01.12.2012 Views

BCPA Journal - Issue 184 - British Cardiac Patients Association

BCPA Journal - Issue 184 - British Cardiac Patients Association

BCPA Journal - Issue 184 - British Cardiac Patients Association

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<strong>Issue</strong> <strong>184</strong><br />

June / July 2012<br />

THE<br />

PATIENT<br />

AND CARERS<br />

INDEPENDENT<br />

VOICE<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong><br />

<strong>Journal</strong><br />

How do we ‘stat up’?<br />

A Papworth Hospital patient’s story<br />

Aspirin also helps cancer prevention<br />

Atorvastatin cheaper so more to be prescribed<br />

Memoirs of a Voluntary Worker 1981-1996 – Fred Roach<br />

A package of insurance products as individual as you<br />

Recipes: Tomatoes and rice gratin, Soft fruit pudding<br />

Could readmissions within 30 days be reduced<br />

<strong>Patients</strong> should have a voice too!<br />

‘The Truth About Transplants’<br />

Professor John Wallwork CBE FRCS<br />

(on right) takes over <strong>BCPA</strong> presidency<br />

from Sir Terence English KBE FRCS<br />

Rebalancing the planet<br />

Talks offered<br />

www.<strong>BCPA</strong>.co.uk<br />

admin@<strong>BCPA</strong>.co.uk<br />

The official magazine of the<br />

<strong>British</strong> CardiaC <strong>Patients</strong> assoCiation


Contents<br />

3 From Me to You – Keith Jackson<br />

3 Ricky’s Quickies: Atorvastatin cheaper so more to be<br />

prescribed; ‘The Truth About Transplants’ book; Could<br />

readmissions within 30 days be reduced; Rebalancing<br />

the planet – Richard Maddison<br />

4–5 News from around the Areas<br />

6 Aspirin also helps cancer prevention – A summary by<br />

Richard Maddison of research by Peter Rothwell<br />

7 A package of insurance products as individual as you<br />

– Unique Insurance staff<br />

8–9 A Papworth Hospital patient’s story – William Gordon<br />

9 Recipes: Tomatoes and rice gratin, Soft fruit pudding<br />

– Janet Jackson<br />

10 Talks offered – Alan Thomas<br />

11 Dates for your diary<br />

11 <strong>Patients</strong> should have a voice too! – Nadine van Dongen,<br />

Managing Director, PIP Health<br />

13 How do we ‘stat up’? – Corey Beecher<br />

13–14 A New Beginning: Memoirs of a Voluntary Worker<br />

1981-1996 – Fred Roach – Keith Jackson<br />

14 Crossword<br />

14 Co-ordinators, Contacts and Affiliated Groups<br />

15 How to join – Membership form<br />

16 Servier. Unique Insurance<br />

Donations<br />

We acknowledge here donations over £50 unless the donor<br />

wishes otherwise. The <strong>BCPA</strong> really needs the donations.<br />

Mrs Joan Edmundson 90th birthday £325 to Papworth Hospital<br />

Fund. Mrs Edmundson received a new valve 24 years ago.<br />

£310 in memory of Margaret London, an active member of<br />

Peterborough Area Group.<br />

Mrs Helen Whitehand has sent a further £55.00, added to her<br />

£315 80th birthday money acknowledged in the April <strong>Journal</strong>.<br />

Please send donations as cheques payable to <strong>BCPA</strong>, to <strong>BCPA</strong><br />

Head Office, 15 Abbey Road, Bingham, Notts NG13 8EE<br />

<strong>Journal</strong> contributions and dates<br />

We invite members to send in items for publication – not only<br />

heart-related information and articles, but also lighthearted<br />

items and stories.<br />

Please phone me, Dr Richard Maddison 01234 212293, to<br />

agree the easiest way to send it in – don’t send it to Head Office.<br />

Normal closing dates are 20th of an even month –20 June, 20<br />

August ... Please phone me before that date if you may be late.<br />

I’m really appealing for articles from members.<br />

NATIONAL HELPLINE<br />

01223 846845<br />

Do you have concerns or worries that you would like to talk to<br />

someone about? Our telephone helpline, as part of our national<br />

support services, normally operates 9.00am to 7.00pm Monday<br />

to Saturday. If you get no reply please leave your name and<br />

number, and we shall attend to your call as soon as possible.<br />

If you have a question or issue that is best in writing,<br />

please first phone or email Richard Maddison as p14, who will<br />

try to find an appropriate person to answer it.<br />

All the people who answer our helplines have been patients<br />

or carers so are likely to understand your concerns because<br />

they have been there.<br />

2<br />

Annual General Meeting Weekend<br />

11-13 May 2012<br />

The photograph on the front cover and those below show <strong>BCPA</strong><br />

members enjoying a weekend together at the Menzies Hotel,<br />

Cambridge, during the Annual General Meeting and at the Gala<br />

Dinner held to celebrate 30 years of the <strong>Association</strong>.<br />

Having been President since the<br />

formation of the <strong>Association</strong>, Sir<br />

Terence English KBE FRCS handed<br />

the presidency over to Professor John<br />

Wallwork CBE FRCS to acclaim at the<br />

Annual General Meeting. Our thanks<br />

go to Sir Terence for the support he has<br />

given over this long period and we look<br />

forward to working with Professor Wallwork as the <strong>Association</strong><br />

goes forward.<br />

Prior to the AGM Professor Wallwork gave a most interesting<br />

illustrated talk ‘<strong>Cardiac</strong> Surgery Then and Now’ showing the<br />

development and advancement in treatments over the years.<br />

At the AGM Dr Richard Maddison was re-elected as Vice<br />

Chairman and Dennis Atkinson as an <strong>Association</strong> Trustee.


Annual membership renewals and<br />

subscriptions<br />

We value all of our members and thank<br />

those of you who have sent in your annual<br />

subscriptions. Subscriptions became due on<br />

the 31st March.<br />

This is the final <strong>Journal</strong> reminder for<br />

overdue annual membership renewals. If<br />

your mailing label shows the number 12<br />

then your membership lapsed on the 31st<br />

March 2012.<br />

Encouraging you to continue as a<br />

member of the <strong>Association</strong>, to continue to<br />

receive your six issues of the <strong>Journal</strong> each<br />

year and, if you are able, take part in area<br />

group activities, we trust that you will<br />

renew. Please complete either the renewal<br />

form enclosed with your April/May <strong>Journal</strong><br />

or use the form printed in the back of this<br />

issue. Having completed the form please<br />

send it with your subscription to Head<br />

Office as soon as possible.<br />

It is pleasing to note the number of<br />

members who have opted to change to Life<br />

Membership thus saving themselves the<br />

annual chore of renewals. If you wish to<br />

From Me to You<br />

Keith Jackson, National Chairman<br />

Ricky’s Quickies - Richard Maddison<br />

Colin Readman<br />

With sadness I record Colin’s passing on Saturday<br />

28th April. He was Chairman of the Bedford Area<br />

Group for many years. The funeral will have been<br />

on 16th May at St Andrew’s Church, Bedford.<br />

We send condolences to Tessa and their three<br />

children Joanne, Colin and Catherine.<br />

Colin Readman at Papworth Fete 11 June 1994<br />

Atorvastatin cheaper so more to be prescribed<br />

As I expected 1 , the price of atorvastatin has dropped – by 93% after<br />

its patent held by Pfizer ended on 7th May, and a legal block on<br />

prescribing generic versions was lifted. 2 The massive drop in cost<br />

will save millions for the NHS and is likely to herald a sea-change<br />

in GP management of high cholesterol, with new patients needing a<br />

statin given atorvastatin rather than simvastatin. 2<br />

Sources. 1 RM Quickies <strong>BCPA</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> 182 February 2012<br />

2 Pulse Today 8/5/2012.<br />

‘The Truth About Transplants’ book<br />

Paulette Pratt, an award-winning medical author, has written this<br />

introduction to transplantation, which may be useful to patients and<br />

their families, and to relevant medical and nursing staff.<br />

The book charts the history of transplantation, tackles the issues<br />

of organ supply and donation, and distinguishes patients suffering<br />

from brainstem death from those in irreversible cardiac arrest.<br />

It traces recipient experience from pre-op investigations to the<br />

operating theatre and the months and years afterwards.<br />

Paulette Pratt The Truth About Transplants. Janus Publishing.<br />

162pp, A5 size, ISBN 978-1-85756-743-9, £14.95.<br />

Could readmissions within 30 days be reduced<br />

US policymakers thought of trying to reduce hospital readmission<br />

rates, as readmissions are common and costly. 1 To reduce costs and<br />

make this change then please complete the<br />

form and send in the appropriate details.<br />

Do please assure yourself that you<br />

have renewed your membership. As an<br />

<strong>Association</strong> we value having you as a<br />

member and do not wish to lose contact.<br />

Awareness and Area Group events<br />

As we move into the summer season, Area<br />

Groups up and down the country have a<br />

number of activities planned including<br />

attendance at village fêtes, disability<br />

awareness days, and other events. May I<br />

urge you all, members and readers of the<br />

<strong>Journal</strong> alike, that if you are near to an event<br />

please go along and have a look. Perhaps<br />

take the opportunity to make yourself<br />

known and join in with the occasion. You<br />

will be assured of a warm welcome.<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong> website www.<strong>BCPA</strong>.co.uk<br />

Not all members have access to the web, but<br />

an increasing number now do. If you are one<br />

of that growing number and have not yet<br />

looked at what is on our website may I urge<br />

you to do so.<br />

Amongst a growing range of information<br />

you will find the following.<br />

• A membership application/renewal form<br />

should you wish to use it<br />

• Past copies of the <strong>Journal</strong><br />

• Newsletters from some of the <strong>BCPA</strong> Area<br />

Groups<br />

• Travel and other insurances<br />

• General health information<br />

• Factsheets on a range of heart issues<br />

• An extensive Glossary.<br />

Our website continues to attract attention.<br />

Why not become one of that growing number<br />

of people using this source?<br />

Holiday and other insurances<br />

Thank you to those who have taken advantage<br />

of insurance through Unique in past months.<br />

If you have not yet given them an<br />

opportunity to provide a quote maybe you<br />

could do so when seeking your holiday or<br />

other insurance cover. They cover the whole<br />

range of insurance needs.<br />

To contact Unique for a no obligation<br />

quote please call 01603 828246 or visit the<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong> website at www.bcpa.co.uk and look<br />

at the insurance section. See page 7.<br />

improve care, Congress directed that hospitals with<br />

poorer than expected 30-day readmission rates should<br />

be penalised. One’s initial reaction might be that this is<br />

a good idea. But NEJM authors say this misguided for three reasons 1 .<br />

The situation is not simple.<br />

1 Only 12–20% of US readmissions within 30 days of discharge<br />

are preventable. 1 Many readmissions depend on factors that are<br />

outside the hospital’s control – patient characteristics, mental<br />

illness, poor social support, home situation, and poverty. 1 Only<br />

those in the first three days are more likely to be caused by the<br />

hospital. So 30 days is the wrong criterion.<br />

2 Reducing injuries, infections and mistakes in hospitals, and<br />

improving coordination with out-of-hospital services should<br />

reduce readmissions. 1 Improved outpatient care helps to keep the<br />

healthiest patients from being hospitalized in the first place; so<br />

readmission rates rise – being the less healthy.<br />

3 Aiming to reduce readmissions may conflict with patient safety 1<br />

and survival. Hospitals with lower mortality rates among patients<br />

with heart failure have higher readmission rates. After keeping<br />

more of their patients alive such patients are more likely to be<br />

readmitted. High readmission rates can be from low mortality<br />

rates and/or good access to hospital care.<br />

Source 1 N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1366–1369, 12 April 2012.<br />

Rebalancing the planet<br />

<strong>Issue</strong>s of world population, resources, consumption patterns and<br />

health are rarely discussed together in a scientific and systematic way.<br />

Papers for UN Conference on Sustainable Development on June 20–<br />

22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hardly mention health and consumption.<br />

