Testimonials

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I came here a year ago, showed everybody my ugly legs – hah! And I made an appointment, and Dr. Gupta and staff worked on it. It was a year ago, and I had – oh my goodness – I had pain for 64 years because I had the [varicose] veins when I was 10.

I started having very bad varicose veins. And so they did the laser treatment on both legs, and immediately I felt relief. So, ever since, I have more energy. I do more things. My husband likes me better. I’m not as grouchy from the pain. Restless Leg Syndrome is gone. I can watch a whole movie for two or three hours without getting… fidgeting back and forth – my legs – and so on.

I just feel really blessed at this time in my life that I have legs that I can… that have no pain.

My husband says ‘What’s wrong with you?’ for forty-some years. It was miserable. It really was. It’s just… driving to Kansas City and home, my legs would be swelled up so bad, it takes three days for the swelling to go down.

At the Alsara Vein Clinic, it’s very comfortable to come in to. The girls that work here are very friendly – always have been. Dr. Gupta is absolutely the best doctor I’ve ever met. Ha! Bedside manners plus! I don’t feel anything when he works on it. He’s very conscientious. The girls are very conscientious. It’s a pleasure to come here.

Oh, I would recommend everyone that has vein problems, I would recommend go to Alsara Clinic and get your treatment. You feel so much better. Your life will change a hundred percent.

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My name is Lawerence Matt; I go by Larry Matt. My partner and I run a restaurant here in St. Joe and we have for 32 years: The Cabbage Roll, a german restaurant. Very good, excellent food. I cook all the time and Andy helps me cook.

What were your symptoms? How did they affect your daily life?

I could hardly walk. I started with a cane, walking with a cane. Then I went to a walker, then I went to a wheel chair. I just couldn’t get around, period. And so I went to the hospital here in St. Joe, they sent us to Kansas City, then they sent us to Mayo [Clinic] in Rochester [MN]. They told me ‘The only thing you can do is go home and do physical therapy’. And I did physical therapy for like a month, which it helped a little bit, but I still couldn’t get around the way I knew I should be able to get around.

How did you hear about Alsara Vein Clinic?

So, then Bill and Sharon Luce told me about the doctor, [Dr.] Gupta, and said ‘They’ve done wonders with my legs. Why don’t you go try them?’ So I did, and this is the first place that ever did anything. It just was wonderful.

How did you feel during and after your treatment?

The first time he worked on my legs… I never could walk [before]. I had to go and use the scooters in stores and that, and after he did the first treatment, we went to Sam’s Club – I walked the whole store; went to Walmart – I walked the whole store. Of course, I was exhausted, but at least I could do it! And that was wonderful.

What was your first impression of Alsara Vein Clinic?

Out here was really the first time anybody actually said something was wrong. Nobody ever told me anything was wrong [before], and I knew something was. After the first consultation, it was just wonderful, you know, he’s so personable. He’s really a nice guy.

How did you feel during and after your treatment?

Well, during the procedure, I was skeptical to say the least. And then I said ‘Well, what are you going to do? How exactly are you going to do these veins in my legs’? And, so, he told me and, you know, I thought ‘well, that’s kinda goofy what you have to do to ‘em’ [laughs]! But it was great. I mean, he put some glue [VenaSeal™] in some of them, and put… [laughing] he had this can of stuff [Varithena®], foam stuff, and I said ‘hell, that foam stuff, I can go to Lowe’s and get a can of that stuff you spray for your house for cracks, ha ha ha!’

I had some pain, but not much. It was really, really kinda painless almost compared to some of the other stuff [other] people wanted to do, but it was fine. There wasn’t a lot that had to be done, really, for after-treatment care. I mean, I’d just… I’d come back here and they’d check me over [with ultrasound] and everything was fine. Yeah, after it was finished, we went to… and I walked the whole store – I didn’t need to use a cane, a walker, or my wheelchairs. It was really wonderful just walkin’ around, not having to… I mean, I love the scooters, though; they’re fun… but I didn’t have to use any of them, that was the best part. If I needed to, I had them all, but I didn’t have to use them.

How would you describe Dr. Gupta?

Dr. Gupta’s very professional and he knows what he’s doing. He explains everything to you; with a lot of doctors, they really don’t do that anymore. But, yeah, he’d stand there or sit there and he would explain to me what he was going to do, which I like that, and he had monitors that you could watch what he was doing. It was really, really nice.

What was your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

Oh, your staff is wonderful. They treat you like family. They’re really great. Kati, she’s kinda goofy, ha ha ha, but she’s good, ha ha ha! But, yeah, your staff is wonderful.

How did you feel after your treatment?

This is the only place that they’ve actually helped me, was here with Dr. Gupta at your vein clinic. I mean, nobody else really helped me do something with my legs except Dr. Gupta. I finally got answers as to why this is going on with my legs, so that was great, too.

How have the treatments changed your life?

The treatments have changed my life. I’m able to walk and do things I couldn’t do over a year ago. I can walk, I can do… I can’t dance yet, but I never could dance, so [laughs] that didn’t help much! But, ah, no, it was great.

How was your insurance coverage?

I never had a single problem with insurance coverage, not a bit. They just take care of it. Well, because I have a primary which is Medicare, and then I have my supplement, And, no, there have never been any questions with the insurance at all. So that’s wonderful, too [laughs].

Would you recommend Alsara Vein Clinic to family or friends?

