Question:
The heading says it all. PVD = Peripheral Vascular Disease. Heart's fine according to my PCP and his ecg (ekg?) machine so it's not a cardiologist. I don't see any arteriologists. BTW, does plaque accumulate in veins as well as arteries? Why don't I ask my PCP, you may well wonder. Because I changed insurance companies this year and the new one doesn't require referrals from the PCP to see a specialist. My PCP takes this as meaning that he doesn't provide referrals (other than to the yellow pages) and anyway he doesn't seem to know very many specialists in any field. I know this from a previous occasion when he did have to provide a referral. He had me find the specialist and then he filled out the form.

Answer: If you guys can't agree, how do you expect the layman to work out who's right? Consulting the Yellow Pages I see mention of "vascular things" in ads from both cardiologists and vascular surgeons so that doesn't clear up the point. What does appear to be the case is that vascular surgeons seem very interested in varicose veins and spider veins (whatever they are). Personally I have a little problem seeing anyone whose specialty includes the words "surgeon". I have no need of surgery and I certainly don't want (or need) my femoral arteries unblocked (reference in another thread to a statement by HM). In fact, I don't even know that I have PVD of any kind. My PCP says that he doesn't see any evidence of such; my urologist says that he thinks I have the beginnings of PVD; and my endocrinologist says that all my problems are due to PVD and gives the impression that he thinks I'm about to croak at any moment and recommends a doppler sonography of my lower body (hence the interest).