What are the advantages of a bariatric surgery care team? Today, you will discover the vital role of an integrated health team in bariatric surgery. On this episode of the BariNation podcast, we are thrilled to interview Heidi Bednarchuk, exploring why a cohesive bariatric surgery care team is key to patient care success. From pre-op preparation to post-op support, discover how to choose a team that supports your obesity treatment journey and enhances quality of life. Heidi shares insights on building an integrated health team for bariatric surgery, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for long-term wellness.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:   

The critical role of a bariatric surgery care team in ensuring successful patient care throughout the obesity treatment journey

How an integrated health team collaborates to provide comprehensive pre-op preparation and post-op support for lasting results

Why prioritizing quality of life is key to choosing the right bariatric surgery care team for your needs

Practical questions to ask to identify an integrated health team for bariatric surgery that supports long-term wellness

The importance of patient care advocacy and how a cohesive team enhances obesity treatment outcomes

Tune in, and don’t forget to join the BariNation Community to attend community meetups, watch exclusive bonus content and support the podcast for as little as $5 per month!  You can also contribute to BariNation and become a Drive To Thrive Supporter with a one-time or recurring donation.

TIMESTAMPS: 

• 02:50 Heidi’s role in integrated health team leadership for patient care and the vital role of the bariatric surgery care team beyond pre-op preparation and post-op support
• 12:28 Heidi explains why evaluating the bariatric surgery care team is crucial for quality of life in the obesity treatment journey, such as roles like the bariatric nurse
• 14:33 Heidi uses a fruit smoothie analogy to describe a cohesive, integrated health team for bariatric surgery, enhancing quality of life
• 25:05 Advice on questions to identify an effective bariatric surgery care team, focusing on interdisciplinary team communication
• 32:24 Heidi discusses studies showing patient care priorities like nutrition and mental health in post-op support, often overlooked
• 42:24 Discussion of the stigma, eliminating old mindsets and communicating with care teams who are not integrated                                                                                                                      
• 47:30 Emphasis on staying connected with the bariatric surgery care team to avoid post-surgical support drop-off for obesity treatment

KEY TAKEAWAYS:  

An integrated health team for bariatric surgery collaborates to enhance quality of life and address challenges in obesity treatment.

Asking the right questions helps identify an effective bariatric surgery care team focused on interdisciplinary team communication.

Patients must advocate for their own patient care needs to build a bariatric surgery care team that supports long-term success in obesity treatment.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

Heidi Bednarchuk, APRN, CNS, CBN, FASMBS-IH, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at the Bariatric and Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at the Mayo Clinic.  She has worked in metabolic and bariatric surgery since 2012 and genuinely loves her work. She is committed to supporting individuals affected by obesity and to highlighting the vital role Integrated Health plays in delivering lasting, patient-centered outcomes. Heidi is also the Immediate Past President of the Integrated Health Leadership Council at ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons), having held multiple leadership and committee roles over the past several years.

Heidi Bednarchuk - LinkedIn

Patients’ experiences of life after bariatric surgery and follow-up care study

A Comparison of Health Professionals' and Patients' Views of the Importance of Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery Study

A systematic scoping review of multidisciplinary team working in surgical services: the need for bariatric surgery research

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 

TREO Foundation - The Walk

TREO Walk Discounted BariNation Membership 

BariNation - Partnership Monthly Membership   

BariNation’s How to Find an Obesity Specialist Guide

April Williams: You've just tuned into a podcast that welcomes you into a community, a resource center, and a safe place that powers your [00:00:15] journey towards personal wellness.

Natalie Tierney: Our goal is you leave us today feeling hopeful, inspired, and ready to live your best bariatric life.

But Heidi is the past president, uh, of the integrated health arm of the [00:01:00] A-S-M-B-S. Her leadership has really put the IH section of that society front and center. She's been a practitioner for a very long time. She is passionate about patient care, both before and after surgery. And the reason [00:01:15] that this conversation is so important for you, the listener or the the friend watching is because no matter where you are in your bariatric journey.

So Heidi's really going to explain to us the importance of looking for and picking your dream team when it comes to your bariatric life. So again, no matter where you are on this journey, it matters because as we all know, post-op people [00:02:00] need just as much support as pre-op people. So before we dive into that conversation, Heidi, will you introduce yourself to our friends?