Oh, yes, I’ve mentioned it to everybody that has something wrong with their legs to come out here. At least get a [free] consultation, you know. But I know they can do wonders for you.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

The best thing about Dr. Gupta is that he explains everything to you. Not like some doctors that don’t do that. And he said ‘Your veins in your legs are just like highways, where you have some that have off-ramps’ – all kinds of stuff like that – ‘and we’re going to block it off, and in this vein, we’re going to put stuff in [VenaSeal™] so that it starts coming out this vein.’ The way he explained it ‘like a highway’ you can understand what he means, and that was great that way. He explains everything to you – I like that. And he knew right away what the heck was wrong [with my legs]. Well, how come one doctor knows that, and none of these other doctors know anything about it? So, I came out here [to Alsara Vein Clinic] and been out here ever since – not going to anybody else, ha ha ha ha ha!

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My name is Tracy Clements and I’m from around here, about 30 minutes from here. I suffered several injuries from a car accident years ago, and I recently found out about this place [Alsara Vein Clinic], and I wanted to come here and see oof they could help.

What were your symptoms? How did they affect your daily life?

I was having CVI (Chronic Venous Insufficiency), swelling of the legs, heaviness of my foot and my lower leg, and a lot of tiredness, heaviness, but also ulcers and skin breakdown. Actually, I was having these pains and these symptoms for years and years, and I neglected to treat it or take care of it because I thought that was the way it was suppose to be and that was just something I was going to have to deal with because of the care accident I was in. My car accident was in 1993 – twenty-eight years ago.

But, my Primary Care… after several bouts with Cellulitis and trying to fight it off with antibiotics, we were having some success, but we continued to revert back to the Cellulitis two [or] three times-a-year.

How did you hear about Alsara Vein Clinic?

And that’s when she recommended that I come to see Dr. Gupta at Alsara Vein Clinic, and she thought that would be a much safer and reliable source for more of a permanent fix on my leg. And I followed her advice and came in for a [free] consultation.

What was your first impression of Alsara Vein Clinic?

I was extremely impressed with not only the staff but Dr. Gupta, himself, was very knowledgeable and patient with me. And they let me know that there could be a lot of relief and [that] there was help. And that made me feel just great about coming here.

How did you feel during the treatment?

I was, um… during the treatment – the mapping and the treatments – they were almost pain-free for me. And I have a unique situation with my leg versus a lot of people: I’ve had a lot of broken bones and hardware put in my body and my veins are really messed up. And it wasn’t near as scary or painful as I thought it would be, so it worked out really well.

What are you able to do after treatment that you couldn’t do before?

The leg swelling has minimized almost… probably 90%. I’m not having the breakdown that I did with my skin, or the ulcers. And I’m also… the heaviness of my legs, the Restless Leg Syndrome does not bother me anymore. And my legs before coming here were so sensitive and sore, just the slightest touch would hurt – and, now, they’re not like that at all. It’s gone. It’s amazing. It really is.

How would you describe Dr. Gupta?

Dr. Gupta: his way of handling a patient is amazing. He has knowledge beyond what I… and I’ve been around a lot of doctors and a lot of medical stuff in the last twenty-eight and a half years, and by far he is one that is… he’s incredibly intelligent but he’s patient, and he goes the extra effort to explain things to you. And he will lay it out for you before they do anything, you know, and it’s just amazing the results you get from it. He makes you feel comfortable, and, he doesn’t make you feel comfortable; you are comfortable with that. We did the VenaSeal™ – the glue – in my [veins], and I recommend it. It’s literally painless, and it’s helped out; it’s helped me tremendously. I would recommend the VenaSeal™ and I would recommend Dr. Gupta and Alsara Vein Clinic 100%.

How was your insurance coverage?

I had no insurance issues at all. It was covered 100%. And I was informed early on – my first visit – that the staff here would work to utilize my insurance and let me know if there were any problems before we went any further, and, if they could, make accommodations as to help however they could with the insurance.

What was your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

From the first moment I arrived here at the facility and you walked in the door, I felt the staff was very accommodating, very friendly. The place is amazingly clean and comfortable, and it’s very user-friendly here. You feel right at home. And it’s not crowded. And you don’t feel like a number here – you feel like a person here. And I think that’s very important to people that are already coming in here nervous, and uninformed, and unaware of what’s going to happen, and that all disappears pretty much at the front door when you come in.

How did you feel after your treatment?

After treatment, I feel… I’m pretty much pain-free when I leave here. And from then on, I mean, it’s amazing – it’s night-and-day difference, it really is. It makes you feel like ‘Why didn’t I come here before? Why did I wait so long to come here?’ There is help out there, and don’t wait.

Would you recommend Alsara Vein Clinic to family or friends?

I would definitely recommend someone to this facility, to Alsara Vein Clinic. I have, actually, recommended a couple of people, and I hope they don’t wait, like I did. Pain is a serious problem, and it doesn’t have to be. We can make it go away, and that’s what you guys do.

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My name is Katrina Brown. I enjoy spending time with my family. I enjoy walking - even more so now that I’ve had treatment on my legs.

What were your symptoms? How did they affect your daily life?

Before I had treatment, I was having restless legs at night. I hadn’t even realized how tired my legs were until after the treatment. I was having heavy, tired legs and just feeling the need to move my legs at night, just readjusting a lot as I was trying to fall asleep. Just the heaviness, the achiness, um, a lot of swelling after a day of activity when I didn’t have a chance to put my feet up and rest. I had some obvious varicose veins that I was concerned about.

How did you hear about Alsara Vein Clinic?

I’d seen a commercial about vein treatment, and so I just made a mental note to ask my Nurse Practitioner the next time I saw her, and she’s like 'Oh, yes, we can get that looked at'. And she referred be to Dr. Gupta.

