#1659 Pressure Makes Diamonds
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Chapman, a 29-year-old pediatric nurse from Charlotte, NC, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in May 2024—ironically after serving as his hospital’s pediatric diabetes specialist and anesthesia intake nurse.
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Scott Benner 0:00
Welcome back, friends to another episode of The Juicebox podcast.
Chapman 0:15
Well, hi, my name is Chapman. I have been a type one diabetic since May 2024 I am a pediatric nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I am excited to be here. If
Scott Benner 0:25
this 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. 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.
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. This episode of The Juicebox podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox you can get yourself a free, what'd I just say? A free Omnipod five starter kit, free. Get out of here. Go click on that link. Omnipod.com/juicebox check it out. Terms and Conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. Links in the show notes. Links at Juicebox podcast.com. I'm having an on body vibe alert. This episode of The Juicebox podcast is sponsored by ever since 365 the only one year wear 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
Chapman 2:30
Well, hi. My name is Chapman. I have been a type one diabetic since May 2024, I am a pediatric nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I am excited to be here, glad to talk about it.
Scott Benner 2:42
Oh man, thank you for coming. I appreciate it for sure. What's your specialty in nursing
Chapman 2:46
pediatrics? So I did general pediatrics for five years, and now I work with anesthesia for pediatric surgery cases,
Scott Benner 2:53
really? Yeah, are kids just hilarious coming out of anesthesia? Oh
Chapman 2:57
my gosh, it's one of the funniest things you can experience. Some kids are ready to fight somebody when they wake up, and some of them some of them are happy. Go lucky. It is, you never know what you're gonna get, but it's, it's funny and rewarding the same time,
Speaker 1 3:07
I came out of anesthesia one time, and my wife is just sitting there at the foot of the bed. The nurse is standing I don't know that my wife could have been more embarrassed, and I can as I feel like I'm coming to I can hear her apologizing, and I'm like, I wonder what happened. You know, turns out that whatever I said is what happened. And it's a much too friendly, family friendly podcast for me to tell you. Apparently it was horrifying. And then the nurse goes, like, my wife's apologizing in circles. And the nurse says, that's pretty common. And I was like, Oh, I wasn't even uncommon. That was upsetting to me, and there's no filter. Yeah, I said, What did I say? And my wife goes, later, I'll tell you later. So anyway, what does that mean? Like, I mean, you're not the anesthesiologist, though, right? So what's your job?
Chapman 3:53
So I work closely with the anesthesiologist. I work in what's called anesthesia screening, so any child that comes in to have any procedure, whether it's a MRI CT scan, major procedure, my job is to research the patient, you know, be in contact with the anesthesiologist. There's any special considerations for surgeries, be in contact with the family to kind of guide them through the process of surgery, let them know when they need to be here, what time they need to stop eating and drinking, and then kind of walk them through surgery day with them. So it's kind of a tangent point of the anesthesia team, because anesthesiologist isn't going to be the one to, you know, provide all this information to the family. It's, you know, it's a whole team process. So my team is just responsible for, you know, getting the patient to surgery day, and then anesthesiologist and the surgeon team all take it from there. So all minds behind the scenes of surgery.
Scott Benner 4:39
Yeah, you're not the guy that takes the tires off and puts them back on and bounces them your guy at the front that asks me what kind of car I got? No, and we figure out the sizes together, and I send you. I got you? Okay, exactly? Yeah, I ask a question that I always wonder about, because I'm older and I've had a couple of procedures, what's my real risk when I go night night of not waking back up again?
Chapman 4:59
I. Very slim. Very, very slim. Pretty much everything to do with anesthesia is all weight based. So they get your weight before your procedure, and they dose all the medication needed for anesthesia off of your weight. So you're not going to get any more than you need or any less that you need. It's going to be right, the exact amount that you need for your weight base dosing, and you're pretty much good from there. Obviously, there are some risks with anesthesia, but those are, like, the point 00, 1% things that the anesthesiologist needs to tell you about before a procedure. But other than that, pretty well fine tuned process, after years of research and trials,
Scott Benner 5:29
is it true that they don't really understand why we go to sleep? We just know what happens. Like, they don't understand the function of the medication, right? Like,
Chapman 5:36
what? Right? Like, the method of action? Yeah, that's a little bit outside my wheelhouse. I'm sure I learned something about it when I was a nurse. When I was in nursing school, but a little bit outside my wheelhouse now.
Scott Benner 5:45
Okay, so if I've been out a number of times, is there a risk in doing it another time or another time, or like or does the risk go up the more you do it?
Chapman 5:53
No, no, no, not at all. We have, we have some kids that need anesthesia, you know, three times a week for certain conditions and procedures. And it's like, three times a week, every week, for months at a time, and that's children. And so obviously you don't want to be understand under anesthesia too much, because the drugs are pretty, you know, pretty heavy. Yeah, they they flush out your system pretty quickly, long as you're well hydrated and everything. So it's not like it's going to be in your system for a very, very, very long time like some medicines
Scott Benner 6:17
are. I will say, as I get older, it the bounce back from. It takes a little longer. I'm a little more like, not goofy, but it's kind of tired Exactly, yeah, for a little longer. Okay, all right. Well, I appreciate you telling me about that. So last May, so June, July, August, year, 16 months ago. Yeah, is that when you realize something was going on? Or did you realize sooner than that? And it took a while to get to the diagnosis?
Chapman 6:45
Yeah. So everything started happening in January of last year, symptom wise, but I didn't really think much of it until late April, when I was like, I should probably get checked out. Okay? It started in January just with some, you know, mild weight loss, you know, two, three pounds here and there. I was like, Oh, cool. I mean, I guess I'm not trying too hard. But he never, you never complained about losing a couple pounds. It just kept going and going and going. And I, for some reason, didn't cross my my mind to think about that. And then all the, all the peeing, started peeing all, all the time, all the time. And my wife was, you know, seven months pregnant at the time, and I'm getting up the middle of night more than she was. Kind of straw that broke camel's back was I had some paresthesia, so numbness and tingling in my hands, my feet, yeah. And that was kind of like, Oh, dang, this. This is never a good sign. I should probably go get checked out. Being a nurse, you know, you you have all these symptoms, and you think of all the different things it could be, because you've seen all the different things when you're at the hospital. And so in my head, I was going to the worst of the worst. I was going to the big C, I was going to Ms. I was thinking of all the other things. So I was like, maybe, maybe it's just diabetes. Maybe I just have a random, you know, skinny guy, type two case. Didn't think much about type one. I was one of my doctor
Scott Benner 8:03
in January. How tall were you? How much did you weigh before the
Chapman 8:06
start of everything? I'm six 290 pounds. It's kind of my you're pretty lean, then pretty lean, yeah. And so I got down. I saw at diagnosis, I was six to 159 pounds. Wow, yeah. So I lost, um, around 40 pounds. 42 pounds
Scott Benner 8:24
at what weight did you think this is a problem
Chapman 8:26
when I started hitting the 160s mid 160s Why did it
Scott Benner 8:30
take that long? Listen, I'm five nine. Maybe, like, maybe, I think I'm at a pretty reasonable weight for my frame right now. And I think I was 169 this morning. So, I mean, even at 185 You weren't like, Hey, what's going on? Like, when was the last time you'd been 185
Chapman 8:49
oh, man, male college. I mean,
Scott Benner 8:52
I was, yeah. So what do you think I'm asking a hindsight question. But what do you think allows you to ignore that?
