December fun

It seems ages ago now that we had our Christmas meal at the Royal in Tankerton. It was once again a jolly occasion and the food seemed to go down a treat – as did the raffle which had lots of items most of them alcoholic! Thanks to everyone’s generosity in not only providing prizes but also buying tickets we made a profit of £87 from the raffle. Also in December, the group purchased a set of medical scales, a portable height measure and a small trampoline for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation team. Several committee members went along to one of the Pulmonary Rehabilation class in Tankerton to present the equipment. The team were absolutely delighted and the class and committee members wasted no time in trying out the equipment.

Peps and Flutters

In November we had a very interesting talk from Samantha Sladden, a Physiotherapist from the Thanet Pulmonary Rehab team. Sam came to talk about methods and devices to help bring up mucus (phlegm). She reminded us that that everyone's phlegm is different but it should not be hard and lumpy. Sam’s first advice is to drink plenty of fluids to thin the mucous and make it less "sticky". We should all be drinking 2 litres a day but remember that fruit juices contain lots of sugar and also NOT caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee which are dehydrating. There were howls of protest when she suggested we drink a max of 2 cups a day but the good news is decaf tea and coffee are not a problem so have as much as you like of those. It’s important to use the active cycle of breathing (huffing) as demonstrated at Rehab talks. If you are still unable to clear your chest and are getting repeated infections, a respiratory physio can assess and help you, starting very simply by putting a straw into 4 inches (10cms) of water in a glass and blowing through it. If you can manage this you may be supplied with a flutter device which looks like a clay pipe with a ball bearing which is raised by blowing the pipe. Both methods set up a vibration through the airways which helps loosen phlegm in the chest. The flutter device she showed us costs £56 to the NHS so it’s definitely better to "train" with the straw and glass of water first - probably healthier too as there will be no issues with cleaning it between uses! A flutter device is a PEP (positive expiratory pressure) device. There are drugs which can help loosen mucous but not everyone gets on with those and she reminded us that they can take a month or so to show any results. Sam also showed us a salt-pipe which is not supplied on the NHS and explained how these may help. (Hers cost £50 and lasts 5 years) She also showed us an inspiratory muscle trainer. If you think one of these devices may be of help to you do talk to your respiratory nurse about it.

Quiz Night 2014

We had a very lively and successful Quiz Night in September, including a nail-biting tie break question. We made a profit of £345 and had a lot of fun in the process.

Raising Awareness

We ran a couple of Awareness Stands this summer. The first was on Tankerton Slopes as a part of the Fun Day - and it was a fun day! We were very fortunate with the weather that day, in fact I ended up slightly sunburned! We had lots of plants and some books and bric-a-brac to sell. The plants attracted plenty of attention and raised us a fair bit of money.

We were helped tremendously on the raising awareness front by Sheilagh McCrossan and two of her fellow Respiratory Nurses, Becca and Mel, who came along to offer Spirometry testing. They did a grand job of selling our group too, signing up a number of people to our newsletter mailing list and encouraging people to come to our meetings. We were very grateful for their help and it was a real boost to have them there. Between the books, plants and donations we made a profit of £168 and had a good day in the bargain.

We held another Awareness Day at the end of August at Asda in Canterbury - and thanks to everyone who took a turn helping including the Respiratory Nurses. It was very successful, with us giving away something like 150 balloons to the many children who came through the doors and collecting £264 in the process. It was well worth it.

Strawberry Tea 2014

There was a lot of laughter and chatter at our Strawberry Tea. The table was beautifully decorated with pretty posies and piled high with strawberries, scones, jam and lots of cream. The weather was lovely and we all tucked into the food with gusto. We had quite a few of guests to swell the numbers, including a couple of new members, some family and friends, members of the choir and three of the Specialist Respiratory Nurses – and everyone seemed to have a good time.

When everyone had had their fill we had a couple of games to keep the fun going. Linda had prepared a dice throwing game and Jim had brought along a big plastic skittles game which caused quite a riot and a lot of giggles. We were quite glad there were a few younger people present to keep picking up the fallen skittles though! Jim and Linda kindly provided prizes for the winners but the joy was very much in the playing rather than the winning.

