This week, I want to share with you some roles and responsibilities of the BHF team.
Did you know that we have several cardiac nurses in the forum every single day, that identify and rectify any clinical inaccuracies that might have been shared by members of the community on Health Unlocked. They're an invisible team to you as they don't directly interact with the community, but they do ensure that inaccurate clinical information isn't shared, and keeping you safe! Thanks team!
Please keep to supportive messages only. If there are any issues, please use the report function rather than respond. Really appreciate it.
Hope you have a great week.
Sincerely,
Amy! 👋
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Amy-BHF
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Hi Amy - Thank you for adding a new social Check-in - I love these, it's great to catch-up on what everyone's been up to!😍
It's really good to hear that there are cardiac nurses in the forum daily as there was a post made on Saturday morning from someone called "Sticky1" in reply to a member called "Scared". Sticky was advertising his wares that sounded like supplements and things and there were ingredients in the supplements that could have reacted really dangerously to those of us on the standard blood thinners and beta blockers - I reported it straight away and thankfully it was removed on Monday!
Please thank the nurses for looking out for our best interests. Carol 👍
That's interesting to know Amy. Thank you and the nurses for all that you do.
Thank you for the reassurance of the hidden nurses that are looking out for us. it must be a nightmare for them as there are so many 'Snake Oil' salespersons around. I for one cannot understand why someone would want to make money out of others suffering , but maybe that's the reason why I am poor.
I know just what you mean, Daisymoonbeam - as if people don't have enough problems without crooks like these trying to profit from them! It's usually hard to make me cross but these people really do! Grrrrr😱
It's how convincing they are, even I have reread and reread about a supplement or two and have thought "this must really be true" only to find out that it was just a scam. I am not looking for a miracle cure, I am happy with my lot, but just now and then I read about something and wonder......what if it's true? and that's the moment I realise their selling magic has begun to have a hold, so I stop reading, have a cup of tea and hang my fat balls out and watch the birds nibbling away...
I do that too, Daisy - I love the garden and all the wee creatures in it. I've had three jays visit over the past couple of days. Two adults and their baby - that's the first time in the 18 years since I bought the house. I'm just so pleased!
These crooks can really be convincing can't they - like yourself, I'm sometimes almost taken in, but I'm really careful these days after the HA and CABGx3 to always speak to the pharmacist or GP before I take ANY supplement. That scoundrel that posted on Saturday morning really could have caused a dangerous incident if anyone had taken him up on his offer and bought those supplements over the weekend! It just makes me so angry - my Mum & Dad would have called them 'gangsters'! It's just as well the nurses were looking out for us and removed it for us on Monday. 🤩 I always make sure to report things like that now.
Hello daisy poor i am not so sure, in many ways you are very rich.
Well there is hope that they now put them down the toilet after reading this thread, better money lost than any more ill health, but it seems that even what we think of as innocent vitamins have binding to them that could effect us, at best they pass out of us, but at worse? well that doesn't bare thinking about. I also will make use of the report button if I see anything like it again on here.
I’m so glad that poor quality health information can be corrected before it has the potential to do harm. Sometimes people mean well but the don’t know what they don’t know, and that includes me.
I too have reservations about supplements. Even my cardiologist said he was getting irregular heartbeats after taking a supplement and that they stopped when he stopped the supplement. (he didn’t tell me what it was!) . If a highly educated consultant cardiologist who works at a very well known London hospital which is also Centre of Excellence can fall for it, then we certainly can too. Even too much coffee has put people in A&E with rapid palpitations.
I really do understand that people want to help themselves but there’s no need to take all manner of unregulated pills and powders. People would be better off spending that money at the supermarket on fruit and veg, beans and pulses and other whole foods.
A lot of these so called health pills are just a load of expensive rubbish in my view!
Once my father in law said to me how I must get through lots of fruit and veg every week and I said how fruit and veg is good for you and how we like to do things that are good for us and we enjoy them as well and he agrees fruit and veg is extremely good for you!
Absolutely! And you don’t need to buy expensive superfoods either. Just your regular apples and oranges, carrots and yes, turnips too! A lot cheaper than making expensive wee wee.
I think that the fear that drives people into the arms of the snake oil salespersons needs to be addressed, but in this modern world there is very little backup after procedures and tests are done leaving the mind to run wild and the need to find alternative help. Its an easy trap that these charlatans know how to set and use.