Chapman 8:58
I think my wife and I planned to have our first child, everything was kind of focused on that. It was a it was extremely high risk pregnancy. My wife was having some complications, and so my mind wasn't really on myself at the time. Yeah, I was having these symptoms, but looking back now, it wasn't really the forefront. Because, you know, I was worried about my wife and my unborn child, like, are we going to make it to, you know, due date? All these doctors tell us we're not going to make it there. That was at the forefront of my mind. And then all this started happening, and then I was diagnosed, and two days later, my son was born.
Scott Benner 9:29
Wow, what can I Is it too personal to ask what the high risk nature was of the pregnancy?
Chapman 9:33
No, yeah, no. My wife has multiple autoimmune conditions which automatically make her quote, unquote, a high risk pregnancy. And then she had, was called a short cervix. So the cervix, which pretty much holds the baby in, was too small to hold a baby in. And so they had to, you know, do cervical checks, you know, once or twice a week for, you know, five months, which is not pleasant for a wife, no or the service. You know, it's it. Yeah, it just, kind of just like a coin toss, like, like the cervix could hold it, could keep the baby in or, you know, you could be going to labor next week at 21
Scott Benner 10:07
weeks gestation. What autoimmune issues does your wife have?
Chapman 10:12
She has Hashimotos, thyroiditis and
Scott Benner 10:15
chagrins disease. Oh, and now you have type one. And do you have anything else
Chapman 10:18
that's that is my only, only medical condition. I've been a healthy guy my entire life. What about your extended family? My mom was diagnosed later on in life with Hashimotos in her 40s, okay, but other than that, I mean, my brother has some medical conditions, some called Hirsch bronze disease, basically a gastrointestinal disease. But other than that, everybody's pretty healthy.
Scott Benner 10:43
I'm sorry. You get diagnosed. The baby comes, the baby comes. You get diagnosed. What's the two day
Chapman 10:47
I get diagnosed? On May 8. Baby comes on May 11.
Scott Benner 10:54
What does diagnosed mean in a doctor's office, in an emergency room
Chapman 10:59
at the doctor's office? So everything I went through was all done outpatient. Thankfully, I wasn't in DKA. I didn't have to be on a drip or anything. This is kind of caught it relatively early. You know, my a 1c, was around nine, so it's not the crazy 14, 1516, you hear by some patients in DKA. It was around nine, which still is not, not great. I was able to kind of talk to some of my friends who are some of our pediatric diabetes educators inpatient so when I worked on the floor, I worked very closely with our diabetes education team and our endocrinologists. It was kind of my specialty. When I was working at the hospital, I was what's called, quote, unquote, the diabetes champion. So my job on my floor was to educate the staff and patients about diabetes education and things like that. So I worked really closely with that team, and one of them, her son is an endocrinologist, and he I called her right away. I'm like, Hey, anyone sees this? I can't believe this is happening. What do I do? And she said, let me make some calls. So she called her son, was able to get me appointment next day at the end, chronologist, which has a three, four month wait, I was I was able to get in next day, he pulled some labs, you know, a repeat, a, 1c, all the antibodies and everything, and that, that was May 8. So I got the official you are type one diagnosis, diagnosed on May 8. So hearing it from a doctor is what I consider diagnosed.
Scott Benner 12:14
Yeah, okay. How do you go to your wife, who's had a nine month, you know, battle with her, with her short cervix and say to her, Hey, by the way, I think I'm on the way the doctor here. Like, I think I have type one diabetes, and I know the baby's supposed to come any second. Like, was that difficult? It was extremely
Chapman 12:30
difficult. But my wife is extremely gracious and caring, and I don't know how you know she had the strength to help support me during that time as well, but she did so very thankful for her, but it was, it was kind of just the all hands on deck. I support you. You support me. We're doing this together. We got to figure it out, because we don't have any other
Scott Benner 12:46
choice. How's the birth of the baby? Like, are you on, like, injections at that point? Yeah.
Chapman 12:50
So I was MDI at that point. It was a stressful time because he came six weeks early as well. So, you know, we're freaking out. She's like, Oh my gosh, I'm just went to labor. We're not ready yet. We don't have, you know, the supplies. We don't have the room ready, all this stuff. I'm like, I was just diagnosed. I'm still figuring out how to put a Dexcom in and how to give myself shots, yeah, and trying to figure out my dosing, because, you know, they just kind of slap me with a generic Lantus dose and then a sliding scale. And, like, here, do this for this, and do that for that. I'm okay. Well, I have a child coming, and so during, you know, labor, I had just worked a full 13 hour shift to the hospital, I had to drive straight to the hospital to be with her, and then my sugars are in the 50s, and then nurses are having to bring me juices. It sounds like you're my wife. It was slightly embarrassing, but also thankful for medical people that understand.
Scott Benner 13:39
They're saying breathe and they're talking to you, not to her, yeah, yeah. I
Chapman 13:42
don't want to seem like that type of dad that's like, Oh, help me. I don't know what to do, but I was like, my sugar is 45 I need some
Scott Benner 13:48
juice. I'm low, and I don't know what I'm talking about. And I'm the diabetes person at my job, which is I'll ask you more about as soon as I tell you that. Due to a typo, while I was getting background in Hersh bronze disease, I learned that there's a psychotherapist named Hirsch Braun. The typo, right? He's a pleasant enough looking fellow. Just times like, wow, what did I mistype? I'll to go back and look later. Okay, so you, you get the diagnosis. It's simple. MDI set up, but the baby's coming quickly. You're still working. You got diagnosed and went to work.
Chapman 14:20
Yeah. I mean, as a nurse, you don't get much time off for paternity, let alone for kind of medicinal things, unless you take FMLA, which I didn't really have, couldn't really afford.
