#342 Everything the Light Touches
Kyle Banks is a broadway performer living with type 1 diabetes
Check out what he’s doing at Kylercares.org
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner 0:00
Hello and welcome to Episode 342 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's show is sponsored by Omni pod and Dexcom. You can find out more about the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor by going to dexcom.com forward slash juice box. And to find out more and even get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump sent directly to you go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box.
Today on the show I'm gonna be speaking with Kyle banks. Kyle is a Broadway actor. And I'm sure you've probably seen him as I think we've all seen the Lion King on Broadway, right? Like everybody. Anyway, Kyle has type one diabetes. He's here today to talk about his journey, as well as what's going on currently in the world. And also tell me a little bit about his organization called Kyler cares, which you should check out at Kyler cares.org.
Don't be shocked. Kyle has an incredibly deep voice. He's going to make me sound like a five year old girl singing in the choir. Please don't forget that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please always consult a physician before making changes to your healthcare plan. or becoming bold with insulin. Do you hear me trying to get deeper so that in a second it sounds
Kyle Banks 1:42
like I'm not.
Scott Benner 1:43
Thank you. Why do you say how's got a nice voice?
Kyle Banks 1:57
Kyle Banks here. Actor and it's diagnosed with Type One Diabetes about five years ago this coming November?
Scott Benner 2:07
How old are you now?
I am 4343. So you Wow. 38.
Kyle Banks 2:13
Yeah. diagnosed later in life.
Scott Benner 2:16
Anyone in the family that made you feel like this was a possibility? Or no, I'm the only lucky one. I assume that means you get the bigger piece of meat at Thanksgiving and things like Oh, oh, yes.
Unknown Speaker 2:30
Sure.
Scott Benner 2:32
If it's not the diabetes?
Kyle Banks 2:34
Yeah, I'll definitely I definitely use it to my advantage. No kidding.
Scott Benner 2:38
Well, that's, I mean, that's, you know, I guess to say, that I'm shocked by the age is a little bit of a fallacy because I've interviewed enough people now at every age to know what happens, but it really just isn't in what you would consider the sweet spot of getting typos. Maybe?
Kyle Banks 2:52
Yeah, most definitely. How did it present? I mean, people used to tell me this all the time, and it would kiss me off in the beginning. But now I totally get what they mean by if they would say you're lucky that you were diagnosed later in life? Like, what do you mean, this is horrible? Why would anybody want to be diagnosed with this at all, but I totally get what they mean, because they'd be diagnosed with it earlier. And just knowing that goes into it. And all that it requires of you. I do share that sentiment now.
Scott Benner 3:25
I wouldn't have to think and I'll be, you know, obviously, I don't know. But a couple of things come into my mind. First of all, the idea of complications, the earlier you start the more time diabetes has to work on Yes, but also as an adult, it's got to be a little easier to see a shift in your life and adjust to it then
Kyle Banks 3:47
most definitely things
Scott Benner 3:48
like that has happened before, right? I mean, not on this scale, but still you've had a place to live and then suddenly not had a place to live had a had a you know had a you know, I don't know you were dating somebody and then all of a sudden they were gone. Like that kind of stuff is an adjustment when you're 18 or that's that's tough. So
Kyle Banks 4:04
yeah, well yeah, I've also made decisions like for my life as far as like nutrition and just certain things that I've I've removed from like my diet and the way in which I've developed like exercise and in have incorporated that in my life. Now, definitely much better suited to deal with it now than I would have been years ago. So where were you?
Scott Benner 4:31
I guess professionally, what were you doing at 38?
Kyle Banks 4:35
Well, I've been performing on Broadway for since I was 25. So is on on tour at the time of my diagnosis and traveling. It just been wrapped up three months in Canada, and had just gotten to California. We were touring California for about two months. It's
Scott Benner 4:59
helped me expand Understand that and explain it to people because I live close enough to New York that when you say Broadway, there is a picture I get my mind. But people who live across the country, when when shows are incredibly popular. Eventually they they hit the road, right?
Kyle Banks 5:14
Right, the road, touring with Lion King at the time. And Lion King is based in New York, where it sits. But there's also a touring production that tours the country. So I bounce back and forth between the Broadway production and the touring show. That's interesting. So
Scott Benner 5:33
Wow, is that based on your desire to move around? I mean, I'm assuming there's some people who don't want to tour or is that not within your purview to make that decision to they just tell you, this is where you're going. Now, this is where you're
Kyle Banks 5:47
at? It's totally up to me, like, no one's putting a gun to my head, say you have to tour? No, initially, I was on Broadway for like, maybe five years. And I was asked if I would be interested in going up to the tour to fill in sometimes. And initially, I was like, No, I'm working in New York. Like, why would I go out to the tour and perform in Kennebunkport, Maine, right like that. But I had no idea that the tour actually pays more money, a lot more money.
Scott Benner 6:18
And you don't have to pay to live in New York anymore. It's probably
Kyle Banks 6:21
Oh, yes, yes. Yes. So I was like, why? After I learned that, I was like, why did you come to me sooner with this offer?
Scott Benner 6:28
When we were really young, my wife worked for a company that was in Manhattan, and she commuted in and out every day. And then one day, she didn't anymore. And she was in New Jersey, and her first paycheck came after New Jersey, and I called her on the phone. I was like, yo, they made a big mistake. Don't tell anybody. But it was just not paying the taxes in New York. Exactly. Yeah, very well. That's cool. So how long did you do the boat? I guess, how long did you perform in Manhattan? And how long were you doing the toy?
Kyle Banks 6:54
Well, I am, I'm a swing, I'm calling for this call the universal swing. So I have in and out of the show as needed. People will take a real job. So we have like vacations, people to take time off the six Luke sick leave. Because Lion King is such a high intense show with physical, physical activity. There are a lot of injuries. So I hop in as needed. So I part of the time I'm in New York, part of the time I'm on tour just just depends on where the need is.
Scott Benner 7:29
That's interesting. It's not something that would ever I mean, it makes perfect sense. But it's not something that would occur to me.
Kyle Banks 7:35
That's really that the show has to go on regardless, like what's going on with the actors. So there's always someone there to fill in.
Scott Benner 7:43
Can you do multiple roles? Mm hmm. Okay.
Kyle Banks 7:47
Yes, yes. Yes. You
Scott Benner 7:48
have like a sweet spot, like where you are where you did one more than another? Or does it not even work like that?
Kyle Banks 7:54
It doesn't work like that. It's just basically where the need is. The principal characters, they, they're really good about coming to work, and just being there and being present. But you know, sometimes no injuries happen. It said, people just need a break for family time, or personal refunds, or whatever the case may be.
Scott Benner 8:16
So you're in Canada headed to California, and how do you win? What's the first time you don't feel? Well?
Kyle Banks 8:22
Well, I began having vocal issues of cannabis. So I was traveling back and forth to the states to visit in T specialists to pay to go to visit EMT specialists to sort of help me figure out what was going on with me vocally. And once we got once we got to California, I was still having issues. So I continued to visit specialists in whatever area we were in just so that I could get through work and eat specialists prescribed for me prednisone, steroids. To help deal with some of the inflammation I was experiencing on my vocal cords. I was on prednisone for about two and a half months at a very high dose. And so maybe about two towards the end of like the two and a half months, I'll begin experiencing like these other symptoms that just started out of nowhere. Like the extreme hunger and extreme thirst and the constant urination and exhaustion, which is just awful when you're doing a show like The Lion King because what you need most is energy. And I I didn't pay much attention to it. I just noticed that I was feeling off. But what really got me to to visit a Urgent Care Physician in California was I just looked in the mirror one day and I was like, wow, I look really gone. I didn't even I hadn't even noticed that over the course of three weeks, I'd lost like 30 pounds, okay. And that's scared the hell out of me. So I ran to the urgent care doctor that day. And he tested my glucose. And he suspected that I had steroid induced type two diabetes. Interesting and suggested I go to the emergency room, I was like, well, I can't do that. I have a show in like two hours. But we'll just, he gave me prescribed Metformin for me. So I began taking the Metformin. And two weeks later, I still wasn't feeling I wasn't feeling any better. So I spoke with my mom, and she suggested that I come to New Orleans and visit her doctor and get a formal checkup. Right. And at that point, she took instruct that physician instructed me to go to the emergency room.
Scott Benner 10:52
I can't so I'm looking at you, but I'm only looking at you from like, chest up, but you look like a bigger person. 30 pounds. Where were you when you lost? 30 pounds? How much do you weigh?
Kyle Banks 11:00
I was typically like, between 175 180 Wow,
Scott Benner 11:04
you went down to like a a teenager's weight? Yeah. How tall? Are you? 620. My goodness, you must have been there for most.
Kyle Banks 11:14
I was looking like Skeletor. And out there.
It happened. It happened so fast. I noticed a drastic amount of weight. But I mean, when it when it falls off so quickly. You don't say anything? You don't see it.
Scott Benner 11:26
Yeah, I can only see Arden in a couple of photos. And then think how was it possible that we didn't notice that? Yes. Wait, you know?
Kyle Banks 11:35
Yeah, when I look back at photos of me, like you take a lot of photos, we clown a lot backstage. So I definitely looked ill did not look well, at all, at some
Scott Benner 11:46
point someone had to make the joke that you look like the week is Ellen, the line was definitely gonna get you.
Kyle Banks 11:52
The dancers can be a little sick, and that they you know, the ballerina body and everyone wants to be slim. And so they like work. You look.
Like, I look amazing, but I feel like I'm gonna pass out. Right?
Scott Benner 12:08
That's terrible, man. It really is. Especially true, because I can see a bunch of things coming here at 38. I mean, you're in amazing shape. Obviously, you're the only thing on me that is built like he was like one of my fingers. They're pretty thin. And so like, You're, you're in great shape. But But I think my bigger point is that at 38 do start thinking, am I getting older? Like, is this just time coming after me? Or, you know, yeah,
Kyle Banks 12:33
that that was definitely a thought, like, you know, maybe, maybe my metabolism is slowing down? Maybe my endurance is slowing down like I could I couldn't figure out what was going on. I just started taking more vitamins in that moment, hoping that it would help
Scott Benner 12:51
just using I realized you've been in other things, but just using Lion King, what's the what's the timeframe, you arrive when how long as the show run? How long you actually onstage,
Kyle Banks 13:03
we arrive at the show a half hour before the curtain goes up and gives us enough time like warm up, stretch, vocalize put on makeup wardrobe for the show. And the show runs for two hours and 40 minutes. Okay. So it's a long show.
Scott Benner 13:25
And I'm assuming you're walking and probably to the to the theater, and then there's just a lot of activity. And then there's
Kyle Banks 13:31
a lot of Yeah,
Scott Benner 13:32
and they are out there doing what you're doing. And everything's I said Is it is it a hype song I tried to figure this out. Because I obviously, we've been to a number of shows in my life, not just a couple, but a lot. It's interesting. If you hang around a little bit, or you're having lunch across the street afterwards or something, you'll see the performers just roll out the back door. And it's no different than if you hang out at a baseball game long enough in the parking lot. Eventually you will see 40 guys walking to their cars, you know leaving the Yes. And and I use my son as an example. Like when he's like they're so loose in the dugout when it's not their turn to do something. And then all of a sudden, it's like work time and you just something comes over them. So now I'm imagining that behind the curtain, very just a bunch of foolish people making nonsense, that all of a sudden it's time to roll out on stage and do your thing is that sort of like that.
Kyle Banks 14:22
That is the most accurate.
Scott Benner 14:29
That is very fun. Now it makes me wonder what those rockets are doing during the Christmas show.
Kyle Banks 14:33
Madness backstage. I mean, the real show happens behind the curtain. Sure.
Unknown Speaker 14:38
That sounds really interesting.
Scott Benner 14:44
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Kyle Banks 19:36
As hospitalized for two days and give them instruction about like you know how to inject insulin and and released sent out to the world to that's it Yeah,
my new life with Type One Diabetes.
Scott Benner 19:54
Yeah. Did you put on any weight in the hospital.
Kyle Banks 19:57
Again, my weight came back immediately.
I probably gained back all the weight I lost in it just as fast as I dropped it. Yeah,
Scott Benner 20:07
it's really interesting.
Kyle Banks 20:08
Mm hmm. It was just starting for those nutrients. And once the insulin got in, it was able to process it. Do what it was supposed to do again didn't Yeah.
Scott Benner 20:17
Have you looked back yet? and thought, wow, I was almost dead. Did you have you had that thought?
Kyle Banks 20:25
Yes. Yeah, yes, I could remember like, after the show would be so exhausted like I would have to sit in my dressing room for in the last thing we want to do is hang out in the theater after the show. We just want to get out and just whatever we do after the show, but I would literally sit in my dresser for sometimes two hours, just gain enough strength to like put on my pants and wash my wash the makeup off my face and walk to the hotel room across the street. It was definitely the close. I know I was really close to die. Yeah.
Scott Benner 21:00
Especially when your body starts giving away like that. The weight loss waste
Kyle Banks 21:04
such a wasting away. Yeah,
Scott Benner 21:07
cuz it starts getting into your muscles. And before you know it. I don't know. It's just It's terrible. I look back at Arden sometimes. And I think how close were we? You know, the doctors put a number on it. But you know, they're guessing But still, they thought they thought she'd be in a coma in another 24 hours. Yeah. And we brought her in and I was like, how did you get to Louisiana? You didn't drive in that condition? Did you
Kyle Banks 21:26
know we flying was a thing? You know, before the pandemic. I was like on a plane? At least three, maybe four times? Yeah,
Scott Benner 21:34
yeah, I get these notes. Now. They're like, hey, you'll come speak at this thing. And I'm like,
Unknown Speaker 21:40
maybe I will. Could I do it through like zoom or something?
Kyle Banks 21:43
Right. Now I'm driving everywhere.
Unknown Speaker 21:46
Can you wrap me in plastic and put me on the
Unknown Speaker 21:48
plane? To get sick?
Scott Benner 21:52
Meanwhile, it's probably gonna be fine. But you know, I don't know. The whole world seems like it's going crazy. Right? I guess for context for time. You and I are talking towards the end of COVID-19 while people are starting to go back and in the middle of the video church flirt riots. So right.
Kyle Banks 22:09
Yeah, every that's fascinating times in which we live. Yeah,
Scott Benner 22:13
no kidding. I, I'm just encapsulated by it for the last couple of days. Just you know, trying to wrap your head around. Everyone's perspective. Yeah, it's so clear how where everyone lands. Just think like, how are these things gonna find common? You know? Yeah, it's really, it's really ridiculous.
Kyle Banks 22:35
Anyway, at least
Scott Benner 22:37
Yeah. We it is ridiculous, right? Because you see somebody, you know, you see, see protests that seem well organized and intended. And you think, okay, that's right. And then four hours later, some guys like, you know, I could probably just piggyback off this to get myself a pair of sneakers. And, and then it becomes crazy. And someone thinks to light something on fire. And you're like, What is? What are you thinking?
Kyle Banks 23:03
Yeah, you know? Yeah, really? Yeah. Yeah. They really, they really went off in New York City and hit all of the high end shops.
Scott Benner 23:13
My daughter comes running down last night she goes, you should see what they're ripping off. And in Hollywood. She's like, She's like, a lot of people are gonna have great Pam bags. And it's so sad. Like, it really is. Yeah, I was listening to a family member of Mr. fluids. And he said he would not want people doing this. And yeah, you know, you just it the whole thing's heartbreaking. I don't even know how to,
Kyle Banks 23:37
you know, it really is. But yeah, to have people, like you said, piggybacking off of this moment, off of the protest, and using it as an opportunity to cause chaos.
Unknown Speaker 23:52
Or to put is pretty
Scott Benner 23:54
good, or to put any other thing in motion that I'll tell you. And I know, this isn't why you're on but it's just so timely at the moment. I saw a person make the point last night, that the rioting is a far left conspiracy to keep small businesses closed. And I was like, What? Wow. So wait, you're telling me that somebody went to Minneapolis, found a guy willing to murder someone with his knee and said, yo, we really need to keep the small businesses closed the next time you pull over a black guy could you kill him for me? Like, like,
Kyle Banks 24:27
Who thinks that way? That's deep.
Unknown Speaker 24:32
Crazy, is what it is. And I was like, I'm like, that's that's
Scott Benner 24:37
I mean, I guess the next question is, how much of this did the Illuminati have to do with and I was I just I backed away slowly. And I was like, that's enough internet for today. It really was fascinating. What's the impact on your day to day life right now is Is there any Are you just hiding inside waiting to go back to work like everybody else?
Kyle Banks 24:58
Oh, just hiding inside. waiting to go back to work like everyone else. And I'm here in New Orleans at the moment with my mom has a lot of like underlying condition. So I couldn't make it a point to like, continue quarantining, not seeing any of my friends that lived here. And if we do, like an outside spaces where the social properly social, or social distancing properly, and it's making sure I don't bring anything home to my mom, but um, I think, of course, I'm affected by all of the protests, just watching what's happening. On the news, it's troubling to see. Yeah. But, you know, it's definitely something that the protests was definitely something that's needed. There's so much pain and suffering happening right now. And it's just like the perfect storm with with George with George Floyd and Ahmad arbury. And then there's the situation in Central Park, you know, in couple of that with like, all of the suffering from the pandemic and people losing their jobs and not having ways to like provide food for their families. I guess nervous, which is really frayed. It's a powder keg.
Scott Benner 26:22
It really is. Yeah, I think my mom was that he was the guy that was jogging, right?
Kyle Banks 26:26
Yes. jogging. And yeah, I just
Scott Benner 26:28
kept thinking is this was going on? I was like, at some point, there's a tipping point in here, and we're gonna find it, you know. And it's just horrible. It's horrible. And I have to say, I hundred percent agree with you. At some point. You have to protest. Like, you have to go out in the street. You have to yell and scream. Yeah, I mean, you shouldn't be. I mean, first of all, if you're going to steal don't steal from $1. General, because what are you risking getting locked up for? For like a squishy ball in a cup? This like holds a lot? Yeah, I try to try a little harder than that, I guess. But seriously, they're coming out. I'm like, what could you need out of there? But anyway,
Kyle Banks 27:07
they were definitely successful it with that New York and LA on Melrose Place. But yeah, it is just awful, though. You can't just keep
Scott Benner 27:15
it things like this cannot continue to happen. And we just act like Oh, yeah. This is the thing that happens every six months. Yeah, you know,
Kyle Banks 27:23
this happened. I do you think it's good that the news is hasn't really been distracted with their messaging about what the protests are about as a result of like, all the fires that have been said, in the stores that are being looted? You know, they're still that they're reporting that, you know, especially NYPD is, it's reported that, you know, they know for sure that their outside influences, you know, sort of antagonizing the situation. And, you know, but it was was George Floyd is still like the center of
Unknown Speaker 28:00
the protest. I, I heard that. I think that's
Kyle Banks 28:02
a beautiful thing. Me too.
Scott Benner 28:04
I had heard that too. I'm sorry, I stepped on you there. But. So this When this happens, when people see protesting, then other groups can say, Hey, listen, if we send some people in there to cause trouble, they're gonna blame those minorities for that. And, you know, and it really is. Some people's minds work very deviously in a way that, uh, I don't, I can't appreciate, you know, so I just, I'm one of those like, I guess I'm crazy. I think just go do what you're doing, do a good job at it. That'll work out and you don't if it doesn't, doesn't work out for everybody. Keep going. You don't even like it just seems like life to me. But anyway, it was interesting what you said before about wanting to be out a little bit, but not wanting to be bringing something back to your mom, because she's got underlying issues. But also, if you looked at a lot of the deaths, being black was not a great thing for having COVID-19 Oh, yeah. And is that something community wide that people are aware of? And is it discussed?
Kyle Banks 29:06
Oh, yes. Yeah, no, here in New Orleans. I have a family distant family members that contracted to the COVID-19 and many households that lost their lives like a mother and two siblings. My mom's first cousins so distant relatives to me, but yeah, personally we know and friends of my mom's had lost their lives. So it's definitely in the effects of it have definitely been felt.
