#1946 Thirty-Seven Years and Still Learning
Thirty-Seven Years and Still Learning
Marla has had type 1 for thirty-seven years and found the podcast last year. She talks about what she has changed since — splitting her basal, tightening her alarms, and what perimenopause did to all of it.
Jump to a moment
- Thirty-seven years in, and still finding new things. Diagnosed at eight and a half, Marla is the only person with type 1 across two large extended families. She found the podcast a little over a year ago and describes the strange experience of learning fundamentals decades into it — her point being that people mostly learn by living with it and experimenting, so a genuinely new idea can arrive at any point.
- Splitting her basal was the first change. On MDI, she had taken all twelve units at bedtime for years because that’s what she was told, and went low overnight. Nobody had ever suggested splitting it. She now takes it in two parts and holds her total, because reducing it — the usual advice — would just leave her high the rest of the day. Any change to an insulin regimen belongs with your care team.
- She solved a low by standing up. Marla has strong feet-on-the-floor rise, so when she wakes in the high fifties or sixties she simply gets out of bed rather than eating. Scott points out, affectionately, that she has built a personal rule out of an observed pattern — which she cheerfully agrees she does constantly.
- Perimenopause introduced anxiety she had never had. She describes filling out endocrinologist stress questionnaires for decades and always answering that she wasn’t worried about anything — and then, around 44, noticing genuine anxiety for the first time. She also traces a strong family pattern of thyroid disease and celiac across siblings and cousins.
- Her biggest practical takeaway: tighten the alarms. On MDI she moved her high alert to 130 rather than 180, which lets her correct while a rise is still catchable instead of after it has already happened. Scott shares early results from the listener survey — among roughly ninety respondents, a median A1c drop of 1.3 points, and about 72% reporting fewer severe lows.
- Diabetes Pro Tip series — Episodes 1000-1025 — the series Marla says to listen to even thirty-six years in.
- Listener survey — The survey Scott reads results from here; results at juiceboxpodcast.com/surveyresults.
- Juice Cruise 2027 — The third annual Juicebox community cruise, sailing July 2027.
Every word of the conversation
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Thirty-seven years, and the only one2:21
Hi. My name is Marla, and I have had type one diabetes for thirty seven years.
Thirty seven?
Yes.
When asked to choose a number between one and one hundred people most frequently, I answer 37.
No way.
Yeah. It's one of those weird little factoids. Don't know why it's
true. Really?
Yeah. I think
Well, maybe it's my lucky year then.
Hey. You know what? I appreciate that because my stuff's been going bad for me the last couple of weeks. And something no. It's okay.
Yeah. First of all, Mari, you're sweet, but I make a podcast. I'll be okay. Okay. It's not it's not like the sewer truck I worked with smells extra bad or something terrible.
I just you know, things are and and I got to a point where I started feeling like, can I not trust people anymore? Like, is this is it just me against the the world, that kind of thing? And I don't wanna feel that way. And then No. And then something happened this morning, and I was like, okay.
Well, me I'm gonna I told my wife. I'm like, I'm gonna just take this as a good sign, and I'm gonna move forward as if things are gonna be better. So
Good. So something good happened today.
I mean, somebody confounded expectations that were very low, but, you know, it's okay.
Oh, okay. Well, sometimes you have to start. Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. I'm I'm also trying to remember that to look forward.
Apparently, I look away from the mic a lot. I get a lot of complaints about that. I'm working on that.
Oh. Okay.
I'm trying to live over here, Mara.
Okay. Well, hey. That's all you can do.
Tell me, 37. And how old are you?
I am 46.
Finding it all a year ago4:01
That means you were nine when you were diagnosed.
I was eight. I was 8.5.
Alright. You could've just agreed. But okay.
Eight and a I know. Yeah. I could yeah. So I was eight. I didn't have anyone else in my family.
Still to this day, no one else both of my parents come from big families, lots of kids. I have lots of cousins, nieces and nephews, lots of great nieces and nephews on both sides. Still to this day, thirty seven years later, I am the only one with type one.
That's no fun. You needed a buddy.
Yeah. But that it's okay.
Yeah. You're wishing to love anybody?
Yeah. Well, after thirty you know, I wasn't introduced to the juice box podcast until just maybe a year. It was a little over a year ago. So after thirty six years of having this, I've just learned so much from the juice box community. So I'm glad to finally found this.
Oh, that's awesome. I just met a person this summer who's had diabetes for over fifty years. And Wow. I and I've I've I've I kinda told this story already on an episode, so I'll just, like, really, like, condense it down. Went on a cruise with a bunch of listeners.
Next cruise is July 2027 if you wanna come. Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicejuicecruise. And, anyway, this one person makes it onto the cruise. And I do this thing on the first day of the cruise. Like, anybody who's interested in meeting me, I like, you can pick up spot on the ship, and we'll, like, sit down and chat.
Right? So I am, like, ping ponging around the ship, meeting people, like, every fifteen, twenty minutes, half hour, whatever. And I sit down across from this lovely woman, and she's I said, are, you know, are you this person? She said her name, and I was like, okay. Good.
And she said, you're Scott. I was like, yes. And she said, can I ask a question? I was like, of course. She goes, how long have you had diabetes?
And I went and I went, oh, I'm so sorry. I'm like, is it not clear on the podcast that I don't have diabetes? And she goes, what podcast?
Oh, no.
And I was like, awesome. I was like, how did you I said, you. You're part of the Juice Cruise. Right? And she said, yeah.
I'm like, how did you get here? Oh my talking to people online. I heard about the cruise, and I thought it'd be great to come meet. She didn't know a soul on this cruise. She didn't know me.
She didn't know there's nothing. Anyway, at the end of it, she's like, I am so glad I found all this. And I am now watching her online be a part of the community. And, like and she said even after fifty years like, I I sat and watched her in a number of different, like, chats that we had, talks that we did throughout the cruise, and she's just taking notes and writing stuff down. She came over to me at one point and she said, I've learned something here today that I think will help me in my personal life, not even around diabetes.
Oh, that's so cool. How awesome. Yeah. That reminds me of me because I've learned so much. I'm like, wow.
I've been doing this. But
Can you articulate that for me, though? Like, how is that possible to live thirty six years or something and then run into more information?
Well, you know, it's it's a common theme, I feel like, throughout the Facebook page and the podcast, just all of the people that you interview and visit with. We learned things just by living with it, experimenting ourselves. You know, we kinda say we're, little science projects. And every day, you might do something well, okay. Every day, we don't do something new.
Every day, we do the same thing, same thing, same thing. And then maybe at one doctor's appointment or something we read, we might do something different and then think, oh, this is working better for me. Maybe if it would be and, you know, I started to split my bolus, not bolus, basal Basal. A year ago. Because I'm MDI.
Splitting a basal nobody mentioned8:12
I do take injections. I don't wear a pump.
Mhmm.
And so that was one thing that I started to do. I just started to kind of slowly move my basal half of it apart so that I wasn't going so low in the middle of the night. And that's something that I've actually struggled with, I would say, most of my journey. So I'm doing better with that now. I just, yeah, I read that someone said, well, you need to split your basal.
Okay. Well, I've never ever been told that.
Isn't that something? Yeah.
They always I don't know why. Why is it always before bed? I maybe it's because that's when we're taking medicine so we'll remember. Is it too hard for people to think, okay. I'm gonna take my bolus at noon every I mean, I know in the middle of the day, it does get crazy.
