#1620 Thick Thighs Save Lives - Part 1
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Laura, 55, was diagnosed with type 1 in March 2024 after months of missed signs, DKA, septic shock, and necrotizing fasciitis. Now on a GLP, she’s honeymooning without insulin. Part 1 of 2
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Scott Benner 0:00
Friends, we're all back together for the next episode of The Juicebox podcast. Welcome.
Speaker 1 0:15
Hi, Scott. My name is Laura, and I was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of 54 in March of 24 which I didn't even know was a thing Adelaide said type one until I was diagnosed with it. Who knew
Scott Benner 0:33
if you're living with type one diabetes? The after dark collection from the Juicebox podcast is the only place to hear the stories that no one else talks about, from drugs to depression, self harm, trauma, addiction and so much more. Go to Juicebox podcast.com, up in the menu and click on after dark there, you'll see a full list of all of the after dark episodes. 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. 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, the episode you're about to listen to was sponsored by touched by type one. Go check them out right now on Facebook, Instagram and of course, at touched by type one.org, check out that Programs tab when you get to the website to see all the great things that they're doing for people living with type one diabetes touched by type one.org I'm having an on body vibe alert. This episode of The Juicebox podcast is sponsored by ever since 365 the only one year where CGM that's one insertion and one CGM a year, one CGM one year, not every 10 or 14 days ever since cgm.com/juicebox
Speaker 1 2:30
Hi Scott. My name is Laura, and I was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of 54 in March of 24 which I didn't even know was a thing, adult onset type one, until I was diagnosed with it. Wow, who knew?
Scott Benner 2:46
Yeah, this was just a year ago. And prior to that, not even a year, little over a year, little over a year. And never, once in your entire life, did somebody say diabetes.
Speaker 1 2:58
I did have gestational diabetes with both of my pregnancies, but I didn't know there was such thing as an adult onset type one
Scott Benner 3:04
I see, I see, and you didn't know anybody else with type one in your family? None, none. How about other autoimmune issues?
Speaker 1 3:12
My grandmother had myasthenia gravis. What is that? It's an autoimmune that attacks the smooth muscles of the body,
Scott Benner 3:21
okay, how did that affect her through her life? I
Speaker 1 3:25
don't know, because we didn't talk about it, and I didn't realize that was autoimmune. I just knew she was a very loving old lady that I looked like a lot like, and she took a lot of medicine, but she lived into her early 80s, and ultimately, it was strokes that took her
Scott Benner 3:43
out. Okay, early 80s, I could deal with that, I think, you know, unless they change something like awesome in the next 10 or 15 years, where like being older isn't like being older is now. You know what I mean, right? Yeah, it's not a bad run at all. Well, I guess. Are you married? Do you have kids like? What's your family structure look like?
Speaker 1 4:04
So I'm married. Just had my seventh anniversary two days ago, and I have two grown children. They're both in their 30s, and one grandson.
Scott Benner 4:14
Okay? This your second marriage. It is, it is, okay. Well, congratulations on your anniversary. Very nice. Thank you. And your your lovely family, tell me a little bit about being diagnosed as an adult out of nowhere. You know how it showed up, and how did you figure your way through it?
Speaker 1 4:33
Well, the story Scott is, I worked myself to the edge of death, and when my husband took me to the ER I was in DKA, I had necrotizing fasciitis, and I was in septic shock.
Scott Benner 4:47
Wow. So how long do you feel like looking back, how long were you ill before you did something?
Speaker 1 4:53
I was very symptomatic for probably about three weeks. And. Yeah, in the ER, my blood sugar was somewhere around 500 and my a 1c was 12 or 13. I had gone to the doctor a week prior to the ER visit because I had a cough, a long cough that I just couldn't shake. So I went to the doctor, and I told him during that visit that I had lost 30 pounds without trying, and I was concerned about that, but he wasn't concerned
Scott Benner 5:32
30 pounds that you were happy to lose, or that were concerning
Speaker 1 5:37
I was happy to lose. However, it was very concerning. For years, I had tried losing weight and couldn't lose more than three to five pounds at a time, and suddenly 30 pounds just melted off over the course of about two
Scott Benner 5:49
months when it was happening. How did you think about it?
Speaker 1 5:53
I did have diabetes in mind, but I didn't have any concept of how dangerous out of control blood sugar could be.
Scott Benner 6:03
So were you doing? Because other people have said this to me, and it's okay if that's not what you were thinking, but were you doing the like, oh, I might be getting diabetes, but I have needed to lose this weight, so I'll just ride this a little while before I look into it. Or was it not occurring to you like that?
Speaker 1 6:18
Honestly, it crossed my mind a couple of times, but I did seek medical help. I just wasn't I was blown off.
