#1892 You'll Get Used to It - Part 2
Part two: after years coded as type 2 — fighting for a pump, scary lows, lasting damage — she takes charge, turns her numbers around, and makes her case for antibody testing.
You’ll Get Used to It
Cold Open & Sponsors 0:00
Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Juice Box podcast. This is part two of a two part episode. Go look at the title. If you don't recognize it, you haven't heard part one yet. It's probably the episode right before this in your podcast player.
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. If you're new to type one diabetes, begin with the bold beginnings series from the podcast. Don't take my word for it. Listen to what reviewers have said.
Bold beginnings is the best first step. I learned more in those episodes than anywhere else. This is when everything finally clicked. People say it takes the stress out of the early days and replaces it with clarity. They tell me this should come with the diagnosis packet that I got at the hospital.
And after they listen, they recommend it to everyone who's struggling. It's straightforward, practical, and easy to listen to. Bold Beginnings gives you the basics in a way that actually makes sense. Today's episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Eversense three sixty five. You can experience the Eversense three sixty five CGM system for as low as $199 for a full year.
Visit evercentcgm.com/juicebox for more details and eligibility. This episode of the juice box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit. Free. Get out of here.
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Coded Type 2: The Pump & Mounjaro Fight 2:23
Uh-huh. For the first time?
Mhmm.
How did they get me approved for Mounjaro? Since I'm a type one diabetic, they relying to my insurance for four years.
Your doctor's office then? Mhmm. Okay.
Yeah. Because when I finally pushed, I've been on a pump for almost exactly a year, actually. It might be a year, like, this week. I had to fight tooth and nail to get on a pump, and it took, like, six months to get it approved because my insurance was like, you're you're a type two. Like, you've been coded as a type two all of this time.
We're not giving you a pump. And I, anyway, threatened to do my doctor. I was like, but lying.
But there are plenty
of people who I know.
Who get pumps as type two.
Grab a pump. I know. Yeah. But it was a big issue. It was a big issue.
And so I think that's how they were able to get me on Mounjaro, which I just try not to look too closely at that. Like, someday, someone at that insurance company is gonna be like, wait a minute.
You know what they say?
Plus one is not equal to. So I'm just hoping nobody catches it.
Yeah. Yeah. You know what they say. Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.
Exactly. Yeah. I just kinda, like, I just kinda quietly pick up my Mantra every month and just hope no one notices. Thank you. Because it's working really well for me.
And I am still at honeymoon. I do still have some low CPAP ties. So
Mhmm. Wow. How much weight have you lost on the GLP?
I don't know. You know, I didn't really so after I started after the hospital visit and I started taking insulin, my weight went back up. Not all the way back up. Mhmm. But it started going back up, and it really wasn't until I started that GLP in 2022 that's when really the heavy weight was.
So maybe 60 or 70 of the pounds.
And is that That
has been very slow. It's been very slow.
Well, you're me. That's awesome. But are you are you able to talk about it without, like when I ask you how much weight did you lose, is that triggering for you? Or like
Not anymore, no.
No. It would have been at some point though.
Yeah.
Yeah. You'd have been yelling at me about the patriarchy by now if I would have brought that up at a certain point of time. Like, I understand. Okay. Alright.
I know how you are. Goddamn white men. Like, what? I know that's it's just a rabbit hole of complaints.
You're not you're not wrong.
You're not wrong. I'm not wrong. I by the way, I I've I'm on a roll today. I interviewed somebody earlier today. And, like, based on, like, six minutes of conversation, I was like, what do you like?
And I picked out, like, what I thought they did for a living, and she cracked up laughing. She was like, my god. You're so close. I'm embarrassed. And I was like,
get That's help
so funny. But but but but so the the GLP, you said you really it's really helping you. Like, can you contextualize for people? Like, take a take a detour here and tell people what it's done for you. What do you think it's still doing?
Well, so the reason I was put on it wasn't actually for weight loss. That's just like a nice side effect. It's how I see it. Mhmm. The way I did have one, there was one NP.
Because like I said, that's an old Endo. It was a revolving door. People, like, quit every three months at that office. So because I saw a new provider almost every single time, which is I think how I also got lost in in the shuffle part of it. Not that that excuses them.
And she this is one good one. She was like, listen. There's these new medications, these GLP ones. There's some preliminary studies showing that it can help protect the remaining beta cells that you still have that are functioning.
Mhmm.
And it can kinda prolong this honeymoon phase and which I didn't even fully understand what that meant at the time, so nobody could explain it to me. But I was like, okay. There's these cells, and they're dying, and this will help them die slower. She was like, yes. And you might lose some weight.
And I was like, great. I've had a problem losing weight my whole life unless I'm literally starving myself. And so that was my motivation, and that still is my motivation. I mean, somebody could tell me tomorrow, like, you can't be on this GLP one anymore, and I'd be upset about my beta cells, not about any potential weight implications, if that makes sense.
Okay.
And so I think that's why five years in, I am still honeymooning. I mean, I have to be because I still have I think my c peptides were at, like, one or 1.5.
Yeah. I mean, you're not you wouldn't be the first adult who told me that they think that Bounjaro is, like, stretching out their honeymoon.
Impatient With the Honeymoon 6:41
So absolutely is. And, you know, at a certain point, when I finally took the bull by the horns and figured this will die these thing out, I was kinda mad about it. I was and I even asked my new endo. I was like, can I just like, what can I do to kill my beta cells faster? And he looked at me like I grew horns.