I was gonna be an archeologist. Um, and so with a degree like that, then you naturally spend 15 years as a casino pit boss while you try to actually do so. Yeah. Joined a local ambulance crew while I [00:02:45] was, uh, doing the pit boss thing, um, just to do something. Good with my life. Life and really loved healthcare.

And, um, like, well, I guess I can learn about this. I'd watched my mother struggle with [00:03:15] obesity her entire life, um, and. Absolutely know that now that I ended up in the exact right place, and, you know, great connections between palliative and bariatrics actually, where the focus really is on quality of life and [00:03:30] maximizing health.

So, um, you know, it's, it was a natural fit, so, yeah.

Jason Smith: I don't think it's strange. I think it's rad. I think it's awesome. That's, that's, that's your party trick that you can pull out and be like, you would totally rule two truths and a lie.

April Williams: No ever, but I, but I would assume, I mean, I've been to a casino a few times and I, I haven't had any negative interactions with pit bosses, but man, those people pay attention to absolutely everything. They know what everybody's [00:04:15] doing at every table, and you are running a tight knit team.

I knew very quickly that you would be a, a strong voice on, [00:04:45] on this show, because our listenership has shifted a little bit, we've had the opportunity to interview many experts like yourself, and we are seeing clinicians and surgeons that are also listening and, and watching to this show. And the importance of a [00:05:00] care team, I think even for myself and probably for Jason, is very much overlooked because the focus is so.

Heidi, [00:05:30] why is it important to really look at the team that's supporting the surgeon, and what are the different roles on the team?

So nothing against my surgeon, colleagues. All, but, but who's, who's preparing you? Who's, who's supporting you after? Um, it, you know, in [00:06:00] some cases it's a surgeon, but most often it is that interdisciplinary team. They are there for you through the entire journey, which is not just a day in the or. Right. Um, and mm-hmm.

Yeah, that's absolutely,

So it doesn't, [00:07:00] it's, it's not that you have to, you know, because we try to tell people all the time. Reach out and make that call. Ask, you know, ask your care team because it, you know, the, it's important that they know kind of what's going on with you, just as, as important as it is for you to get the answers that you're looking for.[00:07:15]

Like. Like, it's not, it's not that way. Like you can call and talk to the team. The team's got you covered. Like it's not, it's not as scary as you think. No,

We give 'em direct, uh, phone numbers. They can get ahold of us anytime. Wow.

So Heidi, maybe you can just bust this [00:08:15] myth right. Once and for all right. You know, should patients be scared of calling. I'm sure the

And I'm like, that, that's, I tell 'em right up front. That's when I most wanna see you. Is when you're struggling. Mm-hmm. I almost wanna hear from you. You know, so you are never, never a bother. Um, yep. Because that's why we're here. That's, that's the [00:08:45] why. Having a strong team, supporting that surgeon, supporting those patients is so important.

You know, not all programs have that, so it's an important thing to look for. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. So I think we, we need to acknowledge kind of that elephant [00:09:15] in the room that you might only have one choice when it comes to your. Your bariatric options. Yeah. But as a patient, you can ask questions and figure out what their team, who's on their team. Right. [00:09:30] What, what? What's the team roster, so to speak, and if you feel that it's missing something that you think you're going to need, a follow-up question that you can ask is, okay, so I understand you don't offer this, this, and this.

Heidi Bednarchuk: Absolutely. I think, you know, as a patient advocating for yourself and what you [00:10:00] need, not just your needs right in the moment, but what you see as you're going to need long term, um, is so important.

Ask those.

Variation can be that bridge that gets you the support and the [00:10:45] education that you need until you can find that one-on-one professional or a team that has all of that support. So just know that there are resources out there that can round out the team even if the, the place that you've made the decision to go is missing some of those [00:11:00] pieces.

And I'm like, you know, a, a lot of those times you can have multiple appointments, like you can have your initial consult, but you can make multiple pre-op appointments to talk through those questions to make sure that you get the answers that you [00:11:30] need. And a lot of times, mm-hmm. A lot of questions can probably be condensed into just a couple that you can ask and get the overarching kind of theme of what exactly is gonna happen.

April Williams: Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Yep. And again, Jason, great point, like how many times on on this show do we ask a [00:12:15] question and our guest ends up answering three of the other ones that we wanted? Right? So just by asking that one or two rare questions, you might actually get the answers to everything that you wanted in, in a way that makes more sense to you.

Heidi Bednarchuk: Yeah, that's a great question. So, um, you know, I. [00:12:45] Obviously the surgeon, you know, definitely key player in the team.

