Patient Partner Spotlight: Genice

I am Genice, and this is my journey with PVD, or Peripheral Vascular Disease. 

I live in Mississippi. My search for a healthy life has been challenging, time-consuming, and sometimes very informative. Due to the health difficulties related to Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), I have many questions that need answering. Since I am unaware of my family's medical history, I thought that would be a great place to start.  

As I continued my research, I began calling family members of various ages in Mississippi and different parts of the US about having some of the same health problems. For me, there was a tingling that seemed to be running down my legs that turned into pain. Most of my family members expressed concerns because if they had diabetes and obesity, their provider didn't discuss vascular issues but opted for medications, specific healthy diets for weight loss, and getting their diabetic numbers lowered. In comparison, others had heart problems, poor circulation, or edema in their lower extremities such as legs and feet, with or without diabetes. Never once had they been educated on vascular diseases.

My research on my family leads me to believe that genes play a significant role in vascular disease in addition to diet, poverty level, and other factors. It wasn't obvious. I thought that I had a multi-disciplinary healthcare team to help me navigate these uncharted waters. However, now I believe that I should read and educate myself. My professional background before I retired was that of a Patient Advocate at a hospital, and I had been that voice that helped patients for 20 years. Now, I am the patient suffering the effects of these diseases, and my journey has led me to connect with Vascular Cures. They have, in a way, challenged me to be a Patient Advocate again by becoming energetic and well-informed about these diseases and my overall health.

Originally published November 2021