After experiencing leg pain last summer, my primary care physician referred me to a vascular surgeon. While it took some time to arrange for tests, I finally had an angiogram. Several calls to the doctor’s office over the next few weeks seeking the test results resulted in the physician stating that my main artery was plugged and the other veins, being so small, would be of little help. He said my right foot would have to be amputated.

I hung up the phone and sat numb for a while, and then called a contact person in Boston to whom I related my predicament. Soon, I had an appointment with a vascular surgeon at Massachuetts General Hospital. A series of tests were done and the physicians said the situation was fixable.

On April 2, I was admitted for surgery. After a day and a half in recovery and several days regulating the process, I walked out on my own two feet and came home.

These events beg the question: How many people in our neck of the woods are struggling with an amputated limb that just may have been unnecessary?

Second medical opinion? You bet!

Paul F. O’Connor

Holden