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#583 Almond Joy Has Nuts

Podcast Episodes

The Juicebox Podcast is from the writer of the popular diabetes parenting blog Arden's Day and the award winning parenting memoir, 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Dad'. Hosted by Scott Benner, the show features intimate conversations of living and parenting with type I diabetes.

#583 Almond Joy Has Nuts

Scott Benner

Bonnie is the mother of an 11 year old type 1 daughter.

You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon MusicGoogle Play/Android - iHeart Radio -  Radio PublicAmazon Alexa or wherever they get audio.

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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 583 of the Juicebox Podcast.

Today, I'll be speaking with a parent of a young child that has type one diabetes, and her name is Bonnie, you're going to like Bonnie, why do I say that? Because I liked Bonnie, and you like the podcast. So, I mean, it stands to reason. The podcast is just a reflection of my sensibility. And if you enjoy it, and I enjoyed that, you understand that. 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 any changes to your health care plan. Were becoming bold with insulin. Have you been staring at that a one C and that variability and thinking I gotta do something, but I don't know what to do? Well, if you have, I would try the diabetes pro tip episodes from the Juicebox Podcast. They begin at episode 220. And they can be found your podcast player. If you're looking for a concurrent list of them, head over to diabetes pro tip.com to check them out. They are always free just like the entire podcast is you don't have to follow it like a class you can do it at your own time. I think things might just go your way if you check it out. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by touched by type one, please check them out at touched by type one.org or on their Instagram and Facebook pages. The podcast is also sponsored by just a really long pause. That pause. That was me trying to decide if I would put a G voc ad here or trial that's out here. This show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries. G voc hypo Penn. Find out more at G voc glucagon.com. Forward slash juicebox. I guess you figured out I decided to use G voc. That's pretty much it. Actually. There's nothing left on the ad front just to thank the sponsors links in the podcast player. Links at juicebox podcast.com. All that stuff. Check them out support sponsor support the show you know the deal. Let's get started, shall we?

Bonnie 2:32
Hi, my name is Bonnie and I have three children. I have a son who's 17, a daughter who's 15. And a daughter who is 11. And Abby, my 11 year old is also my type one diabetic.

Scott Benner 2:47
When was Abby diagnosed?

Bonnie 2:50
She was diagnosed two weeks shy of her ninth birthday. So we've been at this for about two and a half years.

Scott Benner 3:01
Is there any other type one in the family?

Bonnie 3:05
Not really. I mean, I think my husband has a cousin who was type one but they were never really close. So I don't know. For sure all that much about it. We have type two in the family but but really no type ones and no other autoimmune diseases that I'm aware of

Scott Benner 3:29
body You crack me up. So you don't So of the people who you're really familiar with in your family, no one has type one. Yes. There is type one in your husband's. Yes. Gotcha. That was great. I love the line you drew there you're like, well, not really because we don't know him. Right, right. Right. Okay, so there's there's a little bit but not a ton. No other stuff. You're saying no, thyroid celiac. Thanks. Okay. So fair to say a pretty big surprise.

Bonnie 3:59
Yes.

Scott Benner 4:00
Okay. What was what was your first indication?

Bonnie 4:06
I mean, I think it was a pretty, you know, common thing, we we started noticing that she was drinking a lot and needing to go to the bathroom a lot. And she was eating a lot. She's a she was a tiny, tiny little thing. And, you know, all of my children were, you know, really, they're small and skinny. So it was, you know, we're like, Oh, great. We have an eater now. You know, she was eating a ton, but she was still really, really skinny. But I think it was definitely you know, the, the drinking and the peeing and I feel like you know, like most people, you know, you try to rationalize that one out and you're like, oh, you know, she's, she's a girl and maybe she is you know, peeing a lot because, you know, maybe there's a urinary tract infection or, you know, you do lots of things in your mind to try to rationalize that one. I

Scott Benner 5:00
hear. So how long did the excitement about? We're no longer gonna be throwing away leftovers last until you gave in?

Bonnie 5:13
I mean, that's the thing, I don't really know how far back that that that behavior was, was going on. I do remember that, as it got, as we got closer to you know, getting her diagnosed. I mean, I guess it was in the back of my mind for a while, and I would, you know, mention it to my husband, and we're like, Ah, it's probably nothing. And then maybe like a week before we were, we were at an event with with friends. And she came over to me, and she gave me a kiss. And she said, I have to go to the bathroom. And I'm like, Okay, go to the bathroom. That's okay. And my friend said to me, she's like, why is she? Why is she doing that? I was like, I think she feels like, bad that she's always having to go to the bathroom. And I was and I said to her, I was like, you know, I think I'm a little worried. I was like, Maybe I should take her and, and then maybe a couple days later, my husband and I were really starting to get concerned. And the night before. We took her into the doctor, my husband, he, he's a doctor, and he's a dentist. I don't know why that would make him know this. But like, I guess he knew about ketones. And so we actually made her pee in a cup. And then he smelled it. And he's like, Oh, God. And he's like, this doesn't smell right. And I didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't know what ketones were. And he said, he said, he's like, I'm really worried. Now. He's like, do you think we should take her to like, urgent care? It was probably like nine o'clock at night. And I was like, You know what?

Scott Benner 7:00
You're the one smelling the pee, man. Tell me.

Bonnie 7:02
Right, right. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, and, and I tend to he, you know, even though he's a doctor, and he's, like, you know, more aware of like, certain things than I am like, when the kids are sick, or, you know, I'm the calm one. I'm like, No, let's be rational, let's not, you know, fly off the handle, you know? Like he was he was really nervous, which made me nervous. And so we ended up not taking her to an urgent care because Abby is a really, really, easygoing kid always has been, but her one vise is like, she does not like the doctor. And she freaked out every time I had to take her for anything. And she just so we didn't want to scare her by like, dragging her to like an urgent care at like nine o'clock at night or something. So I was like, You know what, I'm going to call the doctor. And I'm going to, for you know, first thing in the morning, I'm going to get her an appointment, and we're going to go check this out. So that's what we did. You know, I don't think my husband or I slept that night. Um, but first thing in the morning like, this is the other thing. She's also very, she doesn't complain about anything. If something's bothering her, like, you have to guess that because she is not one to complain. She's not one to not be happy. She's just that kind of kid. So that morning, my husband walked into her room while she was getting ready for school and he said that he saw her just sitting on the ground, brushing her hair, but it was almost like she was in like slow motion or something like she could barely like hold the brush or get it through her hair. She was kind of like in a daze like a

Scott Benner 8:57
horror movie. I'm sorry. Like a horror movie. Yeah,

Bonnie 9:01
yeah, it was Yeah. And again, that freaked us out so I

Scott Benner 9:07
juice did you switch to hey, maybe Abby's possessed.

Bonnie 9:11
Yeah, I mean, honestly, like if she were a different kind of kid, and maybe about like, we were like, it was it was you know, it was very scary. And so now that I'm saying and it sounds, you know, strange, but I took her to school because the doctor's office didn't open that early. And I got home and as soon as I got home, I called for an appointment. And they said that they could get her in at like, I don't know, like 930 or something. So I literally dropped her off at school. And then I called the school I was like, Look, I'm going to pick her up. I want to, you know, I want to take her to get checked. I think maybe she has a urinary tract infection. Now, I didn't really think that I was hoping that but I you know, that's what I told them. So I picked her up. And she was kind of like, Why are you picking me up? I was like, You know what, let's go take let's go to the doctor. Let's get let's just get this checked. You know, like, I want to make sure you know People one of the bathroom a lot, let's just say, I didn't want to freak her out or anything. So we get there. And, you know, they, it wasn't our normal doctor, I'd never met this doctor in the practice before. But you know, they had her piano cop and he comes in and he didn't say it right away. He. He said, You know, he was asking me had she been sick before? I forget maybe a few other questions. And then he said, Well, the good news is, you know, she doesn't have a urinary tract infection, said the bad news. Is there sugar in her urine? And, you know, right, then I kind of knew. And I think that they did a finger, a finger stick. And she must have been too high because it didn't register on their meter.

