Hello!

I was diagnosed with Beurger's Disease December 2003 after an arteriorgram was
performed on me, more than a year after I felt its first symptom (a painfully
throbbing right big toe).

Arteriorgram is the gold standard in accurately diagnosing Beurger's Disease.
What docs do is prick a major vein in your groin, insert a plastic tube into it
and inject some sort of "ink" to check on your lower limb's blood circulation.
That actually is as horrible as it sounds. Not to worry though as you'll be
heavily sedated. But if you're a heavy drinker...

My doc said it MIGHT take two years before my circulation returns to normal--if
it ever will. But things are already beginning to feel a bit okay right now. I
mean, I'm not in superb condition but compared to last year, I think I have
improved by about 75-80 percent. And that, believe me, is such a great relief.

I'm working out again, jogging, etc.--basically trying to keep an active
lifestyle--to regulate my circulation. I take medicines on a day-to-day
basis--blood thinners like aspirin, Praxilene, Dilzem (heart), Vitamins C and E
plus multivitamins, etc. You know, the works.

Based on my experience, conditions will GRADUALLY improve when you quit smoking.
As in your body will SLOWLY recover. Miracles don't happen overnight--if ever
they do. I think I began to feel an improvement in five or six months after I
licked the habit. But then again, recuperation period of medical conditions
depends on many factors so it varies from person to person.

There is no cure for Beurger's Disease. Quitting smoking merely arrests the
condition from getting worse. Start puffing away again and it will pick up from
where it left.

But, hey, you may not have Beurger's Disease at all. Go ask your doc. I'm no
doctor, but I think your symptoms sounds more like it's Raynaud's Disease. Go
get another checkup.

Good luck!!!!



Anne




---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]