Developed high-income nations overconsume, and the bottom billion<br />

of the world population need both more calories for minimum dietary<br />

requirements and more resources to avoid poverty and poor health. 2<br />

Source 2 The Lancet Volume 379, <strong>Issue</strong> 9827, Page 1678;<br />

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60700, 5 May 2012.<br />

3


Cambridge<br />

Bert Truelove<br />

01223 844800<br />

4<br />

News from around the Areas<br />

Local news from some of our Groups<br />

Dates for your diary are on page 11, and the list of Co-ordinators and contacts on page 14<br />

Sadly I report that Ken Starling died on<br />

28th April 2012.<br />

Ken Starling was in the Black Watch<br />

during the 39–45 war, and after the war<br />

he gave a lot of service to the Army Cadet<br />

Force.<br />

He had surgery at Papworth in 1995 and<br />

quickly became involved as a volunteer in<br />

the Papworth shop from 1996 until 2010.<br />

He was Secretary of our Cambridge Area<br />

Group for six years, retiring in 2006.<br />

Janet and he were married 58 years with<br />

a family of three sons and a number of<br />

grandchildren. The funeral is arranged for<br />

Friday 18th May at the Salvation Army<br />

Citadel, Cambridge, at 1.30pm.<br />

I’m afraid that we have been very lazy in<br />

not doing much with the Group over the last<br />

two months – perhaps it has been the cold<br />

weather.<br />

At the time of writing it is just a few days<br />

before our April Group meeting, when we<br />

intend to have a quiz evening, which should<br />

be great fun. It also gives a chance for<br />

people to have a nice relaxing talk together<br />

– something I think is very useful if you live<br />

on your own.<br />

Once again we had our Annual General<br />

Meeting late in February, and sadly I have to<br />

report that no younger people came forward<br />

to take office, so back to the old brigade –<br />

and some of us are old.<br />

Papworth trolley being bought<br />

During the last few months we have been<br />

discussing the purchase of a trolley for<br />

Papworth Hospital. The volunteers who<br />

take useful items around to the wards on<br />

behalf of the Papworth shop are finding the<br />

task increasingly more difficult, because<br />

the hospital is built on slopes. They have<br />

a trolley that goes around the hospital with<br />

refreshments for staff, so we have purchased<br />

the same design for the shop volunteers,<br />

with the support of the Norma Jackson Fund<br />

and our own funds. This was delivered in<br />

early May. I know that the volunteers were<br />

looking forward to using this.<br />

The trolley is a black<br />

motorised Flexicar<br />

Snack Trolley, with<br />

a top full-width shelf<br />

with dividers. The 2nd<br />

and 3rd level shelves<br />

are half width with<br />

sloping shelves and<br />

dividers.<br />

It has a removable<br />

A similar trolley<br />

without sweet rail or<br />

motor<br />

lockable cash drawer and a sweet rail.<br />

It cost £3594 + VAT. Papworth Hospital<br />

kindly agreed to pay the VAT. The £3594<br />

comes half from Cambridge and half from<br />

the Norma Jackson Fund.<br />

National AGM weekend<br />

By the time you read this the National Annual<br />

General Meeting will have been held in<br />

Cambridge. I feel sure that this will be most<br />

successful. It will be nice to remember Fred<br />

Roach, and not forgetting Norma Jackson<br />

who helped him in his visits. They both gave<br />

so much encouragement when we needed it<br />

in those early days of open-heart surgery.<br />

We hope June Roach will be present for the<br />

Saturday afternoon and evening.<br />

In the evening we have Jennifer<br />

Thompson and friends to entertain everyone<br />

after dinner, something that promises to be<br />

most enjoyable.<br />

Other activities<br />

We have made arrangements for our summer<br />

trip to Southwold and the theatre, of course<br />

stopping for lunch at the Fox in Darsham. It<br />

is always nice to catch up with Brian, Nell<br />

and their staff, and enjoy the welcome we<br />

always receive from them.<br />

A daughter of a Cambridge Group<br />

member is running the Edinburgh Marathon<br />

at the end of May to support the <strong>British</strong><br />

Heart Foundation. Needless to say she<br />

is looking for sponsorship, which can be<br />

forwarded to me. Those of us who have had<br />

surgery owe our good health to the <strong>British</strong><br />

Heart Foundation for research carried out<br />

over many years.<br />

May I wish you all a pleasant summer,<br />

and keep well.<br />

Halton<br />

Stella Bate<br />

01928 566484<br />

From Margaret Hughes<br />

The Halton Group’s AGM was held on 2nd<br />

March. All the committee were returned<br />

with the addition of one new member,<br />

Betty Rogers. We welcome Betty on to the<br />

committee.<br />

After five years Margaret Rimmer has<br />

decided to stand down as Secretary. We<br />

thank her sincerely for all her work and<br />

dedication, and hope she will enjoy a wellearned<br />

rest. She does, however, remain a<br />

committee member.<br />

For our Easter meeting on Thursday 5th<br />

April we had a games day and held a raffle<br />

with lots of prizes. We also had a sale of<br />

jewellery made by Mrs Ann Buckly, one of<br />

our members.<br />

We are planning a trip to the Imperial<br />

Hotel, Llandudno, on 19th June. We will<br />

have lunch at the hotel and spend the<br />

afternoon having a look round the town. If<br />

the weather is unkind, we are able to stay at<br />

the hotel and use their facilities. The coach<br />

will probably be full by the time you receive<br />

this – contact Beryl McCann at a Thursday<br />

meeting.<br />

Joan selecting some<br />

jewellery<br />

Playing indoor curling<br />

Pam choosing her prize Ann choosing her prize<br />

Stella with her<br />

raffle prize<br />

Lincoln<br />

Bill May<br />

01522 885756<br />

At our AGM in February<br />

Mr Ridley talked about new treatments<br />

which were being done and about moving<br />

to the new buildings. He also thanked the<br />

Hospital Team and our <strong>BCPA</strong> Group for<br />

their support over the last year.<br />

Wednesday 20th June is our annual<br />

midsummer trip to see the Lincolnshire<br />

Wolds with all their beauty and wealth of<br />

history, and with a bonus of a coastal stop<br />

for lunch. Depart Lincoln 10.00 am at North<br />

Hykeham Methodist Chapel, returning 6.30<br />

pm. Cost £9.00 per person. To book contact<br />

Julie Treanor (01522) 685362.<br />

On Monday 13th August we have a<br />

coach to Maritime Leisure Cruises, Boston,<br />

departing 10.30am from the Methodist<br />

Church North Hykeham to catch the ebb tide<br />

at 1.30pm. Lunch will be served in the boat<br />

saloon – ham, beef, new potatoes, various<br />

salads and choice of sweets, with a licensed<br />

bar during the five-hour cruise on the Wash.<br />

Which direction we take may depend on the<br />

sea conditions – if dangerous then we will<br />

go inland up the river Witham to Tattersall<br />

Bridge. Coach, boat and lunch included in<br />

the provisional £18.00 per person. To book<br />

contact Julie Treanor (01522) 685362.