Scott Benner 10:47
Well, I have to let me jump in for a second. There's this one, kind of through line to the story you're telling that keeps popping in my head. And it's the first time I've thought about saying it this way. There's such an interesting vibe about people who have never really been through a medical issue before. And you just explained it perfectly. You know, and we always talk about it, like, oh, I wrote it off for you know, I was hoping it was this, like, when you've never lived with a medical thing, like that's your reaction. And it's pretty reasonable, because most things end up not being anything. And, and then you have something like type one in your life. And now moving forward. Every time someone looks weird, you're like, Yeah, figure out what that is right now. Right, right. You don't even like but it's how like, we found like, like thyroid issues with my kids so quickly, because you're just right away, like, did you notice that his temper didn't seem right there. You know, and you don't jump to like, he might be having a bad day. You're like, let's have his thyroid tested. Right? Yeah.

Bonnie 11:56
Right. It totally changes your outlook. But I mean, before that, you're right. Like, my husband always has a saying, especially like, I've heard him like talk to patients. He'd be like, you know, they'd be like, could it be this? Could it be that? Could it be that and he would always be like, don't look for the zebra, it's probably a horse, you know, like, and, and it makes total sense. And that's, you know, I tend to be the calm one, you know, in those situations, and I'm like, It's probably nothing, it's probably but you know, you're right. It's like after this, you know, you have a different outlook on things. Yeah,

Scott Benner 12:28
once in a while, you're like, you know, there's probably going to be another zebra, like, I'm gonna find it for now. Until we get to the point where we're Abby slow motion walking around her school when I pick her up? Just I don't know, for some reason, would you describe your brushing her hair? I imagine when you got to the school, you look down the hallway, and she was just like, in slow motion coming towards you.

Bonnie 12:50
I mean, yeah, I mean, it was it was crazy. And you know, you feel guilt. As a parent, you're like, how long was this going on? How did I not see it? You know, but he but I just explained to be a common thread.

Scott Benner 13:02
And we just explained how you didn't see it. Because prior to that, people would get sick, and they'd get better and you didn't have to do much about it. You only gave people medication if they were in pain or couldn't breathe, right? I mean, for three kids. That was how you did it. I imagine. It's how everyone does exactly. Well, it seems like it seems like you did a great. What was the time span of that? Do you believe from when you first started thinking? I don't know. Maybe she's got a yeast infection, too. I gotta take her to the doctor. Like what? What was that space?

Bonnie 13:35
I'm probably like, a week, but a week or so. But but probably for a few weeks before that. I was noticing her drinking a lot and peeing a lot. But kept it in the back of my head. Did they? I don't even know how I knew the symptoms of type one day. I really don't. I guess I must have learned that at some point or, but I really don't even know how I knew to associate that. Yeah, because I didn't Google. I didn't Google that.

Scott Benner 14:11
You're like, I am not checking on this. This seems.

Bonnie 14:13
Really I was I was like, almost like in denial. I was like, Nope. You know, because like when you do that, it makes it real.

Scott Benner 14:20
What about when the water bill came and it was so much higher from the flushing water bill went up 23% this month? That's very, that's insane. No, I hear you. I hear that. I don't want anything to be wrong. Especially one now that you know, to you're just sort of like you swallow hard and you're like, hey, look, I need you to go to the doctor. We're going to get this tested. Because I'm worried about this. And it's like, it feels like saying it out loud. Makes it real. But of course, that's silly. It just it just, it just makes it present.

Bonnie 14:53
Exactly. I mean, I didn't even tell the doctor that I would when I made the appointment. I didn't even say that I was worried about her being diabetic. I said, you know, maybe she has a urinary tract infection. Can we check that?

Scott Benner 15:03
Yeah. So I get that. I also want to say that, that's, that's a good idea generally, like, if you have a, if you have a very good feeling about what something might be, you don't want to lead the doctor to it. Right? You want to let them find it. In case you're wrong, you don't want to you don't want them to miss something that they would look for, because you're already pre determining something. But you know, having said that, if you get to the end of the, the appointment, they're like, No, everything's fine. That's when you go, you're sure she doesn't have diabetes, because, right? Because I made the trip and everything, and she can't comb her hair anymore. So let's take a look. Right. And and what was her reaction? I mean, she couldn't run away, I guess, because she was too tired.

Bonnie 15:43
So, right. I mean, she was so the doctor was very nice. And he and this was another thing that I guess I was so ignorant about. I didn't understand what it meant that, you know, he's telling me that she has diabetes, because his you know, he said, Okay, so what you're going to do now is I want you to take her down, we don't live very far outside of the city. So he said, I want you to take her down to Columbia children's emergency room. And I was like, whoa, what do you mean, I was like, why are you sending me down to the city? You know, they're hot. Why can I take her to the hospital here? First of all, why do I take her to the hospital? Second of all, like, why can I take her up here? Why do you and he's like, Well, they're the best there. And I said, Okay, I was like, but you're sending me to a city, children's emergency room, like, I'm gonna sit with her like an emergency room and wait for them to take her. And this still haunts me what he said next, he said, he said, You're going to go down there, and you're not going to wait, because she's going to be one of the sickest kids there. And I said, I don't even understand what that means. Like, what do you mean? Because, yes, I was looking at my child who, you know, was definitely, you know, skinny. And she was, I guess, seemingly tired. And but but it she didn't seem like a sick kids. Me, I didn't see it that way. So when he said that, to me, that kind of like rocked my

Scott Benner 17:20
world a little. Because he's like, he's basically telling you look at the ones that are dying going first, Bonnie, that that's Don't worry about

Bonnie 17:28
right. And I didn't see that in her. I didn't look at her and see that that then. So. So, you know, we did what he said, We, my husband met me at home, we packed up a few things. And we went down. And as I said, it's not very far. And again, they they took her right away. And they we went we were in the emergency room for a while. And I you know, it all started. And this is a kid who I said, you know, is such an easy child. And the one thing she's afraid of is like doctors and shots, you know, the irony, just still, it's laughable. But um, she, you know, they had to put IVs in her and I can't tell you how amazing they were at the hospital. They put those those VR goggles on her. And they had like a child life. Is that what they're called Child Life specialists, or I don't know, they have people at the hospital, I guess, like, in especially in a children's hospital. They come and you know, I guess they help, you know, the doctors, like get done with the done. And so they came and they were like they did you know, they weren't like rushing her. They put these VR goggles on her and they were letting her play this game. And they put this numbing stuff on her arms, you know, before they put the IVs in and like they just made it really as easy as as it could have been. So we were really, really lucky there. And, and they told us that they would move her to the PICU. But they didn't have a place for her yet. So they were going to do everything that they were going to do in the PICU in the emergency room.

Scott Benner 19:20
And she just sort of I mean, was she in decay? She was? Yeah,

Bonnie 19:24
she was I think when they got to the when we got to the hospital, her blood sugar was over 600

Scott Benner 19:30
Oh, it's so interesting how in your mind, it feels like this long journey. And then when I asked you how long it was you thought, well, maybe a week or a couple weeks. But it sounds like when you tell the story. It sounds like you smelled her urine in October and in March.

Bonnie 19:45
You know?

