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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!

Events

Notification of AGM

Dear RLG member,

We are living in strange times and I speak for all the Trustees in hoping that you and your loved ones have been keeping well during the COVID-19 crisis.

The crisis has meant the cancellation of our annual Information Day, which would have taken place in April and would have included the Annual General Meeting (AGM). In place of the Information Day, we have been running a series of webcasts using the Zoom facility allowing members to dial into the sessions from the comfort of their own homes without the risks of social interaction.

Under these exceptional circumstances, the RLG Committee has therefore decided to exercise best endeavours and to host an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) this coming Thursday 18th June at 11:45, immediately following the latest “Zoom into Summer” event (a webinar with Professor John Nicholls) which is scheduled for 10:30-11:30 am. We are aware that we will not be able to achieve the usual notice period for members but feel this is the best chance to achieve quorum so that the voting is validated. To register to attend the webinar with Prof. John Nicholls and the EGM, please click the button below.

To download EGM agenda, click here.

There will be an EGM report published on the website within one week for those of you who are not able to attend in person, with opportunities to ask questions of the Committee via the website (as always). If you wish to table a question or comment in advance of the AGM, then please use the info@pouchsupport.org email address or indeed contact me directly on my personal email (dbd60@hotmail.com).

Yours sincerely

David Davies
(RLG Chairman)

News

How Rebecca took those vital first steps to recovery

RLG member Rebecca Berzins almost became an also-ran when pouch surgery threatened her passion for running. Then sheer determination took over.

I’ve always been a keen runner, enjoying the buzz and camaraderie of several fun runs, 5ks and a half marathon or two – even during the four years I had a stoma.

However I faced a much bigger snag in 2016 when I had a pouch operation. Suddenly I began to struggle to get back into my familiar running routine again, sometimes finding the timing of my runs tricky and unpredictable.

I decided that with some good planning there was no reason why I couldn’t take it up again. So at the start of 2019 I signed up for the Vitality 10k – a 10-kilometre run through the streets of London. I decided that I’d be damned if my pouch was going to rob me of my passion for running!

I duly printed off a training plan and to the cheers of my four-year-old daughter, Cleo, shouting “Run faster Mummy”, I set off running again. Despite not being altogether in the best of shape physically I knew that, on the days that I did feel up to it, stepping out for a run would make me feel like me again. Running always makes me feel fit, healthy and alive!

As race day approached friends and family started asking me how they could sponsor me so I decided to use the opportunity to raise funds for the Red Lion Group. Having sat in on the AGM at the annual Information Day in April 2019, I knew how valuable the funds would be.

Sticking to my training plan was tough at times as on bad pouch days I couldn’t run as planned. Yet I tried not to get despondent and kept in mind that I was taking part in a race that was important to me – not simply bettering past racing times.

During my training I ran first thing in the morning before I ate anything as I find that is the easiest approach. But on race day my start time wasn’t until 10.45am so I knew I would need some fuel. I had a light breakfast first thing and left myself plenty of time to empty my pouch and make several toilet trips before the race started (although race day nerves meant I’ve always done that anyway so I can’t really blame my pouch!).

Being a little out of practice and somewhat short of training meant my knees were struggling by the halfway point, but I was pleased not to have to make any toilet stops during the race, which took me a little over an hour to complete.

It was wonderful to be back doing what I love again and I am delighted that I raised £605 for the Red Lion Group.

**Finishing touch: Rebecca Berzins with her Vitality 10k medal**

Ed: Congratulations Rebecca! We very much appreciate your fundraising efforts

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 printed Copy of ROAR! twice a year and have online access to archive ROAR! editions going back to 1994.

Join Now

News

Coronavirus Update

Many of you have been contacting us over the past few weeks about the coronavirus outbreak expressing understandable concerns about its effects on your health, work, finances and general well-being.

It has also meant we have had to postpone the Red Lion Group’s Annual Information Day and AGM, which was due to take place on 25 April, in compliance with government restrictions. We recognize the value of the Information Day to our members and are constantly reviewing the possibilities of a re-arranged event later in the year. We will keep you posted on this.

Covid-19 has posed many questions and concerns for us all about both the present and the future. In particular the “at risk” status of pouchees and potential pouchees who are on various medications.

There is very clear and concise advice on this topic on the websites of the Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association (IA) ( Click here ) and Crohn’s and Colitis UK ( Click here ) and we suggest you refer to these in the first instance

If you still have issues or concerns then please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@pouchsupport.org.

