#2001 Brooke Died Three Times
Brooke Died Three Times
Brooke died three times in one day when her daughter was four months old. Four years later, a week after a clean checkup, Reese was in DKA.
Jump to a moment
- When her daughter Reese was four months old, Brooke went into cardiac arrest three times in one day. She was 35 and healthy, but she was postpartum, not eating, low on potassium, drinking caffeine around the clock and on medications that prolonged her QT. Her husband, Rob, has no medical training. He did seven to eight minutes of CPR, to the beat of "Stayin' Alive," until paramedics arrived. She flatlined again in the ambulance and again at the hospital. She had an unshockable rhythm, so an AED couldn't help. Only hands-only CPR brought her back each time.
- It changed how she lives. She left her job as a bank branch manager to stay home with Reese, barely left the house for almost a year, still lives with health anxiety and PTSD, and hasn't had caffeine in five years. She now speaks for the American Heart Association and pushes everyone to learn hands-only CPR.
- Reese started drinking a lot during a summer heat wave, then began wetting herself standing in the living room and woke up once soaked in sweat. Brooke told the pediatrician she was worried about type 1. A finger stick read 83. The pediatrician passed on a urinalysis, ran only a CBC with no A1C and said she saw no red flags.
- About a week later, right after Reese's fourth birthday, she was subdued, gagging at breakfast, and couldn't get comfortable. Brooke's mother-in-law took one look at her and said go to the ER. Reese's breathing was labored and her lips looked blue. The receptionist took one look and called for a patient assessment stat. Her blood sugar was 616 and she was in DKA. She spent four days in the hospital, with some kidney damage that reversed.
- Reese was on injections and a sliding scale for five months and got a CGM about a month in. Now she has a pump and a Dexcom, does her own pump changes and finger sticks, and explains her devices to other kids. Brooke had her above 85% time in range before kindergarten moved lunch to 10:50 in the morning. Scott's answer to whether it gets easier: the routine will keep changing, but over time the changes stop feeling like problems and start feeling like things you know how to handle.
- Learn CPR — American Heart Association — Find a local hands-only CPR or full CPR class
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Every word of the conversation
Welcome and Sponsors0:04
Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Juice Box podcast. On today's episode of the podcast, there will be nothing that you should take as advice, medical or otherwise. So please, please consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. I've got two OG sponsors for you today, Omnipod five and Dexcom. That's right.
The episode that you're about to enjoy was brought to you today by Dexcom and the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. You can learn more and get started today with my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. And this little slice of podcasting perfection is also brought to you today by the Omnipod five. The Omnipod five is a tube free automated insulin delivery system that has been shown to significantly improve a one c and time and range for people with type one diabetes when they've switched from daily injections. You can learn more and get started today at my link omnipod.com/juicebox.
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Meet Brooke1:59
Hello. My name is Brooke.
Brooke, I'm Scott. It's nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too, Scott.
Thank you. Why do we, why do we have you here on the podcast today?
Because I am the mother of a fairly newly diagnosed type one diabetic little girl.
What's fairly newly mean?
Within the past year.
Okay. And for... Just for context for people, it's September now. So sometime in 2026 this happened?
No. It was in 2025.
Gotcha. Within the past twelve months, it happened.
Yeah. You got it.
Gotcha. How old is she?
She's five. So she was diagnosed a week after she turned four.
Oh, well, it must have been upsetting. She's... We'll we'll find out about it. Any other kids?
No. She's our only.
Only, like, that's enough or only, like, only so far?
Only, like, life circumstances have dictated that she's gonna be it, but she is more than enough to fulfill us.
Very nice. Were you planning on more kids?
I was. Yeah. We we definitely were. But, you know, life when you make other plans. Right?
Yeah. So what happened? You cried so much you ran out of moisture? You couldn't do it again? Like, what happened exactly?
IVF, Then Three Cardiac Arrests3:16
Well, honestly, we went through IVF to have her. And then when she was four months old, I suffered three cardiac arrests in one day. And I was in a coma. And, you know, I just, after that, thought it wasn't really worth the risk of putting my body through another pregnancy.
Oh, Brooke. Brooke. Brooke. I had no idea. Is that not in the notes?
I didn't look at the notes. I I... Can you imagine if I... It was there? I bet you can't listen to that song where it goes, giving me a heart attack, attack, attack, attack.
Right? Because that's
probably Literally. Yeah. No. Crazy. You know?
And I always say that was one of the craziest things that ever happened to me. But, honestly, what happened to Reese, my daughter, is is far worse. But, I mean, yeah, incredibly traumatic, came out of nowhere. Life.
I I have questions. So other women in your family have, like, successfully had children without trying to die, or is this a common problem?
Yeah. No. This was a complete fluke. This has never happened to anyone else in our family. Cardiac arrest is is is not something that was even in our brains when it happened to me.
It was just circumstances. You know, I was postpartum, and I wasn't eating, so my potassium was really low. And I was drinking caffeine around the clock. I was on medications that prolonged my QT. And, basically, I was just asking my heart to do way too much, and it couldn't keep up.
And so one of my coronary arteries collapsed, and I died three times in one day. And my husband, Rob, saved my life with CPR. He had to do CPR for seven to eight minutes until paramedics arrived.
Get out of here. Oh my god. So you... You're Insane. How old is the baby at that point?
So she was four months old.
Okay. So baby is lying on the floor in a crib or in a swing or something. Yeah. He's... You are talking.
Like, do you feel unwell? Is there any indication that something's gonna happen?
I Was Okay Until I Died5:10
You know, it was a normal day until it wasn't. I always say I was okay until I died. Like, I think maybe a half an hour leading up to it, had told him, you know, I'm not feeling so great. I think I'm gonna go lay down. And I was snuggling our daughter, and then I texted him and I was like, I am not feeling so well.
Can you come back here? And, you know, of course, he tried to reassure me. It was in November. We thought maybe I was catching a virus or something. It was that time of year.
And so I just... I... We we chalked it up to, you know, nothing serious because we had no reason to think that it would be something serious. I was perfectly healthy. I was 34 years old.
I had never had heart issues. And he... I texted him again, I said, hey. Something is not right. Can you come back again?
And he came, and at that point, he found me in the bathroom. And I was fanning myself and coughing and clutching my chest, and I was like, there's something wrong. And we had friends over to watch football, so he went to say goodbye to his friend. And by the time he came back a minute later, I was dead, face down on the shower, gray, foaming at the mouth. I was I was gone.
Flat line.
My god. Oh, jeez. We're never gonna talk about your kid's diabetes. Hold on a second. So wait.
So... Oh, oh, so does he have any medical background at all?
No. Not at all. He he watches movies, and so he's like, I've seen this in a lot of movies.
Oh, I a 100% could have saved you with what I've learned on Grey's Anatomy. I think for sure. For sure. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so... Okay. Okay.
Okay. Let's slow down. I'm excited. Obviously, you have you have a terrible story. I'm somehow elated by.
I apologize for that right off the bat. But but
It's a wild story, though.
It certainly is. And and so he calls 911 Mhmm. And he thinks, I cannot raise this baby by myself. I have to save this woman. And then A
100%.
Right. Right. Right. And then he gets you... What does he just turn you over and decide, I'm gonna try CPR?
What does he do for a living? Tell me that first.
Yeah. So he's in project project management management and and safety safety equipment. Equipment Okay. Okay. Kind of inspections and stuff like that.
God, no skills around this whatsoever. Okay. No.
Oh, no. I always say, Scott, that I'm glad I didn't piss him off that day
Oh, I'm wondering right
now. Looked at me. Yeah.
Are you even allowed to be mad at him now? I mean, does he walk through the house, snap his fingers, and yell, get naked? And you're like, oh, okay. Like like, I mean, like, what's the level of, like like, how how much do you feel like you owe him, I guess?
I owe him my life. It's about five years. So that has worn off a little bit, but I always... You know, look, we still fight, but I try to remember in the back of my mind. I'm like, okay.
He saved your life. He saved your life. Don't be a bitch. You know? It's hard.
Like, I would have another heart attack, and he might look at me and hey. You know what? The first time, okay. But I know.
I know. It's wild.
Oh my god. So... Okay. So he performs CPR to keep you from... Like, I don't understand.
What does the CPR do for you while nine one one...
CPR to Stayin' Alive7:59
Okay. So CPR, basically, the main thing when someone has a cardiac arrest and their heart stops is preventing brain damage. And so by him doing the CPR on me, it kept enough oxygen pumping through my blood to get to my brain so that I didn't have brain damage, which I don't know if you've ever done CPR on a dummy or anything. It's incredibly hard. And imagine the adrenaline and knowing that, like, your your wife, your person who you have chosen in this world is dead, and it depends on you to bring them I mean, I can't imagine what he was going through.
But he he said he just... I don't know. The endorphins kicked in, and, you know, we had a baby. Like you said, he was like, I can't I can't do this alone. And he had a fantastic 911 operator, and he literally...
They always say, staying alive. That song is such a good beat to do it too. So he did it to staying alive. Jeez. No kidding.
He did it well enough that I didn't have brain damage.
Wow. That's really amazing. And, okay. Now he does it, and they get there. But it happens again?
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The Ambulance and the ER11:09
Yeah. So they put me in an ambulance. He didn't know at that point that it was a cardiac arrest. You know, it all happened so fast he didn't really know exactly what it was. But they put me in an ambulance.
They didn't know where they were taking me yet because they weren't really sure what happened to me at that point because I was young and otherwise healthy. Originally, they they suspected it was an overdose even though I I do not do drugs at all. But because they saw me who was young and in good shape and they had no reason to think it was my heart, they treated it as an overdose. And so I think it took them a while to realize that that wasn't the case because they used Narcan on me three times, and clearly that didn't work because that wasn't the problem. So when they finally figured out it was my heart, they were taking me to the local hospital that's known for really good heart, you know, heart outcomes.
Yeah.
So when I was in the ambulance, I flatlined again. And yet again, the the weird thing about me too is that I had what is called an unshockable rhythm. So that means that an AED, a defibrillator, would not work for me. The only way to bring me back was hands only CPR. So they had to do hands only CPR on me again for another couple minutes.
And again, I I was revived, but I never regained consciousness during any of this.
Mhmm. You don't remember any of this. Right?
Handcuffed to the Bed12:30
Oh gosh. No. No. And then when they got me to the hospital a few hours later, they were gonna run test day because at that point, they knew it was my heart. And the nurses just happened to be in the room, and I flatlined again.
And so they did CPR for another eight minutes and revived me once again. And at that point, I think I woke up a little agitated. From what I understand, when you come back from something like this, you're kind of combative. And so I was, like, trying to throw hands or something. I don't know.
So they handcuffed me to the bed and they put me in a coma.
No. Okay. Hold on. Slow down. So the first...
My first and really, I feel like my most important question is, can I get your husband on the podcast to talk to him about how he felt while he was doing the the CPR? Please work on that for me in the background. And then the and the second thing is as the flat line is approaching, do you feel anything? Pain? Like, this...
Like... Do you know what mean? Like, what's it feel like to die, I guess, is my question.
Right. Right. It's it's crazy. I I don't... Luckily, I think my body and my mind have blocked out a lot of that trauma.
I mean, I have PTSD. Don't get me wrong. But I don't remember specifics. I only know what they told me, which was that I was kind of just complaining. Like, I don't feel well.
I'm nauseous. I'm gonna throw up. My chest hurts. But I'll be honest. It really...
I didn't know you could just be walking around and then drop dead. Like, that's how fast it happened. I really didn't even know what hit me. I I might have felt uncomfortable for a couple of minutes, and then I was just gone. So...
That feels insane.
I can't even tell you.
Yeah. It feels insane. Right? To to think... Yeah.
It... And to this day, if you, like, pull a muscle in your shoulder or something, or do you, like, lay flat down and yell, here it comes? Are you like, Elizabeth, I'm coming, all the time, or what do you do?
Health Anxiety14:17
Yeah. I have a lot of health anxiety now and a lot of, you know, every chest pain. I'm like, oh lord. Here comes again. But, you know, like I said, it's been about five years now.
There was a time where I didn't think I'd ever be okay again. I didn't think I'd ever be able to function or drive or live or laugh. But time really does heal and have come a long way, but it's always there in the back of my mind. And sometimes when it... When I think of it, it really takes my breath away.
You have to go to therapy for that?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. Does he go to his own therapist for what I'm assuming is, like, the worst eight minutes he's ever experienced? Or...
You know, my husband's very stoic, and he does not... Yeah.
Mhmm. Mhmm. Mhmm. He's holding it. I'll get it out
of He probably should.
Make him go on the podcast. I'll make him cry. I just 100%. As... Actually, I'll take it as a challenge to make him cry.
What do think? Oh, wow. Oh my gosh. And so now, like, with with, you know, hindsight, no heart issues in your family. It's just the...
It's the it's the kind of collection of all the things that was going on?
Yeah. Well, what's crazy is that out of... So I've got my two parents and one sister. And out of all of us, I was the only one that didn't have high blood pressure, who didn't have, you know, cholesterol issues. I was really in good shape.
I felt great. But no. No one in my family has ever had a significant incident like that. Thank goodness.
You're like walking out of Thanksgiving, like, gonna outl outlive all you mother. And it's... I mean, right?
It's crazy how... I don't know. But then, you know, when you face your own mortality head on like that, it's like it's it's very sobering. And I don't know. It's, yeah, it's it's a lot to unpack.
How long does the everything's beautiful? We're all so lucky to be here. How long till that wears off?
No. I don't know that it ever really
You still have it? Yeah. It's still a fine moment. Cuts you off in traffic and you're like, it's okay. Kumbaya, baby.
Like, is it... Or... You know what I mean?
It depends on the day. It depends on the day. Yeah.
That's fair.
But I'm I'm still feisty, and it didn't that away from me.
But but overall, did it change your outlook on being alive and what it means?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. For sure. I mean, not everybody gets a second chance, and I really did get to come back from the dead, and I don't take that for granted.
Can you contextualize? Like, I mean, is there a way you see, I don't know, life that that you think other people who haven't had this experience don't see it?
That's a loaded question. When you talk you talk
to people, right, and people, like, have their reactions about things, and you must think, like, I one time had a heart attack three times. Yeah. Yeah. No?
Yeah. Mean, you know, I I really do try to not sweat the small stuff, but, you know, life is stressful. But I I do try to stay more grounded in gratitude and, you know, the bill that's looming over my head doesn't matter as much because I'm alive. And sometimes I tell myself that. I'm like, okay.
Whatever's pissing me off right now, I'm here feeling that emotion, and that's a blessing because I could just as easily be six feet under and not worried about a bill or not worried about this stressor right now. And so I guess in that regard... Yeah.
That's how I think about everything. Like, I... I've just, like there's no way... I mean, when I I I I think I said this recently, so I'm I'm sorry to say it again. But I was talking to Arden about something, and and I said to her, like, when people are upset, I always wanna remind them.
Like, think back in the past. It's something you've been upset about in the past that seemed really horrible that you don't remember anymore. This thing that you're going through now, that'll feel like that one day too. So Yeah. You know what I mean?
Like, so this thing is... It... It'll be gone, and you won't even remember it. But when you when you understand the, like... I mean, do you go on more vacations now?
Do you... Like, is it... Has it changed anything about how you day to day live?
Leaving the Bank18:20
Well, I stopped working. I was a branch manager at a bank before, and it was a really stressful job. And, you know, I was just like, I don't need this stress right now. And I have this baby who it took me so long to have via IVF. And I was like, you know, I don't need that stress right now.
And so I became a stay at home mom when before I was really, really career oriented. But I just realized that, you know, life is precious, time is short, and I wanna spend every second that I can raising my baby. And Good for you. I mean
That's awesome. Good for you.
I It's been great.
That's wonderful. Is there any connection between IVF and what happened to you? Is there a thing, like, if could I find a Facebook group of women who have had heart attacks after IVF? Or like have you been able to find any connection to anything at all?
No. I don't think so. And I even asked the doctors when I came out of my coma. I said, is this related to my pregnancy? Is it related to any of that?
You know, I had so many questions for them, and they said, no. It was just... I mean, I think that me being postpartum didn't really help because I think my hormones were crazy. My anxiety was off the charts. As a first time mom, I don't think it helped, but I don't think it was a direct contributor to what happened to me.
I think it was just a circumstance. But... No. I mean, I don't know. And ninety percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest die, so I really am very, very lucky to be here.
It's really crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Do do you... Oh, it was my question.
Do you have other autoimmune issues in your family, or do you have any autoimmune issues?
No. No. I have... I mean, no. Not that
Hashimoto's thyroid
No. Like You know what? My mom has thyroid issues. Yes.
I'll find it. Okay. So there's there's... Mom has thyroid. How about celiac?
Anybody pooping after dinner a lot? Are we a very anxious group of people?
I'd say we've got our anxieties. Yeah. I'm probably the worst of all, though. But, you know, that's that's fair considering what happened to me.
Were you were you more anxious, or are you more anxious now than you were before all this?
Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. It's... It changes you and the way that you... You know, I'm scared of dying again.
I've been there and done that, and I don't recommend it. And so now I just kind of constantly live in that fear that, you know, I realize how quickly it can happen, and that's a... That's so scary.
Yeah. Oh, heart attacks lead to depression pretty consistently for people.
Yeah.
Did you go through that?
A Year Inside20:55
Oh, yeah. I... Like I said, I I didn't really leave my house for almost a year, and I wasn't able to be left on my own. You know, my husband would leave for work, and I would have to have my mother-in-law or my mom come and sit with me because I just couldn't really function well enough to even take care of the baby on my own. I was scared if I dropped dead, and she was there helpless.
It was it was a rough probably year and a half to two years after what happened to me, and I didn't think I'd ever feel like myself again. And I still say the Brooke that I was before died that day, there are still pieces of her in me. But overall, I don't think I'm the same person in a lot of ways.
Yeah. No kidding. Oh, sure. You're the perfect person to ask this, like, odd question to. But if you could know the date of your death, would you wanna know?
Probably not because my anxiety... I would I would I would waste every second worrying about it and thinking about it. It would consume me. I would ruminate. And so, no.
I'm I'm glad I didn't know what was coming that day because I... Honest to god, I had no idea what hit me. I look back at videos and pictures from that day, and I think this poor girl had no idea. I mean, we had our first family Christmas pictures taken twenty four hours before, and I look at them now and I'm like, I was blissfully unaware. I looked healthy.
I was having our first family Christmas pictures taken. I had no idea what was coming, and I think that was a blessing, honestly.
Yeah. Because I'm not I'm not making this up. Right? From... If you don't text your husband that you're not feeling well, eventually, he walks to the back of your house to wonder where you are and you're dead.
Mhmm. Yeah. Oh, Jesus. Yeah. Thank you for coming on the podcast with a nice, like, new story that nobody else has ever had.
You people are coming through for me in year 12. I really appreciate this. Thank you. Oh, okay. Okay.
Alright. Type one diabetes.
You know what's crazy too?
I'm sorry. I'm trying to remind myself that I'm supposed to talk about your daughter's diabetes. That's okay. That's okay. What what......
Football Saved Her Life22:54
Gonna say... What's crazy too is that this happened on a Sunday. And normally, my husband goes out to watch football with his friends. Every other Sunday, he's at a bar. He's at a friend's house.
He's watching football because I'm not into it. Mhmm. He's out every other Sunday. This particular week leading up to it, this is the craziest thing. He kept telling me every day, hey.
Don't forget. I'll be home this weekend. My game's on TV this weekend. I don't have to go out this weekend. I was like, I don't care.
What what does it matter to me? Right? Well, in hindsight, everything. That was everything. Because had he been out at the bar with his friends, he would have come home and I would have just been dead, and there would have been no chance to save me.
So it really is some divine intervention there. I'm I'm incredibly blessed.
I feel like you're saying football saved your life.
Okay. A little... You know what? A little bit.
What... What's his team?
Steelers.
Oh, that... That's okay. That doesn't ruin the story. Would've if you said, like, the cowboys or something. You know?
I would've been like, oh, well, maybe you should've died then. So I saw... Somebody said online, I think Scott maligns a new group of people in every episode just to make the algorithm happy. And I I don't really... I just don't like the cowboys.
So what do you... Are you out in Pennsylvania, or are you are you not even, like... Is that his team?
No. His family is from Pennsylvania, though.
Okay. Alright. Okay. Alright. Okay.
Alright. Let's stop. And by let's stop, I mean me. Let's go. I'm very excited for some reason.
Yeah. Oh, I'm so sorry for you. First of all, like, I can't imagine what... I mean, the the extent of the ways that this must impact you, like, every day is probably unimaginable for other people. Do you have, like, a support group?
Do you find people who've been through this?
Speaking for the American Heart Association24:35
Yeah. I... There's, of course, Facebook group for everything. Right? So I connected with a fantastic group.
I also do a lot of work with the American Heart Association. I've shared my story at so many events, and I've been featured at all sorts of events and and given speeches, and that's been really, really therapeutic for me. And... Yeah. You know, I...
I've become a big advocate for people learning hands only CPR, and I think that helps me kind of take my power back a little bit. And so, yeah, I'm I'm doing okay.
Okay. So this happens to you. The baby's four months old, and then some four... Not even four... Probably not quite four years later, she's diagnosed with type one diabetes.
So what's the run up to the diagnosis?
Thirst in a Heat Wave25:16
Yeah. So typical. You know, she she started drinking a ton of water, but it was really... It was during a particularly hot summer heat wave. We were having such hot days last year.
And so at first, I was like, okay. Well, she's hot. That makes sense. And then, you know, she started... She would just be standing in our living room, and all of a sudden, she would just start peeing on the floor.
And she'd look at me and say, mommy, I don't know what's happening. And she... Once this girl potty trained, she never looked back. Like, she's always surpassed every milestone and been very advanced. So that was unusual.
And I kinda thought, okay. Well, maybe she's got a a bladder infection,
but then it would
stop. And because I have chronic health anxiety now, I kinda started saying, I don't know that I love those symptoms. And so I was a little worried, and I kinda put a pin in it. But otherwise, she was okay. Her behavior was okay.
Soaked in Sweat26:10
She was going to school. She was still her happy, cheerful self. And then I think what happened was she woke up in the middle of the night one night drenched in sweat. Like, I've never seen a human being
Mhmm.
Have this much moisture on them. Her bed was soaked. Her hair was soaked. So I knew it wasn't pee. I knew she hadn't peed herself.
She was... You could wring her clothes out. That's how much sweat was in her bed, in her sheets, on her clothes. And she was having almost night terrors where she would look at us and her eyes were glassed over, and she, like, wasn't in there. It was very strange.
And so I was like, okay. This is not normal. And I think that might have been the final reason I took her to the pediatrician. And I just said, look. She's having some weird symptoms.
I verbatim said to the pediatrician, I'm concerned about type one diabetes.
You got that from the Internet?
Just from being in local mom groups, I've seen people type these symptoms and, you know, awareness posts and things like that. Even though it doesn't really run-in my family, I didn't really have a reason to think that this would be
Okay.
What was happening.
You you had run into the information somewhere and it was lining it was lining up for you. I would just assume she was having a heart attack if I was you. I'd be like... Also Right. Also, I would tell everybody I ever met in my entire life my story if I was you.
Like, if you stopped next to me in grocery store line, I'd be like, I once had a three hour text in a day. I'd like, we have eight we have eight seconds. I think I could tell it to you. So
Oh, yeah. I do. And I love to see people's jaws drop. It's crazy.
I'm sorry. Okay. So you you say this to the doctor and they go, what's the response?
A Finger Stick of 8328:01
She was like, yeah. She was like, okay. Well, you know, we can check. So they did a finger prick, and she said we'll do some lab work. And so she did the finger prick inexplicably.
Her blood sugar was great that day. It was 83. So the the doctor comes back and she's like, well, she doesn't have diabetes. Everything's fine. And I said, okay.
Do you wanna do a urinalysis as well? She's no. Like, I don't think it's necessary. I said, okay. Well, you know, what is it?
She's like, I don't know. We're gonna send off some... You know, a CBC, and I'll call you. So they did just a regular CBC. They didn't check that a one c box even though textbook symptoms, she wasn't gaining weight, the thirst, the fatigue, the...
You know, I mean, literally every every symptom, you name it. Yeah. So she didn't do the urinalysis. She calls me a few days later with the CBC. Everything was perfect.
And she said, I see no red flags. You're all good. So I thought, great. Okay. Well, we thought it was diabetes.
It's not. And I kept saying to my parents, well, that test is definitive. Right? The finger prick is definitive. I was ignorant.
I didn't know that there were additional tests that could be run. So my parents said, yeah. That's... She's good. She doesn't have diabetes.
So, you know, we we kinda moved on with our life.
You And could have finger pricked her two hours later and gotten a different number.
A 100%. Yeah. Yeah.
It's so funny that that one that one finger prick test waylaid the doctor completely because I was initially impressed that the doctor was so open to it. Maybe because I maybe because I just got a message this morning from a listener who was like, hey. My ferritin's, like, 11, and my doctor won't refer me to a hematologist to to get an iron infusion. I'm like, oh, you have to say this, then say that, do this. Like, you know, all these different ways to trick somebody into helping you.
And then... And you walk in out of nowhere, and you're like, think my kid has type one. And they're like, sure. We'll check for that. No problem.
It's it's really, really something. Like, you... It... They were willing, but then, you know, literally waylaid themselves with the first
Yeah. Kinda did the bare minimum. Yeah.
Yeah. That's crazy. Okay. Alright. So you're so you're thinking...
Although, I I have to ask you, the sweating thing, doesn't it make you think we still don't have an answer to that? I need an answer to that?
Well, you know, here's the thing. You can explain things away. Right? Like, again, it's summertime. She's sleeping under four or five blankets.
She is always a a really hot sleeper. My husband and and her, they both... They sweat when they sleep. They just get hot. So I don't know.
I guess that kind of left my mind. I... And it only happened the one time. So I was like, okay. I guess that was just a fluke.
You know? Hey.
Your husband sweats when he sleeps. Were you out... Was he the only one to ever ask you out? Why'd you end up marrying him? That's horrifying.
Like
Hey. He's a hero. He's a hero. No husband slander here.
He's a hero. Wait. That guy's got carte blanche. I see it now. Yeah.
I don't want my wife to have a heart attack, but if I... This kind of... Like, if this is the thing that happens when you save someone's life, look. Let me in. I'm I'm looking I'm looking for that kind of for for that kind of assessment from somebody else.
Sorry. Anyway, I just don't wanna sleep with your sweaty husband is all I wanted to say. So so so you just kinda write it off. When's the next time it kinda bears its head again?