Could I take moment to remind members to visit or re-visit the main BHF site, it is updated all the time, it holds a wealth of information, but it doesn't replace hearing from others that have gone or are going though this illness of ours.
A balance of both works for me, hopefully it will for you.
yes BeKind im ticking along as I hope you are. I didn’t realise they’d been banned. I have to say the back biting and sniping became so unpleasant I barely looked in because it made me feel down. I’ve only just started viewing again and saw your post so I didn’t realise how bad things had got.
I used to post but think better if it now being afraid to step out of line. Some if the replies were so sarcastic or pedantic that I didn’t want to be on the receiving end.
This site was a lifetime to me after H/E and I feel very sorry for newbies you may not get that so valuable help that I received.
Anyway BeKind sending you all the very best xx Fynndog
I thought that was really mean what was said to Buddy2Blue on that post!
Thing is if someone else isn't doing you any direct harm leave them be!
At my previous job a colleague had cried when someone had a go at her all because she bought her lunch at the boots shop in the concourse every day and I had intervened and had shouted at the miserable colleague having a go she's not doing you any harm so leave her be!
Hi Amy. Thank you for the reminder about how much thinking and monitoring is done behind the scenes, particularly checking out clinical information.
You also say ‘If there are any issues, please use the report function rather than respond’.
Such good advice, and, if followed, could stop (earlier) some of the distasteful spats we have seen.
There has been some criticism of those making reports. It must now be clear that a report can be very helpful, if valid. But a report means very little till BHF staff have weighed it up carefully, and consider it valid.
Maybe a post on how reporting works, might be useful?
Just to let you all know it's good news as yesterday afternoon I finished off buying priority and essential items for my new place with the last waiting in session for now for a washer/dryer machine and they arrived at 5.15pm as I did book 2/6 initially then they rang me to say it would be between 4 and 6 which I didn't mind and I also arranged for my tesco order to be delivered yesterday morning as I needed to stock up anyway killing 2 birds with the one stone!
I also caught up with chopping up some veg as well whilst I waited yesterday and looked on waiting in as an opportunity to catch up on things rather than a horrid horrid thing to be avoided!
Then there was the 2nd June when I had to wait in for things and rang up the gas servicing people to sort out an appointment to service the boiler and they said they could fit me in that afternoon between 12.30 and 4 and I said that would be great seeing as I was at the place all day that day waiting in for things it made no difference to me to squeeze them in and they had arrived about 2pm which was fair enough and that's done now so I don't need to worry about that for ages!
Then there was 12 June when I had to wait in to do phone interviews for jobs which was all good experience to have gone through when a place was rude to me on the phone which was no great loss as I know now not to go to that employer again!
Then that Friday was a round of waiting in for a bed to be delivered as well and again I used the time as opportunity rather than being annoyed over having to wait in again for things!
With things like waiting in for things it's not the situation in itself that upsets people its how they feel about it that does!
Anytime girl 😉, why not have a bit of Jane Austen, because it's a well known fact that a young woman in need of a change, should do little other than watch hue Bonneville in a wet shirt.Although my guilty pleasure is the parent trap or leagaly blond.😂
hi Amy, I completely get your point about not responding and just pressing report but sometimes the comments are so outrageous and goading that it’s hard not to reply, particularly when they target more vulnerable members. I will try to stop replying and will now use “report” instead. As long as there is some consistency around the way that reported posts are dealt with people may have more confidence in the “report” facility.
Completely agree with your post, Anon - thank you. I reported a post yesterday, rather than reply. It was with regard to statins and providing totally false, and ultimately dangerous, advice, but it's still online.
I agree with your comments and would also like reassurance that the report button will do its job, its important that our more vulnerable members are protected from all bad advice and bullying,
Thank you for your warm welcome message, I am really sorry to hear of your struggle with your mental health and how losing two good members from here has made you feel worse.
Thank you for your kind offer of help and I will certainly post asking for it when I need it.
I wish you as well as you can be in your troubled times,
Sorry to hear you are not so good at the moment. I know you have problems that get you down from time to time but you have been one of the people to reply to me in the past and I was very grateful for kind words given.
I hope you get over this soon and I also hope some of our lovely oldies will come back.
Hello BK 🙋I'm still around but I don't post much these days, but just wanted to say Hi.
I've been into hospital today, not as a patient but as a volunteer to chat with patients. Some were more chatty than others, but you and I (and the rest of the good folk on here) know that sometimes we feel like talking and sometimes we don't, we can respect that.
