'Colleagues would point out a common problem that made me hate wearing shorts'

A prison head chef's common leg problem left him in so much pain he couldn't sleep at night, until he found a miracle cure.

David Parker, from Rochdale, would finish his shifts in pain with cramping and aching legs, caused by his bulging varicose veins. The prominent veins led him to hate wearing shorts, with his colleagues pointing out the painful problem when he would be getting changed for work.

The 52-year-old has worked as a chef at HMP Buckley Hall for more than 30 years and enjoys “helping the rehabilitation of offenders.” But being on his feet all day started to become a problem when he developed varicose veins in his early 30s.

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He said: “My left leg was particularly bad. I’d sometimes wake up in the night. I’d have to walk around, stretch it out so I could go back to sleep. When I was in the shower, the water running down would show the contour of the veins.

"My wife saw them more than me. She was the one who noticed it in the first place and commented on it.

“I used to get comments from my work colleagues when I was getting changed at work, too.”

Mr Parker went to his GP for help and was referred to a specialist. After eight months of waiting, he underwent surgery to help fix the problem but was left with severe bruising and his veins still twisted.

“There was no improvement, it actually got worse,” he said. “I was still in pain. I hated wearing shorts. On holiday I’d be so self-conscious and worry about where we were going. I hated walking into restaurants and I’d try to avoid busy areas.”

Earlier this year, Mr Parker’s wife commented on his legs again, which