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Another award for the St. Mark’s Hospital Pouch nurse…

Another award for the St. Mark’s Hospital Pouch nurse team!

We are delighted to announce that Petya Marinova – Lead Nurse Pouch and Stoma Care, was presented with the Healthcare Honours, New Talent Award, 2023. The awards ceremony was held at the Houses of Parliament on Thursday evening, 23rd November, showcasing NHS leadership and management roles. 

The New Talent award shortlisted individuals with up to 5 years of experience in a leadership or managerial position who had shown remarkable potential as a leader and made outstanding contributions to their organisation, either on their own projects or in support of colleagues and/or more senior leaders. The nominee could be in a clinical or non-clinical leadership role, which provided some stiff competition but Petya claimed the prize for us all. We are so proud of her.

The Stoma/Pouch Management Team – Zarah Perry-Woodford and Petya Marinova were also shortlisted and Highly Commended for the Improving Outcomes: Management Team Award which highlighted an NHS management team, from any specialism or area, that made active improvements with a demonstrable impact on outcomes within (or even beyond) their area of responsibility.

They were also shortlisted for the Nursing Times Workforce Summit 2023,  Best Use of Workplace Technology but sadly we didn’t get gold this time!

Left to right – Zarah Perry-Woodford, Rali Marinova, Petya Marinova and Athira Kunnumpurathu

For further information about British Journal of healthcare Honours see https://www.healthcarehonours.com/

Diagnosis and treatment of pouchitis

Diagnosis and treatment of pouchitis

Overview

This article describes the process for the diagnosis and treatment of pouchitis as recommended by St. Mark’s hospital, London – the UK National bowel hospital. 

Symptoms

A small percentage of people with a j pouch will at some stage experience pouchitis. [The incidence of pouchitis is 20% at one year and up to 40% at 5 years. 10 to 15% of patients with pouchitis experience chronic pouchitis, which is classified as either ’treatment responsive’ or ’treatment refractory’. 1]

Symptoms of pouchitis are not dissimilar to those experienced by patients whose original diagnosis was ulcerative colitis (UC). For example, abdominal pain, cramping, increased frequency, urgency and bleeding.  

Diagnosis

Initial diagnosis is based on advanced history taking and assessment of symptoms. This is why it is important that patients speak to someone experienced in pouches, as otherwise they risk being misdiagnosed. Blood tests and pouchoscopy may be considered subject to the history taking and assessment findings.

Treatment

In most cases pouchitis responds well to antibiotics. [two weeks Ciprofloxacin and metronidazole are the most commonly used, often generating a rapid dramatic response. 1] This may be followed up with further four weeks of antibiotics if not resolved or rapid relapse.

In the event that symptoms are not responsive to the antibiotics, investigations into alternative possible diagnosis would be carried out. 

For the complete treatment algorithm, including the treatment of chronic pouchitis, refer to the St. Mark’s hospital Suggested Treatment Algorithm below.


With acknowledgement to Jonathan P Segal, Nik S Ding, Guy Worley, Omar D Faiz, Susan K Clark, Ailsa L Hart

You can download a copy of the treatment algorithm below :-

Protocol for the treatment of pouchitis
Protocol for the treatment of pouchitis
Tap to Download1284 Downloads

References:

1 From the paper “Systematic review: management of chronic refractory pouchitis with evidenced based treatment algorithm” published on Research gate.

You can read the actual paper on Research gate by clicking here or the image below.

Related articles

  • Clinical trial of a novel drug for the treatment of chronic, antibiotic resistant Pouchitis for patients with a pelvic pouch
    Date
    February 19, 2021
  • Medication for your internal pouch – keep taking the tablets!
    Date
    March 21, 2019
  • Ulcerative Colitis with pouch surgery
    Date
    September 4, 2021

Attend our regular monthly J-pouch forum on zoom

Attend our regular monthly J-pouch forum on zoom

A quote from a first time attendee “…Thank you – I did enjoy the session.
I’d forgotten that in certain circles I am perfectly normal!“.


Updated 16 November 2023

The latest of the RLG zoom pouch forums took place on Monday 6th November.  These popular and informal get togethers have been taking place since July 2020 and attract a regular crowd plus some returnees and a few new people.   There is no agenda or script; the topics are decided on the night depending on whatever people want to discuss.  The ambience is welcoming, relaxed and supportive and acknowledges the fact that pouchees are rare, we have been through a lot, and we share a common bond. 

