#1983 It Works for Me
It Works for Me
Michela is Italian, lives in San Diego, and has eaten low carb for over a decade. She explains why it works for her, what it costs her, and why the way people argue about it drives everyone away.
Jump to a moment
- She was handed a fixed dose and told to use it before every meal. Diagnosed as an adult during an already stressful year, Michela followed that instruction without questioning it, because a doctor said so. Finding Bernstein and reading his book is, in her words, the best decision she ever made — not for the dogma, but because it gave her a way to live she could actually follow.
- Her analogy is shrimp, and it's a fair one. If you're allergic to shrimp you don't eat shrimp, and your life is better without it. She doesn't frame low carb as virtue or discipline — she frames it as the thing that makes her feel well. She still has a bite of pizza or a forkful of pasta to remember the flavor, and she's clear she isn't strictly low carb all the time.
- She splits Levemir into three doses a day. Roughly six and a half units on waking, with the day arranged so each dose carries a fresh load across morning, dinner and overnight. She covers protein with a separate small dose an hour or two after eating, when she sees the rise start. Scott notes Levemir's shorter action is what makes that possible. One person's regimen, not advice.
- Menopause changed everything about her insulin. She describes perimenopause and then menopause affecting sensitivity more than almost anything else — and connects it to what parents of teenage girls describe. It's one of the few places anyone discusses hormones and insulin across an entire adult life rather than a single season.
- She and Scott agree about why low-carb arguments fail. Michela's position is simple: it works for her, it makes her happy and healthy, and people should respect it. Her objection is to the small number of very loud voices who go so hard that outsiders write off the whole idea — including telling parents they're killing their children. Scott's addition is that the aggression usually comes from people who were drowning before they found it. Asked whether she could bolus for a ninety carb meal, she says yes — she'd under-dose deliberately and adjust after.
- Diabetes Pro Tip series — Episodes 1000-1025 — settings, insulin timing, and food impact.
- Juicebox Podcast Facebook group — The private community, free to join.
- Juice Cruise 2027 — Scott's suggestion to Michela — meeting the community in person.
Every word of the conversation
Hello, friends, and welcome back to the juice box podcast. On today's episode of the podcast, there will be nothing that you should take as advice, medical or otherwise. So please, please consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. Hey. Three things fast.
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So hi, everybody. My name is Mikayla. I'm Italian, and I live in San Diego, and I have type one diabetes.
Oh, good morning, Michela. How are you?
I'm doing good. A little bit nervous, but good.
Nervous about her accent2:16
But you told me before we started recording, you're nervous because you're worried about your accent, or are you nervous for another reason?
Most because, of the accent because, I... I'm always worried about not finding the right word to explain, especially when we speak about type one. So, I want to to be more precise. And and when I'm nervous, I get, you know, confused, and my brain switch back to Italian more easily.
Well, if you need to switch to Italian and speak in Italian for a couple sentences to find your thought, just keep going. Don't don't worry about it.
Okay? Sounds good.
So how long have you had type one?
Thirteen years. Yes.
Thirteen.
I I was late, onset. I was, 33 years old when I was diagnosed.
Are you married?
Yes. You are? Yes. Married, and I have a kid. We adopted, immediately one year after diagnosis.
So it was a a busy couple of years, I have to say.
Wow. You got diagnosed and adopted a a baby or a child or how old?
A baby. Yeah. He was a newborn. Yeah. We were in the process of adoption when I got sick, actually, and it stopped a little bit.
It slowed a little bit, the process because I had to focus on my health. And I was kinda depressed, honestly, because, it was a shocking event in my life. And then my son arrived, and he literally saved my life and my mental health. And I'm the happiest person since then.
Look at you. That's awesome. Are there Yeah. Other people in your family line who have type one?
No. Just you? As you've probably heard many times, I'm the first and only with either type one or type two in my family. So Okay. The the the first one.
And in fact, at that time, I barely knew what it was, to be honest. I... It was shocking also for that reason, I believe, because it was so unknown for me.
Yeah. Of course. Prior to the diagnosis with diabetes, did you have Hashimoto's or celiac or anything like that?
I've had Raynaud disease syndrome. Sorry. Raynaud syndrome. You know, when you have all your hand and feet super cold since when I was a teenager. And, after I got type one, I've read that, very...
It... It's an autoimmune disease, and very often, people with type one have that and start with that, actually. So Yeah. You know, it was it was... But it was the only thing.
After diabetes, of course, it messed a little bit more with my hormones. So also, Ashimoto came along the way. I believe that once you start, you know, it's a it's a ripple effect. Once you start with the autoimmunity, it's, the body, you know, gets gets confused, let's say so.
Wilding. It's wilding is what it's doing. Yeah. Are there other people in your family who have other autoimmune issues? So you, Raynaud's, and now Hashimoto's.
Actually, just my mom with, the Hashimoto's, and that's it.
Okay.
So I have I have a pretty healthy family. So sometimes I joke with my family and saying, I'm the only one who's taking a lot of pills and a lot of medication. You're all doing fine. I mean, my parents are in their eighties, and they, they're doing great, honestly. And I'm happy with that.
Good. So
Oh, that's awesome.
I I was the the the unlucky one.
Well, how many, people in your family? You have brothers and sisters?
Yes. I have a brother, and he doesn't have any any condition. He's he's healthy. I want him to be tested for, for everything right now because I'm kinda worried about him, but, he's doing fine.
Is he older or younger?
Older. He's five years older than me. Six years. Sorry. Six years older than me.
He's 52?
Yes.
Okay. I I... Everyone has to be impressed with my math. I mean, if you're not, I don't know what you're doing. I I pay I pay such close attention.
Okay.
Yeah. You are. Thank you.
So your brother's 52. Your parents are in their eighties. You're... I got the whole thing. Okay.
So Yes. Let's talk And
they're all in Italy because we live in San Diego, just me, my husband, and our son, but all the family lives back in Italy.
How did you make it here? Did that boy make you move? What happened?
Well, life is, unexpected, as you know. So, actually, fifth... Sixteen years ago, we moved to for my husband.
Oh, you broke up. Hold on one sec. Mikaela, you broke you broke up for a second for your husband.
I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry.
Yeah. Yeah. We moved, to Singapore, for my husband's work, and it was supposed to be a three years, you know, work experience. And then he became five. And while we were there, he was given an opportunity to work for a company here in San Diego, and we decided to to move to to San Diego.
Also, because while we were in Singapore, I got sick with type one, and we adopted our son there. And so we felt that, The US were a better, option for for our family, and, actually, we're very happy here. I wouldn't change a thing in our, you know, living experience.
Of Italy, Singapore, and San Diego, the weather in San Diego is premium.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Here's the best.
I mean
Yeah. I mean, yeah, I've only been there once. And I... As soon as you walk outside, you go, oh, well, this is why everything's so expensive. They don't want us here.
Yeah. Yeah. We we we pay for, you know, the blue skies, the sunny days, the the the the dry weather. Everybody's happy here, and I I think that the weather is helping in that direction.
I think they're
just Whenever it rains Good. Yeah. We are so disappointed.
I just figured you're trying to keep the rest of us out and with good reason because it is... And I just lied. I've been there twice, but twice in, like, quick succession, which is a bummer. I was there one time with my family to vacation, and I was just there this year to make that Omnipod five commercial that, people might have seen online.
So Yes. Yeah.
So that
I didn't know it was recorded here in San Diego. Top of mind. Next time you come, you should let me know,
and we
can meet in person.
Oh, up in the hills Temecula. Am I saying it right?
Uh-huh.
Beautiful.
