Ten years ago, I took my first overseas flight and it was a short turnaround for my return. I took supplements to help me sleep almost the entire flight to Sydney, Australia and the additional connection to Perth (another five hours) to help the time pass quicker. While there, it was two days filled with a whirlwind of meetings, panel moderation on stage, dinners, and evening festivities. I'm not sure if I even slept more than a few hours each night. On the third day I was back on a plane to Sydney where I had planned one night to have dinner with a group of eager entrepreneurs to have me write about their start-up technology businesses.

Halfway through the flight, a friend told me my face was swelling up before her eyes. It turns out my feet and hand were swollen as well. So, flight attendants cleared out an entire row of New Zealand rugby players to allow me an area to lay down, stretch out, and elevate my feet for the rest of the flight. Upon landing, I was rushed to the nearest hospital.

The fear was blood clots. The risk of a blood clot is about 3-times higher for people traveling on long-distance flights.

It was a real concern as my Mom almost died from a pulmonary embolism following a six-hour flight.

My diagnosis, however, was gravitational edema and severe dehydration and two bags of IV fluids did the trick.

But what a scare!

I followed up with my primary care physician the moment I got home. While blood clots were ruled out, she suggested checking for venous insufficiency. It's a disease of the veins, which makes it difficult for blood to return to the heart from the legs. It happens when the wall of the veins and/or the valves stop working properly and blood starts leaking into tissue or pooling. It can happen in your deep veins, which are the largest ones that are deep in your body and run through the muscle, your superficial veins that are close to your skin's surface, or your perforating veins that actually connect the deep and superficial veins. If you have CVI, you may experience symptoms such as leg swelling, pain, and throbbing while standing, muscles aches, leg cramps, itching, even varicose veins.

For me, ultimately my test results showed my venous system was healthy. But I was glad my primary care physician was assertive enough to test for it. Did you know that it's estimated that 40% of U.S. adults have some level of venous insufficiency? Yet, it's often underdiagnosed and undertreated, leaving patients to leave with debilitating symptoms until a non-healing ulcer appears on their calf.

Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Robert Coronado says it's long overdue to raise awareness for CVI. He joins me and Dr. John Phillips on this episode of The Heart of Innovation, brought to you by The Way To My Heart and Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.'s patient advocacy campaign Take A Stand Against Amputation, to talk about the prevalence of CVI, how to talk to your doctor about getting tested, how its diagnosed, and treatment options.

One of the most common medical disorders in the United States that is also one of the most underdiagnosed is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) It's a disease of the veins, which makes it difficult for blood to return to the heart from the legs. It happens when the wall of the veins and/or the valves stop working properly and blood starts leaking into tissue or pooling. It can happen in your deep veins, which are the largest ones that are deep in your body and run through the muscle, your superficial veins that are close to your skin's surface, or your perforating veins that actually connect the deep and superficial veins. If you have CVI, you may experience symptoms such as leg swelling, pain, and throbbing while standing, muscles aches, leg cramps, itching, even varicose veins. Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Robert Coronado joins hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips to talk about the prevalence of CVI, how to talk to your doctor about getting tested, how its diagnosed, and treatment options.