Scott Benner 14:30
Chapman, if the baby wasn't coming imminently, you think you would have taken a couple of days off 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 is. 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 ever since 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. Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. You heard that right? Zero that's less than your daily coffee for all of the benefits of tubeless, waterproof, automated insulin delivery. My daughter has been wearing an Omnipod every day since she was four years old, and she's about to be 21 my family relies on Omnipod, and I think you'll love it, and you can try it for free right now by requesting your free Starter Kit today at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, Omnipod, has been an advertiser for a decade. But even if they weren't, I would tell you proudly, my daughter wears an Omnipod. Omnipod.com/juicebox Terms and Conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Why don't you get yourself that free starter kit, full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox
Chapman 16:42
probably, maybe a little bit of time just to get my head wrapped around things. But like I said, I didn't have to go the hospital. I wasn't, you know, deathly ill. I could still manage and I felt all right. That's the whole thing. This is what I was diagnosed. I still felt okay, okay. I didn't have lethargy, like some patients do. I didn't have all this. All I had was I made some pretty serious weight loss, yeah, and then I was peeing all the time, and then, you know, the numbness and tingling, which kind of happened for a couple days, and then went away. Sure. Okay, so it's relatively mild, still not downplaying type one diabetes as itself, but relatively mild. Initial did the weight come back? Oh, yeah, weight came back. Took about six months, but it came back. Did
Scott Benner 17:19
it come back and stop? Or did it come back and keep going? It came back and
Chapman 17:23
stops? Yeah. So I'm back to my normal 6190,
Scott Benner 17:26
that's great. Go back to what you were talking about about your job. You're that. You're the diabetes liaison. What is that?
Chapman 17:32
Now? What happens on like when you work in an inpatient unit at the hospital? And for my hospital, in this case, every person kind of has part of their continuing education. They're quote, unquote, on a committee and called a champion. So it's kind of some people are champions for, like, eating disorders or behavioral problem kids, or there's, you know, autoimmune kids, or, you know, asthma, respiratory illnesses, and diabetes was one. So mine was focused on diabetes. So I anytime we had, like, a new DKA diagnosis come in that would come to our floor to be on the triple bag therapy. So the insulin drip, my job was kind of to help all of our other nurses understand, because I had done some education about it to be able to help. So I'd be like, okay, are these bags set up, right? Are the calculations correct for the insulin drip and the dextrose fluid and the non dextrose fluid, things like that. So I was kind of all consumed in it, consider even future, considering a job in diabetes education, even before I was diagnosed, you know, I'd been approached to, you know, take one of our educator roles who had just retired, to say, hey, you could be great for this role. But then all this happened. I was like, I need to do something that I know how to do first before jumping into a new career with this new diagnosis, you know,
Scott Benner 18:43
16 months removed from your diagnosis, looking back on what it is you understood about diabetes at that point, how much percentage, wise, if diabetes is a, you know, is a pie, how, what slice of that pie was your understanding and what, what was left over? I'd say
Chapman 18:58
probably 75% understanding, really. Yeah, so I think if you go down to the basics, you know, what a high and low blood sugar mean, what insulin does in the body, how to use insulin correctly, and how to use a sliding scale like that was ingrained in me, because I've been doing it for I was on the floor for five years, you know, doing this day in, day out, with new diagnosis, talking to families, helping them Understand, getting it on simple terms of how to understand diabetes and what it looks like in a daily life. So that was part of my job. Like, you know, Kid orders their food. We sit down together. I say, Okay, how many carbs is this? Here's the receipt that shows how many carbs. I want you to look at all the food groups. This is what happens. This how it works in the body. This is how we dose insulin. So all of that was done prior to diagnosis. So when I was diagnosed, I had all of that in the back of my head. That was one good thing about, you know, being diagnosed right before the baby is I could, you know, just kind of go into nurse mode, check my sugar, give myself insulin, do whatever, and then just put in the back of my head and help take care of my wife and my baby. Okay,
Scott Benner 19:55
you're rock solid on the functional aspect of, yeah, how to manage somebody in the house? Hospital, like when they're when they're diagnosed, and you feel really good about the background information that people need for type one. So now, what have you learned since then that you didn't know? Where were the lessons along the way?
Chapman 20:14
Like fat rises, that was something that I was not ready for. You know, not really something that we paid attention to in the hospital too much, because that's kind of more, you know, at home, type of care. Learning right now in the hospital, I'm teaching you how to count carbs, how to keep yourself insulin, you know, then going home, and especially feeling the symptoms I hadn't really, you know, felt that. So the lows and the high highs, that was something I wasn't ready for. You know, trying to learn how to do, like extended boluses or split boluses for high fat meals. That was something that was really difficult for me in the beginning, and I still struggle with to this day, like trying to figure out how to dose correctly. But we can get into that too, talking all about honeymoon and everything, but,
Scott Benner 20:53
well, let me ask you one more question. Then I'll ask you about your honeymoon. Yeah, so when people tend to feel under prepared after a certain distance from their diagnosis. You know, once the things that they were told in the hospital prove out to not be all the things, then they get into that kind of like almost a panic spiral. Sometimes, what do you think could be done to stop that from happening?
Chapman 21:17
It sounds it sounds good to be able to stop panic from happening. But with type one diagnoses, it comes on so suddenly that you're just so unprepared that you can't be in the mindset to be ready for something like that. You know, I don't know that's a really
Scott Benner 21:32
good question. Don't worry, I'm not like, Oh, I know that's two plus two is four. It's not that kind of answer. But what I'm trying to dig out of your brain is, is you know what they're told, right? And you know what you were told, and then you now have the experience of going home and finding out that those things aren't all of the things that you need to know, right, right? So, and I take your point like you, if you overload them in the beginning, they're not going to remember anyway. You know, if you stick it in a book, nobody's going to read it like that kind of stuff. But is there any, like, big ahas, like, oh gosh, if we just would have also told them this, it really would have taken away a lot of trouble. I mean, is it just the idea of, like, a fat rise that would have been a big, big help for them, or is there something even more, I don't know, like a psychological like, support that would have been valuable, or did you or do you not feel like you went through it in that that way, where you can comment
Chapman 22:27
on it? Yeah, it's hard to relate. Because I think when I was in the hospital teaching families, I was, yes, I was teaching children, but a lot of them were younger and don't really have the, you know, ability to understand all these complex medical things. So I was, I was teaching families, and then if it's me as an adult diagnosed, I had to kind of change how I thought about it, because I was, you know, doing it in simple terms to help educate a child as well. So I think for me, having a support system that understands as well is huge. And I know families are a huge support system in the hospitals, but helping families understand, not just, you know, your parents support you, but community like the Juicebox community and you know, having your educators on hand and your endocrinologist on hand, that community is going to be huge in the success of your diabetes management. That you're not alone in this. I think that's something we could probably push a little bit more, is that you're not alone in any of this. That's the community is massive and so willing to help. And it's unlike any other community around because it is such a, you know, big deal. And to have so many you know, moms, dads, you know, friends that have the same condition as you, walking through the same issues with you is huge, and that's something that I didn't realize, is how important the community
Scott Benner 23:46
would be. Then would it be appropriate, maybe to tell somebody we've given you a lot to remember here, it's certainly probably more than you're going to be able to remember. And the truth is, it's not all of it. So find a place, not just with us. I think you have to say, I know it's just crazy to tell you, like I'm not your only support system as the doctor, right? Like you have to go out and find places where there's a congregation of people who know what you're talking about, so that when you have a problem that at the moment might feel unforeseen, like something we can't prepare you for right now, that you can almost instantly go to a body, you know, a body of people, and say, Hey, this thing is happening. Tell me, does anybody have any input? And then, boom, you're back on track again with some answers to things to look at. Is that
Chapman 24:33
fair? Yeah, absolutely, yeah, even if they don't have answers for you, even just solace knowing that someone is going through the same problems you're having, maybe they won't tell you how to fix it, but like, Hey, I feel you. I'm doing the same thing. We're in this together like that is that was huge for me going through some of that stuff.
