Be aware of DVT and travel safely this summer

Summer may be BBQ season, but it’s also the time when people travel long distances in planes, trains, and automobiles. For us in vein healthcare, that means increased risks of Deep Vein Thombosis, or DVT.

The deep vein system carries about 80% of blood from the feet back up to the heart. Deep veins are located under the muscle and connective tissue layers in the legs. A blood clot in a deep vein can be dangerous because the high pressure in the system could cause the clot to break free from the vein wall and enter the blood stream. The DVT could then travel up through the legs into another part of the body such as the lungs, where it would become a pulmonary embolism (PE).

DVT or PE symptoms are often misinterpreted as something less serious. A blood clot in the leg may feel like a “charley horse,” shin splints, or a twisted ankle. Symptoms from PE are often attributed to a pulled muscle in the chest, costochondritis (inflammation of the joint between ribs and breast bone), asthma, or a “touch of pneumonia.”

So what are some of the signs to look for? For DVT, the leg may be warm to the touch; swelling in the leg (can also occur in the arm); leg (or arm) pain or tenderness; reddish or bluish skin discoloration.

For PE, be aware of a sudden shortness of breath; sharp, stabbing chest pain (may get worse with deep breath); rapid heart rate or breathing; feeling lightheaded or fainting; unexplained coughing, sometimes with bloody mucus.

In half of DVT and PE cases, no symptoms present at all—but both conditions are medical emergencies. Any of these symptoms should be regarded as a DVT or PE until proven otherwise, especially if someone is in a risk category (including whether there is a history of blood clots in your family).

Awareness is key-- and so is prevention. When traveling long distances, stay well hydrated, stretch legs your legs and pump your feet periodically, avoid or moderate alcohol and caffeine, and consider wearing graduated compression stockings on your trip.

To find out more about DVT and other vein issues, contact us at the Vein Healthcare Center. We will evaluate your vein health — including spider veins, varicose veins, and leg ulcers.

Meet Dr. V!

Dr. Cindy Asbjornsen and the staff are proud to welcome Dr. Satish Vayuvegula to the Vein Healthcare Center team!

Dr. Vayuvegula (pronounced vye-VAY-gla), MD, MS, FAVLS, DABVLM has been a close colleague of Dr. Asbjornsen’s for almost 15 years. He is Board certified in both Phlebology and Emergency Medicine and has 20 years of experience diagnosing and treating venous disease. 

Dr. Vayuvegula earned his medical degree from The Chicago Medical School in 1999 and completed his residency at Emory University School of Medicine and Affiliated Hospitals of Atlanta, Georgia. 

After residency, Dr. Vayuvegula was invited to train in venous techniques. His interest in vein disease began during his residency when he learned that he had varicose vein disease. He underwent a thermal ablation and immediately experienced a dramatic improvement in his quality of life.

Since becoming certified by the American Venous &  Lymphatic Society, Dr. Vayuvegula has performed thousands of thermal ablations and vein procedures. He has been an active member of the American Vein & Lymphatic Society and the American Medical Association since 2005. He became an AVLS Board member in 2018, Secretary in 2020, Treasurer in 2021, and was named President-Elect in 2022 and he most recently was a co-author on two multi-society national guidelines publications on the treatment of venous disorders.

When not helping patients, Dr. Vayuvegula loves spending time with his family and traveling. He also enjoys playing golf, tennis, and pickleball.
 

Meet Robin Dobrinick, Nurse Practitioner

We're excited to introduce the newest member of the care team at the Vein Healthcare Center, Robin Dobrinick, FNP-C. 

Robin studied at the University of Southern Maine where she received her Master’s of Science in Nursing. Before joining the team at VHC, she was a Primary Care Provider at a large group family practice in Maine.

Robin meets new patients to review their medical history, perform physical exams, and discuss their concerns and goals particularly as they relate to venous health. She also meets with patients for post-operative visits as well as performing sclerotherapy procedures.

First and foremost, Robin always strives to listen to our patients. She believes that biological, social, and psychological histories are all interconnected and essential to understanding patients so that she and the care team can address patients’ concerns and recommend treatments that align with their goals of care.

Click here to meet the all of our providers!