The Morning of Diagnosis31:28
Well, the next time was when she was in DKA. So I... Sorry. Yeah. So it was about a week later.
We had gone on with our lives, and we had her birthday party. And I my mom said, you know, you looked at me and you said, she seems a little subdued. And so I was still... Even though we had had a clear doctor's visit, my my spidey senses were tingling, you know. I still felt like, I don't know, there's something going on.
So the morning of her diagnosis, she woke up, I fed her breakfast, she kinda gagged and almost threw up a little bit. And I thought, okay, well she's just... She choked on her food. You know, I didn't have any reason to think she was throwing up for any other reason. And seemed okay, and I debated it.
I even said to my husband, I don't know. Should we send her to school today? She's a little off. And we both said, well, she only goes half days. She was only gonna be there for about three or four hours.
And I said, I'll send her. And if, you know, if there's anything wrong, they'll obviously let me know. And I picked her up from school, and she just seemed out of it. She wasn't her normal bubbly happy self. So I drove right to my parents' house, and I said, you guys look at her.
I don't... I just feel like something's going on. And mind you, the day before she was swimming in the pool with her cousins, laughing, splashing, having fun. Mhmm. No reason to believe anything was going on.
But then the next day, I said, I don't know. She's just... She's she's fatigued. She couldn't sit. She, like, couldn't get comfortable enough to even sit down.
And so my parents were like, I don't know. Maybe she's constipated. Maybe she's getting a virus. You know, you never think that something life changing is gonna happen just like with me. Yeah.
Everybody said, oh, Brooke, you're probably okay. Just relax. Just rest. You know? Whatever it is, it'll pass.
You don't know that your whole life is about to change in an instant. And so I said, okay. And we spent a little time with my parents. I brought her home. She wasn't really eating.
So I called my parents, and I said, you know, I don't know. Am I being overdramatic? Right? Because here's where I go with self. Because I know what happened to me has caused me to be so on edge and so paranoid all the time.
I said, am I being overdramatic? Do I need to take her to get checked? And they said, well, just watch her. And we were going to go on vacation. A few days after that, we had rented a beach house, and we were gonna go away.
And I kept saying to my mom, I'm not gonna take her to the beach. You know, I don't even know if there's a hospital nearby. I I can't take her if she's still behaving like this.
Yeah.
Her Mother-in-Law's Face33:54
So my mom said, well, you know, call your mother-in-law because luckily, my mother-in-law and father-in-law live right across the street from us, which has come in handy a lot. So she said, bring her over to your mother-in-law and see what she says. So I sent my husband and my daughter across the street while I finished talking to my mom, and he walked in with her. And I walked in about five minutes later, and I said to my mother-in-law, look at look at Reese and tell me what you think. And she...
I'll never forget the look on her face. She looked like she had seen a ghost, and I said, do you think something's wrong? And she couldn't even talk, and she shook her head and she said, mhmm. And I said, do you think I need to take her to the ER? And she said, I'm not trying to scare you, but, yes, something is going on.
You need to take her. And I had noticed her breathing was labored. Her lips started looking blue. Yeah. I was trying to talk to her, and she was, like, having trouble.
She'd say, mommy. But, you know, very breathy and just... I could tell she was not breathing right. And so I said, okay. You know, that was the validation I needed.
Jeez. Oh my gosh. She's she's in DKA at that... Like, sitting in your mother in law's house, obviously.
Yeah. Yeah.
Right? And then what do they do for her when they get her there?
Yeah. So... And and, again, none of us thought anything was gonna happen. My mother-in-law said, bring her to the hospital, and they were gonna a little birthday party since my sister-in-law and her kids were in town. They were gonna celebrate Reese's birthday because it had been a few days earlier.
So they were like, you know, bring her to the hospital, get her checked out, come on back, let's have cake and celebrate. Right? So we're all thinking, no problem. She's got a virus or whatever. So I bring her to the hospital.
Patient Assessment, Stat35:31
We walk into the ER. I sit down at the receptionist. She casually leans over. She takes one look at my daughter. She casually leans over into her phone and says, I need patient assessment stat.
So she took one look at my daughter and knew that she was in grave danger. So this nurse comes out and he's like... And at that point, my anxiety is through the roof. I felt like I was gonna die again, right, all over again. So he's like, what's going on?
And I said, I don't know. Something's not right. She's not breathing right. She's lethargic. You know, what...
I don't know. You know? And so he's like, okay. Immediately bypass us through triage. No triage at all.
Take us straight to a room. And I swear to you, you mentioned Grey's Anatomy earlier. It was like something out of a TV show or movie. All of a sudden, the room is swarming. There are more physicians and nurses than I've ever seen in my life.
If the doctor's asking me questions, I can hardly even focus. And all of a sudden, hear bingo. And one of the nurses had done a finger prick, and her blood sugar was at six sixteen.
Oh, she's she's little too. Right?
And I'll never forget that bingo.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Four. Just turned four.
My gosh.
She Has Diabetes36:40
And so he looked at us and he said, she has diabetes. I said, no. She doesn't. They just tested her for it. I mean, I was in I was in shock.
He's like, what do you mean? A week ago, they told me she doesn't have diabetes.
Yeah. That's crazy. How long was she in the hospital?
Four Days in the Hospital36:56
She was in the hospital for four days, and they didn't even initially tell me that she was in DKA. I didn't know. They just said she has type one. I immediately felt I was gonna pass out. I said I need I need oxygen.
I need a barf bag. I'm... I... The room was spinning. I thought I was going...
I literally thought I was going to die.
Well, yeah. Yeah. You guys don't know me....
Out until later.
You don't know me, but I might try to die right now. Just so you know.
Yeah. I might drop dead, actually. So be prepared for a two for one special, literally.
Well
So I'm sorry. Know the paramedics? They had to transfer her.
Oh, it's not lost on me that three of the people... There are three people in your little family, and two of them have literally tried to die. Like, so far, like, I... Has your husband tried yet or no? He's he's...
Is this out of the mix?
I hope he doesn't because it's enough. It has been enough, but I I think that all the time. This poor thing almost lost the two most important people in his life and had to watch us literally both dying in front of him. And I can't imagine That's really strange. What that has done to him.
No kidding. Yeah. How old are you?
I'm... I just turned 40.
You're 40 now. So you were 36 when this was... Or no?
I was just a Well, year yeah, when she was diagnosed, I was 38. I hadn't turned 39 yet.
And and when you had the heart issues, you were, like
34.
30... My goodness.
Oh, no. 35. I had just turned 35.
Yeah. So young. Jeez. Yeah. Yeah.
And he must be... He's a good guy, I guess. Like, you... Like like, I'm... Like, when you married him, did you know he'd stand up in these situations, or were you just hoping
I did.
Yeah. Because
I I see knew he was a really good guy.
Yeah. Some girls are just hoping. I see them betting. They're like, I think this will work out. And...
But you you... He's been rock solid for you from the get go.
Oh, a 100 per... And you know how I knew he was a good guy? The way he took care of his cat. This man loves his cat. Like, that was his...
Before us, that was his girl. And I just watched how the care that he took of her, and just not even her, but all of his friends in his life. And he's got lifelong friendships. And when I got married, his best friend looked at me and he said, you know you've got a good one. Right, Brooke?
Please take care of him. And I was like, I will. I just... I knew he was a good guy. He never let me down.
He never disappointed me. Now did I know that we were gonna go through all that we've been through? No. You
you thought that just meant he'd make sure, like, the grass got cut stuff. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Right. Like, he wouldn't cheat on me. He wouldn't beat me. You know?
I mean, honestly, I was like, yeah. I got that. He's he's he's a decent human being, but, I mean, he's he's far surpassed my expectations Oh, you just made so
sad what ladies' goals are. Like, I don't get hit or cheated on. I was like, at one...
My goals were a little bit higher than that. I was gonna
say, where... What happened to you? Your bar is very low.
No. My standards were higher, but my point is that I knew that I was always safe with him. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I knew that he was gonna always have my back and take care of me.
But, you know, god, I I didn't know how how true that would be. But...
And how was he with the diabetes stuff?
Yeah. I mean, again, he's very stoic. He's very calm. He does not he does not panic. Like, I'm...
I immediately panic. My first response to anything is always panicking. He is thoughtful and introspective. He cried, of course. We both were in shock, and we both cried.
And he actually, I think he beat himself up a little bit because the day of, he did not think that we needed to go to the hospital because he had that false sense of security from the doctor. And I think he thought I was being a little overdramatic, and he was like, Brooke, I think she's okay. I think, again, it's probably just a bug or something. And and when she got the diagnosis, he really was hard on himself because he's like, we could have lost her, and I didn't even know. And I'm like, well, why would you know?
None of us knew. We we had just been told by the doctor that she was a okay. Literally, the doctor said, I see no red flags. So why would he have thought your daughter's, you know, going to die unless you take her to the hospital right now.
I imagine when you guys get in the car, you must dump in, like, 500 pounds of packing peanuts with you and just... I mean, I would be in the... I I think I really would be... I I take your point from earlier. I don't know how you would shake the feeling of, like, imminence all the time.
You know what it feels like? It feels like Final Destination. That's for me. I feel like I cheated death, and you're not supposed to do that. And so, yeah, I'm kind of always looking over my shoulder, and I and I don't know that that ever goes away.
I feel like
It's got to.
That kinda just sticks with you. You know? I don't know.
Like, you're still really young, and it's not that long ago. It probably feels like forever ago. But, like, I don't know. I... It would surprise me if you were in your mid to late forties, and you were like, I don't know.
I still feel like the tree is about to fall on me. I bet you it'll I bet you don't give up eventually. You know what I mean? Unless something else happens. I hope so.
Hold on. Let's just knock on
some wood. God, please no.
I just knocked on some wood for you. I have I have real wood here. You'll be fine.
Yeah. Thanks.
It's not a laminate desk. I I don't want you to worry. Holy crap. Okay. So she's got type one, and you get out of the hospital.
And, like, how does it begin for you? Do they send you to... Like, is there care and education at the hospital? Do you do it after you're out pay... After you're out?
What is life supposed
to be?
Like, what are the goals they give you?
The First Night42:17
Yeah. So, you know, when when we were being transported to the hospital, the paramedic said, we have a patient in DKA. So I immediately immediately started googling because I didn't know what that was. And so I was like, oh, this is serious. Like, this...
We we would have lost her. So I think I... Immediately, I was locked in. Like, whatever you tell me I have to do, I'm doing it. This child is my whole world.
I love her more than anything I've ever loved in my whole life, and it killed me. And so, yeah, they they... Yeah. Well, on that first night, was so hard too because they they say to us, you know, we don't know if she'll make it through the night, and we don't know if, you know, there's the risk of brain swelling if her blood sugar drops too fast. And, you know, they're telling you all these horrific things, and so I was just praying to make it through that first night because I thought, okay.
Things will look brighter in the morning. And then the morning came, and it was still horrible, and she's
still hooked up to all
of these tubes and not, you know, listless, not really engaged. And, you know, they were quizzing her to test her her mental acuity, and she was casting every test with colors. And I was like, okay. She's still in there, but what the hell does this mean for the rest of our lives? You know?
I I didn't know much about type one diabetes. Again, I'm a Googler. I start looking things up, scaring the hell out of myself. We had fantastic care at the hospital we were at. They loved her.
She was one of only three patients at the time. And and funny enough, another one was a 18 year old who had just been diagnosed with type one. So... But they gave her such incredible care, and they gave me and my husband a lot of education. They did the whole practice injecting on oranges.
We had to read the Pink Panther diabetes book, and they gave us, like, folders and a Rufus. And, I mean, you know, they throw so much at you that it's overwhelming. And I appreciate information, but I was like, I'm never gonna I'm never gonna figure this out. Like, I'm I'm screwed. We're screwed because how do you even begin to move forward from something like this where you literally realize that your child's life is in your hands and one mistake, and and that's it.
And so I don't know. It was
I hear you. Also, they gave
you really overwhelming.
The Pink Panther Book44:27
They gave you the Pink Panther book? They're still making that thing? They... Really?
They're still making that thing. I think it's a little outdated, but, you know, it it gave us some good basic information. Yeah. I know. And, you know, we had a doctor who
You know, people don't read. Right? And you hand up a thing that's like... I mean, that thing's like... It feels like it's like an inch and a half thick when they give it to you.
And it's and it's big pages. Right?
Totally.
Yeah. It's like, here's the yellow pages in case you're wondering about diabetes. Like, thanks. It's awesome. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean Yeah. I take the... Listen. If it's in there, it's in there.
But it's the... It's... You're not you're not exactly meeting people where they are if that's what you're... If you're handing them all that right in that situation. Oh my gosh.
So what did your googling lead you to? Like, did you ask for a CGM or, like, what happens?
No. You know, I didn't get that far. I just was... I was more worried about DKA and, like, what potentially the the effects from that could be because, like I said, my daughter's brilliant. She's always been advanced.
She is... I mean, pediatrician said when she was two, oh, she's impressive. You guys are gonna be in for it because she's so smart. And so I was just worried. God, please don't let this affect her her brilliance and her personality and her sparkle and and her essence.
And I was so afraid of, you know, long term damage from the DKA. She did have some kidney damage upon, you know, admit... Admittals of the hospital, and that was reversed. And so I was more just in, like, the... I don't even think I could think of the future yet.
I was kinda stuck in... I was frozen in time. You know?
Yeah. No. I would imagine you would be. I just... I didn't know if you...
It... Some people are... Like, they get online, and they're like, I need this and this and this. They end up leaving with it. I'm always fascinated by that when they're able to pull that off.
Yeah. But not you. Would you get a pen? Do you have pens? They give you, like, any direction?
Was she sliding scale? Yeah. What did they tell you?
Sliding Scale and Shots46:20
She was she was sliding scale for a while, probably longer than she should have been, honestly. Because now that I know how antiquated that is, I was like, okay. We shouldn't have been doing that for so long. But, again, you don't know any better until you know better.
Mhmm.
And so we just followed instructions. She was on injections. She did not get the... She got the CGM about a month later because they said they really wanted us to learn the basics, which I appreciate how, you know, how to finger prick, how to do it old school without relying on technology. So we did that without the CGM for a month, and then she didn't get a pump until five months later.
So she was on injections for five months.
Okay. Alright. That's not... I mean, that's not terrible. What what did that time...
What were your goals? How did you think of, like, a successful day?
You know, it was it was... She was still so... Like, her numbers were still so crazy for those first couple of months that, you know, honestly, to me, a successful day was keeping her alive, really, and keeping her happy and trying to not let this... Like, I didn't want my feelings and my fear to rub off on her, you know, if that makes sense. I I tried to just keep things as normal as possible, like, a a week after she was released from the hospital.
Not even a week. Three days later, we went to the We took that beach trip that we were originally planning on taking because I thought, you know what? She deserves this. She needs a break. She's been in the hospital.
And against my better judgment, we went. And it was a really hard trip because we were in a different state and still didn't really know what we were doing. But she had a great time and that was all that mattered to us. But... Yeah.
I mean, a successful day was her being happy and and just making it through the day.
Yeah. I... So there's not a lot of time to try to perfect things. Or Yeah. Yeah.
I... There are times I hear from people... So it... You know, it's personality driven or where they are exactly. But, you know, the kind of the best we do when people show up in the Facebook group, for example, is, like, look.
Here's the Bold Beginnings series. And, you know, if you're ready for this, this might help you, like, soften soften your launch a little bit. And I will hear from people sometimes, hey. Listen. I wasn't ready for that then.
Like, I wasn't ready for anything. And I do wonder if there's just no... At a certain part of it, if there's no... It's not the right time, you know what I mean, for some for some people to to dive in. So how long did it take you to get to this doesn't seem right?
You said about four or five months. And then then do you, like, switch gears at that point? How do you figure out what to do after that? Like, how how do you end up on this podcast less than a year later?
Give the Groups Some Time49:05
Yeah. Well... And I'll say too, unfortunately, in any of these groups, right, you're gonna read horror stories, and I wish that there was a way to filter those out. So and so died. So and so had this complication.
And I will say that, like, I would probably recommend to anyone of my friends who's newly diagnosed or, you know, their child, maybe don't join the the groups for a little bit. Give yourself time to process because I think if you dive right in, you're gonna be even more terrified than you already are. And some things I wish I could unsee and unlearn. But, you know, I did get a lot of useful information from the groups and learned what to ask for and learned that, hey. Maybe the sliding scale is not the best way to do it.
And so I did start... You know, I mean, they they were never rushing me. They said when you're ready to start carb counting, we're ready. You know, you you do things at your own pace. And I think we had to get comfortable enough to feel like, okay.
What what if we screw up? What if we don't count the carbs right and we give her too much insulin? What if we give her not enough insulin? And we had to get to a place where we trusted ourselves enough to know that, like, okay.
Mhmm.
You know, we we can we can try something different now. And even with the pump, we were really hesitant because, again, I've read some horror stories about pump malfunctions and this and that. And I was like, I... I'm I'm never gonna trust it. I'm never gonna do it.
But at the end of the day, the thought of sticking my child five to six times a day, where it's like a constant reminder to her that she's different, that she has diabetes, I thought, you know, if I can stick a pump on her and we really don't have to worry about it except for every couple of days unless something goes wrong, how much more normal will she feel? How much will this be kind of on the back burner for her? And and I think that's kind of the point we arrived at.
What She Wishes She Could Unsee50:52
Okay. Give me some examples of things you saw online that you wish you could unsee.
Oh, well, just like so and so's pump malfunction and dumped a 100 units of insulin and they died. Or their Dexcom didn't alert them and they died. I mean, you know?
In in a few months, your numbers of stories of people dying, I don't see these stories at all. What what are we talking about?
Well, I'm in so many diabetic parent groups. Like, there's so many.
Is there? I think there's one.
Oh, I found, like... Mean, probably five or six.
I'm just saying.
I I... Oh, but that means... Listen. Listen. There's one main one.
Right?
I was just joking. But...
Here's the best one.
I... But I do think that that's why we kinda strive in there to keep it, I mean, real, but also positive in in such a way that you don't you don't need to, like... I don't know. You don't need to unfurl those stories in front of people. Not that people shouldn't know that, know, what circumstances are, but it's just not necessary every five seconds.
And
so agree.
Yeah. Yeah. And I think people's like... I don't know. I I...
Listen. I... I'm sure it would take a a psychologist a million years to tell you all the different reasons why people jump online and, you know, show people their ass. And, like... Or or to say, hey.
Let me tell you the worst thing that I think could happen right now to a bunch of people who are likely gonna be scared of it. Like, maybe they think saying it out loud stops it from hap... There's people who have some weird feelings about, like, you know, how to control their surroundings. Mhmm. But I don't get it.
Like, so if you do something crazy like that there, we're like, hey. You know? Come on. You know? Like, it's okay.
Like, chill out a little bit. So... Okay. I just didn't... I mean, I haven't seen two stories like that in six...
I'm online constantly Yeah. And and watching people talk about diabetes. I don't see stuff like that. So... Okay.
Well, just... Well... And it could be that my algorithm just tortures me and knows and knows that those are things I don't wanna see. And it's just like, here, we're gonna put this right in front of your face. And I'm not one that can just scroll because I wanna read...
I I probably do it to myself, honestly. You know, I I should just scroll away, but I can't. More with curiosity.
Yeah. So once you look at one, then you get you get delivered more and more of that stuff.
Exactly.
Yeah. Okay. Well, I mean, that makes more sense. Okay. Management wise, what are you doing now?
Kindergarten Changed Everything53:16
Yeah. So she's on a pump. She's got her Dexcom. She's doing great, but I will say she just started kindergarten. And so that has been quite a wrinkle in things because, you know, her schedule is completely different at school.
Her routine is different. She eats lunch at 10:50 in the morning and not 12:45 like she used to in in preschool. And so it's just... It's been really, really hard. And I was solidly over 80% in range, rolling, you know, 85, 86% in range, which for me, for a five year old was pretty darn good.
Yeah. Well, she just turned five. That was even when she was four. I I really was feeling pretty good about it. And now it's really...
We've taken a big hit. And so I'm I think I'm having a really hard time relinquishing control because, you know, I know the potential future complications of them allowing her blood sugar to be high all day or it just being high because of stress, because of anxiety, because she hasn't hasn't adjusted while the kindergarten... For the first three weeks, she was crying every day. And I know how that affects her blood sugar. And so it's been...
I've been incredibly stressed lately because of that. Because I finally felt like we had hit a sweet spot where we had our rhythm and her blood sugar was pretty stable and, you know, we were still allowed to... We were given our treats more frequently because we knew how to how to work it. But now, you know, I feel like it's it's just everything's become... I don't know.
It Will Keep Changing54:43
Oh, let me say something that I hope you find comforting, but likely won't. This is gonna just keep happening. So you're gonna get you're gonna get to a stasis spot, and then something's gonna change or she's gonna grow, and it's just gonna... It's gonna morph. It's...
And it's gonna happen again and again and again until one day when you're like, even that seems normal to you. Yeah. It really is about time. It it just... It's just time in the simulator having, you know, had enough experiences that you just, like...
You you just kinda bop with it. You go, okay. Well, they moved for lunch again. I remember having that feeling. Like, I I re Yeah.
I think Jenny and I were recording the first episode of the pro tip series that day. And Arden, like, if you... I think it's the pro tip series. I think it's literally, like, episode 1,000. Right?
And you'll hear, like, we start recording it, and I'm like, Jenny, I'm sorry. I have to go. Like, Arden's pod failed or something like that. Ugh. And, like...
And I literally had to, like, leave the house and come back, and we had to do it later. And I remember that was wrapped around her her her lunch at that lady later, Jenny were... Like, she's like, when when does she eat? I was like, she eats at, like, 10:20. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. And and she, at that point, was in, like, middle school. You know what I mean? And then one year, they're just like, hey.
Your your lunch is 10:20 in the morning. And, you know, and then the next year, it's noon. And the next it's
at work.
And people are all the time, like, they have to stop putting my kids... What's the other thing that people get upset about? Oh, they put recess after lunch. So you're bolus, and then you try to be aggressive with the food, then they send the kid outside to run around. And and it's the same problem.
Yeah. It's the same problems everybody has. But just one day, they stop being problems, and they start being things that you expect that you know how to handle. And the only way... I I don't wanna say, like, something, like, completely, you know, douchey, but, like, the only way, you know, around is through.
You know? So... And you just gotta do it a few times. Plus, it's not gonna kill you. So you already have context for what that is.
There, done that.
Yeah. Yeah. And, I mean, how much worse could it be? You... Did your chest hurt for a month after that?
Were you sore?
Six months. Oh, just sore. Gosh, please. I was sore for so long.
Did you try drugs after you you did?
No. Never. No. I've... That's never been my thing.
I didn't mean, like, something you bought on the street. I meant, like, did they get... I wasn't like, did you pick up, like, a smack, like, a problem or something? I just meant, like, they don't call heroin smack anymore, do they?
I don't even know.
Okay. Alright.
No Caffeine in Five Years57:21
So... But... No. But, you know, since my cardiac arrest, I'm so limited as to what I can take anyway because, you know, there are so many meds that could that could really mess with my rhythm, my heart rhythm. So I have to be so careful.
Anything. I can't... I haven't had caffeine in five years. Can you imagine?
Oh, what a what a sad thing. And do you have to just see a cardiologist with frequency?
Oh, yeah. All the time and go through testing and... Yeah.
And they've never seen, like, anything that's, like, worrisome after that?
No. No. It was... I mean, knock on wood again. It was it was a fluke.
It was just a... But I am on... I take medicine every day. Probably for the rest of my life, I'll be on heart medicine.
You're making me wanna get a scan. You know how when you You should. Yeah. You know when you hear people say all the time, like, you know, that scan you could do on your heart is, a $120, but for some reason, your insurance doesn't cover it, like, whatever that one is? I'm gonna go do that now.
You should.
Yeah. I ain't going out like that. That's some bullshit.
And make sure your wife knows CPR.
Oh, well, if I'm counting on her to save me, I think we're in trouble.
I always say that. I'm like, if it had been reversed and it was my husband, he'd be screwed.
He'd be like, oh my god. What's all over his mouth? Oh, guys. Hey, guys. The...
Come back here. Rob's dead.
Yeah. Literally. He would have not No.
He's not. No. He is. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. We're we're not gonna be... Ugh. Yeah. My gosh.
Do you think you would tell the people you would have helped him? Right?
Oh, I would have tried my hardest.
But but you you pretty much think that would have been the end of it. You're like
I got little bony, frail arms. I don't know that I would have had the strength to do it. I mean, thank goodness he's strong and strapping.
The rescue squad comes in, and you're just, like, sitting on his chest bouncing up and down going, I I I don't know if this is helping. Yeah. Yeah. What were those balls called with the handle on it? You remember
Pedal? No.
Yeah. Yeah. But you know what I mean? Like, when you were kids, were like... Yeah.
You... Not we were kids. I was I was an adult by the time you were born. But, like, you know, like, you could, like, bounce... Like, sit on the big...
What the hell are those big balls called with
a handle? I know exactly what you're talking about. I know exactly what you're talking about.
Anyway, that's how I picture it. Yeah. You're, like, holding his face and, like, bouncing on his chest. Like, I don't know. I I get...
My hands got tired.
Mhmm.
Oh my gosh. Oh, okay. So her understanding of her diabetes at her age, Like, is she... Like, how do you, like, get her involved, or is she not? Is she kinda just a bystander?
How do you manage it?
Reese Takes It in Stride59:51
She's so... And, I mean, she has I'm so proud of her because she's become such an advocate. She wears her devices proudly. She always tells me, oh, so and so asked me what that is, and I explained to them that I have type one diabetes, and this is my blood sugar monitor. And, I mean, she's very aware.
She does her own pump changes whenever she wants. You know, we don't make her, but when she says, mommy, wanna do it, by all means, do it. She pricks her own finger every time. I mean, she's incredibly involved and really so positive. Like, honest to god, I don't think it slowed her down much.
We, of course, have days where she's like, I hate diabetes. I wanna kill it. I wanna punch it in the face. And I'm like, girl, I feel that. Mhmm.
But for the most part, she's just so happy go lucky. And I think that scares me because she... She's at the point where she doesn't feel her lows and, you know, that's that's a little scary to me because she'll be 40 straight arrow down. And I'm like, how are you? And she's like, I'm great, mom.
And I'm like, but you're not though.
Everything's good. But... Well, at
least... Everything's fine. Everything's fine. She's very... She she has taken it in stride.
She really inspires me, honestly, because I think she... I always say she's handling it way better than I am. But I I realize the gravity of it, you know, and I don't know that she fully does yet.