The November forum considered pouch-related issues as diverse as :- 

  • frequency of pouchoscopy 
  • treatments for pouchitis
  • what to say to medical professionals who are not familiar with the pouch 
  • the benefits of the newer “biologics” medicines
  • natural cures for pouchitis.  

There was an amusing explanation of “pebble dashing” for our American friends who are regular attendees (they understood immediately) and a regular slot from a gentleman who had his final take down operation some three months ago and is keeping us updated on his challenges as his body adapts to its new plumbing.  

Finally, and perhaps most gratifying, there were two people considering pouches and who asked whether we would choose a pouch if we had our time again – which led to some excellent reflections on quality of life with a pouch.  

These meetings are friendly and supportive and make for a relaxed hour or so with other pouchees to discuss serious and not so serious pouch-related topics – all from the comfort of your own home.  

The next meeting is on Monday 4 December at 7:30 pm and pre-registration is essential (see link below) to receive the dial in detail.  Hope to see you then!

“This being the last RLG zoom of the year, and being the festive season too, the attendees are encouraged to wear their xmas hats and jumpers etc. and have a suitable beverage on hand for a festive toast!”

See pouchsupport.org/events/  for details of all events or click image below to register.

David Davies
RLG Chairman


Updated 7 December 2022

The last RLG pouch forum of 2022 took place on Monday 5 December with approximately 20 pouchees dialling in for an enthralling zoom session.  These informal chat events have become a regular in people’s diaries and it was good to see so many familiar faces and a few new faces too.  The discussions were wide-ranging and focussed on real pouch problems and their resolution.  The topics included:

  • Vitamin B12 deficiency and a GP letter to get testing and treatment for pouchees 
  • Access to the St Marks pouch nurse specialists for pouch-related advice 
  • Symptoms and treatment for blockage
  • When you should go to hospital with a blockage
  • Prevention / reduction of gas
  • Food supplements and whether they work or not?
  • Probiotics for treatment of pouchitis?
  • Use of catheters and/ or warm water flushing for complete pouch emptying
  • How to reduce or stop having to get up in the night for a pooh
  • Foods to avoid for Christmas dinner!

There were lots of solutions, including one pouchee who had turned around a problematic pouch with a strict regime of pouch care, including a warm water enema to (further) liquidise the pouch contents in the morning and at night, using a medina catheter to fully empty, 2 sachets of Vivomixx per day (other probiotics are available) and green tea supplements (for their apparent anti-inflammatory properties).  Not only is his pouch now healthy, but his doctor complimented him on having the healthiest looking pouch he had ever seen!! 

Time ran out for the last topic of the day, which was how to avoid night time leakage and seepage, so we will discuss this at the next RLG zoom forum, which will take place on Monday 9 January 2023.  Attendance is free, but please remember to register beforehand at pouchsupport.org/events to receive the link to join. 

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year, looking forward to meeting again on the 9th January.

David Davies
RLG Chairman


Our regular monthly pouch forums take place on the first Monday of every month at 7:30 pm (London time) on Zoom. Meet online with other pouchees for friendly pouch related chat!

If you have a pouch or are considering pouch surgery, and have not attended one of our regular pouch forums, then you are missing a fantastic opportunity to “meet” with other like minded individuals, to discuss and compare pouch related experiences and challenges.

We welcome regular and new attendees, ranging from people with “new” pouches, “old” pouches and “yet-to-be” pouches. (Two of our regular attendees have pouches over 40 years old, and were number 9 and 10 of the first pouches ever created!). We have attendees from all over the UK and some from further afield, including Europe and North America.

Subjects discussed are varied, including diet, medication, leakage, butt-burn, frequency, travel, catheters, recommended blood tests, dehydration…the list is endless. All those delicate subjects that you may not wish to discuss elsewhere,

The reality is that we are still a rare breed, and a common reaction from first time attendees is that they have never previously met or had the opportunity to talk to someone else with a pouch. A quote from one attendee “Thank you – I did enjoy the session. I’d forgotten that in certain circles I am perfectly normal!“.

So don’t be shy! Go to pouchsupport.org/events to register for the next scheduled pouch forum.

Meet St. Mark’s award winning pouch nurse twins

Meet the St Mark’s twins who have identical careers – and awards

Next time you visit St Mark’s Hospital pouch nurse department you may think you are seeing double! Read a profile of the famous St. Mark’s Hospital pouch nurse twins.

