I am almost fully recovered from a Glasgow scale rated 3 coma.

My new book”, Bloke With a Stroke – The Hole Story” is my story.

I know that my being here is a small miracle. I ask myself all the time ‘why me, what made me so different?’ After surviving where so many before me had not I have been encouraged to share what I know with you, so that I may be able to help others.

Proceeds from my book: “Bloke With a Stroke – The Hole Story”, will be split between Southampton and Poole Hospital.  The book will be finished in 2 – 3 weeks time.

Leave your deatils with us using the form below and I will notify you when its released.

[contact-form-7]

More thanks – it was Southampton Hospital that saved my life but Poole Hospital that gave me back my quality of life. Fantastic physiotherapy, amazing occupational therapy, wonderful nursing, all part of a team effort to reach full rehabilitation. Dr Burn, my neurologist, and his colleagues in the Neurology Department did an excellent job. And here I would like to say what a great facility we have in the NHS. All too often it receives criticism and negative press. It can’t be perfect. After the Indian railways, the Chinese Red Army and Walmart it is the fourth biggest employer of people in the world. If my stroke had happened in another part of the world chances are I’d be dead, the family broke, or both. We have a great free facility that provides life saving care when needed. Let’s celebrate it.

We need charities like Smile for Rich to help raise funds for these centres of excellence. Hopefully you won’t need their services, but unfortunately your family or friends may.

I won’t go on too much about my experiences. Here I’ll give a plug. I’m a few chapters into an e-book I’m writing: “A Bloke With a Stroke – the Hole Story”. Half the proceeds I will be donating to Southampton and Poole. Neil will be sending you all details when I’ve finished it. I ‘ve already raised £4,000 with my Triathlon and would like to raise a few bob more.

Before I end a few more thank you’s. My Mum & Dad and my ancestors for giving me a robust body able to withstand this major neurological trauma. Extra thanks to my Mum whom at the age of 50 I moved back with. Her love, care and support have been incredible. The same thanks to my daughter Sam and son Nick for everything they did. And all the rest of my family and friends, many who joined in for the cycling and walking. They’re not very good at swimming and we thought a sponsored drown was not a good idea. Again, this supporting group of friends helped enormously in my rehabilitation. Thanks to Neil Westbrook for all the effort he has put into this hugely worthwhile event. And lastly, but not least, thank you all as taxpayers who have contributed to my survival.

Near death experiences ‘trick of the mind caused by high levels of CO2 in the blood’

After my stroke in May 2008 I was 3 on the Glasgow Scale. 15+ is fully conscious. My low score meant I was in a deep coma or dead! Technically, this is as near to death as you can get without actually dying.

I remember nothing of it.

I recall hanging my Mum’s curtains two days before my aneurysm but nothing after that. I had many complications and ended up 3 ½ months in a coma. Having “Been there, done that, got the T-shirt I feel qualified in saying that after life there is nothing. This is eloquently and hilariously described in Douglas Adam’s “Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy” Close friends have asked me since if I had a “near-death experience?” In all honesty there was nothing – no floating up and looking down on my body, no tunnel of light, no hanging around at the pearly gates with St P. To me death is now oblivion – a non state. As Max Quordlepleen, the host at the “Restaurant at the End of the Universe”, says, “After this there is nothing. Void. Emptiness. Oblivion. Absolute nothing …”

When I hear of people going on about near death experiences I beg to differ. I KNOW there is nothing. Whilst this might sound somewhat depressing I find it quite liberating. After a life that for some is a drudge and many wholly painful, death is a blessed relief. It is only our pitiful ego that struggles with the fact that we might not be eternal. I can see now the beauty of many religions and philosophies that see the profound truth in us being a small part of the bigger picture. As Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sang: “We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon.”

Some people have said that maybe I didn’t get any near death experiences because I was not going to die. Many have said, and are thoroughly convinced that I did not die because they prayed for me. Whilst I admire their well intentioned convictions I silently disagree and seek not to injure their faith.

I am writing an e-book: “A Bloke with a Stroke – the Hole Story” that will soon be finished. If you are interested then keep an eye on:

http://broadstoneclinic.co.uk/

Half of the proceeds of this book will go to The Wessex Neurological Centre and Poole Hospital – they saved my life and gave me back a good quality of life.

