Morning all The pain in my left hand got so bad last night that I struggled to sleep. I had to remove my wedding ring at one point. I’ve been prescribed amitrypiline but I don’t like taking i. It does relieve the pain. But the affect it has in me the next day is horrific. Tends to take me 6/8 hours to come around. I was told to try Viltarol last week. Any other suggestions. It’s certainly getting worse worse

Good morning. Just a quick reminder that we have our community catch up tomorrow at 7pm. This is an informal opportunity to catch up online share how we've been getting on and generally support eachother. I'm on holiday but Maggie will be on the meeting to welcome you all. The link is in the calendar section of the Skool site. Hope you can make it.

Happy Sunday! This week we’re focusing on calming the nervous system, improving sleep, and protecting our blood vessels. Pick ONE of the challenges below and commit to it from Monday. Share in the group what you’re choosing and how you’ll make it stick 👇 🧘 1️⃣ Mindfulness Reset Stress and depression more than double your stroke risk. Perhaps you can do something to give you some time back and take the edge off it. Do 5 minutes of slow breathing or mindfulness each day Try: - Box breathing (4-4-4-4) - Physiological sigh (2 short inhales + long exhale) - A quiet 5-minute body scan before bed Why it matters: lowers stress hormones, reduces blood pressure, improves focus and emotional regulation. 😴 2️⃣ Sleep Upgrade Protect your sleep window this week Choose one: ✅ Go to bed 30 minutes earlier ✅ No screens for 30 minutes before sleep ✅ Keep your bedroom cool & dark ✅ Avoid caffeine after 2pm Why it matters: poor sleep increases blood pressure, insulin resistance, and weight, whilst making it harder to eat healthy and exercise and worsens our mood - all of which add up to greater stroke risk 🩺 3️⃣ Know Your Numbers Check your blood pressure. If you don't have a home blood pressure monitor think about getting one. - Measure at home or at a pharmacy - Take 2 readings morning & evening for 3 days - Record the average Targets: ✔ Ideal: <120/80 ✔ Acceptable: <130/80 ✔ Take action: ≥135/85 (home readings) If elevated repeatedly, speak to your GP and begin lifestyle changes. Why it matters: High blood pressure is the #1 modifiable cause of stroke. 💬 Action step: Post in the group: ✅ Which challenge you’re doing ✅ When you’ll do it ✅ What might get in the way (and your plan to avoid anything stopping you) Small actions, repeated weekly lead to a massive lifetime impact.

Good evening. I wonder if I could ask for your thoughts please? I'm aiming to set up an online clinic focused on Stroke and Dementia Prevention. Unfortunately, this would be a private clinic separate from my NHS work. I've pulled together a report/proforma that I plan to use with clients to take the through their stroke and dementia risks as on the link below: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTp72Maeq1FEED1ok41CyxmxJ-AkWY4Mu4uZl44tuAy6Qk4AMwZiflMVI3iNNUut-1QO9tJBqe3eL9h/pub Please could I ask for your feedback and thoughts? What do you think I could add to this? Is it easy to read and understand? If you were going to such a clinic, with all you know now, what would you want from the clinic? Also, please feel free to use the form for yourself and your family to look at your own risk factors. Thanking you in advance.

Just wanted to thank the three of you for presenting today, absoluty amazing!!! You should be very proud of yourselves. What you described totally resonated with me, honestly you were all first class!!! Kev