Minutes - May 2008

NATAL BYPASS MEETING 02/2008 held on
WEDNESDAY 7 MAy 2008
AT ENTaBENI HOSPITAL
at 17:30
PRESENT:
Shane Newman (Chairperson)
Shirley Piek (Secretary)
Chris O’Flaherty (Member)
As per attendance register
1. OPENING AND WELCOME
Shane Newman welcomed all present.
2. APOLOGIES:
The following people had given their apologies:
Dr Piet Schabort, Doug Geiling, Mike & Shirley Attridge, George Barns, Neville Nicholson, Danny Naidoo, Carol & Stuart MacKay, Ron Masters, Gerd Ackermann, Sam Wallace, Athol & Shirley Willett, Enid & Don & Fiona Phillips, Sam Wallace, Muriel Adams, Neal & Jenny Mc Innes, Jackie Miller & Harold Milan.

There had been an improvement with numbers and Shane apologized for no agenda going out for the March 2008 meeting. Numerous adverts had been placed in newspapers around KZN & on ECR.
3. TESTIMONIES FROM NEW VISITORS
Jim Brown (64)
Jim had a triple bypass in March 2006. His symptoms where that while walking to get his newspaper, he thought he had developed tennis elbow. After ECG & Angio tests he was advised that he needed possible stents or a possible bypass, but there was a waiting period of 3 to 5 months. In Bristol however, a private doctor was prepared to do the operation & wanted to know from Jim when he would like it done. The biggest problem Jim had after the operation was his leg (grafting) and his observation skills – memory. He was very thankful that there was a support club like the Bypass Club – welcome Jim !
Richard Hope
Richard has always been very fit – keen runner & squash player. He started getting breathless in the garden & started to get body warnings that there was something not right while playing squash. While walking in Lisbon, he started to feel weird and in Oct 2007 consulted a cardiologist, when an angiogram revealed that he needed bypass surgery. Richard 4 CABG done and now feels limited & frustrated with regards to what he can now do with his body.
4. IN ATTENDANCE:
Peter & Julien Rogan – PACE (Prevent Arrhythmic Cardiac Events) - Guest speakers.
5. VISITATION REPORTS

Shane mentioned that he had looked back at the previous minutes of the club and ascertained that Mr Ron Masters had volunteered to do the St Augustines & Entabeni hospital visits. Mr Ron Masters had also discussed the matter telephonically with Shane & Mr Masters could not be in a position to carry out the visitations. If there are any volunteers who would like to represent the Bypass club at either or both of these hospitals, please contact Shane.
5.1. St Augustines
There was no representative to give a report.
5.2. Entabeni
Chris O’Flaherty said that he had visited some patients downstairs and that when he was available he would do some rounds at Entabeni. Many thanks Chris.
5.3. Westville
Shane said that he had carried out visits at hospital and there was a report available if anybody wished to look at it. Shane said that one of the reasons, that he took on this task of visiting the hospitals, was to give back to society and all the nursing staff, what was given to him when he had his bypass in 2005. He found it a very rewarding, by being able to explain to patients who find themselves in the same position as he was & now is able to give some advice and encouragement to patients.
Shane made a plea for any members of the club, who could make themselves available to give support at the Westville Hospital Heart & Health day on the 28th of May 2008, at the Westville Bowling Club.

Mr Basanth Bodasing mentioned that St Annes hospital in PMB had recently started a cardiac section and that as he lived in PMB, he would be prepared to do hospital visits there. Thank you Basanth, and we thank you for your time in being prepared to do this for the patients at St Annes.
6. RAFFEL DRAW
The raffel, was won Bernard Bryers.
7. GUEST SPEAKER
Shane introduced Peter & Julien Rogen from PACE (Prevent Arrhythmic Cardiac Events) and thanked them for attending.

PACE is a support group founded by Lusan Luscombe in 2004 after her collapsed after athletics, as a result of her heart having stopped. She sadly also lost her son, Dane to the disease.
There has previously been no awareness of this problem in SA & PACE is now the first support group.
A PACE awareness meeting was attended by some bypass members on the 4th of April this year, when Dr AO, as he is know & who describes himself as a “heart electrician”, gave a very interesting talk. If anybody is interested in the notes taken by Shane at the meeting, they can contact him for a copy.
A further talk by Dr AO, who is from Cape Town, will be held on the 5th of June at Westville. For further info you can contact Juliet on 084 205 9737.
Peter Rogan introduced himself as a very keen over 35 soccer player & surfer for over 20 years, ate well and was enjoying life to the fullest.
While working on the North Coast, after a semi final soccer match the evening before, he was not well and advised Juliet that he just needed to sleep – started vomiting, falling in & out of consciousness. His cardiologist had picked up that his heart rate was in excess of 250 beats per minute, which is the equivalent of sprinting a Comrades Marathon. As there was no Electro Cardiologist in Durban he was flown to JHB. Peter received a local anesthetic and some “short circuiting” was preformed on him to try and establish, what & where the problem was of this excess heart rate.
One & half years later, Peter once again had to be cardio inverted (shocked) at work, where there was no recordable heart beat as it was “off the graph” and his body collapsed again.
Peter eventually was introduced to Dr A. Okreglicki (AO) in Cape Town (Groote Schuur), whereby after numerous tests, a ICD (Implantable cardioverter defibrillator) was inserted, which is a miniature “hospital” for sufferers, whereby it shocks the heart and is triggered when the heart is going to go out of rhythm. ARVC (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy) is genetic & is the replacement of normal right ventricular muscles cells by fibrous tissue and fat, which can disturb the electrical pathways in the heart & lead to life threatening chaotic heart beats.
Peter has been seen amongst other surfers to leap a foot out of the water, when this ICD has had to work, not that this is a common occurrence and after such a shock from the ICD Peter needs to go to hospital to be checked. Peter has on one occasion, in the presence of his wife, had the ICD shock him 10 times within 15 minutes. He is on numerous medication for his disease.
Peter went on to say that his 11 year old daughter is a ARVC sufferer, and would need to be watched.

Peter has had to stop all his sport and went on to say that we take life for granted & when something like this happens to ones life, you realize just what we have been given.
The testimony by Peter was well received by all present and we thank Peter and Juliet Rogan for coming to share with the club and wish them all the success with PACE.
8. GENERAL
8.1. Blog Site
There is a blog site were the minutes and agenda of the meetings can be viewed. The address is http://natalbypass.blogspot.com/
8.2. Members contact details
It was requested that each member check that their personal particulars were up to date and changed accordingly, on the lists that were provided.
8.3. Distribution of Minutes
As it was becoming more costly to send minutes by post, it was requested that if people have e-mail addresses or are able to access e-mail that they please provide this information, so that the database can be updated.
8.4. Membership fees
Shane requested that if any members still have fees outstanding for 2008, that they please pay Shirley. The fee for 2008 is still R30 per person.
8.5. Committee
Nil
9. NEXT MEETING
The next meeting would be on Wednesday the 2nd of July 2008 at the Executive Conference suite at the Entabeni Hospital at 17:00 for 17:30.
Complimentary drinks and snacks will be available, to club members.
The Impilo tablets will continue to be on sale at the meeting, but should you wish to secure an order, you can place your order with Shirley Piek.
A guest speaker will be invited to come and share with the club in July, so please try & be there.
Issued by Shane Newman – 084 510 8738 or 031 708 5629 (after hours)
Chairman – Natal Bypass Club
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