uhsm news summer 2012.pub

LATEST NEWS
Tragedy leads to friendship and
new home for UHSM patients
Severe Asthma Sufferers
Find Extra Support Award
In February, Keith Howarth from Macclesfield had frostbite on
both of his legs. Doctors at UHSM worked tirelessly to save his
limbs, but unfortunately both feet had to be removed.
“It was a terrible blow, says Keith. “It all happened so quickly
but my Consultant did everything he could and was honest
about the severity of my condition from the start which I
cannot fault at all. I’ve had new limbs made for me by the
Disablement Services Centre over in Withington and already I
am able to walk again or use a wheelchair when I want to. The
situation I found myself in was very serious but the staff here
have become my family and I constantly feel reassured and
positive. I have nothing but admiration for the team here.”
Just a few weeks later, Mike Dawson, from Baguley, who had
suffered from Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease, for some
time, woke up to find his heel bruised and sore. As the pain
worsened he went to hospital where a medical team carried
out scans and blood tests. It was soon discovered that Mike
had gangrene and losing his foot and possibly the whole leg
would be a possibility.
Mike explains: “It’s quite strange remembering what
happened. I came to Wythenshawe Hospital with a sore foot
and within two days I had half of my leg removed! People
expect me to be bitter about this as it was so out of the blue,
but I’m not. The treatment I’ve had at UHSM has been second
to none. My doctors told me how bad the situation was from
the very start and the medical and nursing staff who have
looked after me have been simply amazing.”
Keith and Mike were placed in beds next to each other and
did not know each other before their admission to hospital.
They spent over two months together, and have just moved in
together in a bungalow in Holmes Chapel.
Mike continues: “We have one foot between the two of us, so
we know we’re going to have to make changes in our lives and
this means leaving our old homes and moving in to a
bungalow that is fitted out for disabled people. As we get on
so well, it seemed natural for us to find a place together - we
can support each other and save the council having to find
two homes.”
UHSM’s North West Lung Centre has run its first
Severe Asthma Patient Support Group for people to
meet others and potentially help share the burden
of dealing with the chronic disease.
Craig Wilkie, who is 38 and from Wythenshawe, says:
“I’ve suffered from severe asthma for over six years
now and my life has been turned upside down. I used
to be a welder but getting up and down ladders, being
outdoors and being physically active affected me
really badly to the point where I could hardly breathe
so I had to give up work. Going from a well paid job to
weekly benefits was hard to get used to but I’ve met
other people in the same boat and it’s actually quite
nice to know that I am not the only person having to
cope with such big changes.”
The session ran in two parts, starting with a
presentation from a Consultant Macmillan nurse who
focused on coping with breathlessness and chronic
disease followed by tea and biscuits where people
could chat less formally and interact with each other.
The group are all patients of Dr Robert Niven,
Consultant Chest Physician, who explains: "Despite
maximised therapy and conventional treatment,
severe asthma patients continue to suffer with
frequent symptoms often leading to exacerbations
and emergency hospitalisations. These equate to
approximately 25,000 people or 5% of the total
population of asthmatics in the United Kingdom. Here
at UHSM we take referrals from across the North West
assessing and treating patients with severe asthma.
“By setting up a patient support group our aim is to
provide a comfortable environment for patients to
have informal education sessions regarding severe
asthma and management of problems and more
importantly to meet other patients to share
experiences and support each other."
The session was attended by people from the local
area and also from Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire.
If you would like more information please contact
Leanne Holmes on 0161 291 5026.