#464 Cass on Top

Cassandra has type 1 diabetes and I don't remember why I picked this title - let's find out together.

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**DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode 464 of the Juicebox Podcast. Hey, it's a palindrome for 64. Same frontwards as it is backwards goes for letters to palindrome. Anyway, today's show, I remember loving when I recorded it. And as I edited the show, I loved it too, so much so that I made myself a note to call it cast on top. But in this moment, for the life of me, I don't remember why I did that. Here's what I do remember, off the top of my head, Cass was diagnosed as a child, she's an adult now living with type one. She's from the Canada, a place called Toronto, apparently. And she was really delightful. Please remember, while you're listening that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please always consult a physician before making changes to your health care plan, or becoming bold with insulin. You do not however, need a doctor's okay to push subscribe in your podcast app that you can just do right now.

before the show get started, can I make a personal plea here for a second? If you're gonna send me a note that's going to make me cry? Can you warn me at the beginning of the note or something I don't know we have to come up with a code word so that I'm not looking at notes and grocery stores and tearing up. I'm thrilled that you guys are doing so well. And I love that you thought me now and don't stop sending me the notes but I don't want to cry and grocery stores.

This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by touched by type one, go to touched by type one.org To find out more about my favorite diabetes organization. The episode is also sponsored by the content. The episode is also sponsored by the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor. And you can find out more and get started with dexcom@dexcom.com forward slash juice box and slightly new link for Omni pod. It's Omni pod comm forward slash juice box remember it used to be my Omni pod comm now it's just Omni pod.com forward slash juice box you have all bought enough on the box they can afford to buy their name on the online now. I'm just kidding about that. I don't know why it used to be my Omnipod. But I have to admit it did confuse me at first, but don't worry, we'll get used to it. I'm the pod.com forward slash juicebox go there and find out if you're eligible for a free 30 day trial of the dash system. Are you kidding me? Like actually use it for 30 days for the free? Like have a non shield I'm saying you get the Omnipod dash, it's free and you can use it to manage diabetes for 30 days. Go find out if you're eligible omnipod.com forward slash juice box links in the show notes. Links at Juicebox Podcast comm I even think you can get a free demo pod at that link if you don't want the dash thing. Alright, that was a lot. I got carried away here with the Omni pod link thing.

Cassandra 3:25
I'm Cassandra. I'm from Toronto, Ontario. And I'm a type one diabetic.

Unknown Speaker 3:31
How old are you?

Cassandra 3:33
I'm 28. I'll be 28 on Boxing Day this year.

Scott Benner 3:36
Boxing Day is like your Christmas right?

Unknown Speaker 3:38
Yeah, yeah.

Scott Benner 3:40
What do you guys do on the boxing day?

Cassandra 3:42
Everyone just goes shopping and spends a bunch of money but my my family we just kind of get together celebrate my birthday and yeah, that's pretty much it. It's very it's very easy. But boxing day here in Canada is like a big thing. Everybody goes shopping crazy. Like lineups are out the door at like 6am it's absurd. Wait, okay, so

Scott Benner 4:01
hold on a second box. So it's Black Friday. Is it or no Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day. Thus being a second day of Christmas tide. It originated in the United Kingdom. And it's celebrated a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Okay, so you see, do you celebrate Christmas as well? Yes, gotcha. So you do Christmas and then you go spend a bunch of money the next day.

Cassandra 4:25
And that's pretty Yeah, that's exactly exactly what it is. There's like a bunch of sales in Canada all through the stores and everybody just kind of goes goes crazy and splurges Yeah,

Scott Benner 4:35
they do that the day after Thanksgiving. I mean, I don't but I've seen people in the news do it. There. Yeah, they're like struggling for like $200 flat screen televisions and trying to kill each other. I though I guess this year that might not happen.

Cassandra 4:50
Yeah, that's true. Right? Because of everything going on. Yeah, but uh, yeah, I guess it's kind of like black like they call Black Friday right? When there's all those sales but yeah, it's

Scott Benner 4:58
we're already learning things here. Because I was certain Boxing Day was more of a, like a religious thing, but obviously the religion of money is the only religion I see here. So okay.

Cassandra 5:10
I don't know honestly, it could be a religion and I just don't know about it. But here in Canada, like Boxing Day is known as like everyone goes shopping or does everything online after Christmas?

Scott Benner 5:19
Let me get the right.

Cassandra 5:21
Okay, I even know some people that like on Christmas day they'll wait till midnight at midnight for the Boxing Day sales just so they can go crazy and splurge. So

Scott Benner 5:29
I see that happen here, as well. Okay. All right. So we found that let's dive a little farther into my ignorance for a second. You said, I'm from Toronto. And I thought are people really from there? But I guess they are right people are born there.

Cassandra 5:42
Yeah, well, you know what it is, is everybody kind of when you think of Toronto, Ontario, like everyone knows of Toronto, like the big CN Tower, right. So I'm actually I'm not from them from a little city around there. Brampton, Ontario is where I'm originally from, but everybody always knows Toronto. So I guess that's why I'm from Toronto.

Scott Benner 6:01
It's so cool. How you take the Oh, right out of it when you say it to

Unknown Speaker 6:04
Toronto. Yeah.

Scott Benner 6:06
It's Toronto. Like, it's Yeah, that's cool. I see. Okay, so my ignorance out of the way, and we're on our way, we're moving right along. How old were you when you were diagnosed with Type One Diabetes?

Cassandra 6:18
I don't even remember it. I remember the days. So it's March 24 2004. I was grade five. So think it was about 10 910 years old.

Scott Benner 6:26
Hold on a second. 2004. Right. Yeah. 10 to that is 2014. Yet another 10 is 2024. That's too far, because it's only 2020. Now, so we go back to 2014. We've got 10. Now we start counting by ones 2015 1617 1819 20. That'd be 16 years ago. So it's was 16 years ago. And you said you were How old? 2028 over you 12 or 11 or something like that? Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 6:51
yeah. around there. Yeah.

Scott Benner 6:53
Did you see how he did that?

Cassandra 6:55
Yeah, that was really good. Yeah, that's not my forte.

Scott Benner 6:59
Seriously, Are you being serious that it was really good? Because you're in trouble? If you think I would I just did this.

Cassandra 7:05
Well, it's funny, because that's actually how my partner does math. I like the way you just did. You're like, okay, 24, subtract it. Like, that's exactly how he does it. So when you're explaining it, I'm like, wow, that actually all makes so much sense. Because that's how he explained it to me.

Unknown Speaker 7:18
I believe the there's other ways to do it that are better, but

Cassandra 7:23
he does it. And he's actually really, really good at maths.

Scott Benner 7:26
Listen, Cassandra, it's very possible that he's just better at math than you are. And you think he's really good. You'll know for sure. When you commingle that money for real and it starts to disappear. And you'll be like, Hey, wait a minute. He might not know what the hell he's talking.

Unknown Speaker 7:41
Oh, my God, it's so

Scott Benner 7:43
you're on 12 years old in a fifth fifth grade ish. You know, I take him by surprise that it run in the family?

Cassandra 7:50
No, so diabetes does not run in my family. Like, none of my grandparents don't have it. My parents don't have it. From what I'm aware of my great grandparents don't have never had it. Gotcha. Um, more like heart disease and heart condition runs in my family. But But no, not diabetes.

Scott Benner 8:06
Right. Okay. Okay. So just a little out of the blue now that you know, and you've had it for a while. Do you see any other autoimmune issues in your family line? celiac? gluten intolerance, thyroid issues, anything like that?

Unknown Speaker 8:19
No, none of them.

Unknown Speaker 8:20
Were just a random one out of the group, huh? Yeah, I

Unknown Speaker 8:22
was the lucky one.

Scott Benner 8:24
I'm the lucky one. That's from a movie. I don't know what it is anymore. But it's sticking in my head now. Okay, so 12 years old. Nobody knows what they're doing. How does it go?

Unknown Speaker 8:35
Well,

Cassandra 8:36
my parents like so my parents got divorced when I was seven years old. For me, it was scary. Like it was a little I it was a little scary experience. And when I first became diagnosed with diabetes, I didn't take it seriously at all. So when I first got diagnosed, I know that the numbers are different, like in the state, they calculated differently. But mine in Canada was 40.5. When I was dying, I'm pulling up my calculator

Scott Benner 9:01
Cassandra, hold on one second, the calculator that by the way, is available at Juicebox podcast.com. forward slash conversion, and then you tell me what your blood sugar was again.

