Pumping Marvellous

Free sightseeing tour of Burnley in East Lancashire…

Pennine Lancashire 10k

In what will be the second event in the series of 10K runs this year, this new route will take you on a tour of the East Lancashire town of Burnley. Starting and finishing outside the historic Mechanics Theatre, the 10K race will see you sprinting through Thompson Park and along the lake in Ridgewood before reaching the beautiful Towneley Hall.

So if want to raise money for locally based Pumping Marvellous the UK’s Heart Failure charity then get in contact with us.

Why Heart Failure Rehabilitation is so important

Evidence is gathering that cardiac rehabilitation is a significant factor in the stabilisation of heart failure and unfortunately there are many of us who aren’t good at it. That includes patients, the NHS, local government and other health providers. There is no magic wand to this so we decided to help with producing a booklet that helps facilitate physical movement leading onto exercise. The booklet alone won’t do the work but it will highlight the wide variety of programmes and courses available to Heart Failure patients in the East Lancashire area where people get accustomed to the fact that exercise doesn’t have to mean the GYM; it is social interaction, it’s about having a laugh and a joke and who could think of anything better than that as well as being good for you!

We really wish we had the resources to pull this together for all Heart Failure patients but we don’t, however we are unsure what the future holds so we will have to wait and see.

Netballathon – Marathon netball game for 6hrs by the Heart Stars

The Heart Stars netball team played a marathon 6hrs of netball at the Spirit of Sport pitches in Burnley, Lancashire. They played 6 other teams starting at 10.00am and finishing at 4pm. Currently as of writing this post £2160 was raised for the charity Pumping Marvellous and we think this will top £2500. Here are some of the pictures.

Hearts Stars Netball Team

Hearts Stars Netball Team

Hearts Stars Netball Team

Ready steady action at the Netballathon

Hearts Stars Netball Team

This is a series of videos by the British Red Cross on basic first aid. We are also running with conjunction with the British Red Cross free courses for Heart Failure Patients and their Carers. We will be posting the dates for the training shortly.

Stroke

This is the first of a number of videos by the British Red Cross on basic first aid. We are also running with conjunction with the British Red Cross free courses for Heart Failure Patients and their Carers. We will be posting the dates for the training shortly.

Bleeding Heavily

A Hearty Healthy Christmas Dinner for Heart Failure Patients in association with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, Soulmatefood,Asda and Burnley Booriugh Council.

A Hearty Healthy Christmas DInner for Heart Failure Patients

Hearty Healthy Christmas Dinner for Heart Failure Patients

Thanks to Barclays Burnley for a great donation for Heart Failure Patients

Gold Star to you from Pumping Marvellous

Gold Star to you from Pumping MarvellousThe team at Barclays in Burnley recently raised £330 by walking to the Accrington Branch of Barclays which is nearly 9 miles in wait for it….. Umpa Lumpa fancy dress with an Area Director dressed as Willy Wonka.We would like to say a big thank you to all the team who got involved especially Gill and Tracey and here is your gold star!Barclays Burnley raising money for Pumping Marvellous

Barclays in Burnley presenting a cheque to Pumping Marvellous

Nick is our Chairman, founder and Trustee of Pumping Marvellous and here is his amazing story but unfortunately not that unusual.

I was diagnosed in January 2010 with Heart Failure. The actual diagnosis was Viral Myocarditis which led to left ventricle impairment and atrial fibrillation. My ejection faction rate after my first Echo cardiogram was 15%, that is low, very low. All this language sounded very alien to me and to be honest I had a roller coaster of a time, as my Consultant said “an evangelical experience”.

It took 4 weeks to diagnose Heart Failure, my legs, feet, toes and abdomen were swollen which I later found out was fluid (medical term is Oedema), I was hallucinating at night seeing green aliens, ask my 8yr old daughter, this was because of the fluid and toxin build up and I was acutely breathless. Basically my Liver, Kidneys and my Heart were shutting down, I couldn’t walk 10 paces without feeling acutely tired – my condition was CHF – Congestive Heart Failure with severe Pulmonary Oedema, my body was failing as the engine room wasn’t working properly.

Just in time I was put into the care of the fantastic Coronary Care Unit who blitzed me with all types of drugs and I lost 35kgs of fluid in 4 days – The Royal Blackburn Hospital Diet, I thought about publishing it. This was achieved through IV Furosemide. After a week on the CCU ward I was transferred to a normal coronary ward to recuperate. I spent 1 week in this ward and was then discharged.

I was then put into the very capable hands of Anglea Graves who is the Clinical Lead for the East Lancashire Specialist Heart Failure Nursing Team. If you have Heart Failure then you must have a Specialist Heart Failure Nurse. I couldn’t have done it without her.

So I had a great consultant Dr John McDonald and Angela Graves my Heart Failure Nurse. Medical support, sorted.

