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Events

Zoom into Summer series of Pouch webcasts 2021

Zoom into Summer series of Pouch webcasts 2021

Following last years highly succesful Zoom into Summer Series, we are delighted to announce that we will be repeating it this year. Red Lion Group will be hosting a series of Pouch related webcasts (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, we have previously hosted an annual in-person Information Day at St. Mark’s hospital, but due to COVID, for the time being we not able to hold an in-person event. However, our Zoom into Summer series will be 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!

Keep an eye out for updates, including additional speakers and dates and times.

The following speakers are currently confirmed (dates and times to follow).


Jason Bacon

Jason Bacon (CEO of St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation) . Date and time to be confirmed.


Janindra Warusavitarne

Janindra Warusavitarne, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at St. Mark’s Hospital. Date and time to be confirmed.


Zarah Perry-Woodford

Zarah Perry-Woodford, Consultant nurse – pouch and stoma care, St Mark’s Hospital. Date and time to be confirmed.


As soon as dates and times are confirmed, we will provide a link to enable you to register for event(s).

For a review of last years Zoom into Summer series webcasts , click HERE.

Events

Pouch forum update and register for next event

Register for next event on Zoom on Monday 10 May 2021

Published 8 April 2021

The forums usually run on the first Monday of every month; the next will be on Monday 10 May due to spring bank holiday.

Please register beforehand if you wish to attend so we can send on the dial in details.  See you then!  

David Davies
RLG Chairman

Register here for next forum on 10 May 2021 at 7.30pm 

Register Now

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ. If you have previously registered to attend any of our Zoom Forums, when you click the “Register Now” button, you will receive a message like that shown below.

If you have received this message, you will need to click on the link “Click here to update your profile“. You will be sent an email containing a link to update your preferences. Check your inbox for the email and click on the supplied link. You will see the events that you have previously attended, and you will be able to tick the box to register for the next event. Don’t forget to click on the “Update Profile” button at the bottom of the page!

If you have any questions or if you have not received joining instructions 24 hours before the meeting, please contact membership@pouchsupport.org


Published 3 March 2021

Review of latest Pouch forum and register for next event on Zoom on Monday 5 April 2021

Published 3 March 2021

The latest Red Lion Group pouch support chat forum took place on Monday 1 March and was well attended with some 56 people registered and some 42 attending.  The attendees came from all over the UK;  a couple from mainland Europe and one lady dialling in all the way from New York State.  We also had another first with a mother and daughter attending the same event.  Tech expert Gary Bronziet pressed all the right buttons and session chairs Theresa Parr and Christopher Browne facilitated the discussions, which were both lively and varied.  

Topics covered by the ladies included avoiding and sorting out dehydration, the covid vaccine and pouchees; covid infections amongst pouchees, pouchitis and the use of biologics to treat pouchitis, tail pain, loperamide, pain generally and sex!  Topics covered by the men included a long discussion and presentation of catheters (medina, Bard urinary catheter and Aquaflush); doing sports with a pouch (golf, kick boxing, weight training and triathlons – not all at the same time)!  The transition from pouch back to stoma; the prevalence of pouch failure and resection; access to the St Marks pouch nurse specialists when you are not a St Marks patient;  probiotics and prostate cancer.   

As you can see a very varied set of pouch-related topics of interest to many pouchees and with practical tips and suggestions to add value.  These forums are free to attend and are informal opportunities for people to talk in an open and supportive environment.  The sessions are not recorded as the information shared is often of a sensitive nature.  So if you want to hear the discussions then please register and dial in for future forums.  

The forums usually run on the first Monday of every month; the next will be on Monday 10 May due to spring bank holiday.

Please register beforehand if you wish to attend so we can send on the dial in details.  See you then!  

David Davies
RLG Chairman

Register here for next forum on 10 May 2021 at 7.30pm 

Register Now

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ. If you have previously registered to attend any of our Zoom Forums, when you click the “Register Now” button, you will receive a message like that shown below.

If you have received this message, you will need to click on the link “Click here to update your profile“. You will be sent an email containing a link to update your preferences. Check your inbox for the email and click on the supplied link. You will see the events that you have previously attended, and you will be able to tick the box to register for the next event. Don’t forget to click on the “Update Profile” button at the bottom of the page!

