#1881 Subsistence Diabetes

Emily spent months farming in Tennessee, attributing her extreme thirst to an electrolyte imbalance. Today, she shares her grounded, "roll with it" approach to managing Type 1 diabetes.

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Key Takeaways

• A Stoic Approach to Diabetes: Emily manages her Type 1 diabetes and Hashimoto's with a practical, "roll with it" attitude learned from her mother and her life as a farmer. She doesn't let the diagnosis overwhelm her, choosing instead to handle it as just another variable in her day.
• The Trap of Self-Diagnosis: Before being officially diagnosed, Emily attributed her severe symptoms (sweating, weight loss, extreme thirst) to working on a humid farm in Tennessee, convinced she just needed electrolytes. It's a reminder of how easy it is to rationalize serious medical symptoms.
• The Importance of Community: Emily highlights how simply hearing other people's passing thoughts and relatable experiences on the podcast provided her with a profound sense of comfort and connection that she was missing in her day-to-day life.
• Farming and Insulin Management: Working intensely active, 10-hour days on an organic goat and vegetable farm requires constant adaptation. Emily uses the activity mode on her Omnipod 5 to prevent lows during strenuous tasks.
• The Psychology of Settings: Scott and Emily discuss the complex psychology behind avoiding certain diabetes tasks (like taking a GLP medication or adjusting pump settings) and how doing so can sometimes feel like "admitting defeat."

Resources Mentioned

• ABLE Now: ablenow.com
• Dexcom G7: dexcom.com/juicebox
• Omnipod 5: omnipod.com/juicebox
• Juice Box Podcast Pro Tip Series & Tools: juiceboxpodcast.com
• Wrong Way Recording: wrongwayrecording.com

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Introduction & Sponsors

Scott Benner (0:00)

Here we are back together again, friends, for another episode of the Juice Box podcast.

Emily (0:14)

I'm Emily. I'm 30 years old, diagnosed with type one diabetes three and a half years ago at 27, and I had a Hashimoto's diagnosis right after that.

Scott Benner (0:31)

My diabetes pro tip series is about cutting through the clutter of diabetes management to give you the straightforward practical insights that truly make a difference. This series is all about mastering the fundamentals, whether it's the basics of insulin, dosing adjustments, or everyday management strategies that will empower you to take control. I'm joined by Jenny Smith, who is a diabetes educator with over thirty five years of personal experience, and we break down complex concepts into simple, actionable tips. The diabetes pro tip series runs between episode one thousand and one thousand twenty five in your podcast player, or you can listen to it @juiceboxpodcast.com by going up into the menu. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise.

Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. This episode is sponsored by Able Now, tax advantaged savings accounts for eligible individuals with disabilities. If you or your child lives with diabetes, you may qualify for an ABLE account because of ongoing medical needs, and many people in the diabetes community do. With ABLE Now, you can save for future expenses without affecting eligibility for certain disability benefits such as Medicaid. Learn more and check your eligibility at ablenow.com.

You spell that ablenow.com. Today's episode is also sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. The podcast is also sponsored today by Omnipod five. Omnipod five is a tube free automated insulin delivery system that's been shown to significantly improve a one c and time and range for people with type one diabetes when they've switched from daily injections.

Learn more and get started today at omnipod.com/juicebox. At my link, you can get a free starter kit right now. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod dot com slash juice box.

Meet Emily: Double Diagnosis

Emily (2:43)

I'm Emily. I'm 30 years old, diagnosed with type one diabetes three and a half years ago at 27, and I had a Hashimoto's diagnosis right after that.

Scott Benner (2:59)

Those are your two things happening right now?

Emily (3:02)

Those are my two things happening right now. Yeah. The Hashimoto's came after a whirlwind of the diabetes, and I wouldn't know what my symptoms were in regards to that, if any. They said take a pill once a day, and I said can do. So So

Scott Benner (3:24)

you think they picked it up in regular testing after you were diagnosed with type one?

Emily (3:30)

They actually, years before, found some levels that were off and even did an ultrasound and kinda went back and forth between this is a problem, this isn't, and landed on this isn't. So never started any medication. And then right after the diabetes at the doctors, they were like, you know, this side of your thyroid eye

Scott Benner (3:54)

neck Neck. Yeah.

Emily (3:56)

Is is really swollen. Right? And I was I had no idea. Nope. Didn't notice that.

And did more testing, and then, yeah, we've then we found out Went down. Hashimoto's.

Scott Benner (4:08)

Look at you. Big fun. Let me ask you a question. This is my first time asking somebody this. I've been thinking about this today, and I thought I would try it.

What do you imagine we're gonna learn in this conversation today?

Emily (4:19)

Yeah. I've been thinking about that as well. I think what it's the same piece that impelled me to reach out to you, which is I gained a lot of technical insight from your podcast and your resources with the Facebook group as well. But a huge component was just being able to relate even if it was one thing out of a whole podcast that somebody said. Mhmm.

Just being to relate gave me I mean, it's not like a piece, but it's a comfort. It's some it's something that is, I guess, missing in my day to day existing that I didn't realize until I felt it.

Scott Benner (5:14)

Okay.

Emily (5:14)

So I'm not sure I have anything groundbreaking. I know I don't have anything groundbreaking to contribute, but maybe somebody feels like, oh, I can relate to that, and it just makes them feel, I don't know, comforted, a little more

Scott Benner (5:35)

Okay. Well, that's a great answer.

Emily (5:37)

Yeah.

Scott Benner (5:38)

Yeah. Well, so you're saying that maybe the technical stuff aside or, you know, the help that, you know, when you're like, I don't know why this is happening when I'm bolusing or something. Listening to people's conversations, inevitably, someone says something that what maybe patches a little tiny leak in your your dam, and then those patches come on more and more and more and more, and all of sudden you sort of feel better?

Emily (6:04)

Yeah. Yeah? Yeah. For sure.

Scott Benner (6:06)

Okay.

Emily (6:06)

For sure. Because when I turn on your podcast, I'm just surrounded with people who may we have totally different lived experiences and maybe even interact with diabetes differently, but there's still something it's the diabetes connecting us. And, yeah, I guess just it's pretty simple. Like, somebody's stating something about their life with it or how it's impacting them.

