#1559 Side Quest
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Jenna’s journey from burnout to educator shows how one nurse, one moment, can change everything about living with diabetes.
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner 0:00
Here we are back together again, friends for another episode of The Juicebox Podcast.
Jenna 0:16
Hi Jenna, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 1997
Scott Benner 0:23
when I created the defining diabetes series, I pictured a dictionary in my mind to help you understand key terms that shape type one diabetes management. Along with Jenny Smith, who, of course, is an experienced diabetes educator, we break down concepts like basal, time and range, insulin on board and much more. This series must have 70 short episodes in it. We have to take the jargon out of the jargon so that you can focus on what really matters, living confidently and staying healthy. You can't do these things if you don't know what they mean. Go get your diabetes to find Juicebox podcast.com go up in the menu and click on series. Please don't forget that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan or becoming bold with insulin. When you think of a CGM and all the good that it brings in your life, is the first thing you think about. I love that I have to change it all the time. I love the warm up period every time I have to change it. I love that when I bump into a door frame, sometimes it gets ripped off. I love that the adhesive kind of gets mushy sometimes when I sweat and falls off. No, these are not the things that you love about a CGM. Today's episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the Eversense 365 the only CGM that you only have to put on once a year, and the only CGM that won't give you any of those problems. The Eversense 365 is the only one year CGM designed to minimize the vice frustration. It has exceptional accuracy for one year with almost no false alarms from compression lows while you're sleeping, you can manage your diabetes instead of your CGM with the ever since 365 learn more and get started today at ever since cgm.com/juicebox, one year one CGM. Summertime is right around the corner, and Omnipod five is the only tube free automated insulin delivery system in the United States, because it's tube free, it's also waterproof, and it goes wherever you go. Learn more at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox That's right. Omnipod is sponsoring this episode of the podcast, and at my link, you can get a free starter kit. Terms and Conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox, this episode of The Juicebox Podcast is brought to you by my favorite diabetes organization, touched by type one. Please take a moment to learn more about them at touched by type one.org on Facebook and Instagram. Touched by type one.org, check out their many programs, their annual conference awareness campaign, their D box program, dancing for diabetes. They have a dance program for local kids, a golf night and so much more. Touched by type one.org. You're looking to help, or you want to see people helping people with type one. You want touched by type one.org?
Speaker 1 3:29
Hi, Jenna, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 1997 going on 28 years. So you do the math, and that's really it. I mean, I'm not just a person with diabetes. They have child, bonus kids, a husband, a career, home, all the good stuff that comes along with that, too,
Scott Benner 3:52
doing a whole thing. You know, you just said something. I was diagnosed in 97 so, you know, you do the math. And I was like, I was like, I was like, I don't think Jen understands how math works. Yeah. So no, I
Speaker 1 4:04
forgot the carb ratio. How old are you? I am turning 38 in August, and it will be my 28th anniversary in
Scott Benner 4:14
October. So were you like 11 when you were diagnosed about 10, I had just turned
Speaker 1 4:19
10, and then in August, and then in October, I was diagnosed. So fifth grade,
Scott Benner 4:25
that must have sucked, huh? Of
Speaker 1 4:26
course. Of course, diabetes sucks. There's no good or bad time. They all suck. Like I think back a lot, especially with my job. I'm a diabetes educator. I worked with a lot of newly diagnosed, or students, you know, going to school with diabetes. And it's like a full circle thing, you know, when, when it came about, and my mother brought me, you know, was brushing my teeth one morning, and grew up in the sink randomly. And, you know, I and after the after the fact, my parents had been in discussions in private, after I. In bed that I don't look good. I look really skinny. Something's going on. So my mom brought me to the doctor. You know, the I always used to try and play sick. So she'd be like, Well, if he's staying home, we're going to the doctor. And I'm like, okay, yes, finally one of us, yeah. And that's how she knew if I was actually sick or not. It's like, if we're going to see Dr G, like, then she's sick, and we're in the, you know, in the office. And because I was 10, I still have a very vivid memory of it. Like, I know Arden was really young when she was diagnosed, right? So, like, and my best friend was four. Like, there's no real, you know, all your memories are really from people telling you, sure, right? And then you make them in your head. But I vividly remember 10 is not a young age that you forget certain memories, you know, yeah, and the doctor did the strep test because I used to always have stress, and, you know, that goes into the well, is that? Why the autoimmune but whatever, there was nothing. Everything seemed fine, and they didn't do blood work in the office like that back, you know, back then. But my mom, all of a sudden, goes, actually, she's been drinking and peeing a lot, and the pediatrician, and we had been with this doctor, I'm the youngest of four, and my brother's nine years older than me, so for about 20 years, my mom's been bringing all of her children to this office, and she, like, slammed her hand down, turns around, looks at my mom, hands me a cup, and says, Go pee in this. And sure enough, ketones, you know, pipstick said over 500 over 600 and she's like, you know, comes back, yeah, tells my mom, and she's like, Do you know what that means? And I'm like, well, am I gonna die? And she was like, Well, if you manage it, because you can, you'll be fine. You will live a long, happy life. It doesn't need to stop you, but you're not leaving the office until I get an endocrinologist on the phone. So you know, we're waiting for a bunch of doctors to fall back. I just got really thrown into this world, and I wasn't fearful at first, and about a few months before, it was probably right before my birthday that year, my father's sister, my aunt, her husband and her two kids were visiting from Florida, and he had type one diabetes, so not a familial bloodline relation, but and I remember him sitting in my kitchen and taking a shot, and I'm like, wow. Like, that's crazy. I could, I could never do that. If I had to give myself it like shots all day, every day, like, I would never be able to do that. And he looked up at me. It was like, if you had to, you would. And he was right, you know, kind of like a, you know, self fulfilling
Scott Benner 7:37
prophecy. I don't know, did you start with MDI back then
Speaker 1 7:41
it was NPH and regular, twice a day. Don't eat
Scott Benner 7:44
sugar. That's it. That was it. Check
Unknown Speaker 7:47
your sugar before meals, or if you feel you know if you don't feel right.
Scott Benner 7:53
Do you remember how long you managed that way?
Speaker 1 7:55
Probably till about 12 or 13. So I started that way. That was 10. I went to diabetes camp. I think when I was turning 12, okay, I went to Camp magenta. Love that place. Met my diabetes there still so 20 something years later, we still are, you know, in each other's lives, very much so. And saw some kid at at camp with a Medtronic 507 C and I got home and was like, we're getting me a pump. So I didn't even go to pens until after my first pump experience. I was syringes with two insulin and then heart
Scott Benner 8:33
count right to it. Oh, wow, yeah. I heard your New York there for the first time. Oh
Unknown Speaker 8:38
yeah, Brooklyn, born and raised
Scott Benner 8:41
you said soul. And I was like, oh, okay, yeah, that happened. That's okay. Let me kind of dig through a little bit. So when you were doing the regular mph, was your mom involved? Like, because it sounds like you're the youngest and I am her three other ones are much older. Like, were you the like, Oh, she'll be okay. I don't really need to do much. Baby that turned into, wow. This kid needs a lot
Speaker 1 9:04
No, no. Who is. So I have a sister two years older than me, sister six years older than me, and my brother's nine years older than me. So it wasn't a huge gap, but I was resilient because of being the youngest of four. You know, back in the day, there was, you know, your siblings watched you, and it was okay, and you wanted to run around and tag along after them. But I think when I was so crazy enough, I the endocrinologist called back. We set an appointment for, you know, either the next day, it might have been a Friday, you know, within the next few days, with the explicit instructions, if she starts vomiting again or at all, go right to the ER, okay, cool. So we go home at the, you know, our first endo appointment, and it was right around the same time my brother was in boot camp in the Marines. And it was literally. Leading up to it was diagnosed October 7, and within the next few weeks, we were supposed to go to South Carolina for his within the next week for his graduation, for boot camp. Okay, so it was like, admit her and miss our son graduating boot camp. And I wanted to go to me and my my brother was like, my idol, yeah, you know, my big brother. And I guess I can't remember if he did a finger stick like he should have went through the whole thing, you know, all that education, but it turned out that it was like, I guess my ketones really weren't elevated. I don't know. But he was like, Alright, go on the trip. No insulin, nothing. You're the meter. Check your blood glucose, if she gets sick, Bernard or the closest CR when you get back from your trip, we'll admit her and get her on insulin. Interesting, yeah, so, and I don't know now, it's almost 30 years ago, so I don't know what the specifics were at the time, but that's what happened. We went, took Amtrak, but it was like, avoid sugar. So instead of my snapples or my nest tea, it was diet nest tea, tic tac, orange tic tac, because they were carb free, you know, like they were sugar free. You
Scott Benner 11:06
just freaked me out. Snapple was around 28 years ago.