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If you'd like to learn more, go to visit.twist.com/juicebox. That's visit.twist.com/juicebox. Don't forget, twist has two i's. So you're saying you were you were shooting your bit your basal insulin at night and then getting hurt and getting a little bit
bed. Right. Before bed. And I know everyone says it never it doesn't peak. You're well
Well, why did you used to have highs in the morning?
Well, not necessarily. However, I do also have okay, and you can help me with this. I've heard you talk about, something you did, but I don't know that you actually explained what you did for Arden
Feet on the floor, and standing up to fix a low10:44
Go ahead.
When she she was going low in the middle of the night, I believe. And your her endo said, well, we need to drop her basal. And you said, no. Because then she's gonna be high during the rest of the day. And I that's exactly me.
I have my basal down packed. Like, I know I'm taking twelve units every single day. It it really doesn't well, I believe it is better for me to do it in the morning, but I need that twelve units. I am not dropping my basal, or I'm just gonna be high all the time.
Why why did you did you ever think, why don't I just move this to the morning, or did it take somebody, like, saying something out loud?
I think it it did take someone saying something out loud. Well, why are you going low in the middle of the night? You need to split it. And that has helped, but I do also have feet on the floor. So I don't know that I'm I'm I don't know that the time of my basal is causing me to be I'm really not high in the morning naturally.
Mhmm. However, my foot on the floor is wild. Like and I wish it's kind of weird because sometimes if I go low at another part of the day, I think, oh, I just need to stand up, and then that will treat it. I don't need to eat anything because in the morning
this by standing up.
So Exactly. That's exactly what I do every single morning. I might look at my phone first thing. I'll see, oh, okay. Well, I'm I might be in the high fifties.
My body likes to sleep low, and I don't know if that's just a cortisol thing. I but high fifties, sixties, I might see, okay, if I wake up 67, 68, and I think, okay. I I really just need to stand up, and that will take care of it. I really have to do nothing else. I don't need to ever eat.
I I I love that it feels like you've made up a rule to explain something that was happening to yourself.
I oh, I make up rules all the time. Every single day. Well They're real helpful too.
They're real. Are are they called coping mechanisms? Is that what you call them?
Maybe. That's not what I call them.
But No. But it's smart not to call them yourself if that's right. Marla, married, children, no married, no children, where you at?
Yes. I'm married. I've been married for twenty three almost twenty three years, and I have three children. Mhmm. And none of my children have type one.
Once again, no one else in my family. I'm the lucky one. So every time I tell people, every time when they get a little bit sick or under the weather and my children are deathly they're getting better in their age, but my children have always been so afraid of needles. And I know you've talked about Arden being afraid
Mhmm.
Of needles now, and I just ugh. I feel so bad for her. But, I have never I've never had that phobia. I don't know if that's just, you know, one way that the Lord was wiring me. I don't know, the preparing me.
I I don't know the reasoning behind that why I've never had that fear. I can just take a shot anywhere, anytime. I I watch it. You know, we take blood all the time since, we go to the doctor so frequently, but I've always I've never been afraid to watch. They'll always ask all of the lab techs will ask, would you like me to count?
Do you need to turn away? Do you need to lay down? No. I'll watch. I've just always I don't know.
You're okay
with that. But you have But my children are scared even though they've watched me take, you know, six shots a day.
How how old are they?
18, 14, and 10. Okay. They're all four years apart.
Great kids, Marley. You're not afraid of taking a shot.
No. Mhmm. No. I'm not.
Never anxious — until perimenopause14:55
Listen. I was gonna ask you, do you have anxiety?
I I naturally, I do not. I believe since I'm 46, I've had not a few my children are anxious. I have never been anxious in my entire life.
Mhmm.
However, I believe that perimenopause has caused some anxiety in me.
Okay.
And just in the last few years, I noticed it maybe when I was maybe 44 or so. I remember growing up, every time I went to my endocrinologist, we had a form that we had to fill out every single time. So four times a year, I'm filling out this paper, and you're filling out. It was the same thing. You fill out, like, a sample meal.
I don't know if anyone else in the world had to do this. Maybe this was just my crazy endo, but you would fill out how many, like, carbs each of your meal was, and you filled out, like, the whole meal. You filled out your entree, your sides, what you drank with that meal. You did breakfast. You did snacks, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack.
And then there was a question underneath your meals that said, what did it say? It said, like, how would you rate your stress levels, I think is what it was called. Are you a little under stress, you know, moderate? You're worried all the time. And I always looked at that growing up and filling it out even through college, and I thought, I'm not worried about anything.
I mean, you know, I did have worries maybe now and then, but overall, I would just get up every day and not
Go a
lot.
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Yes. I and I I my children, they worry about things all the time and it you know, we we talk a lot through things like, what are you going to change by stressing out? I mean
I don't think stress works that way.
No. It doesn't. It just doesn't.
Do you worry about them worrying?
That's a good question.
I know. Also, here's one for you. Do do other people in your extended family have other autoimmune issues?
Thyroid, celiac, and the family pattern19:45
Yes. We have a lot. It's mostly thyroid.
Mhmm. Mostly Hashimoto's?
Yes. Yes. My sister was probably the first in our family and even and this extends to cousins also. My sister had thyroid cancer, and and this was back when and she was 17. This was back when it was pretty rare for thyroid cancer was rare, and it was rare for a teenager to have cancer.
In the grand scheme, probably not rare, but in our little we lived in a very small town in Western Kansas, and it just
I I I think I smell a little celiac in your family too. Am I right?
Well, you know, I don't know that anyone has I've been okay.
I'm bad. You got some poopers? You got people in the family all the time? Can I tell the story, Marla?
Maybe not that, but just like it oh, my stomach hurts. Like, my daughter can eat, and she has been tested because I'm like, okay. You've got this. We've gotta figure this out. She can know, but she we love carbs.
We love bread. We love tortillas. And she'll she loves bagels, and she'll get a bagel and say, I know this is gonna hurt my stomach, and I'm gonna eat it anyway.
Sounds like she has celiac. And then do do you have foot
on the floor,
or do you get, like, jacked up for the do you get jacked up for the day, Marla? Do you get, like, super, like
I'm sure I have foot on the floor. Yeah. But I'm
saying, what does it come from? Does it come from, like, the like, that's why I asked you about the anxiety or the depression.
Is it my cortisol? I I've just always I've just always read that, okay. That's your body's way of waking you up for the day. So your cortisol's raising. It's signaling your liver to release glucose.
Mhmm. Sometimes, though, people just are anxious about living. And when you're awake, you're of you're you're aware of it.
Okay. So maybe that's causing the rise.
I wonder I wonder about it further. Even, like, why do some people get, like why do their blood sugars drop when they fall asleep? Sometimes I think it's because they're not all, like, anxious anymore because they're asleep.
Well, that's what I've always thought. I've wondered about that. I thought, well and I'm since I'm not really well, maybe I am anxious, and I'm just hiding it and trying to say, I don't know, Scott.
How much ADHD
is in
the family?
Well, you know, I would not say that's a common
Okay.
I wouldn't say that's a common thing that we deal with. I think because once again, perimenopause, I believe I've struggled with it. Yes.
I I don't think you ladies are I don't think God meant for you guys to live this long.
No. Probably not. He's yeah. I've I swear. I'm hard I'm thinking, yeah.
What am I how much longer am I gonna be doing this?
I I I listen. I'm obviously joking on some level, but on another level, I do wonder if we're not in the middle like, I mean, we're living longer.
Yes.
And there's no I mean, listen. It is not that long ago that you started having, you know, your period, and it was time to get married.
Right.