What was your first impression of Alsara Vein Clinic?

After I came and saw Dr. Gupta and Kati and everyone for the consultation, I really liked the clinic. Everyone was very friendly. The clinic was nicely decorated, it’s pretty, and it smells good, and it’s always so calm and peaceful here. I really enjoy coming here… which sounds strange to say you really enjoy going for a medical treatment, but it’s just a nice, pleasant atmosphere.

How did you feel during and after your treatment?

I’ve had the laser treatment and the Varithena®. With the laser treatment, I don’t remember there being any pain. They do numb your leg as the procedure’s done – I mean, not your whole leg; it won’t be numb. They numb inside of the vein. And after the Varithena®, I didn’t feel anything. There was nothing whatsoever. Probably the most uncomfortable part was just wearing the stockings, and that’s so not a big deal. I have very sensitive skin and I get itchy from a band aid or a piece of tape, so, probably just the little band aid on there was the most irritating thing, ha!

Dr. Gupta does a good job of giving analogies to explain how your leaky veins affect the rest of your body, how it can affect your health long-term, and how – even if you can see and feel the problem – it could be lurking 'behind the walls' is what he would say! And the treatment was pretty much painless. Everyone made everything very clear before they did anything. Kati was very good at explaining what was going to happen and what she was doing. And as you’re getting the procedure, you’re able to see on the screen what Kati and Dr. Gupta are looking at and what’s taking place.

What are you able to do after treatment that you couldn’t do before?

I know for sure that I’m so much more active since I’ve gotten the treatment. And the swelling that I use to have before in my legs at the end of the day – if I was up doing anything at all, my legs would be so swollen by the end of the day that it would feel tight, and I would be just exhausted… like, I was ready for the day to be over. And now, the swelling has greatly changed – there’s not all that swelling in my legs at the end of the day. And it really helps me feel like you can go ahead and do something else the next day. You’re not going to be having to recover from a day of activity with a day of rest.

Now I feel like I can spend a whole day out shopping and running around without having to take time out to rest and put your feet up so that I’m not having swelling all day. I’m a lot more comfortable as I go about the things I do. Since I’ve had treatment, I’ve been able to walk; I’ve increased my walking between just my daily activities plus my exercise. I’ve been getting between five and seven miles of walking in a day, so I have so much more energy. I’m not flopping around like a fish at night anymore, ha hah!

I had two or three long veins that were visibly bulging, and now I can’t see those at all, so that’s great, ha! My legs look a lot better, for sure.

How would you describe Doctor Gupta?

Dr. Gupta is very friendly. I get the feeling that he’s probably a very good host when he has friends and family to his home because he’s always offering drinks, and he’s very good at simplifying things and putting them in basic, understandable terms. He always has an analogy for everything, and he takes the time to show you on the screen what he’s doing and why, and explain how this is good for your overall health in the long-term.

What is your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

The staff is wonderful. The first person I met was Kati, and she is amazing. She’s always calm and she’s really good at making you feel relaxed by caring on casual conversation. I felt like she was a friend as soon as I met her. She’s a hard worker. She really takes the time to make people feel comfortable. I was actually here one of the first days that Mia (Front Office Coordinator) came to work, which was pretty neat to see a new person on staff, and it was kinda fun to watch her as she’s progressed over the last few months working here.

How was your insurance coverage?

Insurance covered everything 100%. I believe my Nurse Practitioner checked to make sure that my insurance was accepted at Alsara, and there was never any problem. I believe they got pre-approval before any of the procedures, and I’ve never receive a bill or anything.

Would you recommend Alsara Vein Clinic to family or friends?

I would definitely recommend Alsara Vein Clinic. And I have recommended to my sister, my aunt, my grandmother that they come here. And actually, my first visit, I brought my mom along with me because I thought ‘Hey, we could make a day of it, go shopping, go out to eat’. And, we got to looking at the pictures, watching the video, and reading the information, and I said ‘Mom, I think you need treatment as well’. And she decided that that might be what was wrong with her legs. She’d been [previously] treated for several other medical conditions for her legs that the treatments never seemed successful. So I think, at the time, the doctors were looking at different issues and those weren’t her particular issues. So my mom did end up speaking to Dr. Gupta and he did the test on her, and she ended up pursuing treatment as well.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My grandfather was a postal employee for many years and he always walked his route. As he got older, he had problems with his legs, and we were never really sure what the issue was. They got so bad that they ended up becoming infected, and he was in a wound hospital for several months. And after coming here to Alsara Vein Clinic, I realized by looking at the pictures that they had here that his medical condition probably was varicose veins that had went untreated for a year.

I had never really considered it a problem until I saw the commercial and realized it was a medical problem, not just a problem of wanting your legs to look good in the summer time. And when I saw the commercials, I realized ‘Oh, this might be an issue’. As I explored the issue further, after I came here for treatment, I realized that this was a medical issue for several people in both sides of my family.

I do wish I’d known about Alsara Vein Clinic and varicose vein treatment sooner. I feel like my legs are doing really well now, but there’s people in my family that I wish I could have told them about it sooner, and gotten treatment a lot sooner. I feel like mine happened just at the right time, but there are other people that I would like to have told even years ago.

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My name is Peggy Brumfield. I work as a Speech Pathologist – in a nursing home right now. I started out working in schools and I worked there for, I think, 18 years. And then I was getting kind of… wanting something else, and got the idea to go into the nursing home situation and I really enjoy it a lot. I’m a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother now. And I enjoy my family a lot. I’m very busy with my family, and work, and church activities, and all of those kind of things.

What were your symptoms? How did they affect your daily life?