If you have any questions or if you have not received joining instructions 24 hours before the meeting, please contact membership@pouchsupport.org


Review of latest Pouch forum and register for next event on Monday 1 March 2021

Published 2 February 2021

The latest Red Lion Group pouch support chat forum took place on Monday 1 February and was well attended with some 52 people registered for the event.  As per usual the tech whizz Gary Bronziet pressed all the right buttons and session chairs Theresa Parr (for the ladies) and Christopher Browne (for the men) facilitated the discussions, which were extremely lively and varied.  

Topics covered by the ladies included obstructions, leakage, pouchitis, irrigation, fistulas, probiotics and emotional support for pouchees along their journey.  By contrast, the mens group discussed Rifamixin for pouchitis, flushing pouches with warm water enemas, faecal transplants and the likelihood of them calming pouchitis, catheter use, strictures, probiotics, Vitamin D deficiency in pouchees, flushing out mucus from the unconnected pouch (to prevent pouchitis), increased transit time through taking movicol, wiping toilets and who does it in your house?, sharing a toilet in the home environment and dispute resolution tips, peristalsis and the causes of “gurgling”,  access to disabled toilets, radar keys and the perils of auto opening on disabled toilets!  

As you can see a very varied set of pouch-related topics and it is always interesting when the groups come together to pick out the topics of most interest for further discussion.  And there are always practical tips and suggestions which add to the value of such group chats.  I learned, for example, that Costco sell a toilet seat with a simple quick release mechanism for easy and thorough cleaning (a MUST for pouchees)!  

These forums are free to attend and are informal opportunities for people to talk in an open and supportive environment.  The sessions are not recorded as the information shared is often of a sensitive nature and we want people to feel comfortable that there will be no recording.  It was satisfying indeed to hear during the evening from people who have had pouches for many years, but who had received no patient-based support up until they became aware of the Red Lion Group forums.   

The forums run on the first Monday of every month; the next will be on Monday 1 March.  Please make a note to register beforehand if you wish to attend so we can send on the dial in details.  See you then!  

David Davies
RLG Chairman

Register here for next forum on 1 March 2021 and please see note below.

Register Now


Make your first New Year Resolution to attend RLG Pouch Forum on 4 January 2021

Re-Published on 30 December 2020

The latest in the series of RLG pouch support internet chat forums was held on Monday evening, 7th December.   Attracting some 20 attendees, the evening was the latest opportunity for pouchees to “get together” from the safety and comfort of our own homes and talk about common pouch problems and challenges and to share tips and stories.  The evening was choreographed by Gary Bronziet (Membership Secretary), with Michelle Martin (Committee member) and Christopher Browne (Editor in Chief of Roar! magazine) supporting the discussions.  Indeed, the discussions were so lively that we decided not to split into male and female groups, but to stay together as one group all evening.

The group discussed topics which had arisen on recent pouch forums and also personal questions and items tabled by the attendees on the night.  These included a fascinating expose of the dangers of apple peel in causing the gut to go into spasm.  Christopher explained the problem is the very high level of fibre in the peel, which overloads the small intestine in pouchees.  One solution is to avoid them altogether, another was to boil the skins to degrade the fibrous material and finally to chew chew chew!   This led on to a general discussion of other foods which can cause problems, including mushrooms, chocolate, tomatoes, orange pith and the gerkins in a MacDonalds burger (especially if you are using a medina catheter to empty your pouch). 