The RLG Committee

Events

Information Day Postponement

Dear Members and Guests,

The Red Lion Group Committee has reviewed the latest updates regarding the emerging Coronavirus situation across the UK and implications for the safe conduct of the Internal Pouch Annual Information Day scheduled to take place at St. Mark’s Hospital on Saturday 25^th April. As the outbreak is still gathering pace in this country, it is not possible to accurately forecast what the coronavirus status will be in 6-7 weeks’ time. Nevertheless, the Committee has taken the decision to postpone the Information Day until later in the year, when hopefully the situation will be under greater control. This is especially pertinent to pouchees and potential pouchees whose immune systems may be compromised and reflects our determination to look after the safety and wellbeing of our members and their guests at all times.

We realise this will be disappointing to delegates and appreciate your understanding of the need for this action. We will be monitoring the situation closely and will be announcing the alternative date for the Information Day as soon as possible via the usual channels (our web site, emails, posters, letters and through social media).

Thank you for your patience and continuing support. We remain open online at all times on our web site at pouchsupport.org or by email at info@pouchsupport.org and of course we wish you all well.

The RLG Committee

Events

Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery – A Guide for Patients

Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis – A Guide for Patients

Stop Press – Zarah Perry-Woodford will be speaking at the Red Lion Group Internal Pouch Information day at St. Mark’s hospital on Saturday, 25th April 2020.

In 2016, St Mark’s Hospital Academic Institute proudly announced its first ever book publication “Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis – A Guide for Patients”, written by Zarah Perry-Woodford, lead nurse – pouch and stoma care, St Mark’s Hospital.

Zarah has worked at St Mark’s hospital since 2002 and as the lead pouch nurse and practitioner since 2005 providing expert care to patients with ileo-anal pouches.

The book is an invaluable resource for people living with or considering an internal (Ileo-anal) pouch or J-Pouch. You can find out more about the book and how to purchase by clicking on the image below.

The Red Lion Pouch Support Group is delighted to announce that Zarah will be speaking on the subject “Post-operative and long-term care of pouch patients” at its Internal Pouch Information Day to be hosted at St. Mark’s Hospital on Saturday, 25th April 2020.

You can find out more about the Information Day and reserve your place by clicking here.

Events

Information Day 2020 – book your place now!

Hopefully, you have already saved the date for the Red Lion group Information Day and AGM, 2020, which will take place on Saturday 25th April at St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow. The Red Lion Group Information Day is one of the most informative events for patients, prospective patients, friends family and health care professionals with an interest in Pouch Surgery.

(The information day is open to ALL, not just patients of St. Mark’s Hospital)

You will have the opportunity to hear from some of the leading professionals in the field of Pouch Surgery practise and research and interact with fellow pouchees, prospective pouchees and health care professionals. You can see highlights and download presentations from last years (2019) Information day here.

Spaces are limited and you are recommended to register your intention to attend as soon as possible. Attendance fee (which includes refreshments and lunch) is £10.00 for non-members and £8.00 for members.

You can book your place using the link below.

You will be sent regular updates on the agenda as they become available and payment instructions in due course.

Become a member of the Red Lion Group and attend the Information day at the discounted rate and other benefits.

Join Now

Confirmed Speakers

Dr. Yoram Inspector

We are delighted to confirm that Dr Yoram Inspector will be speaking again following his hugely popular presentation at the Information Day in 2018. He will be speaking on “The psychology of bowel (pouch) surgery”.

Dr Yoram Inspector M.D is a consultant Psychiatrist and a Psychotherapist and the Head of the Psychological Medicine Unit of St Mark’s Hospital which provides psychological treatment and support for people who cope with various gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.

Zarah Perry-Woodford
Many of you will be acquainted with Zarah Perry Woodford who will be speaking on the subject “Post-operative and long-term care of pouch patients“. Zarah has worked at St Mark’s hospital since 2002 and as the lead pouch nurse and practitioner since 2005 providing expert care to patients with ileo-anal pouches. She is also the author of the acclaimed book “Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis – A Guide for Patients“.

Zoey Wright
We are also pleased to announce that we will have a Zoey Wright as a speaker. Zoey is a fitness model and media celebrity who will be celebrating one year to the day of her J-Pouch connection. She will be discussing her J-Pouch journey and training with a J-Pouch.

You can view Zoey’s website by clicking here or on the picture below.

Lucia Braz (Research Fellow at St. Mark’s Academic Institute)
Lucia Braz is a Registered Dietitian, trained at the University of Porto where she received a BSc Honours Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and became a member of the Federation of Nutrition Therapy Practitioners (FNTP) and British Dietetic Association (BDA) in the UK.
In 2017, she stepped out to undertake a PhD programme under supervision of Professor Ailsa Hart and Professor Gary Frost splitting her time between St Mark’s Hospital and Imperial College London. Her main research interest is the role of diet and Short-chain fatty acids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Pouchitis.

