#171 We Should Finish the Sentence
Scott Benner
No not Platypus, platitudes...
Vickie and Scott discuss everything you can think of and two things that you can't about type 1 diabetes. No more platitudes... finish the sentence.
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner 0:00
Hello, and welcome to Episode 171 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's episode is with Vicki. Vicki is going to share a whole bunch of different stuff with us. Her job has something to do with type one, which is very interesting. She's tried the keto diet, she's working on her health, she's working on our weight. There's all kinds of stuff going on here. There's a little something in this one for everybody. I want to thank our sponsors Dexcom, and Omni pod Dexcom, of course makers of the G six continuous glucose monitor. And on the pod, the tubeless insulin pump that Arden has been using since she was four years old. We'll talk more about those later. But for now, let's jump right in with Vicki and find out what's going on.
It's incredibly important to remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before being bold with anything. But especially in salt.
Vickie McWatters 1:24
I Scott and my name is Vicki and I am a type one diabetic.
Unknown Speaker 1:28
Vicki, how are you?
Unknown Speaker 1:29
I'm great.
Scott Benner 1:31
I'm glad you're on. Yeah.
So you're an adult with type one. How old were you when you were diagnosed?
Vickie McWatters 1:36
I was just shy of my 31st birthday.
Scott Benner 1:40
And you are how old now?
Vickie McWatters 1:42
I am 49.
Unknown Speaker 1:44
Congratulations. That's right.
Unknown Speaker 1:45
Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:47
I'm 46. And Everyday I wake up I think I can't make it much longer Kennedy.
Vickie McWatters 1:55
I can't believe I'm 49. Like when did that
Scott Benner 1:59
feel weird no matter what it always feels like you're like, how is this May we had these beautiful white flowers all over the front of our house this year. Right? just planted them everywhere. when they were little they got up and they were big and bushy and really beautiful. Wasn't expensive, it made the house look great. The one problem was is that they they're only one season flowers and they need that's at the end of the year, the first fraud hit frosted, and they will fit a little bit. And I was like, I'm going to go get the wheelbarrow. I'm going to pull out all of these flowers from the ground. I have a place in the back, I will dump them. And this is what I will do. And then the next day, I thought Why does my hamstring hurt so much? All I did was bend over in a slightly odd position and pick up flowers. That's not a thing that makes people upset is it but it is apparently at a certain age. So yeah, I know how you feel. So so when I heard from you, you sent me an email. Of course, she said a lot of wonderful things about the podcast because how could you not? And but you said you were listening. I was wondering how did you find it?
Vickie McWatters 3:06
Um, it's kind of been a journey for me. So I kind of around June, July timeframe, I started this health journey. And I didn't start out listening to diabetes podcasts. I started listening to other ones. And I was so inspired by them. I thought, well, I'm gonna find something about type one. And there weren't a lot out there. And I stumbled onto yours. And I wasn't really sure I wanted to listen to it because I didn't feel like it really applied to me being a an adult. I felt like maybe it wasn't like a caregiver type podcast. Okay, but I took that I took a listen, I took a chance. And it's just, it's been tremendous help for me. I'm very
Unknown Speaker 3:49
glad about
Scott Benner 3:51
something drove you to worry about your health, the person living with diabetes for Well, let me check my math 3141 887 about like 1718 years. Right? Right. Right. Very good with the whole numbers, and then the smaller one digit numbers also. And so and so what hit it was just age like, did you start thinking I better do something or like what, what brought you to like, I want to do better with my house. Do you remember? Yeah,
Vickie McWatters 4:19
well, you know, it's not like the whole 1718 years, I haven't taken care of myself, I have gone through periods where I'm like, Okay, I'm going to get money one fee down. I'm going to do a much better job of this. And it just I I couldn't seem to make it work. And I had a lot of things happen in my life where they were kind of a life changing event. And I got a job working for jdrf and I thought you know what, if I'm going to start reaching this, I got to start, you know, walking the walk and taking better care of myself.
Scott Benner 5:04
I see. So you sort of said, was it more of like, Did you feel a responsibility to other people at that point? Do
Unknown Speaker 5:08
you think
Vickie McWatters 5:11
I felt the responsibility to be genuine and honest, I didn't feel like I could go into schools and help kids with their 504 plans, not doing what I'm preaching.
Scott Benner 5:23
See, you didn't want to be the person standing up to the top with the the 9.581 say, Go now listen to here's what you have to do. Because it felt just disingenuous, and it just wasn't something that just didn't feel any of that makes a lot of sense. So it occurred to you because in this day and age as it would it occurred to you to find a podcast about about health. So was it more about just like, right away? Was it like exercise diet? Like? Was that the way you thought about it at first?
Vickie McWatters 5:51
So at first, it was about how am I going to make this work for me, I had been on Weight Watchers, I had been, you know, with worked with personal trainers. And it always been about losing weight, as well as being able to maintain my, my glucose, my blood glucose, and it just never seem to click and just never seem to work. So I'd always eaten low carb in the past. And it seemed to have the best effect on being able to control my my blood glucose. And I thought, well, I'm going to try that again. And I got turned on to a ketogenic diet. And I started learning a lot about it, especially as a type one, I was a little bit nervous. And I got a book that was for type one diabetics and the ketogenic diet, and I was able to eliminate the majority of the carbs that I eat, which made it so much easier to maintain that glucose control.
Scott Benner 7:00
Okay, so you're stuck. You were struck when you were eating carbs, you were struggling to stop spikes and lows and all that stuff. And so, after a long time of frustration, you just were like, I'm just gonna stop eating carbs, because I can't get ahead of it any other way? Yeah, yeah. Okay. Did you find it fun not eating carbs.