I have had symptoms of vein problems for a very long time. But I also have fibromyalgia, and I attributed most of my problems to the fibromyalgia because I have different issues with pain. And, so, my legs were often… they hurt quite a bit. Any pressure on them was uncomfortable. And, even like, I quit wearing hose a long time ago. I just wore pants to cover up my legs and not have to go through the discomfort of putting on pantyhose.

I was having terrible cramps in the tops of my legs, and it would wake me up at night. And I’m not having those anymore. I had a lot of edema, and I don’t have as much problem with that anymore. It’s helped that a lot. Also, I had a lot sensitivity in my legs; um, the pressure; the pain of that, so, it’s been… and the tiredness in my legs, just feeling heavy and tired, and difficult to walk and move around. Those were the kind of things that I was dealing with as far as pain.

I also had… as far as symptoms, I had cellulitis often, and that was really bad. I ended up having to go to the doctor and get some antibiotics to take care of it. It made my legs uncomfortable and discolored. As I said, I attributed most of these things to my fibromyalgia, or to whatever. I also had concerns about my legs because my father had a lot of problems with his legs. He retired early from the Post Office because he couldn’t be on his feet all the time. And his were so bad that, at one point, he had terrible sores and had to be in a special hospital for wound care. And, so, I always kind of had a concern, you know: ‘could that happen to me later?’, but I didn’t know what to do about it.

How did you hear about Alsara Vein Clinic?

The reason that I came to Alsara, originally, was that my daughter had been to the doctor. She had some veins that were uncomfortable and did not look well. They were kind of bulging and stuff. And her Nurse Practitioner recommended that she come to Alsara. I came along with her to give her moral support. And, so, we actually went into the room together, and the doctor started talking to her about the treatment, about… just all of the general information about everything. And as he was presenting the information and we were looking at materials, I thought ‘oh my gosh, this is what I need! I should probably have this even more than she should, especially at this point in my life’. And, so, we went ahead and brought that up, and he said ‘Yes, let’s check it out’. And, so, he did, and it was the best thing, I mean, I had no idea about coming to the vein clinic. It’s been very helpful for me. I am thankful that I had the treatments. My legs feel so much better now. And, I haven’t had cellulitis in quite some time. I hope that’s in the past now. I hope that’s not going to happen to me. The cellulitis; I had never really known what to do about that beyond… well, I also have diabetes, and, so, I had attributed some of my problems to the diabetes, and to the fibromyalgia, and maybe even to my weight, or, you know, whatever. I had no idea that cellulitis was making things even worse, and, so, that was a wonderful side effect of all of this, because I didn’t realize I didn’t have to have cellulitis and have those problems. As a matter of fact, we were here, she had had her consultation, they’d done the scan on her and everything, and when they were out of the room, my daughter looked at me and said ‘I think you need this,’ and I said ‘I’m afraid I do, too’.

And, I was a little apprehensive, ‘cause I just didn’t know… like I said, I’m very sensitive: anything to do with my legs really hurt, and I didn’t know how it was going to be for them to work on my legs to make them better. But they suggested, you know, ‘You’re here. Do you want to go ahead and check it out?’ And I said ‘yes, let’s do it’.

How did you feel during and after your treatment?

They did the scan that day, and explained to me what they saw and how it could be helped with the treatments. And, so, we set up appointments, coming up. I came. They treated both legs, so I came different times; came for one leg, and then for the other. Once again, they told me they were going to put on a stocking, and I was like ‘Oh no!’. Ha ha! ‘Kati’s going to put a stocking on my leg’ and I can’t say I was very excited about that either, ha ha! But, in the long run, yes, it was a very good thing!

They did a wonderful job of explanations. It was interesting for me because they have the screen that you can see, and you can see what they’re seeing on their [ultrasonic] doppler or whatever you call their screen. And, so, it was a little uncomfortable for me but it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t really bad. Like I said, I was just so sensitive. I don’t know if other people… my daughter didn’t seem to be bothered by it much at all. And, so, they did the scans and showed me what was going on. And then, when we came back and they did the treatment, it was very interesting. And it’s very interesting when the doctor explains it to you, and he tells you ‘well, you can see this on here’. And, his descriptions… I just can’t say enough about his descriptions, and his analogies of what everything is like ‘leaky pipes in the walls’. Ha ha, I really like that, ha ha!

Right after those treatments on my legs, the first ones, it was a little uncomfortable. I had to wear those [compression] stockings, and I think I hated messing with the stockings on my legs more than I did anything else. My legs were not very uncomfortable at all as far as what treatment they had done. And that was just for a few days, and then the leg would get better, and then I came for the other one. And, now, I’ve recently came and had other treatments done, and those have been… nothing; it was no big deal at all. And, I have taken to wearing some compression stockings all the time. That’s one of the things the doctor pointed out to me, and that’s been very helpful. And, so, I wear those all the time, and that’s good. And I believe that it has really saved me from what could have been a really bad series of conditions with my legs.

As I mentioned before, I work in a nursing home, and I see patients there that are in some pretty bad conditions with their legs, and I think, you know, if they could have known or they could have had treatment, they might not end up with those kind of problems, too… it’s really hard.

What are you able to do after treatment that you couldn’t do before?

Things that I can do now that I couldn’t do before is, for one thing, just being more comfortable in my life, day-to-day. I am able to walk. In my work, I spend periods of time sitting and then getting up and walking, you know, going up and down the halls and that kind of stuff, and I used to think that that was some exercise – I suppose it is a little bit, but not like ‘exercise’ exercise. But, um, I am able to walk more easily now and more comfortably. And, I can rest better at night because my legs don’t hurt. They used to often throb and feel just enough discomfort that it would disturb me, especially as I was trying to go off to sleep. Sometimes they would disturb me through the night; I would be uncomfortable. So, I could say that I’m able to do my day-to-day things better now, and also to rest better than I did before.