Dr. Asbjornsen presents at the 2022 Maine Osteopathic Association conference

Earlier this summer, Dr. Asbjornsen presented a seminar called "Aging & Vein Health" to doctors at the Maine Osteopathic Association's annual conference. There's so much useful information in the presentation, that we wanted to share it more widely!

Here are just a few of the things you'll learn:

• How vein disease presents differently depending on a person's age
• There are different categories of older adults in the general term "seniors"
• Several modern, non-invasive treatments can help decrease the leg pain and discomfort associated with vein disease
• Get to know more about Dr. Asbjornsen and her passion for vein health

Click here to watch the full video, or visit the Vein Healthcare Center YouTube channel.

March is Blood Clot Awareness Month

Have you heard of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pulmonary Embolism (PE)? Maybe you're more familiar with the term blood clots. 

Thousands of lives are lost each year to preventable blood clots, so during Blood Clot Awareness Month -- and throughout the year -- many in the medical community, including Dr. Cindy Asbjornsen, help to spread the word about this common condition. 

Know your risk

The first and most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to learn if you are at risk. 

People being treated for cancer, hospitalized with COVID-19, or getting hip or knee replacements are all at greater risk for developing blood clots. But did you know that even athletes may have increased risk factors too?

Read this risk checklist to learn more.

Signs and symptoms

Common symptoms of a blood clot in the leg or arm (also known as Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT) include swelling, pain or tenderness (not caused by injury), redness or discoloration of the skin, or skin that is warm to the touch.

Symptoms of a blood clot in the lungs (also known as a Pulmonary Embolism or PE) include difficulty breathing, chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deep or lie down, coughing or coughing up blood, or a heartbeat that's irregular or faster than normal. 

If you experience any signs or symptoms of blood clots, don't ignore them! Let your doctor know, or seek medical attention right away.

Prevention

The good news about blood clots is that they are preventable. Once you consider your risk factors and learn the signs and symptoms, then take a look at your family history. If you learn that there is a history of blood clots in your family, tell your doctor and let other family members know. 

One important way to prevent blood clots is to not be immobile for too long. If you're confined to a bed either in a hospital or at home (especially following hip or knee surgery), talk to your doctor about your options for blood clot prevention. And if you've been sitting for a long time, including in a car or plane seat, get up and move! Stand up, stretch your legs, and try to take a brief walk every couple of hours. Try this simple exercise to keep the blood flowing.

Treatment

If you do develop blood clots, your physician can help you navigate the best treatment choices for your specific situation. Anticoagulants, or so-called "blood thinners," are commonly prescribed. (Note that these medications don't actually "thin" the blood; what they do is slow the body's ability to form new clots and stop existing clots from getting bigger.

Other treatment options can include compression stockings, thrombolytic therapy, and vena cava filters. You can learn more about blood clot treatment here. 

A lot of living to do - Happy Senior Citizens Day!

August 21 is Senior Citizens Day, a U.S. observance established in honor of older adults who have made positive contributions in their communities. The day is also a time to bring awareness of social and health issues that affect senior citizens – like veins!

Paying attention to venous health is an important aspect of successful aging – and one that has historically gone untreated. Many seniors have been told that heavy, aching legs are a normal part of aging, but that’s often not the case. There are solutions for venous insufficiency that make people feel better, no matter what their age.

Venous insufficiency occurs when healthy veins become damaged and allow the backward flow of blood into the lower extremities. This pooling of blood can lead to a feeling of heaviness, aching, and can cause skin changes, such as spider veins or a brown, woody appearance of the lower legs.

Seniors’ veins respond differently to everyday stress compared to that of a younger person’s because vein walls are primarily made of collagen. As the body ages, a decrease in the production of collagen causes the veins to become more brittle and the valves more likely to fail, especially in the superficial veins. Thus, there is a higher incidence of varicose veins in the elderly population.

Additionally, the skin begins to lose its elasticity and doesn’t respond to stress the way it once did. And because skin is the “end organ” of venous disease, ulcers can occur as a result of damaged veins.

Some seniors might think that “vein stripping” is the only option. While it was the go-to procedure for many years, treatment of venous disease today is vastly different. Breakthroughs in phlebology and new approaches to treatment involve less time and less pain, and they are overwhelmingly successful over the long term when performed by an experienced specialist.