Vickie McWatters 7:19
I'm definitely challenging. But it got easier. And the numbers on my deck comm made it so worth it. Okay, I was just like, Oh my gosh, I've got this now. This makes sense to me now.
Scott Benner 7:33
And so what do you think that was like, when you take a guy if my guess is but when you take away a bunch of the carbs and you're down to a few it's not too hard to manipulate? What those carbs are doing is it's you know, carbs that are with vegetables. I'm assuming carbs that maybe a little bit of bread not a whole lot like that kind of stuff. For what what are the diet looked like back then?
Vickie McWatters 7:54
Yeah, it was most you mean before. Now we
Scott Benner 7:58
know when you switch to the keto diet, I know nothing about like, what what does that look like?
Vickie McWatters 8:03
And less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day with those carbs coming from leafy greens, avocados, and maybe some that, okay, so absolutely no bread, no sugar, no grains, completely eliminated that from my diet. And when I started this, I, I, I went with the attitude of, this is what I'm going to do today. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow, but this is what I'm going to do today. And I'm just gonna see what happens. I
Scott Benner 8:34
did it and it was vector over me Oh, it affect your overall health. Like, aside for diabetes was your I mean, if you're like, did your weight, do what it wants, what you wanted to did your energy, that kind of stuff.
Vickie McWatters 8:47
Right energy for sure. Um, not so much my weight. And so I I just really started on like this journey. And I've found some other things that have maybe played into why I wasn't losing weight, why my blood sugar's were spiking when I was eating grains, you know, so it's been it's been really eye opening for me to have the opportunity to have a clean slate, which is what keto gave me and then now just kind of reintroducing some things into my diet. Knowing that I found out that I am gluten sensitive. So I don't have celiac, but I am gluten sensitive. These are all things that I would always just blame on diabetes. And now that I was able to kind of have that clean slate I am really seeing what's going on in my body and it's it's definitely not a one size fits all i got it
Scott Benner 9:46
okay and so so you wouldn't be you basically broke it down to zero and start over again then and and you've been adding things so are you on a strict keto diet now or would you not consider it that anymore?
Vickie McWatters 9:57
I am still on a strict keto diet. Okay. I And I love it. I feel better, I am starting to lose some weight. I found out that I also have some kind of degeneration where I don't absorb the V B vitamins. So by taking a supplement that helps me absorb those. I think that's part of the thing that's helping me start to lose weight and help me have more energy.
Scott Benner 10:27
I see, do you have a thyroid? Do you have any thyroid issues?
Vickie McWatters 10:29
I do, I just found out that I have mushy motives thyroiditis. So again, I had had, I had had hypothyroidism and I had been on medications for a while. But it wasn't until recently that I found out that I actually have been diagnosed with ashy meadows and hashimotos is an autoimmune disease, which means that your body is attacking the thyroid. So that was a little bit of an eye opener. For me, that was a wake up call, because now I have two auto immune diseases. And if I had to pick two, I don't know that these would be the two that I would choose. However, there's a lot worse ones out there. And I want to make sure I don't get those.
Scott Benner 11:13
So your body got tired of beating up your pancreas. And it was like, what else can we do? Yeah, I was doing nothing. And and so what's the difference between being told you're hypothyroid and your hashimotos? Which The difference was? And
Vickie McWatters 11:25
so from a traditional medicine perspective, I don't think much because I don't think they treated any different. They would just give you a centroid, you know, but from a, what can I do to make sure that this doesn't continue? Or maybe he'll it, there are some foods that I can avoid? There are some things that I can do personally, that may help prevent any future autoimmune diseases.
Scott Benner 11:54
And so what foods are those? And how did you learn about that?
Vickie McWatters 11:59
And for me, it was a sensitivity test. And it is definitely grains. I cannot eat grains. And it's interesting, because a few months ago, before I found this out, I went to my endocrinologist who was wonderful, I absolutely love her and said, Do you think I can have celiac disease? Because this just doesn't work for me What? What's down on paper and how it should work and making sure that you count your carbs. And it just it doesn't seem to work for me? And she said, No, no, you don't have celiac. So it would be different symptoms. And so I took her for her word, you know, why wouldn't I? And then, you know, come to find out doing this sensitivity testing. And I do have sensitivity doesn't mean absolutely x. But it does mean that it affects me differently than maybe somebody else.
Scott Benner 12:49
When you have a green, what does it do?
Vickie McWatters 12:52
I personally think that it last in my body? I don't know this for a fact, this is just kind of my theory. Yeah, I think that two brains don't, aren't absorbed in my body as quickly as they may be in somebody else. So it could be in because I'm doing the influence on the outside. And I'm not hitting the mark every time.
Scott Benner 13:19
Because it's staying in your system longer or then so the insulin is gone. But the grain staying behind it's still breaking thing, still giving up your blood sugar. And okay, so let me think. What was what's the outcome of that? Is it just blood sugars? Or do you have other physical kind of side effects from it? It when you're having the game?
Vickie McWatters 13:42
Yeah. So I was always so tired. I was always so lethargic. And again, I would blame it on the type one, I would completely blame it on type one diabetes. It wasn't until I eliminated everything and saw that my blood sugars were in good control. And that I'm like, okay, something else is going on here. So, I do think that the greens had some something to do with that. I'm also sensitive to dairy. So that's something that I haven't completely eliminated. But when I do eat it, I can I feel a little more swollen, like inflammation in my body. So I think that, you know, it's, and this is, again, Scott, this has been a complete journey for me, I, I made a conscious decision to kind of figure out what the heck was going on and take care of myself and I'm still learning.