Scott Benner 29:41
Right. There's a when when Broadway opens back up, which there's no timeline for that yet as they're shooting for December But no, it's a it's a it's a touchy situation. Would you be able to go back if it was December, like for you in your heart personally.
Kyle Banks 30:00
I want to, you know, I'm hoping that things, I mean, I definitely would not do it if, as the as the way things are now, but you know if if there's a vaccine or if the if the virus seems to take a break in the coming months, and I'll definitely consider it. I mean, I love my job. I love what I do, and to not be able to do it is a it's a bit nerve wracking, but
Scott Benner 30:29
I'm picturing a lot of like paunchy gazelles jumping behind. So people have been on the sofa long too long, those first couple shows. Mommy does that. Does that look tired to you?
Kyle Banks 30:44
He does, sweetie. At his mom's house.
Scott Benner 30:50
Oh, my gosh, what? How much effort would it take to put you back into physical shape to perform?
Kyle Banks 30:57
Oh, well, I just I recently, about a month ago, I started working out again, because sitting on the couch is definitely taking effect.
Scott Benner 31:07
Your mom's probably cooking better than they do wherever you
Kyle Banks 31:11
most definitely. So spin stretching and working out at home. And so I'm getting, I'm getting getting in pretty good shape.
Scott Benner 31:19
I was talking to my son the other day because he should be. He should have been playing baseball through the spring. And then he gets a little break. And then he goes and plays in the summer. And I said to him, I was like, you gotta and he's working out sporadically. But he's like, it's hard to just without a goal. You can do maintenance stuff, but when you know, I have tasks I perform, and I know how to work out to support those tasks. And he's like, Can I do the workout and then I don't have the the other side of it is it gets it's kind of it feels useless a little bit in its interest. It really is interesting. basketball games are gonna be much more lower scoring by the time this is
Kyle Banks 32:00
bronze, like whoa, slow down.
I mean, the wake up call for me was I tried to put on a pair of jeans a few weeks ago. And I was like,
Scott Benner 32:11
well, in the beginning, I'm sorry.
Kyle Banks 32:15
All of my clothes are like basically the same size. So shopping. I need to do something about this
Scott Benner 32:23
to be hanging out in Louisiana in your underwear. Well, I tried to when this all happened. In the beginning, I looked at myself and I was like Scott, you cannot afford to gain any weight. So I just sort of went the other way. I've lost 11 pounds since COVID-19 started, because I like nice. I'm like I'm gonna have to like willfully go backwards. Or I'm gonna, you know, I don't know what will happen because trust me, I can't dance. And I can't hit a baseball either. So I'd be in a bit of trouble. When you left the hospital was it injections a pen? They give you a glucose monitor. How did all that kind
Kyle Banks 33:01
of pin hemlock pin and
lace?
moving a hammock pin and
Scott Benner 33:13
lattice for your slow Atlantis?
Yeah. Are you on the block? Now? Where do you still inject?
Kyle Banks 33:18
I'm on him on a pump and glucose monitor.
Scott Benner 33:22
Okay, what are you use? Dexcom? What? What pump? do you have? Omni pod? Could you write for the show?
Kyle Banks 33:29
All right. twinsies
Scott Benner 33:32
You certainly. Except trust me she she can't sing. So
Unknown Speaker 33:39
you know my pump?
Unknown Speaker 33:41
I lost your car.
Scott Benner 33:44
Good. I'm going yeah, all of a sudden you were like my pump and you were just going. So
Kyle Banks 33:49
yeah, my pump actually a malfunction. About two weeks ago, the PDM
Scott Benner 33:54
or the word PDF. Okay.
Kyle Banks 33:57
So I had to go back to the pins to add so luckily, I had the pins kenalog pins and Atlantis pins on me. And I'm surprised you I have to thank you so much. Because you have just given me I feel like it might be like two years ago I was introduced podcast is just researching, just looking for like more information on how to better take care of myself. And it was a
so sorry. Oh, who is that? That is a lovely Daesil What's the name? bazel bazel
like ardens bazel. Exactly. It's lazy bait. Exactly. Uh huh. Like if I if I have to think about bolusing and bazeley at least it's gonna bring a smile to my just
Scott Benner 34:55
Bell be an adorable dog. That's 100% true. I know. But thanks happier when I see him running around, I have this word attached to something else. But I can't believe that bazel would bark in the middle of you saying something amazing about me. So let's not overlook there.
Kyle Banks 35:13
But yeah, you know, you really just gave me like, the, the push, I needed to begin making decisions for with regard to my health and insulin therapy and, and just all of it. It's been great because it was at that point when I heard you know, being bold with insulin. Does that mean? And you know, just listening to you talk about like your experience with helping Ireland? Um, yeah, it just gave me the push, I need to just make some necessary changes.
Scott Benner 35:50
I appreciate knowing that. Thank you for sharing that with me. What was what was your life like? outcomes wise, prior to that those first three years, I guess, oh, just
Kyle Banks 36:01
a constant Yo, yo, okay. Like I would go, I would go to work and make sure that my glucose was really high. Because I knew that by the end of work, I would be crashing. So it was no real control. I didn't know what I was doing. I was just trying to get through, get through the show. And the only way I knew to do that was to just let myself go high. Otherwise, I would be crashing by intermission.
Scott Benner 36:26
I say I say how high did you have to come in at to make it through?
Kyle Banks 36:30
Not to 10? Okay.
Scott Benner 36:34
And then the effort and so was that? That was with pens too, right? That was pins for the for six months into my diagnosis, and then I moved over to the pot. Okay, so you still had your settings are off far enough with the pumps, though, that you've? So what do you do now to get ready? Is it do temp back, your basal rates,
Kyle Banks 36:54
sent back my bazel rates if I'm I'm, I'm from around 100 I'll cut my pot off completely for like an hour. Because activity will usually and I'm not not eating so the activity will usually sustain me. Yeah. And I'll still need a snack by intermission to keep from crashing. Okay. Um, but yeah, I definitely have a better system in play a healthier system, because I would not have a blast doing that, Oh,
Scott Benner 37:27
just a small portion of your check. When you go back in December, you just send it to the house, I'll say, for some time, just pick it's maybe it would be more reasonable. Now. That seriously, that's, that's really amazing. Do you can you I guess was my question. Can you describe to me Why have you ever been performing and felt yourself going low? What do you do in that situation?
Kyle Banks 37:51
That's another thing like the stress of like going low and having to drop out of scenes and having stage management so that when something happens in that show, it's like it's, it's it's just starts like a whole wrecking ball of like different departments needing to, if I drop out of the scene and stage management has to be contacted may have to notify the sound department which has to notify the wardrobe department in order to get another actor ready. And just at times, I was going low a lot, I have to drop out of scenes a lot. And I just really felt like I was affecting the show in a horrible way. Although Disney was they were very, really wonderful about it all making me feel they were more concerned about my safety. But me personally, I just felt like I was destroying the integrity of the show. At
Scott Benner 38:46
some point, it's got to be in the back of your head. Like they're not gonna put up with this forever. Right? Yeah, it gets some point. They're gonna say, look, we need, we need some consistency here from you. And we're sorry about your health problems. But, you know, this specific job Well, I'm glad that that didn't end up being the case.
Kyle Banks 39:00
And I'm really grateful to do and they were I mean, it's a it took me a while to figure it out. So they dealt with this for a few, maybe a year. Wow. So they were really they were really patient and understanding about me learning how to use this new technology that I'm using now. It's lovely.
Scott Benner 39:22
You said that you made some adjustments to your diet. Can you walk me through what you did?
Kyle Banks 39:28
Well, I'm not adjustments as far as being diagnosed was concerned. A few years before I was diagnosed, I began eating plant based diet. And And so yeah, that's, that's the I consume a totally plant based diet and I do believe that that has aided me a lot with regard to being able to to gain control.
Scott Benner 39:57
Okay, but the stuff you learned on the podcast applies Just as well to plant base as it does to prime Yeah, right.
Kyle Banks 40:03
Yeah. I mean, cuz boots do I mean it affects your glucose. So it even greens. So I mean it'd be minimal but they still have effect.
Scott Benner 40:13
It's funny there are some there are some vegetables that have more carbs in them, then you would venture to guess you know? Yeah, I'm always interested when people you know, in the beginning we start talking to them, they're so bad. I'm sorry for everybody listening, but you guys are so bad at like guessing carbs for for foods. And it's always I don't understand I did the right thing is such a confirmation bias like I counted, right? So I'll stop thinking about that portion of it. It's something else is the diabetes very common to get me you know what I mean? And, and I'm like, No, it's just you, you know, did you not count all this here? Or the fat or the protein like that stuff that no one tells you to think about it really? And
Kyle Banks 40:55
isn't it beginning, maybe, maybe for that entire year, I was probably given myself. I was dosing for 15 grams, regardless what was on my plate,
Scott Benner 41:07
that was just your go to.
Kyle Banks 41:09
That was my goal to Yeah.
Scott Benner 41:10
Now I've seen people that I might go to for artists 50. Just always like, it's too much. We'll figure it out later. But we're not going to have it be too little. That's for sure. Because too little just starts to little happen today. So you know, you and I were supposed to record a little earlier. And I had a hiccup in my day, which left me out of the house when Arden had breakfast. And Kelly did a pretty good job with her helping her with, you know, the overall amount of insulin. But their Pre-Bolus wasn't good enough. And so it started shooting up, I got home I fixed you know, I worked on fixing it. But it's now I'm looking at a graph, I can see. We're like three hours into this. Now, we stopped it at 200. And now she's more like 150. And she'll be back again. So our, you know, our meal disasters aren't maybe the same as other people sometimes. But still, it was all still the same problem. It was she used the right amount of insulin at the wrong time. The food got ahead of her. And now suddenly, we're scampering to put more in that isn't too much and and then it ruins a ruins a gap of her day. It now makes you think about diabetes for three hours. Yeah, you know, instead of just getting it in at the right time and being done with it.
Kyle Banks 42:25
So Well, that was another thing that I got from you just Pre-Bolus thing. I mean, what a game changer that was. Was that it should say,
Scott Benner 42:35
yeah, just putting the putting the insulin in a position to to have a chance. I mean, really is all you're doing right. That's very cool. That's excellent. I'm
Kyle Banks 42:45
hoping a lot of people Scott, I really hope you, you get that. realized how important informative the work you're doing is That's very kind of you. Thank you.
Scott Benner 42:56
I was gonna say that Kyle met. So Kyle was introduced to me by Sam and as you will remember, I think, what is her episode called Sam is the Robin Hood of type. I don't know, there's something about I really, I know, I'm sorry about how I named the episodes. But anyway, so Sam is Sam is a is a person who's just amazing at handling, like kind of stuff you would never think about, like with insurance companies and, and hammering on them for to help people and stuff like that. So Sam reached out and said, you know, Kyle wants to be on the show. And I just thought she knew you. And that was like, I was like, great. But she does. He loves the show. And I was like that's not true. Because then I got like, I felt a little giddy. You know, I was like, you know, and and I was like that's that's really cool. I thought she was just being polite at first.
Kyle Banks 43:44
When when you texted me I told you is so weird. I'm like listening to you right now. And now you're texting.
Scott Benner 43:51
I have to admit that when you said that I felt weird to so we were both on uncomfortable. The difference. Like, I was like I I see the downloads. But you know, I had a conversation with a woman last night for five minutes, that who's thinking about coming on the show to talk about something touchy and difficult. And she wanted to talk a little first. And she started telling me about how the podcast helped there. And it's hard to know how to respond. Honestly, like, I appreciate it. And I feel it I really do. But it's don't it's strange to have so many people saying something similar to you and and you feel it every time. But if I really let myself I'd start crying. You could have made me cry if you would have went a little longer just now I would have been like, Kyle's doing better. And he gets the dance now, you know, like and Scott, you did that and you know, like I could easily fall apart. I'm a very emotional person. So I have to kind of hold it back a little bit, right. I literally I can't cry every time somebody sends a note. But it almost happens to me a lot. And my family makes fun of me when it happens. Just so you know. They're like There he is. He looks weepy and
Kyle Banks 45:00
Some pleasant for me is when I'm saying I have a positive impact on people's lives can be an emotional thing for sure. No,
Scott Benner 45:07
I appreciate that. I really don't. But in your you have a an organization that you started?
Kyle Banks 45:14
Yes, yes. It's called Kyler cares. We found it a year ago. And then our goal is to raise funds for insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors for kids living with Type One Diabetes, especially kids coming from marginalized communities.
Scott Benner 45:35
Okay. You're so you're hoping to you have an organization you'd like to bring money in, and then turn that money back around to people to get them devices that they can afford? You know, it's incredibly odd that you say that. And if you'll, if you'll allow me one second to look here. I just had a really lovely phone call with a woman named Rebecca, the other day, and I went out on a limb there saying her name out loud before I checked the email, because you know, you listen to this podcast, and I've I really, I'm not good with names. But yes, Rebecca, I got it right, from something called the Fincher foundation. And she has a foundation that's doing the exact same thing. Wow. And it sounds like and you know, and it sounds like she's pretty successful at it. So I can I can maybe make an introduction for you. If you'd want to pick brains or anything like that ever. Let me know. Because it's, it's something that most of you don't know. And I don't really know how you would but well, prior to the podcast, when I realized that the blog was really popular, and I wanted to do something good with it, I hadn't considered the podcast yet. And I had forms in my hand to start, like a 501. c three, because I would the same ID issue, I thought, I wonder if I could help people pay for pumps and glucose monitors. And then I got overwhelmed by the process. So kudos to you for sticking to it because it about halfway through looking at those forums, I was like, Oh, boy, maybe I'm not the right person for this.
Kyle Banks 47:10
It's overwhelming. The funny thing about starting a new venture is you know, you have all these grandiose ideas until you realize the process is what it takes to actually see it through. So unluckily for me, I announced this idea at a convention with like, 3000 people there before I even like looked into what it would take to start it. So you know
Unknown Speaker 47:34
what Kyle's gonna do?
Scott Benner 47:38
Now you have to where you got to go find all 3000 of those people and be like, Listen, don't tell anybody about what else. Do you have space online that I can look at?
Kyle Banks 47:49
I do Kyler cares.org.
Scott Benner 47:55
Ky le our car yes.org? Mm, right. Okay, take a look.
Kyle Banks 48:01
Yeah, we were, um, we were having we're, we're planning on having our first fundraiser concert, here in New Orleans, in August. Mm hmm. It's tapping into Broadway community just connecting with a bunch of friends of mine that perform in shows like Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots, and Lion King, of course, Hamilton, and they're all coming down to perform in New Orleans for the concert, call it from Broadway with love, had the theater space donated as a 2800 seat theater of the Sanger theatre. It's where all the Broadway shows perform when they travel here, donated the space. And we're just all ready to go. Let's begin with Vanessa Williams about headlining, and then COVID happened. So now we're
Scott Benner 48:55
at that split on a pangolin. And now whatever happened, and now you're done.
Kyle Banks 49:01
Well, we were transitioning that to like an online concert. Okay.
Scott Benner 49:07
I hope you get to do it in person one day too, because that that sounds really lovely. What was the idea? Were you going to put on small portions of productions, or
Kyle Banks 49:17
were performing love songs from some of the most loved musicals around now?
Scott Benner 49:23
That's really nice to see. I want to see that alright, that should happen lifestyle. We're gonna get to a point I would love to see you do that live. But I'll I'll definitely share the link here for people to check it out and donate if they can. Kyler cares.org and the teddy bears really adorable. That's the first thing that caught my eyes like I like how it feels like it's hanging a little bit worse up straight. I can't decide what I feel like it's doing. But one way or the other. It's a T shirt. There should be if it's not,
Kyle Banks 49:53
it is a T
Scott Benner 49:57
is very nice. So how do you plan on on finding people who need the help?
Kyle Banks 50:03
Well, I've been
with Lion King, we do a lot of research outreach throughout the years, so I was already connected to Children's Hospital. So I just reached out to them. And that's when I really began to understand like how grave The situation is, especially among communities of color. Um, this, people with T, one D, from communities of colors, they're frequently using pumps and CG is they lack access to the technology because of finances or they're underinsured. They infrequently perform glucose testing, they, they have less contact with management staff is a difficulty relating to staff because of socio economical and cultural differences. So there's just a whole slew of problems that that antagonize a really bad situation. Did you ever by any chance hear me when I spoke to Anthony Anderson? And I asked him, if culturally, it's just one of those things like, Oh, I got it. And now whatever is going to happen is going to happen. Like this is my lot in life, I have diabetes, is that is that a function of everything you just said, if not having good information, or someone who can talk to you, you know, where you can, where you can listen? Totally. And I don't even think that it's a conscious choice that people are making just to disregard their situation. It's just the cards they've been dealt, and they don't have the resources and or the information to, you know, tackle it. Probably.
Scott Benner 51:49
Yeah, it's it's so interesting that it's no different than any other thing. And so yesterday, my son, who I have to admit, is a really good kid, and it's not getting a lot of trouble. He went to visit some friends. And park somewhere, got his car towed. And he called me, and nothing like that never happened to him. And he said, He's like, my car got towed. And I said, well, get it back. You know, like, I just figured it out, man, you're 20, you're pretty bright kid can get them car back, you know. And it was interesting to watch him work his way through it. Because there were just simple ideas or concepts, tools that he didn't have. And when he, when he reached into his mind, he just there was no, there was no function for this problem. And it's, it stopped him. And so I said, Okay, here's what you're gonna do. You know, first thing I want you to do is go back to where you parked the car, see if there's any signs there to indicate who might have towed your heart. If not, we're gonna call the police department, don't call 911 call the the non emergency line, ask them. And then I gave him tools, then he went off, did it no problem came right back and said, and as you're talking about it, I don't see any difference between that in a health thing. Someone's put you into a situation that you just don't have, you don't have a tool for and your imagination can't find it. Because it just doesn't it doesn't know from it, you know? And then that's it.
Kyle Banks 53:13
In the healthcare system is it's impossible to navigate. So yeah, that just makes that makes I mean, I, even when I have to reach out to my insurance and figure out, like, you know, who's paying for what, and you know, who do I have to contact for certain things that I need? It's, it can be really challenging, and it also consumes a lot of time. Yeah,
Scott Benner 53:40
I can see very simply people going from all those questions that they don't have answers to, to, you know, what they gave me the insulin, I've got the needle, let me just do this. And that's it. And then and then whatever is going to be is going to be and I mean, it's very unlikely. Like you think about the things that you've learned listening to the podcast, and you think about how long it took me like, what a What a weird situation I was in to even be able to do what I did. I was a stay at home parent, I got put in charge of a small child. I had time I had no resources, the resources kind of fell apart. And for people who are wondering, what we're describing happens to other people. It happened to me too, I didn't walk into some magical doctor's office who was like, here's the things you're going to do you know it and we live in a in a place with a good with a good health care system, and we were at a good institution. And still, it wasn't like they laid it all out. For me. We struggled for years. And had I not started the blog and felt some function to make the blog more than just Hey, diabetes sucks, right? You know, like, I don't know if I even would have ever helped Arden and so every we all can't have that. Those, I don't know, circumstances that allow us that kind of time together. get to something, you know, it's it's somebody needs to step in and say, Hey, listen, I want you to get your bazel. Right, then I want you to Pre-Bolus. And I want you to do this. And when this happens, do that, and then you learn as you go. I just it makes sense to me,
Kyle Banks 55:13
honestly, like you said, having the time to do it. I know I worked for a, the only time I took off from work after my diagnosis was made the three days I was hospitalized. And I worked for a year, just going through the motions, you know, just trying to survive with this new pump, and you know, insulin injections and figuring out, you know, living walking around most of the day with exorbitantly high glucose numbers, right. Um, but I, after a year that I took a year off, just because I just needed to reset, figure out what was going on with me. That's when I was introduced to podcast. And that's really when I had the time to just study and figure out, you know, how to better take care of myself.