Cassandra 9:12
So is 40.5 when I was originally diagnosed, so it was about I think of for you guys is like 747 5729

Scott Benner 9:19
with an A one an average a one C of 27. Yeah, yeah. Hi. I guess it's very, very

Cassandra 9:26
high. That's when the ads when I was diagnosed,

Scott Benner 9:28
you remember how they brought it down in the hospital was very slowly over days.

Cassandra 9:32
It was very slowly over days. I was I think when I when I was first diagnosed. So I went to a walk in clinic and he was the one who actually told me, the way he explained it was horrible. Like, he basically told my mom that he's like, I'm shocked. She's not in a coma. And he's like, you need to go to the emergency department right away. So my mom was just like in panic, she's like, Oh, my God, okay, like, Okay, let's go give her just super weird and shock. What's the reason my mom goes,

Scott Benner 9:56
What's that old saying? Cassandra where they say when only you can hear it. It's a And when everyone can hear it, it's talking. Like, why would I get the doctor being shocked? I don't get him saying it in front of you or to your mother who's about to go through the, you know, her child being diagnosed with Type One Diabetes.

Cassandra 10:15
Right? Like even my mom, she just couldn't believe like the way he just explained it and like we weren't even sitting down like I remember I actually remember like, I had just gotten really sick in that washroom. And then I went back and I sat down and my mom was standing up and he was just like, the way he just explained. It was just like, yeah, you gotta go the emergency room like she's, I can't even believe she's not in a coma. Like he actually I remember hearing those words out of his mouth, and I was just like, shocked. It was a coma. I was like, what's like, what is that?

Unknown Speaker 10:41
Weird Shane deady. Thanks a lot.

Unknown Speaker 10:45
Like, okay,

Cassandra 10:46
cool. Like, what's that? I'm like, Where are we going? So was he

Scott Benner 10:50
also the sheriff? Or is was that being a doctor? His only job?

Cassandra 10:54
I think that was just being a doctor. Yeah, right. Like,

Scott Benner 10:58
now what am I What does that show I'm thinking of that was in Alaska in the 80s. And there was a moose walking down the street. You're so young, you're not gonna remember any of this. Old people right now are like, Oh, I know what he's talking about. I just imagine that like after he's done doctor, and he runs over and like, you know, writes tickets on the meters down Main Street. And so I realized that's not where you live, but it's how it feels to me.

Cassandra 11:20
It's crazy yet.

Scott Benner 11:22
So you you had right off to the hospital. From there. Yes,

Cassandra 11:25
yes. Yeah, we went, we went there. I was in there for what I remember. I think it was about two weeks. They did do it slowly. I had, like, I remember everything like a nurse would come check my blood sugar every night. And ya know, I remember them just explaining everything to me. So I was fairly young. So I don't remember a detail to detail. I'm sure my mom could explain it, like precise. But um, yeah, I know, I just remember being diagnosed and it was all very new to me. Like they were explaining like how I had how often I have to check my blood sugar and everything like that. And I, they were just trying to explain it to me. But as I got older, I kind of just did my own research. And I started going to like my di bedich appointments on my own. And then that's what kind of like, made me like understand, like, Oh, my God, this is actually a lot more serious than what I thought it was. So after in high school, like late in high school, that's when I started to take things very seriously.

Scott Benner 12:16
Okay. Do you think in those early days in the hospital and at your, you know, at that age, do you think that all that explaining, none of it really got into your head at all?

Cassandra 12:27
No, yes. I don't think any of it got into my head

Scott Benner 12:29
at all. And so you just you just left there with what I count these carbs and I give myself this insulin I eat.

Cassandra 12:38
Yeah, like I just, I didn't really understand it. I know my nerves like the nurse that was there. She was great. Like, she was great. I remember her name was Amanda. She was great. I still remember her till this day. But it was just a matter of I don't know, I guess it was just a matter of so young. And it was also my like, the lifestyle that I lived. I didn't realize how serious it was until my mom was like, okay, like as we now need to start going, we need to go the grocery like that day when I was discharged. My mom took me to the grocery store and she changed everything. Like I used to eat white bread. It was very different. And then I remember right away we switch to like the thin like this thin slices of the weightwatchers bread. And I was like mom like what is this? Like, this? Isn't this isn't bread.

Scott Benner 13:16
I see old ladies make this toast? And it's not fun It can you bet you ever noticed the weight watchers bed? When you toasted? It bends? It's like It's

Unknown Speaker 13:25
weird. You're like, Mom,

Scott Benner 13:27
I don't think there's flour in this. Wait, what are we doing?

Cassandra 13:30
Oh my What is this? This isn't bread and like, yeah, so like I remember just things drastically changing. And then like, I went so basically, when I got to high school, it was all about being thin, right? Like, that's what that's what I remember. I was like it was always about being thin. And when I was a younger girl, like from grade five to grade eight, I was not i'm not not overweight, but I was a little bit on the heavier side. Like I wasn't a super thin kid. And so when I got to high school, I noticed and that's one thing that I always noticed is when I had high blood sugars, like I would look a lot slimmer and I wouldn't eat as much and I wasn't as hungry as much. So I went through this phase where I would not give myself insulin like pretty much all day. And I would go to school, I wouldn't eat lunch, I wouldn't eat breakfast. And I would have like a bottle of Pepsi. I remember that was always my lunch. I'd have like a bottle of Pepsi. And then I go home and one day I'll never forget this. I got I felt really really sick. I walked home that day in my walk home was about a 45 minute walk. And I walked home that day and I felt very very nauseous. When I got home I felt super sick. And I did I got really sick. And then I remember checking my blood sugar. And it was about I think like in the high 20s like 2425 and I got super sick and I was like man I look and then my mom came down and she's the cast what's going on and I remember telling her like mom, I don't feel well my blood sugar is really high and she asked me what to eat that day. And what I've been doing and I totally explained everything to her because me my mom have a very open relationship. I never hid anything from her there. was never any reason to. And so when I told her I'll never forget, she was just explained to me like Catholic, you can't be do this. You're literally killing yourself. And then shortly after, like I think about two weeks later, I met, I went and I did a carb counting class because my mom had thought like, maybe a pump is a better option for me. So I'm not always coming like taking out my syringe and giving myself injections.

Scott Benner 15:21
Okay, well, let me stop you for a while you just you were consciously not injecting because you were trying to stay thin, or because you were just not paying attention. Or I was

Cassandra 15:33
embarrassed. I didn't. Yeah, but my main my main goal, like not giving injections was to stay thin. Okay.

Scott Benner 15:40
And so, so that, you know, is categorized as an eating disorder. Yes, yeah. And do you feel like that went on for how long?

Cassandra 15:49
Um, I would say probably majority of my high school. So I would say probably grade nine grade 10. I did that. And then once I realized, like, I kept constantly getting sick, and I did not enjoy the feeling. That's, I would say probably at the end of grade 10. That's when I ate changed. Like, I completely stopped and then I started taking care of myself.

Scott Benner 16:08
24 blood sugar's for 32 in the United States, just for people's like context. And so your Did your mom, recognize your mom didn't recognize Oh, hold on a second. I have a little problem here with Why is it saying this to me? Oh, sorry. Sorry about that. Just jumped in and asked me if I wanted to use my air pods, which I'm assuming someone else in the house just opened up air pods. That was very odd. Everyone's working from home and going to school from home and I don't like I know. I like being here. My house by myself and everyone else goes somewhere.

Cassandra 16:40
Right. enjoying your time a lot? Yeah.

Scott Benner 16:42
What is wrong with them being here? But my question was, your mom wasn't aware that you were trying to manage your weight by not taking insulin, right?

Cassandra 16:53
No, my mom was a single mom. I like I've actually, like my mom's never owned. We never owned our own home. I've actually lived with my grandparents my entire life. So I lived with my grandparents at the time, my sister and my uncle and my mom. And my mom was a baker at Longo. So, um, like, she was like, my mom was always constantly working, taking overtime like it was even like when I became diabetic, I had dropped a lot of weight significantly, and my dad when I went to go see him one weekend, that's actually he noticed and he was like, Listen, like she's dropped significant amount of weight, like you need to go take it to the doctors, and that's what led my mom to go take me to the doctors. Okay. So with her being so busy, it was hard for her to notice. But if she did notice any little things, she would always talk to me about it.

Scott Benner 17:38
Can I I'm trying to understand that contextually for a second, like 14 years old. How tall are you?

Cassandra 17:45
I'm five, four and a half.

Scott Benner 17:47
So when you were they think when you felt like your weight wasn't where you wanted it. Where was it versus where was like, how many pounds like difference was that? I guess?

