Cardiac club newsletter 58 april 2013 _2_

Affiliated to the National Heart Foundation Chairman Graham Priest 4 Kaikomako Rd., Waikanae 5036 ph 04 293 7872 e-mail [email protected] Secretary Judith Furze ph 04 298 2015 e-mail [email protected] Hi Folks Our e-mail address is now [email protected]. My personal e-mail is changed to [email protected] . The old xtra address will still work but until Telecom/Yahoo work out their differences my new computer doesn’t have an effective garbage filter hence the change. Anything that pertains to club business can you use the Cardiac Club address so all the committee is able to access it in case I am not available. I can also report that the change from pc to iMac computer is not as traumatic as I had originally thought. For anyone else contemplating a change in computer either Mac or pc be aware that the new Mac models do not have a dvd/cd/blu ray device attached nor do they support blu ray for movies and if you want to access any old records / files on cd you will need to cough up another $120 or so for the privilege and the supplied keyboard is of the old very small size missing a number of pc keys like backspace/end/home etc plus the number keys on the side if you work with figures. A modest sum in excess of $100 will solve the problem if you don’t specify the requirement when ordering. None of this is apparent on their spec sheet on the Internet unless you are adept at reading what is not included. If you buy a new pc of the all in one style you may very also have to do the same external cd drive thing. However despite having to buy all new programmes to make it work you will be rewarded with a far more capable machine and much faster whether you choose pc Windows8 or iMac. A reminder the venue for our meetings is at the KCDC library and our meeting time is now 2pm, turn right as you go into the foyer of main door at the library. The Joan Carr Memorial Walk on Sunday 10th February was well supported by members and gave an excellent opportunity to meet and greet the public. The beautiful area around the Waikanae Lagoons was a picture on a perfect morning making for a very enjoyable event to showcase the club and promote the Heart Foundation. There has been some changes at the cardiac department at Wellington Hospital with the departure of specialist nurse Paul and Paula Peacock who have moved to Nelson, a new cardiac rehab nurse at Kenepuru to replace Chris Murphy who has joined Janet Dunbar’s heart failure team at Kenepuru and Siobahn Seeney as a new Wellington based cardiac rehab nurse. Most Tuesdays someone from the cardiac rehab team will walk with us for half an hour so it is a good time to meet for a chat. Totally non cardiac related but if you are passing through Levin be aware that a competitive element on petrol prices reign as there is a Gull outlet which means that mysteriously other petrol companies are able to offer prices significantly lower than Kapiti. Also non cardiac related we had a significant makeover at home using local tradespeople and the experience has been good with everyone involved turning up on time, doing an excellent job , finishing when promised and in all cases on budget. The other interesting thing to learn was that our new gas hob, rangehood and oven were all supplied by a local supplier without haggling at prices significantly below what we could buy online and without delivery charges. Internet isn’t always cheap plus local is great if you have a warranty claim. At this time of year many people will have some green tomatoes that will never ripen and pumpkins that have suddenly stopped growing. Don’t throw these away as green tomatoes cook okay or made into soup, relishes or cooked, pulped and frozen. Very small pumpkins taste almost the same as zucchini so use them in exactly the same way and as the skin is very soft they don’t need peeling. We recently had a demonstration of Tai Chi by Hunter Donaldson who runs regular classes in Waikanae and Paekakariki. This gentle excercise is suitable for most people and as an extra benefit appears to assist balance as well. Contact him at [email protected] I have mentioned before about blood pressure medication. Generally speaking modern bp drugs are safe, well tolerated and effective and in most cases with minimal side effects. It is a sad fact of life though that unless there is a considerable reduction of weight or significant increase in exercise/fitness level that if you need to take them it is for life and as soon as you stop then the bp will rise back to at least what it was before treatment. Also be aware that intervention treatment starts nowadays considerably below levels that were regarded as normal for an aging person only a few years ago. A bp check should happen at each doctor or nurse visit and if not done as a matter of course you should quietly insist on it being measured. A number of patients are given ace inhibitors/betablockers or calcium agonists post heart attack simply to reduce the load on damaged heart muscle and improve the pumping effect of what you have left. For people with damaged heart areas and consequently a reduction in cardiac output frequently a diuretic (water pill) is also prescribed to ensure that excess fluid is removed which can be essential to again reduce cardiac load, swollen ankles and even fluid in the lungs which can cause a persistent cough. A very useful and widely prescribed medicine, Bataloc (metoprolol) can possibly cause really bad dreams so if that is the case there are many alternates. Similarly another widely prescribed Accupril (quinapril) sometimes will cause a dry persistent cough but again there are alternates. Does all this work ? I think the evidence is fairly compelling and if a few pills a day ensure that I don’t see the inside of icu again it is worth the minor inconvenience of dashing to the toilet which is really the only major downside to my treatment which appears to have kept me going long past what would have been my lot a mere 20 or so years ago. Remember also if you have had a stent fitted, bypass surgery or had a heart attack you still have cardiac disease---it doesn’t go away even though the intervention certainly fixes the immediate problem but there is still an underlying condition that needs to be recognized and treated. I am amazed at people who have never tried mussels—they are plentiful, cheap and you can buy as few as you want from most supermarkets. For a small meal you will need 6 or so and for a large serve a dozen. Do yourself a favour and try them like this. Scrub the shells with a stiff brush and remove any hairy bits sticking out. Chop up 2 tomatoes, a couple of spring onions plus tops, garlic, chili, a celery stick, a good glug of olive oil, some fresh pepper and heat gently on the stove in a biggish pot for a few minutes, add the mussels, a really generous amount of parsley and half a cup of white wine and turn the heat up high, lid on. They cook in just a few minutes and are done as soon as they open—don’t overcook. Serve with pasta and a salad using the liquid as a first course soup. Get your ‘flu jab now if you haven’t already done so plus if you are subject to chesty infections look at a pneumonia vaccination too. Check pricing it isn’t free and prices vary wildly from $70 odd to $105 at various surgeries within Kapiti. Regards Graham Priest

Source: http://www.kapitihealth.org.nz/docs/Cardiac_club_newsletter_58_April_2013.pdf