Scott Benner 19:46
I don't mean like yeah, I don't know. I don't mean you told the story of it not well. I mean that it just it's interesting how when something like this happens with hindsight, it gets broken down into these gems. Just very tiny pieces that everything feels so stretched out and, and an important when you look back. Yes, it's really Yeah, it's really something actually. Well, yes. Okay, so obviously she's alright because you're here talking about it. And they sent her now, I have to say this the the tone of your email to me about being on the podcast was just that in general you felt very lucky how everything has happened for your daughter with diabetes. And and so I mean not a lot of people say that but I guess it starts with a really great hospital where they do you know do things well for her I mean, honestly VR goggles to distract a kid. I didn't know that existed.

Bonnie 20:49
I yeah, I had no idea. And it really it really did. You know, obviously she couldn't see what was coming. So that was a plus. And she was distracted. I guess she was playing some game. I don't even know how VR goggles work. But I guess she's playing some game in there. I have a I have a great picture of her like sitting on this hospital bed with like, they put a you know, one of those surgical caps on her and then VR goggles and like, you know, she looks ridiculous, but she was okay. Yeah, you know, she she didn't, you know, freak out like she could have.

Scott Benner 21:23
So once they explained to you that she didn't have lucky charms in her urine, but she had babies I love that these like there's sugar in here to a person who has no idea about diabetes, you would just be like, Okay, is there not sugar in our pay? Like I didn't know that? Like, how would I know that? You know? What kind of direction did you get after she was stabilized? And did they go right to like, how did they teach you about diabetes there?

Bonnie 21:51
So I guess we were really lucky because I I've heard you know people can spend days in in the hospital and she was really only there. We went into the hospital like Thursday morning. And we were home by Friday evening. Wow. So okay, yeah, no it Yeah. What hospital it was Columbia

Scott Benner 22:15
children's. If you're around there and you get diabetes, that's the place to go hey, I'm gonna play the ads. Now. I'd appreciate it if you listened to them. G voc hypo pan has no visible needle, and it's the first premixed auto injector of glucagon for very low blood sugar in adults and kids with diabetes ages two and above. Not only is G voc hypo pen simple to administer, but it's simple to learn more about. All you have to do is go to G voc glucagon.com Ford slash juicebox. G voc shouldn't be used in patients with insulinoma or pheochromocytoma. Visit G Vogue glucagon.com/risk.

Alright, I'm almost done. I just want to thank everyone who has supported me at buy me a coffee.com forward slash Juicebox Podcast. There are almost 300 followers for the page 35 members, and just a bunch of lovely people leaving messages of thanks and support. And a couple of dollars for me to buy a coffee with which I don't do I usually buy hard drives and stuff like that for the podcast with the money, pay my bills, stuff like that. But I'm just going to read you one here's the latest one started listening two and a half years ago, shortly after my daughter was diagnosed. Initially listen for the incredibly helpful information and comfort of knowing that I wasn't alone. I'll explain what that was in a second and comfort of knowing that I wasn't alone still listened to most of the episodes because it helps me to keep ideas fresh in my mind, and for the sense of community. I also like the pieces of life perspective that are mixed in such as enjoying the chance to hold my daughter's hand in the middle of the night during fingerstick. And learning recently that my husband isn't the only male who prefers not to shave his face every day. She thought he was just being lazy. And then she found out I don't like it either. Anyway, find me a coffee.com forward slash Juicebox Podcast, just a ton of kindness there for me and I wanted to take a second to say appreciate it. And that little cash register that you just heard that was indelicate I didn't like that. But somebody just bought a sweatshirt from Juicebox Podcast calm. And my app tells me when that happens. Actually a few people have done it today. Must be because I lowered the price. Anyway. That's kind of an ad for me, isn't it? I'll take it. I don't have to pay for it. I still get it perks of being the boss. Let's get back to Bonnie now shall we?

Bonnie 25:02
Yeah, honestly, like, I could not recommend it more. Um, so she actually never ended up going to the PICU. Because I, I don't even know what they, I don't even know, like what their criteria were, but I guess she, they were managed to, like stabilize her enough that probably by one in the morning, they moved us to a room and not the PICU. So we she was in a room there. And then the next morning they came and they began our education. And I guess they figured we we had enough education, and she was stable enough that we could bring her home Friday evening, you said

Scott Benner 25:51
your husband, being a dentist had anything to do with it? As much as I think that's silly. I'm asking.

Bonnie 25:56
I mean, truthfully, like they, they went through everything with us, and they didn't let us leave, obviously, until, like, we both could, you know, we practice getting shots in, you know, that cushion thing. And then we both stuck our own fingers. And we both had to, you know, do a finger stick on Abby. And, you know, we were really intent, we didn't want to stay in the hospital, we didn't want her to have to stay in the hospital. So we were really intent on like, learning everything that we had to learn as well and as quickly as possible, so that we could take her home. Just because, you know, we wanted, you know, everybody's more comfortable. Nobody wants to be in the hospital. And so I guess we did a good job. And they were also really, really good. And I don't know how it works in, you know, with with most situations. But the the practice that we see is affiliated with the hospital, they're literally right across the street, and they were the ones who came to the hospital. So it's not like I had to find an endocrinologist like this. These were our endocrinologist. And they were amazing from the outset. And they sent us home with pens, and obviously finger sticks. But again, I don't know how my husband knew about this, probably because he sees patients and he's, you know, he sees, I guess he's seen people who have these things, but he knew about continuous glucose monitors. And so before we left the hospital, he was like, I want one and we couldn't get the Dexcom right away. But we left the hospital and she was wearing a libre.

Scott Benner 27:39
He didn't want to smell pee anymore. That's what it was it

Bonnie 27:43
a navy. It's not like ketone film. Yeah, whatever

Scott Benner 27:46
keeps that from happening to me again, let's let's get one of those. So she she rolls out the door with a Libra and some needles. And some pen pens. Excuse me. That's amazing. Really cool.

Bonnie 28:00
No, yeah, no, I mean, yeah, it was great. And then literally a week later, I had a Dexcom on her.

Scott Benner 28:07
Okay, what made you switch? It was just the continuous nature of it.

Bonnie 28:12
Yes. I mean, I, you know, in the short time, we were at the hospital, we were, you know, Googling and looking up stuff. And, you know, Dexcom popped up pretty quickly. And he's like, you know, we want this and it was actually a really funny story. Because, you know, every, obviously everything happens at once. So she was diagnosed, it was December 13. It was two weeks shy of her birthday. She was born on December 30. And then, a week after she was diagnosed, we were set to leave for like, for a vacation. And in the hospital. Like, we, you know, we kept saying to the doctors were like, We shouldn't go away, right? We shouldn't go away. Right? And like, wink, wink, you know, like, please say that, you know, in front of my child, like, we shouldn't go away on this vacation. They're like, No, no, no, they're like, you can totally go it's totally fine. You're gonna be fine. Bring your insulin. You know, bring all your stuff. She's gonna run a little high. It's okay. But yeah, go away. And we're like, Oh, crap.