Scott Benner 6:27
Oh, so when you went to that doctor and you said, I've lost 30 pounds, did you say I've lost 30 pounds? I'm wondering if I have diabetes. I didn't say diabetes, okay, but they didn't think it through to that degree,
Speaker 1 6:39
correct? And that's part of my with self reflection. What could I have done differently, or what could I have done better? Because I actually did have a glucose meter, because I worked with a dietitian about a year and a half prior, and she prescribed me one, but my thought processes, they just weren't clear during that time. It didn't, it didn't occur to me that I had a tool that I could check on myself. I see I was relying on a medical professional to say, to take my hand and say, Oh, that is concerning, right? What? Let's do something about
Scott Benner 7:13
it. So when he's he or she's not concerned, does that shut off your concern, or does it just make you think? Like maybe the thing I was thinking, isn't
Speaker 1 7:22
it? It Back burner, the concern, okay, okay, because my mother was diabetic, and one of my sisters too, I see,
Scott Benner 7:29
well, you know, to tell the doctor I tried, I've tried to lose weight throughout my life. It's never worked. That wasn't part of the conversation. Wasn't part of the conversation, okay? So you think the doctor just got fixed on the idea that losing 30 pounds was probably good for you. So we're not going to think not going to think about
Speaker 1 7:43
it any deeper than that, right? And my chief complaint going in was a cough, and he prescribed a very strong dose of prednisone, which apparently will make even a healthy person's blood sugar spike.
Scott Benner 7:57
Yes, actually, it very well could about that. That's all I did. That's interesting. Didn't look to see if you had, like, an illness that caused the cough or anything like that. No, is it just a GP? Nurse Practitioner. Nurse Practitioner. Gotcha. Okay, so that happens, how long before you end up in the hospital? Like, how? Like, when's that doctor's appointment timeline wise,
Speaker 1 8:23
that was on a Tuesday, and the next week, on Wednesday was when I was in
Scott Benner 8:28
the ER, wow, that quickly. And I'm sorry, I feel like I heard you mention that flesh eating disease, yes, when did that? Okay, hold on, because this came on so quickly now that I understand the lay of the land, and it came on so quickly. In less than a week from like, Hey, Doc, something's wrong, I've lost 30 pounds to I'm in the hospital. What does that week look like? Like, walk me through that week. At first, I noticed this on top of this, on top of this. I kept ignoring like, show me the timeline there.
Speaker 1 8:57
So the doctor's visit was on a Tuesday, on Thursday, I noticed some discomfort on the back of my leg, and frankly, I had I had new undergarments, and I thought it was causing just a little friction rub. So Thursday, I started noticing the discomfort. Friday, I noticed that there was a bit of a growth and protrusion at that spot,
Scott Benner 9:26
skin tag. You were thinking something like that, maybe something like that. Yeah,
Speaker 1 9:30
I knew I had a dermatologist appointment the next Wednesday, so I wasn't concerned about it. Oh, just another thing for that doctor to look at. Yeah, Saturday, it looked like a small potato oozing just a little bit, and again. Well, I already have an appointment to see the dermatologist so they can look at it on Wednesday,
Scott Benner 9:52
russet or yellow potato. I'm just kidding. So that thing's growing exponentially.
Speaker 1 9:58
It's growing quickly. Yeah. Okay. Okay, and during this time, I am so exhausted that I can't go for more than an hour without laying down or taking a couple of naps during the day, but, but I had work to do. Scott so as as a career, I'm a corporate trainer, and I was the head of a sales enablement team, and sales kick off, which is the largest internal event of the year for any company that does it for most companies, okay? And I had a team that my predecessor hired really amazing people. Most of them, however, had never done sales enablement or sales training before they were hired. So there was a lot of burden on me to deliver this event. So I was working as hard as I could, non stop, hours on end and and that's, that's the part where I said I worked myself to the edge of death, including doing executive readouts that I didn't have any of money on my team that could do them, so I was pushing myself to get the job done. As I've said for years, pain may slow me down, but it never stops me. So I am working and napping and working and napping and working in napping, had to do an executive readout on Tuesday, Tuesday night, my husband is so concerned. We were out of town for his work. We were driving back, and it's about a two and a half hour drive between where we were for his work. Excuse me, yeah, and our home. I was so tired on the way home that I actually asked my husband to park his truck at a one of his work locations and drive my vehicle home. Scott, I don't let him drive my vehicles.
Scott Benner 11:55
Why not? What? What bothers you about how he drives your cars? What is it? Is it just that it's
Speaker 1 12:01
yours? It's not that it's because it's mine. We have very, very different driving styles, and it makes and I get uncomfortable when you don't
Scott Benner 12:11
like it when he's driving, right? Is it that he stops late, accelerates too quickly? Stuff like that
Speaker 1 12:17
doesn't necessarily stop late, but the way he uses distance and lane usage and speed, yeah, he's an excellent driver, by the way. He has a CDL, makes you janky, makes you feel weird, yeah, just be, just be a little more respectful with my baby, please.
