PENDLETON, Ind — Don Apple, of Pendleton, is so grateful to be active again.
"I'm back to the gym with my wife, and that's good," Apple said.
Recently, Apple, 73, slowed down, because of pain in his leg due to varicose veins.
"I wasn't as active as I had been. I didn't walk as much. I felt I had to sit in my lazy chair and watch TV, and of course that was terrible," Apple said.
In August, Apple decided to explore treatment options, with Ascension vascular surgeon Randy Irwin. Irwin said Apple had a classic case.
"The classic symptoms are achiness, tiredness, and heaviness in the leg. It's worse the longer they stand, and it gets better when they lay down in the evening," Irwin said.
In late September, Irwin performed a radio frequency ablation on Apple's right leg.
"What we did, just through a simple needle poke near his knee, is guide a catheter into that bad vein and seal that vein shut. By sealing it shut, it is kind of like turning off a leaky water faucet and removing the hose so the basement doesn't get flooded anymore," Irwin said.
The procedure was an outpatient procedure covered by Apple's insurance. It improved the look of his leg, but more important to Apple is that his pain is gone.
"We are walking around the neighborhood. I'm back to my Total Gym, and so that feels good. It feels like where I ought to be," Apple said. "I'd recommend it to anybody if they are...having pain in their legs that is uncomfortable and persistent. Definitely, I wish I would have come in sooner."
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