Cassandra 17:58
Yeah. Okay, so when I was before I became even diabetic, like I would say I was probably like I was probably 171 at like one before. Yeah, so I would say 171 80 when I was in grade five, grade six, so that goes by I was a pretty like, I was pretty heavy girl. And then when I became diabetic before getting to receiving treatment and insulin, I had dropped I would say about 2030 pounds within a month span. Right? Wow.

Scott Benner 18:28
Yeah. Okay, and so that to you, whether you were sick or not, you were like, wow, I'm way closer to the weight I want to be

Cassandra 18:36
Yeah, I'm looking great. Okay, nicer clothes, everything spinning better. loving us is

Unknown Speaker 18:41
really moving along. I

Scott Benner 18:42
don't know why people are calling this illness. This is really fantastic. And you even understand now obviously, and for people listening that even though that you were when people say oh, I lost so much weight before I was diagnosed, they were just they were you know, their blood sugar's were higher they were in decay. And that's the you know, one of the things that happens there obviously is you're wasting away you're dying, you know?

Unknown Speaker 19:03
Yeah, like

Scott Benner 19:04
you're in severe dehydration, right? So it's well, it's just there's so much going on. And and your body is just withering away. Like Like if you if you're not diagnosed, you end up dying at a much lower weight even than 20 or 30 pounds off of your number. Yes. And so you did you notice it? Like even at that age? Did you start using insulin and think oh, I'm gaining weight again? Like how did you figure out that someone tell you like I'm fast? I'm such I'm such an a middle here because I don't want to tell people Hey, by the way, if you don't take your insulin, your blood, your your weight will go down, but I assume that's something people know. But how did you figure it out?

Cassandra 19:44
Um, I just I don't know. Like, I just I know like, for me, it was my clothes like, um, back then. I was it was very, I was very superficial. I was very into like, I cared a lot about what people thought of me. I was very insecure. I didn't have like my self confidence. Like there was no confidence in myself whatsoever. And so basically, the way I noticed was just literally through my clothes. And I noticed like when ROM after becoming diabetic, like, when I went back home and like I was trying to like live the normal, like live vessel, the lifestyle as a diabetic, like my clothes was starting to get a little bit more snacks, I was putting back on that weight again, right? Like, well after giving me insulin and getting the treatment I needed. So I wasn't saying I was gonna gain all that weight back because I was technically eating healthier. So but I was I was putting back on my weight. Because I went back to those old habits in

Scott Benner 20:35
a way because not sure how did you connect that to the insulin? Like how did you figure out like, oh, if I don't take this insulin, my weight will stay down? Do you remember?

Let's talk about today's sponsors. And let's talk about them honestly, from the heart, shall we first This one's easy, touched by type one, an organization doing wonderful things. For people with type one diabetes, it's super easy for you to find out about you just go to touched by type one.org. You can also follow them on Facebook, and Instagram. That's all they want you to know. They just want you to know they're there and go check them out. So once you're done with that, you're probably going to want to look into the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor. dramatic pause for the music. The Dexcom g six allows you to follow the person using the CGM. Imagine this if your child is reading the CGM, and you're somewhere else, you can see their blood sugars live and in person, I can actually see four people's blood sugars right now, because I'm watching for different people. I see a blood sugar of 160 to one of 81 of 103 and one of 116. Now you're probably not going to be following for people ever, but you might want for people to follow you. Maybe your husband, maybe your brother, your sister, your school nurse, trash truck driver, because he just looks like a good guy, who do you want on your side? Anything, right? You're at the mall, some lady makes a cupcake at the mall. And you're like, I love this lady. I wish she knew what my blood sugar was, you could actually let her follow you if you want to do the cupcake lady at the mall. I mean, that's technology right there. It's amazing. They can fall on an Android or an iPhone and see your blood sugars in real time. If you want them to see them. If you don't want anybody to see them, you don't have to share them with nobody. That's up to you. It's your information. But it's information, it's going to help you make decisions about bolusing. Eating, correcting blood sugars, so much more, you're gonna see the speed and direction in real time of your blood sugar. And that's how great decisions are made with information with data with the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor dexcom.com forward slash juicebox get started right now. Next comes for anyone using insulin, you could have type one or type two. And by the way, if you get your insurance to the Veterans Administration, in the United States, I think you might be very happy with the coverage. Go check it out. Okay, now you're going to have your Dexcom and be able to see your blood sugar and what it's doing. How are you going to make it do the thing it's doing? How are you going to make it stay stable? How are you gonna get your basil so good that your blood sugar just sits super stable when you're away from a Bolus or food? How are you going to Pre-Bolus and stop those spikes at mealtimes? How are you going to make small adjustments to your insulin? How are you going to do all this? I think you should do it with an omni pod tubeless insulin pump. That is the decision I made for my daughter. And I would make it again right now today, the Omni pod tubeless insulin knob and they're willing, if you're eligible, go check out if you are they're willing to send you a 30 day supply of the Omni pod dash system right now for you to actually use and try. That's amazing. They also have a free demo pod where you can just get one to try on and where that's nonfunctioning, but if you want and you're eligible, three, free 30 day trial of the Omni pod dash Are you kidding me? On the pod.com forward slash juice box you'll you'll know soon just head over there you felt a tiny bit of information and on the pod is going to get back to you. Next thing you know you're going to be wearing an insulin pump that is tubeless it doesn't have to come off for adult roughhousing or bathing or swimming in the ocean or jumping up and down or kicking a soccer ball or doing a commercial a temper salt is not a thing but I'm running out of time so I got a little nervous there on the pod.com forward slash juicebox Dexcom comm forward slash juicebox touched by type one.org This is the sponsors support the show back to casandra where she says Cassandra, back to Cassandra Come to think of it though she also says trunk toe so maybe we shouldn't be listening to Cassandra when it comes to pronunciation or is it pronunciation or consideration, I

Unknown Speaker 25:00
don't know.

Scott Benner 25:03
How did you connect that to the insulin?

Cassandra 25:05
Honestly, I don't remember. I was in high school. So I just noticed, like, again, like I have a diet like I had that Pepsi. And to me, needless to say, it's not even I wouldn't even see maybe it was, I'm not giving the insulin, maybe it was just like the fact that I wasn't eating. And so I had that loss of appetite. Because when I noticed, like when my blood sugars are really high, I don't crave any food, I don't crave anything except water. And so I'm pretty sure that's like the standard for most diabetics, when your blood sugar is pretty high, you just want water constant, like I was always thirsty. And I was always like, because I was drinking so much water, I was always constant going in the bathroom. So it's not even needless to say that it was not giving the insulin, it was just the side effects of not giving the insulin that maybe made me drop the weight. So I right, so I would have related to the insulin, so I would just put it in my head, okay, if you don't give that insulin, you're going to drop that weight. So I kind of, maybe that's what it was I related the two, if that makes sense. So

Scott Benner 25:59
it starts out with you not really knowing how to use the insulin and your blood sugar getting high, then you see it happening. And then you connect the dots there. Why did you not? So it's hard. It's not hard for me, I understand because I talked to so many people. But when I think of my daughter's management, and very likely how we're going to find out eventually that you manage your blood sugars. Now, I don't I don't understand a world where your blood sugar goes up and you look at it. But that was just common, right? Like you did whatever you were supposed to do. And then you didn't think about your blood sugar again until it was time to eat again. Is that how you did it?

Cassandra 26:36
Yeah, so like, I would go home like after my school day, I go home and I give myself like a big injection to like, correct all that stuff. Like, if that makes sense. I'd go home, I'd give myself an injection just to correct that big high that I had at that moment and then go back to normal. But that's not that's not a healthy way to do it. Right?

Scott Benner 26:53
It was that novo rapid back then.

Unknown Speaker 26:55
Yeah, yes. Yes.

Scott Benner 26:56
I see. You had to slow acting and so on. You were using overwrapped as your path acting fast acting. You get up in the morning, you did you test in the morning?

Cassandra 27:04
I would, um, I would sometimes like it's honestly, it would depend on my mood. It would really depend on my mood, because like, again, while I was also a very angry child when I was younger.

Unknown Speaker 27:17
Let's hear about that. I want to hear about that.

Cassandra 27:19
Right? Oh, yeah. No, I was a very, very angry child. Again, it was just my parents going through a divorce and all like all that stuff when I was younger, so I feel like when it came, like even not that they were afraid of me, but I was very like, I'm not I was never I was very outspoken. So if my like mom would be like, Oh, go test your blood sugar. Like I'd be like, No, I don't have to like I would always I was always I would always seem to have something to say back and sorry, mom.

Scott Benner 27:46
You were a pain in the ass is that you're telling me?

Cassandra 27:48
I will I honestly like God bless my mother. Yeah, no, I was I was really bad. I was very stubborn. And I would I would give attitude back. I always have something to say back. Yeah, so it was like I wasn't easy child to manage either. I guess like I definitely would diabetes, so I can't.

Scott Benner 28:03
So she's a she's a single mom. There's a lot going on in the morning. She's probably trying to go to work. You're trying to go to school. She's telling you, you know, you can't do this to yourself. But she's not exactly like following that up with but what you should do and in the moments when she does try to explain to you what to do you just like Lady Get away from me. Yes. Wow. Yeah. Great times. Huh?

Cassandra 28:23
Right. Yeah. Mother? Yeah. No, it's horrible. Yeah, no. And it wasn't like, even in elementary school. Like, I love like, I love how involved you are. With your daughter's like treatment. Like, you know, you guys like verbalize it to the teachers and the nurses and everything like that. Um, it was a whole different situation for like myself, like my, I think my mom may be told, like my principal, in elementary school, but like, my teachers were not involved. My nurses were not involved. So it was just a very different time. And it was just like a different experience. Right? So it was more like, it was me my it was basically me doing this on my own. And then as I got into high school in grade 11, that's when I took matters into my own hands and like, things completely changed for me after that,

Scott Benner 29:06
let's find out why that happened. But first, I want to say you've dispelled the rumor that Canadians are just a bunch of very kind people, and that you're, you know, you're you're nice to your mom. And and by the way, I'm trying to imagine what your mom said to the principal, like, hey, if she passes out, you know, call 911 and she's got the she's got the sugars, you know, like, I wonder what she said and that the principal just went like, alright. You didn't say you want to talk to the nurse, or should we make a plan for they were just like, Yeah, okay. Yeah, so Okay.

Cassandra 29:42
It was different. It was a different, very different time. But um, I don't know, like, I don't know if like maybe like if they were more involved, if like, I would have been more aware of my blood sugars and like, maybe in high school, I wouldn't have done the things I done. I did sorry. So I'm wondering. Well, no, like, I was took

Scott Benner 30:00
me six years right to want to take control of things. So when what makes that happen?

Cassandra 30:06
Yeah. So it's actually so funny. So we reach so my, my pediatric doctor, she changed my life. Her name was Dr. Goldenberg. And it got to the point where she would see how high my blood sugars were. And she would call me every day at dinner. I'm like, did you trust your blood sugar? Did you give insulin? She did that for me every single day. For I think, three or four months. she'd call me every single day at dinner. And like, what were your readings today? She made me read them out to her every single day. And all like throughout the day and the time. And then if I didn't test my blood sugar, she'd be like, why didn't you test your budget and she was like, a strict doctor and which I felt like I needed because I was kind of our heart. I was kind of a difficult pain in the butt to say I was a hard ass.

Scott Benner 30:45
Is that what you're? What? So you didn't feel like you could yell at her?

Cassandra 30:53
No, like, I was kind of afraid of her if that. And I that intimidated me So, but in a good way, like I till this day? I absolutely respect that my doctor for doing what she did. Yeah. Because she made me come out of my comfort zone. And she made me realize that like, Okay, I need to take this seriously. And so I remember one day, she sat down with me when I went to go see her, and she didn't let my mom in the room. She's like, I want to talk to you, woman. And she's like, Listen, if you don't start taking care of yourself, you're going because my number one fear. She asked me what my number one fear is. And my number one fear is to go blind. I'm terrified of losing my eyesight. And she's told me that that is a symptom. Like if you do not take care of yourself, that can be a side effect. And I was like, Oh my god, like, I don't want that to happen. So after doing some research and things like that, she thought maybe going on a diabetic pump would be something to help me stabilize my blood sugar's but for me to do that, to go on that pump, I had to already manage and stabilize my blood sugar's off the pump. So that kind of made me Okay, so I'm like, Okay, I got to get things in order. So I can make things better. So after having that talk with her that kind of woke things up for me. And right after that, I think maybe a month later, I went to a carb counting class. And when I went to that carb counting class, it was a big class with a group of people. There were seniors there, like people of all different ages, different races. It was amazing. And a gentleman he had lost two fingers and an eye. I said on one of his eyes, and I, we had asked him like, how did that happen? And he told us it was from diabetes. And it was because he didn't manage his blood sugar's when he was younger. And he was just explaining his story and hearing other people's stories that woke me up to this thinking, like, Oh, my God, I have to take care of myself, I don't want these things to happen. I want to be able to see the rest of my life. And I want to be able to have children one day, so

Scott Benner 32:40
somebody yell at you, at some point of balance the scale out, I think, Well, you know, isn't it interesting that you had the fear, but until you like until somebody like double down on it, and then you met somebody who your fear actually came true for that, it's not enough to just know it could happen. For some, it's interesting how people's minds work, isn't it like, and by the way, that your fear isn't being mauled by a bear or abducted by an antelope? Or elk or whatever you guys have up there? I think that would be it's interesting that that isn't your fear. If I lived in Canada, my fear would constantly be bear attack, just so you know. I would walk around, we

Unknown Speaker 33:16
have no bears where I don't care.

Scott Benner 33:18
If you're lying to me, I know there are bears there. And well, it's funny too, because, you know, we love to generalize. And you'll hear plenty of people will will be vocal in communities and say, you know, scaring people about their diabetes is not the way to get through to them. And I happen to think it wouldn't be my first choice either. Right? I, but it worked for you. Isn't that interesting, right? Like, like someone like you're the one in high school that went to the Scared Straight program, sat in the room with the felons and was like, I am never breaking a law. You know, like, I don't want to end up like this. And then and so it did. Really, it's interesting. It worked for you that I guess the problem is like, how do you discern the kid who needs to be scared straight? You know, I'm making little quotes with my fingers. And And who do you and how do you know the people just need to have it explained to them one way? Because do you think, like, so you're listening to the podcast now? Right?

Unknown Speaker 34:15
Yes.

Scott Benner 34:16
Do you think a 14 year old casandra and I met at some point, and I was like, hey, Cassandra, look, if you just Pre-Bolus and get, you know, let's get your Basal insulin right. And we'll count these carbs a little bit. It'll all be okay. Do you think you would have needed to be scared at that point?

Unknown Speaker 34:32
That's a great question. Um,

Scott Benner 34:35
there's no way to know I'm just wondering like your top line reaction to that idea.

Cassandra 34:39
You know what, I still think I would have I don't know you know, why? Because like, I I listened to your, like your podcast now when I hear of different situations. Like, there's some things that I hear people think of, like one of my favorite stories that I've heard so far is the one were having sex before having sex like as a diabetic, and I never think A lot of things like ROM one of the topics that when the girl was saying like how she wish she goes on top thing, like she uses more exertion and things like that. I'm like, wow, like as a diabetic, like I've never thought of things like that. I've never thought about going low. And so I don't, I don't know, like maybe when I was younger if I had heard these different situations from different people like you listening to the podcast itself. Yeah, maybe it would have woken me up a little bit and then like, okay, Catholic, ah, take this seriously. But I don't I've always I've realized that about myself that I am like that I learned from things like that. So like, again, Mom, I love you to death. But like my mom, like I've learned from her mistakes, like I've seen the mistakes that she's made in her life. Because my mom had me at 18. Like, I basically grew up with my mother. And so I've watched her grow up, and I've seen them sticks that she's done. And so I've learned from those mistakes. And I'm like, I don't want to make those mistakes myself. And I haven't till this day. And so I'm wondering, I don't know, I feel like sometimes I'm for me to learn in a hard way. Like, especially like big life lessons. I couldn't need to be scared straight away.

Scott Benner 36:01
That's interesting. That makes sense. Also, I think, and we're learning that the podcast is made you a lazy lover too. So like if I if your partner was here, right now, what do you say? Oh, my God, like she has wanted to be on the bottom a lot more lately. Does that happen to you? Have you been like, why am I making my blood sugar low and working so hard? Dammit.

Unknown Speaker 36:23
No,

Cassandra 36:25
no, um, no, I just, it's just things that like now. It's just the perspective like those are just things like I would never have thought about like, Oh my god, like, I could have a low while I'm being intimate with my partner. I've never, you know what I mean? Like, I've never thought about that before getting intimate. So like hearing that from like somebody else's perspective. I'm like, oh my god. Like that's so interesting to think that people actually do think of things like that. Gotcha.

Unknown Speaker 36:47
And so right in

Scott Benner 36:49
cash, you're still on top, but you're more cognizant of it now. Oh, and by the way, obviously, this episode is gonna be called casts on top I just realized Okay, by the way, I'm just gonna I'm gonna just jot that down right now. Actually, I don't want to lose that thought. We're done right there. Cast on top. And by the way that you said it's perfect. is fun, because now I'm wondering what else you think is fun. But

Unknown Speaker 37:16
oh my god, my partner's gonna die right here.

Scott Benner 37:20
Listen, cuz now we all learned he's lazy. I don't know what other way to put it. Honestly, the guy just lays there. Okay, so we saw you, you get scared into doing what you you know, to paying more attention? What does paying more attention mean in 11th grade? Like, how did you bring yourself into a better place?

Cassandra 37:40
Yeah, um, so I was more on top of like, checking my blood sugar. So for me, like I checked my blood sugar before every meal before driving, like almost anything that I do. So when I back then like, I would not check my blood sugar. I would probably check it once a day. If that. And so I that's like doing like basically just being a diabetic like just taking care of yourself. Like, that's what I realized I had to do so I would check my blood sugar's more, I was more on top of my insulin, I became more aware of my diet. So grade 11. I had gotten up to I think about 210 pounds. I got, like, I went from, like, dropping all the way to then going through like that big change where I wasn't giving insulin and then Okay, I'm like, Okay, I gotta take this seriously. And so I did gain weight, but I didn't, I did not gain weight because I was taking care of myself. So I just want to make that clear. Yeah, I started gaining weight just because like, I started getting into old habits, like I started eating out almost every other day. And then I was like, okay, like, we need to seriously buckle down. take this seriously. It's not just about checking your blood sugar and giving the insulin for what you eat. It's also your diet. So yeah, lifestyle. That's when everything changed. So I basically start I started off with working out on boat six days a week I started doing is like turbo jam with chalene Johnson.

Unknown Speaker 39:02
That sounds very Canadian for some reason.

Cassandra 39:06
I'm like, Oh, my God was I can't remember his name. But he was like the big like, he was like the big black guy that were like his big scrubs and the big Nike shoes. My mom used to remember his day, but Bill Gates.

Unknown Speaker 39:17
Hold on a second slow down. We got to go to Google. Talking about is this Oh, is this a workout thing?

Cassandra 39:23
Yeah, I'm like he was like kickboxing. I Oh my god. I can't remember

Scott Benner 39:27
but we're gonna figure it out. Wait, do you see this?

Unknown Speaker 39:33
Oh my god. I

Scott Benner 39:34
see this Google search. Hold on. All right, well, for clarity black guy in scrubs just gives you the picture of the actor from scrubs. But that didn't,

Unknown Speaker 39:45
by the way.

Unknown Speaker 39:48
kickboxing workout.

Unknown Speaker 39:55
Billy blanks really very good.

Scott Benner 39:58
You get you figuring it out. Billy blanks. Well, he's huge By the way, or did they just put him next to a very tiny person? It's hard to tell. He's a big man. And this man taught you how to be

Cassandra 40:10
healthy. This man is where that's where it all started him and chalene Johnson is I started doing those workouts. I started getting more top of my diet like the big thing was I stopped eating out. And I stopped pop like I loved guys. I loved Coca Cola. I don't even remember the last time I've drinking Coca Cola. It's been years. It's

Scott Benner 40:32
just drinking straight sugar and soda. It

is. Did you know you weren't eating well. While that was happening?

Cassandra 40:40
I did. I did. I did. And I didn't like I knew like, I knew McDonald's and all that. I knew it was bad for you. But like even now, like, I know, it's so bad for you. But it just it tastes so good. I know. I know. It's bad. But no, like I said I was working with LMC diabetes and endocrinology. I don't know if they have that in the States. But um, my diet it basically they give you an endocrinologist, which is your doctor and a dietitian. So my dietician aman. She was absolutely amazing. Like I could reach out to her about like, different things that I was eating and she'd be like, Okay, try substituting this for this. I could textures like she was honestly. Amazing. She worked with me. And then I remember she actually moved to Australia. She left the company. She moved to Australia about two years ago. And I'll never forget when she left when she left she told me like you are one of my llinas clients. I now I weigh 143 pounds. I started at 210. Wow.

Unknown Speaker 41:37
Oh, good for you.

Scott Benner 41:39
I don't think these are the breasts that shillings mother gave her as I'm looking through your your guru is your online

Unknown Speaker 41:50
definitely not hers.

Scott Benner 41:52
I mean, they're hers. She paid for them. They're hers fair's fair. But okay, so she, you're because it's funny that you're telling the story. I think it's kind of interesting for young girls to hear too. Because you're I only I only know what you look like from like, I literally looked you up on LinkedIn real quick. Because, you know, and you are, you appear to be a fit person in their late 20s. Like, there's nothing about you that I couldn't look at your photo and think that you used to not be a fit person. Like, I don't think I could figure that out from your photo. You don't need me for that.

Unknown Speaker 42:28
That's so sweet.

Scott Benner 42:30
It's just honest. And I think it's important to hear too, because, you know, look, fair's fair fair's fair for shaelyn and fair's fair for this. I think this podcast is about understanding how to use insulin. And from there you need to eat whenever you're going to eat. I'm not in charge of what you eat. Right? I think that I take that tactic because there are plenty of people who don't have great diets and to start off when they have diabetes and they're struggling to control their blood sugar's by telling them hey, you know what your problem is, you don't eat well. Like that's just doesn't seem like a recipe for success to me. I would rather I would rather people learn how to use insulin, and along the way, say to themselves, Hey, you know what? ends up being true here. I'm way better at managing a healthier cleaner diet than I am at managing pop tarts. And and then they can decide for themselves if they want pop tarts. Again, not up to me. Right. But because I talk about it that way so much. I do every once in a while hear people say, oh that guy he says you can eat whatever you want. I'm like, that's not what I said. What I said was you can Bolus for anything. I didn't you know, I didn't say you could eat whatever you want. Everything was just gonna be okay. Like it's you know, you might you might be a very you could end up being an unhealthy person with really good blood sugars.

Cassandra 43:55
And that's exactly what it's so true. And that's and I think that's what people also don't miss consume too is like people always assume like, oh, you're a diabetic. You can't eat this. You shouldn't have this. Guys, let me tell you, like people will tell you I work at a hospital. I'm one of the administrators there and people will tell you I'm the doughnut queen. Like I I love donuts. I'm donuts and burgers is like the way to my heart but I just I eat it in moderation. And I like you said like I just I Bolus for it. But also keep in mind, I do lift very heavy weights and I work out about four times a week. So like I do balance my lifestyle and I eat very lean protein as well. Like I have a very high protein diet. Okay.

Scott Benner 44:36
Your body is eating up those carbs when you're using them for something. Oh yeah, like if I eat a doughnut it just it just goes in settle somewhere. It's not i'm not using it up later picking up something heavy. Well, yeah, I mean, I just I really want to come back around on that one last time. Like there's a difference between understanding how to use insulin being so good at using Insulin that you can pretty much conquer anything that you put in your body, and those things being good for you, in other ways. Like, there's, there's a problem. Sometimes people with diabetes have where they either see themselves as you know, diabetes all the time, or forget to see it. Some of the other times, it's the, I don't know, I'm not saying that correctly, but we somehow have decided that if our blood sugar doesn't get high than what we ate is okay. And, you know, for, like, if you want to talk about, you know, personally immorally I don't care what you eat none, I'm not, that's not my game, you know what I mean? But you also you also can't walk around telling me like, Hey, I'm, I'm, I'm heavier than I want to be, or I'm not as in shape as I want to be. But my blood sugars are great, but I'm doing a good job of keeping them great and eating, you know, Cocoa Puffs at the same time. So, you know, like, you got to pick one up and, and decide just that it matters to me, my nutrition, or it matters to me, not my nutrition, as long as I manage my blood sugar as well. And maybe again, these don't have to be mutually exclusive. You could do both, you know what I mean? And, and you could also have a doughnut sometimes, and, you know, you just can't eat a doughnut every day for the rest of your life. That's not going to work out. Well.

Cassandra 46:18
Exactly. That's, yeah, no, 1,000% Yeah, like, I feel like if you just if you do eat, like, I feel like if you go, if you do eat well, kind of just your blood sugars will, will kind of be kind of just balanced out like it it kind of it almost kind of goes hand in hand. But that's not needless to say, like, you can't go have a Big Mac at McDonald's and just Bolus for that once in a while. You know what I mean? Like, you definitely have to enjoy the little things in life. And, and that's another thing like, I don't want people to always look at me in the vehicle that's cashis the diabetic know like, cuz that's not that's not just all I am, that is a part of who I am. But that's not all I am. And I'm not like before I used to be very embarrassed like I used to, if people will ask me if I was diabetic, I would lie and say no, like, I because people would see me take my tester and test my blood sugar and get my syringe I'd lie and say no, like, what

Scott Benner 47:05
did you think? What do you do want them to think when you were like,

Cassandra 47:08
I would be? I'd be like, Oh, don't worry about it. Like, I would just I would like I was so rude. I would tell people like it's not your business, like people come up and be like, Oh, is that? Are you telling me a bunch? That's not your business? Don't worry about it. I

Scott Benner 47:21
wasn't sure where the line was. You're like, no, this is heroin. Leave me alone. Like if you were just like, I would rather people think this then I wasn't sure where your line was exactly like what it is. You were what you were willing to say? Because there's not a lot of excuses for diabetes. You know, that leads you in a different direction. No, I started to have a really good time with you.

Cassandra 47:42
Right, but like, but now it's funny because like now I'll be at the grocery store and like I where I'm on the Omni pod. So like people will see my little pod on my arm. And I've had people come up to me and be like, oh, like my daughter just turned diet like is just dog became diabetic like and they've asked me about my experience. I've had people at the hospital when I'm walking in the hospital, like a gentleman has come up to me and be like, well, his daughter is 10 years old and she was just diagnosed and he was asking you about my experience. And we taught it ended up being like a quick conference. It supposed to be like a quick conversation right between the elevators and we ended up talking for like a half hour.

Scott Benner 48:13
That is really nice. I think that's terrific when people can help each other like that. I also love that you almost misspoke and said his daughter turned diabetic and I was like that's such an interesting way to think about like, I turned eight years old. I turned diabetic.

Unknown Speaker 48:26
I turned a diabetic. Yeah. I turned

Scott Benner 48:30
a gold mine. What did you say at the beginning? I'm afraid I won't have something to talk about. Yeah, I know. I gave up on matching your energy like 10 minutes in I was like, Oh, hell just let her talk. I'll be fine.

Unknown Speaker 48:42
I tend to ramble on sometimes. So just stop me. I

Scott Benner 48:45
don't know. I was just like, I tried to keep up and I was like, she doesn't need this. Like she'll, she'll be okay without me. That's it's really, um, it's a great story, too, because you really did. I mean, we skipped over it too. But I'm assuming 14 you just started getting your period too, right?

Cassandra 49:03
Yeah. Yeah. Great stuff. No, grade eight is actually when I got it. I don't even know how old I was. So yeah, around that time.

Scott Benner 49:09
So you're still not understanding diabetes. And then you start this starts happening as well. And I'm assuming by your urine your mom's life must have been? How is it now? By the way? How do you guys get on now?

Cassandra 49:23
Oh, me and my mom. Yeah. Best friends. Oh, my God, my daughter

Scott Benner 49:26
anymore. Are you still yelling? Oh, I

Cassandra 49:28
have so much respect for her. I love her so much. And like, honestly, thank you for every like, even though she may not have been as involved as she would have wanted to be. I know she did the best she can. And I love and thank her for everything that she

Scott Benner 49:40
did your mom Your mom is listening to this right now. And she's like, look at her given with one hand and taken away with the other one right away. She's like my mom, she's my best friend. She escaped into everything she could, but you couldn't let her have it for a second. That's wonderful. I like it's very nice. And as a parent, I understand. I watched my children do stuff like that all the time. You know, they're like Look, he looks too happy. Oh, I'll remind him of something he's done wrong. By the way, you know, I have to tell you it's funny if you were born in the 70s you wouldn't have yelled at your mom. When you were 14. Yeah, you would have had a whole different life you would have been like, that lady's gonna hit me and you I'm gonna shut right up. She be like, take more. So you just said Yes, ma'am. No problem. I'll take care of it.

Cassandra 50:24
It's so true. And honestly, I swear to God, like that's why I was like that with her. But with my dad, I was terrified because that's the way it was. My

Scott Benner 50:32
dad wasn't taking it out.

Unknown Speaker 50:33
You want the shoe? Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 50:37
Know, maybe,

Unknown Speaker 50:38
maybe the shoe ends up being the title of the episode, although cats on top still very strong contender

Unknown Speaker 50:45
for this shoe,

Scott Benner 50:46
were you ever I'm now wondering what you do with the show. But I am wondering to wish Did you ever live with your father or spend a significant time with him with

Cassandra 50:54
the diabetes? Um, no. My data. I saw him every other weekend. So it wasn't it was enough. No, I didn't really see him that often. Like my mom did teach him like basically what he had to do. But again, like when I was with my dad, my dad had just gotten remarried. So my dad was kind of just going out with my, my ex stepmom and like, kind of just like, enjoying his life. So I was just kind of sitting there watching the kids. I was more of like, I had to manage things on my own

Scott Benner 51:22
cash. Look at you slipping in that your dad's marriage didn't work out. Yeah. Very sly. Everybody. Now, that homewrecker didn't it didn't work out there.

Unknown Speaker 51:34
I see what you're saying. Okay. You're great. You should never let your family listen to this Bible. I

Cassandra 51:41
know, they know. I'm like the base. So they're ready for it? Yeah,

Scott Benner 51:45
they're not no one's been surprised yet at home. I know. What What's up, you know? So he didn't really he was just kind of following rules from your mom, were you actually doing them when you were with him? Um,

Cassandra 51:58
you know what? That's a great question. You know, honestly, I don't, I don't remember. I also have, I'm the oldest out of one. So I have my sister and then I have two half brothers and a half sister. So when I was there, I was kind of watching everybody. So in all honesty, I don't. I don't remember. I don't remember ever having any really seizures with my dad or anything like that.

Scott Benner 52:19
What about high blood sugars? Were they lower with him? Because you were doing what he told you to do? Or do you just like yes him to death and just do things the way you normally did?

Cassandra 52:27
I think when I was around him, I did things the way I was supposed to do. But then like the moment I went home, and but when I did things I was supposed to is more like out of fear not because I wanted to. Yeah,

Scott Benner 52:36
I understand why that's interesting. Okay, by the way, you said something earlier, I just figured we might as well touch on it. While we're here. You said something about your dad. You sound like your parents divorce made you mad? Yes. Yeah. Do you have any clarity on? What about it really bothered you?

Cassandra 52:57
Yeah. Um, so when I was younger, I was I was a daddy's girl. So when I remember seeing my parents fight, and I remember, my mom kind of made my dad leave. So I had a lot of resentment and the way like, I'll give the full story, I have no issue talking about it. So what happened was my dad had tried to commit suicide while in front of me and my mother. And so I had witnessed it with my own eyes. I remember till this day, and so I kind of blamed even though I saw him do that. I blamed her for everything. And then as I got older, and I've kind of got to see and my mom explained things to me more I realized it wasn't her fault. It was kind of my dad's full. So immediately, I don't hate my dad. It's an open conversation. Like I still have an open communication with my father. But um, yeah, back then I just kind of I hate like, I know, hated them, but I hated. No, I did I hated I hated both of them. I hated them for like, undoing our family. And then like, when I became diabetic, I was like, wow, we could have been doing this together. But instead now like, Dad remarried. And I have to, I felt like I kind of had to do it on my own. Because my mom was just so busy taking care of me, my sister. And then my dad was just kind of on his own doing his own thing.

Scott Benner 54:09
Yeah, it was really honest. And given that I just put up an episode with a kid who's bipolar and has tried to kill himself a number of times, and all the other stories that people have told, that was one of the most stories anybody's ever told on this podcast. I'll bleep myself out later. Seriously, like you. Thank you for being that honest. And wow, that that was really, you took me by surprise with that. Your mom, your mom thought your dad wasn't stable, and she wanted him to be away from her kids.

Cassandra 54:41
So and it's funny because he was actually diagnosed, I think, a year and a half ago, bipolar and mild depression. So he's on medication now, but it's funny because that's exactly what it was, too. Yeah. And so yeah, she does. She just felt like he was unsafe for me. Like are her family. Yeah. And so she asked him to leave but at the time, I was so young. I didn't understand what Are you making dad leave? Making dad leave? Right?

Scott Benner 55:04
You made my dad leave here and so now you're mad at her. So anytime she says something to you, you argue with her because you're just looking for a way to hurt her. And then you get older realize that hurting her is hurting you fix yourself fix your relationship with your mom. This is really a lovely story. Really? I mean, except for the part where you live in Canada. It's almost perfect.

Unknown Speaker 55:25
Oh my god.

Scott Benner 55:30
Oh my god. So have you ever written a moose? Yes or no quickly? No. possible to write a moose.

Unknown Speaker 55:38
Things are huge. You

Scott Benner 55:39
couldn't get on a moose right?

