She is the mother of four grown children and ran her husband’s medical office until she was 74. She remembers, “I had to remain on my feet all of the time.”

She also played golf and tennis regularly. Several years ago, Marcia developed pain and discomfort in her left leg. The pain slowed her down and limited her ability to play golf and sometimes even affected her day-to-day activities. Months went by, and the pain progressed in severity. Ultimately, Marcia developed a foot ulcer, which finally sent her to her primary care physician. Marcia initially believed that the sore was due to old age and thought “if I ignored it long enough, it would go away.” Her doctor knew the wound was serious and sent Marcia to the emergency room in an ambulance. After being evaluated by vascular surgeons, Marcia was found to have limb-threatening ischemia. Her condition was too far advanced for minimally invasive endovascular procedures such as angioplasty or stenting and required emergency surgery to save her leg. The vascular surgeons performed a bypass that extended from unobstructed arteries in her groin to arteries in her calf using a superficial vein taken from another spot in her leg. The surgery was successful in re-establishing blood flow to her foot. A few weeks after the procedure, Marcia was seen in the office for a follow-up visit, and the wound and her surgical incision were healing nicely. When asked about her ordeal, she said, “The toughest part of surgery wasn’t the surgery at all, but the recuperation and physical therapy afterward.” Fortunately, Marcia recovered from surgery, the bypass kept her limb alive, and she learned to get back on her feet again.

Shortly after the first surgery, Marcia developed a similar pain in her right leg. It felt like a “bad back pain that traveled all the way down from the knee to the foot.” These are common symptoms of arthritis or sciatica and again were dismissed at first until Marcia developed ulcers on her right foot that wouldn’t heal. Although Marcia’s symptoms were different from the ones she had experienced before, she realized that waiting was not an option and called her vascular surgeon for an evaluation. Her workup included an arteriogram (a minimally invasive imaging technique that visualizes the inside of the blood vessels), which showed a severe blockage in the right popliteal artery behind her knee. For this type of occlusion, a minimally invasive procedure was feasible, but not necessarily the most durable option for long-term success. Instead, Marcia underwent another surgical bypass to restore blood flow to her right leg. Marcia required rehabilitation for a couple of weeks after the surgery and has recovered well. With the help of her primary care physician, the vascular surgeons, the nurses, and the physical therapists, she avoided amputation and continues to live independently. Over the past several years, Marcia has learned to be proactive about her vascular care and sees her doctors routinely for follow-ups.

Speak Up For Your Health
“If you feel like something is wrong with your health, don’t ignore it,” Marcia says, “because it probably won’t go away. Speak up.” She has learned that early intervention is very crucial to a successful recovery. “Even though I have matching scars on the insides of both my legs, the surgeries were worth it. I would have lost my legs without surgery.” At the present time, Marcia uses a walker to steady herself when she walks, but she still gets around quickly. “I miss my golf and tennis the most. I probably will never be able to go back to playing them. My goal right now is to be able to start driving again soon.”