Scott Benner 14:41
Do you ever feel sick to your stomach or like any of that kind of thing, or is it not like that?
Vickie McWatters 14:46
Pretty rarely. I don't really get sick to my stomach too much. Gotcha.
Scott Benner 14:50
All right. So now you've described a lifestyle that has almost no correlation to the Hey, just eat Bolus attitude of my podcast. So how? What about the podcast hit you them? Because I could easily see you listening to this and being like, this isn't what I do. But something about this is helping you. So what? What was that? Because I'm incredibly interested at this point, like, yeah, you see what I'm saying, right? Like, there's no, there's no reason to come in being like, I'm keto. And I'm doing this. And I'm doing that. And this guy's talking about, you know, if we Bolus here you can eat corn pops. So like, how has it been valuable for you?
Vickie McWatters 15:33
I think a couple things. The first one in in my profession, and what I do, and it has been incredibly valuable for me in how I guide families along especially newly diagnosed families, because I do not expect for a teenager or a small child to start eating keto by by any means. And I don't even know that I'm going to for the rest of my life, you know, but I do think that I tried to tell everyone, especially, you know, families that are newly diagnosed, that are struggling, and quite honestly have been given advice of, unless they're over 300 don't treat when they're in school. And I'm just, I'm just shocked by that, because I know how I feel when I'm 300. And I sure as heck wouldn't be in any kind of learning mode in my brain, you know, and so that, so that was one angle of it. But for me, personally, it was being bold, it was having the being given permission to just try it. And I still have a bike, I still have a few lows. There, I'm realizing that some of the proteins actually affect my blood sugar, especially for me personally, chicken, I have to Bolus for chicken. And yeah, and so I feel like you gave me permission to be bold. Oh, and what's the worst thing that's going to happen? I'm going to go low, and I'm going to pop ugly.
Unknown Speaker 17:14
Nice. I'm so glad that that's amazing. Because Well, let me think about how I would how I would say this, you and I typed into art and about our blood sugar at the same time. Hold on one sec.
Scott Benner 17:29
So it's cool, because you talked about a journey, right? Like about trying to figure this thing out. And you know, figuring out why your your health isn't where you want it to be. And, and nobody's really helping to the point in as much as that's something you don't walk into a doctor's office and somebody doesn't look, you can go, Oh, my God, this thing do this. And it just, it fixes it. Right? So I think that I think that when I think about how, what everything that led us to you and I talking today or me talking to the last person I spoke to, or whatever it ends up being, it was just so similar. It was I was lost, I didn't know what to do. And I started a blog, and I'm writing this blog, and it's great. And blogs are the way things were done back then. And you know, just that I saw it help people. But then at some point, I was like, it's not helping enough. Like it's just it's making people feel not alone, which I think is really valuable and really great. But then what's left, like I I know I said to you privately recently, you know, when you find out, you're not alone. It's an incredible sense of calm, and it really does help it does help to know somebody else has been through this. It helps to know that they've been through it and they've succeeded that it hasn't killed them, like, you know, hasn't made them crazy. But then you go home and it's you know, four o'clock in the morning and your blood sugar's 65 you are now alone, you know, like like being the memory of all the other people who have been low at four o'clock are nice, but but they don't help you get your blood sugar back up without going to 300 it doesn't help you the next night not get back to 65. Again, like it lacks all of the, the the rest of the sentence like I always think we talk. I always think about how people speak in sort of platitudes. You know, like I wrote about it recently, I actually wrote about it in my book years ago, like it really is something that sticks with me the idea of like, I remember my mom saying to me, like marriage is hard. And I remember being an adult and thinking like, why didn't she finish that sentence? Like like marriage is hard. And here's what I should have done. Here's what I could have done. Here's what would have been better if this happened? You no way do you see, you know, people say that all the time you have a kid Oh, wait, oh, you say Wait, am I see what tell me? Why is it a secret? You know, like, and so we do that with diabetes all the time. It's like, well, this is so obviously like that,
and then there's more but nobody says more. And I just thought, well, this is what this should be like it should be saying the rest of it. You know, you don't mean like let's say the rest of it. And what and what's holding people back, and I paid attention for years. And the best that I could make sense of is that people are afraid of their insulin. And I think that's the core of what happens. I'm going to read the definition of fear and unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that something or someone is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Most of what we talked about here on the podcast revolves around not being afraid of your insulin, being able to make bold decisions about your boluses and your basal rates, keeping spikes away, keeping a Lowe's away. It's all really about not being afraid. Luckily for us, there's a tool that can help us to not be afraid. When I realized years ago that it was my fear that was holding me back from making better decisions for my daughter's health. You've heard me tell that story right where Arden was upstairs, and I told her to Bolus through a text message because I could see what our blood sugar was on our CGM through our share feature. And then I realized, I don't need to be afraid anymore. It doesn't matter where Arden is, I can always see what's happening. When I got over that fear, it was a huge turning point in our life, and to mine. That's when our agency started going down. And now they stay there. The dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor is at the core of how I let go of that fear, being able to see the direction and speed of Arden's blood sugar helps me to make better Pre-Bolus decisions. It helped me to be more confident that my bosses were going to work gave me the, I guess, the kind of warm embrace of confidence. And it allows me to be bold with insulin. I really think you should go to dexcom.com forward slash juice box, or click on the links in your show notes or Juicebox podcast.com to find out more. So people are afraid of their insulin.
Vickie McWatters 22:03
And caregivers are afraid of the insolent nurses, school nurses. Right, right. You see it all the time.