So what can we do about distress? Some things are obvious – eat well, exercise, don’t smoke, avoid tense situations. Remember one of the aphorisms on the entrance to The Oracle of Delphi: “Nothing to Excess”. We can also utilise the skills of professionals. Various therapies can prove highly efficient in combating stress: massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, naturopathy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, counselling. These can be found at Centres of Integrated Medicine such as The Broadstone Clinic in Dorset:   http://broadstoneclinic.co.uk/

If you don’t have a clinic near you try joining a Yoga or Tai Chi class. This can often be found at sports and leisure centres or through your LEA, (Local Education Authority). These ancient systems offer a wonderful mix of physical and mental exercises that prove beneficial to the whole body. Having practised Yoga since my late teens I have found it particularly useful with its emphasis on breathing and relaxation.

A lot of the factors that cause distress raise the level of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are implicated in a lot of the illnesses so prevalent in the modern western world – cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer. Antioxidants successfully reduce the amount of free radicals in the body. But how do we know the level of antioxidants in the body? There is a revolutionary new scanner the Biophotonic Scanner that can measure the concentration of antioxidants in someone. It does this in a rapid, non-invasive, painless way that is more accurate than blood or urine tests. There are only ten of these scanners in the country outside of Nuffield Hospitals. The Broadstone Clinic is proud to announce that it has one of these scanners. On Saturday, 15th October the clinic is having an Open Day when people can get scanned for £15.00, as opposed to the normal price of £25.00.

The Clinic also offers special six week course to local companies offering a range of therapies and the chance to be screened for antioxidants. Companies have found the courses to be highly beneficial, leading to a more efficient workforce. For further details of the course contact The Clinic on the above website or phone Gemma Cataldo, the Practice Manager, on 01202 692493.

You’ll also be able find out what your own antioxidant levels are, by taking advantage of our on site antioxidant scanner, a non-invasive antioxidant test. We’ve a special introductory offer of £15 for those who wish to find out their antioxidant levels. This will give you an accurate reading of your antioxidant levels, and will allow us to help you to make an informed decision on how to improve your antioxidant levels  allowing your body to be protected against free radical damage.

For more information please call the Broadstone Clinic on 01202 692493.

I know that my being here is a small miracle. I ask myself all the time ‘why me, what made me so different?’ After surviving where so many before me had not I have been encouraged to share what I know with you, so that I may be able to help others. After a lot of consideration I am now opening a centre for ‘post-coma health potential’ at my clinic in Broadstone.

I put my survival down to my level of fitness, the right lifestyle approach, my nutritional regime, and, without doubt, to the love, encouragement and support of a great family. Since my stroke a number of people have told me that I was the fittest person that they knew.

Well, on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 I had an aneurysm and subarachnoid haemorrhage, that developed into a subdural haemorrhage. Basically that meant I had a form of traumatic brain injury. There were many complications including hydrocephalus (a build-up of fluid on the brain), meningitis and epilepsy. I spent one week in a deep coma and 3 ½ months in a light coma and underwent seven lots of surgery.

Most people with what I had would have at least hemiplegia (paralysis down one half of their body, face drop, slurred speech, contracture of arm muscles etc.) I not only survived but made a recovery that confounded everyone, even the medics that are used to dealing with these acute conditions.

In my bleaker moments I wonder why I was afflicted by a stroke? Is this negative thinking? Or am I, perhaps, just reflecting on what has happened to me and questioning why? One of my friends pointed out that perhaps I was the best choice of person to have and subsequently survive a stroke like this! After all, I was strong enough to live through it and could help myself to recover from it, and because I ran a clinic already and had a well established knowledge of medicine too there would be few other people like me with a vivid personal experience of the problem and who could go on to help others like me.

I was in a deep coma for one week and a light coma for 3 ½ months after the stroke. I remember nothing during that time. The Beijing Olympic Games of 2008 are a complete mystery to me.

I remember about three days before my stroke – I was helping my Mum to hang her curtains. I do not remember the day before the stroke though I have managed to build a jigsaw puzzle of what I had done from friends . I had cycled pass one of my friends, Phil, on one of the droves near my cottage in the morning. Later that day I knocked on a friend’s door in Broadstone, asking for an aspirin, which my friend found unusual as I was not normally one to complain. I was at a pub quiz in the neighbouring village of Sturminster Marshall that evening, complaining of a dreadful pain at the back of my head, a pain like I had never had before. On the Saturday night I was due to go to a friends’ house in the village. They were having a purple party! The idea being that everyone went dressed in purple. Apparently my friend, Wendy, with whom I was going to the party had filled my beard and my hair up with purple dye. The next day I was due to take my daughterto Heathrow airport, as she was off on her next job – taking people on the Trans Siberian Train.

