PAD
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Not too long after I retired from working hard for a living,
Some serious pain to me both of my legs were sure giving.
This poems describes how I was able to help my legs some,
Avoiding scalpel surgery, and a more difficult time to come.
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PAD
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In late 2003, I was having severe pain in my legs when I walked,
I was diagnosed with PAD by the doctor to whom I had talked.
Peripheral Artery Disease sounded pretty serious to old Bill,
So I asked him to explain so I could understand how to feel.
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He said I had partially blocked arteries in both of my thighs,
And a nearly totally blocked artery in my calf on the right side.
When I walked, the muscles contracted calling for more blood,
Thus causing the muscle pain deep in my legs, hurting like crud.
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I asked what could be done to unplug the major artery blocks,
And he said I could have surgery, but then I may no longer walk.
This didn’t sound too good to me, so I looked for other solutions.
I found one that inserted a cool laser on a camera for resolution.
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They called it a spectranetics excimer laser to pulse vaporize
Any cholesterol blockage of the artery when it slipped down inside.
There was a single doctor in Tulsa that did the special procedure.
So I made an appointment and set a date hoping my legs to cure.
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They laid me on a 10 inch wide stainless steel plank podium.
And entered the artery on my right leg very near the scrotum.
They slipped the laser camera in observing on a big screen TV.
And found the thigh blockage, and vaporized it very quickly.
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They pushed it on down to my calf and lased for two hours,
But they did not cut through the hard blockage with laser power.
So the first procedure was only 50% successful on that day.
This was around March 2004, so I scheduled the left leg in May.
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They did the same procedure on my left leg and cleared my thigh.
So my left leg was pain free after that day and I let out a big sigh.
I asked the doctor if there was anything I could do for my right calf.
He said we could try going in at the ankle but it could be my ass.
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The ankle entry attempt had never been done by anyone ever,
So I would be the guinea pig breaking some new ground forever.
I agreed for a go, and he did the procedure in the month of June.
The procedure was successful, but the blockage did not move.
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So today, I still have that pain in my calf when I walk 100 yards,
I guess that completely curing my legs was just not in the cards,
But the risk of real surgery with the possibility of not ever walking,
Still seems too great, so at scalpel surgery I am surely still balking.
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I still get around pretty good doing the everyday life things,
So I am thankful to the good Lord and take what life brings.
If I have to travel some distance, I rent an electric fat boy scooter,
And roll right along with the rest of the crowd, but a little smoother.
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The stubborn calf blockage ended my clog dancing days,
That I loved so much from our earlier exhibition dance craze,
My honky-tonk two stepping also came to a very abrupt end,
So we had to develop new hobbies and a new set of friends.
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading PAD,
Bill