Kelley has always had a passion for dancing, but at the young age of 13, she noticed her first visible varicose vein at the back of her leg. People often made comments about it, leading her to become incredibly self-conscious. Overcoming many obstacles along the way, Kelley has finally made peace with her condition. Read her story below.
This is Kelley’s story & not typical of all people with varicose veins. Always seek advice from a Healthcare Professional if you experience any symptoms.
Varicose veins run in Kelley’s family. Her mother’s struggles with the condition made Kelley feel more self-conscious about her own varicose vein, which she developed at just 13 years old. As Kelley got older, she came to understand that beauty standards are subjective. She loved swimming as a child and still enjoyed it as an adult. So, when she was offered the chance to join the JOBST artistic swimming team, she seized the opportunity to prove that varicose veins wouldn't hold her back from pursuing her dreams.
Kelley is wearing JOBST® Opaque.
If you recognize signs and symptoms similar to Kelley’s, please seek advice from a Healthcare Professional to initiate the right treatment. For now, we have some helpful information available about the existing condition and their potential treatment.
“It's painful if I stand for too long. It's painful if I dance for too long. It's painful when I get off the plane. It's not a continuous pain, so it comes and goes. So, in a way, I feel blessed, (…) because I know my mom's legs are continuously in pain. And I'm preparing for that because I know I'll get more in the future.”
“When I did carnival, I had to ring an ambulance because it was throbbing so much. (…) I was worried that I was going to get a blood clot, because I know you can get deep vein thrombosis from varicose veins. My friend’s boyfriend’s varicose vein burst and he was rushed to hospital. I didn’t even know that could happen. (…) But they were like, 'Oh, no, you just didn’t wear your socks. You didn’t hydrate enough. You were out in the heat.'”
“When you have compression socks on, you don’t feel the tiredness or the throbbing. Especially when you fly. I don’t know how anybody, even if you don’t have something going on in your body, how they fly without compression socks is beyond me that you’re not swollen when you get off the plane.”
“I feel like a winner. I know that sounds weird. Like you know when you win a competition when you’re a kid? That’s what it feels like! Endorphins just flying everywhere and that you’ve accomplished synchronized swimming, which is really hard by the way. In case you don’t know, you need a lot of core strength.”