Scott Benner 56:03
Yeah, I understand when I get notes sometimes from people, and they're like, Can you just point me to the couple of episodes I need on my head, it's not that easy. You know, I'm like, and I think just take some, you know, take 20 hours and listen to these, and that should get you going. I don't have time for that. And I think I understand, like, I understand that you don't feel like you have time. But if you listen, it's gonna create so much extra time for you like, but not everyone's even, like, I'm assuming you would you do to go home for that year?
Kyle Banks 56:32
I did. came to New Orleans.
Scott Benner 56:34
Yeah, some support somebody was there to like, to help you out? Yeah.
Kyle Banks 56:39
To your fact, at the top of the podcast, where I received care at aashna Hospital, and they actually making since COVID. In New Orleans, as hard as it has, it's actually been in the press a lot. But I was surprised as well that my caregivers here and my independent chronology team and National Hospital was was. So that's the word I'm looking for. They have been so helpful and so good. And I'm surprised that they are as forward thinking as they are with regard to treating diabetes. That's excellent.
Scott Benner 57:19
I'm always excited when I hear that there are institutions that are out on the edge and, and leaning into good ideas, because that's the only
Kyle Banks 57:27
way that you know, I also have, because I've been has been part of my time here in New Orleans. And part of my time in New York. I also have doctors in New York, that I endocrinology team in New York that I work with as well. And I find that the doctors in New Orleans, surprisingly, are a bit more knowledgeable. Yeah.
Scott Benner 57:48
But it you know, everybody likes to say, yeah, if something done like that, go to the city go to Manhattan. That's right, I get it. Right. You know, but a good doctor can live anywhere. That's the first thing but and having the having the the nerve to not be so institutional that you're more worried about not being wrong than about helping somebody is is a big deal. You know, it really is. Well, that's an interesting story, man. It really is. I'm glad I did this actually, by mentioning current events, you got your podcast moved up six months on the schedule. It's good to go out this week instead of like, you know, at Christmas. Because I don't want six months from now people going
Unknown Speaker 58:33
Wait, what's COVID-19?
Kyle Banks 58:37
That would be beautiful. If that's where we are in six. I hope so.
Scott Benner 58:41
Yeah. I don't know how to wonder what's going to happen. But I do know that I I completely beside with what you're saying about being frightened to just go get sick. And then there's the other side of me that thinks of it on a macro level. And I'm like, we got to get going, like, you know, Okay, sit around like this. You're seeing what's happening. You let people sit around, not make money for a few more months. And, you know, and see, it'll take a lot less to set, set them off, you know, and I don't know where it goes from there. It's it's, I always wonder to how it feels for people who live in more remote places to flip on the news and see something happening in Boston and Philly in New York. Like does it feel like another world to them? Or, to me it feels like it could be at my house at any second because that's how close I am. Yeah, you know,
Kyle Banks 59:30
it Yeah, imagine something you know, it's been pretty quiet here in New Orleans. So we haven't been affected by like the riots and the looting isn't some protests, but it's been all relatively peaceful and calm and not really a lot of numbers. But I guess that's how people felt when when the quarantine first began, like certain areas wasn't really being affected. So they were wondering, oh, why why should I shut down in Idaho? Right and we don't have during any deaths here, okay, we're not experiencing what New York City is in California are experiencing. So
Scott Benner 1:00:07
I had a talk set up in Wisconsin, as this was all going down in the second week of March. And they were still like, no, you're coming. And it was like the 26th of March. I'm like, No, there won't be airplanes on the 26th of March. And they did not know what I was talking about. And then all of a sudden, one day, somebody got sick in Wisconsin, and then they figured it out real quick, you know, and I was like, that's, it's really interesting how that happens. I always go back to in my mind. My brother grew up here on the East Coast with us, but he moved to Wisconsin. And I took that Wisconsin gig, partly because I could see my brother when I went. But, but so he's got an East Coast sensibility about the world. And on 911 he called me He's like, is this really a big deal? What's going on? I can't tell here. And I was like, Yeah, man, this is his terrorism. And this is a problem. Yeah, you know, and he's like, Alright, he's like, that's what I thought he was, but the way they talked about it here, you know, a plane hit a building, but like, it was very, I don't know, laissez faire in the in the first number of hours, you know, right. Obviously, they figured it out after that. But in the very beginning, New York's one of those places, like if you've never been there, I suggest coming in underground, which you'll end up doing unless you drive. Because the first time you walk up in the sun hit your face, and you look up you'll think I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. You
Kyle Banks 1:01:27
know, it's crazy. It's intense. You got to be ready. Working at a Time Square every day is is definitely a treat.
Scott Benner 1:01:36
Yeah, I we, you know, obviously I haven't been up in a little while because of all this, but it is a real, you just you've never, most people have never seen a building that tall next to a building. That's all that goes on seemingly forever. So many people moving. in unison, but separately, it's hard to put into words really generally mean but there's a flow of people it works. And I don't know I love it there. I love it out here in general on these coasts. I like I like, I like that feeling that the same guy that may flip you off or bumping into him a block later if you tripped and fell would stop and be like, yo, you are right. Yeah. It's just it's a it's a, I don't know, it's a weird thing. That's hard to put into words. Unless you've been there. Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you were hoping to?
Unknown Speaker 1:02:30
Um,
Unknown Speaker 1:02:31
no, we would cover
Kyle Banks 1:02:32
we covered a lot, you know, just basically, definitely the the organization kind of cares. We're figuring out now what our first fundraiser is going to look like later in this summer. So just be on the lookout for that. And we were also going to be producing some pieces of in collaboration with the partners that partnerships that we have with like the New Orleans Saints, the NFL, mobile snack cakes, intellect index calm, which sort of like help with like, marketing the message about centered around self care, okay? Because it's, it's a, it's, it's a really big issue. People just not having the information not realizing that the big with just minor tweaks that can really just make life with this disease a lot less stressful and just make life better.
Scott Benner 1:03:40
Yeah, I used to joke that if people figure out what I'm saying, isn't that complicated? They won't need the podcast anymore. But I don't joke like that anymore. Because then other people have been ripping me off. So I'm like, it is complicated. I'm the only one that can tell you.
Kyle Banks 1:03:54
But no, no, this is like one of the areas where, you know, copying is sort of like, it's gotta be flattering. You know, when you when you hear somebody
Scott Benner 1:04:07
do it. My wife is such a pain. She's like, she wants me to take the dogs out. And I'm like, she doesn't realize I'm still going. I listen, I'm not gonna joke with you about it. I'll be I'll be seriously. It is flattering to start doing something that people see and think, Wow, that's great. where it hurts a little bit is how much time and effort I put into the podcast. Then I see somebody else like trying to be like, oh, look what I thought to do. And I'm like, Yeah, like not that Pre-Bolus thing is patented. I'm not saying that. But there are ways that I explained things that I know for certain. I figured out and then I hear some and I hear someone used those exact words. And then there's two feelings. There's the This is great. It's getting around. But then there's the part of me who makes the podcast who wants everyone to listen to the podcast. You know, I mean, so it's a very interesting it's a it's a weird thing. It's a weird thing to have happen, because you definitely just want people to be healthy. Yeah, I suppose definitely. Yeah. But at the same time I want my downloads
Kyle Banks 1:05:14
you should get, those are
Scott Benner 1:05:15
my downloads, don't take my downloads.
Kyle Banks 1:05:18
You know, the thing I really would like to stress, especially with people of color that may be listening to your podcast is not I mean, you glucose now in how it affects you today is one thing, but the thing we really need to look out for is its effect on your life in 510 15 years from now, because I have been in communication, people who were just having the most heinous complications, and it's awful to see someone at the age of 35, you know, dealing with neuropathy and high damage in or females having pregnancy complications, or young males who who have to deal with erectile dysfunction in their early 30s. And like, it doesn't have to be that way. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:06:01
no kidding. There's, there's just like everybody, there's always going to be somebody who no matter what happens, their body's just not going to do well with the diabetes. But for the most part, for most of you, for most everybody, there are certain easy things you can do to stop that stuff from happening. And it's like you said, it's, it's easy now to think oh, that's later it probably won't happen to me. But man, when it when it happens to you, there's no going back, you know, you it's not pretty, it isn't going to be something you want to deal with. So I appreciate that. But I'm going to put the link in for sure. And I'll mention it against the people here. That link of course is Kyler cares.org ky le r ca r s dot o RG or if you can imagine how Kyle would say it. Okay, why no, I can't do it. His voice is beautiful. Isn't it? Makes me feel like I'm feel like I'm squeaky over here. Thank you so much to dex comment on the pod for sponsoring this episode of the Juicebox Podcast. Please go to my on the pod.com forward slash juice box or dexcom.com forward slash juice box. Why did I say or it's and go to both of them? Find out more about the sponsors. A couple of housekeeping things first, and not that Disney needs to help. But if you've never seen the Lion King on Broadway, it is a beautiful spectacle. It is an absolute charm fest Did you hear that Thunder? It's coming. Whoo, geez. This could be a people, Episode 343 with a podcast and I get another one going up in a cyclone apparently. But before I do, let me ask you, if you Hi, just in case I get pulled up into a tornado, you might want to go to Apple podcasts and leave a wonderful review of the podcast. You know, so that other people who are finding it for the first time can trust what they're going to hear. They need to take a leap. And it might just be your review that lets them feel comfortable trying the podcast. So if you can do that, I would really appreciate it. What else if you're looking for, you know, some deep conversation with other listeners, check out the Facebook page for the Juicebox Podcast. There's of course the public page. It's called bold with insulin. And there's the private page, the juice box discussion group where people get together and talk about management ideas. It's a really great tight group. I'm proud of it. Honestly, there's over 3000 people in there now. I'm juice box. If you have a great physician that you'd like to suggest to somebody else, go to juice box docs.com and send me your addition and I'll add it to the list. It's JUICBOXD OCS calm and anything else. Hmm. I'm gonna be doing something cool next week, but I can't tell you about yet but I will tell you about it as soon as I can think it's gonna add to my understanding of how insulin works a lot actually. So I'm excited about that. It's embargoed for a while. I think I can tell you it a few more days. Oh, you know, dex company will be back on the show soon. I think the CEO is going to be back probably on June 16 ish around there. A lot of stuff going on at FX calm. Kevin Sayer is going to come back and fill us in on that. And I don't think oh, and I just recorded a really great afterdark today that I think you're going to enjoy. And next week I'm doing a bunch of recordings with Jenny so Jenny Lee backson. Speaking of Jenny, all of the diabetes pro tip episodes are collected at diabetes pro tip calm if you'd like to share them with a friend. There's no assets diabetes pro tip.com takes you to the collection of the episodes from the podcast. You of course can listen through your podcast player but easy way to share or to revisit anything else. Hmm No, I think that's it. I think I've covered everything.
Unknown Speaker 1:10:11
If I yeah,
Unknown Speaker 1:10:21
no, I was up say
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#341 From Russia with Insulin
Daria is in University and has type 1
From Russia to the UK with a lot in between. Daria has a passion for fitness and living well with type 1.
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Daria’s blog - https://www.t1levelfitness.co.uk/
DAFNE - http://www.dafne.uk.com/
Daria on IG - https://www.instagram.com/t1level_daria/
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner 0:00
Hello, everybody. Welcome to Episode 341 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by touched by type one, and the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. You can find out more at touched by type on.org. And Contour Next one.com.
Today's show is with Daria. She's a young woman living with Type One Diabetes, who's a far away from home going to college. Oh, I mean University. Now you'll figure it out. Daria is a big fan of the show. She's heard every episode and I know that right now she is giggling somewhere listening to her name being said at the beginning of an episode, but she gave an incredible interview that is very informative, and entertaining. And I thought a lot of fun. While you're listening, you need to remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please always consult a physician before making changes to your health care plan. or becoming bold with insulin. I'd also like you to remember that juice box docs.com exists. So if you have a great diabetes practitioner, Doctor, endocrinologist, nurse practitioner, a place where you go where they really get you a place that you would want other people who listen to this podcast and know about go to juice box docs.com and send in that information. It's a beautiful, ever growing list of doctors who get what you want.
Daria 1:47
Hi, I'm Daria, I've been a type one diabetic for 15 years. I a student in the UK. And I'm also a personal trainer.
Scott Benner 1:58
Alright, students in Wait, wait, let me get this right in university.
Daria 2:04
Yes, exactly. I am in university and I'm in my placement year. So we do two years of studying then we go on to like a work year basically. So when you're working, and then you come back and do your last year and your dissertation.
Scott Benner 2:19
Interesting. So the last year includes the dissertation.
Unknown Speaker 2:23
Yes, it does. Unfortunately.
Scott Benner 2:27
Yeah, you're gonna have to do it eventually. So at least it's at the end. Yeah. What's your, um, your focus?
Daria 2:35
focus in terms of what I study? Yeah. So I do management with marketing. I was hoping it would be mostly marketing, but it's mostly management.
Yeah. So that's it really business kind of degree.
Scott Benner 2:49
How does it How did it shift from what you were hoping it would be? You had an idea that that the that the sessions at the school would go one way, and they've kind of gone the other way? Or you've moved in that direction?
Daria 2:59
No, it's basically more or less a set degree. So we have only a few modules that we choose. And it was just the way it's structured. There's not a lot of marketing in the in the whole kind of syllabus.
Unknown Speaker 3:15
Yeah, I gotcha.
Scott Benner 3:16
Not a lot of marketing in that marketing.
Daria 3:18
Well, yeah, but you know, you study like on your own and do things on your own. So
Scott Benner 3:22
still learn a lot. I would say to that your third year, probably, you can sort of choose the course of what you want to go out into the world with.
Unknown Speaker 3:30
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. That's excellent.
Scott Benner 3:32
Okay. So, because I got all caught up in my excitement about remembering to call it university and college, I forget how long you've had diabetes and how old you are. So could you tell me real quick?
Daria 3:44
Yeah, I'm 20. Now, I was diagnosed, diagnosed at four, four. So it's been like 1516 years now. Okay.
Scott Benner 3:52
And when you were diagnosed, were you still in Russia?
Daria 3:56
Um, I was in Russia. But when I got diagnosed, my parents got all panicky, and we went to Finland, because apparently Finland has the best type one diabetic care well, or had at the time. Yeah, so we went,
Scott Benner 4:10
Yeah, go ahead. Well, dairy. I was gonna say, that's really, that's good for the people in America who are like, I can't believe I have to drive an hour to a good endocrinologist, your parents left Russia and went to Finland to find good care.
Daria 4:24
Yeah, I think it was a good decision, because Russia is. Yeah, and it's not the best and it's good medical care. But you will, you will always trust it. So a lot of people who can do it, they go either to Germany for their different medical conditions or whatever. or elsewhere.
Scott Benner 4:44
Russia is good. A lot of things. I mean, they're running Facebook. Great. So you know, it's going
Daria 4:50
Yeah, well, they've got their own weapon. It's called telegram. If you know that one. No kidding. And it's apparently Yeah, apparently they can't track you from it.
Scott Benner 4:59
Oh, Are you saying we're being tracked right now? Because I feel so I'm
Unknown Speaker 5:03
always being tracked.
Scott Benner 5:06
I swear, I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing. And at the same time, if they knew what I was doing, I feel like they'd be so incredibly bored. they'd stop paying attention.
Daria 5:14
Well, I don't I don't think so. Scott, you're not doing yourself enough, just as you do.
Scott Benner 5:20
I don't know how you didn't see me this morning doing the dishes and watering plants.
Unknown Speaker 5:24
So how do you know I haven't?
Scott Benner 5:27
True enough. True enough. So there you go. So you were born in Are you a Russian citizen? Or how does that work when you move?
Daria 5:34
I am a Russian citizen. But I was born in the UK. I lived here for four years, then my parents moved because of work back to Russia. So I did move with them when I was a when I was I think
I lied to you. Actually. I was diagnosed when I was five. And
yeah, I moved when I was four. That's what happened.
Scott Benner 5:58
You'll see that I I stopped myself from calling the age of your diagnosis, fake news. I just stopped myself right there. And we were gonna stick out. So you were diagnosed? You were diagnosed at five? Yeah, okay. So your parents born in Russia moved to the UK for work. You're born in the UK move back to Russia for work, you get diagnosed, you guys go to Finland, you're not living in Finland.
Daria 6:18
But we didn't go. We went there for like a week or two just to get things sorted. Kind of gotcha. So yeah, it was just literally, I, I got admitted into hospital there. And we stayed there sort of to learn the whole
what diabetes was basically excellent.
Scott Benner 6:35
Your accent is, is brilliantly blended between the two places that you've lived. It's really interesting. Really,
Daria 6:41
it's very interesting, because English don't hear Russian in it at all. They hear American or Canadian. And the Americans hear Russian and English.
Scott Benner 6:51
Yeah, I hear I hear the I hear the end of the word feels Russian to me. But a lot of your phrasing is, is from the UK. So okay, I'm enjoying myself. Alright. So here you are five years old. I'm just going to in my head, you know, build a picture of you freezing to death. And in the tundra of Russia. I'm sure you look right in the middle of the city, but that's okay. For my for my purposes, you live on the side of a slight embankment, in a lean to. And in your blue, I
Unknown Speaker 7:22
do actually live in a side of an embankment.
Scott Benner 7:26
How do you know him? You know how I know that right?
Daria 7:28
Well, of course, it's Facebook,
Scott Benner 7:30
through Facebook, I can see. Anyway, so you're growing up growing up in Russia with diabetes, I'm dying to know like, what is it like you hear people talking about on the podcast and everyone? Dario has a real insight. She's heard every episode of the podcast. So I'm interested to see if there's a first of all, why you don't why you have so much free time and when you're in university. And secondly, if you see any huge differences or similarities between SORT OF THE AMERICAN STORIES you hear and your your experience,
Daria 8:00
oh, well, in terms of how you get medication, guys, it's insane. Because in UK, I you probably know this from people you've spoken to in UK, we are on the national Harris health care system. So we get all our medications free. I've got the continuous flash glucose monitor the libri thing, and I get it free as well, which is absolutely amazing. I get my insulin for free. And it's just, I'm super grateful for it. There's nothing I'm more grateful for than that. But in Russia, we had to buy it all. So we don't even need a prescription there really to buy it. So we can just sort of go to a drug store and get insulin needles and yeah, there you go. Okay, use it as you please. So you
Scott Benner 8:55
realize that from growing up watching American television, my imagination was that three guys all named Sergei pulled up in a dark sedan and your parents traded them toilet paper for insulin or something you're telling it? None of it went like that at all. Is that what you're saying? Nope. Yeah, see, I think we may misunderstand the rest of the world here in America. Anyway. I got you. That's pretty So cash buy in Russia? No, no prescription needed. You just walk in and say, Hey, I need
Unknown Speaker 9:22
insulin.
Daria 9:23
Yeah, and you can still do that. So I literally, I think, okay, remember when we tried to schedule this cool. I went back to Russia for that weekend. Yes. And I was running out of my Navara pad back then. I'm on CS right now. And we just went to the drugstore and got it. That was fine. Yeah,
Scott Benner 9:43
that's amazing. So what's your What is your what's your expectations for when you finish up with school? Do you feel like you'll stay in the UK or do you have an idea of where you want to go?
Daria 9:53
Well, I've always wanted to do a gap year so year will I just go and travel travel I've got two places where I really want to goes Australia and Canada. So I'm hoping to do that for at least a few months after I finish uni. But then I'm kind of planning to go and do Personal Training, really, because I really enjoy that. And I actually specialize in type one diabetic personal training. Nice. So yeah, I work. I do online programming and yeah,
Scott Benner 10:26
that's cool. I did you know that Australia and Canada are at the moment fighting for the number two position for downloads for the podcast. It's America obviously has those. But Australia in Canada, always going back and forth. At the moment, Australia has a slight edge. So well, Canadians really should pick it up and listen to some old
Daria 10:44
Oh, go one, definitely promote the podcast there for you. You're rolling 100%? I'll hand out flyers and stuff. So don't worry about that.
