This is not a good morning. I woke up to find I have sciatic pain in both thighs, hobbling, and no wish to move. The pain is truly intense.

I have chronic pain in my lumbar region already. I’ve gotten used to not flexing my body. I have to sit up and stretch a little to promote movement.

Since I started using knee-high compression socks, my edema has increased above the sock line. As it increased in my thighs, so did the sciatic pain. First, it was my left thigh and butt cheek. This morning, it is both.

My lower legs and feet feel better. Just not anything above.

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I messaged my doctor about it. We are going to go thigh-high and see. She sent a prescription to a local medical supply company, and I wait. They should contact me soon to get measured.

It is hard enough getting the knee-high socks on. I’m not excited to fight the thigh-high battle.

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I have a theory. There is no supporting information at this time, but a theory nonetheless. I think the CVI may be the cause behind a lot of my dizziness when upright. More directly, I have had signs of POTS for a while.

For example, I cannot take a hot shower because I get nauseous.

I do wonder if CVI is exacerbating POTS symptoms.

It is a thought, a theory that I let sit in the back of my brain. I do not have the right information to know for certain.