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Woodlands Highlander, Senior Claire Swanson Back to the Battlefield

By: Doug Sarant & Natalie Swanson
| Published 08/30/2022

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THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Claire Swanson's ongoing medical saga continues. Every time Claire makes it through a procedure and hopes she has won the war, something else pops up and she's back in for more tests and then more battles (surgeries). What is rearing its ugly head on Claire this time? More vascular compressions.

Vascular compressions are very rare. Having three vascular compressions…well that just makes you special! Claire’s recent triumph over a rare arterial compression called MALS or Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome was nothing short of miraculous! She is now facing a big surgery to repair two more venous compressions….May Thurner Syndrome and Nutcracker Syndrome.

May Thurner vascular compression is when the left iliac common vein is compressed by the right iliac artery. These are very large vessels in the body that provide blood flow to the legs and carry blood back to the heart. Claire’s blood flow is not making it back to her heart. It’s being compressed or blocked. That causes a back-up of sorts. This results in severe pain with leg swelling, vascular congestion in the pelvis, the inferior vena cava and the lumbar veins. This requires rerouting the left iliac common vein and then rebuilding the vein using a graft from a large vein in the leg called the saphenous vein.

Nutcracker syndrome is a rare vein compression disorder. It occurs when arteries, most often the abdomen's aorta and superior mesenteric artery, squeeze the left renal (kidney) vein. It can cause many symptoms, such as severe flank pain and blood in the urine. This requires a long surgical procedure to relocate the left kidney and rebuild the left renal vein then rerouting the left renal vein so that it is no longer compressed.

Claire is headed back to Baltimore for surgery with the amazing vascular surgeon Dr KJ Nagarsheth who has pioneered new treatments and surgeries for vascular compressions.

In speaking with Claire's good friend and the person who introduced me to Claire, Highlander senior Jesse Cole...I shared how most people can deal with their medical issues better knowing someone out there always has it worse. I added how Claire doesn't have anyone like that.
Then, on cue Claire contacted me and proved me wrong. Check Claire out...
'i’d be lying to say what I'm going through is easy, as it’s far from it, but i’m truly so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people while navigating this all. My mom and I were just talking yesterday about how this journey has really put life in perspective for us. A few days ago I saw an update posted about a 13 year old girl who fought childhood cancer twice from 5-10 that resulted in a below the knee amputation of her left leg and just a couple weeks ago she was diagnosed with two vascular compressions...SMAS & Nutcracker. She's 13! As much as I know my situation is far from ideal, it’s so much better than some. The prayers during this really do make all the difference so thank you everybody. it does more than you could ever know!

We'll be letting you know how Claire's surgery goes.
Keep those prayers coming!

Homebound Student Claire Swanson's Journey with Mast Cell Disease PLUS

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