Speaker 1 11:10
Apple, it wasn't and I, in my head, I'm like, No, it was nest tea. So they had a diet lemon nest date, like it was an ice tea. And right before diagnosis, it would be like, I would go to the corner store and get a 20 ounce soda, right? And I'd guzzle it, and I'd fill that with ice tea, you know, 4c mix, you know, iced tea in the fridge. Fill the bottle up with that, guzzle it. Fill up a bottle of water for the sake, guzzle it. And that's when my mom, like, said to the doctor, like, that's a lot of liquid and a lot of urinating, you know, but that was okay, diet and st now, and they had, you know, I remember it was like the long, thin bottle and orange tic tac very sugar free. So it was like, all of these. I was the amount of orange Tic Tacs I ate in that first year of diagnosis, because it was like, just free, you know, sugar free. Because, again, we weren't counting carbs. It was just sugar free sugar
Scott Benner 12:03
that was your sweet thing that didn't hit your blood sugar too much. Yeah, yes.
Speaker 1 12:07
And it probably was because I think it's one car per tic tac and how many in there? Like it probably was,
Scott Benner 12:14
I know, right, you're like, there's only one carb in each of these. I'll just eat all 55 of them. Well,
Speaker 1 12:19
we weren't even counting carbs. It said no sugar on it. It said, or zero, or whatever it was. It was, you know, sugar free, you know, labeled that way. We know better. Now, probably still gonna have an effect, aside from whatever crap is in it, right? So we go to the graduation. We get, luckily, no incidences of vomiting or needing to go to the ER, you know, not even really feeling that ill. And knowing what I know now is because my body was probably used to feeling that way.
Scott Benner 12:49
You know, I have to tell you that I looked Jenna because I was really interested, and I was way off on this and anyway, Snapple was founded in 1972 in Valley Stream, Long Island, New
Speaker 1 13:00
York, which is about a neighborhood over from me, right? It
Scott Benner 13:03
started as a natural juice company called unadulterated food products. It was created by Leonard Marsh Hyman golden and Arnold Greenberg. The name Snapple emerged in the early 80s, derived from a carbonated Apple soda product called snappy apple, and it was among their initial offerings. I only began to know about Snapple and Jenna. I don't know if you were too young for this or not, but they put a PR campaign together that only went through the Howard Stern Show, and that, that's how I found out about Snapple.
Speaker 1 13:33
Absolutely, Howard. Yes. My, my, my dad did construction, and when he got to his new when I was serious, act when it was just XM, or just serious, like when he originally signed on. My dad and his construction crew were the ones that built his office in
Scott Benner 13:50
the city. Oh, no kidding. Yeah, that's really cool. So
Speaker 1 13:54
I mean, I remember the glass bottle Snapple, yeah, but I only remember them as like, a T, like, and like you're saying, like Snapple. It wasn't as popular, no, I don't think it was as widely distributed.
Scott Benner 14:07
Well, it was incredibly local. I thought, like, northeast, yeah,
Speaker 1 14:10
right. But I think it was more on like I live in, in Nassau County, now very close to Valley Stream. But in like, I grew up in Brooklyn, so it was more like Arizona, you know, Arizona cans are, like the little grenade juices or, you know, those are the things we saw in, like our bodegas or our grocery stores, you know, yeah. But then Snapple came out when I and it was all glass bottles. It was like, really, one of the only options other than, like, Martin's apple juice, Martin Ellie that came out, you know that had glass bottles. Yeah. Do
Scott Benner 14:41
you remember feeling like, if it was in a glass bottle, it was somehow healthy or better? Yeah,
Speaker 1 14:45
it was all natural, and it was because it's not plastic, and that's before, yeah, you but you're drinking for a plastic truck. But I used to love, um, hitting the bottom of the bottle, because it used to do that snap. Oh, yeah. But if you snap. The top, you like, potentially could blow out the
Scott Benner 15:04
bottom. All I know is that Snapple doesn't taste the way it used to
Speaker 1 15:06
taste, not in a plastic bottle. I agree with you 100% and I my, my go to, like, my guilty pleasure, because I try to stay away from the aspartame, but like, I'm not trying that hard because, like, I I want to enjoy things and that tastes good, yeah, so, you know, but diet, peach and Apple is my guilty pleasure, and in my brain, it's healthier than diet. So
Scott Benner 15:29
tell me a little bit so you it's helpful after the you know, I want to know about, like, management when you were younger, was your mom involved? Like, were you just doing it yourself? Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. It might sound crazy to say, but Summertime is right around the corner. That means more swimming, sports, activities, vacations, and you know what's a great feeling, being able to stay connected to automated in some delivery while doing it all. Omnipod five is the only tube free automated insulin delivery system in the US, and because it's tube free and waterproof, it goes everywhere you do, in the pool, in the ocean or on the soccer field. Unlike traditional insulin pumps, you never have to disconnect from Omnipod five for daily activities, which means you never have to take a break from automated insulin delivery, ready to go tube free. Request your free Omnipod five Starter Kit today at omnipod.com/juicebox Terms and Conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox type that link into your browser or go to Juicebox podcast.com and click on the image of Omnipod right at the bottom. There's also a link right in the show notes of your podcast player. When you think of a CGM and all the good that it brings in your life, is the first thing you think about. I love that I have to change it all the time. I love the warm up period every time I have to change it. I love that when I bump into a door frame. Sometimes it gets ripped off. I love that the adhesive kind of gets mushy. Sometimes when I sweat and falls off. No, these are not the things that you love about a CGM. Today's episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the ever since 365 the only CGM that you only have to put on once a year, and the only CGM that won't give you any of those problems. The Eversense 365 is the only one year CGM designed to minimize device frustration. It has exceptional accuracy for one year with almost no false alarms from compression lows while you're sleeping, you can manage your diabetes instead of your CGM with the Eversense 365 learn more and get started today at ever since cgm.com/juicebox, one year, one CGM.
