Berwick Area Heart Support Group
May 2008 newsletter
Berwick Area Heart Support Group Next meeting Wednesday May 7th at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm
Guest speaker Lesley Angel.
“It's a while since I had an opportunity to come along to The Heart Support Group so it will be a pleasure to see old friends and perhaps meet some new ones. My talk will be about Gardening and Health [especially vegetable gardening] based on my own personal and professional experiences. I look forward to coming along on the 7th May “- best wishes from Lesley Angel, Health Visitor
Donations
A special THANK YOU this month to our own members, Mr & Mrs Dickson and Mr T.Flanigan. Generous individual donations like this help keep us going! Many thanks also to Tom and Wally who hand deliver newsletters in all weathers.
We would also like to thank General Mills Berwick for donating the paper to print and publish the newsletter.
With the donations received over the last month we have been able to increase the print run and resumed supplying the newsletters to individuals and to the medical professional (ie district nurses ect) who are able to distribute where required.
Do you know someone who would benefit from the newsletter?
Could you pass on your copy?
Many thanks to last months speaker Kathy Tiernan, Kathy spoke of some useful ways to relax, and followed this up with a demonstration. It involved sitting in a comfortable position, in a quiet room away from noise and distractions. Then closing the eyes, and gradually working through the body starting with the feet, firstly becoming very aware of that particular part of the body, and then getting that part to feel relaxed before moving on to the next adjoining part of the body. By the time you get to the head you should be feeling quite relaxed. Kathy then held a brief exercise class. (See relaxation techniques page on our web site, or we can supply a copy of a relaxation cd by Phil Lindsay, covering both Progressive relaxation and Guided imagery contact Terry, details at end of newsletter)
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Psychology Stress Talk by Graeme Gilespie Clinical Psychologist
When people experience a problem with their heart, they often start to think about stress. Stressful events do not cause heart disease. Heart disease is a chronic disease process, with a number of factors contributing to problems with the coronary arteries.
What is clear is that having a heart problem is stressful. This information is intended to help you think about how stress may be affecting you and your recovery. It can also help you think about ways to reduce stress and help you feel better.
Of the things that people have said they have found stressful about having a problem with their heart, here are just a few:
- Being in hospital and having medical tests and treatment
- Having operations postponed
- Having to make lifestyle changes (such as stopping smoking, or changing diet)
- Having to learn about and take lots of new medication
- Feeling at risk of further heart problems
- Troubling thoughts such as ‘why did this happen to me?’
- The impact of the heart problem on family and friends
- Family and friends being over protective
- Having to take time off work and then going back to work
How does stress affect the body?
There is lots of research that tells us what happens when people experience stressful events, like having a heart problem.
When we are in danger or under stress our bodies automatically produce chemicals to help us cope. The chemical that we produce is called Adrenaline. In a real emergency it can help save our lives. When we are in danger, adrenaline helps us to either fight the threat or flee from danger. All animals have this ‘fight’ or flight’ response. Imagine that you are crossing the road. Suddenly a lorry comes hurtling towards you. Your body will react by producing adrenaline that will help you run out of harm’s way.
Unfortunately, many stressful situations can’t be solved by physically fighting or running away. This causes the adrenaline build up in the body and you feel symptoms like:
- heart racing
- rapid breathing
- sweating
- feeling tense
- butterflies in the stomach.
When we are alert like this, we are more likely to think negative or threatening thoughts. For example, when you see the lorry hurtling towards you, a thought flashes through your mind:
‘The lorry isn’t going to stop. I’ll be killed’
The thought would probably be so quick that you wouldn’t notice it, but it triggers more adrenaline into the body. Frightening words, thoughts or memories trigger the body to release more adrenaline. After having a heart problem, many people have frightening thoughts about their heart. These usually get less over time, as confidence in the heart increases again.
When there is extra adrenaline in the body, it can cause other symptoms of stress. These can include:
- poor sleep
- irritability
- poor concentration
- restlessness
- feeling like you can’t be bothered
- low mood
- racing thoughts
- difficulty remembering things
All of these problems can become frustrating and cause additional stress..