Scott Benner 22:10
Everybody is and it makes sense in the moment, right? Like, it's, I don't want to kill anyone. Make sense? So I won't. But everything that comes now from that decision gets pushed off into the future and are like, our, our people brains don't exactly worry about 40 years from now, 20 years from now, 10 years from now, five years now, we don't think about things like that. You know, and especially when you're being attacked in the moment, sometimes it's what's the best thing I can do right now. And I just felt so sad for people who didn't know that there were these other things you could do right now, that would not only fix now, but fixed later. And and I just thought so what's keeping me from saying this to people like I should, you know, and more people should, by the way, but most don't. And I get it like I've heard the you know, like, well, everybody's diabetes isn't the same. And so I took that really seriously because it's true. But it's a thought that stems from 15 carbs for 15 minutes like that thinking, like, right, like everybody's everybody's looking for this mathematical perfection about how something gets adjusted. Every time I talk to somebody for the first time, they want to know, well, when this happens, how much do I bolus? And I'm like, I don't know, I don't even know how much I've been a bolus the next time that happens to my daughter. Like you have to figure out how the insulin works. And as I keep thinking through the problem now as your as a listener to the pockets, you can hear the tenants that I hit on are just from thinking through not so much taking care of my daughter's diabetes, but how do I tell you about it? And and I can't believe that any of that happened either, don't me like it certainly wasn't on purpose. And then to hear someone like you come in and say you found it and this is all it's done for me. I mean, it would be it would sound cheesy to say that it's humbling. Because my narcissism won't allow me to feel humble. But but but but but no, seriously, like, it's it's I don't feel like that I'm not I don't feel like Oh, that's so nice. What I feel like is I can't believe this happened. I can't believe it worked. And we should do it more. And other people should do it. And you guys should all put me out of business like you should make this podcast unnecessary. You know, like, I want to see people struggle, get online, ask somebody and instead of somebody responding with Well, that's just diabetes, which is what you thought and which what everybody thinks. I want to hear somebody say, oh, that sucks. Here's what you need to do. Be bold.
Vickie McWatters 24:45
Right? And it was it was very liberating for me to stop counting carbs. You know, forget the whole keto thing, but to stop counting carbs and just say, Okay, what is this trend look like? What does it do when I eat chicken and what what do I just give myself a little insulin to make sure I don't do that little spike. And it is, for me works so much better intuitively, then the numbers, the numbers don't work for me.
Scott Benner 25:12
Well, even if that if you stop and think of what people have told you, if you if you're only going to Bolus for carbs, then you never would consider bolusing when you ate chicken, like never right never occurred, right? You'd say, somebody told me this was free. My blood sugar must be getting high for a different reason. I'll wait three hours and see what happens. Oh my god, I can't tell you that, that you know, Arden's blood sugar moves. And I'm like, ah, let's do something right now. Like right now, like, unless I'm in a situation, I'm like, this is gonna stop, or this is going to be I know it is I might wait a little bit. But you know, and and this aggressiveness becomes here's why it becomes really interesting. So artists, 13. She's clearly on our way to Lady time. And so she needs more insulin all the sudden, I just two weeks ago, arbitrarily increased ardens bazel rates by 30%. I didn't tell a doctor, I didn't wait. Her blood sugar's were higher. So I said, Okay, more insulin. And I'm still not sure I raised it high enough, at some points. There's one spot in the day where I think it's a little too high. And I'm going to crank it back a little bit. But there are other spots where it needs to be up again, because I'm still bolusing for no reason. And so what happened, who knows she's more mature, something's going on with her body, she's growing, blah, blah, blah, it's happening. But if I don't have that, empowerment to do something about it, then I sit here for 90 days, in a in a pool of anxiety. While she doesn't feel well going, Well, when I get back to the.com. I mentioned this to them and see what happens. And and that's a horrible way to live. No one should live like that.
Vickie McWatters 26:55
Well, when when I was diagnosed 18 years ago, I was able to have access to some pretty brilliant endocrinologist and I went and talked to people, I talked to people who were on insulin pumps, and decided, Okay, an insulin pump is the way to go. I know that I need to have an insulin pump, my first endocrinologist visit. Like, and again, this was 18 years ago, but I don't think much has changed. And my endocrinologist says to me that she thinks I would make a really great candidate for an insulin pump. But she would like for me to wait six months to a year. And I'm like, Why? Why? You know, will you have your honeymoon period. And, you know, I like for people to get used to taking shots. And so they know what to do if something happens to the pump. And I said, Look, I respect your opinion. And I if you can give me a really good medical reason, I may listen to it. But if you can't, I'm just going to go find another doctor that's gonna put me on an insulin pump. And she goes, Okay, let's order your pump. until six weeks after I was diagnosed. I was on a pump. Yeah.
Scott Benner 28:09
Now pay Vicki. She's like you're not going anywhere.
Vickie McWatters 28:15
So I now I did have a honeymoon period. It was frustrating, but it would have been frustrating. Michelle. Yeah. And I have had times where my pump went out. And I was traveling overseas. And I had to give myself shots. It sucked. But I managed it. And I you know, I'm not great at shots. I don't really, I'm not the needle poke just the, you know, how much insulin do I actually need? And do I need long acting and so so we, you know, I don't have that education behind me, but I figured it out. And I
Scott Benner 28:48
I'm sorry, that's such a good point, right is that is that first of all, it's anxiety ridden one way or the other. It's not like, without a pumps better than with a pump. It's all diabetes. It's just, you know, the pump gives you more tools, it gives you more freedom, it gives you more ability to make these small adjustments. But when when the pump stopped working on you, it wasn't like you just laid down in the road was like, Oh, I guess that's the end of my life. Right now. My insulin pump stops working, I guess, where's the train to throw myself in front of it. You just went I guess I should figure out what to do with these needles now. And so and so, in a world where you're going to wear that insulin pump most of your life. Why should you wait a year because that year is so dangerous in other ways. Sure, you learn how to manage with MDI. But if it's not working for you, by the way there are people manage them the fine this doesn't apply to them. But But if it's not working for you, this is a year of anxiety. This is a year of uncertainty. It's a year of bad health. It's a year of not feeling well, to what so now I have the experience of what it's like to live crappy with my diabetes like,
Unknown Speaker 29:50
right
Scott Benner 29:50
unbeliev like what kind of common sense is that? It's not it's just something someone said at some point. That now we all just listen to for some reason.