Ten years ago, I took my first overseas flight and it was a short turnaround for my return. I took supplements to help me sleep almost the entire flight to Sydney, Australia and the additional connection to Perth (another five hours) to help the time pass quicker. While there, it was two days filled with a whirlwind of meetings, panel moderation on stage, dinners, and evening festivities. I'm not sure if I even slept more than a few hours each night. On the third day I was back on a plane to Sydney where I had planned one night to have dinner with a group of eager entrepreneurs to have me write about their start-up technology businesses. Halfway through the flight, a friend told me my face was swelling up before her eyes. It turns out my feet and hand were swollen as well. So, flight attendants cleared out an entire row of New Zealand rugby players to allow me an area to lay down, stretch out, and elevate my feet for the rest of the flight. Upon landing, I was rushed to the nearest hospital. The fear was blood clots. The risk of a blood clot is about 3-times higher for people traveling on long-distance flights. It was a real concern as my Mom almost died from a pulmonary embolism following a six-hour flight. My diagnosis, however, was gravitational edema and severe dehydration and two bags of IV fluids did the trick. But what a scare! I followed up with my primary care physician the moment I got home. While blood clots were ruled out, she suggested checking for venous insufficiency. It's a disease of the veins, which makes it difficult for blood to return to the heart from the legs. It happens when the wall of the veins and/or the valves stop working properly and blood starts leaking into tissue or pooling. It can happen in your deep veins, which are the largest ones that are deep in your body and run through the muscle, your superficial veins that are close to your skin's surface, or your perforating veins that actually connect the deep and superficial veins. If you have CVI, you may experience symptoms such as leg swelling, pain, and throbbing while standing, muscles aches, leg cramps, itching, even varicose veins. For me, ultimately my test results showed my venous system was healthy. But I was glad my primary care physician was assertive enough to test for it. Did you know that it's estimated that 40% of U.S. adults have some level of venous insufficiency? Yet, it's often underdiagnosed and undertreated, leaving patients to leave with debilitating symptoms until a non-healing ulcer appears on their calf. Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Robert Coronado says it's long overdue to raise awareness for CVI. He joins me and Dr. John Phillips on this episode of The Heart of Innovation, brought to you by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-way-to-my-heart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">The Way To My Heart</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardiovascular-systems-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.</a>'s patient advocacy campaign Take A Stand Against Amputation, to talk about the prevalence of CVI, how to talk to your doctor about getting tested, how its diagnosed, and treatment options. One of the most common medical disorders in the United States that is also one of the most underdiagnosed is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) It's a disease of the veins, which makes it difficult for blood to return to the heart from the legs. It happens when the wall of the veins and/or the valves stop working properly and blood starts leaking into tissue or pooling. It can happen in your deep veins, which are the largest ones that are deep in your body and run through the muscle, your superficial veins that are close to your skin's surface, or your perforating veins that actually connect the deep and superficial veins. If you have CVI, you may experience symptoms such as leg swelling, pain, and throbbing while standing, muscles aches, leg cramps, itching, even varicose veins. Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Robert Coronado joins hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips to talk about the prevalence of CVI, how to talk to your doctor about getting tested, how its diagnosed, and treatment options.

All of us have the power to create change. The advances in technology are now such that if you have an idea, it’s easier than ever to execute on it. “Kym McNicholas On Innovation” shares the journeys of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors from around the world who will inspire you to create your own financial independence. The show also features some of the most advanced technologies you’ve never heard of that could be have an impact on your life, your business, and your career. 

Regular featured segments include “The Edge” which highlights businesses that are game-changing in the enterprise. Plus, each week in “HealthTech”, you’ll hear about a company that’s creating better, safer, faster, and cheaper technologies that will improve patient care and lower costs. And in our “Female Seeking Startup” series hear the success stories of some of the most powerful women who are creating game-changing technologies.

Produced and Published by The Innovators Network (http://TheInnovators.Network)

The Heart of Innovation with Kym McNicholas

The Heart of Innovation is 60 minutes with life and limb saving potential. Emmy Award-winning Journalist and Patient Navigator Kym McNicholas and Interventional Cardiologist Dr. John Phillips discuss new exciting ideas and innovation in healthcare. They tackle some of the greatest barriers to timely, effective patient care and discuss solutions with physicians, clinicians, policy makers, and most importantly, patients.

The Heart of Innovation is 60 minutes with life and limb saving potential. Emmy Award-winning Journalist and Patient Navigator Kym McNicholas and Interventional Cardiologist Dr. John Phillips discuss new exciting ideas and innovation in healthcare. They tackle some of the greatest barriers to timely, effective patient care and discuss solutions with physicians, clinicians, policy makers, and most importantly, patients.

The Heart of Innovation

Ten years ago, I took my first overseas flight and it was a short turnaround for my return. I took supplements to help me sleep almost the entire flight to Sydney, Australia and the additional connection to Perth (another five hours) to help the time...

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