Oh, yes. Temecula. Yes. Yes. Oh, there is a a more inland and, northern compared to where I live, and it's way more hot.
Especially this week, we are going through a heat wave, so it's got... It's super hot for for San Diego. And, in Temecula, they are past the 100 Fahrenheit, this week.
So it's, like, hot. Day I was there, Mikayla, it was lovely. I was up on this. I felt like I was on the side of a mountain somewhere at a farm. The Dexcom g seven is sponsoring this episode of the Juice Box podcast, and it now comes in ten and fifteen day wear times.
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If you're interested in learning more about either of them, using my links really will help the show. Thanks for listening. We're gonna get back to the show. My goodness. It it was a nice breeze.
I got a beautiful tan. I didn't work. I I don't know if people know how this, like, filming stuff works, but I was there... I think we got in the bus at 8AM. I was probably there by 9AM.
I didn't work till five, and I worked for, like, ten minutes. Wow. And the and the rest of the day, I just sat out in the sun like, ugh, this is awesome. I finally get a day off. So
Fantastic. Well, you know that Temecula is famous because there's a lot of wineries, so you can go and also tour all the wineries. And sometimes, it looks a little bit like Tuscany. I mean, all my friends from Tuscany will scream at me, but, it looks a little bit like Tuscany because of the hills and all, you know, all the, the grapes. Yeah.
It's really beautiful. It feels like being on vacation. Absolutely. But also for us, even though it's, like, forty five minutes from where I live, it's beautiful. And I have a lot of Italian friends
Mhmm.
Who live in Temecula, and and they love it there.
That's awesome. Well, I wanna find out about being in Singapore and getting diagnosed. So, I mean, is there That
was rough.
I was gonna say, how did that how did that go? I mean, what did you notice first? What got you to a doctor?
Okay. It it it was very, weird. And after experience... Everything, I have the feeling that they're not very prepared, at least at that time, so thirteen years ago, with a diagnosis with type one. I was losing a little bit of weight, but I've always been slim.
So it's not that I was... I lost, like, 20 pounds. But I've... I I was having weird tinglings in my hands. Like, you know, when you sleep on your arm and you don't feel those, you know, tinglings in your hand because the the blood flow is not working properly.
Tingling hands, and a stressful year13:15
So you just change position in your bed and, okay, the hand goes back to normal. I had that sensation for an entire day no matter what I was doing, and that was very weird. So I went to the doctor, and I said, okay. Maybe we can do some blood work. I don't know what's going on.
Maybe I... You know, I'm deficient in something. We were very stressed because we were in the process of, trying to adopt a baby, and it was a very stressful time of of our life.
And
and so I I... They ran just, you know, the basic, tests, and my glucose levels came up super high, like, the three hundreds. So they called me, to go to the office. And at first, they said, okay. You have to see the endocrinologist.
I was sent to an endocrinologist. I saw the endocrinologist right away. So that was really fast. But they thought I was type two because I was, you know, 33.
Yeah.
So the the the guessing was, okay. She has type two. And so I was given metformin and, sent home with a booklet about how to, you know, look at the plate to proportion the, you know, the contents of the food, and that's it. And I was given a meter, to test my glucose levels. Nothing else.
No support. No, you know, training. Nothing. So I can't... While we were waiting for the, the results for the test of, the remaining, production of, insulin by my pancreas, because that test took, like, a a week to to arrive at the results.
So in that week, I was testing, and my glucose levels were always super high. And it was very stressful because, you know, freaking your finger, not being used to do that, it hurt like crazy. Now if I think about it, I I I find it silly because I I do it, you know, without even thinking about it now. And, and nothing changed much. And so they called me a week later and said, you know, your production of insulin is zero.
It's definitely type one. We made a mistake. You have to take insulin. And so they called me in, and they gave me a a mixed insulin, which I've never seen after that. So it was not...
Neither a a fast insulin or a basal. It was a a mixed type
Mhmm.
Of insulin. And I was given that and told to inject the same amount of, you know, units, before every meal. That's it. I followed the instructions, and I was kinda lost at the supermarket. I didn't know what to buy.
The same dose before every meal15:59
I was really at at a loss. And, after a few days of injecting the same amount of insulin for every meal, after a dinner with salmon and vegetables, which was very low in carbohydrates because there was basically just, you know, the few carbs of the vegetables, I crashed, and I ended up in a, in the ER. Okay.
So so you gave yourself an amount of insulin that was just way greater than what you needed, but you would have no idea why you
would have no idea. Because I just... You know, the doctor told me to do that, and I listened to the doctor without, you know, second guessing. And it was everything so so surreal. It was like living in a in a nightmare.
So I was really, like, you know, carried away by the the events, and I was really mentally imposed. So I was just doing what I was told to be do... To be doing. And that was a wake up call for me. Because after that, I said, okay.
No. This is not the way I wanna live. I don't want to to do something I don't understand anything about. And I started to read. I read all the books, that, existed about type one diabetes.
And I discovered, doctor, Richard Bernstein's
Mhmm.
And his low carbs diet. And I started to to become a low carver. And since then, I've been on a low carb diet, and I follow his, his guidance. And that was, in my opinion, the best decision I've ever made in my life because, after that reading and reading his book, I figured out what was the best solution for me to to to live a normal life for for my stands up... For my standards, for for my lifestyle, for everything.
Finding Bernstein, and reading the book17:54
I'm so glad you're on today because just yesterday, I interviewed a person who sat and told me the exact opposite story that you're gonna that you're gonna tell me right now. I found low carb. It was okay, but we didn't like it. We kinda forced ourself to it. I think it might have given my non type one daughter and pushed her towards an eating disorder.
I found the community to be unkind. Like, that's the whole story. I just... I can't wait to hear the other story. I can't...
I'm super excited. So you so you get low. That scares the hell out of you. Makes you scared of insulin, I imagine.
Yes.
You you like the idea behind, you know, Bernstein and and low carb, and I bet you what really attracted you was the idea of, like, low numbers. Right? Small amounts of insulin.
Yeah.
Yeah. Go ahead.
Yeah. The the rule of the small numbers, so you need a little amount of insulin and to cover not many carbs. And in this way, the the the possibility to make a big mistake, it's definitely lower. It's it's a rule of the the the small numbers.
Think there's no doubt.
Call it.
Yeah. Yeah. Right.
And and it it... Honestly, it works. But as I as I said before, I found that it works for me, but I also learned that you have to adjust it to your lifestyle. I've met, I have met two days ago, a mama of Akira, and she told me, oh, yeah. We started the locale, but it was too much work, and then I gave up.
Yeah. Because many people, you know, they bake everything. They make a lot of things at home. They drive themselves crazy to find, you know, ingredients to make a specific, you know, recipe in a certain way. Mhmm.
That is stressful. I agree. I just... I mean, I'm a very basic low carb, so I eat protein and vegetables. And and I I limit, as much as possible, my carbs intake.
So I I don't eat pasta or pizza or rice. But there's a lot of other options to put it back in it, and I don't have to bake necessarily everything. Plus now here in The US, there's a lot of products that are keto that works perfectly for us... For a low carb diet. So you can find, cookies like the HiKis.
You can find ice cream. I mean, if you want to have, you know, something like the the food you used to have in the past, you can find it without having to bake it yourself.
There's a fair amount of options. So... But, Mikayla, I got it.
My family, I I cook regular food for my boys. So I prepare, I don't know, pasta. I prepared pasta for lunch for my son. He he doesn't have type one. I don't have to force him into my lifestyle.
I just try to make it... To keep it simple. That's, in my opinion, the way to make it manageable. And you feel... When you feel better, you see that it's the the best solution because, you...