Peterborough<br />

Gordon Wakefield<br />

01733 577629<br />

It is with sadness we have<br />

to report the death of one of<br />

our long-standing and regular<br />

attending members. Margaret<br />

London passed away in<br />

February quite unexpectedly, only a few<br />

days after our February meeting. We will<br />

miss her.<br />

A shared collection at her funeral<br />

presented the Papworth Fund with a sum<br />

of £268; with a similar amount given to<br />

the Sue Ryder Care home, Thorpe Hall.<br />

Margaret would have been very pleased<br />

with that.<br />

Our hosts at the Cherry Tree Public house,<br />

Jess and Ann Caprio, decided to retire on<br />

April the 1st, having run the pub for 16<br />

years. We now look forward to meeting our<br />

new hosts. Don’t forget, everyone will be<br />

made welcome at our monthly get-together<br />

on the third Thursday in the month.<br />

South East London & Kent<br />

Chris Howell<br />

01689 821413<br />

Since the last report we have<br />

had another excellent meal on<br />

13th March at the Toby Carvery, Bromley<br />

Common.<br />

The next Carvery meal will be on<br />

Tuesday 12th June at 7.30 for 8.00. If you do<br />

not usually attend and would like to, please<br />

contact me.<br />

The Beetle Drive due to be held on 13th<br />

April was postponed until a later date.<br />

The Hot Cross Buns evening continued,<br />

and members were ‘bored’ by me and Ray<br />

showing them our holiday photos of South<br />

Africa.<br />

Our next meeting at the Victory Social<br />

Club will be the Quiz night on the 12th<br />

October.<br />

Staffordshire<br />

Eddie Coxon<br />

01782 416143<br />

Hi Folks. I hope you are<br />

all well. On Tuesday 28th<br />

February we had our AGM. Our Chairman<br />

Mr P D Ridley gave us an update on the new<br />

medical teaching they were doing, what<br />

was happening at our new hospital, and that<br />

the cardiac department would be moving<br />

during the end of March 2012 to the UHNS,<br />

which is the old city general site, The same<br />

committee members as last year were re-<br />

West Suffolk & South<br />

West Norfolk<br />

Brian Hartington,<br />

01284 762783<br />

Wirral<br />

George Bird,<br />

0151 653 4530<br />

Crossword answers<br />

Across 1, 4 Living Things 7 Era Anagram EAR 9 Biologist 11 Toes<br />

12 Ever Two meanings 14 Sac Two meanings 15, 17 Chestnut Tree<br />

Song: Under the spreading chestnut tree 19 Bird 21 Skippers Two<br />

meanings 24 ICT 25 Emma From itEM MAde 28 Pile From reversE<br />

LIPid 30 Adaptable Two meanings 33 Its Two meanings 34 Salmon<br />

MONSAL anagram 35 Horses Down 1 Lactic Two meanings 2 Irises<br />

Two meanings 3 Gel Two meanings 4 Tag Two meanings 5 Insect<br />

elected.<br />

After the meeting Eddy Coxon announced<br />

that George Austin and Anna Collier, two<br />

of our members, had become engaged<br />

today. George met Anna during his hospital<br />

visiting, and they plan to wed on the 24th<br />

November 2012.<br />

Our next meeting was March 27th<br />

at which Bill Harrison gave us a very<br />

interesting talk on Ancestry and how to start<br />

our own family tree. We had our usual raffle<br />

– a good evening was had by all.<br />

There is a trip to Bury Market on<br />

Wednesday 6th June – please contact<br />

Malcolm or Mary Lyth on 01782 398676.<br />

Unfortunately we had to postpone the AGM,<br />

and due to my illness I have not yet arranged<br />

a new date. I am going into hospital in early<br />

May, and we hope to arrange a new AGM<br />

date soon.<br />

We intend to arrange a Christmas dinner<br />

for the 3rd of December 2012 – time and<br />

menu to be arranged.<br />

From Barrie Harding<br />

0151 608 6212<br />

Hello everybody from your friends in the<br />

Wirral Group.<br />

As I write these notes towards the end<br />

of April we are experiencing some severe<br />

weather conditions and it is not at all like<br />

Spring. It is bitterly cold and gale force<br />

winds are driving incessant rain to make<br />

things very unpleasant out there.<br />

Getting on to Branch matters, in March<br />

we had a visit by Maureen Ellison from the<br />

Appeals Office at the Clatterbridge Centre<br />

For Oncology. Maureen spoke to us about<br />

the work of the unit and we thank her for<br />

coming to visit us. Unfortunately only<br />

six members were present on the night,<br />

which was disappointing, although we do<br />

appreciate that several regular members<br />

were unable to attend due to health problems.<br />

We had already given some thought to<br />

holding a meal at our April meeting but due<br />

to a lack of interest this did not materialise.<br />

We rearranged a quiz and beetle drive but as<br />

only seven members arrived on the night we<br />

had to abandon this and we therefore held<br />

a meeting between those present to discuss<br />

the problems of poor and falling attendances<br />

particularly when we have a speaker on the<br />

night.<br />

A suggestion was made that we hold our<br />

meetings during the daytime but this was<br />

rejected as some members would be unable<br />

to attend. Another suggestion was whether<br />

we would consider moving to bi-monthly<br />

meetings but, again, this was rejected as<br />

we felt that it would only serve to make<br />

the position worse. On top of this George<br />

Bird has received a letter from Heswall<br />

Hall Community Trust where we hold our<br />

meetings to advise an increase in the cost<br />

of room hire to £28.50 plus a surcharge of<br />

£25 if we need to use their staff on the night,<br />

making a total of £53.50 if we require that<br />

facility. We unanimously agreed against<br />

the surcharge and have accepted a swipe<br />

card to let ourselves in and out and with no<br />

other service. However, bearing in mind the<br />

current small attendances we did look at the<br />

possibility of holding our monthly meetings<br />

in a pub with a meal; or as some of those<br />

present have access to church hall facilities<br />

that may be a viable option at some point<br />

if we are unable to increase attendances to<br />

reasonable levels.<br />

Although there were only a few of us<br />

present we enjoyed a lively discussion (and<br />

a cuppa!) and were unanimous that the<br />

Wirral Branch will survive no matter what<br />

steps we have to take to secure this.<br />

Please do come along and support us.<br />

You know where we are and when we meet.<br />

Details of our events until early 2013 are<br />

shown in the Dates For Your Diary in this<br />

<strong>Journal</strong> and we advertise free of charge in<br />

the Wirral Champion every month – thank<br />

you to John Birtwistle and his staff at the<br />

Wirral Champion.<br />

On other matters, Dr Pip Jones, one of<br />

our staunch supporters, is no longer able to<br />

attend our meetings due to health problems<br />

but he would welcome a visit from any of<br />

our members who know him. If you would<br />

like to visit Pip please contact me.<br />

Once again Steve Legge, our member,<br />

is taking part in the Wirral Coastal Walk<br />

on 27th May and would appreciate your<br />

sponsorship. Thank you Steve.<br />

On behalf of the Wirral Group I will say<br />

Cheerio for now; and look after yourselves.<br />

With sadness we have to inform you that<br />

our member Ella McMullen has died.<br />

Ella had been ill for some time and she<br />

passed away peacefully on 3rd May 2012.<br />

We send our sympathy, prayers and<br />

thoughts to Ella’s family and her many<br />

friends at this sad time.<br />

IN SECTions 6 Source Two meanings 8 Rod Two meanings 9 Be<br />

oBEse 10 TV in whaT Viewers 13 Angst Two meanings 14 Strip Two<br />

meanings 16 Ear Two meanings 27 OTT 18 Roe Two meanings 19<br />

Breeds Two meanings 20 Diadem Two meanings 22 Poplar anagram<br />

POLAR PARTS without the letters STAR 23 Shells 26 Ma part of<br />

EmMA 29 Ie bIEnnial 31 Pin luPINs 32 Ash<br />

5


6<br />

Aspirin also helps cancer prevention<br />

A summary by Richard Maddison of research by Peter Rothwell*<br />

Readers may remember the article on Peter<br />

Rothwell’s work on how Intermittent high<br />

blood pressure predicts troubles, in the<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> for June/July 2010. 4<br />

His recent research findings 1,2,3 hit the<br />

headlines around 21st March 2012. Peter<br />

gave a summary on Today on BBC Radio<br />

4. Essentially low-dose aspirin given daily<br />

to heart patients for five years or more<br />

also helps ward off various cancers –<br />

especially of colon.<br />

The Daily Mail quoted Peter as follows. 5<br />

‘As a father of three young daughters all<br />

aged under ten, I try to look after my health,<br />

and taking a daily aspirin is an important<br />

part of this. I take a low-dose pill, which<br />

is equivalent to a so-called junior aspirin<br />

(75mg a day rather than the usual painkilling<br />

dose of 300mg). I’ve been doing this<br />

for a few years. I know about the possible<br />

side effects, but the evidence suggests the<br />

advantages of taking aspirin are greater than<br />

the disadvantages in my case.<br />

‘I don’t have a history of indigestion,<br />

which would otherwise make me more<br />

susceptible to gastrointestinal bleeding.<br />

The risk of a bleed reduces if someone has<br />

been taking aspirin for three years anyway,<br />

probably because those at risk have already<br />

stopped taking the pill by then.<br />

‘Cancer becomes more common in<br />

people aged 50 and over, and so it might<br />

make sense to start taking aspirin as a<br />

preventive treatment in the late 40s, and to<br />

stop at around 65, when the risk of bleeding<br />

increases.<br />

‘I don’t want to suggest that people rush<br />

out and buy aspirin, but I think it’s at least<br />

worth thinking about for healthy, middleaged<br />

people like me.’<br />

Heart disease benefits known<br />

The benefits of low-dose aspirin to patients<br />

who have had heart disease were already<br />

well established.<br />

A research trial published in 1974 found<br />

that patients who had already had a heart<br />

attack had lower risks of dying or further<br />

heart troubles if they took low-dose aspirin 6 ;<br />

and many subsequent published results have<br />

confirmed that 7 .<br />

Findings are for heart patients, not<br />

general population<br />

The findings below 1,2,3 are not based on<br />

the general population. They come from<br />

analysis of trials of aspirin on patients who<br />

already had some history of heart disease<br />

or other vascular disease. [Vascular means<br />

involving blood flow in arteries and veins].<br />

Thus they don’t suggest that aspirin would<br />

be of benefit to the general population as a<br />

primary prevention to reduce the future risk<br />

of cancers among those that are healthy.<br />

[Primary prevention means trying to prevent<br />

a disease before it happens.]<br />

Cancer risks reduced<br />

Daily aspirin was already known to reduce<br />

the long-term risk of death due to cancer as<br />

well as to heart and circulation. However,<br />

the short-term cancer effects are less certain,<br />

especially in women. The effects of aspirin<br />

on cancer incidence are largely unknown.<br />

The time-course of cancer risks and benefits<br />

in primary prevention were unclear. 1<br />

Peter Rothwell and his team studied<br />

cancer deaths in all trials of daily aspirin<br />

versus control; and the time-course of effects<br />

of low-dose aspirin on cancer incidence<br />

and other outcomes in trials in primary<br />

prevention. 1 [Here control means that the<br />

patients were randomly allocated either to a<br />

group who received aspirin or to a control<br />

group who received a placebo dummy pill.]<br />

The team studied individual patient data<br />

from randomised trials of daily aspirin<br />

versus no aspirin in prevention of vascular<br />

events. Death due to cancer, all non-vascular<br />

death, vascular death, and all deaths were<br />

assessed in all eligible trials. In trials of<br />

low-dose aspirin in primary prevention, the<br />

team also established the time course of<br />

effects on incident cancer, major vascular<br />

events, and major extra-cranial bleeds,<br />

with stratification by age, sex, and smoking<br />

status. 1<br />

The team’s work brought together various<br />

previous randomised controlled trials and<br />

found patterns. In 34 such trials involving<br />

data on 69,224 participants, allocation to<br />

aspirin reduced cancer deaths over five<br />

years or more. In 51 such trials there were<br />

also fewer non-vascular deaths overall. 1<br />

The reduced risk of major vascular events<br />

and of cancer by taking aspirin was initially<br />

offset by an increased risk of major bleeding,<br />

but effects on both outcomes diminished<br />

with time, leaving only the reduced risk of<br />

cancer from 3 years onwards. Patient deaths<br />

from major extra-cranial bleeds were also<br />

lower on aspirin than on control. 1<br />

Alongside the previously reported<br />

reduction by aspirin of the long-term risk<br />

of cancer death, the short-term reductions<br />

in cancer incidence and deaths and the<br />

decrease in risk of major extra-cranial bleeds<br />

with extended use, and their low patient<br />

deaths, add to the case for daily aspirin in<br />

prevention of cancer. 1<br />

Malignant tumours<br />

Daily aspirin as given to heart patients also<br />

reduces the long-term incidence of some<br />

adenocarcinomas. 2 [Adenocarcinoma is<br />

a malignant tumour in glandular tissue –<br />

breast cancers are often adenocarcinomas].<br />

But the effects on mortality due to some<br />

cancers appear after only a few years,<br />

suggesting that it might also reduce growth<br />

and/or metastasis. 2 [Metastasis means the<br />

spread of a cancer from the original tumour<br />

to other parts of the body by tiny clumps of<br />

cells carried by the blood or lymph.]<br />

The team established the frequency of<br />

distant metastasis in patients who developed<br />

cancer during trials of daily aspirin versus<br />

control. 2<br />

Allocation to aspirin reduced the risk<br />

of distant metastasis on all cancers taken<br />

together; adenocarcinoma; and other solid<br />

cancers – due mainly to a reduction in<br />

the proportion of adenocarcinomas that<br />

had metastatic versus local disease. 2 The<br />

effects were independent of age and sex, but<br />

absolute benefit was greatest in smokers. 2<br />

That aspirin prevents distant metastasis<br />

could account for the early reduction in<br />

cancer deaths in trials of daily aspirin<br />

versus control. This finding suggests that<br />

aspirin might help in treatment of some<br />

cancers and provides proof of principle for<br />

pharmacological intervention specifically to<br />

prevent distant metastasis. 2<br />

Colon and rectum cancer from 20year<br />

studies<br />

By 2007 researchers knew that high-dose<br />

aspirin (≥500mg daily) reduces long-term<br />

incidence of colon or rectum cancer, but<br />

adverse effects might limit its potential for<br />

long-term prevention. In 2010 the long-term<br />

effectiveness of lower doses (75–300mg<br />

daily) was still unknown. The team assessed<br />

the effects of aspirin on incidence and<br />

mortality due to colon and rectum cancer in<br />

relation to dose, duration of treatment, and<br />

site of tumour. 8<br />

The team followed up four randomised<br />

trials of aspirin versus control in primary<br />

and secondary prevention of vascular events<br />

and one trial of different doses of aspirin. 8<br />

[Secondary prevention is to try to stop a<br />

disease getting worse, or at least slow down<br />

its progress.]<br />

By analysis of pooled individual patient<br />

data, the team established the effect of<br />

aspirin on risk of colon and rectum cancer<br />

over 20 years (mean 18.3) during and after<br />

the trials. They found that those taking<br />

aspirin averaged overall had reduced 20year<br />

risk of colon cancer, but not of rectal<br />

cancer. 8 Also 30mg aspirin daily didn’t help<br />

prevent colon or rectum cancer.<br />

Benefits increased with longer treatment.<br />

Aspirin taken daily for at least 5 years at


doses of at least 75mg reduced long-term<br />

incidence and mortality due to colon cancer<br />

and also of rectum cancer. 8 Doses greater<br />

than 75mg daily were no extra benefit<br />

here. [Here daily means the team excluded<br />

various trials where patients took aspirin<br />

on alternate days, which found that such<br />

patients did not have reduced risk of colon<br />

or rectum cancer, overall cancer or related<br />

mortality. 9 ] Benefit was greatest for cancers<br />

of the proximal colon [the right side that<br />

joins to the small intestine], which are not<br />

otherwise prevented effectively by screening<br />

with sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. 8 [The<br />

sigmoid is the S-shaped part of the colon<br />

near where it joins the rectum; and oscopy<br />

means viewing with a scope inserted.]<br />

Recommend aspirin for cancer<br />

prevention?<br />

The above gives added weight to hoping that<br />

75mg daily aspirin might reduce various<br />

cancers – particularly of colon and rectum. 3<br />

It seems to need at least 5 years of taking<br />

that aspirin to have the desired extra effects<br />

of reducing risks of invasive cancer or death.<br />

Aspirin might have an effect on the growth<br />

and spread of established tumours as well<br />

as on their initiation. Hence the value of<br />

the analysis of the 20-year studies. Among<br />

patients who presented with localised<br />

cancer, those assigned aspirin had a lower<br />

risk of developing metastases subsequently,<br />

particularly if they continued the aspirin<br />

after the cancer diagnosis. 3<br />

Caveats and conclusions<br />

The team’s analyses were of previous<br />

researches on patients already on low-dose<br />

A package of insurance products as individual as you …<br />

It can take a lot of time and<br />

effort to source appropriate<br />

insurance products with<br />

different companies.<br />

There is another way, the<br />

Unique way, for insurance that’s as individual as you, matching<br />

your needs as closely as possible. Our experienced team in the<br />

Norwich Communications Centre can help protect you in every<br />

area of life – going on holiday, protecting your home, being on the<br />

road, preparing for the unpredictable with life assurance, and your<br />

retirement income; and also ensuring that your wishes are carried<br />

out when you’re no longer here.<br />

In partnership with the <strong>BCPA</strong>, you have access to insurance<br />

policies that cover people living with heart disease and any other<br />

medical conditions, their families and friends and for supporters of<br />

The <strong>British</strong> <strong>Cardiac</strong> <strong>Patients</strong> <strong>Association</strong>.<br />