Scott Benner 29:23
They didn't get the idea that you were scared out of your mind and didn't want to go on vacation. Exactly. Let's try this again. I'm gonna say we can't go on vacation. Right and then you're gonna say yes, that would be a bad idea. Do not go on. Well, listen, it's it's, I mean, they pushed you out of your comfort zone pretty quickly, that's for sure. But I

Bonnie 29:44
was, I'm sorry. We might your phone fell out. So it really was the best possible thing. Did I enjoy that trip? No. But we went and we did it. We didn't kill her. And we learned a lot. And like, literally, we we were leaving early Friday morning. And we were flying too. It wasn't like we were driving or anything. So we had to figure that all out. And literally Thursday night, I slapped the Dexcom on her. Okay, so I and I didn't know anything about it. I, I have to say, I mean, I know, I love Dexcom. And I'm so thankful for it every single day. I know some people have issues with it, or problems, or they say about their customer service. Well, the way I put a Dexcom on her was I called the number and one of the options is like, Are you a first time user? So I clicked, you know, whatever that option was. And I had some woman who literally talked me through the entire process for like, probably like a good hour and a half from like, setting it up to downloading the app to physically putting it on her. Like, I had this woman on speakerphone. I'm like, Okay, now, where do I put it? And she's like, and she was amazing. So I was very happy about that.

Scott Benner 31:09
Yeah, well, that's really, that's, that's what made you I guess what, what made you so vigorous in your, in your pursuit of this stuff so quickly? Like, it sounds like you knew more than you should have at that time? Like, where do you get that information from?

Bonnie 31:27
Honestly, I didn't, I really think my husband was the one who drove that. He was like, you know, I think we're, you know, sitting in the hospital room that night. And, you know, we're not sleeping. And I think, you know, we're on our phones. And he was like, he knew about continuous glucose monitors. So I guess it didn't take him long to figure out, you know, which one. And already, we're like, you know, what, we knew that insulin pumps existed, we just, you know, needed to research about which one? And I think her insulin pump came about four or five months later.

Scott Benner 32:04
Was she on board with that idea? Yes, yeah. Yeah, enjoy the shots.

Bonnie 32:08
No, no, she didn't. She got okay with it. Um, it was hard in the beginning. But, again, she's a very easy child. So, you know, and we're not opposed to bribery. You know, like, you know, do this, and, you know, we can do this or you will get you. Or,

Scott Benner 32:30
it is easy mean, I don't mean to dip in your living room

Bonnie 32:35
like she wants. She's very, she's eager to please. Um, and she's very go with the flow in terms of her personality.

Scott Benner 32:47
But do you think there's something she didn't want to do to make you happy?

Bonnie 32:52
Um, she, I think she saw that, like, you know, wearing the Dexcom meant that we didn't have to prick her finger all the time. So that was what she saw. That was something she wanted, right? And wearing an insulin pump. Yeah, she doesn't like it when we have to change it. But it also means she doesn't have to take shots. So I think she's smart enough to realize all

Scott Benner 33:15
that. Yeah. And I didn't mean that. Like, are you sure you're not a you know what I mean, manipulate? I just meant, like, is it in her nature to say yes to something if she didn't want to? Or would she have the hutzpah to step up? If she had to and say, hey, look, I see that this seems like a good idea to you. But here are my reservations. Like, does she ever? Like Does she ever chime in? Well, she

Bonnie 33:38
as it as a child, it was always funny because she was not. As a young child, she was not a very, like, adventurous child. So like, if there were kids who were like, going down, like a big slide, you know, she would have no qualms about being like, Nope, I'm not doing that. And, you know, and that was fine. You know, like, but I think like, I've heard you say, before, we're also the type of parents where, you know, we'll let them have certain decisions and certain decisions are not going to be totally up to them. You know, we knew that this was probably a better way to handle it. So we would do what we had to do to make her okay with it. But ultimately, you know, I we knew it was better for her.

Scott Benner 34:28
No, I think that's perfect. I'm, I'm on board with what you did. I was just wanted you to explain it because other people are listening. And I can't just tell them everything all the time. Bonnie talk we have to get this point out this point has to come out that that point very simply is that you don't make let nine year olds make, like medical decisions.

Bonnie 34:50
Right, right. Right. I know this is better for you. I know. It sucks. We're gonna do whatever we have to do to make it okay for you. But this is what it's gonna

Scott Benner 34:59
feel are our options. These are the best of them. We're gonna try these and see what happens. Right?

Bonnie 35:05
And I did you know, when I put the Dexcom on her for the first time, she was scared, you know, and I was too I didn't know how it would feel for her. I didn't know if it was gonna hurt. I didn't know if it was gonna be, you know, uncomfortable wearing it. I said, and I said to her, I was like, Look, I was like, we're gonna try this. If it doesn't work, we'll figure something else out. Yeah. But I was like, but I want you to try this. And that's that's really actually how I broach things with her

Scott Benner 35:32
pardons first Dexcom was put on in a doctor's office. That's how long ago Arden got on Dexcom. If you wanted to wear it, you had to go there to have the first one put on. Oh, we had to go into the city, you know, because you had to go to the main building, where like the lady who really knew what she was doing was, and we got there and she didn't do a good job putting it on her. And I drove, you know, an hour home. And she's got How old was Arden then? not that old? I'm guessing around. How about that? I have no recollection of exactly how five maybe is right in that range, one way or the other. And we got home and my wife was there. And she showed it to my wife and everything. And then finally Arden's like, this thing really hurts. And then you're like, Okay, does it hurt? Does she think it hurts? Because she's, like, aware of it? How long do we let that go? And so my wife and I quickly huddled up, I'm like, Alright, what do we do? Here? We go, she really seems like she's in pain. And I was like, I know. But maybe she's just not accustomed to it. Or maybe she's, you know, being her age or something. And we just set a certain amount of time. And I said, Alright, listen, if it still hurts in an hour, I'll change it for you. But we're gonna put another one right back on. Like, I did not want her to feel like all I have to do is say this thing's uncomfortable. And then I don't have to wear it anymore. And I don't know if that's what she was doing or not. But I didn't want the possibility that that's what what she was right. Right. So okay, wait a little longer. She said it really hurt. I went online and research that a little more. And came to the conclusion that I did not see the woman pinch up at all, when she pulled along. She just slapped it on her and like push the button basically. So I put a new one on, I just visually did what made sense to me. I figured like, Okay, well, the sensor comes out this way about this angle. So there needs to be a lot of like, flesh right there. And I put it back on and she was not bothered by the second one. Now, I don't know if I did it a different job. Or if it just was more comfortable to her because I did it. And not that who knows. Right? But right. That's how we handle it. But that my biggest fear in that moment. I guess I should say my biggest fear that Arden was in pain, but that would be a lie. My biggest fear was that she was going to see giving up as an option. Right there.

Bonnie 38:00
Right. Right. And you know, you wanted this for

Scott Benner 38:03
well, you know what to and in hindsight, forget wanted it. I mean, Arden's health is not anywhere near where it is. Now, our understanding of diabetes would not be anywhere near where it is. Now, if we didn't do that that day. Right. So, right, I just had to be that's all.

Bonnie 38:20
I agree with you certain things to have to be and we have to do what we can to make it okay.

Scott Benner 38:26
It would be like if someone said, Listen, you have to have oxygen to walk around all day. And you're like, I don't want to do that. Right, right, right. No, of course you don't, because no one would want to do that. And nobody wants to wear a continuous glucose monitor. That is not a thing that people get up in the morning. Like, I'm super excited, you know what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna work glucose monitor. It's just you have diabetes now. So your rules change. And right now there are different things that you need to do. And right, there are ways to do it with glee and a light heartedness. And they're wasted where you fight tooth and nail the whole way. And I even wonder sometimes when people complain online about companies, if some of it's just not that they're just pissed that they have to do it at all. And then it doesn't go perfectly. So like this place sucks, you know, because you can't say diabetes sucks, because then that kind of gets attached to you. You know, because that feels, feels like it's part of you. So now you're complaining about yourself. So we'll pick an outside thing that's tangentially attached to diabetes. And I bet that thing's horrible. Not to say the companies don't mess stuff up. You know, and sometimes customer service lacks in places and sometimes it's amazing and blah, blah, blah. But I just do wonder what people are mad at when they're mad because you have this thing that showing you your blood sugar, direction and speed constantly. And 20 years ago, people were boiling, you know, their urine defeat, right? Like, hey, nothing's perfect, but this seems way better than the other thing. You know,

Bonnie 39:59
I totally Yeah.