And he was like, why would you ask that? I was like, I'm not trying to sound ungrateful. I'm sure every other type one out there would love to trade places with me and still be in their honeymoon, but I'm ready to shit or get off the pot. If I understand this correctly, it's only gonna get worse. It's never gonna get better.
And I kinda like I'm tired of being in this honeymoon phase because it is hard. Like, day to day
Changes.
I don't know. Like, is this gonna be a really insulin sensitive day? Is this gonna be a really resistant day? How much insulin should I put in my pod this time? Am I gonna use all the units or, like, none of the units?
And, like, that part is a little frustrating, and he was he talked me off the ledge, He was like, we're not gonna do that.
Yeah. In a world where we're trading one problem for another one, let's stick with this one longer.
Right? Right. And so I'm I'm I'm fine now. I just I had a momentary. I was like, I'm sick of this.
Let's just kill them all the way and be done with it.
Let's get to the bad part. Can we?
Yes. Yes. Let's get to the bad part faster because then I can tackle it, and I can deal with it and move on.
I agree. I mean, listen, it's not a crazy thing to say out loud. I mean and it sounds like he did a good job of being like, oh, slow down. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I'm yeah. I got past it. Yeah.
It Got Worse: Scary Lows, No Supplies 8:09
So so this continued. My AMNC continued in the eighths until May 2024. And something about, like, May to September of twenty twenty four, my diabetes got a whole lot worse. And you can see a trend of, like, a huge drop in C peptides at that point even though it still happened. Mhmm.
There was a big drop. I still was not on a CGM. I was lucky if I tested my blood sugar even once a day. There was no mention of a pump. I still had never met with a diabetes educator.
I didn't even know that was a thing. I didn't know to ask for that.
K.
I had never been given any kind of training, no crappy little book that you get in the hospital, like, nothing. And I started experiencing really scary lows for the first time. I didn't even know that's what was happening. I had two experiences where I was out with my daughter, and it's just her and I, and I had absolutely zero supplies with me. No meter, no sugar, nothing, and had really scary lows where, like, by the time I got myself home and tested, I was still, like, in the forties and fifties.
Okay. I didn't even know that's what was happening.
Couple questions, may I?
Yeah. Mhmm.
Why are you not carrying a meter in your supplies with you? Is it because you don't want to or you don't know that it's even important?
That was still during the phase where I didn't even know this was important.
Okay. And then the other part I always like to ask anybody who finds themselves in this situation, contextually, not to blame anybody. But did you know you were hurting your long term health?
No. I did not. Okay. I know now, and I'm pissed. I'm really angry about it.
Good.
Lasting Damage & Dismissive Care 9:50
Yeah. I have to take I have, like, some permanent damage to some organs and, like, some nerve damage.
You do already? Yeah.
Yeah. I'm really angry about that because, again, now that I know how to read my own labs very proficiently
Mhmm.
I see it. And I see all the warning signs, and I see I had microalbumin in my urine, and I had protein, and I was probably in DKA more than once. And nobody told me. And They would walk they I would walk into the appointment, and they would say, yeah. Her a one c is still a little high.
Like, how often are you testing? And I'd lie. And I'd be like, oh, you know, I'm testing before and after every meal. And they're like, what's your they never downloaded my data. Mhmm.
They were like, what's your average blood sugar? I was like, oh, most of the time when I test, it's one fifty. They were like, okay. Well, you know, keep chipping away at it. That's it.
You do you I'm gonna use some harsh language, but I wanna make sure that I understand. Is it your intention to tell me that you think that these people were looking at you and going, it's just another fat person that doesn't take care of themselves, and we're not gonna try because it's not gonna matter? Yeah. Yeah. That's the that's the care you feel like you were getting.
Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry. Absolutely. I'm just sorry you even said it out loud, but but I appreciate No.
That wasn't I didn't find that harsh at all. I found that honest.
Cool. Alright. Well, I I oh, listen. I mean, somebody's gotta point this out. Apparently, it's me.
I don't know how that happened.
Uh-huh. Yeah.
“I Wouldn’t Have Wasted Four Years” 11:15
I somebody said to me the other day, he's like, so weird, isn't it, that you don't have diabetes? And I was like, I know. I think that a lot. I I really do. Like, of all the people who could've settled into this position, like, how in the hell?
You know what I mean? Why wasn't it one of you guys? And some of them must
be pissed
at by the way, Mary, some people still gotta be mad, don't you think? Don't you think some people turn on and go, hope that this is the popular diabetes podcast made by a guy who doesn't have diabetes? Awesome. You you know people are pissed at me somewhere. Okay.
I don't know. I hide in here. I can't I don't really know if any of you exist. Although I'm going out in the world, I'm going to a talk this weekend. Oh, first of I'm doing a talk tomorrow
That's exciting.
In a hospital, and then I'm gonna I'm driving to Atlanta, and I'm gonna go do a talk in Atlanta.
I love that you do stuff like that. I think that's really important.
It's gonna be fun. And we'll meet a couple 100 people and and say hi, and then I'll have lunch. And then I'm gonna go look at I talk all the time about, like, I should move south. Right? I'm actually gonna go look at a couple of houses on my way home.
Good for you.
Yeah. It's kind of a working fun trip. Scotty doesn't get out here often enough, so I'm gonna take a few days.
Go ahead. If you should. Yeah. You you've more than you've more than earned that.
Well, that's not why I'm doing this. I'm doing this so that I can keep the electric on, and so that you guys can be healthier. I mean, listen.
Here we go.