We also make a donation to the charity every time you purchase,<br />

and at no extra cost to you! So it’s another way to support the <strong>BCPA</strong>.<br />

Have your own Unique experience and call the friendly team<br />

aspirin in primary prevention. They excluded<br />

researches that were of patients in alternateday<br />

aspirin, ie not daily as explained<br />

above. The team chose to do so because of<br />

possible differences in the biological effects<br />

of alternate-day rather than daily aspirin.<br />

Whether such differences, while plausible,<br />

actually happen is far from conclusively<br />

established. 3 The original researches were<br />

designed to study cardiovascular outcomes,<br />

so in them information was not obtained<br />

about cancer screening or surveillance.<br />

Some analyses were limited by the quality<br />

of the data.<br />

These caveats notwithstanding, the team’s<br />

research shows quite convincingly that<br />

aspirin seems to reduce cancer incidence<br />

and death across different subgroups<br />

and cancer sites, with an apparent delayed<br />

effect. 3<br />

Additionally, aspirin’s known benefits<br />

in vascular disease and known toxic effects<br />

in causing major bleeding emerged in the<br />

short term, but diminished over time. Thus,<br />

for most individuals, the analysis seems<br />

to favour aspirin’s long-term anticancer<br />

benefit. 3<br />

* Prof Peter M Rothwell FMedSci, Stroke<br />

Prevention Research Unit, Nuffield<br />

Department of Clinical Neuroscience,<br />

University of Oxford, John Radcliffe<br />

Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU<br />

Sources 1 Peter M Rothwell et al. Shortterm<br />

effects of daily aspirin on cancer<br />

incidence, mortality, and non-vascular<br />

death: analysis of the time course of risks<br />

and benefits in 51 randomised controlled<br />

trials. The Lancet 2012 Published Online<br />

Unique Insurance Staff<br />

March 21, 2012 DOI:10.1016/S0140-<br />

6736(11)61720-0 ; and its references<br />

2 Peter M Rothwell et al. Effect of daily<br />

aspirin on risk of cancer metastasis:<br />

a study of incident cancers during<br />

randomised controlled trials. The Lancet<br />

Online March 21, 2012 doi:10.1016/S0140-<br />

6736(12)60209-8; & The Lancet, 379,<br />

9826, 1591–1601, 28 April 2012; and its<br />

references<br />

3 Andrew T Chan et al. Are we ready to<br />

recommend aspirin for cancer prevention?<br />

The Lancet Comment Published Online<br />

March 21, 2012 doi:10.1016/S0140-<br />

6736(11)61654-1; and its references<br />

4 Richard Maddison. Intermittent high<br />

blood pressure predicts troubles. A<br />

summary by RM of research done by<br />

Peter Rothwell. <strong>BCPA</strong> Jnl June/July 2010.<br />

J172p8-9<br />

5 Daily Mail 27/3/2012<br />

6 Elwood PC et al. A randomised<br />

controlled trial of acetyl salicylic acid in<br />

the secondary prevention of mortality from<br />

myocardial infarction. BMJ 1974;282: 436-<br />

40.<br />

7 Peter Elwood. The first randomized trial<br />

of aspirin for heart attack and the advent<br />

of systematic overviews of trials. J R Soc<br />

Med. 2006 November; 99(11) 586–588;<br />

and its references.<br />

8 Peter M Rothwell et al. Long-term effect<br />

of aspirin on colorectal cancer incidence<br />

and mortality: 20-year follow-up of five<br />

randomised trials. The Lancet 376, 9754,<br />

1741– 1750, 22 Oct 2010; & 20 Nov 2010<br />

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61543-7; and<br />

its references<br />

9 See 3 and its refs 12,13<br />

with that personal touch<br />

today, on 01603 828<br />

246 – or visit www.bcpa.<br />

co.uk, where there’s a 5%<br />

discount for online travel<br />

insurance purchases.<br />

For Travel, Life Assurance, Home and Motor, Annuities,<br />

Estate Planning, Equity Release and Funeral Planning …<br />

The <strong>British</strong> <strong>Cardiac</strong> <strong>Patients</strong> <strong>Association</strong> is an Introducer<br />