Yeah. And in fairness, you're a mess too. So A hot mess of a shit show. She'll get older people, like, tell me about your parents. She's like, well, my mom is going through something.
And my dad Always. My dad mumbles to himself a lot. I shouldn't have saved her. I don't know what that means. But...
Anyway. Oh my god. I I swear there's part of me that wants your husband to cheat on you so that you can go in court and go, I can't believe after all of this. My god. No.
No. You understand. I... Well, you guys will be married forever. He can't go anywhere.
Oh, oh, for sure. Neither of us. We're we're bonded.
You definitely can. I mean, what would... Seriously, what would your excuse be to break his heart?
Oh my god. No. And I would look like such an asshole
if I ever left him. People would hate you. Oh,
are you
kidding me? You know how they would talk? Oh, the ladies would go on and on. Brooke... He saved Brooke's life.
Did I ever tell you that certain? Yeah. Did you see what she did?
Ungrateful little.
Oh. And then the story come out and be like, I think she hits him. And and then they'd be like, well, maybe he deserves to because, like, you know, like, he... Like, you wouldn't be able to win even in the worst situation. Ugh.
Never.
No. You're screwed.
Yeah. Yeah. I'm stuck.
Oh, I I... Now I wanna make this podcast for, like, fifty more years and talk to you again. Like I know. Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, this is so interesting. Good for you, by the way. Also, I don't know if I can talk you into, like like, letting it go, Elsa, and all that stuff, but, like, I would just do my best to take this as a second chance and not look back.
Yeah. Because the It's hard... It's easier said than done, but I I hear you. And it's just... It's a lot.
Always in Fight or Flight1:02:49
And and then, you know, it's just like I hadn't even really processed that trauma, and then we have the trauma of our daughter's diagnosis. And I feel like we're just... I think my husband and I are always on edge. We're always in fight or flight. Right?
Because it's just been one thing after another after another. And it's hard... You know, it's hard. I feel like it's it's affected us. We're...
You know, we get irritated easily with each other sometimes, I think, because it's just such a... We're in a pressure cooker all the time.
No. That... That's... That'll last for, like, the first ten years at least. Yeah.
I'm sure. We... I can say this. Right? Yeah.
Arden in the ER1:03:24
So in the last handful of years, Arden's had a few, like like, ovarian cysts that have burst, which are... It's an incredibly painful thing. Mhmm. And it sort of will come out of nowhere. So my wife and I traveled to kinda look around at places where we we might wanna, like, retire to.
So we were gone for a number of days. We're old, so we got back really, like, a little tired. You know? And a week goes by, and then my wife has to travel for work. She had to go to Europe.
She was gone for seven days. And she got back. I'm like, how'd you how'd you make it through all this? Because we traveled a little. She had been, you know, like, you know, she had just had...
I don't think I've said... My wife had a pretty big surgery this summer. And so I'm pretty sure I've said it on here. I'm not sure. She had a hysterectomy.
There. There. She had a hysterectomy this summer. It's a it's a long recovery. She finally felt well enough to travel and look at houses a little bit.
We did that, got home, then she had to fly overseas. She got back, and she got back, and she's like, I am surprisingly doing well. And I was like, good for you. And she's like, I think if I pace myself this week and rest, I think I'm gonna, like... I think I'm okay.
Like, after all this stuff, like, were pretty excited for not to feel run down. You know? Yeah. A day and a half later, we are sitting around, and it's, like, a Saturday afternoon. And Arden had been having, like, stomach pain for a while, and we think she...
She's going in a couple weeks to find out if she has endometriosis. Right? And so, like, so we thought it might be that. There's, like, things you do to help her get through it. Then all of a sudden, I'm upstairs trying to work.
It's a Saturday afternoon. And Kelly... Like, I can hear Kelly downstairs go, Arden, open the door. Arden, it's mom. Open the door.
And I'm like, what's going on? And she's like, open the door. Open the door. And, like, she bangs a little bit. The door opens.
I'm like, what's happening? I go downstairs. Arden's in the bathroom, almost passed out. And, like like, just... Like like, from pain.
And we end up in the ER, and we're there for, I mean, if... I think we were there for maybe ten hours. Like, you know, we got home at, like, three in the morning kinda thing. It was an entire fight with the doctor to get them to even, like, do the correct scan for her. I...
Had I not been there, would have gotten none of the testing that she needed. They would have railroad... They would they would have hit her with one pain medication that didn't work, then they would have hit her with morphine, then they would have morphined her up and sent her home with, like, no, like, no... And given her a bunch of tests that were clearly not necessarily not the one test that she needed, which would have been like a a a stomach and a pelvic CT. So I I have to, you know, I...
They they send her for, like, you know, ultrasound and they... You know, she's like, oh, we're gonna look for a... They always look for a torsion ovary. And I'm like, that's not what it is. Like, she's been through this before.
It's not what it is. Like, you need to do a scan just to make sure it's not stones and make sure that, like... Plus, you could look for endometriosis on this CT. Like, just go... She's here already.
Go ahead and do it. Don't send her home without an answer. It's just gonna happen again. Everybody stares through you. So I got ahold of the nurse, and I said, listen.
Is he gonna do the CT or not? And she's like, I don't think so. It's not in the orders. And I said, I need you to go tell the doctor that if he's unwilling to do a CT, pelvic and and, like, you know, abdomen, that I need him to very carefully note the chart about why he's refusing to do it. And then I need to talk to a different doctor.
And as soon as that happened, the doctor comes over, and he's like, so I understand you'd like to get a CT. I don't think you need one. And I said, no. I said, that's fine, but, you know, this has happened to her before. She's never gotten the CT.
It would show a lot. It would it would it would rule out a lot. She's already here. She's already in pain. The insurance will pay for it.
Like, you know, let's give her the CT. He goes, well, I don't think she needs it. And I said, I hear that, I appreciate it. I'd like you to do it anyway. And he smirked at me.
And I went, what's happening here? I was like, okay, man. Meanwhile, they didn't give her pain meds for five hours. They just let her sit there. And then he looks at her and says, Arden, I don't think you need a CT.
Would you would you like one? And she looked at me like, you see this asshole? And I was like, yeah. I said, yeah. I was like, I see it.
And she goes, yes. I'd I'd like one. Thank you. And then he smirked at her and smirked at me and said, well, I think it's a waste of time, but it's up to you. And then he bopped off.
And I and I was like, idiot. So now meanwhile, the CT shows it's it's exactly what she needed. It showed exactly what didn't happen, which is what she need... She needed to be able to rule things out so that she could move forward and do something else. Right?
Like, you'd try to be helpful a little bit. It also was able to rule out, like, kidney stones. Yeah. It was able to rule out a lot. Right?
All good... And you know what it showed? It showed that she had a cyst that just burst. And so now instead of being there thinking, like, I don't know what this pain is from, you have an answer for which is a really big deal, like, having an answer for pain. Right?
Anyway, what is the point of me telling you this? Oh oh, I do know what the point of me telling you this is. So she's in a ton of pain. You're sitting there being, like, an adult and, you know, holding people's hands and hugging them and telling them it's okay. We'll get through it.
It's gonna be alright. We'll figure it out. Like, you're doing all the things you're supposed to do. They're not letting both of us back because they're so busy they have her parked in the hallway. And so my wife and I are, like, having to swap back.
I'm sitting in the car for hours. We're swapping back and forth. My wife is like, I'll stay with her because she doesn't wanna leave her alone. But the truth is we kinda need the part of me that gets the stuff done to be there too.
Yeah.
You know what I mean? Like, so we're, like, jumping back and forth. Because I'm saying to my wife, I'm like, make sure they do this. And she's like, I don't think they're gonna do it. I'm like, well, tag tag me in.
I'm coming in. You know what I mean? Then the nurse... Then one of the other nurses starts to get annoyed because I don't leave right away when I'm done when my wife comes back in. So she comes over, and she's like, you can't have two people here.
And by then, I'm like, it's two in the morning. I'm like, everyone's gone. Like, what do you care? Like, you know what I mean? Like...
But I smiled. I said, I'm so sorry. I walk out. I go to go to the bathroom as I'm walking to go back out to sit in my car again. I must have lingered too close to the door.
The security guard ran at me.
Oh my gosh.
One person at a time. I'm like, yeah. Yeah. I got the message. Thank you.
Like, I'm I'm okay. Anyway, here's why I tell you this whole story. We get home. We get Arden in bed. We get...
I go into the room. My wife's getting changed. I walk into the room. We look at each other, and we stare into each other's eyes. And for five seconds, you feel like you're 20 years old.
And you're and you're like, what is happening? Like, why... I don't... Like, I I I wasn't up for all this. Like, if you would've, like...
I... I'm so mad at you for being pretty when we were younger. Like, I got just, I'm like, oh my god. And so I just... I was like, you alright?
And she goes, yeah. And I went, she goes, you? And I'm like, yeah. And I said, why did you make me have kids? And she's like, I don't know.
And I was like I was like... And I was like, okay. Meanwhile, we didn't get pregnant on purpose the first time, so, like, she didn't really make it or anything. We're married. It's okay.
And Yeah. And so... But but I was, like, you know, like, that feeling of, like Yeah. How is this happening?
You know what mean?
And then on top of all that, the way you feel and the way it screws with you, Arden's like a living, breathing person actually going through that thing.
Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then and then... And I don't want that for her.
And now, like, it's
Yeah. You can't take it away. Yeah.
It's my job to figure this out for her or to feel my entire life like I wasn't able to help her.
It's so much responsibility.
Yeah. Just should've stuck with the cat. You know what I mean? What was the cat's name, by the way? Mister Whiskers or what was it exactly?
Our cat, little skinny.
No. No. I mean the cat that he loved and made you, like, think he was gonna be okay.
Yeah. Oh,
it's Little Skinny? Little Skinny? Yeah. I would love if that was my nickname. I just spilled it by myself.
She
was neither of those things.
Oh oh, it was an ironic nickname.
Well, she was when he first got her. He found her on the street. But
Look at that. Yeah. That's how my wife got me. Yeah. She's like Oh my god.
She's like, I don't think anyone wants this one. I'll take it. But... So Okay.
Does It Get Easier?1:12:13
Go ahead. But tell me, Scott, does it get better? Does it get easier? I mean, how many years are you out from diagnosis? Are you still every day stressed all day, or does it get easier?
No. I'm not stressed all day. About the diabetes about the diabetes?
Yeah. Yeah. No. No. I'm everything.
No. No. No. I'm stressed about everything, not about the diabetes. No.
No. Yeah. I take your point. No. You're very early on in it.
You really will have a a number of cycles of experience that'll build on themselves. Themselves. You will start to get, like... It'll be intuitive. Once it once it gets intuitive, that really helps lighten it a little bit.
The next time it's gonna be a problem... Let's see. She's gonna rebel against it at some point. That's gonna be upsetting. She's gonna suddenly not care about a blood sugar maybe, or that'll never happen to her, you'll think, oh god.
She's so neurotic about this. And then you'll worry you'll worry about her in a different direction. Yeah. You know, like, hopefully, there won't be any big problems. But, I mean, it's...
I really do think about the management of it specifically. Eventually, you just really do... You get good at it, and then it it seems easier. I mean, it's not technically if you sit and break it down. It's the same it's the same disaster it always is.
But, like, at least it doesn't feel like it. You know I mean?
Do you stop feeling like, oh my gosh. She's might... She might die every day. Like, does that feeling go away?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That that that goes away. Yeah.
That goes away. After, like... You know what you have to do? You have to sleep through a couple of alarms and wake up and her... Still be alive.
And then you go, oh. Yeah. Okay. Then you then you can listen to those old heads that have diabetes... That had diabetes before the sensors, and they'll be like, I'm alive.
And I'm like, oh,
well Yeah.
Fair point. You you know? So... Yeah. I mean, for me, it got better.
And Okay. I still don't like... I mean, there's still things... I'll give you an example. Like, last night, her...
A Lost Connection Overnight1:14:10
So I I guess if people are listening, know that Arden was, like, working her way through, like, a needle phobia, and she's getting better and better at it. So, like, last night, she shot her GLP last night before she went to bed. But fairness, shoulda happened two days ago. So Mhmm. The settings are not quite where they need to be because I'll I'll, like, kinda go up to her and go, hey.
It's cool if you don't wanna shoot your GLP, but we have to put your settings back. And then she thinks... She's never said this out loud. This is me supposition. But I think she thinks that moving the settings is failing at doing the shot.
So she's like, I'm not gonna move the settings. I'm going to get to... I'm gonna do the injection. And and and having... Does that make sense?
Putting the the set... The settings back makes it feel like you failed to do the injection.
A failure. Uh-huh.
So she won't move the settings back, and I've been helping her through it. Like, I kinda, like like, I'll sometimes, like like, low key, like, put some insulin in, like, the... Like, you know, like, I know the settings need
Yeah. With
her feeling like she's being helped. Anyway, two days later, she did the GLP. So there's gonna be, like, a gap tonight... The... Last night where settings aren't gonna quite work, but we made some, like, extra boluses before we went to bed.
Everything seemed like okay. But then at, like, two in the morning, her CGM lost connection Mhmm. With... So Arden uses Trio. So her CGM somehow lost connection with Trio.
So Trio defaulted to just a standard basal, so she wasn't getting boluses that she needed for, like, three hours. And I I woke up to a high alarm, which probably, in fairness, had been going off for two and a half hours, and I didn't hear it. And it Yeah. It woke me up at, like, 05:15, and I was like, hey. She doesn't have a CGM.
Like, that sucks. And I opened up my app, and I saw her last blood sugar as rising. And I was like, uh-oh. I know what's gonna happen. So I go in.
I I don't even know how to explain it to people who make trio were listening. You just basically crash the Dexcom app and reopen it, and it comes back, and then it reconnects. And it reconnects, and her blood sugar's, like, three ten, which which is not a thing, like, we normally see. And so I'm like, alright. And I just looked at all the basal she missed.
I was like, oh, so there's this much basal missing plus the correction. And I put the insulin in, but in my heart, I know that's gonna take a few hours to come down. Mhmm. Because I don't wanna make her low. Right?
I want her to be able to sleep through the morning. So I don't crush it because I'm not gonna be awake to catch it. So I'm just like, let
me just
send it on its way. In the past, I would have sat up, like, staring at that high number, but I I didn't do that. I just was like, alright. Okay. Insulin's in.
I know what it's gonna do. I'm going back to sleep. And
I Okay. I'll get to that point someday.
Yeah. And I woke up this morning, and her blood sugar wasn't all the way back down, but it was one fifty. And I was like I was like, okay. Like, this is... And and I don't want her blood sugar to be one fifty.
I certainly don't want it to be over 300. I don't want any of this to happen, but I will not sit around feeling like I killed her all day Yeah. Which I would have when I was younger.
Okay.
Yeah. When I... When when we were newer at this, would have thought, well, this is a major failing. I didn't Yes. I didn't hear the alarm.
This is clearly my fault. Like, you know, all of that would have happened.
That's the phase I'm in now, and I'm looking forward to that not being... Like, I don't wanna live with the constant pressing guilt all day.
Plus, you don't want the thing to actually be happening. That's the that's the problem with the with the guilt. The guilt is it's not... What are the words here? It's not it's not real in in that you didn't actually make the thing happen, but the impact of the blood sugar is real.
Like, do you
know what
I mean? Like, I might not... Like, I didn't make a mistake that led to this, like, some malicious mistake, but I certainly didn't do something I could have done that could have gotten the way of this. And now I feel like this elevated blood sugar means some horrible things gonna happen in the future. Also, wanna say, I don't know that Arden didn't lose, you know, forty seven seconds off the end of her life last night.
I have no idea. But I I do know that if I act like that's what's going on all the time, we're all gonna be dead way before we're
It'll drive you crazy. Absolutely. I feel like I could literally combust at any moment because of the stress, and I I I don't want that to be the case.
Taking Care of Herself1:18:42
Yeah. Have you tried, like, one of those pills that takes away your anxiety?
You know, I probably could benefit from it. But... Yeah. I don't know. I'm I'm in the phase right now, though, where I'm so focused on her.
I'm not really taking care of myself, which is a... It's dangerous place to be, especially considering my history.
So was
gonna say to definitely.
Yeah. Isn't that how you gave yourself three cardiac arrests in one day?
Yeah. Yeah. Pretty much. So
I gotta be real careful. Look who doesn't learn.
No. Seriously. But this is... It feels all consuming, though. And I'm sure you can remember those days where it feels all consuming.
The Night Scott Thought He'd Die1:19:18
Oh, listen. There... I I I, you know, I probably said this many... Too many times. There was this one night before...
I don't know if it was before CGM or before AID, maybe. It's just... It was at least before automated systems. I was laying in bed in the middle of the night awake with, like, that gravel feeling feeling in my eyes. And Mhmm.
I'm like... And Kelly's like, why aren't you going to sleep? I'm like, I can't. Like, her blood sugar's, like, messed up. Like, I just need to get it to come down a little bit.
Like, I decided to test again in twenty minutes, like, that whole thing. And Yeah. And she's like, are you okay? And I'm like, I think I'm gonna die. And she was like, what?
I'm like, I... Because I'm so tired and numb and my chest hurts and my eyes hurt. I think I'm gonna die. I'm like, Kelly, like, something has to happen. I I don't think I can, like, keep doing this.
And, you know, and I was so exhausted by that point. Like, really, like, genuinely exhausted. Like, when the
I feel that.
Yeah. But when the person who came on told me I should try a loop and then I slept through the night, I was like, oh my god. I might be able to live through this. You know? So I I always I always assumed that I was gonna die early so Arden could be healthier.
Oh. And I don't and I don't feel like that anymore.
Well, that's good. That's progress.
It's progress. It's a long time ago, but it was before all this. Like, you guys now are, like, wearing CGMs and your pumps are making decisions for you and stuff like that. I'm talking about, like, I had a meter and, like, a handful of needles. And I was I was like, I got it.
It's gonna be fighting. By the way, we still have some of those needles. So
I'm sure.
Yeah. They just sit around here in a... Well, we use them for other stuff now. I'm sorry. For GLP.
Not nice. I don't I don't know how that sounded.
I wasn't gonna ask questions.
Naming the Episode1:21:09
It's just I said that, and I was like, I should probably qualify that. Any... Anyway, do you have other... Anything we should be talking about here? You you feel good about this?
Or can I
call this one
Elizabeth, I'm Coming? Or what do you wanna call it? Does anyone know that reference? Do you even know that reference?
Yeah. The the the... What's his name? Oh my gosh. The old god.
The ugh, I know his name. The something. The something. The Jeffersons.
Nope. So close. Sanford and Son.
Sanford and Son. Okay. Okay. I knew it was one of those old shows.
Yeah. George Jefferson was moving on up. Okay. Fred Sanford would clutch his heart and pretend to have a heart attack all the time. And that was the comedian Redd Foxx.
He's a very dirty comedian for his time.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know. I think that might be too obtuse, but it's what it's what the episode's called to me. Although, I think we're just gonna call it...
You know how there's, like, two truths and a lie? Yeah. Maybe we'll call it, like, three heart attacks and a diagnosis or something like that.
Hey. That's not bad.
Thank you. I do this for a living. I appreciate it. Yeah. You were really great.
Thank you for... I have to look in your notes real quick. Hold on a second. Yeah. Don't go anywhere.
I'm clicking on my thing. Pediatricians not taking parental concerns seriously when all symptoms are present. DKA and almost losing our daughter because of negligence. How life changing it is for all of us. You did not mention any of your hard stuff in there.
I swear I did because I remember you wrote back and you were like, we'll see if it comes up because I I know I......
In the email, not in the...
Yeah. It was in the email. It was in the email because I said I said I've done several podcast before because of my heart. And, yeah, I knew I had mentioned it somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. Okay.
Yeah. It was in the email.
Learn CPR1:22:57
I'll tell you what. Before we end, tell people how they can learn to do CPR.
Oh, they can go to heart.org, and the American Heart Association can help them find local classes. It's very easy to learn, but it's seriously a lifesaving skill.
How long are the classes?
I mean, I don't know. Maybe an hour. But if someone suffers a cardiac arrest, immediate bystander action can double or triple their chances of survival. It is literally the only reason I'm still alive today was because my husband did CPR. So I always tell people, you can't hurt someone who's already dead.
There's really no harm in trying. Even if you don't think you're doing it right, at least try. And it's just... It's it's... You never think you're gonna need to know it, but it it happens most of the time to people at home.
And, you know, it could be someone love.
Heart.org? Okay. Thank
you. .Org.
Yeah. Everybody... I mean, you could spend a Saturday morning learning how to save somebody's life. Right? That's not a bad thing to do.
I know I'm picturing my son with a 100% YouTube it.
Well... And you know what? I'm sure there's videos on YouTube too. There's there's so many ways they can learn.
It's interesting. I I
The important thing is to just learn.
To do it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I...
I'm... I love the Yeah. Generation of how they do things. Like, I I know I've said this before, but the day before my son was supposed to take his driver's test, I realized I never taught him how to parallel park. And I was, like, in a panic about that.
I couldn't believe I forgot to teach him that part of it. You know what I mean? And... Because it's not like how you would park around here, generally speaking. And he just was like, oh, it's no big deal.
He YouTubed it, watched the video once. I watched him scrub back and forth, and he jumped back in the car and parallel parked. I was like, oh, okay. Nice. Awesome.
I was like, awesome. I I guess everything's fine. So... Alright. Brooke, seriously, congratulations on not dying.
And Yeah. It's really awesome story. I appreciate you sharing it with me. Thank you.
Yeah. Thank you so much, and thanks for letting me share Reese's story too. And I just... I hope things get better.
Oh, it will. Did you really think it won't? Yeah.
I don't know. It depends on the day.
Just keep going. I mean, seriously, like, just put your head down and keep going, and you'll just pop up one day and you'll be on the other side of the cloud. That'll be it. It's really simple.
Good advice.
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Life works that way, basically. And it has to because if not Yeah.
You know, what's the alternative? So
Right. Gotta keep going.
Sponsors and Close1:25:26
Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Hold on one second for me. Heck of an episode today, wouldn't you say?
Let's thank Dexcom and Omnipod five for sponsoring. That's right, my friends. We were sponsored today by the Dexcom g seven. Dexcom.com/juicebox. Head over there right now.
Look into that fifteen day Dexcom g seven. Fifteen days is a long time. It's like half a month. Don't check my math, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. And let's also thank the Omnipod five.
My goodness gracious. Omnipod five tubeless. That beautiful algorithm's updated now with that new 100 target. Get in there. Find out more about it.
Omnipod.com/juicebox. You want some tubeless insulin pumping? Yeah. You do. By any chance, have you tried the Small Sips series?
It's curated takeaways from the juice box podcast voted on by listeners as the most helpful insights for managing their diabetes. These bite sized pieces of wisdom cover topics like insulin timing, carb management, and balancing highs and lows, making it easier for you to incorporate real life strategies into your daily routine. Take a deep dive, take a sip, and discover what our community find most valuable on the journey to better diabetes management. For more information on Small Sips, go to juiceboxpodcast.com and then go... Oh, actually, we changed the website.
Let me see. Go to juiceboxpodcast.com. And from there, there's these two little lines on the right side top. That's the menu. Then click that.
Then click series. Then there's pro... There's Small Sips right there. Pro tips at the top, bold beginnings, bolus four, asks that. There's a lot of them there.
There's actually a little search there too. Could you just type Small Sips into the search? Oh, wow. That search works great. Look at that.
And then you could go right to, like, all results for Small Sips. Oh, and that takes you to the FAQ. You should check out the FAQ page too. I think that's juiceboxpodcast.com/jbfaq. Seriously, that thing's amazing.
Actually, the whole website is... I mean, have you, like, seen it? You should you should go check out the website. The website rocks. It is a potpourri, a never ending cornucopia of support for you and your diabetes journey.
That's right. It really is. What else we got over here? Oh, I don't like the way that works. I'm gonna fix that.
Note to self. Change the change the masthead on the frequently asked questions page. Page. Yeah. I don't like that.
Fix that. Oh, Claude. Oh, hell. I forgot to say thank you. Thank you so much for listening.
I'll be back again very, very soon. What is that noise? Stop it. Stop. Can you hear that?
It's my chameleon squeaking. Are you squeaking? What are you rubbing the branch against the... Don't tell people I have reptiles. They'll think I'm weird.
Thanks so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. Look at me. Get all deep in there with another episode of the juice box podcast. You can hear it.
What was that? Oh, I'm getting alarms and alerts on my phone. I was gonna get real deep and tell you about the juice box podcast.
Read the full disclaimer
© 2007–2026 Juicebox Podcast. All rights reserved.
#2000 Tiny Girl Big Show
Tiny Girl Big Show
Leah eats fire, juggles knives and shoots a bow with her toes. Two and a half years after diagnosis, type 1 is part of the act.
Jump to a moment
- Leah was diagnosed at 28, about two and a half years ago, with no family history of diabetes or autoimmune disease. Her symptoms started roughly two months after a case of COVID: constant peeing, insatiable thirst, blurry vision, cramps and swinging energy. It went on for about six months. An eye doctor ordered autoimmune labs, Leah added an A1C because it was practically on sale at Quest, and it came back over 14. The lab called her the morning after a big show in New York City and told her to go to a hospital.
- She's a circus performer and comedian who tours full time as Tiny Girl Big Show — Renaissance festivals, theaters, comedy clubs and cruise ships. She eats fire, juggles knives, rides a unicycle and shoots a bow and arrow with her toes. She started writing jokes about diabetes the year after her diagnosis, and now she sees Dexcoms in the front row. Her bit: "Do you want to see my impression of a diabetic in the Renaissance?" Then she lies down and dies.
- Her travel rule is backup, backup, backups. She keeps a fridge with insulin backstage, spare Dexcoms with her costumes, a reader on stage and a juice box in her prop bag. Her biggest piece of advice is to pay attention during transitions: when you leave a cafe or an airport, look back at where you were sitting, because that's when the insulin pen gets left behind.
- Concierge medicine is what makes touring possible for her. She pays a set monthly fee, has her doctor's cell number and can get a prescription filled in any city. She's been on MDI the whole time. An early endocrinologist told her she'd have to wait before she could get a pump, and she's looking into one now.
- She has two long-term partners, Aaron and Chloe, who both knew her before her diagnosis. Both follow her on the Dexcom app, put on her overpatches and know where her sugar is and how to use glucagon. When Scott asked whether they could count her carbs, she decided to add basic diabetes care to the end-of-life paperwork she already keeps.
