弗兰克·登特的PAD故事

弗兰克削弱 was 49 years old when he started experiencing pain in both legs so severe that even walking to the mailbox was difficult.

凹痕, 谁住在伯灵顿, 北卡罗莱纳, went to see a doctor and after tests learned he had clogged arteries all over his body. 

这消息令人不安，但并不意外.

凹痕 had smoked for more than three decades and ate a diet high in red meat and deep-fried foods. His insurance litigation job was stressful and desk-bound, leaving him no time for exercise.

But after being told he needed to make a change — and quickly — 凹痕 took notice. He stopped smoking “the very next day” and began eating a diet that prioritized lean protein and vegetables. He limited carbohydrates and sugar and bought a treadmill.

“When I first started out, I couldn’t walk for more than two to three minutes,” said 凹痕, now 72.

Still, no doctor fully explained the connection between 凹痕’s leg pain and his clogged arteries. It would be another 15 years before he was diagnosed with 外周动脉疾病, 或垫, which affects blood vessels outside the heart and causes reduced blood flow to that area of the body.

The most common version of the disease is lower extremity PAD, in which blood flow is reduced to the legs and feet and can result in burning, 疼痛, 腿部麻木和疲劳, 在极端情况下, 截肢.

约8.美国有500万人.S. 患有外周动脉疾病，尽管它经常被诊断不出来. 

“The doctors were always talking about clogged arteries all over my body, but I never heard anyone mention 外周动脉疾病,登特说. “The doctor I was working with just said, ‘You’re going to have problems.’ We never discussed how the clogged arteries impact the leg and that I should be careful about losing circulation there.” 

Each year, about 150,000 leg 截肢s are performed in the U.S., most of them in people with diabetes and PAD. 但是其他的 治疗方案 are available, so it’s crucial to find a doctor knowledgeable about the condition.

In 2016, 凹痕 was finally diagnosed with 外周动脉疾病 after suffering a 心脏病 during a procedure to insert a stent and going to a podiatrist and cardiologist.

“If my primary care doctor had immediately identified my circulation problem, 这个问题本可以在几周前解决的,登特说. “Many general doctors aren’t in tune with peripheral vascular disease. They focus primarily on how the heart is working and breathing issues, but not the legs.”

两年后, 凹痕 had a femoral popliteal bypass surgery (also called femoropopliteal or Fem-Pop), in which a graft is inserted into the femoral artery, a major blood vessel that carries blood from the upper thigh to the back of the knee. It’s performed to bypass the blocked portion of main artery in the leg using a piece of another blood vessel. 

凹痕 credits the procedure and PAD diagnosis with improving his quality of life.

“The primary thing the diagnosis did was it made me feel empowered,登特说. “I started getting tests and pressure readings every six months to monitor circulation in the legs. 这让一切都不一样了.”

Today, 凹痕 is healthy and remains vigilant about PAD symptoms. He goes on walks twice a day, totaling up to four miles, plays pickleball and golf, and eats a 地中海式饮食.

He advises anyone experiencing pain or discomfort in the legs to immediately see a doctor and insist on being tested for 外周动脉疾病.

“If your primary physician is not alert to it and if you can’t get them to take it seriously, you ought to make sure you’re seeing another doctor who has knowledge about PAD,登特说. 

Hear Frank and medical experts in this podcast: PAD团队:团结起来会更好!