Wrestling the Octopus (IBD)

Send us Fan Mail Ask anyone living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis what their main concerns are and you'll find the topic of mental health in IBD right up there, top of the list. So Nigel and I were delighted when we found out a mental health expert wanted to come onto our podcast to share a few pearls about supporting good mental health in IBD. Welcome to Dr Stacey Boardman ,...

Send us Fan Mail Author Vicky Ball has lived with mild inflammatory bowel disease since 2021.  She has published two teen fiction books, with a third adult fiction book in the works. In this episode of Wrestling the Octopus: The IBD Patient Podcast , Vicky talks to us about how she manages her career as a writer while living with IBD. She also tells us about her now-famous viral moment with her bo...

Send us Fan Mail Getting older with inflammatory bowel disease - be that Crohn's or ulcerative colitis - comes with specific challenges and tailored decision-making with our healthcare teams. This includes considering drug safety as we age, other conditions (co-morbidities) we develop as we get older, plus the safety of procedures - and much more besides. So we are delighted to welcome to thi...

Send us Fan Mail Going on your summer holidays? Travelling with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis?  Join us on our latest episode of Wrestling the Octopus: The IBD Patient Podcast as we chat with Kay Greveson, Kay is the founder of IBD Passport - a brilliant resource and educational website for people with IBD who need information on travel with their disease.  We talk about the Sunflower Lanyard...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wrestling the Octopus: The IBD Patient Podcast, Nigel and I are delighted to welcome Rob, our first IBD patient guest on the show! Rob talks to us about his diagnosis of Crohn's as a Brit in the USA. We absolutely loved speaking with him - highly relatable and a really nice guy to boot! Let us know what you think - plenty more patient episodes coming up! Fo...

Send us Fan Mail Who can believe we've notched up 7 episodes already?! But indeed we have! If you have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, you will doubtless have had (or are due to have) a colonoscopy or three. In this episode, we reflect on our past experiences of having colonoscopies. As well as the ouch! moments, there are some top tips along the way... As ever, please let us know...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of Episode 6 of Wrestling the Octopus IBD, we put some more IBD patient questions to consultant gastroenterologist, Dr Mark Samaan from Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital in London. This time we're asking what is the definition of an IBD flare, how frequently patients should be monitored - both in active disease and remission - and whether there is a place fo...

Send us Fan Mail Nigel and I had the pleasure of recording a two-part podcast for Episode 6 of Wrestling the Octopus with consultant gastroenterologist, Dr Mark Samaan. Dr Samaan treats IBD patients at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital in London - where the service has around 6,000 patients on its books. We are really grateful to Dr Samaan for answering some of the common questions that Cr...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 5 of Wrestling the Octopus, Nigel and I discuss our definition of "good medicine". What does this term mean to us as patients - and how might it differ from how healthcare professionals define it? Should "good medicine" take in all the softer clinical skills that go beyond academic knowledge, or is the focus on getting the right drug to the right pat...

Send us Fan Mail In our fourth episode of Wrestling the Octopus IBD, recorded to mark World IBD Day, Nigel and I busk our way through various IBD topics. Whatever comes to mind - in whichever order - that we think merits discussion. Some serious, some silly. We talk managing fatigue, the cost of living with Crohn's, the crazy things that steroids made us do, and why neither of us like the ide...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Episode 3 in our 8-part podcast series on living with inflammatory bowel disease.   In this episode we're talking about how to advocate for yourself (and others, if you're a carer) to give your health the best opportunity to thrive.   Nigel and I give our opinions on what we think advocacy is and some examples of when we used to it to good effect, plus a perso...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Episode 2 in our 8-part podcast series on living with inflammatory bowel disease.   We’re talking how we take medication in this episode: IV infusions, self-injectables (sub-cut) and oral tablets.   What are the pros and cons of each method and how do anxiety, disease state and other factors influence patient decisions on how to receive medication?   And why might oral...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first in our 8-part podcast series on living with inflammatory bowel disease. Two IBD patients. Both in remission.  One used to be on medication, but isn't anymore. The other didn't used to be on medication, but is now. With a total of 70 years of lived IBD experience between us, Nigel (@crohnoid) and myself (@bottomlineibd) discuss our different opinions...