Testimonials

I am so grateful for Dr. Greg Schultz and his staff! I was told my left leg would have to be removed right below the knee due to damage from poor circulation. After going to our local surgeon he sent me to Dr. Schultz at Sanford. My physician said that Dr. Schultz could help me.

I not only have my leg, but I can walk again without all the pain in the legs and feet. Oh yes, I still have some aching in the feet but NO pain. I will have to build up the muscles in my legs due to lack of exercise, but that is such a minor thing.

I had given up all hope of saving that right leg, but he gave me hope and was so kind. He and his staff were very concerned, helpful and did not waste any time before doing the surgery. He placed a synthetic graft and put in two stents. What a wonderful procedure. What a talented surgeon! I honestly feel I would have had the leg removed if not for this man and his staff!

I have a lot to be thankful for. God has been good to me and has blessed this man with a rare talent! I cannot begin to praise him for all he has done for me.

I had just got back from Mexico on Sunday. I was out shopping for a Christmas present for my wife when I all of a sudden felt sick. I ended up buying the present and driving home with abdominal pain and vomiting. After a period of time I couldn’t take the pain anymore and went to acute care where I was rushed off in an ambulance to ER. After a while in ER – I felt better and was sent home only to experience the pain again late that evening and be admitted to the hospital the following morning.

A long story made short – my situation had puzzled the doctors and about a week after I was admitted to the hospital – Dr. Gary Timmerman did exploratory surgery. He identified I had a dissected superior mesenteric artery. Dr. Patrick Kelly & Dr. Timmerman bypassed the artery & removed part of my small intestine that hadn’t received enough blood flow. After almost 8 weeks in the hospital (6 in the ICU) – I was released.

Not only because of the skillful hands of Dr. Kelly & Dr. Timmerman and the grace of God am I alive today. After I was released from the hospital, Dr. Kelly performed an angiogram, he identified that my 2 iliac and 2 femoral arteries also had aneurysms. I went back to the hospital for surgery to have bypasses done about 6 weeks later.

Prior to going in the hospital, I felt I was in the best shape of my life. I had been regularly going to the gym lifting weights, doing spin class and running.

This all took place December of 2006. It is now April 2008 - I have since returned to the gym, becoming stronger than I was before. My wife & I are planning on running a 10k and a half marathon this year – something neither one of us have done before.

I am so appreciative of the skilled work of both Dr. Kelly and Dr. Timmerman. Throughout the whole timeframe – they both portrayed a positive outlook. No matter how busy they were, they always took time to explain to my family what was taking place. They have allowed me to return to a normal life that I’ve truly enjoyed with my wife Kim and children (Brooke – 9 and Dylan – 7).

I have suffered from hyperhidrosis my entire life. As a child I tried every treatment, including the use of the dryonics and drysol. The dryonics machine blistered my hands and the drysol dried my hands out so severely that they would crack and bleed. I played piano, flute, volleyball, rode horses, etc., and led a very active life growing up; however, the excessive sweating always hindered me and began to erode away my self-confidence. I have always been a very social person, my entire life, but I found as my condition persisted, I slowly started to become less social and more withdrawn. As a young adult my condition persisted and I found it embarrassing to get close to a significant other. My condition began to alter my life choices. I can still remember the horrors of interviews during my senior year of college. No matter how strong of interview I gave, I always worried about the final handshake because by the end of the interview my hands literally dripped with sweat!!!

In the summer my hands and feet proved challenging. If I did not have a direct airflow for my hands, my fingers would swell up like little sausages and sweat profusely. It was uncomfortable and many times it felt like my fingers may burst. My feet would sweat so bad that I could not wear open sandals, especially synthetic made sandals, unless I wanted to slip right out of them or leave a trail of sweat behind me. I altered my lifestyle to hide these things as best I could, but it was extremely difficult.