I gotta tell you something. A web page about type one diabetes and menopause is not gonna draw a lot of traffic to my site. I'm certainly not gonna make any money off of it. If that if you don't hear me say that out loud and think, this guy must really care about us, you're out of your mind. Because, like, there's there's no one no one making content makes content they don't think that they can't get clicks off of.
I'm constantly running around making content for big 12 people. I'm like, here. Yeah. I think you'll love like, this is really gonna help the people. It's gonna help.
I I look at the the sign language page for the bold beginning series all the time.
It does Oh, that you did like
a few clicks a month. And I think
But but it's so important. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No.
That's what I love about this podcast and and about you is it's it's just so genuine and so natural. And I don't know. We don't deserve you. No. You're a national treasure.
First of all, you're very kind. And and mostly people just heard how I cook one saving you, man, pivoted the whole thing right onto me, which I'm not gonna lie to you. I did. And I'm just I'm so good at. It's hard not to do sometimes.
You know what mean? Okay.
It's your prerogative.
I've got skills, Mary. They're not all fantastic. No. It really I will later, I'll listen back to our episode at some point. Right?
And and what I think people from the outside will see is like, well, that was self serving or this was that. Like, I'm really doing these things because I think they're making points to people listening Yeah. Which will end up moving them in a certain direction that will help them.
But Well, listen. If I had like, that's why I'm here today. It sounds so trite, and everybody says this, but it's because it's true. If I had listened to a podcast like this with somebody like me back in 2021, I wouldn't have wasted four years of my life
Yeah.
Damaging my organs.
Yeah.
So if one person listens to me rambling with you Mhmm. And has benefited, like, that's that's the goal.
That's how I see all this, actually. So I'm I'm happy for you to add your story to it. But, anyway, I'm sorry. I I No. That's okay.
I did waylay you. I apologize. This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Eversense three sixty five. Get three hundred and sixty five days of comfortable wear without having to change a sensor. When you think of a continuous glucose monitor, you think of a CGM that lasts ten or fourteen days.
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Taking Charge & Finding the Podcast 16:23
No. No. No. It's okay. Well, so just to kinda wrap wrap it up.
So, September 2024, I started taking this all seriously. I actually did join and I'm not gonna talk much about this. This is not why I'm here. I did join a a diabetes coaching program that I found online.
Mhmm.
Did that for a few months. It was like a crash course. Learned a lot of basics. Confronted my endo. We duped it out.
I demanded a CGM. I demanded a pump. Anyway and I and I started sort of this this journey that I'm on now, and I didn't even discover your podcast until literally about I think it was April of last year. Somebody had a birthday party. Somebody you know very well at a birthday party told me about the podcast.
And so, like, the too long didn't read.
Already been
a really good hour in.
Hold on a second. Somebody that I know well at a birthday party told you about my podcast.
Yeah.
Is it somebody I'm related to?
No. No. No. No. It's somebody who's been on the podcast, and he's very active in the Facebook group.
Ryan Hodges?
Ryan. Oh, you said Arizona. I should have guessed Ryan. Yeah. Actually, may I say this right here?
Because I don't know where this else will ever come up. Ryan is gonna come back on the cruise and help me with some stuff, and so we're gonna share a cabin together. So Ryan and I are gonna get to know each other pretty well.
Oh my god. Yeah. That's amazing. And he told me last year that he was going on the cruise. Okay.
So let me tell you how I met Ryan. So he okay. I have a neighbor in my neighborhood. We're friends. She has kids.
We have kids. We're at one of her kid's birthday parties. Ryan is her stepsister's husband.
Okay.
And he was there at the party, and I was there at the party, and he saw me. I didn't even have a CGM at this point. Or maybe maybe I had a CGM. I had a CGM. I didn't have a pump.
And so he saw me, like, take out my pen because I was gonna eat a hot dog. And he was like, oh, are you diabetic? And I was like, yeah. He's like type one or type two? I was like, actually type one.
And we got into this chitchat, and I was really I still I kinda hate when people ask me when I was diagnosed because when you say you were an adult and not a kid, people get confused. And it stresses me out and makes me kind of panic. And and so I think I might have even lied about how long I had been a diabetic to him because I was like, I was so embarrassed. I'm better about that now when people ask me. I'm like, was in my thirties.
You know? And he's like, oh, what pump are you on? I'm like, oh, I'm just MDI. Like, you know, I'm trying to get on the Omnipod, and I just did this coaching program. I've got my a one c down, and and he's like, have you listened to Juice Box?
And I was like, what's that? And he tells me about it. He tells me about the cruise, and I started listening, I think, that day. And, yeah, here we are. I've listened to almost every episode you've produced.
I started in the mid hundreds
Mhmm.
And I've skip I've skipped very few.
What the Podcast Changed 19:13
Well, that's really crazy. Mhmm. Can I Yeah? Can I ask you to contextualize something for me? Because you're in the middle of something that's pretty new.
And this isn't I'm saying this to you because I don't want you to feel that I'm asking you this, but also for the people listening. Like, I'm not asking you to tell me, like, why I'm so terrific. I'm asking you, like, what helped you? Like, what struck you? What made sense?
What led you to something? Were there because there's something about how it's made or how much is available or how it's structured online or, like, can you help me understand how it helps you?
Yeah. I listen on Spotify. When I had found the podcast, I, you know, I had already got wrapped my arms around a lot of the basics that you go over in, like, bold beginnings and the the pro tip series. And, you know, my amnesty was starting to come down, but I still listen to all of those series. And I was like, oh, that actually was explained in a way that's a lot more simple than the way it was just explained to me.