Appointed Representative of Heath Lambert Limited. Unique is a<br />

trading name of Heath Lambert Limited, which is authorised and<br />

regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered Office: 9<br />

Alie Street, London E1 8DE. Registered Number: 1199129 England<br />

and Wales. www.gallagherheath.com<br />

Gallagher Benefits Consulting Limited is authorised and<br />

regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered office: 9<br />

Alie Street, London E1 8DE. Registered No. 0772217 England and<br />

Wales. www.gallaghereb.com<br />

7


8<br />

A Papworth Hospital patient’s story<br />

I was born on 7th March 1935 in an<br />

Aberdeenshire village. I had a sister Mary<br />

three years older than me who had a problem<br />

at birth requiring an operation on her hips,<br />

and as this was long before the National<br />

Health Service (NHS) all medical attention<br />

had to be paid for. I also have a brother three<br />

years younger than me.<br />

When Mary was five years old a doctor<br />

was found who would try the surgery but<br />

it went wrong and she was paralysed from<br />

the waist down. Hospital conditions in those<br />

days were far from hygienic. <strong>Patients</strong> with<br />

a variety of illnesses could be in the same<br />

ward and the night time toilet was a bucket<br />

on the centre of the ward floor. Pre-NHS all<br />

treatments had to be paid for.<br />

My father was wounded and his lungs<br />

seriously burned by a war gas in the First<br />

World War. He spent some time in hospital<br />

and after recovery became a nurse. He met<br />

and married my mother who was also a<br />

nurse.<br />

As a nurse my mother was allowed<br />

to care for Mary in hospital but in the<br />

unhygienic conditions both contracted a<br />

series of infectious diseases such as scarlet<br />

fever. During one of these infections my<br />

sister suffered a stroke which paralysed<br />

her right side too. They both recovered but<br />

Mary was almost completely paralysed. The<br />

local carpenter made a wheelchair for her.<br />

When she became too much of a handful for<br />

my parents she was admitted to an asylum.<br />

Many years on, following a tragic death<br />

in the asylum and when cruel practices<br />

were revealed, Mary was moved, happily,<br />

to a new purpose-built care home for the<br />

disabled. She died aged 50. During the bad<br />

times I was often cared for by relations or<br />

other nursing staff.<br />

I also had a serious defect at birth but<br />

thankfully survived numerous health<br />

problems and had to work and play harder<br />

than my colleagues while trying to be as<br />

good as them. I joined the Boys Brigade at<br />

12 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant.<br />

Career and health<br />

While still a Brigade boy and in a five-year<br />

engineering apprenticeship I joined 2612<br />

Squadron Royal Air Force Auxiliaries.<br />

I became a Senior Aircraftsman gunner,<br />

driver, and signaller; and after National<br />

Service induction training retained that<br />

rank. I served abroad in No 63 squadron. I<br />

was invited to apply for promotion but was<br />

worried that my underlying health condition<br />

could let my team mates down. On<br />

completing my National Service I applied<br />

for release, and with the help of my father<br />

in law who also worked on the RAF station<br />

this was granted.<br />

William Gordon, <strong>BCPA</strong> member<br />

I was working as an engineering fitter in<br />

an electric meter factory about 1967 when<br />

a mobile X-ray unit came to check all the<br />

staff for tuberculosis. They found that I had<br />

a mis-shaped and enlarged heart with an<br />

irregular beat. Ipswich hospital took me on<br />

board with annual checkups by Dr Barry.<br />

When Dr Barry retired in 1979 Dr Petch<br />

came from Papworth Hospital to take the<br />

clinic in Ipswich and invited me to have<br />

tests done at Papworth. I was very keen to<br />

have them. The tests revealed I did not have<br />

a proper aortic valve. Instead of the three<br />

opening flaps that let blood pump through<br />

but not back when the pump stroke ended I<br />

had a disc of tissue with a hole in it that let<br />

blood pump through but also some flowed<br />

back to the heart.<br />

1 was checked for suitability of available<br />

replacement valves such as pigskin, plastic<br />

or metal. Each type had a time scale – for<br />

example a pigskin valve guarantee was<br />

10 years and a metal valve up to 40 years.<br />

Thankfully a metal valve was deemed<br />

suitable and I had a Bjork Shiley metal<br />

valve implant. This procedure was done by<br />

Mr B B Milstein and his team on the 7th<br />

June 1982 at Papworth Hospital.<br />

When my wife told Mr Milstein he had<br />

magic in his hands, he replied something<br />

like ‘I am only a plumber.’ She replied ‘You<br />

are a real Gentleman Sir.’<br />

Papworth Hospital<br />

I entered Papworth Hospital on Thursday<br />

3rd June 1982 for a Bjork Shiley aortic<br />

valve implant on Monday 7th June and had<br />

a weekend to learn what would be needed<br />

of me.<br />

In the Surgical Unit Top Floor Ward<br />

upstairs in the big house I was encouraged<br />

to help my fellow patients recovering<br />

from their operations – and learning the<br />

procedures certainly helped to make my<br />

operation and recovery easier.<br />

The weather was warm and sunny,<br />

allowing the fire door to remain open. At<br />

times I sat there in the sun reading one of<br />

the ward’s books, First Overland by Tim<br />

Slessor, printed in 1975, about the Oxford<br />

and Cambridge Overland Expedition to<br />

Singapore involving 6 men and two Land<br />

Rovers.<br />

When looking out of the ward window<br />

at the old building opposite I read a plaque<br />

inscribed thus.<br />

‘Sir German Siros Woodhead KBE<br />

1855-1921 Professor of Pathology in the<br />

University of Cambridge and one of the<br />

founders of Papworth Colony. A very gallant<br />

gentleman.’<br />

At 9pm I was examined by Dr Hodder<br />

who let me listen through his stethoscope<br />

to my heart wheezing, and told me my<br />

operation would be on Monday morning – a<br />

metal valve that clicks but is best and lasts<br />

longer. How true and kind Sir! Tomorrow he<br />

will show me the Intensive Care Unit (lCD)<br />

and will answer any questions I care to ask –<br />

X-ray and ECG tomorrow perhaps.<br />

My personal possessions such as my<br />

watch, keys, driving licence and money<br />

were handed in and I received a receipt for<br />

them signed by E H Steele. That sounded<br />

like ‘Steal’ and raised a smile.<br />

I believe my ward fellows were:<br />

• Mr Bill Wood, a Cambridge Solicitor<br />

aged 74 in the next bed to mine (my<br />

bed was behind the door). A lovely man<br />

full of fun and we got on very well. He<br />

gave me his address and phone number<br />

therefore I was very sad when I learned<br />

that he had died on 20th of June while<br />

convalescing in Mundesley.<br />

• Mr Ken Evans from Hants, who was<br />

quite ill.<br />

• Mr Cook who was from near Diss.<br />

• Mr Varney from Great Yarmouth.<br />

Next day, Friday morning, I had an X-ray<br />

and Mr Milstein came to see me.<br />

After some rain it was sunny again. I<br />

walked to the pond, and watched the fish and<br />

the birds flying around there. I spoke with<br />

Mr David Haggar, a heart transplant patient;<br />

and Mr Peter Hart, also a transplant man then<br />

a Norfolk man with a lung problem. [Peter<br />

Hart died in November 2011, 29 years after<br />

his transplant, and thus far is Papworth’s<br />

longest transplant survivor.]<br />

Still Friday, indoors, at tea time the TV<br />

was switched on for the first time but by then<br />

it was stormy and the lightning interrupted<br />

it. The lightning also cut out the electricity<br />

but the emergency power immediately took<br />

over. We switched the lights off.<br />

The lightning interfered with the<br />

monitors, especially Mr Varney’s, and<br />

caused the staff to run around re-setting<br />

them.<br />

The staff were brilliant, not just dealing<br />

with the effect of the lightning but in all their<br />

work. They were Sister Barker, Staff nurse<br />

Othello, Nurse Vanessa (Auntie Nessie),<br />

Auxiliary nurse Reed, the male nurse on<br />

night shift, the physiotherapist, Norman<br />

the domestics chap, and some others whose<br />

names I cannot remember. All were kind<br />

and helpful.<br />

I took some liquorice allsorts to help me<br />

clear my stomach before the operation but<br />

then I had laxatives next morning. I hoped<br />

the drainage system worked well.<br />

Sunday morning was sunny again so I<br />

did some washing and hung it out on the<br />

fire escape. My wife and daughter visited<br />

almost daily, coming from Felixstowe. My


daughter drove the car and they took my<br />

washing including bed sheets and pillow<br />

cases to wash at home, but I like doing<br />

things for myself.<br />

The lads in the ward were starting to get<br />

onto their feet so I became more useful. If<br />

patients lying in bed tried to raise themselves<br />

up by pushing on their elbows this would<br />

pull out the chest stitches requiring treatment<br />

sometimes back in the theatre.<br />

Rope<br />

Someone had an idea to<br />

have a rope for patients to<br />

pull themselves upright<br />

with, as this tends to close<br />

the wound instead of opening it. As there<br />

was only one rope I had the job of taking it<br />

to whoever needed it in the male ward and<br />

to nurses in the female ward. I asked my<br />

wife to bring some ropes that I had at home<br />

and she did. I scrubbed and disinfected them<br />

in the sluice room and there they remained<br />

until after my operation.<br />

Operation<br />

On the Sunday the anaesthetist came to explain<br />

to me all that would happen at the operation,<br />

to help me co-operate during the procedures.<br />

My wife had asked our friend Mr John Porter,<br />

foreman rigger at Felixstowe Docks for more<br />

rope. The Docks Manager kindly let us have<br />

a whole reel of suitable rope and my wife<br />

brought it to Papworth Hospital that day. She<br />

usually brought flowers too to brighten the<br />

ward.<br />

Monday 7th June 1982 was the operation<br />

day. I had noticed earlier that there was a<br />

Surgeon and Doctors list in reception that read<br />

as follows.<br />

‘Mr Christopher Parish, Mr B B Milstein,<br />

Mr T A English, Mr R Cory Pierce, Mr J<br />

Wallwork, Mr C M McGregor, Dr G I Verney,<br />

Dr C D R Flower, Dr J M Collis, Dr D W<br />

Bethune, Dr R Latimer and Dr J Hardy.’<br />

Tomatoes and rice gratin<br />

Serves 2<br />

1 onion chopped<br />

1 teaspoon (5ml)<br />

dried oregano<br />

1 tblsp (15ml)<br />

vegetable oil<br />

5oz (150g) long grain brown rice<br />

½pint (300ml) water<br />

1¼ lb (500g) tomatoes, skinned and cut<br />

into slices<br />

Seasoning to taste<br />

4oz (115g) Emmental cheese grated<br />

½oz (15g) butter<br />

Method<br />

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the<br />

onions and oregano and stir fry over a<br />

low heat for 3–4mins or until the onions<br />

are soft.<br />

On Tuesday 8th June 1982 I recovered<br />

consciousness in the Intensive Care Unit<br />

and the nurse immediately came to attend to<br />

me. She said ‘Thanks for doing everything I<br />

asked you to do. Everything went perfectly,<br />

you were the perfect patient.’ I was not very<br />

conscious so it must have been the training<br />

I had over the weekend. I was so pleased it<br />

had all gone so well.<br />

I had the stomach tube removed from<br />

my mouth without any discomfort. Then<br />

the nurse showed me a valve like the one<br />

implanted in me.<br />

Recovery<br />

I was taken back to the ward to the comer<br />

bed and not to the one behind the door. I did<br />

not feel severe pain – just some discomfort<br />

groaning even during physiotherapy. In due<br />

course the injection needle in my neck, the<br />

two tubes in my chest and the cannula in<br />

my left arm were removed. By night time<br />

I managed to pull myself upright using the<br />

rope and I was able to walk to the toilet<br />

to use the jar as everything going in and<br />

coming out of my body was being checked.<br />

I was being encouraged to drink a lot,<br />

tea and glasses of orange juice, I vaguely<br />

remembered having some dinner as well as<br />

evening tea. The evening pills trolley came<br />

and I started taking the pills: 2 slow K, 1<br />

furosemide (40mg), 1 digoxin (0.25mg),<br />

and warfarin.<br />

On Wednesday 9th – I did not note the<br />

exact time when – I started making more<br />

bed ropes from ropes in the sluice room and<br />

those from Felixstowe Docks but it was as<br />

soon as I was able to. I cut the ropes into 9ft<br />

lengths, made a loop one end and a dog’s tail<br />

at the other to loop onto the bottom bedrail,<br />

and tied knots at intervals to help patients<br />

get a good grip without the rope slipping<br />

through their fingers and jarring their body.<br />

Nurses brought other patients to see me<br />

Recipes – Janet Jackson<br />

Add the rice and the water. Bring to the<br />

boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for<br />

20mins. Transfer the rice mixture into an<br />

oven proof dish. Put the sliced tomatoes<br />

over the rice. Season to taste, then sprinkle<br />

over the cheese. Place the dish in a cold<br />

oven then switch on to 200C 400F gas 6.<br />

Bake for about 30 mins until the cheese has<br />

melted. Serve with a mixed salad.<br />

Soft fruit pudding<br />

Serves 4<br />

6tbls (150g) butter, melted<br />

1lb (450g) soft fruits – raspberries or<br />

blackberries<br />

2¾oz (75g) caster sugar<br />

1 egg<br />

2¾ oz (75g) soft brown sugar<br />

8tbls (200ml) milk<br />

4½ oz (130g) SR flour<br />

working to encourage their recovery. Mr<br />

Dennis Day was one of these and we kept<br />

in touch for many years – I visited him at<br />

Hitchin several times.<br />

When I finished making the ropes<br />

on the 13th of June, the day my stitches<br />

came out, the nurses got me on to knitting<br />

woollen squares for a blanket. My family<br />

and I finished making one at home with a<br />

red heart and ‘7th June 1982’ at its centre.<br />

We took it to the Papworth Hospital fête on<br />

Saturday 26th June.<br />

Home<br />

I was still having my morning and evening<br />

tablets. My discharge day was on Tuesday<br />

15th June. I was taken to see 19-year old<br />

Tracy in the women’s ward as she was<br />

terrified of her operation, and I hope I<br />

managed to ease her worries. I chatted with<br />

the lady in the next bed too. Mr Glennie<br />

arrived that day. Mr Horace Simpson (Sam)<br />

from Peterborough and Mr Somers from<br />

Ipswich are others I met at Papworth earlier.<br />

My memory is not as good as it was.<br />

A friend drove my wife and me home to<br />

Felixstowe. He wore lead boots and said he<br />

was frightened I might collapse on him so<br />

he sped us home – safely may I add.<br />

I returned with my family to the hospital<br />

fête on 26th of June. My wife had arranged<br />

with Sister Barker to help at the fête. We<br />

gave the woollen blanket to Sister Barker<br />

and Mrs Linda Hart’s stall, but bought it<br />

back again for £20. Mrs Hart had been very<br />

kind to me during my time in Papworth.<br />

I bought several paintings at the hospital’s<br />

annual fêtes. One of them is a View from the<br />

Bubble by Mr A Barlow 1979.<br />

I was put in touch with Mr Des Fox,<br />

Chairman of the local <strong>BCPA</strong> Zipper Club,<br />

visited him at his home in Elmswell and<br />

joined it then. Now it is 30 years on.<br />

Method<br />

Pre heat oven to 180C 350F<br />

gas 4. Lightly grease a 1½pt<br />

ovenproof dish. Gently mix<br />

the fruit with the caster sugar together<br />

in a large mixing bowl. Transfer the<br />

fruit mixture into the prepared dish. In<br />

a separate bowl beat the egg and brown<br />

sugar together. Stir in the melted butter<br />

and milk. Fold in the flour to form a<br />

smooth batter. Carefully spread over the<br />

fruit mixture. Bake for 25-30 mins until<br />

the topping is firm and golden. Sprinkle<br />

the pudding with a little soft brown<br />

sugar. Serve hot.<br />

If anyone has a favourite recipe<br />

please send it to me at 15 Abbey Road,<br />

Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8EE or to<br />

janet.jacksonmail@btinternet.com.<br />

9


10<br />

NICE guidance boost for patients needing TAVI<br />

Dr Bernard Prendergast, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist,<br />