Um, putting in a plugin, ideally like a certified bariatric nurse, if they have that. Right. Um, you know, you've got your apps like [00:13:15] myself, um, who we're often the ones doing that, that longitudinal care. You know, I always tell patients, you're, you're gonna be seeing me a lot after surgery and you're stuck with me for life.

Um, the behavioral health providers just 'cause, you know, there is so much that goes along with surgery and in our relationships with food. Just, you know, [00:14:00] things change after surgery. A lot of, mostly in good ways, but there's also things that can be incredible challenges that people aren't always prepared for.

Because I've heard, uh, a friend of mine, um, uh, Dr. Lillian Craig Dino, in a meeting we were in, was talking about the importance of team and, and she talked about like some teams being a fruit basket, where you have the individual fruit sitting next to each other. [00:14:45] They're, they're completely separate things and there's really no interaction other than they're in the same thing.

And then you have your interdisciplinary team, which that's the, you put 'em all in the blender and you've got a fruit smoothie. And the, the parts just become completely. [00:15:15] Blended together, and you're getting consistent messages from everybody on your team, you know, and we're all working in the same direction and, and, you know, to support the patient.

And I'm like, okay. Yep. That's, you know. To me, [00:15:45] that's a, that's a sign of a really good team where, where we're, we're all echoing each other and

Compete with what I flew to. So mine was more like a, a poorly put together charcuterie board where [00:16:15] nobody talked about anything to anybody, and then I went to the smoothie. So I'm gonna, yeah, I'm gonna rock with the smoothie every time because it's so much better. Like it, it just like everything about the cohesion of it all and everybody talking, it just made it, it.

April Williams: That is I, and, and Jason knows when, Heidi, when you were talking about that, that analogy, metaphor, I don't know. I, I, I was not an English teacher, but I played one for, for a brief like that. [00:17:00] I just, the visual in my brain, I'm like, oh my God. It's a graphic, it's a this, it's like, oh, but this is what matters to patients.

Granted, you don't know what you don't know when you go into your first one, right? So this is just what you knew, but now to have that to compare to your first one. It. Right. It makes all the difference in the world.

You know, I didn't leave without having a, uh, uh, an IV of fluids and the banana bags, so to [00:18:00] speak, with all of the vitamins and all the things. And so I legit felt like I could fly home without the plane and, um. It just was amazing. And the difference where I felt like I, you know, I lumbered, I should have stayed in the hospital another three or four days is my first, you know, procedure and the, you know, the [00:18:15] second procedure, I'm, I'm flying home three days later and feeling, you know, no discomfort whatsoever.

I was like, can you save my life? Cool, let's do that. And then, you know, then you, at that point you just get what you get and that's [00:18:45] fine. But having, getting, you know, having the ability to see the other side of how I can work is, is just what? You know, the IS Bari Nation has afforded us the gift of being able to see kind of behind the curtain that a lot of people don't get that option.

To hear them have such positive first time experiences has really made it worth everything. For April and myself who didn't have the best, you know, original situation, it's just awesome to see so many people taking that and [00:19:30] realizing that they can be better.

April Williams: A thousand percent. A thousand percent. And you know, the, the other thing that I think it's important that we call out, right?

You finding and choosing an [00:20:00] integrated team like what Heidi is talking about, does not mean that you are giving up your responsibility of continuing to follow up with that care. So just because you have the Rockstar care team does not mean that they are [00:20:15] going to do the work for you. You also have to take ownership in your very important role with this, and that is you have to make the phone calls, you have to book the appointments, you need to do your homework and your due diligence.

And if you're not holding up your end of the bargain, you can't expect the care team to carry the weight that you are not doing what it comes to care. So know that when we're having these conversations, we, we have to acknowledge that we have to do the work [00:21:00] as our care teams are, are doing the work. As Jason, and I know that's hard as patients, you're battling a disease, you're recovering, your life is changing in ways that you never expected.

Heidi Bednarchuk: A hundred percent. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got to, you've got to put in, [00:21:30] it's, it's a collaborative effort and the patient is part of that, right? Yeah, yeah. The conversation you had with, um, Kara Horn and she talked about her lawn analogy, which I absolutely loved, and you know, if you're, if you're not taking care of that lawn [00:21:45] afterwards, it might look great initially when it's put in, but if you are not.

For you.

