Aesthetics/Function

[radegund]

Oh, I am definitely moving into a Tired Phase. I've zombied my way through today, doing clever things like printing out the wrong version of the paper I was working on, twice, and then maybe twenty minutes later, after I discovered my mistake, printing the right version twice too because I forgot I'd printed it the first time.

This evening we're invited to dinner in the house of some people I've never met (niallm knows one of them; they've recently had a baby and they're kindly offering chat and advice), so I'd better wake up by then...

Meanwhile, I've taken the depressing step of acquiring two pairs of proper support stockings (knee-highs, a snip at €22-fucking-75 a pair, argh), on the advice of my doctor. Varicose veins cannot be cured, he informs me. One can only slow down the deterioration, and for this, one needs the full surgical shebang.

The stockings are, as you can imagine, bloody horrifying. One pair is black, the other allegedly "flesh" coloured, but really a drab brown that would be deeply disturbing if it turned up on flesh. They're miles thick - and the black pair, to add insult to injury, is ribbed.

Also, they're surprisingly comfortable. They feel good when they go on in the morning, and apart from the fact that my feet are way too hot, they feel really supportive of my poor sore bulgy veins throughout the day.

(And it could be worse: if I had diabetes - which is yet another potential side-effect of pregnancy - I'd have to wear the toeless version...)

So will I be strong and disciplined, and wear these monstrosities faithfully every day - and perhaps acquire more so that I always have a pair that's clean and dry? Or will I rebel after a week or so and go back to the flimsy but aesthetically acceptable Mothercare "medium support" tights pooh-poohed by the doc?

I'm inclined to think I'll do what I'm told, partly because I'm ridiculously terrified of varicose veins (they run in my family; I've seen how bad they can get), but also because on the aesthetics/function question I'm generally firmly in the function camp. But my mettle will be tested, I feel. It's bad enough having to walk past every display of cute new summer lines en route to the Expensive Stretchy Things section. Having to confine myself to long garments (because there is no. way. on. earth. that full-length support tights would be bearable in this weather) and encase my lower legs in hideous, sweaty sheaths may well bring my inner aesthete screaming into the foreground.

What would you do? Toe the line, or throw medical advice out the window?

Comments

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

I'd toe the line, I'm afraid, but only because I am vain and varicose veins scare me. If it was an invisible medical problem, I'd probably be binning the support hose right now.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

You might not believe me, but toe. It's only two more months, anyway, and the hell of causing permanent damage to your legs is absolutely not worth it. Besides, long things suit you magnificently well, the more so now that you are pregnant.

[stellanova.livejournal.com]

Heh, me too! But as varicose veins are hideous - and also run in my family - I think I'd try anything to avoid them. Are there any decent looking maximum-strength support socks?

[biascut.livejournal.com]

It's really a question of long-term vanity versus short-term vanity, isn't it? I think I would go for long-term vanity. One summer of aesthetic purgatory beats a lifetime of aesthetic hell!

Everyone promise not to remind of this in, say, six or seven years' time?

[ailbhe]

Toe the line. Really, really toe the line. Forget vanity, varicose vains can fucking hurt. Toe the line. Postpartum you'll have enough to cope with without lousy legs. Even people who whizz through the whole thing are tired, and tired people don't need extra hassles.

Try dying the flesh-coloured ones funky colours for your own amusement; you might feel better if you know that they're royal blue with pink tie-dye overlay. Or perhaps not.

And you could always cut the gusset out of the tights, if it was important to wear something short for a while. It probably wouldn't do a whole day, though. What I'd actually do, if I reached breaking point, is wear a short frothy thing on a day when *all* I was going to do was hold court in the garden, with my feet up on a stool. Then I'd put my support socks on for every trip to the loo, the kitchen, whatever.

Also, please to check that your abs are staying nice and strong - it will make a huge difference after the birth. Mine are apparently pretty good and I'm still amazed by how little support they can give my back (though I had Unusual Circumstances and wasn't well enough to do the recovery exercises until well over a week after Linnea was born).

[stephencass.livejournal.com]

Line. Toe. :)

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Are there any decent looking maximum-strength support socks?

Possibly - but am currently too repelled to go hunting :-)

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'll toe, I imagine. But it's depressing - particularly since permanent damage is the name of the game here. There's no way of improving the situation: valves that have broken down do not grow back, so all I can do is slow down the rate of deterioration. And if I have more kids it'll get worse with each pregnancy.

One more long thing will have to be purchased, I reckon, because the stockings kind of preclude my denim skirt.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

I think I would go for long-term vanity. One summer of aesthetic purgatory beats a lifetime of aesthetic hell!

You're right. You're right!

No, you're right.

Unfortunately, as I just said to Glitz, it's unlikely to be just one summer. I don't have any reliable information on how much of an improvement I can expect once the pressure of pregnancy is relieved, but I do know that any damage done to the valves is permanent. Ick.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Toe the line.

Yes'm.

It's not so much vanity as the sheer hassle and expense and discomfort. Either I wash the fuckers every day or I buy several more pairs. There's already a hole in one, after a single wearing. And they're thicker than my winter socks, and it's hot, damnit.

But you're right, of course. (Everyone is right. And I will undoubtedly give it my best shot...)

please to check that your abs are staying nice and strong

Thanks for the tip! This hadn't even occurred to me.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Yessir!

[dreamvirus.livejournal.com]

I don't know how mobile/immobile you are at this point but there are certain Yoga positions which are supposed to be excellent at preventing/treating varicose veins, thrombosis, and all kinds of bodily plumbing problems...head stand is the best but is definitely not recommended for pregnant people! From looking online, it seems that Yoga while pregant can be really good as long as you're sensible and careful and don't do anything too challenging, but there's a lot of contradictory info - for instance one site says that to combat varicose veins you should lie on your back and do gentle calf-stretching exercises, while another says that lying on your back on the floor during pregnancy is a no-no...*shrugs*

Based on my own experience I'd say that most Yoga postures, if you're doing the breathing right, improve your circulation and would probably help with varicose veins, but obviously I've no experience of being pregnant. If you're interested I would try to find a class or an instructor, all you would need would be a couple of lessons and advice about the particular problem you're trying to address...I'd say that in the long term you might want to think about trying something like Yoga to deal with varicose veins seeing as conventional medicine has little to offer except "well we've got this cool LASER thing we can use to BURN the fuckers off!" but in the short term the nasty support tights sound like a pretty good idea :-)

http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/varicose.htm
http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/veins.htm

[radegund.livejournal.com]

I've never managed to do a headstand, pregnant or not, so I don't reckon I'll be trying it now... There are pregnancy Yoga classes around the place, and it's been at the back of my mind for ages to seek out a convenient one - but with less than three months to go, exhaustion closing in again after several months of unprecedented perkiness, and all the billions of other things to be sorted out, I'm not sure if I can spare the time. I like the idea of getting just a few focussed lessons, though - it hadn't occurred to me.

Lying on your back for more than short periods is discouraged, as far as I know, because the weight of the uterus presses too heavily on the various organs and nerves that are tucked in behind it. It's also starting to be uncomfortable, which is an even better reason to avoid it.

Thanks for the links, by the way!