I moved into my career field immediately after college and have been with my employer for 10 years. I interact almost daily with bank management and LOVE what I do. However, with every formal meeting comes a handshake. Over the years I have found more and more creative ways to avoid that handshake; however, I could not avoid them all together. Again, it was embarrassing and grotesque and my confidence continued to wither. This sounds horrendous, I know, but this is what I endured for 31 years. It was not until the end of 2007 that I became aware of a procedure called the bilateral endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy. I contacted Dr. Greg A. Schultz, MD, FACS, who came highly recommended to me, to arrange a meeting. On January 25, 2008, Dr. Schultz performed my procedure. I had the greatest experience. The staff, surgical and at Vascular Associates, were wonderful, pleasant, helpful, and most of all….understanding!!!! While I did have some discomfort, it was nothing compared to how fabulous this procedure has been for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hands are dry for the first time in my life!!! I do not experience the painful swelling; I do not even experience any sweating!!!! I have regained my lost confidence!!!!!! You have no idea what this means to me, to no longer avoid social situations but to embrace them!!!!! I do not worry about the handshake or the arm touch anymore, I actually enjoy it!!!!!!! I feel like I have blossomed as a person and taken back my life!!!! Thank you Dr. Schultz for making this possible, for giving me back my life!!!!!!! I highly recommend this procedure to anyone who has endured what I have; it will change your life!!!!!!!

My varicose vein problem began after the birth of my second child. I experienced many years of painful, burning varicose veins, and eventually reached a point where it hurt just to stand. Over the years I visited several physicians who suggested that I have my veins stripped, but I had heard horror stories about how painful that surgery was and did not want to go through that painful process. One day I was talking to a friend about my varicose veins. My friend said that Dr. Greg Schultz helped them with their varicose vein problem and suggested that I contact his office.

I proceeded to schedule an appointment with Dr. Schultz and he recommended that I have VNUS Closure to cure my vein problem. Upon his recommendation, I decided that I would proceed with the treatment.

I arrived at the office at the assigned appointment time. The staff was very friendly and helped me to overcome the anticipation that I was feeling. I was expecting that the procedure would take quite a bit of time and that it would be painful.

I was amazed at how fast the procedure went and I experienced no pain during the procedure. When it was completed, I walked out of the office with my husband. On the way home we stopped for lunch and even did some shopping! Dr. Schultz gave me a prescription for pain medication, but I never did experience any pain and did not need to fill the prescription.

I am extremely pleased with my results. I no longer experience the pain and itching in my legs. Dr. Schultz was very professional and kind. His experience and expertise was unsurpassed. The office staff was very caring and helpful. I could not have asked for a better experience or result!

I would recommend, without hesitation, the physicians and staff at Sanford Clinic Vascular Associates. They are outstanding.

This is just to say how grateful I am to Dr. Kelly of Sanford Clinic Vascular Associates. When he recently held a seminar on vascular problems, I attended, asked a couple of questions and made an appointment the next day for an evaluation of the possibility of having the vein closure procedure on my right leg. Evaluation showed that I was a candidate for this procedure, which was subsequently done.

Since having the closure, I cannot believe the difference in how both of my legs feel. What an improvement! It's much easier going up and down stairs and just general everyday walking and exercising is much easier. The greatest thing was that I was able to get off the medication which had been previously prescribed and I only need to wear support hose if I feel I need them (i.e. traveling or going to be on my feet for an extended time).

I would recommend that anyone whose legs feel tired and heavy, at the very least, have the evaluation done.

Dr. Kelly will take it from there!

My triple AAA came as a complete surprise with no warning on 6/13/07 while visiting the Ortman Clinic at Canistota South Dakota. At 5:30 p.m. after an evening meal, I started to experience severe abdominal pain with vomiting. By 8:00 p.m. the pain was unbearable so my wife Darlene called the ambulance. Upon arriving in the emergency room at the Sanford hospital my first contact was with two gentlemen dressed in blue coveralls. I joked with the two that they must be short of staff members when they had to have the janitor crew taking care of the patients. They assured me that the patch on their coveralls signified that they were helicopter pilots and real doctors and they were helping out the emergency room staff. Then I heard Dr. Patrick Kelly's voice on the loud speaker calmly saying that he was 6 minutes out and he would be right there. At 12:30 a.m. I went into surgery and by 2:30 a.m. I came out of surgery. I entered the intensive care unit later that morning and saw my whole family standing by my bedside. At that point I knew how serious my condition had been the night before.

