AVT patient, Gayla L., has struggled with weak veins and open ulcers on both of her legs for over 15 years. Her first leg wound appeared in 2001 after she fell through a chair she had been standing on. The wound became an open ulcer that just wouldn’t close. At the time of the fall, she could not have guessed how her life was about to change.
Over the years that followed, the issues with Gayla’s legs grew. Her weakened veins resulted in the formation of multiple ulcers—four on her left leg alone. She sought help from specialists including a dermatologist who told her they didn’t know how to help her.
She went to a wound clinic for help with her sores, but while their care eased the pain caused by the ulcers, it did nothing to fix the underlying cause. Gayla’s once active life quickly deteriorated.
In her thirties, prior to falling, Gayla spent her days swimming and taking yoga classes. She was a regular member of the YMCA, hitting the pool four times a week at minimum. With ulcers on her legs, she could no longer step foot into the pool. As for yoga, Gayla says, “Yoga requires getting down on your knees. You can’t do that [with ulcers] because you can’t put the pressure on your legs.” But her activity level wasn’t the only aspect of her life that was affected by her chronic condition.
“I had a cast on my leg and I couldn’t take a shower without putting plastic bags on over my sores. I couldn’t do anything like I once had,” says Gayla. Embarrassed of her appearance, Gayla kept her legs covered with jeans, even when the temperature rose to 100 degrees. She stopped buying and wearing shorts, skirts, and dresses altogether.
Gayla was also relieved of her job as a cook for the elderly after her open wounds gave her employers cause for concern. She was forced to turn to disability for income. Then in January she spent a month in the hospital receiving treatment for an infection in one of her ulcers. That’s when she was referred to AVT and doctors Davey and Wegner.
Gayla was prescribed both Endovenous Laser Treatments and two Sclerotherapy treatments. At the time of her first visit to AVT, two of Gayla’s ulcers on her left leg were still open. Within two weeks of receiving her first laser session one of her ulcers had closed. By her last laser surgery, on July 7, both of her ulcers were closed.
“I’m already getting my life back,” says Gayla who recently renewed her membership at the YMCA. “I’m in the pool swimming and back to doing what I did before.” Since finishing treatment at AVT, she has bought some Capri pants and now owns three dresses.
When asked about the care she received at AVT, Gayla says, “Dr. Davey and Dr. Wegner were so great and professional. They made me feel like I could do it. They are the ones that gave me hope back.”
Gayla is currently looking forward to training for a new line of work and starting a new life. Her advice to people suffering from vein problems and ulcers? “Get in to Advanced Vein Therapy and get your legs looked at…As soon as I received my first laser treatment, there was a world of difference. I feel like a new person.”
For more before and after images click HERE