News Archives - Pouch support charity

RLG virtual chat forum blows away the Covid gloom

Re–Published on 01 December 2020

Register now for next Pouch Open Forum on 7 December 2020

The latest in the series of Red Lion Group Pouch Support chat forums via the wonders of zoom technology was held on Monday evening, 2 nd November. Attracting some 30 attendees, the evening was another riveting and thoroughly enjoyable opportunity for pouchees and potential pouchees to talk about common problems and challenges and for the more experienced pouchees to share their tips and recommendations to help the less experienced pouchees. The evening was choreographed by Gary Bronziet, our very own IT guru (and Membership Secretary), with Theresa Parr (Minutes Secretary) and Christopher Browne (Editor in Chief of the excellent Roar! publication) chairing the female and male breakout groups respectively.

The small but perfectly formed male group enjoyed an excellent discussion, including a variety of topics such as cuffitis, the diagnosis of crohns versus ulcerative colitis, prostate gland examinations, symptoms of blockage and the influence of adhesions in causing blockages to be more likely to occur, the foods that cause blockages and cures. We welcomed a new pouchee of only 6 weeks, who was keen to hear personal stories and frustrations to reassure themselves that they were doing OK (indeed he is doing very well). The ladies group included two RLG members who were the 8^th and 9^thpeople respectively in the UK to have their pouches created by Sir Alan Parks at St Marks some 43 years ago!! A very warm welcome was extended as you can imagine.

The ladies session covered topics suggested by the attendees, including loperamide usage, diet, skin care, mental health issues, lifting and exercise and blockages. Regarding lifting, one of the attendees, Linda, provided the following information after the event:

Professor Bo Shen recommended in his book “Pouchitis and ileal pouch disorders” that pouchees “…should not lift more than 20-25lbs as well as avoiding any postures during exercise that may assert pressure or torsion at certain sites such as tip of the pouch, the anastomosis site and previous stoma site.”

On the topic of mental health, Linda also commented that her local hospital ran a six-week (one night each week) course on chronic stress management, which was found to be beneficial. Another potential topic for the next forum.

In summing up, Christopher Browne appealed for more personal stories of mental health in pouchees – an opportunity to share your own story (anonymously or not, as you wish) in an article Christopher is writing for the next edition of Roar! If you have a story to tell and would like to submit, then please send to Christopher at cbrowne@brownmedia.co.uk.

Finally, David Davies (RLG Chairman) extended thanks from a PhD student, Zeina Bushnaq, who is conducting a survey of mental health and psychological support for pouchees during their surgical journey. Thanks to a mention during a previous forum and other posts on social media she has managed to recruit 74 pouchees for the survey, an excellent response for which she is very grateful. Thank you to all who took part. We will hope to publish the outcomes in due course on the RLG website.

These RLG monthly chat forums are very well appreciated by all attendees and have been a noteable highlight amidst the general covid gloom. In particular, for pouchees who are based in more remote regions and for whom there isn’t ready access to other pouchees. Hopefully these sessions are helping those people to feel less isolated.

The next Red Lion Group zoom chat will take place on Monday 7 December starting at 8pm. Please click Register Now link below to register and reserve your place and please note that the dial in instructions will be sent to you within 48 hours of the event start.

David Davies

RLG Chairman

Re–Published on 25 October 2020

Registration is now open for our next Open Zoom Forum on Monday 2 November at 8:00 pm. Open to all pouchees, prospective pouchees, family and friends – we split into ladies and gentlemens break-out groups so you can talk openly and share your experiences with other pouchees.

A quote from an attendee after recent meeting –

“Thank you – I did enjoy the session. I’d forgotten that in certain circles I was perfectly normal!“

You can register for the next forum on Monday 2 November at 8:00 pm by clicking the register now button below.

(If you have previously registered for one or more of our Zoom into summer webcasts, you will receive a message saying you are already subscribed. Follow the instructions to Update your preferences and tick the box to say that that you would like to attend the forum on 2 November 2020).