How would you describe Dr. Gupta?

I like Dr. Gupta because he’s very gentle. He seems like a very gentle, caring person. And I like the way that he makes you comfortable by explaining what’s going on, by telling you what to expect, and by telling you what to do next, and, you know, just… I don’t know, he’s just a very comfortable, very genuine, very caring doctor. And, I just remembered that he said ‘I decided that I wanted to help people so that they could treated and be taken care of, and not have to have these conditions later’. And, so, that’s why he specialized, I guess, in taking care of vein treatment. And I think that was a blessing. He was really led to do that. Because I believe it is going to make a difference instead of causing me to end up in those serious conditions. I really enjoy Dr. Gupta’s descriptions. He is just… he does a great job of explaining what’s going on and whit’s going on. It’s just very, very comfortable with him.

What is your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

And, Kati, working with him is great. She makes me feel comfortable when she’s there doing, you know, the prepping, and talking to me, and checking out everything. So, the staff has always been really good to me. I really enjoy that. I really like the staff here. From the people that you talk to when you call in on the phone, they’re very helpful. Everyone took good care of checking out the insurance things for me.

How was your insurance coverage?

Unfortunately, my insurance said at the beginning that they would pay for it, however, I had an insurance with a large deductible, and so I ended up paying quite a bit of money at the beginning. But, you know, even at the time, I didn’t doubt that I should go ahead and do that because it seemed like it was what I was going to need. And, so, that wasn’t as painless as it could have been. But that was not anything to do with the staff – that was about my insurance. And, so, I was glad for their help to check out the insurance and what they were going to pay, and then they explained to me what it was going to be, and I was able to take care of that.

What was your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

Kati is wonderful. She’s called me in-between times to check up on me. And, she’s always just so friendly just easy to talk to. And, it’s great to also know that when I come here, I feel like everybody’s, like, ‘Oh, yes, there’s Peggy. Yes, how are you doing? How is this?’ [They] remember things about me from when I was here before. It’s like a family or a caring group of people that are working together and know about you, and want to make you feel comfortable and at-ease, and all that kind of stuff.

Would you recommend Alsara Vein Clinic to family or friends?

I definitely would recommend someone to Alsara Vein Clinic. I’ve tried to get my mother to come up here. She is 83 years old, and she’s having a lot of discomfort in her legs from varicose veins, and she is reluctant to come. But every time we come up here, we tell her ‘We’re going to the vein clinic, and I’d really wish you’d go and just see what Dr. Gupta can do for you, because I think he could help you’. But she’s afraid to; she’s afraid it would be too uncomfortable. And, we’ve told her ‘It wasn’t that bad for us. We’re glad that we’ve done it,’ but she’s reluctant.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I definitely wish that I had known about this earlier. I wish that someone had talked to me about vein treatment before. I’m not sure how it’s escaped all this time that I haven’t known about it? And, I feel fortunate – blessed – that the doctor sent my daughter [here], and I came with her, because I don’t know if I would have ever found out. And, it’s frightening to me to think that I could have gone on to what I’ve seen some people go through with the problems that come from the vein problems. I’m feeling much better. I haven’t had cellulitis in quite a while, and edema is much better. Um, I’m feeling a lot better.

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My name is Bill Luce and I am retired. I spent 45 years teaching to secondary and to college-level standing on my feet a lot.

What were your symptoms? How did they affect your daily life?

Particularly when I was still teaching, I would stand on my feet all day long, and my legs would get very tired and they would cramp in the evening; in fact, sometimes to the point where I couldn’t even sleep at night they were cramping so bad. And it just hurt almost all the time. And, so, my legs felt terrible; they felt heavy. I had some restless leg.

And when I came here, the difference was like night and day. You know, before the treatment, my legs were not in good shape. After I got out of here, they were great! You know, the recovery was almost nil. I was able to walk, I was able to resume my activities. I felt 100% better.

How did you hear about Alsara Vein Clinic?

Let me give one of your employees a little bit of credit: Kati Ussary was one of my students. And I actually… I somehow on Facebook for something, I found that Kati was working here, and so I sent here a message: “What do you think of this place?” And she says “Great!.” “Do you think they could help me?” “Yes!” And she was definitely right.

What was your first impression of Alsara Vein Clinic?

I think from beginning to end, my first impression of this place is that the people were here to help me. So I remember asking Dr. Gupta and the staff here – because I’d had dome prior treatments – “Do you think you can help me?” And he didn’t say anything at first; he examined my legs first, and so forth, and then said “Yes, we can help you.” Through the whole process, I felt that my health was [of] utmost concern, and they were looking after me through the entire process.

I went to Kansas City a couple of times because I’d heard that they were a good place and I did not want to have my leg [veins] stripped. And so I went to Kansas City and they were the injections. I had a couple of treatments down there, but I found them to be of temporary help. They would help for a short period of time and then the pain would resume and I was back to square one. I was a little concerned when I came here because I knew that I’d had those treatments and I didn’t know if it was going to be that much harder or if I was just going to be repeating that process again. But there’s a vast degree of difference between here and down there. People think they have to go to Kansa City to get better healthcare for their legs are completely wrong. You can find it here in St. Joe at this clinic.

How did you feel during and after your treatment?