You know? And then, you know, '35, you you have a problem, and you fall off the wagon train. Who knows what happens to you? You know, like, like, you know, that's all. Where where's your wife?
She went in the woods. She didn't come back.
And Oh, no.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, then, like, then you go find the lady whose husband died in a shootout. You marry her, and she takes care of your house. Like, you know, the world used to be different.
It did.
And now people are living longer and longer and longer, which is awesome. But I'm wondering, like, how many of these things are are women especially walking around with, like, in the past that we now know about? Like, you know Right. We used to listen. I'll I'll tell you something.
I feel terrible in in hindsight. We used to have a thing at our house that we called insane Sunday.
Okay? Because That sounds amazing.
Mhmm. Well, it's because my mom would talk all week about watching the Eagles game on Sunday.
Okay.
She would watch every little bit of, like, news, any, like, radio. My mom was queued into what was gonna happen with the Eagles on Sunday. She'd get up in the morning. She'd watch the pregame shows. And as they were kicking that ball off, she'd stand up and proclaim, no one helps me.
I have to do the laundry, and then she'd disappear into the basement for the whole thing and do the laundry.
Looking back and naming it24:35
Yes.
Yeah. That was insane Sunday. That was insane. Stare at each other, like, you know, a little scared, and I realize now that was probably menopause.
Oh, of course it was. Yes.
Yeah. Or or ladies walking around, like, with big distended bellies because they've got some, like, horrible growth in their uterus or something. And, like, fifty years ago, they'd just be like, sucks being a woman, doesn't it? Right? Now now now they do something about that.
And or if they did something about it back then, it was a hysterectomy where they cut you open, like, you know, like, they fall age open and, like, it's
Oh my
You know, now there's, like, arthroscopic, and you go through a little hole, and it's still hard to bounce back. I'm just saying it's hard being a woman.
Yes.
The only thing you guys have going for you is you get to hang out with us, and we're great.
I know. Right?
Oh, yeah.
Luck lucky us. We have you.
Arden says to me, it's hard being a woman. I was like, I know I live with you. She goes, that's not the same
thing. Exactly.
Anyway, it's tough.
It's tough. So I wonder if I'm walking around I don't think I'm anxious during the day. I'm not like like I said, I still I don't have that worksheet anymore that I have to fill out at the endo. That endo has passed. However
good since you stopped asking me. How's that?
I know. But I still think, how would I answer that question? Like, I've always I've looked at that, and I thought, I am not I of course, I have things that I have to deal with every day. Of course, I have their bills to pay that I think, well, how's that gonna get paid? But I but
I think there's a reasonable level of of anxiety and stress that goes along with, you know, being upright and being alive.
So I think, okay. At night, when I'm it's my favorite part of the day when I get in bed. I just love I love to sleep. I always have. I've just I've always been a napper.
I love to take naps. Yeah. Look, Scott. I was in my bed.
I you you're recording for your bed. My wife said this morning as I was getting out of bed, goes, I'm gonna lay here for a couple more minutes. I love this bed. And I was like, okay.
So I know. Isn't that the best? I'm just gonna yes. So I think, okay. That's my body's When I'm going low, even though I I really it's kind of crazy if you look at my graph.
It really is as pretty it's a steady line. It's not like I'm going into the low fifties or the forties, but it's just kind of a steady line sometimes in the higher fifties, in the sixties, and it's I I've always just kind of felt like, okay. That's my body's that's how I like to sleep. It's my body's way of just, okay. This is where we are.
We're not a care in the world now.
This is where my body likes to be.
Yes. It's
a I love your that's a silly thought, by the way. Your body is
there because
of the time at night you shot that basal insulin. How come you don't wanna pump?
Well, I've yeah. I I use the word neuro what is it? Neurodivergent with my children yesterday. I said, I think I'm neurodivergent. And they're like, what does that mean?
They should know because, you know, they're in the world. We're
not still in Kansas, though, aren't you?
Yeah.
Where are they gonna learn big words? Stop it. Go ahead.
Well, they're a little a little more connected.
I thought you were gonna
call have the inter we do have the Internet.
I thought you were gonna call your kids Hicks for a second. I was like, oh my god. Is she gonna that's gonna be awesome.
Well, one would love to be a Hick, my oldest one, but we're all pretty they're city kids. But, I just don't like I I'm okay with my my sensor attached to me. I'm okay with that. It took me a while, but I'm okay with that. I really just don't want anything attached to me.
Oh, you have a you have trouble with something to me. Hey. How many engineers in your family?
You know, zero. Okay. That's not how we work at all. That's
alright. Was just checking.
We're pretty
I was
just type b, pretty artsy, more
No disrespect to the engineers listening. I just thought it was a quick way to get to an answer. Oh. Oh, okay. So you don't like things touching.
Are you weird with clothing, textures?
Yes.
When you get out of the pool, do you have to dry off right away?
Yes.
Mhmm. I don't like getting out of pool and being wet. But I'm may I be honest? I'm better at it now that I've lost weight.
Oh, okay. Yeah. That's good to know.
I used to get out of pool and be like, oh, I have to dry off. Now I don't feel the same way anymore.
Oh, okay. Yeah. When my husband yes. I'm big on textures. When my husband and I walk through a store Oh, Marty, you and I have this touch.
Yeah. Everything.
I touch every I have to I have to physically put my hands on every piece of clothing, pillow, blanket, and my husband's like, why are you touching everything? I'm like, I don't know. I just I wanna touch it. I wanna feel what it feels like.
To a store, I touch every piece of clothing that I'm interested in, not everyone I walk past.
Oh, okay.
So are you touching everything even if it's like like a cup
or something? Even yeah. Even if I didn't like how it looked, like, it if it felt good to me, I might wear it. I might or I might just wanna try it on. Say, okay.
This transcript into AI later and find out what's wrong with you in, like, two seconds.
No. Yeah. Please do.
Would you wanna know?
I don't know. But, yeah, I do. Okay. Don't know. Back to the weight loss, Scott.
I know I know. I wanna thank you. I know you've you've been a big, supporter of GLTs. What did Scott do?
Tell everybody, Marlo. Did I say
to You said you lost weight. Yes.
I I know.
Thank you for Thirty we can go back to thirty six years of type one on insulin alone
Mhmm.
With my finger pricks and my sensor. I've worn my sensor. I do wear it every day. I always take my shots. I've never I could probably count on one hand over those thirty seven and a half years how many shots I've missed just by mistake, whatever, leaving the house and not doing my basal.
I could I mean, it's probably been maybe four times in my entire life.
Yeah. You are you're diligent. And Because of your neurosis.
Still. Still. I've just never been that awesome. I've never had an awesome a one c, but, I have I started I started Mounjaro a year ago. And, I mean, I've I'd only listened to you maybe for a few months, and I thought, well, they might be onto something.
Okay. And I just started researching and seeing other type ones that were using them and thought, well, I mean, I really could stand to lose a few pounds, and I'd like to see what it does for my blood sugars. So I asked my endocrinologist at that time. She said, no way, no how. There's she told me there was a shortage of Mounjaro at the time.
This was in I know I realize now that there might really have been a few years ago, but this
up. Is They they they opened up new production facilities. Hey. Before you tell the story,
can I Okay?
Can we pause for half a second? I'd like to say something out loud.
Yes.
Hey, Eli Lilly. Where are my ads? What are you doing? Let's go. I'm out here spreading the gospel.
I'd like I'd like to get paid. I just wanna be clear.
Oh my goodness. Eli Lilly, please. Deserve it,
Eli Lilly. I it's I don't my rights are reasonable. Let's let's get on board here. Actually actually, you know what? There there's a lot of, they're doing a lot of, what they call, testing
on the the pipeline. I've them.
