If you are at all concerned you have APS, you should make an appointment with your Specialist or General Practioner. Explain that you are concerned you might have APS and give your reasons. Request a full Antiphospholipid screening blood test (described fully in our blood tests required page). It might be helpful for you to write the reasons for your concerns down and refer to them when seeing your doctor, many people forget to mention important symptoms when in a consultation. It might help to print out some information from our site to show your doctor.

If the test is positive, your doctor should refer you to a Specialist familiar with the condition. Our site offers your GP a guide to specialists who should be familiar with the condition. Should your tests be negative but you remain concerned you have the condition. Please contact the foundation for further advice.

If you have been diagnosed with APS, please ensure you learn all you can about your syndrome. We hope this site will help you.

If you have been told you have APS and are not sure you are being given the correct treatment, speak to your specialist and if you still have concerns which our site has not answered, please contact us.

If you have ever been told you have sticky, sludgy or thickened blood, or been told you have a tendency for your blood to clot, with no explanation as to the cause please ask your Specialist or GP if you were tested for APS. If not, ensure that the correct tests are carried out and the results are explained to you fully.

If you are denied a test and are not reassured with the reasons your doctor or clinic have given, please contact us for help and advice.

If you believe you may have APS, but do not have a medical aid that will cover the cost of a blood test, or do not have the finances for a blood test, please contact us for advice.

Please keep a copy of your blood test results. It is your right to request a copy. If are concerned in any way about the results and your doctor or our site does not answer your concerns, please contact us.

If you have ever suffered from a clotting event, please ensure your doctor tested for APS, if not... insist on being tested.  It doesn´t matter if the clotting event was long ago or recently, you must be tested. If you have APS, you are at greater risk of another clotting event if treatment is stopped or the correct treatment was not started in the first place. APS is not curable; it will not go away. The treatment is for life and it is vital that the correct treatment is continuous.

If you have been diagnosed with APS, given a label of "sticky blood" or similar, Please Contact Us! We need to know about you. To obtain the goals of this foundation it is vital that we are in a position to provide all interested parties with our findings on the extent of the problem in South Africa.

All correspondence and information will be treated as confidential.

At the present time, there are no support groups in South Africa for those diagnosed with APS. Once we identify the need, we will help organise support outside our web site for patients and their families. Until then, we aim to provide as much support and reassurance as we can through this site and its links. We have many ideas to offer, but these will take time to get established.

If you have a personal story of how APS affected your life, or the life of a family member or friend, please consider sending us your story. APS is not yet understood by many people. Consequently, those affected can feel isolated and your story will help you and others to share the grief, anger, compassion, understanding, hope and knowledge of this condition.