#543 Something is Fishy

Lexi has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was 4 years old.

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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 friends, and welcome to Episode 543 of the Juicebox Podcast.

Lexi's on the show today, she's a young person living with Type One Diabetes for a long time. It's got a lot of good stories in her life so far it's been quite a quite a ride. She's gonna tell us about it. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. We're becoming bold with insulin. I have said that so much in my life. I'm now pausing it weird spots to make it fun just for me. Your healthcare plan are becoming bold with insulin. It just I'm just playing with it at this point. I don't I just I mean, I have to say it, but I've said it so much. And I don't want to pre record it. So every day I give you a new one. You probably don't care about that, right? Hey, have you checked out the T one D exchange yet? T one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox. Hear us resident who's has type one, or is the caregiver of someone with type one, you can take the survey at that link. They'll be supporting people with type one diabetes, while supporting the Juicebox Podcast. p one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox.

This show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries. g vo hypo Penn. Find out more at G Vogue glucagon.com forward slash juicebox this episode of The Juicebox Podcast is also sponsored by the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. Please go to Contour Next one.com forward slash juicebox to take a good look at the best darn little blood glucose meter I've ever seen. Are you in a bathtub right

Lexi 2:02
now? Why does it sound like I am hearing dripping water? Oh, I you know it's my hearing isn't taking off. Really? Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 2:11
Is that taking off?

Lexi 2:15
Well, I have my air pads and I don't know is that better for you? Or Jeremy to take them off?

Scott Benner 2:21
It wasn't the earrings for some sort of an electronic noise. Yeah. Oh, it's a fish tank. Can you like I can kill the fish? I mean, I won't kill the fish to turn the filter off for an hour. Well it?

Unknown Speaker 2:38
No, they're my boyfriend's fish that want to mess with it. Listen.

Scott Benner 2:44
Hey, I can't be your problem. Technically, they're my stepkids treats those fish like his kids. Yeah. I feel like they all have names. Yeah, oh, yeah. All right. Well, this is a strong start to the podcast because I am recording already. And we're going to absolutely find out the names of your boyfriend's fish before we get started. And why you chosen a boyfriend who names this fish? And at no point was this like an indicator for you? Were you like, what did you do? Did you love him by the time he told you that?

Lexi 3:20
Well, so before there were eight fish, and some of them looked the same. But so like some of them had names and some didn't. And then now they're some of them. You know, COVID like this whole mess of like, we live in Chicago. So we were downtown Chicago, and then everything shut down. So he went back to the suburbs, and we lost the fish. And then halfway through this pandemic, like we came back after, I think it was like three weeks, grab the fish brought them back to the suburbs there. And then one of them jumped out and died and then another one disappeared. So it's just been like a mess. Now they all have names.

Scott Benner 3:58
We're never getting to your diabetes story Alexi Just so you know, just introduce yourself very quickly so we can keep going.

Lexi 4:04
Yeah, sure. Okay, my name is Lexi. I am from Chicago. I am I'm 28 years old and I've had diabetes since I was four.

Scott Benner 4:12
Okay. All right, hold on. You lost the fish.

Lexi 4:18
So, one of them just like it's not in the filter wasn't around the floor. We're assuming one of the bigger guys ate her or him? I don't really know. So I mean, when I say it disappeared, it legitimately disappeared.

Scott Benner 4:34
Well, I know I can only be certain that the girl from a recent episode called vegan cat her cat did not kill it because it can't eat protein. So okay, okay, okay, okay. You lost the fish. You will abandon the fish for a while like at first you're like you know Coronavirus is that can Coronavirus affect fish and then I realize you meant that you like took off because the Coronavirus and got out of the way Yeah. All right. Get out of the city. Okay. All right. Let's just start over. Here's the really strange thing. I'm learning about this podcast. How old are you? Well, I'm 27. But I'll be 28. A couple months. Okay. Because when you wrote me you were 26.

Lexi 5:18
Just grown to yours? No, I'll be 28 in December. So I'm assuming that by the time this airs, maybe it'll be 28.

Scott Benner 5:24
Please, by the time this airs will be 33. And those Yeah, maybe like this in February. Okay. All right. So I just don't like her note says she's 26. Nine, like, how long have you been putting people off to get on this podcast? Is it at the point where by the time it's time to record the podcast, do you think like, Oh, that's right. I wanted to be on a pod. Yeah, that's what I woke up this morning. And I was like, it's podcasting. It's nice. I'll tell you what the other secret of how I make sure that the people who are on the podcast want to be on the podcast, is I make almost no effort to remind you of when you're on the podcast. Yeah. Because if you're here today, eight months after you sent me an email, you really want to do this. And that's listen every day. Do you really?

Lexi 6:15
I do. I feel like I was catching up for a while. Um, but then I guess it just, you know, honestly, like I said, I'm a recruiter. So I review resumes 45 minutes every day. So that's my podcast listening time.

Scott Benner 6:27
Yeah, that's cool. I appreciate that. Okay, so Lexi, who's 28 was diagnosed at what age was four? Okay. Do you remember diabetes from being four years old? Or when do you begin to remember it?

Lexi 6:44
I think I really, really begin to remember it when I went to kindergarten. But before that, like I remember bits and pieces of like, right before I was diagnosed. And then there are things that my parents told me like, I didn't go to preschool because it was right when I was diagnosed, and then we moved out of the city and into the suburbs. So there wasn't really a time for me to go to preschool. So I remember like those little things, but I'd say kindergarten just because I was so different than all the other students. I had to go to the nurse's office, I had juice boxes at my dad's my teacher, you know, always kept an eye on me things like that.

Scott Benner 7:17
Do you ever wonder? I wonder. So I'm going to find out if you wonder if my memories are because someone told it to me where because I remember.

Lexi 7:28
You know, I was asking my mom that because I asked her like both my parents. I was asking him about my like diagnosis ever since. You know, we figured out a time and date for this. But there was one story I told her and she was like, I can't believe you remember that? And I was like,

Unknown Speaker 7:43
I don't? I didn't. I don't know. I

Lexi 7:45
thought someone told me the story. She's like, I for sure has never have never told you anything about like this specific. Like moment. It was like a weird memory that I had. Like, maybe like two months before I was diagnosed. I think I was really really sick. Like pukey puky like all the time, and I'm

Scott Benner 8:04
episode title Lexie, hold on a second. puke up all the time. Go ahead. Lexi Foyle pppp.

Lexi 8:13
Well, no, there was this memory that I had. I remember I was like, in the bathroom. I was puking. And then afterwards, I my mom was like carrying me and we lived in like a little apartment at the time. And I was like, Can I have a pickle? My mom's like, yeah, you had such strange cravings. Like, you would have these full meals at dinnertime and then go in the fridge and just like eat lunch meat, like right from the bag. And I was like, as a four year old. I don't know what I was doing. But you know, it's just so weird.

Scott Benner 8:42
Do you wonder how many people right now are thinking Wait, you just can't eat lunch meat out of the bag. That's wrong. Oh. My last thought, by the way about memories is that I am starting to believe that photos that I've favorited in my in my I have iPhoto. So we have all of our pictures are in this one place. I'm starting to think that I believe that my favorited photos are my favorite times of life because I see the pictures more frequently. So I remember the time. I'm starting to think that I'm impacting what I think about my life by the pictures that I say. Yeah, that's a good point. I

Lexi 9:21
mean, I feel like when I look the happiest in my picture is probably a really happy moment or really sad moment, whatever. And I do like tend to cling on to those memories. I

Unknown Speaker 9:30
don't know. That's a really good

Unknown Speaker 9:31
point to bring up though.

Scott Benner 9:32
I'm just telling you that. I don't know why I have so many stoner thoughts and I don't smoke but I just I'm like I think I'm impacting my memories with these pictures. Yeah, anyway. Okay, so I got to do some quick math. Let's we're calling you 28. And it's a phone. It's a 24 years ago, and it's like 1996

Unknown Speaker 9:57
Yep, exactly. Married by the way.

Scott Benner 10:01
What do you say? The year I got married? Oh? Yeah, well, I'm just saying, either you're really young or I'm really old, but there's something going on here. Okay, so interesting. What was it like back then? Did they give you a pump right away? or What did you do?

