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It s important to ask your doctor Based on my presentation of P A D what is my potential to grow collateral vessels What symptoms are a warning for me to call your office for immediate reassessment Artery Blockage Normal Artery Blood Flow Artery Blockage Ho P A D Warrior Name DOB Follow up Appt Cell Phone Texts ABI L Pre Procedure Tracking Post Procedure Tracking Yes L Date Angioplasty R Date Angioplasty Thrombectomy Stent s Stent s Atherectomy Atherectomy Endarterectomy Endart Bypass Bypass Other Type Other Devices Used Specify which leg for each device if both done Prescribed Meds Patient is cleared to participate Vascular Specialist P A D is D al A rtery Walking is the best medicine for P A D No Thrombectomy Type er ABI R Yes No Vessels Treated Artery Reconstitution ph ri Have you ever been pushed to your limit during a workout When you think you can t possibly do one more rep your workout partner says Just give me one more It s then when you see your veins bulging and feel your muscles working hard that deep below the surface your collateral network of arteries is also engaging and building It s the same when walking to improve circulation The greatest collateral growth is during what doctor s call claudication time which is from the point at which you start feeling leg cramps and push through until it makes you want to slow down or stop It s amazing what our bodies can do when we push ourselves just a little bit further The Way To My Heart offers a free text based and community walking program to help keep you on track with progress reports and peer support Have your physician fill out this form then call in your information or text an image to the number above Pe C mon Give me just one more rep w ok Walk at home outside at a mall or on a treadmill The secret to maximizing collateral vessel growth is to walk briskly and push through the discomfort as much as you can before resting Walk Hand o bo T se Walking Program ea Grow Your Collaterals Your body has the ability to create a natural bypass around some narrowed or blocked blood vessels with every step you take The natural bypass is created by a collateral network of small vessels that are connected to your main arteries They remain small and unused until you need them and then they grow with increased demand for blood flow It s a natural defense or protection system for your body to ensure that oxygen and other critical nutrients can be distributed to vital organs tissues muscles and nerves Simply the narrowing of your arteries initiates the vessel growth Exercise accelerates their collateral growth not only in your legs but also in your heart 2023 The Way To My Heart Inc

How Collaterals Grow When you walk or exercise your heart starts to pump harder and faster to circulate blood to deliver oxygen to your muscles organs and tissues If arteries can t handle the additional rush of blood flow the collateral vessels re structure to meet the increased demand Track Your Steps Most P A D patients experience improved symptoms and walking time in 6 8 weeks of a regimented walking program It takes about 3 months to see a big difference If symptoms don t improve over time talk to your doctor about next steps Your physician s walking goal for you is to Walk ________times per week for ________minutes Use this brochure to track progress or enroll in our text based walking program Details are on the back page If using this brochure track results 2x weekly as they may not change in days more likely weeks Let s Get Started Reconstitution Where your collateral network of vessels re route flow around a blockage back into the main artery You can think about it like a freeway system If there s an obstacle such as an accident on the freeway blocking the flow of traffic cars veer off on to side roads to continue moving forward towards their destination Unlike side roads however collateral vessels can expand and even grow depending on demand It s a process called angiogenesis the formation of new blood vessels It s somewhat like sprouting roots from a tree in search of water and nutrients except that with collateral vessels they deliver these nutrients when they sprout Plan a 30 60 minute dedicated walking session This will include walking and time at rest Use a stopwatch or monitor a clock as tracking time is important Claudication Scale Walk briskly 0 Zero claudication Notice the onset 1 Onset of claudication of claudication 2 Mild claudication leg cramps 3 Moderate claudication Keep walking 4 Severe claudication until the pain 5 Debilitating claudication hits a level 4 on the claudication scale See above Instead of slowing down Stop Rest until pain free Attempt to walk again and stop when needed How To Log Daily Session 1 Log time on stop watch when you start feeling leg claudication cramps pain 2 Log time on stop watch at first stop rest 3 Log of stops during the session 4 Log the total walking minutes for this session 5 Write in any notable symptoms Note Every couple of weeks you should notice an improvement in how far you can walk before resting 6 Week Walking Tracker Week 1 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms 1 __________ Time of I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms Week 2 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms Week 3 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms Week 4 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms Week 5 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms Week 6 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms 1 __________ Time I feel pain 2 __________Time pain stops me 3 __________ How many stops 4 __________ Walking minutes 5 __________________ Symptoms