Pumping Marvellous

Image via Wikipedia

Board Notes on presentation to the NHS East Lancs Board

I thought you maybe interested in these Board Meeting Notes on Nick Hartshorne-Evans’s presentation to the NHS East Lancashire reference his “Patient Story” and understanding of needs within the locality for Heart Failure in East Lancashire.

Click this link and select the pdf labelled “Agenda and Papers for Thursday 31st March 2011 Board”

Heart Failure and the Wii

It was the last day / session at Cardio Rehab and I will really miss the team, Gemma for the workouts and motivation and Angela for looking after me and taking my pulse and trying to make sense of the AF readings which completely confused the heart rate monitor when I was in full workout mode. Of course my sincere thanks to Angela Graves my Heart Failure Nurse for the referral which she didn’t have to do because Heart Failure rehabilitation doesn’t exist in the East Lancs PCT due to lack of budget. We had to fight for my place on the cardio rehab programme but it definitely paid off.

After the physical element of the programme the team got together and discussed various areas of help and improvement for MI patients and this week it was exercise. Now without running through the 30 mins in detail we all agreed how the Nintendo Wii has revolutionised exercise and if you do it with children then it gets even better. The Wii ticks all the boxes for good aerobic exercise, there is Wii Fit which is great and also dancing and karaoke style games . These are all good for your heart. Obviously there is a cost but some of the older games are very cheap indeed so enjoy and get the kids involved its just an uplifting experience.

This is a great tip from one of my friends in the East Lancs Primary Care Trust – it could help you stop smoking but it also manages your fluid intake. I think it is a real tasty tip!

“Hi Nick,
A tip that I give to people who are trying to quit smoking without weight gain is to suck on frozen grapes. Lots of them love it, its low in sugar and calories, it’s sweet and tasty and will contribute a little to your ’5-a-day’. Just as good for the management of fluid intake and a healthy alternative to ice-lollies and boiled sweets.”

Angela

Welcome to Pumping Marvellous.

This is a site run by patients for patients.

The site is designed to help inform and educate those who have Heart Failure, their Carers and anybody who would like a non medical viewpoint of what it is like to live with and manage Heart Failure.

As patients of the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust in the UK we are backed up by a world class group of clinicians ranging from Consultant Cardiologists whose specialism is Heart Failure, experienced nurses who work on the cardiac wards at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, dietitians and physiotherapist who specialise in diet and exercise and finally Angela Graves who is the Heart Failure Nurse Manager and her team of experienced Heart Failure nurses.

You will find our approach and discussions both formal and chatty and we would be really happy to answer any questions you may have. We can’t not help get technical sometimes but there is no other way to describe what we need to communicate to you.

Enjoy the site and start to learn about Heart failure from a different perspective.

Thanks

Nick Hartshorne-Evans