Lexi 10:20
No. So, um, I don't remember too much of it. I got it. I went on mini med. When I was in second grade, so I think I was eight. But before that, we had to dip I think it was like, ah, and our, he was an insulin. And my parents did everything for me. I'm very grateful for that. But I remember, definitely, there was no pens, so it was all syringes. So you had to pull it out of the vial. I definitely tested my fingers. I mean, my my fingers looked like pasta streeters. I could, like squeeze my finger without poking it and blood would come out. Like that's how. And my parents tested me 12 times a day. So it was like equivalent to a Dexcom. Now but finger cricket. Yeah. So I mean, my fingers were just like, so. So like scabby and like I couldn't feel much. But I mean, now that I've moved on to a CGM, it feels much better.

Scott Benner 11:14
Just just, that's what it was. That's what are just so I don't get a bunch of emails later. I think it's RNN. Or l&r. I think you said, I'm not sure. I just don't like I just thinking humalog. I don't know. I'm just telling you. I am I agree with that. If I agreed with that, and it's wrong. It's email city. Hey, Scott, an episode of the podcast. You said. Lexi said and then you agreed with her and I'm okay. I'm trying to talk here. It takes a lot of effort. Okay. Everything can't be perfect. So wait a minute, you could really squeeze your fingers and make blood come out. Yeah, it was disgusting. Oh, do you have? Do you have a like a clotting issue or anything like that? No, I

Lexi 11:53
from what I know. No, but it was always like my pointer finger. My middle fingers were the ones that I tested on the most. And those are the two fingers that would do that.

Scott Benner 12:01
That's an interesting party trick. Yeah, right. Okay, look what I can. Do. You ever get the double bang? Like you click it once, but you have two holes, and they're not near each other?

Lexi 12:11
Mm hmm. Yeah, actually, I got that a lot. Or I would just poke one side and then like blood from the other side of my finger would come up to so I don't know. Like, okay, well, that one wasn't enough. So I can just go from the other side, too. And that was the other thing, like, now I can, when I'm testing my blood sugar, if I have to, I can, you know, go back and like re poke my finger and put more blood in it. But before it was like you had three seconds. And if you didn't make it in that three seconds, like you had to use a whole new strip.

Scott Benner 12:40
I know. Well, technology's come a long way. All right. Listen, I think everybody needs the buckle. And I think Alexi is gonna be a fun ride. So let's, let's figure out what happened here. So I am a you have a pretty detailed email. You obviously write emails professionally, I can see that. So so moving through that time, not not very much of a big deal for you. Like, you don't seem to indicate that your early years were any kind of a burden or anything like that. Going into middle school, and you started playing a lot of different sports. Yeah. How did that get managed? Well,

Lexi 13:17
so at that time, I was on the pump. So I had a two pump. So sixth grade was when I started volleyball. And I remember the coach specifically telling me like, you can't die for a ball, because you're going to your bomb said, you're going to mess up your pump. And I was like, Okay, well, I can never go for the balls that are going to hit the ground, but that's fine. And then later on that same year, I started track. And I remember this, like memory of I was going through hurdles, like hurdle practice. And I remember jumping through one hurdle, and I was making it and I had this worry in the back of my head where I knew that my pump was just gonna fly off. Like I just like, had this worry. And then lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. I went through the fourth hurdle, my foot got caught on the hurdle, I fell to the ground, but like, my pump went one way. And I went the other way. So I remember my mom had to come and pick me up from practice, because I didn't have insulin on me. And you know, at the time, like the pump wasn't so like, I couldn't carry it with me to school to if I had to change it. There were just so many pieces to it. So I remember like the second I got home, I was like, get this thing. You can't have it and by that summer I my mom's we got we switched to the patons. So that was okay for me. And then I had lantis and novolog. Okay, and I don't remember anything crazy going on, like low blood sugars or high blood sugars or anything.

Scott Benner 14:42
Did you like show up a volleyball practice the next year? And we're like, hey, guess what? I can die for balls. Oh, yeah, I made the 18 I would assume if you can't dive it's pretty hard to be good at volleyball. Right? Right. Exactly. I can imagine the the absolute joy on the volleyball coach when your mom was Hey, Lexi can't die if he was probably like, say What now? Like, we just put this girl on our team and said no to get the girl that can dive. So the whole game lady, what do you want from me? That's very funny, actually. So you you pushed your parents to get you back on MDI then?

Lexi 15:22
Yeah. Oh yeah, I think at that point well, when I was in second grade I, I wasn't old enough to make that decision. I didn't even know I was going on a pump. I just remember, one day I was stayed home from school and the mini med people can't or the majority people came to my house and they were putting this thing on me. And I was like, What is going on? My parents, my dad, I remember it was like, No, this is going to be fair diabetes, it's going to help you and I was like, okay, whatever. I mean, yeah, like everyone in school knew I was diabetic, for so long. So it wasn't anything that I had to go to school and explain to people. From that time I pushed them to get off of it. Yeah. So

Scott Benner 15:57
from that time to the track incident, you had a pump, then you got rid of the pump. And you didn't have one for a long time, right?

Lexi 16:04
Yeah, so I didn't have one, all through high school, or the rest of middle school all through high school, all through college. And really, actually, a year ago, I might memories on my photos came up a year ago that I switched to the 670 g last year. So it's been a year since I've been on it, actually.

Scott Benner 16:25
Right. And so there's a big gap of time. Now, I think this is where a good part of your story happens. Right? So you're doing well all through high school, you told me your parents, you know, made you promise to take care of things keep track of stuff, if they let you go back to the shots. And you know, that was no trouble through through high school. What do you know about what you're a one sees worth through high school?

Lexi 16:46
Yeah, I don't think they want to, or over 6.5, I think they were I was really in good control up until then. But I still had like my parents, like, hey, make sure you Pre-Bolus like, Hey, we're eating dinner in 15 minutes, make sure you give yourself your shot. So I had those reminders that were really helpful. Gotcha.

Scott Benner 17:01
Your parents did not come to college with you, I assume? No, they didn't. And did it become an issue that there wasn't somebody there telling you what to do?

Lexi 17:10
No, in the back of my head, I knew like I still gave myself insulin and just wasn't like I would be more private about it. And I was thinking a lot about this. Because in my earlier grades, my mom would come to school with me my first day, and she would read a book to everybody in my class, about like taking diabetes to school. So everybody knew I had diabetes, it wasn't like everyone got excited when they had to walk me to the nurse's office, like before lunch, or if I was low. But then like, when I went to college, I didn't have that parent there to teach everybody that I had diabetes, so no one really around me knew about it. So I my roommate, obviously knew, and she was just like, okay, like, do I need to do anything? I was like, No, I'm saying I'm self managed, like, I can do anything, I can do everything I need to. So it was kind of like, I don't know, if it was an embarrassment kind of thing, or I just didn't want to explain it to people. You know, like, what happens if I'm hire like, if I'm moody or you know, this and that and like, what the side effects could be from higher low blood sugars, that I was just like, you know, if I just don't tell anybody about it, and just like manage it myself, I think that I can do it. I can do this, you know,

Scott Benner 18:17
did not telling them make it feel weird when you did something and that therefore you weren't doing it as frequently or like did was cast exactly, I

Lexi 18:26
had a friend who didn't like shot. So I would never do my shot around her. I would wait until I go to the bathroom or but I would never say like, hey, let me go to the bathroom real quick. Because we're going to eat soon, I would be like, Oh, actually, I have to go to the bathroom now. So I just bring my shot with me and do do my shot there. But I would just pull it out. And like some of my friends wouldn't even say anything as I just you know, injecting myself. But if

Scott Benner 18:49
I was around you were like consciously trying not to make who I'm just making up a name, but but you didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Exactly, exactly. That's interesting. I would never occurred to me, I might have a personality disorder. It's possible. I've never considered another person in a situation like that before. But I get why you would. And I understand how it could happen. But that's so that so nobody's there to explain it because nobody's there to explain it, then you feel like Well, I don't feel like explaining it to everybody. And or I don't want to freak everybody out by whipping this thing out that they don't understand starting that whole, that whole rigmarole. So then,

Lexi 19:28
and then also part of it was I had lecture halls of like, fall like, you know, 100 people. So I remember like every class that I had in high school, middle school, whatever, I'd go to the teacher and say, Hi, my name is Lexi. I'm diabetic. You know, the nurse knows this. Like, here's my IEP is what we used to call instead of 504 plan. Like here, here's glucose tablets, if you can just keep it when you're asking case I have a low, but I remember doing that my first day in college, to my professor and he was just like, okay, like, I'm not going to carry these around with me. You know, and I was like it dawned on me I was like, Yeah, that's right. Like 500 students said he sees a day, there's no way that he's gonna remember who I am just because I'm a diabetic. It's not like me sitting in the front of the lecture class, he's gonna be like keeping an eye on me. So I think that, like,

Scott Benner 20:14
you know, whatever. He's given a lecture to 300 people in from the back of the room he hears and he's got exactly I hope that's not Lexi. I gotta get the glucose tablets. It was that Lexi? And then what do you wait for someone to say no, sir. Lexi, this is me. I'm Lexi. I'm good. That was good. We're good. That kid fell for a completely different reason.