Scott Benner (6:32)

Emily. Emily, do you know those do you know those moments in a movie when the scene is taking place in front of a crowd of people like a theater or on a football field or something like that? And they do that very kind of like ham fisted hooky thing where one person starts to clap slowly and then another person goes, oh, are we clapping? And then they start clapping, and then before you know it, there's, like, a thousand people clapping and 10,000 people clapping. It goes on and on, and that feeling it gives you.

Yeah. I wonder if it's that a little bit. I wonder if it's people standing up, putting themselves out, and becoming part of a tapestry of, in this case, sound, right, and feelings. And then eventually, you feel like that tapestry turns into a blanket. Maybe I'm getting rid of my damn analogy, and I'm going to this maybe.

Emily (7:20)

I love a blanket. No. I think

Scott Benner (7:22)

Have you ever seen Rudy?

Emily (7:24)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Benner (7:26)

But you didn't love it. Some guy drug you to it and right? Or made you watch it at home or something, and then they let

Emily (7:32)

I don't have a mind for movies. I if I see them, I am I immediately they don't So take up I'm not I'm this person.

Scott Benner (7:40)

So that's okay. So so Rudy walks on at Notre Dame. I think this is, like, based on a, like, a true story. Right? And I believe if I'm not wrong, Rudy is one of those guys that end up being a hobbit at some point.

And, sure that's how he'd love to be remembered. And, and at the end, I think it's, like, his last possible like, they let him on the team. He's, like, a mascot though. Like, they beat him up in practice. He never plays, etcetera.

And they eventually let him on the field. This is, you know, a thing. I cried when they let Rudy play, and I didn't give a shit about Rudy. But I think it's all part of that, like, crescendo of emotion feeling. I struggle to put a name to that.

This is maybe boring to people, but I think about that feeling all the time and what that is. Like, why does it feel so good when a group of people come together like that? But nevertheless

Emily (8:31)

yeah. Okay. Powerful.

Scott Benner (8:33)

It really is. Yeah. So I will tell you this. You don't have to have a special thing to say in our conversation today for that to happen for somebody else.

Emily (8:42)

That's kind of You know? Yeah. That's kind of what I've gathered from from listening. I mean, a lot of people say a lot of special things, so no doubt. But Yeah.

Yeah. Just goes back to what we're saying. I mean, there's there's a lot of magic and simplicity in somebody just saying it in a way that you've had a thought about without thinking about it in-depth where it just ends up meaning more because it's as broken down as your passing thought.

Sponsor Break

Scott Benner (9:14)

Oh, that's that's a nice way to think of it. Okay. Well, let's find out more about you then. So you're 27, and you're feeling what? Like, how did it come on?

Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. We talk a lot about ways to lower your a one c on this podcast. Did you know that the Omnipod five was shown to lower a one c? That's right. Omnipod five is a tube free automated insulin delivery system.

And it was shown to significantly improve a one c and time and range for people with type one diabetes when they switched from daily injections. My daughter is about to turn 21 years old, and she has been wearing an Omnipod every day since she was four. It has been a friend to our family, and I think it could be a friend to yours. If you're ready to try Omnipod five for yourself or your family, use my link now to get started. Omnipod.com/juicebox.

Get that free Omnipod five starter kit today. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. As I told you earlier, Able Now is sponsoring this episode.

Able Now, of course, tax advantaged Able accounts for eligible individuals with disabilities. If you or your child lives with diabetes, you may qualify for an Able account because of ongoing medical needs. Many people in the diabetes community do. With ABLE now, you can save for future expenses without affecting eligibility for certain disability benefits such as Medicaid. And thanks to updates to federal law, ABLE accounts are now available to more people than ever before.

That means more individuals and families can use ABLE now to save and invest. Funds in an ABLE now account can be used for a wide range of everyday needs, including education, transportation, health care, assistive technology, and more. There's no enrollment fee, and you can open an Able Now account with a small initial contribution and build from there. Learn more and check your eligibility at ablenow.com. That's ablenow.com, ablenow.com.

Farming in Tennessee: A Recipe for Misdiagnosis

Emily (11:19)

Oh my goodness. It came on. So I was diagnosed in October, and I was having symptoms since definitely May.

Scott Benner (11:33)

Okay.

Emily (11:34)

So no. March, actually. It came on, and I I can only imagine all of these things, symptoms that I was having, are related to the diabetes because they were just nothing normal, and I couldn't place them to anything else. And then they basically just tumbleweeded into more and more drastic characteristics. So at first and this sounds so strange.

I don't know if it's related, but I was having severe shoulder pain. I couldn't move them at all for no reason. Every morning, I was, I mean, I was having I was nauseous. I was constipated. I was constant acid reflux.

I was having stomach pains, and, eventually, it comes on in into bigger and okay. So let me slow down, maybe. I was freshly on a farm in Tennessee where I hadn't ever previously lived. And so I and I had been for a year in kind of transient living conditions

Scott Benner (12:55)

Okay.

Emily (12:56)

In a state of settling in constantly or kind of just, like maybe not even settling in, but adapting. I'm placing all of these new things either really lightly because I'm fixated on the newness in front of me, or I'm attributing them to the new conditions that I never lived in. So I never lived in such a humid state, and I'm working outside six days a week, ten plus hours a day, living outside in the hottest summer on record and in such a humid climate. So when I start drinking x amount of water bottles a day and peeing five plus times throughout the night, I'm, you know, dehydrated.

Scott Benner (13:56)

Cursing Tennessee. You're not thinking you're sick. Right?

Emily (13:59)

No. I'm thinking this

Scott Benner (14:01)

Where'd you move from, by the way? Where were you prior to going there?

Emily (14:06)

Prior to going there, I was living on the road with my partner for about three months.

Scott Benner (14:15)

Mhmm.

Emily (14:17)

Prior to that, we had come from a farm in Vermont that I had I'd only but he had been there for a season. I'd only gone to meet him after the wildfires in California where I was working kicked me out or I decided to escape Mhmm. From.

Scott Benner (14:36)

So Let's take a second, Emily. Are you what they call a hippie? What's going on here? Or you just are you a farm worker or how do what is this? Explain that more.

Emily (14:47)

There's probably some crossover, but I wouldn't self identify as a hippie. Definitely a farm worker. Yeah. I've worked on farms, organic farms, that's probably for the last eight years. And so I had actually left Montana where I'm back to now to go out to a farm in California that my best friend was managing at the time.