As I agreed with our "old" friend: when logic fails us, a little nonsense can help. I said to my son today: "Lad go out and live a bit, the world is your oyster." He thought that was a shellfish attitude. 😉
Well, I really just want to post on the social thread about some feelings that I am having, but I find that I seem to be posting challenged. But, here goes, and hoping that this is on the social thread.
My grandson (16 years old) just started his first job at a McDonalds near where I live. He is actually doing quite well—showing up early each day, working productively each day, following directions—and he has been promoted after five weeks to an assistant manager position. All good 👍
His father goes to work early each morning so he cannot drive him to work in the afternoons. His mother has anxiety disorder and has difficulty driving to places alone. She also cannot drive him to work each afternoon. So, my grandson comes to my house each morning around 7:30 am and stays with me and his great grandmother ( who also lives with me) until he goes to work at 3 pm. Because he is 16, we feel that we need to fix him a healthy lunch/dinner each day before he heads off to his job. Being 16, he does not always appreciate healthy food. 😊
This past week, his father has been out of town at training for his job, so the grandson has been staying with us day and night.
So, here is the problem. He now has spending money so he has made some expensive, but practical, purchases for himself. All good, 👍
But for at least two mornings this week, he has walked to McDonalds before I get up, and he has bought surprise breakfasts for me. I can see in his face that it is giving him pleasure to be able to buy me breakfast. He has also on those two mornings bought me special coffees—a large mocha latte and an Oreo cookie frappe. These drinks are delicious, but I looked them up online and they have a minimum of 66 gm. of sugar up to 89 gm. of sugar. I am prediabetic according to my last A1C test. The drinks are making me worry to say the least, and I won’t go into the food itself. I live about 2 blocks from the McDonalds, but I never eat there.
Anyway, I don’t need advice telling me that this food and coffees need to be out of my diet. I already know that. I am just struggling with how to tell my grandson not to buy this food for me without actually hurting his feelings. He is proud of earning his own money, and he believes that he is giving me a treat. Plus, he supports the restaurant chain since it is his first job.
My grandson has left today to go on vacation with his family so I have a little time to sort out how to say all of this.
My other concern is a follow-up appointment with my doctor to check on kidney functioning (involved with medications and changes to those medications made about two months ago). I know that she will want to do a urinalysis and possibly blood tests. This appointment is July 27th. I am actually thinking of cancelling this appointment and rescheduling in about one month later. I thought that the extra sugars and fats in my diet might not show up as much in another month. Any thoughts on this?
Anyway, the kidney issue is an important one to me. My doctor felt that the diuretic that I am taking with my Lisinopril is likely the culprit so we have made changes to reduce the amount of diuretic that I take without causing a buildup of fluid. Hopefully, those changes will be helping my kidney functioning.
I also am still having problems with breathlessness, and I have an appointment in August for a heart ultrasound test.
Thank you all for letting me share these worries and for reading the post.
I love your grandson too, that is so kind of him. I like BeKind's suggestion. I think the best way forward is to be honest ... that you have found the breakfasts delicious, especially the drinks but that it would worry you if you were to keep having them because they are not good for your health because you need to avoid food and drink that raises your blood sugars. You clearly are very proud of him, if it were me I'd make sure he knows this.
By the way, McDonalds do plain porridge I think (although they do flavoured ones as well which are of course full of sugars) ... probably not as healthy as what you can make at home but is that a compromise as an occasional treat?? If so, you could explain what foods you can eat and then he may decide to surprise you with a healthy porridge breakfast from time to time.
I don't know much about the kidney tests but my gut instinct would be to go ahead with them. If one of the meds is affecting them, then it might be better to know sooner rather than later. You can always mention the 'naughty' drinks when the results come back, if necessary. That said, trust your own instincts if you feel happier delaying the tests.
Thank you, Newstart3! I agree with you that BeKind28 does offer great advice, and you are also spot on about being honest. Both BeKind and you have made me feel that it is time for me to have a discussion with Nathan about pre-diabetes and diabetes and the impact of that condition. I will be sure to include how much I love him and how much I appreciated the treats.
I also liked your suggestion about maybe having some plain porridge. I didn’t realize that McDonalds might have that option, but I will definitely check it out! That could be a treat—make Nathan feel good about giving me something nice—and be relatively healthy. Great idea! 👍
And, honestly, I am leaning toward getting the urinalysis. I really do want to know whether changing the meds around has helped or not. We may need to make more changes. And if I have to get the A1C test, then I will confess my sins.