Lexi 20:35
Exactly. So I think there's that moment dawned on me and I was like, maybe just people don't care. Like if I don't explain it to people, it's not gonna matter. And if I do explain it to meet people, it's still not going to matter. So I don't know. I just I think at that point, I just kind of assumed that everybody was the same and wanting to learn about it. And I just kind of quote closed was really closed off about it right? Yeah.

Scott Benner 20:54
Your parents did you a disservice by not explaining to you at some point in your life that nobody really cares about you just you say Oh, yeah, there's not one person in the world walking around gone. This Lexie. Very interesting. I'm keeping an eye. Yeah. Exactly. No one cares about about you know that nobody's got time to care. And you know, I just mean of like regular everyday people. Obviously. You have family and friends who care. That kind of thing but the general public is not it's not worried about you.

Lexi 21:25
Right? Exactly. I don't have some sort of watch person as I'm walking to camp like walking on campus to school every day. It's why sell sugar. Okay, yeah. Fat snack and you ate that snack and you didn't Pre-Bolus for it a Skittle earlier, like,

Unknown Speaker 21:38
no, no one's there.

Scott Benner 21:40
The guy the guy running the security desk is like Is everything all right? Like she's you walk by like it's a 1950s TV show and you're walking on a black and white Street and the market guys like Lexie, take a piece of bread in case you get low. everybody cares about Lexi? Let Yeah, no, it's not like that. Yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? That we're also self conscious? Because really, no one's watching you. Except, except, except everyone people watches. But that's meaningless because it's fleeting. Right? Like, like, do what you must. Do. You look at every person you walk past.

Lexi 22:13
No, I mean, kind of like if I'm in a group. Let's say I'm at the pool. And there's a bunch of people at the pool. I love to people watch. But if I'm just walking to the street, or like down the street to my cart, I am one track mind just going to my car. And that's it.

Scott Benner 22:29
I know what every person looks like, who I pass on the street. As I'm driving, I look over I look at their face, I assess their car. And then I move on. Now that information is going out of my head a split second later. And if you were to say to me, you know what the last guy looked like, I don't know. But for some reason, I'm mesmerized by finding out. I love it. But my point is, is that it's completely fleeting. It's three days later, I don't sit down and go, we just hit it again. I just hit the stop button. Lexie and I'm recording again, for the first time in like 400 recordings, I just reached forward touched my keyboard and it stopped. That was weird. But I what I was gonna say was is that I never, it's not like three weeks later, I'm like, you remember the guy in the orange car with a blue hat? I've got to track him down and let him know that that hat did not match that car. Like that's what I mean about being self conscious. Like, who cares? Even like what someone else thinks you're never even going to know it. That's why I'm always weirded out by people who can be impacted by like, the internet. Yeah, like, you can just shut the internet off. You know?

Lexi 23:36
It's not like no, you don't have to log in every day. And you know, read every comment that everyone makes exactly for

Scott Benner 23:41
guys. Yeah, go ahead. No, I was gonna say for guys comes to your house and threatens to punch you in the face then punches you in the face that I'd be worried about. But, you know, if if a man in Argentina tells me he doesn't like the podcast, the way I get around that is by never ever paying attention to him. Like he doesn't exist. It's fascinating. Really, when you stop and think about it, what we what we give power to? I know and it seems like it really impacted you at school though. It's interesting. Yeah,

Lexi 24:09
I was Yeah, that's what I was just gonna say is that at school for some reason it I mean, I didn't care what anyone thought of me up until I went to school and then vote and that was like six years probably like all through school and then my first like, couple years in working life, I cared about everything and what everyone what everyone thought about me. And then once I switch back to the pump last year, like I don't care what people see, like if it's on my arm or on my leg, or like, I have this like, pad just bulging through my, my pant leg. Like, it just doesn't matter anymore. And I don't know when that switch for me. Maybe it was just because it was like, you know, you find someone that you start dating and you want to start, like making yourself healthier. And I've heard this on the podcast so many times. You want to get yourself healthier so that you can have a longer life with somebody else. That's when I think everything just turned on, like just flip the switch and I'm like, No,

Scott Benner 24:56
I need to get healthy. I'm more important than somebody else. Right, my odd thoughts about what other people may be thinking about me. And yeah, well listen, you gotta come correct if you want to attract a man who names this fish. You can't just come out Yeah, you can't just be doing it half assed I mean, that guy's gonna pass you right by he's obviously got a lot of options. So the least I could do is take care of myself I really want to know I want to take you back in a time machine and have him tell you that he names those fish before you cared about him and see if he's still your boyfriend.

Unknown Speaker 25:33
Imagine right. Hey, Mom,

Scott Benner 25:35
I thought I had a guy I was interested in but then you know he named US Fish and so we don't go out anymore. I just wanted to let you know. So you go to college you become self conscious about the diabetes. And and Do you ever work through it at college? Or is it just something that just plagues you the entire time?

Lexi 25:54
It was like something that was just in the back of my mind, but I didn't know what it was it was school first than diabetes. So I had a I remember I didn't go to the endo that often. And I think it was also this weird transition where I had this amazing endo from when I was four until 18. And then I was just expected to get a new endo and everyone every endocrinologist I met I hated I was just like no I'm not going back to them like I've got to find a new one. So that was kind of a struggle for me a little bit like I couldn't relate to any of them

Unknown Speaker 26:27
up until that point,

Scott Benner 26:28
and if I'm right here from what I remember from your email, you just you stopped testing during college completely

Lexi 26:37
Yeah, I know my parents are gonna listen to this and be like what but I'm not completely but I'd say like it went from like three times a day before meals and then it went to like in the morning and then before I went to bed and then it just like slowly weeded out I wasn't good.

Scott Benner 26:55
And you were not seeing an endo during that time either.

Lexi 26:59
No, I would get me a once he tested if I went to see like the yearly doctor. So I remember one and once a once he was at at 12 and then it just started coming down to what was like 8.8 last year before I switched to the pump

Scott Benner 27:15
okay all right. Hey real quick let's do a plug for juice box Doc's calm there's like three great doctors on my my list right from Chicago that apparently won't help you while you were there. Let's just real quick melody beers. I need to Swami Karis. Zimmer. Those are just three. Oh, I'm sorry Karis in wheaton, my fault. That's okay. It's close enough. I don't know Chicago at all. All I know is that for some reason you guys are excited that your pizza stick and I don't understand that either. So

I don't know what that means. Why would I use it? It does it. That's just bread and bread. Just say you want bread? Like let it go? Yeah, I mean, that's fine. I'm not judging you. Just, you know, eat bread and throw some ketchup on it. Tell me it's pizza.

Lexi 28:04
You know, I will clarify. I like deep dish pizza. But if I had to eat pizza every day, I'm not getting deep dish pizza. Every

Unknown Speaker 28:12
Neapolitan song? Yeah, right, right. Well, I mean, obviously. If they're mad, or this, they're not from Chicago, like,

Lexi 28:22
so do you eat deep dish pizza all the time? Like, no, it's like, a once a quarter kind of thing. But it's good.

