrasound in Cancun, especially if you have any swelling or heaviness in the legs, as I did. The visit costs $600 pesos. You can find out more information on Dr. Morale’s website, here.

Cozumel Fireworks in the Rain Rain Rain

Independence Day photo courtesy of Bill Bryan

The theme of this year's Independence Day festitivies is rain, rain, rain. We are now on our third week of rain. Hard to believe but true. Not complaining as the rains keep the ocean cool and prevent a hurricane coming our way. But I have to admit, it is getting kind of old.

Fireworks photo courtesy of Bill Bryan

Around 11:30 last night, I was woken from a light sleep by the fireworks. I wasn't sure they were even going to have them. A few hours earlier, we had guests at our gate, well really not guests, but locals who had gotten stuck in the rain and hid under our car port (glued to our gates) ... one even had a moped. We went to bed, so not sure how long they were out there.

Another shot by Bill Bryan

Happy Independence Day, all! It is still raining.

Cincinnati Visit Part 2

Bobby Lammert and family

You know the old saying, you can't go home again. Well I did, but boy was my memory lousy. I happened to sit in a room across from one of my brother's best friends for many hours and never realized who he was. My brother even gave me prompts, like remember Bob this or Bob that. But the guy I remembered was named Bobby and was thirty years younger! Sorry, Bobby Lammert, and if you make it to Cozumel, I promise to cook you that flank steak you liked so well.

We have a new tradition of meeting up each summer, my brother and his girls and a few select friends of my brother. One of the ones I enjoy speaking to and also talk to throughout the year is Liz. She is just such a wonderful, warm and together person.

Liz and me

The other is Tom, who shared his home with all of us. He has been a constant in the lives of my nieces and really like another Dad. I am honored to call him my friend.

Tom, my brother's good friend

One of the highlights of the Cincinnati visit was a party that my niece, Sarah, put together for us to see our first cousins, Julie and Lisa, their children and spouses and one of my favorite people in the whole world, Uncle Bud. Everybody should have an Uncle Bud, a guy who always believed in us, clowned with us and loved us unconditionally.

Uncle Bud

Our cousins Lisa and Julie

Seeing Jule and Lisa again was awesome. It was a tiny bit sad as their mom passed away in January. But she will live on in all our memories, love you, Aunt Peggy. I really need to pull out some of the old photos with Bud with Elvis hair and Peggy with her beehive and cat glasses. I just love those old photos!

Adorable Emmet with one of the puppies

One of my favorite photos from that day was of my cousin Lisa's younger son, Emmet. What a doll and of course, he is holding a puppy!

Cincinnati Visit Part I

Me in Cincinnati

Now home almost a week, I can finally clear the cobwebs of my brain and begin to tackle all the emotions a trip back to Ohio brings. It had been seven years since my last visit. I feel like I am reciting how long since my last confession. It is almost the same process. Each visit back brings the ghosts I think I have finally put to rest running about again.

Good points of my visit ... seeing family and friends, visiting my parents' graves, staying at a wonderful place (Mariemont Inn) ... more to come about that on my Gargoyles & Graffiti blog. Great food and beautiful architecture. I forgot how gorgeous Cincinnati is.

Bad points of my visit ... feeling the void of my aunt's passing, worrying about the health of one of my favorite relatives, seeing how old everybody is ... when I don't see them, they don't age ... and just having too little time. Always too little time.

Gorgeous lobby of the Mariemont Inn

My cousin Julie & her three children

And of course the theme of the trip ... puppies, puppies and more puppies. My brother now has twelve dogs, of which four are to be sold. The rest are Bella, Worley, Paisley, Chocy, Churchy, Tinkerbell, Rocket and not to be forgotten Baby Ruth. The four puppies entertained my cousins' kids for most of an afternoon. We had a great time last Sunday with everybody.

Patrick with one of the puppies

I am always amazed and awed by the friendships my brother has that have endured more than thirty years. Two of his good friends have also become my good friends as well.

Friends Liz and Tom with my niece Emma

My brother Tim with one of his puppies

Last but not least, there is my brother and his two daughters. My niece, Sarah, was visiting from England so that was the main reason I went to Cincinnati. Her little sister, Emma, flew in with her new husband and my brother, Tim was there too. A wonderful time was had by all! And, wow, boy can my brother cook.

My niece Sarah visiting from England enjoying a Margarita

New Ashley Sleep Mattresses at The Magic of Design

Memory foam mattresses from Ashley Sleep 

Memory foam mattresses are now in stock at The Magic of Design. We are stocking the Augusta series, but there are many other options including plusher memory foam, gel and latex mattresses. The firmest, the Augusta, is set up in the store and it feels Heavenly to me, not firm at all, but supportive. The full article on the new mattresses is available here. These are US sizes and there are two options for boxsprings ... one with feet like we have in Mexico and the other a standard foundation.

Remember, we post news every month. So if you want to keep current with what is going on in the store, like our Facebook page and you will know when the news is available and any sales or specials are running. 

Our 20% to 70% off sale started on July 15th on all in-stock merchandise. Come on by while supplies last.

Cozumel or Corfu: You Decide

Photo courtesy of Cozumel Diving

Underwater Cozumel is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Having traveled much of the globe, there are few places that compare to Cozumel for its beauty and clarity underwater. I believe I have only found one that is equal. It is at Paleokastritsa Beach on the other side of where the cruise ships dock in Corfu, Greece.

Paleokastritsa Beach at Corfu, Greece

There were signs for scuba diving. I liked that it has the clear waters of Cozumel, but you can see mountains all around. I vote these two places the prettiest waters in the world. Which do you think is more beautiful?

My niece and I had a harrowing trip to get to Paleokastritsa Beach though. We found a taxi driver at the pier. He was driving a new Mercedes Benz four door C series car, I believe. We haggled over a price and finally agreed on 80 euros, if memory serves. What we didn't realize when he agreed to take us to this beach is how short the trip would be. He drove about 120 miles an hour through mountain roads. We were thrown against each other the whole way, we arrived at the beach, he downed 2 beers while we took photos as fast as we could and we were returned in the same fashion. 

If you make it to Corfu, do your best to make it to Paleokastritsa Beach. It is definitely worth the trip. More info on this beautiful beach can be found here.

But if your schedule does not allow a trip to an island in Greece, you can enjoy the same waters right here in Cozumel.