Oh, okay. Kinda reinforced what I've been learning. And for me, it's like, I love listening to people's stories. I think everybody has a story, and everybody has a journey, and everybody is interesting. And being able to listen to these episodes, whether they're the tactical ones or whether they're people storytelling, I I find it really comforting to have a way to connect back to the t one d community consistently and to hear stories that I can relate to even if somebody's experience or journey is very different from mine.
Mhmm. So that's what I that's what I like about it. And I I have a poor group of friends now who have type one diabetes and with ourselves with diabetes and, like, being able to con like, connect to them and talk to them and share stories with them consistently is extremely important and helpful for me. And this podcast is almost a continuation of my diabetes.
Okay. So like, a a
You're my Diabesties, Scott.
Oh, thank you. No one's ever said that to me before.
That was really teasing, but it's true.
No. That that made me feel nice. No one's ever said that to me before.
I think I told you before you recorded. I was like, you don't know me, but you're my friends. Because I've listened to you talk for so long.
Because I don't want you to murder me. I'm gonna say we are friends. It's okay. Don't worry.
Don't worry.
So, basically, you you got some basics, then you had them reinforced, but also simplified, and then Yeah. Community and, like, kinship digitally. Those are kind of the things it did for you. Okay. Mhmm.
That's
awesome. And it's good and it's good reminders. You know? Like, if I have just listened to a podcast that day, I'm less likely to forget to prepos before dinner because it's gonna be on my mind.
So that's the one thing I'm I'm over and over again, like, happy to hear about because, like, it it's such an unintentional, like, benefit of the podcast. Meaning, like, there's no there's no world where I sat down and said, oh, if I give people a touch point, it'll help them stay more involved. I'm sure that would have been obvious had I, you know, I don't had know, I paid attention to like my eleventh grade psychology class. I'm sure that would have been like made, you know, made sense, but it's not a thing I planned. And when people report it back all the time, I'm always very like happy about that because of the way they often talk about it, which is when I'm when I was before, like like, overly focused and, like, burning out on it and not having good outcomes.
But now I feel like I'm aware of it, but it's in the background and it's happening, and I'm on top of it, but not in a way that makes me feel like it's overwhelming. Is that a
100 yeah.
Yeah.
100%. That's where I am today, for sure.
Help Me or Move Out of My Way 22:56
Awesome. That's a quick to get there too in in a year.
Well, you know, I'm pretty I'm pretty driven once I get my head on my ass. I like to do things fast. Once I make once I make a decision, you can help me or you can move out of my way. Right. It just took me longer than usual to make the decision to just take responsibility for this.
It's awesome.
And I and I'm happy to share that now, as of today, my a one c is 5.5.
Woah.
My time in range is almost a 100%, and that's between seventy and one sixty. I'm thinking of bumping that one sixty down, and my standard deviation is 18.
Holy crap. I'm so
good at this.
This is all I heard when you said those numbers. No. I'm just kidding. That's a lot of hard work from you. That's that's really well No.
Seriously.
Sure is. And and it's not just because I'm I mean, I'm sure part of it is, like, I have friends who have had diabetes since they were kids, and their numbers don't look like this. And so I know as I age, like, this will get harder, but it's not just because I'm in my honeymoon. Like, I I work really hard this every single day.
Yeah. No. I I would I I try very hard. Anytime people celebrate with me, I try very hard to remember to say, like, that's a lot of hard work done by you. Very well done.
Like, because a lot of times people will wanna give me credit and I'll just be like, look, I said the stuff and all, but, like, you had to go do it. You know? Like, it's it's a lot of hard work. It is really well done. Congratulations.
That that must be a long
Thank you.
Now is it
It does.
More Than Diabetes: Her Son’s Turnaround 24:26
Is that is that success? Is that translating over to other parts of your life? Are you feeling more confident in other ways? Or is there Yeah.
Is it like
a like a human learning experience that's coming from it? I'm I've never asked anybody that before, but just occurred to
a really interesting question. You know? Yes and no. Back when I was in the thick of figuring out type one diabetes and and how to get my A and T down and how to have tighter control and all of these things, We were also in the middle of the worst two years of our son's life that he's had. Okay.
Things for him are extremely challenging and really scary, and there were some pretty serious real world consequences that were making their way into our home. And and so and I had just started my MBA program on top of working full time, and, like, my home life was was un unraveling. Yeah. Just desperately clawing at anything I couldn't to help this child. And so, again, diabetes was, like, the eighth thing on the list of things for me to be stressed about.
And now all of a sudden, I have this enormous mental load to deal with, and I was really, really, really angry. Because I hadn't I hadn't confronted my anger or my grief yet about being type one until I actually understood what it meant and, like, the foreverness of it. So that was really hard. At the beginning of last year, I was dealing with a lot, and I was very burned out, and the mental load felt impossible. And it feels really good to now to have fought through that Mhmm.
And to have just gritted my teeth and and gotten through it and gotten over it and to now be in a place where diabetes is the fifth most stressful thing on my list because I've learned how to control it. And and we happen to be we had a huge with our son just a few months ago, and he is now in an amazing place and, like, thriving and doing better than he ever has. And so, yeah, just a lot of things right now are going really well. If you had talked to me three months ago, probably would have sounded a lot more pessimistic. But Was it medication?
What'd you find out? Is it a medication, or what'd you figure out?