The group welcomed a newbie, with a J-pouch created as a result of FAP in February of this year.  An ultra-marathon runner before his operation, he was relatively fit and otherwise healthy at the time of his operations (unlike many of us who had UC).  So he has had a relatively smooth recovery, but is still struggling with night time bowel movements and having to get up two times each night.  Relatively common amongst pouchees, there were a number of solutions offered including stopping eating early in the day (he stops at 1600 hours each day!), use of Imodium and timing – 30 minutes before the last meal, correlating foods which cause more night time BMs and ensuring full emptying before retiring.  The benefits of the medina catheter were discussed as a means to fully empty one’s pouch before bed time in 3-5 minutes compared with sitting on the toilet for 20-256 minutes to be sure the pouch is empty. The medina offers the opportunity to flush the pouch contents through with warm water, which some pouchees find helpful.  Although another comment was that the tubing can be hard when cold, the holes can nip the anal area when being inserted and the holes can be blocked by foods which do not break down in our remaining gut (such as the MacDonalds gerkin – who knew!).  It seems the medina is a bit like marmite, you either love it or avoid it (or as one pouchee said “I’m not ready for it yet”, which resonated with me).  There is an alternative to the medina catheter called the aqua flush system which Committee member Theresa Parr was keen to champion.  More expensive than the medina but with some design improvements, it is available on prescription from your local GP.  Mind you, given the postcode lottery for prescription of VSL and biological anti-inflammatories, I think it’s safer to say that the aqua flush system might be available on prescription, but be prepared to make a firm case for it when you visit the GP.  

The frequency and need for medical check ups for pouchees was discussed.  It became apparent that many of the group did not have regular (annual) check ups and were not chased by their surgeons to attend follow ups.  By contrast, others attend every year, whether they have any problems or not.  One attendee commented that they had some dysplasia in their rectal cuff so felt that a regular check up was justified to check that the dysplasia has not developed into something more sinister.  Many pouchees rely upon the expertise and experience of pouch nurse specialists, where such staff are employed. These specialists are very much on the front line of pouch care and are able to discern very quickly if an issue needs further investigation or resolution by a consultant.  They can also offer simple tips or reassurance if indeed the problem is not so urgent.  Many centres in the UK do not have pouch nurse specialists; in which case the nurse specialist is usually a stoma nurse.  However, this is not ideal.  

Other topics included the safe limits for lifting weights generally and specifically in relation to exercising in the gym.  Theresa Parr, a retired NHS physiotherapist was able to provide informed comment that the weight is not so important as the way in which you lift the item.  Safe practices such as keeping the back straight and not stretching out when lifting were more important in terms of keeping healthy than the weight per se. 

Zeina Bushnaq provided a very positive update on her PhD survey of pouchees, ileostomists and potential pouchees to identify opportunities for greater emotional and psychological support.  Thanks to the help of the Red Lion Group, Zeina now has 84 completed surveys from pouchees, which is a fantastic total.  She thanked everyone who had taken the time to complete The survey.  

David Davies, RLG Chairman, announced that he was in discussions with a company wanting to run a clinical trial of a new biologic drug to treat recurrent pouchitis.  He will be speaking with them later this week and will hope to be advertising the trial on the RLG website and with emails to members and through social media outlets once the trial was up and running. 

Finally, David raised a glass to wish everyone a healthy and happy Christmas and a Happy New Year, in spite of the continuing covid restrictions.  

The next online pouch forum chat night will be Monday 4 January 2021 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

Register Now


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 8th and 9thpeople 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

Register Now


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).

Register Now

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.

(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 7 September 2020).

Register Now

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 3rd 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

Register Now

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


Events

Make your first New Year Resolution to attend RLG…

Make your first New Year Resolution to attend RLG Pouch Forum on 4 January 2021

Re-Published on 30 December 2020

The latest in the series of RLG pouch support internet chat forums was held on Monday evening, 7th December.   Attracting some 20 attendees, the evening was the latest opportunity for pouchees to “get together” from the safety and comfort of our own homes and talk about common pouch problems and challenges and to share tips and stories.  The evening was choreographed by Gary Bronziet (Membership Secretary), with Michelle Martin (Committee member) and Christopher Browne (Editor in Chief of Roar! magazine) supporting the discussions.  Indeed, the discussions were so lively that we decided not to split into male and female groups, but to stay together as one group all evening.

