She had traveled half of the trip in a hammock that two men carried on their shoulders, because swelling had disfigured her legs and her varicose veins had puffed up like bubbles.
If those valves leak, or a vein experiences too much pressure, the backflow of blood can stretch and twist the vein, leaving you with varicose veins, or if this happens in another part of the body, hemorrhoids.
In the long run, your best bet to prevent varicose veins is to remember to move around rather than sitting or standing still for hours to help your veins do what they do best.
This is the salve that restores all, this is her laxative, these are the tablets that melt away fat, these are the hormones of perpetual youth, these are the stockings that hide varicose veins.