Vickie McWatters 30:00
And I was traveling internationally. So I knew that MDI was not going to work for me. I just, you know, with going across time zones and my schedule the way that it was, I just, I couldn't imagine that working for me.
Scott Benner 30:14
Okay. Well, I just I think that's an incredibly brave thing you did back then even because I'm just now speaking with somebody privately, who said to me the other day, well, they want me to wait six months. And I said, well just tell them you don't want to wait six months. And the response back was, I can't do that. I was like, why not? And then she thought about it. She was like, Yes, I could. And I was like, yeah, you know, because it's your money, your insurance your life. Like why would you want Why do you have to do what this person says to you about this one specific idea. And, and, but it's talked about over and over again, here. We are pre wired to like, listen to certain people in our lives. Doctors are one of them. Nobody. You never throw up a flag against it. I mean, listen, I had my shoulder fixed a year ago. The guy's like, I'm gonna cut your arm open. I'm gonna move these things here. I'm going to reshape this bone. And I went,
Unknown Speaker 31:06
Okay.
Scott Benner 31:07
I really probably should have looked into it further. I mean, but I wanted to believe him. Like, I like he does it, it works. He's done it before. Like all these people that come in here. I should have looked closer at it. I mean, it worked out fine. But the idea there that overarching idea of they he said it, and I just went, hey, it's cool. You went to medical school, you must know better than me. Right? So
Vickie McWatters 31:32
let's do it. I recently went to a doctor who I had been dying to go see, he's pretty well known keto doctor. And I finally got in with him. And we actually had a video of metas Ella conference, and, and he knew I was a type one. And he said to me, I think that your basal rates are too high, I think you need to lower your basal rate. And I said, Okay, what do you want to know what my basal rates are? And so I go to my pump, and I rattle mark to him. And he didn't ask me what my blood sugar's was were a certain time of day. He didn't ask me. If, you know, I was getting a lot of lows. And he didn't ask me if I was getting a lot of highs. He just said, Yes. Let's cut your basal rate. I want you to cut it by this much. I said, Okay. Let me wrap my head around this. You want me to cut my basal rates? So are you telling me you want me to run my blood sugar higher? No, no, no, I want it below 120? I don't understand that. Right? Because I don't give myself more insulin than I need. If I did, I would have low blood sugar. I think, you know, I think regardless of who you go to, and how you feel about, I think this doctor was brilliant. But when it comes to type one diabetes, I don't think he was
Scott Benner 32:55
saying that, like what made him just go and to your to what we're talking about. It's this idea that like he's got a thought in his head. You know, it's a this is how much your bazel should be a person, your agent, your weight, your base is too high, based on based on no facts coming back from you. And this is a person that you're able to go see because of how well regarded they are. Exactly. And so what stopped you from listening, because I'm assuming you didn't listen. Let me tell you a story about a day that I didn't listen to somebody advice. Arden was four years old, and we were getting her an insulin pump for the first time. And our doctor said here use this one. It's called the Animus Ping. And I said, Well, what about that one over there? That little cool thing with no tubes on it? What's that call? She goes? That's the Omni pod. But you want anatomist pink? I said, No, no, I want an omni pod. That thing looks futuristic. In that moment, all I thought was the person or the company who designed that was thinking about comfort and ease and convenience. They were having a bigger picture idea of what an insulin pump should be. They didn't just say, Hey, this is what its own pumps look like. So we'll make an insulin pump that looks like everybody else's. They thought what would make it better? They were thinking about the future. And I was right about that. It's been 10 years since I made that great decision. And I have not once regretted it. You know, in that time on the pod has redesigned their pump to be smaller. We were upgraded right along, didn't have to pay money wasn't like oh, my insurance company didn't say no, you have to wait just on the pod made an improvement and I got the improvement. And the company is sticking with that. today. Alibaba just found out that they got FDA clearance for their new PDM the dash. Now that's going to be the remote control that you use to talk to the pump. The next thing I hear from Omnipod dash is going to be free. That's right. They're going to get the manufactured over the next couple months. Get them out to the public. You can just have it you don't have to upgrade you don't have to pay them anything. That's something How nice is to be involved with a company who doesn't try to wring every nickel out of you. They just want you to have a great experience, use your tubeless insulin pump, live a good life. If you go to my omnipod.com forward slash juice box or click on the links in your show notes are at Juicebox podcast.com. Omnipod, would be thrilled to send you a free no obligation demo pod. You'll be able to hold it in your hand and wear it to see if it's going to be something that you would enjoy. I genuinely think that you will give it a try. And so what stopped you from listening? Because I'm assuming he doesn't listen?
Vickie McWatters 35:43
No, because I want to keep my I know my basal rates are good. I want to keep my blood sugar under 120.
Unknown Speaker 35:48
Yeah. Did
Scott Benner 35:50
you tell him to his face? Or did you do it? Did you not do it when you left the office? I'm interested.
Vickie McWatters 35:54
I did not tell him to advice. I told him that I was really confused by what he was telling me. But he changed the subject. He didn't dive any further and I just let it go.
