The Bowel Chronicles

In this powerful and inspiring episode of The Bowel Chronicles I sit down with Carolyn Houlihan from Cork, the incredible mind and heart behind a groundbreaking new ostomy innovation: the Ostomy Cube. The Ostomy Cube is a compact, self-contained ostomy care unit designed to be installed within any existing bathroom environment. Without the need for major structural changes, it allows ostomates to...

In this episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I’m joined by the incredible Ailidh — just 28 years old and already carrying a lifetime of resilience, strength, and hard-won hope. Ailidh lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, primarily hypermobile EDS, and now an ileostomy — but her journey to answers was anything but straightforward. From birth, her bowels caused her significant issues, yet as a young tee...

In this episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with Maria Manousi, Business Development Manager at SuportX, a very well known brand in the ostomy world for support garments.  Together, we have an open and honest conversation about stoma surgery, the risk of hernias, and what can be done to both prevent and support them. Maria shares invaluable insights into life post-surgery, the range of s...

In this powerful and emotional episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with 26-year-old Jamie from London — an engineer with a love for fitness, travel, sports, hiking, and music. Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at just 16, Jamie opens up about navigating teenage life with a hidden chronic illness, including multiple hospitalisations, severe flare-ups, and the trauma of living with invisi...

In this powerful episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with 30-year-old Mikey from Harrogate — a passionate rugby player, fitness enthusiast, and music lover — who bravely shares his whirlwind journey with Ulcerative Colitis. Diagnosed just eight weeks before undergoing emergency ileostomy surgery in February 2025, Mikey opens up about the terrifying 7-week hospital stay where he lost ove...

In this powerful and emotional episode, I speak with 28-year-old Lucy from Dursley, who bravely shares her personal journey from living a perfectly healthy life to facing sudden bladder retention in 2019. What followed was a life-altering path of self-catheterisation, infections, and eventually the decision to have a urostomy created in August 2023. Lucy opens up about how her suprapubic catheter...

In this powerful episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with 24-year-old Emma from Lincoln, who takes us on a raw, emotional, and incredibly brave journey through her life with chronic illness. Diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease during her GCSEs, Emma battled years of failed treatments and biologics until life-saving ileostomy surgery became her only option. Emma shares how her jour...

In this powerful episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we speak to Damian, a father from the North Wales coast in his early 40s, who shares his incredible journey living with Crohn’s disease and navigating life after emergency surgery. In 2015, Damian was rushed into theatre with the warning he may wake up with a stoma — what followed was something no one expected. He woke up with not one, but three...

In this powerful and emotional episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with 28-year-old Evie, who courageously opens up about her life-changing journey with bladder failure. After pelvic surgery at just 21, Evie was diagnosed with Fowler’s syndrome — a rare condition that caused her bladder to stop functioning. Evie shares the raw truth of being catheterised in her early 20s, undergoing mul...

In this episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with the incredibly inspiring Aimee, also known online as @NoBladderBabe.  At just 23 years old, Aimee opens up about her life-altering journey with Fowlers Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Aimee shares the raw and real truth about navigating life after her bladder began to retain urine, leading her to self-catheterize and later live with a...

In this episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with Elizabeth, a 40-year-old nutrition coach currently living her best life in Bali. Elizabeth opens up about her 25-year battle with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), navigating both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. She shares her transformative experience of undergoing stoma surgery in 2019, followed by a subtotal colectomy and procte...

In this inspiring episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with the lovely 28-year-old Sophie from Northamptonshire. Sophie opens up about her journey with inflammatory bowel disease, diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at just 13 years old. She walks us through her teenage years filled with hospital stays, flare-ups, and countless treatments — until, at 19, she went through life-changing surge...

In this powerful episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with 37-year-old Rachael from Northern Ireland as she opens up about her 13-year battle with ulcerative colitis. After a failed attempt with biologic treatments, Rachael underwent a pan-proctocolectomy—commonly known in our community as “Barbie butt” surgery—and had her stoma formed. Rachael shares the raw reality of long hospital stay...

