Key points from today’s guests:

Sheryl Craig, aortoiliac bypass patient

• Cheryl’s routine podiatrist visit led to emergency surgery after a 100 percent blockage in her iliac artery was discovered.
• For 30 years, she had blood flow issues due to Berger’s disease, but this new finding was serious.
• Her blockage extended from the kidney arteries to the aorta, making surgery a necessary step to restore essential blood flow.
• Cheryl has made lifestyle changes, including stopping smoking, and lost 70 pounds since the surgery.
• She is able to do things she’s never done before and feels better now in her 60s than she did in her 30s.
• Thanks Dr. Biggs for taking good care of her and saving her life.

Dr. Joedd Biggs, vascular surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System

• We performed an aortoiliac bypass, re-routing her arteries to improve blood flow.
• This is a complex surgery that takes five days to a week of initial recovery.
• One of the things I work with my patients on is really focusing on what can we do to optimize them for a surgical intervention.
• We're going to try to help them optimize the long term outcome. We look at this as an opportunity for us to have a launch point to make a lifelong change in your life. We want to do everything we can to make this work as long as possible.
• Cheryl has done an excellent job of making lifestyle changes.
• One of the things I like about this job is connecting with patients over time to monitor their progress.

Friday, May 10 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Gestational diabetes is a condition that often has no symptoms, catching pregnant women by surprise and putting their babies at risk. Hear more about the dangers for both mother and baby.

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