Scott Benner 24:50
Okay, all right. I mean, I appreciate you picking through. I know it's so uncomfortable, but you don't have, like, a rock solid answer for something, and people are asking you questions, but I think it's value. Able to hear your perspective because of, because of your background and because of what's happened to you, and to hear that even now 16 months out, you don't have a like, you're not, oh, yeah, it's this thing I should have heard about, like, or, you know, somebody should have definitely told me about how to clear ketones. Or, you know, like, Yeah, you don't have something to point to, to go that was glaringly omnipoded, right? Which I think is helpful, because it points out that maybe, I think there was a time in my progression where I thought like those people have to do a better job. They can't. They're sending you home, and you're unprepared. And then I had enough conversations with the people who were unprepared and the people who were trying to prepare them to maybe realize that between the circumstances, the situation, people's capacity, the rest of life, everything else, like, you know, like, look at you like, you know, at some point you were, for nine months, helping people while you were worried about your wife, you know, and you had an underlying medical condition you didn't know about. So that's happening to more people than you think, who are out there trying to help you? Yeah? And maybe, I don't want to say, maybe, before the statement, I've come to the conclusion there is no answer and there is no like, there's no magic better, yeah, we're just waiting for someone to figure out and implement that used to be how I felt, like some smart person's gonna say, Oh no, this is what needs to happen, and that they would make a change, and it would work so well that, you know, the community at large would adopt it, and everybody who got diagnosed would be better off. But I just, I don't think that's it. Even last week when I interviewed a gentleman whose episode will be up just slightly before yours, whose young daughter, like really young daughter passed away before she could be diagnosed, and he's obviously bereft and out in the world trying very hard to draw attention to it so it doesn't happen to somebody else, which is very kind and a lovely way for him to be spending his time. But as he was talking, my experience left me thinking, you should do this. You should go out and you should bang on all these pots and pans and make people pay attention, and you probably will save somebody. But I don't know that changing the process changes anything like, I know it's simple to say, like, everybody should just get a finger stick when they have flu symptoms. But you know, you know people, yeah, what if you had the flu? And I came at you, and I was like, let me just check your blood sugar, they'd be like, Get away from me. You're gonna be like, What are you doing that for? And like, you'd find a different problem, I guess is my point. So yeah. Anyway, I you know, just like, picking through these conversations, sometimes to get answers and sometimes to get the proof that there is no better answer. Yeah, yeah, I get it, yeah. So what happened with your honeymoon there? Man, it was, it wasn't all simple and fun and easy. No, it's
Chapman 27:47
still going on. Man, is it still going on? Yeah, it is been just totally confusing. I really struggled with it, you know, physically and mentally earlier on, when I was MDI, I'm on a pump now, which has made it 1000 times better. Just constant, constant fluctuations, like, yeah, they say honeymoon is kind of a revitalization of your pancreas. It starts producing a little bit more before it finally gives out, you know. But mine is constantly changing every single day. My basal needs change every single day. My you know, carb, my insulin, carb ratios changes like every single day, and it's really tough to nail things down. I know nothing is going to be perfectly the same every single time, even post honeymoon. But, you know, a fluctuation of 3040, units Difference Day by day is huge. Is your
Scott Benner 28:39
endocrinologist calling it Lada, yeah, yeah, definitely, okay. How I forget? I don't know if I asked you how old you are? I'm 2929 is your first baby. Oh, yeah, yeah. You think you'll do it
Chapman 28:51
again? Yeah? Definitely, yeah. We want to have a we want to have a couple
Scott Benner 28:55
really awesome, the short, the short cervix held up. It did,
Chapman 28:59
yeah, so now we know about it, so next next time, we'll be ready. By
Speaker 1 29:03
the way, short cervix sounded like a humble brag at the beginning, but I realized that it was a bad thing. So I thought you were bragging on your wife, like she's got a short cervix. And I was like, Oh, I thought that was, like a big deal. So you want to have more kids so and you're experiencing this crazy honeymoon. Let me finish asking about the honeymoon before I ask you my next difficult question, we'll do a nice one, and then, okay, okay, how are you staying flexible through a honeymoon that appears to be changing daily?
Chapman 29:29
That's the million dollar question. Sometimes I feel like, I'm like, okay, yeah, I've got this. And then, you know, the honeymoon hits again, and I'm like, oh, man, that that sucks. But, you know, I don't have any other option but to get through it. So like I have, I have two different profiles on my pump. I have on a tea slam. So I have a high and a low profile. My high profile is kind of for my basically non honeymoon style numbers, with certain basal rate and instant carb ratio. And I. Usually expect, you know, 30 to 40 units a day, using that, which is still not that much like I remember giving kids way more than that on a daily basis, as when they're children and I'm an adult, and I'm using 30 to 40 units daily. I have my low profile, which I can tell, because I just have these crazy lows, these crazy falls from high sugars without doing anything, honey was getting back up, I guess switching my low profile, which, you know, cuts my basal into like quarters, and even then, still may not use all of it, it'll just cut off. So like yesterday, I'm in a honeymoon phase right now. Just started last week again, went back into it, and my my total daily insulin yesterday was 6.2 units all day. Oh, wow. So it's it's just constant fluctuation. So I have no idea when this little low spell is going to end, but I'm sure it will next week, and I'll be back to my high profile. So it's just very confusing, but trying to stay positive with it, knowing I have the technology available to help me manage this crazy
Scott Benner 31:00
time when the shift happens. How long do you wait before you believe it and pivot? About a day. Okay, so you're low for a day or high for a day, and then you think, oh, it's time to hit the button Exactly, exactly. Wow. That's fun. How has being a new dad interfered with diabetes and vice versa?
Chapman 31:18
The fear of something bad happening with me having a low or, like, more lows I'm more afraid of, because highs I can function, okay, but lows i I'm scared of, like, being alone with him and something bad happening to me, or like me carrying him down the stairs and I'm low and something happens, or something like that. So that that's kind of a hard thing to manage. So being aware of my blood sugars pretty much all the time, if it's just me and him, being hyper vigilant about, you know, having some low snacks or anything like that. But then if it's us as a family, my wife is very quick to be like, Hey, what are your numbers? Let's, let's try to figure out a plan before we do something. Anything can happen, like driving or what have you. So it's just being hyper vigilant about the worst case scenarios, which is kind of a morbid way to think. But you know, it's the best way to keep your family safe is to just always be
Scott Benner 32:09
prepared. It's just interesting to hear how you think about it. Yeah, prior to your diagnosis, Were you sick at all? Do you have a virus or cold or anything that, you
Chapman 32:18
know, I've actually talked to my endocrinologist about that, about what, what probably triggered this autoimmune response, and I think it was probably stress of work and anxiety of work. I struggled for a long time with some severe anxiety surrounding work. I started right before covid At the hospital, and then worked on the pediatric covid unit, through covid, and then that kind of made things difficult. You know, mentally, I had some, like, severe anxiety, you know, just trying to get out of my car to go to work or try to, you know, stay calm in situations where I, you know, had some, you know, flashbacks from the early days of covid and and then the pregnancy, trying to work through that. It was just all a lot of stress and anxiety, and I would think that could have been the trigger for autoimmune response to my body that shows my pancreas.