Scott Benner 40:01
So how is she now present day? Like, what's it like for her to have diabetes right now?

Bonnie 40:08
So, um, she's always had a really good attitude. And we have tried so hard to how should I say it? Like, we we keep it really, really light. We, we, she has, she and my husband share the same kind of dark sense of humor. So, you know, they're constantly joking about, you know, you know, if she's low, we're not like freaking out, you know, we're, you know, we're making a joke out of it, you know, she'll, she'll come up to us and be like, I feel low. And my husband will be like, well, is your tongue hanging out yet? You know? Because what it is, you know, you let me know, I'll give you some shoot now. So, and she thinks that's funny. And I think like, the lighter we keep it. The, you know, the easier it is for her, you know, she doesn't. She's not one that looks at herself, like, oh, I have this, like, there was this assignment that she had to write in English class. It was, I guess they had read something. And they had to like, write a poem that was similar to her to it. It was like my birthday wishes or something. And I think a lot of it was like, I wish you know, this wasn't there. And I wish that wasn't there. And I read hers and hers was she, she definitely talked about, you know, COVID And like, I wish you know, I could be in school more. I wish I could see my friends more. I wish you know, this, you know, this disease didn't exist. And I wish I didn't have homework, you know, all like normal kids stuff. And not once did she mentioned diabetes,

Scott Benner 41:51
right? I would have I wish they didn't give Sebastian Stan so many lines in Falcon in the Winter Soldier because

Bonnie 41:57
oh my god, he watched that I watched it was not

Scott Benner 42:00
a great actor. I think he was perfect in the movies, where they just grunted a couple of times and starts emoting. And I'm like, I don't know.

Bonnie 42:11
I wish mon division was longer.

Scott Benner 42:15
Sorry. No, I get I take your point. Like, it's, she doesn't see diabetes right away.

Bonnie 42:20
Yeah, she doesn't see she doesn't see herself like that. And I think like, of anything, you know, we could achieve with this, that that would be what I want, that I don't want her to feel to feel different. I don't want her to, and I don't think she does. So she is fine with it. She and when I when I wrote to you, and I said, you know all like I'm grateful. I'm generally not that person, I tend to be like a pessimistic person. But like in this, like I saw right away, like, I felt lucky that she was the age she was like, I couldn't imagine a you know, a baby, or some but or teenager, a full on teenager, you know, I saw the challenges immediately with that, like, she was definitely young enough. But old enough when she was diagnosed, and we had great support, and we had, you know, she was the type of kid that she was. And I saw that and you know, I she's doing fine. She we obviously, you know, take most of the control with it. But this is the first year that she is texting diabetes with me in school. It kind of helped that. That, you know, she was only going like two days a week for most of the year. So the other days she was home, but even like when we were at home, I can, you know, tell her to Bolus and she knows how to do that. And even like, you know, the nuances of it, like sometimes like, like, if you're below I think if you're below 70. Like the the Omnipod won't let you Bolus.

Scott Benner 44:10
Alright, it's just there you have it set that way. Yeah, I

Bonnie 44:13
must be like, yeah, it won't let you Bolus it'll say or it won't let you use the calculator. I'm sorry. It'll let you Bolus it won't use the calculator. The Bolus calculator. So we figured that out. And now like, she knows that trick, and I think like my husband was going to Bolus her one time and she's like, Daddy, Daddy, don't put 68 you have to put 70 because then it won't let you know. And so she knows that. Does she know how to make like, all the nuances of it like, oh, you know, you're going to eat soon. So you know, you're running low. So I'm not going to Bolus yet like No, she's not making those kinds of decisions. But if I tell her to do something, she can do everything from like, increasing her Basal to extending a Bolus, like if I just tell her how to do it, she'll do it.

Scott Benner 44:59
Right. That's cool. Okay, I think you can lower that number in the PDM, by the way, yeah, yeah. Take a look. Because I had ours. It was possible. I did not want anything telling me I couldn't Bolus so right. Yeah, but take a look, if that bothers you, I think you can change it. Not. But I also take your point about the timing, because not so small, but not old enough where she feels real cemented into, like, This is who I am. And you're interfering with this, like that right thing. And you have a couple of years here to figure out diabetes before the period start, which is nice. Because it is going to get like it's possible, it's going to get more difficult. You know,

Bonnie 45:39
I think it already is like, she does not have her period yet. But I mean, she's growing. She, she eats a ton. And, you know, there are some things like I just don't understand why they happen. And, you know, I'm kind of chalking it up to like, okay, she's growing, or it's hormones, or I don't know what the hell's happening. But it's happening.

Scott Benner 46:03
Yeah, well just stay flexible. Like, I really think that's the fourth wall of of what I talked about, I think it's, you know, Basal Pre-Bolus glycemic load index, and then flexibility after that, because you have to take what you understand and apply it to the situations and the situations are going to continue to morph and move and things like that. And you can't be frozen in that spot where you're like, I don't understand, like these settings work yesterday, like you, you just can't do that you have to be able to say I don't care why, but it appears like more insulin is necessary today than it was yesterday. And that's what I'm gonna do. And I like dark humor part I Arden started working out after classes again. And I'm having trouble beating it into her head to set a Temp Basal prior to working out. So she's doing this exact same workout that is taking her right to 5500 blood sugar every time like it just it's like magic. I said are in luck. Let's just let the you know. And she's, she's not ignoring me. But I think she's feeling something out. And I'm just letting her do it. So she can have the experience if she's like working out coming upstairs needing some sort of like, bar, I don't know. And, and I'm like, You got to eat the bar sooner because it takes longer to digest. It's not hitting the low. And she's like, just kind of like, I'm letting the whole thing happen, let it play out. But she got into the shower the other day after she worked out. And like she wasn't going to make it. So I'm looking at her CGM. And I'm like, it's not gonna work. Like she's not getting out of the shower without intervention of some kind. So I walked by the doors locked, I knocked and she was what, they're gonna die in there. And she goes, I'm okay. And I was like, I appreciate that you feel that way. But you're wrong. And I'm going to bring something into you, you know. So we have, we have this little locks. I don't know if people like get we let our kids lock their doors like because, you know, that seems important to give them autonomy. But you can also unlock the door from the other side. So I just like pop the lock. I'm like, I'm coming in and I my hand just goes over the bar with a juice and then she gave it back and said, Alright, enjoy your shower. You know, I kept going, but she would have wrote it out. Because she's trying to prove something to herself.

Bonnie 48:12
I think right now.

Scott Benner 48:13
So the teenager Yeah. Like I just worked out and took a shower. Like, leave me alone. I have like a whole plan for today. And it involves watching something apparently called Big mouth on Netflix now, which I haven't watched yet. So some I think it's a dirty cartoon. Uh huh. But anyway, yeah, I like it. I like the whole vibe. I like the way you're going after it. I hope it keeps moving that way. A lot of it's got to do with your attitude. Right, which you can't say enough about that. The it's interesting that you said you're pessimistic generally, I think this part of the country like complaining is a sport. I love to complain. I don't even know how to explain to you how much I enjoy complain.

