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Forearm Veins Bulge Out When Hanging Down, Retract When Risen. Suggest.
Question: Veins in my forearm bluge out when arms are hanging down, but retract, or sink in, when I raise my arms. I can almost feel the blood moving back down. I'm 61, female, 123 lbs., 5'51/2", former smoker, no hbp, no high cholesterol, have emphesyma.
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
Lifting your arm above the heart level increased blood return to the heart due to the effects of gravity. The bulging that you notice when the arms are down is due to reduced venous blood return.
However, I would also like to know,
If you have any pain in the arms when this happens?
Are there any skin changes like thinning of the skin or shiny skin, with loss of hair or darkening of the skin or red spots, or ulceration?
Any of these changes signify that your problem is serious and needs further evaluation at the earliest.
Do you have Diabetes Mellitus ( high blood sugar levels)?
The symptoms could be normal or associated with other medical conditions such as calcifications in the vessel wall, blockage to the blood flow or problems in the vessel wall, etc. Considering your smoking history, it might have affected you vessels and now producing symptoms late in the course.
I would like you to continue rest all medications, and please consider consulting a General / vascular surgeon, as available near your locality.
Hope this helps you. I will be available for your follow up queries. Please feel free to write to me should you have any more queries.
Wish you good health.
Take care.
Thank you for your query.
Lifting your arm above the heart level increased blood return to the heart due to the effects of gravity. The bulging that you notice when the arms are down is due to reduced venous blood return.
However, I would also like to know,
If you have any pain in the arms when this happens?
Are there any skin changes like thinning of the skin or shiny skin, with loss of hair or darkening of the skin or red spots, or ulceration?
Any of these changes signify that your problem is serious and needs further evaluation at the earliest.
Do you have Diabetes Mellitus ( high blood sugar levels)?
The symptoms could be normal or associated with other medical conditions such as calcifications in the vessel wall, blockage to the blood flow or problems in the vessel wall, etc. Considering your smoking history, it might have affected you vessels and now producing symptoms late in the course.
I would like you to continue rest all medications, and please consider consulting a General / vascular surgeon, as available near your locality.
Hope this helps you. I will be available for your follow up queries. Please feel free to write to me should you have any more queries.
Wish you good health.
Take care.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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