AboutLauri Ordway Expertise I can answer your questions related to peripheral vacular disorders. This includes all arteries and veins except those inside the head and inside the heart. IE: neck (carotid), arms (carotid subclavian bypases to Thoracic Outlet) belly (aortic aneurysm & occlusive disorders, renal artery stenosis), legs (iliac, femoral, popliteal, peroneal, dorasalis pedis, posterior and anterior tibial) arteries. Aneurysm & occlusive disease, atherosclerosis, leg pain, arterial wounds and gangrene, amputation prevention. Vein disorders: Blood Clots (DVT), post-phlebetic syndrome, varicose veins, venous stasis ulcers. I can help with vascular wound treatments. Also, Raynauds, Buerger`s disease, Thoracic Outlet and other miscellaneous vascular disorders.
I CANNOT answer questions about your heart disease, blood pressure, brain aneurysm, although I can help with questions about the arteries that go to and from those organs.
Experience I am a nurse, I have worked for 14 years with two terrific peripheral vascular surgeons, one of them is also the inventor of very innovative wound care products and surgical instruments to make vascular surgery procedures better and faster. I wrote and manage our clinic website and field questions from patients all over the world.
Question had bi-fem surgery last Feb. Am still smoking, but feel good. I'm 68, 205lbs. Left leg tired after 1/4 mile walks and required short breaks before continuing 3 mile walks. Why would smoking be a reason to amputate my legs!?? Thank you for your answer.
Answer Norm, In our practice, the surgeons will re-do a smoker's bypass once, and if the patient continues to smoke, the next surgery would be an amputation. Esentially, smoking un-does the surgery.
The disease, atherosclerosis, that narrows the arteries, is a progressive diesease even without smoking, but smoking so damages the arteries that the bypass of a smoker will fail, often in a very short period of time.
So, while a surgeon can re-do and re-do the bypass, there comes a time when the doctor is really not able, in good conscience, continue to repair a problem that is being actively caused by the patient, like someone who intentionally injures himself, of course he needs help, but there is a limit to how much the doctor can repair the problem without putting the responsibility back on the patient.
While smoking increases the odds the bifemoral bypass will fail, the disease may also progress to invade other vessels: the aorta, the main artery from your heart to the extremities; the carotids which nourish your brain; the vessels that nourish your penis may be narrowed and leave you impotent. Any artery can be damages and smoking is really the single most problem over which you as the patient have control.
As young as you are, I can't imagine you would want to face amputation, impotetnce, stroke or heart attack and you are really just marking time until one or more of the other vessels become involved.
Not such great news I know, but yes, if you continue to smoke, there will come a time athat at the very least, the pain that you have will only be repairable by amputation of one or both legs.
In our practice, I have seen 2 men choose smoking over their legs and I was really amazed to see them make that choice, but make it they did, after a long series of conversations with the surgeons, they both opted to have the amputations as they didi not want to or felt they could not stop smoking. I still see these 2 guys and have watched them try to adapt to a legless existance, and it ain't pretty.
There ae many ways to get help to stop smoking, accupuncture, hypnotism, pills, patches, keep trying until something works. I myself, smoked for decades and know how very very very hard it is, but after seeing the damage it really does cause, I did manage to stop smoking and I still miss it every day, so I know of which I speak, I hope you can find a way to stop. best of luck,
if this sounds more like a lecture than an answer, let me know and I will try again, Lauri