Scott Benner 33:11
I'm sorry, yeah, it's all right. That sucks. I say all the time, like, I don't understand, I don't have firsthand knowledge of, like, feeling anxious and But listening to people's descriptions of it over and over again is, I find it humbling to try to imagine what you would do if you're in that situation. Because, like, I mean, everybody's pulled up at work and not wanting to go inside, but if you're not anxious, you just go, can you just drop you going drag your car. I'm gonna do this exactly, yeah, oh gosh, I'm sorry. So, so you listen to podcast. I do, yeah, yeah, enough to say to yourself, oh no, I have an autoimmune disease. My wife has an autoimmune disease, and we have a baby, yeah, yeah. What process there.
Chapman 34:01
It's, it's tough. We've, we've checked the sugar a few times before, just because I'm, you know, hyper aware of the symptoms. I'm like, Oh, two parents with autoimmune, you know, it's, it's kind of, hopefully, I don't know, I don't even want to, like, verbalize it. It's hard to think about. But, you know, like, one time a couple weeks ago, we saw him just absolutely chug in some juice and water. I'm like, Dude, no, we cannot be doing this. Check of sugar. He's like, 72
Scott Benner 34:28
I'm like, Oh, thank you. Thank goodness. He's just thirsty. He's
Chapman 34:31
just thirsty. And then, like, he'll wake up with, like, a real big fat diaper, just pee through his clothes and just, you know, sleep sack. And I'm like, Oh no. Check of sugar, fasting sugar. It's like, you know, 79 I'm like, Oh, this. We're good. So, you
Scott Benner 34:45
know, it's funny. I wanted to ask you throughout the conversation about it, but I didn't want to just jump. I didn't want to just throw it in your face. And then you told me about the the anxiety. I was like, maybe I'll just skip it. Yeah, I didn't want to make you feel like worse. But, I mean, I don't think I can. Like, you're how you. Obviously have to be thinking about it. So, yeah,
Chapman 35:02
no, we were always kind of thinking about it, never really verbalizing it, because if you verbalize it, it kind of makes it real. And so, like, we're like, okay, I know, so scary, Lauren, but let's, let's just check the sugar. Okay, we check it, and we're like, is that good she I'm like, I said, Yeah, that's good. We're good. How does she
Scott Benner 35:20
handle your diabetes. Like, I think this is interesting because, I mean, I'm gonna say, like, it feels like she got two infants on the same day, probably, right, like, an actual infant and an infancy of a diagnosis, yeah, like, I mean, was she even able, or did you even want her to be involved in your understanding of your diabetes? Or how did that work out? Yeah,
Chapman 35:42
she she was willing and able, like I said, she is so gracious and so, you know, strong. I don't know where she gets her charisma from, probably putting up with you. That's probably where she learned, yeah, no. But like my diagnosis day, and she was, you know, eight months pregnant, seven and a half months pregnant, you know, wobbling through the endocrinology offices. I get my diagnosis, and then two days later, we give birth. And then a week after he was born, I had my first diabetes education session just to figure it out for myself. And then we had our seven day old baby at the office with us, and she is just locked and loaded, ready to go, taking notes like she's taking it and stride. Learned everything there's to know. It's a lily where we are, like two people in one mind about it. She is so incredible and so incredibly smart.
Speaker 1 36:25
That's lovely. But I'm now thinking, I want to interview your endocrinologist, because I bet when you guys walked out of that office, you probably bummed them out. So, like, they were, you know what? I mean, they probably sat across me, like, Oh, these poor people. Look what just happened. They got this little baby. This guy's got the diabetes. All of a sudden. You, seriously, you probably ruined their day, right? How did you stay upbeat about it,
Chapman 36:46
knowing that some of my endocrinologist is a pipe one as well, so it was very helpful to have that first meeting and talking to him about, hey, I have this as well. I know what you're going through, and I have kids too. So we're kind of in this together, like I was talking about earlier, having that support system is so helpful, yeah, and so that's kind of what got me through, is knowing that, you know, I have all these people on my side rooting for me, that if there's any any trouble, I can call them up, you know, get some answers, or some solace, or whatever I need at the time. So I'm doing much better now. Like I said, I was, I was really struggling for a while when I was MDI, but now I'm on the pump. It's just made things a lot better for me, mentally and physically.
Scott Benner 37:26
MDI, with a with such a harsh, swinging honeymoon must have been horrendous. It
Chapman 37:32
was brutal. It was brutal because I'd had they. I had my written down. This is my prescription for my Lantus. You take, you know, 12 units at night every day. But what if your need for that day was four units Atlantis? What if the next day was, you know, 21 units Atlantis? I had no way of knowing, because the Lantus, you know, has that extended period, and there's no way you can change it. If it's a low day, you're gonna have you're gonna be low all day, drinking juice, eating gummies all day long, yeah, just trying to stay above, you know, 60. And then there's vice versa, which is a little bit easier to do, because you can just give yourself a little bit extra Bolus, but when you're low, you just constantly drinking juice and eating snacks,
Scott Benner 38:09
everything is always tough. Yeah? It becomes about keeping your blood sugar up all day. Yeah?
Chapman 38:13
So now I'm on the pump and it's from on a low day, it's like, okay, you don't need the insulin. Let's just, let's just pause it and then make sure you're good. So that's what's been helpful for
Scott Benner 38:22
me. Yeah, no, I would imagine you said you're using the tea slim, yeah. Do you have a Dexcom? Or what do you use for CGM? G7 g7 okay, you like the you like the combination?
Chapman 38:31
I do, yeah, it's great, awesome. I see a lot of people talking crap about the g7 for some of the inaccuracies. And yeah, I mean, everything has their faults, but 95% of time. Benner, spot on. I never had really any issues with it.