Scott Benner 36:06
Who would have been great if he said, I really had no reason to say what I just said, I get bored. Sitting here this fluorescent like crazy. And I just start spouting stuff off. Just see if people listen. But it was in here. I told her to go home and ride an elephant for half an hour. I wonder if she did that. Maybe she just lost his mind, the humming of the fluorescent lights and the white walls and he says like I have to get out of here. Maybe if I kill a couple of these people, they'll fire me and I can get out. So God, I'd love to I'd love to ask him what he did that for. That's fascinating. But it's it's also such a great example. Because it's it's partly the situations fart it's partly our fault for wanting simple answers. It's also partly therefore for wanting to give simple answers. And there there are no, Well listen, I have a simple answer. Let me give it to you. If your blood sugar's high, you've missed timed miscalculated, or combination of the both your insulin and probably need more. And if your blood sugar is low, you miss time miscalculated, or need less. That's pretty much it. That's exactly it. In the end, it's I'm driving in my car, there's a tree ahead of me, I have to press on the brake a certain amount, so that I don't hit the tree. And at the same time, I don't stop the car so quickly that I flip it over. And so like where is that spot in the middle, that's where I belong. And it's all about the balance between the carbs and the insulin and you know, to some extent, what your body is trying to do, because your body's trying to lower and raise your blood sugar too. And so you just have to stay fluid. Because Because we have these ideas like oh, well, I'll put on this bazel rate. And that'll work fine. I don't understand why my blood sugar got high. Well, your body doesn't regulate your insulin by putting it at one exact level and leaving it there for the rest of your life. That doesn't work that way. Why would you think this artificial thing would work that way? The answer is, if you thought about it, you wouldn't. But someone told you that it works like that. So you said okay, and you moved on. And and you're not doing that. And so that's amazing.
Vickie McWatters 38:20
I think and I think that's what needs to change. You know, we've got to change the way we educate people about diabetes, and we do have to empower them. And I don't know, I don't know how we do that other than the Juicebox Podcast, but you know, we've we've got to make a change.
Scott Benner 38:37
It's obvious that the podcast is the answer. So here's what I here's my thought, you know, I talked a little earlier about, like the progress that I made bringing the podcast to light. I'm still thinking about it that way, because here's what I have happening now. I meet people through the podcast who are unsure, struggling new, looking for answers, then they find their answers and they go back to their life, which is what they should do. But then what happens the next day is more people come more newly newly diagnosed, more frustrated, fed up, etc. people show up again. And so I feel like there's a long road and I'm at one end of it. And scattered across the road, our nails, and people drive over the nails get to me, I fixed their flat tire and they keep going. What I want to do is find a way to get the nails off the road. And then I want to leave, I don't want to be here anymore. So So how to how do you I keep thinking how do I take what I've learned here? Because what we have to do is we have to go back to the people who make the road and those are the those are the doctors and how do we talk doctors into believing that you can give people good solid easy to understand easy to follow information in the beginning, instead of telling them things like well in a year you'll really understand these shots and then it will be okay to have a pump and and because what they don't Believe what they don't understand is that that those that year when they see you four times for 15 or 20 minutes, you are struggling and anxiety ridden and sad and sure that you are screwing this up. And you're not paying attention to all the things you should be paying attention to who would teach you how to stop what's happening, they don't offer you guidance, you don't have the wherewithal to pay attention to what's happening around you. No one's giving you any guidance whatsoever? How do we get the doctors to tell you on day one, and maybe they don't even know? Like, maybe even if, like, during me, like maybe even if they decided to tell you on day one, maybe they wouldn't tell you the simple things, maybe they would tell you something else stupid. That doesn't work.
Vickie McWatters 40:45
Hard, it breaks my heart to meet these new families that have been recently diagnosed. And maybe they've seen their endo one. And they're like, well, I've got a list of questions. Because, you know, all these things came up, and I've got all these questions. I'll go into my doctor in two weeks. And I just think to myself, Oh, I don't think you're gonna get them all answered. I just, we need some kind of a system where when people have the question they can get it answered right away. Because you're right. Well, how can we wait 90 days? In order to take our health back?
