#1732 Squooshie Pushie
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Diagnosed at 63, Brenda battles incompetent doctors and self-teaches LADA management. Tune in to discover the absurd medical advice and feisty encounters behind the title "Squooshie Pushie."
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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) Welcome back, friends. (0:01) You are listening to the Juice Box podcast.
Brenda (0:11) Hi. (0:12) My name is Brenda, and I had a shocking diagnosis about nine or ten years ago out of the clear blue sky of being diabetic.
Scott Benner (0:25) If you've ever heard a diabetes term and thought, okay. (0:28) But what does that actually mean? (0:30) You need the defining diabetes series from the Juice Box podcast. (0:33) Defining diabetes takes all those phrases and terms that you don't understand and makes them clear. (0:39) Quick and easy episodes.
Scott Benner (0:41) Find out what bolus means, basal, insulin sensitivity, and all of the rest. (0:45) There has to be over 60 episodes of defining diabetes. (0:48) Check it out now in your audio player or go to juiceboxpodcast.com and go up into the menu. (0:54) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. (1:00) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes.
Scott Benner (1:04) But everybody is welcome. (1:05) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:10) If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. (1:19) Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:23) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan.
Scott Benner (1:29) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. (1:36) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. (1:40) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Omnipod five. (1:44) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free, what I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit. (1:55) Free?
Scott Benner (1:56) Get out of here. (1:57) Go click on that link. (1:57) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:00) Check it out. (2:01) Terms and conditions apply.
Scott Benner (2:02) Eligibility may vary. (2:04) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:09) Links in the show notes. (2:10) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com.
Brenda (2:12) Hi. (2:13) My name is Brenda, and I had a shocking diagnosis about nine or ten years ago out of the clear blue sky of being diabetic.
Scott Benner (2:26) How old are you today, Brenda?
Brenda (2:27) K. (2:28) Age is not a big thing in our family, so I have to think about it. (2:34) 71.
Scott Benner (2:35) You're 71. (2:36) And you and you were diagnosed with diabetes at, what, like, sixty sixty one, 62?
Brenda (2:42) Well, it was a journey for them to figure out what was going on.
Scott Benner (2:48) Mhmm.
Brenda (2:48) So I got my official diagnosis of being type one when I was, like, 63.
Scott Benner (2:56) Wow. (2:57) Well, how did it start? (2:58) What what were the first signs? (2:59) What got you to the doctor, and what did they think was going on?
Brenda (3:04) As far as I can remember, I had no symptoms. (3:08) Nothing.
Scott Benner (3:09) Mhmm.
Brenda (3:10) And, I just always went for a physical every year. (3:14) And so I went and did the blood draw and went to the doctor's appointment. (3:21) And, of course, if it's not on a piece of paper, it can't be real. (3:25) Right? (3:26) So she's looking at the piece of paper and all of a sudden goes, oh, you're diabetic.
Brenda (3:34) And I'm sitting there stunned. (3:37) I go, what are you talking about?
Scott Benner (3:38) Mhmm.
Brenda (3:40) And I guess my glucose test for part of the physical, you know, you gotta fast. (3:46) At that point, I remember it was one seventy two, and I'm just flabbergasted.
Scott Benner (3:53) Yeah.
Brenda (3:54) And she just looked at me, and she goes, I prescribed a prescription. (3:59) Get it. (3:59) Start taking it. (4:01) Eat more fish, less rice. (4:03) Don't let the door hitch on the ass on the way out.
Scott Benner (4:07) And she was telling you what type did you have? (4:09) What was she trying to tell you?
Brenda (4:12) Well, she didn't say a type, but I'm assuming since I seem to remember that the prescription was for metformin based on everything that I know now that because of my age, they were just assuming I was type two.
Scott Benner (4:32) Okay. (4:34) And you were given metformin and sent on your way with, hey. (4:38) Eat more fish. (4:39) That kind of a thing?
Brenda (4:40) Yeah. (4:41) Just basically, don't bother me. (4:44) Take the pill and go away.
Scott Benner (4:45) That's such a shame.
Brenda (4:46) It is. (4:47) So much fun.
Scott Benner (4:48) Yeah. (4:49) Well, how long did you go on like that?
Brenda (4:51) I think it was for a couple of years. (4:55) It's hard for me to remember the exact dates because also at that same time, I had a lot of family tragedies going on.
Scott Benner (5:04) Okay. (5:04) Like what?
Brenda (5:05) My brother had been finally had gotten diagnosed with Crohn's, severe Crohn's. (5:14) Mhmm. (5:14) I mean, he couldn't even leave the house for decades.
Scott Benner (5:18) Oh gosh.
Brenda (5:19) Luckily, he lived with my parents, and so he had a backup. (5:24) But, I mean, he lost so much weight, and they told him, yep. (5:31) I knew that was gonna happen. (5:33) That's okay. (5:33) Let me let me shut this up.
Scott Benner (5:35) Brenda told me before we started, my blood sugar's a little higher than I like it to. (5:39) I think it's because I'm excited.
Brenda (5:40) So It could be. (5:41) Yeah. (5:41) I'm very excited.
Scott Benner (5:43) Good. (5:43) Good. (5:43) Good. (5:43) I'm glad. (5:44) And Your brother's wasting away, it takes them how long to figure out about his Crohn's?
Brenda (5:50) Several years. (5:51) Oh, that's possible. (5:53) They even told him things like, oh, well, you're allergic to garlic, and you're allergic to this. (5:59) And my folks were taking him back and forth. (6:01) Well, he couldn't work, and I I don't know why they hadn't gotten him into the VA because he had been in the military.
Brenda (6:11) Mhmm. (6:12) They finally did that, and they finally figured out that he had Crohn's. (6:17) I guess they were doing a colon
Scott Benner (6:21) Ostomy. (6:22) Colon. (6:22) Colonoscopy?
Brenda (6:24) I call it something else. (6:26) I don't know if people wanna hear what I call it, but
Scott Benner (6:29) Wait. (6:30) Wait, Brenda. (6:30) What do you call it?
Brenda (6:31) It's easier for me to remember that it's the butt camera test.
Scott Benner (6:35) Gotcha. (6:35) Butt camera. (6:36) I'm with you.
Brenda (6:37) That works. (6:38) And so they told him he had Crohn's, and they were trying to treat him through the VA. (6:45) And what I remember was at some point, because he didn't share a lot of stuff with my folks
Scott Benner (6:52) Mhmm.
Brenda (6:53) That he actually had to be kept overnight at the VA twice while they gave him, an intravenous drug to help with this.
Scott Benner (7:07) K.
Brenda (7:08) Now we're not sure. (7:09) We think it was Humira, which was, like, ten, twelve, maybe almost fifteen years ago. (7:16) He's been dead for about ten years now.
Scott Benner (7:20) Okay.
Brenda (7:21) And at the point that I was going through my stuff, he was all of a sudden diagnosed with liver cancer out of the clear blue sky.
Scott Benner (7:33) Yes.
Brenda (7:34) And the VA had him going to Manhattan to get tests without letting people know my folks could have taken him to a very good facility fifteen minutes from their house. (7:48) So it was a bit of a
Scott Benner (7:51) Brenda, this is happening around when you're 60, 61 years old? (7:55) Yeah. (7:55) And how old was your brother at that point?
Brenda (7:58) He's basically a year younger than me.
Scott Benner (8:01) And your parents were still helping him. (8:03) How old were they when that was going on?
Brenda (8:05) Oh, jeez. (8:06) I wanna say late seventies, early eighties.
Scott Benner (8:09) Okay. (8:10) Okay. (8:11) Alright. (8:12) And is there are there other autoimmune issues in your family? (8:15) Because I'm hearing type one.
Scott Benner (8:16) I'm hearing Crohn's. (8:17) Like, what else is going on?
Brenda (8:19) Just about everybody's got it by well, not my kids as far as I know, but my dad, my mom, my brother, myself, my sister, thyroid issues.
Scott Benner (8:31) Mhmm.
Brenda (8:34) Not sure exactly what type my mom dealt with. (8:36) I'm assuming it was low thyroid, basically, her whole life.
Scott Benner (8:41) Okay.
Brenda (8:42) And then what I what I had tried to go through with my doctors initially was I was pretty sure that I was suffering from the beginnings of Graves' disease. (8:57) My sister had gone through it in her early thirties, and they had told her, oh, you're going through early menopause and all this other BS. (9:06) And then my mom finally told her, hey. (9:09) Have your doctor checked for Graves. (9:11) Now why she said that, I don't know.
Brenda (9:15) With parents that age coming from the Midwest, nobody shared anything.
Scott Benner (9:20) Mhmm.
Brenda (9:21) So a lot of this came out of the clear blue sky.
Scott Benner (9:25) Okay.
Brenda (9:26) But at that point in time, my thyroid was playing hide and go seek. (9:32) They would test it, and it would be, oh, you're perfectly normal range. (9:37) Alright. (9:38) My heart would be racing. (9:40) I was losing weight.
Brenda (9:42) So everybody thought it was because of my thyroid. (9:45) Mhmm. (9:46) And then I had my physical, and they said, oh, you're diabetic. (9:50) Now I wasn't losing a tremendous amount of weight, and I had been trying to lose a little bit of weight, but I wasn't tired. (10:00) I just would have my heart would start racing once in a while.
Scott Benner (10:04) Mhmm.
Brenda (10:05) Let me see. (10:07) Then we were dealing with my brother. (10:09) They said, okay. (10:10) He's got six months to live. (10:13) And the next time I saw him, I looked at him and I was thinking, oh, no.
Brenda (10:18) You'll be lucky if you have six weeks to live. (10:21) Well, basically, two weeks later, after being in hospice for a week, he was dead.
Scott Benner (10:28) That was the cancer?
Brenda (10:30) Yeah. (10:30) Yeah. (10:31) Yeah. (10:32) And I blame the VA at that point in time. (10:37) They they just they screwed up.
Brenda (10:40) I mean, somebody did something wrong. (10:43) You don't have a doctor from the VA call your parents and apologize for his treatment.
Scott Benner (10:50) Oh, that happened?
Brenda (10:52) Oh, yeah. (10:52) Yep.
Scott Benner (10:54) And and so while all this is going on in your life, it's slowing down you kinda paying attention to your diabetes. (11:00) So you're what are you doing?
Brenda (11:01) I'm trying.
Scott Benner (11:01) Yeah. (11:02) But you're taking the metformin, right, and just going along. (11:06) Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. (11:09) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? (11:15) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery.
