What if the pain you're told is "just a muscle cramp" is actually a life-altering vascular emergency?

In this high-impact episode of The Heart of Innovation, Kym McNicholas sits down with interventional cardiologist Dr. Hady Lichaa and his patient, Camille, to discuss a Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) diagnosis that was almost missed until it was too late.

Camille was a mom just trying to walk to her car after her son's baseball game, but the claudication pain was so severe it brought her to tears. Despite visiting the Emergency Room twice, she was sent home with muscle relaxers while her leg was actively dying.

In this episode, we unpack:

• The ER Red Flags: Why leg pain is often misdiagnosed as muscle cramps or venous clots.

• Arterial vs. Venous: The critical question a Nurse Practitioner asked that saved Camille's leg.

• The Reality of Bypass Surgery: The complex journey of multiple surgeries and complications.

• Smoking & Vascular Health: The honest truth about the role of smoking and the "Aha!" moment that led Camille to quit for good.

• Limb Salvage: How to find the right specialist when you are weeks away from an amputation.

This is more than a patient story; it's a manual for self-advocacy. If you have leg cramping while walking, heavy legs, or non-healing wounds, do not wait.

RECLAIM YOUR HEALTH: 🚶 FREE WALKING PROGRAM: https://padhelp.org 📞 LEG SAVER HOTLINE: 1-833-PAD-LEGS (Speak to someone who understands) 👥 WARRIOR COMMUNITY: PADsupportGroup.org (12,000+ members) 📧 RESULTS REVIEW: Email your ABI or Ultrasound results to info@padhelp.org for educational insight.

Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. We do not diagnose; we help you understand terminology to have better conversations with your doctor.

#PAD #PeripheralArteryDisease #MedicalMisdiagnosis #LimbSalvage #VascularHealth #SaveMyPiggies #KymMcNicholas #DrHadyLichaa

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Could we one day bypass heart blockages without ever opening the chest? In this episode of The Heart of Innovation, Kym McNicholas and Dr. James Joye, who invented PTAB (minimally invasive leg bypass device) sit down with Dr. Chris Bruce, the lead author of a groundbreaking NIH and Emory study that has achieved a world first: a fully percutaneous (catheter-based) coronary bypass. Known as the VECTOR procedure, this technique was recently used to save a patient whose anatomy made a traditional heart valve replacement life-threatening. By building an "extra-anatomic" bypass from the aorta to the coronary artery—all through a small puncture in the leg—Dr. Bruce and his team have opened a new frontier in cardiac care. We discuss how they "poked a hole" through the heart to save a life and whether this technology could eventually replace traditional bypass surgery for common blockages. #heartvalve #coronarybypass #heartbypass #heartsurgery #globalpadassociation #heartdisease

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For many, amputation is seen as the final step to end the agony of PAD and CLTI. But what happens when you make that heartbreaking choice, and the pain stays behind?

It's Limb Loss Awareness Month—a time for honoring those who have faced limb loss, but also for addressing the hard, silent realities of life after amputation. In this special episode of The Heart of Innovation, hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips tackle Phantom Limb Pain, the "ghost signal" that tortures millions.

We are joined by Dr. John Eidt, Chief of Vascular Surgery at Baylor Heart & Vascular, and David Veino, CEO of Neuros Medical, to reveal a medical breakthrough—a tiny implantable device specifically designed to "turn off" that phantom pain for good.

In this episode, we unpack:

✔️Why amputation isn't always the end of the pain journey.

✔️The science of damaged nerves and phantom sensations.

✔️A new hope: How Neuros Medical's bioelectronic medicine is changing lives.

✔️Essential questions to ask your surgeon before a limb is lost.

RESOURCES & SUPPORT:

📞 Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS (723-5347)

👥 Join the Community: PADSupportGroup.org (12,000+ members)

📧 Results Review: Email info@padhelp.org for terminology help with your ABI or CTA.

Disclaimer: For educational purposes only. We help you understand terminology to advocate for yourself.

#LimbLossAwarenessMonth #PhantomPain #Amputation #NeurosMedical #VascularSurgery #TheHeartOfInnovation #PAD #CLTI

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.