A Second Opinion from Dr. Lam Gave Jan More Than Hope; It Gave Her a New Lease on Life
Jan still gets emotional when she thinks of how truly close she came to having at least one and possibly both of her legs amputated in late 2017. The Denison, Texas resident had exhausted herself trying to find a doctor who could help her with her significant leg pain.
“I just felt that if they cut off my legs, I would die,” said Jan, a wife and mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
As someone who suffers with fibromyalgia, Jan is accustomed to significant chronic pain but in May of 2017, she began to have severe leg pain, especially after walking any distance at all.
Three different doctors told her the same thing. There was nothing they could do to help her other than amputation. She finally found a doctor who tried to help but the procedure caused even more pain. “It was actually worse and I was very discouraged,” she admitted.
This once active family matriarch went from shopping with friends, playing with grands and great-grands and traveling with her husband Charles, to limiting her outings to places where she could ride an electric scooter or use her walker/wheelchair.
A chance encounter led her to Dr. Lam at Lam Vascular and Associates for yet another second opinion. “Quite frankly, I was terrified to meet him,” she said, voice quivering just a little. “I was worried it was just going to be another doctor who would tell me we needed to amputate.”
But after talking at length with Dr. Lam, Jan and Charles were so relieved. They felt more confident than they had in months.
“He said he wouldn’t amputate. That gave us more than hope.” – Jan
Jan has PAD (peripheral artery disease) and Dr. Lam placed stents in, first the right leg, and then just recently, the left, in order to open up the arteries and restore blood flow.
Within a week of the first procedure, her right leg was doing so much better and her severe pain had subsided. Only one week post-op from the procedure on her left leg, Jan is looking forward to the same good report.
“Dr. Lam and his staff are so great and lovely,” said Jan. “They took such good care of me.”
Jan and Charles are looking forward to the future in a way they weren’t able to just a few short months ago. They are building a new home with plenty of entertaining space. Jan feels so grateful to be able to walk the property with her husband and dream of the fun they will have there with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the coming years.
We are so thankful Jan decided to get a second opinion (or in this case a fourth) and came to visit Lam Vascular and Associates. Watch a little bit more about Jan’s experience in the video below, and if you or a loved one are facing amputation and are interested in a second opinion from Dr. Lam, you can get in touch with Lam Vascular and Associates by calling 214.345.4160 or by clicking here.
The information contained in this article is not intended to be used as a substitute for medical advice. Patient results will vary based on risk factors, age, disease and medical history and are not guaranteed in any way.
