Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford | Patient Advocacy

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

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Tag: Ostomy life

Female in meditation
23rd Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Why we need to talk about the mental impact of chronic illness

Stages of grief
20th Feb 202627th Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

The stages of grief in chronic illness

9th Feb 202620th Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Family planning, pregnancy & childbirth after bowel surgery

5th Feb 20264th Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Braving the Big Talk – we don’t always need the “right” words

3rd Feb 20263rd Feb 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

A different version of me: Why I stepped back and how I’m moving forward

4th Oct 202528th Jan 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

World Ostomy Day: More than just survival

23rd Apr 202528th Jan 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

More than surgery: When chronic illness becomes trauma

17th Oct 202428th Jan 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Swimwear for women with an ostomy

6th Sep 20246th Sep 2024 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Product testing opportunity | Ostomy leakage detection system

18th Jun 202418th Jun 2024 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Research opportunity | Focus group for new stoma device

20th Mar 202428th Jan 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Bowel obstruction experience and fears

1st Feb 202428th Jan 2026 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

FAQ | Managing different ostomy output

13th Nov 20234th Jun 2024 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Fertility testing journey | A short recap

12th Nov 20238th Nov 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Fertility testing journey | The conclusion

11th Nov 20238th Nov 2023 Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Fertility testing journey | Follicle-stimulating & Anti-Mullerian Hormones

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Older Posts

The increase in people diagnosed with #ADHD in recent years made it impossible not to learn about it, just "in passing". Plus, some people around me have a keen interest in neurodivergence, too. It's not a rabbit hole I went down, but the more second-hand thing's I've learnt, the more I began to wonder whether it could be me. Then I wondered whether everyone thinks that about themselves? If you've ever looked at a restaurant menu and felt like you were staring at a list of potential landmines, you aren't being "difficult". I'm sharing how new research validates the food fear so many of us in the #IBD community live with for #EatingDisordersAwarenessWeek. SOME surgeries can impact fertility, but finding the facts and figures for your specific surgery can be difficult 🤯 It took me seven years after my #UlcerativeColitis diagnosis to finally talk about the emergency surgery, the sepsis, and the complications that followed. When I started sharing in 2014, I was doing it from a place of anger because I was tired of being misjudged. At the time, I didn't have the language for the grief I was carrying, and even the word "feelings" made me cringe. Not much of a roasting 😂😂 I'd love that! 🌿 Grief is a word we usually associate with losing someone, but when you are diagnosed with a lifelong #ChronicIllness, you are grieving too. You are grieving the loss of your healthy self, the person you were in your best memories, and the future you thought you would have. Don't worry, I haven't gone to the "dark side" 🙈 Having to fact-check everything you see online really sucks. There's a big disappointment in feeling inspired by a story or a cute fact, only to realise it was fake, AI-generated bullsh*t. Whether it’s a heartwarming celeb story that never happened or a perfect AI animal, the lack of digital authenticity makes the internet a weird place! I am currently layered up like an onion, because my nervous system does not like winter! 🏳 Study morning 📖🖊 When I first looked for information on #Pregnancy after bowel surgery, I found plenty of clinical statistics, but very little that felt real. I wanted to know what it actually felt like in a body like mine, with seven surgeries and a complex history. It looks like ChatGPT thinks I'm a psychologist 😂
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Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford | Patient Advocacy
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