In this inspiring episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with the incredible Summer, a vibrant 24-year-old who shares her raw and real journey of being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at just 19. After navigating the difficult road of steroids and failed biologic treatments, Summer bravely underwent stoma surgery at 21, followed by a pan proctocolectomy—often referred to as a “Barbie Butt...

In this deeply emotional and inspiring episode, we sit down with Nikki from Bournemouth, a dedicated mum, marathon runner, and gym enthusiast, who has faced an extraordinary battle with Crohn’s disease since the age of 16. Nikki opens up about her journey—from managing severe symptoms and treatments to navigating pregnancy with Crohn’s. She shares the life-changing moment when she needed surgery f...

In this incredible episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with Laura from Scotland, also known as @2 Bags for Life on social media. Diagnosed with stage 4 bladder cancer at just 40, Laura faced the life-changing reality of total pelvic exenteration surgery, resulting in both a urostomy and colostomy. Laura opens up about her recovery, resilience, and embracing life to the fullest post-surg...

In this powerful episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with the incredible Carrie, who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1995 at just 23 years old. After enduring 16 surgeries—including her first stoma surgery in her early 20s—Carrie faced unimaginable challenges, but she found strength in her struggles. Now a dedicated ostomy psychotherapist, Carrie channels her personal experienc...

One year ago, Jodie joined us to share her story, and today, she’s back with an inspiring update!  After facing the challenges of a failed ACE stoma, Jodie underwent bowel surgery to receive her colostomy stoma bag. In this episode, she opens up about: Receiving the news that she needed stoma surgery, Navigating surgery and recovery with quadriplegic cerebral palsy,  The joys of life with a stoma...

In this raw and real episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with the brilliant and bold Charlie Ryan - known online as @just CharlieRyan  - to dive deep into the world of dating with a stoma. From navigating dating apps to tackling those vulnerable first-time conversations, Charlie shares it all with honesty and humour. We get into the nitty-gritty: body confidence, mindset shifts, getting...

In this episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with Ian, also known as @StomaDad75, to talk about his lifelong journey with Hirschsprung disease.  Diagnosed at just four years old, Ian underwent multiple surgeries, including a colostomy at age eight and eventually a permanent ileostomy. He opens up about the challenges he’s faced, the resilience he’s built, and how life as a dad has flouris...

Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at just 11 years old, Vonnie has faced an unimaginable medical journey—enduring 63 surgeries, including a colostomy stoma and Barbie butt surgery. In this episode, she opens up about the challenges and triumphs of living with multiple chronic illnesses, navigating pregnancy with a stoma, and the life-altering experience of undergoing emergency bowel surgery during an...

At just 12 years old, Lottie has faced more medical challenges than most do in a lifetime. Diagnosed with serious bowel conditions from the age of two, she has undergone  13 major surgeries in the past year alone . Lottie has lived with an ACE stoma, a colostomy, and an ileostomy—at times, all three at once!  In this episode, Lottie and her incredible mum, Angela, share their powerful journey of r...

In this inspiring episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with Stevie, a 23-year-old powerhouse who hasn’t let a lifetime of bowel challenges hold her back. Diagnosed with a functional bowel disorder, slow colon transit, and a redundant colon, Stevie endured years of laxatives, hospitalisations, and treatments before undergoing subtotal colectomy stoma surgery in October 2024. Now thriving o...

In this episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , I sit down with Emma from Somerset, who bravely shares her journey with diverticular disease. For years, Emma was misdiagnosed with IBS, only to face a health crisis in 2018 that led to emergency surgery and a colostomy. She opens up about the challenges of her diagnosis, the reality of life with a parastomal hernia, and how using a support belt has helpe...

In this powerful episode of  The Bowel Chronicles , we sit down with 27-year-old Poppy from Cardiff, who shares her remarkable journey with ulcerative colitis. Diagnosed eight years ago, Poppy opens up about the rollercoaster of medication, hospital stays, and ultimately, emergency stoma surgery—something she once feared and swore she would never need.  Now, she’s turned her experience into advoca...