Scott Benner 12:35
I understand you love that car I got you. So point being is, you guys are trying to make this ride. You can't do it, you can't stay awake. You're exhausted. I mean, listen, you're in fairness, you're giving birth to a potato, and that can't be easy, right? Listen, if everybody feels like, I'm now talking to my wife, but not to you, I'm sorry. But, like, what is it about you people that you can't just, like, admit like you're tired, or that, you know, I heard you say something so corporate. It just made me upset. Like you owned it, like, I know you mean you own the process, or you own the thing, like, it's your responsibility. I see my wife, you know, saying stuff like that all the time. Like, why does everybody think that they can just live forever through anything? And nobody ever stops to say, like, I'm exhausted or I can't do this. What do you think stops you? Like, from that business side, what is it that stops you from saying, Hey, I'm in trouble. I
Speaker 1 13:21
go until I can't, and that's that's what I do, not just in corporate life, but good example is, I live in the mountains, in the woods, and our primary heat source is firewood, and so chopping, stacking firewood is a huge task, especially at my age, and I work myself to the point of exhaustion. I go until I can't go anymore. And where did that come from? I really don't know, but it's just it's part of my MO
Scott Benner 13:54
one of your parents real demanding, or never give praise. Are you Catholic, anything like that?
Unknown Speaker 14:01
Neither of them were demanding. They were mostly absent.
Scott Benner 14:03
Oh, okay. You felt like everything was on you. Yes. Ah, we found it okay. All right, okay, so you're gonna kill yourself by ignoring flesh eating disease, type one diabetes and a few other things. So he pulls over. I mean, you act us. Let him drive the car. Where does it go from there. Today's episode is sponsored by a long term CGM that's going to help you to stay on top of your glucose readings, the ever sense 365, I'm talking, of course, about the world's first and only CGM that lasts for one year, one year, one CGM. Are you tired of those other CGM the ones that give you all those problems that you didn't expect, knocking them off, false alerts not lasting as long as they're supposed to. If you're tired of those constant frustrations, use my link ever since cgm.com/juicebox to learn more about the ever since 365 Five, some of you may be able to experience the ever since 365 for as low as $199 for a full year. At my link, you'll find those details and can learn about eligibility ever since cgm.com/juicebox, check it out. 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 insulin 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.
Speaker 1 16:20
So we get home and I'm having trouble with my motor functions. So my husband actually I've had two back surgeries, Scott, I have four rods and 12 screws in my back. And from my back surgeries, I still have a walker from my recovery time. So my husband pulled the walker out of the closet and made me use the walker in the house because he was so afraid I was going to fall Wow. Yeah, yeah, but I had a doctor's appointment the next day, Scott,
Scott Benner 16:51
so we don't need to go to the hospital. This will be fine, even though I'm now a fully mobile person using a walker and can't stay awake. Yes, you hear it when you were talking about it,
Speaker 1 17:00
yes, yeah, okay. At the at the time, not only were my motor functions failing, I couldn't think straight. I didn't know that I was not being smart.
Scott Benner 17:10
I see you thought you were just managing the situation.
Unknown Speaker 17:14
Yes, I got that. There was a plan, that's all I knew. Got it
Scott Benner 17:18
okay? And your husband, is he pushing you, or even retrospectively telling you, like, you know, I thought we should have gone. Or where was he in that moment,
Speaker 1 17:26
he was respectfully expressing his concerns, but not pushing
Scott Benner 17:32
second marriage. In his first marriage, he would have drugged your straight to the hospital. Probably, the first marriage teaches you to be more respectful of people. Yeah, I got you Okay, so he's worried, but he's he's leaving it to you, but he doesn't know that you're not exactly making great decisions, and you don't either exactly scary, right? A scary thinking back on that it
Speaker 1 17:55
is, I am really fortunate to to be alive, Yeah, no kidding. But that's, that's kind of a, it's kind of a weird super power, power. And the women in my family,
Scott Benner 18:05
they don't die. It takes a lot. Yeah, hey, did you end up baking the potato? Did you mash it? Okay, so you go to bed, and then what happens? Sorry,
Speaker 1 18:18
yeah. So in the morning, I'm getting ready to go to the doctor's appointment, but I'm so exhausted, I can't do five minutes of standing just to do my skincare, yeah, brush my hair, get myself dressed. So I had to rest so many times because I was I was out of breath, and I'm very concerned at this point. But again, I had a doctor's appointment. It took me so long to get ready that we were late and the doctor couldn't see me. So my husband just said, that's it. We're going to the ER, your
Scott Benner 18:51
doctor blew you off because you were late, because you were so sick you couldn't get there in time. They didn't know that. Oh, okay, you live in the mountains. Are you telling me? Yes. Also, we're gonna have to get back to that at the end, because that sounds attractive to me, but I wanna make sure that I'm understanding all the downsides. So okay, so you right off the er, sorry, go
Speaker 1 19:09
ahead. Couple of other things that, again, not thinking straight, my vision was really blurred, and parts of my vision were dropping out. I don't know if you've ever had a migraine, but when I get migraines, my vision drops out, but it's replaced by more like white, but this time it was replaced with black. I had frequent urination, which I just thought because I'd had a hysterectomy a few months before. I thought, Oh, I'm having bladder dysfunction because of my hysterectomy. That's what happens when you're an old lady. I was having a lot of digestive distress. I was having a lot of heartburn. Well, Scott, turns out that wasn't heartburn. I was vomiting while I was sleeping.