I I find myself, thriving in this lifestyle, and I don't
Isn't that
fantastic? I don't know. A cake or something like that.
Yeah. No. First of all, that's fantastic. I I love that you found an answer for yourself. I mean, it couldn't be better.
My question has to be because I feel like everyone listening is is saying to ask you. It's like, you're not just Italian. You're from Italy. You you stopped eating you stopped eating pizza and pasta and bread, and that was not an issue for you?
No. No. Honestly, no.
Tell people why, though.
Like being allergic to shrimp21:39
When you're allergic, I don't know, to shrimp, you don't eat shrimp because you get sick, and you can live your life without eating that because without eating that, your life is better. And my mental approach is the same. I don't want to feel crap because I want to have a slice of pizza and then don't sleep the whole night because my numbers are crazy, and I feel miserable miserable the day after. It's not worth, you know, the... All the the mass that it creates to to my body and to my mental health.
And, you know, carbs can cause, you know, dependence. You know, it's like a drug addiction. So you're addicted to to carbs the more you eat it. The less you eat it, the less you care. So I honestly, if I want to have, you know, like, a a bite of pasta, I can do it.
I just have a quick bite. I check my numbers. It's not a big deal. I don't have a, you know, whole bowl of pasta, or I just have a bite of pizza just, you know, to remind me of of the the flavor. And sometimes, I find things that taste different to me than it used to taste before because, probably, I'm not used to all that sugar, for example, that you can find in a cake.
Sure. So if I sample a cake, I say, oh gosh. No. It's so sweet. I I cannot I cannot have it.
So I really... And the funny thing is that everybody, when I'm back home, they're saying, oh, Mikaela, are you okay if we eat pizza in front of you? And I said, yeah. That's fine. I'm having whatever I'm eating, and I love it.
I mean, I don't I don't care what you're eating. I'm fine. I'm really I'm really fine.
What would you say to somebody who heard you say that and then said, well, I eat pizza and pasta, but I learned how to bowl is for it, I don't get high, and I don't get sick, and I don't get low later?
I mean, good for them. If they they figured it out. In my experience, especially in my body, I know that I would need a lot of insulin to cover that, and that scares me. And I've had my few episodes of, you know, being unconscious because of a hypo because probably my body is very sensitive, and, I don't want to run that risk anymore
I would not.
And for my for my, you know, family. Because my husband and my son were with me, and it's not fun to see somebody, you know No.
No. No. Yeah. Mikaela, I'm not questioning your decision. I think your decision is rock solid.
I... I'm trying to trying to say and wonder out loud, are you a are you a victim of your... Not even victim's the wrong word. I don't mean it that way. Are are you a a product of your circumstances?
Like, had you not gotten low that time? Had you found... Because you know me. How is it you know me?
Mhmm.
You listen to this podcast?
Yeah. Yeah. Sure.
I do. So you've heard, like, discussions about how to use insulin and things like that. So Yeah. What if you would have found that before you got low and then not gotten super low that time. Do you think you'd be do you think you'd be here still?
Yeah. Because, honestly, I I mean, as I told you, I've read it all. I've read all the books. Also, all the... All those books that, you know, teach you how to handle everything.
Yeah.
And I still believe that the the risk of injecting too much insulin is too high, and it's not worth risking. Because, yes, you can maybe find a solution that works for that specific food, but you... We are never, you know, a 100% sure that it can work the same way every time. And I don't want to run that risk. Yeah.
I believe that small amount of insulin are more manageable, and and that's the the way I want to approach a sore... You know, this strong medication that we are given. Yeah.
No. I completely I completely... Completely... I didn't mean to cut you off. I completely understand.
Yeah. I I
And I'm a woman also, so you have to consider that women also have, you know, hormones and, you know, period. And now I've been through perimenopause and I mean menopause, and that affects even more your, you know, insulin sensitivity and your relationship with insulin. And using a small amount of the insulins allows me to be on the safer side and not risking my life
Menopause, and what it did to insulin26:20
Yeah. No.
I you know, for food.
Listen. I... My life is being impacted by perimenopause right now. I want you to know.
Okay. So...
I mean, probably not the same way hers is, but No. No problem. No. I'm feeling it. So...
It... I mean, it's crazy. I went... I didn't have type one when I was a teenager, and I talked to parents whose kids... Whose girls, you know, are teenagers, and they have all these, you know, hormonal changes, and so these affect insulin.
And I noticed that it's the same with perimenopause because our female hormones are all over the place. And so you wake up one day that you're super high, and the following day, same amount of insulin, same food, same lifestyle, and it's a completely opposite situation.
Gotcha.
It's a roller coaster of, of emotions and management of, you know, of insulin diabetes. And I'm always saying that, I mean, I'm happy that I'm using a small amount of insulin because these sudden and unpredictable changes would be so much harder to manage if I use a larger amount of insulin.
Do you think that you were honeymooning or still are honeymooning by any chance?
No. No? I don't
think so. No. And and
It was just for the first few months, I think, and then I started to increase my insulin needs. So... Yeah.
What what technology do you use?
I wear a Dexcom. Mhmm. And I use MDI. So I use, you know, syringes. So I draw insulin from my syringes with a, I mean, I draw insulin from the pen with a syringes so that I can use, you know, smaller amount, like half units
Yeah.
Here and there, and and it works for me.
And your basal, your your long acting insulin, you shoot it once a day? What kind do you use?
Okay. This is another nice topic. I use Lavamir Mhmm. Because I I still, take it from Italy and then carry, home, every time I go back home, some, some pens to keep going with Lantus since it's out of the market here in The US, and because it works with me. Great.
Yeah.
And I've had very bad experiences with, with Lantus. So I... And also with, Tresiba. So I'm sticking, you know, to the the the quantity I I can get from Italy of Levemir, and I split it into three doses throughout the day.
Levemir, split three ways29:00
Okay.
So in the morning, midday, and before bed.
Total amount? What's the total amount of those three injections?
13.
13? 13 units. Can I ask you how much you weigh?
It's... Oh, wow. One hundred and thirteen pounds.
You're one thirteen. Okay. So you use... Okay. You just said about a unit per per, 10 pounds.
Not that that's a measure. Not that that's a measurement, but right about there. And... Yeah. Okay.
And you do it three times a day. So what do you... How long do you think it lasts in your body, and what's the reasoning behind shooting it, thrice like that?
Okay. These are learned from doctor Bernstein in his book. He was suggesting to to split, eleven million to three because it's the shortest acting, you know, long acting that we we had in the market. And this allows me to adjust the dosage to the moment of the day. So it's higher in the morning because I inject the six point five units when I wake up.
And then it's way less during the day, so it's three units in the afternoon and three and a half before bed. This allows me to have a more stable amount of in... Basal insulin depending on... You know, according to my lifestyle. So I'm more active during the day, and it's less in the evening.
And I tried it just, you know, because I read about it, and I thought it was a good idea. And my endocrinologist at the time said, okay. It's cool. Try. See if it works.
And, honestly, it's been amazing for me. Also, because this allows me to make small adjustments if I need to. Mhmm. Like, a half a unit more or less here and there, without messing too much with, with my, you know, standard, regular, management. So if I need a little bit more extra, you know, insulin when I'm sick or when my hormones are all over the place, I can add that extra half a unit in one of these, you know, three moments I inject, and this helps me balance without big changes.
Yeah. You're you're almost acting like your own algorithm for your needs.
Yes. Right. In a certain sense, yes. Yes. Yes.
Yeah. I was suggested, in fact, to try the pump, but I'm not a fan of having another machine attached to my body, honestly. So I've been, you know So you don't pony.