Scott Benner 41:21
Yeah, maintain it takes such a certain kind of person to I was talking to Chris Freeman the other day, I'm actually gonna put an interview up with him in a minute, this week, which will to you be three months ago, probably listening now. But he is such a certain kind of individual, that that he heard roadblocks, and he was just like, and he even says in the interview, he's like, part of it was just arrogance, I was just youthful. And I thought, you know, I'll do this, you know what I mean? And plus, it was him. So it wasn't like a loved one or a child. Like I get how it happens. Like I you know, I don't want anything bad to happen to me, I really don't want anything bad to happen to my kids. And now I'm uncertain. I'm an educated. I feel like someone hit me in the face with a shovel. This doctor told me do this. Now that all seems like a rule. And so now I'm like, Okay, and then I start following these rules, the rules get me nowhere, which makes me think I'm not following them correctly, then I feel terrible about that. And then it all compounds on itself. And then before you know it, I feel like I'm under 1000 pound blanket. And I don't I don't know what to do. And by the time and then I go back to the doctor, I'm like, have a question about my beers, or it's as if that's going to fix it. You know, it's just it's such an imperfect system. But I do believe that the podcast is really made me believe from the feedback that I get the private feedback I get from people, he has made me believe that people can handle knowing sooner what to do. And, and if it ends up being that you Vicky have one level of intellect, and I have another level of intellect, and the person across the street has a third level, and we are not all nearly as bright as one another. Maybe one of us won't get it. But that is not a good reason not to tell the other ones. That and that is really what we do right now is we just least common denominator, everything so that no one gets left behind. And I've said this a couple of times in the last few recordings, but it It always feels like school to me, like there's 20 kids in a room. Two of them are brilliant. 15 of them are average, and the rest of them are really, really, really below average. And then we don't want the kids at the bottom to fall behind. And we think that's okay, because that seems human. It's humane, I guess, right? And I don't disagree with it. But what about the kids at the top who are like, This class is doing nothing for me. And the kids in the middle? Who could be going so much faster, but aren't? Like, when did we decide who it was? Who was getting screwed? Like, do you know what I mean? Like, like, how do you? How did you decide how did doctors decide that health was going to get screwed? In case a couple of people couldn't follow what they were saying. And and and we have to find a way to empower the people who can take the information and do something with it, and at the same time, help those people who would struggle more with it. And that's why this podcast is perfect, because somehow I have some of the answers. And yet I'm an idiot. So when I say it, it's very understandable by every level of humanity, because I'm a dope, but at the same time, I know how to keep lectures a lot. So I think I honestly think this is joking aside. That's what they have to do. They have to they have to eat meat humanely and simply tell you something. And the problem is they don't know they don't have diabetes, they don't live with it. How would they know how to
Vickie McWatters 44:43
give you the tips, the tricks, and you don't I mean, yeah, and even I've had a couple endocrinologist that do have diabetes, and what they do doesn't necessarily work for me. Yeah, you know, and, by the way,
Scott Benner 44:57
you're right at the beginning that you had to take better Care of Yourself, because you were worried about standing up in front of people and being a hypocrite talking to them about diabetes, how many of those people are like that, or, or have just been at it too long or burned out of their own life, or whatever it ends up being, and it's hard to be excited when you're talking to them. The thing that keeps me motivated is I'm trying to help my daughter, if this was a podcast about how I took care of my diabetes, I'd be like, I cookies, it didn't go well. That would be that would be the whole podcast.
Vickie McWatters 45:29
Yeah, which brings up another really good point, I think that there, you know, diabetes, is very lonely. And especially if you have been diagnosed as an adult, and you don't have that relationship with a caregiver that totally understands what you're going through. So there's few people in your life, as an adult, who's been diagnosed, that really understand what you're going through. And although your family may want to, they don't really get it, unless, unless they were in your position where you're taking care of it day in and day out, you get it. When when you're an adult, and you get this, you don't have that, that person that you can go to. So it can be really, really lonely. And one of the things that we've done here, and Phoenix is we've started an adult type one group, and there's probably about 50 people that follow us, we meet monthly, and it's really an opportunity for us to just get together and either just complain about our day, or share our successes. Or sometimes we have somebody educational come in from Dexcom, or Omni pod. And it's really been a lot of fun. And I would love to see more groups like that across, you know, the US just embracing the type one adults because let's face it, our kids grow up and type one doesn't go away. And they become adults, and they become their own caregiver and it gets lonely.
Scott Benner 47:02
Yeah, I can't imagine I have the ability to step away from it. Because in the end, I don't have diabetes. Right, I can, at the end of a night of Arden's had a really terrible day, when she goes upstairs to bed, I'm, I'm where I am, and I exist, and I don't have diabetes, and in so there is a respite for me, I can escape. She can't escape at night. And it's, it's just lost. It's lost on most people, the the psychological aspect of it, it's, um, and and, and I think, going back to what we said at the beginning, it is really nice to support those people, people do need to vent, they do need to be like, oh, wow, this happens to you too. But more importantly, maybe we could eliminate a lot of that psychological pressure, if they weren't spending their whole day looking at food and going, I don't want to eat that it's gonna make my blood sugar go high. And then I'm gonna have to give myself insulin and I'm gonna give myself insulin and it's gonna go low, and then I'm gonna get this either not to eat something that's going to happen again, if people weren't having to feel like that all day long. You know, it might be it's diabetes is still gonna suck could suck a lot less. Perhaps that's the title of this episode suck a lot less.
Unknown Speaker 48:15
It's hard to know.
Scott Benner 48:16
But but but no, you just make such a great point. I think that's amazing. I know that for me, I have a couple of events coming up where I'm going to be out talking to big groups. And I'm really excited about them. Because it just because because Facebook, and this podcast, you know, there are people who are not online, there are people who are not comfortable doing this digitally. And they get completely ignored. You know, there's it's just there are so many touch people that need help.
Vickie McWatters 48:50
And it surprises me that people that have come across and said, Oh, you got to listen to this podcast. Don't listen to podcasts, which is surprising, but it is true. Yeah,
Scott Benner 49:03
I don't know how it's just it's I just got a text from a girl today. And she's like, I've been looking for support for so long. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that there'll be podcasts about diabetes. Yeah, but I love it. And at the same time give any idea heartless to explain to what a podcast is a certain person over a certain age, you know, work out how to get out of their phone hadn't listened to it. When do we listen to it? I don't listen to you. You're a guy. I would listen to a guy through my phone. You know, like I only watch I only watch famous people on television. Although if everything that's going on in the news continues happening. There'll be no one famous left to pay attention to because they all apparently sexually assaulted someone. So it's just entertainment. It's insanely terrible. But it's like every time you turn around, you're like that guy. That guy that guy him well that I get him I didn't expect it's just it's how is you know, I don't think it's possible that everybody is terrible.