Dr. Patrick Kelly had performed a miracle during the middle of the night and saved my life. Everyone from the nurses to the janitors treated me and my family members as though we were visiting royalty from another country. The nurses and staff members that checked on me were so courteous and caring everytime they came into my room. I was very impressed with being able to pick up the phone, call down and order each meal from a menu, and half an hour later -- in walks someone with the meal I had ordered. It was like being at a fine hotel instead of a hospital.

Since my surgery I have been asked countless times about how I am feeling and about my experience. My response is always the same each time. God had positioned me at the right place at the right time to have Dr. Kelly and the staff at the Sanford Hospital save my life. One out of three patients does not survive the condition that I had. I tell everyone that God gave me a second chance, and from my personal experience if I had to do it again -- take me to the Sanford Hospital and let the janitors and Dr. Kelly perform their God-given ability.

I have been a patient of Dr. Schultz since 1990, and not only have I always received the very best medical care, but Dr. Schultz and Mary Ann have treated me as a friend as well!

Dr. Schultz and Dr. Kelly didn't give up when there should have been nothing further they could do for me, and they have made it possible for me to continue to enjoy my grandchildren and great-grandchildren and still hit a few garage sales on the side!

Having lived with diabetes most of my adult life and watching family members lose limbs as a result of their disease, I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that the same would happen to me, especially when my toe was amputated.

My luck changed when I came through the Sanford Emergeny Room with severe ischemia in one leg and minimal blood flow in the other.

Dr. Patrick Kelly joined my case. This skilled and compassionate surgeon performed a procedure on my dying leg and was able to restore blood flow to it! The same procedure was done shortly thereafter on my other leg -- also successful.

Thank God for Dr. Kelly! He saved me from life in a wheelchair. He and his staff were so approachable and treated me and my family with respect and understanding.

I owe Dr. Kelly a debt which can never be repaid. Sanford is lucky to have this surgeon on their team, as are we patients.

"Dr. Greg Schultz Saved My Life"

During the Fall of 2005, I was experiencing severe leg cramps and pain even when walking only a short distance. Previously, Dr. Schultz performed several minor surgical procedures on me, so I called his office again for an appointment. Shortly after the examination and reviewing the x-ray and CT results, he said to my wife and I with a concerned look, "We have a few surprises. You have several abdominal aortic aneurysms- one very large, and all require immediate attention."

The aneurysms were measured, the stents were ordered, and several days later, I was on the surgical table.

We had made plans to winter in Arizona. Therefore we shudder to think, had Dr. Schultz not discovered the aneurysms, and one of the aneurysms burst driving to Arizona, the severe dilemma for my wife. Therefore we are so grateful to Dr. Schultz for his professional knowledge, surgical expertise, and outstanding care. Because of him, this 77-year old man is "fit as a fiddle." Thank you Dr. Schultz for saving my life.

Words can never express how much I appreciate the care I received from Dr. Kelly and Dr. Schultz. The Vascular Associates staff was also excellent. Before receiving surgery, I was very limited in my daily life. Even walking was next to impossible. Due to the wonderful care I received in Sioux Falls, I am working part time and have been able to find some joy in my life.

Thank you for giving me my life back!

My name is Ruth Tucker, and I am in my mid-seventies. For the majority of my life, I have suffered from varicose veins in my left leg. Forty-five years ago, I had those veins stripped, with very little success. For all those years, I have worn support stockings and dark hose to cover the unsightly legs.

Recently, Dr. Schultz performed a one-day procedure on my leg. Wow! What a difference- no pain, no after effects, nothing but good. The only question is, 'Why did I wait so long?' Thanks Dr. Schultz.