WATER IS WHERE I START TO REPAIR

Despite living with multiple health conditions, Angela refuses to let her conditions define her. With a history of heart conditions in her family, Angela has experienced a heart attack, two strokes, and four transient ischemic attacks (TIA). She lives with Crohn’s disease, vascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and glaucoma.

On the day of her heart attack, Angela’s manager expressed concern for her well-being after noticing she didn’t look like her usual self. Angela tried to ignore the initial symptoms and continued with her work, that was until her husband asked her to contact her GP, who advised her to head straight to the hospital, as chest pains developed further. Following blood tests, she was informed that she was having a heart attack, which required medical intervention and stents fitted.

These positive changes have enabled her to return to part-time work.

Following her stay in the hospital, Angela was advised to increase her activity levels to support her recovery; however, her other health conditions, notably vascular disease and poor circulation, made walking challenging at times. Despite these setbacks, Angela persevered and committed herself to attending a cardiac rehabilitation programme organised by her local Health and Wellbeing team.

Angela

Angela has discovered ways to move more that work for her. She enjoys attending weekly ‘Aquastride’ classes at her local leisure centre and says that being in the water ‘invigorates her’ and reduces the intense pain she normally feels in her legs. After completing her rehabilitation programme, Angela continues to participate in circuit classes at a local Community Centre, focusing on improving her cardiovascular fitness and balance. Her goal is to return to riding her electric bike.

These positive changes have enabled her to return to part-time work and play an active role in caring for her grandchildren. By moving more, Angela has increased her strength and stamina, lost weight, improved her blood pressure management, and seen a decrease in pressure in her eyes.

Group activities have been crucial for Angela, not only for the physical benefits but also for the mental and emotional support they provide. Through being active, Angela has formed new friendships.

For little ways to move more with heart conditions in Lancashire visit lancashire.gov.uk/healthy-hearts

Read Craig’s story HERE