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Brenda (13:11) I'm taking that, and after that doctor treated me like that, I thought, okay. (13:18) Okay. (13:19) There's gotta be someone who can help me figure this out better. (13:24) So I changed over to a doctor that my neighbor suggested, and I thought, okay. (13:33) Let me go to this lady.
Brenda (13:36) Well, let me tell you, that was a mistake. (13:41) She was into just controlling things with your diet, and I thought, well, okay. (13:48) We'll see. (13:49) If this is type two, that's what they say to do. (13:52) Mhmm.
Brenda (13:53) And very much into no meat, a lot of vegan stuff, which actually, when I changed my diet, I just naturally ate not very far from what she was recommending.
Scott Benner (14:11) Okay.
Brenda (14:12) And that went on for about a year or so, and I kept asking her, could you check my by that time, I knew about t three and t four because I was doing research.
Scott Benner (14:26) Mhmm.
Brenda (14:28) And she kept refusing to do it. (14:32) And the last time I saw her, she'd done blood work, and at that point, my a one c was 5.5. (14:41) And she looked at me and she goes, oh, you're cured. (14:46) And I'm thinking to myself, you are okay. (14:50) Now as I get older, I curse more.
Scott Benner (14:53) That's okay, Brenda. (14:54) Brenda, you can curse. (14:55) Go ahead.
Brenda (14:55) And I was like, I'm sitting there thinking to myself, you are a and lunatic lady. (15:03) There is no cure for this
Scott Benner (15:07) And did she do you think she really felt like you were cured, or do you think she
Brenda (15:11) would She did. (15:11) Did she? (15:12) She was all excited and, oh, we don't have to check your t three and t four. (15:18) It's not necessary and blah blah blah blah. (15:22) Meanwhile, I'm sitting there, and I think my heart rate had gotten up to one seventy.
Brenda (15:27) And she goes, oh, I'm more concerned about your heart. (15:30) What's going on? (15:31) Why is it doing this? (15:33) And I thought, why the fuck do you think I came to you? (15:38) I mean, come on.
Brenda (15:39) So that was doctor number two. (15:43) Oh, and she had me stop taking the metformin, so I wasn't taking it. (15:47) And so then I thought, okay. (15:50) Time for another doctor. (15:52) This lady is obviously a quack, went on to doctor number three.
Brenda (15:58) Well, at that point, my brother had passed away, so I was my folks lived in Jersey. (16:05) Mhmm. (16:06) I live in kinda like Upstate New York. (16:10) So I was going back and forth. (16:13) Didn't have a CGM.
Brenda (16:15) Didn't have, you know, nothing. (16:17) Mhmm. (16:17) I've been trying to remember if I was using insulin at that point. (16:23) I have a feeling I wasn't. (16:26) So I was down at my folks' house going through my brother's possessions because they wanted me to basically appraise things and give them ideas on how to market, it, try to regain some of the money they spent on hospice, his funeral, and his cremation and such.
Brenda (16:50) Mhmm. (16:50) So I was down there, and I seem to remember that particular trip. (16:57) Yes. (16:57) My husband and I think one of our kids had shown up with us to help and some other relatives. (17:04) And, of course, all of a sudden, on the clear blue sky, my heart started racing.
Brenda (17:10) And I was literally, when I got back, supposed to do blood work and see this new guy for a physical the first time. (17:21) And I I just said, I know it's my thyroid. (17:24) I know it is, but it wasn't stopping. (17:28) And I told my husband, I said, shit. (17:31) I don't wanna have to go to the hospital in an ambulance.
Brenda (17:35) Mom and dad just cremated my brother. (17:39) And, but I said, I think I gotta go. (17:42) So I went to the hospital, and I told him, alright. (17:47) I'm pretty sure it's my thyroid. (17:49) I'm gonna get checked for blood work next week.
Brenda (17:52) Well, you go into the ER. (17:55) They do a bunch of blood work. (17:56) Right? (17:57) Because when you're old, they always wanna make sure it's not a heart attack. (18:02) And so they were checking for that, and they also did my thyroid.
Scott Benner (18:06) Mhmm.
Brenda (18:06) At that point, my thyroid was off the scale.
Scott Benner (18:11) Yeah.
Brenda (18:11) It was definitely high. (18:14) And then, of course, they always come in and jab you later in the day. (18:19) They kept me overnight. (18:21) It's also ragweed season here. (18:23) So
Scott Benner (18:24) No. (18:24) You're fine. (18:24) Hey, Brady. (18:25) You you don't apologize. (18:26) You clear your throat or take a drink as much as you want.
Scott Benner (18:29) Don't worry about it.
Brenda (18:30) And so, basically, twelve hours later when they did my blood work again, the thyroid and everything was normal.
Scott Benner (18:39) But
Brenda (18:40) I finally had it on a piece of paper.
Scott Benner (18:43) Yep. (18:43) Yeah. (18:44) Now somebody will listen.
Brenda (18:46) I demanded that before I left that day. (18:50) I said, I wanna print out. (18:52) I need that to prove what's going on. (18:56) So
Scott Benner (18:57) Yeah. (18:58) And you went back to the third doctor. (19:00) You didn't go back to the hippie lady who thought she cured you
Brenda (19:02) Oh my god.
Scott Benner (19:02) With sit ups, right, or something. (19:04) Yeah. (19:04) Right. (19:04) Right. (19:04) Okay.
Brenda (19:05) Yeah. (19:06) Awesome. (19:06) I went to the third doctor, and when I had first seen him I think this was my second visit with him. (19:14) I had written on there, you know, diabetes question mark, and he said, well, what do you mean? (19:19) And I go, well, there's something going on with my thyroid.
Brenda (19:23) And because I knew that the thyroid could potentially mess that up.
Scott Benner (19:27) Mhmm.
Brenda (19:28) And so when I went back the second time and I had the piece of paper and I could prove there was something wrong with my thyroid, he looked at it and he goes, oh, maybe there's something here. (19:42) And I thought, no shit, Sherlock. (19:46) Good. (19:47) I didn't even know that endos existed.
Scott Benner (19:50) Mhmm.
Brenda (19:51) And so he suggested I went to a local endo, and I thought, okay. (19:57) Fine. (19:58) So I went in there, and he did some blood work. (20:04) And he was the guy that said, eventually, he had me as a type two also, but he was looking at the thyroid also. (20:15) And I don't know the name of the test, but I guess there's some kind of a like, an antibody test that you can do to, diagnose Graves'.
Scott Benner (20:28) Okay.
Brenda (20:29) And so he had done that, and he goes, yes. (20:31) You have Graves'. (20:32) And I said, okay. (20:33) Fine. (20:35) I remember we were home one night, and I get a panicky call from him.
Brenda (20:41) Oh my god. (20:42) You're type one. (20:43) Oh my god. (20:44) Run to the pharmacy. (20:45) Get this.
Brenda (20:46) Get that. (20:47) Start taking it. (20:48) And it was like, what the what is going on?
Scott Benner (20:51) Yeah. (20:51) Yeah.
Brenda (20:52) Got that. (20:54) I basically had no training on what to do with the insulin. (20:59) They just said, do this before you eat, and then eat right away.
Scott Benner (21:04) That's it? (21:05) That's how they told you to take insulin?
Brenda (21:07) Yep. (21:08) That was it. (21:08) And they had also said, well, you have to go to diabetes education. (21:15) And this was before I got the panic phone call one night. (21:19) Mhmm.
Brenda (21:20) And so I'm sitting there and I'm going, okay. (21:23) I was mostly interested in the nutrition part. (21:26) And when they got to that, it was pathetic. (21:29) But it was quite obvious that it was a type two education, went on for a week, and I thought, okay. (21:37) He only agreed to treat me if I go to this.
Brenda (21:39) I'll go to this BS and sit here and waste my time. (21:43) By that point, I had lost about 30 pounds in a month, and I was down to one fifteen. (21:56) And before I got older and started shrinking a little bit, I was almost five foot eight.
Scott Benner (22:03) Okay.
Brenda (22:04) And it was like, okay. (22:06) When is this gonna stop? (22:07) Oh, it'll stop. (22:08) It'll stop soon. (22:10) And it's like, are you out of your mind?
Scott Benner (22:12) It's not stopping because I'm dying.
Brenda (22:14) No. (22:14) Yeah. (22:14) Yeah. (22:14) Yeah. (22:15) Stopping.
Scott Benner (22:15) Right. (22:16) Right.
Brenda (22:17) I was not incredibly thirsty. (22:21) I had a dry mouth, but I would just rinse it out with some water and I'd be fine.
Scott Benner (22:27) Mhmm.
Brenda (22:27) I think I was peeing a little bit more than usual, but nothing that I knew that was a symptom. (22:36) Not like what I know now. (22:37) Yeah.
Scott Benner (22:38) Yeah. (22:39) There Brenda, were there other symptoms that you didn't know to look for now in hindsight?
Brenda (22:45) I honestly don't think so.
Scott Benner (22:46) Think so. (22:47) You were just it was a slow onset, probably like a lot of onset.
Brenda (22:51) Yes.
Scott Benner (22:52) Yeah.
Brenda (22:52) And then, you know, thank goodness for your podcast, to tell you the truth. (22:58) I was doing some research having been I'll tell you. (23:03) I was an auctioneer for more than fifteen years, and you gotta know your research. (23:10) So I'm pretty damn good at research. (23:12) Mhmm.
Brenda (23:13) And I was going forward a few years, and I had been, then I went to a different endo because my first endo, I can't remember what question I asked him, but I do remember his answer was that's because you're not a doctor. (23:32) And I thought, well, you. (23:35) I asked you a question. (23:37) I just wanted an answer. (23:39) I didn't want you to tell me how wonderful you are.
Brenda (23:44) And he had also started to shift where he was only paying attention to the thyroid, and he was shifting me off to a PA to deal with the diabetes. (23:58) A PA who, the first appointment, couldn't bother showing up. (24:05) The second appointment finally showed up forty five minutes late and then started reading my record while I'm sitting there
Scott Benner (24:13) answering
Brenda (24:15) questions. (24:16) And I said to her a couple of times, are you not allowed to see the notes from my previous visits? (24:24) Oh, yeah. (24:24) Yeah. (24:25) I can see them.
Brenda (24:26) And I thought, well, why the hell are you asking me these questions?
Scott Benner (24:29) Yeah.
Brenda (24:30) Obviously unprepared. (24:33) And she finally looked at me and said, oh, I can see you're the kind of person that wants all your answers and questions in a nice tidy box. (24:43) And I looked at her, and I said, no. (24:45) But I expect you to at least have taken the time to read my record so you're prepared for this meeting.
