| Welcome to OstomyUK Hi, I wish to welcome you to my ostomy support group. I hope this group will provide help, advice and support for any ostomy related issue. However trivial or sensitive the nature of the problem, I hope this group will be able to help. I'll tell you a bit about myself. My name is Michele and I come from Essex, UK. I'm 31 years old and was diagnosed with Crohns Disease in 1996. I remained relatively problem free until 2002 when I became very ill very fast, and ended up having an emergency ileostomy operation. I was devasted at the time, and found it very hard to accept at first, but I never actually realised until after the operation how seriously ill I had become, it took a long time for me to fully accept my situation. But now I'm here, I'm healthy, and I'm alive. And I want to try and help others the best I can. Support groups are a Godsend to some people in their first few months of recovery, with so many new things to learn, we can help you through it. I don't claim to be an expert in health issues. I'm not. This group is here for support, and although we can provide advice and support on medical issues, you should always seek professional medical advice from your GP. I hope with the help of members, this group will be there for many people. Thank you for taking the time to read this, please feel free to browse the group or click the 'join now' link to apply to join and become an active member. I hope this group is of interest to you. Michele
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