Scott Benner 10:53
So let's kind of dig into your your growing up with the diabetes. did you how did you find it to be how involved with your parents? You know, what kind of technology did you have? What was that whole process like through like, when do you start thinking of yourself in your memory as having diabetes?
Daria 11:12
Um, well, I remember I was really well controlled, always from the very start. So I had all my meals measured, like I never ate school meals, nothing like that I had a special lady that took care of me during the day because my parents are investment bankers. So they basically, I didn't see them really. And I don't even know when my first memory of diabetes is to be honest. I just remember my, oh, well, my good memory is my grandmother used to do my long acting insulin for me. And I remember her doing my short acting instead of long acting. And it happened like several times. And that probably is like the most
the biggest highlight of my childhood.
Scott Benner 12:04
It's panicky, right? And you will see you remember people like running around yelling, you know, she's got to eat a bunch of food, or is that what you did? After she you
Daria 12:11
know what it was? It was actually no, it was just, it was panicky, but then it kind of came down and was like, oh, I've got so much food to eat now. It's how wonderful You know, when you're like six years old, you did really care. You're just very happy that you've got a ton of chocolate to eat now,
Scott Benner 12:29
please. Six years old. There are times when I'll look at art. And I'll be like, Hey, you know, we messed up. So pretty much anything you want in the kitchen right now is yours and her face lights up and our eyes get very big. And she's like, ooh, let me think about it. I don't want to waste this moment.
Daria 12:45
How old is Arjun now? 15. Oh, yes, girl now
Scott Benner 12:51
chugging along. So everything is going going really well. I'm trying to imagine also what what would get a woman your grandmother's age, I'm assuming who grew up in Russia? Like what would actually make her upset? She's probably like, Listen, this is nothing. And we'll persevere this like we persevere these winners and everything's gonna be fine. And that's that I swear to you, I am having the hardest time not making ham fisted like references about almost like, everything you say. And I realize it's because I just watched so much American television and whenever like a bad guy would come in in the 80s. Like, you know what I mean? Like he he was always like slightly of rush does that bother you? Like when you watch old television? Do you see that? and think like, why are we the bad guys? I need you guys to head over to touched by type one.org to see what their mission is find out about their programs, learn what they're doing to build awareness, and even get involved in helping people living with Type One Diabetes. I first became aware of touched by type one back when they were dancing for diabetes. And I attended they're touched by type one event. Of course now, they've rebranded to touched by type one, I wonder what the event will be called. Something that started such a long time ago, in one little girl's mind, if I remember the story correctly in her driveway, trying to raise money for people with type one diabetes, became dancing for diabetes. And now today it is touched by type one.org. You have to see what they're doing. I make a point every year, no matter what's going on to travel to their event, and speak with the people who are supporting them locally in Florida. But you can support them worldwide. Touch by type one has a wonderful program where they send information now to newly diagnosed people with help from people like you. So go check out their website, learn about the conference that I'm sure I'll be at their awareness campaigns, their local things that they have going on their international stuff that's happening and that beautiful dance program. take a couple of minutes to learn more about touched by type I'd like to announce how you about the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. This is the meter that Arden has been using for about a year now maybe a little longer. But it is, in fact, the best blood glucose meter she has ever used. And Arden has had diabetes, since she was two, she'll be 16 in just a month. That's a big statement. There's a long time and a lot of meters. But none of them have stacked up to the Contour. Next One. And I'm not just saying that because they're a sponsor, they are a sponsor, because I'm able to say that don't think they were the only meter company trying to buy an ad on the Juicebox Podcast, okay, I went with the one that I trust. And that I know that I can tell you simply off the top of my head about I don't need copy, right, like, I need to tell you to go to Contour Next one.com to see if you're eligible for a free meter. But beyond that, they don't make me say anything in this ad, I can do whatever I want. And I'm gonna keep repeating what I think is most important, the Contour Next One meter is accurate. It's accurate, accurate, accurate, I don't just mean to, you know, the wall, I mean to what your blood sugar is not another meter, it matches reality. That's the information you need when you're making decisions. And we all know test strips are a commodity. So we don't want to waste them. You know how many times you've touched a blood drop, it's a little too small and it doesn't register. But with the Contour Next One, you can just squeeze out a little more blood and do it again, you still get an accurate reading, invaluable. Beyond that great bright light for nighttime, easy to read display. Not too big, not too small, fits in my hand nicely. I'm not always fumbling with it, you know what I mean? It just it works. It's a meter that does what it's exactly supposed to do. And that's why I love it. It's easy for Arden to carry. That's it Contour Next one.com just a little button at the top, you'll be able to find out if you're eligible for a free meter. And if you're not, ask your doctor to prescribe one for you. There's no reason for you to be walking around with an old busted up meter. Whose accuracy you're not even sure of when you could have Contour Next One. Contour Next one.com There are also links to all the advertisers in the show notes of your podcast player and at Juicebox podcast.com. Check them out today. Get yourself a great meter support touched by type one. You can do it get gone. Use the links
does that bother you? Like when you watch old television? Do you see that think like why are we the bad guys?
Daria 17:46
It just makes it really funny. It's just very funny, especially the how they do the Russian accents. And if they have any Russian words in there, you can straightaway tell that they're not Russian actors. Or have never speaking Russian spoken Russian story. That's my Russian coming out. See?
Scott Benner 18:03
Yeah, just guys from Orange County and Ventura trying to put on a Russian accent that they only heard on television when they were growing up probably. That's great.
Daria 18:12
Um, I was gonna say, you know, I just grew up with my diabetes being something that wouldn't bother me. So my parents kind of always told me you can still do everything. Diabetes is just another thing you sort of need to take care of and it shouldn't stop you ever in your life. And I kind of grew up grew up with it. And I still think that way
Scott Benner 18:34
Yeah, I think it's excellent. It really did your parents I mean, you said they were investment bankers and again I imagined you making like quotes air quotes when you say that's completely unfair. I'm sure your parents do investment but but it was like it was like a scene out of the sopranos I imagined you over there going my parents are quote, investment bankers but it because
Daria 18:56
yeah, you know, they actually worked in American banks, quite a big chunk of their careers. So maybe their actual investment bankers, but you know, you're hoping you don't really know.
Scott Benner 19:08
Yeah, that's great. That's what they say. And I didn't
Unknown Speaker 19:12
know we didn't speak about business in our family. So yeah, I wouldn't know.
Scott Benner 19:20
Was there ever like a shovel you couldn't decide where it came from in the trunk of the car or anything like that or No, nothing like that.
Daria 19:26
Oh, we just keep one there. Like all the time. There.
Scott Benner 19:30
You're my favorite. This is joking, but of course you but I don't know if you're not I can't tell exactly.
Unknown Speaker 19:39
But it's the part of the lore.
Scott Benner 19:44
For you mentioned in your note to me that you had kind of had trouble with eating disorders. At some point. Can you describe to me when that started?
Daria 19:54
So I moved to UK when I was 13. I went straight into boarding school. I didn't know anyone. I absolutely hated it, it was probably the worst four years of my entire life. And I remember I just when I moved there, I cried like every single day, there wasn't a day when I didn't cry, it was very bad. And then it just sort of turned into kind of a restriction situation. So where I was kind of punishing myself by starving myself, because I thought I wasn't doing good enough, I didn't have any social connections, I wasn't performing socially well. So that's kind of how it started. But it was nothing along the lines of Dr. bulimia, or whatever it's called. And I think it's only because I didn't know that insulin had the effect. Like, if you don't inject it, he wouldn't gain weight. Like, I had no idea about that.
And I'm quite happy. I didn't really,
Scott Benner 20:57
yeah, yeah, it's, it's interesting. When I, when I talk about it, I do think like, Is it better to just, you know, I mean, it's like one of those moments like, should you in, you know, educate people? So they understand, or is it dangerous to let people know, who maybe would never find out? But um, you know, I'm, I'm glad to that you didn't know? How so do you think this was? depression thing, being away from home? was the place just a bad place? Or what,
Daria 21:25
um, I mean, it was an old girls school, and I was used to a mixed environment. And then Russia, it's very uncommon to have like, separate sex education. And then because it was a boarding school as well, we weren't really let out of there much. So it was basically like, you can leave, I think it was once a week, and you could only leave with a friend. I did have like a Russian friend there, who we're still great friends with. And we can we went out like once a week, but like, it's really you feel blocked? Yeah. And there is not much to do. So.
Scott Benner 22:01
Was there I guess, was there a big mix of backgrounds there? Were you like an out, you know, an outlier as being from Russia weathers or was there a real good mix?
Daria 22:12
No, there was an okay mix there. Really? It would there were a few people from like Saudi Arabia, there were like Chinese looking people like Asian looking people. Few people from India? No, there were quiet. It was quite a good mix. We had Russian people there as well. And we To be honest, in boarding Russian people, we all struggled there. Quite a lot. Yeah, so my best friend had like a very bad psychological event there, which I'm not sure if she'll be happy. Happy for me to speak about but it was like very life threatening. So yeah, we all didn't really do too well, there. How was
Scott Benner 22:55
the education, which is, you know, brilliant.
Daria 22:59
I'm gonna tell you, the school was amazing. The education was great. Probably the boarding support wasn't that great. By the way, the medical support wasn't amazing, either. Because when I was at that school, I was really with non diabetic care whatsoever. So I sort of wanted to keep it in Russia. But then I couldn't really because I didn't go there very often. So I didn't really talk to an endo for quite a few years.
Which is not very good. But yeah. How did
Scott Benner 23:35
you do during that time? Were you like, how did you measure your successes? Or was it just with meter like finger sticks? Are you still getting a one sees? Or did you even or,
Daria 23:46
oh, I, I don't remember about my onesies. I probably was getting them because my mom must have push for them. But because I was with eating disorder at the time, I had very low insulin requirements. Like very, very low. And I was super active. So I did loads of cardio. And then I started to dance up while I was in my last year. there so I didn't need much insulin. And I was sometimes around the twelves Oh, sorry. I'm caught. I need to find a conversion table for you. I'll pop
Scott Benner 24:25
one up to give me a second.
Daria 24:26
Yeah. I've got it because I because I listened to the podcast. I always need it.
Scott Benner 24:31
Yeah, I am. To be honest, I needed to. When it starts happening, I'm like, oh, that means this.
Daria 24:37
Yeah, so it was around 216.
Like averaging I but when I did activity, it went like straight down. Okay, straight down. Like, literally 236
Scott Benner 24:51
Are you saying you weren't taking in a lot of food or were you vomiting or why? Why now, what you're needing Well,
Daria 25:01
I wasn't vomiting, thank god again. I was just, it was kind of more of a binge restrict situation. So when I went home for the weekends, if my parents were there, I would sort of just eat like, tons of tons of food, like without any limit. And then, during when I was at school, I literally like, I didn't know 20 grams of carbs in the morning. And that was more or less it. And then I just corrected with juice for exercise if I had to. And that was it for five days in a row. And then if I go
Scott Benner 25:38
ahead, no, no, I'm sorry.
Daria 25:39
And then if I was like, back, back up boarding, or during the weekend, I wouldn't eat much either. Okay, so it's basically starving yourself.
Scott Benner 25:48
Yeah. Were you depressed? Do you think?
Daria 25:51
Oh, yeah, I definitely was. Yeah,
Scott Benner 25:52
for sure. Sounds like it. When you would go home. That's air travel, right.
Daria 25:58
Oh, no, no, so sorry, I didn't explain myself well enough. My parents own a property in in England as well. So it was not so far from my school, but just because I was so young. I couldn't stay there. All by myself. I see. Yeah. Wow.
Scott Benner 26:14
That's a that's a rather grown up way for a young person to live. You know what I mean? Like that's a really it's a lot of alone time and a lot of decisions for yourself.
Daria 26:25
It is Yeah, and actually, when I turned 15 I think I moved out of boarding because I just hated it so much. And then I just lived in a house by by myself like without my parents. Oh my god. Which I'm actually not sure as legal legally allowed, but
Scott Benner 26:43
it's over now.
Daria 26:44
You know, we're Russian so I think it's okay.
Scott Benner 26:47
They were afraid to say anything. They're like Hey, where did she go? And they're like, nevermind It doesn't matter. She shows up on Monday and comes to class we're gonna let it mean
Daria 26:54
yeah if we've got a shovel shovel in our like back of a cars
Scott Benner 27:01
no one's gonna mess with that. I like this. Yeah. I just I'm still in the back of my head. My only like frame of reference for my joking is the Russian characters in the sopranos.
Unknown Speaker 27:13
If a while go ahead use them if you feel so drained. I
Scott Benner 27:16
tried to remember them and they're escaping me at the moment. It just all felt so comical now that I look back on it. My my memory. Okay, well, that's really crazy. Because when you're 15 you're just I'm assuming using needles and a meter, right?
Daria 27:32
Yeah, yeah, I was in needles and a meter from the point when I got diagnosed to until I actually went to Union finally sorted my diabetic care. So it was only two years ago that they gave me this the flash, the flash monitor.
Scott Benner 27:48
So is that when you you know, kind of turned around what you were doing and how you were thinking about yourself is when you left for university?
Daria 27:56
Um, yes and no, because it was in the in the second year of university. It really struck me how bad the situation was. I was just feeling really drained all the time. And because I had like, super high blood sugar's I was feeling terrible. I'm not gonna lie in the first year of university, I did go out quite a lot. I never drank much. But even if you're up all night dancing, your blood sugars will be like, quite low. Yeah. And I was still really active. I was always at the gym and then running and doing different stuff. And I was always somewhere. So my blood sugar's weren't, like, extremely bad. Right? But they were up and down all the time.
Scott Benner 28:41
Gotcha. Hey, give me give me one second here. And we did do Arden's lunch bolus while we're talking. So
Unknown Speaker 28:46
yeah, this is exciting. And
Scott Benner 28:48
so Arden's having lunch, and we she's hungry. We're not how do I say this? I don't we're not conventionally pumping at the moment. So Oh, my direction to her is going to be in a sound a little foreign. Maybe.
Daria 29:06
How much was she having a Niger park?
Scott Benner 29:10
Okay. Hmm, What's in there? Grapes. I remember grapes. There's a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich it's on.
Daria 29:19
So that's fats as well, which might prolong digestion I have.
Scott Benner 29:25
Huh? It's interesting now that you asked me, Oh, these little sort of thin corn chips about 15 carbs of them. And I've decided this morning when I was thinking it all in the bag. There was something else in there. I remember thinking this is going to be 70 carbs.
Daria 29:46
Well, I think the grapes are gonna struck her and it was a bagel or sandwich was it?
Scott Benner 29:53
No, half a sandwich. Okay, no high fructose corn syrup in the bread. Peanut butter. The jelly is made with Splenda. I got that in my, in my head that's around 30 carbs. Because I know the breads 25 and then the grapes and a Clementine, I remember thinking I remember putting them in and going, that's like 10 so now we were at 35 then the chips, the little corn chips. I have had 15 so right, so what are we getting out? 2535 40 like 55 and then there was a cookie of some Oh, no, two little tiny chocolate doughnuts, but they're really Carvey. So there's, like, 30 carbs in those. So now I'm realizing I need 540 odd. I gave her 60 here, and I should have done it. 80. So I'm gonna just add a little more.
I'm going to tell her we just I just under bolused
Unknown Speaker 30:57
do 20
Unknown Speaker 30:59
more carbs?
Daria 31:03
high carb counting. It does help sometimes.
Scott Benner 31:06
yet? Well, one hour.
Unknown Speaker 31:08
Yeah. Well, I agree. I agree with the Well, yeah. Sounds like a
Scott Benner 31:11
we'll see what happens here. Now I got to see if she if she saw that last one or not. Yeah, so we'll see. So yeah, so it's my so my goal here with this is I'm trying to drag this, this insulin out over this timeline. And I'm trying to think, uh huh. I think it's going to hit her. I think this one's gonna hit her two different ways. I think this meal was gonna hit fast. And it's going to hit long. So I think it's gonna hit I'm
Daria 31:40
doubting the long bit, because I'm assuming you didn't put too much peanut butter in there. And then the bread is not too long. Like, I never find it, like octane too long for me, which I don't know might be different. Yeah, it's 10:30am.
Scott Benner 31:53
Now, and I'm thinking that the impact of this food is gonna run over the next like three hours. Also, we are completely landless use the bed word we are we're completely upside down at the moment. Because we missed her Pre-Bolus time. It's the first. Yeah, it's the first couple weeks of school. And she goes, it's such a weird system. But you know, today, she'll have lunch at 10:30am. Tomorrow, she'll have lunch at like five after 12. Then the next day 1030. Then the next day, fine. Oh,
Unknown Speaker 32:27
that's a bit annoying. And
Scott Benner 32:28
you and I remember sitting down here today thinking, oh, we're not going to get to do our lunch bowls. Because during the recording because her lunches at noon today, except I was wrong about that. And so I lose track when it bounces back and forth. And the other problem is it's not like a Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing. So wherever they leave off on Monday, it rolls around a Friday. It just keeps rolling. And you just miss it.
Daria 32:49
Yeah. So I guess you'll get used to it. It's just the first few years now. Oh, God years weeks.
Scott Benner 32:57
Yeah, please. Uh huh. Now see, and now I'm gonna say Did you see the second Bolus? But she's walking through the halls I would imagine right now. So I'll keep my eye on this and see if she
Daria 33:13
was Yeah, like what number?
Scott Benner 33:15
Oh, 123. For you?
Daria 33:19
I'm looking at it. It's 6.7. Okay, she might need Yeah, she would have needed a bit of a Pre-Bolus
Scott Benner 33:27
Yeah, yeah, it's definitely gonna be a little
Daria 33:31
probably gonna spike with it. But yeah,
Scott Benner 33:33
my my, my texts are hilarious. Now. I just got a message from somebody. They're like, Hey, I just literally got a message popped up in front of me. Hey, Scott, can you please do a short podcast with Jenny Smith about the dawn phenomena?
Daria 33:44
Oh, Dawn phenomena. I suffer from that. So so much, you won't believe it. So yeah, I don't
Scott Benner 33:49
know how to do a podcast about that. Because Do you? I mean, you know,
Daria 33:53
no, I know what I do. Right? I'm on level mirror. And I wake up decently early. But regardless what time I wake up, this The moment I open my eyes, my blood sugar rises by like, three points, which is 30 ish points. 20 points, maybe say,
Scott Benner 34:14
say one from six, seven to like nine four. That'd be 120 to 170.
Daria 34:19
Yeah, so that happens, basically, but what I do I have to Pre-Bolus my my morning meal, which is my breakfast, like 40 minutes. That way I counteract the dome phenomenon and also cover my breakfast. Yeah, you're
Scott Benner 34:34
really bolusing the phenomenon and Pre-Bolus in at the same time.
Daria 34:39
Yeah, but I'm gonna tell you it's insane. So what I used to do 40 minutes is a lot. And I wake up at let's say, I wake up really early, so like 550, maybe five. If I wake up at 540. I then put Pre-Bolus at that point, and then I go to sleep for another 10 minutes. So I wake up at 550. Get ready, get my breakfast, sorted and eat then that's how it worked for me. But then one time I slept through that second alarm. Yeah, I stopped doing that. But then they moved me too fast. So I now need 35 minutes instead of 40.
Scott Benner 35:19
Yeah, well listen to what you're describing. It's interesting, right? We'll talk about messing with insulin a little bit here, what you're describing. A lot of times, I'll hear people say, I don't know what to do, like, my blood sugar is 170. So like nine and a half, right? And I'm eating in an hour dinners in and our wonderful Pre-Bolus. And I'm like, Yeah, like, go hard at it now. Like, I'll say, correct the 190. Right. And you can't get a 190 to go to, you know, 100 in 45 minutes, if you just put them if you just put in the correction. So put in the correction plus a piece of the meal and get that no,
Daria 35:56
I you know, why should I just wait maybe another? Well, because I'm on injections. I don't want to be injecting like a million times. Sure. I still do. But I don't want to be injection another time, I'd wait another 20 minutes. And like 40 minutes before he and just inject the whole thing, throw at it.