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford<br />

Good news for patients with aortic stenosis!<br />

On 28th March 2012 the National Institute<br />

for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)<br />

provided updated positive guidance on<br />

the use of Transcatheter Aortic Valve<br />

Implantation (TAVI) for the treatment of<br />

high risk patients with severe aortic stenosis<br />

who are unsuitable for traditional open heart<br />

surgery.<br />

For interventional cardiologists like me,<br />

who have been working on TAVI since<br />

2007, it is welcome recognition of the fact<br />

that the procedure is now viewed as an<br />

established alternative to surgical aortic<br />

valve replacement in the most seriously ill<br />

patients.<br />

Technology<br />

With TAVI, we are able to implant a new<br />

aortic valve within the diseased valve<br />

using keyhole techniques – either via the<br />

leg artery (transfemoral) or a small chest<br />

incision through the ribs (transapical). This<br />

technology provides a treatment option for<br />

those who are too ill for open-heart surgery<br />

or have anatomical reasons why their aortic<br />

valve cannot be replaced using traditional<br />

techniques.<br />

Our experience with TAVI in the UK<br />

has been very positive to date, although<br />

expansion of the technique has been<br />

limited – of more than 40,000 procedures<br />

undertaken worldwide, only 1,500 have<br />

been performed in the UK. Nevertheless,<br />

our results compare favourably with<br />

those of our international colleagues and<br />

further expansion seems likely as a result<br />

of falling costs, encouraging clinical<br />

evidence, recommendations of international<br />

guidelines, and the recent guidance from<br />

NICE. Consequently, many more deserving<br />

patients with aortic stenosis will benefit<br />

from what TAVI can offer.<br />

The PARTNER B Trial from the US<br />

certainly provides outstanding data to<br />

support the clinical enthusiasm for TAVI.<br />

In this study, mortality at one year was<br />

20% lower in patients treated with TAVI<br />

than those treated with standard therapy of<br />

medication with or without a simple balloon<br />

stretch procedure (balloon valvuloplasty). 1<br />

In other words, only 5 patients required<br />

treatment with TAVI to save 1 life.<br />

Furthermore, the trial also showed rapid<br />

recovery and convalescence after TAVI,<br />

encouraging improvement in day-to-day<br />

symptoms (breathlessness, chest pain and<br />

dizziness) and overall measures of Quality<br />

of Life, and reduced need for repeated<br />

hospital admission in virtually all subjects. 2<br />

These outcomes match the experiences of<br />

clinicians involved in the management of<br />

this challenging group of patients.<br />

Specialist assessment essential<br />

TAVI cannot, of course, help absolutely<br />

everyone. Some patients may be simply<br />

too ill or frail to gain from the procedure<br />

and in others there may anatomical issues<br />

which make valve implantation impossible.<br />

The role of the specialists is to assess each<br />

patient carefully to determine whether their<br />

condition is most suitable for conventional<br />

surgery, TAVI, balloon valvuloplasty,<br />

or conservative medical therapy. This<br />

decision is best made by multi-disciplinary<br />

teams (MDTs) consisting of surgeons,<br />

interventional cardiologists, anaesthetists,<br />

imaging specialists, and physicians with<br />

experience in the care of the elderly, all of<br />

whom who have been specially trained in<br />

the procedure. These teams must be based<br />

at certified centres that have full access to<br />

the specialised equipment and resources<br />

necessary to perform TAVI.<br />

An inevitable question is whether TAVI<br />

could eventually replace conventional<br />

surgical valve replacement, in the same way<br />

that keyhole procedures for gallstones have<br />

superseded open abdominal surgery. At this<br />

stage, it is too early to form a conclusion<br />

since long-term results are not yet available<br />

and superiority over surgery is yet to be<br />

demonstrated. The TAVI procedure and<br />

associated technology is evolving rapidly<br />

and it seems likely that more and more<br />

patients will be treated using the technique<br />

in years to come. However, we should<br />

remember that it remains a major invasive<br />

and high-risk procedure that is still in its<br />

development phase. Moreover, conventional<br />

surgical aortic valve replacement is a<br />

tried and trusted procedure with excellent<br />

immediate and long term results in well<br />

selected patients. TAVI should not be<br />

offered to patients simply out of preference<br />

for a less invasive approach.<br />

Most exciting developments<br />

Without doubt, TAVI is a ground breaking<br />

alternative to open heart surgery and a<br />

potential saviour for certain patients for<br />

whom surgery is not an option. It is one<br />

of the most exciting developments in<br />

cardiology that I have seen in my career and<br />

I am certain the procedure has a positive<br />

future.<br />

Sources 1 Leon MB, Smith CR, Mack M,<br />

Miller DC, et al. Transcatheter Aortic-<br />

Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in<br />

<strong>Patients</strong> Who Cannot Undergo Surgery N<br />

Engl J Med 2010; 363:1597-1607<br />

2 Reynolds MR, Magnuson EA et al.<br />

Health-Related Quality of Life After<br />

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement<br />

in Inoperable <strong>Patients</strong> With Severe Aortic<br />

Stenosis. Circulation 2011;124:1964-197<br />

Talks offered – Alan Thomas, <strong>BCPA</strong> Life member<br />

A professional speaker for many organisations, I am happy<br />

to offer talks without fee to any <strong>BCPA</strong> Area Group, but<br />

would require travel expenses if the venue lies outside<br />

the Greater London area. Perhaps there may be another<br />

charity that you, a reader, are a member of, eg WI, U3A or<br />

some other who may be interested in one of the list I offer.<br />

The talks I have available are:<br />

• New York – impressions and experiences from many<br />

years of living there; and/or the discovery, development,<br />

scope and character of New York city<br />

• Public speaking – pleasures and pitfalls<br />

• The lively mind – approaches and techniques for<br />

keeping an active mind<br />

Statue of Liberty,<br />

New York<br />

The TAVI valve<br />

is crimped to a<br />

pencil thin size<br />

before entering the<br />

femoral artery. It is<br />

then implanted into<br />

the aortic valve by<br />

balloon-inflation.<br />

The SAPIEN XT<br />

valve is one of the<br />

TAVI valves available<br />

to interventional<br />

cardiologists and<br />

cardiac surgeons.<br />

• Our reminiscences – their value, reliability, prompting<br />

and recording<br />

• Stories – their multiple uses, including performances of<br />

stories of contrasting types<br />

• The Statue of Liberty – precursors, European<br />

inspirations, engineering features, Emma Lazarus, the<br />

ever-changing meanings of the symbol, and immigration<br />

• Carnegie Hall – origins, development, functions, and<br />

how saved for posterity<br />

Please contact me at 0208 579 6606, alro.th@virgin.net,<br />

or 16 Park Place, London W5 5NQ.


Dates for your diary<br />

W 27 June 7.30 Group meeting. Also W 22 Aug 7.30, W 24 Oct 7.30, W 5 Dec 7.30<br />

Cambridge<br />

Chelmsford and<br />

Sat 11 Aug<br />

F 15 June<br />

Southwold trip 4th Wed of even months 7.30 at Great Shelford Memorial Hall<br />

The Making and History of Decorated Eggs<br />

District <strong>Cardiac</strong> F 20 July<br />

Raise Your Glass – A Toastmaster’s Tale<br />

Support Group F 17 Aug<br />

The Easy, The Not So Easy and The Damn Difficult of Nature Photography<br />

F 21 Sep<br />

Barges on the Blackwater<br />

F 19 Oct<br />

The Inca Trail<br />

Halton<br />

F 16 Nov<br />

F 7 Dec<br />

Tu 19 June<br />

Midland Grand Hotel Old and New<br />

Christmas Social<br />

Trip to the Imperial Hotel, Llandudno<br />

All 8.00 at Broomfield Parish Hall<br />

Every Th 1-3 at The Grangeway Community<br />

Every Th 1-3<br />

Centre, Runcorn, for various activities, line dancing, Tai Chi, and gentle exercise<br />

Havering Hearties<br />

King of Hearts,<br />

2nd Thur 7.30<br />

2nd Wed 7.30<br />

At The Royal <strong>British</strong> Legion Club premises, Western Road, Romford, Essex<br />

The Aldborough Room, Fullwell Cross Library, High Street, Barkingside IG6 2EA<br />

Redbridge, Essex<br />

For details contact Tony Roth 020 8252 0877<br />

Lincoln Tu 19 June 7.30 Bill Hodgson. Walking stick makers<br />

W 20 June<br />

Midsummer trip – see report<br />

Tu 17 July 7.30 Bob Oakes, Blacksmith All Methodist Church Hall, North Hykeham<br />

M 13 Aug<br />

Boat trip on the Wash – see report<br />

Tu 21 Aug 7.30 Katherine Theabould & Karen Duff. <strong>Cardiac</strong> Support update<br />

Sat 29 Sept<br />

Day trip to Southwell Ploughing Match, Aversham, Newark<br />

Peterborough 3rd Th 12 for 12.30 Lunches on the 3rd Thursday of each month excluding December at the Cherry Tree<br />

Public House, Oundle Road. Contact Gordon to attend.<br />

SE London & Kent Tu 12 June 7.30 for 8 Meal at the Toby Carvery, Bromley Common<br />

F 13 July 7.15 for 7.30 Strawberries and Cream Night<br />

F 12 Oct 7.15 for 7.30 Quiz Night All at the Victory Social Club, Kechill Gardens, Hayes<br />

Staffs & District W 6 June<br />

Trip to Bury Market – see report<br />

Tu 26 June 7.30 for 8 Talk by Paul Seabridge, Fire safety in the home<br />

Tu 31 July 7.30 for 8 Quiz<br />

Tu 28 Aug 7.30 for 8 Bingo<br />

Tu 25 Sept 7.30 for 8 Heart Start<br />

Take Heart, Southend<br />

West Suffolk & SW<br />

Tu 30 Oct 7.30 for 8<br />

Tu 27 Nov 7.30 for 8<br />

2nd Th 8.00<br />

TBA<br />

Crime Prevention Each last Tu 7.30 for 8.00 at<br />

Music with Karen Shutt on the Piano Thistleberry Hotel, Newcastle, Staffs<br />

2nd Th 8.00 at Eastwood Community Centre, Western Approaches, Leigh-On-Sea<br />

Postponed AGM – see report<br />

Norfolk<br />

Warrington<br />

Wirral<br />

3 Dec<br />

3rd Th 7.00<br />

M 11 June 7.30<br />

Christmas dinner Meetings are usually at the Risbygate Bowls Club<br />

All 3rd Th 7-9pm at Post-Graduate Centre, Warrington General Hospital<br />

Cath James <strong>Cardiac</strong> Rehabilitation<br />

M 9 July 7.30 Games Night<br />

M 13 Aug 7.30 No Meeting<br />

M 10 Sept 7.30 Pat Lloyd Age UK<br />

M 8 Oct 7.30 Dr Geraldine Swift, Psychiatrist<br />

M 12 Nov 7.30<br />

M 10 Dec 7.30<br />

M 14 Jan 2013 7.30<br />

M 11 Feb 2013 7.30<br />

Games Night<br />

Christmas Social Evening<br />

To Be Arranged<br />

Annual General Meeting Each 2nd Mon 7.30 at Heswall Hall, Heswall<br />

Wrexham 3rd Tu 7.00 At <strong>Association</strong> of Voluntary Organisations, AVOW, Egerton Street, Wrexham<br />

<strong>Patients</strong> should have a voice too!<br />

Nadine van Dongen, Managing Director, PIP Health<br />

Sometimes it might feel like we, as patients,<br />

know very little about our conditions and<br />

treatment. After all, doctors and specialists<br />

have years of training and experience, and<br />

could fill many medical encyclopaedias with<br />

their knowledge. That’s why we trust them to<br />

carry out such delicate procedures! However, as<br />

patients we too should not forget that we have<br />

a very important role to play in determining the<br />

outcome of our treatment.<br />

Numerous studies have shown that the patient experience has a<br />

big impact on the effectiveness of treatments. In fact, what doctors<br />

call ‘non-adherence’ to medication has been documented in more<br />

than 60% of cardiovascular patients (Kravitz et al, 1993), despite<br />

the evidence that taking your pills as directed significantly reduces<br />

the risk of further complications (Jackevicius et al, 2008).<br />

So why do we patients not just do as we’re told? Well, as many<br />

of you will know patients with cardiovascular disease often have so<br />

many pills – all of different colours – that it’s hard to know which is<br />

which! So surely something should be done about this?<br />

This demonstrates why it is important for<br />

patients to share their experiences about their<br />

condition or treatment. Through research –<br />

whether it is online surveys or group interviews<br />

– patients have a way to share these experiences<br />

so that doctors and drug companies can do<br />

something about it.<br />

That is where Patient Intelligence Panel<br />

(or PIP Health for short) comes in. PIP Health<br />

is a research company working to improve<br />

healthcare for patients through research. Through their research,<br />

they are able to gather robust data from large numbers of people<br />

which can be used to improve health services and communication<br />

for patients.<br />

If you would be interested in hearing more about their research, all<br />

you have to do is register on their site. It’s totally free, and each<br />

time you fill in a questionnaire they will donate £1 to the <strong>BCPA</strong>. If<br />

