#405 How We Eat: Plant Based
Type 1 Diabetes and Plant Based Eating
Matt is a type 1 who eats a plant based diet for strictly health reasons.
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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 0:11
Hello, friends, and welcome to Episode 405 of the Juicebox Podcast today, another in the how we eat series, this time with Matt, a type one who eats a plant based diet. This is the third in the series. It's a new series, we're just getting it off the ground. So far on episode 373 we had a vegan Episode 400 Dr. Paul Saladino came on and talked about carnivore eating, even though he doesn't have type one, he was a good source of information about that style of eating. Today, Matt, who's plant based, but not for any moral reasons. And there are many more coming but I'd like to add your story to the show. If you have a specific particular or interesting way that you eat, and you have type one diabetes, I'd love for you to come on the show and tell people about it. 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, or trying a garbanzo bean.
This show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries g Vogue hypo pen, Find out more at G Volk glucagon.com Ford slash juice box. And to learn more about the blood glucose meter that Arden uses, all you have to do is go to Contour Next one.com Ford slash juice box there you're going to learn all about the Contour Next One blood glucose meter, the apps that are paired with it for Android and iPhone, if you wish to have those apps, you don't have to have them to use this great meter, and so much more Contour Next one.com forward slash juice box. And don't forget to add your name to the T one D registry T one d exchange.org Ford slash juicebox. There are links right there in the show notes of your podcast player. And at Juicebox podcast.com. If you can't remember what I just said,
Matt Fouse 2:21
my name is Matthew Fouse. I have been diabetic since age five, which is 31 years. Well,
Unknown Speaker 2:32
a lot of time.
Matt Fouse 2:35
Absolutely. And I'm still continued to be amazed at the advancements. When I was five, I was on humulin n and she Mulan are right. Which when I look back now I'm just like, how am I still alive?
Scott Benner 2:58
Well, it was it was processed. Right? It was you put that in and eat at certain times? And is that how it went?
Matt Fouse 3:04
Absolutely. I remember when I started school because when I was diagnosed, it was a little before kindergarten and snack time and lunchtime had to be perfect. Otherwise, you would run low. And it just continued. I'm, I'm amazed like at the advancements now with like, I'm on fee offs. And Heck, I can forget the Bolus sometimes and I'm still okay. You know,
Scott Benner 3:35
you know what, I'm interested in that because this might be where I end up saying this is we tried fiasco, however, they said, For Arden and she's in the middle of it now meaning she's maybe a violin a quarter into it. And she as soon as we put it on her, she's like, hey, this thing's when your ball is saying. And I was like, Alright, and then she started using the word burns. And I was like, oh, now here's the problem. I'm actually better their blood sugar than I was before, which without being immodest. Not saying something. And and so, so I got better at it. But we're, you know, I gotta say, five or six pods into it. And she says that the sites are sore, they feel bruised. It always things when it goes in. I don't I think we're gonna have to bail on it if it doesn't abate but did you have any of that in the beginning?
Matt Fouse 4:26
The four fiaz I was on novolog. And my endocrinologist was like, why don't you give us a chance. And I did. And I actually did notice little slight stings. And recently, I'm on Omni pod. And I'm looping with Dexcom.
Scott Benner 4:47
I noticed my sights for the pods. were reacting and I'm wondering, I've tried every type of adhesive barrier. Yeah, and I'm wondering if it is a reaction with The I'm not ready to bail yet because of how amazing it is with my sugars. So it's like, Do I want my skin to break out and itch my skin off? Or do I want good sugars and that's something I am glad Arden's not having a, like a dermatology reaction I really am. But at the same time like she was laying on the floor last night, she likes to have her back cracked. And so she's like, Don't touch my thigh, my thigh is sore. And the pods only been on for like a day. And that is not something that happened at all with a pager. And it's not like we were bad at a pager. But your point about the fiasco is, is correct in that there's been twice now since we've been using it. Where one time it was just like a pod change at a really awkward time. So there was a new pod on going into a restaurant, handmade potato chips, and a Belgian waffle with real syrup. And like blood sugar only went to like 165 and it was you know, I think that was the the insulin now could I have done the same thing by just using more a pager? I think I could have and I'm not going to torture her. Like you know, some people have said the stinging comes in about a month that goes away. If she doesn't see it dwindling, we're gonna have to go back and it's not like a head down thing, I think Peters really great. But yeah, it was worth a try. And we weren't trying, by the way, I guess I should say here before we get into why you're here. We didn't switch from a Piedra and try fi s because of a pager being a problem. We were just trying to see, like, we're like, finally picking through Arden's health, like, Is there a filler in a pager that doesn't exist in fiasco? And would a muscle pain or an ache change or something like that? So it's just a lot of, you know,
Matt Fouse 6:46
yeah, you're you always want to advance and even fine tune things, you know, find the you, you want to live your best life, human human nature so you can fill in and you know, better your diabetes management. Well, number one, you'd
Scott Benner 7:02
like me to supplement, right? And he's like, I need to take a sorbic acid, right? And you buy one brand, try a different brand to like maybe this brands not as good as that one or vice versa. But you know, it's you just can't do one thing and stop. So anyway, I don't think it's gonna last much longer. But I'm glad it works for you. And I do agree with you. For the people that I hear it works for they all say what you say, which is it just it seems to act more quickly. And she definitely has not had as many. And again, it's not to say she had a ton of them. But you know, tail and lows like hours after a meal. They don't seem to exist, even at all, which I guess what's leading to more stability through the, through the 24 hours.