Scott Benner 36:11
Yeah. And you see, it's interesting, right? There's a good breakdown, I'm saying because in a pumping scenario, let's say your blood sugar is 190, or it's 10.5. And you'd really like it to be 100, or 5.5, when you eat. So when you if you have a pump, you can correct the 190 and put in some of the Pre-Bolus to try to like speed up the drop in that 45 minute window. And then and then while you're dropping when the food starts putting the rest of the meal, but in your scenario, because you're trying not to inject yourself 1000 times, you're saying put in one good push, and then wait about 20 minutes, about half of the time till the meal starts then putting in all the insulin for the meal. And so it's like it's like to Pre-Bolus is to conquer the high number. And to get you at a point where you're sort of trending down at a better number when the food starts hitting you.
Daria 37:04
Yeah, well, that's my other problem with eating disorders. So I know, I do that myself as well. But sometimes 40 minutes before the meal, I won't be hungry. And then I might think, Oh, I actually do want to eat, but now I need to Pre-Bolus and I'm like, okay, maybe I shouldn't eat now. But then it's restricting again. So it might cause like, it might be a trigger event, then bingi again, right, which is a bit, it's getting a bit more complicated. But I've like I've just managed to kind of ignore that. And I still Pre-Bolus and then still eat, because I'm pretty active, like being a personal trainer, and just training all the time. And doesn't really bother me that much anymore. But well, at the worst parts, I know I have a friend as well who he can't eat, if he doesn't want to eat and he won't Pre-Bolus at all, like he'll only do the meal. Insulin if he sees it because he knows if he's going to eat it or not. So it's a bit hard to Pre-Bolus in that kind of situation.
Scott Benner 38:10
I have no real life information, you know, to to inform what I'm about to say it's just kind of how it's striking me in the moment. But I feel like, you know, you're in your second year of college, my son's in his second year of college are probably similarly aged. If this was, if you were my son talking about this, I think I would be looking into, like therapy for you to try to figure this out. Or you think you
Daria 38:40
know, well, I've thought about this quite a lot of times. I've actually tried it. And it's never helped. So I've kind of been like, well, I've tried, like three or four times now and yeah, just just not helping Well, they say you never actually properly recover from an eating disorder. So I'm not saying I have that now. Yeah, but I'm saying a few years ago, when I did think that way. It would have been a trouble for me. Pre-Bolus I see. And that is probably part of the reason why I didn't do that.
Scott Benner 39:18
Now I understand. Okay,
Daria 39:19
yet to be honest, doctors never spoke to me about Pre-Bolus anyway.
Scott Benner 39:24
No, I I can't tell you, I must get three messages every other day there. That's just from some putty who incredulously says How could nobody have ever told me about this? And yet it's completely changing my life. And, you know, that's simple. That's simple. I do.
Daria 39:40
I know. Yeah. So um, I, when I started listening to your podcast, I was about an A, A one c like 7.3 or something. And no, I'm 5.7 and that is from Pre-Bolus.
Scott Benner 39:54
That's tremendous. I you know, you hear me say it, but you know when people are talking and they're not goes a lot of ideas like what do I do first? And you know, I always talk about getting Basal correct first. But the next idea is start Pre-Bolus saying take a point off your one say, you know, like, it's like, it's like a free point every Wednesday, if you just begin to Pre-Bolus been doing it.
Daria 40:16
I remember just coming to my doctors and saying, oh, I've got these like spikes to 20 after breakfast. Well, you see I Pre-Bolus 40 minutes. Now, of course, I would have had a spike. And they were like, Oh, you probably should look into changing what you eat for breakfast. I was like, No, I'm not changing my left because of diabetes. Diabetes to change for me. I'm not going to do that.
Scott Benner 40:40
Yeah. Hey, listen, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to do this for you. I just got an ad from Martin who said, Hey, I'm completely lost on this Bolus. Can you just tell me again? Okay, so I'm going to do again, 25, two hours. And then I'm going to do I actually have a drifting. So I'm going to do 45.
Unknown Speaker 41:04
Three hours. I'm looking for Bolus around 11. That's what
Scott Benner 41:20
all right, let's see what happens, right? It's just, this never happened before. It's very, it's very honest and mature. I said, Hey, did you see the second bolus? And she goes, I'm doing it now. Wait, then she goes, do I Bolus both of them? Oh,
Unknown Speaker 41:35
yeah.
Unknown Speaker 41:38
And don't don't love her. And then
Scott Benner 41:45
for our HR, so this is called. So this is slowly get it? So this is Oh, why am I two hours and don't deliver and then 45. Three hours and Bolus. So I was trying to talk around it, but I guess I can't. So no big deal. Just gonna keep going. So let's just talk it through. So looping, looping, boluses are impactful. And more purposeful, when the loop understands 9.85 units, just gonna say do it, we'll see what happens. So when the loop understands the the idea of how long you think the food is going to impact you, it's called absorption time in the loop, right. So the problem is, if I say, hey, do 25 carbs that that absorption time of two hours, that's really just me trying to get four units going, right, because I know ardens carb ratios now is like, like six point something for a unit. So if I say 25, I'm looking for 612 1824 looking for about four units to go in. And you give the loop the idea that that absorption time is two hours. That's me trying to kind of front load more of the insulin, I'm trying to trick the loop into keeping the bazelon. And so because normally normally the way the loop acts is you put all the insulin in and the first thing it does is shut off the Basal to wait and see what the Bolus does. But I know that the glycemic impact of these carbs is big. And I need the Bolus and the Basal. So the now the next problem is if you put in these 25 carbs to two hours and push you know Bolus, the Bolus takes five minutes or so to go in. Yeah, like it takes forever to go in. So I can't have Arden standing around waiting to put in the other half of the bolus at the three hour mark. So if you tell it, this is for people bolusing it's a little trick. If you tell it 25 carbs, two hours, and then it gives you the delivery, don't deliver the insulin you put in zero for the delivery and then hit OK. And then go back and tell it end. You know, the rest of it 40 carbs, whatever, three hours, then that next insulin suggestion it gives you includes the two hour and the three hour window. And then you can put in one Bolus, but the algorithm remembers that 25 of the carbs should impact over two hours while the balance of them should impact over three hours. So it's sort of a it's an it's not an easy way, but it's the way that the app works. So that you only
Daria 44:30
I'm not gonna lie my brain.
Scott Benner 44:32
My brain right now. I swear. Yeah, I don't know how. So the book so for people looping, the text says 25 carbs, two hours don't deliver 45 carbs three hours, then deliver. I'm trying to get around 11 units, it ended up being around 10 units. I'm just doing it now to see what happens. The reason I'm just going with it is because about 20 minutes before you and I started talking we did a little bump of insulin so that 130 that you saw actually is like one six Now, so I'm thinking I'll split the difference on that last unit and see what happens. I'm sorry, because that is really, this is really just crazy. Oh, and it is confusing. So here's something a jdrf chapters gonna have me out to do a talk, where it's just me, which is really lovely. But I can't do their date.
Unknown Speaker 45:27
Oh, no.
Scott Benner 45:29
I have to call them and see if we can work a different data.
Daria 45:32
Know what I'm actually fundraising for jdrf. UK, I am doing a challenge when I'm going to be doing six spin classes in one day. No kidding. So I'm gonna go Yeah, I know, I don't even know how I'm gonna do that. But, yeah, I'm pretty excited, actually. So I'm just I've contacted a number of London spin studios, and I want to go to all of them, while six of them, and just do six in a day, and I'm fundraising for that through jdrf. And the reason for that being is I want people to actually be able to get on to diabetic management tools. Because it's very, very hard to get onto a Libra here, the flash glucose monitor or an omni pod, really. And I'm not like, kid my life, but it's so so useful for a diabetic.
Scott Benner 46:25
Oh, my God, I Are you kidding? It's fantastic. There's no CGM is
Daria 46:30
it's just it's just, you know, it's a difference between living and surviving. And it's just so bad that people can't actually get on to it.
Scott Benner 46:41
Yeah. Yeah, I am. I would love to come to the UK someday and do one of these talks. Actually. I'm trying to I tried working with the jdrf in the UK to get you know, the young man who played at the Royal Wedding, he played the cello. I can't think of his name, mate. And I guess I'm asleep. No, I think his last name is Mason. He has type one diabetes. So he was trying to get the jdrf. UK to get him on the show. And they they didn't seem like they had as much contact with them as they needed to make it happen. But I yesterday, it was a really exciting day for me, I I pretty sure I booked the type one nation event in Georgia. I'm going to be in Kansas City. I think I just booked Central Pennsylvania. And I had a really good conversation yesterday with Wisconsin with Arizona, I think it's possible to do about six of them in the next six months. So I'm excited because you get to go to places where some people just don't know about the podcast, they don't know about the internet, they know that they know about the internet, they just don't know, they don't have it as accessibly as they need it. And you know, I love being able to get out in the real world talk to people. So it sounds like you're gonna get to do the same thing. So, so tell me a little bit about how you how you talk to people about like, so how do you find your way into what you're doing? Like you said, you you do you know, personal training? Is that something that you personal train, from your own experience? Like if you have such good experience with it, that you're like, I can show this to other people? Like how do you get started with that?
Daria 48:17
Well, that's a very complicated question, because there is no qualification as such in the UK, to actually be able to coach people with type one. So I basically I say, I offer support with glucose management, and I do offer support and people will go as far as they want, with my help. Sure. Because I can't directly advertise it, the only qualification that there is, is in the US. So I'm hoping to go to us and actually get that qualification to be able to properly do it. So
Scott Benner 48:58
if you had that you could go back to the UK and say, I'm certified in the US for this.
Unknown Speaker 49:02
Well, pretty much. Yes. Yeah.
Scott Benner 49:04
That's excellent. I mean, listen, there's a very good reason that the first thing you hear on this podcast is the statement that nothing you hear on this podcast is advice because it's, it's a weird line to walk, like, you know, if you know something, and you want to share it, but you're not even if you are a doctor, it's you know, talking about stuff like this is difficult, but it's necessary. And so, like, how do you, you know, you gotta walk the line, you need to do it correctly, and you do it safely and like appropriately, but at the same time, can you imagine if this is gonna please I don't mean this like this, but what if I just never started this podcast?
Unknown Speaker 49:41
You
Scott Benner 49:42
know, and so, I can't live with that. You know, I mean, like, I can't, I can't get all of your notes every day and see you online talking about your less, you know, variability, your control, you know, I'm back to my life, you know, you know, how do you just look at people and say, Oh, well, too bad, you know, because I don't, you know, I, I'm not, you know, not supposed to tell you what to do. And I'm, and I'm not but you know, like it's just a weird line to watch.
Daria 50:10
You know, like even in UK and US, I hear you always saying that doctors just don't really give you proper medical advice. Well, that's not what I meant. They didn't give you life advice. Yes. They give you what they were taught by books, because most of them are not type one diabetics, right? Oh, sure. And they have no idea what they're dealing with. Like, sorry, guys. But that's, that's what it is. And some do.
Scott Benner 50:36
But how do you know which one you're getting? You know, exactly like, how do you how do you know which which one you're, and if you talk to a nurse that's trained in in the US, they'll tell you that they spent, you know, three pages in a book on type one diabetes. And that's it. You know,
Daria 50:51
yeah, I have a very funny story. So I came to my diabetic nurse. And I was quite like struggling a lot with my blood sugar's I was having a lot of hypose. And I showed you showed her my my graph, on my phone, the glucose monitor graph, and she struggled to interpret it. And I was like, excuse me, what are you even doing here? Why am I spending my appointment, which is only 15 minutes to explain you how to use the libri app,
Scott Benner 51:20
right? Man, it doesn't help me, I only have a very little bit of time. And the goal, by the way, is that I'm stuck. And I'm trying to show you something thinking you'll look at it and go, Oh, I see. Do this. And instead, you're telling me Oh, this is a fancy little thing. How does this work? I really do pride myself now on, on being able to look at a graph and get a really good feeling for what's needed pretty quickly. And it just comes from practice. And if that nurse practice the way I did, she'd see the graph that way too. I don't have a superpower. You know what I mean? Like you just, you just have to see it over and over again, before you go. I texted these words to a person that I know personally, that I was that I'm helping this week. This morning. I said this graph is asking for bazel.
Unknown Speaker 52:09
And,
Scott Benner 52:09
and she's like, how do you know I'm like, just really like, look at it. It's asking for basically, I can see it, you know, and and we made a small bazel adjustment from a 1.2 an hour to a 1.4 an hour. And I'm going to look right now. blood sugar. 92. Yeah, right. It's a fun, you know, amazing.
Daria 52:30
That's the problem with love America, because you can't adjust to our tower. And you never know what your blood sugar is going to do this day. I'm very, very insulin sensitive. So even half a unit makes a huge difference to me, right? I've the last two days, I've struggled with unbelievable hypose. Okay, like, it's just not coming up.
Scott Benner 52:52
And it sucks because in in a pumping situation, you would dial your your bazel back. And but you're stuck in a situation where for whatever reason for these days, you don't need as much insulin as you normally do. But it's in there. And you know,
Daria 53:04
and that's the thing. I'm asking for a pump. And they're saying I'm too good for it. Oh, that's amazing, guys, thanks a lot. That's just really helping.
Scott Benner 53:13
That's terrible. Is that the answer? Is that your blood? Your blood sugar's are doing well, like you don't need it.
Unknown Speaker 53:19
Yeah, that's nice,
Daria 53:20
because there is a criteria because it's all government funded. So there are quite strict criteria for pumps and sensors and things. I have
Scott Benner 53:29
a lot of hope for the United Kingdom and on the pod because I know that on the pod is over, they're working really hard on making the pump more accessible in the UK. So I hope it doesn't take forever to work out. I know the person who's one of the people who's spearheading It is a good person and a bright person. I think they can get it accomplished. So I'm hopeful. Well, yeah, no kidding, right? Because you shouldn't be told that you shouldn't be told, hey, you only get low once in a while. You know, just deal with it. Like what?
Daria 54:03
It's just the thing is, I don't get low once in a while. I do get low quite a lot, because I don't like seeing like a Yeah, a 162 or 160 even. So I correct it. But a half a unit drives me to like 245 which is not great. You know, that's how sensitive I am. Yeah,
Scott Benner 54:24
isn't that stupid? So if you're a one C was higher, but you had a lot of lows. they'd let you have a pump. But if your agency is lower and you have a lot of lows, you don't need a pump. Exactly. There is no common sense in that thought whatsoever.
Unknown Speaker 54:37
Oh yeah.
Scott Benner 54:39
It's a line someone drew on a piece of paper and said how are we going to save money here? Well, we'll say if you're a one sees below this then you don't need a pump.
Daria 54:47
Yeah, well, because they consider us help you with the lower anyone sees. Yeah, no, doesn't really matter how we get there.
Scott Benner 54:54
Yeah, it does. And they should worry about the variability more so than the pump. You're more so than that, then The agency significantly more. Oh my gosh, yeah, you're making me upset because I thought the UK was a better place. And they're just screwing you in a different way. Yeah, but there is like fish and chips on every corner. So that must make up for something now,
Daria 55:14
he know was very funny. I've never had fish and chips. And I've never wanted to. I just don't i don't get the English cuisine. To be quite honest.
Scott Benner 55:23
I have a question for you. Me, you might know this. You've been there now. As has has the opening up that Brexit has allowed? Are there different? Is the cuisine in England expanding? Because are people allowed to work more freely? Like, are you seeing more restaurants and people with different cultures come in? Or do you
Daria 55:45
know, I'd say it's a bit the other way around. Now people are leaving the UK with Brexit. Gotcha. But however, there are plenty of Polish stores. Like the Indian community is huge here. There's an Asian community. There are tons of communities even in London. And I'm not gonna lie, I study in Leeds, which is not London. So it's not the capital, but the rest of the UK differs a lot from London, London is super, super International. Whereas the rest of the UK, still sort of international. But it's completely different in the vibe and everything in every aspect is more
Scott Benner 56:31
British when you get outside of London.
Unknown Speaker 56:33
Yes, exactly. Gotcha. Interesting. Well,
Scott Benner 56:37
I we are rolling up on the end. And I wanted to know if there's anything that we didn't talk about that you wish we would have, because I'd like to take the rest of that time with that if we do
Daria 56:45
you know what I'm I wanted to say that there's a very good course that is offered by the National Health health care system here called the Daphne course. And if anyone is in the UK, they should really, really consider doing it ask to get onto it. It's free of charge. It's a week long, but it helps you get your basals. Right, understand your carb counting, they teach you to carb count properly. And you will come out of there a completely different person.
Scott Benner 57:16
b. So b A f n e, right? Yes, yes, it's da f n e.uk.com.
Daria 57:25
It's not a website. It's just a course that's cold like that. So if you Google it, they will probably come up with the NHS website. But when you go to your next appointment, just ask for it and get onto it.
Scott Benner 57:38
Okay, and so it's a is it at home thing, you do it on your own? You do it online, you do it with a person, how does it work?
Daria 57:45
Well, so there are several options, they usually run at a hospital. So the way I did it, I it was just literally a nine to five hospital course where you are there with another like if 810 people, and they literally teach you just everything, it's with two or three nurses, and they talk about everything from complications to Bolus not Pre-Bolus thing but bolusing. They help you figure out your basals you do like a little diary for them. It might sound a bit weird, but it's super helpful. Like it's a good place to start. If you're really struggling with your agencies. And just your in general, your management.
Scott Benner 58:25
Thank you. I appreciate you telling me that. That's excellent. Yeah, I am, I will do my best to put something tough because I'm googling and it's bringing me to a bunch of different
Daria 58:34
I can send you a link to a few.
Scott Benner 58:37
Thank you. Yeah, I'll put it I'll put it with with the show comes.
Unknown Speaker 58:41
That's excellent.
Daria 58:43
Yeah. And another thing probably I wanted to say is guys, be careful with fats. Because every time I eat fats in my meals, it just spikes me so badly. Afterwards, you saw
Scott Benner 58:57
you get that rise that that kind of fat protein rise, just kind of dress up now. It's interesting. You say this, because your episode will go up, like months from now. But next week, in my life and in the real world here with you and I there'll be a pro tip episode between Jenny Smith and I that's all about fat and protein rise.
Unknown Speaker 59:17
Oh, that is very exciting. No one up on
Scott Benner 59:20
Tuesday. So hopefully that'll help you. But yeah, it's um, when Jenny was explaining to me and we were talking about what I see with art and sometimes it's fascinating because it's not what you expect that you think a piece of chicken, no carbs. This has no impact on my blood sugar. But it does. And I think that um, I think it's going to be interesting for people to hear so you'll you'll hear
Daria 59:44
Yeah, it's even worse with fats To be honest, because well, I don't know. You probably know. But the liver actually starts releasing glucose by itself. Yep. Which is awful. Like it's just horrible
Scott Benner 59:56
and the fat the fat gets in your stomach and it slows the entire digestion process down, which extends the life of the carbs and all this stuff Jenny and I are it. I like the conversation, I can't wait for it to go up and we're actually doing another thing. So for everyone listening, this is, you know, go back like six months, but But um, we're going to do I had a person who's a keto, but eats like a keto diet while they came on and explained how they bolus for their food. And then Jenny and I are taking her description, we're going to listen to it, then we're going to discuss it. So you're going to get to hear the description from the person who does it. And then Jenny and I are going to kind of break it down afterwards. So I'm excited for them. Yeah, I'm doing my best over if I had more time I do more fun things, but
Unknown Speaker 1:00:44
I'm doing my absolute.
Daria 1:00:45
Trust me if everyone had more time, we will be doing more fun things.
Scott Benner 1:00:49
It's true. Well, it sounds like you got a lot of dancing. And so I think it's, I didn't know. So is my as we go out, and I swear I have to cheat you for a couple minutes. So I can make my phone call but so So is that a is a person your age. That's a good thing to do, where you're like you go out hit clubs, like go dancing, that kind of thing.
Daria 1:01:10
You know, well, I did that for one year, and I I just stopped enjoying it. And I don't drink at all anymore. And I don't go out anymore. I just work a lot. You know,
Scott Benner 1:01:21
you're getting older.