Unknown Speaker 55:41
There beautiful

Scott Benner 55:43
luck, just real quickly while we send ourselves. Let's just see if there's any pictures of people riding a moose on

Unknown Speaker 55:48
my car real quick.

Scott Benner 55:52
And let's hope it's not a sexual position I'm not aware of. Okay, it's not a sexual position as near as I can tell, like

Cassandra 55:58
a naked Canadian girl on a moose.

Scott Benner 56:02
I got a picture of Teddy Roosevelt riding a moose and Canadian border patrol. Well, there's Is this a real picture?

Cassandra 56:13
There's one thing I do notice though, is Canadians do say a lot like I will.

Scott Benner 56:18
Not a thing we made up that's for sure. Oh, my goodness, you can write a moose.

Cassandra 56:26
I would never try it. I'm not that country. But by all means.

Scott Benner 56:31
It's so possible this episode is now going to be called you can ride a moose but oh my

Unknown Speaker 56:35
god cast

Scott Benner 56:36
on top is such a strong contender that there's no way to know how I'm gonna go until the very end. There are people here taking photos sitting on this is wonderful. what's what's the plural of moose? I hold on a second. I'm gonna find out.

Unknown Speaker 56:51
Nice.

Scott Benner 56:53
You keep guessing while I look. The only correct plural of moose is moose. So more than one moose is moose. Moose, that's not as much fun as I was hoping to see them. Over there. I wanted to say mostly I wanted to say Moses's or musas. This is is really what I was waiting towards. But I didn't sound right. As I was thinking it just in case all of you think I'm stupid. You're so funny. Yeah, you can see really, if I did a podcast, but anything except diabetes, you'd be like, I don't like that guy very much. He doesn't say anything. It would just be me wondering if mousse is plural or not. And although you know what, we'll try it at the end, when this diabetes thing runs out. I'll give another I'll try one more. Try to be like what the Scott think it'll be boring, but odd. Okay, you've said a lot here. I want to wrap my head around everything. And kind of like talk about how things are obviously you're gonna you're a fitness person. What does that really mean in real life? Like, how frequently do you work out? Um,

Cassandra 57:56
so when I first started, when I first started, actually, the journey a lot easier is that my sister did it with me. So my sister was actually around the same weight as I was, and then we kind of lost the weight together. We started doing workouts at home and then we started going to the gym. So now now on my life, I probably I used to work out about five to six days a week. Now that I'm at a good weight, I work out maybe three, four times a week.

Scott Benner 58:23
Cool. So it's not it's not like you're not like I don't mean to disparage anybody who is like a workout lunatic. But you're not just like working out twice a day, seven days a week or anything. It just it's a reasonable exercise regimen.

Cassandra 58:36
Yeah, like my like I work about five to six days a week at the hospital. My hours can range from eight till 8pm. And so yeah, like I work out three to four days a week, I do it at home, it's my own weights, and it does help that like my partner works out too. So we have we kind of just do that. Like we have that in common. So we kind of do that together. It's like an activity we do together.

Scott Benner 58:56
Nice. Oh, that's really great. And it's really cool. Did your sister do it for you? or was she looking to do it for herself as well? And you guys just did it together? Was she supporting you? We're doing it a little First off,

Cassandra 59:06
I was doing it first on my own and then she kind of just joined in and then it became a thing that we did and then I'm like even when I when I had to move out so I live now on my own with my partner when I had to move out it was so hard for me and her because we were like partner in crime like I we would work out together we would make dinner and then like when I was finished work I call her and be like okay, so are you getting the gym bag ready? She's like, yep, I got it ready. Like I'm ready to go like we were like Bonnie and Clyde me and my sister and then when I had to move out it was like one of the saddest moments like it was even now like I'll cry just talking about me my sister very very close. And so feel free to cry on the

Scott Benner 59:41
people love it when people cry just so you know. So, Mr. Sister a lot Cass Is it like

Cassandra 59:47
I miss I miss her. My sister I would love my sister 24 seven. I love her so

Scott Benner 59:52
much. That's really nice. That's that's for it's actually nice to hear as a parent that that you guys have such a nice relationship as well. Really

Cassandra 1:00:00
Yeah, we're like almost five years apart. So when I tell people that they're like, Oh my god, really you guys are that close like we are inseparable we call each other every single day. If she gets like a little like she's put on a little bit of weight sometimes like she'll put on a little bit of weight sometimes or I'll put on a little bit of weight and then she'll call me crying. I'll call her crying or like, No, it's okay. We can do this thing will like workout together over the phone.

Scott Benner 1:00:21
Oh, that's that's really something I genuinely mean. I think that's, that's stunning. Really nice for you guys. Especially because you didn't. Did she have as many problems with your mom? Or did she not see it? The same because she was younger.

Cassandra 1:00:34
She was a lot younger. So she didn't see it the same way. I think she was more affected by my dad. So like her and my mom have always had a really close relationship. It was never like mine and my mother's. But more like her and my dad's relationship has severely been affected by it.

Scott Benner 1:00:49
Okay. All right. So let's imagine now you said you have an on the pod you were Dexcom are another CGM.

Cassandra 1:00:57
I'm in the process of getting a Dexcom. So like I'm in the process of like, getting all the forms completed going through my insurance and everything, but I'm in the process of it.

Scott Benner 1:01:04
Because you live in Canada, you're only able to get the G five, right? Yes, yeah. Okay. So you're managing differently. Now? Obviously, you're you're exercising, you're eating differently. You're taking care of your insulin. What's your agency right now?

Cassandra 1:01:18
Um, last time I checked was a month ago. 7.2.

Scott Benner 1:01:21
Okay, and what do you think your average blood sugar is? In the course of a day?

Cassandra 1:01:28
Um, I would say probably 6.8.

Scott Benner 1:01:31
Okay, hold on a second. So 7.20? No, don't worry. I'll get it 7.281 7.2 a one c one translates to like 160 or an 8.9. I have it here. So do you have a little too would you consider that you you know what's so interesting. You're going to see, when you get a CGM, you're gonna see fluctuations that you don't know exist in between your testing points. And your a one C is gonna be in the sixes in like, a month.

Cassandra 1:02:04
That's, that's what everyone that's what my doctors even telling me and I'm like, I gotta get up there. I gotta get ready for the babies.

Scott Benner 1:02:10
Well, no, but seriously, like, because what's happening is, is there's obviously blind time in between your tests, that you're going higher than you think you are is my guess. And you'll do a little better job with your boluses and probably get your your Basal like tightened up a little bit. Your a once he's gonna drop like a point in no time. As soon as you can see the information that's gonna be super interesting. I want you to like, send me an email. Let me know about that. Whenever it happens. Yeah,

Cassandra 1:02:35
no, definitely I am. It's funny that you actually mentioned that because like, um, so for me, I know, like my body. Like in stressful situations, my body doesn't handle it. Well, like I break out in hives. I'm like, like, certain like, sometimes I'll like because I'm a woman. Like, sometimes I've missed my period, like months at a time because of the stress. Yeah, so like, I know, like, even like, I'll be at work, especially now with all this pandemic stuff going on. I'll be at work and like, I'll test my blood sugar and it'll be like 12 or 13.1. And I'm like, Okay, well, why is it so high? And right away? I'm like, Okay, I'm really stressed this morning. That's why and then I just got to do a correction. They got no stress definitely affects my blood sugar levels significantly.

Scott Benner 1:03:14
hardens blood sugar's 200. Right now she's all she's doing is she's across the hall from me zooming for school, right? And she gets out of bed, her blood sugar's 95. It's nice and stable. I don't know what happened over the next couple of hours. She hasn't eaten anything. And her blood sugar started creeping up and creeping up and it went quicker than I anticipated. And so we've put like a significant Bolus in to stop it. But imagine in a time where traditionally, and most days, I would see Arden's blood sugar stay very steady around that 95 she might jump to 120. And we'd bring it right back down again. But it would be very much very, like a rolling Hill, you know, not a not a giant spike. But there's no way if she wasn't wearing a CGM, right now would we know that her blood sugar was jumping up, we never would have given her this much insulin and I guarantee your blood sugar would have been 300 because we weren't, we wouldn't have been trying to stop it. And so why do you say it's, it's gonna be really I'm excited for you. It's gonna be great.

Cassandra 1:04:11
I'm so excited. I tried like, I did try a different brand before the leap, the leap Ray or the leap, or I can't remember the name of it correctly. But I didn't actually I actually did not like it. And the reason I did not like it was because of my experience. So when I went to go scan it, I remember it said, like, 6.4 my blood sugar was but then I kid you not. I while it's in 6.4 I grabbed my actual blood tester and checked my blood sugar and it said 4.8 by blood,

Scott Benner 1:04:37
what's your me what meter using?

