Ann Meyers was accustomed to pushing her body’s limits. An avid exerciser, Meyers jogged 50 miles a week and had run in three New York marathons by 1996. So when she began to experience a cramping and tightness in her right leg and thigh that year, Meyers assumed she had just over-exercised.
The pain persisted. The 41-year-old slowly decreased her running and eventually stopped altogether, taking up biking instead. Biking caused less discomfort, and Meyers noticed that the pain in her leg was less severe when she was sitting down. She thought at the time that she could handle the discomfort on her own.
One morning in November 1996, Meyers felt an acute pain that sent her to her doctor’s office. “I felt a tingling in my right foot and the next day couldn’t really walk more than two or three steps without cramping,” Meyers recalls. Again, she noticed that sitting down relieved the pain somewhat.
Because she was in otherwise good health, her doctor initially agreed with Meyers’ self-diagnosis. He advised her to stay off her foot, cease exercising temporarily, and return a week later. When she did, Meyers was in as much pain as before. At this point, she was referred to a thoracic surgeon.
After putting Meyers through an ultrasound, an angiogram, and a test to measure the blood pressure in her feet and arms, her surgeon diagnosed Meyers with peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Meyers, who had never heard of the condition, was glad she had been referred to a thoracic surgeon. “It’s lucky I got good help.”
PVD is a condition marked by a narrowing of the arteries that feed blood to the extremities. Although it usually strikes people over the age of 50, people with a history of diabetes and high blood pressure, and smokers, PVD can affect anyone. Symptoms of the disease include leg cramping, leg pain that lessens during rest, and extremely hot or cold feet. Unfortunately, many people with these symptoms dismiss them as typical signs of aging and do not consult their doctors.
Meyers’ surgeon performed an angioplasty on her and implanted a stent in her artery to keep it open for blood flow. Now that her leg feels normal again, Meyers expresses relief that one of her specialists recognized her condition as PVD. The disease is usually present in older people and is not as easily identified as other conditions. Without the stent, “I certainly wouldn’t have been able to go back to exercising at the level I was,” Meyers says today.
The Legs for Life National Screening Program for PVD Leg Pain wants people to take the symptoms of PVD seriously. Eight million people in the United States alone suffer from PVD; they are at a heightened risk for heart attack, stroke, and loss of limbs. During National Screening Week, The Legs for Life Program aims to build cardiovascular health awareness among people at risk for PVD so they can get the help they need. Screening Week will take place this year from September 15th to 21st. Go to the Legs for Life Web site for more information.