Bonnie 49:00
I mean, yeah, we say that all the time. I think you know, you know, because, you know, we're getting older and we'll be like, Oh, I'm tired. And then we'll like, you know, no, I'm really not. It's just a filler line kind of thing. Just a state of being you know, yeah,

Scott Benner 49:13
no, I just I can't even like I had to stop myself because my wife's like, it's too much. And I'm like, but it's so enjoyable. Like, she's like, Oh my god, I'm not upset. I just love to complain about things. Do you not love to complain about things? I don't I don't know why it's fantastic. But you don't do that about diabetes?

Bonnie 49:31
No. And we we have tried from the very beginning to like, I will get frustrated and I try my very best not to show that to her because I don't want her to ever think that it's something she's doing or and and with food she is I just listened to the podcast about sneaking food and thankfully at least right now like she's not a kid who who's doing that. But she will say to me, you know, even from the very beginning, she will say to me, can I have this? Is that okay? And from the very beginning, I was like, yes, absolutely. I was like, we will figure it out. And in my head, I'm like, Oh crap, do you really, really want to eat that? But in my, you know, I don't I don't say that to her. Obviously, yes, we will figure it

Scott Benner 50:26
out every weekend Bolus for anything in your mom's in your mind's eye. You're like, son of a bitch.

Bonnie 50:34
That's exactly it. I'm like, absolutely, sure. And then I'm like, Oh, I mean, truthfully, the only time I that I still really get upset is if I, if I can't say yes to something like if she's like, crazy high for some reason. And like, she wants something. And I'm like, and even then I'm like, You know what, we can't do it right now. I was like, but I promise you, you will be able to have this. And sometimes like it was even like the next day or something. But I was like, but I promise you, you will be able to have

Scott Benner 51:07
that feeling. That feeling right there is what is how I is how I figured out how to crush it and catch it like that right there. Like that idea of oh my god, we're in a scenario where I absolutely for medical reasons have to say you can't eat that right now. And I don't want to be in that situation. It happened very recently, around the holiday. I think I talked about on the podcast, but it might have been Thanksgiving, where we had a situation, ici explained that. But anyway, excuse me one second. Spring around here, everything's just terrible. Um, I'm gonna forget the exact thing that happened. But I think what happened was she was upstairs. I told her to was at the end of an infusion site, I knew it had to be changed. But there's a miscommunication. Some insulin didn't go in, the pump site got swapped, right as this like treat Type food happened. And I made this massive Bolus that I thought handled it and it didn't. So now it's two hours before Thanksgiving dinner, and her blood sugar was like 270, it was like really higher, way higher than we usually say. So we had this interruption with the insulin. And I just looked at it, and I looked at the food and I was like, alright, the food's gonna be done around here. I cannot let her blood sugar be an issue at that point. And I just, I think I injected some insulin, just to make certain that it was going to work. And I put her into a freefall that coincided with Thanksgiving dinner, because well, that worked. But I just couldn't. I couldn't see. I couldn't stomach the idea that Thanksgiving dinner would roll out on the table. And she'd feel like she couldn't eat. I didn't want that. But from experiences like that in the past, that's how I learned to do that. How I Learned how to Pre-Bolus for cereal so well. Because like, in my mind, I was like if we create a fast enough fall, and time it with that incredible kick of the cereal. Like then that then that tug of war that I make happen with a normal meal I could make happen with this too. And it's most of the things that I figured out that I eventually talked about on the podcast come from a desire to not make Arden's life different.

Bonnie 53:30
Right. Yeah. Right. So

Scott Benner 53:34
and everybody can figure stuff like, trust me, I don't know how many times you need me to say it, but I'm an idiot. So if I figured this stuff out, you really can do it. I mean, I know people say that, and it's supposed to be this thing, but I really am. I'm not. I'm not really good at anything else. Like I'm good at this. Maybe for Arden. You know, they mean? I think if it wasn't an ardent if it was me, I don't even know that I'd be very good at it.

Bonnie 53:58
Well, no, but I mean, I that's what I that's what I want. I mean, I think that's what everybody wants, I want I listen, and I want to I want to be able to do this for her and I want to get good at it. And I don't I mean, she's, she's fine. I mean, her her. A onesie is fine. I mean, I think it's pretty good. But I still I still feel like we roller coaster too much. I don't feel like I have a good grasp of like how to handle the food yet. We definitely always Pre-Bolus I've listened to all of like the pro tips. And and I listen again and again. I'm still trying to get the whole fat protein thing. But I want I want to be I want to be like a diabetes ninja. You're like the Obi Wan Kenobi of diabetes. So I want to get that and I feel like I'm not a good rookie. And we're two and a half years. And I don't know. I guess I feel like I should be better at it than I am but

Scott Benner 55:06
two and a half years in Arden say once he was eight and a half, what's Abby's?

Bonnie 55:11
Well, but she didn't have a didn't she not have a CGM yet?

Scott Benner 55:16
Yeah, but that's not the point. Where are you at? Do not want to say you don't know No, no,

Bonnie 55:20
I would be finally saying we haven't done an in person. A one see, I think for like, almost nine months. We're going next week. But um, but the last time we had an in person, she was around like six, which is, which is No, it's great. But like, I don't know, like, I think like we still have a lot of highs, we still have a lot of lows, I want to get it more stable.

Scott Benner 55:47
The a one C is not the end all be all, obviously you're looking for time, time and range, less variability, and those sorts of things that lead to better health. But my point is that you haven't been doing it that long. And you've just described a situation where things seem pretty healthy for her mentally. And that's amazing. And then you can figure the rest of this stuff out. And you know, dialed in. I don't I always am amazed at how quickly people think it's going to work. You don't mean like, if you made like a different correlation, like if you made me a quarterback in the NFL. And you are a person who two years ago said You know, I'm going to be a quarterback in the NFL. I'm gonna listen to Scott's podcast about being a quarterback. In two years in you were a proficient high school quarterback, would you be like I can't believe I'm not an NFL quarterback yet? Like you wouldn't. You'd be like, Wow, this seems like a long process. It's the fact that it's health. That makes it seem and it is I'm not gonna lie like It's like dire. Feels dire. Right? But you're probably doing amazing. I mean, if you're at a six a one, see, even with some lows and highs, you probably don't see blood sugar's over 200 Very often, right?

Bonnie 57:01
Um, we we do we do?

Scott Benner 57:04
Are the big spikes that you get back right away?

Bonnie 57:08
Yes, yes. Let's just say like, I don't leave her. I don't leave her hot very long. Like, there are nights though. And, and I think it comes down to the food, like I have to get better at the food, um, nights or nights are very hard. I we try I try to do dinner early thinking that like I can, you know, get her where I want to be before she goes to bed, but it never seems to work out that way. Like, it's it's it's almost comical, you know, we'll be like, okay, Abby, go to bed and your third child. So we'd like to teenage siblings, so she does not go to bed early. You know, like my, my oldest, you know, when he was 11. He went to bed at like, I don't know, nine or something. And this kid, you know, can go all night, you know, because the house doesn't stop, you know, till very late. So, you know, it's not like she goes to bed early, but like literally be like, okay, Abby, go to bed. And all of a sudden, like, you know, the beeping starts. And it's like, she's either going up, or she's going down. And again, the only time that I get upset is if I have to disturb her. So like, it's one thing. I hate it when she's high. But at least it's me being up at night and not her being up at night when she's low. You know, I can get her to drink in her sleep. But like, I don't like disturbing her, you know, like I would rather I would rather be me having to be often her having.

Scott Benner 58:37
Well, that sounds like a fun thing. You should tell a therapist, Bonnie, but don't worry about it. Don't Don't let it impact what you're doing in the moment. I mean,

Bonnie 58:49
I know it doesn't, it doesn't like I do what I have to do. I just hate it. You know, I have to bother her.