- Tiny Girl Big Show — Leah's tour schedule — also on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
- Bold Beginnings Series — Getting a refresh and re-releasing in the feed, in order, starting around episode 2000
- Juicebox Podcast Pro Tip Series — Management fundamentals with Jenny Smith, episodes 1000–1025
- Juice Cruise 2027 — Out of Orlando, July 2027 — deposits open now
- Twist — Automated insulin delivery you can run from an Apple Watch
- Eversense 365 — The one-year CGM — one insertion a year
- US Med — Dexcom, Libre, Omnipod, Tandem, iLet and more — or call (888) 721-1514
Every word of the conversation
Welcome0:03
Hello, friends, and welcome back to the juice box podcast. If you don't love today's episode, you can have your money back. You should not, in any way shape or form take anything you hear on the juice box podcast. As medical advice, I'm talking about medical advice, regular advice, any kind of advice. This is a podcast.
Nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. I cannot stress that enough.
Meet Leah1:00
Hi. My name is Leah Rose Orleans. I'm an entertainer, an acrobat, and a type one diabetic.
And you'd have the coolest Instagram. So I
Thank you.
You're very welcome. I I don't... Did I eventually reach to you? Did you to me?
I'm not sure. I found you when I was diagnosed. So I at least was familiar with who you were long before I ever thought of becoming public about my diabetes as well. So
Interesting. Let's find out about that then. How long ago was that?
That was only, like, two and a half years ago.
Really? Okay. Yeah. How old are you now?
I am currently 31. So when I was 28, I was diagnosed.
Tell me more about that. But first, like, let me understand. You have brothers and sisters. Do you have extended family members who have type one or other autoimmune issues? Did you have any reason to think you might get something like diabetes?
No. I have no family history of diabetes, type one or type two that we know of, at least. I think... Or what the doctors might think. We have no proven testing that that really proves this, but I think after COVID, my symptoms really began.
Mhmm. And we think it might have something to do with organ failure, pancreas, obviously, and, like, a post COVID side effect. So I I had COVID, and it was fine. You know, I was vaccinated prior to that. And I was sick, but it wasn't, like, you know, completely detrimental.
Two Months After COVID2:41
I was, like, definitely very sick for a week, and then I got fine. But about two months after that, I started to get a series of symptoms. Just really having to pee all the time, drinking a ton of water, insatiable thirst. The typical symptoms that you hear of, blurry vision, weird energy levels, suddenly very tired, suddenly very awake, weird cramps in my body. I'm an athlete.
I'm an entertainer, and I tour full time. So I was on the road touring my show, and I'll get more to that later. But
Before you do it, Leah, did a fan just come on behind you or something? You were so crystal clear, and then all of a sudden, it got loud behind you.
Let me look.
There it goes. Now it's gone.
Is this better?
It's it's... It... You sound like you're sitting next to me in a quiet room right now. It's beautiful.
Great.
I don't know what happened. Do you know what happened?
No. But keep me posted.
Okay. I'll let you know. Otherwise, I... So I wanna go to the co... The COVID thing for a second, though.
Yeah.
So you... Basically, you had a virus, and then you got type one diabetes.
Yes. Yeah. And it was about six months of me not knowing what was going on until I got tested, and I was probably in DKA for... On and off for a few months.
Okay. Yeah. And before you, what, got so sick that you had no other choice?
An Eye Doctor and an A1C on Sale4:03
I started getting weird eye problems, and that's really what took me to a eye doctor. And she recommended a series of tests for different autoimmune diseases. Funny enough, it didn't include an a one c test, but I ended up getting an a one c test on top of that because it was... Really, because it was practically on sale at Quest. One of those kind of weird situations where I was like, sure.
We'll just do this too. And everything else came back fine, but my a one c was off the charts over 14. The lab called me, which isn't something that they do, apparently. And they were like, you... Are you alive?
You need to seek medical attention. We can't help you, you need to go to a hospital because you're clearly not okay.
You went from you bought cookies and chocolate. Are you sure you don't want milk? To Yeah. To, oh my god, run to a facility right now?
Yes. I I literally had... I was performing the night before in New York City doing this massive show. I had a crazy night of partying, and, like, it was a very successful successful evening, and everyone was, like, up late. And I woke up the next morning to the email from Quest.
It was crazy. That's so exciting. I... It's not... You're not the first person who's got...
Know, that I've talked to who's gotten a call that's like, hey. You're standing. That's awesome. Go to a hospital.
Wow.
So let me just, like, pick around for half a second. Thigh... Hype... Like, hypothyroid, celiac, anything with an ant even. Nope.
That's really something... Do you have brothers and sisters? Nope. No. Oh, you're an only child.
Yeah. And your parents are generally healthy?
Very healthy. My mom was a aerobics champion in the eighties. My dad is very fit and moves a lot. And, yeah, we have we have a pretty clear nobody smokes. Nobody has cancer.
The First Chronically Ill Person in the Family5:57
And that that also was... Part of it too is that I was suddenly the first chronically ill person in my family. And that was, like, a a real shock for all of us Did... Emotionally.
Like, no one knew what to do quite?
No one knew what to do, and we also just didn't live... Frankly, it was privilege of us not experiencing the real detrimental effects of the American medical system, what it's like having a chronic illness, what it's like loving someone with a chronic illness. I was an athlete. I am an athlete still. I'm a circus performer, so I do high level acrobatics and circus tricks since I was a child.
And it's my full time job. It's what I train, you know, hours and hours. I used to train with Cirque du Soleil. Like, I just assumed that I... The most dangerous thing that could happen to me is I break my leg or something.
You know? Like an injury from
face while you're juggling or something like that. Yeah. Yeah.
Right. Injury from fire was way more likely to me than a chronic illness. Yeah. And suddenly, I had this thing that was expensive and complicated and scary. And there was a big growing period that I'm sure that your listeners also relate to where you have to take it in and be like, holy crap.
This is my life now.
And your parents are doing the same even though I imagine you don't live with them at 28. Right? But Yeah. But still, like, now, do you feel your relationship changing? Like, can you feel it?
I did. Yeah. Oh, I did. It was it was honestly kind of beautiful, and I've always been very close with my parents. We have a very good relationship, but there was a difference.
I travel so much, and they travel so much too. So we don't really see each other a lot. And most of the time as well, our holidays, like the typical times that families would get together, are usually spent working because we work in the entertainment industry. So... Oh, excuse me.
It's my diabetes alarm going off.
Well, that that happens a lot on this podcast. It's okay.
I bet. It's so funny. I'm gonna give myself a few minutes.
Are you anxious or nervous about this for any reason? About Is it talking? I mean, I can't imagine you are, but, like
speak full time all the time about the story.
Yeah. I was gonna say, I I didn't think you would be, but some people get just, like, a little adrenaline burst when they start making the vodkas. Yeah.
No. I think I just didn't inject enough this morning for breakfast, to be honest.
That may... That would do it too. Well... So when you said that your relationship changed kinda beautifully, what did you mean by that?
Walking Chemistry Sets8:30
I think we all got suddenly a deeper appreciation for life. And to be kind of blunt, we've understood the preciousness of life. I know that I got a real rude awakening about how we're all just kind of walking chemistry sets, and things can happen all the time that are outside of our control or merit. And I think my parents and I kind of raised each other through a concept of, like, if you eat healthy, then you'll be healthy. If you work out a lot, then you'll be healthy.
And experiencing something that was nobody's fault...
I used to hate ordering my daughter's diabetes supplies. I never had a good experience, and it was frustrating. But it hasn't been that way for a while, actually, for a number of years now because that's how long we've been using US Med. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514. US Med is the number one distributor for Freestyle Libre systems nationwide.
They are the number one specialty distributor for Omnipod Dash, the number one fastest growing tandem distributor nationwide, the number one rated distributor in Dexcom customer satisfaction surveys. They have served over one million people with diabetes since 1996, and they always provide ninety days worth of supplies and fast and free shipping. US Med carries everything from insulin pumps and diabetes testing supplies to the latest CGMs.
It was not their fault. It was nothing that they did to me as a child. It wasn't something that I did that I can feel guilty for, and we all just got to be sad about something for a while.
I mean, I understand what you're saying, and I think everybody listening does too. It's it's like, you know, oh, my hip is stiff, and it hurts. Oh, you should stretch. Not there's a crazy amount of inflammation attacking your joint.
And...
Yeah. And everything feels like you can dominate it if you need to. Right? Yeah. You...
Yeah.
Yes. And I'm a self employed... Anyone who's self employed also understands that your job is solving problems, and you often look through the world as problems to solve and what the best resources to do that. And diabetes was a problem that none of us could solve.
Yeah. I think that's why the podcast exists. Yeah. Yeah. Because I I just was like, oh, there's nothing I can do about this.
That makes sense.
Yeah. So I'll see if I can tangentially, like, impact it somehow.
Diabetic Comedy10:57
Yeah. And I think that's why I started you know, I I incorporated my diabetes into my work pretty quickly too once I started realizing that I was gonna be with this thing forever. That following year that I went out on tour, I started writing jokes about diabetes and making material about it, and the community came out fast. Mhmm. You know?
They were like, oh, yeah. Diabetic comedy? Tell me. Like, they sat front row. You know?
I I get to look at my audience and see Dexcoms everywhere now. It's very cool.
Before you decided to do that, was there a fear that I shouldn't tell people I have diabetes? Because you are do... You know what? Maybe we should answer that question for... After we explain better to people what you do.
So I don't I don't know how to quantify what you do, but if if... But if I could if I could put it into my own words, it feels like I'm watching... It it feels like I'm watching a juggling comedy Ren Faire happening in front of me. Is that fair, or is or is that reductive? Is
it No. That's that's very correct.
Okay. Okay. Good.
Stand-Up While Doing Circus Tricks12:03
So I am... When I explain what I do to people that have never seen me or don't have a visual in front of them, it's like stand up comedy while I'm doing high level circus tricks. And I perform in different places, including Renaissance Fairs.
Okay.
So I also perform in theaters and comedy clubs and cruise ships. But a large percentage of my work is these outdoor festivals that are all across the country. And I travel doing a forty five minute long show where you get to kinda know about me and my in... Like, the insanity that I do while I, like, eat fire and ride a unicycle and juggle knives and shoot a bow and arrow with my toes. And I, like, do all these crazy tricks too.
And I have my Dexcom on, you know, out there Yeah. Proud in my costume. And so I bring it up, and I make it. I make jokes about it, and I explain what it is. But I...
The whole show isn't about that, but it's an element of my character that gets to give a little more depth. And I think there's something super cool in that because what I do is so otherworldly and superhuman. Then you get to see that I'm I'm also a homo sapien with a broken pancreas. You know? Like, we all are just people, and I just chose to spend a lot of my teenage hood and twenties learning circus tricks.
And before you decided to tell people about it while you were on stage, there... Was there a, like, a professional or a business concern? Like, I don't want people to see me as sick, or I don't want this to bum people out, or did you just go for it?
I... I'm gonna be honest. I just went for it. I think... Okay.
I'm gonna mute this.
What are you muting? Oh oh, you think I can hear your alarm. I I can't hear you. I can't hear your alarm.
Probably over... Yeah. I, like, overshot the audio. I went for it, to be honest with you. I think that some of that is just the way that I handle my own stuff.
I definitely love writing material about my real life. Mhmm. It's relatable. It's fun. And it helps me process it too.
And I I think there was also something where I found this news out while I was on tour. I was in the middle of doing shows, and I kept doing shows when I was diagnosed. And then I had, like, three months off. And during that time, I, like... My body did that full reset where it...
Losing Her Best Friend14:30
So I started to get on insulin again, and I, like, gained a bunch of weight, and then I lost a bunch of weight, and then I felt really sick, and then I felt better, and then I felt depressed. You know? Like, your hormones just do a huge shift. And during that time, my best friend also died of cancer.
Oh my gosh.
Not to be... To bum you all out real hard, but she passed away. We all knew that was coming. She had breast cancer and was sick for many years, but that kinda coincided with my diagnosis. And so I was mourning that and taking care of her in her last days.
And then she passed away, and I was, like, still sick. And it really did this reset where I learned so much about the value of time, the value of community, And I felt very grateful to be alive and to live in a time when medicine allowed me to be alive, and I was learning that, like, I was gonna still be able to tour. I wasn't gonna be stuck at home for the rest of my life. Like, I could still do my job, and that was enough gratitude to get me through and make me feel like I really wanted to talk about it.
Was it as simple as you saw something happen to her that her body changed or did something different or not correctly, and humans weren't able to get in the way and stop it. And she passed, and that same thing could have happened to you except we figured out a way to stop that from happening.
Very much so. Yeah. Yes. And she she was diagnosed in 2017, and she didn't pass away until '22. And she...
Or '23. And she was given, like, four years to live, and she made... She got through a lot more than that. So we all kind of had a blast, to be honest. And she wasn't in chemo either.
Like, she had... She was just on a lot of painkillers for that entire time until her body gave up because it was safer and easier than fighting it, which was a really interesting thing to grapple with. And she had such a strong sense of humor, and also it was just, like, so sure of herself that that's what she wanted to do. Yeah. And it it taught me so much about the medical system and kind of her own integrity.
And then I got diagnosed. You know? So it was really an interesting timeline.
Yeah. Well, when you were talking about your, you know, your parents and yourself and this new reality, I thought... The way I usually say that to people is that in my mid thirties, I felt like I had the perspective of, like, a 100 year old person. You you know, like, when... Like, somebody would complain about something or I'd be like, that's not actually a problem.
Yeah.
You... Right. You you know, I was like, oh, you think this is... This is not a thing. Like, you're...
Or, you know, they were... You know, oh, the... This kid in class said this thing to my daughter. It's horrible. I'm like, ah.
Okay. My kid tried to die at 02:30 in the morning. I haven't I haven't slept in three years. I I I I... And and that's when you find yourself saying very simply, like, I I do think that the worst thing that's ever happened to you is the worst thing that's ever happened to you, and and therefore your perspective comes from that.
Yeah. But the world benefits from people having your perspective and having you have supported your friend and live with type one and talk to your parents and then go talk to other people and stand on stage and tell other people about it. It's... I'm glad everybody doesn't know, but they should at least, you know, have a grasp of it because I do think it would help them as well because you are... I believe you are gonna live a more...
A full experience for knowing that a hundred and ten years ago, you'd be dead.
A Diabetic in the Renaissance18:15
Right. Yeah. Absolutely. And I make a joke about that in my show because I perform at Renaissance Festivals. And if you've never been to a Ren Faire, they're kind of like outdoor fantasy amusement parks that are lightly themed historically accurate Renaissance fair, but they're not, like, deep, deep reenactment spaces.
They're more fantasy and fun. And I make a joke in the show in the diabetic sequence about being like, oh, well, you know, do wanna see my impression of a diabetic in the Renaissance? And everyone's like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And then I, like, just lay down
Lay down.
And die. And it's really funny and it's goofy, you know. And I get to make references to glucose and sugar and... Yeah. It's it's it's a good time.
Yeah. You'd just be a... It's... Well, anyway, I think it's important. I don't wanna bum everybody out.
But if you're listening and that hasn't occurred to you yet, it's difficult day to day to think this, but it's 100% true and it's inarguable. You're incredibly lucky.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. And it...
There was so many. Yeah. Who knows what it could have been even if I waited another six months. And I live a dangerous lifestyle already. Like, I'm already doing dangerous things.
If I, like, passed out from being sick while on the road or something, you know, like, you can just play the what if game forever. It's awful. Yeah. But How
did you get into all this? You said you've been doing it since you were a child? Your parents were, like, go
Yeah.
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A Family of Entertainers21:42
My parents are professional magicians and entertainers as well. So I come from a family of of entertainers and live event specialists. So I started doing circus when I was, like, 10, 11, 12 for fun, like, in the... There's kind of, like, an after school program that my parents really encouraged, and I loved it, and it was great. So I kept going really hard into it.
And then I ended up going to circus school for a while as well in theater school and acting. And I did a lot of comedy and joke writing stuff through my teens and... Yeah.
That's awesome. And then do you find a niche at some point? Like, do you just think, like, oh, this is the part I like, and this is the part I feel like I'm best at, and I can deliver to people, and you just develop a thing for yourself?
Yeah. That is kind of how it happened over time, I think, over, like, a five year span. And, of course, like any career growth, you're ebbing and flowing back and forth through different phases of, you know, of of creativity and in demand and different industries. But Renaissance Fairs have been a very consistent element of the places that I perform. They're really fun.
I just love them. It's just so much... It's it's just whimsy and joy, and everyone that is attending is, like, already in a really good mood. You know? It's it's very fun.
The the the fair is your your opening act, basically. Gets everybody Right. Yeah. Gets everybody going.
Yeah. Like, before they get to me, they've already seen a fairy and a troll and a a joust. You know? So they're, like, warmed up and ready to play, and then I can get up there and be super silly and goofy and everyone's with me.
Hey. Before I get a ton of emails from people who are like, you guys should have Leah come on your, like, cruise. I don't make money on my cruise. I'm not good at putting on live... I...
Like, I'm not good at putting on live events and turning them into, like, you know, money making affairs. So I don't have any money, just so you know. I should be
I totally... Yeah. That's good good to PSA them.
Not you. But I don't... They're gonna reach out to me is what I'm is what I'm gonna think here in a second.
So That's all good. If anybody wants to see me, my tour schedule is always on my website, and you can always go to go to see where I'm at. And I make big circles around the country all year long.
Oh, tell them the website.
Tinygirlbigshow.com.
Very nice. You said that a couple of times.
Or on Instagram, tiny girl big show, but, yeah, you get it.
Are you a tiny girl?
I am. I'm five feet tall.
Oh, that's awesome. I've... That Yes. And so it probably plays even, like like... It probably plays fun even because you're...
I I don't wanna say short. But, like, do you know I mean?
Like short? Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. But but right at... Because you're doing these big things and Right. Oh, that's awesome.
That's really cool.
That's the whole vibe.
What types of things will... Would I see you do on stage?
Fire, Knives and a Bow With Her Toes24:27
So I juggle fire. I juggle knives. I bend my body into ridiculous positions, crazy splits and back bends. I shoot a bow and arrow with my toes. I'm currently on a little hiatus from that trick to deal with a a injury, a non diabetic related injury.
But I did do that, and I hope to do that again soon. And then I also eat fire and ride the unicycle. I jump rope on the unicycle. It's a lot it's a lot of skills. It's a lot of fun.
I was gonna say, I don't know how I would treat... Train myself to do one of those things.
That's okay.
Yeah. Yeah. You don't have to. You can just watch. I I I certainly wouldn't try.
I have to be honest. How is it... Well, I guess, I... I'd like to go back to that point where you're, you know, you're kind of finding yourself with a diabetes a couple of years ago. How do you learn how to manage it so that you can be this active, how your schedule can be the way it is Mhmm.
You know, how you can do activity. Listen. I've I've only done two cruises with people. But while we're plugging things, the third one's coming up in July. Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.
And Juice Cruise.
Love that.
And the week that I'm spending on that ship, I run around like a freaking lunatic. Like, I I have to remind myself to eat. You know? Like, it's Yeah. It's because there's so many people there, and they are
are hard.
Yeah. Right. And and I'm just... And so... But I'm also not trying to swallow fire and, or manage type one diabetes for myself.
So how do you... I... What did you learn in the beginning? How did you put it into practice to get yourself in a position where this was all gonna work?
Systems for Everything26:09
Yeah. That's a good question. I I think some important context too is that I'm already kind of somewhere between neurotic and type a and also type c person. I have big creativity, but I also have big systems in place in my life already because I tour full time. So a lot of my life is set up to have, like, certain bags for certain items, certain systems that happen weekly.
Costumes, makeup, equipment, gear is something that's very much so in my life and requires a lot of detail more so than the average person that, like, lives in the suburbs and works a nine to five. Right? So I'm already kind of a logistical wizard lifestyle type. And as a result, I just realized... I was like, okay.
I gotta integrate diabetes just like the rest of everything else.
Mhmm.
So I have systems in place. I have... I keep a fridge backstage with insulin in it. I keep backup Dexcoms backstage with my costume. I have a little reader that I keep on stage with me.
I have a juice box in my prop bag, like, things like that so that when I inevitably mess up and forget my insulin pen or my Dexcom stops working because equipment failure happens, I have a backup. Mhmm. And I don't let not having a backup be the reason that I can't perform or can't work. Does that make sense?
Not only does it make sense, but I find that from my own experience, that people think that when you're creative or or loud or not scared to talk in front of people, and it it feels like whimsy to them, and then they have a hard time imagining that you're structured in other ways. Yeah. Do you know do you know what I mean? But I Yep.
I know exactly what you mean. Yes.
Run a pretty big podcast completely by myself.
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I bet your CRM looks beautiful.
Right? And and and my desk is a mess, but the things I but the things I do are not. And and it's... I don't know even how that works, to be perfectly honest with you. Because when I started when I started, I thought, oh, I'm not gonna be good at the rest of this.
And then I became pretty good at it. There are still times where it happened, like... It was, like, two years ago. I got a I got a note from one of the advertisers, and they're like, we owe you money. Like, do do you
not forgot.
Do you not want it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, no.
I I I... Not only do I want it, I need it. I've been looking at my account thinking, like, what did I mess up this year? And was it that I forgot to ask you to send this to me? I'm so sorry.
And then... And so once in a while, like, that part of me creeps into the other side of it. The structured part of me very infrequently creeps into the podcast part, though. It's Yeah. It's kind of interesting.
So you would just... You set yourself up for success. You just... You put things in the right place so that if something happens, it's there. What about travel?
Because people are... I mean, you must know this by now. Having met so many people with type one, especially newer diagnosed people, are... They are freaked out to travel anywhere. But you're not just traveling.
You're you're on boats and planes and cars. And so Yep. Yeah. It just works?
Backup, Backup, Backups29:28
Backup, backup, backups. You know? It's traveling with a ton of extra stuff is really the biggest first secret. And then paying attention during transitions is my biggest piece of advice for anyone traveling with any illness or not. Like, when you're leaving a cafe, when you're leaving an airport, look back at where you were sitting.
Did you drop anything? Did you leave anything there? You know? Did your pen fall out of your pocket? Did you leave your wallet?
Like, the... Those types of things, like, don't multitask during transitions. Don't multitask when you're packing. Like, pay attention is my biggest piece of advice Mhmm. Because that's when you don't make a silly mistake.
You know? You don't intentionally leave your insulin somewhere. You leave it because you were on the phone, and you were thinking about something else, and you walked away, and you didn't track. Like... So those types of of little moments are the ones that really keep me from getting in big trouble.
Concierge Medicine30:31
I have a concierge doctor, and that's what has really allowed me to tour full time. Concierge medicine was clearly the right option for me when I was trying to figure out how to have primary care when I'm in a different city every six weeks. So I got to find someone, and I was very lucky to find somebody. And it's expensive, but it's practically the same amount of money that I would spend if I wound up at an urgent care and had to do lab work that the amount that I want to, and I can budget for this. Like, I know how much it's gonna be every month.
So I just have an auto pay like my phone bill, you know, that just goes to him and that allows me to do this full time.
And then he could send you a script no matter where
you are. Scripts no matter where I am. I have his personal cell phone number. It's great.
Yeah.
I will soapbox concierge medicine for traveling diabetics until I can't no longer because it is just... It's awesome. I can text him and be like, hey. My throat feels scratchy. I think I'm getting strep.
And he's like, cool. Go get a strep test. And if you do, I'll get you a script, and you can pick it up immediately in any city, in any state. I don't have to wait. He texts me back within an hour.
You know? It's great.
Let me tell you a quick secret. So Arden just lost her concierge doctor because her husband got a fancy job in the French government, and they moved out of the country.
And Oh, no.
I'm happy for her, but, you know, I was like, oh. So we're back in the system right now to see how that goes. But for me, it's funny because I don't I don't travel nearly as much as you do, but I just got done. Actually, I'm back... I just returned last night.
So last night was Touched By Type 1. It was my last, like, diabetes event of the year that started back, I don't even know when, in the spring. I I think I went and spoke at a hospital, then I went to Atlanta to speak at a Touched By Type 1 community event, and then it was ADA, friends for life. The cruise was in there. ADCES, they...
Then back to... I... And I, like, ping ponged all over the country this this year. Right? Yeah.
Leading up to one of those things, I thought, oh, I don't feel right. Like, just like you said, like, scratchy foot. I'm like, something's not quite right with me. But here's my... And I hope this doesn't change anytime soon.
I have an urgent care near my house, and a listener of the podcast is a doctor there.
That's awesome.
So I just kinda go, and I'm like, hi. Hi. I'm about to travel next week, and I don't feel good. Could you hit me with one of those steroid packs you guys got over there? And then and it...
And it's within the bounds of what's correct. But it's it's... I don't have to make an appointment and then, like, wait two weeks
freak you out.
And then then and then try to talk the person into believing me and and everything. It's like a person at least knows me and believes enough that I might
And that's exactly it, what you just said there. Talk the person into believing you. And with my lifestyle, it's so unbelievable. You know, the PDF of context that people need to understand what I do is like... I'm like, yeah.
I shoot a bow and arrow with my toes. And they're like, what? And I have a... Like, have an album on my phone that is pictures that I show doctors, massage therapists, you know, anyone that I see that just kind of proves... I'm like, this is what I am.
This is what I do. And then they go, oh, okay. And they have a little more. And, you know, at that point, with a normal dentist or doctor appointment, the appointment's half over by the time I get done describing what I do. Yeah.
And I'm diabetic, and I'm this, and I'm that. You know? Like... Ugh.
Also, when you know how to manage yourself and your health and and they might get lost on the wrong left turn when you're showing them or telling them or something, they get stuck on one idea and you're like, that's got nothing to do with this. Like, please don't please don't focus on that. Yeah.
And I've had other injuries. I've had neck injuries and things from my work. So it... You know, I often have to, like, divide those concepts. When I was in...
I was at the hospital for a neck injury because I needed to get an MRI, and they were trying to do a blood test on me and that... Be... Just because I'm diabetic. And I'm like, I don't need a blood test. It's a neck injury.
Like, that blood test is gonna cost me $500 when you bill me.
Yeah.
I know I'm diabetic. I have a CGM on. I can tell you what my blood sugar is. You don't need to do an a one c check for me. Like, I I had to push this dude away from sticking a needle in my arm and charging me.
You know? I was like, I don't I don't need that. Well
I don't
need that.
Last week, my daughter ended up in the ER. She had a a burst, like, a burst ovarian cyst, which if you don't
Oh, I'm so sorry.
No. Thank you. It's really awful. And we're there. This is now, like, the fourth one she's had in five years.