Daria 1:01:23
I know. I feel like a grandma now. How old are you? I'm 20
Scott Benner 1:01:28
Yeah, you're a 20 year old grandma. That's exactly what you All right. Well, I really appreciate you coming on and doing this and taking all of my like I said ham fisted jokes at the beginning about Russia.
Unknown Speaker 1:01:39
Please come on. We love your jokes.
Scott Benner 1:01:41
I appreciate that. When you go home Please tell them to stop manipulating our elections because we would just like to pick for ourselves. I really just want to just pick myself and see what happens. You know, David,
Unknown Speaker 1:01:52
I'll try my best.
Scott Benner 1:01:52
Yeah, I mean, I don't know what kind of sway you have. But give it a try. Thank you so very much for doing this. I hope you have a great day. Yeah, I
Daria 1:01:59
hope you have a great day. Thank you for having me. Take care. Take care.
Scott Benner 1:02:05
Huge thanks to Darya for coming on the show and being so amazing. And I mean that she was really just light hearted and genuine. I loved having her on. Thanks also to the Contour Next One blood glucose meter, you can get that at Contour Next one.com or through the links in the show notes. And of course touch by type one is available touched by type one.org. And there are links again in the show notes of your podcast player. Or at Juicebox podcast.com. Check out the area on Instagram. She is T one level underscore Daria da ri a T one level underscore Daria on Instagram. I've also put some links on the episode page for this episode. 342 is the number at Juicebox podcast.com. There's some links to various blogs. Check her out.
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#340 Clashes with Pink
Sixteen year old D'Arcy. has type 1
D'Arcy. is a singer/songwriter who has type 1 diabetes.
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner 0:04
Hello, everybody, and welcome to Episode 340 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by touched by type one, and the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. You can find out right now if you're eligible for an absolutely free meter at Contour Next one.com. And of course to see the great works being done by touched by type one, all you have to do is go to touched by type one.org. You all are in for a treat today. Because Darcy is on the show. Darcy is 16 years old. She's had Type One Diabetes for a year, and she's more mature than 15 Have you all put together? Her story's crazy. She's really confident. And I really, really, really, and I know that they say the best way to communicate is just to say really a bunch of times. But I quite enjoyed this conversation with her. I hope you will, too. Please remember, while you're listening that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan for becoming bold with insulin.
I wanted to remind you just briefly of a couple of links that I have set up to help you guys. One of them is diabetes pro tip.com. That's where all of the diabetes pro tip episodes that have Jenny and I have them are collected in one place so that it's easy for you to share and revisit. And juicebox docs.com juicebox d oc s.com. What this is, is a growing list of doctors recommended by listeners of the podcast. So endocrinologist, nurse practitioners, people who really get what you're trying to do, and will work with you not fight against you.
D'Arcy 2:08
Hi, I'm Darcy. I'm 16 I'm a junior in high school and I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes a little under a year ago.
Scott Benner 2:17
Darcy I love that you're here. Okay. All right. Now let's tell me Do you know why I'm so excited that you're on the show? Don't say it if you know why. But do you know why? No. Oh, okay. Excellent. It's even better. All right. Darcy, you are my You are my ambassador in the world. I have found out and I am super excited to find out about how you got to that point. You don't even realize it perhaps but we're gonna get to it. So let's start slow. I guess you're 16 and you were diagnosed like a year ago?
Unknown Speaker 2:49
A little under a year ago.
Scott Benner 2:50
How was that? Did that suck?
D'Arcy 2:52
Um, yeah. It kind of sucked.
Scott Benner 2:57
Were you in school? Or was it the summertime when
Unknown Speaker 3:00
I was in school, but it was the week of Thanksgiving. So I managed to spend my entire Thanksgiving week in the hospital.
Scott Benner 3:09
Did anybody come up to you and say Darcy, you should think of the things you're so thankful for.
D'Arcy 3:16
No, good for you. You don't have any
Scott Benner 3:19
morons in your life. That's excellent.
Unknown Speaker 3:21
Yeah, yeah.
Scott Benner 3:24
So were you a sophomore than Yes, as a sophomore? Well Arden's a sophomore right now. So and now you're a junior. Yes. Look at you. You're almost done. The High School thing. I don't like to think about it. But yeah, it goes by so quickly. How'd you do on your PSAT last year? Pretty well? did pretty well. Yeah. Good. Good. Is your mom making you take a class? Or are you just working on your own?
Unknown Speaker 3:50
She offered the class. And I think I think I'm going to take her up on that offer.
Scott Benner 3:57
What kind of Do you know what you want to do in college?
Unknown Speaker 4:00
Um, I don't know. But I've thought about becoming a dietitian, and getting a certificate and diabetes nurse education. However, I'm still kind of on the fence of whether or not I want to kind of completely delve into that realm of diabetes.
Scott Benner 4:25
So I know some people who have diabetes will also help people with diabetes. And they're very great at their job, like really wonderful, but sometimes in the in the background, they'll say, Wow, my whole day is Yeah, is diabetes. Like I don't get any break from it. So it's something to consider. And at the same time, if you're really passionate about helping people, you're going to have an insight that a lot of people wouldn't have. Right, let's go and by the way to Darcy, and I'm not your dad, you know that you probably have a father. But you shouldn't really know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you're 16. That's up. A weird idea. Yeah, it's not 1920 get out. I mean, you're right, you're right. I think I like Bill, and we're gonna buy a we're gonna get a house and I'm gonna make six babies, and then we'll probably die in our 40s. Like, it's not like that, right? Yeah, you don't really need to know, right today. Arden once said, um, she's like, She's like, you know, if it was a long time ago, I'd probably be married already. I was like, it was a long time ago, you'd probably have a baby already. And she's like, Oh, my God, really? And I was like, see? Is it better being alive now? And she's like, absolutely. So yeah. So I just think, you know, it's of course, unasked for advice. But I even my son's a sophomore in college right now. And I think he's just about to commit to a major. And, you know, we send them off to school. We're like, Look, there's things you're good at, and there's things you're not and go figure out what all those things are. And, you know, just don't wait too long and then pick a path but you don't need to. It's It's weird to think that you're gonna Yeah, exactly. Now, did I see before we turned off the off the camera, that you're a redhead? Is that natural? Yes. Okay. Yes, it is. Is ginger offensive term?
Unknown Speaker 6:10
I don't think so. I know a couple of gingers who get offended by the term. But I've never had a problem with it.
Scott Benner 6:18
Gotcha. I just don't know. Because I see people use it within their friend group. And it seems to be very friendly. And the red and the red head in the scenario always seems to take it well. But then I sometimes hear people say it, I think is this something people don't like? So I'm just I'm trying to find out for myself so that I don't misuse it and you're young. So you understand how the world works better than I do. So I just needed to get that.
D'Arcy 6:39
Yeah, definitely.
Scott Benner 6:40
There's nothing better. It's just like, well, Darcy's here, she can help me with some of my personal stuff. Okay, so when you're diagnosed do they give you? I mean, what kind of gear? What do you go home for leftovers? Do you have like injections or pens or pumps? or What did they give you?
Unknown Speaker 6:56
They gave me a box of syringes. A vial of humor log and a vial of lantis. They wanted me to use those vials before I started moving into the pens. But I definitely didn't do that. As soon as I started leaving the house and bolusing outside of my house, I was I was using the pens, because I thought that using the vials and syringes might look a little strange. So you were you were
Scott Benner 7:23
that's interesting to know. So you were a little put off by what we'll call the sketchy nature of those little plastic syringes. Right? visually, you were just like, I don't look, I don't want to do this. Right. Interesting. Interesting. I, I can't say I disagree. They are very, um, they feel like 1970s television while you're looking at them. And yes, and you've got to carry the vial with you. And then you've got to keep the vial safe. And so all that kind of came into play I got Yeah. So you went right to your pen?
D'Arcy 7:51
Yes. And what are you using right now? I use the Omni pod right now.
Scott Benner 7:56
Very nice. When did you make that switch?
Unknown Speaker 7:59
I made the switch. About five months after my diagnosis. I went to a pump training class made the decision to choose the Omni pod. And probably a month later, I was all ready to go. I was using the PDM to Bolus and it's really amazing how much easier managing your diabetes is with a pump.
Scott Benner 8:25
Yeah, no kidding. And and you found the transition from the pen to the pump not difficult.
Unknown Speaker 8:32
It was a little strange to get used to. But I think that by the time I was ready to transition to the pump I was so I was so ready to not give myself the shots four times a day five times a day. And I was ready to just deal with inserting a canula once every three days and then be done with it.
Scott Benner 8:54
Were you honeymooning in those first five months? Do you
D'Arcy 8:57
know? Yes, no. Are you still? Yes, I am. Yep. Very nice.
Scott Benner 9:03
And is it chiseling away or is it holding on?
Unknown Speaker 9:08
It's it's holding on. I've, I've haven't really experienced any symptoms of you know, leaving the honeymoon phase, I take about nine units of insulin of basal insulin a day. So I'm also trying to kind of prolong that honeymoon stage by keeping my numbers in range and staying
D'Arcy 9:32
within the Dexcom parameters. Gotcha. Where do you have them set up?
Unknown Speaker 9:36
I have them set at 70 and 130. Where did
D'Arcy 9:39
you get that idea from? I got your I got that idea from the Juicebox Podcast. Okay, we'll get you I like how you branded your answer you didn't have to.
Scott Benner 9:52
So is your honeymoon situation that that you just aren't using as much insulin as you feel like you would be or is it that some days, you just don't need any at all. What's the breakdown? How does that work?
Unknown Speaker 10:05
I, I've talked to a couple of my friends that are also type one, and I've asked them how much basal insulin they take. And they say that they take about 34 units of basal insulin a day, which I knew would probably kill me.
Unknown Speaker 10:23
Think if you're using nine, it would Yeah, yeah,
Unknown Speaker 10:27
I definitely there are definitely days where I need to use less insulin, or there are days where my blood sugar will just kind of stay, you know, really close to 70. But there are also days where my blood sugar will stay really close to 130. And so I'm trying to just, you know, predict as much as I can predict how my blood sugar is going to react that specific day. And I'll kind of base how much bazel and set up insulin, I'm going to take that day off of how my blood sugar's have been reacting, you
Scott Benner 10:58
haven't had any situations where like you make a bolus that you expect, and then suddenly, you're incredibly low or something like that.
Unknown Speaker 11:05
I have not had that happen yet. And I hope that it doesn't happen. But if it does, I will be ready for it. Good show. Why are you so
Scott Benner 11:16
smart? So let's figure that out for a second, right? You're 16 people are always like, Arden should come on the podcast. If Arden came on the podcast, she would sit here and be like, I don't want to talk about this. And So wouldn't it? Maybe that's just because it's my bad guess. But what, how did you pick this all up so quickly? Like that? Here are my guesses. Your parents are terrible people and you knew you were on your own? Is that one of the possibilities? Maybe but we're not sure we'll find out in a second. Your parents are really great people. And they've instilled a feeling of confidence in you as you grew up, and you're like, I can do this. Or you're like a weirdo type A, and you don't want anything to go wrong. Like I can't figure out which I'm dying to know which one it is. I'm assuming it very well could be none of what I've just said. But why is it that you? Like like you, you're managing this by yourself? Is that right?
Unknown Speaker 12:07
For the most part, yes. During the waking hours, I am pretty much independent. But my parents are amazing people. They that you didn't trust nothing like they're No, they're not de drinkers. No. So I, I was pretty much as soon as I was diagnosed, I didn't think of managing my diabetes in any other way than just facing it head on. And, you know, thinking to myself, well, this is something I'm going to have to deal with. And I'm not gonna, you know, let it take over my life. But I also want to make sure that I can live a long, happy, healthy life. Um, so
Scott Benner 12:52
so I'm sorry, but that was an immediate thought to you like i, this is got a lot to do with my my long term health success. You knew that right? You knew that right away. Right? Did someone tell you that? Did you Google it? Did you just didn't seem like common sense.
Unknown Speaker 13:11
It just kind of seemed like common sense to me. I mean, I didn't know what damage had already been done. My a one fee was 18 when I was diagnosed. So I wanted to kind of I wanted to keep my body in check at least as much as I could to kind of compensate for any damage that could have been done before my diagnosis.
Scott Benner 13:33
Prior to the diabetes. Were you like, was that a focus of yours? Or were you just kind of rolling along like a regular kitten?
Unknown Speaker 13:40
Oh, yeah, I didn't really give my health much thought until I was diagnosed just because I had never had to give my health much thought my body just kind of worked. Yeah. And then whenever it didn't, it became one of my top priorities.
Scott Benner 13:57
Yeah, I guess a computer user would say that before diabetes, you were like an apple computer. And now you're more like a Windows? Absolutely. I've just offended everyone who uses windows. That's really, that's really amazing that it hit you that quickly now? No. Did you have any depression anxiety? Like, did you like did you have any real like turmoil around the diagnosis at all, I
hope you can take time to go to touched by type one.org and look into their programs. They have annual conferences and awareness campaign, they do this great bowling event. There's of course, their dance program. They're huge dancing for diabetes show and the D box that they send out to newly diagnosed people. So head over to touch by type one.org find out about their story, maybe even consider supporting them. It's a great organization touched by type one.org And then of course, you need a blood glucose meter that is equal to your wonderfulness. Imagine you walking around just delightful. But you got a blood glucose meter that's only so so huh? Doesn't that's not okay. Go look in that bag of yours reach into your pocket. How long have you had that old tired meter using right now? Is it even anywhere near cutting edge? Is it giving you the best results that you possibly could get? I'll tell you right now if it's not the Contour Next One, I doubt that it's as good as it could be. And you can find out simple right Contour Next one.com you can hit the button right at the top of the page to see if you're eligible for a free meter. If you're not, you know what I'm saying? meters are not that expensive. Ask your endo say look, I'm walking around with this old busted down meter forever. I don't even know how accurate is I want to be I want to be doing the best I can do for myself. Why don't you get me one of those Contour Next One blood glucose meters and your doctor will be like, I like you, you know what you want. strong and confident I of course will do this. And that'll be that. That's how I imagined it going. I don't exactly know how it's gonna go. Your doctor might be like, leave me alone. But I mean, if that's the case, get a new doctor. Anyway, the Contour Next One blood glucose meter has an amazing app that goes along with it. You can use it if you want to, if you don't want to, you're not forced to. But it's amazing. Bluetooth enabled, you check your blood sugar shows write up on your app, you can keep good track of more than just your blood sugar, you really have to go check out the meter. And that to find out if it's something that you would really benefit from, but I think it I think it is that's available for Apple and Android. So again, go to Contour Next one.com learn all about it. There's this beautiful color coding system for your testing. I love the screen, I love the size, it feels good in my hand, right? It's not too small, not too big. I don't drop it. And the test trip is remarkable. The accuracy is nuts. But you can actually go in and hit a blood drop and miss it a little bit and go back again and not waste this trip. Right second chance. There is very interesting information at Contour Next one.com about the accuracy of the meter. But as I read it, I recognize that I am not smart enough to make sense of it and translate it here for you. So you really should go check it out for yourself. All right Contour Next one.com touched by type one.org. The links are in your show notes right there in your podcast player there at Juicebox podcast.com. You can just type them in yourself. But when you use my links, the advertisers know you came from here and that I appreciate extra monthly. Are you ready for Darcy Darcy isn't even going to tell you why she's on the show for like another 25 minutes. I just love this conversation. it unfolded gently. Any good story unfolds gently.
Unknown Speaker 17:57
My opinion
Scott Benner 18:06
you have any real like turmoil around the diagnosis at all.
Unknown Speaker 18:10
I did it. I didn't take it very well. The first couple of days I was in the hospital. I had many just kind of meltdowns where I would lock myself in our in the in the hospital rooms bathroom with my huge IV tower that I named Cletus and I would just sit on the floor and cry. But it didn't take me very long to adapt to the new lifestyle. Because I had a really good friend who was also type one who ended up visiting me in the hospital. And he he would just be like okay, Darcy, you're gonna you know, you're gonna sit down at this restaurant, you're going to check your blood sugar, you're going to give yourself that injection and it's going to be totally normal, because that's just something you have to do and it's not your fault. And having that probably made the whole situation a lot better. I would say
Scott Benner 19:12
a good friend. So you So you knew somebody with type one before you were diagnosed? Yes. Do you live in a hotbed of Type One Diabetes is like every other kid type one in your town? Or is it just a random thing that you knew somebody?
Unknown Speaker 19:24
Pretty much honestly there. I think there are 12 type one diabetics in my school last year. And my school is really tiny.
Scott Benner 19:33
Or you guys like real close to like an electric line or like I don't know, that does it? But like something like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, when you drive past those big electrical lines, there's a house next to it. You think? I don't think I would want to live right underneath of that giant tower of electricity. Yeah,
D'Arcy 19:46
right. Absolutely.
Scott Benner 19:48
I live in a reasonably small town too. And there are a number of kids in art in school prior to her being diagnosed. And that number is sort of trailed off of Little bit now, but there's still a couple that come every once in a while it does make you think like, you know, I mean, I'm not I don't know, but, but it's interesting the water. Yeah, exactly. It's simple water. Maybe he, maybe he dosed you with diabetes so he'd have, just do that to somebody. But that's very nice. Your age somebody you knew before a real friend, not like a not like a boyfriend prospect.
Unknown Speaker 20:27
Um, friendship kind of trailed into something else. But he's in college now. So that kind of trickled off. Yeah.
Scott Benner 20:37
Oh, well, that's nice and good. At the same time. Let me tell you the same thing. I told my son when he left for college, better not to go with a girlfriend. Just you know, for you as well. You don't need to be like, limiting your happiness to like when whenever this guy comes home every once a night. Yeah, it's not you.
D'Arcy 20:54
I agree. Absolutely.
Scott Benner 20:55
But so you found a real like, your bond, like your friendship bond really became deeper around the diabetes.
Unknown Speaker 21:01
Yeah. And I think the fact that we had already we already knew each other so it wasn't like, he was like, Oh, you have diabetes? Cool. Me too. Let's be friends. We had other we had other things in common before my diagnosis.
Scott Benner 21:15
Any chance this kid used your diagnosis with Type One Diabetes to hit on you? Yes or no? Because guy I really hope not guys are ruthless. He might have been Finally I can get with this Darcy girl. And like, I've got like an in she's probably sitting on the bathroom floor in a hospital goes. By the way. Did you never once when you're on the floor think there's a worst disease on this floor than the one I've just got got on my.
D'Arcy 21:40
Well, the floor I was on was specifically for kids who had been diagnosed with diabetes, if they clean that floor better.
Start a long pause. I don't know.
Unknown Speaker 21:54
I don't know that you
Scott Benner 21:56
were so much stronger. Of course, you were so distraught, you didn't consider that perhaps you shouldn't be sitting on the bathroom floor in a hostel. Next, next time you're in the hospital, please stay off the floor. I don't care what news they give you just you know, up on your feet. Okay, I went, I went to visit my mom in the hospital the other day. She's fine, by the way, don't worry about and I came home afterwards. And it was a long day. And I sat on the sofa and went to put my foot on the coffee table. And I stopped myself from that I was like, I don't know what is on the bottom of my shoe. And so I just got you down there and that like paper gown, like with a hole stuck in your arm crying on the floor. And then this kids like who have always wanted to go out with a ginger. And like, you know, maybe, maybe this is it. Anyway. It sounds like you're doing better now. But I think it's also important that, that you just had your feelings when it happened. Like your parents didn't try to like pull you out of that bathroom. They just kind of let you be.
Unknown Speaker 22:54
Yeah, yeah, they were. They were always they understood that I was going to be upset. But there was one point in time where my dad came in and he was like, You know what, it doesn't matter what we have to do. We're all willing to make the lifestyle changes to accommodate for you and your needs. Don't ever think that like this is something that you're going to have to deal with on your own. So they were they were really supportive. But there are definitely a couple of times where I just wanted to be alone because
Scott Benner 23:26
yeah, it's good. I think both sides of that sound really amazing if that sounds like a good guy. Do you have other brothers and sisters?