Dr. Majid: Hi. Thank you April for having me. And thank you for all the support Bari Nation has provided. Uh, really grateful, um, guys. Bari [00:22:45] Nation is the place to be. Um, if you are, um, thinking about bariatric surgery, if you've had bariatric surgery, you've seen enough to know that this is like the place to be. So thank you April for all the work you're doing and thank you to [00:23:00] Bari Nation.

[00:23:30] Obesity is rampant. Um, if you look around yourself, you'll see plenty people are affected by this disease. And every dollar that you contribute goes towards not just critical research, so we can treat, [00:23:45] educate and obesity, but also to provide access to care, to be the advocate for that. Patient for that person who's suffering with this disease silently and feels [00:24:00] uncomfortable, um, or not brave enough to step up and advocate for themselves.

There are fall walks happening between September through November for this year, at least 10, if not more throughout the country. It might just be happening. Minutes away [00:24:45] from where you live. So participate and gain the benefit, benefit from it in so many ways. I cannot wait to see you there.

April Williams: We hope you stomp the stigma with us in person this fall.

Like, how do we know that we've got. Got that. We have the, the smoothie, not necessarily the fruit salad or the charco board. Yeah. Right. You

Do they mention. Who else is involved in the, in the long-term care of the patients? Uh, and if they don't ask, ask who is [00:25:45] on your team? Who, what roles do they play? How do, how does interdisciplinary teamwork look like? What does it look like where you're at? You know? Um, I think those are good things to ask.

Thing to ask is, does your team meet together? How do they make decisions together? How, what, how do they support patients? Because like we have interdisciplinary team meetings where we have all the disciplines together and, and we, we talk together. You know, [00:26:30] if there, there are patients that are preparing for surgery that are struggling or post-op, we as a team.

April Williams: And I really like that question about how do, how does the team communicate with one another?

That that team or how that team has been organized. Uh, so that's a great question for a patient to ask that really gets to the heart of what, what we're looking for.

How often are you seeing, you know?

April Williams: Mm-hmm.

Jason Smith: Yeah, no, that's good. So the first time we'd actually heard that, like the fully integrated health team situation is when Natalie and I visited, uh, advent Health in Orlando was, they [00:28:00] talked about that from a, from a standpoint of.

So you don't have to go, like I had to go when I had my first procedure, I went to, you know, all these different. Appointments for all this different stuff, and nobody had any of the information [00:28:30] so that it, it was a whole thing where they had to request the records. Everything had to come up. There was a, so there was this big long wait period in between all these steps, whereas within the fully integrated health team, it wasn't that way because everybody spoke about every single thing back and forth.

It was just, it made all the sense in the world to me, and everything kind of came full circle. I was like, this is the huge difference between having a team like that. And having something where it's sectioned out where you have to go all over town. [00:29:15] Whereas if it's an integrated, a lot of times you can get it all knocked out in one building and just be fine and not have to do a bunch of running around.

So it's amazing difference. Mm-hmm.

I'll go into the chart and I'll look like, who, who have they seen else? Have they seen what, what are the [00:29:45] notes saying? And so that we can, you know, make sure we're all coming together and, and, and addressing what needs to be addressed.

I, I felt really confident about what I went through in my pre-op journey, and that was my experience, right? There was all these tests that I had to get done. There was so many appointments, right? It was, it, it felt like a lot. But it was the [00:30:15] receptionist who booked all of my appointments at one time.

You got that done. Fantastic. Person is gonna be really happy, you know that you've got this done, then you're gonna meet with them. So it, it was that integrated system that I didn't have the words [00:30:45] for at the time, but it certainly took the, the pressure and the fear and the anxiety. Down a little bit because I knew that this team was, was capable of walking me, me through that.

It's not gonna take it away. But it is certainly going to help you feel better moving forward with this very big decision that you're making in your life.

They're, they're kind of helping, you know, get everything set up and guiding them through. 'cause we've had patients that, you know, I've seen to establish care that had surgery elsewhere. [00:31:45] And felt, said they felt like, you know, it was up to them to go out and get their appointments and then once they finished their appointments, circle back with their team and say, okay, I think I'm ready.

Gimme a surgery. Mm-hmm. And that's just not a great way to, to do things.

Mm-hmm. And I know Heidi, before this conversation, you, you, you really took a deep dive on the questions that we [00:32:30] wanted to ask you. And I, I mean, literally, guys, if you guys can see these show notes, my notes were one page, Heidi set back like five pages and I was like, oh my God. Right? But one of the things that really stood out to me that, that you found was referencing some studies [00:32:45] that.

