Peripheral Vascular Disorders

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Peripheral (per-IF-er-ull) vascular (VASS-q-ler) disorders (PVDs) are conditions that can change blood flow through blood vessels in your body. Disorders may be in your veins or arteries (R-ter-eez), or both. Veins carry blood (without oxygen) from your body to your heart. Arteries carry blood (with oxygen) from your heart out to your body. Most PVDs are caused by clogged or weakened arteries or veins, or damaged valves in veins. Having diabetes, being pregnant, smoking, and not exercising increase your chances of getting a PVD. Pain, skin changes, and decreased feeling and strength in your legs or arms may be signs of a PVD. There are many tests and helpful treatments for people who have a PVD.

AFTER YOU LEAVE:

Medicines:

• You may need to take one or more medicines to treat pain, help stop blood clots from forming, or treat high blood pressure. Keep a written list of the medicines you take, the amounts, and when and why you take them. Bring the list of your medicines or the pill bottles when you see your caregivers. Learn why you take each medicine. Ask your caregiver for information about your medicine. Do not take any medicines, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, herbs, or food supplements without first talking to caregivers.
  
  
• Always take your medicine as directed by caregivers. Call your caregiver if you think your medicines are not helping or if you feel you are having side effects. Do not quit taking your medicines until you discuss it with your caregiver. If you are taking antibiotics (an-ti-bi-AH-tiks), take them until they are all gone even if you feel better.

Keep all medical appointments:

Ask for information about where and when to go for follow-up visits:

For continuing care, treatments, or home services, ask for more information.

Treatment for peripheral vascular disorders:

• Exercise:
  
  
  • Walk one-half to one hour each day. Exercise helps more oxygen get to your legs. If you have pain while walking, stop walking. Change to another exercise, such as lifting hand weights. Wait until the pain disappears, then begin walking again. Stay on a walking plan. Studies show that over time, you will be able to walk further or longer without having pain. For a walking plan to help, you must keep following the plan. If you quit the walking plan, your pain is likely to return.
    
    
  • Be sure to have well-fitting shoes to walk in. Replace your shoes with new ones when you see that they are wearing out. If you have gangrene, ulcers, or pain in your legs while resting, ask caregivers if you should continue walking.
  
  
• Take care of your feet: It is very important that you take care of your feet when you have PVDs, especially if you also have diabetes.
  
  
  • Look closely at your feet every day. Check for cracks, calluses (hard areas of skin), corns, or ulcers (sores). Tell caregivers if you have any of these problems.
    
    
  • Wash your feet daily with mild soap and dry them well. Put lotion on your feet if there are no open areas and they are dry. Put powder on them if your feet sweat.
    
    
  • Cut your toenails straight across, and do not cut them very short.
    
    
  • Change your socks daily and do not wear tight stockings, socks or shoes.
    
    
  • Do not walk barefoot, because you may step on a hard or sharp object. If you have ulcers on your feet, you may need to wear special shoes.

Ways to cope with leg pain:

• You may have pain in your legs or feet while resting or lying down to sleep. Raise the head of your bed up 4 inches, or prop your upper body higher than your legs with pillows. This may help more blood and oxygen go to your feet, decreasing pain.
  
  
• If you have ulcers on your feet, you may need to wear bandages with heel pads. You may also wear foam rubber booties. These will protect and cushion your feet. Hand or foot warmers may decrease pain in your hands or feet. The ability to feel hot objects on your skin may be decreased, increasing your chance of getting burned. Because of this, carefully use heating pads and hot water bottles. The temperature of these should not go above body temperature.

Support:

• Peripheral vascular disorders can be life-changing. Accepting that you have a PVD is hard. You may need to make many changes in how you live to decrease or avoid problems from PVDs. Pain, skin changes, and being unable to do what you used to do may make you depressed (very sad). You may need surgery to amputate (remove) part of your body. This may make you feel different from other people and angry. People close to you may feel angry, sad, or frightened. These feelings are normal.
  
  
• Talk to your caregivers, family, or friends about your feelings. Let them help you. Encourage those close to you to talk to your caregiver about how things are at home. Your caregiver can help your family better understand how to support a person with a PVD. It is better to be treated early for PVDs, before they become more serious. There are places that will check you for a PVD for free. If you have a PVD, they will help you take steps to get treatment for it. If you think that you may have a PVD, you may contact the following organization.
  • LEGS FOR LIFE®
    Web Address: www.legsforlife.org
    

How can I prevent PVDs?

If you are at risk for PVDs, there are several things you can do that may help prevent them. Ask caregivers for more information on living a "heart-healthy" lifestyle. This means:

• Do not smoke. Stopping smoking may decrease signs and symptoms of PVDs or stop them from getting worse.
  
  
• Eat nutritious, low fat foods. These include fish, fruit, and vegetables. Increase the amount of fiber that you eat. Fiber can be found in many cereals, whole grain breads and beans. Include a variety of foods in your diet.
  
  
• Limit the amount of alcohol that you drink to no more than two drinks daily.
  
  
• Exercise regularly. This means at least 30 minutes of exercise, three days every week.
  
  
• If you need to lose weight, write down the amounts, and what you eat and drink every day. This will help you see eating patterns, and plan where to make changes to help you lose weight.
  
  
• Control high blood pressure. Learn to relax by deep breathing, meditating or doing other activities when you are under stress.
  
  
• If you have diabetes, try to keep your blood sugar at a steady level. Check your blood sugar often. Ask caregivers if you should make changes to your diet, exercise, or medications.

CONTACT A CAREGIVER IF:

Your signs and symptoms do not improve, or get worse, even when following your treatment plan.

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF:

You have the following symptoms which may mean that you have a blood clot in your leg, arm, or chest:

• Sudden pain, tenderness, swelling and color changes of your leg or arm.
  
  
• Shortness of breath and chest pain.

Call 911 or an ambulance if you have any signs of a heart attack:

• Discomfort in the center of your chest that feels like squeezing, pressure, fullness, or pain, that lasts for more than a few minutes or keeps returning
  
  
• Discomfort or pain in your back, neck, jaw, stomach, or one or both of your arms
  
  
• Feeling sick to your stomach
  
  
• Having trouble breathing
  
  
• A sudden cold sweat, particularly in combination with chest discomfort or trouble breathing
  
  
• Feeling very lightheaded or dizzy, particularly in combination with chest discomfort or trouble breathing

You have 1 or more of these signs of symptoms of a stroke. These signs and symptoms will happen suddenly.

• A very bad headache. This may feel like the worst headache of your life.
  
  
• Too dizzy to stand.
  
  
• Weakness or numbness in your arm, leg, or face. This may happen on only one side of your body.
  
  
• Confusion and problems speaking or understanding things.
  
  
• Not able to see out of one or both of your eyes.

This is an emergency. Call 911 or 0 (operator) for an ambulance to get to the nearest hospital. Do not drive yourself!

Copyright © 2012. Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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