Mhmm. Yeah. He's he's been medicated for many, many years, but, it was the correct diagnosis and the correct medication. This is when we realized he was bipolar. Mhmm.
So there was a serious mental disorder that had gone undiagnosed that the autism never explained, and I had to call 30 psychiatrists in the county to find one who was willing to evaluate his age, and that's how worked.
Good for you. That's awesome. I did you hear the lady that was on whose daughter was bipolar? And they it took them a long time to get the medication right, and she was so thrilled because there was such an improvement with the medication, but it wasn't like what she would have considered all the way there. But it was good enough that she felt like she could move forward with the girl's life, or the black I can't remember.
A girl's life maybe? Is it? And then they she said, well, now we're gonna try to address her weight, so we put her on a GLP. And a lot of the other bipolar symptoms, I know bipolar is probably not, like, the correct terminology. But, like, symptoms went away with the GLP.
That's really interesting.
Did you hear that one?
I don't remember. I remember that episode. I don't remember that detail. My son is a little bit underweight, though.
Yeah. No. No. No.
Keep weight on him, so I don't but that is really interesting.
All I took from her statement was something about maybe there was a reduction in in inflammation in the kid.
Inflammation.
Yeah.
You know? And we did go down the whole, like, pans pandas rabbit hole with him. Mhmm. And he did not have a single marker for, like, body inflammation, brain inflammation. We tried some medical for that, and it didn't really do anything.
We had tried that child had been on every antipsychotic that exists for his age. He had been on every mood stabilizer that exists for that age. Mhmm. And nothing had truly ever worked until this medication will be done now.
Okay.
And we're thrilled. We're thrilled. And it was kinda interesting. His his psychiatrist who I I mostly have appointments with his psychiatrist. Right?
Like, comes, and then he'll be like, hey. And then he goes off and plays. Like, he doesn't he doesn't wanna talk to this guy. And I remember because his, like, can't evaluate rates, he just prescribed. So we had to go get evaluated somewhere else.
And he was like, so how are you feeling? Because a lot of parents, like, getting a diagnosis of a serious mental disorder can be really heavy. And I was like, are you kidding? I am thrilled. I am ecstatic.
I couldn't be happier because this is identifiable, it's diagnosable, and it's treatable. And the treatment is, like, a very old, long standing, safe, low side effect medication that he can be on for the rest of his life if it's working for him. I was like, I'm thrilled. I said, I I have a chronic disease. I'm a type one diabetic.
I'll I'll be on insulin the rest of my life. This is no different. And that's how we talked to him about it too. You know? Like, the other day, he was watching we're watching survivor as a family, and there's all these pharmaceutical commercials.
And he's like, why does anybody take medication with all these side effects? And he's like, wait. I take medication. I was like, yeah. Take take a step back.
And I was like, I, you know, my body doesn't make insulin, and so that's what I take. And your body doesn't make x y z, and so that's what you take. And, like, the medications we're on are not those medications. It's gonna, like, give you rectal bleeding or whatever it is they talk about. And he was like, oh, okay.
Your rectum will bleed from your eyes. How's that gonna happen? Right. I I the I'll tell you what. Of those commercials, I get why they're supposed to list the side effects in
Of course.
The one thing that I never understand is, you know, it doesn't matter what the drug name is. Right? Like, just let's just say it's Trulicity. And and they'll say, if you're allergic to Trulicity, don't take Trulicity. And I'm like, is that a really a thing we have to say?
Like like,
is Mhmm. Like, right? How do you know you're allergic to it if you've never seen it?
I don't like, are there people out there who are like, oh, I'm allergic to it, but I'm just gonna keep going. Like, I don't like, maybe there is, but, like, that like, I understand the other side effects. Like, if you don't, you know, if if you don't want your if you don't want your asshole to bleed out of your eyes, then don't take it. Like, okay. Thank you.
If you're if I don't know. That does that sentence doesn't make any sense to me. If you're if you have I forget exactly how they put it. It's not allergic. It's if you have something with the drug, don't take the drug.
And I'm like, that really seems like common sense to me. But Oh, yeah.
It's like if there's a sign by the wood chipper, don't stick your hand in the wood chipper. It's, you know, it's a liability. It's just a it's a liability issue. That's all.
The funniest thing mean. I don't know. I laugh every freaking time for every drug when they say that one line. I'm like, yeah. I got it.
Thanks.
Me too.
Awesome. Oh my gosh. Is there anything we didn't talk about that we should have or anything that I've skipped over or didn't get to?
A couple things. Go ahead. If you got a few more minutes.
I got minutes I just don't wanna miss. Okay.
Strength Training & Falling Insulin Needs 31:33
So okay. So one thing I wanna talk to you about, I want your opinion on is something has been happening the last two months, and I'm really freaked out about it. It's a good thing, but it Mhmm. You know, I don't trust good things that happen. They freak me out.
So I've started strength training, which is a very generous way of defining what I'm actually doing on my own.
A pile of books across to our part. Yeah. Yeah.
I'm like I'm like doing, like, pre weights and, like Sure. You know, body for, like, twenty minutes, and I just I'm just trying to get some I have a tone and a loose skin, and I'm just trying to tighten things up and increase my strength and, you know, be able to still pick up my kids and all these things. So for about six weeks, I've been at least twenty minutes a day, like, five days a week. I've been doing the strength training, and in that exact same time frame, my insulin use has gone down by 33%.
Okay. I mean
Which is wild to me. And I'm like, I know that, like, strength training and, like, weight lifting for diabetics can be really great, and it can increase your insulin sensitivity, but, like, that seems extreme. I'm not mad about it. I'm just like, when's the other shoe gonna drop?