D'Arcy 23:33
Yes, I have an older brother.
Scott Benner 23:34
Okay. And is he still in the house? Where is he off of college? He's in college. Do you think it's possible that whatever's in the water causing everyone's Type One Diabetes is also making everybody in your town really nice. It's possible maybe it's a nice thing that's just a side effect of it anyway, I you know there's one conspiracy theorist listening to the show right now it's like I knew they could give you type one you really can't people just it's not how it works. But but so I like this now you out out of the hospital. You're bucking the system immediately right? Oh, homeless. Yep. What is art insane to me.
Unknown Speaker 24:11
Okay
Scott Benner 24:13
sorry, where she had a tiny low and I just asked her how long did you eat that candy and she responded with a very helpful when you told me since you told me I was looking for more of a time frame but you know I'm sure it's fine. Her blood sugar 74 I think she's gonna be okay. Is it gonna go up again? Darcy I wish you could see this you could help me because you're so good. able to tell me I'm gonna have her have two more of these little candy things. Anyway. So you're you're out of the hospital. I like immediately your attitude right? Like this is not this is what they told me to do. But this is what I want to do and and you went right to it. I think that's a really interesting look into your probably your personality. And probably an interesting look into why you're doing so well immediately because you are really kind of Following your nose on this right doing what you think yeah. Yeah, that's excellent. So when do you find the podcast? How do you How does a 16 a 15 or 16 year old person living like what part of the country and don't like tell me the town but like, in the Midwest, it was so you sound Midwestern. And so did you know that sounds like something?
Unknown Speaker 25:21
I've heard that it sounds like something but I don't believe it.
Scott Benner 25:27
It sounds American is what it sounds like. It sounds like, like an average accent. So. So you're in the Midwest somewhere. You're You're out. You're doing your thing you get on the pods really quickly. When do you find the podcast? Like how do you find it?
Unknown Speaker 25:41
We'll say that my mom is just a really good planner. And she's already you know, getting ready for me to go off to college. And she finds your, the, the interview you did with Maddie. And then she like hey, Darcy, I found this podcast. And in towards the beginning, I was kind of reluctant like, Oh, yeah, I definitely want to sit and listen to but like, listen to a podcast about diabetes for an hour and a half. But then I actually listen to it because my mom knows what she's talking about you trust your mom. Yeah. trust my mom. And I listened to your pro tips episode about the CGM. And I was like, Whoa, this makes a lot of sense. Because at that point in time, I had my dexcom alert set at 80 and 200. And I found myself going over 200 at least once every other day. And then I tightened them to 170 down to 151 4130. And it it's really made a difference. I don't I very, very rarely go over 200. Now, homecoming was this weekend, so that there was there's a bit of a slip up there. But we, we Yeah, we've just been able to manage everything 10 times better. It's it's so much easier now that we have not only you and Jenny, but you there are other people that you've interviewed that kind of give their two cents on how they manage their diabetes, and getting all of these different perspectives on how all of these people manage their diabetes has, has made it honestly, more fun to think about, oh, if I eat this food, how is this going to affect my blood sugar? If I eat this? How fast is my blood sugar gonna spike? How far in advance Do I need to Bolus before I eat this food?
Scott Benner 27:50
Darcy, I don't think I can use the Juicebox Podcast makes diabetes fun as a tagline. Because I think a lot of people and I wouldn't want to do it. But I'm really encouraged that you said it would not be a T shirt that no one would buy. Anyway. That's a really, that's really amazing. Like, I'm thrilled for you. It's very cool to think that I did something I had an idea for. And it actually kind of came to fruition halfway across the country for you. It's very cool. But I also can't imagine what it's like to be 16 years old, and have your mom come to you and say I found a podcast, you should listen to that alone. Before you figure out it's diabetes must have been horrifying. Like oh my god, my mom is gonna try to pick a podcast for me to listen to what could I possibly know about podcasts? And then it's about diabetes. I would have like, I would have run away if I was you. I would have like I didn't let my mom pick anything about my entertainment when I was 16. Why do you think it's entertaining? Is it because I'm terrific? or What is it? exactly do you? Well, I
Unknown Speaker 28:58
I definitely think that you are terrific. But I've always kind of at least once I got my Dexcom in my Omni pod and I had a better handle of what my numbers looked like, you know, and a 24 hour span. I I realized that I wanted to I wanted to not only take care of myself, but I wanted to understand why I was taking care of myself how I could take care of myself. And that was something that I was having a little bit harder time getting a handle on. But then I start listening to your pro tips about bumping nudge and Pre-Bolus saying and you know being bold with insulin, and it just made it a lot easier to grasp and understand this is this is what is going to happen if you do this and this is why it's going to happen. So you have a better you have a better shot at accurately predicting what is going to occur when you eat or when you exercise or when you have adrenaline running through you.
Scott Benner 30:06
It's definitely my finding. So it's very cool that you found it the same way. Have you been proselytizing to your other myriad of diabetes friends and your diabetes written town? Or do Is it weird to go to another 16 year old and go? Yo, do you want to hear about a podcast about diabetes? I think you would enjoy. I, I'm interested, like, would you tell somebody else? Or is it sort of like your own thing?
Unknown Speaker 30:29
It's, it's kind of right now, at least it's my own thing. But I recently did an interview with one of my, one of the other diabetics in my school, and I mentioned it, and my dad actually right into him on the golf course, and mentioned it. So I think he's now listening to it. And he said that his he's lowered his Dexcom alerts. And he's, you know, trying to do a better job of managing his numbers and all that kind of good stuff.
Scott Benner 31:05
Thank you, Father, for me, tell me they're telling there's no referral program. So might be sending him a check or anything like that, but I really do appreciate it. And no, I really was asking not because I'm expecting you to get off of this and run around town like Reno right now, like yelling, like, you know, bring out your type on diabetes. So I can tell you about a podcast. But but because I was interested in if it felt really private still, like if it was your thing, like or something that you just wouldn't want to tell someone about? I had a conversation yesterday with someone who told me that there's things about their diabetes, they don't share with anybody. And it surprised me to a certain degree. Like I really thought like, well, that's strange. Like even with the people that are closest with their stuff about diabetes, they just don't share with other people. And I understood while this person was telling me that I just for me, personally, it seems strange. And then I realized to them, it seems strange at how sort of open Arden is about it. And I'm always interested to know, like, where people fall in that category, because I think you're going to have a, a more successful psychological, like health. If you're not hiding things, like whatever, right? You don't I mean, like, if you were running around dyeing your hair black, because you don't want people to know you were a redhead. I think that would have, like, seriously, I think that would hurt your soul a little bit. And and if so, Oh, okay. I didn't know what I didn't really request you were in. But now I say. But you know what I mean, like that, like, I don't think it's, it's not healthy to hide who you are. And at the same time, I get it, if that's how you feel. So yeah, it was just interesting.
Unknown Speaker 32:43
I understand that to a certain degree. I mean, whenever I was first diagnosed, I was incredibly embarrassed to have my alarms go off in school. so embarrassed that it would get to the point where I would plug my headphones into my phone. So I wouldn't even hear my alarms go off. Because I didn't want people to think that I had maybe forgot to turn my ringer off or that I had forgot to put my phone on Do Not Disturb. I just didn't like the fact that my phone was constantly going off in class, because at that point, I was still kind of getting a handle on it. I was still on MDI, right whenever I first got my dexcom, so I had a lot less control over how much insulin was going into my body and at what point in time is going into my body. So getting the strange looks from from people who just don't know. They don't understand they don't understand how diabetes works and how sometimes you can't control what's going on with your blood. sugar's if you have an off day, or if you've eaten something that you didn't bolus correctly for, and you bought them out. And your your alarms go off. That was something that I was really, I was, I was embarrassed. And I didn't want people to think that I was, you know, and consider it because my phone was going off in class.
Scott Benner 34:05
But now it's kind of getting to the point where I'm like, well, yep, this is something I deal with. And you know what I kind of I have to live with this. You can deal with the alarms going off in class once a week. It's not the worst thing. You make me think about. I think last year going into Arden's like freshman year, we have a meeting with the teachers usually, where we just sort of explained to them like look, you know, Arden doesn't manage her diabetes the way a lot of other kids who may have known who have diabetes do and you know, we give them kind of a quick overview. And one of the teachers says, I have a strict no cell phone policy. Everybody comes into the room puts their cell phone into like a shoe tray on the door. And I see Arden can't do that she's gonna keep her phone. And she was What will I tell the other kids and I didn't miss a beat I said tell them that they want to get an incurable disease. They can keep their phone with them too. And yeah, like and if they don't like if they don't want to go to that part just to have their phone in their pocket. Then tell them to shut Shut up. And not saying it. Like, seriously when someone comes to you and says, This is not fair, literally just look at them and say, shut up and sit down. Like like, what? Yeah, what are you gonna tell them? Like? Where did How is the world turned into a place where everybody gets an explanation for everything all the time, like, this is the role except for her if you don't like it, I don't know what to tell you. And and, and, and meanwhile, that was never going to happen. Because everyone Arden has been in the school forever. Everyone knows she has diabetes, like no one's gonna begrudge her having her phone so that she can see what her blood sugar is. It was just as a concern that the teacher had that ended up not being an issue at all. And I don't know, I just think you should, you should always value your health over what anybody thinks. Absolutely. And you came to that on your own to you really are like a perfect kid. So, and we're gonna prove that as we continue to talk here, even with something I don't even think you yet understand why I'm so excited that you're on the podcast, though. Plus, by not talking about it up front. I'm teasing people out in the world, listen to the entire hour, right? You see what I'm doing my guess. Right? Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. People, do you think someone right now is like, oh, and just shut it off. Like, I'm not going to be manipulated like that I'm not. You just you don't want to, like, you know, you know, you don't want to just sell out in the first couple seconds. Plus, you have an interesting story, you have a really great perspective. And I'll tell you one thing that I really love about your perspective, and that I want to talk about now that I've already considered talking about before, the reason why I'm very excited that you're coming on is that you are of a generation that is sort of unlike any other in history, right? And I'll tell you, I'll tell you why. And I'm hoping your generation doesn't fall apart and let us all down when I'm really old. Because
Unknown Speaker 36:45
hopefully not
Scott Benner 36:46
well, trust me. You probably will. But I hope you don't. Because if you if you look at the baby boomers, right, the baby boomers are in charge right now. I don't know if you know what that means. Like, it's that Yeah, after the war, right? Like, you know,
D'Arcy 36:56
right? We're like, oh, you're still
Scott Benner 36:58
alive sex and then babies. And then boom, you understand how it goes? You met that guy? And so, right. Okay, so that happened, right? And, and now there is this, like, you know, generation of people who were all born around that time who came up the children of, you know, people who had lived through a World War. And right, they kind of came out a little differently, right, they came out a little more relaxed, the hippie, you know, the hippies were sort of in the 60s, part of those baby boomers. And, and, as an onlooker, you know, somebody who was born a number of generations behind them, I thought, these are the people who are going to change the world. Right, right. They're their hippies. They saw Hendrix at Woodstock. They're going to be the ones except now look what's going on in the world. They completely reverted back to being old fogies and just completely stopped. They forgot what they learned when they were growing up. Right. So I don't want that to happen to your generation. But your generation has something I think that no other one has had before you are treated. Like your thoughts are important at a young age. And I know that sounds crazy to you. But when I was 13, no one cared what I thought. Did you know what I mean? Like the teachers didn't care? Yeah, you know, nobody would have said to me, but Scott seems upset that he can't keep his cell phone when Arden gets sick, like no one would have had that thought, you know, right. And so you guys are better educated, you're more emotionally supported. Your your, your have a better feeling about your self worth. You're more free to be yourself, right? Like, we're not busy telling people anymore. If you're gay, don't tell anybody if like nobody says things like that anymore. And right. And so you guys are probably the most fully formed young people that the planet has ever seen. Yeah, right. Do you agree with that?
Unknown Speaker 38:49
I agree with that. I think that
Unknown Speaker 38:52
especially with having diabetes, I, whatever parts of me weren't as mature, were able to, we were able to mature a lot faster, just because now I have my own life in my hands. As does everyone else, but I think my, my life is a lot, a lot more shaky. But I also think that that's also it's also kind of sad that I mean, my mom talks about all of the things that she did when she was a kid and she talks about how, you know, in middle school, she would go out in the summers and she would ride her bike around town and she would hang out with all of her friends. And and like after, of course, after she did her paper routes because she was she was really she was a hard worker. Anyway. But, and I and I think that now a lot of teenagers are kind of expected to grow up a A lot faster. And maybe that's just my opinion. But that's just something I've noticed, at least among my friend group.
Scott Benner 40:08
I agree. And at the same time, by the way, we're doing well, I'm doing Arden's lunch while I was talking to I apologize, but I heard everything you said, at this podcast at this point, like I can literally do, and think about something completely different at the same time. Arden is buying lunch for the very first time in her life today. I that's weird. Laos has never bought lunch at school. So we did a, we did a 30. But we did a six, let me suddenly think 3612 eight, we did a five unit Pre-Bolus right now and then she's going to actually tell me what she got. And then I'm going to try to help her figure out how many carbs are there? Because she doesn't know what I don't know, either. Anyway, that'll be in a second. I agree with you. And I don't agree with you all at the same time. So yeah, I know, your mom had this, like laissez faire life, right? Where she was just like, I'm young, no one expects anything from me. And so if I have a paper route, and then go play with dolls for all day, or go to my friend's house and pet her dog for six hours, because we don't have a cell phone, and I don't know what else to do. Like, like, then hold on a second.
And, you know, if I'm just gonna have a little more, so that was the life right? Like, like, it was easy, you just your expectation was, don't draw on the walls, don't cause me any problems. Listen to me, when I talk to you, you know, like, Don't make me chase around the town. At the end of the night, when it gets dark like that, I get that like, but you didn't learn anything about the world, either. You just were out there, like, you know, figuring out how not to like, let the creepy guy up the street, see you on your bike. And you know, and stuff like that, like I get that there were lessons in there. But I also think that when you look back when you're 30, you don't really remember all of that in the same way that you think you do. Like, do you mean like memories are really interesting, they don't, you'll have a few that are really strong, you'll have a couple that are really enduring. That means something to you. And then the rest of those hours are just gone. You know, you don't you don't it's not like you're drawing on them every five seconds. You guys are doing stuff like you're learning things. And, you know, you're probably in a math. Right? What do you take? Right? And I don't even know if you're a good student or not. But what math class you Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 42:30
I'm in an honors algebra two class.
Scott Benner 42:34
Exactly. There are people listening right now who are like, I took that in college, you know, seriously, or I never took that till I was a senior or, you know, we're there are people listening right now that are laughing go, Scott, I never took algebra to once in my life, let alone anonymous class. So you guys are you're advanced in that way. There's no real way to know what that's going to provide for you 20 years from now, because we haven't really seen a number of generations do this yet. All right. I was sitting at lunch with someone this week, who hadn't seen in a while. And they said to me, you know, how's coal? And I was like, Oh, he's good. You know, blah, blah. He's a college and you know, that kind of stuff. And he goes, so what's he majoring in? And I said, Oh, he's quantitative economics major. And the guy looked at me like, what does that mean? And I had to say to him, I don't really know. I don't know. But he's really good at math. And he likes it. And so I don't think that if I would have raised coal 40 years ago, he'd be a quantitative economics major right now, I don't think that would even be something that might, you know, exist at a school. So I'm, I like, both sides of it. I also think that you're going to make better decisions moving forward, because you're a more fully formed person. Like I think someone like you is less likely to do something incredibly stupid like with recreational drugs when you're 19. Because you actually think about things. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, everything's not I mean, how you more from the girl crying on the dirty bathroom floor to who you are now. is astonishing. Like it really is. Thank you. You're very welcome. But, I mean, it's, it's an amazing thing. Like, I'm not hearing anything in you. That's like, Oh, she's pretending to be together. Or, you know, break right now. She's just looking at her heroin needle waiting to get off the podcast. Like, like, like, like, you really see him. Okay. You know what I mean? And so that is that's for me. You live in the Midwest, and you're not doing math. I don't know that. They tell me a miracle. Tell me in the news. That's a miracle. So I only know what I see on the news. Anyway. It accurate. You know what I really I have to stop joking around like this because sometimes people get upset. I don't think everybody in the Midwest is doing math. Please. I'm sorry. Just trying to joke around with a 16 year old I'm trying to keep up with a with a with a person who's got an advanced idea of the world. Do you know how many 62nd videos this girl's Washington her life, she knows more about the world than you ever will. Right? Isn't your life just like scrolling through Instagram watching everyone else live? 45 seconds at a time?
Unknown Speaker 45:12
Oh,
D'Arcy 45:14
that's a good chunk of it.
Scott Benner 45:20
Yes, a large chunk of my life actually. I've seen everybody who's ever jumped off a roof of their building into the swimming pool and hit their head. I know everybody who's ever danced awkwardly in front of someone. Every Russian traffic ham accident in the world? Is everyone in Russia have a traffic jam on their dashboard? What are they expecting that one? Maybe I don't want to know what they're expecting to have happen. But anyway, they're, they really think something bad's gonna go down and they want everything on video. But yeah, you're you're you see more, you know more, there's no real way to keep anything from you. But that's that's an interesting part about about parenting young people now is that you can say to yourself, I'm going to make sure they don't find out about this, you're not making sure anybody doesn't find out about anything.
Unknown Speaker 46:07
Right. And sometimes that's a good thing. And sometimes it's a horrible thing. Because I mean, there are definitely aspects of Twitter that I never want to be a part of. But it's so easy to come across, like all of these people who are either really hateful or just stupid. And so you're either you're either able to base your own opinions off of the information that you're obtaining from the media, or your, you know, being informed of things that either aren't even real or aren't 100% valid.
Scott Benner 46:43
Yeah, I mean, to your point, like somebody, I saw some posts the other day where a guy was just like, just remember, when you're judging yourself against somebody's Instagram picture, that was the 13th time they took it, they until they could get themselves looking just that right. You know, and don't judge yourself against what somebody throws up on Instagram. Or, you know, can I ask you how frequently as a 16 year old in your delightful, you seem like a really nice kid. So how often do you see something on your phone that you think Oh, I wish I hadn't saw that.
Unknown Speaker 47:14
Um, I'm pretty good at guarding myself from the things that I don't want to see. Um, but there there are definitely times where I'll see something about something that's going on in the world that I might not agree with. And I'll be like, Oh, I really wish that I didn't see that. Because now I'm upset about it.
Scott Benner 47:35
Yeah, it because it makes you feel like he can help right? Makes you feel right. I was thinking more about like, some sexy thing where you were like, Oh, I wanted to do that with another person. not see it on my phone. But I'm assuming that happens, too, right? Like, we don't know that your mom knows that you have a phone? It's okay, she understands. But I really didn't think about the fact that your mom's gonna listen to this when I when I asked you. Yeah, I apologize now. Okay, so the reason you're on the podcast, is because you did something that I really appreciated for a bigger reason than just you and me. So I really I say it here a lot. I don't know how much people believe me or not. But I have a goal, right? I don't know if it's pie in the sky. It's something I'm never really gonna attain, obtain. But I would like very much that when I die, I would like somebody who has diabetes, who I've never met before, to show up at my funeral and say, that guy helped me live a healthier life. Like that's like I want that to spread, right. And I don't think it's something that I can spread by myself, I'm doing a pretty good job. But I think it's going to take people telling people, and more importantly, it's going to take people going back to their health care providers, and being honest with them about what they're doing. And so I am really interested in your last appointment, where you went in and got your a one CD, would you share it with me?