Unknown Speaker 1:04:41
The Gosh,

Scott Benner 1:04:43
because I want you to have a nice, accurate,

Cassandra 1:04:45
I still use the freestyle Omnipod.

Scott Benner 1:04:48
Okay, so listen. Alright, that might not be that's an older meter, okay. So I'm going to give you a little like workaround. I'm here for you. So a lot of people, and this is not medical advice, which we've made clear at the beginning of the podcast. So your test strips for that on the pod PDM are code 16. Is that right? Yes. And your meters code lit 16?

Unknown Speaker 1:05:19
Yes. Okay.

Scott Benner 1:05:21
I if you try to move the meter code to 17 your blood sugar's may look higher, and you may use a little more insulin and your a one c may come down

Unknown Speaker 1:05:34
right away.

Scott Benner 1:05:36
Because it might be a little more accurate and in the interim, it you might be interesting to ask your doctor to prescribe a better meter for you a more accurate newer meter I Arden uses the Contour Next One to great meter. If your insurance covers they get that one stop using the one on the PDM.

Unknown Speaker 1:05:58
Yeah, the contour Contour. Next One.

Scott Benner 1:06:01
Yep. That's that's the one by the way. Contour. Next One comm forward slash juicebox. But actually, seriously, use that, like if you buy it, and but um, but seriously, like, an accurate meter is the one thing that like, you'll hear people complain, you know, on the pods going to, like the Omni pod dash. And the new dash PDM doesn't have a meter and and people like I love having that meter with me. Except that meters like 10 years old at this point. And there are there are better meters now. So you know, the one reason you don't want a piece of mechanical technology built into a piece of digital technology is because you can't upgrade it. So I actually think it's a good thing that Omnipod took the meter out of the out of the PDM. But yeah, code, we used to use code 18 for code 16 strips. Jenny has said on the podcast before she used to use 18 for 16. I know a lot of people do 17 for 16. But what you end up doing is, is after a while, you'll be able to see like does my average finger stick match my expectations for my a one c? Because I just heard it in your voice. Like I thought you were gonna say that was the meter you're using, because you gave me your blood sugars. And you thought your average was going to be lower than it was. And I was like, that doesn't sound right to me. So I think that's it. I think you just need a little more. A little more accuracy and your blood sugar testing.

Unknown Speaker 1:07:35
Yeah. All right.

Unknown Speaker 1:07:37
Thank you. I appreciate it. Listen,

Scott Benner 1:07:39
you don't have to trust me. I'm not a doctor. This is an advice that would be off label use of the device. And I'm sure on the pod would 100% tell you not to do that. But I know I have done it in the past. And it has worked out really well for my daughter and I know a number of other people who have as well. And you could always just change it back. If you're finding it's not. It's not perfect. All right, cool. All right. Well, have we missed anything? Although I can't imagine there's something we left out but but is there anything that we didn't get to that you want to talk about?

Unknown Speaker 1:08:09
Um,

Cassandra 1:08:11
no, no, everything I'm doing, I just wanted to share like one quick experience that I had. So um, one thing that I happen to me has happened to me twice as being a type one diabetic is I had uncontrollable hives. So when I'm saying high blood sugars, I'm talking in the 20s. And we're talking about you're giving yourself amounts of insulin. So my first pump that I use was the enemas pump and the story and Miss ping and his pain. And so when I was first using that pump, it would didn't have a cord and so when I was using that pump I would have happened once where I got uncontrollable highs they were it was all day from morning tonight. I have my blood sugar's were high 20s they would not go down I was giving myself amounts like serious amounts of insulin. When I told my dietician, I was giving him these amounts of instances like okay, like, that doesn't sound right. You don't even need that much in a day. So something's wrong. So I had to go to the emergency room. When they did my blood work they checked for like your ketones to make sure your nine ketoacidosis everything like that. Everything looked great. They said so um, they looked at my bloodwork, and they're like I actually they they looked at me and they actually told me I don't know what's wrong. I don't know what's causing these high blood sugars. And they told me from a medical standpoint, from the bloodwork that we have, you're perfectly healthy, like your cholesterol, everything's in perfect range. So I wanted to share that story. So just if people ever go through that just know like,

Unknown Speaker 1:09:39
my guy thinking your tubing, right? Yeah, yeah. Well, it

Cassandra 1:09:42
was funny though, because it wasn't my tubing because I was I actually took out my tubing, and I had given myself injections and the injections weren't working. And so my doctor was actually at one point thinking like, Oh my god, like is she just like is this insulin just not mo no longer working for her body? But that wasn't the case. Because by the next day when I woke up in the morning, my blood sugar was back to 8.6.

Scott Benner 1:10:07
Yeah, just back again. Yeah, you have to wonder if you were fighting some sort of an illness or if they check,

Cassandra 1:10:14
they check your white blood cell count all of that, right. And

Scott Benner 1:10:17
stress could have been stress, anxiety. Yeah, like

Cassandra 1:10:20
it was so weird. And, and then like, when you're looking at your blood sugar's and you're seeing them that high, and then you don't know why they're that high that makes you more stressed as a diabetic, right? So it's kind of like, right, it's kind of like a loop factor, like you're just non stop stressed. I'm wondering if that like, that could have definitely been part of the reason. But, you know, just to like, just, it just goes to show you like diabetes is just so unknown. Like, there's just so many things that can happen. And everybody's kind of like, everybody's situation is different, right? But for sure, it's just so interesting.

Scott Benner 1:10:48
It's not uncommon for people to experience stress that drives up their blood sugar. And like you said that once then you look at it and you become in you're just caught in a loop. And then, you know, what do you do? And now you're at the hospital, which is anxiety ridden. And you know, I and then the doctor started saying big things like, I don't know what's wrong, you I wonder if insulin just doesn't work for you anymore? Which, of course, it seems kind of ridiculous. Yeah, like the insulin would magically stop working all of a sudden at 10am. And, you know, so, but then that adds to the anxiety. So, you know, I always think when blood sugar's go up, if you're wearing a pump, and you think it's your pump site, the first easiest thing you can do is just inject some fast acting insulin to see what happens. You know, if it starts to go down, then you maybe can say, well, maybe my pump sights bad. But it you know, listen, sounds like you got overwhelmed by the scenario when you went to the hospital, which in the end is the is the best thing you could have done is if you weren't able to fix it, then, you know, especially when you started giving yourself massive amounts of insulin. That seemed like way too much for you. It probably got scary to

Unknown Speaker 1:11:50
Yeah, yeah,

Scott Benner 1:11:51
I hear you. Wow, that's really cool. You were so nice to come on, and do this. Seriously, you know, thank you.

Unknown Speaker 1:11:58
Great talking with you, as well.

Scott Benner 1:12:11
Hey, a huge thanks to Cassandra for coming on the show and sharing her story. Thanks also to touched by type one.org the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor and the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump. Check out touch by type one on Facebook, Instagram or at touched by type one.org. Learn more about the Dexcom G six@dexcom.com. forward slash juice box you can even get started there. And of course, see if you're eligible for that free 30 day trial of the Omni pod dash insulin pump tubeless insulin pump on the pod comm forward slash juice box there are links to the sponsors in the podcast player that you're listening to the same podcast player that I'm asking very, very gently if you would please press subscribe in or those links are available at Juicebox Podcast comm you can find the diabetes pro tip episodes right there in your podcast player beginning of Episode 210 or find them at diabetes pro tip.com. Also, you'll find the defining diabetes series in the same place. One last thing, consider supporting the T one D exchange. This will just take you a few minutes. It's completely anonymous 100% HIPAA compliant, and you'll be helping people living with Type One Diabetes, super simple to do. I've done it. All you need to be is a type one from the US or the caregiver of a type one from the US. It's T one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox. You want to support people with type one, including yourself. And this show T one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox. Taking about five to seven minutes can do it right there on your phone or your laptop. You could probably do it while jogging in place where the standing desk you could definitely do it sitting down. You could do it at a school. You could do it by the pool. You could do it with your fam, even if they were eating. Damn I'm stuck saying ham. And then I just made fun of Cassandra earlier or Cassandra that whole Zeus thing just fell apart on me. Is it Seuss it's not Zeus Zeus Wow. Look at me. potholes everywhere on pronunciations that I brought up and now my brain is making me pay the price. Dr. Seuss, Cassandra, I can do it. Ham. See. I should start leaving secret messages at the ends of the episodes. The password is Genoa salami.

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