Do I have PAD at the age of 23?

[nanaseven7]

Hello! I am a 23 year old female. I have had strong pain in both my lower legs (calves and shins) for quite a while now. It all started around 2-3 years ago. Everytime I walked at a faster pace, my calves would cramp and hurt extremely until I sit down or pause in the middle of the road. The pain gets so bad that I feel like my both feet are going completely numb from the pain and that I would have to drag them around. I don´t have any pain when resting. Except that I get a weird pain in my left front thigh when I sit down with my legs straight. The walking pain has changed my life to the worse. I simply cannot walk fast and without breaks. It makes me go late to school and if I force myself to ignore the pain it gets so bad that I cry from the pain. It has gotten much worse the past few months. I have had periods without any pain at all but I don´t understand why.
Okay, so now you think I am probably STILL too young to have PAD and that it is probably something else. But there is a huge problem. I have had severe depression for the past seven years and have barely left my house except for school. I sit all the time and I have been a strong smoker for years. Due to all the inactivity I have gained around 30kg since my depression kicked in.
I am now obese (164cm, 90kg), a heavy smoker (25 cigarettes a day for years) and I barely do anything else than sitting infront of the pc and school. I am almost sure that it´s PAD (Peripheral artery disease) and it makes me incredibly terrified and depressed. I have talked to my doctor but she didn´t seem to take it seriously until now. I am waiting for an appointment with a specialist. But the fear is overcoming my senses and I dread the outcome. I am so scared that my concerns are true and that my life quality will greatly sink because of what I did to myself for years...
I have to mention that I have a severe health anxiety and usually I would force myself to not dread the worst possible outcome but I can´t help it this time... It´s just too real.

[CHIN_C]

Peripheral vascular disease typically presents over the age of 50, but atypically can present at younger ages, especially if you have the following risk factors: tobacco use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and/or sedentary lifestyle. Given that you meet many of these, you should get evaluated by a doctor if your symptoms persist. Good luck!