An ER Story35:33
And and she's never had a CT because because they won't do it. They'll do all the stuff. They they have no trouble yanking her in the back room and giving her, like, a transvaginal ultrasound to prove that her ovary didn't twist. I'm like, that's not it. You know?
Like, they'll they'll like, oh, but, yeah, but your presentation lets us bill for this. So now you're gonna do this with us. Right? And then they run blood work, which you're happy to see, but then do an m... Like, I don't They did an MRI or something, and I was like...
Or whatever. They did something that wasn't what we needed. And I was like, I need a CT, abdomen, pelvis, so we have a real answer for what happened so we can move forward and keep working towards this. Doctor just came over, like, laughed in my face because I I was like, maybe it's stones. Like, right, it could be kidney stones.
He's like, it's not kidney stones. I said, but wouldn't we... Like, we're here. She's in massive amounts of pain. You've already hit her with morphine.
We're... I mean, we're in for a penny and for a pound now. Like, give her the CT and check it out. Right? Yeah.
You're not... He's laughing, like, literally, like, mocking me. And then I was like, I I just want you to do it anyway. Now I'm trying to talk him into charging me for something, and all I could think was, this is crazy. You just gleefully charged me for a bunch of stuff that we didn't need, that we all know we didn't need, but now you won't do one more thing?
And it it was just... And by the way, the CT return back, shows the cyst, and now you go, okay. This event in my life is this. Like, I know
now. Yeah.
Right? Like, I have an answer, and, also, we can address other things moving forward. And it was that he tried to push Arden into not doing it. She, like, luckily, the morphine was like, no. I wanna do it.
How old is she?
She's 22. Because... But I I said she wanted it. I... My...
Like, we want this. And then he was like, well, it's not up to you. Then he spins to her and tries to pressure her. He goes, Arden, like, she's on morphine. He goes, I don't think you need this test.
He starts, pauses, and then he says, do you want the CT? And I'm sitting there thinking, she might be high enough to go with what he just said. I have no idea. And I can't try to, like, impact her. So I stood there, and she's like...
She looked at me and looked at him and was like, no. Yeah. I want the CT. I was like, okay. She can think.
But, like, if that concierge doctor worked in an that person that I'd known all those years and had that experience with, we would've walked in and that... It would've been the first thing she did. Also, wouldn't have let her sit there for four hours without giving her pain medication. It was really crazy. So I I mean, I think those stories are the ones that scare people into, like, not traveling as much or not getting around.
But I think it's also great to hear a story from you that's like, I go all over the place, and I'm okay.
Right. And I, you know, I think there's always an inherent risk of of something happening outside of my control. You know, the power going out and not having a place to keep my insulin or... You know, like, there's there's a whole list of stuff that can go wrong. But I think what I've been trying to do up to this point over the past two years is minimizing the chance that it could be something that's human error
Mhmm.
And saying, okay. If it's... If something's gonna go wrong, at least it's out of my control. But if most of the time, I can be on myself enough... And I...
Still on MDI38:55
Some of that's, like, discipline, you know, I think. I also am... I've been MDI this entire time. I've never been on an Omnipod or a pump.
Yeah.
So that's something that we're looking into and investigating upcoming in this season. And I'm excited and interested to see how that would be or how it would change my life or what it would feel like and if it would be in the way with my costume or whatever.
Interesting. So I just assumed you were MDI because you didn't want to wear it, but, like, you're thinking about it. So what... Like, how did you start MDI, and what made you not think pump right away?
I think that I was having insurance issues, I remember, initially. And then they were like, one endocrinologist before I got my concierge doctor was like, oh, you have to be diabetic for a certain amount of time until we can put you on a pump because you have to you're gonna have to, like, regulate and come down. Because my a one c was, like, crazy, and so nothing was... I don't know. He made some sort of explanation to me about that.
I didn't like him anyway.
All the all the words that sound regulate crack me up in those conversations. You wanna get you wanna get... Let things settle down first. Or Right. I was
like, I guess. I didn't know. You know? I was like, okay, doctor.
So You didn't like it? You didn't like him very much, you said?
I guess. I just didn't feel connected. You know? I was like... And I was sick and confused and lost, and I didn't feel like he was really Mhmm.
Understanding of that. But he also probably has a billion people to see every day and doesn't have the time to make emotional bonds. You know?
Like Also, might not know what he's talking about. Right. Sure. So you're in your you're in your early thirties. Do you Yeah.
Date... Do you date? Are you with somebody? Are you married?
Two Partners40:38
Yeah. So I am. I... You know, full disclosure and transparency, I'm polyamorous. I'm in two long term committed relationships right now with two different people
Mhmm.
And very happy. I travel so much. We all travel so much that it... Of it is kind of a logistical convenience, but also I just have a really great community of people that I love in my life. I live with my partner, Aaron, in Florida, but neither of us are home often at all.
So we kind of both cycle around this house and go when we have some time off. And then my partner Chloe lives in Los Angeles, and her and I do a show together as well. And we get to travel together sometimes during the year too.
Well, see, this is a... Unexpected but great answer because Yeah. What I was gonna follow-up and ask you was is how do you, how do you integrate a partner into the diabetes? And now I feel like you might have two different answers. So this is
I do.
Yes. This is more interesting actually now.
Sure. For sure. Absolutely. And I... I'm public about this anyway, so this isn't, like, pulling out anything that is uncomfortable for me to talk about.
Okay. They both all... We all are very happy in our situations. But we... I was...
I've known both of them long before I was diagnosed. Mhmm. So I didn't have to, like, introduce myself to either of them as a diabetic. They were... Aaron was in the hospital with me, and Chloe and I went on tour for the first time together after my diagnosis, and she drove me across the country while I was, like, sick in the car.
So they were there for it really in support holding my hand, and they both know that I'm kind of an independent cat too. So they never try to micromanage me, but they both have definitely spent a lot of time learning about the illness and making sure that I'm okay and keeping an eyeball out for me and saving me when I get low or uncomfy or... I taught Chloe how to inject insulin and things like that. So I know
I know from your Instagram that Chloe is a girl. Is Aaron a guy?
Yes.
Is there any difference that you would attribute to just sec... Like, to masculine and feminine responses?
No. I don't think so. Not with these two specifically. Neither of them are very gender as people. Okay.
Aaron is definitely... He's also kind of an independent cat. So he's very good at, like, giving me my space when I need to figure it out. But also, I know that he's there for me when I need it, and he's there as an anchor to kinda catch me when I when I trip and fall. Chloe is very detail oriented and also, like, enthusiastic about everything all the time.
She has a lot of enthusiasm. So I really feel like she has made efforts to understand and be there. She'll usually be the one to to text me when I'm low quicker and be like, yo. You... You're low.
Your your Dexcom's low. They're both on the app. So Yeah. They get their alerts.
Is there... Do you give them a job? Do you let them see the whole thing? Do they just naturally... Are they better support systems for certain things so they they kinda fall into the...
I'm saying job, but into the job that, like, works best in your relationship? Like, because I... The reason I'm asking is because I I sometimes interview people who are like, I don't want anybody else involved in this. And sometimes they don't wanna burden them, and sometimes they're just private people, and they don't want to... Anyone else to know what's going on.
I've interviewed people who've been married for a long time and, you know, then got diagnosed later. And it's just like, well, you know, this isn't her problem. It's mine. Sometimes I find some... You know what I mean?
Like, there's a lot of different, like, nuance to it. I was just wondering how it worked for you.
No. That's a great question. Because I'm not with an either of them consistently throughout the year, they don't really have, like, a job in that way where, like, oh, it's your job to pick up my meds or something. Mhmm. Because I really...
I might only see either of them for maybe half the year respectively
Mhmm.
Depending on our schedules. So I'm very dependent on my own consistency and ability. But when I have to, like, change my Dexcom, they're the ones sticking my over patch on. You know? I'm like, I'll, like, show up with a sticker and be like, can you can you put it on my arm?
Thanks.
Could They Count Your Carbs45:03
Question I I usually like to ask is if you, like, just... I don't know. If you just went catatonic, would they be able to count your carbs? Like like, how much of it do they understand, like, functionally?
I think I think they would. I don't know if they know exactly, like, what my what my basal is. You know, I don't know if they know all of my numbers in detail. And I... Now that you say that, should probably, like, write it down and keep it somewhere.
We all have different types of paperwork that we keep. Like, if something awful happens, here's where... We have wills. We have, you know, end of life documents. And because of the kind of unconventional lifestyle that we have where I owned multiple businesses and vehicles and spaces and trailers across the country, like, I have some end of life documents that are like, this is the thing I need.
This is the thing I need to do. But I don't I don't think that has some basic diabetes care on it, so I think I'm gonna go change that.
My last question about that is could both of them give you glucagon? Would they know how and when to?
Yeah. Yeah. They would. And they also would, like, know to put sugar. I always...
They know where my juice boxes live, and they know where my sugar lives, and they would know what to put in my mouth to make it the most effective.
I'm almost twice your age. And when you started describing how you have all your documents together, I was like, oh god. I'm woefully behind on that stuff.
End-of-Life Paperwork46:28
We've... Honestly, at once, when I got diagnosed and then Michelle passed away, that was when we did that. It was that that, like, time of the year when all those things were happening in all of our lives, and we were kind of all, like... And another one of our friend's father's passed away too in that time zone. So we all kind of were like, okay.
We're doing this now. We're just doing it now. We're getting it done. And it's pretty easy to do online, honestly. There's like...
I think we used Rocket Lawyer, which is one of those kind of Mad Libs style Mhmm. Lawyer document creation websites, and it was easy. So I recommend it.
I would imagine at this point, you could ask Claude to do it for you.
Honestly, and it's it's way better to have something than nothing because we've seen... I've seen situations where people, you know, god forbid, sad, sad, sad, pass away unexpectedly, and they... All their stuff goes to the bank. You know? Like Right.
People they love
People they love fight over it or whatever. Yeah.
It's a mess.
Taxed weirdly.
It's a mess. Can you all thought?
Yeah. So so you're so, like, mobile, honestly. Right? You're so mobile. Does your life ever feel unsettled, or is it a thing you love?
Because I I'll tell you that this was my most active year going to events. I have... I mean, I don't know how well you know this thing I do here, but, like, this podcast, you're talking to me in its twelfth season. Like, it's twelve years, like, 2,000 episodes. I've been doing this a long time.
Right? I don't go to stuff usually.
Yeah.
And this year, I did. And I lost my summer. Yeah. And I lost a lot of time with my kids and my wife this summer. Yeah.
And I'm and I'm wondering, like, do you feel, like, transient or, like, do you ever feel settled?
Absolutely. I am very transient. It... That is the lifestyle that I live. I think I do get to feel settled in certain spaces, but I would say the feeling of being settled is not part of my job description.
If I feel settled for too long, I get antsy, to be completely honest. I've been doing this for so long that if I'm in one place for more than, like, three or four months, I'll get real antsy real fast.
When you... Go ahead.
Yeah.
No. I'm sorry. I I cut you off.
I've spent a lot of time through the rituals of packing and moving. Like, that's that's just such a large part of my life the same way that, you know, school season or football season is part of people's lives that kind of cycles through. I have, like, packing time and moving time, and that's, like, a holiday situation for me. I know it sounds silly, but it's true.
A Singer on a Cruise Ship49:13
Why Yeah. I I got to... I'm gonna ask you a question by telling you what I think is a funny story. So Yeah. For the for the second cruise I did, the cruise line wanted me to come out and see the ship.
So my wife and I did, like, this, like, five day cruise right before Christmas. Yeah. It's probably their slower time. It's probably easier for them to to give me a a, a cabin at that point. Right?
And and so we go to see the ship and everything. And maybe the first or second night, my wife says to me, there's a singer here. I recognize her from American Idol. I was like, okay. And she's like, we should go.
And I was like, okay. So we went. She was great. You know? And I don't know if people know her.
Her name's Ashley Amber, and you might remember her as having, like, a giant, like, purposefully crazy, almost mohawk afro. And, like... Right? And she... She's all fun and everything and blah blah blah.
And my wife and I are, like, we're leaving and we're talking. And I said immediately, because my brain goes to places like that, I'm like, how does she move around this ship without people being... Like, because when I'm... I'm like, I don't know about you, Leah, but, like, in certain parts of the world for certain moments, I'm incredibly famous. And it's not...
It doesn't last long. It doesn't last sometimes when I walk outside of a room or anything, but, like, in certain places I am. And I thought her... Just her style, and she's on this ship with these people. Like, she still gotta eat and move around.
Like, how does she do that?
Right? Yep. So That's exactly what happens.
Yeah. It's... Right? Yeah. Yeah.
It's gotta
be perform on cruise ships, you become a mini celebrity in the city of 2,000 people for a week.
Yeah. You're... And and I know what you look like. You are... Like, you were
I'm very distinct.
Uniquely you. Yeah. Yeah. Like, I I
don't I can't really... Like, I can put on a baseball cap and a hoodie and my headphones and hide, but
Also, not trying to do that. Right? And, also... And by the way, when people see you do that... Because I walked through a hotel two days ago with my headphones on because I was trying to get myself centered for what I was about to do.
And I got a lot of comments from people, oh, I waived you, and you didn't see me. I'm like, I can't
even do standoffish.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So Yeah.
So now... Also, I I... This is an aside, but I find when I get to an event, I get... Whatever the first door is I go through, I just put this smile on my face, and I never take it off. Because
My my face will hurt from, like, smiling. Yeah.
Just get incredibly aware that someone is always looking at you.
Mhmm.
Right. Right? And so... Anyway, not the point. So I'm going to get the food.
I'm I'm going to get food on the ship, and there's this poor girl standing, holding her food, and someone is talking to her. And I thought I've been in this situation where I'm like, I'm so close to eating. Please stop talking to me. And and I was... And and...
But but also you're having a lovely time talking to the person, and you don't have any real desire to walk away from them. You just need to eat. So I walked up and just, like, buffoonishly, purposely interjected myself into their conversation. Yep. And then as soon as the woman, like like, that she was talking to just was like, okay.
Goodbye. And she left. I looked at her and I went, you can go. I just did that so you could go eat. And then she and she...
She's like, thank you. And then I said, no problem. I said, is a weird part of my life where I have the same problem. I I could see it. She goes, you really saw that?
I said, from across the room, I saw you. And, and so she thanks me, and we start walking away from each other. And she goes, wait. Wait. Wait.
Why do you know about this? And and I said, oh, I I I make a podcast. And, like, she's like, oh. And then she starts asking about it. And I don't know.
And then she said, I'm from Tennessee. And I went, oh, my wife and I are thinking of moving to Tennessee. And then she says, and this is the reason I tell you this whole thing, I am getting off this cruise ship gig, and I'm gonna start selling real estate in Tennessee. So she's like she's like, gives me a card. And by the way, she's now showing me a number of homes.
But
That's so fun. That's... Opportunities come from people, man. That is is the only way.
But what I was wondering from you is the vibe I got from her is, look. I love this. I'm good at it. It's been a great way to keep my singing career going to make money. Obviously, you know, she owns her own home now, like, all this stuff.
But I think the grind of being on those ships might have been... Maybe she had seen enough of it at that point. You don't get that you don't get that feeling ever?
Oh, I absolutely get that feeling. I don't I don't only do cruise ships, though.
No. But, I mean, of the lifestyle in general.
Yeah. I think part of why I I don't really let myself grind. I am switching tasks so often that, like, I'll do renaissance fairs for about fifteen weeks, and then I'll do cruise ships for four weeks, and then I'll do theaters for a few weeks, and then I'll be home. Like, I switch it up enough that just as soon as I get I get sick of something... And cruise ships are easy to get sick of because it is Groundhog Day.
You're doing the same thing every week. The passengers are very similar moving on and off. You're seeing the same the same ports and the same itineraries, and you're with the same people in staff on the ship. So it does create a cycle of grind.
Yeah.
But that being said, like, that's why I don't do it for more than a few weeks at a time. And then I get off and I go home, and I can see my friends and see my community and go to Pilates class, and then I come back on. So that switch is... And my ADD are good friends.
That makes perfect sense. Also, you've said a couple of things here that I'm gonna pick out for a second. So you you... Are you a little anxious? Or
Like, as a person?
Type A54:48
Yeah. Like, you said type a. I'm wondering what that means when you said type a.
I think that I like the control of having choices, like, creative control and choices, even if that means more responsibility is, I think, what I mean by that.
So Okay.
I'd much rather be the one in control of the spreadsheet, in control of the schedule, the day of the lists, and get to have all the Post it notes.
Be... Because if my because if it wasn't in your control, what would happen?
It's a great question. I I think I'm afraid it would all just go wrong, which is now we're like, this is... Now this is therapy. But, yeah, I I think some of it is that... I think also I have recently had a lot of success in the growth of Tiny Girl, Big Show and the different projects that we've done.
And I've been able to work with people who trust me to lead them in the right direction, whether that's a sponsor, a donor, an assistant, a tech crew. And I like being able to withhold that. So I think I'm definitely in a phase of that in my life. I would love, you know, eventually to be able to release a lot of that control. But I've also seen a lot of stories of entertainers doing what I do, who are with managers and bookers, and those people do most of the work.
And then shit goes wrong Mhmm. Fast.
Yeah.
And now they're not making any money, not having a schedule that's good.
Well, I
I working with people who just wanna get the thing done instead of wanting to get it done right.
I let one thing go out to another person, and it went well for quite a long time. But when it stopped going well, what struck me immediately... And I felt like a child when it hit me because it hit me so... Like, I thought, oh, this person doesn't care about this thing the way I do.
Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
And and by the way, statement. Right?
Right. Right.
But I don't want to be in a situation where the... A person who doesn't live and die with this the way I do could be straying from a task or something like that. And then, like, you know, one day being like, oh, guess what? It's not done. You you know?
Right.
And Exactly.
And and, sorry. And I'm like, no. Not sorry. I I was telling my daughter last night, and she was, by the way, like, asking me for another puppy. She's we like, should get one more...
I'm like, no. No. I can't. I need more time. I can't.
And at one and at one point in there, I was just like, I I don't I don't have enough time. Like, I I don't have enough time to give over to, like, what the puppy would need properly and, like, you're... It's not the right timing and everything. But as I'm talking about it, all I could really think was I'm trying to, like, make my life a little more... I don't know.
And I... And as I'm standing there trying to explain it to her, I just blurted out. I haven't taken a day off in twelve years. Yep. Like, that...
That's what I... And I don't... I just... I was like, I I I... You know how people wake up in the morning and go, I'm not going to work today?
I'm like, I've never done that. I I was like I'm like, I'd like to get to the point where that's doable. You know? So... And, anyway, I'm sorry.
This is a little bit of my personal my personal drama in the middle of it.
This is it.
Yeah. But you know what I mean, though. Like, I've just... I'm just like, I am so... This podcast and everything that happens around it, it...
It's me. Like, I'm the little nucleus in the middle, and I'm okay with that. And I actually probably thrive on it, and it's probably good for me. All that... Like, I'm not a complainer about it.
But, oh my gosh. Like, you think, well, this one task, if someone could do this one thing, that would be awesome. Yeah.
Who Not How58:25
I also highly recommend... You know, the difference... Just to clarify too, there's a difference between, like, I like being the one in control, but I'm also delegating like crazy. And learning to delegate is terrifying and hard because of exactly what you're saying. You hit the nail on the head.
I highly recommend the book Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy. If you haven't read it, read it. If you wanna audit, Bullet. It's a great audiobook too. Mhmm.
And it's all about delegation for the sake of of exactly that of buying your time back. And it really taught me how to choose people who are humble, hungry, and smart, and correct for the job that I needed them to do so that they would care enough for the right amount of money that made sense for me and them. And you find the right people. And when you find the right people, then you don't have to figure out how to do the thing yourself because those people already know how to do it. Yeah.
And it changed my freaking game.
The Facebook Group59:20
So I just think I'm not at the point where I can afford to do that. I know. I have met I have met people along the way, and some of them actually donate their time. Like, I don't know. I mean, you're young, and maybe you don't know about this, but I have a Facebook group that's, like, insane.
There's almost 90,000 active people in it.
Wow.
And I have a lot of people who volunteer their time to just kinda keep it on track Yeah. And who are willing to, like, you know, not turn into rage monsters or egomaniacs, and they just do the... Like, I set them on a task. I'm like, this is how we support these people, and this is how this is valuable for them. And if you can do these couple of things, I thank you so much for doing it.
I... I've somehow locked into, like, the greatest group of people.
And that's... Those are the right who's, you know, the right people. And the book talks about that too, that getting people to work for you for free is not a bad thing if they're the right people that want to do the volunteer work. You know? Exploiting an employee and saying you're gonna work for free is a completely different situation.
But when you get people who are like, yeah. I'm excited about this thing. I have the time and the financial stability to give my attention to it. You say yes, and you work with them. Yeah.
Yeah. I find mostly that what happens is that people who have... It's kinda too... I... If I'm understanding them well, I think that they were, like, kind of helped by the podcast, which I say podcast because it makes me uncomfortable.
I don't wanna say me because that feels weird. But I think that for clarity in the conversation, I did something that helped them so much, they wanted to do it, like, return the favor somehow.
Yeah. Sure.
And then in the side of the community, they see people being helped, and then they kind of, by extension, get to, like, help those other people, which I think is very satisfying and maybe soul soothing.
Yeah.
You know? So those things happen like that.
And there's something to be said about creating something that doesn't exist. You know, you can get a lot more people to help you do a thing if you've made something that they can't find anywhere else.
Mhmm. Yeah.
That's very true. That, you know, you've been along for so long that you've had. You have the trust that's grown with that. I mean, your numbers are, you know, proof that.
I just think that I've seen so many times a thing that existed that I was like, that's not quite right. Or I see what they were going for, but here's where it fell apart. This is how I would do it. And one day, was just like, why? I had to stop saying this is how I would do it and just sort of do it.
You know? Yep. And especially in the digital age, like, you can make something out of nothing.
Mhmm.
Yeah. And and that's just wasn't like... You're yelling. You're like, no. Yeah.
That's how it works. But, like, trust me. Like, I lived in a I lived in a time where you couldn't just will something into existence. Mhmm. You you know?
So that... That's actually nice too. What else... So you do... What did you say cruise Cruise ships.
Ships? You You do do live events. I heard you say you have trailers stashed around the country. I'm imagining you, like, a little, like, like, magnet of of juggling somehow or something. I'm not sure how to put it exactly.
How does all that gets... Like like, you're just you're just one person? Like, is it just slow slow and steady? Like, you get a trailer one time, you go, I'll park it here for when I'm in this area, and then you're like, that works. We'll do it again.
Like, you
know Yeah. Pretty much. I mean, it... That's not completely wrong. I definitely have multiple people that help me in different ways.
And exactly back into what we're talking about now about delegation, I have different people all over the country, even network. And, also, Renaissance Fairs are all over the country, so some of those trailers are parked at the festival. And I have multiyear contracts at the festival, so I know I'm gonna be returning back. Where I'm... I am currently standing inside of my trailer that is at the New York Renaissance Festival, and and I, you know, have had this same space for almost a decade now.
So We're close to each other today.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm in New Jersey.
Oh, amazing.
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's
Are you always there?
This is where I... Yeah. I live in Central New Jersey.
Woah. Have you ever been to the New York Renaissance Fair?
I don't know where it... I... As you were saying it, I thought I wonder if it's like
It's in Tuxedo, New York, right over the border of New Jersey and New York.
Oh, no kidding. That's crazy.
Yeah. Like, Suffern, Mahwah area.
Yeah. No. Sure. I know where this at.
Yeah. Oh my gosh. We should... I
didn't know. Could I just done this in reverse?
Driving distance from me. Yeah. Yeah. So I
Never Recorded in Person1:03:45
I was gonna say, let me tell you a secret. I don't... I've never recorded with a a person live except for one time I did, like, a thing for MiniMed once. I've Woah. I've interviewed, like, thousands of people.
I've never sat in front of anybody and done it before.
That's so funny. Yeah. That's wild. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm in...
Project Insulin1:04:02
I'm doing an event in Brooklyn with Project Insulin. It's a... The diabetes big insulin circus party, and it's a a big show that we're putting on. There's another Broadway singer who's diabetic and a few other entertainers. It's October third on Friday.
If you're around, I'd love to see you.
Oh, that'd be cool. October... Oh, it's so soon. It's just in a couple. I was gonna say, like, maybe I could put this out in time for you, but I can't get it out that fast.
Oh, it's totally okay.
Oh, that's so cool. Yeah. I see. I've available. I've seen you guys talking about it.
Are you trying to raise money for
Yeah. It's a Project Insulin fundraiser for their company, and they reached out to me and and their their cause. They reached out to me as a event producer essentially and was like, can you put on this show? So I get to put on a big party, and it's gonna be really fun.
That's awesome. Can you tell... Maybe I'm gonna make this something up in a second ago. I don't have that experience. But when you start something from nothing and you grow it...
And I'm using, you know, my understanding of you literally just through Instagram. Like, you have a really significant Instagram following. Your your Mhmm. Your posts, like, get get attention. Do you know what I mean?
When you when you grow it like that, do you feel a pressure to continue to make it grow, or do you feel a pressure to stop it from going away? Like like, it's easy to talk about, like, everybody's like a hustle society, and I wanna get to a thing. But when you get to it, no one tells you about the part where it feels like someone's about to take it from you constantly.
Yeah. For sure.
Yeah. So what do you do? Like, how do you manage that?
Keeping an Audience1:05:37
Yeah. Definitely. I have experienced that. The Instagram is a large following, and I also have a YouTube and a TikTok following that are of similar sizes. So it's a lot of it's a lot of nurturing and a lot of content creation and a lot of marketing and a lot of video editing.
And I do feel pressure to maintain it. I also love the game of it. Like, personally, I think it's, like, a fun thing to take a bunch of jokes and clips from my show and throw them online and see which one does best. And then, like, it's, like, research. There's part of me that's like, I kinda gamify the system
Mhmm.
And not be like, oh, I need every post to do really well because I don't... It's not about that. It's about figuring out what what makes people feel something.
Yeah.
Either laughter or suspense or education or whatever it is. So I've had a good time crafting it. And I also have teams of people that help me edit and schedule posts and organize what to make when, but it is a lot of self done for sure. I've been video editing for a long time.
While you were talking, I just... I... The word gamify was, like, stuck in my head. I was like, if she pauses, I'll say, oh, you've gamified the whole thing. And Yeah.
And I would also tell you... I was gonna say then you and I a lot in common because I... When people will ask me... It's usually more behind the scenes than on the podcast where people say, how do you keep something like this going for so long? Because I I would tell you easily when I get done whenever I get done doing this, if you ask me what my greatest, like, business accomplishment is, I'm gonna tell you it's longevity because it's very, very difficult to accomplish.