Read about previous sessions and examples of topics discussed below.

Re–Published on 23 August 2020 – David Davies Chairman Red Lion Group

The second in the series of zoom get togethers for pouchees took place on Monday 3 August at 8pm. Organised by the Red Lion Group, the forum offers the opportunity for pouchees, their family and friends to get together via the wonders of zoom to discuss common challenges and learn from each other’s experience in dealing with pouch-related issues. One of the challenges for the organisers is to ensure that people have the chance to be heard and we therefore divided the audience into male and female sub-groups for the discussions, then re-grouped for a summary session at the end.

Once again, the event attracted a good number of pouchees and everyone contributed in a lively discussion of various pouch-related issues, including:

How to avoid (or reduce) night time BMs (and therefore reduce fatigue from losing sleep):
- Use of a catheter to achieve complete emptying before bed
- Medications and their use to prevent/reduce nightime BMs. Windeeze was one suggestion to reduce gas in the pouch
- Alternative therapies – one person recommended a few drops of CBD oil tincture under the tongue before bed time.
Diet and the best diets to use to achieve weight loss along with a healthy pouch
- The benefits of the MacDonalds diet for pouchees!
The St Marks pouch nurses and how to contact them
Probiotics and the high cost of VSL#3. Many people use probiotics and feel they help keep their pouches healthy. Uchu Mead – Head of Pharmacy at St Marks Hospital – commented at an Information Day in 2019 that the best time to use VSL#3 was just after a course of antibiotics for pouchitis, when the antibiotics have disrupted the pouch bacterial community. However, a number of the attendees use VSL#3 on a daily basis, which is expensive. VSL#3 is not on the prescribers list, but pouchitis is now a recognised condition which GPs can find on the NHS website.
It was pointed out that at the Information Day it was mentioned that the probiotic called Vivomixx, claims to be the only product that uses the original VSL#3 formula, and the current product called VSL#3 cannot use the original formula. You can read about this interesting patent battle on Google if you are interested!

Huge thanks to Theresa Parr and Christopher Browne for moderating the sessions and to Gary Bronziet for arranging the facility and pressing all the right buttons. And thank you to all who took time out to join the event and contribute to the lively discussions.

You can register for the next forum on Monday 7 September at 8:00 pm by clicking the register now button below.

Published on 5 July 2020.

First Red Lion Group Zoom Forum “a great success”!

The recent “Zoom into Summer” series of presentations was a great success and demonstrated the power of the Zoom platform to facilitate real time, “face to face” interactions. So much so, that those clever people at Red Lion Group decided to trial a new concept; a zoom “coffee morning” to mimic the breakout discussion sessions that have proved so popular at the Information Days in the past. The first of the “Zoom into RLG Forum” took place on Thursday 2 July and was attended by 20 RLG members. The group was divided equally into men and women, who discussed pouch-related issues in their respective groups for 40 minutes or so and then came together to compare the topics. The two facilitators were RLG stalwarts Susan Burrows and Christopher Browne and our thanks to them for their inspired leadership.

Representative screen image of Zoom meeting

The event was a resounding success. Topics discussed by the men included seepage, the use of pads available on prescription, eating meals early in the day to prevent night time BMs, use of loperamide for the same, how to mask the smell of BMs, key hole surgery, support for remote pouchees (from Fife!), dysfunctional pouches, feeling of incomplete emptying, catheters and, amidst some hilarity, the challenge of weeing without poohing whilst standing up when on a night out.

Meanwhile, the ladies discussed topics as varied as sore bottoms, pouchitis, the use of catheters, the question of whether or not to choose a pouch operation compared with a permanent ileostomy and the ingenious suggestion of a motion-sensitive night light to illuminate the route to the toilet when a pouchee needs to go in the night in an unfamiliar place.

We pouchees are united by a common journey and shared experiences which are unique to our circumstance. There is reassurance and comfort in coming together to discuss these common challenges and issues and especially to find humour in adversity when the occasional “slip up” occurs. The Zoom platform allows people to “meet” on video calls and talk as a group as if we were in the same room, to effectively mimic the Information Day breakouts.

