Hi there! I'm new to this forum - good to be here and benefit from the collective wisdom. 
I thought I'd tell my story in case it was of interest. A little background, I'm in my early 50s, I'm an ethical vegan of nearly a decade and a vegetarian for over 20 years before that, and have always focused on a healthy, mainly wholefood diet. Not a gym junkie, but have always loved walking and riding my bike, and doing yoga, so more gentle exercise than anything too punishing.
Almost two years ago, I was walking home and felt a pain in my right calf, I thought I must have pulled a muscle, but it persisted, and I noticed the pain subsided when I rested. Googling revealed it could be Peripheral Artery Disease. Just a few weeks later I noticed a small cat scratch on my ankle hadn't healed, and a few days later had spread to an angry red rash. I ended up being sent to Emergency where a nurse told me it might be flesh-eating bacteria and if there were any changes, I needed to call an ambulance because it could result in amputation. This was stressful! I mentioned that I thought I had PAD and the doctor dismissed it as he thought I was too young.
I went to see my own GP asap, and she put me on strong antibiotics and had blood tests done that revealed I was diabetic. I also found out I have high BP. My diagnosis didn't really surprise me, since my mother and grandmother were both diabetic and died of complications (although my lifestyle and diet is much healthier than theirs had been). Ugh! Anyway, I still persisted with my PAD self-diagnosis so my doctor sent me for an ultra-sound that showed that I was right. First time in my life I hated being right about something! Further scans showed something quite unusual; I don't have vascular disease anywhere else in my body, it is just in my right leg, and is not just a mild case, my femoral artery is completely blocked, all the way to my knee, ruling out a stent as an option, and the surgeon said a bypass was too risky and is only a last resort. Since my foot is looking healthy, it's just a wait-and-see situation, and apparently, if I continue to stick to a healthy diet, control my BGL and exercise regularly, there's no reason it can't remain stable for the rest of my life. Being a non-smoker also helps a lot. Being a long-term vegan, my cholesterol is low. Heart is healthy. The problem is, I can only walk slowly (2.5-3 kph) or else I'm in a lot of pain. It's been physically and mentally exhausting getting used to this and learning to pace myself. In time, medication and exercise can help to open up new blood vessels to restore more blood flow (I'm currently at 30%), but I've been told I'll never walk like I used to.
Next thing that happened was within a few weeks of being diagnosed with PAD, I started feeling the most excruciating pain in my right foot. I thought it might be something to do with the infection and was convinced my foot would be amputated. The pain continued to intensify with all different sensations. No exaggeration, it felt like someone sticking a knife into my foot, like I was being electrocuted, like my foot was in a slowly-tightening vice and my bones were cracking, and my skin became so sensitive it felt like the skin had been peeled away leaving raw flesh. Even a light bed sheet resting on it kept me awake at night. The pain was so intense I started to wonder how I could even get through life - there was no respite from the pain. Because I thought it somehow related to the PAD, I told my vascular surgeon and he couldn't have been less interested. So I Googled it, and again, diagnosed myself as having Peripheral Neuropathy. And so began a long round of tests, scans, specialists and opinions. For a long time they insisted it was sciatica, but the procedure for that had no effect. then they wanted to try it again, but oddly enough, I didn't really enjoy a massive needle in my spine and wondered what the point of a second one would be if the first didn't work. Finally they determined the sudden loss of blood flow due to the PAD caused permanent nerve damage, just in my right foot, my left is fine. This also impacts how I walk, and I'm on Lyrica for the pain, which helps a lot, but leaves me drowsy and lethargic. Endep was even worse so I stopped taking that and reduced the Lyrica, and on my doctor's advice started taking a big dose of B-complex every day, and that has helped. My goal, through daily exercise, is to build up to being able to walk 4 kph for 30 mins without pain. I take Tai Chi classes and am also getting an ebike so I can take up cycling again. Vigorous exercise is out of the question, as is drunken middle-aged dancing.
So that's my story!
PS. Not looking for theories, diagnoses, suggestions. I see doctors and specialists and have my treatment covered thank you. Just thought I'd put it out there for anyone who's curious about PAD and neuropathy and would like to hear about someone's experience.