Scott Benner (24:52) Right. (24:52) Yeah. (24:52) What were you doing for the forty five minutes? (24:54) You were late.
Brenda (24:55) Yeah. (24:55) Yeah. (24:56) Well, she didn't like that, so that was quite obvious to me. (25:00) Okay. (25:01) Time for another doctor.
Brenda (25:04) So found someone else who she was a little blunt, but you know what? (25:09) At least she knew what she was doing. (25:10) Mhmm. (25:10) I didn't care at that point.
Scott Benner (25:12) I imagine you didn't.
Brenda (25:14) And so we drive now about forty five minutes to an hour to see, the same office. (25:21) Oh, with her and, again, still no CGM, no idea of a pump. (25:28) Though my husband, you know, you go through this, and I think your brain shuts off. (25:34) You really ought to go to these visits with someone else's and extra pair of ears.
Scott Benner (25:39) Yeah. (25:39) I think that too sometimes.
Brenda (25:41) So I always take my husband with me. (25:43) And at that point, I was on insulin, using the quick pens, Hubalog and then Lantus at night Mhmm. (25:55) And using a sliding scale. (25:58) And still, I was told, okay. (26:01) Prick your finger before you eat.
Brenda (26:04) Take this many units based on the number. (26:07) Make sure you eat basically right away.
Scott Benner (26:11) Mhmm.
Brenda (26:12) Have your food in front of you. (26:13) I never ate so much cold food in my life for those years. (26:18) Let me tell you. (26:20) And so she was pretty good. (26:25) Still no CGM, but yeah.
Brenda (26:27) That's right. (26:28) He said that she had suggested a pump, and I'm thinking in my brain, I didn't say this out loud, and I my first thought was, how the hell do you sleep with a cell phone attached to your body with a cord? (26:45) And then my other thought was, how do you have sex with this thing on? (26:49) What's going on? (26:50) So I said no.
Brenda (26:53) Plus, having been in IT for at least forty years, I really didn't trust something that I couldn't control. (27:02) Nobody ever told me that I could interact with a pump and control what it does. (27:08) Mhmm. (27:09) So I said no. (27:11) And went to her for I don't know.
Brenda (27:14) I think I was seeing her for about a year or so. (27:18) And then all of a sudden, she just left in the middle of the night, took off.
Scott Benner (27:24) No more doc. (27:25) Just gone.
Brenda (27:26) Yeah. (27:26) Just gone. (27:28) Don't know where she went or why or what happened, but it was like, oh, wonderful.
Scott Benner (27:35) Brenda, I wanna be clear. (27:37) You when you first were intersected with the idea of having an insulin pump, your thoughts were, I don't know how I'm gonna sleep or with that thing, so I'm not interested. (27:46) Yeah. (27:46) No. (27:47) Okay.
Scott Benner (27:47) That's right. (27:47) Okay.
Brenda (27:48) That's right. (27:49) These are important things in life. (27:51) Yeah.
Scott Benner (27:52) You're you're right. (27:53) They are.
Brenda (27:54) They really are. (27:54) Everybody who's married as long as we've been married, and they go, oh, sex isn't important. (28:01) You're out of your mind.
Scott Benner (28:04) Oh, you said that yours you know, it's funny we started recording. (28:08) You were like, this could end up being an after dark episode. (28:10) I thought, wonder how that could be. (28:12) But here we are.
Brenda (28:13) Oh, we haven't we haven't even gotten into what would really make it a after dark.
Scott Benner (28:18) Don't worry. (28:18) We'll keep going. (28:19) I'm not stopping you. (28:20) I I just want I just wanna make sure I understand along the way. (28:23) Like, by the time you're using the sliding scale and all that stuff, you understand that you have type one at that point, or is that not been
Brenda (28:29) I was being treated as type one. (28:31) So I kept doing research and learned about LADA. (28:39) And I thought, you know what? (28:40) This sounds more like what I have than just a straight up type one. (28:45) Mhmm.
Brenda (28:45) Oh, and I forgot to tell you, the only person I ever knew in our family with type one was a cousin, and I now I know she was type one. (28:55) But we were very young, and the first time I knew that there was anything wrong with her, it was around Christmas time, and we were little kids. (29:06) And she was gonna eat some nuts. (29:11) And I remember her mom whipping into the room, slapping it out of the kids' hands, and saying, don't you eat those. (29:19) Now this is back in the had to be sometime in the first part of the sixties.
Scott Benner (29:26) Okay.
Brenda (29:27) And then I do remember seeing a syringe and giving her a shot, but nobody ever explained what was going on.
Scott Benner (29:35) Mhmm.
Brenda (29:36) Oh, gosh. (29:36) She died a horrible death. (29:39) She really didn't take care of herself and, I guess, even amputations, and she died very young.
Scott Benner (29:47) Do you remember how young?
Brenda (29:50) I wanna say before she was 60.
Scott Benner (29:52) Oh gosh.
Brenda (29:54) Yeah. (29:54) And just really bad, really bad. (29:58) Now I know her sister and I think her brother are also type ones. (30:05) Oh. (30:05) Never knew that.
Scott Benner (30:07) Nobody's talking about it.
Brenda (30:09) Nope. (30:09) Nobody's talking about it. (30:11) I believe I have at least one other cousin who's a type one, but this is all in the past year or two that I have even found this out.
Scott Benner (30:21) You've digging around looking?
Brenda (30:23) Well, just happened to see something casually mentioned on Facebook by a cousin who keeps me in the loop Mhmm. (30:33) Because, apparently, I'm not supposed to know some stuff about one of my siblings.
Scott Benner (30:38) I
Brenda (30:38) see. (30:38) We can get into that. (30:40) In the meantime, I'm on to doctor number four. (30:45) And by the time I got to him, I was on the sliding scale, and I'd been using the pens, and I was kinda I had never been taught how to carb count, but I knew how to read the labels, and I thought I had an idea.
Scott Benner (31:04) Okay.
Brenda (31:05) And it was almost like I was starting to develop a sixth sense where I would look at a meal and go, well, the sliding scale says that I should take okay. (31:19) I'm gonna switch this.
Scott Benner (31:21) Which device is that that's beeping, by the way?
Brenda (31:23) That's my phone. (31:25) I use Dexcom six
Scott Benner (31:28) Mhmm.
Brenda (31:29) And the Omnipod five now.
Scott Benner (31:31) Nice. (31:32) Brenda, can I ask a question that'll help reset us a little bit? (31:35) You said something earlier about the podcast and you finding it, but you're also saying that you've had this going on for ten years now. (31:42) How long ago did you find the podcast?
Brenda (31:44) A little more than two years ago.
Scott Benner (31:46) Okay. (31:46) So it's more recent for you because I just recently bumped into somebody online who expressed to me that they've been listening since the beginning, And that threw me for a loop because that was 2015. (31:58) And they said
Brenda (31:59) I wish I had found it back then.
Scott Benner (32:01) Yeah. (32:02) It's interesting, isn't it? (32:03) But but oh, I'm sorry. (32:04) Didn't mean to I didn't mean to
Brenda (32:05) That's okay.
Scott Benner (32:05) Yeah. (32:05) Yeah. (32:06) Yeah. (32:06) So
Brenda (32:07) then the next doctor I had been getting into a routine where I was using the sliding scale, but I would look at stuff and think, well, the scale says I should take ten units, but I have a feeling that nine or 11 would be better.
Scott Benner (32:29) Right.
Brenda (32:31) So I was starting to do that kind of stuff. (32:34) And me and my husband, I said, you know, it sure would be nice if I could do something besides full units, if I could just do, like, maybe a half a unit.
Scott Benner (32:49) Sure. (32:50) Sure.
Brenda (32:50) But but I can't do it with this pen. (32:53) And so started looking around, and I think at about that time, we first saw an ad on TV for the Omnipod.
Scott Benner (33:03) Okay.
Brenda (33:04) And I thought, oh, okay. (33:07) This has been around a while. (33:08) Why hasn't anybody ever told me? (33:11) I think at that point, I had finally been told about a CGM just because I was at a visit with my last doctor. (33:23) He happened to be wearing one and showed it to me, but it was a Libra.
Scott Benner (33:28) Mhmm.
Brenda (33:29) And now I think he had said once that he was diabetic, but I can't remember for sure. (33:37) Either way, that was the first time I even knew that CGMs existed, and we're talking maybe less than four years ago.
Scott Benner (33:46) Okay.
Brenda (33:47) And so I said, you know, I'd like to try that. (33:51) So I did. (33:53) Well, unfortunately, Libra was a total disaster for my body, and I had was not taught how to use it anyway. (34:02) So I switched over to the DexCom six
Scott Benner (34:05) Mhmm.
Brenda (34:06) Which is not perfect, but seems to work better with me than the Libra did back then.
Scott Benner (34:12) Okay.
Brenda (34:13) And then I saw this Omnipod thing. (34:17) And so I contacted him at the well, I saw him at the next visit.
Scott Benner (34:22) The Omnipod five, you you were talking to the doctor about it?
Brenda (34:25) Yeah. (34:26) Yeah. (34:26) I was there at my visit. (34:29) I said, you know what? (34:31) I think I'd like to try this.
Brenda (34:35) And he looks at me, and I've been dealing with this for years. (34:38) And he goes, well, yeah, maybe it's about time. (34:42) And I thought, no shit, Sherlock. (34:45) Well, by then, they had also treated my Graves, and they finally he said, well, you'll have to take a pill every day. (34:52) I said, you have me taking a pill every day anyway.
Brenda (34:55) What's the difference? (34:56) Let's duke it and get it out of the formula. (35:01) Just kill it. (35:02) So I did the nuclear pill thing.
Scott Benner (35:05) For the thyroid?
Brenda (35:05) I'm sorry?
Scott Benner (35:08) For your thyroid.
Brenda (35:09) Yeah. (35:09) Yes. (35:10) And I thought, well, now that's interesting because the day or two ago, I was listening to the podcast episode about the lady whose young child was diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer.
Scott Benner (35:23) Mhmm.
Brenda (35:23) And the things they told her about that radioactive pill, I was never told, and I thought, oh, that's interesting. (35:30) I'm glad I didn't kill anybody.
Scott Benner (35:33) Oh, I remember that. (35:34) Yeah. (35:34) Yeah. (35:34) Yeah. (35:34) Yeah.
Brenda (35:35) Oh, yeah. (35:36) Yeah. (35:36) I'm listening to it, I'm going, oh my god. (35:39) Why didn't they tell me that
Scott Benner (35:41) stuff? (35:41) Yeah. (35:42) Especially because you're active still. (35:43) Right?