Speaker 1 17:49
So when we got back and we were admitted, I had this wonderful diabetes educator, you know, a nurse educator. It was probably day four or five, and my parents had given me, you know, the shots now, and I was finger sticking like a pro after the first time they did it to me, I was like, Can I do that? You know? Like, I want to try a very like, Well, okay, I could do that. That seems simple enough, you know, but I hadn't given my own injection. So we're nearing the end of the week. I want to go home. I'm done now, you know, like, get me out of here. And the diabetes educator was like, well, have, I haven't watched you give your own shot yet. Oh, and I was like, Well, what do you mean? She's like, your mom and dad aren't always going to be there with you. What if you want to go a friend's house? What if you want to go, you know, like, you have to be able to do it too. And I was like, and then I could go home. She's like, Yeah, I'm like, give
Scott Benner 18:37
me the syringe and the vibe. I didn't know that's what we were waiting for. I would have done this. Yeah, I
Speaker 1 18:41
didn't know that was it. I could have been old for days. And, you know, we are near to cloudy always, you know, put the the air in the in the NPH first, put the air in the regular, flip it pull up the regular, then pull up the mph, you know, and gave myself the injection, and did the line, you know, drew it up the plunder and everything. It was more so like my mom would give me the shot if I wanted to use my arm, you know, because I hadn't figured that technique out yet on how to inject myself in my arm. And then the first few months, she was probably definitely double checking my syringe. I'd pull up the regular she'd make sure I pulled it to six and, you know, math, so if I need 10 regular totals gotta be 10 mph, totals gotta be 16. And she would double check that there were, I remember, like, walking into the living room being like, Can I check my sugar? And they're like, Well, do you feel off like it was after dinner? And I'm like, Nah, I just want to know what it is like, because it was cool. Like that was cool to me. I can take my blood and figure out my electric level like that was just awesome to me. And my family still teases me. I'm like, the nerdiest, a new meter comes out, a new pump, a new sensor, new apps. Like, I'm a tech nerd when it comes to diabetes management, I'm like, if this is my. Silver lining, leave me alone. This makes the decisions less and easier. I'll take it.
Scott Benner 20:06
Was that a thing like that you would have been interested in, like, I mean, is that how your mind worked as a kid? Like you were like, Oh, look at this. Like, the blood inside of me tells a thing that's awesome.
Speaker 1 20:16
I used to take apart, like the TV remote control, just to see what was inside. Can never get them to back together to work. Used to try, like, anything I could take apart I would so, yes, very interested in things like that. And I come from a long line of nurses. So even before I was diagnosed, like I was pretty certain that I wanted to be a nurse. And then after being diagnosed and returning to school with that. I saw the school nurse every day, you know, so, but, you know, like, yeah, the tech thing, the interested thing, this is cool, yeah, I was that, you know, I wasn't like, Yeah, I had my Barbies and stuff like that, but I was like, in the dirt, digging up, you know, worms or getting dirty, you know, like, just always trying to figure something out, yeah, something cool, that would work.
Scott Benner 21:03
So you, you get done High School, you, you go off to college.
Speaker 1 21:08
I went off to college. I dormed first so my high school, I didn't go through my, like, burnout, denial until college. Really, okay, like, I made it through high school, and it's funny, like, going through, like, the way that school, that diabetes is managed in school settings now is so wonderfully different than it was then. You know, I couldn't finger stick in the classroom, even though I was independent in blood glucose monitoring from day one. Yeah, I knew what to do based on the number. I knew how to get that like that was never questioned about my skill level there. But I couldn't do it in the classroom because it's sharp, okay, you know, couldn't eat in the classroom I needed because of mph and regular I couldn't wait to have, you know, taking it at eight o'clock in the morning, 730 in the morning. I gotta eat by like, 1011 lunch wasn't till one, but I couldn't eat a half a sandwich in social studies. I had to go and eat the Deans off for 15 minutes and miss that part of that class, right? You know, even though, like, I don't know,
Scott Benner 22:09
like, I feel like we're arguing something, it's probably over already, if we talk about
Speaker 1 22:15
this, absolutely had a lawsuit back in the day. I could have absolutely,
Scott Benner 22:19
just, like, common sense, like, couldn't somebody, like, pull someone aside and go listen. Why is she missing class? Because she has to eat this half a sandwich. They just let her eat it. Why is she leaving for this and that? Like, I know it's so much different now, but well,
Speaker 1 22:29
don't get me wrong, I pulled the diabetes card. You're like, I gotta live with it. I might as well to be I might as well use the card. Everyone's
Scott Benner 22:37
I'm dizzy. I gotta go. Yeah, I
Speaker 1 22:41
don't feel good. I was the first student diagnosed in the school, like diabetes was known, and it was in some schools, but I was the first one in that school, who I've ever been in that school with diabetes. And the policies at that time, and even state laws at that time, like, even non licensed personnel couldn't administer glucose, yeah, you know, only nursing nurses could like. So it was, it was laws that have changed since, that are really in regards to that too. And I think it was more so like, because I had to finger stick before I eat. So either way, I had to miss five minutes of that class, yeah, because I wasn't allowed to do that in the classroom. So instead of walk, you know, and this was middle school, instead of walking downstairs to the nurse, my Dean, who was literally right up the hall from my classroom, would let me eat during that time period. He made sure that was his office hours Monday through Friday, so that I could be there during that period. So there were accommodations
Scott Benner 23:37
that happened. Yeah, listen to there was a time I forget exactly. Arden was pretty young, and our governor signed into law that diabetes could use their like their needles and their pumps and stuff like that in the classroom, and they could test in the classroom. I'm forgetting the exact details around this, but it was a big deal for us, like those of you who are listening, who are like, Oh my god, like, I fell in love with this podcast on episode four, when he's talking about how he's texting with his daughter like that actually came to be because, because they changed the law, and it was all of a sudden possible. I wish I remembered when that was. I remember thinking like, I can't believe this is such a big deal in our lives, but yeah, but it was, it was huge. So and
Speaker 1 24:15
but you also have to remember when I was first diagnosed, in those first two years, really. So figure, fifth and sixth grade. I wasn't even on insulin in school. It was just blood glucose monitoring. I did it in the morning, before school, and I did it before dinner. You know, it was two shots a day. And I have a few students that are like that, that, you know, whether it's they're just starting out, so they're only on a long acting, you know, newly diagnosed things like that, and as they progress. But I think everyone was just scared. But I will say this, and why my life changed, why my I didn't just want to be a nurse anymore. I wanted to be a school nurse. Is when I was out that week, you know, being admitted and learning what my life would be like, my school nurse without any you know, didn't act my. Mom, which I think now I'm, like, some parents would lose it because of HIPAA and privacy and this and that she bought the bringing diabetes to school, you know, book. I read it to my fifth grade
Scott Benner 25:12
class to try to bring everybody up to speed on what was happening to you. Yeah, like,
Speaker 1 25:16
why isn't Jenna here for a week, you know? And I got back and I had, you know, or maybe they brought it to me in the hospital, but I think it was when I got back, they were like, the door of the classroom was decorated, welcome back, and all the kids, and, you know, all my classmates had, like, written notes, and they were like, on the classroom door. And, you know, I had my select few friends who would walk me down to the nurse if I was low. What were they gonna do if I passed out like there weren't paraprofessionals? I remember it was like parents on the PTA that volunteered to, like, do, like, hallway duty, you know, like there wasn't, there wasn't Paris that would have been assigned to me. So I had an adult escort, if need be. Yeah, it was students.
Scott Benner 25:58
What would they do? They'd be like they'd run and get help,
Speaker 1 26:02
what they know, or would they sit there and scream like I had some really great friends growing up, you know, at that time period, and I feel like it made such a difference that I didn't have to go in and explain it myself. Okay, they had the basics. So they had questions, and I pretty much knew most of the answer. It's pretty basic questions. We were 10, you know, we're not going into the biology and science of it, just the pancreas this that you know basics, but they already have those answers, and what my normal day in school might look like, because the nurse took it upon herself to teach them and educate them, right? And it wasn't until years later, and now I am was a school nurse, and now I have my position. I have that. I'm like, that was amazing. It was a big deal for you, but not until years later, reflecting back, okay,
Scott Benner 26:50
that you think that your your little cadre of friends who was, you know, surrounding you the hallway probably look like a soprano as you guys walk into the nurse's office. You know what's hilarious. Yes, I just like that. You think that if you passed out, they would have stood around you, like, stand by me, just staring at the body, going like, I don't know what to
Speaker 1 27:05
do. No, they wouldn't have. They wouldn't have. But in certain grade levels, that would the ones that I would pick to escort me to the nurse. Would I knew what I was doing? Yeah, I knew which kids in the class wouldn't know what to do and would absolutely panic. But, like, I had my still, like, you, you know, buddies that walked me down
Scott Benner 27:24
was that, like, a, like, a power move, like, like, you could absolutely, yeah, you could choose kids who could leave class, right,
Speaker 1 27:32
absolutely. And it was like, John, can I call you the nurse today? I'm like, I don't know you pissed me off yesterday. It was usually my best friend at the time, Jessica, and even after, like, over the next few years, like that was the only place I was allowed to sleep over at her house, yeah, and it was, you know, 15 minutes away from my house, like my mother could easily get there in a blink of an eye. And at that point in time, I did, she did. My mother did trust me to draw up, you know, my insulin and administer it and make sure I ate. And she trusted the, you know, Jessica's mom, she trusted her.
