Patient Profiles : Mike’s Profile
Mike’s Profile
"I suppose I have a borderline case," Mike said after having another ankle-brachial index test and watching his doctor and nurse exchange glances. "No," replied his doctor, "You definitely have peripheral arterial disease. We just need to decide exactly what is best to do about it in your case."
Thus began a change in lifestyle for Mike Falink. But more than three years later, he says it was well worth it. His advice to others is to do the same. His story is proof that it is possible to live successfully with PAD without a lot of drugs or operations.
Mike knew something was wrong seven years ago when he began having problems walking. The pain in his legs only grew worse and kept him from participating in many activities. "It felt like a dull toothache, even when resting or doing nothing," he said once the pain became constant. His regular physician conducted Doppler blood flow studies on his legs. The pulse readings were good; causing the doctor to merely shrug his shoulders without an explanation.
Mike began to believe he was going to have to tough it out and hope it would eventually get better.
This wasn’t Mike’s first experience with health problems. He had his first heart attack in 1979 and a second one in 1982. In 1986 he had a quadruple bypass. Unfortunately, years of heavy smoking likely contributed to much of Mike's heart and vascular problems. He quit smoking entirely in 1985. He also has had Type 2 diabetes for years. Coincidentally, it was while waiting in his endocrinologist’s office that he read a pamphlet describing the symptoms of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Mike knew he had almost every one of them and brought them to his doctor’s attention. He was referred to a vascular clinic where he was given an ankle-brachial index test (ABI), followed by other non-invasive examinations. Being diagnosed with PAD stirred up many feelings in Mike — relief to know the pain wasn’t imaginary combined with the anxiety of knowing that getting and feeling better would not be easy.
Mike's Options
He was given three options: an exercise program, medications, or an attempt at revascularization by surgery or angioplasty. The medications available three years ago were not guaranteed to greatly improve his condition and he wanted to leave surgery as a final alternative. Afraid that the cure might be as bad as the illness, Mike decided to start with the least invasive approach — an exercise program.
Mike began his physician’s recommended treatment plan — to walk around the lakes by his home near Minneapolis, an activity he had given up because of the pain in his legs. He was told to walk frequently to the point of pain, then stop and rest. Repeating this was "nature’s way" of compensating and would improve the efficiency with which the muscles dealt with the more limited supply of oxygenated blood reaching them.
Improvement took a long time but progress was steady. The two-mile walk required him to stop 22 times in the beginning. He would walk a short distance until the pain was sharp and then rest for one to five minutes before continuing. He stuck with this program three to five times per week determined not to face his doctor with failure.
On his own, Mike developed several "tricks" to keep himself moving. He counted the number of stops he made during each walk and after a few weeks, he noticed that it was 21 stops, then 20 and then 19. Next, he decided to keep a record of his progress. As he walked he rated how he felt on a scale of "1 to 10." A good day would earn a 7 or 8, bad days a 3 or 4.
After a few more weeks he noticed that the high ratings seemed to be increasing. He attributed it to the fact that he was starting to lose weight from the exercising and was actually beginning to feel better. Another motivating factor was that his wife, Mary, encouraged him by walking with him. She finished at a quicker pace, but would wait for him.
Success!
The exercise program worked! A year later, he was able to walk the two miles around the lake in 30 minutes without stopping. Mike had lost 38 pounds and he was able to reduce his diabetes medication. Today, at age 65, Mike spends winters walking the beaches by his winter home near Wilmington, North Carolina. He still walks three to five times a week at a pretty good pace and pain free.
Knowing where he was a few years ago and now that he’s regained his lifestyle, he said it was definitely worth the effort. He boasts that now he does all the things he wants to do — part-time consulting, enjoying time with his grand-children, traveling, gardening, and golf.
Mike happily offers advice to others with PAD. "Give yourself a chance to beat it. Find the right doctors and regimen, then find a way to stay motivated." He found tracking his results helped and might help others, too. "Don’t overdo it. You can’t compress in a month what takes a year to change." He acknowledges that the hardest part is that it doesn’t happen overnight — improvement takes a long time. But, he stressed, "it’s possible and definitely worth it. I’m living proof."