Brenda (35:43) Oh, yeah. (35:44) Yeah. (35:44) It's like, I guess I should I should stay away from him for a while.
Scott Benner (35:49) Brenda, I thought for sure when that when that doctor showed when you were talking about the Omnipod with the doctor, I thought for sure you're gonna say, well, yeah, it's about time, but I finally found an insulin pump I can have sex while I'm wearing. (35:59) So, you know?
Brenda (35:59) Well, no. (36:00) Didn't I tell him that because, you know, we're old. (36:02) We're not supposed to think about that stuff anymore.
Scott Benner (36:04) But that was in your head. (36:05) Is that right?
Brenda (36:06) Oh, yeah. (36:06) Yeah. (36:07) It was. (36:08) I thought, oh, this is the way to go. (36:10) I've got that from him, and oh, you'll love this.
Brenda (36:14) My Omnipod training, I already had the starter kit, and I was waiting to go for training. (36:19) So we do a special trip to go training. (36:22) But in the meantime, I'd already turned it on and looked at it and fiddled with it. (36:28) In fact, it was your podcast episode. (36:31) This was before you did the the newest ones on Omnipod.
Brenda (36:35) This was back in the, I don't know, May or something like that. (36:41) I
Scott Benner (36:41) The first three from the, Pro Tip series for Omnipod.
Brenda (36:44) I found you through Reddit, believe it or not.
Scott Benner (36:48) I believe that.
Brenda (36:49) Because I was doing searches for Omnipod.
Scott Benner (36:52) Mhmm.
Brenda (36:53) And people were talking about it, and they said, oh, you ought to go listen to this podcast. (36:58) And you had three episodes about Omnipod, and I listened to that, and that was when I finally learned that you can control what these things do.
Scott Benner (37:09) Yeah. (37:10) That's something.
Brenda (37:11) And I thought, okay. (37:12) Because having been in IT, the last thing I want is somebody software to control my physiology because I know how bad things can go. (37:23) And so that's what helped me decide that I wanted to get the Omnipod.
Scott Benner (37:28) Okay.
Brenda (37:28) So we go back to the office, and here's my training. (37:34) Give me your controller. (37:35) I said, that's okay. (37:39) I can punch it in. (37:40) Tell me what to do.
Brenda (37:42) Well, she didn't like that. (37:44) But she did tell me numbers and things, didn't explain what I was doing or why with car ratios, what they were. (37:54) I'm still not a 100% sure what the correction factor plays into as far as which part of the algorithm, automatic versus manual, things like that. (38:08) Insulin onboard, all these things that I know kinda what they mean nowadays, I was not taught. (38:15) No.
Brenda (38:16) What she said was, okay. (38:19) Take the insulin. (38:20) We're gonna fill up the pod, and it beeps. (38:24) And she goes, where would you like to put it? (38:27) And I go, well, how about we try on my thigh?
Brenda (38:31) And she said, okay. (38:33) Pulled it down. (38:35) And I said, well, what are you looking for? (38:37) And she goes, what you wanna do is you wanna find a squishy spot and put it on, and then you start it.
Scott Benner (38:46) Okay.
Brenda (38:49) See you later.
Scott Benner (38:50) That was it.
Brenda (38:51) That was it.
Scott Benner (38:52) Squishy and go.
Brenda (38:53) Yep. (38:54) I
Scott Benner (38:56) wonder why everybody sucks at their job. (38:58) You ever wondered about that?
Brenda (38:59) Oh my god. (39:00) Well and then I found out about a week or two later because I was gonna call her to get some advice about something about it. (39:08) She was gone. (39:09) Just gone.
Scott Benner (39:10) Oh, another person just gone.
Brenda (39:12) I Yeah. (39:13) I must I must have that effect on him.
Scott Benner (39:15) Burton is like, I make a lot of people quit their jobs. (39:17) Oh, it must be. (39:19) Also, I have to tell you, all I really find myself hoping is that Omnipod hears this, and then they do a, a line of, commercials where it's just people talking about how much better having sex with Omnipod is. (39:31) That's that's
Brenda (39:32) It is. (39:33) It is. (39:34) It makes it a little more convenient. (39:37) And
Scott Benner (39:38) Brenda, I really hope that one day I see you on television going, Omnipod helps my then you tell your story. (39:45) That'd be awesome.
Brenda (39:46) I that'd be fine with me. (39:48) I have no problem speaking in front of people.
Scott Benner (39:50) I know you will. (39:51) You're a you're a you're a treasure. (39:53) I I'm learning, Brenda, as we're as we're talking here. (39:55) You really are awesome.
Brenda (39:57) Well, to tell you the truth, I'll give Omnipod credit. (40:02) I think they're CDEs. (40:04) They have educational people.
Scott Benner (40:07) Yes.
Brenda (40:08) You know, it was the little things that she could have told me, like pinch up your skin before you tell that thing to stab you. (40:16) Mhmm. (40:16) Never told me that. (40:18) Use an over patch. (40:20) Never told me that.
Brenda (40:22) But I think the first time I called Omnipod, I was on the phone with them for at least an hour getting information.
Scott Benner (40:29) Yeah.
Brenda (40:29) And it it helped tremendously
Scott Benner (40:31) I'm glad.
Brenda (40:32) Several times.
Scott Benner (40:33) Do you think they should, change the button on the, on the screen to stab me? (40:38) And then when you wanted to insert?
Brenda (40:40) Yeah. (40:42) Might as well.
Scott Benner (40:43) Be be clear. (40:45) Yeah. (40:46) Oh my gosh.
Brenda (40:47) The one thing I I wish they would change, maybe one of these days, they'll give Android software as much
Scott Benner (40:58) Love as iPhone?
Brenda (41:00) As iPhone. (41:00) Yes. (41:01) Yes. (41:02) Yes.
Scott Benner (41:03) Hope all the companies do that, by the way. (41:05) I wish they would
Brenda (41:06) Oh, I wish too. (41:07) Yeah. (41:07) I wish Dexcom, get your act together. (41:11) You got the g seven app working. (41:14) Let's get the g six app working under the newest Android OS because I would love to update my six year old phone, but but I can't do it yet.
Scott Benner (41:27) Because because your g six won't let you?
Brenda (41:29) Mhmm.
Scott Benner (41:30) Have you called them? (41:31) Have they told you it definitely wouldn't work?
Brenda (41:33) Oh, it says it on their website. (41:35) It's not supported still.
Scott Benner (41:37) I don't know if supported and works is the same thing.
Brenda (41:40) And, I think Omnipod put out something on their website. (41:45) I can't remember exactly what the app was doing. (41:48) They tried it, but they had to pull it back in June Okay. (41:53) Because it kept glitching. (41:56) I can't remember.
Scott Benner (41:56) You guys better get on it. (41:57) You don't want Brenda calling you. (41:59) She'll she'll get on the phone and she'll be like, listen. (42:01) Listen, motherfuckers. (42:01) Get this thing fixed.
Brenda (42:03) Yeah. (42:03) I tell you that's why, in high school, my kids wouldn't tell me a lot of stuff. (42:07) No. (42:08) Don't call them. (42:08) Don't don't call them.
Brenda (42:10) I go, by god, I am gonna call them. (42:12) I'll tell them what to do. (42:14) And I would like Omnipod. (42:17) I understand software folks. (42:20) If your controller or your app, whatever you're using, understands that you're in the Dexcom warm up period.
Brenda (42:30) Stop giving me an alert every hour that you haven't gotten a signal. (42:34) Isn't this obvious why?
Scott Benner (42:37) You're saying you know already.
Brenda (42:38) Yeah.
Scott Benner (42:39) Yeah. (42:39) You know that's gonna be the FDA, Brenda, not them. (42:41) Right? (42:42) The FDA is gonna make them do that, I imagine.
Brenda (42:44) Oh, they have to do that?
Scott Benner (42:45) I would think so. (42:46) Yep. (42:47) I'm gonna I'm gonna guess that if you're promising people that your insulin is being, you know, automated like this and it's not being that you there's probably an alarm that has to go off. (42:59) I would think that that's I mean, I don't know that they would or wouldn't wanna do it on their own. (43:02) Well, it's
Brenda (43:03) The alarm goes off if you're not getting any readings for an hour.
Scott Benner (43:07) Sure. (43:08) Yeah. (43:08) Because it because for every person like you who's paying close attention, there's probably a 100 people who aren't paying close attention, and they get an
Brenda (43:15) alarm. (43:15) True. (43:15) Yeah. (43:16) I guess so. (43:18) But, anyway, where were we in my story?
Scott Benner (43:21) I don't know. (43:22) Your story is awesome, though. (43:23) You are you're getting an you're getting an Omnipod in your story.
Brenda (43:27) I got the Omnipod, and that was my wonderful instructions.
Scott Benner (43:33) Squishy Home. (43:34) Squishy and go.
Brenda (43:36) Yep. (43:36) Yep. (43:37) We get home with it, and I thought, okay. (43:40) This is great. (43:41) I don't have to do needles, and the day's going on.
Brenda (43:46) And I'm getting higher and higher. (43:50) I got up to more than 400. (43:54) I'd never been that high as far as I know.
Scott Benner (43:57) Yeah.
Brenda (43:58) I thought, what the fuck is going on?
Scott Benner (44:01) Right.
Brenda (44:03) So I called and they go, oh, oh, take this manual shot and replace it. (44:10) And I thought I didn't think I had to take shots anymore, but okay. (44:15) So I put another one in the same general area, found a squishy spot, just slapped it on, and started it. (44:23) Well, the second one did the same thing, and I thought, well, this is a I'm not gonna say I know.
Scott Benner (44:28) No. (44:28) What'd you say? (44:29) What what'd you think
Brenda (44:29) this I was gonna say, what the is going on now? (44:32) Yeah. (44:33) And so I took them off, and then it was like, okay. (44:37) Okay. (44:38) I'll try another one.
Brenda (44:39) And then I I thought, I'm gonna go out to Reddit and see what's going on. (44:45) Mhmm. (44:45) And people were talking about different problems, and then I saw a picture of what a bent cannula looked like.
Scott Benner (44:54) Okay.
Brenda (44:55) And I thought, oh my god. (44:57) So I went and looked. (44:58) I had one of the old pods still, and I looked at it, and I thought, these first two pods bent. (45:06) Jesus. (45:08) I just can't win.
Brenda (45:09) So then I figured that out, and I think I had talked with Omnipod, and they were telling me about the pitch up.
Scott Benner (45:15) Yep.
Brenda (45:15) And so I haven't had that happen since. (45:18) But, yes, it was not much fun starting out with it and took it several months to, quote, unquote, learn me. (45:29) It was not as easy as people make it sound to use the device
Scott Benner (45:35) Sure.