Well, no. No. But if if I mean, there's probably a a blend of things there. So you're you're on have you upped your GLP in that time frame too?
No. No.
Okay. So you you started strength chain which may be what means, like, dumbbells and, like Mhmm. Pull downs and just some basic,
like Squats, lunges. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
And your insulin needs went down how much?
33%. I I went from averaging thirty units a day total across basal and bolus to, like, 18 to 20 a day.
No kidding. Yeah. That's awesome. And have well, have you been losing weight during that time?
No. In fact, a few weeks ago, realized I had gained five pounds, which talk about triggering. I absolutely panicked. And I even had a moment where I was like, I should stop taking insulin and drive my numbers high so that I can lose that weight. And then I very quickly told my wife and my therapist that I was having those feelings.
Mhmm. So you stopped.
Me accountable.
Good for you.
And then I realized two things. One, it was the week before my period. And and and two, I think I'm putting on muscle.
Yeah. I mean, I've I so I've had the same experience after, like, having a lost weight on the GLP. And then I got like, and you're so tracking the number, like, because the number means you're losing fat. Like, there's kinda like that whole thing. And then I got down to a point where I was like, god, I'm I'm actually pretty thin.
Like, let's start moving in the other direction.
Mhmm.
And I added, like, you know again, I'm not like I'm not training for mister Olympia or anything like that. Right? Like, know, trying to ride a bike, go for more walks, rowing machines.
Yeah. I ride bikes too. Yeah.
And and the other thing I did was I added I don't eat enough fiber in my diet, so I add, like, fiber tablets to my day. That has it makes me retain water. So, like, I had to watch the number climb from that. I had to watch the number climb from the from the, you know, the resistance stuff. And it at first, it's a panic because I was trying to lose weight.
And then to see the number go the other direction makes you feel like, oh god. Am I gonna like, am I gonna be 70 pounds heavier the next time I look up? I lost 70 pounds. You know, I put three on and they're all gonna come back. But then it took me me a little bit to realize, like, I'm like, oh, no.
I'm just I'm gonna gain probably five to ten pounds from this very low weight, but my clothes don't fit any differently. I don't look any differently. It's just it's a structural improvement. Yeah. And that's how I that's how I chose to think about it.
Yeah. On And my clothes are fitting better, and, like, things are toning. I put on muscle really, really fast. Awesome. Something about my genetics that's always which I used to hate when I was younger.
So I was like, I don't wanna work out. I don't wanna get bigger. But now I'm like, hell, yeah. I wanna be a strong lady. I wanna put on the muscle.
I just have to not panic when I get on the scale.
Arden went to the gym with her boyfriend twice last week, and she's like, I don't wanna get too jacked. And I'm like, I don't think you're in any like, you know, I I don't I don't think there's any real concern about that. I said, just keep doing what you do, but I think you're
fucked. Yeah.
I don't wanna get too jacked. I'm like, like, I don't think that's gonna happen. But, you know, you're fine. That's awesome. I mean, listen.
I I have to tell you, like, I would just take it. I don't I don't know. I can't sit here and tell you. I mean, honestly, you should probably just ask, you know, a large language model or Google it. But, like I have.
Yeah. I
have. And it has said, like, thirty three percent's a little extreme, but, like, maybe? I'm like, okay.
Well, I
mean Whatever. We'll see what happens.
Yeah. Truth be told, like, are you are you eating differently and you don't realize it too? Like, there maybe there's something else happening you don't realize.
I I mean, I I've been trying to increase my water intake to go right along with the exercise, and my stress levels have come way down. Good. I can have little slumpings to do with it.
Oh, there. See? Now that's a great example. Right? That I didn't think of that, but I'll use my
son. Connected?
I'll use my son as an example. Like, if he doesn't move, he turns into a, like, like a caged tiger. And then if he doesn't move long enough, then the tiger gets angry. Like, you know what I mean? Like, so first, starts pacing, like, you know, it used to be, you know, got when he was younger, he had baseball.
And then as he and he graduated from college and didn't have baseball anymore, and he's like, we're like, hey. You need to find an activity, my friend. Like, you like, you know, go and so he started playing basketball. Like, he goes out. He probably once it's warm out, he's probably playing basketball, like, four nights a week at a park or something like that after work.
Goes and plays golf. Like, you know, taught himself to play golf so he could go play golf and and and that kind of stuff. And when I see him doing those things, personality wise, like stress, all that stuff, he he lightens right up. And if it if the weather goes crappy for a week and he can't go play basketball, you can see him get, you know, tight, I guess, is the way to put it. And Yeah.
And and he's not nearly the only person I've ever heard talk about that. So if your exercise I mean, listen. I don't know the numbers on this, but, like, every bro podcast in the world will yell about this. Like, that that exercise is is more effective for depression than an SSRI. I don't know if that's actually true, but people say it all the time.
And colloquially, people who work out a lot believe their mental health is better. So if you're just lowering anxiety or lowering stress, that could be putting down significantly your insulin needs.
Yeah. And I I mean, I'd say the bulk of my stresses could decrease is just how incredibly well my son is doing right now compared to January. And I I absolutely feel better.
So those are those things overlapping the timeline of you Yeah. Your son got better off? So you had more free time, so you started working out, and then your insolence went down.
Yeah. I think so.
Such a great example of, like, not you know, that very often, we don't know why things are actually happening. Like, put a great example of that. And by the way, we could be wrong about that. It could end up being something else, but that is a reasonable consideration, I think.
