CTEV (Cool Touch Laser Surgery)
I am a 49 Yr old WF who went to Ky Vein Surgery in Lexington Ky for varicose veins. My intent was to have some schlerotherapy done as my legs has small varicositites which tend to make my legs tired all the time. The physician there immediately did test to determine if I had what he called "vascular reflux". Of course I had never heard of such a thing! He recommended that I have cool touch laser on my legs and I had my first leg done in May of this year. Needless to say, my left leg is now numb and I have permanent nerve damage for what was suppose to have been a "simple outpatient procedure". I have constant pain and have been going to a nerve specialist who has tried me on neurontin and several other things which have not helped in the least. The only thing the neurontin did was to make me drowsy all the time at work! I wish I had never seen this doctor and I wished I had checked his credentials out and the procedure as well. I feel that he only did the CTEV procedure to get the big bucks. The procedure was around $7000.00 which I now find out that my insurance carrier Anthem has refused to pay- they have called this procedure experimental surgery! I advise anyone to take a second thought before you follow through with this type of surgery. There is nothing I can do now about my leg...a leg in which I had no pain to begin with!
From:
Kathy Howard - kathy_howard@berea.edu