Unknown Speaker 49:00
Yeah, um, so I went in for my quarterly appointment to my endocrinologist office. You know, they weighed me, and then they did the a one c test. And my mom and I are patiently waiting in the room thinking, Oh, is my agency going to go up? Is it gonna go down, it's going to stay the same, what's happening? And so my endocrinologist walks in, and he goes, Well, good news, my, your agency is 5.6. And so my mom or you know, throwing air high fives at each other, because I thought that it was going to go up, but it had stayed the same. So he then starts giving us what my mom and I like to call the low lecture, saying, you know, an A one sees a 5.6 is really good, just as long as we're not experiencing that many lows and we want to make sure that we're staying above 70 and that we're not, you know, dropping into any dangerous, you know, dangerous water where you know, glucagon might come into the picture or something like that. And I was like, Well, I don't think I'm really having that many lows. And he goes, Okay, how often do you think you're having lows? And I was like, oh, maybe I mean, maybe once every other day if that, but I mean, at that point, they were, like, maybe dropping as low as like 65. But that's, I would catch it by the time I would, I would drop that low. And I'd get back up to 7580. And then he looks down at my dexcom clarity. graph. And, and he he's like, Wait, you're only above 200, once last week? And I was like, Well, yeah, I mean, I, I typically, I don't I don't jump over 200. Very often, I wasn't really fazed by by it. And I didn't understand that he was shocked by it. I just kind of like, yeah, that's something that's, that's going on. And then he looks down again. And he notices that I hadn't been low, either, that I'd stayed right in between 70 and 130, pretty much consistently that week. And whether that was just a really good week, or that's what my numbers run consistently. I'm not 100% sure of, but he was just amazed by it. And he started to ask me how I did it. And I was like, well, I listen to this podcast
Unknown Speaker 51:25
that my mom found. And
Unknown Speaker 51:28
I started going into how I had learned about Pre-Bolus saying and temporary basals and adjusting my bazel rates and how fats affect your blood sugar, how it can prolong a high blood sugar and how adrenaline can affect your blood sugar because I had no idea that adrenaline adrenaline could affect your blood sugar. I didn't know that an extended bolus could help with you know, like bringing down a high after eating half a half a pizza by yourself. Like I, I didn't know about that kind of stuff until I listen to the podcast.
Unknown Speaker 52:10
And he starts going through my my Omni pod
Unknown Speaker 52:14
my Omni pod bazel Records and I have four or five different bazel options. And I have some kind of crazy complicated, different like, timed out schedule of when I'm getting point two units of insulin than when I switch to point three than point three, five, then point two, five. And he's like, well, I never really thought about making something this complicated. And I was like, well, this is just what works for me. And he's like, Yeah, no, absolutely. If this works for you go for it. Then he goes, what kind of marks Do you get in school? And I said, Well, I'm not too good at math. And of course, my mom backs me up because she's she's, she's, she's really encouraging me doctor. She goes, she goes, Well, she's in an accelerated math course. And he goes, What do you want to do when you're when you get older? And I said, Well, I I'd really like to be a musician. Because that's, that's what I do. I'm, I'm a musician. That's how I spend a lot of my time I write music and record music. And I have an EP that I just released. And I also said, I've also kind of looked at becoming a diabetes nurse educator, but that's not really something I'm 100% set on. And he goes, Well, what about pediatric endocrinology? I was like what, huh? You actually you actually think that I could do that. And then I remembered, if you want to become a pediatric endocrinologist, you have to take organic chemistry.
Unknown Speaker 53:57
So I won't be doing that,
Unknown Speaker 53:58
which is not a class that I have any desire to take. So I I pretty much shut that one down real quick. And he's like, well, you're a junior, right? Yeah, I'm a junior. So I've got what a year and a half to change your mind. And, and hearing that was was just really interesting and kind of shocking, because I never thought that someone would you know, who was whose, whose job was to, you know, learn more about how to manage diabetes, because he spends most of his time in the research, the research labs because, you know, learning all of these things and researching all of these ways to make diabetes easier to live with. And he is now complimenting me on how I take care of myself, and I've only had diabetes for 11 months. So that in and of itself was Kind of eye opening because I didn't realize how good I was at taking care of myself until he had said that.
Scott Benner 55:10
That's really cool. And it's also a good indication of how, what he must see with other people too. Right? Right that you were he was just like, Wait, do obviously I have to tell you about what happens when you get low. And, you know, your blood sugar bounces all over the place, and you get this false a one C and I have to tell you, it's good, even though it's not but and then he looks like oh my gosh, this is amazing. Well, you know, first of all, congratulations. It's very cool to feel you, you know, to have that feeling. I would imagine I remember the first time I felt that way in an endocrinologist office for art and and I was like, well, I did it. It took me took me years. But you know, like it was, it was an amazing feeling like I actually persevered and got to this your perseverance lasted a little less. But you know, you still have in you're going to see what I think is that there could be people listening right now they're like, Oh, yeah, but sure she's gonna need more insulin six months from now, and she'll say, but what they don't know is your tools will work at any level. Like you're, you're going to be able to put the same ideas in the practice. When you know, other things happen. Like you're 16 you know, you get your period, right? You're controlling it during that time to you're not like you're not like falling apart for like a week and then pulling it back together. Hold on one second. Arden says I got fries. I didn't see your last text. Hmm. All right. What do I ask her here? Darcy? Is it a lot of fries? A lot of fries? Question mark. Poor art. And she's just like, she does not know how to buy food from like school, she has tried so hard not to do this her whole life. And then today, we just left the house too late to get her lunch. And she's like, I'll just buy something and it's like, you're gonna buy like a real meal. And she's like, I'll take care of it that and I was like, Okay, I didn't realize that that meant, you know, like a large. Trying to like, think of a fry size that she's aware of from like, another place. Just to go right away. Are you gonna be okay, talking for a little bit?
D'Arcy 57:16
No, yeah, we're good. Why are you off? By
Scott Benner 57:18
the way today? Isn't it Tuesday?
Unknown Speaker 57:21
Yeah, it is Tuesday. Um, I have anatomy right now. And we're doing our endocrine unit.
Unknown Speaker 57:30
And so
Unknown Speaker 57:33
I managed to weasel my way out of that class with an excused absence. Because I was
Unknown Speaker 57:43
doing it properly.
D'Arcy 57:44
I was doing this and I was probably set on, I was probably set on all of the information that I was going to be taught that day for See, I
Scott Benner 57:52
feel like I'm a really big part of your life. I got you out of anatomy class. I it's it's a big part. I've never gotten anybody out of school before. But I'm very proud of myself. Just now that first time for everything's really good. So you know, your amazing experience at the doctor's office, which I love how like, impactful it was for you. But I also love that you just were like, Yo, I found a podcast. He didn't like lie to him or say, oh, what I've been eating, leave it out. Admit it, you know? Yeah. What did he say? Did he like gloss over that? Or? Was there any, like pushback that it was a podcast? I always try to imagine you guys in your, your doctor's offices telling somebody? Oh, yeah, I heard that on a podcast. Because it sounds ridiculous. It might not to you because you're young. Like but like, I guess it would sound more reasonable to if you're like, Oh, I saw it on YouTube. Like that might sound more like youthful than podcast even. But, but for most people, for most part, I just always I'm trying to imagine what that must be like for someone who says it in there. Like Did you swallow the words a little bit? Or were you just like, right out with it?
Unknown Speaker 59:01
Well, um, I was pretty straightforward. Because at that point, I felt like he was just kind of like, how did you do this? Not like he had never seen it before. But I think he just sees it so rarely that he was kind of surprised. I was like, well, I found this podcast and he was like, Okay, that was it. What a horrible. I mean, he did. He didn't, he didn't really, he didn't say anything like, Oh, you shouldn't be getting information from a podcast, but it was. I think he might have said something about it. If my numbers had been, you know, all out of whack.
Scott Benner 59:39
You're a Wednesday was 13. You're like how this
D'Arcy 59:45
guy's podcast told me the podcast. Oh. I feel like
Scott Benner 59:53
he said eat okra. It'll be fine. You don't need your insulin.
D'Arcy 59:57
Gentlemen, I'm telling you cinnamon. Exactly.
Scott Benner 1:00:00
So, first of all, I don't tell anybody to do anything Darcy, these are my own experiences and nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should ever be considered advice. But the point is, is that it, it's cool that you that you said something to them. And it's cool that you have the tools I mean, really seriously. This You are like a shining example, example of my assertion that if you get good information and get good, good tools early on, that there is no necessity for you to go through the horrible parts that you hear people going through
D'Arcy 1:00:32
when the right absolutely excellent.
Scott Benner 1:00:35
And you were open to hearing it right away. And so it got to you now, it's interesting, because I'm joking around taking credit, which, you know, I am kidding, you're doing all the work, you know, like you seriously, like you heard something, and you're putting it into practice. I'm not, I'm not there, making sure you do it, it's you. But you seem like you're the type of person who would want to be healthy. Then you've got this friend that comes in that kind of has your back early on, which is helpful, then your mom goes out and helps you. And you have a trust in your mom. So you listen to her when she helps you.
D'Arcy 1:01:09
Yes, all the time.
Scott Benner 1:01:12
I know that's not true. You're just saying this, but that's fine. Let her think that she listens to you all the time mom, she's really a probably the best daughter ever. And, but But seriously, like you've had all these little like, like, like helping hand moments along the way, even in this kind of short period of time that have all directed you to a good place. But you know, it's it's incredibly it's incredibly encouraging to hear you talk about it at the same time. You have to understand other people listening have to understand that there are plenty of people who didn't get that, like they didn't have a friend show up at the hospital and be like, it's okay. And right. They might have had a mom who was like, you should sprinkle cinnamon on that. I saw it on my website about my essential oils, like you don't even know Yeah, the wrong way for them. By the way, anybody who listens that uses essential oils, please don't be mad at me. I just it seems silly to me. But that's fine. And so, but I'm just saying like you, you got good information along good fence posts, like you know, every time you came across something somebody was there to kind of get your dad comes in and says, Hey, listen, we'll do whatever we have to do to make this right for you. And that's right. That's important to know that people have your back. Yeah, yeah, really cool. really is.
Unknown Speaker 1:02:26
Yeah, I'm really grateful for all of the help that everyone around me has given. It really means it means a lot more than they than they know it does.
D'Arcy 1:02:33
No,
Scott Benner 1:02:34
no, I trust me. They'll figure it out along the way, or you'll find a way to tell them if if that if that becomes an issue where they're like, I don't think she really appreciates us enough. Which I'm not thinking it's gonna happen. But did your I never did ask you Is there any diabetes in your family?
Unknown Speaker 1:02:52
Um, funny story. I didn't know that there is any any diabetes in my family until my diagnosis. I have a great uncle who died when my dad was like, seven, who apparently had type one, but I had no clue. And you know, it never really. You know, we never really thought about it, because we never knew like no one in my family really knew him.
Scott Benner 1:03:18
Yeah. So it was just it was an older man when your father was was very young. Right? Yeah. But he had type one. How about that? Mm hmm. So it's it's there. Did he have red hair too?
Unknown Speaker 1:03:30
I don't think he did. I think it was blonde.
Scott Benner 1:03:32
I don't I just it means nothing. I just this is like, yeah, it's like my conspiracy theory episode. Just like it's in the water.
D'Arcy 1:03:39
Well, I don't know where the red hair came from.
Unknown Speaker 1:03:42
Are you the only redhead?
Unknown Speaker 1:03:44
I have a couple cousins who are who have red hair. But I don't know if anyone in my family beyond that has red hair.
Scott Benner 1:03:51
What's the biggest impediment of having red hair is that you can't wear green? Which it What is it? Like what is like the one thing that you're like off? My hair wasn't right. I could
Unknown Speaker 1:03:59
I actually wear green all the time. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I look like a kind of it's kind of a Christmas. I don't know. I like Christmas
Unknown Speaker 1:04:07
theme.
Unknown Speaker 1:04:08
It's a Christmas themed Christmas in July. No, um,
Scott Benner 1:04:14
is there a downside? Or do you not think of it?
Unknown Speaker 1:04:17
I don't wear hot pink.
Scott Benner 1:04:19
Just too flashy.
D'Arcy 1:04:21
Too classy.
Scott Benner 1:04:22
So in a world where your hair was darker, you might have on a hot pink once or twice here. And this is right. And you're being held back by this?
D'Arcy 1:04:30
Right? Absolutely think this deserves its own movement.
Yeah, it
Scott Benner 1:04:34
really does. I think you could start up a nice thing on social media and get all other redheads behind you. And great really become a force in the world.
D'Arcy 1:04:42
So do you have I'll get right on that. Just to go back to school?
Uh, yeah, eventually.
Scott Benner 1:04:50
See, I painted you to be a good kid. And now you're acting like yeah, if I get there.
D'Arcy 1:04:55
It's fine.
Scott Benner 1:04:56
Your your mom shared this story about your your endo appointment on the private sort of Facebook page that I have for the podcasts where listeners get together and talk about, you know, it's all about management stuff and right, they talk to each other about that. Are you in there too?
Unknown Speaker 1:05:16
I'm not?
Scott Benner 1:05:18
Is that not something? And I don't know, I don't mean to say that you should be. I mean to say like, is that not how you need to talk about diabetes? Like or do you not need to talk about at all just the podcast provide you enough like community around or to the people, you know, privately? Or where do you get your community from it?
Unknown Speaker 1:05:35
I, um, I follow a couple of type one accounts on Instagram. And they give pretty good insight of how they deal with their things. It's not really, there's, it's, there's not as much discussion that goes on. But it's easy to look at, this is a certain person, this is what they did, this is what happened, this is what they're going to do in the future to fix it.
Scott Benner 1:06:01
You can kind of infer from what you see there.
Unknown Speaker 1:06:03
Right. And I've actually, I'm hoping to, to start acting as kind of an advocate for that. And not in the sense of social media, but I am at the endocrinologist appointment, he mentioned something called the patient advocate program, which is a newer program that's being started up, where families or individuals who are either recently diagnosed or just having a harder time managing their their diabetes can get in contact with the advocates.
Unknown Speaker 1:06:37
And hopefully,
Unknown Speaker 1:06:40
kind of learn how to manage their diabetes better, or learn different, you know, tricks as to how Pre-Bolus thing works, how to, you know, extend the Bolus how to how to catch a low how to correct a high. So that's something I'm really excited to be a part of, and that's through your your doctor's office, your hospital. Yes, it's true, it's through the hospital.
Scott Benner 1:07:06
That's nice. That's excellent. And so you can have your own private little podcast with people who you're on the phone, which is amazing. By the way, you're going to find that that helps you to because the podcast helps me. Like when I explain things. There are times when I say something, most of the time you're hearing me say something it's like tried and true and stuff I've been doing forever. But every once in a while, like I'll find a different way to say it. And as I'm saying it out loud, I think, Oh, that's good. And you're like, I've never heard that before in my life. And so you get to the idea I'm having right then and there in that moment. And that's very, that's a cool part about helping other people is that you can you'll learn stuff about your own diabetes as well. So I learned stuff for Arden all the time talking to other people. Which is, which is very cool. Cool. Yeah, it's actually where you actually excited to do this. Your mom said you weren't. I thought you were probably she was lying.
Unknown Speaker 1:07:59
Um, she actually, she walked into my room The day after my endocrinologist appointment was which was also two days after I had met, like my huge like, celebrity idol. So I was just really, I was really on a high from all of that. And then she walks in and she goes, Scott Benner just gave you an open invitation to be on the show. And I was like, What? Like, you can be on the Juicebox Podcast, and I was like, wait a minute, I'm gonna be on the Juicebox Podcast. And she was like, yeah. And I was just kind of like, Huh, this is. This is crazy, like,
Scott Benner 1:08:40
best week of my life. Kidding. I'm glad for you. I'm really glad that that's the case. who wish who's the famous person you met? That was your
D'Arcy 1:08:48
His name's Noah Khan. All right, hold on. He's a musician from Stratford, Vermont. Gotcha.
Scott Benner 1:08:54
All right, hold on a second. Noah Khan, like KHNKHN
I see him and what kind of music does he play? Um,
Unknown Speaker 1:09:07
that's a great question. I don't know if I could actually give you an exact genre without other musicians that listen to this podcast, yelling at me for being wrong.
D'Arcy 1:09:18
I'll check it but
and so and the other thing you just said was that you just released an EP. I did release an EP or when I find this out. I did not know this about you. You can find
Unknown Speaker 1:09:27
you can find it anywhere. You can find it on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora,
Scott Benner 1:09:35
amazon music. Are you the singer, the songwriter and musician? Do you have a band? Is it just you?
Unknown Speaker 1:09:41
I right now, it's just me. I'm singer songwriter. My dad took me up to New York this winter. And I recorded the EP and a couple months later I released it
Scott Benner 1:09:59
well, so if I'm on Apple Music which I am I, I asked Darcy What?
D'Arcy 1:10:05
A fake the word fake.
Unknown Speaker 1:10:09
I've hit return.
Unknown Speaker 1:10:12
Why something happened? I've hit return again. Why does my computer not like me?
Scott Benner 1:10:18
Do you think it's for the same reason that people who leave nasty messages about me? Online don't like me? I know why Oh, cuz I'm not searching under music. I was like, somebody told me recently, a friend of mine who's does a lot of good work in the diabetes world, said I had someone come up to me and say, Have you ever heard of Scott from the Juicebox Podcast? And she's like, yeah, Scott's a good friend of mine. And she's like, I love that podcast. I don't like him that much, though. And
Unknown Speaker 1:10:45
so my friend said, she said, I'm glad you like it.
Scott Benner 1:10:51
And, and she says, Let me let me just say to you, I bet that I bet you do. Like Scott, you just don't know it. And I said to my wife later, I'm like, I think that's half of the people who know me. I think half the people like me and half the people think they don't like me. There's my narcissism coming. I think you all like me, even the ones that don't think you do. Why can I not search on Apple Music? Hold on. I'm getting upset. Alright, hold on a second. I see.
Unknown Speaker 1:11:20
I look at you.
D'Arcy 1:11:22
Yeah, it's me. It's amazing. Okay, yeah,
Scott Benner 1:11:25
people have reviewed this and they are much better than they've reviewed my podcast. This girl is so talented. Oh my god. Everyone should buy this album. Alright, so can I can you give me permission to play something on the podcast? Go for it. Which one should I play?
D'Arcy 1:11:45
You should play poison. Okay.
Scott Benner 1:11:48
Unplugged or the original. The original. Okay. So I I am gonna put it at the end of the podcast. So when people are done, they can listen. Not the whole thing. They gotta go by. They want
D'Arcy 1:12:01
the whole thing. They gotta go by it. Yeah, go stream it. Yeah, exactly. We'll give him a little a little taste.
Scott Benner 1:12:06
So thank you. No, that's was such a nice surprise. I had no idea. Right now there's cynical people going Hey, no, this is this is all set up. But it's not about Darcy knows. I don't plan anything. Right. Darcy?
D'Arcy 1:12:21
Right. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:12:23
All right. Listen, you're terrific. I think, you know, thank you. I'm glad your parents aren't de drinkers. That's a nice thing, too. And I I don't know why I thought that like when when when a kid says to me, I've taken control of my life really early. I think either Wow, really together kid or Wow, really don't trust their parents. Just like there's no way these people are gonna be able to help me. I've got to get on this right away. And I obviously that's neither of those things. You have a lovely family. And, and I think you're off to a really great start with diabetes, which is Thank you. No, no, no, it's really something that is unexpected and exciting. Like I can't wait to hear like I there's part of me that wants to say to you like, in like a year, like do this again, come back on again and tell me how it's going. Like maybe
Unknown Speaker 1:13:12
I would love to or something like that.
Scott Benner 1:13:14
Alright, listen, go back to school. You're a darling. Okay. Thank you so much for doing this. I can't thank Darcy enough for coming on the show or her mom for reaching out and saying, Would my daughter be allowed to come on the podcast. She was terrific. Thanks again to the and I also want to thank the Contour Next One blood glucose meter and touched by type one, you can go to touched by type one.org or Contour Next one.com To find out more about the advertisers, the people who brought you today's episode of the Juicebox Podcast. And now here's a few seconds of Darcy's EP. You can find it of course on Apple podcasts and everywhere that she mentioned
Unknown Speaker 1:14:41
just
Unknown Speaker 1:14:48
surviving
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