Christoper Browne, Roar! editor writes…..

Petya and Rali Maranova. Their names may be different but that’s probably the only feature the two St Mark’s Hospital stoma and pouchcare nurses don’t have in common. Almost everything else about them is identical.

The twins were both born and brought up in Bulgaria and while they were at school their parents moved to Italy, the intrepid duo later joining them and then jointly deciding to train as nurses. 

“We always liked the idea of nursing and our parents kept encouraging us to consider it as well as they thought it would be a great fit for us,” says Petya. 

So the twins studied for their nursing degrees while they worked on the wards of local Italian hospitals. “Almost as soon as we started our clinical placements we knew that we wanted to look after stoma and pouch patients,” adds Petya. 

Their next move was to Ireland where they worked on several general surgery and colorectal wards, commuting to Italy’s world-famous Padua University to study for their masters’ degrees in stomacare and incontinence rehabilitation. Both were awarded honours degrees. 

Two years ago [in 2019], after spending a year in the urology ward of a London hospital, the twins joined St Mark’s Hospital – Rali as a specialist stoma nurse and Petya as a specialist pouch nurse [She is now the hospital’s lead nurse for pouch- and stomacare]. 

“Joining St Mark’s has been an incredible opportunity and a dream of ours, and we couldn’t be happier to be part of this amazing place and especially our team – with everyone always being very welcoming, supportive and caring,” the twins said.

“We have gained great experience in looking after stoma, enterocutaneous fistulae and pouch patients on both acute wards and in nurse-led clinics as well as participating in research, department audits, protocols development and in-house staff education,” they said. 

The twins recently gained national recognition when they won the silver medal in the 2023 BJN (British Journal of Nursing) awards in the Stoma Nurse of the Year category and gained four nominations and a “highly commended” in the 2022 Nursing Times and Association of Stoma Care Nurses awards.

Petya commented: “This is a joint team silver – or runners-up medal – for the St Mark’s stoma- and pouchcare team. We are very proud of this achievement and hope to continue doing amazing nursing work for all our patients.”

But how do this incorrigible pair cope when hospital staff, patients and families can’t tell one from the other and mix up their names and identities? “I think it was confusing for our colleagues at first, but now they can tell us apart – most of the time,” quips Petya. 

The Bulgarian-born sisters have identical interests too. At their home near the hospital, they have a small menagerie of pets, enjoy a mutual love of baking and are fanatical Liverpool FC supporters.

Petya & Rali with the St. Mark’s Pouch Nurse team at BJN awards ceremony.

A version of this article first appeared in the Summer 2021 issue 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 printed copy of ROAR! twice a year and have online access to archive ROAR! editions going all the way back to issue number 1, published in 1994. See pouchsupport.org/join for further information.

Do I need to take the NHS bowel screening…

Do I need to take the NHS bowel screening (FIT) test if I have a J pouch?

The NHS in England invites people over 60 to take part in a bowel screening programme and you may have received an invitation to participate. The test requires you to send a poo sample and the test is called a faecal immunochemical test, or ‘FIT kit’ for short. The test detects blood in your poo (blood you would not notice by eye).

However, people with an internal ileoanal pouch (j pouch, w pouch etc) do not have a colon. So, is bowel screening necessary or relevant?

I have raised this question and been advised by respected colorectal consultants and the St. Mark’s pouch nurse team that the test is NOT relevant for anyone with a pouch and, if you have a pouch, you may safely decline.  Of course, taking the test itself will do you no harm, but the results will be meaningless and misleading.

If you are in doubt, discuss with your own colorectal team.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-benefits-and-risks/nhs-bowel-cancer-screening-helping-you-decide for details of the test, but this article makes no reference to the significance of having a j pouch.

New FAQs page on website and more speed!

New FAQs page on website and more speed!

Visit our new FAQs page for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions from people with, or considering J Pouch surgery.

You can find the link to it on the menu bar at the top of the screen on a PC, or in the drop down menu on a phone. See image below.

Menu bar on PC and laptop

On a smart phone, click on the horizonal lines at the top right corner to see the menu bar.

You can also find it at this URL: pouchsupport.org/faqs/

In other website news, we have upgraded the service with our internet service provider, and hopefully you should be experiencing this in much improved response time.