Scott Benner 38:45
Yeah, I don't have a lot more to say about that than I've said that I've said in the past. I think it's technology, and it works better for some people than it does for other people. And you know, it's, you know, I, you know, I would say this. I would say the same thing to anybody who asked me. I'd say, why don't you get in a time machine, and go back 60 years, and then, yeah, yeah, then live there for three days. Then tell me about how much you don't like your CGM, right? So I mean, but at the same time I do, I genuinely want to be understanding of the idea of how frustrating it is, because it's seriously, I mean, it seriously, is Arden had a, I mean, like a 24 hours just over the weekend where, yeah, first of all, she's sitting down. She's just trying to take notes for a class, right? But she's six seven hours of taking notes, and her Dexcom runs out. Now, I want to say 10 days and 12 hours. So awesome, like it went all the way to the end, but she's sitting there writing. It's fine, it makes that noise. And she, you're like, oh my god, you know. And then she's just ignoring it. She's trying to get to a point where she can stop. And then at some point, I was like, Oh my God. Like, I can't take it anymore. So, like, I got a Dexcom out of the drawer, and I, like, put it on the table, like, next door, not, I'd say, 18 hours. Later, and this just happened overnight. To show like, the other side of the technology, three o'clock in the morning, she has a pot error, so she just it stops delivering insulin. How often does that happen? I don't know, twice a year. You know what I mean like, but yeah. How often does it happen at 3am when you've been up taking notes for 12 hours, and your dad's old and asleep, and you text, and you know this is a problem, and you go, you know I need help. And she thinks like texting me is going to bring me to her. But let me explain to you what happened. I didn't see the text, and she fell back asleep before she could get up and go get herself a pot. So it's seven o'clock this morning. My wife's alarm goes off. I was going to sleep till eight o'clock. That did not happen, Chapman, because my wife goes, Hey, wake up. Arden's blood sugar is 300 and it's rising. Wow. And I was like, Okay, so now I know immediately something's wrong with her delivery system. Because, I mean, we just don't see a 300 Yeah, I pop up, look at my text, see the pod error text, three o'clock. I'm already, like, walking downstairs, doing the math in my head. You know what? I mean, I'm like, All right, it's been four hours. She's gonna need at least four hours worth of basal plus a correction, you know, blah, blah, blah. I grab a pot. I grab some insulin. The dog looks at me, and he goes, with his eyes, he said, This Chapman, he goes, if you don't let me outside, I'm gonna pee on the floor. And I was like, yeah, right on. So like, I let him out. Because I was like, but then you're standing there, and I will tell you that 10 years ago, I would have stood there thinking, like, Martin's gonna be in DKA. I gotta go, like, yeah. But instead, I was like, just go pee real quick, man. And then while he was peeing, I was like, you know, fair is fair. I'm gonna pee too. So I went to the bathroom. I wash my hands, you know, do all the things. And then dog comes back in upstairs, give her a shake, and she goes, Oh, hey, my pot error. And I was like, Yeah, welcome to four hours later, she goes, wait what? And you can see her open her eyes and she realizes it's light out. You know, the first thing she said, if I, if I let you guess, what do you think she said, first I go back to sleep. It's gonna break your heart when I tell you, she said, I'm sorry. Oh, and I was like, oh god. I'm like, I was like, It's okay, don't worry. I was like, you know, next time call me, you know, like, let it ring or something like that. And she stands up, and I'm like, here are the pod, like, you know, do you want me to fill it? She goes, give me a second. I gotta pee. And I'm like, Man, everybody's peeing. And I said, Well, yeah, cuz your blood sugar is so high. And she goes, plus, I just woke up. She just wandered away. So, so I said, You all right? Do you feel nauseous? And she said, I don't feel nauseous. And I'm like, okay, she comes back and then puts a pot on herself, obviously starts it up. You know, she's on, she's in trio. And so the thing makes its first Bolus like as soon as it's on. But do you know how much a Bolus point nine? Oh my gosh, because it's not going to do like. And I said to her, like, I waited because I see she's exhausted, she wants to go back to sleep. And I'm like, Arden, you need to look closer at this insulin. You can't just put this thing back on and let it start working, and you haven't had insulin for four hours, yeah? And she's like, I know. And I'm like, okay, but I walked her through my thinking. I was like, Look, you're four hours without basal. That's four four units. And I was like, and, you know, she did not take her GLP this week, so her correction factor is bigger. And I was like, top my head. I'm like, this correction could be over three units, you know, plus the four. I'm like, I'm at seven. I don't even know if that's 100% right. I'm still, like, half asleep, you know. And she puts it on, and then the then the algorithm is, like, I think we should do nine. And I said, it thinks nine, what do you think? And she goes, let's do that. So she put nine units in. That's now two hours and 50 minutes ago, and her blood sugar is 150 right now, okay, and she's coming down pretty gracefully, but I wonder if I looked, if it wouldn't want a Bolus right now. Let me look, yeah, it's starting to think the algorithm is starting to believe that she's doesn't have enough, but it's recommended Bolus at the moment. It's only point 180 wow. And so I'm gonna let that ride a little longer. She's obviously still asleep now, obviously, because she's in college, and she doesn't have a class for two more hours, so she's gonna sleep a little longer, right? But I think that in the next 10 minutes, when we get to three hours, and I'm not doing it by time, I'm doing it by what I'm looking at here on the Dexcom, I think in about 10 minutes, I'm gonna look again, and I think it's gonna want another Bolus. It's actually Bolus thing a little bit along the. Way, yeah, it gave her only little bits, giving her like point one. So far, it did a point 7.70 it's been Bolus thing, even with the nine. Wow. All right, let me go back and I'll tell you, because I think this is good for people to hear. It did the point nine, like I said, when she put the pot on. Then we did a 9.3 right away. That's 10 units, okay? And then it wasn't much later that it did. Point three, 5.0 5.25 it's jacking her basal up. The 1.6 an hour, takes the basal away, starts getting a drift down, does a point one, hits with the basal again, another drift down hits with the basal again, takes the basal away. It hits 223, at 8:51am, and then it starts to go back up again. It Bolus is point seven, pushes the basal up to two and a half an hour, another point seven, not long after it created the next dip. It's leveling out now. Got a tiny dip. We're finally back under. You know, 200 to 166 or so for the last hour. Did another point one? Just recently a point, oh, five, like two seconds ago. I'm sharing all this. First of all, I'm talking through it because I want five more minutes to go by so the Dexcom reads again. So I can tell you the next number, because the Dexcom says 152 right now. But I'm telling you all this because I think in a million years, most people wouldn't think, Oh, I've just been out of insulin for four hours. I need the amount of insulin that I've just said. Arden's, you know, five seven. She weighs 130 pounds. 135 pounds, right? And I think there are people who go much longer without insulin or without enough insulin. And I think it's helpful to hear like, these numbers aren't your numbers, right? Like, if this happened to you, you wouldn't be making the same exact decision. But I think it's interesting to hear like, bigger picture, what are we really talking about? Like, because Arden is a person who maybe uses 24 units of basal a day, you know. And depending on, depending on if she's supplementing with, like GLP, like micro dosing, or not, like, you know, she might use another 20, 3040, units of insulin a day, depending on where she falls in. That thing, how her hormones are, how she's eating, etc. Still, no matter what you say there, whether it's 40 and 25 or 20 and 25 1015, units, is a big percentage of that, yeah, you know. And I don't know, I just think it's, I think it's helpful to talk about out loud, you know, because, you know, maybe you'll hear something in that, in that story, that that not you, but somebody else, that makes them think like, oh, maybe I don't understand how much insulin I need sometimes, you know. So anyway, I just I had an experience last week with a recording with an adult. There were some things they didn't understand about their diabetes that surprised me, made me feel like some of the stuff needs to get said out loud a little more frequently. Blood sugar is 150 now after the last check. So I'm going to push the point too, because I can do it remotely, and ask you, if you've considered using T Z yield in the last year.
