Surgery for blocked arteries solves months of mysterious leg pain
Gary Weber approached the Salem Health Vascular Surgery team in April after almost a year of discomfort.
“I was having trouble walking, my legs were cramping up and I couldn’t figure out why,” he said. “They found out I had blocked arteries to my legs.”
Weber said he realized the leg cramps were becoming an issue he couldn’t ignore on a recent hiking trip.
“I had to stop roughly every block,” he said. “My legs cramped up so badly. I’d have to stop for thirty seconds or a minute to recuperate before moving on. It’s hard to enjoy the environment you’re in when you’re in excruciating pain. I realized I had to do something.”
Relief following artery surgery
The day after getting evaluated, the 64-year-old said he received an aortobifemoral bypass from vascular surgeon Mark Jones, MD.
“This is an operation to restore blood flow to the legs and is used when the aorta and iliac arteries are blocked or severely narrowed,” said Dr. Jones. “Most patients with this notice they are unable to walk as far or as fast as they used to and eventually get to where they can only walk short distances before they need to stop and rest.”
Dr. Jones said in Weber’s case the iliac artery was completely blocked on one side and severely narrowed on the other. Weber received vascular ultrasounds before and after surgery to determine the best path forward.
“We were able to restore normal circulation with this operation, which has a well-known history for being effective and durable,” said Dr. Jones.
Weber said now he’s walking as normal, and he thanks the diligent care team at Salem Hospital for getting him back on his feet.
Care team collaboration
“I made a lot of connections,” Weber said. “All the people were extremely pleasant through a difficult ordeal. I was worried about what would happen, but I quickly learned I was in good hands and they would take good care of me.”
Vascular Nurse Brandi Warren, BSN, worked with Weber during surgery and into recovery.
“Gary remained engaged, motivated and open about his goals for recovery,” she said. “Building trust with him and supporting him through education, symptom management and surgical preparation allowed me to advocate for his care and help him feel confident moving forward.”
Weber is now back to fly fishing and hopes to return to hiking again soon. He also hopes to volunteer at Salem Hospital after his positive experience.
“The quality of care I received and the people I was with made me want to give something back,” he said. “I feel like I owe the hospital something. A lot of people take this for granted, but this gave me a new life.”