The Summer Bonnet competition was won by Val Hicks who had covered her bonnet with an abundance of pretty flowers. We also had a raffle with plenty of donated prizes, and that along with the charge for the Tea brought us a profit of £100 for the event – our most profitable Strawberry Tea to date!

Coach to Brogdale

We were very fortunate with our coach outing to Brogdale in Faversham. The sun shone the whole time and we pottered around the craft shop, the butchers, the cheese and pie shop (a particular favourite) as well as the craft shop and the garden centre. Quite a number of us were quite laden down by the end of the afternoon – and I’ve already been back with my other half!

The cream tea was delicious, they gave us a mixture of plain and fruity scones and some extra fresh strawberries too.

Breathe of Life Choir

We had a terrific time when the Breathe of Life choir c

ame to sing to and with us. After an initial half an hour performance we took an extended break to socialise, have tea and consume the lots of lovely homemade cakes which were made for the occasion. We also had a raffle run by Jim, a competition run by Linda, a ‘guess the number of eggs in the jar’ from me. All that and the ever popular Bring and Buy raised a total of £80 for the meeting, which was brilliant. After the break the choir mingled with the rest of us and we all sang some well known songs like ‘She’ll be coming round the Mountain.’ Everyone who came said they’d had a lovely time and I must thank everyone who contributed to the afternoon and made it such a success.

Air Ambulance

We had a presentation in February from a volunteer with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. We were fascinated to hear all the details of what it takes to keep the two helicopters, all the equipment, the onboard doctors and the paramedics flying an average of 5 missions every day – a staggering £5 million per year. The only help they get from the government is the loan of the paramedics, all the rest has to come from fund raising. We learned the benefits of being able to effectively bring an A&E to a crash site, with them being able to get to most scenes within half-an-hour – they’ve even done emergency surgery at the roadside in dire circumstances! The group officially gave the Air Ambulance a donation of £25 and a tin was passed around for members to put money in if they wished. We have since received a Thank You letter from the trust, they are very grateful because in all we raised over £90 for them. Proof, I think, of how important we all consider the service to be.

Hypnotherapy

The group started the year well, in spite of all the rain, with a talk from Michelle Wakerell, a local clinical hypnotherapist. Michelle spent much of the meeting de-bunking the myths about hypnotherapy and reassuring us that hypnosis can’t make you do things you don’t want to do. Michelle explained that, although she is also a registered psychotherapist, she finds great success using hypnotherapy for ‘fixing’ behaviours that are detrimental to us. Particularly successful examples are smoking cessation, weight loss and panic attacks. Michelle described being hypnotised as being in an altered state of consciousness, a bit like when you’re nodding off in an armchair or concentrating so hard on something you block out all other noises or things around you. She assured us that there is nothing to fear and that the client is aware of what is going on at all times. Many behaviours like nail biting or smoking are as a result of unconscious thoughts or feelings, often formed when we are children, and the beauty of hypnotherapy is that it speaks directly to the unconscious. The other good thing is that, unlike traditional counselling, hypnotherapy can help in a short number of treatments. Michelle said that smoking cessation can sometimes be successful after just one session and something like weight loss could take 5 or 6 sessions. The key thing though is that the person has to really want it otherwise it won’t be effective. The group seemed really interested and asked lots of questions, including whether it is available on the NHS – at the moment it isn’t although another short-term form of therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (also good for things like anxiety and panic attacks) is.

Christmas Lunch 2013

We certainly finished last year in style with our most successful Christmas Lunch to date. Forty people, including Michaela and Anne from the Respiratory Team, came along to The Royal in Tankerton to celebrate, enjoy the food and generally kick off the festive season. To help things along we had a successful raffle which raised £73 and a competition as well. Linda had challenged us to convert an old BLF T-shirt into something else and there were 4 entries for this: a door-stop doll, a trophy, a cute snowman and a bobble hat. Michaela judged the entries and declared the bobble hat the winner. Jim provided a ‘Pointless’ prize which was well received.

Tai Chi

Our November meeting was a popular one with several new people joining the group. Local Tai Chi practitioner Jack Kenny told us about the history and benefits of Tai Chi. He was most entertaining and got the group doing some gentle arm movements while he explained how it can help all sorts of conditions. Jack can be contacted on 01227 272304.