Scott Benner 58:54
Well, I can't say I don't understand. I can just say that. I would hope you'd find a way past that. You know, because it's a that would be like saying, you know, when you're in the hospital and they draw your blood three in the morning? I don't think the nurse feels bad. No, yeah. The nurses like, well, this is what we have to do. That's right. No and

Bonnie 59:15
Exactly. And, and, and, and, you know, we do what we have to do,

Scott Benner 59:19
but you don't want it to happen. And you hear that it's not happening to some people. Yes,

Bonnie 59:24
yes. Yes. And, and I really, really want the new Omnipod Yeah. Yeah, I'm like, you know, on bated breath for that. Because I think I almost feel like, like, I'd be cheating a little bit, but I'm okay with that.

Scott Benner 59:43
That's the weirdest thing you've said so far.

Bonnie 59:46
But is it really I mean, like, I want to figure it out, and I am trying to figure it out. But if that can help me then you know, that's okay, too.

Scott Benner 59:57
I wouldn't. I don't think Subscribe to that idea at all. So I get that you want to be able to figure it out, and that it feels like you should be able to do it with a hammer and a screwdriver. And you don't, and you don't want to Tesla getting any mean like, but if if that's what works, then that's what works. I yeah, I know for anybody who would say, Well, what would happen? If one day Abby grows up and doesn't have insurance and she can't afford her on the pot of five anymore? To that I would say, well, then we'll take all these great years of health. And then Abby can figure it out. Right, right. Because whatever Abby figures out when she's 11 isn't going to be applicable when she's 35 to begin with. So it doesn't matter, right. So I don't understand people are like, No, skip the technology, really bare bones, like, you should know how to give a shot, you should know how to stop a spike, you should know how to fix a low, like, and you know, all that. So if there's, if there's, if there's going to be technology that is going to I'll tell you that I think the algorithms are most valuable at stopping lows. Okay, so so let's just say if there's a piece of technology that at eight o'clock at night, can say to itself, at 10, this girl is going to get low, I'm going to start taking her Basal away now. So that that doesn't happen. That's not cheating. That's amazing.

Bonnie 1:01:21
Oh, I know, I cannot wait for it. I cannot wait for it, you know, and again, I feel very lucky that like, you know, she was diagnosed at like a really good time. You know, in terms of technology, you know, there's so much and it's just getting so much better every day that you know, I couldn't ask for more than that.

Scott Benner 1:01:44
This is it. And I mean, you and I are recording now in May. And in all honesty, June July, this might not go up until like Halloween. So, you know, you and I are the only one saying it, I would be really surprised if on the pod fives not out pretty soon. So and then it just comes down to insurance. And you know, and in getting it going. I'm excited to go for like I love looping. But I want to try on the part five I don't loop has that link that goes between so I'm so sorry, give me a second. I'm gonna have to cut this out. Dying over here. Your loop has I think it's that I didn't have it this morning. Loop has um, loop has you know phone algorithm on your phone. It has the CGM it has the pump. And then there's this other thing that links them all together. It's this sort of bridge right? Some people call Riley link Arden's using an orange link. But it's another thing to carry around. Whereas on the pod five will have the algorithm printed right on the board of the Omni pod, like so it lives with you. So you could walk away from your phone, you could walk away from anything, and the algorithm will keep working. That, to me is very cool. And an art and once that now you can be more aggressive with loop because the settings are user definable. And there's no FDA telling you what to do, right. So we have to get on the pod five and see how I can't wait to get it and see what I can figure out what you don't mean like, I'm assuming that targets going to be like 110 That seems to be where the FDA is putting everybody. So I can't wait to see how you can kind of be more aggressive with settings and and do what we need to do. Now in the end, I'm going to do whatever is best for Arden. But taking Arden out of the picture for a second. Ali part five is going to, for most people living on insulin, it's going to make an incredible improvement for their health. And that's really the focus should be like it's you know, if you have a 4.8 a one C and you're eating, you know, keto, and maybe this thing isn't for you, like I don't know, but you're in a very special situation if that's you. So for most people, people are walking around with eight 910 A one sees people with 12 A one sees who have just resolved themselves like I'm gonna die. It's okay. I'm not like and there are people doing that. Like, I know that you listen to the podcast, it doesn't feel that way and interacting online through the Facebook page for the podcast, you think Oh, everybody's trying so hard. But there are also people who are trying really hard to have absolutely no success and, and have resolved themselves to it. This thing, you could slap this on them and make a major improvement in their life in no time. That's the that's the leap. And then, okay, well, we're gonna I mean, I'm gonna personally be up on the pods but to make it more customizable, and you know, every time I talk to them I mentioned I've been doing it for years. So I'm sticking up for you guys with a lot of different companies. Behind the scenes. I'm always making the case for people who are I'm very involved and need the autonomy to make decisions. So I don't know how valuable I am. But I'm always in there swinging for everybody. Well, it can't hurt. And it can't hurt just to mention sometimes because you don't realize too sometimes you're talking to somebody in a company. Like they're making a thing. They're not like, they're not living your life. You don't mean like, they're like, look, this is my job. I make an insulin pump. Here it is, you know, we've done it. It's an amazing improvement for a vast majority of people with type one diabetes. From their perspective, it's an incredible thing. And they're not wrong. No, it is right. But they need to hear from everybody. So

Bonnie 1:05:38
write real real life experiences. No, I am so excited for it. I can't wait.

Scott Benner 1:05:46
I can't wait to I just emailed my guy. Two weeks ago, and I was like, Is there any news of when, you know?

Bonnie 1:05:58
Yeah, it's like radio silence every time I've called they're like, they don't know anything. They haven't been given any information. And I get that, you know, right. Yeah, I'll wait.

Scott Benner 1:06:08
Yeah, I don't get well listen, Mike, my I'm not calling customer service. But I have guys there. And at the same time, it's still like, you know, I don't know where I can't say or, you know what I mean? Like, there's, there's a lot of considerations for a public company, trying to get something through the FDA is a very

Bonnie 1:06:30
process has to be yes. Crazy. And plus, with COVID. And everything, everything was kind of slow down, I'm sure.

Scott Benner 1:06:36
Yeah. And just regulatorily they can't step up. And like, let's say, just take Company X thought that something was going to be ready on June 10. I'm now literally making up numbers. And they quickly start saying we expect that the FDA is going to on June 10. Like, that's not good. The FDA doesn't love that. Right? So you have to sit very quietly and say we're in the process, we feel good about it. You know, we think it's going to happen in this time frame that that language is not to keep you upset that language is the language they have to use. So, yeah, it's it's very interesting. Is there anything Barney that we have not spoken about that you wish we would have?

Bonnie 1:07:18
Um, no, I mean, it was it was really nice talking with you. I, I love listening to the podcast, I found it pretty much right after she was diagnosed a friend of mine, very good friend of mine, you know, when she was diagnosed, I guess, you know, people were like, what, what can I do? What can I do? And she, I guess, did some research and she emailed me like a whole list of like resources, and one of them was your podcast. And truthfully, I didn't even know how to listen to a podcast, I had to ask my older son. I was like, so So how does this work? And he showed me that there was an app and everything like that. But um, but it was it was very helpful. It was helpful. It's always helpful to like, hear other people's experiences. I love the Pro Tip series and the defining diabetes. I loved the one you did with one were it was almost like, what? What do you what should you somebody who, what do you tell like a family member? Oh, who? What do you want them to say? I can't think of I can't describe it well enough. Do you know what I'm what I'm talking about?