Brenda (45:35) And use it well. (45:36) In fact, I bet you almost a year.
Scott Benner (45:39) Yeah. (45:39) Brenda, tell me what it is that you had to learn that made that that eventually made the Omnipod five valuable for you and and not frustrating. (45:47) What what did you have to learn about?
Brenda (45:49) I had to teach myself the carb ratios, what that meant
Scott Benner (45:54) Mhmm.
Brenda (45:55) And how it affected things. (45:57) Well, thank god for your Facebook group too because I got onto that, and people were talking about MDI MDI. (46:05) And I thought, what is that? (46:08) And so I finally said, you know, this might sound dumb, folks, but what does MDI mean? (46:14) And then they told me, and I went, oh my god.
Brenda (46:16) I didn't even know that. (46:19) Isn't that ridiculous?
Scott Benner (46:21) You start wondering then what else don't you know. (46:23) Right?
Brenda (46:23) Yeah.
Scott Benner (46:24) Yeah.
Brenda (46:24) And so through the podcast, especially the stuff that you and Jenny do and the the pro tips and everything, I have learned, or I think I've learned an understanding of the insulin to CAR ratios. (46:42) I'm not quite sure when the correction factor is used. (46:47) Basically, all the terminology, I've had to learn myself.
Scott Benner (46:52) Yeah. (46:52) Well Brenda, let me stop you. (46:54) The correction factor is how much how far does one unit of insulin move you? (46:59) So if, gosh, if your blood sugar's 200 and I'm just gonna make up numbers, right, and one unit moves you 50 points and you wanna be a 100, then two units should move you from 200 to 100. (47:11) That's what the correction factor is for.
Brenda (47:14) But that's if I override what the machine wants to give me, and I just do that as an extra bolus. (47:21) Right?
Scott Benner (47:22) You're you're well, it's part of how the algorithm is thinking. (47:26) I would think that it's more concrete. (47:29) That idea would be more concrete in manual mode for you or on an insulin pump that does not have an algorithm running. (47:35) Because the algorithm is considering things that I I'd be perfectly honest with you. (47:39) I don't know everything that it's considering before it makes a decision.
Scott Benner (47:42) Yeah. (47:42) Yeah.
Brenda (47:42) My understanding is that it really doesn't come into effect much at all with the automatic mode bolus calculation before a meal that it really doesn't come into play. (47:59) So I'm not absolutely sure where it comes into play, but I do know I I went to the Omnipod because I could do fractional units.
Scott Benner (48:10) Right.
Brenda (48:12) And because of your your podcast, I have gotten more comfortable with doing corrections
Scott Benner (48:20) Awesome.
Brenda (48:21) When I think I need them, but then I've I've gotta be it's it's kinda odd. (48:27) I use more insulin per carb for breakfast than any other meal.
Scott Benner (48:32) That makes sense to me, though. (48:33) That's pretty common for people.
Brenda (48:36) And then, like, at dinner, not much at
Scott Benner (48:39) all. (48:40) Okay.
Brenda (48:40) Oh, maybe we ought to get through the the list of doctors again. (48:45) I'm not done.
Scott Benner (48:47) Okay. (48:48) Keep going. (48:48) What happened next?
Brenda (48:49) I'm currently in the process because my last endo, he finally retired.
Scott Benner (48:56) Mhmm.
Brenda (48:57) And it was like, oh my god. (48:59) Here goes the common sense. (49:00) I have to train another doctor, and I just got done. (49:06) I'm gonna see the next one in a couple of weeks, and they usually do blood work before you go. (49:14) Right?
Brenda (49:15) I finally got them to understand that they need to do an a one c. (49:20) And I told my husband, I go, oh, this doesn't look like it's gonna go well. (49:25) Just finally got them to understand that this morning. (49:29) And it's just, I want him to test my c peptide again also, which I had done about a year ago, and, apparently, my pancreas is still squirting a little bit of insulin out.
Scott Benner (49:42) Oh, it's getting involved still.
Brenda (49:44) Yeah. (49:44) Isn't that odd for so long?
Scott Benner (49:46) Not really. (49:47) No. (49:47) I've heard I mean, I've heard every variation of that story. (49:50) So, I mean, it doesn't shock me. (49:52) Maybe it's not as common as people think, but doesn't shock me.
Scott Benner (49:57) I'm realizing as you're talking, I hope you never get mad at me.
Brenda (50:00) Okay. (50:01) That's what people say. (50:03) My husband has said, you know, you're the only person I know that you can tell someone to go to hell, and they don't realize it for at least twenty minutes.
Scott Benner (50:15) Okay. (50:16) Go ahead. (50:17) So keep keep going. (50:18) Get me to the
Brenda (50:19) because I I tell them. (50:20) I go, oh, yeah. (50:22) This is even better. (50:23) So we're on to this next doctor, and I finally got them to understand for the blood work. (50:29) They're gonna do a TSH.
Brenda (50:31) They're gonna do a t four. (50:33) I don't know why they're not gonna do a t three. (50:36) I'll just take what I can get right now. (50:39) And they finally realized this morning, they go, oh, okay. (50:43) So we'll do an a one c.
Brenda (50:45) Don't know if they're gonna do the c peptide, so we'll just take the small win and see what happens when I meet this lady for the first time.
Scott Benner (50:56) K.
Brenda (50:57) In the meantime, I'm also working on a new primary because don't ask me a question if you don't like the answer, mister doctor. (51:09) Okay? (51:10) For some reason, they called us. (51:11) I was in the middle of getting ready for vacation. (51:14) I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything I needed, and the phone rings.
Brenda (51:21) And I thought, well, that's weird. (51:24) Did we forget a appointment or something? (51:27) And the lady said, oh, well, I wanna I wanna get my next appointment set up with you for your physic for your what is it? (51:36) Since we're on Medicare, they're pushing this every six months crap.
Scott Benner (51:40) Yeah.
Brenda (51:40) Whether you need it or not, I think it's just to pay their mortgage, but whatever. (51:45) Mhmm. (51:45) And so I told her, she goes, do you have time to talk about this now? (51:50) And I said, no. (51:51) I really don't.
Brenda (51:52) And I go, what's it about anyway? (51:54) Well, to do your six months checkup in when did she wanna do it? (52:00) November, which is like two months too soon. (52:03) And I thought, okay. (52:04) This isn't right.
Brenda (52:05) Mhmm. (52:06) I said that's when I usually get my physical. (52:08) Oh, well, they're basically the same. (52:11) I said, no. (52:13) They're not.
Brenda (52:15) And she goes, yes. (52:16) They are. (52:16) And I go, they really aren't. (52:20) Okay. (52:21) Well, call us when you get back.
Brenda (52:23) I go, fine. (52:24) Fine. (52:24) I will. (52:25) And I hung up. (52:26) And I thought, you guys, this is not a good sign either.
Scott Benner (52:30) Yeah.
Brenda (52:30) Because it felt like this doctor had been basically calling it in for the past year or two.
Scott Benner (52:37) Mhmm.
Brenda (52:38) And so they called again. (52:41) And I said, listen. (52:44) I'll call you when I get back from vacation. (52:47) I'm really busy right now. (52:48) Can I call you back?
Brenda (52:50) Sure. (52:51) And this time, they had it right. (52:53) They wanted to do the six month thing in January. (52:56) Okay. (52:56) No mention of my physical, just that.
Brenda (52:59) Mhmm. (52:59) And he goes, okay. (53:01) Fine. (53:02) Call us when you get back. (53:03) I said, okay.
Brenda (53:05) Well, then a couple days later, I get a message through the portal. (53:13) We were just calling to make better use of doctor blah blah blah's time to make sure we take care of you. (53:22) And then the next sentence was, and we do not appreciate you being disrespectful to our staff.
Scott Benner (53:29) That was on your machine? (53:31) They left that they left you that message?
Brenda (53:33) Uh-huh. (53:33) Well, no. (53:34) In my medical record portal, it was a message.
Scott Benner (53:37) Oh, oh, a written message.
Brenda (53:40) I've said to my husband, I go, what the if they wanna see disrespectful, I'll bring my full jersey out, and they'll see disrespectful. (53:51) They don't know disrespectful. (53:54) I just I I couldn't believe it. (53:59) And I thought, okay. (54:00) That's the last straw I need.
Brenda (54:02) Now I need to train another one of those. (54:05) So I'm going to see a new primary. (54:10) I just haven't told them yet to change my records, but I will.
Scott Benner (54:16) Brenda, you like some people. (54:19) Right?
Brenda (54:20) Yeah. (54:21) If you're makes sense. (54:26) But, you know, I I really have no Time for bull. (54:31) Yeah. (54:32) Yeah.
Brenda (54:32) Or, you know, incompetent incompetent people. (54:35) Yeah. (54:36) And, you know, if you don't want an honest answer, why are you asking me the question?
Scott Benner (54:44) I think too, you know, pretty obviously, I think you're right about the other thing. (54:48) Like, right, there's a certain amount of time in between hold on. (54:51) There's some banging going on in my house. (54:53) I I was I there's a gentleman painting downstairs, and I was like, just, you know, for this hour, please don't bang. (54:58) He said, oh, no problem.
Scott Benner (55:00) I think that there's an amount of time that they can schedule more appointments, and you're right. (55:04) They can bill Medicare for them. (55:05) So they wanna get you on they wanna get you on the books as soon as possible so that when that time frame passes again, they can get you back on the books again because there's a certain number of times they can bill for a year and they wanna get them all. (55:17) So Yeah. (55:18) Yeah.
Brenda (55:19) Yep. (55:19) Yeah.
Scott Benner (55:19) And they're bugging you while you're trying to go on vacation. (55:22) And then when you say, hey. (55:23) Just cut me a break here. (55:24) I'm trying to go on vacation. (55:25) And they say you're being rude to them.
Brenda (55:27) Yeah. (55:28) Well, they they sent me that message and I thought
Scott Benner (55:32) Well, I know what you thought. (55:33) I've been talking to you. (55:33) I've been talking to you for fifty six minutes, Brenda. (55:35) You thought of yourself. (55:37) Know what you thought.
Scott Benner (55:38) Morons. (55:39) Yeah.
Brenda (55:39) You know? (55:40) And it's like, I don't think I was rude because when it comes to insurance, yeah, November wouldn't have been six months.
Scott Benner (55:50) Mhmm.
Brenda (55:51) You know? (55:51) It's like, what is your problem, people?