Scott Benner 28:28
I don't even know how you could eat a cheeseburger last night. And when I was done, I started thinking I might not eat for like three days. I just I don't know how to. I would not eat a deep dish pizza and then be hungry again. No, exactly. All right. Well, listen, let's dig in a little more here. Pretend your parents aren't listening. Help some kids out in college, right? Like and parents who are getting ready to send their kids off. It just becomes less important or because you're not paying attention to it like this, obviously, then you don't have a glucose monitor. So you're just you're on a pump. you're counting your carbs. Giving yourself food. Not testing that frequently. What's the like? Did you did you notice that you didn't feel well as your a once he started to go up? And then you got accustomed to it? Do you remember that by any chance? Yeah, I

Lexi 29:12
remember like my lows. If when I did check my number. If I felt low, it was only 80. So it wasn't even that low unless I was dropping really fast. And that's I mean, I there would be no way for me to know. But yeah, I just became accustomed to that weird feeling. And then in in jumping ahead now I kind of felt like I had like a gluten allergy last year. And then once my numbers got better, I got over that. So now I can eat it. And I'm I feel great. But yeah, it was just like this weird. Like, I just was always thirsty. And I just felt like I had a friend that was always thirsty too. So I was like, oh, we're just always just friends and we're always thirsty. I don't know. So it was just like a weird thing. I just became accustomed to just feeling like crap all the time. Okay

Scott Benner 29:58
and then he So I don't want to I'm just gonna say you get out of college. And you test your a one. See you said in your note for the first time in four years, and you tell people what it was. And did you tell your parents? I did not tell my parents I think at this point when asked me Well, yeah, let's do they know now or is this gonna be a big reveal for them? This might be a big reveal for them. So mom and dad, if you're driving, I'm looking at the number here. Let me just say to you, I'd pull over Okay, or do you know what although I'll put the ad here, and that'll give you time to stop your car.

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And what was your agency? Lexi? I don't even remember. 12.3 Yeah, it was not good. I remember looking like oh, shoot. Mom, if you're having chest pains right now just call 911. Don't even wait to see what happens next. Okay. But no, there's some good news coming. Don't worry. But that's really fascinating because you are a kid in middle school in high school who is in that in the low sixes most of the time, right? And then your a once he doubled in four years of college. hindsight did that impact your experience at college? The high one say, like your health in general, or do you not? Or would you just not know because you became accustomed to the feelings.

Lexi 34:34
I think I just didn't know because I was accustomed to the feeling. And I know that and my parents know this. I was drinking like I was in a sorority. I was the president of the sorority I like had all these things going on that diabetes are just way far back in my head. Like I knew I had it obviously I would Bolus you know whenever I had to and that was that was it like that was the extent of my care was just giving myself a shot of 10 units and calling it a day.

Scott Benner 34:58
Wow. You You were The president of alcohol basically, exactly did just a run for that position, or do they just see it in you and give it to you? How does that work? No, they picked me to be that person. Lexi, they looked at you and they were like, Huh. She can handle this. Yeah. lm sorry. Yeah, that's right. It's true. I said, to take a side bar for a second, when you're the president of a sorority, do you feel a pressure to like lead the charge in partying? Like, do you feel like you're like, setting the tone? I'm being serious?

Lexi 35:35
Yeah, I'm serious. Okay. So at that time, my school didn't have a lot of like restrictions and rules on Greek life in general. So when I became president, we also had to implement a risk management policy. So I think when I became president, I tried to tone our party down, down, because when we had to throw all these like risks and things people can sue you for, and this and that, and I was like, Alright, we're not gonna deal with this. We're gonna put this policy in place. Everyone's gonna follow the rules. And that's what we're gonna do. So there were a lot more things you could get in trouble for at a party. And I don't I don't I think people still had a good time, obviously, from what they've told me. I don't think they would tell me that they didn't. But yeah, at that time, I wasn't like, out leading the charge of, hey, let's go to this fraternity party tonight. And this one tomorrow, and this one on Sunday night. And actually, let's make it Sunday during the day because we have school Monday. No, that's not how it was.

Scott Benner 36:28
I just reached out to you on LinkedIn while you're talking because I want to see how your life progresses. And because that's interesting that you took kind of the opposite approach where you're like, well, let's tone this down a little bit. But still tone down partying at college is still it's still so somehow it gets you to a 12 a one c i guess Exactly. Yeah.

Lexi 36:48
I mean, you're drinking Margarita is it's not like I like to Cabernet back then. Or vodka sodas, or Baca waters.

Scott Benner 36:56
Do you think you got to be honest with yourself here? Because you have a glucose monitor now? Is that right? Yep. Okay, so do you think that if you had that in college, that it would have changed anything for you? Oh, I

Lexi 37:09
think so. Totally, because I thought it was just a hassle to check my blood sugars and my fingers. I told you were so bad that I was like, I don't want this anymore. But I didn't also know about glucose monitors. I had one when I was 18, I think right before I went to school, and it was like this giant clunky thing that nobody told me there were these little ones that just you know, like the duck, the ducks come now. It's just so tiny. And it's just sticks on my arm for 10 days. I don't even realize it's there. But if I knew that that existed, I think I would be okay wearing one as long as it was under my clothes.

Scott Benner 37:42
I see it. But do you think having the information would have changed your activities? Or do you think you would have just ignored it?

Lexi 37:50
I think I would have ignored it. I think just seeing it being able to see it on my phone. I could I would know like okay, there's I know that there's sugar in these drinks that I'm having, like, let me give myself more insulin, at least I think I don't know if it would have changed like, you know, Pre-Bolus thing or anything like that, because I was still self conscious of doing shots in front of people. But I think I would have been more aware of how much insulin I was giving myself or maybe trying to prevent Loeser. If I saw that I was high, I would give myself insulin because I was high

Scott Benner 38:20
because I've seen people that just turn the alarms off to like I'm always fascinated. Like, how did you get the 400 when you have a CGM, and they're like, Oh, my alarms at 400. Oh, yeah. So I just um, I wondered like, so you were reasonably. So you were more hamstrung by the social side of it than you were a of the the other part like you would have tested your blood sugar, but you didn't want somebody to see it.

Lexi 38:48
Yeah. And in high school I had even growing up I had friends that were diabetic. I had a few of them. So it was just so normalized everywhere. I went that I haven't met another diabetic since I was young, like I couldn't tell you any other diabetics that I met in college, even maybe one or two and like work settings, but not that I was close to them that I talked to them. But

Scott Benner 39:12
yeah, so somebody would have been helpful just to anybody really make you feel

Lexi 39:15
just a support system. And I think that's what it came down to was. I guess I thought no one was interested in learning about it. I was like, Okay, well, I'm not gonna tell anybody about it, because they don't care. And I think it just that's what it came down to.

Scott Benner 39:26
Yeah, it's interesting. It really I do find that fascinating that on one hand, you cared what people thought, but on the other hand, you didn't expect that they thought anything of you that they cared enough to know. Do you see what I'm saying? There's like a paradox, or somewhere. Yeah, people are weird. And that I mean, you because you were in college, and you were a kid and you were having these like, these two completely competing ideas, and somehow they both drove you in the same direction. That's fast. It really is fascinating. So you, obviously you graduated. You didn't die. That's excellent. Good job. Yeah. Your parents are like, I did not know that this was gonna be the Mendoza line. Like, look, she's still alive. Yeah. But okay, you got through it. And that's accent Do you have any issues from the four years?

Lexi 40:12
Not that I know of? I do. I don't know, I worry about it, you know, in the future more than I do, like whenever I start wanting to have kids and all of that, but right now, it's hasn't been anything that's affected me so far, thankfully, and you know, knock on wood that it still doesn't But yeah, I think helping having it controlled for 14 years before that probably was my life seems like just my savior in general.

Scott Benner 40:38
It's such an interesting thing. Like, is it cumulative or not? Like Jenny says it's not and at the state like, like, there's some damage that was done during those four years. Now. Can your body regenerate like that damage? Like, that's another question, right? Like, it's just right. But the good doesn't like it's not a it 10 years of good a one sees don't act as a shield for four years of bad ones, like the four years still do what they do. And then hopefully, you're young enough and got back to it fast enough. And you really did get back to it. And that's the part that we're going to talk about next is you get out of school, you did finally find an endo that you liked. How long what was that process like of trying to find that endocrinologist?