The event was a great success with attendees unanimously voting for another such event in one month time. The next forum will take place during the evening of Monday 3^rd August, starting at 8pm. To register to attend the forum, click on the register now button below. If you have previously registered for one or more of our Zoom into summer webcasts, you will receive a message saying you are already subscribed. Follow the instructions to Update your preferences and tick the box to say that that you would like to attend the forum on 3rd August 2020.

Thanks again to the facilitators, Susan and Christopher, to Gary Bronziet for providing the technical input and to all the delegates who kindly joined this first event.

David Davies

Chairman – Red Lion Group

We look forward to receiving your registration and seeing you at the Forum. You will be sent the Zoom invitation in due course.

RLG donates to St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation

Christopher Browne presents cheque to St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation on behalf of Red Lion Group

Jason Bacon, CEO of the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, receives a cheque for £1,000 from Christopher Browne, RLG committee member and Roar! editor (right), at St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow.

The money, which was donated by the Red Lion Group, will help fund key pouch-related research at St Mark’s Hospital. Mr Bacon commented:

“Medical research is expensive and we rely greatly on donations such as this to continue our world-class projects.”

Find out more about the work of St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation here.

It’s all in the mind…

Just how fit are you? When did you last do a few pre-breakfast press-ups? Or a couple of bracing laps of the local park perhaps? Last week, last year – or never perhaps.

And how often do you think about your mental fitness? It may not be so obvious, but however strong, skilful, athletic or flexible you are, it’s your calmness and determination that guide you and help you to perform your daily activities ie it’s all in the mind!

Mental health is such a vital and fascinating subject, that we will be investigating it further in the December Roar! with contributions from two leading psychiatrists, case studies from doctors, surgeons, healthcare professionals and, of course, other pouch-owners.

Would you like to add your own experiences of mental health to this article? You can do this by sending your own examples, ideas and views in confidence – and anonymously if you prefer – to Christopher Browne, Roar! Editor, at cbrowne@brownemedia.co.uk.

It’s quite a heady subject after all!

Mental health support for pouchees and ileostomists – survey

Zeina Bushnaq, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Roehampton, is doing a Doctorate in Psychology and has a particular interest in the mental health support offered to pouchees and ileostomists.

She is currently looking for volunteers to complete a simple, online survey to help with her research. The results will provide insight and guidance into the future mental support for pouchees, potential pouchees and ileostomists. Ten minutes of your time to help improve the prospects and quality of mental and emotional support for pouchees, potential pouchees and ileostomists in the future. What’s not to like?

Zeina’s project has been approved by the University Research Ethics Committee and all answers will be treated in complete confidence and anonymised.

Please click below for more information and to take the survey.

Click here

Zeina needs 60 of each group of people to complete her research, please help her to achieve her goal.

Would you like to join our Committee ?

We are looking for new volunteers to join the Board of Trustees at Red Lion Group.

Would you like to join this small team of enthusiastic and friendly volunteers? If so we would love to hear from you. Please read the information below and write to me at dbd60@hotmail.com if you would like to know more.

The charity

RLG is a small charity run by volunteer Trustees, with a shared passion/ mandate to provide support, advice and reassurance to people who have – or are thinking of having – an internal pouch, plus their friends and family. Our membership is currently around 350 people and we are seeking to increase this to 500 over the next 2 years. We are a registered charity and have a commitment to good governance and compliance.

Commitment

We are looking for people who are happy to work as part of a team on various administrative tasks to deliver information and advice to our members. The time commitment is not onerous, perhaps 2-4 hours per month on average. Up until now we have had one face to face meeting a year, typically in London and an opportunity to meet face to face at the Information Day (which takes place at St Mark’s Hospital in Spring time). All other activities can be achieved from the comfort of your own home.

During COVID, we have used online meeting facilities (zoom) to conduct meetings and these have been very successful. We have between 3 and 6 team telecons per year.