Scott Benner (55:54) Yeah. (55:54) Well, also, you might have been talking to somebody on the phone who's younger, maybe a little less, accustomed to the, the time you grew up in. (56:02) You know what I mean? (56:03) And, maybe they don't have the maybe they don't have the intestinal fortitude to to deal with somebody pushing back at them.
Brenda (56:11) Well, I said it very nicely.
Scott Benner (56:13) I imagine you did. (56:16) I do.
Brenda (56:16) And I was like, I've tried to be nicer when talking to people who are morons because my children go, oh, you can't say that. (56:27) Well, then don't ask me a question.
Scott Benner (56:29) Okay? (56:29) I can't wait to be 71. (56:31) That's all this is teaching You
Brenda (56:33) know, ever since, you know, my my brother went through that terrible death
Scott Benner (56:37) Yeah.
Brenda (56:38) And then, oh, less than a year later, my mom died.
Scott Benner (56:42) No. (56:43) I'm sorry.
Brenda (56:45) Yep. (56:46) And that's where the lunatic gets involved. (56:51) But, anyway, hopefully, I'll get these new doctors trained
Scott Benner (56:55) Yeah.
Brenda (56:55) And have them do what they should be doing.
Scott Benner (56:59) Tell me a little bit about how you're doing right now. (57:01) Like, so you said you found the podcast a couple years ago. (57:04) You're learning, you know, new phrases and ideas and concepts, and you're getting more comfortable making corrections and everything. (57:11) Can you tell me where your a one c is today?
Brenda (57:13) Oh, right this minute? (57:15) I don't know. (57:16) The last time I had one done, I was I looked up some stuff because I knew you were gonna ask a question.
Scott Benner (57:23) Yeah. (57:24) Yeah.
Brenda (57:25) In April, it was six point six.
Scott Benner (57:28) Good for you.
Brenda (57:30) Now nowadays, the Clarity app, if I look at it, it says I'm gonna come out to be 6.3 or 6.4.
Scott Benner (57:42) That's awesome. (57:43) Good for you, Brenda. (57:44) That's really great.
Brenda (57:45) Oh, I work hard at it.
Scott Benner (57:46) I bet.
Brenda (57:47) And that was, oh, the thing that I would like to understand better, you and and other people on the episode say things like, well, I remember you saying if you could hold it at one eighty, you could hold it at one twenty. (58:04) Mhmm. (58:04) And so I've tried. (58:06) I lowered my my high alarm to one seventy, and it doesn't go over that too much. (58:14) It is right now because I'm thinking about all this crap I've had to deal with in my life.
Scott Benner (58:21) Sure. (58:21) Sure.
Brenda (58:21) And, oh, yeah, that's really getting the adrenaline going. (58:25) Let me tell you. (58:26) Mhmm. (58:27) How do you do that without the alarms going off all the time? (58:30) Because I've tried it, and I'll dose for my meal and I'll eat.
Brenda (58:38) And maybe I don't go above my high limit a couple hours later, or two or three hours later, all of a sudden, I'm fighting a low.
Scott Benner (58:49) What are you eating? (58:50) Oh, a low. (58:51) Yeah. (58:52) Okay. (58:52) So you're having the up you're having the situation where you're putting your insulin in, you're prebolising your meal, you're eating, you're not getting higher, then later on, you get low.
Brenda (59:02) Yeah.
Scott Benner (59:02) That's probably too much insulin.
Brenda (59:05) Well, but then I would go high.
Scott Benner (59:07) If you so if you took away a little bit of insulin, still did the pre bolus, you say then you'd get higher. (59:14) Yeah. (59:15) Tell me about where your blood sugar is when you start to when you pre bolus your meal. (59:20) Like, where where is it at?
Brenda (59:21) I try I well, I like to have it the lower, the better, but I try to have it down to at least around one twenty before I eat. (59:32) Mhmm. (59:33) Anything.
Scott Benner (59:34) So are you telling me you're one twenty, you bolus your meal? (59:37) How long do you wait before you
Brenda (59:38) At least fifteen minutes.
Scott Benner (59:41) Okay. (59:41) Are you fall is your blood sugar falling by the time that's happening?
Brenda (59:46) Generally.
Scott Benner (59:46) Okay.
Brenda (59:47) A little bit, it'll start.
Scott Benner (59:48) I mean, if I'm hearing your problem and understanding it right, I would probably try taking away a little bit of insulin, but doing a longer pre bolus.
Brenda (59:59) Oh, yeah?
Scott Benner (1:00:00) Yeah. (1:00:00) And then that way like, so imagine if you're starting to eat at 01:20 and you're going to one eighty. (1:00:07) If you started eating at ninety, you'd probably only go to 01:50. (1:00:11) Does that make sense?
Brenda (1:00:12) Oh, I see.
Scott Benner (1:00:14) Yeah. (1:00:14) And then and then on top of that, if you actually are using too much insulin, which is why eventually you're getting low because I assume the algorithm's taking away basal trying to make up for the bolus and it can't, eventually you get lower. (1:00:27) If you use less to begin with, hopefully, that time that time will be enough for it to rebound and not make you low later. (1:00:36) Does that make sense?
Brenda (1:00:37) Okay. (1:00:38) I could try that today.
Scott Benner (1:00:40) Yeah. (1:00:40) Give it a shot. (1:00:41) I mean, you know, if you get panicky or you worry, like, just start eating. (1:00:44) But, like, you know, I don't know
Brenda (1:00:46) get so tired of eating. (1:00:48) I just am naturally not a snacker.
Scott Benner (1:00:52) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:00:53) So that's the other thing I gotta get used to doing.
Scott Benner (1:00:56) You're you're making me feel like the the the last part of my life's not gonna be fun because I'm already irritated by eating too. (1:01:02) I just
Brenda (1:01:02) It's it's like, I literally get tired of chewing. (1:01:06) And as far as buffets go, it is such a waste of money on me. (1:01:11) It always has been my whole life.
Scott Benner (1:01:13) So you you have that experience where is it just do you feel like, my god. (1:01:16) I've been alive for so long. (1:01:18) I've eaten this thing so many times. (1:01:19) I'm just sick of it.
Brenda (1:01:21) No. (1:01:21) No. (1:01:22) Just in general, I've never been a gigantic meal eater.
Scott Benner (1:01:26) How about that? (1:01:26) Okay. (1:01:27) Okay. (1:01:28) You know, very and and, you know, it's interesting then. (1:01:30) So you lost a bunch of weight at your diagnosis.
Scott Benner (1:01:33) Yeah. (1:01:34) Did it all come back? (1:01:35) Are you around a hundred and forty pounds now, or did how did that change?
Brenda (1:01:39) No. (1:01:39) Jeez. (1:01:40) Something like that has happened to me at least twice. (1:01:44) I can drop weight just naturally even before this diagnosis. (1:01:49) Oh.
Brenda (1:01:49) If I would run a fever for around twenty four hours, I could drop at least 10 pounds in a heartbeat.
Scott Benner (1:01:57) Isn't that something?
Brenda (1:01:58) Yeah. (1:01:59) My whole life.
Scott Benner (1:02:00) You're lighter now than be before you were diagnosed?
Brenda (1:02:03) It took me the first time, like, about a year, year and a half to gain my weight back.
Scott Benner (1:02:09) Okay.
Brenda (1:02:10) And I generally try to run, like, around one twenty five to one thirty.
Scott Benner (1:02:15) Okay. (1:02:15) Okay. (1:02:16) And that's about where you are now? (1:02:18) Yeah. (1:02:18) Oh, so you put some back, but an amount that you that you're comfortable with?
Brenda (1:02:22) Yep.
Scott Benner (1:02:23) Yeah. (1:02:23) So were you were you overweight at one forty five?
Brenda (1:02:26) Maybe.
Scott Benner (1:02:27) A little bit. (1:02:28) A little bit. (1:02:28) Okay.
Brenda (1:02:29) For what I generally would run at.
Scott Benner (1:02:31) I gotcha.
Brenda (1:02:32) In fact, I had gone oh, this is maybe twenty years ago. (1:02:37) I had gone for a physical and didn't realize that I actually weighed one sixty. (1:02:43) I mean, I never paid attention to my weight my whole life. (1:02:46) Mhmm. (1:02:47) I told the doctor, I go, oh my god.
Brenda (1:02:49) Let me tell you what I eat in an average day. (1:02:51) And he goes, okay. (1:02:53) That doesn't make sense. (1:02:54) Went and checked the thyroid to see if it was low. (1:02:57) Everything came back normal, so I just started kinda keeping a closer eye at what I ate.
Brenda (1:03:06) And before my diagnosis, it had taken about a year, but I had slowly dropped at least 20 pounds. (1:03:14) But then that month or so before my official diagnosis, I just, it was like just falling off of me like water.
Scott Benner (1:03:22) Yeah.
Brenda (1:03:23) It didn't matter how much I ate.
Scott Benner (1:03:24) That's the high blood sugars at that point, plus probably the the the thyroid too, maybe.
Brenda (1:03:30) Yeah. (1:03:30) Yeah. (1:03:31) That's what everybody thought it was, the thyroid.
Scott Benner (1:03:33) Yeah. (1:03:33) That's why they that's why they missed the, the high blood sugar probably a little bit too
Brenda (1:03:38) It could be.
Scott Benner (1:03:38) Along the way.
Brenda (1:03:39) Because they didn't look for it.
Scott Benner (1:03:40) Yeah. (1:03:41) Because they thought they had their answer. (1:03:42) Yeah. (1:03:42) Right.
Brenda (1:03:43) I did too. (1:03:44) I thought they did too. (1:03:45) Sure. (1:03:45) I don't I don't blame them for that. (1:03:49) And, I mean, we could go on for hours how many times I've been misdiagnosed for different things throughout my life, so I kinda take what doctors say with a grain of salt.
Scott Benner (1:04:00) Yeah. (1:04:00) He had I mean, in the end, you did the thing that I think people have to do is you have to keep trying to figure it out for yourself.
Brenda (1:04:06) Yeah. (1:04:07) Yeah. (1:04:07) I did. (1:04:08) And I and I still do, and now I gotta train two new doctors, so I'm not looking forward to it.
Scott Benner (1:04:15) Well, I think it's possible that your kids would tell you that you get what it the you get more results with honey than with what's that saying?
Brenda (1:04:22) Oh, I start out that way.
Scott Benner (1:04:24) Right. (1:04:24) That's not till they let you down that you give it to them. (1:04:27) Right?
Brenda (1:04:27) Oh, yeah.
Scott Benner (1:04:29) How's your husband? (1:04:30) Is he scared of you, or where where does he sit?