Yeah. You don't wanna sweat. Well, so do they overlap? So, you know, I mean, Levemir, listen, it's a long time ago that we used Levemir with Arden, but I found it to last, like, in that eighteen hour window maybe. It started to really kinda dissipate for her, so we would shoot it every twelve hours.
And Well So where are you... Are you seeing... Like, are there times it's more aggressive? Like, I... Like, what time...
Tell me the first time you you bolus.
Okay. So I bolus at 06:30AM, so when I wake up.
06:30? Levamir goes in 06:30. Then when's the next time? Yes.
02:30PM.
Okay. So there you go.
And then it's around 11PM, the last one, when I go to bed.
About every
about a bit of overlap
Yeah.
Definitely. But it's on the, you know, the... In the moment when it's less powerful, and and it it it works because it rebalanced the situation.
Okay. That... It's awesome. So about about every eight hours ish. Yeah.
And you have, like, a a fresh load for the morning and the daytime, another kind of fresh load that covers dinner and then another one that kinda covers overnight. Is that how you think of it?
Yes. Yes. Correct.
Okay. If you stopped shooting it, how long until it would be going out of your body? So say you did it morning, afternoon, night, got up in the morning, forgot it again. When would you start to see your blood sugar rise? Right away?
Oh, wow. Oh, wow. It never happened.
You're like you're like, that couldn't happen.
No idea. In... I... It happened to me maybe to forget one time in the morning because I was kinda sleepy. And so around two, I was starting to see numbers going up.
And I said, what's going on? What did they do? And they said, I have checked in Levemir. So, like, when I get close to the, you know, next dose, I noticed a rise.
Okay. About eight about eight hours late. Yeah. But when you're you're late about eight hours, you started to notice it. Okay.
But that's really interesting. So then you're doing that for basil. Now how much how many carbs do you eat at a meal, and how do you cover them?
Okay. I don't have average. You know, after many years with type one, you know, you go by. Okay. Yeah.
I eat that. I I know roughly how much insulin I need for that. So I basically use either half a unit or one unit per mil, and then I use another half a unit or one unit to cover proteins, like, one to two hours later when I start to see a little rise in my CGM. Mhmm. And so I can see the...
Covering protein an hour later34:23
I can catch the the rise for the protein. Okay. So these are roughly the amounts. And so the amount of carbs, it's, like, no more than 10 carbs, 15 carbs per meal Okay. On average.
Very structured, three times a day, or do you snack, or how does that work?
Well, sometimes I snack. But, if I snack, like, with nuts, I don't even need to bolus for that. So there are a few things that I can snack with, and they affect really
Okay.
Mildly my my insulin needs. So mostly nuts. Peanut, almond butter, for example, or, you know, any high kids cookies, they're very low carbs. So if I have one or two, that ain't Okay. But nothing.
Walk me through walk me through a meal. What would you eat for breakfast?
Okay. For breakfast, it's usually the, Egg Life egg wraps. They have the cinnamon flavor ones that I love. And I, like, spread on top of it like almond butter. So it's mostly, you know, proteins and fat.
K. And and I have a good cup of tea.
Keep... Say the cup of?
A cup of tea.
Tea.
I don't drink coffee. Mhmm. It makes me nervous, so I don't eat coffee.
Before I get to... Oh, there's there's more? There's... Look at you. You're No.
No. That's was gonna say that sounds like it. Light. So I wanted to ask you before we jump to lunch because I want... I I wanna hear about every meal.
Talk about your personality a little bit. Are you very type a? Are you... Like, when you said earlier, people said, oh, I tried, but I found it to be too difficult. Or, like, why do you not...
Why do you think you find it so comfortable?
Well, I'm a very organized instructor person. So, I do it also for work because I'm an operations manager. So I like people, you know, to be planned, organized. So having a plan and follow it, it's very much my thing. I don't like to mess around.
And and I like to, you know, observe trends, analyze them, and find the solutions. So I apply this... My mental set to my diabetes management. And, definitely, the way that I am helps with with following this lifestyle because, because it's very easy for me to to follow a plan that I, you know, made for myself, and I see that it works. Yeah.
I work at from home, and so I'm very consistent with myself. I I I don't like to procrastinate. So this helps, definitely with, consistency in following the following the plan in in my diabetes management.
Working from home can be really valuable for stuff like that. I... I've Yes. Somebody said to me from home. Yeah.
Yeah. Somebody said to me, like, well, I don't wanna start a GLP medication. What if I have, like, bathroom issues? And I was like, well, go to the bathroom. And the person's like, well, I don't work at home.
And I was like, oh, you drive to a place. And then you... I said, oh, that makes sense. Yeah. So you have some advantages there.
I I... Okay. And your and your personality leans towards it.
Yes. I... I've always been, you know, when I got sick and I was really miserable mentally, especially, my dad was the most amazing person in my life. He told me, you know, this happened to you for a reason because you have the strength mentally and physically to cope with that.
Oh, your dad believes in you. Yeah. Yeah.
Yes. And I loved it because I was I've always reminded myself that if my dad believes that I can do it, I can do it. If he's... If he thinks that I have, you know, the ability to deal with something as big as this, I can do it. And I've always been motivated by that.
I'm... I've never... I mean, yes, I was depressed at first, but I've always tried to find, you know, the positive that diabetes can bring into your life. And I've learned, so much about this community. I've learned so much about my body, how our body works.
Finding the positive in it38:52
I've improved my lifestyle and the way I look at the lie... Life. I see it as a gift now every day, and these are gifts that, probably I wouldn't have, without diabetes.
Yeah. Say more about that.
I learned.
Yeah. Yeah. You were going to. I didn't need to jump in, apparently. Go ahead.
Tell me more about tell me more about those gifts.
No. It's really... I mean, it's the gift of loving life, literally. And I'm I'm not a religious person, so it sounds even weird coming from my mouth for those who know me because I'm very not into religion. But it it somehow gave me a purpose to be happy with what I have, happy in my life, happy with my successes with the management of this condition, and trying to help the others to face, you know, the...
Their difficulties with the same kind of approach.
Yeah. Well, I guess once you feel the frailty of life, it's easier to appreciate parts of it. Right? Because it feels finite.
Yeah. And whenever, you know, something difficult happens, you have very big shoulders now because you've been through so much, then you say, okay. Okay. I I can do... It's it's a mess, but I can do that.
It gives you a lot of, you know, strength, that I didn't believe I had, honestly. But, when I was diagnosed, I lost the vision for, like, a month. That was shocking. Yes. Because when I started to use insulin, the...
There was imbalance in in my eyes. I I was seeing the eye doctor every day because I was freaking out. And he told me that, you know, the eyes are made... Most of, most of their party, is water, and it's the part that is mostly affected by high glucose levels. So it takes more time for that part of your body to rebalance once it go back to normal numbers.
And so for, like, a month, I could only see shadows.
Oh gosh. That had to be frightening.
But, it was... And I had to inject insulin anyway. So it was like, okay. I was, using my camera to zoom on things. It was it was really crazy.
And after I have experienced that, I said, okay. I can I can I can leave anything now because, mean Yeah? It was not just, you know, the diagnosis and, you know, learning to handle needles and check your numbers frequently or, you know, this burden, but I didn't see for a month.
A month without seeing properly41:35
Hey. Your father, if if he... I don't know if you'll be able to answer this question or not, but if he did not think you could do it, would he have told you? Is that why you took the confidence from him because you knew he wouldn't say it if it wasn't true, or did you just feel like him believing in you was a reason you could believe in yourself?