It's a common Well But go ahead. So wait. So I I said go ahead and wait in the same sentence. My communication skills are fantastic today. So you're telling me that you've been listening to this podcast for how long?
At this point, fifteen months. I would say fifteen months.
Okay. And you're saying that you've had diabetes for thirty six of the thirty six years prior to that, and you you're very diligent about taking your shots, but your a one c's have never been awesome. What have they been?
I would say they've been in the eights. Yes.
Okay. And
The Pro Tip series, thirty-six years in33:16
Except when I was pregnant. Okay. I will when I was pregnant, I was very diligent about checking that that's my always been my issue is checking my blood sugars. Now I did listen to the pro tip when I started, I listened to the pro tip series, and I appreciate that series so much. Even if you've been doing this game for thirty six years, Please listen to the pro tip series.
I heard you say that over and over, so I'm like, okay. I'm I took a trip to Oklahoma to visit my sister. I said, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna listen to the pro tip even though I think I know everything. I'm surely there's something else that I'm missing.
So, you know, in the pro tip, I learned to tighten up my alarm my custom alarm settings on my CGM. So that's what I did. I tightened those up. I lowered my high alarm. You know, I'm just walking around doing life, taking my shots whenever I eat, and still, you know, spiking.
So I learned that when you're correcting at a 160, a 180, when it's going off, it's too late. So I do appreciate that. Thank you for teaching us that.
Marla, you're very welcome. I I wanna get to a number of these things here. What's your a one c today?
Today, it is 6.2.
Okay. And how much weight have you lost?
I've lost 65 pounds.
I I can may I say first of all, congratulations. That's wonderful.
Thank you.
You're very welcome. You must be thrilled.
Yes. I'm happy.
I I just saw you by the way, you popped up on camera when we first started. You do not, as the kids would say, code as somebody who used to be heavier. Like, I couldn't No.
Like, when I tell them
looking at you.
No. You wouldn't probably if I were to tell people that know me, they would probably be blown away by that because I don't I and I'm short. I'm only five two. So I'm yeah. I carry like, yeah.
I mean, that's like, sixty five pounds for someone that's five two.
Yeah. It's possible you should only weigh sixty five pounds. Yeah. I'm sure. I mean,
that's far off. Right?
But yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Almost. When you look at the whole those dumb BMI charts, yeah, that's the numbers are ridiculous. But, anyway, I but I I really didn't have I never had a goal. I just thought, well, I just I shouldn't be I shouldn't be up where I am, and I've just got to do something after I had my I've always just I've never been, okay, I've maybe never been obese, but I've always been, I would say, after I turned probably 10 years old, I've just always been bigger than all of my peers.
Dying to know which were where you were gonna go. Pleasantly plump, chunky?
How I don't even know that I would consider myself chunky. Like, even through school or high school
Extra weight. I was It felt like you had extra weight.
Yes. Extra. Always extra. So, but, I mean, I've always I I did sports in schools, but never, like, I wouldn't ever say seriously, but I've always moved. I've always gone for walks with my family
Yeah.
Ridden our bikes.
You you're fairly active, but it didn't matter. You always
just got extra weight. Always. And I've never felt I know, diabetics always say that we're hungry because we we're missing we're also missing is it called amylin? Right. Another thing I learned from the Juice Box podcast and the group is I've never ever heard that in my life.
Never seen that word. How much I've charged you to listen to the podcast this last year?
Oh, like, so much. I but it's it's been worth it. No. You know what?
It just sucks
the podcast.
It's a free podcast, Theory.
Free is not cheap, but it's free.
It's not cheap, but it's free. But I I my point is is that this is a free this is a free thing.
Like Absolutely. I mean, you think about how how much how many co pays did I pay for thirty six years? How
Not one of the say it. Not one of those. Son of the bitches helped you. Right?
What actually moved the needle38:01
Well
Go ahead.
No. I mean, the so what you would say is that they had they had the script pad on their desk, and that's what they had. They had the script pad and were able to write me my prescriptions every single time.
Marla, did people tell you you were doing well? With an eight with an eight a one c. Did the doctor go, good job?
Well, I mean
Or did they tell you, hey, Marla.
Pull it together
and you
do I'll be honest. They were always saying pull it together. I mean, I was but I was I was trying. I was I've never eaten terribly. I've okay.
Back to the amylin. I've never walked around hungry. I've never walked around being like, oh, I just I can't get enough. I need more I need more food. I've I feel like I've always had a balanced diet, but I yeah.
But yeah. The weight and the blood sugars just are always always all over the place.
Marla, after a year of Scottie's free expert tutelage, okay, what is it you've learned in the last year that you didn't know for the 36 previous?
Well, I learned that I there is a better way, and that it it's not necessarily I know that a lot of times we might say in diabetes that you can do the same thing every day and get different results the next day. Well, there usually is a reason, and you might not find the reason, but there's a there is an answer for it. Yeah. What I mean by that what I mean by that is that, you know, I I so, like, my foot on the floor. I have gone around for, what, how many years?
And I'm seeing that graph go from maybe, let's say, seventy, and I won't do anything for an hour. I'll start to get ready for the day. I'll be in my bathroom. I'll take my shower. I'll do my makeup, my hair.
I'll put my jewelry on. I'll get dressed, and then I'll look at my graph, and I will be, not kidding, close to 200.
Mhmm.
So after listening to the juice box, I saw people talking about dawn phenomenon and foot on the floor. I never knew that it was called that.
Does it matter that it was called something, or does it matter that it matters that somebody said, oh, that happens to me too, and here's what I do.
What mattered to me is that, okay. This is why it's happening. This is your cortisol releasing glucose. You need a correction for that. And I saw someone else say, I just take a couple units in the morning first thing when I wake up.
Or if they'll they'll have their pump settings, you know, I'll just start to dose myself before I get out of bed. So I start I did start doing that. So as soon as I wake up, I just go to the bathroom. Before I do anything, I will just give myself a unit in the morning. And by the time I'm done getting ready, that graph looks much better.
If I correct at a 120, that's gonna because I know I'm shooting up. I I I'm not gonna normally correct in the middle of the day at a 120. But if I'm got extra cortisol waking me up in the morning, getting me ready for the day, telling my liver to release glucose, I mean, that's one thing. I'm like, I don't need that extra glucose. I think I can get up on my own, but maybe I do.
I don't know. Because I'm not a morning person. However, I'm gonna have to correct for it, and it's
What does that mean you're not a morning person?
Well, I okay. My husband is a morning person. So he gets up. He starts rambling off all these thoughts, all these questions. He gets ready for the day.
I'm still in bed, and he'll come to me, and he will say, how does this look? He wants to know every day how he looks. Does my beard he's growing a beard, and it looks really good, and I love it. But he'll say, okay. Did I trim it okay?
I don't have my glasses on yet. Mhmm. I'm blind. I cannot see anything. He knows this, and I just I'll just look.
I don't even open my eyes. I'll just look his way and and give him a thumbs up because I can't I can't even function to open my mouth. I'll just kinda give him a thumbs up, and that'll let him know, okay. Yeah. I'm all good.
And that'll be good enough
for Yesterday, Arden said to us this is probably too much private information, but whatever. Arden said to us, I'm glad I grew up with a dad and a brother in my house because now that I'm dating someone, I know to expect the stupid stuff that he does.
That's a Yes. The stupid stuff. But, you know, my husband, he I scared him once. He used to check my blood sugar. Before I was wearing my CGM, he would check my blood I had a really bad low a year after we were married.