Brenda (1:04:33) Oh, I don't know. (1:04:35) He should be, but he probably isn't.
Scott Benner (1:04:39) Alright. (1:04:40) Brent, is there anything that we haven't talked about that we should have? (1:04:42) Anything you wanna add to your story?
Brenda (1:04:44) I don't know. (1:04:45) Do you wanna talk about the dark side of bipolar?
Scott Benner (1:04:49) Is that with, somebody in your family, extended family. (1:04:53) Right?
Brenda (1:04:53) Yeah. (1:04:54) Sibling.
Scott Benner (1:04:55) Well, so you said there's a lot of other issues in, you know, in in your in your health line, you know, family ways. (1:05:01) Let me stop you for a second. (1:05:02) You said, don't know about my kids, though. (1:05:04) So are are you not like, did they not make you aware of their health issues? (1:05:10) How old are they too?
Brenda (1:05:13) Well, as far as I know, they don't have any
Scott Benner (1:05:16) Okay.
Brenda (1:05:16) Health issues.
Scott Benner (1:05:17) They're not struggling with anything then. (1:05:18) Okay.
Brenda (1:05:19) No. (1:05:20) Not that I know of. (1:05:21) I mean, your kids get to be a certain point, and they don't tell you everything.
Scott Benner (1:05:26) Is that strange?
Brenda (1:05:27) Is it strange?
Scott Benner (1:05:28) How does that feel as a mom the day you realize, like, something's happening at their house and I don't know about it anymore?
Brenda (1:05:36) Well, there's not much she can do. (1:05:38) Right?
Scott Benner (1:05:39) Yeah. (1:05:39) Does it make you sad though in the Are you like, oh, I I can't like, does it feel like you're losing something, or are you happy to see them kinda, like, you know, mature or spread their wings?
Brenda (1:05:49) Well, if it's something that you've dealt with in your life and you kinda know a solution, it would be nice if they would ask for your advice.
Scott Benner (1:06:01) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:06:03) But, otherwise, I think people that are parents, you've gotta realize that sooner or later, it's their life.
Scott Benner (1:06:10) Yeah. (1:06:11) Right.
Brenda (1:06:11) And they have to make decisions whether it's good or bad. (1:06:17) I'm just glad that my kids haven't done, as far as I know, half the stuff that I did in high school and college.
Scott Benner (1:06:24) I don't think we have time for all the things you may have done.
Brenda (1:06:27) We don't because I am a child of the sixties and the early seventies, if you can imagine what it was like.
Scott Benner (1:06:33) I feel like I can. (1:06:34) Well, do you think that your sibling's story about bipolar, do you think it impacts your story? (1:06:39) Do you think it's something people need to hear, or is it just something you wanna get off your chest? (1:06:44) How do you feel about it?
Brenda (1:06:46) Well, I know that you've had a couple of episodes with people who are bipolar.
Scott Benner (1:06:52) Yeah.
Brenda (1:06:53) And it is not an easy thing to deal with.
Scott Benner (1:06:56) No. (1:06:57) No.
Brenda (1:06:58) I don't think you've had a story where someone in a family is affected by the bipolar sibling.
Scott Benner (1:07:07) So this is how it impacts you. (1:07:08) Tell me about it then.
Brenda (1:07:10) Well, you know, my and I know other friends who have bipolar siblings, and it seems like they have a similar trait. (1:07:21) Mhmm. (1:07:22) And, you know, people maybe you shouldn't use my name because I don't want anybody coming after me, but the other side of the coin is how they treat their siblings. (1:07:33) Mine in particular is very manipulative and will only show this side to the siblings, but not to my parents who think that she was made out of gold Mhmm. (1:07:50) Got anything she wanted in the universe, and we all had to struggle for things, has threatened the family, me and another sibling, saying things like, well, I'm gonna go off my meds and get a gun and come visit you, and then we'll see what happens.
Scott Benner (1:08:11) Oh my gosh.
Brenda (1:08:12) Oh, yeah. (1:08:12) And I really believe it might happen. (1:08:15) Somehow has and my parents always felt sorry for her. (1:08:20) I don't know exactly why. (1:08:23) So, basically, after my mother passed and my dad was convinced to move out of Jersey to be with her, he has done things like bought her a brand new house and vehicles and put her name on Holly's accounts and his will and everything in the universe.
Scott Benner (1:08:47) Gosh.
Brenda (1:08:48) And that just came out of the clear blue sky. (1:08:51) I do understand why, but I know that she makes it extremely difficult for us to communicate with him, or to even visit.
Scott Benner (1:09:05) Yeah.
Brenda (1:09:06) So it is difficult.
Scott Benner (1:09:08) Are you saying you think she's controlling his decisions at this point? (1:09:12) Oh, yeah. (1:09:12) Yeah. (1:09:13) And move moving his whatever he's been able to save or anything to her?
Brenda (1:09:17) As far as we know, probably myself and my other sibling who was involved because he had called us once and said, oh, I need your Social Security number. (1:09:32) I'm setting up a special fund for you and your sister to be beneficiaries, blah blah blah. (1:09:38) Mhmm. (1:09:39) Said, okay. (1:09:39) Fine.
Brenda (1:09:40) Whatever. (1:09:41) And then we're told a year later, her name has been put on everything. (1:09:47) So my thought is if you think she's gonna give us a dime, you're out of your mind.
Scott Benner (1:09:54) Is it can I ask, Brent? (1:09:56) Is it a lot of money? (1:09:57) Is it hundreds of thousands of dollars? (1:09:59) Is it millions of dollars?
Brenda (1:10:00) It could be.
Scott Benner (1:10:00) It could
Brenda (1:10:01) very well be.
Scott Benner (1:10:02) Yeah.
Brenda (1:10:03) And it's not that myself and my husband, we managed to set up our stuff, so we're fine.
Scott Benner (1:10:13) Okay.
Brenda (1:10:13) And we will be fine until the day we die unless there's an apocalypse or something.
Scott Benner (1:10:19) Yeah. (1:10:20) Right.
Brenda (1:10:21) But my other sister is the one who could really use some financial support.
Scott Benner (1:10:28) It doesn't feel like that's gonna be available at that by then.
Brenda (1:10:31) Oh, I don't think it's gonna gonna happen at all. (1:10:33) Yeah. (1:10:33) I really don't. (1:10:35) I mean, this person did things like, my mom was at home in hospice towards the end. (1:10:43) Me and my other sibling, we were trying to do what my dad wanted.
Brenda (1:10:46) She did he didn't want a lot of people there so he wouldn't have to deal with more company. (1:10:54) The sibling with bipolar was there. (1:10:57) That could be another whole episode Yeah. (1:11:00) Dealing with her.
Scott Benner (1:11:01) Well, does she have any other health issues, the one with bipolar?
Brenda (1:11:06) Not that I'm aware of.
Scott Benner (1:11:07) Okay.
Brenda (1:11:09) Interesting enough, and she didn't officially tell her siblings, I also happened to find out through this cousin that apparently she's been going through a I'm not sure exactly what she would call it, Changing into a male. (1:11:31) Oh, she's she's Out of the clear blue sky.
Scott Benner (1:11:34) You're she's trans.
Brenda (1:11:36) Well, I think so.
Scott Benner (1:11:38) Okay.
Brenda (1:11:38) But we're not supposed to know about this.
Scott Benner (1:11:41) I see.
Brenda (1:11:41) Though, apparently, everybody else in the family does.
Scott Benner (1:11:44) Yeah.
Brenda (1:11:45) And it's been going on for a few years, and I thought, oh, what a novel way to use dad's money. (1:11:54) I mean, this is a person who is extremely religious her whole life
Scott Benner (1:11:58) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:12:00) And absolutely hated anything to do with homosexuals or trans or anybody like that. (1:12:11) So it
Scott Benner (1:12:12) It feels like a pretty big pivot.
Brenda (1:12:14) I yeah. (1:12:15) Yeah. (1:12:16) Huge to me.
Scott Benner (1:12:18) That's it's incredibly
Brenda (1:12:19) Who knows?
Scott Benner (1:12:19) I will tell you this that, you know, I've been shocked over the years of making the podcast of how many people, you know, you've heard, like, how many people like, oh, I have a bipolar uncle or sibling or something like that. (1:12:31) And I've always just brought it up because I've don't really know the, you know, very much about it, but I always think about, like, all these autoimmune issues and, inflammation. (1:12:41) And I just wonder how it's affecting people. (1:12:43) And I think it's, you know, it's not quantifiable, obviously. (1:12:46) I'm not running a study over here, but my gosh, more people have mentioned bipolar in their family than I I would have imagined while I'm interviewing people.
Scott Benner (1:12:55) So that's that's probably why you thought to even bring it up because I've talked about it like that before too.
Brenda (1:12:59) Well, yeah, and it was very stressful situation. (1:13:02) And I've heard you people talk about having viruses and then all of a sudden getting type one.
Scott Benner (1:13:09) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:13:10) And I was the one in the family. (1:13:15) Everybody else would be dropping like flies sick. (1:13:19) I never got sick from, like, anything.
Scott Benner (1:13:22) Yeah. (1:13:22) You probably have a, you know, an aggressive immune system.
Brenda (1:13:26) Yeah. (1:13:27) Yeah. (1:13:27) And maybe that's what got me in the end.
Scott Benner (1:13:30) Got a little over aggressive at some point. (1:13:32) Yeah. (1:13:32) Well,
Brenda (1:13:33) I mean, your podcast is gold. (1:13:36) I swear to God.
Scott Benner (1:13:37) I appreciate that. (1:13:38) I'm I'm so happy it's been helpful for you. (1:13:39) And I'm really impressed with you. (1:13:42) You know, you don't live your life like an like an old person who's, you know, can't take care of themselves. (1:13:47) But I mean, still, like, to find a podcast at, you know, 68, 69 years old and and listen through it and learn things and and make additions to your life is really impressive.
Scott Benner (1:13:58) Really is.
Brenda (1:13:59) Oh, good. (1:14:00) I ought to copy that and send that bit to my children so they'll know that.
Scott Benner (1:14:05) No. (1:14:06) Yeah. (1:14:06) Well, listen. (1:14:06) You you're you're alive long enough. (1:14:08) Your kids don't think much of what you're doing probably.
Scott Benner (1:14:10) But, like, I I think it is. (1:14:11) I think it's really incredible that at your age, you found a a problem for yourself. (1:14:17) You ran to so many different people who were not trying to you know, weren't helping you with it in the way that you were hoping to be helped, and you decided to go out and take care of it yourself, you actually did it. (1:14:25) It's really cool.