Right before leaving Montana, I had met who's now my fiancee, and he was moving to Vermont, and I was moving to California. And so we had plans at the end of the season to meet up together. Things weren't going so hot in Vermont, so we were gonna go on this road trip. We were gonna, you know, see what we wanted to see, experience where we wanna experience whilst kind of trying to find the next place we wanted to farm together and, hope, settle in to a good fit somewhere, which Tennessee was not it.

Scott Benner (15:44)

You you're breaking my heart, by the way. I'm leaving tomorrow to go to Tennessee.

Emily (15:49)

Okay. Okay. Well, I mean

Scott Benner (15:51)

I'll find out more later. I'm actually going to give a talk in Atlanta, but I decided to drive and stop in Tennessee to see some some towns and stuff because I always I always talk to my wife about, like, I think we should move to Tennessee. And I don't I haven't been there since I was a kid, so I have no idea why I'm saying that. So I'm taking this opportunity to swing through.

Emily (16:11)

No. I think it's the best to just have a hunch about a place and wanna go because you wanna go and check it out.

Scott Benner (16:16)

That's Okay.

Emily (16:17)

Super exciting. And I think my experience of Tennessee is really tainted, and I try to separate that because the people I was working for were just not the right fit. And then, also, I'm suffering Yeah. For my entire experience without even without realizing it, but my body is just

Scott Benner (16:43)

fully suffering. Yeah. I gotcha. Yeah. Between those two things, you could go back under a different circumstance and have a good time, you're saying.

You think?

Emily (16:50)

Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (16:51)

Yeah.

Emily (16:52)

Yeah. I think so.

Scott Benner (16:53)

But how bad is the humidity? Like, what what are we talking about?

Emily (16:57)

Wow. So it was brutal. I mean, you're never not sweating. I you take a shower and granted you would probably live indoors, maybe with air conditioning.

Scott Benner (17:10)

Mhmm.

Emily (17:11)

We didn't have that. That shower was outdoors, and then we had our living situation set up at the top of the hill above the farm. So as soon as you shower, you're hiking, and you're Sweating. Yeah. You're

Scott Benner (17:29)

I'm not gonna farm while I'm there probably, so that'll probably but what time of year were you there?

Emily (17:35)

It was there from March to September, October.

Scott Benner (17:40)

In even in the fall and the spring, the humidity was existed?

Emily (17:44)

It did exist. Yeah. And so I live in Montana. It gets pretty darn cold. And I remember being there at the beginning of the season in March, and it was probably, like, 52 degrees out, something like that.

And I remember thinking it felt like 32 because of the humidity just made it.

Scott Benner (18:08)

Made it cool. Yeah.

Emily (18:10)

Cool. Old. It was yeah. And then yeah. Then there's no relief in the summertime.

It's just sticky and

Scott Benner (18:19)

Well, I think they're gonna put a thing on the moon. Maybe I'll go there.

Emily (18:23)

Yeah. Could that could hold

Scott Benner (18:26)

I don't know. I just I I so badly wanna be somewhere warmer, but not, like I also don't wanna be dripping the entire time. There's gotta anyway, I'll figure it out. Alright. Let's get back to you.

So you're you're down there suffering that's going terribly. Are you diagnosed by yourself, by a doctor? Like, how do you get to the medical help?

Sponsorship Break

Scott Benner (18:49)

The Dexcom g seven is sponsoring this episode of the juice box podcast, and it features a lightning fast thirty minute warm up time. That's right. From the time you put on the Dexcom g seven till the time you're getting readings, thirty minutes. That's pretty great. It also has a twelve hour grace period, so you can swap your sensor when it's convenient for you.

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It's covered by all sorts of insurances and, this might be the best part. It might be the best part. Alerts and alarms that are customizable so that you can be alerted at the levels that make sense to you. Dexcom.com/juicebox. Links in the show notes.

Links at juiceboxpodcast.com to Dexcom and all of the sponsors. When you use my links, you're supporting the production of the podcast and helping to keep it free and plentiful.

The Electrolyte Trap & Acceptance

Emily (19:56)

So I have kind of, like, always tried to approach things from a I don't know. I'll I'll research my symptoms maybe leaning towards, like, more holistic or natural solutions. And so I'm sweating buckets. I'm thinking it's my electrolytes are out of whack. That concept never left me for, like, eight months.

I was gung ho. My electrolytes are out of whack, so I'm just feeding myself with things I, obviously, weren't the solution. So that was me trying trying to self diagnose.

Scott Benner (20:38)

Yeah. What gave you the idea about the electrolytes? Was it a thing you heard, or did were you googling, or what got you to it?

Emily (20:45)

Yeah. I can't exactly remember. I just kind of think by the amount that I was sweating, I thought surely I'm losing nutrients and disrupting balances quicker than I can replenish them.

Scott Benner (21:03)

I see. Not a crazy thought, by the way.

Emily (21:06)

Not a crazy thought, but it easy to lock on to that and put your blinders on to anything else. And really think

Scott Benner (21:14)

that the sixth month of trying to, impact your electrolytes is when it was gonna come together. Yeah. Right?

Emily (21:20)

Precisely. The moment of diagnosis, I 100% knew that they just needed to hook me up to some hardcore IV electrolyte situation, and I was gonna be good. I knew that's what they were gonna tell me. Of course, that's not what they told me at all. But I don't know why, but I was just so

Scott Benner (21:41)

It didn't occur to you to keep looking or thinking about something else. You felt like you figured out the problem and you were trying to address it.

Emily (21:49)

Yeah. I mean, I'm not sure how much I believed I figured it out. I mean, because I just had all of these crazy symptoms. Like, I was losing my vision. I couldn't remember things or hold conversations.

I you know, everything that could deteriorate was deteriorating in front of me. So it's hard to think back and think that I just believed that because I fancy myself a little more intelligent than that. But I think there's an wildly powerful thing that happens maybe in the name of self preservation where this is also happening in tandem. All of these all of these symptoms are becoming my new normal, and I start to think to myself, oh, no. That's how I always am.

Yeah.

Scott Benner (22:45)

Mhmm.

Emily (22:46)

My gums bleed and are swollen a lot.

Scott Benner (22:49)

That's It happens to people, doesn't it? So you think maybe it's a little bit of the brain fog, a little bit of the I can get through this, I can do this, and a little bit of the slow kind of drip drip drip of it if it changing and you're really being able to remember where you were before it started.

Emily (23:06)

Right.