Now what did we need to do. I was referred to rehab which introduced me to exercise that was specifically designed to get me back to as normal a position as possible. Angela and Gemma were fantastic especially in alerting me to the fact my pulse was exceeding 180 beats per minute and the electronic gadgetry was getting confused with my Atrial Fibrillation. This lasted 8 weeks and by the end of it I had an appetite for it although I wasn’t really any good at it, who cares as this is all about me.

I was referred to the Burnley Healthy Lifestyle Team on their BEEP programme which was 12 weeks of hell, well it felt like hell but what a fantastic job Beth and Bill did. I owe these guys a lot and they are real experts in rehabilitation. They guided and coached me through my own exercise programme and by the end of it I felt capable and equipped to go out in the real world and compete with all those gym bunnies. My programme finished in October 2010 and it was one of the most frightening times of my life as I realised all this great support was going to disappear. So it was down to me.

I went back into sinus rhythm out of AF in November 2010 so this was a big milestone but I was still one of those Heart Failure patients that look great from the outside but my inner workings weren’t still correct.

I have always been a determined individual, “No” does not exist in my vocabulary and I was determined to get to grips with my condition right from the start. So because Ineeded to focus on my left ventricle pump rate – that’s what I did.

Knowledge is key, without knowledge you can’t understand your condition. Take an interest and get obsessive with your condition. Understand your limitations but try to develop those limitations. If you want to do it you will. Do not underestimate the power of your determination you will be surprised what you can do. Understand the key levers as to what will effect your condition, my charity has done this for you. They are Nutrition – eat the right stuff and keep focussed around fresh fresh and fresh with low salt intake no more than a level tablespoon of added salt a day (2mg). Reduce your fact intake and cut out any added sugar. Learn to read and interpret food labels, if you buy fresh all the time you won’t have to read food labels will you. Don’t forget supplements, I focused on Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Bovine Colostrum, Acai berries, Krill Oil andvery high quality New Zealand Fish Oils which included ubiquinol. Exercise is really very important but make sure you know your limits and always take advice from a clinician before you start. You will find that exercise releases special endorphins that make you feel great and greater for a couple of days, always try and be active in whatever you do and don’t be put off by Gym Bunnies, these are people who strut their stuff and aren’t looking at you but they expect you to look at them. When I exercise I am in my own little world and I have a structured routine which I don’t deviate from and stretch it a little if I want. I find my music is very important therefore some of my tracks Beat it, Grenade, Welcome to the Pleasuredome (wait for the instrumental on this), Common People, Two Tribes, Atomic, Billie Jean  and Beautiful Nightmare you get the drift and rather eclectic. Take your pills; it’s very important to not miss your prescribed tablets but understand what they do and why you are taking them, challenge the clinicians in the right way to get the right answers don’t just take them because you have been prescribed, understand your drugs. Fluid management is very important and you must stick to the guidelines. I was told not to take anymore than 2 litres of fluid in a day so I didn’t. What you have to realise is that lots of everyday things have fluid, chopped tomatoes and apples as examples. I managed this by buying half a litre bottle of bottled water and I never had anymore than 3 which was 1.5 litres and then the other was made up of Green Tea and natural fluid from oranges etc etc. If you take to much fluid on board you will feel worse, guaranteed.

Now my EF is 61% 18 months after my diagnosis and being weened off my drugs.

Exercise is very important to Heart Failure patients and this information has been provided by one of our experts Beth Baron. Beth is the Cardiac Practioner for the Burnley Healthy Lifestyle Team. She rehabilitates Heart Failure patients as well as other people with Coronary Vascular Disease.

Why Should I Be Active?

Activity may improve the functioning of your heart, by reducing the workload and enabling it to beat more efficiently. Regular activity will also help to keep the big muscles in your legs working efficiently taking some pressure off your heart and helping you with your balance.  Keeping active will help improve your symptoms and could help to prevent your condition from getting worse.  Exercise can also help improve the quality of your sleep, improve your mood and feel more positive about the future

So How Do I Start?

Before starting an exercise programme, or if you want to increase or change the type of exercise you do, talk to your doctor or nurse to make sure you are not putting too much strain on your heart too quickly. They will also be able to advise you which activities to avoid. They may be able to refer you to your local cardiac rehabilitation programme or healthy lifestyles team where they will be able to advise you on a suitable programme for low-intensity training.

Choose an activity that you enjoy, as you will be more likely to do it regularly. Exercising with a friend also helps, as you will be able to encourage each other. It is important to understand what you can do, if you didn’t go jogging before you had heart failure, you probably won’t be able to now you have heart failure.

Safety First!