Oh, I felt fine. There’s another, I guess, misconception some people have that it’s going to be a painful experience – they’re working on your legs and it’s going to be tough, or there’s going to be a long recovery period – and neither one is true. It’s almost completely painless. [You] might feel a little pressure or something but it’s really painless. It’s not that hard at all, and the neat thing is, when you get get up, you’re encouraged to walk, resume your normal activities that very day.

What are you able to do after treatment that you couldn’t do before?

What am I able to do now… I think I can almost do anything that I could do when I was 40 years younger, you know, as far as with my legs. I can walk, I can do anything and not have pain doing it; that’s the key thing. My legs do not cramp. And, so, I feel so much better than I did before I came here. The absence of pain is probably the biggest one. My legs no longer cramp. I no longer have restless leg. I’m able to do what I want to do without any pain. I can walk, ‘cause I love to walk. My legs are as good as new. And that is, to me, everything!

How would you describe Doctor Gupta?

[He is an] extremely intelligent, caring individual. I can’t think of anyone I would want to trust my legs with more than Dr. Gupta. He is a remarkable man. He knows what he’s doing. And he has the knack – I’ve heard this from people who have been here, too – he has the knack of being able to explain your condition to you in common, understandable english. He’s not speak “doctor,” you know, he speaks english to people, and they understand what he is going to do, what the procedure is going to be, and what the expectation will be when he is done, and he’s right.

What is your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

Everyone from top to bottom, everyone’s very friendly here, they’re very knowledgeable. Kati, who did a lot of the Ultrasound work – former student of mine – is, of course, excellent. And everyone here, they have been… I can’t say enough about the staff. They have been very friendly, very helpful, and they’ve answered all the questions that we’ve had.

Tell us more about the various treatments you’ve had at Alsara Vein Clinic?

I’ve had numerous treatments here, and I’ve been pleased with every one of them. And they’ve progressed from, ah… I can mention a couple that I’m more familiar with: the laser treatment [Endovenous Laser Ablation], which was good, and I had the more recent treatment that he’s developed, the [VenaSeal] venous treatment that also was very helpful. Every one of them seemed to work well with less… with almost no time for recovery. I was pleased with every treatment that I’ve had here. And veins are probably an ongoing thing, but I’ve always come in here and Dr. Gupta has been able to treat me with what ever the latest method is. I think that says something for him that he also keeps up on what is going on, and he’s not content with just what is in existence right now, he’s looking ahead to see how he can better treat his patients, and I appreciate that.

Would you recommend Alsara Vein Clinic to others?

Yeah, I would highly recommend this place to anyone who’s having any kind of leg problems. They will be upfront with you, the will tell you what you need, and you can count on them giving you good treatment, and that the staff and Dr. Gupta will do everything they can to make sure your receive the best treatment that’s available for your legs.

My most recent treatment here at Alsara came as a result of me coming with my wife last summer. I was wearing shorts because it was so hot, and Dr. Gupta happened to notice that legs had deteriorated a little bit, that I was beginning to have some bulging in my legs with my veins. He asked how I was feeling and I said ‘I still feel pretty good but, yeah, they are beginning to bulge, beginning to show a little bit’ and he said ‘You know, we can take care of that’. And so that’s when the most recent treatment started, after I came in with my wife and Dr. Gupta just happened to notice what my legs looked like. I didn’t… they felt… compared to what they felt like originally, they were still a lot better, nearly 100%. But afterwards, a-ha, I had no idea, they were even better, totally 100% better, and they looked better. My wife and other people have noticed when I wear shorts that my legs are far more natural. They look like they should. The swelling has gone down. My veins don’t pop out like they did. It’s almost like my legs have been set on redial from 40 years ago. You guys have restored my leg health. I mean, I can’t say enough. That’s why I am more than happy to do this because I do feel they’re 100% better like I said in that first commercial.

Probably my most recent referral was some dear friends of ours who had… He really had trouble with his legs. He could no longer walk. The swelling of legs was tremendous. He had difficulty getting around. He could not walk very well. He had been to various places to get treatment, including Mayo and other places, and he had been told that that was just the way it was, you know, to exercise more, do some physical therapy, and it would improve on its own. And his health began to deteriorate. He still had trouble walking around. Going up stairs was nearly impossible for him. If he would go to a store or something, he had to have one of the portable wheelchairs or motor carts that they have to go around the store – he had to have that. And he had almost given up all hope, They were even talking about moving and closing their business down and so forth because his legs were in that bad of shape. And he came here and the treatment was remarkable. That very day that he got out, he went to one of our bigger department stores here in town – two of them actually – and walked clear around both. And I said ‘Well, how’d you feel?’ and he said ‘Well, my feet were not used to walking that much but that was it. My legs felt fine.’ And so he was really very, very happy that he came here, and he received exactly the treatment that he needed for his legs.

My wife, who also was beginning to have some problems with her legs in terms of cramping and not feeling as good, she came here. In fact, we were kind of a one-two into the office here, and she has had the treatments and is also feeling much, much better. She’s a 100% better just like me. She found the treatments to be painless and she was able to resume her activities that very day. So she is feeling grateful and a lot better as well.

I have recommended several people come here. I can tell you this: everyone that I have recommended this place to who has come here has had a positive experience. They, too, have been helped. It’s not just me, they have also been helped. Their legs feel better. And they range in age from, oh, the youngest maybe in their ‘40s all the way up to one lady who was in her early ‘90s who came here, and this clinic was able to help her.

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I am a Dietary Manager. I work a lot of hours. I’m on my feet constantly, all day long. I have a couple of daughters.