Matt Fouse 7:42
Yeah, the the like, if I forget the Pre-Bolus, which, you know, I'm human, and I don't eat on a perfect schedule because it's life. I have a kindergartener right now upstairs doing virtual learning. Yeah, wife is 39 Weeks Pregnant doing online doctor's visit, like I cannot eat exactly on time. So sometimes you forget and with the fee off, it's bam, it's it's right there on for me.
Scott Benner 8:12
I'm sorry. This is gonna be our first detour. You're missing your wife's ob appointment to be on this podcast. That's my first one. Secondly, and I don't mean to be indelicate, but what if she like hopped up on a desk and open her legs in front of the laptop? Or how does that work? Exactly.
Matt Fouse 8:29
So So that part happens last week, the in person visits. With the pandemic going on. That was the first appointment I was allowed to go to. So I got to see the baby for the first time on the sonogram. God, this is actually an appointment for the unborn baby with the pediatrician of like, hey, it's in here. It's coming out you're gonna see it sometimes.
Scott Benner 9:00
Has that been? Well, first of all, I'm glad to hear your wife is not an unwitting partner in a webcam scam. And imagine the baby comes you get the hospital the guy's not there. And they're like, Where's Dr. Philips now? Like, there's no Dr. Philips. But But uh, but so when did she get pregnant? 39 weeks.
Matt Fouse 9:22
So it is not a coronial as I like to call them it is not a coronavirus, baby. It was two weeks previous to when the world shut down. She knew she was pregnant. Okay. So everybody, you know, plays a joke. Well, I know what you guys were doing during the pandemic? No, it was before the pandemic.
Scott Benner 9:43
I hope you're still doing that. But at the same point, I understand. You don't want your child wandering around their whole life going. I only exist because my parents were bored and locked in the same house. Absolutely. I hate to break it to those kids. But that's pretty much why we're all here but nevertheless, nevertheless, yes.
Unknown Speaker 9:58
100% Yeah,
Scott Benner 10:00
well, that's good. And it hasn't been a problem for to do. Like virtually often than in person. It's all worked out. Obviously, she's healthy. And she's doing well, right.
Matt Fouse 10:09
She is amazing. Yeah. Both my daughter and my wife are taking this, like, absolutely the best possible case they could. My daughter is in kindergarten, and she loves it. She is attentive on the virtual learning. And my wife is a nurse and still working. She's, she's a trooper. And she's going to continue. I mean, she might flop it out, you know, taking care of a patient who knows?
Scott Benner 10:45
Well, I always imagined I saw my wife work straight through both of her pregnancies. And in the second one with art, and she, she got home one day, and she said, I was I couldn't move quickly, she was in Manhattan. And she's like, I couldn't move quickly enough to get to the subway in time. So I was late to get on the train. So there were no seats. She's like, I tried to stand but I couldn't. So she sat on the floor for an entire like, like train ride, you know? And, and she's like, no one would give me a seat. I'm so pregnant, and she still kept going. And I think that she showed that determination because she thought, if we leave it just up to that guy to make money for us, we're gonna be in trouble. I I really took more of a shot at me than anything else. But uh,
Matt Fouse 11:29
well, I as well, um, uh, you know, yeah, I'm the basic majority caregiver, I want to say so. God bless the women in our lives.
Scott Benner 11:45
Great. Hawaii has morphed over the last couple of decades. I was a stay at home dad. And when I and that's what they called it. And I was happy to say that. And now you're basically the primary caregiver
Matt Fouse 11:58
changes. I did not like the term sad.
Scott Benner 12:03
The acronym didn't work. That's so funny. I'll tell you back then, when I was when I wrote my book and stuff around Father's Day, I was like, the most popular person in the world because there were very few guys that were would say out loud, this is what I do. And, you know, and had any media contact at all. So I would, I was very popular in June, my mom told me one day she woke up and I was on the front page of her local newspaper. And, and she, she was like, I didn't tell her it was gonna happen. But I also did not expect it to be on the front of the of the section, you know. Now, now, as I'm telling you wondering if people understand that newspapers had sections, but anyway, I was on vacation already. And she called me and she's like, you're on the front page, like the lifestyle section of my newspaper. And I was like, I told him I'm, I'm very famous. so silly. Anyway, so alright, so you have a kindergarten, garden aged child, a wife is obviously a more of a go getter than you are and your cell. You have type one diabetes, is there any other endocrine issues in the family?
Matt Fouse 13:12
I have an older sister who is five years older than me, and she is type one diabetic as well. She got it first, when we were growing up. I so I would have been three, when she got it. Our we grew up in a very small town, in rural Pennsylvania. So endocrinologist, we didn't know they existed. So we had a family practitioner. He was amazing. He kept up to date the best that he could with what he had, where we were. Yeah. And he said, There is no way I would get it. There is absolutely, if I would get it, it would be like getting struck by lightning 10 times. And I got the telltale symptoms. My mom knew it. She still tells a story today of I knew you had it. I didn't want to pack the bags and take you to the hospital. