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This week we caught up with our friend Lauren Erbach Barnfield! We've both known Lauren for several years but have never heard her full IBD story so it was really great to hear it all. We talked about her participation in the PIANO study which is a study about women living with IBD and taking biologics while pregnant and what all that entailed. We talked to her about finding the right treatment for her Crohn's and who choosing a biologic is intimidating especially when you can find so many negative stories on the internet. We also discussed talking to her small children about IBD, her going graduate school while living with Crohn's, having a full-time job AND a family, and about blogging about her Crohn's when she was younger. We also spent quite a bit of time talking about the importance of sharing your IBD story- even the mundane and seemingly normal parts- to help other people better understand what it's like to live with a chronic illness. And we talked a lot about the health insurance system in the US and how challenging it is to people with chronic illnesses. 

Links: 

• A blog about the PIANO study- Natalie Hayden for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation 
• A factsheet about Pregnancy and IBD- Crohn' s & Colitis Foundation 
• The book Lauren references is Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino
• Tips for talking to your kids about your IBD- Crohn's Colitis UK
• Alicia's drink recipe- Orange Lemon Gin Cooler 

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