Scott Benner 28:10
How about once you got the pump on? Was it? Was it the same? Or did you have problems?
Speaker 1 28:15
Oh, my goodness, I went nuts. My uncle was like, even at one point, was like, you're an addict. I'm like, What do you mean? He's like, just eat whatever you want. Pump yourself up like you're just No, he we had his not like that. He's it wasn't in a bad way. It was more in a because I was just eating everything. I'd eat a donut just for the donut. I did it. I wasn't doing it the right way. I thought in my head. I can do that now, because I'll just give myself more insulin. I can do that. You can manage that way. It's not the best way for anybody. Nobody should eat a dozen donuts, whether they have diabetes or not, you know, like, it just wasn't healthy, even if I didn't have diet the way I was eating. You know, I see
Scott Benner 28:56
what you're saying. So you got into that, you got into that situation. This is pretty common. Like, it's like, Well, I figured out, even though you probably didn't exactly figure out how to Bolus for it, but it felt like it right? Like you were like, I know what to do. Like, it's no more needles. Like the freedom of needles is gone, so all I have to do is, I want to eat, I push the button and that's it. It's all good. Like, see how easy it
Speaker 1 29:17
was, a little bit harder than that, because back in the day, we didn't have all this brain in our in our pump, it gave you your basal, and you had to calculate your correction if needed, and your car coverage, total it, and then tell the pump, okay, okay, so it didn't do the math for you, no,
Scott Benner 29:34
but it gave you the feeling that it was free and easy, right?
Speaker 1 29:37
Yes, it was. I didn't have to draw up a syringe because, remember, I didn't even really know about pen yet, because I went right from syringes to a pump. So, like, I wasn't as familiar with I could have done the same thing with a long acting and a short acting. I had really only been introduced to this rapid acting. Now, I had had the intermediate and the short now, this is a rapid act. The insulin works right away, which
Scott Benner 30:04
works a lot faster than that regular mph did.
Speaker 1 30:06
That's I wasn't, I wasn't, I wasn't forced to eat anymore. So like Saturday mornings, when my parents used to wake me up to take my insulin and I had to eat at least two hours later,
Scott Benner 30:16
right? And that didn't sleep
Speaker 1 30:18
in on a Saturday morning. Pretty awesome. So yeah,
Scott Benner 30:21
what were your a one sees like, on that pump? Do you remember? I cannot remember for the life of me. Do you remember overall, like, what the vibe was around your your general health? Did people feel like we're doing a good job? That they feel like we're not like, was there? Was there always a panic in one way or the other?
Speaker 1 30:36
In the beginning, I feel like we were just managing. We were just doing what? Because I feel like it wasn't, it wasn't as information, as much information to obtain. Like we didn't have, I didn't have a sensor, yeah, so I only knew what my blood glucose was, you know, when I checked it, you know, four or five times a day,
Scott Benner 30:54
diabetes was more like the instructions you get now for taking a pill, like somebody told you, like, take it at breakfast and at dinner and make sure you don't take it with this, and you just did that, and you're like, that's it. I'm doing it. There's no real bigger thoughts about like, I wonder if this is going well or not, because you're not seeing data frequently enough to make any sense of it to begin with.
Speaker 1 31:13
That's how I remember it. Okay. I have no idea how it was for my parents and my older siblings. I'm sure they probably panic a hell of a lot more than I did, yeah, but, like, I also vividly remember, like, ordering, you know, dinner from one of the restaurants and covering for it. And this was later on when I did switch back to, you know, I wanted to be off a pump. I wanted to try, you know, Lantus. I think Lantus had, like, just come out. There was probably another one or whatever, but it was a new long acting insulin. And I was like, I want to try that. And my doctor was like, Okay, well, here's the thing. And he was, he was amazing even about a 1c after being he was, like, an A 1c is just an average. You can have great numbers for like, two and a half months, and then be sick for a week and a half, and it's going to skew your a 1c and this is even pre sensors, like, you know, and I used to fill in my log book all the way to the doctor and make up numbers, because I wasn't always checking but, and then, like, even when I wanted to get off the pump, and I was like, I remember, I was one of his first patients to get on a pump, you know. And I pushed for it. My mother, how I and he was the same way. He was like, it's your diabetes. At the end of the day, you go home with it, right? Yeah, as long as you manage the way we plan to manage, as long as you're doing the thing, taking the insulin, doing eating the what, you know, counting the carbs, taking the insulin, I'll help you manage any way you want, but you got to do the work too. Like, we're not going to switch it back to pens, and then you're not going to you going to take them, you know, you have to inject yourself each time. That was the big concern, yeah, because I was probably around 1516, so that's the age group, you know, I was in that age group where the burnout and the denial or the ignoring can occur, you know, puberty and hormones and this, that and the
Scott Benner 33:03
other thing, did it happen? Because you said you burned out at some point. But when was it
Speaker 1 33:07
not so, like college, how much did all the things? I mean, there were times I'm sure that I didn't check my my finger stick as much as I should have, you know, and being having the experience professionally now that I do, we're so lucky to die so
Unknown Speaker 33:24
many times. You think so,
Speaker 1 33:25
like, I would, yeah, because there could have been times I was like, low and covering for a meal and gave myself more insulin. You know, like there were times I would give myself insulin without knowing what my blood glucose is. I feel high. I'll give myself, like, a unit, no blog or something, you know, like, there were a lot of risky things that I put up potentially went very, very badly, and I'm very glad they did it. And even now, meeting with the students in that age group that I do, and I'm like, Listen all these things. You think you're CR you're making up. Like, ways to manage this. I did them, they don't work. I went through that. It's not good. It's actually a little bit easier to pay a little bit of attention. Yeah, no, I know it completely.
Scott Benner 34:11
Did you ever have like an emergent situation in during that time?
Speaker 1 34:15
So when we ordered dinner that night, so I gave myself, we figured it usually only takes like 20 minutes to get delivered. And so I'm like, All right, I'll take it now, you know, give it a little bit of time. I think my sugar is probably high, and you're ordering, like, pasta, pizza and stuff, you know. And I gave myself my insulin, and the delivery wound up taking like, an hour day, okay, my parents were calling, where are you? My daughter? And then I worked in pizzeria, and you get the phone call from the customer, like, where's my pizza? I'm diabetic. I took my insulin. I'm like, Well, you probably should have waited until it was there knowing, because this is happening.
Scott Benner 34:50
Listen, we just make the pizza, okay, and we bring you the pizza. And I want you to know, yeah, that the guy who's bringing the pizza to you is not. He doesn't have a master's degree, okay? Like, it's, he's we're just happy he's here. And we think he stops once in a while to do crack cocaine, but he will bring the pizza to you.
