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Jay Baird: Beebe Vascular Eliminated My Extreme Swelling

 

 

For several years, Warren “Jay” Baird simply dealt with swelling in his legs.

“My legs were so swollen from the knees down that often I felt I couldn’t walk at all. It was extremely uncomfortable, but none of my doctors at the time could come up with a solution that worked,” Jay recalled.

At the time, Jay was living in Maryland. He soon moved to the Lewes area and stayed in a relative’s home while he decided where he would be comfortable living.

Jay, 76, is partially blind and has difficulty navigating extensive areas. He knew he wanted to live near friends and family, somewhere that was convenient to shopping but also low maintenance.

A local Realtor found him the perfect location near Lewes.

“Once I moved in here, I started to feel like myself again. I had my own place and I could really start to figure things out. But, I was still struggling with my swelling.”

After several unsuccessful treatment options, Jay was referred to Beebe Vascular and Dr. Sean Ryan.

That’s when it all started coming together. Dr. Ryan found vascular issues in Jay’s legs. In addition to contributing to the painful swelling, they were also preventing wounds from healing, which left Jay open to infection.

Dr. Ryan needed the wounds to heal before he could perform vascular surgery, so he started Jay on a treatment program using specialized Unna Boots to address the swelling and blood pooling in his legs. Jay also had regular wound debridement (cleaning of open wounds) to remove dead skin and promote healing of the new skin. Removed tissue was sent for testing and Jay soon learned that he had skin cancer in all three wounds.

The cancerous spots were removed and with the ongoing treatments and support from Dr. Ryan, Jay’s wounds started to heal. Soon, he was ready to go in for surgery.

Dr. Ryan performed vascular surgery to place stents in Jay’s veins, which helps the blood circulate and keeps the skin tissue healthy.

“Jay had seen about six other doctors prior to coming to our office for evaluation. He had been turned away or told that he would have to live with the swelling for the rest of his life,” Dr. Ryan said. “We were able to diagnose him with chronic venous insufficiency and work with him to place stents in his veins to alleviate the narrowing and get to the cause of the swelling.”

Dr. Ryan and the vascular surgery team used an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to locate and place stents in Jay’s pelvic veins where narrowing had occurred. By opening the veins, Jay’s circulation was improved, allowing the swelling to be greatly reduced.

Beebe recently started using the IVUS technique for vascular surgery, which allows surgical teams to pinpoint narrowed veins and streamline the stenting procedure.

“During the procedure, which is done by Dr. Ryan using the new IVUS machine, you are awake the whole time. So, I really learned a lot being in the room and listening to them talk about what they were doing,” Jay said.

Several months later, Jay is proud to show off his legs which are free of swelling and wound-free.

“It’s made such a difference in my life. I can get around better than I was and I feel more comfortable and confident in myself,” Jay said. “Dr. Ryan and his entire team at Beebe Vascular and at the hospital were just incredible. They really took care of me – and continue to take care of me – so that I know every step I take is going to be better than the last.”

Dr. Ryan agreed.

“It has been great to see Jay go from near incapacitation to confident, healthy, and independent after his treatment,” he said.

Beebe Vascular Services offers a breadth of advanced vascular procedures with a personal touch. A new state-of-the-art hybrid operating room is located at Beebe’s Lewes Campus where vascular surgeons perform streamlined vascular surgery with multiple specialists all in one operating theater.

Learn more about Beebe Vascular Services: www.beebehealthcare.org/vascular.