AGM and Bingo

In October we had our AGM where we discussed events of the past year and came up with some ideas for the next year. We elected our new committee who are: Carol Hakimian – Chairperson and Treasurer; Rosemary Barden – Secretary; Jim Harris – Publicity Officer; Chris Moore – Minute Secretary and two new committee members Chris Bennett and Linda Hurst. ‘Thank you’ to Janet Curtis and Brenda Biggs for their work on the committee last year. Loraine and Bill Church are continuing to sort out the refreshments and Laurie and Linda will continue with the Bring & Buy – both essential parts of the meetings and much appreciated. We followed the formal business of the AGM with a few games of Bingo courtesy of Karen Cotter which was good fun.

Inhalers

Last month Kiri Moseley from the Respiratory Team gave us an enlightening talk on getting the best out of your inhaler. Kiri first gave us a reminder about the structure of the lungs and how they work. She then went on to emphasize the importance of using inhalers properly. Her tips include: Shake the inhaler before each use – this ensures the propellant is evenly distributed and works properly Breathe out whilst shaking, put the inhaler in your mouth, then gently and slowly press the button/canister (as appropriate) whilst breathing in. If you have difficulty activating your inhaler there are alternate makes or aids available to make it a bit easier. Allow 30 seconds between puffs Rinse your mouth or have a drink of water after using an inhaler containing a steroid With a volumatic spacer: shake the inhaler and place in the hole, breathe right out into the volumatic, press the inhaler once then gently breathe in and out 5 times If using a spacer it is important to wash it monthly to keep it clean and to avoid residue build up. Air dry it rather than using a cloth. Replace every 6-12months. And Kiri says they can be put in a dishwasher. Jim Harris, also has a tip to work out when your unmetered inhaler is empty: weigh it! Jim says a full Ventolin inhaler (canister only) weighs about 34grams and an empty one about 16grams. Of course you need accurate scales to weigh them on and should weigh each one when full in case of variation – but if you’re not sure how long one has been in use and whether or not it’s still got anything left in it (other than propellant), then this could help you figure it out.

Strawberries and Summer Bonnets

We had a very jolly and successful Strawberry Tea in July with lots of things going on. The tables were beautifully decorated with posies of flowers along with plates of scones, strawberries and lots of cream, all of which added to the atmosphere. As well as the tea we had a fun game courtesy of Jim – a race on his sound and light machine with some fun prizes for the best 3 competitors. We also had a decorated summer bonnet competition and some excellent entries for that. The hat decorations were very varied and included fruit, flowers, cocktail umbrellas, and miniature ‘windmills’ to give a few examples. The winning hat however was strikingly decorated by Janet Curtis with lovely shells and had a band around it saying ‘she sells sea shells at the sea shore.’

We also had some visitors to our tea – Joanne came from the British Lung Foundation to give us an update. The BLF is having to streamline and Joanne, along with the other Development Officers, are losing their jobs. Joanne was starting a new job the following week so it gave us the chance to say farewell to her. The Breathe Easy network will be supported in future by a team in Liverpool known as BLF Direct. Our other visitors were Karen Cotter from the Pulmonary Rehabilitation team and two new members of the team - Carol the Rehab team’s new secretary and Anita the new Specialist Respiratory Nurse who will be based in Faversham. We rounded the afternoon off with a raffle which raised a much appreciated £35.

Fun Day on the Slopes

The group joined in the Fun Day on Tankerton Slopes to raise a bit of money selling books, plants and toys and to raise awareness of our group. We were joined in the afternoon by the singing for breathing group, now calling themselves The Inspirations which earned a bit more money and raised spirits too.

Coach Trip to The Walpole

The highlight of our year so far, our coach trip to the Walpole Bay Hotel & Museum in Margate, was a terrific success. On arrival the 34 members and friends who came on the trip were treated to a talk about the history of the hotel and the Bishop family’s experience of taking over and restoring the hotel – which was both amusing and fascinating. After a sumptuous Cream Tea with probably the biggest and freshest scones I’ve ever seen the group was then left to wander around the hotel which the family also describe as a ‘living museum’ Getting around the hotel involved taking the original 1927 Otis trellis gated lift which is still maintained in good working order.