Chapman 48:13
Is that the honeymoon extending type of medicine that they do at the beginning?
Scott Benner 48:18
Yeah, sure enough. Did it at any point in that? Did you think about it, or did you know about it early enough?
Chapman 48:23
Yeah, so I heard about it, think, from the podcast a long time ago, or, like, not long time ago, a long time ago for me, yeah, around diagnosis, and then my endocrinologist mentioned it, and I don't think I want to at all, because of kind of where I'm at in my honeymoon, I think with just this insane variation of insulin use, you know, with a variation of 3040 units different day by day, I'm kind of at this point where it's like, I just kind of want the honeymoon to be over so that I kind of have some sort of understanding of what to do day is going to
Scott Benner 48:59
look like. Your perspective is, I am eventually going to end up with type one diabetes. Full on. Yeah, putting it off for me just means making it too variable longer now Exactly, yeah. Let me add a pretend like layer to this question. What if and again, let me be very clear, this is not the case. What if they said to you, hey, in most cases, it'll extend, you know, the amount of time before you're, you know, really need a ton of insulin by three years, and it's possible forever. Would you try it? Then I'd think about it. Yeah, that would make it a little more attractive. But the idea that it's just going to extend it, but eventually happened, that doesn't tickle your fancy. Really, exactly, awesome. When's the last time anybody said, tickle your fancy? Yesterday? Wait what
Chapman 49:47
I say all the time. Man, do you really I do?
Scott Benner 49:51
Yeah, awesome. Look at you. You might have been maybe you're unknowingly bringing out my deeper understanding of you. So how. One, do you guys think you'll wait before you make another, a little baby?
Chapman 50:03
Yes, that's a great question. It's been a whirlwind year. We know we don't want to wait too long,
Scott Benner 50:09
you know, you
Chapman 50:11
know, maybe the next year or two,
Scott Benner 50:13
really. And you're both on you're on board, both of you. Yeah, definitely awesome. Awesome. What does your wife do for a living? Do I know
Chapman 50:20
now she works in cyber security, and it really, yeah, she's, she's very smart.
Speaker 1 50:26
I just spent a full day at a cyber security Expo. Oh, really, my god, yeah, yeah. I think I told the story, like, somewhere, my brother and I don't live in the same state anymore, and he had to come back home, you know, to go to this, this expo, and he's like, You come with me. And he's like, we hang out all day. And I was like, All right, so, like, I moved my schedule around, and I went and hung out with him while he, you know, gathered information he needed for work and went to, like, talks and stuff. And I was just like, hanging out and everything, you know, I did it so we could chat and be together and have lunch and everything. But it was also at the eagle stadium, so that didn't hurt. I got like a, I got like an on field tour, and I got to, Oh, that's awesome. Tour, the tunnel, where they come out and everything, which was really neat. Yeah, all they talked about was cybersecurity. I know what the hell they were talking they were talking about,
Chapman 51:17
it's a, it's a wild, wild field. But, you know, it's, it's really, you know, booming right now, yeah, just with all the increased technology, they need some protection. So that's what she does. I
Scott Benner 51:28
will say this, and nobody's asking. It's just a CDE W event, if they're listening, or anybody from CDE w is listening, your main speaker was not great,
called out,
Speaker 1 51:41
maybe they, I won't even say, like, I won't even give anybody a hint about who it might have been. I don't doubt that the person knows what they're talking about or has a ton of experience. But I mean, as far as, like, capturing a room, Holy Hannah, not good. A couple of a little more practice would have been very helpful. Oh gosh, she made me want to, maybe want to run my head into a table. I looked at my brother. I was like, Are they all like this? And he's like, what? I'm like, Are you not smelling that? This is not exactly well delivered. And he's like, Nah, it's okay. And I was like, Oh God, you must get the worst speakers, you cyber security dorks. Like, you know, I don't know, practice talking to people if you're gonna do this. Really did make me want to leave the room. I actually looked at my brother. I felt like my mom for a second. He had a big bag of like, stuff that he had to take back to work, and we were gonna go on the tour afterwards, and and I said, Uh, hey, give me your bag. I'll take it out to the car. Get me out here. He goes, You sure? I'm like, Yeah, give it to me. I say we don't want to walk around with this while we're on the triggers. I'd be great. And I was like, plus, you know, like, jeez. Like, maybe give me five minute break from this. Anyway, public speaking is not, not easy. I feel, I feel bad, right? Anyway, she really was terrible. What have we not talked about that we should have.
Chapman 53:01
I think we hit some pretty big points. Yeah,
Scott Benner 53:04
you don't feel like anything's left on set. How did you find the podcast? One of
Chapman 53:08
my diabetes education friends I was talking about, she'll probably listen to she's been texting me once a week. Hey, when are you recording? When you're recording? I can't wait. I can't wait. She told me about it. She's so it was a great resource early on to find why
Scott Benner 53:20
doesn't she come on the podcast? You
Chapman 53:22
definitely could have or she is a wealth of knowledge. She is one of the smartest people ever.
Scott Benner 53:27
Well, we need more smart people, because all I really bring is, like, you know, perspective and dumb stories. So like, yeah, we need more smart people,
Chapman 53:35
yeah. So she, she's a veteran pediatric nurse turned diabetes educator. So she is a great person to talk to, should reach out please, definitely. I'll send her a text.
Scott Benner 53:44
Yeah, I appreciate her telling you about the podcast. Has it been valuable for you personally, like with your with your management, and if so, what parts of it so people know where to go look.
Chapman 53:53
Yeah, absolutely. The Pro Tip series was fantastic. Really helped me kind of wrap my mind around, you know, the basics about everything that kind of hits, like a wide range of things, you know. And then what was the one other series, like the first diagnosis, bold beginnings,
Scott Benner 54:14
yeah, this part always breaks my heart a little bit, by the way. No, you don't need to be sorry. There's no reason for you to remember it like, it's just like, when you live in it, like, I do, oh yeah, you know, you're just like, oh, it's the bold beginning series. Or, you must know, this link and blah, blah. And I'm like, people don't know any of this. They're just like, they're just bumping into it and getting to it when they need it. Yeah, no. But
Chapman 54:33
listening to bold beginnings really helped me when I was just in a panic state, like, sat down, mentally unavailable for anything I'm like, I just need to listen to some, someone who understands, who can help me process this. So that that series was incredible for me. I really thank you for
Scott Benner 54:50
that. No, no, and Jenny, being from the Midwest, didn't bother. Yeah, I'm just kidding. That's awesome. I'm very happy to hear it. Yeah, you. Is it a thing you would tell other people about? It is, and I have
Chapman 55:03
definitely, all right,
Scott Benner 55:04
let me ask you, like, when you got through with the series, did you think, Oh, I was great, except there wasn't enough something, anything missing from it. I think
Chapman 55:13
when I was going through my early, early honeymoon, I know you have the honeymooning episode, but I was wanting more and more and more information about it. I know it's such a not taboo, but it's so misunderstood because there's not enough information about it. They don't really know, like, why it's extended like this for adults, or, you know, X, Y and Z information. I know you can't provide that, but that was what I was searching for at that time. So I need, I need to figure out why this is happening and how I can fix it.