Yeah. I think so too.
Yeah. Good for you. Your life got better and you're happier.
Autoimmune Family History 38:55
Yeah. For sure. Yeah. One thing you haven't asked me about, so I'm shocked, Scott. I'm absolutely shocked.
What what have you not asked me that you ask everybody?
Wait. I ask everybody or I ask lesbians with babies?
No. You ask everybody about their family history. Oh. Autoimmune family history.
Well, you said though you you said you said people have type two. There's Hashimoto's. Like, I felt like you went over it, but was there more?
There is more. There is more. That's I was just I was prepared. Talked to my mom yesterday. I made a list.
I want alright.
I'll take that before you go, but I just by the way, like, there's a lesbian couple that's on one time, and the way they inseminated each other, it's like, I should stop making the podcast. I've done it. I was like, I should just run this one over and over again. This one's awesome. So but I I but, you know, you just went to the doctor.
It sounds like that's sounds boring.
Yeah. We just went to the I mean, but I we we both, you know, pushed the syringe at the doctor's office.
These girls simulated intercourse and then did it themselves.
Heard of that. Heard of that. Your your chances are a lot higher in a doctor's office, and it's quite expensive. So we went the medical route.
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. No. I mean, listen.
I I don't know. Well, there's a lot in there I don't have any personal experience with, but but yeah. Yeah. I when she told me, I was like, really? And she goes there.
She started explaining. I was like, okay. So okay. Well, what else is in your family then?
Okay. So we type one in Hashimoto's. My mom has Hashimoto's and Crohn's disease.
Mhmm.
My brother has ulcerative colitis, which is a little on the fence. They're like, some people say it could be autoimmune. I think if that's one of those, they don't really know. My brother has psoriatic arthritis, my other brother. My grandmother had narcolepsy and rheumatoid arthritis.
Oh, you didn't tell me you were Irish.
Yeah. Well, actually, like
Irish English? Like,
I mostly, like, Scottish, Irish, English Okay. German. Almost a fifty fifty split. That's why I put on muscle. So fast.
That comes from German farmers.
Yeah. Let's just say that part of the world. Okay. Here you go.
That part of the world. Okay.
Okay. I got it. Oh, I'm looking. Yeah. I didn't really look at I see your picture now.
You're very Caucasian. I see it.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very white. My skin glows in the dark.
Oh, yeah. I see your is that your
I don't pan.
That's not a married last name. That's your last name. Right?
That's my last name. Yeah. My wife took my last name.
Okay. Oh,
I shouldn't have said that. Whatever. I don't care.
Well, that's okay. Like, you want me
to I've take it got no. I've got a bunch of, like, aunts and uncles and cousins with other random, like like, autoimmune pancreatitis and sarcoidosis. And then my wife, just for fun, and she obviously, we're not related, so this isn't exactly irrelevant. But she has psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lupus. Dear lord.
Yeah.
That's a lot of thought. And you guys both got
That's awesome.
Over it a couple times, you said, too. Did that make anything worse? Does anybody have long COVID?
Perhaps. Yeah. Per perhaps. Yeah. She you know, she's on so many different treatment plans for these pretty serious autoimmune disorders that it's like, meh.
Yeah. I don't
know if there's anything additional she could be she could be doing for long COVID, but but, yeah, she's really she's extremely resilient and strong.
Okay.
Yeah. I like to hide behind her comma, and I like to hide behind her auto means, this first. It's pretty easy to do.
You may think I'm trouble, but look at this one. A problem. Me feel like nothing's going wrong over here. Well, I appreciate I appreciate you sharing that extra stuff with Thank you very much. I am not surprised that that part of the world is makes people like that for sure.
So Yeah. That's something else though, isn't it? It's I mean, so much you know, it just it just sucks. I you know, obviously, my my wife is like English and Irish and and, you know, my daughter's got other issues too. And it it sucks to watch somebody have to live with all that stuff.
You know what I mean? Like, it's people Yeah. Are tough and they'll joke through it and everything, but you're very nice if nobody had to.
It's a lot. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely a lot. And you know, I we were concerned about, you know, we're watching our son for signs of anything that my wife has because she gave birth to him.
And we've had our daughter in trial net for the last two years.
Mhmm.
So I am very concerned about her possibly getting type one in the future. So so, yeah, she gets her lab work checked every year. Last year, there were a couple concerning markers, and she has an endocrinologist too. So her her endo is also checking her full thyroid panel every year, all of the diabetes markers every year, all the celiac markers every year. And she had a couple concerning levels and symptoms last year, but then this year, all her levels are fantastic and, like, completely normally in range.
So I'm I'm holding out hope that that she won't become type one. And so okay. So something really interesting. So my grandfather might have been a lotta type one. This is my mom's dad.
He he it was just called diabetes. Mhmm. Like, they're you know, like, type lotta wasn't even introduced until, like, 1993, I think, and he was diagnosed in the eighties. And all I know is he tested his blood sugar before and after every meal, and he couldn't eat until fifteen minutes after he had taken his insulin. And I don't know.
I just and he was diagnosed as an adult. So I just wonder. I think people, as he got older, just assumed he was type two, but I don't know. He needed a he needed a lot of insulin, and he really took care of himself. And he ate very low carbons.
Like, I just I wonder if anybody had ever tested him for for a lot for type one when he was still alive. I wonder if that's what he would have had. And then his dad, because my great grandpa was born in 1893, he died at 49 in 1942 from diabetes complications. And I wonder too. Was that lot of type one?