Lexi 41:16
Yeah, so there was this just back thing, this other thing in my head where I graduated from school, I was going to get a full time job. But I didn't want to get on the full time jobs insurance yet because it wasn't great. So I was still on my parents. But I knew that that was going to end soon. So I didn't want to find a new endo that I would have to change after I turned 26. Okay, does that make sense? So once I started a new job, my second job out of college, that insurance was awesome. So I found an endo, I found a bunch of doctors that I ended up really liking. And that endo, the first thing he said to me was like, hey, let's test your one. See, it's 8.8. And he was like, why aren't you on a pump? And I'm like, you're the first person in how many years now? That asked me that question. And I think that's when it really got me thinking. And he was like, oh, what do you want to do for your future? Where do you want to see yourself here when, you know, in five years, like, What do you want? And I'm like, Yeah, I mean, that's so true. Like, I can't just continue on like this, I'm going to die. So um, that's what really struck me with the pump. And that's what I got on it as fast as I could.

Scott Benner 42:16
It's interesting that if you probably had any kind of diabetes community in the years prior, that thought would have been put in front of you. And you probably would have had a similar reaction to it. Like Vegas, why am I not doing this? Like, you know, but listen, also, in fairness, brain growth, what do they say goes to like, 25? Right? Yeah. So I was right at my peak at 25. So it worked out. Well. We're finally a person, like a whole, like, legitimate person who can think and you know, because when you're 22, it's like, Where are you going? In five years, you're like, Listen, where I'm going is across the room to grab another Margarita. And hopefully, I get a job. And if I don't get a job, that'll be a problem for a different day. But right now, what I want is some drink. And I want to hang out with these girls and say silly stuff. And, you know, boys and etc, right? I mean, that's it, right? I mean, thumbs up. 18 to 22. Parents. Let's make a list right now. I'm gonna make 1234 I'm gonna go five. See if maybe six. Let's really shock parents. Were on your list of, of things you care about does actually doing your college work fall in your top five? Hmm, like what was important? Seriously, drinking was important, right?

Lexi 43:34
Yeah, social life was important life. Um, I don't know. For some reason. Sometimes I put my sorority work over my schoolwork. Okay. That's

Scott Benner 43:44
how you look. Like Like, like,

Lexi 43:48
my appearance. Yeah. going to the gym. Yeah, you throw that under your parents. Right. Go ahead. And then schoolwork. No, no, no, no, no,

Unknown Speaker 43:57
no job. Oh.

Scott Benner 43:59
So you were you were you had an in school job.

Lexi 44:02
I had like three jobs. And I was in college, at the gym at the Rec. I was a manager, like a student manager. And then I worked at a T shirt store so that my sorority to get discounts on printed t shirts.

Scott Benner 44:16
Your parents are in the middle of an actual stroke right now. If they're listening by the way. I'll ask them what will get them on the phone at some point and ask them what they paid for this degree. But, but Okay, so see, I'm being charged with drinking. Social Life sorority gym job that was for somebody else more than it was for you. Now we're down. Are we just schoolwork yet? Yeah, schoolwork. Yeah, there's no dating.

Lexi 44:43
I had a like a long term boyfriend in college that he went to a different school. I'm sure it wasn't really like much upkeep.

Scott Benner 44:50
I guess that was smart. Your dad worked that out. I imagine. Right? Right. Boy, nowhere near her that she feels connected to very smart dad. Good job. Okay, and now we're down to school. Now, once we're down to school, is it? Is it about doing a good job? Or is it about getting it done? and timelines? Yeah, a little bit of

Lexi 45:12
both. So I went into college wanting to study chemistry and biology. So I did two years of that before I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do. Well, I was not good at it. So I switched. So we switched to a management degree. And that was at that point, I had so much to catch up on that, it was a lot of just getting the work done. And then once I got into, like, my senior year classes, where they were more, I guess, real life aspect where I was working, like consulting for a company, a management consultant for a company or I was learning negotiation, I was learning, you know, this and that, like, that's when I started to really care about school was, I think, when I was a senior and those classes applied to me.

Scott Benner 45:55
Wow. Okay, so I'm now nauseous about how much money I spent for my son to go to college and everyone else listening who has younger children is in a panic. But do you think your life would have been different now as an adult? Had you gave the full effort from your senior year all four years?

Lexi 46:15
No, because I think in those three years, I learned a lot about myself. And even though my GPA wasn't amazing, yeah, my major GPA was awesome. But I also had those heavy college or like those heavy chemistry classes that weighed in my GPA was an awesome. No employer ever asked me that every thing that I took out of being a sorority, and being a manager, and like those life experiences actually helped me get a job versus, you know, that weight of a GPA, if that makes sense. Like, I felt that a guy gaining all that experience was more helpful for me than making sure that I had a 4.0

Scott Benner 46:51
Yeah, and I'm not judging, I'm really trying to understand like, like sincerely and you're doing a you're being very honest. And I appreciate that very much. Okay, so you get out of college, get through the whole insurance thing, you find a good endo, they put you on a pump, and things start to get better. Or, like, what do you do once you have that pump? Because it feels to me like you would have no idea what to do with it if you had it.

Lexi 47:15
You know, if that's so funny that you say that when I got my pump, I something like a flip switch. And I knew exactly what I was doing. I think I took everything that I knew from my parents, and I just applied it like, and then plus listening to the podcast really helped me I think I started listening to the podcast, either. Once I got the pump or maybe a few weeks before

Scott Benner 47:37
Aleksey, let's slow down. No, no, no, I mean, let's not skip over that the podcast was really helpful for you that's a little slower. Got a plug in. Also, by the way, you've just inverted two words while you were speaking. And so I do that. Yeah. You wanted to say a switch flipped. And you said a flip switch. I'm very close to making that the title Just so you know, wrote that down and circled it. So a flip switch.

Lexi 48:07
Yeah, switched in my head. And I just knew everything but I was supposed to do

Unknown Speaker 48:13
a crazy

Scott Benner 48:15
Lexie for clarity. You know, it's a switch flipped, right? Is it colloquial? I mean, maybe like in a different part of the country. Oh, God, we got to Google Now. Hold on a second. Hold on, because it's a switch flipped is the same. But then again, my my father, I flipped a switch. You said you said a flip switched? Oh, I think I'm probably the first What you said was right. I do this a lot. My father in law says six of one dozen of the other and it's half a dozen of the other is the saying which you know, I'm just like, he's like in his 70s like your whole life. Like it. No one's ever looked at you when you're saying that wrong. ever wants

Lexi 48:57
one of those. So sophomore year I lived in my first apartment. You know, the Swiffer mops. Sure. I called it a swifter for a year and none of my roommates told me until we all moved out and they were like, hey, by the way, you can sing swifter instead of Swiffer.

Scott Benner 49:12
weed. It's not swifter. It is sir. Swiffer Yeah, I didn't know that either. Yeah, I don't know that it matters that I didn't know that but you just blew my mind.

Unknown Speaker 49:23
I thought it was something new every day

Scott Benner 49:25
cuz you clean the floor more swiftly with That's what I thought. That's what made sense. But it's a Swiffer. Oh, yeah. I'm together with the on that. Swiffer. Huh? Yep. Hey, Swiffer. Reach out if you wanna buy some mats. Okay, so can you imagine we just clarified a whole bunch of people? Like a couple weeks from now Mike. So the Swiffer mop. Why'd you get none of that money if that works out Lexi Just so you know, you have no no click for me on that. is an awkward conversation. So you get that. So is it just learning the pump? Or did you like what did you do? It sounds to me like in your note like you, you really put a lot of things in order at that point.

Lexi 50:12
Yeah, I yeah, I implemented everything started Pre-Bolus thing started looking up. I didn't we didn't have that extend or like the Temp Basal is on the Medtronic and there's reasons why I switched. But just being able I think, really what you mentioned before just being able to see my blood sugar's I think helped me tremendously.

Scott Benner 50:34
Okay, and you change some of your food choices. Is that true?