Speaker 1 35:09
Maybe smoke a joint. Maybe smoke a joint. It's probably
Scott Benner 35:14
that. All I'm saying is, like, it's not the well oiled machine that you think it is over here,
Speaker 1 35:19
or it's busy. Yeah, you're not the only one busy. Three drivers, and they each have five deliveries. They're out on, yeah, and the fourth guy that's supposed to come in his his tire blue. So, like, my husband owns a pizzeria. So I know both times as being the customer and that, you know, not easy. But I remember my parents like calling them, like, where is it? Where is it? And I vividly remember like, sliding down the doorway between my mom, my mom's hallway in the kitchen, like, because they kept trying, like John and just eat, like a little something. And I'm like, No, I want a week for dinner. Like, I was so psyched for like, my spaghetti meal, whatever. And I remember like, sliding down the wall and then nothing I don't remember between that and like sitting at the table eating, okay, I didn't pass out. I didn't lose consciousness, but I blacked out, yeah, because I don't remember the next parts could just be it being retold to me that I remember, you know, like I remember, but they had given me juice. I drank it. I sat at the table and I spent they were like, you know, blank eyes like it just I like my eyes just were not focused. Should not focus on one things, learning words sounded like a little jumper, you know. And at 1011, years old, however, you know, I was at the time. I was like, not, I wasn't normal. Nothing was wrong. And I think that was the first really low that probably scared the shit out of my family.
Scott Benner 36:45
How about you? Did it scare you? Or do you not have enough recollection? All
Speaker 1 36:49
right, I got food now, yeah, I was very like, it blew until I became like a nurse and started this, you know, being more involved in diabetes management, I feel like, I mean, there's days that I want to put my pump through a wall, like I'm done. I want to rip everything off my body. I want to ignore it, but for the most part, it's more I kind of, like, if I just pay the attention, yeah, it's stressful and annoying, a painless but like, I feel better when I do
Scott Benner 37:17
that. A little bit of work up front saves a lot of problem on the back. So I made
Speaker 1 37:21
it through high school. And, like, high school, I think I was both on pens and pumps through those four years, and, like, the nurse was right off the cafeteria. And I probably used my diabetes card then more than any other time in my schooling, just to, like, get out of class, like, I'm not feeling good, you know, and I'd go to the school nurse. It was another wonderful school nurse, but, well, I was, and I wasn't supposed to be giving myself injections in the cafeteria, but I was, you were doing it like I was going to the nurse when I didn't need to be, per policy. You know, I would get my food and sit down, and my friends would, like, turn a little so that the cafeteria ladies, who were like a bunch of older Italian women cooking us meals in the kitchen. It was great. We had the best school food, popcorn, chicken, oh, the best. And I would just give inject right at the table, like, and it wasn't a big deal at all with anybody else around me. It was like, if anything, they were interested. It was never like anybody you know, you can't do that here or something like that. Never like that.
Scott Benner 38:21
No one cared. But the rules, the rules cared that you were doing it, but nobody else
Speaker 1 38:24
cared. Yeah, yeah. Like, my pre, yeah, no, and I, yeah. I don't think anybody would have really
Scott Benner 38:30
been anything, yeah, when you're in college and you experience the burnout, like, Are you focused on being a nurse at that point?
Speaker 1 38:38
So I was enrolled in a nursing but it was also my first time away from home, and I didn't go far away. It was kind of like I could go home on the weekends and do laundry if I wanted to, like, it was a drive. I was in the Bronx, lived in Brooklyn, like it was an hour at you know, if there was no traffic, it was 45 minutes, okay, you know. But I was not living in in my house. Now I'm 18 way College, and smoke a lot of weed, like a lot of alcohol, and I just, you know, took my Lantus. I have some insulin in me. Sometimes I gave myself, you know, boluses for eating. Did miserable, like with Miss class, because of all the other extracurricular things I was doing. You know, I'm sure I have a diabetes played a role as well. And my my GPA that first semester was like a 1.9 so in order to start nursing, you know, by junior year, you had to have a cumulative GPA of three point up.
Scott Benner 39:33
You had to be trying, yeah,
Speaker 1 39:35
yeah, right. 1.9 was like, I went, right. But the rest of my semesters, I had 3.5 3.6 and then come junior year, when they're like, letting us know if we're going to start clinicals, I had a 2.98 and they wouldn't let me. They wouldn't let me. So I wound up switching my major, and I went to nursing school after getting my bachelor's, I did the opposite. Went for my bachelor's and then got my Associates in
Scott Benner 40:02
nursing after school. That's interesting. Well, okay, but,
Speaker 1 40:06
but in that college, I went into DKA quite a few times.
Scott Benner 40:10
Are you telling me that you just shot your basal and nothing else sometimes sounds like
Speaker 1 40:15
in my brain that I know is incorrect. I would be like, as long as I take my Lantus every day. I'll be all right, I probably won't, yeah, and that's where my head was.
Scott Benner 40:27
Do you have any, like, backward looking knowledge, like, what happened?
Speaker 1 40:30
It was such a fool. It was being out of my home, you know, wanting to just be a college kid. Okay? You know, I will say that I did teach my roommates how to give glucagon. And we're talking conventional, standard glucagon, the red box, like I if you ever can't wake me up, this is what you do. Okay, so I did do that at 18 years old. I was teaching my other 18 year old, 19 year old roommates how to inject me with glucagon if they couldn't wake me up. But
Scott Benner 40:59
at the same time, weren't you high most of the time anyway?
Speaker 1 41:02
Yeah, but it wasn't finger sticking. So it was like, no idea. It doesn't matter.
Scott Benner 41:07
So you get to college, whether it's conscious or not, your thought here is, I'm going to stop having diabetes now instead, I'm going to be college. Jenna, instead of, it
Speaker 1 41:17
was a subconscious thought, yeah, yeah, right. It wasn't like an actor, and then like, and reflecting back on it after that, I was losing weight, obviously, yeah, and was getting complimented a lot. Okay, Johnny, you look great.
Scott Benner 41:33
Yes, I'm in DKA, almost, yeah. And I never,
Speaker 1 41:36
and I didn't at the time, because all I knew about was, like, my diet, I didn't know, like, all the other things that can come along with it, just like the complications they are. You can lose a foot, you know? I had a teacher and freaking my husband had a diet. My husband had diabetes and he had to have his foot amputated like that. Is not what you tell a 10 year
Scott Benner 41:55
old, yeah. But Janice, so you didn't know any of that by the time you were 18.
Speaker 1 41:59
I did. Oh, but I did, but it wasn't in the forefront of my brain, because at 18 years old, I'm a selfish human. It's me, whatever's right in front of me, yeah, is what's going on, out of sight, out of mind. So if I didn't check my sugar, it wasn't high, you know? And and think again now, like I there, things could have gone so terribly wrong so many times, right? You know, because then I'm drinking too, and if I did happen to take my insulin, I could have went low, like I know so much more now, not that I didn't know it, but I consider it and use it and include it in my thinking process. How
Scott Benner 42:35
old were you when your brain started helping you take care of yourself?
