Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford | Patient Advocacy

Inflammatory bowel disease, ostomy, chronic pain, PTSD, and mental wellbeing.

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Author: Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

26th Jan 20193rd Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Metro | Five women open up about how having a stoma bag has affected their love lives

18th Jan 20193rd Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

My journey to stoma acceptance – 11 years, 7 surgeries and 3 ostomies later

14th Sep 201828th Mar 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

The emotional impact of surgery

22nd Aug 201827th Mar 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Upcoming Jpouch excision

25th Jul 201815th Jun 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Hydration with IBD, an ostomy or a Jpouch

12th Jul 201827th Mar 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

WEGO HEALTH nominee | Best in Show Blog

7th Jul 201824th Jun 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Ostomies and hot weather

26th Jun 201827th Mar 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Post-op ileus after bowel surgery

20th Jun 2018 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Top 5 Crohn's Blogs 2018

16th Jun 2018 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Stoma gallery

6th Jun 201827th Mar 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Time for a new bag? UK ostomy manufacturers!

2nd Jun 20187th Dec 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

What people with IBD should know

1st Jun 201813th Nov 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Self-management

19th May 201824th Mar 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Heather's fundraising is "On Fire"

18th May 20183rd Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Crohn's sufferer from Luton arranges local family fun day and football match to find a cure

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Life has been a bit chaotic lately! Between the additional tasks of researching and publishing new articles for IBD Science, doing separate dog walks every morning to work on individual behavioural issues (Loki is a barker and Aragorn is a puller!), and a vet visit for Lady’s cheek infection, my energy has been stretched! https://www.instagram.com/p/Db7xtK1sGss/ When living with a #ChronicIllness, we often talk about getting through the flare, recovering from surgery, or managing the daily symptoms. But what happens after the storm clears? It's strange that it's completely normal to me to start a Saturday with movement that helps manage my pain, followed by a catch up with people I only know because of our shared health conditions, whilst organising my meds for the week. Afterwards, I organised and cut my latest #ostomy supply delivery. Only then did I realise that for a "normal healthy person", this is not a standard day 😂 This is the day of a person who's spent so many years adapting to their chronic conditions, that this is MY normal 💜 I'll give you two ✌️ guesses where this peppermint oil ended up after I'd dropped a few drops 💧 in my #ostomy bag whilst on the toilet 🚽... It's ok to ignore the pile of washing 🧺 in favour of rest. It's very likely that the person judging you most for it, is you. If it isn't, kick them to the curb - you don't need that kind of negativity or lack of understanding in your life 👋😂 28°C in the UK today! Hot weather brings extra challenges when you live with an #ostomy: dehydration, baseplate adhesion issues, and skin irritation. Here, I share practical tips to help you navigate heatwaves safely https://advocatinghealth.com/2018/07/07/ostomies-and-hot-weather/ 💜✨ Have you ever been told that your symptoms are all in your head, or left a doctor’s appointment feeling dismissed because tests came back clear? Living with chronic conditions, chronic pain, and emotional exhaustion can leave you feeling really isolated! 💜 https://www.instagram.com/p/DbL5Xb2sWdC/ It's been a slow start kinda day. I imagine it'll stay slow 🐌 Having been involved in the original research and the creation of this new #stoma resource, I’m so excited to see it move into the testing phase! Dating with #IBD or an #ostomy can feel like navigating a minefield. You might be wondering when to mention your health, how to handle the anxiety, and whether you're worthy of connection while managing your condition.
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