The risk-benefit ratio makes treatment an ideal option for seniors. Although seniors have a 50% greater chance of suffering from vein disease, they have the same success with modern treatment options as anyone else.

One Chef's Perspective

Joshua B. is a chef. Years in the restaurant business have kept him on his feet for extended periods of time, which— combined with a family history of varicose veins— was a recipe for unhealthy legs. 

“I started getting varicose veins in high school, but as unsightly as they were, they never really bothered me,” said Joshua.

As the New Hampshire native got older, his veins got worse. They continued to get bigger and stay swollen for longer periods of time. Even crawling on the floor with his young kids was hard because of the varicose veins on his knees. But the self-proclaimed “tough guy” continued to live with the discomfort. When he was about 27 years old, however, he started to experience undeniable medical issues.

The skin covering Joshua’s veins gradually got thinner and thinner, especially on the insides of his ankles. Eventually the skin got so thin on the inside of his right ankle that it ruptured and began spraying blood “like a squirt gun coming out of the side of his foot,” as Joshua described it.

“It was scary. I didn’t know what to do, so I rushed to the emergency room where they gave me a Novocaine injection and stitches that stayed in for a week,” he said.

That was the first emergency. Ten months later another bleeder opened up higher up on Joshua’s right leg. He finally began to take the problem seriously
and went to two different doctors for treatment.

One physician encouraged vein stripping. The other physician advised against it but offered no alternatives. Joshua was confused: “I never really had a clear path of what to do.”

Finally, Joshua found his way to the Vein Healthcare Center. An ultrasound revealed the source of the problem, and Joshua worked with Dr. Cindy Asbjornsen on a treatment plan. He proceeded to have endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) on his right leg first, followed by his left leg two months later. Dr. Asbjornsen followed both EVLA procedures with sclerotherapy. As Joshua put it, the EVLA “dams up the river,” and then the sclerotherapy gets rid of the other streams leading up to it.

Joshua was nervous before the procedures, but found that it was a lot easier than he expected. Although his goal was to restore healthy venous return
in his legs, he’s been surprised by how much more comfortable and confident he feels.

“I’m not as apprehensive about wearing shorts and showing off my legs now, because before they were gnarly and bumpy,” he said. “They’re not Tom Brady’s legs yet, but they look much better than they did.”

Overall, the experience has been an educational one for Joshua. Once he really understood what varicose veins were and what his specific problem was, he couldn’t wait to fix it. In fact, he wishes a vein exam could be part of every general physical.

“It’s a quick thing to look at someone’s legs to see if there are varicosities. There are a lot of possible treatments, and the earlier you start the better off you are.”

Click here to read more about real patients' experiences with vein disease and treatment. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact us at the Vein Healthcare Center!

Compression: How To Put It On & Take It Off

At the Vein Healthcare Center, we've said it before and we'll keep on saying it: we love compression!

To help patients better understand how to put on and take off their compression stockings -- what they refer to in vein care as "donning and doffing" -- we've adapted this downloadable guide from our friends at medi-usa.

If you have any questions about compression, please contact us at 27-221-7799 or email info@veinhealthcare.com. If you're interested in taking the next step in vein care, click here to learn more.

Don't forget the "medi" in medi-spa

There are more than 4,200 so-called "medi-spas" in the U.S. Some of them offer facials and massages, while others offer vein procedures or cosmetic enhancements like Botox or dermabrasion. But is it safe?

In our latest issue of Vein Health News, we take a look at these businesses where aesthetics meets medicine. We also offer some good advice on how to make sure that you're not wasting your money, or worse, putting your health at risk.

If you have questions about vein procedures and safety, please ask us! Call the Vein Healthcare Center at 207-221-7799 (Monday through Friday during regular business hours), or send us an email at info@veinhealthcare.com.

Meet Nicole Strout, NP!

As a Nurse Practitioner, Nicole Strout, NP, supports Dr. Cindy Asbjornsen, founder of the Vein Healthcare Center. Nikki joined the VHC team after providing care at an orthopedic practice in Portland. She attended nursing school as an undergraduate at Marshall University in West Virginia before receiving her Masters in Nursing from Walden University in Minnesota.