However, on leaving the purple party I collapsed at the back gate – the initial and reasonable verdict was that I was a casualty to drink and the fumes of the dye in my beard and hair. It was only at the insistence of my friend Wendy, who pointed out that I was never one to drink to excess, especially in view of my early morning drive the next day that the Paramedics were called. They arrived quickly, diagnosed a stroke and took me right away to Poole Hospital, ten miles away. My friend Wendy had been performing CPR on me – which kept me alive and undoubtedly helped in reducing the trauma of the initial lesion. I am grateful to her for that.

From Poole Hospital I was blue lighted to Southampton, to the Wessex Neurological Centre. My daughter, and son were at home with their friends. When they heard what had happened they immediately went to Poole Hospital, and contacted their Mummy ex-wife who lives in Bournemouth. She then went to my Mum’s house and standing at the front door rang my Mum on her mobile to break the news to her. My Mum rang my brother , who lives in a village near Aylesbury. He had been at a Dinner party that night and On hearing the news of my stroke he jumped in his car to drive down to Dorset.

At Southampton Hospital my family waited, sleeping and waiting for news in the waiting room. . I was immediately taken to the Intensive Care Unit, where they were only allowed in one at a time to see me. At 8.30am the family was told not to wait further as there was nothing to do. At midday the following day Mr Duffield, a brilliant neurosurgeon, called my Mum to say that he knew what the problem was and was it OK to operate. She said yes and I was on the receiving end of several hours of intensive surgery, including the fitting of a stent at the site of the aneurysm. Wikipedia describes a stent as: a man-made ‘tube’ inserted into a natural passage/conduit in the body to prevent, or counteract, a disease-induced, localized flow constriction.

The fitting of the stent was to take care of the immediate problem of the aneurysm. My Mum was told to call at 4.30pm, but I was still in theatre. By 5.00pm I was back in a ward, comfortable although critical. My family went back to Southampton at 7.00pm. When seeing me they were told not to talk about me, but to me. By the Tuesday my sedation was stopped.

On the Thursday, Mr Duffield left a message with everyone to be there for the Friday. I had been on the receiving end of The Glagow Coma Scale, (GCS). This is a neurological scale which aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person. GCS was initially used to assess level of consciousness after head injury , and the scale is now used by first aid , Emergency Medical Services and doctors as being applicable to all acute medical and trauma patients. In hospitals it is also used in monitoring chronic patients in intensive care . The scale comprises three tests: eye , verbal and motor responses. The three values separately as well as their sum are considered. The lowest possible GCS (the sum) is 3 (deep coma or death ), while the highest is 15 (fully awake person). I was scoring 3! The neurosurgeon gathered all the family around on a Friday evening to tell them how grave the situation was. He told them that he wanted to see an improvement by the end of the weekend, otherwise they would pull the plug on me! So, there was I, completely oblivious to the world, in a deep comatose state having a grapple with death.

Close friends have asked me since if I had a “near-death experience?” In all honesty I experienced nothing – no floating up and looking down on my body, no tunnel of light, no hanging around at the pearly gates with St P. To me death is now oblivion – a non state. As Max Quordlepleen, the host at the “Restaurant at the End of the Universe”, says, ”After this there is nothing. Void. Emptiness. Oblivion. Absolute nothing …” All the waffle of philosophers, scientists and people of a religious persuasion means nothing, as there is nothing after life. This could be taken as somewhat depressing and nihilistic, but in many ways I now find it quite liberating. We have life and consciousness – enjoy it. As I said at the start, Pink Floyd sang, “Life is a short warm moment, death is a long cold rest.” Enjoy the short warm moment. You can’t enjoy the long cold rest – you are not there. My friend says that perhaps I did not experience the near death experience because there was no chance I was going there! Maybe she is right!

Since my stroke I have taken a slightly different angle on good health.  Before my stroke I would have said be fit & healthy,with a good BMI, (Body Mass Index) – essentially a good diet and plenty of regular exercise.  This will help reduce, but not guarantee, the chance of the onset of certain conditions so prevalent in the affluent Western world, such as cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, cancer, ( some authorities estimate that a third of cancers are diet related).

I now say to people – be fit and healthy because if anything does go wrong you are more likely to survive.  And if you do survive your recovery will be better.