Key attributes are:

Enthusiasm to support our members
Happy to work with other Trustees as part of a valued, small team
Ideally (but not essential), with skills/instincts in one or more of the following: Fundraising, member enrolment, IT, project management, process design, social media, marketing
With the time to devote to this role (2-5 hours per month)
Willing and able to help the charity develop and improve what we do
You do not need to have undergone the surgical procedure to be a trustee. Many of our members are family and friends of “pouchees” and we have other non-pouchees amongst the trustees
We welcome people from diverse backgrounds

Participation is voluntary, although we do reimburse expenses where necessary.

We hope you will be inspired to join us!

David Davies

RLG Chairman

Summer 2020 edition of ROAR! now available

The Red Lion Group publishes an informative magazine called ROAR! two or three times a year and the latest edition has just been published.

Members should have received this (Issue 59: Summer 2020) in the post.

It is also available to download from the website, as well as ROAR! archives going all the way back to Issue 1, published in 1994.

Only members have access to ROAR! on the website. Please contact us to request the password if you don’t have it.

If you are not already a member, why not join by clicking on the link below!

Join Now

P-word problems? Why not try a little yoghurt

RLG Notes Secretary Theresa Parr finds regular doses of her own home-made yoghurt help keep pouchitis at bay

Just what is it about pouchitis? What causes this painful seemingly incurable condition that many of us have suffered from time to time?

Years of research projects, in-depth case studies and scholarly medical papers have produced very little so far for patients and medical professionals to go on.

One possible remedy many pouchees turn to has been probiotics – live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your digestive system. However, the people’s favourite, VSL#3, has recently been discredited due to lack of scientific data or testimonials.

Antibiotics are the usual standby as they can give short-term relief and certainly help to allay some of the worst symptoms of pouchitis.

But what about longer-term solutions? RLG’s Theresa Parr has her own unique method of anti-pouchitis control. “I’ve been lucky and have only had two mild bouts of pouchitis which was many years ago. I didn’t fall into the prescribing category and, as VSL#3 is very expensive to purchase, I looked at alternatives,” she says.

Her solution? Yoghurt. “For many years I’ve been making home-made yoghurt and, touch wood, it seems to be doing the trick and moreover it’s extremely simple to make,” says Theresa.Theresa uses a yoghurt maker she bought from the supplier Lakeland (www.lakeland.co.uk) some years ago. The device has an outer unit housing a heating element and an inner, removable plastic container. Here then is the Parr formula:

“You put a small portion of your starter culture (plain yoghurt containing a balanced blend of bacteria which consume lactose) in the container, add milk (full fat, semi or skimmed according to your taste or waistline!), give it a good stir and then just ignore it for 10 to 12 hours.

“If you want thicker yoghurt, then I suggest you strain it *. I tend to use Yeo Valley as my starter yoghurt but that is just down to personal taste.

“Thereafter, you just use some of your home-made yoghurt to make the next batch and I only resort to shop-bought starter yoghurt if I’ve been away for a few weeks.

“Lakeland now make a new all-singing-and-dancing yoghurt-maker with an adjustable thermostat and a strainer for about £25, while Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) sell similar for about £18. This can also make Greek-style yoghurt and cream cheese. Fancy!

“I like the fact that yoghurt has no artificial sweeteners, additives or preservatives (and I find I’ve usually eaten it all before it goes off anyway!) and, of course, you can add any extras you like to suit your palette.

“It is also great as a base for salad dressing or with chives on jacket potatoes, etc.

“I do not know the precise strains or levels of active bacteria in yoghurt, but my pouch is a lot happier if I eat some on a daily basis.

And Theresa’s secret recipe for success? “I just throw some on my breakfast porridge!”

* Put a clean tea towel over a fine mesh sieve on top of a large bowl (at least 1 litre capacity). Then allow to stand until thin liquid stops draining through the sieve (about 1 hour).