The stress cycle
The good news is that there are ways out of this cycle!
What can I do about stress?
These suggestions have all been made by people who have previously attended the psychology talk at cardiac rehab.
Talking to other people – Often when you are feeling stressed, it can feel like you are the only person in the world that feels like this. If you talk to someone about how you feel, this stops the feelings being bottled-up inside. Sometimes you find out that other people are feeling the same. Or that they had a similar feeling in the past and they may be able to suggest things that helped them feel better.
Avoid dwelling on the past – Rather than thinking about what could have been or regretting things that have already happened, some people find it helpful to focus on what they are doing right now. Planning something that you will look forward to in the future can help.
Positive thinking – This is also called positive self talk. Positive thoughts have the opposite effect of negative ones. They switch off adrenaline. When you notice a negative thought, can you replace it with a positive thought?
For example:
- Negative - ‘Exercise may damage my heart’
- Positive - ‘Rubbish'. It will help make it stronger’
Other positive statements are things like:
- ‘I’m doing fine.’
- ‘This is easy.’
- ‘I’m much fitter now than I was just a few weeks ago.’
Try out a few different ones, or perhaps develop your own positive statement that helps you to think positive.
Getting information by asking the nurses and doctors questions – Sometimes people have frightening thoughts about their heart because there is something they are not sure about. This could be about their heart, the tests they had in hospital or their surgery or tablets they have to take. If you have a question that is causing you concern ask one of the rehab nurses or a doctor to explain it to you.
Cardiac rehab – Many people say that the Cardiac Rehab sessions are helpful. There are a few different reasons for this. Firstly, they get more information about their heart and their treatment. Also, they meet other people who have had similar stressful experiences. This helps them to realise that they are not alone. It is also helpful to notice that over the weeks they are feeling better and are more confident that their heart is recovering.
Exercise – Exercise is not only good for your heart, but it can make you feel less stressed too. If you have extra adrenaline in your body, exercise burns it off, so the adrenaline will have less of an effect on your body. Also, it is helpful to set yourself some realistic goals about the exercise you want to do. When you do it, you feel more confident and pleased with yourself.
Relaxation – Relaxation can help to reduce some of the effects of adrenaline, especially tense muscles. This can help you feel calmer and help you to sleep better. You may have been given a relaxation tape by the nurses. Relaxation is a skill that takes some practice, so if it doesn’t work the first time, it is worth trying a few more times. You may already have ways to relax, like using meditation or yoga which are also very helpful.
Do enjoyable things - like hobbies, spending time with friends, or reading. If you are feeling irritable and fed-up, you may not feel like doing very much. This can make you feel worse because you are not getting to enjoy some of the things that you usually enjoy. Some people find it helpful to gradually build up their activity by starting to do small activities or outings for short amounts of time. As their confidence increases, they find that they are starting to enjoy the activities more, and their confidence in what they can do grows. This also helps to reduce stress.
It is normal to feel anxious or not yourself if you have had a stressful experience with your heart. If you are finding it very difficult to cope or you are feeling worse rather than better over time, please talk to one of the cardiac rehab nurses or to your family doctor. They will be able to suggest ways to help you out of the stress cycle.
Ways out of the stress cycle
Wally’s yarn
A man walks into the street and manages to get a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says,
'Perfect timing. You're just like Frank.'
'Passenger: 'Who?'
Cabbie: 'Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank Feldman every single time.'
Passenger: 'There are always a few clouds over everybody.'
Cabbie: 'Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand-Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy.
'Passenger: 'Sounds like he was something really special.
Cabbie: 'There's more... He had a memory like a computer. He could remember everybody's birthday. He
knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman, he could do everything right.'
Passenger. 'Wow, some guy then.'
Cabbie: 'He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a
woman and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his
clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too -- he was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman.'
Passenger: 'An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?'
Cabbie: 'Well, I never actually met Frank. I just married his widow.'
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