New go-faster pouchsupport website

How one pouchee maintains good pouch function

The banker with the magic touch – how one pouchee maintains good pouch function

It was some upsetting news from his consultant that prompted Ben Barbanel, a City banker and Red Lion Group member, to launch his own unique pouch treatment plan to maintain good pouch function. Did it work? Read on and you’ll find out….

Have you heard the one about the five-year pouchcare plan? You haven’t – well have a word with Red Lion Group member and pouchee Ben Barbanel and he will tell you all about it.

As Ben says: “I am delighted and proud to tell my friends, colleagues and fellow pouchees about the self-discovered regime I have put together over the past five years by taking little snippets of advice and help from a wide and varied array of different sources.”

Ben Barbanel

So what exactly are Ben’s sources? They are two Facebook sites: the J-pouch support group (UK specific) which is hosted by the Red Lion Group (RLG), and the US-based Facebook pouch support group; RLG’s monthly Zoom-led personal advice forums; and the “wonderful pouch nurses” and medical staff at St Mark’s Hospital, says the City banker.

In fact Ben’s story begins in 2002, when after a spell of ulcerative colitis (UC), he had a full colectomy followed by an ileorectal anastomosis1 in 2003 done by the legend John Nicholls.

He had “no issues at all until 2018” when pre-cancerous cells were discovered in the lining of his rectum. Those tests also marked the birth of Ben’s five-year plan.

Following medical advice, Ben’s rectum was accordingly removed. “I was so lucky to then have a one-step pouch made and connected by the talented lead consultant surgeon at St Mark’s, Janindra Warusavitarne.” [Janindra is an RLG patron].

Janindra Warusavitarne

Post-op Ben heard the first two pointers of his pouchcare plan. “St Mark’s consultant nurse, Zarah Perry-Woodford, told me that, as a pouchee, if I ate the same cheese sandwich every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, my output would be different each time I went to the loo”. The second was when Ben’s pouchcare team said that – realistically – it would take him up to five years to see the “full working effects and stabilisation” of his pouch. Prophetic words indeed!

Here then are the highlights of Ben’s successful formula:

  • Six days a week he takes two sachets of Vivomixx probiotic – “I understand this is effectively the original De Simone formula that was most extensively trialled and tested for its efficacy in the treatment of IBD, IBS etc. (source : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Simone_Formulation)” he says.
  • Ben takes one 400mg capsule of potent green tea extract daily – “I see this is routinely recommended in the US by a leading pouch gastroenterologist,” he says. 2 (see footnote)
  • He uses a warm water enema most times he visits the toilet – if convenient – to “completely empty my pouch. I always do this last thing at night before I go to bed and it enables me to sleep uninterrupted for probably five out of seven nights a week.”
  • Finally, Ben uses a Medena catheter after the enema to make sure the pouch is completely empty.

Says Ben: “I’m certain that this regime has given me a healthy pouch, with not one bout of pouchitis since the pouch’s formation. It also enables me to control my bowel motions very easily. My consultant is always very happy with how the pouch looks when I have an endoscopy, and is also very happy with my regime.”

As Ben somewhat sagely points out: “This is just one patient’s testimony and clearly doesn’t constitute medical advice and, while I am not a doctor or nurse or in any way medically qualified, this regime seems to work very well for me. And I would always recommend discussing any changes to your own regimes or plans with your medical team. Good luck fellow pouchees!”

And how will Ben celebrate his five-year pouchee-versary? Uniquely, of course. In September this year he and Janindra Warusavitarne will deliver a lecture titled“What do the public expect from surgeons” at the European Society of Coloproctology’s annual conference in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. 

(You can read their report in the Winter 2023 issue of Roar!) 


FOOTNOTES

1 ileorectal anastomosis (IRA) is a surgical procedure which involve removing part or all of the colon (the large intestine) and joining the ileum (the last part of the small intestine) to the rectum.  Refer https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/ileorectal-anastomosis


2 RLG member Stefan Presland commented, “I assume the article is referring to EGCG green tea extract. I’ve been taking this on and off for a number of years and discovered this BBC report in my early days of taking it that I’ve always kept in mind: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45971416 . I’m possibly being too cautious as a result, but in case any people read the article and decided to to go out and buy some themselves, it’s probably worth noting to only take one 400mg tablet a day and always with food.


A version of this article first appeared in 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 printed copy of ROAR! twice a year and have online access to archive ROAR! editions going all the way back to issue number 1, published in 1994.