I... Well, I think that it was the the extra push that I needed. Knowing myself, I'm I'm very stubborn, and I don't like to be not prepared. So I study. I learn.
I practice. I read. I try to, you know, get to reach knowledge of what what I have to deal with. So I was going in that direction. My dad just gave me, you know, the extra push and the, you know, support from, you know, emotional support
Yeah.
That I needed to keep going.
Mikaela, listen to the question, though. I appreciate that. But was he being a cheerleader, or did he really believe in you?
No. He really believed
in you. Yeah.
He does.
And you felt that? Like, you you thought he wouldn't say this to me if it wasn't true?
Yes. Yes. Okay. Definitely. Yes.
Okay. I think
I I... Yeah. My dad doesn't speak much, and when he says something, it means a lot.
I'm exactly the opposite. I'm exactly the opposite. I'm constantly talking. I'm not sure what any of this is worth. Me too.
Me too. That's why I love my dad because when he tells me something... Also, you know, he he criticized something, I do. I know that it comes from, you know, you know, from a person that is very, you know, attentive and pays attention to details. And when he speaks, it's just because he needs to be heard.
Something's important, probably. Yeah.
Yeah.
Hey. I heard you mention another baby a second ago. Did you adopt again, or did you have a baby?
No. No. No. We just adopted one. No.
No.
Oh, I thought I heard you
adopted our son.
I thought you said my boys. You meant your husband and your son.
Yes. Yes.
Okay. I was wondering if you my boys. Was just wondering if you had a pregnancy when when you were No. Type one.
No. I didn't I didn't even consider that, honestly, because... Well, I was very weak at first when I was diagnosed, and I was already, you know, 33. So I was not on the youngest, you know, side of, possible pregnancies. And, we were adopting because, we couldn't get pregnant.
And the only option for me would have been, IVF, and I... My body was not able to to go through that, honestly.
Okay.
And plus, I I honestly didn't want to have a kid and risking to pass diabetes to my kid or my grandchildren.
Yeah. Yeah. That became a concern for you after you were diagnosed.
Yes. I really don't want... I didn't want... Didn't want anyone else to to get it be... Because of me, honestly.
I don't wanna break your heart, but the number of people on here who have type one... Who've had type one diabetes then adopted a baby who later got type one diabetes is more than, like, it's more than, like, three. So I'm not wishing it on me, but, you know... Yeah.
I know. Don't mention it because I'm I'm freaking out right now because my son has a... My son is Hashimoto's, and it was recently diagnosed. And here at Reddy's children, they told us, okay. We can do a blood work that check also if he has, you know, the genes and the risk to develop type one.
And I said, okay. Let's do it. But, honestly, I I I cannot I cannot cope with that.
You didn't you didn't do it, or you didn't look at the results?
Yeah. We we are doing we doing it next week. Okay. So we will figure it out next week. Hope...
He he looks fine. Hopefully, we are on the lucky side.
Yeah.
But I know that, you know, life, life can be unpredictable. We know that. Right?
So far, it has. Yeah. Nothing's happened yet that I've expected. So I guess Yeah.
So... Yeah. That's why I'm saying, okay. Let... Let's do the test.
Let's see what we are dealing with.
Hey.
Yeah. But
I appreciate you answering that for me. I... I'm interested also... I mean, you're, you know, older when you were diagnosed, not old, but older, had been married for a while. It was a scare...
A scary proposition for your new baby. How much did you let your husband into the world of diabetes? Like, what's his... Does he have a deep understanding? Is it...
Is he... Do you keep do you keep him at arm's length? How do you do it?
That's a difficult topic, honestly, because my husband got scared of, my, you know, low blood, glucose episodes, and I had a few, sadly. And he saved me, so he felt very responsible. So he's on the anxiety approach. So he's always anxious when I inject insulin or when I check my numbers. So, I don't share much with him about my numbers because I know that it messes with, his, you know, control, and he's sensitive to that.
Sharing numbers with her husband47:01
So,
at first, I gave him a lot of, you know, documents, information about the type one, readings. But I didn't expect him, you know, to to get into a deep knowledge. So... And at the of the day, I'm independent, alone in my management. He knows how to save me in case of need, but it's a very delicate topic.
I know that he is very, very worried about, especially, hypos.
Mhmm.
And so I try to limit to the bare minimum because I don't want to make him, you know, worry more than he should.
Is he following your Dexcom?
No. He tried. After the last time I had a hypo, I gave him the possibility to follow my numbers. And, like, a month later, I told him, okay. You know, I love you, but that's not a good thing for you.
Because he was calling me anytime he was seeing a narrow going down. And and sometimes, you know, it's because I'm sleeping on my arm, and so I have, you know, I have hypo related to the pressure, or I've just changed my, you know, my sensor, and so, you know, it's crazy at the beginning. Or it's just... You know, the sensor, it says if it goes down, then it goes back up because it's about to die. So there's a lot of reasons.
You know? It was not necessarily every time a crisis. It was never, actually. So I told him, you know, don't think it's healthy for you, for me, for our relationship. You shouldn't be following me.
And so I disconnected him from
Were you
from my next.
Did you feel like he was, like, parenting you? What what did... Yes. What... That's what you didn't like about it?
It felt like you felt like I don't...
Yes. And he was parenting me without, enough knowledge to manage the situation. Oh. So it was creating anxiety on something that shouldn't be, you know, an anxious event because, as I said, all the times that he called me, it it was nothing. It was nothing.
Nothing was happening. So I felt that he was, panicking without any reason.
Without any reason. Mikhail, did you not get any comfort out of it? Just the knowledge that somebody was looking?
Yes.
You did? So you... What you want is someone to help you, but not him. Is that what you're saying?
Well, you know, what I look for...
How old is the kid? Maybe he could do it.
Yeah. No. He's he's... No. My kid, he's amazing, honestly, because he he grew up with a, you know, a type one mom.
He's 12. When I tell him, okay. Nicholas, I'm low. And he say, okay. Sit down, mom.
Don't worry. So he he gives me space without, you know, stressing about it. Because sometimes when you are not feeling well and you're low or high, you don't need, you know, all the noise around you. You don't need somebody asking you constant questions. How do you feel?
What do you wanna do? Do this. Do that. No. That is not what I I need.
I need empathy. So what I'm keep telling everybody is just... I just need empathy because I know what is going on. If I need help, I will ask you. The rest is just, you know, sitting next to me and letting me know that you are here for me if I need you.
And your husband That's it. Your husband's anxiety is what if she needs help and can't ask me all of a sudden or can't
help herself? I I understand his anxiety because, I mean, I scared him, and he's trying to be more, you know, present in a more empathic way. So he's working in that direction. But he was, hurt from what happened in the past. So I totally I totally understand how he feels.
Well It's it's human. You know?
Yeah. Of course. If my experience is any indication, he's in his fifties. He should probably be able to figure this out in the next twenty years or so, I would think. And then, you know, he could probably really start applying it for you, I would imagine.
You know?
Yeah. No. But, I mean, he's he's, he he trusts me. So that's that's the most important thing.
You know, it's funny. I mean, it's it's just language, but, like, you scared him. He trusts me. It's not about you. It's about the unknown part of the diabetes.
You know? But if... I guess it feel... It feels like that to you that it's about you?
Sometimes I feel that he's pointing at me, but I tell him every time. You know? There's... I mean, sometimes, it is what it is because when I had the last hypo, I didn't have any insulin on board, for example. So I told him, I really had no clue what was going on.
Mhmm. Was probably my, you know, perimenopause getting in the way. Sometimes you really don't understand why your numbers are Sure. Behaving in a certain way. You're high, and you say, why?