Speaker 1 42:39
I think it was senior year, or maybe right after senior year, I was still, like, working up there, and one of my friends had an apartment. I had already been in TK a few times, like I would have my friend drive into the ER, because I was growing up in a cut stop. And, you know, it maybe happened two or three times while, you know, through freshman senior year. And then there was the last time that I was at my friend's apartment. I was alone. She was working. Her roommate was somewhere else or away for the weekend. I was staying there until she got home, and it didn't feel good. My sugar was high. I was giving myself insulin to try and bring me down, and then I threw up. And from my history of having bkas, if I throw up once it's happened, yeah, and then I'll throw up every hour, literally on the hour. If I throw up at 1101, at 1201 I'm in the bathroom again, throwing up. Okay? I throw up. I call my mom, and she's like, John, ambulance. I'm like, okay, goal, the ambulance I get in and attack all their occasions when I've had to go in as long as, as soon as I'm in the ER, I'll fall asleep, not coma or unconsciousness, but like my body, the adrenaline keeping me awake to save myself is done. I'm in medical professional hands. I'm going to sleep now. I'm tired, so they had admitted me for that one, and the next morning, I wake up, and my mom's sitting in the chair next to me, and she like, looks at me, and she's like, I'm just so tired. And I was like, You know what mom I am, too. I was tired of my mom having to drive from Brooklyn to the Bronx to find her daughter in a hospital because she almost died, yeah, because it wasn't the first time, and it was not fair to her, like she, you know, and again, out of sight, out of mind. I wouldn't call her for days because I'm at school. Like, of course, I'm alive, but I have diabetes, so my mom's at home going, maybe, maybe, yeah, did her friends wake did she wake up this morning? Did her friends wake her up? Did she eat? Did she not eat? That, you know, as a parent now I'm like, wow, I am such a dick. I really am such a dick. She's sitting worrying all the time, yeah, and then finding me at a hospital,
Scott Benner 44:48
yeah? So she's trying to tell you, like, Jenna, I need you to take care of yourself. It's killing me, yeah? And it's probably killing you too, yeah? But does she say that
Speaker 1 44:57
my mom is such a strong freaking wife? Mean, like, it's just insanity, the things this woman has done and continues to do at for her children or grandchildren, things faces, challenges she faced, just She's awesome. And I could just tell, like, just the way she said it, because she never asked, really, for anything, okay, and she never says she's tired, and never said, you know, like, it was always just, mom, would, you know, Mom handled that. Mom dealt with it. Mom, you know, sure, there was a lot of behind the scenes, I didn't know, but just the look in her face.
Scott Benner 45:30
So, like, Listen, before we started it, because we have about, we have about 15 minutes left, like, before we started, you were like, hey, look, I have ADHD, yeah, and you're like, and I'm gonna go all over the place you listen to the podcast, right? So, yeah, I love a conversation like this once in a while. I actually, I have no trouble with it all, but I'm very worried we're not going to get to the part where you're a school nurse, okay, yeah, like, so we're gonna fast forward, like, we're just gonna go and now, like you're out of school, you decided to keep yourself alive.
Speaker 1 45:59
Well, there were other things involved too. Instead of being really high, I was still drinking and going really low. But we'll cover those, and I'll come back.
Scott Benner 46:06
Oh, my God, how is that? Yeah, like, I don't know how people
Speaker 1 46:10
out the side quest, right? I became a nurse in 2012 did a lot of private duty, dabbled in pharmaceuticals, you know, as a pharmaceutical rep, hated it, went and worked as a medical assistant for a pediatrician, because I need that bedside, became a home health care nurse, and then got knocked up and had a baby. And when it's like postpartum anxiety, I just couldn't be I put it not that I didn't want to work. I just that job. It was like I spent more time documenting than I did, actually, with the patients, and it just was not good for me, and had a breakdown, and my husband's like, well, quit like, it's more important for me, for you to be happy and healthy and sane or harsan, than to work like we were. We're lucky enough that he, you know, it would have been tight, but it's okay. If that paycheck wasn't coming in from my end, we would have been, you know, it wouldn't have put us, you know, out on the street. And I'm like, All right, but I don't feel good about not having a lineup. So I had called my brother's friend's mom, who I had interviewed with right out of school. Was like, Hey, I gotta quit my job, because then got, you know, gave her the rundown. I'm like, Are you guys hiring? And she's like, funny enough, we have a hiring event going on tomorrow. Print out your resume and come on in. And I did, and I interviewed, and I got the job to be a school nurse. How long ago is this now? 2019 so I got into my assigned school in October. 2019 spent five months and then went home like everybody else.
Scott Benner 47:44
I'm really loving this job. I'm gonna go sit in my living room now for a year and a half. Well,
Speaker 1 47:50
yeah, well, I, because we're, you know, I was, I worked for a large agency, government agency. I was assigned to answer phone calls for OC, I mean, the Office of Medical Examiner,
Scott Benner 48:07
oh, so they found a job
Speaker 1 48:08
for I was literally answer, yeah, because I had, I had put in for accommodations, because at that time, it was like, if you have
Scott Benner 48:15
diabetes and get COVID, you're gonna die. Yeah, right, right. You're like, oh, I don't want that, yeah, not,
Speaker 1 48:19
you know, after further research, it's like, if it's uncontrolled, if it's mismanaged, you have read higher risk and, you know, complications and things
Scott Benner 48:27
like that. On day one, you were like, I need a job. No one's like, you're gonna die if you have died. Yeah, I need a job, and I don't want to die. Yeah, right, right. So they gave
Speaker 1 48:35
me accommodations to work from home, whereas a lot of other staff went and did testing areas hospital backup, you know, they sorted out. I couldn't go in the field, so I got this accommodation, but I was answering phones for people, looking for their family members. They had been in the hospital. They passed. They're not there in the morgue. They're where are they? Because there was so much
Scott Benner 48:59
chaos. I was trying to be a school nurse, not this.
Speaker 1 49:01
Oh. It was crazy. It was crazy at that time, sad. It really messed with me mentally. They're, you know, yeah, you know, calling, they get the date of birth and my they're my age, yeah.
Scott Benner 49:16
You have to tell people on the phone, like, Hey, I found your aunt or whatever. She died in this hospital.
Speaker 1 49:20
This is where they were sent to. And then there was, like, scandals with, you know, ventilator stuff, not being No, not being handled correctly, their bodies, oh, and like, and we were, like, sent a man's email. If you get a phone call regarding this, you know, one parlor, take their information and let the supervisor know. Because, again, we don't work for them. We don't know the usual drill. We have like a script, yeah, sure to do. But if a poll for this place comes in, do not say a word because of everything that was going on. So it really slipped my head a lot at that time, especially with everything else. Going on. Fast forward September, we go back into the school, and then December, this job posting comes up for diabetes nurse educator to basically help case manage students with diabetes in school. Help, you know, train school staff members, train nurses. And I applied, and I got it, and it's like a full circle job. I can meet newly diagnosed students and their families, and a lot of the parents I was saying, like, just want to make sure somebody has already told you, like, there's nothing you did or didn't do that caused this, right? And I've had parents go, Yeah, I worked through that already, and then I've had parents just completely break down, yeah? Like nobody told them that, yet they're still sitting there with the guilt that they caused their child to have diabetes. And it's like, No, you didn't stop their mouth with spoonfuls of sugar that wouldn't have caused it anyway. No, you didn't. And we're in there, and look, I'm an adult with a beautiful career and a family and a home, and I manage my diabetes. It sucks, and it's hard. And it's not that it gets easier. It just becomes like breathing, like in nature, you know. And I get to share that with them and say, like, Hey, your little kid is going to still grow up and be a living adult with a light like, it's gonna be okay in the flash. Look Hi. I'm a little crazy, but I was that way before,
Scott Benner 51:25
yeah, and you didn't do this to them. Is a big relief for them.
Speaker 1 51:29
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And even, like, finding you, like, I had heard about the podcast, you know, from just things I read and online so it's probably two years ago, a student was newly diagnosed. They went for the 504 meeting and did that with mom. And was like, Mom, you know, it's not she's like, No, I know I've heard that, but, like, it was a lot, because now this is whole world is different. And think of an eye, your whole world and everything you knew is like, funny, here's diabetes. Good luck. And we hit it off. And I think the next time we got together or for a school visit, we were she was like, on top of things, like we had discussed pump options and, and I'm biased. I use the Moby. I love tandem all day, but I see the usefulness of OmniPods for wanting tubeless. And you can get great results with Omnipod. I tried it didn't work. I have better control with tea slim, but I see people with better a ones, you know, yeah, yeah. I hate the A, 1c, but better time and range than I am on an Omnipod. I'm like, great. It works for you, yeah? And gave her everything I know about each one here. Look up this one, look up this one, look up this one. And she was like, Have you, have you listened to the Juicebox? Yes. And I'm like, I haven't. I've heard of it. I like, I haven't really gotten into it. She was like, there's a Facebook group, so that's where it started. And I joined the Facebook group. So when I told her I was going to be on she was like, she would tell me all the time. She's like, you and Scott would be so hilarious
Scott Benner 52:59
together. You didn't let me talk. But I think I would have been funny for sure. Yeah, absolutely,
Speaker 1 53:06
I could go on for hours. So, and that's, you know, I get to bring that too and, and even school staff members, like, you know, I treating you in glucagon, helping them, you know, students specific. Because, yeah, diabetes is textbook in in the textbook, but once it's out of the textbook, it's individual, like your symptoms may not be mine, my time. You know, when insulin works, everything is individual. And then for that individual can change by in 24 hours. Yeah, you know. So being able to teach that and and educate is like full circle, because the very first person was the nurse that taught
Scott Benner 53:45
my classmate, yeah, yeah, you feel really good about what you're doing. You had to go through a number of jobs to get to to something that you enjoyed, but that's awesome. Oh, I love it. I love it. How many people do you think you talk to in the course of a week?
