Mindset Strategies for Peripheral Arterial Disease

Mindset Strategies for Peripheral Arterial Disease

By Jim Stocker, as told to Danny Bonvissuto When I started smoking in high school, it was cool. Attractive women in grocery stores handed out little packs of four cigarettes, trying to get you to change your brand. When I was in the military, my C-rations had cigarettes in them and the thought was, “Smoke … Read more

Tips for Traveling When You Have Peripheral Artery Disease

Tips for Traveling When You Have Peripheral Artery Disease

Doug Fugate loves to travel. But going places can require lots of walking and long-stretches of sitting — in cars, trains, or airplanes. And that can be tricky because Fugate has peripheral artery disease (PAD), in which narrowed arteries prevent blood from flowing easily to his legs and arms. Fugate, who’s 58 and lives in … Read more

Peripheral Artery Disease in the Bedroom

Peripheral Artery Disease in the Bedroom

At first, Douglas Salisbury’s peripheral artery disease, or PAD, crimped his sex life in small ways. “Cramping in my calves during sex was the most obvious related issue,” says the 60-year-old retired chemical dependency counselor. Salisbury managed the cramps by drinking extra water before sex. He also tried applying ancient magnesium oil to the skin … Read more

Cardiologists Share Tips to Improve Life With Peripheral Arterial Disease

Cardiologists Share Tips to Improve Life With Peripheral Arterial Disease

Can you walk more? That may be the last question that you want to hear when you have a blood vessel condition called peripheral arterial disease, or PAD. Even walking short distances, as you likely know, may cause your legs to cramp up. But doctors say that if you push yourself to move more often … Read more

Exercise and Live Better with Peripheral Arterial Disease

Exercise and Live Better with Peripheral Arterial Disease

Long walks around his hilly Pittsburgh neighborhood turned scary for Jagdish Bhatnagar when his left calf started hurting so badly, he had to rest on the side of the road. Diagnosed in early 2021 with peripheral artery disease (PAD), the 83-year-old retired medical physicist knew blocked blood vessels in his leg were causing his severe … Read more

How Peripheral Artery Disease Can Sneak Up on You

How Peripheral Artery Disease Can Sneak Up on You

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) develops over time. And in the early stages, you may not realize it’s happening. But there are things you can do to lower your odds of ever getting PAD. The first step is to understand how it takes hold, if you’re at risk, and how it happens. PAD happens when certain … Read more

Ways Peripheral Artery Disease Can Affect Your Work

Ways Peripheral Artery Disease Can Affect Your Work

A few years ago, Dale Smith was unable to walk more than 10 or 15 paces at work before leg and toe pain forced her to sit and rest. As assistant manager of a grocery store in Beebe, AR, that was a big problem. “I have to constantly be on the floor walking,” says Smith, … Read more

Do I Really Need Surgery for Peripheral Artery Disease?

Do I Really Need Surgery for Peripheral Artery Disease?

For the first time in what seems like forever, Judith Taylor sleeps without interruption. She’s not awakened by pain or numbness in her feet caused by the peripheral artery disease (PAD) she was diagnosed with 3 years ago. She doesn’t need an extra blanket and socks to keep her left foot, which had the poorest … Read more

How I Thrive Despite Peripheral Arterial Disease

How I Thrive Despite Peripheral Arterial Disease

Rodney McKinley found out he had peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in 2011, when his frequent walks dissolved into searing pain. “When I would lay down in bed to sleep, it felt like someone had a blowtorch under my toes,” he says. McKinley had bypass surgery in his groin — with 32 staples — and two … Read more

Ease Your Leg and Arm Pain From Peripheral Artery Disease

Ease Your Leg and Arm Pain From Peripheral Artery Disease

Cheryl Wilson went from running 5K races to struggling to walk a few blocks. When it happened, Wilson, a 63-year-old wellness coach from Chesapeake, VA, shrugged it off as a charley horse. But the pain persisted for weeks and made walking unbearable. So Wilson finally went to see her doctor. “Anytime I walked a short … Read more