Scott Benner (23:07)

Yeah. That kind of blend of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. What's that what's that fantasy you don't know.

You're not a movie person where they all go to that bar and then they get they realize they've been there for, like, twenty years already and it feels like five minutes. Like, I feel like that's part of it. Like, that feeling of, like, you just sort of get lost, you know. Okay. Okay.

You see, you finally what do you do? You break down does somebody help you get to medical care or do you actually make the decision?

Emily (23:29)

I made the decision. So we left the farm in Tennessee. We were coming back to the farm that we previously worked on in Montana. So we're on the road. My partner's going straight to Montana.

I'm going to visit my mom in Oregon first. So I head there, and here's where I also solve all of my woes. I think to myself, well, I'm not gonna be working my ass off, and she has air conditioner. So I'm gonna sit inside. I'm just gonna I'm not gonna, you know, get into all this physical activity.

I'm gonna eat food, and I'll ride it all. All it'll all fall all the pieces will fall back in. Mhmm. Gain back those 30 pounds I lost, and, we'll be good

Scott Benner (24:24)

to bada boom, we're gonna be right back to good. That's it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Emily (24:28)

Yeah. So so I got there, and I'm doing all of those things. Check. Check. Check.

I'm just getting worse, though. More and more fatigued. Turns out probably because I'm not moving. I think all the activity in farming helped maybe keep my blood sugar

Scott Benner (24:51)

A little

Emily (24:52)

a little Yeah. Yeah. Lower. It functional. So that more kind of stagnation whilst heightened symptoms was when I was really hit with this isn't right.

So I just made, like, a quick appointment for the for the next day at an urgent care or some kind of clinic right around the corner from her house. And so we went there in the morning, sat me down, took a I guess they took a finger prick. So I'm there all of five minutes before they come back in the office and say that I have type one diabetes. And I don't remember if I said it out loud or just screamed it in my head, but it has just I just remember saying, that's not me.

Scott Benner (25:49)

You got the wrong chart. You're looking at the wrong piece of paper there. That's somebody else.

Emily (25:53)

Percent. Yeah. 100%.

Scott Benner (25:55)

I just need a Gatorade. Did you not?

Emily (25:58)

Right. Just hook me up. I need some of that sodium, potassium Yeah. Y'all got.

Scott Benner (26:04)

You need a magic trick. But I'll be alright.

Emily (26:06)

Exactly. Exactly. And so they go my my mom was out in the waiting room, and they were asking, you know, do you want to tell her? Do you want us to tell her? And I was just thinking to myself, like, alright.

Well, you can lie to me, but you can't lie to that woman. Yeah. Bring her in. You tell her I have type one diabetes. And yeah.

So that was real.

Scott Benner (26:30)

Yeah. And they they they stick your in an ambulance, or did they did they let you drive?

Emily (26:37)

They

Scott Benner (26:38)

because you had someone with you maybe. But you went right to the hospital. Right?

Emily (26:42)

No. I didn't. What'd you do? I well, I went back to my mom's house. Think, you know, when I left there, they had said, like, we're really gonna push for you to get in with an endocrinologist as soon as possible.

And so I went back to my mom's. I think either that day or the next day, somebody from their office called and said checking in on me and said I should go to the emergency room. And my mom and I kind of looked at each other and was like, that's really expensive. You know? I think it was only maybe a few days later I got in with that appointment, maybe two days later or something like that.

I got in and, yeah, I had just kind of decided, I'm well, I'm just gonna keep breathing. I'm just not I won't die.

Scott Benner (27:36)

Well, that's not how that works there, Emily. But, we we so had you lost a bunch of weight?

Emily (27:42)

I had lost yeah. I had lost weight that I didn't really have to lose.

Scott Benner (27:48)

Okay.

Emily (27:48)

Probably thirty thirty plus pounds.

Scott Benner (27:51)

How tall are you?

Emily (27:52)

Yeah. Five nine.

Scott Benner (27:55)

And when someone says type one diabetes, that sounds serious. Right? And you go back home, do you and your mom go, like, let's Google this and see what this means?

Emily (28:05)

Yeah. So those first few days from that appointment to the endo appointment, I can't remember the timeline, how many days were in between, what I did in between. After the endo appointment, though, that's when I came home, and I'm on Google. And I find your podcast out the gate. Wow.

And I start listening to maybe some of the defining episodes, and I'm just thinking to myself, bolus. Not once did she say the word bolus to me. I was like, they're not I've never had extreme faith in relying entirely on doctors and what they say. I take it upon myself to educate as well and consider, more than just what they're saying. So that's kind of what I was looking for and also just more information.

I kinda felt like they were treating me really timidly.

Scott Benner (29:09)

Mhmm.

Emily (29:10)

And I could handle a lot more. And so when I found your podcast, I just was consuming it because I felt like they weren't explaining anything of import to me probably to not overwhelm me, and that probably would work really well and would be what some people need. But

Scott Benner (29:29)

You'd rather have the information.

Emily (29:31)

Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (29:32)

I imagine if you go to a doctor and they tell you something, like, big, like, you have a thing, and then you go look online and find a bunch of contacts that no one mentioned to you, you have to think, like, why is no one saying that to me? How come the guy with the podcast or the website or wherever whatever you find? Like, how come they think all this is so important and yet the doctor didn't mention it?

Emily (29:53)

Right.

Scott Benner (29:54)

Right? Yeah. That that's gotta be, off putting, I would imagine. Were you in DKA, by the way?

Emily (30:00)

I don't know.

Scott Benner (30:02)

Emma, what was your blood sugar? You had to be in DKA. What what was your blood sugar?

Emily (30:06)

I think that morning, it was 400 something, and my a one c was 15

Scott Benner (30:14)

Yeah. There's you had no one ever said that did they put you on IVs, keep you in the hospital for days? How did all that go?

Emily (30:21)

No. I never even went

Scott Benner (30:22)

to the hospital. To the hospital.

Emily (30:23)

Yeah. Alright. Listen. Emily, let

Scott Benner (30:26)

me ask you again. Are you a hippie? Just say yes this time. I'm sorry.

Emily (30:31)

If you asked me that, twelve years ago, yeah. Duh. 100%.

Scott Benner (30:37)

Yeah. There's some pictures of you in overalls with a bandana over your hair somewhere?