Scott Benner 19:55
Oh, my God, yes. Digestive distress, constant. Patient or diarrhea, mostly upper digestive upper okay. So you thought, oh, I have heartburn, but you're vomiting into your into your mouth.
Speaker 1 20:08
Oh, my gosh. I just thought it was really bad acid reflux,
Scott Benner 20:13
yeah. So technically, speaking, you were dying.
Speaker 1 20:16
Yes, yes, got it. I even coded on the table.
Scott Benner 20:20
Wait, okay, hold on, so you get into the ER and how did they I mean, you remember how you presented yourself and what they started doing.
Speaker 1 20:29
I told my husband, as we're getting just out of the out of the vehicle, but I couldn't walk in. I needed him to get me a wheelchair. I took a few steps, and it just wasn't working. So he gets me in. I'm in and out of consciousness. I remember answering some of the questions, and they seemed a little accusatory, and saying her blood sugar must have been like this for a very long time. No, it hasn't.
Scott Benner 20:56
Why not that, you know, but you know, they have you pegged as DKA. Is that right? Yeah, okay, so,
Speaker 1 21:05
and then my husband tells them about the the growth, the infection on my leg. Immediately get into surgery, and I remember thinking they're moving too fast. They're going to kill me. Every line, everything that they hooked up to me.
Scott Benner 21:22
I ripped off. You were worried they were doing it wrong.
Speaker 1 21:25
Yeah, that was one of my last thoughts before I went under. You
Scott Benner 21:29
were backseat driving. The was, do you do that while your husband's driving your car
Speaker 1 21:36
too? I stay politely respectful. Look at you. Okay,
Scott Benner 21:40
all right? So you're freaking out in that hospital, feeling like something's wrong. They feel like they're moving too quickly, they're doing wrong things. So you look combative. Then, yeah, yeah, got
Speaker 1 21:50
it, but that's, you know, the fight or flight. That's what I felt in the moment, right? Right? Yeah, wow. And so I had two surgeries. What was the surgery for? It was to cut the infection out of me. Okay,
Scott Benner 22:05
back of your leg, thigh, back of your knee, back your calf, upper thigh, upper thigh. Okay, yeah, you said you thought your underwear was dropping it. By the way, when you said that, it made me super excited that I ordered new underwear and it's arriving today. Oh, yay. I don't know why. Like, I think it's because I grew up so broke like when I replaced my underwear, I feel like I'm really winning. I know that's probably ridiculous, but I love that. I have two packs coming today, nevertheless. So they cut out. How much of your thigh did they have to take away?
Speaker 1 22:31
Oh, goodness, I don't have a number for you, but I can tell you that it was kind of spider shaped because the infection tunneled and it took an entire roll of gauze. So what is that? Four yards that's three inches wide to pack the wound? Oh, gosh, okay, the only time in my life, Scott, that I have been happy that I had a thicker thigh, because it only got into the infection, only got into the fatty tissue, and not into any any muscle or any connective tissue.
Scott Benner 23:12
Wow, that's so you were lucky enough it didn't make it to a place where it could run more deeply. It was in, it was in the fatty tissue at that point. Exactly, exactly. All right, how do you end up with that? Did they tell you later, like, how did you get the flesh eating
Speaker 1 23:25
disease? That's something that we haven't been able to figure out. Okay, well,
Scott Benner 23:29
you do live in the woods. I do. And then you said you had a second surgery. What was the second surgery
Speaker 1 23:34
for the second surgery was to go back in and make sure that they got all of the infection. I see was that days later? That was the next day, the next day,
Scott Benner 23:44
okay? So they did what they thought was like saving, life saving and then get somebody else to come back and be more meticulous about it. Yes, okay, yes. And they're getting you out of DK at the same time. How do they put you into surgery when you're coming out of DK? Is that not dangerous? I have no idea. So you're pretty out of it during this time. Yes, okay, when's the first time in the hospital stay that you start like coming out of it, realizing what's going on?
Speaker 1 24:12
Oh, they had me so heavily medicated. So heavily medicated. Scott, I was, I was hallucinating in anime.