Lexi 50:38
Yeah. So yes, that's when I was telling you like, I had that weird gluten allergy. And I think that was just because my blood sugar's were just so bad. And I started really losing a lot of weight. And I think, again, that was that whole conversation with the doctor when he was like, you're not healthy. And that's when you switch to the pump. But um, yeah, I

Scott Benner 50:59
sorry, forgot the question. Did you change like the clothes?

Lexi 51:02
Yeah, so I started, I stopped eating gluten, I started eating like more rice. Not that often just for dinner. But I'd have like a lot of salads, I had a much better diet than not that I eat poorly before. But I definitely incorporated more bread and more pasta. So I took a lot of that out. And that really helps study my blood sugar's check out

Scott Benner 51:21
some of the higher glycemic stuff. You know, like, I never really talked about this too much. Because at the core of this podcast, the goal really is that you understand how to use insulin, and then you apply it to your life. Any way that you see fit, like, I'm not here to tell people how to eat, you know, at the same time, I'm always astounded by, you know, what's happening to me right now. I'm helping somebody, you know, privately, and they're like, I don't understand what's going on. And I finally was like, Look, I'm not your mom here. But could you try it? And one thing that's not horrible a day, you don't even like, like you have you have the worst diet? And they're like, No, we don't know. It's like, No, you do like, really look at it, you know, and, and so, I want you to be able to eat a pop tart and Bolus for or a bowl of Cheerios and Bolus for because I don't think that I don't think that wanting a bowl of Cheerios should mean that you're destined to have a 300 blood sugar for nine hours. Yeah, but make it easy on yourself once in a while. You don't even like like cut yourself a break. It's, it's it's just the case, you eat a little healthier, less processed food, you know, less glycemic load. It's going to be easier. You know, like, it just it really is. And again, I'm not. I'm no one to talk, and I'm not. But you know, you can't, you can't, you can't jump online and be like, I don't understand what happened. Look at my blood sugars. They've been high for three days, all I did was have Chinese food, and we had pizza the next day. And then we had this and I don't understand what's wrong, like, oh, you're not good at using your insulin and you're eating the harshest foods on your system. That's, that's, that's what's wrong. You know, like, it's not it isn't brain surgery. So you figured it out. And and you really like, like, pulled yourself like into a new way of thinking honestly. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Good for you. I want to jump ahead from so that email that you sent me initially was the end of 2019. Like, I think around this probably around this time a year ago. And then, about four or five months later, you just send me a very excited email. Yeah, like a like, you're very excited. Like, it's one of the I get these a lot and they're lovely. But they are like, when I read them. I'm like, I don't know this person. And it's just No.

Unknown Speaker 53:43
I think I put in that email, like, I just have to, I feel like I have to tell you, because you have done so much for me without really knowing it, but also kind of knowing it. Oh, I

Scott Benner 53:52
love it. Like, don't get me wrong. It's um, it's amazing. And I love every one of them. And no one should stop sending them I absolutely love. But it's funny when you're reading them. Like, there's this part of me that's like, it's so odd that you're sharing it with me, but obviously, it's not like you, you know, like, it would be like if I just found somebody on Facebook that I didn't know. And I've sent them a private note. And I was like, let me tell you the things that are going right with my life right now. It's not apples to apples, but it feels that way, sometimes to me. So anyway, first you do By the way, this is great. I was just talking about this with someone last night. People who contact me and then contact me a second time. I think they believe that we're friends now. So they just pick the conversation up where they left off as if I've been waiting patiently to hear back from them. And I'm always like, I don't know who you are. And I'm trying to figure it out with like, I'm trying to be polite. And I'm like, I don't know, I just don't you right away. I emailed you back in October, boom, right there. I like that. Thank you. Now I can't go back and look again if I need to. But you said I have. I have some updates. You're like oh my gosh. I have this feeling that I need to tell you what's going on with my diabetes because without really knowing it, but I guess also knowing you've taught me so much and and seriously, you had an agency in July of 8.8. Which which in this note, you're saying is just better than you've had in years. You said you became obsessed with improvement. You got on a Medtronic pump for over three months a once you went to seven six, you said you were a static, you switch from the Medtronic to the Omni pod in December. And no appointment last week a once he was 5.8. And then you wrote out five freaking point eight, which by the way, a lot of people do now. I love it. It's great. What made you switch pumps.

Lexi 55:38
That CGM on Medtronic is just trash I. I wish it was better. And I thought the whole idea of what they tried to do the whole looping system with that was like I thought it was a great idea. And that's what made me go for it and being animatronic when I was younger, I was like, Okay, I'm I, I'm going to rely on this. But I had so many lows that said I was high. So I don't know my numbers were just so wacky all the time. And then I just was going to try to get off the Medtronic CGM and use the Dexcom with the Medtronic pump. But I am I'm address where I like I there's no way for me to clip those pumps. So I, I ended up switching to Omni pod and they had this like, it was like a miracle. They had this, this promotion going on where they would pay out whatever pump you were on your contract so that you could switch to Omnipod. So that's what ended up happening for me. And it was like a blessing.

Scott Benner 56:35
Do you think that hurts when you're the other company and you get a check from another pump company? It's like, it's like they do that with cell phones. You know that?

Lexi 56:42
Yeah. Imagine? Yeah, you go to at&t telling. So Medtronic gives you somebody like a rep that you can text if you have some sort of problem. And I was telling this lady, I was like, I don't know, I'm looking at Omnipod. Like, unless you can try and help me here. She never would never respond. And then I texted her and I was like, hey, just so you know, I switched to Omnipod. I'm no longer a part of Medtronic. And she responded right away. And I was like, I mean, if you responded to me, like basic customer service, and if you would have responded to me months ago, we wouldn't be having this problem. So

Scott Benner 57:13
maybe she was thinking, Oh, I would switch to if I was you.

Lexi 57:17
She also told me she used to be an Omnipod rep and then went to Medtronic. So I don't know. She's probably like, yeah, good job.

Scott Benner 57:24
Yeah, I can't tell you to do that. So I'm not gonna respond back to you. But you know, Oh, that's interesting. Well, listen, first of all, at this point, like 10 of these episodes should be called sorry, Medtronic, but I don't I don't pre screen these people. Okay, just so you know, I don't know what they're gonna say. But I do hear from a lot of people that they don't like your CGM. That's for sure. So I want you to talk about that for a second. Like, what's it like sitting in the office? removed maybe a year or two from not even probably from a 12? A one C and you're in the fives. And by the way, in the fives without lows? Right?

Lexi 58:00
Yeah, I wasn't under 60. Something. I was like, 16. Maybe in that time.

Scott Benner 58:06
Excellent. What does it feel like to have that to get that news?

Lexi 58:09
Well, I was sitting there. And my endo showed me this piece of paper. It was like a receipt. You know, he was like, Hey, your agency's 5.8. And I was like, I mean, my jaw just immediately dropped. I was like, What? Are you sure it's not 6.8? Did you read like, read it wrong. He was like, No, 5.8. And I was like, Oh, my God, like, in my head. I'm like, this is amazing. I can't wait to like, call my family and tell them this and this and that. And then the guy's like, well, I like it, but I don't love it. And I was like, What? And he's like, I just I'm worried that you're having too many lows. I'd rather see it at six. And I was like, okay, and I'm sitting there like, I just like had this major accomplishment. Like, did you see my agency the last three months, like three months ago when I was here. I mean, I was baffled that Pisa had said that. And so he changed some settings on my on my pump and I just want the second I left in my Uber back to work. I changed them back.

Scott Benner 59:04
Oh, doctors, you have to listen, if somebody is listening to the podcast, you change their pump in the office. They're just gonna change it back when they walk outside. Yeah, especially if it's working. Well, well, I'm most interested by the idea that like 5.8 to six apparently is a big leap and the doctors like oh, no, this is dangerous. Go up point two.