On each floor there are eclectic collections of all sorts of objects from the 1920s onwards including furniture, clothing, pottery and dolls to give a few examples. On the walls throughout the hotel are framed linen napkins which have been drawn or painted on by various guests over the years. All the rooms have been renovated and have en-suite bathrooms but the family have retained the period feel of the place. A number of our members were also interested to find out that they do a 4 course Carvery Sunday lunch for £20 each along with an accompanying pianist. It truly is a unique place and I think quite a few of us will go back again.

Pilgrims Hospice

Maureen, a Family Services Manager with the Pilgrims Hospices came to talk to us about the services they offer – which is not just end of life care. They are also not just for cancer sufferers but include patients with other chronic diseases like COPD and Parkinsons for example. They provide specialist palliative care which means controlling symptoms and trying to make life easier for these patients. As well as their in-patient care they have a number of out-patient courses and services. Called Living for Today these are programmes of support for patients and families coping with life-limiting illness. Each progamme is usually 4-6 weekly sessions providing a mix of advice, information, guidance and activities. These programmes include: • Caring with confidence • Breathlessness management • Time to Create (arts and crafts) • Coping with stress • Healthy living They also provide Counselling for Families and Bereavement Support. All of these services are provided free of charge but patients do need to be referred to them by a health professional. For more information see their website at www.pilgrimshospices.org or call the Community coordinator on 01227 812617. Or call into their drop-in coffee mornings on Tuesday mornings between 10-12am.

Clair from the BLF

It is always welcome to have someone from The British Lung Foundation (our 'head office') come and see us and Clair Henderson was a particular delight. Clair gave us a rundown on how the British Lung Foundation got started and the development of the Breathe Easy support network, which now numbers over 230 groups throughout the UK. She also gave us an update on the happenings at the BLF, which includes the current campaigns against smoking in cars and raising awareness of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Clair also spent some time telling us about the Helpline which is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm on 03000 030 555. The helpline is staffed by a variety of health professionals including a counsellor. They can offer information about the treatment and management of your lung condition; guidance about what you can do to help make your condition easier to live with; information about welfare benefits; and information about inhalers, antibiotics, steroids and other medications as well as hints and tips to help make life easier. Talking about BLF resources, the website has been re-vamped and looks very smart as well as providing a wealth of information for users. Check it out at http://www.blf.org.uk. After the tea break Clair took the opportunity to get to know the members and they in turn picked her brains for ideas on fund raising and raising awareness.

Snack Attach

Our January meeting was the first in our new hall at Herne and members were very pleased with the warmth of it and the parking and voted it a hit. We also welcomed a new member which is always a delight. Our speaker was Claire Addis a dietician assistant to the Community Dieticians Team who was very enlightening. Claire explained to us that having a lung condition can affect a persons’ weight in either direction and the team like patients with a lung condition to have a BMI of between 20 and 30. Patients may put on weight because of reduced activity, comfort eating or medication such as steroids. This puts an increased strain on the heart and joints and increases the risk of diabetes, all of which can make both mobility and breathing even worse. Claire’s advice is to reduce your portion size by switching to a smaller plate, to increase your fruit, salad and vegetables whilst reducing the carbohydrates and meats. Many patients however, lose weight with a lung condition due to loss of appetite caused by the strain of breathing/coughing which also burns more calories. Claire’s advice for this is to eat little and often and snacking between meals is very much encouraged if you are losing weight. Milky drinks and cheese are encouraged also, not just for the extra calories but for the extra calcium which is beneficial. Claire played a ‘sort the snack’ game with us to see how clued up we are in guessing the calories in various popular snacks. The top rated one, from a calorie vs benefit perspective, is a small packet of dry roasted peanuts. Nuts are high in calories but have actually been shown to help reduce cholesterol in the body because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. They are also rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and are packed with anti-oxidents. From a heart-health perspective unsalted nuts should be chosen.

Christmas Lunch 2012

We had a very successful Christmas Lunch at The Royal in Tankerton. Almost 30 people made it this year which was lovely. The choice of main course was very welcome and everyone enjoyed their meal. We also held a raffle which raised nearly £80 and offset some of the cost of the meal, which was slightly subsidized. The management of The Royal even contributed some wine to our raffle which was very generous of them. We were joined by Anne and Gina from the Respiratory Team and by Mollie Jackson, our past Chairperson and group founder. It was a real pleasure to see them and have a chance to catch up.