Speaker 1 53:57
I mean, over spring break, I was already I was notified, and I had been working remotely, working on a training for 504, coordinators, so that they can better, have a better understanding of the template we use for for students with diabetes, because it's just there's a gap, so we try and fill those gaps, for sure. I got like, two or three emails of newly diagnosed in the area, you know, in the territory that cover, wow. And I'm like, just in this one week, I had three different notifications, and it's, you know, it's been a crazy, crazy number of newly diagnosed, but in a week, I don't know, it really does depend on the week, because it's not just the student, the families, it's the nurses. Oh, there's an addendum to the orders or newly diagnosed came in. I need you know this staff, this staff, you know, five or four coordinators. I work from top to bottom. I work with providers. If there's, you know, a trend going on at school for a kid, I'll assist the nurse in reaching out to the provider to say, hey, look, every Wednesday, they have lunch before they have gym before. Lunch, and they're still dropping after
Scott Benner 55:03
lunch. So it's a big job that's both administrative and people oriented, and you're doing a lot of different things. Like, it's not just talking to people, it's not just pushing paperwork, like you're you're setting up processes, right, right? It's a lot there. Do you find that fulfilling, being able to do a bunch of different things.
Speaker 1 55:21
Yeah, I get the, you know, I am a data person too, though. So, like, I love Excel spreadsheets, and I love the forms and trying my best to be organized, but I have like, five different ways to be organized, and none of them work together. So it's like trying to figure that out. But I like that data, and I plan to go in for like that, like a masters for, you know, data informatics, because I like that aspect, that tech area of it. But I still get that bedside. I still get to meet kids. I like, you know, all bribe kids they don't want to wear a sensor. And I'm like, Okay, I will buy you a new phone case. If you wear the sensor for 10 days or
Scott Benner 55:55
one month, check it out to see how much it can help you.
Speaker 1 55:58
Just to see just and I'm like, and just once a month wear it so that when you go to the doctor, they can at least see the behind the scenes. Like, it's usually for the MDI kids, like, we gotta make sure your Lancet. We gotta make sure that your car breachers are right. We need to see what's going on outside those finger sticks. So, like, I'll pay you. Just wear it for 10 days once a month. Like, every 10 day, a 10 day period, once a month,
Scott Benner 56:22
are you seeing like, is there a big swing between kids whose families are supporting them and giving them good information and kids who aren't? And do you find yourself having to help one more than the other? Where does that? Yeah, oh,
Speaker 1 56:36
not, not help more. Like, there's, you know, it's a big swing. Okay? Bipolar, you could either be like, you have the helicopter parents, where it's like, Dude, you gotta, you gotta stop, take a breath. You know what we're doing? Your kid's Okay, your beard, like, let loosen the reins a little bit. You know, mom, dad, like, let us sleep. We're good here. And then there's a parents where you can't even get them on the phone to get the parents signature so that you could actually give their pen insulin as well? Yeah, I hear you, you know, and or the doctor saying we can't fill out those forms because we haven't seen them in a year and a half. So those take more time, and sometimes escalations, you know. And I hate that, because it sucks, you know, for the student, for the family, but there's both sides both require a little bit more finesse and a different finesse. But, yeah, it's the there's a lot of under privileged areas. And it doesn't just have to be MDI, or if they're insurance, you know, if they're, you know, on state insurance that you know, sometimes it's like, you have to pick this pump or this insulin, or that you know, and they don't even know that information. Yeah, just because you go to the doctor and you have like, 30 minutes, that's all you
Scott Benner 57:51
get. When you finally talk to those parents, what's your takeaway from how it got to the point where they're not being supportive and they don't understand how, how important all this is, like, like, I mean, I'm sure it's a lot of different ideas, but like, I'm trying to put myself in your shoes. Like, once you've met that person, because you have kids, right? Like, so you're not ignoring your children. And you know how tough diabetes is. So when you meet a person who's who's literally, probably, you know, hurting their own kid with their lack of whatever involvement or understanding or whatever, like, what is your finding about who they are? Do you understand what the question
Speaker 1 58:26
is? Right? Yes, I do. And and you're right. It is usually like, there's, there's so many different variables depending on the situation. But when it's sometimes it's they, they know everything and the way that they're doing it is right and don't want to hear
Scott Benner 58:42
you. So even though it's the kids, you know, not doing well medically, if they're not talking to the doctor everything, the answer is, I know what I'm doing. Leave me alone,
Speaker 1 58:50
right? I don't need the doctor. I only need the doctor to fill prescriptions. Well, clearly not see once he was, like, at 9.2
Scott Benner 58:59
and it's an unfair question, but, like, I'm trying
Speaker 1 59:02
to figure out working with providers, trying to meet them at their level and and I get a kick out of some and I have to do it because, like, that work Jenna and outside Jenna are two very different fucking individuals, and my family, like, I usually curse like a sailor. It's been very good during this conversation, yeah. And they're like, how do you not get fired? I'm like, because that's work, Jeff. I save all my cursing for you. Get a little out here, um, and that's it's the same thing with, you know, dealing with certain you have to know your audience, yeah. And so, you know, if there's someone that's that narcissistic that they know everything, but there's their kids only have diabetes for two years. I'm like, I've been doing this for 20 without all the technology you have. So I might know some stuff. Do
Scott Benner 59:48
you ever have, like, a win? Do you ever, like, start with a person who's like, I know what I'm doing. You don't understand and like, and you get them to a point where they go, Oh, I didn't realize all this, and they do better,
Speaker 1 59:56
yeah, that a few times. And a lot of it is, Hey, listen. To this episode on juice. Oh no kidding. Oh yeah, anything for myself? Like, I know the Pre Bolus thing. I know. I get it. I get why Pre Bolus thing is important. But you made a statement on one of the pro tips. Like, I want to see like, Arden at like, 86 or 72 like, but hours down, and then let her start eating. And in my head, I'm like, so many people panic at 72 I don't, but so many people panic. At 72 with an arrow down, it's like, oh, I'm like, but you're about to eat. Yeah, you're gonna you're gonna correct that. And I'm like, and I started doing that, and my time and range increased, but like 90% 95% I'm like, Oh, didn't win, and it's not I knew the information, but I wasn't utilizing it correctly. So listening to you and Jenny talk about
Scott Benner 1:00:42
it. That's nice. I love knowing that. Yeah. I mean, I don't even think that number is important, like, there's, it's and maybe it's hard to put into words all the time, right? But there's a place where the insulin is working at the right speed that when the food peaks, it just can't take it over, and then they just end up in, like, a battle, and the number doesn't move.