Scott Benner 24:20
Oh, well, that's kind of fun. Yeah, do you watch anime? I don't. Oh, that's awesome,
Speaker 1 24:28
yeah. And then at one point, somebody had come into the room to empty the trash and and whatnots, and I had a conversation and said, You know, I can tell things are getting better now because my hallucinations are more
Scott Benner 24:43
realistic. Geez, did anybody ever tell them back to you? No, no, that's
Speaker 1 24:50
and my husband doubts that I actually had that conversation. Oh, it was probably a hallucination too. That
Scott Benner 24:56
might have been a hallucination also. You were really, you really were close to death, huh? Yeah, yes, wow. I coded. Oh, yeah, oh, I'm sorry. During which one of the surgeries, the first of the second, the first one? Wow. They have to, like, do the thing, like in the TV show where they yell clear, and then they shock your heart, perhaps, oh, you're not sure, oh, I would have definitely asked about that one. Wow. No kidding. When did they tell you that? They didn't tell me. I heard it when they were doing the rounds. Oh, oh, yeah. So somebody said she coded during the surgery, and you heard them, but you don't. But is that possible that that didn't happen to like, how hallucination heavy were
Speaker 1 25:34
you? No, I heard that every day that I was in ICU six days. It's
Scott Benner 25:39
a part of the thing that they were passing from nurse to nurse to make sure that they knew, because they wondered if it was going to happen to you again, probably, and they wanted to use a teaching hospital. Oh, I see, I see, wow. So how long you're in the hospital for? How long after all this, nine days total? Well, nine days. And then does one of the problems supersede the other? Like, does somebody ignore talking to you about your diabetes because they're so worried about the other thing, or vice versa.
Speaker 1 26:02
In ICU, they were heavily focused on the wound and the infection. Then once I got to out of that onto the trauma floor, that's when they very closely. They were ready to release me after the surgery, but not until my diabetes was under control, so that's where I had two extra days in on the trauma
Scott Benner 26:24
floor. Gotcha, wow. So what's your expectations for how to manage diabetes leaving on day one? What do you what do they tell you like? What do you I mean, because you said it was out of nowhere, it's later in life. It's not a thing you were expecting. So you know, when you left, what did you think management looked like compared to what you feel like it is now
Speaker 1 26:42
when I left so I had prescriptions for a long acting and a fast acting, and I had instructions of once a day to take the long acting, but not when they gave me instructions on how to prepare for The injection, how to store the insulin using the glucose monitor, which I had done previously, they sent a nutritionist to talk to me about what my plate should look like. And that was, that was pretty much it, yeah, okay,
Scott Benner 27:16
so start looking into it on your own. Like, I imagine you're exhausted after this experience. So like, you're not like, or did you go right back to corporate, Laura mode as soon as you got home? Like, or did you, I mean, had to have taken you time to recuperate, right?
Speaker 1 27:30
I was in corporate mode before I left the hospital.
Scott Benner 27:33
Okay, Laura, I see so you're already looking into like, how to take care of your diabetes on your own,
Speaker 1 27:39
right? What'd you figure out early on, because I had gestational diabetes 30 plus years ago, I had a bit of a baseline. And then, because I had worked with a dietitian a year and a half prior and already confirmed that I understood nutrition and understood carbs and proteins and all of that, I felt like I was in a pretty good place there. It was more about understanding is, is the insulin, the right insulin and the right amount of insulin and when to take it? So I was just told take it before you eat. So I'd sit down to eat jab and then eat, not waiting the 15 minutes beforehand you
Scott Benner 28:21
have a CGM on at that point, not at that point, not at that point. So what do you how far after the meal? Did they tell you to test again? They usually say three hours, but two hours, two hours. Okay. So what were you seeing at the two hour test? Usually 150 or less. Okay. Do you think you were honeymooning at all? Oh,
Unknown Speaker 28:41
I'm completely honey. Many you are, okay, yeah,
Scott Benner 28:43
all right. So that doesn't seem, I would imagine that doesn't seem bad, right? Like, I gave myself insulin, my blood sugar's 150 a couple hours after, I probably felt like you were doing well, yeah, I wasn't concerned. What happens that makes you feel like I need to understand more and more. Like, how do you start digging into it to get to where? I mean, you are now
Speaker 1 29:01
going back to sales kick off. And by the way, I was in the hospital for 11 days. I only missed, or excuse me, nine days. I only missed 11 days of work. Oh, geez, I had sales kick off to deliver. Yeah. And so in January, flew to headquarters to do sales kick off. And one of the executives, she was one of my keynotes, and when she walked into the room where I was producing the event, I saw that she had a CGM on, and I asked her about it, and told her that I was recently diagnosed. And she just she looked horrified, and she said, You know what? I was 35 when I was diagnosed. It was was scary. It came out of nowhere. And she recommended a Facebook group for me to join and a book
Scott Benner 29:48
to read. Okay, when I was I do audio books.
Speaker 1 29:53
And so after I finished that first one, which was bright spots and land mines, something like that, Adams book. Yeah. Right, yeah, yeah. I was searching through audible for other resources so I could really educate myself. And that's when I found your podcast. Oh, your podcast is, is what gave me the, the complete confidence that, okay, this is, this is the best resource. This is real world, and it's, it's consumable in a way that feels personal.
Scott Benner 30:27
Oh, I'm glad that's awesome. Also, how crazy is it that somebody wrote a book that's inaudible, and that's how you found the podcast? That's, I feel so random. I've been surrounded by random things this week, so I'm paying a little closer attention to them. Oh, that's awesome. Can you help me for a second? Because you're a very clear person. Very clear person. You find the podcast. There's a lot of episodes, I realize that. But how do you figure out what to go listen to? Or do you just start and then eventually hear about like the Pro Tip series and go find it? I'm interested in the process of picking through and getting settled with the show.