Always warm up before doing any activity and always cool down afterwards.  This will make sure that your coronary arteries have the opportunity to open up to allow more blood to deliver essential oxygen to your heart muscle. If you don’t do this you are at risk of your heart beating irregularly which could be dangerous.  A qualified British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation (BACR) instructor will be able to show you how to do this safely. If it is cold or windy outside, you should try and warm up before leaving the house. Try walking around for a couple of minutes as this will reduce the shock to your body when you go outside.

Walking is a good activity to start with. Try to walk every day by doing activities such as collecting the newspaper, or getting off the bus one stop earlier.

If you already walk and consider yourself physically active, try cycling or swimming – swimming is now considered to be safe for people with heart failure
provided that you condition is stable and you are not excessively breathless during gentle activity or breathless at rest. ALWAYS start slowly and gradually
increase the distance or intensity of the activity as your strength/fitness improves.

A good rule of thumb is that you should still be able to talk while you are exercising. If you are not able to talk, you are probably overdoing it. Stop exercising at once if you experience shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, nausea or a cold sweat. If the symptoms persist, contact your doctor or nurse.

Try not to exercise straight after a large meal, or when you haven’t eaten for a long time. Plan to exercise 1-2 hours after a light meal.

Many people with heart failure worry that they will no longer be able to interact with their children or grandchildren by picking them up. Listen to the signals your body sends you. Activities that require holding your breath, bearing down or sudden bursts of energy are best avoided. If your grandchildren are no longer as light
as babies it may be more sensible for you to sit with them on your lap.

If you are inactive, you are more likely to have a heart attack than someone who is active. Being active provides long term benefits for your heart health and general health. It helps control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health – helping you to look and feel great.

Studies suggest that being physically active in middle age can increase your life expectancy by two years, the same benefit as giving up smoking.

Your heart is a muscle and needs exercise to help it keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently around your body.

It’s never to late to start

Everyone can benefit from getting physical – whatever your age, size or physical condition. Just remember that you are never too old or too unfit to start doing
something.

The good news is that inactive people that start to do moderate physical activity feel the biggest health benefits. Your health risks will decrease as soon as you start to do more!

Some Top Tips for Staying Healthy

Being active is great for keeping your heart healthy and, along with eating a healthy diet, can help you to manage your weight and it’s not just good for your heart – physical activity also makes you look and feel great.

Adults should aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on five days or more a week. If you’re struggling to stay motivated, try these top tips to stay active:

Small changes add up

If 30 minutes of physical activity all at once seems like a lot to start with, try doing several short bouts of activity throughout the day.

Remember the positives

You’ll soon feel the benefits when you become more active. You’ll feel fitter, have more energy, be more relaxed and have more confidence.

Keep it real

Set yourself realistic goals that are specific and achievable. For example, set a goal to walk for 30 minutes every day or to learn how to swim.

Make a diary date

Plan a time to do some activity that fits in with the rest of your day and try keeping a diary to help monitor your progress and success. If you miss a day, don’t worry – just make sure that you start again the next day.

Keep on your toes!

Remember, everyday activities count so look for opportunities to be active during the day. For example, use the stairs instead of the escalators, walk to the local
shop rather than taking the car and do some stretches when watching TV. Every little counts!

Have fun

Choose activities that you enjoy to help you achieve your goals and keep you motivated. Why not give ballroom dancing, tennis, trampolining, yoga or pilates a try?

Get a buddy

Involve friends and family to make activities more fun, sociable and enjoyable. Go jogging with a friend and support and motivate each other, take the children
swimming or join an exercise class.

Mix it up

Make a list of enjoyable activities, such as dancing, gardening and yoga and place them in a jar. Pick a different activity to do each week. By varying your activities, you are less likely to get bored and lose interest.

Use reminders

Prompt yourself to be more physically active by keeping reminders around the house. Put Post-it notes on the fridge or by the kettle, place your cycling helmet on
your dressing table or put your walking shoes near the door.

Check your progress

Use a pedometer to count your steps to show you how well you are doing. Walking is an ideal activity as it’s free and easy to do anywhere. You could walk your
children to school and back every day, take the dog for a walk or find a local park and go walking with a friend.

Reward yourself

Recognise when you achieve your activity goals. Think of things that you could reward yourself with, like a copy of your favourite magazine, a new pair of trainers or a massage.

Image via Wikipedia

Fundraising by Barclays for Heart Failure Patients

The Barclays team at the Burnley Branch completed a fundraising day in Branch on Wednesday 25th May and on Thursday 26th May 2011 they completed a sponsored walk from Burnley to the Accrington Branch. They dressed up as Willy Wonka and the Umpa Lumpas and in the pouring rain managed to walk the 8 miles completing it in under 3hrs 30 mins with s stop off at a local pub. They also managed to get over 50 honk honks as they travelled through East Lancashire. We will post how much they raised when we find out but Barclays are going to match the money raised £ for £ which is fantastic. Well done!