A woman felt aches and pains in foot, and then needed both her legs amputated. Samantha Wyles from Coalville, North West Leicestershire, lost both her legs after she contracted a condition which causes blockages in the arteries. The 57-year-old began to feel aches and pains in her foot, but put it down to age, when actually she had developed a condition called Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), which causes blockages in sufferers' arms or legs. However, over time, Samantha's daughter-in-law noticed the underside of her toes appeared to be turning black.
Samantha then went to see her GP, who referred to hospital, where doctors confirmed she had developed PAD. Despite trying to widen her arteries to restore blood flow to her foot several times — a procedure known as angioplasty — Samantha was told her lower leg would have to be removed. She then had to adapt to her new life, using a prosthetic leg.
However, two years later she experienced PAD again, but this time in the other leg and despite the efforts of surgeons to save her leg, she then also had to have that leg amputated. Now, Samantha is speaking out about her life as a double-amputee as she backs Leicester research which aims to prevent others getting the condition which "often flies under the radar", reports the LeicestershireLive.
Previously, Samantha used to care for young people with disabilities, but now she requires a wheelchair to get around. She recently also joined a registry of people with different vascular conditions, where she hopes she may be able to help shape future research.
