🐝Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford🌱Patient Advocate🩺
@sahara88uk.bsky.social
#HealthAdvocacy; #IBD #Ostomy #MentalHealth #ChronicPain #Fibro #ADHD. Healthcare Pt. Consultant. IBDSuperHeroes Founder. Find me: https://advocatinghealth.com/ 🐝Pursuing calm ~ #Nature #Gardening #Plants #Yoga🧘
Healing after #MedicalTrauma isn't about bouncing back to your old self. #PostTraumatiGrowth is about processing tough times and discovering a new way forward. I shared a breakdown of what post-traumatic growth means when living with long-term conditions advocatinghealth.com/2026/08/03/u... 💜✨
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 🚽... 🧻🔥
🔬 Learn more about Bowel Research UK www.bowelresearchuk.org/about-us/ and consider raising funds with #IBDSuperHeroes for vital research to save and improve lives for people with #Crohns and #Colitis: tinyurl.com/IBDSHFundrai... #IBD #CrohnsDisease #UlcerativeColitis #IBDawareness #CutTheCrap
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 advocatinghealth.com/2018/07/07/o... 💜✨ 📷 Old photo, pre-sleeves 😂 #Stoma
Pain is rarely just physical. The biopsychosocial model shows how biological, psychological, and social factors interact to create our experience of #ChronicPain. Understanding this changed everything for me advocatinghealth.com/2026/07/27/w... 💜✨ #PatientAdvocate #IBDSuperHeroes #Crohns #Colitis
✨ Movement that understands your reality. Living with #IBD can make traditional exercise feel impossible. That’s why we created #IBDSuperHeroes Movement – free sessions for people navigating #IBD. They are flexible & 100% judgment-free! 💜 Explore now: buff.ly/6IrafOc #YogaForIBD
Bridlington today. It was like shade didn't exist. There was nowhere to hide ☀️ We wandered round a few shops and had a paddle and a beach walk. Then we went to find food - I had chips and curry sauce, followed by ice cream 🍦
✨️ I would not interfere With any creed of yours Or want to appear That I have all the cures. ✨️ 💕 #Reiki ✨️ #ReikiHealing ✨️ #Yoga ✨️ #Namaste ✨️ #TheLightInMeHonorsTheLightInYou 🙏🏻
Today is #WorldIBDDay, and while my feed is constantly flooded with wellness influencers talking about bloating, green juices, and "healing your gut" with bone broth, the reality for millions of us is entirely different. Having #Crohns or #Colitis isn’t a lifestyle aesthetic.
I've been following the research on psychedelic-assisted therapy. For those of us with #IBD or #ChronicPain, our nervous systems are often stuck in fight or flight. 🩺 Could a psychological reset help reduce physical flares? advocatinghealth.com/2026/05/13/w... #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
The “mind-manifesting” medicine: Why I’m following psychedelic research
Since reading The Body Keeps the Score and following the work of pain scientists like Dr. Rachel Zoffness, I’ve been interested in learning more about a holistic approach to healing. Holistic meani…
advocatinghealth.com
It’s #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek! #IBD isn't just physical; the mental toll is real. Don’t fight the flare alone. Our Facebook group is here for chats, rants, and virtual hugs 💜 buff.ly/Ijhr60b #IBDSuperHeroes #Crohns #Colitis #ItTakesGuts #IBDlife
Reflecting on my recent small bowel contrast Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE) scan. The prep and the 30-minute scan are a lot to navigate, especially with medical #PTSD. My full experience is here: advocatinghealth.com/2026/05/11/m... 💕✨ #PatientAdvocate #IBDSuperHeroes #Crohns #Colitis #IBD
"Can I lie on my front with a s#toma?" is a question that worries almost every new #ostomate. My latest post looks at the practicalities and how to feel secure again: advocatinghealth.com/2026/03/20/c... How have you adjusted your sleep habits since surgery? 💕✨ #Stoma #Ostomy #IBD
It’s #WorldWaterDay! 💧 For every #IBDWarrior, hydration is a key part of daily survival. As we end #NutritionAndHydrationWeek, what is your best tip for staying hydrated while managing #Crohns or #Colitis?