And after that, he physically checked my blood sugar every single morning before he left for work when I was still in bed to make sure I was okay. Mhmm. And he would make oh, he he's well, he saved me several times, you know, before my CGMs when he's
had that. Taking these kids, Marla. He's like, I'm
not Well, that's true too.
He's like, I can't do all this myself. It's not
eight Yes.
It's not eighteen seventeen anymore. I can't just go find some lady whose husband got shot in a shootout in a bar and just take her home. So I got I'm gonna have to keep Marla alive.
Yes. Yes. That's mostly it. He does love me, but yes. That's yes.
He's thinking He does not know where the coffee is. Who's gonna pick these kids up from school? Who's gonna take them to practice?
I don't wanna talk to them all day long.
Oh, no. Well, he's a talker. He would love to talk to them. But yes.
Marla, I'm learning from you, and and I appreciate this. And I'm letting this unfold on purpose the way it is because I what I'm learning from you is that while you can't sit here and specifically articulate exact things that have happened, not happened, gotten better, gotten worse, What what I've learned is is that finding this community, listening to this podcast has somehow changed your a one c almost two full points in a year after having diabetes for thirty six years, and it doesn't actually matter that you don't know exactly what happened.
Yes.
Yeah. That's what I'm hearing. And I and I love that. And I'll tell you because I I took a I did something that I don't usually do. Scottie took a little siesta yesterday for a few hours, and, I got in my car, and I drove a couple hours to a friend's and hung out with him for a little bit.
Actually, his name is Frank Payne. If you're looking for really unique reptiles living art by Frank Payne, I'll throw that in there. And Frank and Frank and I hung out for a while at his his breeding facility, and we just looked around at his stuff and chatted and everything. We're we're, like you know, we have a lot in common. We're like minded people.
I just took my mind off this podcast and my life and everything for a couple of hours. And on the way home, I started thinking about it again because, you know, it's time to get back to work. And I got really just, like I don't know. I I I I started feeling a lot of weight around, I don't wanna be boring here. So let me try to do this really quickly.
Okay? I have a weird job that relies on the platforms of social media companies for its distribution. And so they can change how they distribute or change what they value, and they do that all the time. And at the moment, you know, some of it values quick and new and vapid. The the average view time on a on a on an Instagram Reel is something like four seconds.
Wow. You can't even start people are scrolling that quickly. Right? Do you know how long you have to watch a YouTube video to get a view on it? No.
I think it's three seconds. Three. So someone's running around. I wanna make sure I'm right about that, but someone's running around right now telling you that they have 10,000, 15,000, a million views on their YouTube channel. Okay?
And what they have is at least three seconds. How long do you have to watch a YouTube video to register as of you? I'm pretty sure it's okay. I'm sorry. Thirty seconds.
A YouTube video, you need to watch for thirty seconds for the registers of view. So somebody puts up a twenty minute video, a forty minute video, and after thirty seconds, somebody's like, I don't care about this anymore. And they say, that's a view. And then those people are out there, you know, in the world trying to sell their views to other companies or device manufacturers or whatever, like and it's just it's a nonstop pressure. And in a world where those videos are often about, like, did you hear there's a new pump coming out in in in Lithuania?
Like, you know what I mean? Or, like, we're we're go we're all cured. Everybody's cured. They're they're all leaning into that right now. Like, Elenon trial, you're all cured.
I'm like, 12 people. 12 it's 12 people. Yes. Yeah. It's awesome, but it's we're not all cured.
Okay?
That's why all those videos say, you must watch until the end.
Yeah. Then when they watch
until the end of
day, I can sell an ad on this is what
they need.
Okay? And so that's the world we live in. I am doing long form conversations for adults. Okay? It's a hard thing to sell excitingly out into the world, but I need people to buy ads on it so I can make it.
Know that you all won't believe this, but I do spend about sixteen hours a day making the podcast. And it's it's an overwhelming thing to do by myself. And I love it, but I need to I I also have electric and, you know, like, my grass grows and my my family seems hungry. Like, stuff like that. You know?
Right. And and so I I'm coming home yesterday and I'm starting to think about all that again. And I'm I'm getting frustrated. And I'm just like, why? This is not the I don't wanna play this stupid game.
Like, how is it possible I'm involved in this? Like, I how is it possible I live in a world where, you know, every five seconds, a new pretty face wearing an insulin pump or CGM is bouncing through their Instagram reel trying to get famous or get paid or whatever, and then they're gone six months later. And then I had I had somebody come up to me recently, and they're like, hey. How are you? And I was like, I I'm I'm I'm good.
How are you? And and the person's like, you know me. And I went, I I don't. And and and they're like, no. No.
I'm I'm like you you would know me from, like, TikTok and Instagram. And, I'm a diabetes influencer. I'm like I'm like, I'm so sorry. Like, you seem like a lovely person. I do not know who you are.
And and No. And I don't I don't I don't wanna be involved in that world.
Right.
But I somehow am. Right? And and and and I just I wanna have long conversations with people that leave a lady named Marla, thirty six years into diabetes with a six two a one c and a new understanding of her health. And that's what I wanna do. I don't wanna bounce my ass on TikTok.
Why he won’t chase the algorithm50:21
Okay? Not that that I think that would work, but, like, I don't wanna be in I don't wanna be in I promise you that wouldn't work. But I don't wanna be involved in that game. But the problem is that the people that I cater to, which I would say are people who are not scrolling TikTok, generally speaking, or not just wanting to be yelled at that there's a new CGM coming, or aren't you mad at how bad your CGM is? Or, like, you know, that I whoever those that click baity rage stuff.
These adults don't understand how this system works. So they don't like, they don't share, they don't comment because they don't realize that that's the only thing keeping this moving. And then I'm stuck saying that out loud, I sound like a whiny bitch when I say that then. And I don't like that either. So I would rather just sit here quietly and not say anything except that when I was driving home yesterday, I took the time to I mean, I had something read it to me.
Just wanna be clear. I wasn't driving and reading at the same time. But I was on a long drive, and I just recently put out a survey to the to the Facebook community about what the podcast is
Yes. I saw the survey.
If you haven't taken it, please do. Okay?
Okay. Can I say something?
Please.
I I filled it all out. I will I will finish it. And then it went to I I think I had to email it to you. Mhmm. And when I went to email it, it asked for my I am so old that I have Hotmail, and I didn't know my password to my email.
And it made me log in to my Hotmail. I promise. Oh, gosh. Sounds good. You could have just hit it.
There's a copy button at the end too if you just wanna make your own email. You could have hit
com Shoot. You had to read. I know. I Okay. This is awful.
Okay.
I will do But the you're
also I will go back and do it.
Barlow, also making my point, and I appreciate that.
Okay? It's That it was a roadblock, and I was like, okay. Well, I've got kids that need to be picked up. I've got something in this stuff.
I care about your children, Marla. I'm trying to make a podcast
over. Okay?
Now I'm
gonna everyone else is gonna suffer today. I'm gonna get that survey done. So Kids, I mean, my son might not get to go to football, but I'm gonna get that survey.
That's between you and Jesus. You help me. Okay?
Okay. I will.
So of the so far, I'm looking at it right now. So right now, we have a 143 responses. It's only been up for a day or so. Okay?
Right.
Right. We got a 143 responses, and it's got a bunch of it's a very simple thing to take. But here's what I'd like to highlight of the 140. Of the 143 responses, 90 people reported their properly reported their a one c change. So the median chain the median number for the podcast for these 90 people is they came in at a median 7.4 and they're down to a 6.1.