What did I do wrong? It's always the same kind of, you know, habit and patterns because we become animals of habits as human in general. So I said, oh, I look at the numbers. Said, well, why? But I I learned that it's just...
You know, you just have to go with that and see see the numbers. Okay.
Yeah. Sometimes enough things happen, and you have a different outcome than you normally do. And and by the time you Yeah. By the time you figure it out, it'll be... You know, it's tomorrow.
So... And and something and something different is happening. Yeah. Yes. Interesting.
Very interesting. So your son understands, like... Could your son give you rescue glucagon? Has he been told about that?
I... Well, yeah, I showed it to both of them how it works, and I always carry one with me. Hopefully, we never have to do it with my son, I mean. Yeah. But, yes, I showed them, the...
You know, we opened an old one and saw how it works. And, hopefully, it will not be necessary. Because my husband, the few times that happened, just gave me juice and and, like, liquid sugar, and that helped.
Yeah.
Hey. But, I mean, my goal is not to have this kind of episodes again as you can imagine.
Yeah. Yeah. You're... You and everybody else. When you said you learned about doctor Bernstein's from his book Mhmm.
Is that your community around low carb eating for type one, or do you have an online space that you talk about it that's valuable for you?
Yes. I'm part of the type one greet, Facebook group. Mhmm. And that is my diabetic family.
Yeah.
It's where I go to for any kind of, you know, doubt or or question or for looking for, you know, tips and, I don't know, recipes also if I want to make something. I really... I found my people there. So... And I'm I'm feel...
I feel very, very blessed to have that many people following my same lifestyle, and they're, you know, spread all over the world. So it's it's amazing. Mhmm. And I recently, started to, get in touch with the local community of breakthrough t one d. Mhmm.
I've never looked for in person, you know, gatherings before now. And I don't know. I felt the need to do it, and, and I... Let's see how it goes. I'm taking...
I'm joining the the walk on November 14, and and I... And I'm trying to see if, it's the right fit for me, I mean, locally, you know, to have somebody
Yeah.
Living next door That's nice. With type one.
Well, if you wanna go on a cruise, we're going next July again. So
Oh, nice.
Yeah. A nice boat full of people with type one diabetes.
That's cool.
Yeah. Yeah. No. I I think it'll be interesting for you to get out in the community and meet people in person. I bet you'll like it.
I... You know?
Yeah. I I I mean, I I went to a couple of meetings, and I liked it because the empathy, that you can receive from another type one is incredible. Mhmm. It feels like home even though you barely know this person because we we we share so much already, and it goes beyond, you know, words and and and everything. It really feels like you are...
You're with your people.
Your expectation, online is that you... You've obviously outlined that you've you've found that you have a family and a group of people that really understand how you do things. When other people go into that space and try to learn about, low carb, some of them come back and report being treated pretty aggressively if they... The way they put it as if they descent to the idea or say, well, couldn't I just have this too or a piece or something? Is that not commonplace?
Because to you, you don't explain it that way. So why... I'm trying to figure out why your experience is what yours is and why others can have a different experience. And, what do you think that's about?
Why the arguing pushes people out56:18
I think that it depends, of the situation. I mean, in the community talk one, greet, I've always read about nice people sharing tips and, you know, following the same approach with respect.
Right.
It's a very, very beautiful community. My feeling is probably that those who felt, you know, attacked by type one, you know, type one greeters, is probably, in other situation like, you know, other groups, other, you know, type one groups in the middle of other conversations. You know, online conversations can be so, complex and the the interaction can be so misleading.
Mhmm.
And a lot depends also on how people, you know, communicate between each other.
Yeah. No. Sure.
Because, if a person starts attacking, the low carb approach, the other part might feel the need, you know, to protect and defend that lifestyle that means so much to us. So a lot depends on how the the the communication happens. Of course, if you want to have a slice of pizza, you're free to do it. It's just you're not following a low carb diet. That's it.
So But I don't my in my experience
Yeah.
They're they're amazing. I mean No.
That's why I'm asking you because you're you're clearly having a very positive experience. And I I mean, I run a fairly large community online, and I would tell you that, like, there are people in there that do all numbers of different kinds of management ideas. And we have incredibly low carb people who are in there and people who eat probably all, you know, all the carbs and and everywhere in between and manage MDI and with a pump and with a manual pump and, you know, an AID system. And I don't see them... I don't ever see anyone saying, you're not doing it like me.
You're wrong. Or or saying something as aggressive as, that person is trying to kill their child and mean it literally because they let but you've seen that. Right?
Yeah. Well, you know
Where does where does that, like, level of enthusiasm? Because I'll call it enthusiasm. Where does that level of enthusiasm come from, do you think?
I think that, I mean, I'm an adult with type one. I believe that being a parent of a kid with type one, it's a different business.
Mhmm.
And you feel very much a responsibility of keeping your child alive. And so that is probably what is making the, you know, the conversation more complicate
Mhmm.
And make people say, oh, you're killing your kid doing that way just because that parent feels really Stronger. That is is a strong situation, and it's a delicate matter.
Yeah. So I'm I'm only involved on the on the outside. And my best interpretation of it, and I'll run it past you because you're having such a good positive experience, I'd love to hear what you think of what I was able to come up with. I think that if someone starts their journey with type one and is really flailing and faltering and things are going poorly and having terrible lows or just not living a good life health wise and they can't figure it out, no one's been able to help them. And then suddenly something comes along and and writes that ship for them and and and and, you know, crosses all the t's, dots all the i's, and suddenly they feel safe and confident that that thing becomes religion then.
Right? Like, that thing saved your life. You used that phrase. Oh, yeah? Yeah.
Right. And so, like, that's the only thing I've been able to make sense about it. Like, is that it Yeah. Yeah. Is that it
finds sense. Yeah. Yeah. It makes sense because, with with diabetes, we know that it's so uncertain and so scary sometimes, and, you know, it's constant, you know, thinking. And if you find that way of living that makes you feel safer Yeah.
It beaks... It becomes your safe place.
Right.
Right. You feel safe there, and you say, okay. In all the math of this condition and all the math that I have, I know that this lifestyle, for example, helps me helps me have a happy life. Mhmm. And probably, yes, when this happens, you become very defensive of your approach.
Yeah.
And I found myself discussing with the friends who are saying, oh, come on. Why don't you eat pizza? And I say, no. I mean, I feel okay with this way. This is the way I like to...
I prefer to live my life, and it works for me, and you should respect it. That's it.
Of course.
That's Yeah. Always what I say. But I will never tell somebody who is doing something different, oh, no. You're doing it wrong. I say, okay.
If you can do that... I mean, if you can eat a whole pizza and have, you know, smooth, numbers throughout the night, Wow. You're you're a genius, and good for you. I'm happy for you. It doesn't work for me.
Exactly. That's how I feel about it. Like, whatever works is the best thing. That that's pretty much it.
Happy and we are healthy, I mean, the most healthy possible we can be, it works. I I I I... And I I approach everything in life right now. So I stopped judging people for their life choices because I use the same kind of approach that I'm using for my, you know, food choices for managing diabetes. If this person decides to do something and this person is fine with that, I'm happy for this person because she's happy.
It's her life. It's his life, and it's good for this person to do... To make this choice.
Yeah. I agree. Live and let live. Just do what works for you. Everybody Yeah.
Enjoy themselves. Have a good time. I... Listen. I've I've been over the years on the wrong side.
I I will say this. The aggressiveness that I felt in the past seems to have waned. So I don't know if maybe, like, certain people have maybe come and go out of the space or maybe people's just, you know... I don't know. Maybe the the Internet's changed.