Now I know that medics would not like what I am saying as it does not conform to the ideas of EBM.  (Evidence Based Medicine).  There has to be a sufficient amount of statistically relevant information before something is taken as a medical fact.  From the survival and recovery of my stroke of 2008, I would qualify as “anecdotal evidence”.

However I would rather be alive and anecdotal evidence than dead and statically correct!  It never ceases to amaze and upset me when I go shopping and see a plethora of overweight people wobbling their way out of the supermarket with their trolley stuffed full of  junk and fast food.  Their purchases ooze fats, sugars and salt.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are few and far between.

Education of the population is essential.  We have had a very successful campaign over recent years to reduce the sale and use of cigarettes.  We need a similar approach to food, starting with youngsters and making them appreciate the value of eating well, so they grow into adults with a sensible dietary regime.  Fifteen years ago I went into the first school in Sturminster Marshall to give the children a cooking demonstration.  This was to cover a number of issues.  First it was good psychology – to show them a man doing cookery and talking about food preparation.  Second, being a vegetarian over the last three decades, I wanted to show that eating not just about meat orientated meals.  Lastly I wanted to make them realise that eating was not only the consumption of junk and fast food – taking raw ingredients and through preparation and cooking interesting, tasty and nutritious food could be made.

In The Clinic in Broadstone we have a number of therapists who can be helpful on diet related subjects.  We have just had Rebecca Amey join us.  She is a dietician and nutritionist who writes regularly in Zest Magazine.  She will tailor diets specific to the needs of the individual, whether to reduce weight, increase energy or deal with any particular health conditions.

We also have Sarah Burt , a naturopath, recently returned after the birth of her twins.  She uses iridology in her consultations.  This is the analysis of the pupil, the colourful part around the black pupil.  By looking the iris, a person’s level of health and specific areas of nutritional deficiency can be identified.  This allows appropriate action to be taken.  Sarah uses a range of interventions including homeopathic remedies, herbal tinctures, supplements as well as dietary changes.

For further information on diet please phone the reception and talk to Gemma Cataldo, practice manager or myself, David Allen on 01202 692493

Foot Treatment

Our Practitioner:

Sarah Littlewood mafhp mcfhp

Sarah is a qualified Foot Health Practitioner and is experienced in general foot care services and advice. Diabetic and elderly feet are routinely assessed and treated to maintain maximum comfort and good foot health.

Foot Treatment appointments

Appointments are available to provide treatment for:

• Corns and Calluses
• Verrucas
• Cracked Heels
• Diabetic Foot Problems
• Fungal Infections and Toenail Cutting

During an appointment

During an appointment you can expect the following to be performed:a vascular assessment

• toenail cutting
• treatment of any keratotic areas (corns, callus etc)
• application of medicaments and moisturizing emollients
• a foot and lower leg massage

Naturopathy literally means ‘Nature Care’ and the Naturopath will attempt to offer an individually tailored treatment programme using the most natural means possible to make a patient feel well again.

Herbal Medicine uses flower essences, diet and lifestyle changes to correct any imbalances revealed by iris diagnosis, where the organs and systems of the body are mapped out in the iris of the eye. Patients are not treated on a symptomatic level, so changes are long-lasting, with the aim of preventing re-occurrence.

Our Practitioner:

Sarah Burt ND, DH, DBM, DN

Member of the General Council & Register of Naturopaths in Great Britain
Member of the British Herbalists Association
Qualified Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist, Iridologist and Homeopath since 1999

Reflexology is an holistic approach, treating the whole person, rather than specific symptoms. It has many beneficial effects, including improvement in blood circulation and nerve function, elimination of toxins and relief of stress and tension. It stimulates the natural healing process and assists the body to achieve a balanced state of working.

It is one of the most successful methods of treating stress and can assist with many conditions, including headaches, neck and back problems, digestive disorders, fluid retention, hormonal imbalances and many others.

Our Practitioners:

Jenny Vestey
Jenny has been working in the field of energy based healing techniques since 1989. She specialises in Aromatherapy, Indian Head Massage, Reflexology, Reiki and EFT. In 1991, she set up a complementary therapy service for the Dorset Cancer Centre at Poole Hospital (NHS Trust), offering patients a full range of holistic therapies to complement and support their medical care.

Amanda Wise P Dip NN, MCMA
Amanda has been working in Dorset as a Natural Nutrition Practitioner for the past decade, and in the Complementary Health field for over 20 years. She is a Member of the Complementary Medical Association.