But I can see I can see all 90 of them on a graph. They have come in from between 15, okay, and a 5.2. Wow. At least 90 people. The person who came into this podcast with a 5.2 now has a 4.8.
And the person that came into the podcast with a 15 now has a six two. And everywhere in between, 12 to six two, 10 to eight two, eight to five nine. I I literally can't read all 90 of them to you. Right? And and then I said, okay.
I know I'm doing a good job, but I can't stand that that goddamn algorithm, like, helps people to be popular when they're just yelling, aren't you mad at your CGM falling off? Or don't aren't you excited that we're all gonna be cured? And I'm like, goddamn it. Like, don't use social media trends to attract people with type one diabetes and then not help them afterwards. Like, do something for them.
Like, that's how I
feel about
it. Okay? Well, between whatever. Okay. But I have it read things to me.
Like and so ninety nine of the hundred and forty three people also put in, like, kind of little testimonials or stuff like that and and I'll and checked off that it was okay to use their name, like, to make it public.
Yes.
And as it was reading them, Marla, I started to cry in my car. Oh. Because I was like, my god. And I don't usually think about it like this. I try really hard not to think about it like this because I don't I don't I don't know what it is about me.
I don't wanna think of I know what it does. I know what the podcast does. I don't like thinking about it. I don't I don't have good self esteem around it or some I don't know. I don't have a therapist.
Okay? But, like, it makes me uncomfortable to know that I'm doing a nice thing for people. But I but I I have to absorb it sometimes because I'm looking at this other crap and it's starting to get to me. And I started realizing, like like, I don't know. I didn't start realizing.
It's the thing I know. You kinda have to remind yourself of it. Is that the external stuff doesn't really matter. I I know what it's actually doing. And to hear people talk about like everything from pain to blood sugars to more stability to their children being happy, to them being happy.
And I thought, I am doing the right thing. Why won't these algorithms like, why won't they help once in a while positive stuff? But they're not going to. Like, it it just is not gonna happen. That's not how it works.
But hearing your story, I realized, like, you easily could have been in this this grouping, and I wouldn't have known right You you know? Anyway, I I'm glad you're doing better.
You you know what Thank you. Yeah. I am too. And, you know, I just listened yesterday to you reposted your episode with
Kent.
Mister Kent. Yes. And I I mean, this yeah. Talk about algorithms. I'm in Wichita, Kansas.
Oh. Kent was in Emporia, Kansas, I believe. He's he talked a lot about Northeast Kansas. Like and I believe he was in Emporia because that's where, like, all the big, the dirt bike races were that he would
He's talking about.
Yes.
Yeah. Yeah.
I've never heard of him in my life. In my life, I've lived in this state. I've lived an hour and a half away from him. Never once knew who this man was. So I just appreciate all that he did.
That's awesome. Amazing. And I remember you telling him about the sign language episodes? Was it the what were you putting in sign language?
Was it the pro tip? Yeah. I did the bowl. I had a a really beautiful person do the bowl beginning series in ASL.
And you and then you had, someone else contact you and ask you if their brother if you had anything for her brother to maybe see, and you said, actually, yes. I do. Yeah. So, I mean, I know you know. You were you lit got to listen listen to everyone's stories yesterday, and so that's amazing.
But these are these aren't just numbers. These are these are people. These are eight year olds. They're 10 year olds. They're 36 year olds that have, you know, been given a chance to live a better way.
I also would like to say that I don't begrudge anybody trying to make a living or doing anything. And if you like, I I'm just not gonna do it. Like, I'm not gonna I am not gonna put a camera six inches from my face and scream into it, and then try to get you upset or excited about a new CGM or a new pump or whatever thing because that's what people care about. They care about new new tech. You know what I mean?
Maybe for some people, that's what they need to see and hear, but not every obviously, for all of your listeners. And you're reaching parents. You're reaching, you know, old. Well well Not all of them are old, but
you're telling you this this response from this from from the survey tells me that it's pretty equal. Like, the the listeners are pretty equal parents and adults.
That's amazing.
It leans a tiny bit towards parents.
Yes. Okay.
But not as much as you think. Because online, what I've learned is that online, parents are are more likely to speak online, but it doesn't mean that the other people aren't there.
Okay. Yeah. Sure.
So I don't know. Again, I feel bad. Like, I'm not denigrating anybody. I just it's not for me. It it
It's hard to understand. I think in possibly thirty, forty, fifty years, we might understand a bit better what's going on right now with all of this. Yeah. But when we're in the thick of it right now, we just don't And I don't I don't know the answer. I'm with you.
We one thing that we like to do as a family, we're real exciting over here. We will sit. There's five of us. So there's my husband and I and our 18, 14, and 10 year olds. So we have a a pretty wide range
Mhmm.
Of people ages what's going on in life. And we will sit, and my daughter and I or we have a couple groups. I have a group. I have a TikTok group with my son and my daughter who are both teenagers, and then I have a group with just my daughter and I. And we'll play our group or we'll play our group, our family text messages, just the reels that we've sent each other.
So we'll sit in our living room, and we will airplay all of those and just watch them all together because
That's smart.
Sometimes my kids don't watch what I'm sending them. So we'll we'll sit down, and we'll just play them, and we'll just laugh. And we'll see which ones they really like, and my husband and I will look at each other and say, that was so stupid. What in the world? And then my daughter will play one that I sent to them, and this is exactly what you're saying.
She will not she'll play the first two seconds and move on. And I'm like, wait. You didn't get to the good part. It was gonna get good. It was really funny.
Yeah. I Listen.
She's like, no. That was dumb.
Think it's I don't think it's it's I was I was complaining to my wife when I got home. She's a captive audience. She can't get away. And and I and I said, look. I know we all know at this point that that these algorithms are like, they're hijacking our brains.
And and I know we know and that no one's stopping. I was like, but there are some people who aren't. But I just I feel very badly about like, Marla, be be serious for a second. Imagine now that you know what you know that you've learned over the last twelve months. Imagine you didn't know about it, but you can comment on on that Marla who'd who never knows, who's walking around with an eight a one c, who's walking around sixty five pounds heavier.
Like, can you imagine what happens if you don't intersect good information that's easy to digest, easy to put into practice, didn't cost you any money?
Right.
Right? Like, what what where are you today without? I I I don't wanna say it like this, but where are you today without finding that podcast?
Well, that's I don't know. I mean, I do know I probably just don't wanna face it.
It's sad. Right?
It is. Yeah. And
and you live like that a long time needlessly because I've been making this podcast for twelve years. Like, that'll don't think about that. That'll make you sad. Okay? But, like, imagine all the you found it.
You're you're yay. But what about the other people who instead of finding this today, who could make the statements you're making a year from now, are instead watching two diabetes influencers argue with each other on TikTok.
Right. Not helpful.
Right? It sad. Makes Like, you've you've you've found a platform. I'm not saying anything special. By the way, I see other influence out there ripping my stuff off word for word.
So they're trying. Those ones, god bless them, I guess, are trying to get good information out there. Also, you could have figured out a way to say it on your own, but fine. Take my words. Whatever.
But, like but my god. Like, is it that important to get your stupid video up to a certain number of freaking views so you can call some company and tell them you want a couple of thousand dollars to put an ad on their thing? Or whatever it is you're planning on doing with your dude your dude are you trying to get YouTube videos up so you can do this or that? Like, is that really what, like, this is? Like, you know what I mean?
