I’m in Disneyworld. The “House of Mouse”. Away from my own magic kingdom of varicose vein and spider vein treatments. And if you’ve never been to Orlando in August, it’s like walking through soup… and then sometime in the afternoon the sky erupts and a biblical rainshower ensues for about 15 minutes. That’s why we’re indoors now. While my kids watch some TV, I have a chance to do some blogging for your reading pleasure.

Today’s theme is Wishes vs Dreams. These are 2 words that are bandied about at Disney at every turn…but, in my opinion, there’s a major philosophical difference between the 2. The world of philosophy is like an ocean…today we’re just going to wade in to our ankles and splash around a bit. Don’t worry…we won’t go too far: the drop-off is a few feet from shore and it’s way way deep.

If I had to pick between wishes and dreams, I’d go with dreams.

A Wish seems to me to be a passive plea you send out to the Universe in hopes of some miraculous answer to a problem.

A Dream is a plan of action. It’s a script you write in your mind of how you want the drama of your life to play out, scene by scene.

As you may or may not know…I have a few young daughters. They’re at the stage where it’s “all princess, all the time”. Tiaras. Flowing dresses. Up-do’s. They are in heaven in Disneyworld. Having been forced to watch Disney princess movies daily for years…I’ve become overly familiar with the characters. I have to say that I have my favorites in terms of role models for my daughters.

I think there has been a natural progression from “wish-princesses” to “dream-princesses” over the years:

  • Snow White: Wishes for a prince to “save” her.
  • Sleeping Beauty: At least the prince she wanted walked with her once upon a “dream”. No great aspirations or anything.
  • Cinderella: Sings that “a dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep…no matter how you’re heart is grieving,if you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true”. Nice, but doesn’t really jibe with how reality works out in most cases. I think my girls need to learn to at least meet the Universe halfway.

And then we skip ahead a few decades to the 80’s…and 90’s…and beyond:

  • Ariel, The Little Mermaid: Headstrong, independent. Makes poor choice to strike bargain with sea-witch Ursula…but still, at least she made an effort to follow through on her dreams…even if the terms she settled with were crappy.
  • Belle (of Beauty & The Beast fame): She loves to read!!! She longs for adventure…dreams of a way to escape her surroundings to learn more about the world. OK, she ends up in yellow foofy princess dress…but I’m pretty sure while wearing said foofy dress she spends her days reading all the books in the library that the Beast gave her.
  • Jasmine: Escapes her bird-cage of palace life…at least she takes some action and is more about being independent…making her own choices…even at the expense of losing all the bling.
  • Tiana: Now we’re getting somewhere! She has Dreams with a capital D…and works hard to raise the capital to make her Dreams come true. All action! If anything, the moral of the movie tries to have her take her eyes off of her prize and not be so focussed…which I kinda disagree with. But yes, I completely agree that life is more than just work…enriching yourself in a monetary way. It’s about enriching your relationships with others, especially family.
  • Rapunzel: Kinda wanna skip her….she’s sort of a step backwards…but there’s some redeeming aspect to her taking the initiative to run away and chase her destiny; she dreams of seeing glowing lanterns? I’d like my girls to aspire to a bit more than “ooh, shiny!”. Song: “Ive got a dream” is an amazing encapsulation of the concept that a dream is a way to script your own destiny…and your role is never miscast.
  • Merida: Whoa. She completely holds the reins in her life. Literally. Riding off to climb sheer rock faces…winning her OWN hand in a contest for the right of choosing whom to marry. Chutzpah! Moxie! She does nae dream of doing…aye, she just DOES!
  • Elsa: Cirumstances can constrain you, limit your ability to achieve your maximum potential. But once you grab the pen out of Circumstance’s hand and start writing your own narrative…you free yourself from the discordance between what you show & who you are.

So…given the choices…I want my girls to model after a Belle/Tiana/Merida combo platter. Dream big. Get off your tushy and stop wishing for the universe to bring a “prince” to save you. Dont kiss frogs, either: salmonella.

I have the same advice for my patients: stop wishing for better legs…dream up a scenario to get them feeling and looking better and then go make it happen. I can help you script that dream if you let me. It would go something like this:

Act I: The Consultation

During our 1-hour long consultation (covered by most commercial insurance carriers and Medicare), I take a throrough medical history; you are more than just your legs…and taking a holistic approach to your care allows us to determine the optimal treatment course for you. When appropriate to do so, an ultrasound exam is performed during the consultation to determine the extent of your venous issues: are they just at the surface or is the root cause lurking beneath?

Once we know the extent of your vein issues, we can tailor a treatment plan to address them in a logical way. Many patients are surprised to learn that many treatments may be covered by commercial insurance and Medicare. But…the rules stipulated by insurance carriers/Medicare relating to vein care coverage often require 2-3 months before coverage (when possible) is approved. This is why I recommend patients to come for consultations without delay so we can start treatments within this insurance deductible year.

Act II: The Treatment(s)

Depending on the extent of your particular issues, there is an array of choices on how to address them. The best part is that surgery is pretty much a thing of the past.

Nowadays, procedures are all:

  • Minimally-invasive & Comfortable: No stitches. Little, if any, local anesthetic. No sedation needed, or wanted.
  • No down-time: You can resume most routine activities immediately after treatments.
  • Safe & effective.
  • Outpatient: Performed in my comfortable office and can be done during a lunch break.
  • Affordable: We do all the leg-work (pun-intended) to help you achieve the coverage you deserve based on your insurance plan. For treatments not covered by insurance, payment plans may be arranged when necessary.

Results aren’t instantaneous, but over weeks/months both symptoms and esthetic concerns improve; often dramatically. See some of the results we’ve achieved in our
Before/After Gallery.

Act III: Routine Checkups/Maintenance

Patients often ask, “Don’t these things we treat just come back?!”

The answer I give is that the things we improved or removed are gone. But similar processes that led to those issues developing may still be happening. The key is that, excluding what happens with pregnancies, changes tend to occur slowly over time. Routine checkup visits allow us to address any new concerns early.

So…

  • There won’t be any wands involved, though my laser is a pretty magical device…
  • There won’t be any magic flying carpet rides, but your legs may feel considerably lighter…
  • I don’t have magical hair that glows and allows me to sing a healing song to instantly heal your legs, but I do sing on occasion during cases and you are welcome to join in!

And if you are ready to take pen in hand and write the next chapter of your life…one where your legs feel and look better than they have in years…call 847-272-8346 or click the button below to schedule your initial consultation.