Yeah. Why, why do you think there's such a disconnect? I think,

Obviously a lot of people are doing this because they want to manage their obesity, you know, bring their weight down, have those health improvements, but it really misses that. What matters to the patients and [00:33:45] that quality of life measures, you know, those non-scale victories. What can you do now that you couldn't do before?

Now, if you looked at the other members of the integrated team, you know, dieticians. I think it was like four and behavioral health provider six and nurses had like, even more than patients prioritized in terms of quality of life measures. And so [00:34:30] it's just, you know, the different approach and what we're looking at and you know, surgeons naturally are looking at what they're measured on, but that's not necessarily what, what is important to the patients.

April Williams: When I read studies like that, and we have these conversations, the place that my brain always goes is what Jason and I often talk [00:35:00] about on, on the show, right?

I'm saying this in quotes, is gonna go to that place. And [00:35:30] that is a way to kind of organically. Change this system as a whole, right? Because if all of a sudden the, the patients are shifting their care to this center, this program, this surgeon, others are going to follow suit, they're gonna go, well, why, why are patients not coming to [00:35:45] me?

Heidi Bednarchuk: Mm-hmm.

April Williams: Yeah.

Calling out my surgeons a little bit here, get us more involved. The IH team. Um, 'cause we're that important. You know, the, the major Society guidelines, um, there's zero, you know, maybe one, maybe two IH [00:37:00] people on 'em and then a huge block of surgeons, you know, and so they're, I voice in putting those together.

April Williams: That's just, that's my opinion. The visual that comes to my head. It's like, you know, look, look at all of the, look at all the car manufacturers, right?

Mm-hmm. Right. You, you've made a technically sound vehicle, but you haven't actually made a car that people feel comfortable driving in. Yeah. And, and I feel like this integrated health discussion is about bringing the [00:38:00] best of the best together, right? And it's like, what is gonna make this the, the best technical experience, but also the most enjoyable and, and meaningful to the people who we're producing it for?

Absolutely.

April Williams: Right? And a Ferrari not my. Right. Just say it. Just say, well, and again, it goes back to what we always talk about. You have to, [00:38:30] you, you, you have to take these centers for a test drive. You just do because you think that this car, you think that this center is gonna be perfect for you.

And they look [00:39:00] beautiful. I mean, we, we love the, the look of it and we, we weren't shopping for a new car, but it was there and we never sat in it, right? So we're like, oh, cool. Like, oh, well let's sit in it. Let's see what this is all about. Well, he and I got in the, I was in the passenger seat [00:39:15] and he was in the front seat and it was like, wow, this interior is amazing.

We, we are, this car was not built for, for us. And it's not that it's not beautiful looking and, and does all the things. It was not correct. And just like [00:39:45] clothing, just like cars, right? When you're making a big life decision that is bariatric surgery, it really is important that you, that you find that best fit.

What out there [00:40:15] can help me round out this team? Yeah. Heidi, for the practitioners listening to this, I'm gonna guess they might have questions about how you. Sustain this [00:40:30] integrated team that you're working with. Are there like tips or tricks or there ideas that you can pass along to, to your peers that will help them maybe transition to that more integrated system that you're talking about?

And that surgeon said, if my front desk person says. They're kind of concerned about this patient [00:41:15] and moving forward at this time. You know, they mentioned this or that. She says, I listened to that, and, and then we have a conversation about that. And I think that's, that's a big thing because on some teams are more hierarchical and, and you know, the, the psychologist is for [00:41:30] clearance and, you know, those types of things.

April Williams: Yeah. And I would imagine that's hard to do in a system that was kind of built from the top down. Yeah. Right. So you're, you're moving from this, this triangle, [00:42:00] if you will, to more of a circular system and that, that can be challenging sometimes. Absolutely.

Heidi Bednarchuk: Yeah.

April Williams: But knowing that patients are looking for this might give a little buy-in from everybody else.

Jason Smith: Okay. Yeah.

April Williams: Okay.

The, the healthcare team as a, because for many, all the years we've grown up the doctors, you know, the doctor knows the doctors, you know, it's the white coat syndrome, it's the things and mm-hmm. We don't give them the same [00:42:45] amount of kind of space and grace to, to move into a better. A, a better existence.