Breakfast treat – cereal topped with yoghurt

This article first appeared in ISSUE 59: Summer 2020 edition of ROAR! if you would like to read other articles like this, why not become a member of the Red Lion Pouch Support group? You will receive a printed copy of ROAR! twice a year and have online access to archive ROAR! editions going back to 1994.

Join Now

Why Zoey wears her pouch with pride

Former world champion fitness model Zoey Wright wore a stoma for four years before deciding to have a J-pouch op – and is delighted she went ahead .

My J-pouch is now 15 months old, and with each month that passes it’s becoming stronger and stronger and so is my confidence in my decision to have the two-stage surgery.

I can now go six or more hours without even thinking about the loo and most nights I sleep right though until the morning, which is something I never thought would be possible. As a personal trainer/fitness Instructor I did worry that it would put stress on how I perform in my job, but it’s been no different to when I had my stoma.

I started taking my instructor-led fitness classes around eight weeks post- takedown — under the guidance of my surgeon Mr Denzil May from the Royal Cornwall Hospital where I had my op.

I eased myself back into taking exercise and made sure I focused on engaging my core muscles to prevent any post-surgical complications/injuries and it didn’t take me too long to bounce back into action!

Since my takedown I’ve also managed two holidays, one being only 14 weeks post-closure to Tenerife with a friend which was rather boozy! And my J-pouch survived! Then at the start of this year I had a mini break to Budapest and had no worries then either.

However, before having my large intestine removed travelling was out of the question, the thought of flying would make me incredibly anxious and I would have found eating anywhere very tricky. Now I can enjoy all the foods and drinks I like without a second thought.

Award-winner

Before I had my J-pouch created I was a fitness modelling competitor and, after three long hard years of intense training and dieting with my stoma, I was awarded the highest title recognised by Pure Elite, the fastest-growing fitness federation in Europe!

But I’ve now decided to take a step back from those appearances on the stage with a new mission in mind. I aim to continue to train at a high level but wish to encourage and inspire people from all walks of life to start their journey in health and fitness.

I must say that as a regular gym-goer I have found the lockdown tough. There have been many ups and down with my mental health but I’ve found it a great time to reflect on what I want to do next in my career and to see family and friends who don’t normally exercise now actually MOVING has given me some great ideas to help them continue to exercise once life returns to normal.I’m feeling very grateful for my J-pouch and couldn’t be happier with the progress I’ve made.

Join Now

Help doctoral student with research project

I am passing on the chance for you to get involved in some research being conducted by a doctoral student, Zeina Bushnaq, at the University of Roehampton. Zeina is asking people with ileostomies or pouches for their experiences and thoughts regarding mental health services.

The survey takes about 30 minutes to complete, the project has been approved by the University ethics committee and your data will be confidential and anonymised.

There is no payment, but I hope a few of you will have the time and motivation to complete the survey. Zeina has prepared a flyer for more information and your participation is completely optional!

If you would like to take part in this study, for more information please click here

Thanks on behalf of Zeina and her colleagues. And don’t forget to mention where you heard of the research.

Thanks

David Davies

Chaiman – Red Lion Group

Zoom into Summer series of Pouch webcasts

Updated Sunday 21 June 2020

Professor John Nicholls discussing the history and evolution of the Internal Pouch procedure.

This week’s Red Lion Group Zoom meeting featured the eminent surgeon, Professor John Nicholls, who spoke about the history and evolution of the different surgical procedures for the treatment of bowel diseases, including the pouch procedure of which he was, with Sir Alan Parks, the first surgeon to describe and carry out the procedure. This was a fascinating talk, especially as so many attending the talk have Professor Nicholls to thank for their own pouch! You can view the recording of the talk by clicking on the picture above.

This was the last session in the Zoom into Summer schedule to feature a guest speaker, however as mentioned at the meeting by Red Lion Group chairman, David Davies, we intend to hold further Zoom meetings in the format of an informal “coffee morning” chat, like the open forums we usually hold at the end of our annual Information Days. The first one is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 2 July at 10:30 am. Further details to follow!

