By Jennifer Edwards, Times Daily

Thomas Bearden visited a doctor years ago about pain and swelling in his legs. He had varicose veins and wanted to know what could be done to alleviate the discomfort he was experiencing.

The doctor, Bearden said, told him he would just have to deal with it.

So, that is what he did until he accompanied his son, Dennis Bearden, to a Florence doctor’s office. Dennis Bearden was being treated for the same condition.

“Dennis had to have someone drive him home after his procedure, so I thought while I was there I’d ask if there was anything they could do for my legs,” Thomas Bearden said.

The answer from this doctor, Dr. Ajit Naidu, was “absolutely.”

Dennis Bearden had his first experience with vein disease in his mid-20s when one of his legs swelled. He visited a doctor and was told nothing could be done, so he went on with his life. He worked 10- to 15-hour shifts on concrete. His legs continued to swell, and he continued to have pain and visible varicose veins.

He was referred to Naidu after a visit to his nurse practitioner.

“It makes you feel like you are wearing ankle weights,” Dennis Bearden said. He said he had hot flashes in his legs, too.

Naidu said vein disease — varicose veins, spider veins and other types — is a common and growing diagnosis. He said it is unsettling to him to know people are told there are no treatments available to relieve the pain and discomfort related to vein disease.

“It is underdiagnosed and definitely undertreated,” he said.

Naidu said varicose veins happen when the valves inside veins that keep blood flowing to the heart do not function properly and blood flow is impeded. This leads to heaviness and pain in the legs, itching and burning in the legs, swelling, restlessness, trouble walking, bulging veins and skin discoloration.

By the time he saw Naidu, Thomas Bearden’s lower legs were dark brown and “almost reptilian,” Dennis Bearden said.

Thomas Bearden had ulcers, which is common in people with varicose veins, and could not walk more than a few yards at a time, he said.

Naidu has used several methods to treat varicose veins, including Varithena, a minimally invasive procedure that uses a microfoam injected into an unhealthy vein with a small catheter. The microfoam collapses the unhealthy vein and blood reroutes to healthy veins nearby.

“It’s a complex feeling,” Naidu said of hearing many patients tell him other providers told them there were no options. “I feel very badly for them because they are suffering needlessly.”

Naidu started using Varithena this year, and he’s one of the largest users in the Southeast. The procedure takes less than 20 minutes and is done in the office.

Risk factors for vein disease include occupations that require standing for long periods of time, obesity, pregnancy, family histor,y and a family history of peripheral arterial disease, heart disease or stroke.

Thomas Bearden said he can walk further, he sleeps better and the skin in his legs is returning to a more normal color and texture.

Dennis Bearden can measure the success of his treatments with a check on the fitness tracker he wears on his wrist.

“I used to couldn’t walk 10 to 20 feet, and now I walk 60 miles a week,” he said.