Lexi 59:25
Yeah, I know. Silly. Like, okay, like, Well, my goal is to be like 5.5 Next, so I don't know what Yeah, what this conversation is gonna look like Next I have to

Scott Benner 59:34
tell you that. I consider that the last three months of Arden's diabetes care have been like so so in my mind, and hurry once he was five, eight, like like, I'm not I'm not like you're five, eight like it's amazing. And by the way, I was thrilled when Arden got a five eight, but a five eight. Like as we were leading up to the a one c i was like, Yeah, because of this, like the COVID lockdown and everything I was like, Yes, I've been funky. And we haven't gotten ahead of as many meals as I wanted to. So I've been kind of corrected more on the back end. I know this isn't going to be what I'm hoping for. And it went up. I think hers went from like, five, six to five, eight. And yeah, yeah, but I think that also, I'm sorry, God,

Lexi 1:00:15
oh, yeah, I had an appointment with my endo in June. And I had a five, nine. And even he, and then he like, completely flipped the switch. And that's another conversation. But so I was a five, nine, and I thought the same thing. Like, during COVID, I lost my job, I went back to my parents house living at my parents house, I mean, all these stressors, and I did not think it was still gonna maintain the same that I had, which you did.

Scott Benner 1:00:39
That's amazing. Well, that was gonna be my point, actually, thank you for saying it is that I think that after you listen to the podcast long enough, it just happens. After a while you do the things that you do those things lead to an agency in the fives. That's it. That just unless the things you do lead to an agency in the sixes, wherever you find your comfort zone, you don't I mean, I think you just start repeating those things. And they just pay off over and over again, in the same way.

Lexi 1:01:07
Yeah, and I think I when I had that five, eight, a one C, I went in knowing my agency was going to be good, just not that good. And that was because I changed all these things. And I was very aware of what I was changing. And now it's so I'm so accustomed to it, that when I go in then like, it's probably gonna be that great. I haven't done anything new. And it's the same, like Oh, actually, I've just been still doing the same things that I changed I just now in my daily routine.

Scott Benner 1:01:32
Yep, that's it. It just becomes commonplace and it happens. So actually, did you get Have you pieced together that you're the reason juice box Doc's calm exists?

Lexi 1:01:45
I have actually when I was reading through my messages to you, I was like, Oh, yeah, I reached out about asking you about a new endo.

Unknown Speaker 1:01:51
That are podcast friendly.

Scott Benner 1:01:53
Yep. You you email me in April and said, Hey, I'm looking for an endo in like the Chicagoland area. And and that would be, you know, friendly. The podcast, I was like I can find out for so I went online, I asked, and it was quick, how quickly somebody came back was like, oh, try this one, or this one. And I screencap that, and I sent it to you, and that was sort of it. But I was like, it was your initial? Your initial email is like, do you know somebody? And I said, I don't, but I would like to build a list of them. And, and I and I remember telling you like how this has given me something to think about. And then I was like, I know what I could do. Like, instead of like, This always happens. Like somebody asks, I go into the community, I asked for them, I send it back. I'm like, why are we not building a list of these people? like that just makes sense. So Alexei, you are the founder of the feast. As far as juicebox. Doc's calm goes. So thank you very much, because it's it is actually growing and building. And it's fascinating to see that people are very careful about the doctors they send into like, I don't, they don't willy nilly. It's not like, Oh, this guy's fine. Like, it's people have to have really great experiences, then they're willing to share the doctor. It's really cool.

Lexi 1:02:58
Yeah, thank you. I went to go put in my, my pediatric endo, but he's no longer in practice, which is sad. But I was I once you said that on the podcast one day, I was like, Oh, I can't go put in Dr. Duck. And then I noticed he wasn't in fact us anymore. And I was sad. But yeah, I'm glad that that was helpful for everybody. For me,

Scott Benner 1:03:17
you did it like you, you made me I was like, why am I not doing this? Like, why am I not like making this a more like, you know, concrete place that people go instead of just asking me, and then me reaching into a group of people and doing like, Hey, who knows somebody? And then you got to go find out if it's right or not. And it just seemed like I was like, Huh, I have a, you know, I have a popular like place online. Like, why don't I just put the list there. So anyway, I thought that was really cool. Like, so much good stuff comes from, from interactions like the one you and I had. So I wanted I wanted to thank you, because I know you're basically trying to thank me so I'm, I'm, I'm thanking you instead. Because I'll get ya when I'll get uncomfortable. Like, at some point, you'll be like, Hey, I just want to really thank you and I'm gonna go like, Oh, it's okay. Like, no problem. So I'm gonna do like a big deal out of it. All right, you're making me feel weird. But that's really something now you realize that. I'm gonna ask you more questions about the fish and the boyfriend. So when you you live together with a guy and then you lose your job. So you go back with your parents. Did they take in the boyfriend?

Lexi 1:04:26
No, no. So we didn't live together yet. And I was furloughed. I wasn't I didn't lose my job. But actually, it was kind of just another blessing in disguise where I was I was so unhappy at that job that I was like, Hey, I guess this is kind of a good kicker for me to start looking for new jobs anyway. So I do have a new job that I recently started a couple months ago, which is exciting. Thank you. Yeah. So we both went to work. So okay, our me so my boyfriend is john Carlo and we both We both are very similar. So me Our parents, both of our parents were born in Italy. They came here were friends before we met. And then me and john met through mutual friends in college, and then just started dating a few years ago. My parents know each other. Yeah. Which is super cool. But our minds are very similar where they were both like, Okay, well, cities on lockdown, you better come home and you better stay here for six weeks.

Scott Benner 1:05:24
That's it. So he had to go home. You had to go home. Yeah, by the fish were left here. He came back and grab them. But yeah. Do you think the kids will be Catholic? I'm just kidding. Of course, they will be there. Yeah, I mean, I'm thinking it's absolutely going to happen. Do you think they'll have dark hair? dark hair, dark eyes? olive skin? Yeah, that's exactly what you think they'll just walk outside for 10 minutes and have the greatest tan ever. And that'll be that. Yeah, yeah. Except for by the way. I dated Italian girl in high school. She got the most amazing tan, but her sister was pale. Like translucent. Honestly, like you could see veins under her skin. And she never could take on like, it didn't matter if you put her in the sun. She She wouldn't get darker. I was always fascinated by that.

Lexi 1:06:11
That's so interesting. I am typically paler. You said you saw my LinkedIn. Did you actually go to my LinkedIn? Yeah. What do you think? Okay, so my picture is like, very, I'm very pale in that picture. That's what I look like, eight months out of the year. And then in the summertime, I am dark. And then it just goes away.

Scott Benner 1:06:28
Yeah, you're very Google oval. Right? It's, it's probably because of how people have to get jobs now and do things. But I do have a question about that. What was it like applying for and getting a job during Coronavirus?

Lexi 1:06:45
It wasn't very stressful. I'll be honest with you. Because I didn't work. Part of the reason I didn't want to leave my old job was because it had great health insurance. So I wanted to find similar health insurance somewhere else. So a lot of it was just like being very nitpicky about which jobs I wanted. Because there was a point where you're like you're either desperate or to like that you need a job, or you know, you can be picky and find which one and luckily, I could be picky just because my boyfriend had a job, he has a good job that could support him. And my old job was still covering health benefits up until the end of July. So I really used that time to do a lot of research. But I did I interviewed virtually, I still haven't gone to the office. We're virtual throughout the rest of the year, and maybe even into the spring. So it's interesting. And as a recruiter, I'm constantly telling people about our work culture. And like, honestly, I haven't been announced this yet. So

Scott Benner 1:07:42
but but I mean, so wait, so you do it normally, right? You just you send out resumes, they contact you. And then you just do video chats with like massive amounts of people. Like my wife goes into interviews. And she's gone for a whole day. And when she comes out at the end of the day, she looks like somebody had been shooting at her for the last six hours. And she's just been running from it. Did you do you go from like zoom to zoom to zoom talking to people? Or how does that all work?

Lexi 1:08:09
Yeah, there was one day I had three different zoom interviews with three different companies. Excuse me, and each one of them were an hour and a half. At the end of the day, I came out of our like office bedroom, and I was like, I need a nap. It's just a lot of brainpower. But this is my job. Now my interview was three and a half hours long.

Scott Benner 1:08:31
Okay, resume. And what about onboarding? Does it all happen over video?

Lexi 1:08:36
Yeah, every I mean, everything is over video. Our team meetings or video are like one on one conversations or video. I have a performance review later on today. That's one on one over video. So it's kind of crazy.

Scott Benner 1:08:50
Is there an office that you may go to again, one day?