#EndometriosisAwarenessMonth 50-80% of women with #Endometriosis have an increased risk of #IBD, yet many are stuck in the gap between specialists. My new post looks at the gut/gynae overlap: advocatinghealth.com/2026/03/16/e... #Endo #ChronicPain #IBDVisible
It’s #WorldSleepDay, but #IBD and sleep aren't always on speaking terms. 😴 Between nighttime urgency and #IBDFatigue, getting rest is a battle. How do you manage your #SleepHygiene when your #Crohns or #Colitis has other plans?
Medical trauma isn’t just a memory; it’s a physical state. I’m sharing the latest research on the link between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and #ChronicPain: advocatinghealth.com/2026/03/05/t... Does your pain feel linked to your stress levels? 💕✨ #PatientAdvocate #IBD #Fibro #PTSD
My morning reiki and meditation turned into an accidental 40-minute nap. 🙈 My body clearly needed the rest more than the dogs needed their walk! Chronic illness life: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is fall asleep on your yoga mat. #PatientAdvocate
Food fear is a clinical symptom of #IBD, not a failure of willpower. For #Eating #Disorders #Awareness #Week, I’m sharing how new research validates the mental toll of eating with #Crohns or #Colitis: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/26/i... Do you feel a sense of dread when staring at the fridge? 💕✨
It took me 7 years to talk about my #UC & #Stoma surgeries. We focus on the physical, but the mental impact of #ChronicIllness is just as vital. I’ve written about processing #MedicalTrauma & reclaiming your identity: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/23/t... #PatientAdvocate #IBD #Crohns #Colitis
Why we need to talk about the mental impact of chronic illness
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) in 2007, but it took me seven years to be able to talk or share much about that experience, the emergency surgery that followed shortly after, and the c…
advocatinghealth.com
Grief is usually associated with loss, but with #ChronicIllness, you’re grieving too. I explore the 5 stages of grief and why it isn’t a failure to feel them: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/20/t... How are you doing with these stages? Do you move back and forth between them? 💕✨ #PatientAdvocate
The stages of grief in chronic illness
When we talk about chronic conditions like IBD, fibromyalgia, or arthritis, we often focus on the physical side – the surgeries, medications, and scans. But there’s a massive emotional …
advocatinghealth.com
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... www.instagram.com/p/DU8hF1zjN1...
Clinical papers don’t tell the whole story of #Pregnancy after bowel surgery. I’m sharing 5 powerful, real-life experiences from the #IBD community about family planning, #IVF, and childbirth. You aren't alone in this. Read: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/09/f... #PatientAdvocate #Stoma #Ostomy
Braving the big talk is terrifying, but staying stuck in a cycle of stress is worse. Remind yourself who the F you are today. You are good enough, and your boundaries matter. 💕✨ Why speaking up is vital for your wellbeing: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/06/b...
Today is Time to Talk Day. We’re experts at the physical side of #IBD or #Fibro, but the mental toll is harder to voice. You don’t need a script to be honest about the weight of #ChronicIllness and #PatientAdvocacy. Read more: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/05/b... #PatientAdvocate #IBDSuperHeroes
12 yrs after starting this blog, I am reintroducing myself. Life with #IBD, an #ostomy & #fibromyalgia means constant evolution. I’m embracing a different version of me. Read more here: advocatinghealth.com/2026/02/03/a... #PatientAdvocate #IBDSuperHeroes #Crohns #Colitis #CrohnsDisease
A different version of me: Why I stepped back and how I’m moving forward
I thought it was about time I wrote a new post to reintroduce myself, because I started this blog almost 12 years ago! Digital marketing and media have changed a lot since then. We have many more v…
advocatinghealth.com
Big #IBD news. Researchers found a gene that protects against #Crohns & #Colitis. They’ve made a molecule to copy that defense, moving from suppression to copying nature’s blueprint. Read the breakdown: advocatinghealth.com/2026/01/28/b... #IBDawareness #IBDVisible #IBDWarrior #PatientAdvocacy
Living with #IBD, a #stoma, or #ChronicPain is a full-time job you never applied for. 💼🩹 Some days we’re #IBDSuperHeroes. Other days, we’re just tired of the invisible battle. I’m here to make sure no one walks that path alone. How are you actually doing today?