Scott Benner 55:44
The why felt important. Why? Exactly? Yeah, it wasn't comforting to you to know that it was just going to be variable for a while and then it would stop being variable at an indeterminable amount of time.
Chapman 55:54
Exactly it's I'm just like, why? So I need to know why. I need to, that's the nurse part of me. It's like, I need to know why. I need to know why. I need to know how to fix it. I need to see results. And so is
Scott Benner 56:05
it not true though? Like in the end that it's going to be variable, you're not going to see it coming, because it's not going to tell you, and it'll last as long as it lasts. It is, in the end the truth, right? It
Chapman 56:14
is the truth, definitely, but it's the truth that no one to me personally, I don't want to swallow, because you want to know things. You want to know when's the end and what's it gonna look like. So living in that unknown is difficult.
Speaker 1 56:25
I hear you, man, that part sucks. The unknown is, yeah, yeah, I guess, especially if you're an anxious person too. How, by the way, how is your anxiety Great? Is it better now, do you do something for it, or is there something you figured out?
Chapman 56:39
No, not necessarily. I mean, I never really had it until, you know, this started happening. Yeah, I didn't really understand what was going on. Why do I have this feeling in my chest? Why do I can't I breathe? Why can't Why can't I stop crying, you know, but you know, kind of having some help with the pump. I'm not saying a pump is a fix all for everybody, but for my mental health at that time, it really helped me, because of just the constant change and fluctuation and management was really, really difficult for me, you know, trying to raise an infant and, yeah, you know, break it down. So having something taking off my brain, just a little bit of that weight lifted was so helpful.
Scott Benner 57:17
Big deal. So make sure I understand the timeline of this. Then you're not an anxious person, but then you're a nurse, and covid hits, and then you, you gain some of that anxiety, and then the diagnosis and the diabetes and the baby, and then it piles up, yeah, okay. And then, literally, you got a pump, and then that took off, loaded a little burden. And then you kind of, would that do give you enough, enough ceiling space, little headspace to like, get through the rest of
Chapman 57:44
it exactly? It's exactly right? Yeah, I just took off enough load to be able to focus on the other important things that wasn't able to focus on my marriage, my child, and things like that.
Scott Benner 57:54
Can you give me, give us an example of something that happened during covid that that made that time as a nurse fraught and and that it stuck with you enough to start impacting a person who otherwise wasn't anxious to be to feel
Chapman 58:09
that way. Yeah, I mean nothing specific. Thankfully, covid in children back then wasn't as severe. I know I'm not Gosh, I don't want to make anybody upset, but in overall, in children, it didn't affect them as much as it did adults, physically, physiologically. And so we didn't have any kids, you know, passing away or anything on our floor. We did have some pretty insane management of it, with oxygen use and medicines and things like that. But if you just think back to that time looking outside, the streets are empty, stores are empty. You can't go anywhere. And then, but you're a nurse, you got to drive to work through all that. It was terrifying. And then they made my unit. We have 12 different floors at our hospital, and my floor was chosen as the cohort covid unit. So if anybody had covid that came to the hospital, they got sent straight to us. And so we're working through the unknown with all of our n 90 fives and masks and goggles and gowns. 24/7 sweating, getting bruised faces from our masks, everything it was, it was in continuing on doing that for two and a half years during the height of covid every single day, just took a toll on me, and that mental strain, even if nothing crazy was happening, or having some PTSD thoughts of people screaming, dying, stuff like that, even just like the day by day, work of it was scary for me. I know for others it wasn't, but for me, it really impacted me, and so that's kind of where it all started
Scott Benner 59:38
for me. How long had you been a nurse when covid started in three weeks, you had been a nurse for three weeks. Then covid happened,
Chapman 59:46
march 2, 2020. Was my first day on the
Scott Benner 59:49
floor. My goodness, what did you do before? Was you just in school? Prior to that, that was, that was my first job out of college. Geez. Yeah, no, man, that's not right. Yeah, it was.
Chapman 1:00:00
It was quite unfortunate. But, you know, I I pride myself on it now, because how many other people get to say they were a nurse their first, you know, month on the job, covid hit. And if you don't learn anything hitting the ground running, covid will do it too. That crazy time. I
Scott Benner 1:00:15
guess you have a hell of a perspective now, and probably does it make now post covid, post, you getting through your, you know, your initial impact, you know, for you personally, like, do you feel a little more like matrixy? Does everything seem a little easy and a little slow to
Chapman 1:00:31
you? Yeah, definitely. And I think after, like, the craziness, craziness died down, you kind of looked at things a little differently, because you're like, Oh, we got through that. We can do pretty much anything I would imagine. This tough thing comes in. Hey, we got through covid trying to do all the same things with all this craziness going on. We can do this. So it gives you a sense of pride,
Scott Benner 1:00:54
honestly, thinking back now, pressure makes diamonds, my friend, absolutely. There you go. You sound like one hold on. One second for me, we're done. You were terrific. Thank you, awesome.
The conversation you just heard was sponsored by touched by type one. Check them out please at touched by type one.org, on Instagram and Facebook. You're going to love them. I love them. They're helping so many people at touched by type one.org this episode of The Juicebox podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox you can get yourself a free, what'd I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit, free. Get out of here. Go click on that link. Omnipod.com/juicebox check it out. Terms and Conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox links in the show notes, links at Juicebox podcast.com Are you tired of getting a rash from your CGM adhesive? Give the ever since 365 a try, ever since cgm.com/juicebox beautiful silicone that they use. It changes every day, keeps it fresh. Not only that, you only have to change the sensor once a year. So I mean, that's better. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox podcast. If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app, like Spotify or Apple podcasts, please do that now. Seriously, just to hit follow or subscribe will really help the show. If you go a little further in Apple podcasts and set it up so that it downloads all new episodes, I'll be your best friend, and if you leave a five star review, ooh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card. Would you like a Christmas card if your loved one is newly diagnosed with type one diabetes and you're seeking a clear, practical perspective, check out the bold beginning series on the Juicebox podcast. It's hosted by myself and Jenny Smith, an experienced diabetes educator with over 35 years of personal insight into type one, our series cuts through the medical jargon and delivers straightforward answers to your most pressing questions. You'll gain insight from real patients and caregivers and find practical advice to help you confidently navigate life with type one. You can start your journey informed and empowered with the Juicebox podcast, the bold beginning series and all of the collections in the Juicebox podcast are available in your audio app and at Juicebox podcast.com in the menu. 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 you?
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