Thank you for taking the time to respond! And best wishes to you. ❤️
Thanks for your response to let me know your thoughts. I too have recently been told I am pre-diabetic so having to think more carefully about what I eat and drink. I also have breathlessness very similar to what you describe. It does feel concerning when you don't know the cause. I've had a CT angiogram, holter monitor and echocardiagram plus a chest xray. They found Atherosclerosis but the Cardiologist didn't think that was the cause of my symptoms. I have a doctors appointment next week to see if she can suggest anything else. Good luck with your tests.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful advice! I’m not sure why it is so difficult for me to say something so simple. You have managed to make it sound easy, so I am going to give it a go when he returns from vacation. I really didn’t want to hurt his feelings in any way nor dampen his sense of giving. But I have not talked with him about the pre-diabetes, so maybe the time is right.
I did appreciate his wanting to give me a treat. He really is a smart and kind young man. This past year, he started playing lacrosse so he stopped by every night after school before his practices. He would walk over after school let out.
His maternal grandma died a few years ago and they were close, so I think that he is wanting to spend more time with me (his paternal grandma) and his great-grandma. I feel that I have learned a great deal more about him this year, and I have loved that!
You are probably absolutely right about the sugar levels and three months time, so I will have to figure out if I should just face a scolding or try to hide. 😊 Lol! I really want to hide—but maybe I will just face the music
The breathlessness is a problem still. It feels like when you are having a panic attack and struggle to take in air—or when you are having a gallbladder attack and can’t breathe. I don’t have to be doing anything physical to have difficulty breathing. Actually, it sometimes helps after I walk. I did have a chest CT scan in May to look at a lung nodule that was found during my HA in 2022. The nodule had not changed in over a year, so the doctors are not worried about that. The report from the CT scan did state that I had a stable enlarged heart and an enlarged diameter pulmonary artery. I saw a cardiologist about three weeks ago. He basically said that my blood seems to be flowing well, but he isn’t sure what might be causing the breathing issues—thus the ultrasound in August. As you well know, it just seems confusing and sometimes scary.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. It really did help! ❤️
What a shame that it's come to the point of banning people!I rarely post now as I didn't like the arguments that kept erupting on here but I'm sad to hear that some of the more humorous members are no longer with us. Thinking about it, whilst I'm pleased that the cardiac nurses are trying to ensure that inaccuracies are cleared up, I'd rather they did that openly rather than silently swoop in and take posts down, which is bit too cloak and dagger for my taste.Keep well all!
I really miss those silly jokes and I also miss reading about the athletic successes of such a nice man. You’ll know who I mean. Another person who I thought was absolutely lovely. He lost his dog a while back and then got another, living on a boat i believe. He write the nicest things. They get to almost be friends.
After getting on a train and travelling a long way to an event and finding that I'm a whole week early, a friend said that my woozy, brain-fog, making errors and getting confused ( from Bisoprolol and 'that-time-of-life' ) means i'e definately finally lost my marbles!
Fortunately i know I've plenty more in the shed with the kerplunk game, solitare board and the bagatelle board. And that i've even still got some from primary school won when playing in chalk circles or on drain grill covers.
It's got me wondering how many other everyday sayings remind us of child-hood games?
Hi everyone hope you all had a good day, aw been absolute rubbish weather today! Just got back from the gym thankfully it's only 20 seconds away literally, I managed 50 minutes, 25 on bike and treadmill, average heart rate was amazing never seen it so good when I been exercising! It was 105 and even went down to 89 at one point so happy! Anway burnt 240 calories altogether good job aswell cause I had burger king for lunch 🍔👑😂😋. Had a work out earlier aswell cleaning the flat like a crazy person, absolutely knackerd now lol.
Thanks hun yeah I hope so too made a space for it for when it's built 😂. Thanks yeah was a good day at the gym. I know what you mean trying to loose weight and eating burger king don't worry I knew I was going to the gym plus I did a tone of house work I'm trying to find a 2 bedroom place on home swapper so wanted to get good pictures to put on the sight 😅. Just watching endeavour now x yeah rain been awful this week worst day was wedensday, couldn't belive it how much rain was coming down look like heavans had opend up couldn't even see past the rain there was so much!! ☔😅.
