hi im worried for my boyfriend

he's got these veins, on his legs and they are sore, they flare up, are tender just to touch and he says they are really sore. he said they become really purple, (change color)

he's had them for a few months, but have got worse, he didnt used to have them he said (when he used to go to the gym) he dosent go anymore. he also wears really thick socks, ive told him they are bad for him and cut off his circulation. he used to stand for long perdios as he works in retail.

i took him to the doc yesterday and he said it could be phlebitis (inflammation of the veins) but ive read that this condition is almost always followed by a blood clot.

im worried for him that he may get a blood clot, or DVT?

the problem is he is not registered with a doctor (the doc who seen him yesterday was an independat one and couldnt refer him)

we have to wait 2 weeks to see if he can register with my practice as theyre books are closed.

im worried though, what if he gets a blood clot? i know these can be dangerous. how could we tell if he has one?

what should we do????????

please help???

I'm so sorry your boyfriend is having these problems. I personally have no experience with phlebitis or anything that comes with it. I do however have experience with a DVT. I think one of the major things with a DVT is swelling and weakness in the leg, that's what I had. My leg also turned red and purple and my toes were almost black. But my DVT goes from my calf up into my groin, in other words it's measured in feet; it's huge. I have no idea what this means for someone with phlebitis, so I can only give you from my own experience. I would say, if your boyfriend ends up with a weakend leg that comes out of nowhere (i.e. he hasn't been running, walking a lot, straining or anything like that) or his toes start to turn colors, maybe you should have him to go the hospital. But again, this is NOT professional medical advice here, just personal experience. My blood clot was in a major vein in my leg and was caused by birth control pills so it's very different from what your boyfriend is going through.

I don't know if this is any help or not, but just try and hang in there until you can go to another doctor and talk about your concerns. *hugs*

Depressed, I don't want to further frighten you but he may have a clot already. The reason I say this is because I'm going through my fourth DVT, but for the first time, the pain was all on the surface and not deep inside the leg as I'm accustomed to. I don't know how your emergency rooms work in the UK, but I hope that if your boyfriend worsens at all during this wait, he'll get immediate medical attention.

Hugs and prayers for both of you.

Janet