My PAD Experience
By Raynard Johnson
As a 74-year-old African American, I basically stumbled across my chronic condition, known as PAD (peripheral artery disease). Nearly 10 years ago, I began experiencing severe pain in my calves for walks of any distance. I begrudgingly went to the doctor and learned of my condition. I was not a smoker, and there was no medical history of this in my family.
My dietary habits were a mess, and my exercise regimen had faded. It’s been nine-plus years and three interventions that have helped me realize how vital diet, consistent exercise, regular sound medical consultation are, alongside much encouragement from websites friendly to my condition. Heart disease is serious, and if allowed to go unaddressed, it will most certainly impact the quality of life, if not the length of my life. I just returned from a short vacation, and everywhere we went, I was constantly looking to get my steps in. This cruise ship had a track where I could log in my steps.
When we went ashore to the beautiful white sandy beaches, I monitored my steps and followed my regimen. One of the impacts of having PAD is that I look around and think about the consequences of not following through on my step strategy and my dietary actions. I look at some of the less mobile members of society around me. I’m determined that, as I age, I want to remain as independently mobile as possible. This cruise showed me passengers using walkers, canes, wheelchairs (mobile and push variety) that aided seniors in their movements. They were determined to enjoy and engage in activities during their vacation. I admire the tenacity of a person who pledges to keep up the pace, just as I return home to my regular walking and pool activities. I believe that raising awareness and understanding the consequences of my actions will help me achieve a healthier senior life experience.
One of the incredible informational resources has been the Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Walking, Exercise and Wellness Facebook website. It has helped inform, influence and inspire. I suspect many others have benefited in substantially the same way as I have from the ongoing support and PAD information-sharing this site has provided.
For more information on this topic, visit www.heart.org.
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