Oh gosh, I had, like... working all day long on the concrete, coming home at night, restless leg syndrome; couldn’t sleep, always kicking. Long car rides, short car rides – I couldn’t sit still because it was just unbearable. But, now, it’s been like a total game-changer. Oh, like the heaviness, the achiness – it’s so much better now.

I actually was going to go to Kansa City to go to the ‘closest one,’ and I came home one night, tired, watching TV, and you guys had a commercial on, so I called you the next day.

From the beginning to the end, everything’s been great. You have a great staff; just very kind, willing to work with you. Your scheduling, everything, was just fantastic.

[I was] nervous at first, ‘cause you don’t know what you’re going in to and if it’s going to help. But everything was just, like, you guys put me at ease. You explained everything. Dr. Gupta, like, explained everything detail-to-detail, like, ‘the plumbing and how it works,’ and I just love that part about it. Everything was a great experience, and I’m still looking forward to getting cosmetic [treatment] from you guys, so that’s my next step.

[Now], I can go on long care rides without it bothering me. I can work a little bit longer hours without being totally exhausted and my legs aching and killing me. I go home, I’m, like, able to do things at home for a couple hours, and then sit down and relax.

I’m more jovial now; I was before, but before [my leg problems]. When you’re in a lot of pain, you’re just, like, on edge sometimes. You don’t feel good. But it’s really changed my attitude. I’m more happier now. I’m not in a lot of pain. I feel like I used to, like, ten years ago. I should have had it done ten years ago – ha, ha, ha! I thought, ‘I’m too young for this!’ But, yeah, it’s been a blessing. It’s been great.

[Dr. Gupta], he’s great. He’s so caring. He explains everything detail-to-detail, and if he says it once he’ll tell you again. He’ll just explain it, explain it, until you understand what’s going on. He’ll walk you right through it. So, he’s great.

You guys have a great staff; very great, very caring. You guys were very friendly; a very clean environment; all around great experience; very professional. I’ve told people at work, like, some of the girls have the same problems. I’m, like, ‘I guarantee you’ll be, like, happy and it will be worth it.’ So, absolutely, I would absolutely recommend you guys.

I appreciated the cards that you guys sent me, like when I lost my daughter, and stuff like that, that was very kind-hearted. I did not expect that, so, you guys are great to work with and be around. And you feel that when you come in, like, you feel like you are part of, like, the community. You are good people. I’m glad I found you guys, ha, ha, ha!

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I’ve been working on my feet since I was in high school; that’s actually what brought me to Alsara. I just really started to have some pain in my legs, and my lifestyle was really changed. I wasn’t as active as I used to be, and I knew I had to do something about it.

I had swelling in my feet, pain down the leg. I had a vein that was bulging out; it was so ugly; a lot of itching across that vein. And, then, I’d be dragging my feel by the end of the day where I had just a weight to my legs that I couldn’t get past. It really slowed me down to where, by the time I was done working, I was done for the day. There was no going out with friends. There was no being active. It was ‘let’s go home and kick our feet up’ and finish the night.

I had actually saw you all at a little convention, and you had a booth out and I got some information there. I had been attending for a work event and decided maybe this is something I should look into for myself.

First impression was fantastic. Everyone was so nice, so informative. They really sat down and went through each symptom with me, and what we could do, different procedures that might help, and what my odds were of it completely fixing it or what percentage better it would be.

I was terrified coming in. I hate needles and I knew that was going to be a big part of it, so I was definitely scared walking in the door. The staff was so friendly and really helped calm me down, and let me know it’s not going to be bad – you will get through it. They sat with me and talked me through the entire procedure. Really no pain during the procedure at all. Afterwards, I was totally fine. I went right back to work immediately following my appointment with no downtime whatsoever.

So many things are better now. I go out walking daily. I took a vacation for the first time in years where I actually go to go hiking up a mountain. I bought a house with stairs that I never would have considering doing, before, because stairs were not an option at the end of the day! So I’m definitely more active than I have ever been.

[Dr. Gupta] is so nice and so knowledgeable. He really takes the time to sit down and go through everything with you, and he never makes you feel stupid about asking questions. He will make sure you understand fully before you walk out the door. The staff is fantastic, as well. They know you by name when you walk in the door; you’re not just another patient. They are always asking you how you’re doing. They’ll remember what you were doing months ago at your prior appointment, and see how things have been since then.

I recommended my mother to come in and see everyone here.

I would have never thought this would be something I’d be doing at my age. I always thought ‘vein procedures… that’s something grandmas do’. But, no, definitely something I’m so glad I did.

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My name is Rodney Dwayne Stephenson. 

 I own a small machine shop downtown. It’s called Metal Works Unlimited, Inc. I’ve had it for about… this would be 15 years that I’ve had my own business. I was partners for several years previous to that. And I have a wife and four great children.

I had a lot of fatigue in my legs, and the biggest symptom was leg cramps at night that would wake me up and keep me up for hours – I mean to the point to where I was almost in tears. And my late father-in-law is actually the one that gave me the tip. Now, he didn’t tell me where to go, but he gave me the tip. He said, you know, you really ought to have the varicose veins in your legs either taken out or at least looked at; at least have a scan. And when Doctor [Gupta] did the scan, he said ‘yeah, you’ve got a lot of blockage’.

And it’s unbelievable the difference [after treatment]. I haven’t had a cramp since they were removed; not one. And I have so much strength and energy in my legs. I always worked out, but now, it’s like I have the energy to go along with the enthusiasm.

Actually, one of your technicians, Kati Ussary, is the one that set it all up for me. And everything that she did, and your staff and doctor – top notch, five stars.

