Are you living with or considering an internal pouch or maybe looking after somebody who is? Our regular online socials are a great way to connect with others living with, or considering, an internal pouch or perhaps chat with one of our internal pouch volunteers to see if they can support with any concerns or questions you have. We can also put you in touch with a pouch One2One support volunteer to talk through any non-medical issues you are experiencing or difficulties challenging you in making a surgical decision.

Our meetings are free to join, are not exclusive to IA members and enable you to collaborate with others who have been, or are going, through something similar. Advance registration is required to receive the online meeting link by return following submission of your registration form. Please do not share the link with others, please encourage them to register so we know how many will be attending in advance and can track attendance.

What do I need to attend/join the meeting?
Once you have registered to attend the meeting using the form below, you will receive email confirmation and a link to join the meeting online. Please use the link in your confirmation email to access the meeting via Zoom at the appropriate time – we recommend joining around 5 minutes ahead of the start time. Online meetings require access to an internet-connected device such as desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone with a working camera and microphone for use during the meeting. While connection via a phone is fine, we recommend a device with a larger screen so that you can participate fully in the online meeting. You do NOT need to have Zoom installed on your device or a Zoom account set up to access the online meetings.

Please join the meeting from somewhere quiet with no or minimal background noise please and somewhere that others on the meeting cannot be overheard to protect their privacy. We also ask please that other members of the household do not participate in the meeting unless they have registered to attend again to protect the privacy of everyone in the meeting and to ensure minimal disruption.

Cancelling registration
We understand that circumstances change and you may need to cancel your registration. Please email ‘internal.pouch@iasupport.org’ to cancel your registration, providing your name and date of meeting.

Registration Form
On submission of the registration form you will receive an email to the email address given, confirming your attendance and providing the link to join the meeting 5 minutes head of the start time.

Upcoming Themes

29 January 2026: New year, new Pouch Resolutions? We all know that there are things we could do to improve pouch function. But often we don’t follow through with them. Please join us and share your Pouch New Year’s Resolutions. We’ll be trying to find out about the best and worst strategies, New Year successes and disasters, and a host of other topics in between. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone for this first meeting of 2026.

26 March 2026: What are the things that other people don’t ‘get’ about living with an internal pouch? What can we do ourselves to help with this?
Have you ever felt ‘alone’ with your internal pouch? That others know that you’ve had bowel surgery but don’t respond as you’d expect when you have pouchitis, or just can’t eat what’s on the restaurant menu? Please bring your coffee or wine and join us for a chat about how we can gently make others more aware o four situation. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

28 May 2026: Have pouch, will travel.
How do you feel about travel with an internal pouch? Committee member Keiryn Moffitt spent several months travelling the world in 2025, and he will be sharing his many pouch travel tips at this meeting. Please join us for an evening of chat and travel talk and share your own experiences. We look forward to seeing everyone there.