Because I don't know. I I I I just just help. Like, I I I was sat in front of a few people who are diabetes influencers two weeks ago, and they said, do you have any advice? And I realized they were looking at me like I was Yoda, and not that I was all knowing, but that I was incredibly old. I I know that I know they were like, oh, this old guy's been doing this for a long time.
Maybe he knows something. And I said to them, stop what you're doing right now and try to help people instead, and then actually help them. And then once they're helped, they'll they'll continue to watch your thing, and they'll tell other people about it. And I was like, but if you don't do that, six to twelve months from now, a new you is gonna be standing here asking me this same question. You are gonna be gone.
Right. But some of them happen forever. Some of them, Scott, aren't eve even able to help. I don't think that I think they need the help as much. I'm I don't know ever.
For some people, that's the situation. But, like, but then find the thing you're good at that you it doesn't have to be the thing I'm doing. Like, you find another way to help people. Like and it's not helpful to them to, like, have your pump fall off, and then you pick your camera up and go, oh my god. I hate diabetes.
My pump fell off again. Like, blah blah blah. Right. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah. That happens sometimes. Like, way to way to record the one time your pump fell off in the last six months. Great. Yeah.
You know, like, everybody's pump falls off sometimes. And and and but just try not to make it feel like it's happening constantly because there are some people who think, oh my god. This pumps fall off all the time. No. No.
They don't. Like like, stop. Or or you know what I mean? Like, my CGM's always wrong. I'm gonna die because my CGM's always wrong.
That's a great thing to run around. Why don't you tell them to hydro themselves or explain to them how to put it on so it works better? Or you you know I mean? Like, I don't know. Anyway.
Alright. Marley, here's what I need from you.
Okay. What?
I need you to get over your sensory thing because I think you would love a pump.
Yeah. I know.
I don't care which one. That's not my point. And, but I I think you might maybe not. Maybe you're gonna be an MDI for life person. But, I mean, think
think I could okay. If I did wear a pump, do you think I could just turn do you just turn the basil off at night so I didn't go low?
The part nobody sees1:05:42
Oh, my. I love that you don't even know what the hell you're talking about. Sweetheart, there's a there's a I know.
There's a sleep mode.
Right? No. No. They're they're all automated at this point. They take and give away basil all day long.
They're all it's always adjusting your basil.
Well, I know that. I know that much.
Okay. I gotta get you out of Kansas. Wait. When's the last time you left Kansas?
Oh, two weeks ago.
Wait. But would you go to, like, Missouri or something like that, or where'd you go?
Oklahoma. Oklahoma. That doesn't count.
I love that you said my kids are city kids. Trust me. They're not. Okay. Yeah.
I know. We talked about this, like yeah. We were talking about cities. I was talking, I think, to my daughter because she loves she loves the country. She would love to live on a farm, but I'm like, Reese, you can't like, you need a Target and a Chick fil A.
She's like, yeah. I do need a Target and a Chick fil A.
Marla, I'm gonna share something. I don't share a ton about my personal life all the time, like but and because everybody takes everything and tries to make a judgment about what it is, but here we go. Okay. I was at the the new record holding largest comedy show that's ever existed last week.
Seriously? Which one
I'm talking about? No. No. I saw Shane Gillis at the at at Lincoln Financial Center. My son
No way.
My son and I went.
Oh, how fun. We love Shane Gillis
at our came out. Who else was there? The guy he does this podcast with who I no offense, Matt, but not funny. But also put in a Tony?
No. Kill Tony?
No. No. No. Matt McCusker, maybe.
Oh, okay.
He was the opener. In fairness to him, he came out right after Meek Mill sang.
So Okay.
This thing was, like, Jason Kelce opened the show. Actually, that's not true. Bam Margera opened the show by making an announcement live
No way.
To video things. Then then Jason Kelce came out, opened up the show. Then Meek Mill came out and performed. Then Matt and, again, Matt, you know, I I don't know your comedy, but that it wasn't great, man. And then k.
And then Jay Oakerson came out who was funny from the from the jump, from word one till the end. He was super comfortable. I wanna keep you in mind that we were in a stadium. They sold 77,000 tickets.
Woah. I believe
73 and a half thousand showed up.
I believe Shane my daughter okay. So we love comedy. We watch a lot of comedy also as a family. And I believe my daughter was just telling me that I believe Shane has the record for maybe it was this, the
most He does. And I was there.
Sold oh my goodness. So 77,000. That's amazing.
Yeah. So so then Shane came out and performed. Then Shane brought out Dave Chappelle.
Oh my.
They didn't perform. They just talked for a while. And then you realize they were just chatting because because three six five mafia was gonna come out and do a concert afterwards. And I was like, what is happening? It was insane.
It was really just crazy. I this woman was dancing in front of me during three six five mafia who I later found out was Tiffany Haddish. I was like Aw. But I was
like In front of you?
Listen. This was my Christmas present. I I I don't I'm gonna say this because I don't want people to, like, think that this is happening all the time in my life because it's not. I do nothing ever. My wife overspent on this.
I was in the first row of the Shangillas thing. Aw. So and it was an in the round thing, so it was a square stage. So in fairness, there were four sides to a pretty big stage. There were a lot of people in the first row.
But we were first row. There's a girl up against the stage dancing like crazy during three six five mafia. And then later, I was like, that was Tiffany Haddish. The
guy Tiffany.
That she it was it was my point is is that your daughter has never seen 73,000 people together in one place.
Right. No. She would
and it was
Actually well, I don't know how many I don't know how big Arrowhead Stadium is, but she has been there.
Yeah. I'm we were down on the I was basically sitting at the 50 yard line at Lincoln Financial Center.
Wow. Was That's cool.
Awesome. It took us hours to get out of there afterwards. I've never seen the streets around the stadiums as filled with people as it was afterwards. People were just milling around every which way. Point point being is that there's no way that there's that many people that even live in Kansas.
No.
But that's okay. That's how we like it.
I like it. Also, I would prefer to live
big city.
I would prefer to live on a I would prefer to live in the middle of nowhere too.
Would you okay. How's your how's your or have you
talked to
your wife into moving yet? I know you've talked a lot about Yes. Moving south.
So Kelly is recuperating from a procedure. Okay. And people are gonna be like just laughed. I thought people are gonna think she got a boob job or something. But she she had a growth she had to have taken out.
Like, she's okay. Okay. And and so that would be her thing to say, not mine. But she had a she had a a surgery that takes a while to recover from. She's in the middle of the recovery.
We think that she's gonna be okay to travel in another week or so. So we're trying to make space to go do this because this is a thing she's never even seen before. So we wanna take a little road trip and look around in a few places. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that because if she goes back to work but trust me. She's going back to work.
But nobody nobody rides for free, Marla. Okay? Right. But but we I if she goes back to work before we're able to take this trip, it's gonna be much more difficult for me to get her on
the trip.
So I'm trying to, like, get her recuperated enough where she can take a car ride and and go look around.
Okay.
So we'll
I will pray for Kelly that she has speedy recovery, but that not too speedy that she heals correctly.
Yes. Yeah. No. She's doing I I was just telling her yesterday. She looked yesterday for the first time, she looked a little brighter.
Her energy was better, yeah, even towards the end of So the it's just hard to you know, you get older and you gotta do stuff and hard to bounce back. So I don't know if that's gonna happen or not, but I'm still I'm still doggedly going after it.
That's exciting.
And I am happy that I told this story about going to the concert. There's such a good photo of me and my son that I wanted to share. And I and I didn't share because I don't want people to think that they understand my politics because of a comedy show that I went to.
Oh, okay. Yes. You know what I mean?