I couldn't even begin to tell you. But I've been aggressively come after before called, an insulin pusher or a carb pusher by somebody. I've seen people be told that they're... They are literally, like, literally, that you're murdering your child by letting them eat carbs. And, like...
And that's some... And then and then later, people are like, well, I don't know why they don't, like, wanna learn more about low carb. Like, you do not make it a very hospitable, like, vibe when people are, like, checking into it at first. You know?
Like Of course.
Yeah. Like, I... Maybe say what you said. Law of small numbers. It really works.
You should give it a shot. And then and then Yeah. And then once... You know, listen. Again, we we...
It's a big group, but I've had tons of low carb people in my group and, and happily, and they're still there. But I've also had some that proselytize so hard that you have to look at them and go, hey. Every question asked, the answer is not doctor Bernstein. Like, you can't... Right?
It's it's it's just not. Like, when someone's like, you know, my kid was at school today and they were running around and they fell and they got a, you know, a knee scraped and then they had go to nurse. It was really okay. They test their blood sugar while it was there. Blah blah blah blah.
Later in the day, they got a little lower. Boom. You should be eating low carb. Like, oh my god. That is not the question at all.
Like, like, you know, like, like, you start you start
Yeah. That is a little bit too much.
Everything becomes that. And then when you point it out, you go, hey. Listen. I like you here. I think you're doing a great thing.
I like that you're spreading the word about low carb. I don't know as much about it. I love being here. But every time you open your mouth, you can't say that. Like, it's it's literally proselytizing.
Like, don't do that. Like, have other things to say sometimes. Be part of the community otherwise. And then they go, well, Scott won't let us talk about it. And I'm like, what?
That is not what I said at all. And then and then they'll run out to their... Somewhere else on the Internet and tell everybody how I'm shutting down the free speech around low carb. I'm like, oh my god. That...
None of that's what happened. But, like, okay. Like, I I don't know. Like, I just... I don't know.
I've never been able to make sense of the aggressive nature when it's aggressive. I also wanna say I know a thousand people who eat low carb who are not aggressive at all, they're very lovely people. But that's the that's the brush you get painted with then. You you know what I mean? And it's and it's a a watch.
It's a disservice, Mikayla.
I believe it's like, you know, everything, like, in politics or in religion. You know? There are the... Those who are... Who who have very extreme opinion, and they're very strong in showing their opinion.
Yeah. And you have it, as I said, in everything, in religions, the extremist take... You know, those who are very, you know, stick to... On following the rules of their religion or, you know, politics. Those extreme, you know, people who have very strong politic...
Political views. Whenever you are very, you know, committed to a belief, you end up getting too... It it becomes too much, especially, as a perception from the others from the outside who are just, you know, listener. You can have your opinion. You don't have to be harsh in sharing your opinion or being so strict in leaving your your ideas.
I have this opinion. So there is a bunch of people who probably believe in type one, you know, low carbs approach strongly because it really helped them and saved them probably or their kid. And they really want to spread this, you know, sensitivity on the topic because it... We have never been considered much as a... As an option until a few years ago.
It's just now that peep... People are starting to say, oh, yeah. Maybe look how it's a good idea. Oh. Before, it was really
Yeah.
Harder to be listened to. And so probably also this, you know, activated this kind of a pushy approach to, you know, being very present in in sharing our perspective.
Okay. I I was I was gonna say, I've heard people talking about low carb since I've been around diabetes, and I I note... I've known people who've done it the entirety of the time. So I mean Yeah.
But if you talk with endocrinologists Oh, until a few years ago, they were saying, like, what? No. No. No. That's that's not absolutely...
That's not the choice, especially with kids. So oftentimes, parents were facing really this very strong opposition to using this lifestyle with a kid. And I believe that this made this very strong opinion. You know?
Yeah. That that that argument the argument around you need carbohydrates to grow. That argument. Yeah. I got you.
Yes. Yes. And that is mostly what the parents of, you know, kid following the low carb diet fight with because there's still this belief. And you can see these kids thriving with the Sure. With the low carb diet.
So, I have this feeling. So that's why I told you, you know, I'm an adult with a low carb diet. Being a parent of a kid with type one, it's a completely different situation. And I believe that also emotionally, it's much harder. And finding a way to, you know, being supported in this low carb approach, it's a it's a fight for them most of the
time. I would I would say... I just wanna point out. Most of the time, I eat fairly low carb. I'm not...
I I wouldn't... If you ask me what my diet was like, I can't say that I'm low carb because I also don't eat low carb constantly.
Mhmm.
But many of my meals over many days of my week are fairly, like, protein heavy or, you know, I mean, I... Yesterday, if I went over what I ate yesterday yesterday, I ate eggs. I had some sort of pork. I had chicken. I had salad, but my salad had croutons in it.
And I think I think at some point, there was, like, a small piece of bread with something else during the day. But I I I didn't count my carbs yesterday, but if I did, gosh, if I did, I'd probably say I had fewer than 60 carbs yesterday. Is that low carb? I don't think it is for some people, but I would imagine for
Barbara, low carb... Strict low carb is 30 a day. Mhmm. I have to be honest. I am not strict...
That strict anymore.
Oh, we're gonna burn your house down. They're coming. Yeah. No. Just kidding.
I'm teasing.
No. No. I think that... I mean, when I first started, I was very strict, also because I had to learn to manage diabetes. And so it was the best way for me, you know, to have a system, a number, and an approach.
You know? It was a very methodical. Then, you know, with time, you get used to to diabetes, and, you start to learn how your body reacts to food because you know very well that every food have a different, you know, effect on your body, and everybody is different. So, I mean, long beans for me are are terrible. They skyrocketed my my glucose levels, And for most of people, it doesn't happen.
So we we start to learn, you know, the trend, you know, the... How our body works. And and so after that, I started to pay less attention on counting the, you know, a very strict number of carbs and more, you know, the food that I know that works for my body, being a low carb. So I don't have pasta for lunch, for example. I will never have it probably.
But if I'm cooking pasta for my son and I want to have a bite, I can I can do that because, I can I can manage it?
Yeah.
That's the way I I approach now, my low carb lifestyle because it's a life. So, of course, you don't want to feel yourself, you know, constrained too much. Yeah. You have to find what works for you.
I appreciate this conversation very much. I I have one last question before I ask you if you have anything else. But I I really appreciate the conversation. I can't believe the timing of it because I'm being serious with you. The person who I recorded with yesterday was like, oh my god.
Those low carb people, we tried it, they ran us out. And and and and also they said... She also said it was hard for her to adapt into her lifestyle, and she talked about all the things that she thought it was doing that weren't positive for for her family. And then no lie, you jump on, you're like, I'm really low carb. I was like, oh, this is what great, like, timing this is.
I think I'm gonna put them out back to back. I'm gonna call it, like, I don't know, the pros and cons of low carb. Your your episode will be called pro and hers will be called con maybe, and I'll put them... I'll literally put them out at the same time so people can hear them. You know?
And I appreciate the conversation because I think I'm... I have been in the past unfairly labeled. And, and at the same time, I've heard stories that curl my toes. I I know a story firsthand from the person it happened to. I wouldn't even say on this recording, and and it's horrifying.
And so I... I'd be happy to tell you about it when we hit, stop. But Okay. But it's one of those things where, like, when you hear it, you go, okay. It...
I don't know. It's like it's like seeing a crazy person on the side of the road, and you go, okay. Well, I know that's a thing I have to stay away from. And and it's funny because I think that the people who who most fervently want the message to get out there are maybe sometimes the ones who most fervently stop the message from getting out because of how they deliver it. And I am personally saddened by that with...
