An excerpt from WebMD’s article featuring a Global PAD Association advisor, Rodney McKinley. For the full story, go to https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/how-i-got-my-life-back-after-pad

Excerpt:

Rodney McKinley found out he had peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in 2011, when his frequent walks dissolved into searing pain. “When I would lay down in bed to sleep, it felt like someone had a blowtorch under my toes,” he says.

McKinley had bypass surgery in his groin — with 32 staples — and two more bypasses in both lower legs. His pain eased for a year. But then it came back.

“I ate more painkillers than I did food,” says McKinley, 64, of Johnson City, TN. He tried many treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which uses pressure to fill your blood with oxygen to help heal wounds.

When nothing helped, “my doctor finally said all he could do was amputation.”

Unexpected Support

McKinley had one leg amputated and spent 4 weeks in the hospital and in rehab. “I came home and tried to stay positive and get on with my life,” he says.

It took him a month to recover enough to get fitted with a prosthetic leg. But by then, his leg had contracted and wouldn’t straighten enough for him to wear his prosthesis.

During this difficult point, McKinley found support “out of the heavens.” His ex-wife traveled from England for a surprise visit, and stayed. She took McKinley to physical therapy three times a week until he got back on his feet. In January 2020, McKinley managed to take his first steps without his wheelchair or a walker — almost 9 years after his PAD diagnosis.

“She was so instrumental in my being able to walk again,” he says. Now, he can walk anywhere, sometimes even without his cane.

“The main thing that keeps me going is trying to stay positive.”