Once, when Taina Puketapu weighed over 200kg, he leaned on an interior wall and broke it.
 
“Boom, I put a hole in the wall,” said the 42-year-old who at the time was trying to leverage himself out of a chair.
 
A mountain of a man, Taina tipped the scales in September 2008 at 203 kg. A photo he asked to be taken shows a man heavy in the jowl, enormous around the waist, a picture of ill health and unhappiness.  “I couldn’t tie my shoelaces, I couldn’t touch my toes, I couldn’t even get up out of my chair.”

Taina says his obesity really hit home last year when twice his hand went through an interior wall. As well as in the living room, a bedroom wall suffered the same treatment. “Thirty-two stone...” remembers Taina, who is hard of hearing and reads lips.

But things have changed since then and now this Ngati Porou man has lost nearly 80kg and may be the biggest Weight Watchers loser this district, maybe this country, has seen for some time. It was Taina’s work colleagues at the Vanessa Lowndes Centre who convinced him he needed to do something to save his life.

“My friends told me I was too heavy. I had heart problems and I couldn’t sleep.” A health check by Turanga Health staff in September 2008 found Taina’s heart was in strife. This news and the support from his colleagues was to be the catalyst for what has been an incredible nine-month self-motivated journey for the gentle giant.

The first thing Taina did was contact Weight Watchers. The Weight Watchers approach to weight loss promotes healthy habits, a supportive environment, and exercise, in addition to making smarter food choices.
Taina replaced fish and chips and KFC for vegetables, eggs, chicken without the skin and other healthy food. He attends Thursday group weigh-ins religiously and subscribes to the Weight Watchers monthly magazine. After losing 5kg in his first week he was hooked. 

“I eat less, I eat differently. It’s easy,” says Taina, who now does more of his own food preparation and cooking.

The other significant change Taina made was to introduce exercise. He’s almost addicted to the Vanessa Lowndes gym visiting three times a day to walk on the treadmill or cycle on the stationary bike. He lifts weights, and consumes between 10 and 12 bottles of water a day. 

“I love it. Some people say I am doing too much but I just don’t care. I know my friends think I am crazy but others look at me and say ‘wow!’

Taina says regular check-ups indicate his heart is managing better. He is adamant he will eventually weigh 88kg which equates to a massive weight loss of 115kg. If he makes it, it may be a new Weight Watchers record.

During The PHOnetic interview Taina flicks through his latest Weight Watchers magazine and laments there aren’t more men profiled in its pages. In particular, he would love to see Maori men tell their story. When prompted that perhaps he should offer, he shifts uncomfortably but smiles. 

“Yeah maybe. I feel much better. I feel happy. This is me now.”

This year’s practice nurse annual conference has left a lasting impression on three Village Clinic nurses, and already impacted on how they take care of their patients.

The National College of Practice Nurses Annual Conference was held in Palmerston North and focussed on health professionals sharing their practice and celebrating the passion, professionalism and positivity of primary health care.
 
The Village Clinic Nurses Jo Rogers, Jennie Falloon and Clare Duffy attended the two day conference titled ‘Outside the Square’.

Jo said one of the great things about the conference was getting away together. “It gives us a chance to bounce ideas and issues off each other.  We all work part time which means we don’t usually have that opportunity.”

It’s about picking up new knowledge, confirming your practice and networking with practice nurses from all over New Zealand, said Jennie. “I found it extremely informative and refreshing, and it definitely makes a difference to what you are able to offer your patients.”

Jennie’s attendance at a plenary session by Clinical Psychologist and Director of Sex Therapy NZ, Robyn Salisbury, was to prove quickly useful. “I have had two patients since the conference, who I have felt a lot more comfortable talking with, and I believe I would have handled their concerns differently if I hadn’t been to the conference.”

“The calibre of speakers was very high and it is I believe valuable to hear what is happening in Primary Health Care around New Zealand” added Jennie.

Of particular note was Paediatric Allergy Nurse Specialist Pauline Brown who established the Nurse-led Paediatric Eczema Clinic at the Child Health Centre in Whangarei. “She was an inspiring nurse and the work she is doing is making such a huge difference for the children she sees. She advised us of things we can easily build into our practice when seeing children with eczema or repeating prescriptions for their treatment,” said Jennie.
 
Costs were covered by The Village Clinic and funding from Pinnacle through ‘Primary Health Care Nursing in General Practice Education Scholarship’. 

Village Clinic Nurse Kathy Elliott stayed behind this year to work. In previous years the staff including General Practitioner Murray Smith have organised the Friday work load so all the nurses can get away to the conference. 

The nurses were sorry more Gisborne nurses did not attend, and emphasized the volume of valuable theoretical, technical, and practical information they received.   The 2010 Practice Nurse Conference will be in Auckland.