Amy Lai Tan (Patient 1)
"I was really worried back then. I thought something somewhere must have clogged up," recalled Amy Lai Tan. Amy, a public speaking coach, never though that the swelling on her legs would turn out to be varicose veins.

It was more than an issue of cosmetics for her. Her varicose veins caused Amy considerable physical distress, and had been bothering her for four years. She often experienced tired, aching legs if she stood for a long time. Her swollen ankles also got bigger due to venous insufficiency. That caused Amy to seek consultations with several doctors, to address her problem.

"Who wants to wear heavy nylon stockings all the time, right?" Amy said. The compression stocking were uncomfortable, especially when worn in Malaysia's hot climate. "The main thing i remember about wearing them was that there was a lot of sweating," recalled Amy.

Amy finally asked her daughter, an ophthalmologist for help and consultation with Dr. Lee Soon Khai was arranged.

Amy was never fond of going under the knife. "The thought of having the veins stripped just sent shivers down my spine," exclaimed Amy. The conventional vein ligation and stripping simply freaked her out. After speaking to Dr. Lee, Amy felt relieved that there was a less invasive solution (Endovenous Laser Treatment) to treat her varicose veins. In October 2010 she had the operation.

"I remember my leg was scanned using ultrasound to locate the affected vein," recalled Amy. "Dr. Lee explained and showed me the problem veins on the screen. The entire leg was scanned form the groin to the ankle region."

"I knewI was in good hands as the doctor showed a lot of compassion, even during my consultation. Throughout the entire surgery, he kept checking on me asking me if I felt alright. I did not feel any pain or hassle after the operation. Personally, that was great relief," added Amy.

Although varicosities may appear to afflict mostly the middle-aged, especially women, young people can also suffer from it as it is often herditary. As for Amy's condition, Dr. Lee explained that the condition would have been less severe if she had sough treatment earlier. "I often tell myself that if only I have met Dr. Lee earlier, i would have had this problem solved sooner," said Amy, with a grin.

Sarojo Ponnudurai, (Patient 2)
Saroja Pannudurai, 62, put up with varicose veins for more than 10 years. " They looked unsightly and my legs got sotired easily. It really bothered me," complained Saroja. It was more than a cosmetic issue. The veins had caused Sarajo considerable anxiety.

Saroja had previously undergone a ligation and stripping reatment to treat her varicose veins in 1996, when there was swelling on one side of her leg. However, the snaky veins reappeared - only this time, on both her legs. "they were heavy just like elephant legs," said Saroja, with smile.

Aretired government officer, Saroja said the condition of the bulging veins worsened, until she noticed ulcers around her ankles. Initially, she thought the ulcers would gradually heal on their own. Unfortunately, six months passed and there was not much improvement. One night, the ulcer actually burst! This incident quickly brought back those creepy memories.

"The bleeding was massive and was hard to stop. I got so worried and my husband quickly rushed me to the nearest clinic," said Saroja.

Although she had been advised to put on compression stocking to ease the pain, the discomfort was simply too severe. Saroja sensed that she needed to seek better alternatives to get rid of those veins.

She came accross an article about Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT) in a local newspaper. She finally contacted Dr. Lee Soon Khai to find out more about the latest treatment. After getting a better picture of how the treatment actually works, Saroja's husband, Raja, realised that this could be the ultimate solution to his beloved wife's vein problem.

On the day of the surgery, Saroja was accompanied by her husband to Pantai Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. "It was close to two in the afternoon when we went to the hospital. by 6pm, I was already out from the operation." recalled Saroja. Within an hour, Dr. Lee successfully got rid of the varicose veins using the Endovenous Laser Treatment. " The procedure is performed under local anaestheasia with no scarring. Patients may return to daily activities immediately after the procedure with a relatively pain-free recovery period," explains Dr. Lee.

The following day, Saroja returned to the hospital to dress her bandage. She was required to wear the compression stocking for only two weeks, and is now free from stockings. " She definitely feels and looks happier now, especially when she doesn't need to get wrapped in those stockings anymore, "said Raja, jokingly.

With no more heavy 'elephant legs' ulcers or itchiness, Saroja expressed her gratitude for Dr. Lee's diligence and professionalism. " he's been really great and he definitely did a great job."