Right? And and when people ask, like, how do you, like, how do you keep this longevity going like this? I just tell them the honest truth is I'm incredibly, incredibly competitive. And, like, and I just want to win. And I know it's like...
And and and it really helps with this. Like... But I I direct it in a good way. Like, I don't... I wouldn't win at all cost.
Not Yelling Cure1:07:43
I wouldn't do things. I I will give you just a simple example. You're not gonna see me running around yelling cure every five seconds to make
Right.
Clicks. I I wouldn't couldn't possibly be involved in that. And I also don't not understand when people do it when they get these... They get these... They get a foothold and stuff starts happening for them, and then it's I know they start seeing it slip away because it's so transient.
The the the success online is... It's just so... Everybody flashes. You know? And and they...
Usually, the way I put it is, like, name an influencer you saw twelve months ago that you still see. It's hard. It's... It happens very... And the algorithm wants them gone.
I... And I... And that even feels bad because when people are trying to build a thing up, I think, oh, you don't realize it's going to build you up, make you huge, and then pop you so that the next person can do it because it doesn't want it to be you. It wants it to be someone, but not the same someone. And
There's definitely a lot of truth in that. Yeah.
Yeah. So it's so hard. And then... So, anyway, my point is is when you get it there and then the next video doesn't do quite as well and the next one doesn't do quite as well, I understand when you go, hey. There's a trial in Chicago.
People have been cured of diabetes. Like, I get why it happens, but it's not a thing I would do. And Mhmm. And and I I... I'm...
It's not a judgment. It's a thing that comes from... I think that when you tell people that a cure is coming, I have seen anecdotally, they don't take as good care of themselves because they they feel like it's kind of almost over, and I don't wanna be a part of that cycle.
So I understand that.
Yeah. Anyway, it'd be easier. I'm not gonna lie to you. But but... So when you when you have this thing and your thing...
Would you call this the pinnacle of what you've... Like, are you at the highest point right now of what you've been doing?
I... Yeah. I would say that.
Okay.
Which is... It's kind of crazy, but you're... Yes. I am.
How do you keep it there?
You you have good questions. Thank you. I think that I've always reached for sustainability, and I've always looked at sustainability as much as I could because I also know that what I do athletically isn't completely sustainable. I think knowing your audience is huge. I think listening to your audience is huge.
Listening to what they want instead of just, like, making, yes, I'm making the art that I wanna make, but I'm also really listening to what they want. And we're in a recession now. Right? Like, people aren't buying $60 theater tickets the way that they used to for a lot of reasons.
Yeah.
So what can I be marketing that is actually gonna say yes to? When when those people have to look at their budgets, their monthly allowances for themselves, what can they spend on entertainment? And a lot of what I've seen is I want my audience to grow as much as it can right now, people wise, not necessarily monetarily. Because then in ten years, hopefully, when our economy does another swing, I will have had those people that have said, wow. I really that that entertainer made a mark in me.
I've... I have a relationship. I've been a fan of theirs forever. Yes. I'm gonna spend money on their show.
So kind of thinking long game is really helpful for me. And then
Can I say I think I? What I heard you say is, like, I have to be authentic and real with these people. So... Because if if this is just pretend or something that's flashy for attention, then they're gonna forgive... They're gonna forget about me.
They're gonna go away. Yeah. You have to be... You have to make a real connection with people, not just
Yes.
Yeah. Oh, good. I'm glad that's the answer because that's how I think about it. And it's the only thing that makes me happy when I see people making content that I think is not as... That I think is dangerous or not as valuable.
I think, oh, they're not gonna be able to sustain this.
Right.
So at least it'll flash out at some point. And then the stuff that sticks is the stuff that's actually valuable because you you don't win by mistake. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, this is cool.
Email Lists1:11:48
Also Yeah. Diversifying, you know, my my market. So, like, I have the large Instagram following, but also YouTube and TikTok. And then my email list is also big too. And I love I love my email list because it means that those are people that directly said, I want...
I didn't scrub that information. You know? They volunteered that and said, I want to know where you are. I wanna come see you perform. I wanna follow-up.
I don't want the algorithm to be a reason that I miss your posts. You know? Tell... Email me when you're in my city so that I know when you're there, and those are the people that will really show up.
I have to tell you. I I appreciate you saying that because, I I mean, I'm not gonna ask you how many people are on your email list, but I might ask you when we get done recording. That's okay. I have what I think is a fairly significant email list
Yeah.
That I never use.
Oh, it's great. Would you... Okay. I mean, like, I can nerd out on email marketing with you. Please
do. Don't know. What's...
What do you use for
your list? Think I have MailerLite right now maybe, or is that a good one? I don't know.
I don't know. I've... I was on Mailchimp for a while, and then I migrated to GoHighLevel, which is a more in-depth CRM. And I'm I'm geeking out over it because it does so many more things, and it's cheaper. GoHighLevel?
Yeah. G h l is what it's kind of referred to as often. It's called Go High Level, and it it does email marketing, but it also does a bunch of other CRM stuff that I probably won't use because I don't, like, run a dentist, you know, or something. But...
So I think the same thing. So I... I mean, obviously, listen. We're different. You're also...
You're more... You're you're much more visually pleasing than I am. Let me just say that. And so, like, I don't have a lot of, like, visual content, that includes me. It's weird.
Like, people know me through my voice or my thoughts. They don't... Like, sometimes people see me, and they're like, I had no idea what you look like. Yeah. Sure.
An Episode Every Day1:13:44
And so that happens. But I also make a lot of content. Yeah. So so I put out an episode every day. And
it's Oh my gosh.
Yeah. It's like a one hour... At least a one hour conversation every day.
Every day?
Yeah. Monday through Friday. And then I do it
I don't think I knew that. I thought... I think I thought it was once a week. That's crazy.
Yeah. I mean, that's that's what... I think I made... I'll make, like, 250 episodes of the podcast this year. Whoo.
Yeah. So... Yeah. I I am... I'll I'll brag for half a second.
I I am one of fewer than 200 people in the world to make 2,000 episodes of a podcast and, to have reached over 20 mill... Actually, I'm one of fewer than 200 people in the world who've reached over 10,000,000 downloads.
That's insane.
A small in a small, like like, not
It's niche field. Yeah.
Not Joe Rogan is the idea.
Right. Right. Right. Under Scott...
Those top 2% of, like, famous people making podcasts.
Congratulations. That's crazy.
Yeah. I just... I I have way too much to say. And as crazy as crazy as it sounds, someone asked me the other night online. They were they actually...
I think it's why it was in my head. They asked me how much of this I delegated to somebody else, and I I found myself explaining, like, none of it, really. And and as I was typing back my response, I thought, I really wish I could make more. And I and I felt how crazy that was when I said it.
Crazy.
Yeah. Like, I was like, I... One a day doesn't feel like... It's enough for you listening. The people listening are like, this is plenty.
We're good. You know? But I feel like I could... If I had more time and more help, I would do more specific, like, series
Do you like doing your... Those events? You said that you're doing more events this year.
Are Events Worth It1:15:29
Do I like doing the events? Okay. The ones where you meet people are awesome. Business wise, they don't help me grow. And this is not a...
I'm not... This is not an ego thing. This is a meet and greet for me. I don't meet a lot of people who don't know me when I go to stuff. So it's not like somebody goes, oh, you're awesome.
I'll listen to your podcast. They go, I listen to your podcast. You're awesome. It goes the wrong way for for me business wise. I love meeting people and talking.
That part, I think, is fantastic. I love giving... I did... On Saturday, I did... I talked to a group of adults.
I talked to a group of teens. I did what ended up being a stand up comedy show for five and six year olds that have type one diabetes because they're not very well focused. And Love that. Yeah. And and I did...
I think I... Oh, I did another talk. I did a follow-up talk at... Towards the end of the day, just talking about my ideas around how to manage your insulin and, you know, take better care of yourself and stuff like that. I love that.
I could do that all day long. It does not help my podcast. It doesn't help the business side of what I do or growing the thing or keeping people.
Are you charging for these talks?
No. I I donated my time to a Touched By Type 1 for that. Mhmm. And I've... You know, I don't normally ask people to pay me to do things like that.
I did a big hospital recently. It just seems... I don't know. Like, it's seems like a nice thing to do. You reach people who you wouldn't normally reach.
Mhmm. And I don't do a ton of them. And then the other in person stuff was, like, it was industry stuff. It was ADA, ADCES, stuff like that where you just... You know, ADA turns into more of, like...
It's more of, like, a chance to see people who you do business with, which is nice, you know, to have, like, FaceTime with people who you spend a lot of time on, like, FaceTime calls with and stuff like that. Yep. ADCES is all educators, and I have to admit that was the one where I thought, let me go see if I can find people who don't know about the show and tell them about it. And so I'm gonna need I'm gonna need six months to know if there was any actual value in it for me. Sure.
Yeah. Of
course. And then then after that, I already agreed to do it again next year with the person I did it with, but it could end up being a thing where I am... It's just... I don't know. Like, yeah, I I have no real idea.
I don't know how to answer it. Like, if it was outside of my house, it would be no trouble. You you know what I mean? I'd be happy to go. I really...
I I find myself very, like, vexed by the whole thing. Like, did I enjoy doing them? A 100%. Was there a better way for me to spend my time for the podcast and the community that I've built around it? Probably.
Yeah. The one thing that I can tell you is that going on the cruise changes me every time in a really positive way. So I'll talk for, like, two more seconds here, and then I'll be done with my word salad. But I don't have type one. So I am oddly in a incredibly unique position where I probably have, like, a pretty big voice in a space where I don't have any literal, like, first person perspective.
I do through my daughter and everything, but I've sort of become more of a, I don't know, like a social scientist in the space because I have so much interaction with people. And I always find that I need more because I... I'm always kind of... Like, I come to an understanding about this and then... Through people's experiences, and then I keep being inquisitive about it, and then it unfolds a different idea for me.
And the first time I went on the cruise, even though I had seen it in person a million times before, it wasn't till I was, like, enveloped in it that I saw how quickly people melted together who didn't know each other, and it was clearly just because of the type one. Like, because they all... I don't wanna oversimplify, but because they all really just intrinsically understood each other's lives, and it seemed to make a force field that I think they carry around themselves that they're not aware of. It made it it made it disappear. And then that
was community and gathering is really just completely undisputed.
Yeah. It's just awesome. But but specifically around the diabetes, like, kids who showed up with their heads down, like, I can't believe my mom made me come on this damn cruise with these freaking people who have diabetes. And then five seconds later, heads up, bright eyes, smiling, running around with people they met. And I was like, oh, that's crazy how that happened.
And I felt like I got to watch it in front of me. And and it changed how I understand this whole thing, and it will inform better the conversations I have after that. The cruise that... I... I'll keep doing the cruise even if I never find a way to scale it to a point where I can go like, oh, I paid my electric bill because of the cruise.
It breaks even for me, and it's good enough for me. Like, it doesn't cost me money, so I'm like, that's awesome. I also wouldn't be surprised if I woke up in five years and there were, you know, five, 600 people on that cruise with me.
So Right. Absolutely.
So we'll we'll see what happens. But being with them and hearing their stories... I'll tell you the one from this year that got me the most. So when I get on the cruise on the first day and hope... It's possible it'll get big enough one day where I won't be able to do this as much.
But right now, if you'd like to talk to me, I'll meet you anywhere on the ship you want. We sit for ten, fifteen minutes, and we chat. Right? So I I get to us... Like, you know, I'm given a list, like, go to this place next, be here at this time.
How Long Have You Had Diabetes?1:21:09
And I get up on deck, and I sit down on this chair across from this lovely lady. And she's in her early mid sixties, and we're, you know, floating across the ocean in the... You know, outside of... I don't know where at the... You know, we just left we just left Miami, I think, or something.
And she sits down. She goes, can I start by asking? We introduce ourselves. She goes, can I ask you a question? I'm gonna say this a couple of times this year.
She goes, she goes, so how long... She's talking to me. Have you had diabetes? And I just, like
Oh my god.
Stopped me in my tracks. And I went You're like, oh god. I went, oh god. I'm so sorry. Is it not clear on the podcast that I don't have diabetes?
And I promise you, Leah, the next thing she said was, what podcast?
Oh my god. Wait.
And I was like, it would it would have been like if you sat in a bar and went like, hey. How do you like the thing I do where I swallow the fire? And she went, what? And you're like, why are you here? Why
you here?
Yeah. So so I
said Why are you here?
I said, you're on a cruise. Been asking. For people who listen to the juice box, how did you get here? Right. She just said, I heard online that a bunch of people with type one were getting together, and I thought it would be great.
Yeah.
It really taught me something, like, right then and there. Like, I... And she came from cat... She flew from Canada to Miami buying herself. Yeah.
It was awesome.
Because we need that community, and that's also why, you know, I think part of that is the answer of the question you asked earlier of why did I put it in my show? Because we need it. Because as soon as I say that and I ask who's diabetic in the audience and then people go, oh my god. It's me. And then we get to bump Dexcoms and be cute.
Like, it it just becomes so strong as a community source that I was like, great. I'm never forgetting this.
Yeah. So anyway, I... So do I like going to these things? I don't know if I do or not, but I know that I understand, like, at its core that concept now, and I think that's important. And I wonder what I'm gonna learn on the next one.
Yeah. So... Yeah. So I guess I like going to the things.
I'm
I could've just said that. But, you know, then how do you make five hours of content every week if you just say that?
Well, it's really good to talk.
Yeah. I appreciated this very much. Oh god. We've been talking too long. What...
Tell me what the rest of your day is like. When do you next go do something? I guess the the thing in New York is your next thing. Right?
What's Next1:23:33
So I'm still performing every weekend at Renaissance Festivals, but I will be... I'll be at the New York Renaissance Festival for one more weekend and then the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festivals for two weekends. And then I will be doing the insulin fundraiser in Brooklyn. And then I go to South Carolina and perform there for a little bit. And then I come back to New York for an Off Broadway show.
And then I get to go home, and then I get on a ship. So...
You drive around or fly around?
Depends.
Yeah. Depends on what it is. Yeah. That's so interesting. Well, I think you're awesome.
I don't I think you're awesome.
Thank you. Very nice. Chatting.
I love your I love your Instagram. I
Thank you.
Yeah. You've done a really wonderful job. And to bring, you know, eyes, attention, and light onto your diabetes the way you did. I think it's really fantastic. I I I really hope you you continue to succeed the way I...
It pretty obviously is you're going to. Will you hold on for one second for me before you go? Awesome. Thank you. One second.
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Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. I just wanna say thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. If you're not subscribed, please subscribe in a podcast app. It really helps Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite audio app is.
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#1999 I Could Have Seen This Coming
I Could Have Seen This Coming
Her sister was diagnosed at twelve months. Three gestational pregnancies, a type 2 label and a C-peptide of 1.1 later, Jessica had to demand the antibody test herself.
Jump to a moment
- Type 1 was already in the house. Jessica's sister was diagnosed at twelve months old in 1991, and Jessica grew up helping with the glucometer and watching her mom pour maple syrup into a combative, low little girl. Their dad is still labeled type 2, but Jessica is "99% sure" he's type 1. The family history of autoimmune disease is long, which is why she opens with "I could have totally seen this coming."
- She had gestational diabetes in all three pregnancies — metformin in 2017, Levemir in 2019, and with the third, a type 2 diagnosis delivered over the phone while she sat at the library. By spring 2023 she was on the maximum dose of metformin, getting multiple UTIs a year and rashes on her knees, and a full lifestyle overhaul did nothing to her numbers.
- She paid out of pocket for extra labs. A positive ANA and a C-peptide of 1.1 didn't move her doctor, who read anything at or above one as normal. After a Costco hot dog sent her numbers flying, she went in and asked for all five antibody tests. Her IA-2 came back positive. The educator handed her a sliding scale of one unit at 200 and told her the rest was anxiety.
- Metformin plus insulin was dropping her low after dinner, so she figured it out herself and stopped the metformin. Half-unit pens helped because she's sensitive to insulin. When her endo invented a rule that she'd need a C-peptide under one to qualify for a pump, she found a new endo in the next big city, who asked, "You want a pump?" She's been on a Tandem Mobi since May, and the rashes cleared up once she was on insulin.
- She's a biomedical engineer who worked on pacemakers and now homeschools her three kids. Her advice for getting what you need from a doctor: know your stuff, and sometimes play a little dumb and ask questions so they arrive at the answer with you.
- Bold Beginnings Series — Getting a refresh and re-releasing in the feed, in order, starting around episode 2000
- Juicebox Podcast Pro Tip Series — Management fundamentals with Jenny Smith, episodes 1000–1025
- Tandem Mobi with Control-IQ+ — Tandem's smallest pump yet, now available for ages two and up
- US Med — Dexcom, Libre, Omnipod, Tandem, iLet and more — or call (888) 721-1514
Every word of the conversation
Welcome and Sponsors0:04
Welcome back my friends to the diabetes show that never ends. Remember this, nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin.
Meet Jessica1:00
Hi. My name is Jessica. I'm 39 years old. I live in Upstate South Carolina. And unlike most of the people that you have conversations with, I could have totally seen this coming.
I
love that. I don't particularly enjoy you naming the episode in the first thirty seconds, but that's
That's like my housewife's tagline. I've been thinking about this for a while.
So That's really good. You just said something right before I hit record, and I said, hold on. Let me hit record, and then I'll answer you. You said, I'm a little nervous. And I was gonna say back, I think you'd be mentally unstable if you weren't nervous.
Like Right. You know what I mean? Like, you... It's not a thing you do. Right?
Right. I was thinking this is a thing you do the time. So you're just stepping right in, and this is new. But conversations are good to have, and they're good to practice all the time.
So Yeah. I think it's great. And, yeah, it would be insane if I was nervous.
I know.
But I I fully expect you to be. People will sometimes ask me, how come the the conversations... Like, some people don't like the talky part, so they they would prefer it if everything you and I just said to each other didn't exist. And you said, hi. My name is Jessica.
I have type one diabetes or, like... You know? And I asked you a question about your diabetes, we launched right into it. I think those those people don't take into account the fact that you don't make podcasts all the time.
Right.
And it would be nice to get you calm and relaxed and everything before we start talking. So Yeah. But I'm right. You're the one with type one. Is that right?
Correct.
Okay. Mhmm. Are... Let me find out a little bit about your background. Are you married?
Do you not have children have children? I'm I'm not gonna ask you if you own a home, but you know what I mean. Like, tell me a little bit about you.
Yeah. So I'm married... We'll be married fifteen years next month in October. Three kids. And...
Yes. And I got... And I have a weird diagnosis story.
Tell me tell me how old the kids are, and then I wanna hear about that.
So my oldest is nine. That's my boy. And then I have two daughters after that who's seven and newly four.
Nine, seven, four. Okay. Alright. Well, I mean, you you seem like you're ready. So how did you figure out you had type one?
Her Sister, Diagnosed at Twelve Months3:12
Oh, man. Okay. So you kinda have to have a backstory first of my sister having type one. She was diagnosed when she was 12 old. So right after her first birthday party, literally, when she had cake as an infant.
And I was three, so I'm the eldest out of the two siblings.
Mhmm.
So I've been around type one and exposed to everything about it my entire life. So it's not new to me, the the lifestyle, but it's personally affecting me came later. Right? So I have a pretty... I I told the pediatrician, have a cornucopia of autoimmune disease in my family besides the type one.
My mom had Graves' disease, so she had hyperthyroid disease. So she had her thyroid removed, has hypothyroidism now. Mhmm. Her mother on that same side had hypothyroidism, and she also has scleroderma, which is another autoimmune disease that affects the collagen of your skin, of your organs. She managed to survive all that.
Dad's Type 2 Label4:21
And then my dad, technically, he's still diagnosed as type two. But for having two daughters and he has diabetes, I've been begging him to get his antibodies tested. But he does have diabetes. So
Do you
that's my background there.
Do you think he's LADA and he doesn't know it, or you're just worried that he might be?
Oh, no. I think he's type one. I'm pretty... Like, 99% sure. And and when...
Before they locate... They relocated when he retired to where we live now, I mean, his his a one c's were in the tens. He was managed very poorly, and he's on some type two drugs now that have brought in, like, into the eight ranges, seven, eight, which is better. But he still has complications also related to neuropathy already, and he's... I'm not saying he's in in denial about it.
He just kind of goes with the flow and and treats those symptoms as they come. But I'm for sure convinced it's, you know, just undiagnosed type one.
How how old is he?
He's one in fifty four, so we can do that in, like, '72.
I I was gonna... I was I was so excited to try because I got 46 on the backside of 2,000, and then I got 26 on the other side. Right? So that's $66.72. Yeah.
You had it. Okay. Damn. Yeah. I was gonna really show off there for a second with my
Homeschool math.
My ridiculous math. So do you think... I mean, you know your dad probably as well as, you know, anybody who's not your mom. Right? So does he not wanna find out he has type one because he doesn't wanna feel responsible for your type one and and his other daughter's type one, or does he just
feel like He
What do you think?
He knows the answer is insulin, and I don't think he wants to deal with insulin and all that comes with that. Like, he'd rather just take a pill every day, which is what he does. But I was just telling him there's this technology all the time. Like, they have a weekly basal now that's coming out, which would probably be very helpful for someone like him. You know?
Well, if... And and if if he's getting by on oral meds and actually has type one, then that's not gonna go forever at some point.
No. I mean, it's not gone well. I mean, he's... He has, you know, pretty bad eye disease. He had Charcot foot the past couple years, and it was only one of his feet where basically the arch of your foot collapses.
And it's not painful, and you're not feeling it because of the neuropathy sort of thing.
Oh gosh.
It just kinda presented as a swollen red foot, and he had no idea why. And so it was more of a problem with walking and affecting your stability walking. And he finally had re... Surgery recently on that to basically just shave the the foot down because it was kinda convex in your shoe, which is very uncomfortable. Uncomfortable.
So... And all of those things compound to why I deal with my diabetes and the way I manage because of all those things, which my providers never really quite understood, right, coming from your experience.
I have to tell you, I feel like I could talk to your dad for ten hours based on what you just said. Like like,
I got We're big engineering family. We don't talk a lot.
I'm I'm just sitting here thinking to myself, like, he went through a surgery instead of taking insulin? Like, you know what I mean? Like,
that type of probably had to happen regardless. But... Yeah. No. He just wants to take a pill.
And my mom... I mean, nobody can tell him any different. Maybe a doctor could. But you'd think after seeing what I went through to finally get a diagnosis and how well I'm doing now comparatively, I thought I could convince him to get those antibody tests, but he still hasn't done it.
So It's fantastic. I have to tell you with the the life that I've had so far, and my daughter has type one, and if I... If my blood sugar starts to go up, I'm just gonna assume I have type one diabetes and go check.
Right.
You know? You know, I'd be like, oh, okay. I bet... Makes sense to me. Oh gosh.
Well, I feel I
feel I always told him the thing about the father too, how it's more likely passed from the father, and now you have two daughters with type one. Like, where's... The the logic leads you to one conclusion. You know?
Yeah. It's it's just... It's funny because the story hits me so much. I know at this point now, hope he never hears about it, but, like, somebody who I live near is 72 and, you know, doesn't have type one, but clearly has type two and, you know, neuropathy and all the complaints that go with, you know, higher blood sugars and everything. And then you just say, well, I think if you just tried the GLP, like, that really might help.
And they're like, wow. I mean, maybe after my vacation. I'm like, hey. You're gonna die. And I...
And and it... And
you Quality of life.
Yeah. What about that? Right? And and as you're having the conversation, everything makes sense. The next time I bump into him, I go, hey.
You start that medicine? He goes, no. Not yet. I'm like, oh, I don't know what to... Like, I don't know what to say anymore.
You know?
Yeah. Yeah. I know.
Anyway, well... Okay. Well, let's talk about... So you're... I don't want you to tell your sister's story too much, but twelve months.
Like Yeah. It was wild. Holy hell. From when
Is that in the nineties? Been told. Yeah. That's in the nineties.
Yeah. He was born in nineties, so this would have happened in 1991. Yeah.
Okay. And you... But I'm assuming you have no recollection of it. But I do wanna know about, like, your recollection of growing up with a sister who has type one. This episode is sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care.
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Yeah. So I was three when it happened. So I only have... Well, my mom's told me about the diagnosis. Like, she was in a coma for a while, that sort of thing.
Growing Up Next to the Glucometer11:46
But I distinctly remember the old glucometer they had, and I would help get her... Retrieve her blood by using these old glass pipettes. I don't know if you've ever seen those. And we would prick her toes, and you could suck the blood out like a straw
Yeah.
And blow it out on the strip. And, like, I used to have so much fun doing that. My mom would actually let me do that. And I do remember... I mean, I didn't know at the time what was going on, but it was having bad lows.
She would get really combative. And I remember my mom having to, like, pour maple syrup down her throat sort of things. Other than that, I mean, she's been rolling old school for a long time. She had the old Medtronic pump for years and years. Even when you could upgrade, she just kinda stuck with it.
And she's three years younger than me. So it was only when she got pregnant with her son did she start a CGM, which is wild, which was only, like, three years ago.
Really?
Yeah. So she went through all of college, which was funny because, I mean, she wasn't managed that great, especially during college experience. My mom would have to call, like, campus police to go knock on her dorm room, and she had to bug her roommates all the time. Like, a lot of that could have probably been avoided with the CGM. But...
Yeah. I know she kind of... She grew up, you know, do... You know, reacting to things based on how she felt. And then she would, you know, check her blood, but she just, you know, stuck...
Not stuck in her ways, but that's just the way she was raised, and that's how she dealt with it. And so, yeah, she's relatively new to CGM, and she's on tandem as well, the t:slim
Mhmm.
Which is cool because I have the Mobi now.
Is she, like, aesthetically happy, or did it... Did her circumstances get so bad that she got drug kinda kicking and screaming into a change?
No. It was just kind of a slow progression. I think for her, she runs pretty low sometimes. And a lot of times, she'll say, that's just how I am or whatever. And and now knowing what I know, it's hard to have conversations because I just...
I'm a biomedical engineer. Like, I love how the body works. I tend to understand it pretty, you know, pretty well. And I've learned so much, you know, in the podcast, outside of the podcast. I'm just a sponge for information about this stuff.
Overeager to Share14:10
And so I'm almost sometimes, like, overeager to share what I've learned. Mhmm. And she doesn't take that very well. And I do it out of a place of love, but I think she she takes too much insulin. You know, we're just we're pretty thin.
