Vascular Disease

[Whamo]

    I just found out I have vascular disease in my legs.  I have an ulcer that won't heal on my big toe, right.  I bruise too easily.  I had a ultrasound yesterday.  I'm waiting for the surgeon to call.  Has anyone else been down this road?

[kristina]

Hello Whamo, you have all my sympathy! I have almost been there, when I had to take 75mg Aspirin every day after suffering a stroke. The Aspirin thinned my blood to such a degree, that I was bruising all the time all over my body. I only had to scratch myself a little and it looked afterwards as if I had been involved in a huge boxing-fight! "Things" only got better, when the 75mg Aspirin were stopped. Of course, at the time doctors had not yet diagnosed that the stroke was due to Systemic Lupus with flare-ups which "upped" my BP into the stroke plus the vascular diseases I suffer from i.e. Vasculitis & Antiphospholipid Syndrome.
Unfortunately I have walked down this road as well and a bit of of strengths is needed to keep as calm as is possible for the time being and perhaps you are going through a flare-up of this vascular disease ? Hopefully your surgeon calls you soon with good news about your ultrasound and hopefully "things" are getting sorted! I keep my fingers crossed for you!
I wish you lots of strengths and all the best from Kristina.

[PrimeTimer]

Hope you feel better soon, Whamo!    I imagine right now you are in a bit of pain, sorry you are going thru this. Hang in there. Hope they find out what caused this and how to prevent it from spreading. It is not a good weekend for some us...but we've got to keep on keeping on anyway. 

[Charlie B53]

I used to develop terrible pain in my legs every time I walked much at all.  Stop and wait a little bit and it went away and I cold walk a little bit again but the pain would very soon return.  This went on for many many months.  Dr's told me  I had Periferal Arterial Desease and the only treatment was to keep walking.  That the body would grow collateral arteries out and arouond those areas of reduced flow due to obstructive accumulation of deposits.

The condition worsened until circulation in the whole right leg almost totally stopped.  An angiogram proved a huge clot in my groin.  That treatment was Hell, but successful and saved my leg.

In the years since flow to both legs kept decreasing until I could barely move my legs and feet.  Only managing a difficult shuffling walk, unable to step more than a couple of inches.  Angiograms and multiple stents on both difes of the arteries in my groin improved flow to almost totally normal.  Almost immediately I found I could make a half normal step.  Virtually over night I further improved and now walk almost normally.  The muscles high in my buttocks still have a much restricted flow and tire very quickly but my legs are O.K.

Vascular brings me in at least annually for Doppler Flow tests to monitor my legs, making sure I don't develop further problems.

Kristina,  I used to take a lot of aspirin daily to reduced the 'flushing' effects of the Niacin I was taking.  The aspirin thinned my blood so much I too bruised and bled very easily.  Our Dogs and Cat liked to play, my arms always looked like giant bloody bruises.

One day I gashed my leg rubbing against a tree while mowing the yard.  I didn't noticed it for a while.  I stopped to gas up the mower and discovered my shoe filled with blood and the footrest back half covered with what looked like almost an inch of thickened blood.  I got the garden hose out and started rinsing everything off, the machine then my legs so I could see where all the mess came from.  Then I found the inch long deep gash in my leg.  It wasn't 'squirting', but it wasn't slowing down any either.  4 paper towels folded up smalll, a LOT of direct pressure during the one hour ride to the VA Hospital and it finally stopped bleeding.  They didn't even stitch it closed, just put a band-aid over it and sent me home.

The amount of bleeding really made me think that if I were ever to be in a serious accident I could very well bleed out in a hurry.  I quit the niacin and the aspirin.  I only take that one small  'Baby' aspirin the heart Dr recommends.

[GA_DAWG]

Like Charlie, I began to have pain in my calf whenever I walked more than just a short distance. My neph schedulred me for a Doppler at the vascular center, rally just an ultrasound. They found I have a blockage just a ove the knee with about 27% blockage. They do not intervene surgically unless it gets closer to 35% or becomes more painful than can be tolerated. They initially did two tests a year, and told me to walk 30 minutes per day. Since, it has not gotten worse and they reduced the tests to once a year unless it becomes too painful to tolerate, at which point they will intervene surgically, I think just like an angiogram to begin with.

[Charlie B53]

The body is an amazing machine, often able to repair itself if given proper foods and  a reasonable amount of daily activity.  I like to use the word 'activity' rather than exercise.  Exercise very often leads people to think they must run around, jump up and down, get all hot and sweaty, and most simply refuse to do any of those things, especially all by themselves.  They lack the individual motivation. Activity can be most anything, a simple walk, which one can gradually increase the time and distance, even the speed, once done it becomes easier and less tiring.  This is also an indication of improvement in strength and endurance, both good things.

Alas, I am guilty of ?? negligence, procrastination, some may claim I am just plain lazy.  I think it is a combination of all of the above.  I prefer to think that I am avoiding increasing my base level of pain. Too many years of physically abusing myself,  I, being a 'Guy' acted like I thought I was almost Immortal.  I've since learned differently.

[Whamo]

Wow, thanks for your input.  I'm feeling better.  I did some research and decided to start fitness walking.  I felt better almost immediately.  I found a couple of good walking programs on youtube.  My surgeon appointment isn't until March 23.  I'm also putting honey on my scabs and cuts and ulcer to help them heal.  On the other hand, I have a $5K bill for my plumbing repair.      Good luck to all.