How to Prep for Your First Vein Appointment

You’ve noticed some symptoms in your legs that may indicate vein disease and you’re ready to talk to a vein specialist.

First of all–great work on taking the first major step: Making an appointment. Millions of Americans suffer from vein disease, but not everyone takes the necessary steps in order to remedy their vein symptoms.

And the first step to healthy veins is ensuring they are actually healthy. The best way to do that is by scheduling an appointment with a vein specialist who can evaluate your legs and help you decide on a treatment plan to improve your vein health.

Once you have your appointment scheduled, there are a few things you’ll want to do to prep for your vein consultation. Here, we share those things.

How to Prep for Your First Vein Appointment

1). Make a list of your symptoms

If something is looking and/or feeling off with your legs, you want to write down all of your symptoms so you can share all of them with the vein specialist. Don’t count on remembering all of them–especially if you are some who tends to get nervous during doctor visits. You’ll be amazed at how much you can forget to mention during your appointment sometimes when you’re sitting at the doctor’s office.

To make the most out of your appointment, you want to come prepared with notes of all the symptoms you’re struggling with and when you experienced them. Regardless of whether you think they are related directly to your veins, they are worth noting.

2). Make a list of your medications

Come prepared with a list of the medications you are currently taking. Everything from prescription meds to the over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements you may take a couple of times a week.

The vein specialist needs to know every medicine and supplement you are putting into your body, as these may affect your vein health, and are important for making a treatment plan that is safe and effective.

Better safe than sorry–come with a more detailed list than you think is necessary. Your vein specialist will determine which info is most pertinent.

3). Think back to when the problem began

Your vein specialist will ask you when you started to notice symptoms of vein disease such as pain, swelling, cramping, throbbing, heaviness, itching, or restlessness.  Do your best to approximate when you first noticed symptoms of vein disease.

4). Recall patterns of symptoms

If you’ve been suffering symptoms of vein disease for a bit, you may have noticed a pattern of when your symptoms seem to flare up more. Your vein specialist will ask you about this during your appointment as well, so try to recall times when your vein problems seem heightened, and times when they seemed more manageable.

5). Know your family history

One of the leading causes of vein issues is genetics, so you better believe that your vein specialist is going to ask you about your family history and whether that includes any vein problems.

Do some research and track down as much information as possible as you can about your family’s health history and whether vein issues were a part of it.

6). Check health insurance coverage

To avoid any surprises, it’s a good idea to go into your appointment knowing whether your insurance may be covering your vein specialist consultation. At Vein Clinics of America, for many patients, the initials consultation is free of charge. It’s always a good idea to check in advance.

7). Fill out paperwork ahead of time

To get a jump start on your appointment, download and fill out some forms ahead of time. For Vein Clinics of America, these forms will include Patient History, Notice of Privacy Practices, Office Policies, and Patient Information for Authorization and Communication. These forms are available on our website and filling them out ahead of time will make the process go that much more smoothly and quickly when you come in for your appointment.

Fill out your new patient forms here.

8). Come with questions

As mentioned above, your vein specialist will have questions for you, but you want to be sure to use this appointment as an opportunity to ask any questions. There are at least a handful of things you’re curious to know about when it comes to your veins, right?

Since there will be many new things going on the day of your appointment, you’ll want to write down your questions ahead of time and bring them with you the day of. That way, you know you get everything answered, and won’t return home to say, “Darn! I forgot to ask about that.”

Though Vein Clinics of America is always just a phone call away, it’s best you bring your questions with you so that you can leave the office feeling more confident and knowledgeable about your vein health and get the most out of your vein treatment consultation. Please take your medication as prescribed. No need to skip any doses. No need to fast prior to your appointment. Eat as you normally would. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids.