I've had them for a few years and then recently had bad swelling of both of my legs.
The pain and cramping in the legs is "Claudication" which is coming from your blocked arteries and I also have compression of the "iliac veins" which will be checked later on for treatment.
I had to have an Ultra-Sound on both legs to see if I had P.A.D. since my older sister and her daughter had issues with their legs and so did my younger sister.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs or lower extremities is the narrowing or blockage of the vessels that carry blood from the Heart to the Legs.
It is primarily caused by the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, which is called "Atherosclerosis".
They found that I had 70% blockage in my right leg and 50% in my left leg of Plaque and since I have never smoked or been around a smoker for 35 years, they said my condition must have been Inherited.
I was scheduled to see a local Vascular Specialist who lasered the plaque from right leg artery and they go in from your left leg artery with a catheter to reach the blockage in the right leg.
They use a Peripheral Laser Atherectomy and It emits high energy light (laser) to unblock the artery and a stent is placed in the artery for more blood flow and help with the Claudication in the right leg.
For the rest of my life I will be on a Blood Thinner called blood thinner Plavix or(Clopidogrel) to keep any blood clots from clogging up the stent.
In a few weeks, I will go back to the Vein Doctor and have my Left Leg done and have follow up visits for the Ultra Sound on both legs about every 3 to 6 months, depending how well I'm doing and if anything happens with the stent, to go back in and have it replaced.
I wanted to let you know, this is a very serious condition and needs to be addressed ASAP, If you're experiencing any leg pain, which could be the "Claudication".
The plaque buildup is causing the artery to narrow and puts you at risk of a stroke or heart attack.
I'm almost 62 yrs old and was able to get the procedure done and it was over in about 4 hours, including recovery.
There was even an older Lady getting her Leg done and she was 90 years old and did very well. We were near one another in the recovery room.
The Nurses were great and we were offered a very nice sandwich and whatever we wanted to drink, since we could not eat or drink 6 hours before the procedure.
I could have my morning medicines and a very small amount of water, but that was all I was supposed to have.
~BECKY~
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