FURTHER SPEAKERS TO BE CONFIRMED.

If you would like make a donation to the Red Lion Group please see our JustGiving link below.

News

When did you last suffer a fracture?

Chances are it was some time ago. However, bowel problem sufferers can be more prone to a broken wrist, hip or ankle than others due to a condition known as osteoporosis. Red Lion member Sandy Hyams explains.

Sandy Hyams with her Welsh terrier, Lucky

Seven years ago, I had a nasty fall, breaking and dislocating my shoulder and sustaining nerve damage. I also started suffering from back pain which no amount of painkillers seemed to budge.

To add to my woes, I discovered that I had wedge compression fractures of the spine when the bones become “squashed” due to their reduced strength.

As you can see I’m not one to do things by halves! In fact, I lost count of the number of physiotherapists I visited in a vain attempt to relieve my constant pain. And it was not until a GP suggested I have a DEXA scan* that I discovered osteoporosis had been the culprit all along.

It all started when I tried to reach up into the top of a bedroom wardrobe to lift down a blanket and fell in the process. When I fell over there was a loud crack as I felt my bones go.

As part of the fall-out (excuse the pun!) I lost about three inches in height and suddenly – it all seemed to happen overnight – I found all my trousers were too long and I couldn’t get up to shelves that had been well within my reach before.

Brittle bones

So, what exactly is osteoporosis? It is a brittle bone condition that is usually discovered – as in my case – after a fall. An estimated one in two women and one in five men over 50 suffer such fractures which usually occur in the wrist or hip.

Osteoporosis is often referred to as the “silent epidemic” and UC (ulcerative colitis) and Crohn’s sufferers are particularly prone to it. Among the danger signs for bowel disease sufferers are long-term use of steroids, low body weight, poor food absorption and long periods of immobility.

Other contributory factors are family genes, low calcium intake when young, heavy smoking, excessive drinking and lack of exercise. Low bone density also increases with age and one of the major risk factors for post-menopausal women is a declining level of oestrogen, the hormone which protects by balancing the removal of old and the renewal of new bone cells.

Key remedies

Reassuringly, osteoporosis can be treated and prevented. Three effective ways to help strengthen your bones and general skeleton are to revert to a calcium-rich diet, use weight-bearing exercises at home or at the gym and take Vitamin D supplements and get as much natural sunshine as possible! All these remedies help the body to absorb calcium.

For many years the only treatment available for women with osteoporosis was HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). Now, however, there is a range of non-hormonal drugs on the market, including the commonly prescribed bisphosphonates, which are mostly in tablet form and taken either daily, weekly or monthly. There are also intravenous and subcutaneous injections. Like most medicines, they all have possible side-effects. For instance, bisphosphonates can cause digestive irritation, a sore throat or difficulty in swallowing.

For me, one of the drawbacks of regular tablets was needing to take them first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then remaining upright for 30 minutes afterwards. After speaking to a consultant, I decided to opt for Prolia (known as Denosumab), a twice-yearly jab given at my local GP surgery. A week before each injection I have a blood test to check my calcium and vitamin D levels.

If you think you might be at risk of osteoporosis, it would be a good idea to discuss with your GP whether you need a referral for a DEXA scan. It could certainly save you the pain and misery of broken bones in the future. Although osteoporosis does not make a fracture a certainty, the chances of suffering a broken bone are undoubtedly more likely.

* Most hospitals have this scanner which measures the bone density of the spine, hips and femurs and is a simple and pain-free procedure that uses very low doses of radiation.

For more information on any aspect of osteoporosis, you can phone the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) helpline on 0808 800 0035 or email nurses@theros.org.uk. ROS also has an extensive range of free booklets, leaflets and factsheets about the condition.

Ed: If any RLG members have had similar experiences to Sandy’s, please write to our Letters page (cbrowne@brownemedia.co.uk).

This article first appeared in ISSUE 58: Christmas 2019 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 printed copy of ROAR! twice a year and have online access to archive ROAR! editions going back to 1994.

Join Now

News

March of the medical robots

Keyhole – or laparoscopic – surgery has been the buzz-phrase in cutting-edge surgery – if you’ll excuse the pun. Until recently. Today robots are giving surgeons a speedier, more efficient way to perform pouch operations, reports Christopher Browne.