We're small. She has, like, a lot of profiles. And I'm like, there are just too many variables at play to have all these, you know, preprogrammed changes throughout your day. And so she's... When I'm around her and she doesn't live in my hometown, she's just constantly low.
And I'm like, yeah. This could be a lot easier for you. And and I don't know if it's a settings thing transitioning from Medtronic to tandem, and I've sent her some podcasts about that. You and Jenny have talked about that, but I don't know she's listened too long. But, I try to kinda stay out of it sometimes
Yeah.
Because sometimes it just gets personal for her where she's like, well, you're you're not a real diabetic sort of thing. And and I'm just doing it out of love, and I try not to have my feelings hurt. But
Oh, no.
That's I'm different because I'm LADA. Right?
And Yeah. Jessica, this is terrible. This is this is this is absolutely terrible. And I do not think uncommon, by the way.
Right. Yeah. Right.
Right. So
With anything, not just diabetes.
100%. Yeah. There's no way that she feels... She'd feel any differently if you, I don't know, came to her and you were like, you've been painting your walls wrong your whole life. And Right.
Yeah. I... She'd be like, shut up. You know what you're doing. You didn't own a house as long as I did.
But, it Right. People... It is... I mean, you're telling a fascinating story of hardheadedness. I just...
But why don't
a good vocab word obstinately. I've taught my son recently. I'm a little stubborn. But I'll just... She doesn't have time for it.
She's a very busy life. She works full time. She'd just rather not. You know? Sometimes, I guess, you know, correcting the low is easier, and that's how she goes about her business.
Mhmm.
Time for what, though? Because what have you... Like, in your estimation, wouldn't it take her less time... Wouldn't it take anybody less time to do
it Yeah.
The other way?
I would. Time and worry. Like, my mom was so happy when she got married. She's like, I don't have to worry anymore.
Your mom was like, hey, buddy. Listen. Guess what?
We make fun of my mom. We're like, you're permanently unhinged because of living this life. So by the time I got diagnosed, my mom's like, you're on your own. Like, I can't
I can't do this again. I'm so sorry to tell you.
Yeah. It's kinda weird being doing this as an adult. Like, nope. Like, he really doesn't care.
Oh, that's horrible. Bye bye. Yeah. Oh my gosh. I know.
I I re... I was just joking with my wife the other night. She didn't appreciate it. When I said, do you remember when your dad said you can't bring her back? I was like, I know I know what he meant, and I can't wait to say it to the guy that gets ardent.
God bless my husband, and I... He scared me as well for all of my complaining.
In fairness, my mom easily could have said to Kelly, you can't bring him back. That's not my point. It's Absolutely. But it's just... It is very interesting situation.
What... Okay. So... Well, alright. You're diagnosed how?
Like, what... What's the first, I guess, inkling you have?
Gestational Diabetes, Three Times17:17
Very long thing. So my oldest was born in 2017. Or I gotta I gotta scoot back because my whole life, I have felt low symptoms my whole life, which now I have words to to kinda describe that as like a hype... Reactive hypoglycemia sort of thing. Mhmm.
Like, throughout our whole lives, my mom would just tell people, oh, she's just... She... She's hypoglycemic. And and because she had that terminology for my sister. But as you get older, like, is that really a thing?
Like, I don't... Most people don't get low all the time or shaky if they haven't eaten. And, I mean, this has happened my whole life from when I can recall, and it just was kinda normal. So I would just manage when I would eat and make sure that didn't happen sort of thing. Mhmm.
So it had always been that way. So I got pregnant in 2016, and so we just follow the normal progression of following a pregnancy. And basically, the oral glucose tolerance test I've ever taken, I failed, including the first one. So that whole world was new to me, the whole idea of counting carbs and proteins, and it was pretty overwhelming. And that one, I was just put on metformin for him, and maternal fetal medicine doctor followed my blood sugars, which I had to write down religiously.
It was kind of a hard experience because you're used to people being able to eat whatever you want during pregnancy. And so I was very bratty about the whole thing, the complaint the whole time. But we finally had him, and he was my only child that came out with low blood sugars. Because when you're in such a high glucose situation inside and it drops suddenly when you give birth and had C section with him because he was breech, their blood sugar drops pretty quickly.
Okay.
And so they had to monitor him for several hours, a lot of blood checks, and until he finally kinda regulated himself. My other kids didn't have that experience. So nothing was done after that. That's one of my biggest gripes is, like, people follow you so closely when you're pregnant and have any form of diabetes. And at that point, you know, it was labeled gestational.
Right. And
once the baby's out, they could really care less. And I'm not talking about, like, just having it or not, like, the actual blood sugar ranges that are appropriate. I never understood that. I'm like, if you're telling me you want me to get up to one forty, how is that such a bad thing when I'm not pregnant? Why why why all of a sudden does it jump to one eighty?
You know what I mean? Mhmm. I never quite understood that. But that was only my first experience of this. So then I get pregnant again probably eight...
Eighteen months later. I had my second in 2019, and I think they test you a little sooner if you've had GD before. And in the meantime, in that time span in between, I had never checked my blood. I was new mom. Didn't know what I was doing, learning new things.
I didn't have time. So with my second, we just decided to forego the metformin since it didn't work out that well for me the first go around. And they immediately put me on Levemir, the, you know, long acting basal. And and I found some old records the other day in an old folder, and my blood sugars were really well managed by them. They would kind of up my dose as the weeks progressed, and it was enough.
And I was well controlled, I was like, wow. Look at those numbers back then. Like, I would... I wish I had those now. And so she did pretty well when she was born, and her blood was fine and stable.
And again, they're like, oh, you're fine. You don't have diabetes anymore. And I kept living my life. But she was born June 2019, right before COVID. But leading up even before then that winter, that's when my thyroid kinda tanked.
The Thyroid21:02
And it was the kind of thing where your PCP test your TSH, and I was, like, right below five point o, I think. Like, right below what they consider
Yeah.
Abnormal. And it was ridiculous. I mean, it it led to me basically screaming at a nurse over the phone for an endocrinology referral. So that's how I actually ended up with endocrinology to begin with for the thyroid.
How did how did you know how did you know to be upset with the
With my first, it was... We were borderline. And so that's another thing with pregnancy. They're a lot more strict on the TSH. Right?
So they did treat me with Synthroid for both pregnancies. But by the end, they're like, you probably don't need it anymore, and they take you off of it. So I knew that it had to probably be related, plus with my family history.
Yeah.
And sure enough, I got to endo, and we'll get into her later regarding the diabetes. But she was actually helpful because even though I was kind of subclinical, she was like, wouldn't be in my office if you were okay. You know? Like, you wouldn't be making this effort. And so I...
My symptoms... I think a lot of that too was having babies back to back, you know, nutrient deficient, all those things. And then you go into COVID, and we had... I had terrible symptomatic COVID. And when I took the vaccines later on, my immune system was just not normal, I guess, when looking back, right, compared to my husband.
We say he has a superior immune system. Thank god my kids get half of what is normal from his side of the family. So then I got pregnant again. My second and third are three years apart. And for her, I talked about it this morning.
The Third Pregnancy22:45
It's so funny. They kind of threw the glucose tolerance test on me, like, ten weeks pretty early. And I think I'd had a high carb meal that morning. And I was at the library with my kids, and a nurse told me over the phone, well, you're you're just type two diabetic. That's what we're diagnosing.
And I'm like, you have the gall to to tell me over the phone you're gonna diagnose me with a disease. I kind of freaked out on her. Like, this is not possible sort of thing. This doesn't make any sense. I'm a really lean person.
I've been, you know, working out both before, during, and after all my pregnancies, it didn't make any sense to me. But again... So they at least went with the gestational diabetes label label at that point. I pretty much flat out reject the type two. I was like, no.
This is not... At the... Hi. Hey, Jess... Jessica Jessica, it's it's Kim from......
Kinda in the nearest big city for my first two kids, and it was too much to manage. So we live in a smaller suburb, and that's where my endocrinologist was. And for for that OB practice, they just shunt you to the endocrinologist instead of a maternal fetal medicine to manage your diabetes. So she was the one also managing my thyroid. And they do...
They did things totally differently with the sliding scale. They did give me long and short acting. But now knowing her and how she dealt with these clinical situations, I know that I was poorly managed for my third pregnancy.
How do you measure It's...
It was outrageous when you see what... How many units you would have you give before any kind of meal regardless of carb count sort of thing. It was all over the place. Jessica? And I I ended up having my beard a month early.
Had so Can you hear me at all?
Yes. That's that's ended up being okay. Her blood sugar was okay. And life with three kids, three young kids was... Oh, sorry.
Hey. Can you hear me?
Sorry. I can't hear you.
Can you hear me now?
Barely.
Test. Test. Test. Test. Test.
Sorry. My sound. Sorry. My sound got turned down.
That's okay. You can hear me now?
Yeah.
I went to interject. I think I might leave it in. Right? I went to inter... I went to interject once, and I thought
I'm so sorry.
No. Don't be sorry. I thought, oh, no. She's just on a roll. She maybe just doesn't hear me.
And then I then I Nope. Not at all. And then I go to say something again. I'm like, Jessica. Jessica.
Jessica. And I'm like, she can't hear me.
Nope. I've told the story a thousand times. Even know that.
It was awesome.
Oh, gosh.
Okay. Let me make my two jokes, then we'll keep going. I... I'm picturing you in the library, first of all, getting a phone call where the woman's like, oh, hey, Jessica. It's Kim from the doctor's office.
How are you? Yeah. The weather crazy. Isn't it? Yeah.
Oh, you're at the library? You guys thinking of getting a book? Right? You have type two diabetes. Mhmm.
Why She Didn't Buy Type 225:45
But what I wanna know is how did you reject the notion? Like, when you... I'd be... I know you rejected it to her on the phone, but how did you internally decide?
Because, I mean, for better or for worse, I have the stereotype of what type two is and the fact that it was lifestyle related that I could have caused it in some way. That's probably where my reasoning was going. And I also blame the pancakes that I ate that morning.
Because the other thing I'm trying to figure out is that... I mean, no no shade on anybody. Right? But you're having a different reaction to a health issue than everyone everyone else in your family has. So are are you...
Do you... Are... I mean, I I... Listen. I have this, but I'm adopted.
Right? Like, I I grew up. I watched my family have a reaction to something. My reaction would always different, or their reaction would be different than mine, however you wanna think about it. But did you have that situation where, like, everybody would talk about something?
You'd be like, that doesn't seem right to me. Or is it just around this health thing? And if so, I guess, why do you think that is?
I guess at that point, I actually trusted all the people who were responsible for my health care, which I don't anymore. I am very cynical now when it comes to that sort of thing. I had no idea what the path to type diagnosis would even entail. So I just never considered that type one could have been my thing. I just...
At that point, was like, we're just gonna go with gestational, I think. Okay. Just because it's
a thing that has happened to you before you're comfortable saying that.
Right. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Keep going. Now I'm sorry.
So Okay.
Yeah. I apologize. But, also, I think this will be much better now that you can hear me again.
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Please. Okay.
So I had my third. She was early, busy life. We started homeschooling. My oldest. So when my third was, like, three months old.
Spring 202327:32
So high stress, but good, but just a lot going on. And it was probably that spring, I randomly one day had terrible brain fog after lunch, and I don't know why... What compelled me to just check my blood sugar. I found my own monitor, and it was not extremely high, but it was high, what I would consider high now. Like, woah.
It made me think, like, woah. Something may be off here, which sent me back to my endo and the cascade of appointments after that. That was... That would have been spring twenty twenty three.
Mhmm.
And a lot of my diagnosis story with her is a lot of, like, self diagnosis in in tracking my blood sugar. So for that long while, I was finger pricking every day, getting a fasting, kinda getting two hours after every meal sort of thing, trying to give her a clear picture. I finally convinced her that my fasting was probably, like, 01:30, 01:40 sometimes at that point, and she just kinda diagnosed me on the spot with type two diabetes
Okay.
Which didn't make much sense. And just knowing that the whole theme related to her care was, well, you could just go low carb. You need to go low carb. And, like, I I had a tough time in all my pregnancy... Pregnancies doing that just because, know, my husband and I love to cook.
We love food. I don't like to eat food excessively, but I enjoy it. I enjoy the experience. But at the end of every pregnancy, I got to go back to that life. And so that was the probably hardest time for me because there were no more pregnancies.
This was just like diabetes.
Yeah.
And that was the probably hardest time for me. Plus, there was no other way to treat it except for diet, you know, from her viewpoint at that point. And I talked her into starting me on metformin, and I was, like, on the max dose of of metformin that you could take. And that lasted for, like, two years. And then during that time, all my symptoms kept getting worse.
UTIs, Rashes and Max Metformin29:32
I would have multiple UTIs per year, and I was just so sick of going to urgent care because I knew they were gonna actually help me find the cause of these things. Mhmm. And one time, one of the PCPs in the MyChart, he was like, well, you might need to go to immunology if this keeps happening. He never said that to my face, but I I got my wheels turning like immunology. What does that have to do with a UTI?
And that's where I just started on a rabbit hole of listening to all the health podcasts that were popping up at the time. Just about just lifestyle changes that could be made to... And, yeah, mostly to increase longevity is why they're so popular these days. But for me, I wanted to fix my blood sugar. Right?
Still, I was not connecting the autoimmune piece to any of this. I don't know why. I mean, it's so clear as day now. But that's when I started on the road of, like, every lifestyle modification that you can make, I did. My husband and committed to.
For better or for worse, like a lot of them, we still do now. Like, I started lifting weights. I had always done a lot of cardio. Still love to lift weights. I got into sauna, cold plunge.
We started milling our own flour to
get our god. Tell me. You definitely did methylated vitamins. Right?
MTHFR and the Lifestyle Overhaul30:48
Oh, of course. Because I have MTHFR, and I know that because I did the 23andMe to get my entire genetic sequence code.
I'm I'm not laughing at you. I'm gonna ask you. How many of these things actually... How many of these things were actually valuable? Nothing.
Nothing. Well, there... A lot of them are valuable still now. Like, these are good lifestyle things. It's good to have good sleep.
You know, these things are good for us, but that was our joke. It did nothing to my blood sugar. Not a thing. And, you know, I think my doctor wanted to label me, you know, for insurance purposes as type two. I think in the back of her head, she she did tell me, you know, like, this is probably LADA, but she had no treatment plan for me at all, which was very frustrating.
So that's why I had to do this on my own. Yeah. And my husband would be like, well, don't you just need insulin? I'm like, but if a type two diabetic diabetic is taking insulin, you're at the end of the road of therapeutics. You know what I mean?
So you you kept thinking was not me. Like, I'm a healthy person.
Yeah. You kept thinking you were going to do something that was going to change your insulin sensitivity somehow and prolong or make this better.
Right. Yeah. Okay. Because that's what the podcast told me. Yeah.
Not your Not mine.
Yeah. No. No.
No. No. Yeah. Yeah. So...
Paying for Her Own Labs32:02
And, eventually, I actually had to pay out a pot... Pocket for extra blood testing because I was like, my PCP is worthless for this. So I did the Function Health blood test, which was actually really helpful. I wanted to prove that my actual insulin levels were not high, like, that I did not have insulin resistance. Because my husband would always tell me that, and I'm like, well, we can't prove it.
And it definitely showed me that I really had low inflammation in general. I did have, like, a positive ANA, you know, which is indicative of some kind of autoimmune disease going on. It's not specific to anything. And I knew I had thyroid. I had thyroid antibodies.
So those were different snapshots along the way that were helping me Sure. Basically get to the diagnosis of type one. Because along the way, you know, the whole clinical team is not helping me Cool. And... Which was frustrating.
Yeah. Let me ask you a question. So even though, like, all the podcasts and all the ideas, you really do... Do you have your own cold plunge tub?
Yeah. We got one of the inflatable ones.
Do you
have a sauna? Actually... No. I go to the YMCA for that. It's me and a bunch of old men sitting in there, and it's...
I love it.
They're probably so thrilled they're probably so thrilled you're there. It's like, finally, a woman came in here. It it I'm
like, leave this up.
I know. Tired of looking at these guys' balls. At least they're covered up if you're in there. Right?
Rubbing their bellies, their sweaty bellies.
Oh Yep. But, like... But for all the things that, you know, make content creators, you know, make content, you can see why it happens. Right? Like, people are really desperate.
Yeah. They're desp... You're desperate for an answer, you're willing to do anything. You're willing to listen to somebody who says, like, you know, you probably... Your body probably doesn't handle methylation well.
And you're like, you need... And you're like, okay. Like, I mean, I guess
That must be good. Yeah. And I understand, like, I'd... And I see the other side from a physician's point of view. Like, they're overwhelmed.
They have a lot of sick patients. And granted, they're a lot sicker than I am. Right? I understand that. But it doesn't doesn't mean that my situation doesn't matter at all.
And that's Not
only that. You spent so much money that you probably didn't need to spend. And what and what test would have done it for you? Just to see peptide?
She had run that for me.
Okay. And that didn't
A C-Peptide of 1.134:16
Under one is technically abnormal. My lowest was 1.1, and therefore, I was normal to her... To my endo.
And and did... Does the endo know that your sister has type one diabetes?
Absolutely.
And they know about all the Hashimoto's and the other autoimmune stuff? Oh, yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
And and they got their degree in, where do you think, the back of a strip mall? Or how does that happen exactly?
I don't know, dude. I... It's it's so frustrating. I I have since switched. That's part of my story.
But, yeah, she, at one point, did run two antibodies that were negative. That led to me to my big Costco hot dog excursion. So... Because at this point, I'm also fasting a lot. I would I would have to bring food everywhere with me.
I would bring steak and berries, and it was just so annoying, you know, taking three kids around. We homeschooled. We're always together. We're always doing things. I had to bring my own food, and we were at Costco one day.
And at this point, like, my kids had had broken wrist last year, a bunch of other things. So we had met our deductible because that's related. And I had a hotdog at Costco Costco with my kids. And at this point, the Stelo Dexcom monitor had come on the market.
Mhmm.
Because I've been checking my blood for probably a year finger pricking, and I've been paying out of pocket for the Stelo for a year, which... It's inaccurate a lot of the times because you can't calibrate it, but it was useful. But... So I knew what my blood sugars were. And that was the whole thing.
Like, I knew it was getting worse, and yet the only way she told me I could control it was through metformin, which is she would all be like, always say, such a good drug. It's a good drug. Like, okay. But it wasn't doing... It may may as well have been a placebo.
Placebo probably would have been better for me, honestly. And so my blood sugar skyrocketed that day from the hot dog, and I just freaked out. That was my breaking point. And I got on that computer, and I just wrote a novel. Because at this point, cost did not matter.
I Want All Five Antibodies36:10
Right? And so I'm like, I want all five antibody tests. I want everything rerun, thyroid, everything. And at the time, I didn't tell her what my blood sugar was. It was high, but it was nothing like three, 400 or something.
I think it was just, like, two fifty for a really long time. And
It's pretty high.
Was funny. Then... And that's how I eventually got the type two diagnosis. I just told her what my fasting were. She she never did any work herself to prove any of these things.
Right?
Mhmm.
And so that was how I got all that blood work done. And eventually... So we had to wait for a lot of those. Some of them take a long time to come back. And in the meantime, she's like, well, you need to meet with a nutritionist to talk about insulin.
Like, okay. And I've been down that road before with GD. Like, I understand carbs and proteins. Like, you don't need to talk to me. Like, I'm a kindergartner.
But I was sitting there across the table with her, and she's basically like, well, you know all this stuff already. And then she would look at my CGM, and she she would say, your your numbers are so good, though. They're so good. And it's a very relative term in the diabetic world. I understand one eighty is still good to some people even for a long amount of time.
And I was getting frustrated with her and opinionated up. Because at that point, the endo did say because I freaked out with the hot dog that she was... She's like, I'll just order you some pins. Like, basically, to get her... Get me off her back.
A Sliding Scale and an Anxiety Label37:35
Mhmm. But in that meeting with the educator, they wanted me to take, like, the sliding scale, of course, one unit of insulin if going into a meal, my blood was 200. So I'm basically, like, laughing across the table at her. Like, is this a joke? Like, this is a cruel joke that you finally give me insulin, and now you give me no way to use it.
Mhmm. And that was before all the antibody tests had come back. Some had come back negative. And later on, that endo told me that that specific educator just told her that I had anxiety. That's what was going on.
And
These women?
Yes. Mhmm. See, I usually
just blame guys for saying that about women, but... Okay. You know what I mean? Like, because I... Like, it's easy to go, oh, yeah, guys are like, oh, you...
Honey, calm down. Like, you know what I mean? Like, that thing, but if women are doing that
if it's I don't know if it's an insecurity thing. I say that with my new window. It's kind of a pissing contest sometimes because I do understand a lot of these things. And I could have a great conversation, but I think they need to be the boss of the room. You know what I mean?
They need to exert their authority in some way, and that's how they knew it. Yeah. But during that time... So I wasn't using insulin at all. And I finally just messaged them one day just begging because at that point, I had found your podcast.
I knew carb ratios existed, and I was just like, can you please just give me a starting point, anybody, for a carb ratio and then just something I can start with basal with? Just... I begged. And this other lady, bless her heart, just based on my weight, you know, it's not a complicated comp... Calculation.
She gave me a carb ratio, and that's how I got going. And then at that point, I'm listening to a lot of your podcasts on dosing and basal, what all these terms mean, because it's different when you're not pregnant. Because pre... When you're pregnant on insulin, they tell you exactly what to do. You don't care about, like, the vernacular of what what bolus means, all these things.
They're just like, take this now at this time.
Yeah. There's no there's no thinking. Right? Because it's short term
Right.
And it's very repeatable.
IA-2 Positive39:37
Exactly. And that's... During that time, my IA two antibody, which is actually not as commonly positive, came back positive for me. So I... For, like, GAD 65 and stuff, I was always negative for those.
But my antibodies were positive for IA two. And based on what I know of a a lot of this, you know, diabetic standards, they actually treat an I a two positive... Positivity value as if you were positive for two antibodies because it's more aggressively if... Attacks your islet cells. Does that make sense?
Because normally for, like, Tzield and all this stuff, you have to have two positive antibodies. Right? Which I never had. I only had one. But this one is just more aggressive.
So, again, I do all these research on my own, read the papers on my own. I go to that endo. She's like, well, you you tested positive for that one, but it's not a big deal. So literally anything that I would learn, she would say the opposite
of of important. That the endo that said, hey. We're gonna test, and if it's over one, it's positive. And then it came back one point when they... She went, oh, it's not that far over.
Correct. Like, red flags. Red flags. But I just still dealt with it. You know?
And she would look her little nose at me, look under her eye... Her glasses and be like, well, you can just go low carb. And I'm like, I cannot be keto for my entire life. Like, I'd rather die. That's what I'm saying.
That's our... You know, it's it's a good time to pause for a second to say, like, look at what this did to you. Like, look what it caused you to have to do, learn... You know, it's nice to say I did my research, but what you're saying is is I went to a doctor. They didn't help me, so I decided to do their job for me.
And then once I did it, then they didn't like that I was doing it. And then I... Then eventually, had to come off as half out of my mind, and then they gave it to me just to shut me up. Yeah. That's horrifying.
And then I had some really bad lows come to find out because I was still she was like, you'll just stay on the metformin when I started insulin. And I started correlating how, like, I would get these lows after dinner when I took another large dose. And I think what happened was the metformin actually started working in the presence of insulin. Because before, it just wasn't doing anything. There was no insulin resistance to kinda correct.
Metformin Lows41:53
So whatever mechanism was there, it would tank me after dinner. And I was like, oh, no. Like... Because the endo would always be like, you're gonna go too low. You're gonna go too low.
And that's why she never wanted me to take insulin and... Or gave me that ridiculous sliding scale.
Mhmm.
And I only went too low because of metformin, and I figured that out on my own and just stopped it. And later on, I brought that up to her too. She's like, well, yeah, you don't metformin. I'm like, you told me it was a good drug before.
Well, that... By the way, that sentence that they repeat, that's the thing that's told to them. And so they Right. They hear it over and over, so they say
it over.
What's what's the sentence? Oh, this is a long term, really well tolerated medication, which which, by the way, is good news. It's good news that the population's been using something for a very long time, and no one's grown a horn out of the center of their head.
It's safe.
We're we're Not
safe for me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. That doesn't make it the right medication for you. Right. Right.
Like, confidence.
Yeah. Yeah. Well... But listen. What if you didn't have this, this doggedness about you?
You you know what I mean? Like, you're easily gonna... You're gonna be your sister inside of a year and a if if Yeah. Yeah. Right?
Like
And I was also just... All these things were not bad things. Like, I've been around type one my whole life. Insulin is not such a death sentence to me. Right?
Praying for Disease43:09
It's not the end of the world. I was... For these antibody tests, I was, like, praying for disease, you know, if you will. I would tell my friends I'm, like, in diabetic purgatory. I'm just stuck in this limbo land of not diagnosed, diagnosed, but I have all these symptoms.
I I had lost a lot of weight. I had all the UTIs. I had weird rashes on my knees. You can see old pictures of them. They were, like, white for years, and I knew it was related to the...
My blood sugar in some way. And with all the supplements and all the things, I was like, I'll know if it works if it clears those rashes. And sure enough, once I started insulin, they were gone.
This all goes away. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. And so it's just a weird place to be
Well, you're
telling what the answer is.
You're telling my wife's story about thyroid. You're just telling it about type one. It really... If you've if you've heard enough of the podcast. Right?
Like, just told forever and ever that, like, you're... You know, that's not true. This number's not high enough to worry about that. Oh gosh. Have you just tried this?
Maybe you're depressed. Maybe you're this. Yeah.
You know better. And then even when I brought up a pump after finally figured out how to use insulin pens, I figured out that half dose pens, you know, half unit pens existed because she didn't tell me that. Because, again, I don't need... I don't require that much insulin. Basically, if I wanna eat, I need insulin, but it's just still not that much.
I'm very sensitive to it. So half dose pens were very useful for me. But the more and more I listened to your show, I was like, I need more precision. I knew I needed a pump because I just knew how helpful it would be. And I brought it up to her, and she said, well, you can't have a pump unless your C peptide's below one.
So... And then you and Jenny did the the podcast on the 2026 ADA standards, which was so helpful to me. Good. When basically this year, they said everybody is... You know, everybody should have a pump who wants one, you know, automatic delivery.
Thing to say because I I get to sit evidence. Yeah. Well, also, I get to sit here from my perspective. I do a lot of, you know, I do a lot of business with the marketing side of pumping CGM companies. They're all desperately, desperately trying to get type twos.
Yeah. So, like Yeah. Yeah. How would the doctor not know that's happening?