Speaker 1 30:59
I started with most recent episodes, and just started working backwards. Okay?
Scott Benner 31:05
And then, did you get to like management series somehow? Yes. Did you find that through the Facebook group, or just by listening through the Facebook group? Okay, because we have them up in the feature tab, and there's like, all those lists up there. Is that how you found out it or because people share them in the group? You don't recall. I'm not recalling at the moment. That's fine. Also, I'd like to tell everybody Juicebox podcast.com/lists, with an S. I've taken all those lists that exist in the Facebook group and I put them online for you so you can find them on a web page too. So if you want to go look at them there, that's where they are, and they're shareable and usable from there,
Speaker 1 31:44
right on. Yeah, by the way, I think that your snippets, your smaller ones, oh, the
Scott Benner 31:50
small sips, they're brilliant, awesome. I'm glad, brilliant. I'm glad, yeah, we're gonna work on how to make more of those. But they were, they were more difficult to make than you might imagine, like, you know, like, take, like a big idea and jam it down into 10 minutes somehow, but it seemed important to do. So glad you like those basically, you found the podcast, you figured out what to do, and you're doing well. Where are you at now? What's your A, 1c how's your variability?
Speaker 1 32:12
My a, 1c is 5.8 and I don't know what my variability is, other than when I received steroid injections for my back in December. I haven't needed insulin since October.
Scott Benner 32:24
Oh, so you're on, like, a honeymoon that where you don't need insulin. I'm also on Manjaro. Okay, hold on, let's pick through that you're using insulin. Then you go to a GLP, and then you don't need insulin again,
Speaker 1 32:39
correct? So when I started, I was on 32 units of long acting and five units of fast acting. And then every time we titrated up for the mangero, my insulin needs reduced. And then once I was on 12.5 that's when I was controlled without insulin.
Scott Benner 33:02
Okay, so for all the people who are gonna say you don't have type one diabetes, now, did you do C peptide? Do you have markers for type one I do. Okay, so you're honey mooning pretty hard. And you know that if you listen to the podcast, just other people have come on and talked about this, you know, in the middle of probably some sort of a latent, like a lot of diagnosis that they jump on a GLP for weight, usually. And then, I've only heard the story a few times, but it's a few people who've come on and told it, and you start to your insulin needs go down and down, and some of them end up on almost almost none or none. But your expectation is, I imagine that one day that's the GLP is not going to be enough, and it's going to it's going to come back the need for the insulin. Is that how you're thinking about it precisely? Yeah, okay, wow. I wonder how long that well, how long has it been going for?
Speaker 1 33:52
Already? We started the bonjoro last year in March,
Scott Benner 33:56
April. Oh, like 16 months now, yes, that's incredible.
Speaker 1 34:04
Wow. We've also reduced my thyroid meds twice,
Scott Benner 34:08
really, after the GLP correct. So inflammation, you think, what do you think? I mean? Is there anybody guessing why that is weight? Has your weight gone down?
Speaker 1 34:18
My weights gone down. So I'm down about 45 pounds.
Scott Benner 34:23
I mean, that's why you less body mass. You need less medication for the thyroid. I would end plus, wait, 45 plus the 30 or 45 total, plus, Oh, so you've lost 75 pounds since the day you started growing a potato, or the couple days before you started growing the potato, a couple months. Yeah, wow. Do you have more to go? Are you interested in losing more you like where you're at? Where does that sit? Probably about 15. Okay. Oh, okay. Can you talk about if, if there have been any other benefits from the GLP that you're that you see
Speaker 1 34:53
massive reduction in inflammation. So the benefits, so, number one benefit. To fit glucose control. So my blood sugars have been improving from the very first shot. I didn't start losing weight, substantial weight, until I got on to 10, the 10 dose, but I lost so many inches because of all of that inflammation.
Scott Benner 35:20
Wow, that's crazy. So you weren't exactly dropping a lot of weight, but your body was, like, tightening, you feel like, like, visually tightening up.
Unknown Speaker 35:29
Yes, okay,
Scott Benner 35:32
that's a good way to say, yeah, yeah, you were shrinking, but not losing weight, correct? Okay, that's interesting. Did you ever, in the past, have any like, GERD or any other digestive issues, or is that just during the diagnosis, part
Speaker 1 35:46
years of acid reflux and a history of peptic ulcers,
Scott Benner 35:50
and how about the reflux? Is it gone? It flares up.
Speaker 1 35:55
And here's one of the things that I want to share as a tip for anybody on a GLP one, if you notice you have anything digestive before the medication, it's probably going to be magnified when you're using the medication. Interesting. So I love barbecue sauce, and especially a tangy one, not a sweet one. But I get heartburn when I have it that's going gone on for years. Okay? Now, if I have anything that I know that previously would have caused a little bloat, a little discomfort, a little acid reflux, it's guaranteed to do
Scott Benner 36:30
it. I had acid reflux and it's gone now.