Emily (30:41)

A couple dreads shouldn't have had for sure. Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:45)

I think I I think I could I could paint a picture of you in my mind. By the way, when you were like, don't really trust doctors, I was like, yeah. I heard you say you were from Oregon.

Emily (30:52)

I'm not from Oregon. But is? No. She's moved around a bit.

Scott Benner (30:57)

Well, I was gonna say your mom's a hippie too. Like right?

Emily (30:59)

I should've no. No. No. No.

Scott Benner (31:02)

Wait. No. Your mom's moved around a little bit?

Emily (31:04)

Yeah. She's just she's real adaptable and Listen.

Scott Benner (31:11)

I think it's awesome. I'm just telling you, the people who are listening are like, I don't go outside and cut my lawn. This girl's worked on 17 different farms. That's pretty cool. I think it's really cool the way you're doing things.

But okay. So when you start digging in to figure out what's going on, how long does it take you and what helps it get through to you, the seriousness of this, and the fact that you, you know, you kinda have to bear down and you can't just treat it like, oh, I got a thing. I'll do a little insulin, and I'll go on my way.

"Rolling With It" & Finding Acceptance

Emily (31:38)

Yeah. I think something that I think about sometimes is just how as shocking as the diagnosis was, felt like it came out of thin air, nowhere land, I took it and, for the most part, didn't look back. That was it. That was my life. I have to figure it out, do good at it, and that's it.

I think it's almost like leading all it's kind of like the whole symptom section of life, prediagnosis that, you know, this is just my life now, and I I can live like this. It's like that, but in reverse and for the better. Over on this side now, I have diabetes, and I know that's for life. So I just wanna take care of myself. And, I mean, as soon as I got on insulin or really rather quickly thereafter, I felt like I had a lease a new lease on life.

I just felt like I had my life back, my mind back, my body was coming back. I felt good, and that's where I wanted to be. And so the decisions I was gonna make and, like, the priority I was gonna make diabetes was going to be to uphold what I just got back. You know?

Scott Benner (33:07)

Yeah. Are you a religious person, or was it a a spiritual feeling? You just kinda just gave yourself over to it right away?

Emily (33:15)

It really goes back to how I was raised by my mom who is an excellent top tier example of rolling with the punches.

Scott Benner (33:28)

Mhmm.

Emily (33:29)

Some huge comes onto your plate you weren't expecting, and she doesn't stumble or falter. She matches it and lives through it without it being this, like, ground shaking. I mean, she just keeps steady through it all. So I've witnessed that, and she's lent me that ability because of that, I would say. So it doesn't really feel like so much of a choice.

It's just what I've seen, and it's the way that I react. That's not to say I didn't have several, you know, breakdowns within the first year of frustration or it feeling too big.

Scott Benner (34:13)

K.

Emily (34:14)

But, largely, it's just I can't undo it. The electrolytes weren't the ticket. You know? Here's the solution, and I'm not gonna get in my own way of letting it be the solution.

Scott Benner (34:31)

So this has always kind of been your mom's vibe, and it Yeah. You know, came over you. Obviously, it's what helped you move around the country and do those things. Right? Like, because new stuff doesn't feel overwhelming.

It just feels like what's next. Right? This is the thing I'm doing now, and I just do the thing.

Emily (34:47)

Yep. Exactly.

Scott Benner (34:49)

Okay. Makes sense. And how do you apply that to diabetes, though? Like, do you take that feeling, that vibe, and apply it to diabetes?

Emily (35:02)

Well, I think I have to kind of yeah. It's I think maybe it's just ingrained. I have to kind of tease it out to answer that question. I mean, I think in all of how do I apply it to diabetes? You have to keep educating yourself, which I think happens through the podcast naturally.

And then also if I'm going after something more educationally based in three year series. Let's see.

Scott Benner (35:38)

Take it. It's just you take I know it's a it's no. No. It's an out of it's a it's a weird question. It's not a thing you've thought about before.

I'm just I'm saying you grew up in a this is what we do. We just do it. It's not bad. It's not different. It's just life.

And then suddenly, hits you, but how does it hit you? Right? Like, you have to learn about stuff you've never heard of, words you've never heard before. How do they affect you? The fear of putting in that insulin.

Right? Like, all that other stuff. And even when you have a breakdown, you think, god, this is terrible. Like, how does that like, way you grew up, how does that apply to this?

Emily (36:15)

It keeps the ball rolling. I think it doesn't keep me in any one negative place too long where the rest of the things in my life still take center focus.

Scott Benner (36:28)

Mhmm.

Emily (36:29)

And then diabetes is this large piece that I have to tend to and keep up with, keeps following me throughout my day, so I have to mind it. But it's kind of, like, rolling rolling

Scott Benner (36:45)

You just roll with it.

Emily (36:47)

The next day. And

Scott Benner (36:49)

How much does knowing how to do hard work help? How much does, like, having a job that I imagine you wake up with the sun and and, you know, work until the sun's gone and you're exhausted and everything, but you don't complain, you do it again the next day? Like, how much of that, like, training do you think applies to diabetes? Maybe it doesn't.

Emily (37:08)

Yeah. I don't know. I don't know if it how it does. I'm sure you know, I think the hard work is a piece of the puzzle, but the nature of the work is just ingrained in very tangible things. It's just, you know, I'm working with the elements.

I'm working with animals. I'm growing food. I'm working with all real tangible things. And I don't mean to say that if you're not working with any of those, then you're not, but it's less like I don't know. I'm just I'm working with life's elements.

Scott Benner (37:46)

Yeah. I would assume too there's a lot of variables in those elements that are beyond your control.

Emily (37:52)

Only. Yes. For the most part. Yeah.

Scott Benner (37:55)

Probably all of them. And then at the same time, that that can't stop you. You can't not grow the food or pick the food or process the food because it's raining or because it got too hot or too like, you just have to continue to, what, like, reassess what's happening and then apply the skills you have to that new situation, and that could probably be hourly or daily or or or so on.

Emily (38:16)

Right.

Scott Benner (38:16)

Okay. Yeah. Alright. Well, that makes that makes a lot of sense to me, actually. So diabetes isn't the hardest thing you do in the course of a day, or is it

Emily (38:25)

It can be.

Scott Benner (38:25)

It can be. Okay. So talk about that. When when that breakdown comes, is that a flooding of emotion or just it's too much? You you don't have you don't have the bandwidth for it anymore?

Is that burnout?