you would like more information, or to register, visit their website<br />

now. After all, patients should have a voice too! www.piphealth.<br />

com/<strong>BCPA</strong><br />

11


12<br />

How do we ‘stat up’? - Corey Beecher<br />

It is a commonly known fact that ‘To<br />

exercise is better than NOT to exercise’.<br />

Well just being a fact does not mean that<br />

people will follow the advice given. After all<br />

we have a freedom of speech and therefore<br />

a freedom of action. Even when armed with<br />

the full set of information the choice is still<br />

that of the individual – and quite correctly<br />

too. We should not be living in a world of<br />

dictators informing us of what we should be<br />

doing and then checking up to see that we<br />

are doing as we are supposed to. It is a free<br />

choice as to how we choose to use our own<br />

free time and this should be how it stays.<br />

But some things are better for us than<br />

others, it has been scientifically proved.<br />

Exercise is just one of those areas, where<br />

regularly partaking in a form that you enjoy<br />

and can will provide you with many benefits.<br />

<strong>British</strong> Heart Foundation<br />

So how many of us actually pick ourselves<br />

off of the sofa and get out and moving?<br />

The <strong>British</strong> Heart Foundation regularly<br />

undertake a review of what people are<br />

doing in regard to their risk factor profile.<br />

They look into such things as cholesterol<br />

levels, medication compliance, diet, blood<br />

pressure, heart rates and physical activity<br />

levels. 1<br />

Government guidelines<br />

The government offer us guidelines in<br />

terms of the physical activity we should<br />

be completing. The current guidelines are<br />

for three formal exercise sessions a week<br />

with you reaching a moderate intensity of<br />

exercise.<br />

This should be for around 30 minutes,<br />

Second copy of the crossword<br />

This is here so two people may do it. Fold back page 13 down the<br />

middle so you can see the clues on the left side of page 14 as well as<br />

this copy, without seeing the other crossword itself.<br />

1 2 3 4 5 6<br />

7 8<br />

9 10<br />

11 12<br />

13 14<br />

15 16 17 18<br />

19 20 21 22 23<br />

24<br />

25 26 27 28 29<br />

30 31 32<br />

33<br />

34 35<br />

excluding a warm up and cool down, which<br />

should last 15 minutes and 10 minutes<br />

respectively. Then having 2 days of daily<br />

active living where you are trying to be<br />

more active for an additional 30 minutes<br />

during the day.<br />

The difference between the exercise and<br />

the physical activity is that the exercise will<br />

need to be completed in one go, so just under<br />

an hour for the full session. The physical<br />

activity can be completed in any breakdown<br />

of the 30 minutes you can imagine. So if<br />

during a day you walked for 10 minutes,<br />

gardened for 5 minutes, swept the drive for<br />

5 minutes, wandered around the shops for<br />

10 minutes that would be the 30 minutes<br />

total.<br />

The latest published figures are<br />

interesting. They show that in England there<br />

were 34% of men meeting these government<br />

guidelines in 1998 and by 2008 that figure<br />

had increased to 42%. In Scotland the picture<br />

for men is similar, but the progression is<br />

slightly less. It was 40% in 1998 and by<br />

2008 it had risen to 46%, so more men in<br />

Scotland were and are achieving the target<br />

than in England.<br />

For women, in England it was 21% in<br />

1998 and rose to 31% in 2008. In Scotland<br />

it was 29% in 1998 and went up to 35% in<br />

2008. So it shows that the Scots do complete<br />

more exercise.<br />

The percentages of people who exercise<br />

above, at, or below the government guideline<br />

of 5 times a week also paint a picture.<br />

In England 53% of men aged 16-<br />

24 exercise above the recommended 5<br />

times per week. However at age 75+ this<br />

percentage drops to 9%. 30% of the 16-24<br />

group and 23% of the<br />

75+ group achieve<br />

exactly 5 times per<br />

week. 16% of the 16-<br />

24 age group and 68%<br />

of the 75+ group do<br />

less than that.<br />

Women in England<br />

show similar figures,<br />

with 35% of 16-24<br />

group and 6% of 75+<br />

group achieving more<br />

than 5 times a week.<br />

33% of the 16-24<br />

group and 16% of 75+<br />

achieving exactly 5<br />

times a week. 32% of<br />

the 16-24 and 78% of<br />

the 75+ do less than<br />

that.<br />

Now with the<br />

differing health<br />

issues that the older<br />

generation need<br />

to manage, it is<br />

imperative that they take<br />

the time to find activities<br />

that help them manage and assist them in<br />

keeping themselves out of hospital and on<br />

the treadmill – figuratively and actively<br />

speaking. So taking the time to try different<br />

activities when the opportunity arises can<br />

only be a positive move.<br />

Look in your local area for any sports<br />

development programme to encourage<br />

people to rediscover the sports they left<br />

behind in their youth. As an example Bedford<br />

Borough Council offer a discounted trial of<br />

8 weeks of activities under their Reactive8<br />

programme. This is for people between 30<br />

and 50. It includes ballroom dancing, kendo,<br />

badminton, swim stroke improvement and<br />

golf.<br />

Look in your local library to uncover<br />

what is available near you to start you off on<br />

the quest for a new you.<br />

Compare with Europe<br />

Back to the stats now, with a look at how the<br />

UK compares with other parts of Europe.<br />

The breakdown is for people over the age<br />

of 18 exercising and is not gender sensitive.<br />

The categories are<br />

• exercising regularly,<br />

• with some regularity,<br />

• seldom,<br />

• never, and<br />

• don’t know.<br />

Think about where you may fall in this<br />

list of categories.<br />

For example, in the Czech Republic<br />

5% exercise regularly, 23% exercise with<br />

some regularity, 25% seldom exercise, and<br />

37% never exercise. In Italy 3% regularly<br />

exercise, 26% with some regularity, 16%<br />

seldom and 55% never. In the Netherlands<br />

5% exercise regularly, 51% with some<br />

regularity, 16% seldom and 28% never.<br />

The UK figures are 14% regularly, 32%<br />

with some regularity, 22% seldom and 32%<br />

never.<br />

Ireland is the country with the highest<br />

percentage of people exercise regularly<br />

–23%. Bulgaria has the lowest percentage<br />

for any exercise, with 58% never taking any<br />

exercise.<br />

It is interesting to look at the figures<br />

and see where we, as a nation fall. With<br />

everyone doing just a simple short walk<br />

each day we could improve the percentage<br />

of people exercising in the UK; and maybe,<br />

just maybe, we could one day boast that we<br />

have the highest percentage of people in our<br />

nation regularly exercising and meeting the<br />

criteria for a fitter, healthier body.<br />

Let’s give it a go and overtake our<br />

European cousins and show them it is<br />

possible and that it is FUN.<br />

Source 1 <strong>British</strong> Heart Foundation<br />

Statistics database. heartstats.org, 2010


A New Beginning: Memoirs of a Voluntary Worker<br />

1981-1996 – Fred Roach<br />

Keith Jackson<br />

In the February and April issues of the <strong>Journal</strong> we recollected some<br />

of Fred’s visiting experiences from his chapter headed Smiles and<br />

Tears. We continue with Transplantation.<br />

Transplantation<br />

On 18th August 1979 I had an appointment to see Sir Terence<br />

English at his clinic at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. There were an<br />

unusual number of patients waiting and we were told that the clinic<br />

was running late. Suddenly a doctor appeared who was obviously<br />

in a hurry and he announced that due to an emergency at Papworth<br />

Hospital Sir Terence English was unable to be present and therefore<br />

he would be taking the clinic. The patients were seen in record<br />

time – indeed it was one of the quickest clinic examinations I had<br />

experienced.<br />

Later that evening while I was watching the television news<br />

programme it was announced that the first successful heart transplant<br />

in the UK had been carried out at Papworth Hospital by Sir Terence<br />

English. The patient was Mr Keith Castle.<br />

It was my pleasure to meet Mr Keith Castle and his wife, Doreen,<br />

on many occasions during my work in the hospital. Sometimes he<br />

would stay for a few days for routine checks, at other times he would<br />

have to stay longer. He did not appreciate long stays in hospital yet<br />

he retained a good sense of humour.<br />

I remember meeting Keith on Surgical Unit Top Floor one<br />

Sunday and when I asked him why he had come in again, he said he<br />

must have caught some bug or other. His stay on this occasion was<br />

longer than normal and I visited him often during that period. Each<br />

time he would make some remark such as, ‘They still can’t trace<br />

the bug’. As I went to see him on my next visit to the hospital there<br />

was a large notice pinned to the door of his room. I had seen such<br />

notices in the countryside to announce a Pigeon Shoot. The notice<br />

on Keith’s door was a similar notice with the exception that the two<br />

vowels in the second word had been blotted out and replaced by a<br />

different single vowel.<br />

Prior to his heart problems Keith had been a builder in London.<br />

His sons had since taken over the business. He had visited a<br />

site where his sons were demolishing property and as one can<br />

imagine, Trafalgar Square is not the only place in London where<br />

pigeons congregate or leave their ‘calling card’. The dust from the<br />

demolished property had caused the problem. Once the villain had<br />

been discovered the Papworth team quickly found a solution.<br />

In 1985 Mr Keith Castle passed away. He and his wife Doreen had<br />

been valued members of the <strong>BCPA</strong>. Since his transplant he had been<br />