**Danilo Miskovic, St Mark’s Hospital’s lead robotic surgeon**

If you want to liven up a dull dinner party or even a high-level business meeting – and who doesn’t! – mention robots. Once coveted by filmmakers and sci-fi lovers, the march of the robots is revolutionizing our approach to almost everything from domestic chores to high-end technology.

And, hold on a minute, there have been rumors spreading through the hospital wards at St Mark’s about a group of surgeons and a …… robot! It’s just robotic gossip you might say, but you’d be wrong for it’s all true.

For almost two years now a team led by Professor Omar Faiz, St Mark’s Hospital’s clinical director, has been pioneering a research programme into robot technology, financially backed by a St Mark’s Hospital Foundation fundraising campaign.

The campaign funded the capital costs of the purchase of a Da Vinci Xi surgical robot – the most advanced of its kind in the world – in March 2018. Just a month after the robot’s delivery, a group of St Mark’s surgeons performed the hospital’s first robotic operation on a bowel cancer patient.

As the UK’s first hospital to use robot technology almost exclusively for bowel surgery, St Mark’s has carried out 180 plus robotic operations on mainly bowel-related cases. “We set ourselves the goal to perform 80 robotic colorectal operations in our first year and we easily exceeded this target. One of the cases was particularly unique: it involved two surgeons operating robotically on both a patient’s bowel and liver during the same operation,” said Jason Bacon, CEO of St Mark’s Hospital Foundation.

Another “first” occurred In August this year when a team of four surgeons, including Mr Danilo Miskovic, St Mark’s lead robotic surgeon, carried out a 12-hour pelvic exenteration [an operation to remove multiple organs in the pelvis] on a young father with cancer which had been caused by complications with ulcerative colitis.

Two months later, a team headed by Prof Faiz and Mr Miskovic, performed the first-ever robotic ileoanal pouch surgery on a St Mark’s patient.

“We believe the introduction of robotic surgery is an important milestone in reducing the risk of recurrent disease, and provides patients with a good short- and long-term quality of life. Similar to laparoscopic surgery, it is minimally invasive but it also provides the surgeon with magnified, high-definition 3d images to enable extremely precise surgery,” said Mr Bacon.

“While robotics has been established in other surgical specialties, namely urology and gynecology, its application has not until recently been widely researched and implemented for bowel disease surgery.”

Since the robotic surgical programme began, St Mark’s bowel cancer surgeons have been training to use the robotic surgical tool, while a fellowship in robotic surgery, funded by Intuitive Surgical, supplier of the Da Vinci Xi robot, will train more surgeons in the next three years.

**Operation robot: a St Mark’s team carry out robot-assisted surgery**

This article first appeared in ISSUE 58: Christmas 2019 edition of ROAR!

Join Now

News

Zoey joins the J-pouch set

Intrepid bodybuilder Zoey Wright who was crowned world champion fitness model while wearing a stoma-bag at the Pure Elite Pro World Championships recently has taken the next step and had a J-pouch fitted in April this year.

The Red Lion Group offer Zoey our warmest congratulations for her bravery and decision to opt for a J-pouch. Our thoughts are also with her during her post-op recovery period.

Despite more than four years of serious uc issues and frequent visits to hospital, Zoey, as many Roar! and pouchsupport.org readers know, decided to continue her bodybuilding and fitness model career while wearing a stoma-bag. Her success with an ileostomy in the world championships is probably a first in the worlds of sport and fitness.

27-year-old Zoey told Roar!: “Recently, I said goodbye to my stoma and hello to my J-pouch. I lived with my stoma for over four years and so it is taking some time adjusting to the new ‘plumbing’, but I’m extremely happy with how my recovery is going so far.

“My surgeon and his team at the Royal Cornwall Hospital have been amazing and there to answer any questions big or small! I’m looking forward to getting back into weightlifting and fitness instructing very soon and hopefully go from strength to strength with my J-pouch!”

You can keep up with Zoey’s progress on www.zoeywright.com, Twitter (@zoeywrightx) and www.instagram.com/zoeyfitness.

Zoom into Summer series of Pouch webcasts

Notification of AGM

How Rebecca took those vital first steps to recovery

Coronavirus Update

Information Day Postponement

Ileo-Anal Pouch Surgery – A Guide for Patients

Information Day 2020 – book your place now!

You can book your place using the link below.

Confirmed Speakers

When did you last suffer a fracture?

March of the medical robots

Zoey joins the J-pouch set

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The Red Lion Group is a UK registered charity number 1068124

You can book your place using the link below.

Confirmed Speakers

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