Emily (38:38)

I don't think it's burnout. If it is, it it just lasts for the moment until that alarm stops beeping at me. I think the hard part is just considering all of my activity and insulin because I'm constantly active or maybe then we're switching gears and doing something less active. And here it's lunchtime, and I started out low. And now after lunch, I'm gonna be racing around.

And I think, honestly, it's difficult to have a thing that I have to tend to in front of other people and have potentially even if it's very minor, have a plan or a moment shift based on my need

Scott Benner (39:35)

Mhmm.

Emily (39:36)

Of, oh, to eat sugar now. Or

Scott Benner (39:40)

Well well, now you surprise me, Emily. Like, it's no. Seriously. Because you've got, like, a go go with it attitude. Right?

So then what about it being in front of other people is bothersome?

Emily (39:53)

I just don't like the attention on me, and I don't like and I really don't think it is on me.

Scott Benner (40:01)

But it feels like it is?

Emily (40:03)

But it feels like it is, and I don't like having to express that it's I don't know. I did I I had a hard time just having diabetes as something that could slow me down or impact me, and therefore, once that bleeds out into other people affecting other people.

Scott Benner (40:30)

Do you feel like you're intruding on other people's time?

Emily (40:34)

Yeah. Intruding on their time. Maybe they're seeing a vulnerable moment for me, especially if I am low and my mind is a little out of sorts, then I feel especially vulnerable in a way that I don't feel connected to and definitely don't want other people to connect me too.

Scott Benner (40:55)

You don't want people to see you as being weak or out of out of control or

Emily (41:00)

Right.

Scott Benner (41:01)

Not as smart as you normally are, all the things.

Emily (41:04)

All the things. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Scott Benner (41:06)

Well, I mean, that'll make sense to me. I'm just by the way, I'm really enjoying listening to you think through your thoughts and your life. Thank you for doing this. Appreciate it very

Emily (41:14)

I really appreciate that because

Scott Benner (41:18)

No. Because I know it can feel awkward when someone asks a question and you don't have, like, a rattle off answer. And you realize that I'm not gonna go away and we're still recording and you've gotta figure out what the answer is. And, like, it's interesting to hear people process that, I think.

Emily (41:32)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I think I would

Scott Benner (41:36)

probably have I'm sorry. You would probably what?

Emily (41:38)

Yeah. I'm sure the more that I thought about these things, the more would come to light. So

Scott Benner (41:44)

Yeah. No. And it's a good opportunity to sit and think about stuff that I I believe you don't normally ruminate over. I find the podcast very helpful for that. Myself you know, for myself too.

You know, you just you're sort of you're in the moment. You're you're kinda forced to deal with whatever it is that's being asked or said, and sometimes you don't have an answer right away. And I think it's more interesting when you don't have an answer than when you do sometimes. So okay. So I

Emily (42:10)

your Yep.

Scott Benner (42:11)

Yeah. So how long does it take you to rebound from being sick? Do you gain the weight back? Do you set up I mean, do they give you a CGM? Like, how do they get you launched off?

Managing Farming with Omnipod 5

Emily (42:22)

So launch off was the pens with long acting at first, dialing that in, and then short acting and finger pokes. So they started me off slow. I was meant to kind of keep a diary of blood sugars and carbs I was eating that went on for probably two weeks. So I was advocating for a CGM. That inspiration definitely came from the podcast.

And so I got on Freestyle Libre, and then I was doing MDI for probably six months or so until getting on the Omnipod

Scott Benner (43:13)

Okay.

Emily (43:13)

Which I've done ever since now with Dexcom.

Scott Benner (43:18)

The Omnipod five? Are you using automation?

Emily (43:20)

The Omnipod five in automation. Yes.

Scott Benner (43:23)

How is that working for you? Because you're so because you're farming still. Right?

Emily (43:26)

Yep.

Scott Benner (43:27)

Yeah. So how does that work with your activity?

Emily (43:29)

It works pretty well. Over the last maybe six months or so, I've been playing around with activity mode quite a bit more. Mhmm. That's definitely helpful. Definitely helpful.

Even if I'm starting to go low and notice that, I'll switch it into that. And it more often than not catches me or catches me more than had I not. So that helps helps me a lot, I think.

Scott Benner (44:01)

Can I ask a question about your activity? Yeah. It's occurring to me as you're talking that some people talk about, like, oh, you know, when I work out, this happens, or if I suddenly go to Target, it happens. But your activity is significant but constant. Right?

So it's not really activity as much as it is just your your baseline.

Emily (44:21)

Right.

Scott Benner (44:22)

Yeah. So what do you do you have days off? Do you like, are your days off consistent? Are they Saturday, Sunday, or they or do you not have days off? Like, how does your schedule work?

Emily (44:30)

Yeah. I have Saturday and Sunday off. Otherwise, for the most part of the year, it's Monday through Friday. And, yeah, I don't know. I guess the pump has generally I don't have anything too crazy about it.

I would say if I do, it's from my end of timing insulin. Kind of I touched on come lunchtime, maybe my number's sitting just right in the little lower spot. And so I bolus as I'm eating or right after I'm eating, just thinking of the rest of the day ahead.

Scott Benner (45:07)

Let me ask my activity question, okay, and see what happens. I would think for most people, they get low around activity, but you probably experience a high on the weekend. Right? Because the system's not giving you much insulin Monday through Friday, and then on Saturday, Sunday, you slow down. Is it more difficult?

Do you have the bolus more, or is your activity so significant that it's a stasis for your body seven days a week? Does that make sense?

Emily (45:33)

Yeah. I actually never considered that. I think that might be the case based on I don't I'm not fighting the Omnipod on my weekend. I'm not fighting my blood sugar on my weekend.

Scott Benner (45:46)

Okay.

Emily (45:46)

Yeah. I would say the numbers are generally the same. I have less to consider in terms of activity, so maybe I need to look at food a bit differently come the weekend time. Mhmm. But that's also the same as when I get home and have dinner and being Stopped.

Still. More still. Yeah. So it's not like, here comes the weekend. It's a foreign entity of diabetes that gets differently throughout the rest of the week.

No. I there's lots of overlap.

Scott Benner (46:15)

Yeah. No. It just occurs to me that because of your job, I would imagine it's very consistent. Because I even hear from people who have jobs that are aggressively, you know, needy physically. Like, there's definitely better words there than that.