Brenda (1:14:27) Well and I feel like I'm still learning because I was never taught. (1:14:32) All I knew about insulin was that if you take too much, you're gonna kill yourself.
Scott Benner (1:14:37) Mhmm. (1:14:38) Yeah.
Brenda (1:14:39) That's all I knew.
Scott Benner (1:14:39) Right. (1:14:40) And that's a hard way to figure out how to do it.
Brenda (1:14:42) Yeah. (1:14:43) Yeah. (1:14:43) And so when I do tweak it and stuff like that with the Omnipod, I'm probably more conservative than I need to be.
Scott Benner (1:14:53) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:14:54) But I have noticed when I start to fall, oh my god. (1:14:58) It is fast.
Scott Benner (1:14:59) Happens quick. (1:15:00) Yeah. (1:15:00) Well, listen. (1:15:00) We obviously, big picture, we want you to be safe. (1:15:04) Right?
Scott Benner (1:15:04) Like, the we don't want you having low blood sugars where you can't take care of yourself or that's really important. (1:15:11) And
Brenda (1:15:11) Well, yeah. (1:15:12) Yeah. (1:15:12) Exercise is a big struggle also.
Scott Benner (1:15:16) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:15:17) I mean, just walking upstairs, taking a shower, and walking back downstairs, I have dropped as much as 80 points in twenty, thirty minutes. (1:15:28) Yeah. (1:15:29) It's crazy.
Scott Benner (1:15:29) Yeah. (1:15:30) It's I mean, I guess it really isn't. (1:15:32) But let me, you know, let me tell you about something while I have you here. (1:15:34) Joanne Milo, who's been on the podcast before and is gonna be back on it again, has launched a a website. (1:15:40) It's t1d2100.com.
Brenda (1:15:43) I joined that. (1:15:44) I joined it.
Scott Benner (1:15:45) Good. (1:15:45) Good. (1:15:46) Good. (1:15:46) I'm glad you found it. (1:15:46) I'm gonna have her on to talk about it pretty soon.
Scott Benner (1:15:48) Older I mean, she's an older person. (1:15:50) Joanne is. (1:15:51) She has type one diabetes, and they're trying to put good content out there and information for people who are living with type one into older and older age.
Brenda (1:15:58) Yeah. (1:15:58) I joined the Facebook group too.
Scott Benner (1:16:01) Good. (1:16:01) Good. (1:16:01) I'm glad. (1:16:02) She's awesome. (1:16:02) Joanne's awesome.
Scott Benner (1:16:03) You'll see when she comes on.
Brenda (1:16:05) I'll tell you when I was first diagnosed, it was like, oh my god. (1:16:11) I just lost twenty years of my life.
Scott Benner (1:16:13) Why why you thought you were gonna die earlier?
Brenda (1:16:17) Yeah. (1:16:17) Oh, alright. (1:16:18) And that was the impression that I was given from the doctors.
Scott Benner (1:16:21) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:16:22) So after I found your podcast and there were a few episodes with people who'd been living with it for twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, Every time I hear one of those stories, it gives me encouragement.
Scott Benner (1:16:38) Aw. (1:16:38) That's wonderful. (1:16:40) That's really great. (1:16:41) Yeah. (1:16:41) No.
Scott Benner (1:16:41) No. (1:16:41) It's wonderful for you. (1:16:43) It it it makes me feel good to know that that's happening for you.
Brenda (1:16:46) Because my family is like, hell, my dad is still walking around, and I think he's 95.
Scott Benner (1:16:53) No kidding.
Brenda (1:16:54) And his mom just missed a 100 by a few months even if she was the meanest thing on earth, but she lived long. (1:17:03) So in general, we live long lives.
Scott Benner (1:17:08) Yeah. (1:17:09) Yeah. (1:17:09) You you don't wanna lose out on that or have it diminished.
Brenda (1:17:13) No. (1:17:14) As long as I can keep walking around, I wanna make it to at least 95.
Scott Benner (1:17:20) I agree with you. (1:17:21) I say the same thing. (1:17:21) I wanna be able to go to the bathroom and and move around and think, and if that I'll do that for as long as I can. (1:17:28) You know?
Brenda (1:17:28) Oh, yeah. (1:17:29) Yeah. (1:17:29) I mean, with the exercise, I I hope I can. (1:17:32) I'm kinda working on it, and I hate to do it, but it seems like I have to start out high in order to not go too low while doing minor things, like weeding for fifteen or twenty minutes outside.
Scott Benner (1:17:49) Mhmm.
Brenda (1:17:50) It's really bizarre, I think.
Scott Benner (1:17:52) Gotcha. (1:17:52) Right?
Brenda (1:17:53) I started doing, tai chi, which is gentle. (1:17:59) I don't even really consider it exercise. (1:18:02) Mhmm. (1:18:03) If I go into the class at, like, I don't know, one eighty, one ninety, at least at the end of that hour, I'll be down less than a 100.
Scott Benner (1:18:15) Yeah. (1:18:15) That's quick. (1:18:16) Well
Brenda (1:18:16) It's wild.
Scott Benner (1:18:18) You tried the activity, setting on the OmniPod five?
Brenda (1:18:21) That's even if I'm inactivity.
Scott Benner (1:18:22) Even if you're inactivity. (1:18:24) How about
Brenda (1:18:24) Even if I'm inactivity.
Scott Benner (1:18:25) How about eating a little something that'll stabilize your blood sugar before you go out like, you know, like a granola bar or maybe a piece of toast with peanut butter on or something like that?
Brenda (1:18:35) Make sure I generally eat lunch before I go. (1:18:39) Mhmm. (1:18:40) And I'll shortchange it maybe five carbs or so just in case.
Scott Benner (1:18:45) Right.
Brenda (1:18:46) And then I always make sure I have crackers or something with me.
Scott Benner (1:18:49) So you're doing a little so so it's kind of a double thing. (1:18:53) So you're eating, but you're also a bolus thing. (1:18:54) So you're outside weeding, for example, but you do have active insulin going. (1:18:58) And you're taking off five carbs. (1:19:00) Maybe try a little more.
Scott Benner (1:19:01) Like, you know what I mean? (1:19:02) Like, maybe maybe move that insulin down even more before you head outside to to activate even if you're covering food. (1:19:10) See what happens.
Brenda (1:19:10) I know. (1:19:11) I just hate going what I consider high. (1:19:13) You
Scott Benner (1:19:13) know? (1:19:14) I know.
Brenda (1:19:16) But that's what it is. (1:19:18) I mean, when I told my one doctor about this, he goes, just eat a cookie.
Scott Benner (1:19:25) Yeah. (1:19:25) Well, he didn't have any big answers for you. (1:19:27) Doesn't sound like I'm gonna stop you here and and say thank you because, Brenda, this has been terrific. (1:19:32) I'm gonna go eat some lunch, and then I'm gonna record again in a little bit. (1:19:34) I really appreciate you doing this with me and telling your story.
Scott Benner (1:19:37) It was fantastic.
Brenda (1:19:39) Oh, good. (1:19:39) I hope it's interesting, and I hope your Rob guy doesn't have to
Scott Benner (1:19:44) Do too much?
Brenda (1:19:45) What does he do? (1:19:45) Take, yeah, take too many words out?
Scott Benner (1:19:48) He's not gonna take him out. (1:19:48) He's gonna bleep where you cursed than where I
Brenda (1:19:50) cursed. (1:19:50) You got me going. (1:19:52) It's your fault.
Scott Benner (1:19:53) I listen. (1:19:54) I like I I gotta be honest with The first time you cursed was delightful, so I was happy you kept doing it.
Brenda (1:19:59) Oh, ever since my brother and mom died, it's like I just flipped the finger and cursed at everybody. (1:20:04) It's like, I don't care anymore.
Scott Benner (1:20:07) Okay. (1:20:08) Well, I'm I think you should keep being you. (1:20:10) That that this really was fantastic, Brenda. (1:20:12) Thank you so much for doing this. (1:20:14) Will you hold on one second for me?
Scott Benner (1:20:15) Okay?
Brenda (1:20:16) Alright.
Scott Benner (1:20:24) Today's episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, and the Dexcom g seven warms up in just thirty minutes. (1:20:32) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. (1:20:37) The podcast is also sponsored today by the Omnipod five. (1:20:40) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit. (1:20:51) Free?
Scott Benner (1:20:52) Get out of here. (1:20:53) Go click on that link. (1:20:54) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (1:20:56) Check it out. (1:20:57) Terms and conditions apply.
Scott Benner (1:20:58) Eligibility may vary. (1:21:00) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (1:21:05) Links in the show notes. (1:21:06) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (1:21:11) Hey.
Scott Benner (1:21:11) Thanks for listening all the way to the end. (1:21:13) I really appreciate your loyalty and listenership. (1:21:16) Thank you so much for listening. (1:21:17) I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. (1:21:23) Oh my, did I get lucky.
Scott Benner (1:21:25) The Celebrity Cruise Line reached out to me and said, how would you like to come on a cruise before your Juice Cruise so you can get a real good look at the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship and share some video with your listeners? (1:21:39) I said, thank you. (1:21:41) So that's where I might be right now. (1:21:44) If it's December, let me actually find a date for you. (1:21:47) I'm not a 100% sure.
Scott Benner (1:21:48) I think I'm going in December right before Christmas. (1:21:52) Like, you know, like, I don't know, like, December. (1:21:55) I'm sorry. (1:21:55) I know this isn't much of a that. (1:21:57) But if you wanna see video from me on the cruise ship, my wife and I are gonna head out and really check it out to see what it's all about to grab some great video for you.
Scott Benner (1:22:05) Get it up on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook so you can see what you'd be getting if you came along on Juice Cruise 2026, which, of course, leaves from Miami on 06/21/2026. (1:22:17) We're gonna be going to CocoCay in The Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis. (1:22:22) Do not miss it. (1:22:23) It's a great opportunity to meet other people living with type one diabetes to form friendships, to learn things, and just swap stories. (1:22:30) It's a relaxing vacation with a bunch of people who get what your life is like.
Scott Benner (1:22:35) And trust me, there's a lot of value in that. (1:22:38) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (1:22:42) Come check it out and go find my socials to see what that ship looks like. (1:22:46) There's also a video at my link that's, kind of a ship tour with the celebrity beyond. (1:22:50) And let me tell you something.
Scott Benner (1:22:51) If this ship is a tenth as nice as this video is, I am in for a great time, and so are you. (1:22:58) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (1:23:02) Come along. (1:23:03) Have a podcast? (1:23:04) Want it to sound fantastic?
Scott Benner (1:23:05) Wrong way recording.com.
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