Speaker 1 1:00:59
Yeah? And I see it a lot with the little kids, like, they, they're, they're gonna, you know, they're really diagnosed, MDI, and they're getting Bolus after meals because they're picky. And I'm like, okay, I get it, but there's gotta be a number where you want that correction
Scott Benner 1:01:15
before you keep right there. So there's gotta be a small amount you can so I'll
Speaker 1 1:01:19
communicate with the providers and the parents, like, hey, if they're over 250 before lunch, let's at least give them a correction. How's your kid with needles? They're okay, all right. So we can give them the two injection, you know, or at least covered. They always eat at least 10 cars. So, like, that's a good one when they're on pumps. Like, all right, do the correction. They're picky eaters, but they always eat at least this part. This the fruit of the meat. They may not eat the rest, but they always so at least cover that Right, right? And then come back and get the rest for anything else they eat. But you gotta have that insulin before, like, if you start eating at 250 and you're not getting a correction or carb cover until after, like, you're gonna they're eating, and you start rising. It's like the arrow knows, and it just starts going up. As soon as the food hits your mouth. They're coming back to you for that correction, that pre meal, you know, correction, because we'll take that pre meal number and these cards, and it's like, like, it's the insulin is just chasing the glucose, and it's never gonna
Scott Benner 1:02:15
Okay. And are you finding, like, sometimes you give somebody an episode of the podcast, and they actually, they figure it out from that.
Speaker 1 1:02:21
I can't think of anything directly, but I, you know, I'm told, like, like, like, Oh, they're they're great, like that. I've listened to it. I'm like, if you don't, if you're not a podcast person, because some people aren't, like, Sure, I've really only listened to the pro tips, or, personally, not even for like, to get people out. I but the Facebook group alone, the information and help. And like, oh, I never thought about that from others in the group. And I'm like, That makes so much sense, like, the way that they put it, you know? And then, like, to swag, like, What the hell is that? And I like, scientific, wild guess. I'm like, that is so amazing. That's what it is. That's what it is. And like, I told my whole team, and they're like, that's hilarious. That's, you know, like, and being it's so great working. I've had some jobs that suck with managers or supervisors that don't get the diabetes. They think I'm using it as an excuse, but I'll, like, text my teams and team and be like, hey, guys taking the day off. Like, what's Kyle died, had a bent cannula, woke up at 400 this morning. Like, feeling like, they're like, do a correction. Make sure you change your site. Did you check your ketone? Like, so supportive. And know the information that they're saying at me. I'm like, Yes, I did it. Yes, we're good. And they'll check in on me through the day. How you feeling? Don't forget water, you know. And it's so awesome. Like, I don't have to explain to them. They don't because they're educators too.
Scott Benner 1:03:43
That is really great. Like, I love that. It works that way for people. That's it really is wonderful. I
Speaker 1 1:03:47
had a manager one time, like, leave me a voicemail. I had, like, a really bad low in the morning I get and it didn't show up to work, which rightly so. That's, that's a move as an employee. But the voicemail was like, You better get your together. I don't know what you think you're doing, but this isn't like, I quit, like, later that week, like, handed to my resignation. But like, you know, I have diabetes. Like, there wasn't a norm for me to do, right? You know, like, instead of like, hey, checking in, you're supposed to be here. Are you okay? Yeah, right. It's like, you got to get your together. I was like,
Unknown Speaker 1:04:26
you should try living with this.
Unknown Speaker 1:04:28
Yeah, exactly. All
Scott Benner 1:04:30
right. Well, John, listen, I should have been recording you in the beginning when you were like, I have ADHD. I'm gonna jump all over the place. You did not let me down. I was gonna say. So what I was gonna tell you at the beginning was, sometimes people say that and then that that's not what happens, but you were consistent, so good for you.
Speaker 1 1:04:50
My brain opens like 15 tabs during a conversation. Jump
Scott Benner 1:04:53
between them. Does that make the job harder? Are you able to like like? Are you able to not jump around when you're talking? Into somebody, or do you find that this part of your personality is something that people kind
Speaker 1 1:05:04
of relate well to? I tell almost everybody, like, I get a lot of phone calls while I'm driving, like, between schools, and if a nurse calls me a parent, I'm like, Yes, I'm like, I could talk right now. When we get off the phone, you got to shoot me an email. You need something from me. Yo, yeah. I'm like, by the time I get to where I'm going, I'm totally gonna, so shoot me that email because you're in front of a deck. And I'll, I'll do, I'll send you that form when I get there, but by the time I get there, I will not remember. If you don't send me that out the out in one ear, out the other. And everyone's like, Okay, I'm like, I have ADHD, I will not remember. I'm honest with it, because it, it's a lesser strength. It's not flaw, it's a lesser strength. I'm constantly working on. I interrupt people. I, you know, I have trouble controlling the volume on my voice. I get really excited about certain things and hyper fixate I know all these things, and I work on them constantly, actively in my brain, like while interacting with people, and sometimes that's really hard. So I found it's easier to just be like, Listen, this is how my brain works. So if I'm off track and like, you need me to keep me on focus, I'm not going to get mad. If you're like, hey, let's get back to that. Like, hey, we were talking about that, you
Scott Benner 1:06:15
know. If people understand, so that they don't, while they're talking to you, they're not always like, what is happening? Like, you know, so they, yeah, they know what's going on, huh? That's a good idea, yeah. And
Speaker 1 1:06:26
it works. And I, you know, if I'm having a conversation or, you know, in a meeting, and something pops into my head, instead of carrying it out, I write it down. You know, it's a lesser strength that I work here.
Scott Benner 1:06:38
It's awesome. Now, listen, whatever works, right? Do you have any other autoimmune issues? I meant to ask you,
Speaker 1 1:06:43
I don't. Okay, well, yeah, because ADHD isn't autoimmune,
Scott Benner 1:06:47
it's not but no, there's a lot of people with type one to tell me about it. This
Speaker 1 1:06:51
is the type one, and also has celiac and and thyroid. Your niece does. So my niece, yeah, she was diagnosed years after I was I actually finger stuck her Okay, and she wasn't even in DK yet. But if we're done, that's okay.
Scott Benner 1:07:10
I could go on a whole other but anything with your kids at all. So I had two
Speaker 1 1:07:14
bonus kids. They came fully grown. Oh, I are 28 and 22 and then I have a six and a half year old with their dad, okay? And so far, knock on wood, we're good. The six and a half year old's doing well, yeah, I mean, he's a lunatic, but that's
Scott Benner 1:07:33
besides, I'm sure he's not a lunatic, or maybe he
Speaker 1 1:07:36
is. He's a space phrase, lunatic. If you ask this kid anything about space, he probably knows the actual right answer. Like, he'll say things and I'll Google it. And I'm like,
Unknown Speaker 1:07:47
did you know how did you know that? Yeah,
Speaker 1 1:07:49
people are like, Did you teach in that? I'm like, No, that, you know, targeted screen time, yeah. Like, we go to sleep watching how the universe works on Discovery. Like, that's our nighttime show. That
Scott Benner 1:07:59
is really, really awesome. It just absorbs I don't think that's what that means, but I appreciate that. All right, listen, you were terrific. I thank you very much. I am going to say goodbye and then hold on one second for me, so I can tell you a couple of things and then I will. I'm going to spend the rest of my day making podcast stuff, but hold on one second for me. Okay, thank you again. Very much.
Unknown Speaker 1:08:23
Got it. It was my pleasure. Scott.
Scott Benner 1:08:30
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Hey, thanks for listening all the way to the end. I really appreciate your loyalty and listenership. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast if. Is your first time listening to the Juicebox Podcast, and you'd like to hear more, download Apple podcasts or Spotify, really, any audio app at all. Look for the Juicebox Podcast and follow or subscribe. We put out new content every day that you'll enjoy. Want to learn more about your diabetes management. Go to Juicebox podcast.com up in the menu and look for bold Beginnings The Diabetes Pro Tip series and much more. This podcast is full of collections and series of information that will help you to live better with insulin. The episode you just heard was professionally edited by wrong way recording, wrong wayrecording.com, you.
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