See pouchsupport.org/join for further information.

ACPGBI accreditation for St. Mark’s Hospital

ACPGBI accreditation for St. Mark’s Hospital

ACPGBI recommends that pouch surgery should only be performed in high-volume specialist centres. St. Mark’s has been awarded ACPGBI accredited status.

The following, from the ACPGBI (Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland) website.


10 January 2023

The number of “pouches” performed for UC and FAP has steadily declined in recent years. There is however evidence of the occasional “pouch” being performed by individuals nationally.

ACPGBI Council now believes that this form of surgery should only be performed in high-volume specialist centres, by surgeons with sufficient expertise, working as a team. Council is therefore seeking Expressions of Interest for units to become accredited by ACPGBI in performing this form of surgery.


We are pleased to confirm that St. Mark’s Hospital has been granted ACPGBI accredited status.

For the full report and details of the criteria required for accredited status see https://www.acpgbi.org.uk/about/news/448/accreditation_of_pouch_units/)

Download the ACPGBI report below.

ACPGBI – Accreditation of pouch centres
ACPGBI – Accreditation of pouch centres
Download Now!532 Downloads
St. Mark’s Hospital granted ASCGBI acreditation

Gold and silver for St Mark’s pioneering pouch care…

Gold and silver for St Mark’s pioneering pouch care team

Well, well, well! They’ve done it again! The much-admired pouch and stoma care nursing team at St Mark’s Hospital have won yet more accolades for their caring skills.

The source of their latest triumph was the 2023 BJN Awards run by the British Journal of Nursing.  St Mark’s Consultant Nurse Zarah Perry-Woodford was named Nurse of the Year in the BJN awards – a mere six months after she was nominated as Nursing Times Nurse Manager of the Year (See the Winter 2022-2023 Roar!).

Zarah Collecting her award

To add even greater lustre to her win, the members of Zarah’s team, lead nurse Petya Marinova and pouch/stoma nurse Rali Marinova, won silver in the BJN awards Stoma Nurse of the Year category. This follows the team’s four nominations and a “highly commended” in the Nursing Times and Association of Stoma Care Nurses awards last October.

Commented Petya: “This is a joint team silver – or runners-up medal – for the stoma and pouch nursing team. We are very proud of this achievement and hope to continue doing amazing nursing work for all our patients.

The St. Mark’s Stoma and Pouch care team

“The award is for successfully delivering uninterrupted services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, digitalising our services and publishing a stoma patient guide handbook – “Stoma Care – A Guide for Patients” – empowering patients to self-care throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

Jason Bacon, CEO of the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, said: “The St Mark’s Foundation, members of the hospital trust and the staff of St Mark’s send a huge message of congratulations to Zarah and the whole team of remarkable nurses. We are delighted that Zarah Perry-Woodford has been awarded “Nurse of the Year” and the St Mark’s stoma and pouchcare nursing team won the silver medal for the BJN Stoma Care Team of the Year.”

Jason Bacon – CEO of St. Mark’s Foundation

Added Petya: “We are all extremely proud of Zarah Perry-Woodford’s well-deserved achievement, as it is testament to the amazing work she has done over the last 20-plus years, and especially the last couple of years, leading the pouch and stoma care team through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, ensuring services are maintained in a safe and effective way, and going above and beyond in order to ensure the safety of the team, and guaranteeing that patients are well supported with uninterrupted service throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

Christopher Browne
Trustee and ROAR! editor

IBD Patient Day (Celebrating World IBD Day) at St.…

IBD Patient Day (Celebrating World IBD Day) at St. Mark’s

This year St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation is delighted to be hosting an IBD Patient day on Saturday 13th May celebrating World IBD day! 

This event is in partnership with our amazing clinical colleagues, and we would absolutely love to see you there. This jam-packed day features talks from members of the St Mark’s specialist IBD team, St Mark’s Surgeons and Consultants. 

This is an opportunity for patients to come together at Central Middlesex Hospital as the new home of St Marks.

The World IBD day theme is going to be “ageing well with IBD“, where we will connect people of all ages and offer support as they live with IBD.

Admission is FREE but registration is required. You can register here.

World IBD Day takes place on 19 May each year and unites people worldwide in their fight against Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, known as inflammatory bowel diseases. You can find out more about World IDB day at https://worldibdday.org

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