Vicky's Story: "Without our Lunch & Learn session, I might not know about the hole in my heart."

My name is Vicky and I work for Hugh James Solicitors in Manchester, a firm specialising in catastrophic personal injuries; brain injuries are a major part of that. A colleague of mine introduced Fiona and The Natalie Kate Moss Trust and we were lucky to have a Lunch & Learn Session.

The session included a talk about Natalie (the namesake of the charity), the devastating reality of brain haemorrhages and the importance of managing blood pressure; there were also blood pressure monitors so everyone could check their readings too. It was really interesting to listen to Fiona; it made me think about the symptoms and how it could be extremely serious if not managed. I’ve had my blood pressure taken before at general checkups, but I never really knew what the reading meant.

When it was my turn, my reading was really quite high compared to everyone else’s, even in such a relaxed environment. I remember someone saying, ‘Gosh Vicky, you should get that checked out.’ My mum has high blood pressure and takes tablets and that got me thinking.

And then just a few weeks after that, I had a strange incident whilst at home. For ten minutes, my speech became slurred, and I was unable to raise my arms or even look up. This was frightening – and for a while afterwards the NKMT Lunch and Learn session was at the forefront of my mind. I knew all of this wasn’t something I could just push under the carpet.

I visited the GP and after a few initial tests I was given a blood pressure monitor to log my readings over the next week and referred to the stroke clinic. The results of the monitoring showed that my blood pressure was mostly normal, with some high spikes.

The stroke specialist arranged for an ECG monitor to be fitted which I had to wear for a week, and a blood pressure monitor for a full 24 hours; the results showed some palpitations and the spikes in those palpitations were causing my blood pressure to spike.  After further, more in-depth tests it turned out that I've got a hole in my heart, something one in four of us has and we can go through life without even knowing about it.

The Lunch and Learn Session wasn’t long, but it was impactful. It triggered me into making that appointment that I may not have potentially made before that. Without it, I might not be at the stage where I am; having an operation to close the hole in my heart.

I took the leaflet home to mum too and she’s made some changes to her diet and lost a few kilos. The positive effects of that session have been massive. I think every workplace should have the chance to experience a session. It could really make a difference to someone’s life.

Vicky

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Want to set up this (potentially lifesaving) session for your team at work? .... Find out more about our Lunch and Learn session.