Yep. Because y'all don't understand my politics. I promise you. Right. No matter what you
And that's okay. We don't need to understand.
You really don't. Also, I I've learned from making a podcast that if you like me, you just assume I agree with you politically. That's the thing that happens when you're listening to somebody like this. Yes. If you don't like me, you assume I I think opposite of you.
Yes.
Because I've watched people do it online. It's pretty fascinating.
Yep. I've seen that too. Mhmm. But I do appreciate, yeah, how you, manage the group and
Thank you.
Keep us in line and keep it yeah. Let's you know, we all yeah.
No. I do listen. I don't get enough credit for how good I am at that.
Actually, really do. You you do a good job.
Don't worry.
I'm giving you credit. Thank I see it.
Well, let me tell you a couple things then. We'll wrap up with this, but this is some pretty interesting stuff from that survey. And please, everybody go take the survey. It's gonna stay up. It's juiceboxpodcast.com/survey.
It literally takes five minutes. It's set up really well. It's easy to go through. Where impact lands with people? Confidence with insulin timing and dosing, eighty seven percent of respondents said that it improved.
They also said that glucose management a one c time and range improved. Eighty six percent said that. Seventy eight percent said I feel less alone. Sixty one percent said I have less fear of anxiety about diabetes. Forty nine percent say I have more confidence as a caregiver.
I'm better prepared for medical appointments. Forty one percent. I'm more flexible. Thirty nine percent. I have less diabetes.
Distressed. Thirty eight percent. Fewer severe lows. Thirty three percent. Better sleep.
What the listener survey says1:14:21
Twenty eight percent. Where did what drove my impact? Mostly the podcast, 45%. Both the podcast and the Facebook group, 42%. Mostly the online community, 9%.
I'll tell you that meant a lot to me because I have so far only announced the survey on the online community. And so that I only put it there and haven't talked about it in the podcast yet, but to find out that only 9% of them really can give the credit to just the online and not the podcast made me feel good because I always think that those people aren't listening.
Yes.
Median a one c change for those 90 people, 1.3. I altogether, your a one c's would drop to an average of 1.3. A one c points for those 90 people combined, 192.4 points have dropped of of all of you guys. Time and range climb to time and range in excuse me. Fifty six of seventy with both their step with their CGM estimates, 80% of those people's time in range has gone up.
Severe lows decreased six seventy two percent of respondents said their severe lows have decreased. It's pretty freaking awesome.
Yes. It is.
Lot more data here about it, but and I'm not giving myself the credit. I'm saying that I think that having a place to talk about it, having a group of like minded people who all understand the basics, and having a place where you can sit long form, listen, learn, and apply is really, really important for people. I'll stop joking for a second. This is incredibly, like, valuable. And and anyway, I I mean, if it was as easy as me just bouncing my ass, I would do it.
But I don't think that's not gonna help. You know what I'm saying?
Yes. Well, it's been incredibly valuable to me. Like I said, I I started to make a change when I listened to the pro tip series. I really did. That was before I began the Mounjaro.
Tightening the alarms1:16:22
I started to lower my a one c that way because I lowered my the biggest takeaway for me being MDI was that I needed to tighten up my CGM alarms. So Yeah. My low, I set at 70. My high, I set at one thirty. And if I saw that one thirty, obviously, one thirty is okay.
I'm not going to make a correction right there unless I see the arrow going straight up. But, obviously, if it's going off, it is going up. So if I make a correction there, it's going to hit, and I'm not going to get up to two hundred. I might still get up to 01:50, 01:55, 01:60, but I'm not going to
one ninety.
At one eighty, it's too late.
Yeah. No.
That is too late to be making a correction.
If that was your biggest takeaway that helped you, that's awesome. My point is that somebody else will take something else away. And somebody else will take something else away, and it they'll find the peace thing. Everything's in the podcast. Like, you just have to listen to it.
If listen to it, you'll be okay. Yeah. And and, I mean, I can't promise that, but I I will offer a money back guarantee because the podcast is free. Oh, okay. Nice.
Offer a a full a full guarantee.
Well, I wouldn't need my money back because I I benefited.
Well, I appreciate this very much. I really do. I am gonna go because I have to record again in forty five minutes because Okay. I am what they call a hustler. I don't know if you know.
Not a hustler in the, like, taking stuff from you situation in the, like, I I move. I got get stuff done. Everybody go take the survey. Juiceboxpodcast.com/survey. And, of course, all of you listening who hate listening, don't forget to go take it and completely try to shit on me.
It'll make the numbers look more valuable. Because right now, what it looks like is positive impact on physical health, ninety nine percent of respondents said yes. Positive impact on their mental health, ninety seven percent said yes. Okay? Overall median well-being, seventy six a score of seventy six reported a one percent negative effect.
Any people that reported a negative effect, very low. And the only negative effects that people talk about, by the way, of listening or being involved is they it can help it can make them initially feel behind or judged compared to other people. But I'm gonna tell you that what that if you can fight through that, what that means is you realize there are other people doing better than you, and hopefully, that that becomes aspirational for you. Some people, twenty seven percent said that it's hard to know where to start or that they felt overloaded with information. That's fair.
They should try the podcast website, which should help them narrow that down. Content that didn't fit my situation, only 21%. That's awesome. Increased anxiety, 13%. I understand.
It's tough to find out that there's a lot of stuff that you don't know. Diabetes now takes up more mental space, only 13%. Content that conflicted with my care team, only 12%. That's good news for your care teams out there because, you know, it used to be that used to be a bigger number.
I've
had negative interactions in the community. 11 people said they have. 11 out of a 150, not bad. Oh, we also don't know what their negative and you've been in that group. That group is an overwhelmingly positive place.
Feeling behind or judged compared to others, one person said that.
So
again, try the podcast. It'll help you. Pro tips, bold beginnings, small sips. If you don't wanna listen to such long stuff, check out the website. There's ton of information there for you.
Take the survey. Thank you very much, Marla. Hold on one second for me. To learn more and see if you might be able to get Twist from the pharmacy and try it for free, head to visit.twist.com/juicebox. That's visit.twist.com/juicebox or give them a call at 18774.
That's +1 (877) 489-4478 and tell them Scott sent you. Twist requires a prescription and is indicated for people with type one diabetes six and older. Arden has been getting her diabetes supplies from US Med for years. You can as well. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514.
Many thanks to US Med for sponsoring this episode and for being and for being longtime sponsors of the juice box podcast. There are links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com to US Med, Twist, and today's other awesome sponsor, the Eversense CGM. They make of course the Eversense three sixty five and that thing lasts an entire 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. Check it out. Let's face it. Diabetes is tough, but it's easier when you have a community around you.
So if you're looking for a great community around type one diabetes, check out the juice box podcast private Facebook group. Juice box podcast type one diabetes, but everyone's 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 the Juice Box podcast private Facebook group. Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook.
I promise you it is the most unfacebook like experience that you'll ever ever find. What a great group of people. I don't like saying this usually because it dates the ad, but right now there are 86,000 active members. 86,000 people in there who might have your experience, know what to say, just be a great shoulder to lean on. Don't be too proud to find a community.
It really does help. And it's completely free. Juicebox podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. I just wanna say thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast.
If you're not subscribed, please subscribe in a podcast app. It really helps Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite audio app is. Like and subscribe. You know what the kids say on the YouTube, like and subscribe. It really does help.
And if you're already subscribed, please tell a friend or your endo or somebody you think might enjoy the podcast as well. Word-of-mouth is the only way that it grows. Once again, I've been Scott. You've been fantastic, and we'll be right back with another episode of the juice box podcast.
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