More active at certain times a day, but not at others, and they'll have, like, peaks and valleys during the day. But I'm imagining that your gets out of bed, hits the ground running, and you don't stop. Right? You're moving constantly, aren't you, or on your feet or not comforted? No.

You're not comfortable somewhere. You're not in a chair at any point.

Emily (46:48)

Yeah. No. Not in a chair. Nope. We're raising.

Oh, I work on a goat dairy slash vegetable production farm. So, yeah, right now, we're raising 40 or so kids. That's what they're called. Good kids with a herd in in the hundreds. And so, yeah, as soon as I get there, taking care of all the kiddos, attending to birds, we've got a new wave of kitting happening.

So we got a bunch of mamas having their babies. And other than that, I mean, it's springtime, so we're getting going in the fields and the greenhouses. And yeah. I mean, the spring is like a get up and go, and then the mid season is the height of the season, so it's super get up and go. And then the fall is huge harvest and tuck everything back in before the winter and

Scott Benner (47:42)

And then do the inside stuff until right? Do you fix equipment during the winter, stuff like that?

Emily (47:48)

Well, actually, in the wintertime

Scott Benner (47:50)

I was gonna say, do you cough and and go do something else? But I don't know why. So I was gonna put it that way, but do you go off and do something else during that time?

Emily (47:57)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A bit between, vegetable season ending and then our main kitting season that picks up in January, February time, my partner and I will go travel. We get some time off off the farm, off work, and get to go, have fun.

And then we come back in the height of winter and help birth a bunch of babies.

Scott Benner (48:25)

Wow. That's crazy. Well, it's a is that a passion project kind of job, or does it pay more than I imagine it does? Like, is it a career you could do your whole life and take care of yourself, or is it a thing you're doing now while you're younger because it calls to you? What's that what's that like?

Emily (48:42)

Yeah. It's a good question. I don't necessarily have answers to all, but it is passion. Yeah. You can't do this without passion.

It's not the pay. It's just a love for for the animals, for the land, for providing quality food to people, for tending to land in a way that's respectable and can carry on a future. It's so many deep things, really. I can feel welling up inside of me more than I can verbalize. I do wonder you know, I think when you first get into farming and everybody is wondering, like, oh, you're gonna have a farm of your own one day?

And you think, surely, well, yes, of course. And then it goes on and on, and you realize more the realities of owning an organic farm in a society that does support it. Absolutely. But there's a grander where the overarching decades long putting down of the organic farmer and the small farm. So there's a battle within that.

There's a battle financially. And I think I if I'll have my own farm one day, maybe my partner and I would would love to see something like that work out, but we also get to work on a farm that we love, have roles in it that we've grown into, and help us grow. And at the end of the day, we can take off and go to Mexico for for a few weeks. Mhmm. We can live our lives without what I'd imagine would be a tremendous amount of going out on a limb for a struggle.

The Psychology of Diabetes & Avoidance

Scott Benner (58:59)

Yeah.

Emily (58:59)

But there's that voice there.

Scott Benner (59:02)

And and does the voice win usually, or does it They

Emily (59:06)

they it's a good fight.

Scott Benner (59:08)

It's okay.

Emily (59:11)

I'm not sure who comes out. At at the end, the voice wins, but the outcome needs to happen first for for me to like, coming on coming on here to talk to you, I you know, within the week before, I was like, I have what am I gonna say? I have what am I gonna contribute? I just started getting worked up about it. I was like, maybe I'm gonna cancel.

Another voice in my head is like, you are not going to cancel.

Scott Benner (59:42)

Good. I'm glad you didn't. I really enjoyed this. Actually, you know, I watch Arden do this thing sometimes where pretty simple. Right?

She has a a fairly large aversion to needles, which I know is interesting. But, like, because of that, she'll struggle to take her GLP meds sometimes. Mhmm. And, you know, she'll do it for weeks in a row and everything's great, but then sometimes she's like, oh, I can't like, she just can't bring herself to do it, and she starts to put it off. And once you put it off, it kinda it it don't stretch into weeks. You know?

And she did it again recently. And I said, hey. You're gonna have to change settings, you know, but we're gonna have to change them again in a few days and take down insulin to carb ratio, make it weaker. You're gonna have to make basal weaker. You're gonna have to make instant sensitivity weaker, like, all this stuff.

And all day yesterday, I was like, why does she keep getting low? I mean, like, she just shot that med, like, four days ago, and I know what's going on. And trust me, if you ask me, I can explain it to you pretty well. And I forgot, like, thirty, like, six hours throughout the day, like, it didn't occur to me until finally, I, like, smacked myself in the head. And I walked into her, I was like, what's going on? She's like, I'm low.

And I'm like, yeah. I'm like, your settings are all wrong.

Emily (1:01:06)

Wow.

Scott Benner (1:01:06)

Well, in that time, all we have to do to combat that is to change her settings back. She doesn't want you to put the settings back to where they need to be without the GLP. And I am forever trying to figure out the psychology behind that. And the closest I've come to it is to think that she doesn't want to admit defeat. Like, in her mind, she's going to take the GLP.

And putting the settings back is saying, no. I'm not going to. And she doesn't want to feel like or admit that it's taking the does all that make sense?

Emily (1:01:44)

So much sense.

Scott Benner (1:01:45)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and so I've been watching this go on now for a while, and I just try to support her through it the best I can. You know?

And even there's even times where, like, it'll go, you know, three days and I'll be like, hey, Arden. Listen. You know, just move your sensitivity or do this or that. She's like, no. Like, I'm gonna you know, she's like, I'm I'm no.

She doesn't even say I'm gonna do it. She just it's just no. And then no to me sounds like, if I move those goddamn settings, I've lost. And then, you know, I'll tell you, like, honestly, like, you know, I'll just sometimes just wait until she leaves the room for a second. I pop her phone open, I put her settings where they are.

And, like, so so that she, you know, her because her a one c could go from, like, a rolling average of, 5.5 up to, like, seven

Emily (1:02:31)

Just for

Scott Benner (1:02:31)

for not changing those settings because it's such a significant difference. She doesn't want me to do that. But then she realizes that I've done it, and then somehow after it happens, the pressure's off of her, and then she does the shot again.

Emily (1:02:46)

Wow.

Scott Benner (1:02:47)

And I might be wrong. She might listen to this in the future and be like, that is not what was happening. Like right? But, like, from my perspective, that seems like what's going on.