Like we used to think it was just, it was just one way and that was the only way it could be. The [00:43:15] same way that we think that people, you know, are looking at us with, you know, just eat less, move more, and you won't need surgery at all. You know, that's, you know, that's old mindset the same way as, oh, well I can't ask the doctor or anything, or I can't be too loud, or I can't ask too many questions.

It's not the, you know, it's not an, it's not an attorney situation where they have to take your case or like, it's one of those things where you know, you can say, I do, I wanna have surgery here, or I do not wanna have surgery here. And another thing that I've [00:44:00] really been. Thinking about lately is, is that we Irish goodbye those that we don't want to have surgery with, instead of following up and being like, Hey, I was going to, I, I really was interested in having my procedure here, but let me explain [00:44:15] to you why.

That's why I'm not going. But you could be like, well, when I spoke to such and such a person, this is the feeling I got. Or when I asked these [00:44:45] questions, this is what didn't happen for me. Or when I looked into what a fully integrated health team looked like. Didn't match that. And that may make them think about things and make some, make, you know, make a little, a few changes in the fact that, so the next person that comes [00:45:00] along may have a better experience.

April Williams: Mm-hmm.

Heidi Bednarchuk: I love that. Yeah.

Heidi, just so you know, he does this every single time to me, and I think he like relishes in it [00:45:30] because I think he's gonna say something, something and he comes and drops these bombs and I'm like, who are you? Like what? Who? I mean again? I'm just gonna say this is, this is the power of these conversations.

It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of work, but the, the payoff for that is a much more truthful and holistic understanding of what it takes to [00:46:15] treat this disease, and you have the skillset and the confidence to ask the questions, to offer the feedback, and to be grounded in your decision. And that is yet another tool [00:46:30] that we as patients and providers can use to take power away from this pervasive disease.

It is going to rear its ugly head again and again and again. Mm-hmm. And [00:47:00] the important role that an integrated care team can have on your bariatric journey has not really been talked about. We're so thankful that there are experts like you, Heidi, who are willing to come on the show and talk about it and educate us on this, because [00:47:15] when we come together as patients and providers, this change happens and people are able to access the care that they need.

Heidi Bednarchuk: Yep. And well kind of thinking, just throwing this out quick too longitudinally, when you know it's progressive. So if people are struggling, think about that patient that has stayed connected with their team all along, they're gonna feel comfortable [00:47:45] going in and asking for help.

Ooh. And I'm like, Ooh, that's a, that's a good term. And, and so you feel, you're more likely to feel like, I can, I can't go in, I'm ashamed because I've, I've lost weight. Rather, if you're with that supportive team [00:48:15] the whole way, you know, you can go in, you know, you're, you're not afraid to, to call when you're struggling.

It, it's where we've been able to kind of work on that, that [00:48:45] confidence muscle and say, yeah, you know what, you're, you're right. I, I should ask that question. And to have the space to practice asking that question, I is also needed. And after you have done that scary thing to have this. Uh, again, safe [00:49:00] place to come back to and say, guys, I did it.

Alright, my friends, we have talked about a lot during this show. I [00:49:30] wanna let you all know that in the show notes, you are gonna find links to the research that Heidi has referenced because we know that you are gonna wanna take a deep dive on this. We're also gonna put together a, a, a worksheet or a, a one [00:49:45] pager, if you will, that you can print out to help you identify the type of team, uh, that you're currently working with, or I, or find one that you would want to work with.

So don't, don't be afraid to, to, to access them. [00:50:15] We always like to let ask this question at the end of the show, and Jason, I'll start with you first. Uh, but what, what is a big thing that you are hoping people are taking away from this conversation?

Heidi Bednarchuk: truth. Heidi, what about you? What he [00:50:45] said, and. And, and know that as, as a patient, that you have the, you have the, the power and the right to, to find that team that best supports you. And you don't have to just settle. [00:51:00]

April Williams: Nope, we, we don't have to settle. We, the, the disease has kept us isolated for far too long.

Thank you. It was wonderful. [00:51:30] Awesome friends. If this episode was impactful for you, share it with somebody else. Send them the link, direct 'em to YouTube, uh, but make sure that this conversation goes beyond you. Thank you all for joining us today, and we'll see you in the nation [00:51:45] soon. Bye bye friends. Bye.

Natalie Tierney: Join us at Barination.mn.co. If you found this podcast valuable, help us produce it by becoming a [00:52:15] $5 monthly supporter at BariNationpodcast.com.