a fine ambassador for transplantation and had raised considerable<br />

funds for Papworth Hospital. Keith’s death was a sad blow but<br />

the work of the transplant team continued, in that, during 1985, a<br />

further five heart/lung transplants and over forty heart transplants<br />

were carried out. I spent a great deal of time in supporting them and<br />

their families.<br />

The one hundredth heart transplant at Papworth took place in<br />

1985. The patient, Pamela, was also the youngest, being just nine<br />

years old. Her room was well stocked with dolls and Pamela soon<br />

became the proud owner of a nurse’s outfit. Hardly a day went by<br />

without one of the dolls having to undergo a ‘transplant’. The staff<br />

had great fun in supplying the necessary ‘nursing’ aids, hypodermic<br />

syringe (minus needles of course), ECG machines, and masks. It<br />

was amazing what could be made with silver foil.<br />

The introduction of the anti-rejection drug, cyclosporin, coupled<br />

with the skill of the transplant team was to make a dramatic<br />

improvement in the progress the transplant patients were making<br />

- which resulted in earlier discharge from hospital. Often I would<br />

meet patients and their partners who had<br />

been referred to the hospital to be assessed<br />

for transplant. If they were suitable for the<br />

transplant programme they returned home<br />

and would wait anxiously for ‘the call’ from<br />

Papworth. During the waiting period I often<br />

received calls from them on the helpline and<br />

when eventually the call came it was like a Fred & June Roach<br />

re-union of friends.<br />

I remember one incident when I had just returned home from<br />

my Sunday visit to Papworth and then received a telephone call<br />

from a lady in Kent. Her husband had received ‘the call’ from the<br />

transplant co-ordinator and she and her daughter were following the<br />

ambulance to Papworth. They expected to arrive around 7.30pm<br />

and would like me to meet them to give support. I returned to the<br />

hospital immediately and was there in time to welcome the family<br />

as the patient was taken to be prepared for surgery. The family went<br />

to see the patient prior to his going into the anaesthetic room at<br />

around l0pm.<br />

The co-ordinator came to see the family in the visitors’ room<br />

about an hour later and said that the operation was going ahead<br />

and would take approximately another three hours. The daughter<br />

and her fiancé were going to drive back to Kent after being assured<br />

that the operation was over, whilst the wife was going to stay in a<br />

visitor’s bedroom on the top floor of the Baron Ward. It was quite<br />

obvious to me that the wife was extremely tired and under great<br />

stress. I tried to persuade her to go to bed but she declined to do so.<br />

The next message from the theatre was that the operation was going<br />

extremely well and the patient was expected to be transferred to the<br />

‘bubble’ at about 3am.<br />

Again I tried to persuade the wife to go to bed and was supported<br />

in this by the daughter and a nurse who also offered to provide a<br />

sleeping tablet to help her. I explained that, even if she stayed up<br />

long enough to see her husband it would only be through the glass<br />

door of his room and he would still be unconscious. I suggested<br />

that it would be far better for her to accept the nurse’s offer of a<br />

sleeping tablet and go to bed so that in the morning she would be<br />

more refreshed when she was able to see and speak to her husband.<br />

At 1am she agreed that she needed sleep and would go to bed after<br />

being assured that she would be called immediately if she was<br />

needed.<br />

There was one personal problem which caused me some concern<br />

at the beginning. I was severely hard of hearing in the left ear<br />

and wore a hearing aid. The operative word is ‘aid’ and it has its<br />

limitations. In a one-to-one situation, providing that the speaker<br />

enunciates clearly, there is no problem. However, in a ward there<br />

are many noises which override the benefit of the aid, coupled with<br />

the fact that many patients do not feel up to speaking clearly. Having<br />

been hard of hearing since my mid-thirties I had received training<br />

in lip reading or, to be more precise, speech reading. This entailed<br />

observation of the lips, eyes, head and shoulders of the speaker. In<br />

some respects this reading of body language was an advantage over<br />

those people who listened but did not observe.<br />

On one occasion I was about to visit a transplant patient who had<br />

a tracheotomy. The staff nurse told me that there was little point in<br />

me seeing the patient as she was unable to speak but I was welcome<br />

to visit if I wished. I entered the room and spoke to the young patient<br />

and she responded silently. I was able to understand clearly what<br />

she was saying and we were able to have a long conversation. I was<br />

a regular visitor during her stay and it was a delight when the tube<br />

was finally removed and I was able to hear her voice.<br />

13


Crossword – second copy page 12, answers page 5<br />

This crossword has a theme – the answer to 1 and 4 across.<br />

Clues have a straight clue similar to a quick crossword as either the<br />

first or last part. The rest usually either gives another definition ie<br />

two meanings, or is a cryptic clue such as an anagram or a way to<br />

build up the answer. Numbers such as ‘25’ refer to that clue.<br />

Across<br />

1,4 Alive objects as crossword theme (6,6)<br />

7 Muddled 16 period (3)<br />

9 Person who studies the theme (9)<br />

11 Small parts of feet (4)<br />

12 All the time eternally (4)<br />

14 Back in case small bag formed by membrane (3)<br />

15,17 Spreading conker growth (8,4)<br />

19 Two-legged feathered flier (4)<br />

21 Leaders of teams or boat crews (8)<br />

24 Information, computers, technology (3)<br />

25 Girl from where item made (4)<br />

28 Mound of 4 from reverse lipid (4)<br />

30 Adjustable and changing easily (9)<br />

33 It is shortened possessive (3)<br />

34 Large fish that spawns in rivers in messy Monsal Dale (6)<br />

35 Quadrupeds for riding and pulling (6)<br />

Down<br />

1 Colourless acid from muscles in sour milk (6)<br />

2 Parts of eyes and flowering plants with sword-shaped leaves (6)<br />

3 Get on well with semi-solid substance like jelly (3)<br />

4 Label something added at the end (3)<br />

5 Small six-legged animal grows in sections (6)<br />

6 Origin or cause (6)<br />

8 Part of eye sensitive to dim light and fishing pole (3)<br />

9 Exist among the obese (2)<br />

10 In what viewers watch (2)<br />

13 Feeling of dread, anxiety about shortcomings (5)<br />

14 Undress a long narrow flat piece (5)<br />

16 Plant part containing grain for hearing (3)<br />

18 Fish eggs or deer (3)<br />

19 Produces young distinct strains of animals (6)<br />

20 Jewelled headband or crown (6)<br />

22 Tall tree from starless polar parts (6)<br />

23 Hard coverings of crabs or eggs (6)<br />

26 Mother part of 25 (2)<br />

27 Over the top of odd octet (3)<br />

29 That is part of a biennial (2)<br />

31 Secret security code derived from lupins (3)<br />

32 17 burnt remains (3)<br />

Affiliated Groups<br />

Chelmsford & District <strong>Cardiac</strong> Support: Malcolm Gibson<br />

01621 893064<br />

Chester Heart Support: Peter Diamond 01244 851441<br />

Croydon Heart Support: Ken Morcombe 020 8657 2511<br />

Havering Hearties: Jackie Richmond 01708 472697<br />

King of Hearts, Redbridge, Essex: Tony Roth 020 8252 0877<br />

Southend Take Heart: George Turner 01702 421522<br />

Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support: Ken Timmis<br />

01902 755695<br />

The <strong>Journal</strong> is the bimonthly magazine of the<br />

BRITISH CARDIAC PATIENTS ASSOCIATION<br />

also known as <strong>BCPA</strong>. Registered Charity 289190<br />

President: Sir Terence English KBE, FRCS Vice-Presidents: Ben Milstein MA FRCS; Alan Bowcher DMS FFA<br />

Executive Officers<br />

Chairman: Keith Jackson Tel: 01949 836430<br />

Vice-Chairman & <strong>Journal</strong> Editor: Dr Richard Maddison Tel: 01234 212293 Email: richard.maddison@timicomail.co.uk<br />

Treasurer: Derek Holley OBE FCA<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong> Head Office: 15 Abbey Road, Bingham, Notts NG13 8EE Tel 01949 837070<br />

Email: admin@<strong>BCPA</strong>.co.uk Website: www.<strong>BCPA</strong>.co.uk<br />

Opinions expressed in the <strong>Journal</strong> are not necessarily those of the Editor or the <strong>BCPA</strong>. No item may be reproduced without consent.<br />

Advertisements must conform to the <strong>British</strong> Code of Advertising Practice. Publication does not indicate endorsement by the <strong>BCPA</strong>.<br />

© Copyright 2012 <strong>BCPA</strong> and/or the authors<br />

Design and production – John Hunt, john@cartog.co.uk Printed by – Core Publications Ltd, Kettering<br />

14<br />

1 2 3 4 5 6<br />

7 8<br />

9 10<br />

11 12<br />

13 14<br />

15 16 17 18<br />

19 20 21 22 23<br />

24<br />

25 26 27 28 29<br />

30 31 32<br />

33<br />

34 35<br />

Co-ordinators<br />

Cambridge: Bert Truelove 01223 844800<br />

Halton: Stella Bate 01928 566484<br />

Lincoln: Bill May 01522 885756<br />

Peterborough: Gordon Wakefield 01733 577629<br />

South East London & Kent: Chris Howell 01689 821413<br />

Staffordshire: Eddie Coxon 01782 416143<br />

Warrington: Dennis Atkinson 01925 824856<br />

West Suffolk & South West Norfolk: Brian Hartington<br />

01284 762783<br />

Wirral: George Bird 0151 653 4530<br />

Wrexham: Alan Ellis 01978 352862<br />

Contacts<br />

Bedford: via <strong>BCPA</strong> Head Office 01949 837070<br />

Belfast: John Hamill 028 9081 3649<br />

Cannock Area: Brian Nicholls 01922 412753<br />

Chester: via <strong>BCPA</strong> Head Office 01949 837070<br />

East Suffolk: via <strong>BCPA</strong> Head Office 01949 837070<br />

Hampshire: Derek Rudland 01329 282809<br />

Hull & East Riding: Stephen Hackett 01482 561710<br />

Llandudno: Joan Owen 01492 876926<br />

Lowestoft: John Genower 01502 511894<br />

North Staffordshire Implantable Cardioverter<br />

Defibrillator ICD Group: James Lyons 01782 852509<br />

Oxfordshire: Chris Gould 01491 872454<br />

Swindon: Jim Harris 01793 534130


Membership and aims<br />

Whatever your interest it may be that becoming a member is<br />

something you have never considered.<br />

Are you reading this <strong>Journal</strong> as someone who is not a member<br />

of the <strong>Association</strong>? If so we are pleased to count you as a valuable<br />

part of our readership.<br />

However, might you take a few moments to consider making<br />

use of the application form to join the <strong>Association</strong>. It may be<br />

that you are a heart patient, a relative or carer of someone with a<br />

heart condition, or indeed someone taking a general interest in the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> and the support we are able to offer. Whatever your<br />

interest it may be that becoming a member is something you have<br />

never considered. May we invite you to consider it now. We would<br />

be delighted to hear from you.<br />

We partly rely on donations to help us support cardiac patients<br />

and their families or carers. We aim to provide advice, information<br />

and support to help anyone who has had a heart condition, and aim<br />

If you wish to make a donation, please add the amount to your<br />

membership, or send it with your name and address and a signed<br />

copy of the Gift Aid wording if appropriate to the Head Office<br />

address. Donations will be acknowledged.<br />

Amount of donation £ ...........<br />

If over £50 may we also put it in the <strong>BCPA</strong> <strong>Journal</strong>? Yes/No<br />

If you would like your donation to go to your local group, give<br />

Name of Group ................................................<br />

Please make cheques payable to: <strong>BCPA</strong> (The <strong>British</strong> <strong>Cardiac</strong><br />

<strong>Patients</strong> <strong>Association</strong>).<br />

Membership application or renewal<br />

Please send this application to: <strong>BCPA</strong>, 15 Abbey Road, Bingham, Notts NG13 8EE<br />

Subscription enquiries telephone: 01949 837070<br />

Membership £10 per annum Life £100<br />

Joint membership £15 per annum Life £150<br />

Overseas subscriptions £10 per annum<br />

Life members may pay in two instalments, the second being 6<br />

months after the first.<br />

New member Renewal<br />

to help reduce or prevent heart-related troubles. Your<br />

generosity could help us to help others to live a fuller<br />

and healthier life.<br />

If you do not have a group near you and would be willing to<br />

help start one in your area, please contact our Head Office for an<br />

informal discussion.<br />

If you have any questions that we can help you with please write<br />

them on a separate sheet of paper and we will do our best to help<br />

you.<br />

If you are paying income or capital gains tax at the standard rate or<br />

above, you should make the following declaration:<br />

I want the <strong>BCPA</strong> to treat all donations I make in this tax year<br />

and all donations I make from the date of this declaration<br />

until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations.<br />

I understand that I must pay an amount of UK income tax<br />

and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax the <strong>BCPA</strong><br />

reclaims on my donations in each tax year.<br />

Yes, Gift Aid No<br />

1 You can cancel this declaration at any time by notifying the<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong><br />

2 If your circumstances change and you no longer pay income<br />

or capital gains tax equal to the tax that the <strong>BCPA</strong> reclaims,<br />

you should cancel your declaration<br />

3 If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief<br />

in your self-assessment tax return<br />

4 If you are unsure if your donations qualify for Gift Aid tax<br />

relief, ask the <strong>BCPA</strong> or refer to help sheet IR65 on the HMRC<br />

website www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities<br />

Signed………………………………………................................... Date………………………………….<br />

Mr/Mrs/Ms ................... Date of Birth .............................................<br />

Forename(s) .....................................................................................<br />

Surname ...........................................................................................<br />

Address ............................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

.................................................Postcode ..........................................<br />

Telephone .........................................................................................<br />

Email ................................................................................................<br />

Joint member’s name .......................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

Address <strong>BCPA</strong>, 15 Abbey Road, Bingham, Notts<br />

NG13 8EE<br />

Telephone 01949 837070<br />

Email admin@bcpa.co.uk<br />

Website www.<strong>BCPA</strong>.co.uk<br />

Registered Charity 289190<br />

Type(s) of treatment(s) & hospital(s) ..............................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

Is there anything you would like help with or information about?<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

..........................................................................................................<br />

15


www.servier.co.uk<br />

SD3216_C_<strong>BCPA</strong><strong>Journal</strong>_AD_Final_200x140 24/04/2012 12:27 Page 1<br />

Unique insurance.<br />

Partnerships that work.<br />

We have worked with the <strong>British</strong> <strong>Cardiac</strong> <strong>Patients</strong> <strong>Association</strong> and<br />

insurers, so that those affected by heart disease can access comprehensive<br />

and competitively priced insurance and financial services products.<br />

For more information please visit www.bcpa.co.uk.<br />

Alternatively, call the Unique team on 01603 828246<br />

Opening hours: 8.30am - 6pm Monday to Friday<br />

and 9am - 1pm Saturday<br />

The <strong>British</strong> <strong>Cardiac</strong> <strong>Patients</strong> <strong>Association</strong> receives a donation<br />

for every policy sold, at no extra cost to you.<br />

travel • life • home • motor • annuities<br />

estate planning • equity release • funeral planning<br />

The <strong>British</strong> <strong>Cardiac</strong> <strong>Patients</strong> <strong>Association</strong> is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Heath Lambert<br />

Limited. Unique is a trading name of Heath Lambert Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the<br />

Financial Services Authority. Registered Office: 9 Alie Street, London E1 8DE. Registered Number:<br />

1199129 England and Wales. www.gallagherheath.com<br />

Gallagher Benefits Consulting Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.<br />

Registered office: 9 Alie Street, London E1 8DE. Registered Number: 0772217 England & Wales.<br />

www.gallaghereb.com SD3216_C/24042012<br />

<strong>BCPA</strong> – supported by SERVIER UK<br />

Servier Laboratories Ltd<br />

Wexham Springs, Framewood Road,<br />

Wexham, SLOUGH, Berkshire SL3 6RJ<br />

Tel: 01753 662744<br />

Fax: 01753 663456<br />

E-mail: info@uk.netgrs.com<br />

The whole package<br />

for peace of mind...<br />

Coming to Unique for all of your insurance needs will<br />

make life easier for you, by keeping everything in one<br />

place, and we hope to help you purchase some peace<br />

of mind, with protection that's as individual as you.<br />

Our experienced communications centre team has been<br />

sourcing insurance solutions for over a decade now. We<br />

give you that personal service, to assist with travel, home<br />

and motor insurance, life assurance, annuities, estate<br />

planning, equity release and funeral planning.<br />

For further information please visit<br />

www.bcpa.co.uk or for a no obligation<br />

quotation please contact us on<br />

01603 828 246 quoting Magazine.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!