The group discussed topics which had arisen on recent pouch forums and also personal questions and items tabled by the attendees on the night.  These included a fascinating expose of the dangers of apple peel in causing the gut to go into spasm.  Christopher explained the problem is the very high level of fibre in the peel, which overloads the small intestine in pouchees.  One solution is to avoid them altogether, another was to boil the skins to degrade the fibrous material and finally to chew chew chew!   This led on to a general discussion of other foods which can cause problems, including mushrooms, chocolate, tomatoes, orange pith and the gerkins in a MacDonalds burger (especially if you are using a medina catheter to empty your pouch). 

The group welcomed a newbie, with a J-pouch created as a result of FAP in February of this year.  An ultra-marathon runner before his operation, he was relatively fit and otherwise healthy at the time of his operations (unlike many of us who had UC).  So he has had a relatively smooth recovery, but is still struggling with night time bowel movements and having to get up two times each night.  Relatively common amongst pouchees, there were a number of solutions offered including stopping eating early in the day (he stops at 1600 hours each day!), use of Imodium and timing – 30 minutes before the last meal, correlating foods which cause more night time BMs and ensuring full emptying before retiring.  The benefits of the medina catheter were discussed as a means to fully empty one’s pouch before bed time in 3-5 minutes compared with sitting on the toilet for 20-256 minutes to be sure the pouch is empty. The medina offers the opportunity to flush the pouch contents through with warm water, which some pouchees find helpful.  Although another comment was that the tubing can be hard when cold, the holes can nip the anal area when being inserted and the holes can be blocked by foods which do not break down in our remaining gut (such as the MacDonalds gerkin – who knew!).  It seems the medina is a bit like marmite, you either love it or avoid it (or as one pouchee said “I’m not ready for it yet”, which resonated with me).  There is an alternative to the medina catheter called the aqua flush system which Committee member Theresa Parr was keen to champion.  More expensive than the medina but with some design improvements, it is available on prescription from your local GP.  Mind you, given the postcode lottery for prescription of VSL and biological anti-inflammatories, I think it’s safer to say that the aqua flush system might be available on prescription, but be prepared to make a firm case for it when you visit the GP.  

The frequency and need for medical check ups for pouchees was discussed.  It became apparent that many of the group did not have regular (annual) check ups and were not chased by their surgeons to attend follow ups.  By contrast, others attend every year, whether they have any problems or not.  One attendee commented that they had some dysplasia in their rectal cuff so felt that a regular check up was justified to check that the dysplasia has not developed into something more sinister.  Many pouchees rely upon the expertise and experience of pouch nurse specialists, where such staff are employed. These specialists are very much on the front line of pouch care and are able to discern very quickly if an issue needs further investigation or resolution by a consultant.  They can also offer simple tips or reassurance if indeed the problem is not so urgent.  Many centres in the UK do not have pouch nurse specialists; in which case the nurse specialist is usually a stoma nurse.  However, this is not ideal.  

Other topics included the safe limits for lifting weights generally and specifically in relation to exercising in the gym.  Theresa Parr, a retired NHS physiotherapist was able to provide informed comment that the weight is not so important as the way in which you lift the item.  Safe practices such as keeping the back straight and not stretching out when lifting were more important in terms of keeping healthy than the weight per se. 

Zeina Bushnaq provided a very positive update on her PhD survey of pouchees, ileostomists and potential pouchees to identify opportunities for greater emotional and psychological support.  Thanks to the help of the Red Lion Group, Zeina now has 84 completed surveys from pouchees, which is a fantastic total.  She thanked everyone who had taken the time to complete The survey.  

David Davies, RLG Chairman, announced that he was in discussions with a company wanting to run a clinical trial of a new biologic drug to treat recurrent pouchitis.  He will be speaking with them later this week and will hope to be advertising the trial on the RLG website and with emails to members and through social media outlets once the trial was up and running. 

Finally, David raised a glass to wish everyone a healthy and happy Christmas and a Happy New Year, in spite of the continuing covid restrictions.  

The next online pouch forum chat night will be Monday 4 January 2021 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

Register Now


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 8th and 9thpeople 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

Register Now


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).

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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.

(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 7 September 2020).

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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 3rd 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

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


Events

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!

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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.

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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) :-


Jason Bacon

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


Janindra Warusavitarne

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


Dr. Yoram Inspector

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.


Zarah Perry-Woodford

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.

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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!

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