Speaker 1 36:35
Oh, good, yeah. But food triggers, very specific food triggers. You
Scott Benner 36:40
had specific food triggers. You do. I don't know what mine was, if it was weight or if it was just my poor digestion, like my digestion was terrible. It's so much better for the GOP. I'm not sure exactly what it was. I can still get it minorly. If I eat too late at night, then I might overnight. Notice it, but very mildly. But I used to, like, I used to be it was constant for a while, like I was taking something to try to, like, you know, quell it for quite some time. So that's interesting. Okay, anything else? Sorry,
Speaker 1 37:13
I'm also much more sensitive to sodium. Now, how so extra water retention. I've heard you talk about this when you're doing your your segments on how's it going with your GLP, one and extra sodium. Scale goes up for a couple of days.
Scott Benner 37:31
Okay, yeah. I tried, yeah, chicken wings. I tried chicken every time I tried to eat chicken wings. My I gained, like, water weight. It's crazy. That was pretty common for me to begin with. So that's just one of the things that hasn't gone away. Going away, I'll tell you my the GLP, where it's helped me recently is that I've been traveling more. So I did a cruise with a bunch of listeners, and I was on, you know, it's on the ship for six days, five, six days. I was very busy, like, super, super busy. I just didn't have a ton of time. It's gonna sound crazy if you're not in my situation, but like, you know, when you're just on the cruise, you live your life. You eat, you go to the bathroom and you go to the bathroom, but etc, when you have no free time during the day, you actually do eat. So that you won't be in a situation where a bathroom visit is a surprise. Does that make sense? Like, so, 100% Yeah. So you, like, you probably know, you go on work trips and stuff like that. Like, you get up in the morning, it's more like, Oh, I'll have some fruit, I'll have an egg, I'll have this. Like, you kind of like I was eating, like, hard boiled eggs for my protein, chicken for my protein. More lettuce, like, than I normally have, little more fruit than I usually have, like I was simplifying my diet so that I could decide when to use the restroom. Like Simple, right? But what made it easy was that I was never hungry the entire time I was on that ship. Now, what made it difficult was is that part of me being on the ship was that I had two dinners tonight, because it was my goal to have dinner with everybody that was there. So I would have like, a 5pm dinner with 10 people and a 715 dinner with 10 people, and I was already exhausted, like, so there's so much talking, and I was already beat and everything, but the menu would come and I eventually got like, a rhythm, like this young server, which basically turned into my mom. Like, she'd be like, just get this right now and we'll get you this the second meal. And I was like, that's a good idea. Like, so we were, like, spreading the food out and everything, but that, GLP, like, I would have been voraciously hungry without it that entire time, and I still would have had to have done what I did. It's interesting how it shuts off. I don't. It's not probably the same for everybody, but like, I don't get head or stomach hungry, usually ever. It's very interesting, although on day six and seven, I can eat a lot more than I can on days one through five. With the injection. I don't know if that happens to you. It does. Yeah, exactly the same. I think it's novo. I might. Nova and Lily, but like they're both trying to come up with a daily pill that replaces the injection, but still has the impact that the injection has been having for people. So I'm wondering if that will spread out the impact a little a little better for people in the future. I don't know how long it'll you know, if they actually work it out and get it to work and get it to market, on how long that something like that would take, but would take, but I'm interested in that too. I don't mind the injection, but I want the coverage to be more even, is
Speaker 1 40:30
my goal. I'd also see the benefit for a pill would be shelf stable without
Scott Benner 40:35
refrigeration. Yeah. Oh, is do you have too much GLP in your refrigerator?
Unknown Speaker 40:39
I wouldn't say too much.
Scott Benner 40:42
I mean, my wife and I are using it for weight. We have it here for Arden, for, you know, you know, for, you know what you're talking about, inflammation and blood glucose control and stuff like that. So, like, there's, like, a, he feels like there's a GLP section in the refrigerator. A little weird, actually, but Okay, so the GLP has been really valuable for you. I'm looking at your notes here. Can you tell people a little bit the difference between managing with and without a CGM? How does it change?
Speaker 1 41:10
Oh, it is. It is a complete game changer. A good example is for a quick breakfast. Just had a frozen breakfast sandwich, and I thought I was doing well with that sandwich, because two hours after eating, I'd be under 180 so that okay, I'm golden. Well, once I got a CGM, I had that same breakfast sandwich. Didn't realize I was going up over 200 Yeah, so then I started taking off one piece of bread to make sure I wasn't going over 180 and is it, you know what? I can't do this. This is not healthy enough for me, yeah. So just having that awareness of how how I respond to different foods, yeah, but also knowing I better get up and take a walk, or I better start pedaling on my little elliptical peddler. Yeah, yeah, to bring the numbers
Scott Benner 42:07
down, the CGM is more about you understanding how the food's hitting you and how the insulin and but also how the insulin is working. But what you saw first was, this is not a thing I should be eating. Is that right? Correct? Yeah, yep. How did you change? What did you do to you didn't just keep modifying the sandwich. You changed what you eat for breakfast.