Emily (1:02:56)

And I feel like you described what, what can go on with me sometimes, like, the not wanting to admit defeat, the pressure around that, both of those things happening in regards to some decision you have to make or choice for yourself, something. Yeah. I I don't know what what you said resonates, though. And I think I need to figure out where why that resonates, where I feel that, and why something can hold a can hold so much meaning in it when really it's the click of a button on your phone.

Scott Benner (1:03:39)

Yeah. Do you know why I told you the story?

Emily (1:03:42)

Because I

Scott Benner (1:03:43)

heard you say something a little while ago. It I heard you say something a little while ago that made me feel like you must feel like that.

Emily (1:03:49)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Don't know why some things overwhelm simple simple stuff, but there's some, yeah, there's some layers there.

Scott Benner (1:04:01)

Yeah. Keep thinking about it.

Emily (1:04:04)

Yeah. No. For sure.

Scott Benner (1:04:05)

Yeah. You'll you'll get the I I have a lot of a lot of good feeling about how you're gonna turn out as a person. I know you think you're old probably because you're 30, but you're just getting started. You know?

Emily (1:04:17)

Yeah. No. I appreciate that. I do.

Scott Benner (1:04:19)

That's cool. Also, I'm super impressed with myself sometimes, and this is one of those moments.

Emily (1:04:25)

Yeah. Well

Scott Benner (1:04:26)

You would never say something so boastful, Emily, but I'm not above it. I really just I felt like I heard you say something that fit in that vein, and I thought I'm gonna hopefully, Ardino listen to this one day and understand when I shared something about her life that, you know, she probably doesn't tell anybody else just so that because I think it's gonna be really helpful to you and to the people listening to. So I think you gave something to the conversation twice today, and this was me giving something to it as well, I hope.

Emily (1:04:51)

Yeah. Oh, 101100%. Absolutely. Cool.

Scott Benner (1:04:54)

Cool. Listen. I have the greatest job. Everybody should get a podcast. We should all stop working, and we'll all starve to death and the electro will go off, but we'll all be very, very mentally healthy as we're starving to death.

Right? If we all just get a podcast and talk about how we feel.

Emily (1:05:09)

We can live off of that. Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:05:12)

For a little while, Emily, and then you will die without food. So are the goats dangerous? Are they fun? Or do they have different personalities?

Emily (1:05:21)

They are so fun. They're mischievous. They do have different personalities. The worst that could really happen to you is you have your head in the wrong place at the wrong time and get a little concussion.

Scott Benner (1:05:35)

They give you a little smack?

Emily (1:05:36)

Some some strong downs. But yeah. No. They're a blast. They're That's very cool.

They're sweet. They're playful. I mean yeah. I feel

Scott Benner (1:05:50)

You feel what? I cut you off. I apologize. You feel what?

Emily (1:05:53)

I just love having a connection to animals that respond to you. It's fun to feel like you can communicate with a herd of livestock animals. It's a

Scott Benner (1:06:07)

You wanna say magical?

Emily (1:06:09)

Yeah. It's magical.

Scott Benner (1:06:11)

It's okay. You can say that. Listen. I have a tree monitor, and I associate a sound and a tapping with food time. And I went in there the other day be and she was hiding in a log.

And I did the sound and the tapping, and she came out of the log and looked at me like, oh my god. Are we gonna eat? And I was like, oh my god. I taught that thing with that sound in the I was I was like, We're having a moment. I'm not a herd of goats, but I I do think I understand what you mean.

And I also, even though I kinda keep animals that are, you know, smaller and and more, you know, contained, I think that it's I'm gonna sound I'll say something to make me sound like more of a hippie than you you have the whole time. Okay. Ready? Thank Yeah. Yeah.

I thank you. Did you say thank you? I think that because I've chose to keep the animal, it's my job and and charge almost to do things that it needs to get its you know, not just its food right, but its lighting and its heat and its surroundings. Like, I it's my job to look at it and figure out what it needs and provide it that those things.

Emily (1:07:19)

I agree.

Scott Benner (1:07:20)

Yeah. And it's sort of an extension of how I think about parenting too. So I originally got a chameleon because I was like I said to my wife, I'm like, kids don't really need me anymore, and I feel sad about it. I like, I need something to, like, take care of. Now since then, I've learned those kids, they still need you.

It doesn't really matter how old they are.

Emily (1:07:41)

Yeah. That's that's good. I feel that way

Scott Benner (1:07:44)

Mhmm. That month. But anyway, how much my last question is, how many acres do you need to have a nice, like, functional small farm?

Emily (1:07:51)

Oh, you could have a quarter of an acre.

Scott Benner (1:07:53)

And work it out.

Emily (1:07:55)

Yeah. Yeah. You could you could have a little backyard to to provide. You can grow a lot of food in a small small space.

Scott Benner (1:08:03)

Interesting. That's really cool. Well, I appreciate what you're doing, and I appreciate that you came on here and shared it all with me. I am going to get into a car very soon and go give a talk, so I gotta run. But if you hold on one second, I'll just explain to you how the rest of this works.

Okay?

Emily (1:08:19)

Okay. Well, thank you so much.

Scott Benner (1:08:21)

No. You were terrific. Hold on one second.

Outro & Sponsors

Scott Benner (1:08:30)

Dexcom sponsored this episode of the Juice Box podcast. Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by Omnipod five. Omnipod five is a tube free automated insulin delivery system that's been shown to significantly improve a one c and time and range for people with type one diabetes when they've switched from daily injections. Learn more and get started today at omnipod.com/juicebox.

At my link, you can get a free starter kit right now. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. A huge thanks to today's sponsor, AbleNow.

AbleNow offers tax advantaged Able accounts for eligible individuals with disabilities. If you or your child lives with diabetes, you may qualify because of ongoing medical needs. With Able Now, you can save for a wide range of disability related expenses without affecting eligibility for certain disability benefits such as Medicaid. And thanks to recent federal law updates, more people are eligible than ever before. Learn more and check your eligibility at ablenow.com.

You spell that ablenow.com. There's links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com. Hey. Thanks for listening all the way to the end. I really appreciate your loyalty and listenership.

Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. But everybody is welcome.

Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. 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. If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. Listen. Truth be told, I'm, like, 20% smarter when Rob edits me.

He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. And it just I don't know, man. Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? And then I remember because I did one smart thing. I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.

You got a podcast? You want somebody to edit it? You want Rob.

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