Lexi 1:08:54
Yep, it's actually it's a mile from my apartment. So it's not too far away. I can walk whenever we can go there. It's a really cool office, from what I've heard. But yeah, hopefully, we have about 25% of the office there. And it's the people that absolutely need to be there. And then everyone else's work from home.

Scott Benner 1:09:09
What's the like, everybody's had a new job as an adult knows that, like you get there. And it's not like, it's not like in the first day someone explains your job to you completely, and you just understand it, right? And part of it is meeting people bumping into them asking questions, like, you know what I mean? Like, like literally leaning on a water cooler and being like, hey, real quick, Marcy. She's crazy, right? And then, you know, somebody looks at you with a wink back. Like I should stay away from Marcy, you make a sticky note for yourself. Like that kind of stuff. How does none of that happen like this? Is it just a whole new world?

Lexi 1:09:42
It's a little lonely. I'll be honest. There's meetings that I've just set for myself just to get to know my team like one on ones and luckily, we can go and sit out on a patio in Chicago and eat outdoors. So I've grabbed dinner with a couple of people on my team and that's been really great. But yeah, I don't know anyone outside of six members of my team,

Scott Benner 1:10:01
then you are recruiting to so now this is your job to find other people and do this to them.

Lexi 1:10:07
Yeah. Yeah, it's so it's a little bit it's a definitely a learning curve at that point. But also, I have this weird advantage from everyone else on my team that I can tell people how comfortable I was interviewing virtually and also accepting a job remotely or you know, to be remote. So it's been it's working in my favor so far.

Scott Benner 1:10:28
Yeah, that's pretty cool. It really I mean, it's just feels like a completely different world. But it's hitting you right, as you're graduating. I mean, so it's your second job, right?

Lexi 1:10:35
This is my third job. So I was at my first job for three years. And then my second job for two years, and this is my

Scott Benner 1:10:40
third shift. Okay, so this is not, it's not like you're an experienced, you do understand the process. And it is really different. Yeah, it's

Lexi 1:10:47
very different. And I'd say I probably had less technical issues starting remotely than I have starting in person, which is crazy to think about. But I mean, I think it's just shows like, at that point, you have to be adaptable. And you have to onboard all these people that you really, there's no room for error.

Scott Benner 1:11:03
Yeah, I just passed an hour ago, I passed Arden in my bedroom, because her rooms being like, fixed. So like she's not in there today. So she's in my bedroom, going to school. And I went into my bedroom to grab some stuff. And I came out to come do this. And she's putting on sneakers. I'm like, Why are you putting on sneaker shoes? I have gym next. And I was like, why? Excuse? Yeah, we're gonna get up and do exercises. I'm like, in front of the camera. And she goes, Yeah, I said one at a time, or is a group She goes, I don't know, this is my first class. I was like, gotcha. Oh, interesting. But I don't think that's gonna be a valuable way to exercise.

Unknown Speaker 1:11:39
No. need that does not

Scott Benner 1:11:43
seem reasonable. And she want to set up a follow up on how that goes, I'm sorry. I trust me, I'm going to because it felt like a waste of time while she was explaining it to me. And then, you know, she muted the muted herself. And we're talking and she's like, they probably think I'm having a stroke. She's like, I'm just, they can't hear me and I'm My head's moving around, and my mouth is going but you know, and and she's telling me about, like, the day so far. And she's just like, I don't she's like, I don't know what we're doing. I don't think any of this makes any sense. And I was like, Yeah, I don't know, either kid. I was like, you know, but here we are. So good luck. I hope you'll learn something. Fake it till you make it again. I don't think they're gonna learn that. I actually am starting to believe they weren't learning that much in school either. Right? Especially when you see it now it like literally in your kitchen. Sometimes. Yeah, I'm listening. And I was like, this was it. Like, this is what they were being told, like, maybe I should have just kept her home. homeschooler and like, got her a bunch of good YouTube videos, but like your watch, that'll explain the math thing, and then just do a couple of until you understand it will be good. Anyway, well, I really appreciate you doing this. Lexi, is there anything we didn't get to that you were hoping to talk about?

Lexi 1:13:00
No, I think we covered everything. Um, not that I like prepared anything, but just thinking of topics that you know, you feel good about it? Yeah, I feel good. Yeah, I can do too.

Scott Benner 1:13:11
I feel great about it. And in the last couple of minutes, I found a Twitter account that I don't think you use anymore. And I'm seeing I'm seeing some of your retweets from college or from you know, from a couple of years ago. And I think we could have been friends at some point I really do. In another life, if I'd have been born in a different time. I definitely think I would have enjoyed knowing a person who would retweet a tweet that said, raise your peacock if you are Whoa. You know, that's your last retweet. That was um, oh my god. And there's such a weird story behind that. And I'm not getting into it, but I'm not getting into that. I'm gonna spend all day wondering what peacock is. And this is terminology. That's all. Yeah, I'm not gonna say I don't even I can't even remember. I know you can remember you just tell me it's fine. I like soil. You remember, but I don't know if it's right. It's either your hand or your ass. I'm trying to figure out which one it is. So I'm not sure that I may be wrong. Also looks like he got screwed over by American Airlines a couple of years ago while traveling to Vegas. Yep. People should not use Twitter. I don't know if they're aware of it or not when they're doing it, but it's not a great idea.

Unknown Speaker 1:14:34
I'm deleting this account it's not even an app on my phone anymore. I okay, Google myself now and figure out what's out there.

Scott Benner 1:14:44
Well, just so I can I mean, we can't call the episode Lexi's the peacock and Whoa, that isn't good or bad at all. You don't you don't you think this might be worse for your mom than the Margarita is and the 12 a one say

Unknown Speaker 1:15:01
This one I don't even know.

Scott Benner 1:15:02
Yeah. Did this conversation make you rethink having children of your own one day?

Lexi 1:15:07
Oh, totally every day it does now that like, however I grew up, I'm just like, I don't know. I don't know.

Scott Benner 1:15:13
There's a peacock in your banner image. Yeah, so it's my, my sorority mascot was a peacock. Oh, yeah, there's

Unknown Speaker 1:15:22
some underlying story behind my sorority that must have prompted that. I think we should all be getting to know this Maria girl too, just in case.

Scott Benner 1:15:34
I really do appreciate you doing this. I genuinely do. And I appreciate knowing, you know, to be serious at the end. Because, you know, listen, seriously. That that the podcast was valuable for you is is really exciting for me. And I'm thrilled for what you've accomplished. I don't see why you couldn't continue to do this, you know, ad nauseum forever and ever. Now that you've got the tools, right? You just you just use them right moments. And that's that. It's really, definitely I think you'll go to the I

Lexi 1:16:02
mean, I'm grateful for the podcast, even I remember, at my old job, we said, there was somebody who, like, reached out to a bunch of people and was like, my daughter's diabetic. I'm interested if there's anyone else that was, you know, that's diabetic, and I did send them the podcast link. I was like, this has been such a great tool for me. So I you know, use this however you can. And unfortunately, after I was furloughed, I haven't talked to that person. But I hope that they definitely were able to start listening because I mean, it changed my life.

Scott Benner 1:16:29
That's wonderful to hear. It really is. I'm thrilled for you. And I appreciate you sharing it with other people. So thank you very much. Yeah. Cool. All right. Listen, I'm going to stop the recording for a second just in case you do remember what the peacocking thing was, and you want to tell me privately? Hold on. A huge thank you to one of today's sponsors, g Vogue, glucagon, find out more about chivo hypo pan at G Vogue glucagon.com Ford slash juice box, you spell that GVOKEGL. You see ag o n.com. forward slash juicebox. also want to thank the Contour Next One blood glucose meter for being a sponsor on the show. And for making such an amazing meter. Please check it out at Contour Next one.com forward slash juicebox. Don't just take whatever meter someone gave you. Use a good one. Thank you guys so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juicebox Podcast. As a matter of fact, the next episode is a variable diabetes variable episode with Jenny and it's going to embarrass her. So if you want to hear Jenny get embarrassed a little bit. You definitely don't want to miss the next episode. She's such a delightful person. What do you guys love Jenny who doesn't love Jenny? Everybody loves Jenny. If somebody doesn't love Jenny, you come see me. Please, no one show up at my house.

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