On this episode of the Hypermobility Happy Hour, Kerry and Dr. Bluestein talk with disability and patient advocacy expert Jon Rodis. In this interview, Jon gives tips for working on disability evaluations, getting more from your doctor appointments, coping with connective tissue disorder symptoms and more.

On this episode, Dr. Bluestein and Kerry interview John Ferman who, along with his daughter, Deanna Hamm, founded EDS Awareness (aka Chronic Pain Partners) in 2012. EDS Awareness develops programs to connect, support, and educate those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, their caregivers and the medical community. John has a very personal connection to EDS that inspired him to help start or support over 120 local EDS support groups world wide. EDS Awareness has also directed more than 90 free monthly patient-oriented EDS Educational webinars and he created the first online EDS Nursing CEU and Physician CME Educational Program.

On this episode, Dr. Bluestein and Kerry talk to Jeannie DiBon, a movement therapist who specializes in Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and other chronic pain disorders. Jeannie has more than a decade of experience in working with and supporting patients with their pain management and guidance on the path to improved health and overall wellbeing. Jeannie’s practice includes movement for pain management purposes, post-surgery therapy and injury rehabilitation and other targeted movement therapies that work with an individual’s current level of strength, balance and proficiency. Jeannie writes articles about chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities for several publications including the Huffington Post, The Mighty, and Thrive Global. She also regularly presents at international conferences for the Ehlers-Danlos Society.

Jeannie is also the author of Pilates Without Tears - The 5-Step, No Pain, No Strain Strategy to Move and Feel Great (published in 2016) and the very recently published (and fantastic) Hypermobility Without Tears: Moving Pain-Free with Hypermobility and EDS which was just released in June 2019.

In this special bonus episode of the Hypermobility Happy Hour Kerry and Dr. Bluestein discuss the purpose of the podcast, why it's called the Hypermobility Happy Hour, and the direction of future episodes.

Dr. Bluestein and Kerry discuss some of the key questions about having hypermobility disorders, such as:

Who do you need on your team?

What are the most common mistakes people make?

When will things improve?

Where can you get the best care?

Why is it so hard to get proper care?

and

How do you get the best care?

Dr Bluestein and Kerry discuss the process for diagnosing hypermobility disorders including Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and challenges and issues that can arise during that process.