Every IBD patient will have likely had a run-in with iron deficiency or anaemia at some point while living with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. And for many of us it’s a constant problem.

So in this episode of Wrestling the Octopus: The IBD Patient Podcast, Nigel and I wanted to invite an iron expert to join us and talk us through what inflammatory bowel disease patients need to know about managing iron deficiency and anaemia.

And who better to invite than the iron guru himself?! Professor Toby Richards, a London-based vascular surgeon and founder of The Iron Clinic explains how iron affects everything from energy and performance to recovery and mental health. We also chat about common dietary myths (Popeye got it wrong!), iron infusions vs tablets and the realities of living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis when you’re low in iron. Whether you're newly diagnosed or managing long-term IBD, this episode will help you understand your iron levels and explore treatment options that work.

What We Cover In This Episode

• The difference between iron deficiency and anaemia
• Why normal haemoglobin doesn’t rule out iron deficiency
• How low ferritin affects energy, cognition and mental health
• The surprising overlap between iron deficiency and ADHD-like symptoms
• Why menstruating women with IBD face a “double whammy” of iron loss
• The pros and cons of oral iron vs. intravenous iron infusions
• What to expect before, during and after an iron infusion
• How iron deficiency can mimic anxiety, fatigue and brain fog
• Why IBD patients often “normalise the abnormal”—and how iron treatment can address this problem and restore quality of life

IBD & Iron

IBD patients face unique challenges when dealing with low iron: chronic blood loss, inflammation that blocks iron transport, and gut sensitivity that makes oral iron hard to tolerate. Professor Richards explains why iron levels are different for people with Crohn's and UC, and how personalised care can dramatically improve our quality of life.

Mental Health & Iron: 

Professor Richards tells us that in one study, 17% of women treated for anxiety or depression had low iron—and what happened after their iron levels were restored. He urges healthcare professionals to test iron before starting mental health medications, especially when symptoms like brain fog, fatigue and low mood are impacting on IBD patients' lives.

For more information on Professor Toby Richards and The Iron Clinic, please visit https://www.theironclinic.com/

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Welcome back, folks!

Think of this episode as a commercial break between our interviews with patients and healthcare professionals. In Episode 13, Nigel and I shoot the breeze about our lives with inflammatory bowel disease... with a little bit of insight into what it means to be a patient with either Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. We also swap notes on the annoying healthcare-related things we would like to consign to Room 101, given half the chance!

We hope you enjoy listening to our patient podcast on living with IBD. Please don't forget to spread the word if you're enjoying these podcasts - and do let us know if there's anything you'd like us to cover in future episodes. Thanks as always for your support!

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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, an IBD clinical psychologist at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. Stacey talks to us about her role on the gastro psychology team and how she supports IBD patients across a whole host of issues faced when living with inflammatory bowel disease.

As ever, we hope you enjoy this episode. And please do let us know of other topics you would like to see covered on Wresting the Octopus: The IBD Patient Podcast.

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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 book sales.

We hope Vicky's story spurs on many aspiring writers with IBD to achieve their publishing dreams!

You can follow Vicky on X at @vickyball3

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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 this episode Dr Adam Faye, gastroenterologist at NYU Langone in the US, who delivers a tour-de-force guide to ageing with IBD. Dr Faye specialises in this subject in his New York practice.

As ever, please let us know your feedback on the podcast - plus ideas for future subjects and guests.

We hope you enjoy this episode! And our warmest thanks to Dr Faye for donating his time so generously in the name of IBD patient education!

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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; what to do if you need the toilet when the seatbelt signs are on; adapting to diet in different countries; travelling with medication - and much more besides.

See ibdpassport.com for more information. You can also follow Kay at @ibdpassport on social media.

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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!

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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 your thoughts too - and we welcome suggestions for future topics to cover.

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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 for surgery as an early treatment option.

Nigel and I would like to thank Dr Samaan for generously donating his time as a medical guest on these two podcasts.

We'd love to hear your feedback as we plan our future episodes!

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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 Crohn's and UC patients have about their disease.

This episode is Part 1 of 2.

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Follow Nigel at @crohnoid