I thought I'd tell my story in case it was of interest. A little background, I'm in my early 50s, I'm an ethical vegan of nearly a decade and a vegetarian for over 20 years before that, and have always focused on a healthy, mainly wholefood diet. Not a gym junkie, but have always loved walking and riding my bike, and doing yoga, so more gentle exercise than anything too punishing.
Almost two years ago, I was walking home and felt a pain in my right calf, I thought I must have pulled a muscle, but it persisted, and I noticed the pain subsided when I rested. Googling revealed it could be Peripheral Artery Disease. Just a few weeks later I noticed a small cat scratch on my ankle hadn't healed, and a few days later had spread to an angry red rash. I ended up being sent to Emergency where a nurse told me it might be flesh-eating bacteria and if there were any changes, I needed to call an ambulance because it could result in amputation. This was stressful! I mentioned that I thought I had PAD and the doctor dismissed it as he thought I was too young.
I went to see my own GP asap, and she put me on strong antibiotics and had blood tests done that revealed I was diabetic. I also found out I have high BP. My diagnosis didn't really surprise me, since my mother and grandmother were both diabetic and died of complications (although my lifestyle and diet is much healthier than theirs had been). Ugh! Anyway, I still persisted with my PAD self-diagnosis so my doctor sent me for an ultra-sound that showed that I was right. First time in my life I hated being right about something! Further scans showed something quite unusual; I don't have vascular disease anywhere else in my body, it is just in my right leg, and is not just a mild case, my femoral artery is completely blocked, all the way to my knee, ruling out a stent as an option, and the surgeon said a bypass was too risky and is only a last resort. Since my foot is looking healthy, it's just a wait-and-see situation, and apparently, if I continue to stick to a healthy diet, control my BGL and exercise regularly, there's no reason it can't remain stable for the rest of my life. Being a non-smoker also helps a lot. Being a long-term vegan, my cholesterol is low. Heart is healthy. The problem is, I can only walk slowly (2.5-3 kph) or else I'm in a lot of pain. It's been physically and mentally exhausting getting used to this and learning to pace myself. In time, medication and exercise can help to open up new blood vessels to restore more blood flow (I'm currently at 30%), but I've been told I'll never walk like I used to.
Next thing that happened was within a few weeks of being diagnosed with PAD, I started feeling the most excruciating pain in my right foot. I thought it might be something to do with the infection and was convinced my foot would be amputated. The pain continued to intensify with all different sensations. No exaggeration, it felt like someone sticking a knife into my foot, like I was being electrocuted, like my foot was in a slowly-tightening vice and my bones were cracking, and my skin became so sensitive it felt like the skin had been peeled away leaving raw flesh. Even a light bed sheet resting on it kept me awake at night. The pain was so intense I started to wonder how I could even get through life - there was no respite from the pain. Because I thought it somehow related to the PAD, I told my vascular surgeon and he couldn't have been less interested. So I Googled it, and again, diagnosed myself as having Peripheral Neuropathy. And so began a long round of tests, scans, specialists and opinions. For a long time they insisted it was sciatica, but the procedure for that had no effect. then they wanted to try it again, but oddly enough, I didn't really enjoy a massive needle in my spine and wondered what the point of a second one would be if the first didn't work. Finally they determined the sudden loss of blood flow due to the PAD caused permanent nerve damage, just in my right foot, my left is fine. This also impacts how I walk, and I'm on Lyrica for the pain, which helps a lot, but leaves me drowsy and lethargic. Endep was even worse so I stopped taking that and reduced the Lyrica, and on my doctor's advice started taking a big dose of B-complex every day, and that has helped. My goal, through daily exercise, is to build up to being able to walk 4 kph for 30 mins without pain. I take Tai Chi classes and am also getting an ebike so I can take up cycling again. Vigorous exercise is out of the question, as is drunken middle-aged dancing.
So that's my story!
PS. Not looking for theories, diagnoses, suggestions. I see doctors and specialists and have my treatment covered thank you. Just thought I'd put it out there for anyone who's curious about PAD and neuropathy and would like to hear about someone's experience.