Unknown Speaker 49:58
But no but
Scott Benner 49:59
you like is this isn't something people think about as, like, as their entertainment. People think about television, they want to see a movie, they're gonna read a book. I mean, you know, a person over a certain age doesn't know what a podcast is. Right? And so, and then some people come on and they hear things. I like that when people come on and tell me, I learned something. It was so valuable. I went back and I told my end on I always say, to tie your endo, you learn something on a podcast, they're gonna think you're insane. And so I said, you know, I'd be like, hey, look what I figured out what do you think of so don't don't tell them about me until you're pretty comfortable that they're not gonna like, take your kid from here called Beifuss. Well, I listened to his phone made some insulin decisions. I think he had a kid from it. Yeah, like so. It is really interesting. How did you find your old life? Because you were Did we? Did we say in the beginning, you work in pharma. Right before you for the jdrf? not say that?
Vickie McWatters 50:56
I didn't know that. We said that. But I did.
Scott Benner 50:58
Okay, so how do you find your old life versus your new life? Like, did you do you enjoy this thing? Helping people as much as I do? Or do you miss getting paid? doesn't pay like a pharma job? Well, but but how are you enjoying this part of it?
Vickie McWatters 51:19
And I, you know, I love it. And this is very much a passion for me. It is feels good to go to work every day and know that you're making a difference. And when I worked in pharma, it was quite interesting. They were a big diabetes company. And I would sit in these diabetes meetings, and I would hear them talk about the patient. And I would, I would hear them just say all these great things. And me one day, well, I'm the patient asked me that. And I never felt like a patient. I never felt like, as an employee, I was free to be a type one diabetic. And one day, we got a memo. And that said that they had found some sharps and a couple of the bathroom, trash cans, and that we needed to go to employee health services and pick up a sharps container and keep it at our desk. Well, I'm pretty sure that it's a law that they have to provide sharps containers and public restrooms. And so I mentioned this to the vice president who sent the memo out and I said, I don't understand why a company like this isn't taking care of their own first, why don't we have sharps containers in the bathroom to make it convenient for us. And about three months later, we own sharps containers in the restrooms, but I don't think there were so there were so many things that they didn't think of as these employees are our patients to like even even having a focus group to say, what do you think of this new thing we're talking about? would you use it and that kind of stuff never happened. So for me to now be out of that, and looking back then, it wasn't as clear to me until I got out and now I'm looking back and I feel I feel very, very welcome. where I'm at right now. I can be who I am. It's kind of fun that I'm the only type one in the office that when they hear my alarm go off, you know, they'll say, Oh my gosh, where are you at? What's your blood sugar? You know, and and they're getting an education about it as well. It's cool. And it has been It has been a lot of fun. But yeah, I couldn't be happier.
Scott Benner 53:49
And your Omni pod is shutting down in eight hours. Is that it is didn't know you're on an ami pods. I heard that beeping and it was like yeah, I think I only got like three hours. Three hours left.
Unknown Speaker 54:04
Right away. I'm
Scott Benner 54:04
like I parked up like a dog. I was like, oh, we're gonna have to change the pot soon. Okay, here's what we'll do. I've got a new pot filled already, by the way, Vicki as soon as I heard it. I'm already Oh, that's really cool. We only have a couple minutes left and and so I you know, is there anything we missed that you want to talk about that
Unknown Speaker 54:32
I didn't get to?
Vickie McWatters 54:35
I think we covered it. You know, I just again, I I just want to thank you for what you do. And I do think that we need to get this out there more like you said the more people that you can talk to the more people that we can get the word out that people just this is this is a disease you have got to take ownership of. And while our doctors are there to help guide us along the way they aren't making the final decision. And that's something that I try to get across to my family. You know, as we're doing some of these five oh fours and going into the schools and helping educate. I just think it's so important.
Scott Benner 55:11
I couldn't agree more, I really could not. And I really appreciate you coming on and talking about it. Because you have a really unique perspective, as you know, being an adult who is diagnosed plus being working for the jdrf. Now, having been in the private sector, you don't you don't get that kind of mix all the time. I think it's amazing how you how you kind of chase down better health, and how it all led to this. Like, that's always the thing that I wonder the most like, how did you find this because I can only do so much to get out into the world. And I'm pretty sure that all the things I'm obsessive Li doing, trying to get more people to understand that the podcasts exist so they can give it a try. I don't think I'm the one who's reaching the people I think you guys are. So it's pretty cool, you know. Thank you.
Unknown Speaker 55:55
Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Vicki
Scott Benner 56:01
for coming on the show and sharing your story. Thank you also, on the pot index comm for sponsoring this episode of the Juicebox Podcast. Please go through the links in your show notes or Juicebox podcast.com. To find out more about next comment on the pod. You can also type into your browser, my omnipod.com Ford slash juice box, or dexcom.com Ford slash juice box. At the end of the last episode, I told you that this episode was going to be with Sam, but then I realized I made a mistake.
Unknown Speaker 56:30
So you got Vicki. Right.
Scott Benner 56:31
I think it was a winner. Sam apparently I put out like 20 episodes ago. Just I read it wrong. Sorry about that. But I'm undaunted. Now I'm gonna try to tell you who's on next week. Okay, I think it's gonna be john. I'm pretty sure it's john. It's not john then it will be Colleen or Natalie. Could be Monica, Brian. Emily, Alicia, Melinda, Mandy Janae. Ella, Jess, Katherine. Ginger, Jen. A great episode about burnout might be with Ashley. It could be with Ryan could be with Susan could be with Alina could be with. George, Mike. Lisa, Sam, another Sam. Aaron. Turns out I have a lot of episodes coming up for you. I hope that makes you excited because it makes me excited to bring them to you. There'll be a new episode of the Juicebox Podcast every week for the rest of the year and beyond. Forever and ever and ever. As long as we need to do this podcast. It's going to be here.
Arden is wearing am Omnipod and a Dexcom G6 in this photo. Her Bg is 86 and she is on her way to the formal. To learn more about these devices use the links just above this picture.
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