Breaking the Cycle of Vein Disease: Anissa’s Story

At just 39 years old, Anissa McKay of Houma, Louisiana, feared she was headed down the same path as her father, who had lost his leg to vein disease. She was living with an ulcer that wouldn’t heal, bone-deep leg pain, and a heaviness in her leg that made even everyday life difficult.

“I just kept thinking, ‘This is exactly what happened to my dad,’” Anissa recalls. “His ulcer was in the same spot as mine.”

Anissa first noticed her symptoms a year before her diagnosis. What began as a small sore on her leg developed into an ulcer that worsened over time. At first, she thought it was only a cosmetic issue and visited a dermatologist. But when the wound refused to heal, she was referred to Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS), where she met Dr. Pradeep Nair, interventional cardiologist and vascular specialist at CIS in Houma, Gray, and Zachary, Louisiana.

“Dr. Pradeep knew exactly what it was just by looking at it,” Anissa says. “But he still took the time to test me for everything, to be sure.”

Through testing, she was diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, a condition where the iliac vein in the pelvis is compressed by the iliac artery, restricting blood flow from the leg. Dr. Nair also identified venous disease contributing to her ulcer and pain.

As Dr. Nair explains:
 “Patients can have a wide variety of symptoms when they suffer from superficial venous reflux disease or any kind of venous disease. Those symptoms include heaviness, burning, aching, pain, restlessness in the leg, itchiness of the skin, dry skin, and bleeding varicose veins. Ultimately, if you have any discomfort in your legs, it’s worthwhile to get treated.”

Anissa’s treatment began with a stent in her pelvic vein to restore circulation from May-Thurner Syndrome. From there, Dr. Nair performed a series of minimally invasive, in-office procedures – including venaseal and endovenous laser therapy ablation – to close off malfunctioning veins and improve blood flow in her leg.

“I had six procedures at first, and honestly, it was discouraging,” Anissa admits. “The ulcers would heal, then open back up. I started to lose hope.”

But Dr. Nair didn’t give up. Over eight months, he carefully worked through her case, ultimately closing 11 veins that included connections from superficial to deep veins called perforator branches. In August 2023, the final procedure brought the breakthrough she had been waiting for.

“That last procedure closed it up for good,” Anissa says. “From that point on, my leg finally began to heal.”

Now, Anissa is pain-free, ulcer-free, and able to enjoy life again without fear of amputation.

“I just wish I would have done it sooner,” she says. “Dr. Pradeep made me feel comfortable the whole time, even when I thought I was going to lose my leg. He really changed my life. I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t come to CIS.”

Dr. Nair adds, “When treating venous disease, we have to look at the entire circulatory system to find the root cause. That’s what made the difference in Anissa’s case.”