In addition to spending time with her husband, a fisherman in Alaska, and their three sons, ages 5, 3, and 9 months, Nikki enjoys the Maine outdoors – including going out on her father-in-law’s lobster boat! Read on to learn more about Nikki.

Q: How do you help patients at VHC?
A: I meet with new patients and review their medical history as well as give them a physical exam. We spend a lot of time discussing their health goals.

Q: Why is that first-visit conversation so important?
A: I work closely with Dr. Asbjornsen to determine the best treatment plan for each person, so I want to give her the most complete picture of each patient’s situation as possible. I also want every patient to feel heard, so I really tune in and listen to what their complaints are. One of the first physicians I ever worked for taught me that 90 percent of the time, the patient is going to tell me what’s wrong with them. In my experience I’ve found that that’s the best way to develop a relationship – and it streamlines their care.

Q: What is it like working with Dr. Asbjornsen?
A: She is one of the kindest, most patient physicians I’ve ever worked with. People sometimes feel that it’s hard to find someone in healthcare that you can trust and develop a good relationship with. Dr. Asbjornsen tries to do that, and so do I. So does the rest of the staff.

Q: Why are you a good fit for VHC?
A: When I was an RN, before I received my Masters in Nursing, I worked in vein treatment, so I have that background. I also like that patients with vein issues and venous insufficiency tend to be more involved in their treatment and more proactive in their approach to health. Plus, I love helping people, advising them and getting them on the right path so they can stay active.

Q: What do you like the most about vein care?
A: I think that it’s so rewarding to help people who come in with pain but can’t figure out the underlying cause. We help them figure it out, and our procedures and help with their symptoms and get them back to their baseline health and feeling so much better.

Q: What do you do when you’re not working or taking care of three young kids?
A: My sanity is running! That’s how I keep my mind functioning well.

To learn more about the team at the Vein Healthcare Center, click here. If you'd like to make an appointment to evaluate your vein health and learn about treatment options, click here.

Thank you, nurses!

In 1993, the American Nurses Association declared May 6-12 as the annual week to celebrate and elevate the nursing profession. (Fun fact: May 12 is Florence Nightingale's birthday!)

The week features events all across the country to honor nurses and their work and to educate the public about nurses' indispensable role in public health.

At Vein Healthcare Center, we know that nurses are often on the front lines of health care, and we tip our hats to them! We are well aware that venous disease can be a real occupational hazard for nurses who are often on their feet for hours at a time. We recently shared the story of Beth, a nurse from Maine who suffered from venous disease but eventually found relief.

And we'll never tire of sharing these tips for how nurses can take care of themselves by taking care of their feet. 

Lastly, if you're a nurse, tune into Nurses4Us: Elevating the Profession on Wednesday, May 8 from 1:00pm-2:00pm. Hosted by ANA, the free webinar explores Nursing Now, a 3-year global campaign to improve health by raising the profile and status of nursing worldwide.

Happy National Nurses Week to all of the nurses out there. Thank you for all you do!

Visit the Vein Healthcare Center in South Portland, Maine, or learn more about Dr. Cindy Asbjornsen.

Meet our team, part 2

In our last post we introduced you to Manny and Brad, our Technical Director and  Vascular Ultrasound Technician, respectively.

We'd like to introduce you to some people you are also likely to encounter as a patient of the Vein Healthcare Center.

Throughout your time at VHC, our receptionist Mallory Parlin may be the first person You'll talk to-- and the last! She schedules new patients and assists them with paperwork, as well as answers questions about insurance or compression. Mallory's goal is to make sure that patients leave her desk without any worries.

Our medical assistants are Meghan Lanci and Hayley Quirion. Both Meghan and Hayley prepare patients for their appointments, assist with procedures, and provide administrative support. And both strive to make patients feel comfortable and welcome.

The Vein Healthcare Center runs smoothly, thanks in large part to Sarah Tremblay, VHC's Office Manager. Her role is to plan the schedule, handle insurance authorizations, and answer any questions patients may have about their coverage. Before becoming Office Manager a year ago, Sarah was Dr. Asbjornsen's medical assistant for four years. She says that after working at VHC for more than five years now, she's seen many patients improve their overall health.  

If you'd like to learn more about your venous health, click here. And if you'd like to learn more about our staff, click here. We're looking forward to working with you toward better health!