Scott Benner 1:08:38
I do. And ironically, I'm the worst person to describe the podcast to people because I'm so far ahead of where all of you are, right. You're that you're just like, I'm like the I'm like the guy that gets the episodes like before they come out. And so now I'm looking on my own website. Cuz that and that feels douchey just so you know,

Bonnie 1:09:01
No, I'm talking about like, yeah, I love that one. And I gave that one. I sent that one to like, all of my family and all of my friends. And I'm like, this, this is like diabetes basics. And like, this is what you know, I want you to know, and this is how I want you to talk about it to me, or you know, that kind of thing. So I love that one's episode

Scott Benner 1:09:24
371 It's called diabetes pro tip explaining type one.

Bonnie 1:09:28
Yes, that one. And I think that was really important. Because I actually really liked talking about it. I like when people ask me questions. So you know, oh, she's she's, she's high. What does that mean? Okay, well, that means and, and I think it's really important, and I keep trying to tell Abby, you know, again, maybe it's her. It's the age that she's at, but she's not. She doesn't hide her her Omnipod or her Dexcom. She paints the pods. Michigan loves it when people notice, like if they're pretty. And, you know, I keep telling her, you know, it's important that people that you help people understand this. So if people have questions, or if they're looking at something, you know, that's your opportunity to be like, Oh, well, this is what it is. And this is what it means. And, you know, I think that that's, that's really important. So I definitely took to that episode.

Scott Benner 1:10:31
I'm glad. I'm glad you liked it. I really am I, I love this podcast. So I you couldn't get me mad about it. I think it's amazing. I love how it finds people at all different parts of journeys, and that it seems to be able to help them like I just heard that from you. And at the same time, if I open my email, the email I got right before I went to bed last night was from somebody who's had diabetes for over 30 years and found the body. Yes, it did the exact same thing for them that it did for you. And so that's super exciting to me, that it that it applies. Took me years for people to say, Oh, this is just for parents, right? Like that. That would happen to me for years. And I was like, No, it's not like it works for everybody like insulin works the same in us. It does and a little kid. Fascinating, isn't it? And it really is. Yeah, right. So while everybody else is busy saying, you know, your diabetes may vary. I was like, Yeah, I get that. But I don't think that's true, necessarily. Like I mean, I do you see that it's different from person to person in scenario to scenario there's ton of variabilities. But at its core, Basal does what Basal does, you know, your Bolus is do what they do. And I think that along the way, people's misunderstanding about how insulin works, or their inability to apply it correctly, is what makes them think that diabetes varies so much. Because I know what Arden's blood sugar is. Meaning I can picture her last 24 hours. And if you picked up Arden throughout the window, brought a different person in here and drop them in here and said here, Scott, fix this person settings and and treat them like It's Arden for a day, then I'd have that person's blood sugar that way too late. And so so if that's the truth, and it is, then I think at with time, then anybody could do that. It's just important when you hear me say that to recognize that Arden's had diabetes since she was two, she is going to be 17 in a month or two, that I have been terrible at diabetes. I've been okay at it. I've been good at it. And I've been where I am now. And that it's a process and you're going to get to it. But you don't have to have 350 blood sugar's while you're figuring it out.

Bonnie 1:12:43
But no. And I also, like, I think that's also really important to hear, you know, because, yes, you're, you know, a master at it now. But I think it's also very important for people to hear you know, what, I sucked at it at one point. So, yeah, because, as parents, like, you know, we do feel bad when things don't go right for our kids, you know, where, you know, are like, I mess this up, or, you know, I'm doing harm to my child, you know, and, and

Scott Benner 1:13:12
a certain way, adults with type one feel the same exact way. They feel like they're hurting themselves. And it's just right, yeah, but they have the luxury of giving up where parents and I don't mean luxury in the exact sense of the word, but they do they have the luxury of being like, Oh, I can't do this, and like kind of letting it go in their head or pushing it to the back and not dealing with it. Whereas a parent, you're never going to be able to do that. Right? You know, you're just always gonna be like, I got to figure this out, I got to figure this out. I have to tell you that no one's ever equated me to anything from Star Wars. And I really appreciate that as a person who this is probably a story. I'll leave you with that. I don't think anybody have any reasonable age. That's not old can appreciate. But when the Empire Strikes Back came out in theaters. I believe it was 77 or 78 ish in that space, which makes me 678 years old, somewhere in there. And my entire school went to see the movie. Oh, wow. So my entire school, went to the front doors we lined up. So imagine every kid in the school got in a double line. It started at the front door. And it was it's like all through the building. And we just walked out the front door through the parking lot out to a sidewalk, probably a block and a half to the left, two blocks to the right, three blocks back to the right to the right again. We crossed a major highway like situations it's not like a highway but like a massive like five lane road. That and we've crossed that road into the parking lot of a strip center. We walked through the front of the parking lot into the front of this little Mall. And then we filled three theaters for theaters. Were all showing the Empire Strikes Back my entire school solid together. And then we went out the door. And then we went back the same exact way, a snake of children going through a town to go see Star Wars, which probably seems silly now that you can download it onto your phone.

Bonnie 1:15:21
But back then Well, right. But yeah, that's how we

Scott Benner 1:15:24
had to get to it. And it made it. It made it like huge in my mind, I miss your mommy to say something old. I missed that there's, I don't dislike that there's so many options in the world. But when things were more special, it made things more special. Like so. Oh, I'll never forget that. But I do not remember downloading movies that I loved. So I'll never have a story about that. That's for sure.

Bonnie 1:15:52
So now I remember when I remember seeing et and waiting for it to come out on VHS. And it was Monday, let's not like these things happened. Like quickly like they do now you know, where they're like, in the movie theater. And then like, you know, a few months later, you know, on streaming or whatever. But um, but yeah, no, it was no more than once. It was like a year or something before it came out. And I just remember waiting.

Scott Benner 1:16:22
Waiting and waiting waiting to see it one more time or exactly the Charlie Brown. Halloween special was only on once for 30 minutes a year and you haven't really defined it anywhere else. Which is Which by the way now that it's it's up. I can watch it whenever I want. I realize it's not very good. But great. But when you it's really just a bunch of little cartoon kids calling one kid stupid.

Bonnie 1:16:46
Right, right. When you break it down. Yeah, it's like

Scott Benner 1:16:49
that guy sums up. Let's throw a rock. It's basically like that. But yeah, that you could only see it one time. Like I remember being in a restaurant the Friday night that it was going to be on one time and and just sitting there sweating bullets looking at my parents like you. Don't you make it wait for Charlie Brown. Like we got to get home. And then just flopping yourself on the floor and watching it like he didn't move. You sat you watch the commercials? Because you were afraid if you walked away, you'd miss something. And, and that's why I know the mountains and enjoy commercials so well. Because they would always say true.

Bonnie 1:17:26
That's true. Like the kids I don't think no commercials very well. They don't watch.

Scott Benner 1:17:31
That's why when I'm singing jingles in my house, and my kids like what's wrong with you? I was like, oh my god that's drilled in my head. I can't forget that if they would have put out in commercials. Yeah, no algebra. Anyway, Bonnie is really nice talking to you. I appreciate you doing this.

Bonnie 1:17:49
It was nice speaking to you. Thank you. It's my pleasure,

Scott Benner 1:17:52
really. A huge thank you to one of today's sponsors, G voc glucagon, find out more about evoke hypo pen at G Vogue glucagon.com Ford slash juicebox. you spell that GVOKEGL. You see ag o n.com. Forward slash juicebox. I want to thank Bonnie for coming on the show and sharing her story. I want to thank you for listening for sharing the podcast with other people. And for just general and just generally for being terrific. I really appreciate how much you guys support the show. And listen and download and subscribe and I couldn't ask for anything more really wonderful group of people. Thank you so much. I'll be back very soon with another episode.


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