Thanks to everyone that has supported our Zoom events and sent such positive feedback, and special thanks to all of our speakers. We have had over 100 people that have taken part, and look forward to seeing you on our first coffee morning meeting!

Updated Sunday 14 June 2020

Zoom into Summer with Zarah Perry-Woodford – Living with a Pouch

This week 48 of us had the pleasure of listening to Zarah Perry-Woodford, followed by a vibrant question and answer session covering a variety of Pouch related issues. If you missed the session, you can see a replay by clicking on the picture of Zarah above.

Next Thursday you will have the opportunity of hearing from Prof. John Nicholls who, with Sir Alan Parks more than 40 years ago, pioneered the procedure we know now as the Internal Pouch or IPAA. We look forward to hearing his personal reflection on 40 years of the pouch procedure on Thursday 18 June at 10:30 am.

Please don’t forget to register to receive the Zoom meeting Link. You can register by tapping the button below. Note that this zoom meeting will be immediately followed by the AGM (Annual General Meeting) of the Red Lion Group, and Red Lion Group members are invited/encouraged to remain on the Zoom for the AGM. We promise it will be short and sweet and further information about the AGM will be sent out seperately to members.

Note the main presentation from Prof. Nicholls is open to all, not just RLG members!

Updated Tuesday 9 June 2020

Links to the recordings from the first three Zoom into Summer sessions are now available. Click on the pictures below to view the recordings of Dr. Yoram Inspector, Janindra Warusavitarne and Jason Bacon respectively.

Don’t forget to register for this week’s Zoom featuring Zarah Perry-Woodford if you have not already done so!

Updated Sunday 7 June 2020

Dr. Yoram Inspector – the link between the Brain and the Gut

Another “lockdown ” week gone by, and another fascinating Red Lion Group Zoom meeting, this week featuring Dr. Yoram Inspector, Consultant at the Psychological Medicine Unit (PMU) at St Mark’s Hospital. Yoram shared his unique perspective on the link between the brain and the gut, with a good measure of Greek Classics and Mythology thrown in! Make sure to look out for the recording if you missed it.

It’s not too late to register for the Zoom meeting this coming Thursday 11 June (10:30 – 11:30) where this weeks guest speaker will be Zarah Perry-Woodford. Zarah has a CV that reads like a medical Who’s Who. A pioneer in patient care and support, Zarah is the Consultant Nurse at St Mark’s Hospital, the UK’s centre of excellence for pouch and stoma care. Zarah speaks and presents at national and international conferences, writes for the leading medical and nursing journals and in 2016 wrote the definitive “Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis – a Guide for Patients” – a work that has become the go-to bible for those who have had or are about to have pouch surgery. She was also a very active medical liaison officer with the Red Lion Group.

After spending several years developing and expanding the ileo-anal pouch service at St Mark’s Hospital, Zarah is now a key member of the team working on the NHS-sponsored “Ostomate Project”, which aims to expand and develop stomacare services and products throughout the UK.

You must register to receive the Zoom meeting Invitation.

Scroll down for further information about upcoming meetings.

Updated Sunday 31 May 2020

Janindra Warusavitarne – Innovation in Pouch Surgery

Thursday we had another enjoyable and enlightening Zoom meeting with over 40 attendees, watching and listening to Janindra Warusavitarne. His talk was followed by a lively Q&A session. Janindra was also complimented on having the best book shelf seen on Zoom so far!

If you attended you will also have heard about the further exciting speakers lined up for future sessions. On Thursday June 11, we have the pleasure of hearing from Zarah Perry-Woodford, lead nurse – pouch and stoma care, St Mark’s Hospital. Many of you will know Zarah from personal experience, and as you will know, Zarah literally wrote the book on “Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis – A Guide for Patients“. You can see further details about Zarah and her book in a previous post here.

Hot off the press news is that our speaker on Thursday 18 June will be none other than Professor John Nicholls. As many of you will know, Prof. Nicholls (with Sir Alan Parks) pioneered the surgical procedure we know as the Internal Pouch or IPAA. (see recent post on their historical paper describing the procedure here ).