Speaker 1 42:28
I changed so a Greek yogurt with some low carb granola. Or what I did especially early on, the Manjaro with the constipation, chia seeds in a protein drink. Oh, and make a pudding out
Scott Benner 42:44
of it. Yeah, that's a lot of fiber, right? And, boom, yes, yeah, I just went to the magnesium oxide. It's like, I also have gone through, like, seasons on the GLP, my wife and I were talking about this the other day that, like, I think there's a difference between tolerating it but having side effects that are expected and having something serious happen. Like, I want to say there's, I think there's a difference there, but, you know, I've gone through GLP, constipation. I've gone through GLP, like, I wouldn't call it diarrhea, but I would call it like, like, very like, loose stool, and it's not a day or two, like, it's a season, like your body is clearly adjusting to something as it goes along, at least was for me. And now I'm two years into it all that's like, straight now, like, I don't have what you would call like distress, like in the bathroom, unless I go eat something that, like, I know I shouldn't eat to begin with. And for me, that's a lot of, like, any anything fried, like crappy restaurant food, stuff like that is gonna send. It's gonna make my stomach go, oh, I don't know what this is, but I want it gone. And other than that, like, if I go through my normal day on that even on the ship, like people, I know this is crazy, but like, I lost five pounds on that ship. And I know people like, oh, you go on a cruise, you'll gain so much weight. Like, I had to be more careful about it, and it was a little more difficult. But there was good food there. You just had to, like, you had to pick through it, like, you know, everything's not chicken fingers and french fries if you're, if you're careful enough. And then this week, at children with diabetes, I was in a hotel all week long, and I came back, I think I lost a couple pounds that week too. So, like, I you can do it, you can find that food in the world. But like I say, if I, if I just, like, I mean, I think it was a few weeks ago, my wife and I were out one day, and we were both hungry. And, you know, it was Saturday, so we were both at the end of our injections and everything, and we were like, oh, there's this diner we used to like to go to. We went to that diner. I'm gonna tell you like we left that diner, went home, and an hour later, I was like, Excuse me, I gotta go. That food did not jive with me at all. If I eat purposefully, I don't have that problem at all anymore. But there were months at a time where I was. Are struggling with some of the side effects, but I don't know I the way I explain it to people is, I don't know if I'm right about this, but I figured it took me a lot of years to get in this situation. It wasn't just going to change on a dime, and then there was going to be some adjustments, like, literally, like on a cellular level, that have been happening. But in the end, I just, I count myself as somebody who probably just does not have enough GLP in my system without it being added as a replacement with this injection. That's, in the end, what I think is happening to me. Sounds like a fair assessment, good awareness. Best I can do. I've been trying to pay attention. All right. So listen here, I have two things left on your list here, I feel like we've covered we covered judgy providers, CGM, glps, your DKA experience, you just say here, integrative medicine experience, which I want to hear about, but then it feels like you want to interview me at the end, so we'll save that for the End. Tell me about your integrative medicine experience, though you
this episode was too good to cut anything out of but too long to make just one episode. So this is part one. Make sure you go find part two. Right now it's going to be the next episode in your feed. This episode was sponsored by touched by type one. I want you to go find them on Facebook, Instagram, and give them a follow, and then head to touched by type one.org where you're going to learn all about their programs and resources for people with type one diabetes. I'd like to thank the ever since 365 for sponsoring this episode of The Juicebox podcast, and remind you that if you want the only sensor that gets inserted once a year and not every 14 days you want the ever since CGM, 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, 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. You
my diabetes Pro Tip series is about cutting through the clutter of diabetes management to give you the straightforward, practical insights that truly make a difference, this series is all about mastering the fundamentals, whether it's the basics of insulin dosing adjustments or everyday management strategies that will empower you to take control. I'm joined by Jenny Smith, who is a diabetes educator with over 35 years of personal experience, and we break down complex concepts into simple, actionable tips. The Diabetes Pro Tip series runs between Episode 1001 1025 in your podcast player, where you can listen to it at Juicebox podcast.com, by going up into the menu. Hey kids, listen up. You've made it to the end of the podcast. You must have enjoyed it. You know what else you might enjoy? The private Facebook group for the Juicebox podcast. I know you're thinking, uh, Facebook, Scott, please. But no. Beautiful group, wonderful people, a fantastic community. Juicebox podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook, of course, if you have type two, are you touched by diabetes in any way? You're absolutely welcome. It's a private group, so you'll have to answer a couple of questions before you come in, but make sure you're not a bot or an evildoer. Then you're on your way. You'll be part of the family. Hey, what's up everybody? If you've noticed that the podcast sounds better, and you're thinking like, how does that happen? What you're hearing is Rob at wrong way, recording doing his magic to these files. So if you want him to do his magic to you, wrong way. Recording.com, you got a podcast. You want somebody to edit it. You want Rob.
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