My consult: I loved the way that they explained it in detail. And sometimes, Doctor [Gupta] would say things that – like I’d have a confused look – and then he’d have a simile that would go with it, like compare it to a river, or blockage in a river, you know, things that would make it simpler for me to understand. And he thoroughly went through the process, step-by-step. And it played out exactly the way that he said.

During [the procedure], I was scared, you know, because I don’t like some of the things that go along with the procedure. But after, it’s like nothing whatsoever. And they always had things that you did after the procedure on each legs, and I just followed those [instructions] to a tee. I had zero problems.

Actually, it really… there’s a little bit of pain, but the anxiety was probably ‘cause I’m scared to death of needles. And as long as… but the way they handled me, they put cold wash rags on my head, and they just… they handled me perfectly.

Oh, everyone looks at my legs. I mean, my legs are beautiful, and the energy, and no legs cramps. If I have to put one… if you put me down to just one thing that benefitted: the legs cramps and being able to sleep at night.

There’s not a lot of things that I couldn’t do [before treatment], it was just that I couldn’t do ‘em as long or to the extent that I wanted to, like, I couldn’t walk a long distance. Now, I can walk for miles. It’d never affect me at all. And sleeping: ha, I’m able to sleep all the way through the night. Anybody that has paused sleeping, where you wake up and try to go back to sleep because of leg cramps or fatigue in your legs, it’s awful. And it has made me to where I can sleep all night. I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night with late cramps, try to stretch my legs out, and roll on the floor, and all the things that went with it.

How professional he was and how he explained the detailed procedures in – I’m gonna say laymen terms – to where you can understand ‘em. Ah, it’s hard to describe how genuinely simply he made it sound. There was a step-by-step procedure, like, you do one leg, and not all of it, you know, ‘cause [when] you get around the ankle areas and stuff, there’s bone, so they have to do a little different procedure. He explained everything and explained all the [ultrasound] scans – pre and post –  that was just excellent. I mean, I’ve never had a doctor that explained things in a way that you could understand it. So, I tip my hat. I still can’t pronounce his name, that’s why I keep saying “doctor”.

It probably gets overused – awesome, five star – but, all the way from the office manager down to the people that clean the floor, it’s totally awesome. It’s very clean, and everything is explained to you. The processes, they’re all explained in detail where you can understand. They’re great. I would recommend… in fact, I recommended my mom. She turned 76 this year. But she has so much pain while she’s walking. And [Alsara] did the scan – she needs it. She just got scared. And I think that maybe after a little bit of time she’ll come back to it.

But, yes, I highly recommend it to anybody that’s having leg cramps, fatigue. At least have the scan to see if it’s necessary, and if it’s not necessary, then you’re not out anything. But, yes, I would highly recommend it to anybody that was experiencing things like I was.

Doctor Gupta is a unique individual. He has that unique mix of sternest and then he has that comical side that I’m sure a lot of people don’t see. It kind of breaks up the monotony of the procedures. There were several times that I was starting to experience some anxiety, and Doctor Gupta calmed me down, or like, before he would insert a needle he’d say “Like a little bee sting”. You know, he made things genuinely low-key; it took all my anxiety away. By the time he was all done, we were laughing and telling jokes! 

It’s a very well-run business and I just loved everything about it. And the way that I was treated, the way they handle their billing, everything is top notch. The way they call you, email you, text you, work around whatever communications [regarding] the time of your procedure, to the end of it, to post [treatment] – everything –they do a great job of all of it.

Well, you know, I run my own business, and when somebody tells you ‘thank you’ and gives you high praise, it leaves you with a good feeling, and it speaks a lot of the reputation of this company [Alsara Vein Clinic].

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I just got married last year on July 29th. It’s been just over a year in July, and I’m happily married. And if it wasn’t for my husband checking this place out [Alsara Vein Clinic], I wouldn’t have been where I’m at right now.

We discovered [Alsara Vein Clinic] from just ourselves. We searched it on the internet and figured it would be a great place to get healed.

I had leg cramps. I had l leg cramps so bad that I couldn’t… it was hard to walk, and it’s hard to enable myself to do the walking and enjoy myself. I was basically just laying on the couch just complaining of the ache and the pains and the… I just wasn’t comfortable doing anything. It has been over 10 years or so that I have experienced that. And it wasn’t a very comfortable feeling [having to say] to my friends [who were] saying: ‘Well, you wanna go do this today?’, and I’d say: ‘Well, I can’t because my legs are not up to par’. Waking up with leg cramps in the middle of the night, ‘cause there’s nothing that no one could do. And it hurt so bad that, even if you did move and start walking it, I had to get up and walk around to get the leg cramps gone.

The staff and the physician are very friendly and knowledgeable about what they’re doing. Now that I’ve had treatments, I am able to walk a lot better. I’m not waking up with leg cramps in the middle of the night, which is a relief. I’m not kicking in the middle of the night and at my spouse! So, I’m saving… saving a little bit [laughs]!

Well, the pain was so great that I would start crying because I wouldn’t have any relief of any sort until I started to come here. I tried medication for Restless Leg Syndrome and that wasn’t working. And, finally, I came here and sought relief, and I found it. My legs are a lot healthier. I’ve got a lot more strength. I’ve gained the freedom of not having… not to walk so far and not have no pain in my legs.

Be sure to come [to Alsara Vein Clinic] because it does really help. It gives you relief to know that when you are hurtin’ as bad as I was, that the treatments they give are working.

Oh, I’m happy to be here because if it wasn’t for them, I would not be where I’m at right now. I’m just so happy to know that I’ve got legs now. Before, I didn’t have any.