Bridie Connolly, 65, is from Milltown, Co Galway. Having had high blood pressure “for a big number of years”, a standard GP check-up last summer resulted in her being referred for a heart stress test and angiogram.

Out of that came the decision that she would benefit from one of Croí’s 12-week healthy heart programmes and her verdict is that she did, indeed, gain from it.

“I didn’t expect to get half as much out of it,” the retired psychiatric nurse says.

“I liked going there and I’ve learned a lot. I think there isn’t enough awareness among women about heart attacks and strokes. The statistics are frightening – cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is the number one killer of women in Ireland and women are seven times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than breast cancer.

“Almost 5,000 women, or one woman every two hours, dies due to a heart attack or a stroke. A shocking figure. At least there’s good news, though, in the sense that 90% of heart disease and stroke can be prevented through lifestyle changes and risk factor modification.

“That’s what I learned on the programme and I’ve been concentrating on putting it into practice ever since.”

Prioritise your health

Bridie feels that many women may tend to put family needs ahead of their own, sometimes to their own detriment.

“If they don’t feel well they will push it to the back of their minds, but you have to look after yourself too and learn about keeping yourself healthy.”

Those doing the three-month programme are invited to bring a spouse or friend with them when doing the course, so Bridie’s farming husband John accompanied her.

“It was a fair distance for us to travel, but it was worth making the journey every Wednesday evening for the three months. We did a fitness assessment test initially and met all the staff. I couldn’t speak highly enough of them. They were so friendly that you couldn’t help but enjoy the whole experience.”

Bridie saw a nurse specialist, a physiotherapist and a dietitian as part of the programme and was told that she had risk factors – her high blood pressure, carrying too much weight, and raised cholesterol levels.

“The first night we did the hour of exercises I thought: ‘Oh my God, how am I going to remember all these?’,” she says. “But after a few nights we got into it because the exercises are repeated.”

The night’s events also included talks on healthy eating and on becoming more active day-to-day.

“Our blood pressure and weight was checked each week too and my blood pressure caused a bit of a problem at one point. I was put on the 24-hour monitor and it was discovered that it was spiking while I was sleeping, so my medication was changed in consultation with my GP and I’m much better ever since, thankfully.

“Over the course of the 12 weeks my blood pressure and cholesterol levels came down and my weight as well, so everyone was very pleased.”

Cut the carbs and up the exercise

Bridie was glad that, food-wise, it was not a calorie-counting type of programme.

“It was all about changing lifestyle and healthy eating.

“For me it was about cutting down on carbohydrates, I’d been eating too many potatoes, for example, and too much fruit. You can eat too much of a good food too. Increasing the walking was the other thing prescribed for me. I’d always walked a bit, but now I’ve upped it to over an hour a day.”

Bridie heads for the village of Milltown and its a picturesque river walk every morning, rain or shine, she says.

“It’s so peaceful there and you can walk as far as you want. I’m a morning person and if I don’t walk in the morning it doesn’t get done, so the minute I eat my breakfast I go. You have to prioritise the exercise. If you were waiting for the perfect time to start doing it you’d never do it.”

Line dancing - what an exercise

Bridie is now doing a Croí heart health continuation course in the village of Balla, a bit closer to home.

“You pay a nominal fee for the continuation class and I’ve two of those seven weeks done now. We do the same exercises as we did in Galway. Croí is rolling out the programme into communities. Croí is an absolutely amazing service and deserves support.”

Bridie has also taken up line dancing.

“My God it’s exercise,” she says. “You’d definitely know when you had an hour done.”

Bridie points out that when women have heart problems they may not experience chest pain in the same dramatic way that men often do.

“Very often it’s not acute and the pain can be anywhere in the chest, so women may not think they’re having a heart attack, but they are.

“Knowing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and a stroke, however subtle, is really important, we were told.” Symptoms

The warning signs of heart disease and stroke can be very different for a woman than for a man. They can be subtle and are often (wrongly) attributed to anxiety, menopause, stress or over-exertion. Heart attack symptoms can include:

  • • Chest discomfort, pain, pressure, burning or heaviness which may radiate to the right or left arm.
  • • Flu symptoms, sweating, nausea, dizziness.
  • • Neck and jaw pain.
  • • Shortness of breath.
  • • Prolonged or extreme exhaustion.
  • • Sharp pain between shoulder blades or back.
  • • Difficulty sleeping.
  • • Palpitations.

    • Stroke symptoms can include:

  • • Numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the face/body.
  • • Difficulty walking, loss of balance or co-ordination.
  • • Severe headache with no cause.
  • • Vision disturbance.
  • • Confusion or difficulty speaking.
  • • Dizziness, sudden fainting or unconsciousness.

    • Women - how to reduce your risk

  • 1. Get your blood pressure, blood sugars and cholesterol checked regularly.
  • 2. Quit smoking.
  • 3. Exercise and be physically active.
  • 4. Make healthy food choices.
  • 5. Take time out for yourself.

  • If you have any concerns about your heart health, talk to your GP or practice nurse.

    Croí Heart and Stroke Centre in Galway can be contacted on 091-893-500.

    A women’s regional road show is planned for 2015, bringing free awareness talks and screenings to women around the west of Ireland. See www.croi.ie for more information.

    For the mind:

  • • Decline participating in activities that cause you stress or are insignificant for you.
  • • Make a budget and stick with it.
  • • Eat right, get enough sleep and exercise.
  • • Control alcohol and high fat/sugary foods.
  • • Use relaxation techniques like deep breathing or a walk when you get irritated or upset.
  • • Have realistic expectations of family and friends. Plan how you will respond to attitudes or behaviours of relatives or friends to help keep the Christmas spirit.
  • • Schedule time for yourself during the busy season.
  • • Delegate Christmas tasks and ask for help.
  • • If you experience persistent low mood or anxiety, consider professional help.

    • (Source: St Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin.)

    For the body:

  • • Stick with sugar-free or diet drinks as much as possible.
  • • Save your selection boxes – they don’t need to be eaten all at once.
  • • Love the Christmas fruit and veg. Don’t just eat crisps, chocolate, etc.
  • • Get outside when you can for exercise. Save the DVDs and computer games for after dark.
  • • Avoid fried food and don’t add butter to vegetables.
  • • TOP CHRISTMAS TIP. Slow down when you eat and speed up when you exercise. (Source: Diabetes Ireland.)

    • Cross-border prescriptions now valid

    New laws have been signed by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar that allow cross-border prescriptions to be issued by Irish GPs, which can be used by patients anywhere in the EU.

    “This will make a real difference for Irish people travelling outside the country,” he says. “It means that people won’t have to worry about running out of medicine while on holiday, or away on business in the EU, so long as they bring a cross-border prescription with them.

    “It also means that anyone who falls ill elsewhere in the EU and is prescribed medicine while abroad, will be able to purchase that medicine when they return home if they have obtained a cross-border prescription.”