Because they certainly wouldn't have been able catch that, I don't think.
Yeah. Then I'm you're never gonna know, isn't it? It is Yeah. Isn't the
same to one word about. I yeah. I just want I wonder. Like, am I the first one, or am I just the first one had access to blood tests?
Yeah. No. I know. I heard you say that before that it's it's it's something you wonder about. Yeah.
I don't know. But listen, probably. You you know what I mean? Like, probably, that's what was going on, and they just didn't know what this I mean, listen. You were diagnosed in the February, and it sounds like you they they barely could tell you what was going on with you.
Now you tell me about guys in the eighteen hundreds. Trust me. They didn't know. You know what I mean?
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So
It it it mean, in the end, it's all very understandable. Like, I mean, it's no one's fault. Like, you can say, oh, it's the system or, you know, they should know or whatever. But I just think in the end, like, this is just how it works. You know I mean?
The One Blood Test She’d Never Skip 45:57
Is.
Although I I do feel like, my soapbox, if I could choose a soapbox to get on and let like, when it would be I I don't think anybody should ever be diagnosed with type two diabetes without having their type one antibodies tested. With the rate at which type one is accelerating and across all populations, that is a hill I will die on. I don't care about the resources. I don't care about insurance policies. It's a blood test.
Mhmm. It's a really simple blood test, and I don't think there's an excuse for anyone to be diagnosed. And and I have since made my dad and brothers go get all their antibodies tested just to triple check that they really are type two, and they aren't. They don't have any antibodies.
But,
I was like, don't trust your doctor. Go ask for this. Go Gotta be your own doctor these days.
Right? No. I I
Yeah. I You do.
I'm glad you did that for certain. And, you know, if you wanted me to be manned at a part of it, I would just say, like, don't look at people and just guess their entire medical history by their weight. Yeah. Like, you know, like, that's just sort of ridiculous. So, I mean, if you wanna I'm not saying that there aren't some physical attributes that could get you moving in a direction, But you can't let it make the decision for you before you even stop and think about it.
It just Yep. Doesn't make any sense either. Because look what it did to you. And and by the way, and you were lucky to get out of it so quickly. I know you're pissed about four years, but I've talked to plenty of people who were treated much longer than that, you know, with with the wrong diagnosis for a lot of different things.
And it always ends up being just somebody somewhere along the way just, you know, make the snap judgment and put them on a path. And, I mean, you've you've talked over and over again today about, you know, I was doing this, but I didn't know. Or I was doing that, but no one told me. Like, I'm I'm just a big proponent of, like, the way you get put on the path in the beginning has a lot to do with where you are, not just a month from now or a year from now, but thirty years from now. And so it's really incumbent on the people who see you first to get you going in the right direction.
And instead, what you got was, you're fat, go lose weight. Mhmm. Yeah. So anyway, I hope people in the medical community listen to this, but I I don't
Me too.
Yeah. Hopefully, they will. Alright. Mary, thank you very much. This was terrific.
I don't know what to call this, but we'll figure that out later.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. It was really, really fun talking to you.
You had a good time? That's great. Excellent. I did too. Hold on one second.
Okay? The podcast episode that you just enjoyed was sponsored by Eversense CGM. They make the Eversense three sixty five. That thing lasts a whole year. One insertion.
Every year? Come on. You probably feel like I'm messing with you, but I'm not. Ever since cgm.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.
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- Adult-onset type 1 is often coded as type 2 — and that coding follows you. Mary had to push hard for months just to get a pump approved because insurance had her on record as type 2. If you were diagnosed as an adult and the label doesn’t fit, getting the diagnosis (and the billing code) corrected matters for access to tools.
- GLP-1 medication and the honeymoon. Mary was prescribed a GLP-1 partly on early evidence it may help protect remaining beta-cell function and stretch the honeymoon phase. It’s an evolving area — worth a conversation with your endocrinologist about what’s known and whether it fits your situation.
- Carrying low supplies isn’t optional. Mary had frightening lows while out alone with her daughter and nothing on hand to treat them — partly because no one had ever told her it mattered. Always carrying fast sugar and a way to check is basic safety, especially early on.
- Strength training can change insulin needs quickly. Within weeks of starting regular strength work, Mary’s insulin needs dropped sharply — a reminder that exercise (and lower stress) can raise insulin sensitivity. Flag big changes like that to your care team so settings can keep up.
- The blood test Mary wishes everyone got. Her hill to die on: no one should be diagnosed type 2 without antibody testing (GAD65, IA-2, islet cell) to rule out type 1 — it’s simple and inexpensive. This episode also speaks honestly about her recovery from disordered eating; it’s a sensitive topic, and if it resonates, support is available (in the U.S., the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline).
- Part 1 — Mary’s Story Begins — The first half: the misdiagnosis years, before she took charge.
- Eversense 365 — The one-year implantable CGM — an episode sponsor. As low as $199 for a full year (eligibility applies).
- Omnipod 5 — The tubeless automated insulin delivery system — an episode sponsor. Free starter kit at the link (terms apply).
- Bold Beginnings Series — The newly-diagnosed starting point — where Mary got her basics.
- Diabetes Pro Tip Series — The settings-and-timing fundamentals Mary leaned on.
- TrialNet — Free type 1 antibody screening for relatives of people with T1D — Mary’s daughter is enrolled.
- National Alliance for Eating Disorders — Helpline and support — this episode touches on recovery from disordered eating.