Aw just seen the most heart breaking story of a man who presented to A&E and he was discharged with an anxiety disorder, then next day he was found dead he had a catastrophic haemorrhage of the heart he died 💔😔. Poor guy!
Aw so gutted honestly I couldn't buy my lego in the end I was outbid bout 4 times any higher and I might aswell buy it brand new 😔. I woke up aswell to find a message on my NHS app that I have an appointment on 4th of August with cardiology which either means another appointment or they have rescheduled I'm gona find out what has happened on Monday. Hope everyone else is having a better day!
Aw thanks for your lovely message hun x aw so annoying when they say tried to deliver and you know full well they never tried at all. Hopefully you will get your white swan soon. I'm hoping to get my lego at a better deal or I might just save up 😅🤞😜. Yeah so annoying having that on my mind until Monday I think I already know anyway they have rescheduled appointment that I was meant to have on 24th x
Aw im glad you have a lovely doctor who understands you and knows how to help you x aw health anxiety is the worst I'm certain I definitely suffer from that I'm sure we all do being chronically ill can have that affect on you I suppose. Aw sorry to hear your still feeling rubbish ❤️, will definitely send you a picture when I do get my lego, when ever that will be I don't know hahha! X
Aw thanks hun your so sweet. I think your right definitely is a reason I couldn't buy it today I will get it eventually! Aw maybe you will get your swan soon hun I hope so. Yeah I get so anxious about everything health wise especially I feel the slightest sensation and immediately I'm on Google looking up what it means how it can affect the heart I wish I wasn't like that but I am 😅♥️. I am good though I have only ever called an ambulance once in my life and that was when I couldn't breathe! it takes alot for me to even go to A&E because I convince myself I'm wasting there time x anyway have a lovely evening and I look forward to being able to send you a picture when I finally get my lego! 😂X
I know I'm terrible for googling everything I know it makes it worse but I do it anyway aswell. I know everytime I go they say it was best that I came given my history with my health but even so I still feel like that 😂😭. You have a lovely evening BeKind take care x
Anyone elses legs Covered in bruises and no idea where they came from it seems just from crossing me legs I've got bruises all over them it's weird probably a deficiency but still bit confused 😐
Yeah your probably right, but trust me I would know if Id caught myself on something at the gym lol. I think it's a deficiency I just bruise so easily 😅😂. They have lasted long time bout few weeks maybe I am a clumsy oaf and I'm so sleep deprived I probably forgot I'd bumped in to something lol x
Just spent a lovely afternoon watching my youngest granddaughter, who will be 13 in August in her dancing show. Youngsters from about 4 to 18/19 all showing a lot of talent and energy.. They were putting on 3 performances as the theatre was only small, I guess there will be a lot of tired folks at school tomorrow.You can see how the children progress through the years, from doing a few basic steps when they are tiny to doing quite advanced stuff as they get older.
Thanks hun I'm probably fretting over nothing as usual lol but the bruises don't hurt there just there lol I don't know x I will let you know how I get on on the 19th for ecg and blood test 😉
Hopefully your tests will give some explanation. I also get bruised easier because of low vitamin B12.There are various medications that can make you bruise more easily.
Morning everyone! Just tried contacting hospital about my appointment for echo on 24th no one picked up then I phoned a number off internet someone picked up and asked what department I needed I said cardiology then I heard an automated voice saying they no longer use this number and call back on this number said it so quickly I didn't get what they said so I was just cut off? So I emailed not sure what good it will do but I just want to know if my appointment has been changed to the 4th of August?? Seems impossible to find that out!
Hey tos thanks for replying I got an email back and apparently appointment for 4th of August is a holter monitor and they have no record of appointment for 24th July 😐x
Hey BeKind that's who I did ring they transfered my call and then told me the number said it too quick for me to hear and hung up but I got a reply from one of the nurses and I have appointment on 4th of August for a holter monitor x
Yeah but I still don't know why my echo was cancelled x 😐🤔. Glad I enquired about appointment for 4th August though why does it have to be so early 😅😂😭 I have to travel to London to get there for 10.30 lol just to be there for about 20 minutes if that.
Yeah I agree way to busy one of the reasons I left. I don't have a choice they can't transfer me to someone where I live I can only be transferred to basildon or Cambridge 😅 so London is definitely the best out the lot x got alot of travelling to do that day good thing I'll be wearing a holter monitor 😂😁😅 x
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