Reclaiming Freedom from Leg Pain: Deborah’s Journey to Relief with Dr. Joyce

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Deborah says the treatment she received for her leg vein problems was “over the top successful.”

Deborah Moran’s default career was nursing. She initially planned to attend medical school but found the cost prohibitive. Nursing was the only major option that enabled her to transfer the credits she’d already earned toward another degree. But she has no regrets. “I’ve been a nurse for 42 years, and I’ve done a little bit of everything,” Deborah elaborates. “I’ve done med surg, oncology, orthopedics, ICU, CCU, step down. I’m now a hospice nurse at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers. It is by far the best thing I’ve ever done. “I’ve been working for Hope for more than 15 years. Currently, I’m working in the quality and compliance department, so I do a lot of chart audits and stuff for the government. With this job, I work from home.” Despite her deep satisfaction with her nursing career, Deborah, 61, didn’t always want to work in the medical field. She originally wanted to be a teacher, but her father – who was a teacher– discouraged her from pursuing the profession. “I did make a brief foray into teaching when I was 25,” she notes. “I decided to give it a shot and taught elementary school for about 10 years. Then I realized teaching really wasn’t for me. Nursing was where my passion was, so I went back to nursing.” Working from home has been a godsend for Deborah, who for years dealt with a number of severe leg issues that made it difficult for her to get around. “I’ve had venous insufficiency for about 10 years,” Deborah reveals. One-way valves in leg veins prevent blood from flowing backward and pooling. Venous insufficiency is a condition in which the valves are weakened or damaged. As a result, blood flows back into the veins instead of toward the heart. The blood collects in the legs, causing swelling, discomfort and varicose veins. “My legs were swollen, hard and discolored from my ankles to my knees, and they were weeping lots of nasty fluids,” Deborah laments. “I also had bulging varicose veins on my legs. Recently, I developed sores that were taking a long time to heal because the blood wasn’t getting to the right spots. “My legs were intensely painful, and there were times when the pain kept me up at night. It was difficult for me to walk any sort of distance at all. I really wasn’t even able to stand. I had to just sit with my legs elevated to try to keep the swelling down.” Deborah says the pain became so agonizing that she was forced to leave bedside nursing and take a desk job. “I visited many doctors, but none ever offered me any hope that anything could be done for my condition,” Deborah bemoans. “Then my mom told me that she saw a commercial on television for Dr. Joyce. She said I should call him because he works on legs like mine.”

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Deborah says the treatment she received for her leg vein problems was “over the top successful.

“The Usual Culprits”

Douglas H. Joyce, DO, FACOS, FACPh, is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon at Joyce Vein & Aesthetic Institute in Punta Gorda. Dr. Joyce specializes in treating venous disease with minimally invasive procedures. He addresses all stages of the condition, from spider veins to venous ulcers. “Ms. Moran presented with severe skin thickening and discoloration as well as swelling and pain in her legs from venous insufficiency,” Dr. Joyce recalls. “We evaluated her using ultrasound and discovered that she had a significant number of incompetent veins in her legs, especially in her left leg. Essentially, every vein system in Deborah’s legs required treatment because they were all dysfunctional, the doctor explains. “The usual culprits, the long saphenous veins, were not working correctly. Many branches of the saphenous veins also needed to be addressed. In addition, there were two perforator veins in her lower left leg that were causing trouble,” Dr. Joyce points out. There are two vein systems in the legs: the high-pressure central vein system deep in the muscles and the low-pressure superficial vein system just below the skin. The superficial system drains into the central system through perforator veins and the saphenous vein system. As he does with all his venous insufficiency patients, Dr. Joyce recommended correcting every one of Deborah’s incompetent veins in both legs. “We use a laser to close the veins that are not working correctly, and that allows the remaining veins that are working correctly to take over and drain the leg properly,” Dr. Joyce enlightens. “By eliminating the veins that are working against the patient, we create a leg that is more efficient at returning blood to the heart.” Starting with the left leg, Dr. Joyce began treating Deborah using two minimally invasive procedures: standard laser ablation and single-needle laser ablation. The latter is a technique pioneered by Dr. Joyce. “We performed standard ablation to close Ms. Moran’s saphenous veins, which were severely incompetent,” Dr. Joyce notes. “During this procedure, we slide a laser fiber into and along the length of the vein and use laser energy to seal the entire vein. Blood flow is then rerouted to other healthy veins.” During single-needle laser ablation, the doctor takes a specifically designed needle and, using ultrasound guidance, places it into the targeted vein, which is typically a perforator vein. He then applies an anesthetic and turns on the laser for 15 to 20 seconds, which spot-welds and seals the vein. “Our goal is that when we are done treating the patient, we can scan their legs with ultrasound and find no veins that are incompetent,” Dr. Joyce asserts. “When all the veins are corrected, patients get better; their symptoms disappear. Our success rate is in the very high 90s, probably 97, 98 percent.”

“Wonderful” Legs

When Deborah arrived at Joyce Vein & Aesthetic Institute, Dr. Joyce told her he could fix the problem with her legs. Deborah was ecstatic because all the doctors she previously visited said nothing could be done for her. Deborah still has a few procedures to complete, but she’s amazed by the outcome thus far. “My legs are wonderful now,” she enthuses. “The discoloration is almost totally gone, and my sores have finally healed. The pain is much less intense. My legs don’t burn as much as they used to, and they don’t feel heavy like they did. I have a lot more energy and more movement in my legs. I’m able to do things I wasn’t able to do for a long time. “I’m able to stand for a little longer and my walking is better. I actually got out to the pool recently, so I would say my treatment has been over-the-top successful.” Deborah gladly recommends Dr. Joyce and Joyce Vein & Aesthetic Institute. “I’ve already told all my neighbors,” she raves. “Dr. Joyce is a lifesaver, He’s extremely knowledgeable and very compassionate. “I live in south Lee County. I travel an hour each way to see him because he’s so fantastic. And I do that twice a week. “But it’s worth it because he’s amazing. I don’t have enough good words to say about Dr. Joyce and his staff.”