And those people would not believe that because I think eating lower carb is a completely thoughtful and viable way to manage your type one diabetes. And and yet I can't get too involved in it because no matter how I talk about it, they're like, he doesn't really think that. Or they they... They'll read into something and, you know, etcetera. But my my core belief around diabetes is settings, understanding the timing and amount of your insulin, understanding the impact of the food that your body has, the the the food has on your body.
And that goes for... It doesn't matter if you're eating 20 carbs a day or 40 or 60 or 300. Those rules, I think you should learn those rules and then apply them to your lifestyle, which leads me to my last question. Yeah. If I sat you down at a table right now and gave you a 90 carb meal, would you know how to bowl us for it?
Could she bolus for a ninety carb meal?1:13:41
Woah. Do I really have to eat it?
Yeah. If if that if that happened, would you be able to cover it with insulin?
Yeah. Well, I should look at the meal, what is it inside. So I should do a little bit of studying of the the meal and how it was cooked. I believe I will be able... I will be scared to death, honestly.
But, yes. Because, I mean, after over a decade with diabetes, I know roughly how my body works, so I I could manage it.
You could manage it.
That's awesome. Not sure if I will be happy to do it, though.
Well, I don't imagine you'd be happy in my little pretend scenario. I just wanna know if you would be able to do it without getting high or low. Without having a a giant spike or a bad low later, you think you could manage through it?
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I would probably, you know, under dose to be on the safe side of the situation and then make adjustment afterwards rather than, you know, crashing because I've used too much insulin.
Going for it.
Yeah. But, that that would be the way that I would approach it. But to be completely honest, when we go to In N Out, I eat a lot of my son's fries because fries are something I really cannot control myself with, and it's definitely not low carb.
That's the one that gets you french fries. That's awesome.
So I I I I eat, like, one third of these, hobbies fries because, because, I mean, you you need to live your life. Right? We need to be happy. We need to live our life. So a fry here and there won't kill me, and I will I will manage it.
So, but it will be fun to see if I can cope with a 90 carbs.
I only ask... I I ask for two reasons because a lot of people say, I'm super worried even though my child's low carb. Like, I just don't feel like when they leave for college, they're gonna be able to stay low carb. And then I also don't think that they know how to manage if they're not low carb. That's, like, that's one of the big worries that I hear from people.
Also, I've I've had direct conversations with people who are low carb who would tell me, like, you know, I I went out to dinner and then, I don't know, I had a drink that I didn't realize had carbs in it or something, and I had to go home because I was that flummoxed by what happened. And that to me sounds unfortunate, but that's why I was asking you how you would feel.
No. Honestly honestly, I don't I don't live, me being locked up that way. I mean, I know my body. I know my friend. I pay attention to what I order.
So I tend to order, when I go out, simple stuff that I can, you know, manage easily or ask adjustments. So always, you know, dressing on the side. I always ask what they use for, you know, cooking or things like that. So I ask questions. And and then I I generally try to undercover.
So I... I'd rather go a little bit higher Mhmm. If I'm not sure a 100% what I... What it was inside the meal.
Okay.
But, I've never had to go home because, because of food and mess with, with my
Something like that.
With my group of lovers. No. No.
Well, No. Mikaela,
I It's a matter of, you know, finding a way that works for you. That's my my approach.
Yeah. No. It sounds it sounds rock solid to me. I really appreciate you doing this. I wanna make sure I asked you everything you wanted to get out.
Is there anything we missed or should go back over?
I... There's something that I... It's dear to my heart that I want to share with you. Please. And it's related to lavamere.
Because as you might know, there's a there's a a nonprofit that is really fighting for us to try to have Levemir being produced again here in The US. Of course, not by the same company, but someone else. So Allison, she's doing a a great job trying to give back to us Levenmir. And in the meantime, I'm surviving with my vials I'm taking here from Italy. Mhmm.
But I really I really want to, you know, to give visibility to this to this project because she's working and she's fighting for the entire community, local there and not
Let me...
For Levenir.
Let me help you. Let me let me help you. If you wanna learn more in episode 1,652, it's called Save Levemir. That's Allison Smart from the Alliance to Protect Insulin Choice. Yes.
And she's out there in DC trying to get you Levemir back, and she's been working very hard.
I know. Allison's been on the show.... Contact with her. Yes. I'm in contact with her.
I've helped her with another interview, for example. I really appreciate what she's doing because
Me too.
She's fighting so hard for the kids who would need Levenmir, for the pregnant women who need Levenmir, for those like me who work better with Levenmir because the other, you know, long acting insulin don't work for my body. And she is amazing, and everybody should support her Yeah. Her work.
If you like her on 1652, go listen to her again on 1798. It's called Is Alison Saving Love, Amir. So... Yeah. Yeah.
Happy. I'm I'm an I'm an ally, Mikaela. You understand?
I know. I know. But it's important to keep talking about it. Right. Talking.
Yeah.
I appreciate that very much. Okay. Well, hold on one second, and I'll tell you the horrifying story. Okay.
Oh, yeah.
Thank you for doing this.
No problem. Thanks to you.
Yep. Heck of an episode today, wouldn't you say? Let's thank Dexcom and the Omnipod five for sponsoring. That's right, my friends. We were sponsored today by the Dexcom g seven.
Dexcom.com/juicebox. Head over there right now. Look into that fifteen day Dexcom g seven. Fifteen days is a long time. It's like half a month.
Don't check my math, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. And let's also thank the Omnipod five. My goodness gracious. Omnipod five tubeless. A beautiful algorithm's updated now with that new 100 target.
Get in there. Find out more about it. Omnipod.com/juicebox. You want some tubeless insulin pumping? Yeah.
You do. By any chance, have you tried the small sip series? It's curated takeaways from the juice box podcast voted on by listeners as the most helpful insights for managing their diabetes. These bite sized pieces of wisdom cover essential topics like insulin timing, carb management, and balancing highs and lows, making it easier for you to incorporate real life strategies into your daily routine. Take a deep dive, take a sip, and discover what our community finds most valuable on the journey to better diabetes management.
For more information on small sips, go to juiceboxpodcast.com and then go... Oh, actually, we changed the website. Let me see. Go to juiceboxpodcast.com. And from there, there's these two little lines on the right side top.
That's the menu. Then click that, then click series, then there's pro... There's small steps right there, pro tips top, bold beginnings, bold... Bolus four, s... There's a lot of them there.
There's actually a little search there too. Could you just type small sips into the search? Oh, wow. That search works great. Look at that.
And then you could go right to, like, all results for small sips. Oh, and that takes you to the FAQ. You should check out the FAQ page too. I think that's juiceboxpodcast.com/jbfaq. Seriously, that thing's amazing.
Actually, the whole website is. I mean, have you, like, seen it? You should you should go check out the website. The website rocks. It is a potpourri, a never ending cornucopia of support for you and your diabetes journey.
That's right. It really is. What else we got over here? Oh, I don't like the way that works. I'm gonna fix that.
Note to self. Change the change the masthead on the frequently asked questions page. Yeah. I don't like that. Fix that.
Oh, Claude. Oh, hell. I forgot to say thank you. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back again very, very soon.
What is that noise? Stop it. Stop. Can you hear that? My chameleon squeaking.
Are you squeaking? What are you rubbing the branch against the... Don't tell people I have reptiles. They'll think I'm weird. Thanks so much for listening.
I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box podcast. Look at me. Get all deep in there with another episode of the Juice Box podcast. You can hear it. What was that?
Oh, I'm getting alarms and alerts on my phone. I was gonna get real deep and tell you about the Juice Box podcast.
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