Dear Jane,
I’m Chantelle Matthee and I am 26 years old. I send you messages a few days ago in connection with APS. Thank you so much for the wonderful APS website. It helps a lot.
I just want to share my story. All the symptoms started at the end of 2007. I suddenly experienced quite a lot of pain in the calf of my right leg. It was so bad that I couldn’t walk for too long, then I needed to stop and the pain would disappear. I just experienced the pain when I walked and I also suffered from terrible migraines, hypertension and was extremely tired.
I went to my GP and he referred me to a vascular surgeon,but he didn’t know what to do. I was then referred to a heart surgeon, Dr Andre Saaiman at the Kuilsriver Hospital in Kuilsriver, Cape Town. He did a CT scan and discovered that there is just 10% blood flow in the right leg and 86 % in the left leg. I just had a 10% chance to keep my leg otherwise they need to amputate it. I was devastated,because it was two weeks before my wedding. I had to postpone the wedding.
I was admitted to hospital Monday the 12th of November 2007. I was in theatre for 12 hours. They took 1.8 litres of blood clots out of my right leg. I was so weak and was in ICU for 10 days. I wasn’t able to work for about 5 months and had quite a lot of physiotherapy sessions to strengthen the legs again. Since then I used the following medication: Plavix, Amloc, Aspirin.
In February 2008 I experienced pain again. The Dr did another CT scan and there was another clot in my right thigh. I was admitted to hospital and they put a stent in my right thigh. After that everything went well for a few months.
In December 2008 the pain came back in the right calf and I was again admitted to hospital. They did another operation to put a stent in my right calf. It was better, but just for a few months.
A few weeks ago I experienced pain again especially when I go to gym or walk a lot. Throughout everything I can’t even described how exhausted I was. I was extremely tired.
I wasn’t even able to keep up with my work. I am a Health and Skin Care Therapist and quit my job the end of March 2009.
My husband then discovered your foundation and thankfully to that I heard about Warfarin. I went to my doctor and he wanted to do a bypass in my right leg, because there is an obstruction behind the knee, but I told him that I first want to try Warfarin before performing the bypass. I have been using Warfarin now for the last two weeks and I must say the improvement is outstanding. They still struggle to get the INR where it is suppose to be. It was on 1.1 a week ago. I feel better and have a bit more energy.
I still have very bad hypertension. I’m using know the following medication: Plavix, Warfarin, Aspirin and Amloc.
You told me the best person to go to is a Rheumatologist. Do you know maybe about a good one in Cape Town? Thank you so much for the wonderful foundation and all your support.
Yours sincerely,
Chantelle Matthee