She, like, made it up. She made that up. I There... It doesn't exist.
Oh, a 100 I I know that a good doctor who's working hard right now hears this and says, well, you know, the the visits are too short. We don't have that kind of time. It's hard. I don't know what you're hearing. If you're thinking that right now, I don't know what you're hearing so far in Jessica's story that tells you this is about time.
This is clearly about understanding and fundamentally being able to, like, add one and one. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That's how you're being let down.
You were just being let down by a person who fundamentally does not understand what they're talking about.
Why do you think I homeschool my kids? I mean, that's part of my personality. Right? I I knew better. I wanted this, and and you couldn't get it to me.
A New Endo and a Pump45:56
So that was my last straw because I I really wanted to pump, and I found a new endo in the bigger city where I'd had my first two kids. And I I had I had all these things prepared to give my full story, had all those ADA standards, and I literally go in the room. She's like, you want a pump? I'm like, are you for real right now?
Yeah. Thank you. Please. I'm gonna cry. You know?
Like...
I was like, yes. But... Well, it's kinda interesting. She's got her own quirks. I don't think any doctor is perfect.
Again, I think it's a pissing contest sometimes, and I listened to a lot of your podcasts about different pumps. I knew how algorithms work. I I work in pacemakers full time and now part time, and they're, you know, they run on algorithms. So those are interesting to me. And I knew which one would fit me best with my weird insulin needs because, like, I'm not totally insulin dependent in a way a person's pacemaker dependent.
Right? If we're... If you removed it, you'd get ketones. You would die pretty soon. My body makes just enough basal for me not to die, but I just can't eat sort of thing.
And so I knew how the algorithms, you know, for different pumps function. So I kinda knew that the Mobi was gonna do best for me, and she kinda would get confused sometimes. I'd be like, well, no. Omnipod doesn't work that way. I'm like, okay.
Cool. Also You go on.
I'm fascinated that in a in a world where they didn't wanna tell you to use insulin or help you use insulin, but with all of the the returns you were getting, no one tried to put you on a GLP medication? Is that because you're not No. It's because you're thin.
No way. She wouldn't put me on insulin. Yeah. Yeah.
It was fascinating. Because a low, low dose of GLP might have made a big difference for you. It's possible.
It could have prevented. Yeah. And for me, I wasn't scared of insulin. Some people were just really... I'm on some other Facebook groups just specifically for LADA, and a lot of the stories are heartbreaking and relatable.
And people were really scared to go on insulin. And for me, it's just different. I've just been around it forever, and I knew that was gonna fix it. And, you know, I don't know. I've learned to manage it.
The the pump is awesome. And I kinda... My husband's thing was always like, through the whole supplement and lifestyle thing, he's like, well, what's our goal? It's for you to feel good. Right?
Mhmm.
And I finally do. And we've kind of optimized my thyroid. I take, like, t three active hormone now, which I also kinda had to fight for once I figured that out. And... Because I feel good.
So now I can just go about my life not having to worry about all
these things. Of my kids take that.
Yeah. It's a game changer.
Yeah. Yeah. Kelly can't at all. Kelly wants to, she can. It makes her heart race.
Yeah. Because she she can't do it. But but she would... But she feels better when she's taking it right until her heart
Yeah. Starts to break. It's pretty cool. And you think you feel okay, but then... Wow.
Just when you feel better, it's it's pretty awesome.
I'll tell you. Your conversation is... It makes front of mind for me that I'm never going to completely understand how people think. Like, I Yeah. You know, I don't...
My body doesn't make enough insulin. Here's insulin. Well, I don't wanna use that. I... You know what mean?
If if I if I said to you there's not enough oxygen in this room, there's a tank with air in it and a mask that gives it to you. Would you go on that? I don't wanna cheat. You you know what I mean? Like Yeah.
I mean, it's scary. Doctors have liability. You know? At the end of the day, it's like, why are they telling you you're gonna go too low? You know?
They don't want it to come back on them. Like, I get that, but I also don't. Like, it's it's the best... It's your solution to the problem.
Why People Fear Insulin49:28
But how but how do people so quickly give up? When met... We've met with such a simple calculation. Calculation. I don't have enough of this.
Here, they make it, you know, you can put it in you with a needle. Here it is. Oh, I don't wanna do that. You'd rather your feet be numb. And Right.
Yes? Okay. I... Same thing with the GLP for me. By the way, I...
I'll tell anybody who wants to listen. I feel amazing. Okay? Mhmm. And it's not just because I lost weight.
I promise you. This is the best I've... This is how I imagine everyone is supposed to feel right right now, the way I feel. And still people say, well, are you gonna have to take it every day or every week forever? And I'm like, well, yeah, if I wanna keep feeling amazing, I...
That's so far the only answer I have now. Maybe somebody will come up with something different. I don't know. Like And
I'm fully convinced. Like, most women my age with kids, I mean, they probably have a thyroid issue. Let's be honest. I've... I know and love so many people who are just tired all the time, and they're still doing as many things as I am, but they just feel terrible.
And I'm like, yeah. There... There's so much more that can be done here. I mean, it just... It takes work.
Takes
pill once a day. Same thing, by the way, with hormone replacement for older women. Like, listen. I don't know if I don't say it the way that people like to be accepted. Nature clearly doesn't want women to live.
Like, do you know what I mean? Like, it would... It it it would...
Or, like, I am I am blind as a bat. That's why I kinda tell my friends. I'm like, okay. We have contact lenses and glasses to correct our eyesight. I'm like, I am gonna be on full onboard for estrogen
for this room. Jess, you're cheating with your glasses. You should walk into traffic and die because
died a long
time ago. Yeah. Well, estrogen patches, that kind of stuff, I I... You have no idea. Like, decades after I stopped making this podcast, it is very possible my wife and I are gonna be super old somewhere bouncing around like little jackrabbits because she's, you know, chosen to, like, you know, supplement her, you know, her her lady issues any way she needs to.
The GLP medications, thyroid stuff, like, your body is breaking down much more quickly than you wanna believe. And when you go see these... You know, we all end up at a birthday party where there's some old lady in a corner who is just a blob of a person. Right? Like, it just looks like they've been melting like a candle for forty years since they had a
No. And I... Can I feel for that? Yeah. You know?
Like, so empathetic to that.
But then you go look at another person in that same situation who found a GLP medication five years ago or found, oh, no. I take a thyroid pill. I take this pill. I I... You know, I've been supplementing my estrogen here and there, and they look completely different because these medications are fighting back nature's desire for you to die and get out of the way.
Like, I... And if you don't understand that's what's happening, I I don't know what to tell you. You... You're Yeah. Yeah.
You're taking vitamins. You're taking whatever you're taking, trying to stave off what time is doing to you, and it's happening much more quickly than you think it is. So Sure. Yeah. Yep.
I mean, listen. More for me if you don't want it. No. No. But you really should look into it and stop listening to people who say ridiculous...
When you go to a doctor, I don't even care if it's a doctor. Go anywhere with a problem that you're sure is a problem. Tell the person who's supposed to be in charge. And if they don't agree with you, then they probably don't understand. And then you need to go find a different person or figure it out on your own.
Playing Dumb at the Doctor52:54
Or if you do know a lot, and I hate that word advocate, but sometimes if you just play dumb and use keywords, you know, that pricks up their, you know, their logic where they may have an answer for you. Right?
Arden Arden have to do I'm sorry. Cut you off. You go ahead. I'm sorry.
Oh, you're fine. No. You go ahead.
Arden and I were at a doctor's appointment for her recently. And we left, and she was like, boy, you walked him right through that. And I was like,
yep. Exactly.
He didn't need to think. And by the way, he loved not thinking. He loved it. I walked in. I I asked a question.
I listened to what his, breath of knowledge is on it, and I go, I was wondering if it couldn't maybe be this. What do
you It takes a level of intelligence Yeah. To be just stupid enough in your eyes.
And, also... And I don't go and I don't go, I was thinking it's this. I wanna do this. I go, you know, I heard about this thing. Have you heard about that?
What do you think about it? Exactly. Puts them in the puts them in the position to be in the hero and going, I have heard of that. And you might
good questions.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You don't tell... You...
I don't know. I mean, is everyone not married and have kids? Do you not know how to manipulate people? What is going on?
Well, I always always did it in my job, like, working with physicians. You know, we're implanting a pacemaker, and you're never gonna tell them where to put it because a lot them don't have good hands, and you're not gonna embarrass them in front of the staff. Right? So you would have to coach them, but you had to know exactly what to say in a polite way. You know?
Mhmm. So, yeah, I had practiced on that.
I've said this on a podcast a number of times. I'm happy to say it again here. I'm tricking all of you into taking better care of yourself.
Yeah.
You're welcome. I mean, like, I don't I don't I don't know what else to say. You you know, like, you're welcome. And and you do the same thing when you get to the doctor's office. You trick them into helping you.
And if and if... Yeah. You know what I mean. I'm sorry. Go ahead, speak.
What were you gonna say?
Sorry. I was like, yeah. Like, especially with the podcast, I could see my story in a lot of people you had conversations with. So I would... I mean, I would listen...
Finding the Podcast54:51
I've been listening for years now, but I would specifically try to find the ones that were diagnosed later on in life. A lot of these women who had gestational diabetes, you know, all their experiences gave me more confidence to keep pushing on sort of thing. Yeah. And with the new endo that I have, it's kinda funny because, I mean, I'm convinced, like, if your doctor doesn't have type one diabetes, they're never gonna really understand the day to day circumstances, especially variables. Like, the other...
Few weeks ago, I started spouting off different variables that may affect a mealtime glucose value. And she looked at me like I was a deer in headlights. Like, what is she even talking about? About? Because she wanted to change my ratios.
Again, like, I I have, like, a 30 purse... 33% basal ratio compared to bolus. And and I understand fifty fifty might be ideal from a textbook. And in her eyes, she was just gonna change up all my ratios that I've tweaked. I'm very specific on based on what I tend to eat, when I tend to exercise, all these sort of things.
And she just wanted to completely change it. I'm like, you're absolutely not doing that. Especially since, you know, I was like, that's assuming you count the correct number of carbs in a meal. That's assuming that you took it at the right time. That's assuming so many things.
And she just looked very confused when I said that. I'm like, you know what? Just don't worry about it. I'm fine.
Just give me the script. It's time for me to go. Thank you.
I Yeah. Exactly.
Hey. I'm listening to you talk about this. You must love me. No? Like, you must really like this podcast.
I I just
Very valuable. And I I love... And I keep... And it... For one...
I didn't understand why I enjoyed it so much. Because, again, at the beginning, I was just looking for facts. You know? And I was like, man, that conversation was actually pretty cool. And and, you know, the more and more I'm I'm homeschooling my kids, it's a different way of learning and education.
It's talking through stories and experiencing all these facts in a different way, which you talk about all the time. You know, that's how we're paying attention and expressing the same facts over and over again. So it's been really helpful and entertaining at the same time. My husband thinks really funny too. He listens in the car when we're in there.
And... Yeah. I don't know. It's really invaluable. Highly recommend it to anybody I come across.
Thank you. I just realized while you were talking, I was like, oh, I'm like her Andrew Huberman. I'm like, I didn't realize... Yeah.
I... Oh,
I'm sorry. I talk... I talked over you, but go ahead. Say it again so people can hear.
Very niche. Very niche Andrew Huberman.
Yeah. Yes. Right. Right. Yeah.
And and I don't... I'm sorry. I'm excited because I am literally sitting in a spare bedroom of my house making this. And so Hey. It's very...
It's it's taking me so much longer to get my studio set up downstairs than I anticipated. I think between all the traveling I did for work this year and how old I am and the fact that I have children and a wife and a dog, I'm like, I don't know why I thought I could get this done so quickly. Mhmm. But but, nevertheless, like, as you were talking, I thought, oh, I am really providing a, like, a valuable thing for her.
It's very much added value. And I I would think about sometimes, like, you make people comfortable enough to be vulnerable, And that... That's a gifting in and of itself. You know? And, you know, you're very self deprecating, but you're an intelligent person.
You can communicate effectively based on who you're talking to. You know? And it's also based on your audience. And you do it so well with so many different personalities and parents of type ones.
Thank you. I found myself being very proud the other day that I I don't know who I'm gonna talk to. Like, you... This conversation you and I are having is a complete surprise to me. Like, I I don't have expectation for what I'm gonna do when I start doing it in the morning.
And I just got done listening to these these high minded YouTubers talking about how to make their videos more popular and and everything, and they spent a lot of time talking about how they have this, basically, an AI generated, like, questionnaire that weeds people out as guests in... And and their the guests they end up with, they want them to be so perfectly curated
for for Interesting.
Right? That they don't really care about what the person's going to say. They care if the algorithm will care about what they're saying so it can feed it to them. And I was like, oh, wow. I gotta keep doing this longer because I'm gonna outpace those people at some point because they're just gonna start...
Like, right now, the way they're talking about it is they're saying is is we wanna get more eyes, more views because that's valuable, and we can sell it. And I don't think what they realize is they're gonna create an entire genre of literally, like, verbal slop.
It's boring.
Yeah. Yeah. And and I am gonna keep I'm gonna keep doing exactly what I'm doing. And I
And it's not genuine. Like, you... People can see right through that.
Yeah. No. I know. But,
like of it.
But I swear to you, I was like, oh, I'm gonna I'm gonna outlast them. I was like, okay. Like, I... Because I said to a friend yesterday... Because I'm in my mid fifties, and I said to a friend, it's my age.
Doing This Forever1:00:09
I was like, do you think about retiring? And he goes, like, every five minutes. And I was like, oh, okay. I was like, it's not just me then. Right?
And he said... He's like, you don't wanna make the podcast anymore? I'm like, no. I wanna make the podcast. I just don't wanna do all of this.
Mhmm. And and he's like, what do you mean? I'm like, I don't know. Like, I'm like, the responsibility side of it. Like, I'm not gonna stop.
Like, don't get me wrong. But I daydream about just being able to sit down, talk to you, and then push this audio file out into the ether and let somebody else take care of it and let it show up somewhere. And I and I said, I... I'm vexed because I love doing this. I don't wanna stop doing this.
I also don't wanna spend nineteen hours of every day of the rest of my life doing it, which is about what I feel like I'm doing right now. I'm sure that's an over exaggeration, but it feels like like that. I was like, I just wanna get it popular enough that it can pay for the back end to happen without me. Like, I just... I don't wanna do the the wrench turning as much as I do right now.
Mhmm. And and he was like, alright. Fair enough. And he goes, and then you wouldn't wanna retire? Was like, no.
Then I'd wanna do it forever then. And and mainly because, a, it helps you. B, I I quite enjoy doing it. And, c, I think that I'm gonna get, I mean, just, you know, for my ego maybe, but I think I'm gonna outlast this social media trend. Like, I...
I'd like to still be around back when it was like, hey. We opened up a microphone and two people spoke for a while, and it was interesting.
Like Like you said before, some people come, get the information, and leave, but there's always more people coming on board. I have a friend. It was weirdly uncanny. Her son was diagnosed with type one kinda right before I was. And she's like...
And I like, was have you seen the Juice Box podcast? Have you heard... Listened to this? She's like, oh, yeah. It was great.
So I learned everything, but Scott's too much for me. But she's... You know, but she still got added value from it, and and she told other people about it.
Also, I expect that, and I'm fine with that. Like, I don't... Like, I'm not insulted by that at all. Like, it's... Yeah.
I I... As a matter of fact, I would tell her that I'm incredibly proud that we were able to put together, like, you know, bold beginnings or pro tips or that kind of stuff in a way that that she could they needed. Yeah. That she could describe as what she needed and very valuable, but that I was also able to keep the entertainment or more social... Psychosocial side of it, like, going, and it's just not her thing.
Like, who cares? Like, that's that's awesome. Like, I think that's a huge win.
And some people don't listen to podcasts. I have friends who don't. I'm like, well, that's how I do chores. That's how I spend time in the car. I just...
That's just something I tend to enjoy. I like to read books. I don't like to listen to books, but I just love podcasts. So that's like... It keeps come come...
I keep coming back.
I keep telling myself I'm gonna retire and read a book, but I wonder I wonder if I will. My whole plan is to get a house with a porch on the back that looks at grass and a tree and then sit there and try to read a book and see what happens.
Very nice.
Yeah.
Depends on the weather.
Well
South is pretty hot.
Don't worry. I'm... I I know that I'm... There... It's gotta be a time in this...
In the winter when you can do it. Right?
And you might get chickens. We have chickens now. They're great.
Alright. I'll get a chicken. It's fine. I I I... My wife my wife said no to a chicken immediately.
That was not one of my lifestyle modifications. We just did that because... But eggs were not gonna fix my blood sugar, it'd been nice.
So it's funny because I I can see that an entire section of people would hear what you were saying and be like, well, she's cold plunging. Like, that's still fair. It's popular online, but it's still a niche thing. Most people don't know what you're talking about.
And it's still... It will. It's really funny. It decreases your blood sugar very quickly, but it bounces right back. But it it really does temporarily.
Wellness Influencers1:03:44
It's it's interesting to see in light of what I do know now how some of these things change. Mhmm. But
Yeah. No. I mean, it's... I I don't think most people are listening to those podcasts. Like, I I know they're popular, but, like, there's, like, a billion people.
You know what mean?
They're not as interesting to me now. Right? Because I kind of fixed the problem. I solved the problem. So I still listen to them occasionally, but not as dogmatically as I was before.
So Have you had the the situation where you've listened back now and thought, oh, that's that's bull. I didn't realize that part was bull. Like, can you hear the selling in it, or do you not
Oh, definitely. Oh, definitely. Yeah. And because they're always selling something. And it's like you always say, and my husband says to you, they're just trying to take your money.
Right? And I always have that in the back of my back of my mind. But sometimes it's always in random podcast, you get one thing out of it. So that was my my idea. Like, if I just learned something new, we can keep going on and go to the next one and all compounds to make a bigger picture later.
But, yeah, they are being type one.
I don't want your money. I I I found a way to make money without you. Like, I think that's I... Yeah. Fuller.
Oh, you're... And by the way, again, you're welcome. Okay. I could have just, like, put together... I could have easily just turned the bold beginnings thing into a thing that cost $9.99 a month.
That's it. I could have done that easily and made all the money in the world, and then that... I I probably be I probably be... Have so much money right now. I'd just stop working.
I'd like, goodbye. You... But I just don't... It doesn't listen. I feel lucky to be able to say this.
I just don't wanna do that. It it just... It really feels like I've been... If you pay any attention to my social media right now, it is just me, like, railing against how everything works. I do it, like, kinda quietly, but I hate all of this pushing the cure at you, pushing the...
Their coaching services at you, pushing, like, everything that is being pushed at you over and over again. I have a PDF you can buy for $19. I have this. Would you like me to call you on the phone? Like, that's only $50 a month.
Like, I I hate it all. Like, I just
Nobody Talked About a Cure1:05:51
I I did not grow up hearing that around my sister. Like, my mom would never talk about a cure. That was not a thing, and I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Not maybe because technology is just expounding, you know, much more quickly.
No. It's only a thing because
something to cling to.
But It's only a thing because people trying to make money in the diabetes space are using it to make clicks. Yeah. Okay. So this is very simple. I make money by selling ads to people who know that they're gonna reach a lot of people who live with type one diabetes.
And... But my thing reaches a lot of people because it's actually valuable, not because I do clickbait stuff. Like, so now these other people are gonna try to do clickbait stuff to get the numbers to sell the stuff. Like, they're they're... In my opinion
And no solutions. You're still... You know, you still have diabetes at the end of the day. There is no period.
So And I think they'll fail at it because they're doing it backwards. Right? Like, those who would do it that way are trying to gin up numbers, and the easiest way to get numbers is to yell about, there's a cure. It's functional cure. It's a...
Nobody knows what functional means, by the way. They... You're saying cure to them. Right? It's a functional cure.
Here's a person. They don't have they don't have to take insulin anymore. All true. Very exciting. Love to hear it.
Think it's great. Doesn't need to be a TikTok or a short every thirty six hours on your feed. Okay? Like, you know, you don't need to show up every day in your scrubs and tell people, you know, that they just need to donate my... I'm sorry.
You're laughing. You probably know who I'm talking about. And, like, and, like... And it's all just ridiculous, and it's and it's shitty. And and and from...
In my opinion. That's all. And
Yeah. It's fake.
Yeah. Yep. So do what do what you will, but understand how you're being manipulated. It's very simple. If I was interested in manipulating you, I would not be putting out an hour and thirty five minute conversation with a lady from Peoria whose kid has type one diabetes.
Trust me. Right. I'm doing that so we can do what, you know, what you just said, Jessica. So we can talk, get comfortable, say something that might be valuable and is at least entertaining. And...
You know what I mean? And it will help grow slowly your understanding of this life that you're living. Yeah. Yeah. It's...
You're... Again, I'm just gonna keep saying you're welcome. I am really... I'm doing a public service out here, and I can't believe nobody noticed.
Well, that's why we came on the podcast. Eventually, my husband was like, well, are you gonna go on the podcast now? And this is before I started the pump. I'm like, is my story over? I I don't know.
On the Pump Since May1:08:16
But once I got comfortable... I've been on the pump since May. Mhmm. Because I I could I could only inject so long for eight months. I had...
And the pump has been such a blessing. And I was like, well, we're kind of in a stable place. Maybe I can do the podcast now.
You're fantastic. I... And your story is... I mean, should be shocking to a person who doesn't know this is how it works. It should be embarrassing to any medical professional.
And, you know, and it should be hopefully, you know, empowering to people who see issues with themselves and don't know what to do. Here's what you do. You gotta learn about it on your own and then find somebody who will either just push the buttons you tell them to push or find somebody who understands it.
Some people are afraid to speak up. Like, And, oh, how do I tell a doctor that? I'm like, you just say it. You you cannot be scared, especially in this day and age. Like, I'm sorry.
You know, confrontation is okay, and people don't like that sometimes.
Not me. I'm excited. Bring me to your doctor's appointment. I... I'd I'd love to yell at somebody for you.
I can be a new business.
Yep. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. For just $50 a month, I'll come to your doctor's appointments for you. Like I think
it's called health coaching.
Oh my god. Are you serious? Is it our thing?
Oh, health coaching is a very big thing. Yep. Basically, be a patient's advocate. Uh-huh. I was like,
I totally
do that. Yeah.
Let me just say it this way. You people, don't be suckers. Okay? Don't be suckers. If you wanna send somebody money, find a charity and send it to...
Go walk out on the street and hand it somebody who looks hungry.
Find a church.
Yeah. Don't give it don't give it to a pretty person on Instagram who says they have your answer. They don't.
Correct.
Yeah. And I don't either, by the way. I I would tell you that the answer probably exists in these conversations.
Yes. It takes work. It takes effort, and that is annoying sometimes, but that's what it takes.
Yeah. I don't know.
That's the cost. That's that's your cost.
Yeah. By the way, there's some stuff I know, but, like, you know what I mean? Like, I'm not an oracle. You don't come to me and and I'll just... If that's what you expect this to be, god, to...
For somebody just to lay out the... Well, I guess that is what everybody expects because I just listened to the guy today say, what you do is you put up a top 10 list or a top five list or you tease the thing. God, I heard the one guy say today
No. Everybody does that.
Yeah. You wanna get your thumbnail so that it looks like the person is in action. And then on the thumbnail, right click to unpause so that they get the feeling that something's about to happen and they're in control of making it happen. I was like, oh my god. Yeah.
You're all in trouble. You you know what I mean?
Like About social engineering. Yeah.
Oh. Oh. You were mad at Don Draper and mad men. Be really mad at these people.
Right. Exactly.
They just made you smoke cigarettes. That was fun at least until until the cancer. You know what mean?
Oh, I did jump on the nicotine train too. That was one... It did not lower my blood sugar.
Nicotine1:10:57
I don't think... Alright. I'll... Alright. Now I'll say something crazy.
I I don't mind saying something crazy. When you have a lot of health issues in your life, it's tough. Like, you're looking for ways, you know, out of stuff. The nicotine patches thing really helped break my wife through her
It's her her really is.
Her long COVID symptoms.
And you're not taking in all the chemicals that you would if you were vaping or smoking. So at the end of day, I treat it almost like a cup of coffee. You know? It helps my brain function when I need, you know, to be extra sharp.
Mhmm.
And it's really cool. And I don't require that much. Otherwise, I kinda get a tummy ache, but it's been really interesting. Me and my husband experimenting with the gum.
Did you? Yeah. I I don't... I I did it just to see because I was like, you know, she's... I'm asking my wife to do it.
I'll do it with her just to see what is. And I don't know that I felt any differently. I didn't I didn't feel like it did anything for me, but I didn't feel... Also feel like I had a specific... I have a ton of energy too, like, just generally speaking.
So so it's like, I... But, boy, like, I I have said this a number of times on here. Like, I overheard her on the phone giving me credit for her feeling better. And if my wife is giving me credit, I must have really done something. So, like Yeah.
Unconventional, but if it works, then
It was $26 to find out if it was gonna work. Right. You know? And then
And there's actually a lot of data on it too. It's not like there's no studies on this thing.
But I... Listen. At some point, I don't know. Like, you really think I'm looking for data when I take a vitamin b twelve? I don't know.
Like, somebody told me it's important to take. I took it. Like, what do you
want from me? Right. Yeah.
Yeah. So, I mean, I'm sure there's data on it. I didn't go looking for it anymore than I went to look for... I... Somebody's like, hey.
Try this. And I thought, oh, it can't hurt. Maybe it'll help. And if it doesn't help Right. Then you can just stop.
Like, you know Exactly. I wouldn't have said that if it was chemotherapy. You you know what I mean? Like, I would've looked... If they were like, hey.
Give yourself chemo. It breaks up the common cold. I would've been like, I'm gonna need to see a couple of papers on that
first place. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Anyway, I know you have to go because these children of yours need you.
To go
to dad. I I hope you appreciate. I I did wanna ask a little bit about about homeschooling, but I knew you were short on time, and it would've gotten off the path. So I appreciate you doing this. If you ever wanna come back, you were terrific.
So if you learn something a year from now, let me know. Okay?
Oh, excellent. I could reach out again. That would be cool.
Absolutely. Alright. Hold on one second for me, and I'll get you out
of Thanks.
It seems that the podcast you just enjoyed was sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. Learn more about Tandem's newest automated insulin delivery system, Tandem Mobi with Control IQ plus technology at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. There are links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com to Tandem and US Med who also sponsored this episode of the juice box podcast. Get started with US Med at usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514. Get your free benefits check get started today with US Med, the same place that we get our diabetes supplies.
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