And don’t forget to register to attend this weeks ZOOM (Thursday 4 June) where the speaker will be Dr. Yoram Inspector, Consultant at the Psychological Medicine Unit (PMU) at St Mark’s Hospital. Amongst his interests and specialities is Psycho-Gastroenterology. His last talk at a Red Lion Group Information day, was rated the most popular by attendees with his fascinating insights into the link between the brain and the gut.

For further information, and to register please scroll down.

Updated Saturday 23 May 2020

Jason Bacon – CEO of St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation

This past Thursday, we held the first of our series of Zoom into Summer webinars and a good time was had by all. Jason Bacon, CEO of St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation gave a very interesting talk on how St. Mark’s Hospital has adapted in the light of the COVID-19 virus. A recording of the talk will soon be available on line.

Further to last weeks update, I can now confirm that the talk by Dr. Yoram Inspector will be on Thursday, 4 June (10:30 – 11:30). Anyone that has attended one of his talks will know that he is one of our most popular Information Day presenters. Dr. Inspector is a Consultant at the Psychological Medicine Unit (PMU) at St Mark’s Hospital. Amongst his interests and specialities is Psycho-Gastroenterology.

It’s not too late to register for the Zoom meeting this coming Thursday 28 May (10:30 – 11:30) where this weeks guest speaker will be Janindra Warusavitarne, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at St. Mark’s Hospital. Janindra has a particular interest in minimally invasive surgical techniques and is at the forefront of developments in Pouch Surgery.

Details of how to register are below. So come on fellow pouchees and guests! Bring your morning cuppa, and join us for elevenses with an interesting talk with time for Q&A and discussion.

We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting a series of Pouch related webinars (using the ZOOM facility), with guest speakers talking on a variety of subjects that will be of interest to our community.

Attendance is FREE and is open to Red Lion Group members and non-members alike. As you may know, regrettably we had to postpone the RLG annual Information Day usually held at St. Mark’s Hospital, but here is a chance to catch up with some of the speakers you would have heard from at the Info day and meet online with other Pouchees!

The following online meetings are currently scheduled (more to follow) :-

Thursday 21 May 2020 Time 10:30 – 11:30 BST
Guest Speaker Jason Bacon (CEO of St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation)

Thursday 28 May 2020 Time 10:30 – 11:30 BST
Guest Speaker Janindra Warusavitarne, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at St. Mark’s Hospital.

Thursday 4 June 2020 Time 10:30 – 11:30 BST
Guest Speaker Dr. Yoram Inspector, Consultant at the Psychological Medicine Unit (PMU) at St Mark’s Hospital.

Thursday 11 June 2020 Time 10:30 – 11:30 BST
Guest Speaker Zarah Perry-Woodford, lead nurse – pouch and stoma care, St Mark’s Hospital

Prof. Nicholls receiving gift from Chairman David Davies after speaking at Information Day 2017

Thursday 18 June 2020 Time 10:30 – 11:30 BST
Guest Speaker Prof. John Nicholls – The Rear Admiral (retired)

If you would like to attend any session, please register your name and email address by clicking the button below. Please indicate the session(s) you would like to attend. You will be sent joining instructions in due course.

Zoom is FREE and extremely easy to use, and you can join with the press of a button from a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. There are no costs to you in joining the webinar.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and receiving your registrations!

RLG virtual chat forum blows away the Covid gloom

Register now for next Pouch Open Forum on 7 December 2020

RLG donates to St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation

It’s all in the mind…

Mental health support for pouchees and ileostomists – survey

Would you like to join our Committee ?

The charity

Commitment

Summer 2020 edition of ROAR! now available

P-word problems? Why not try a little yoghurt

Why Zoey wears her pouch with pride

Help doctoral student with research project

Zoom into Summer series of Pouch webcasts

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The Red Lion Group is a UK registered charity number 1068124

Register now for next Pouch Open Forum on 7 December 2020

The charity

Commitment

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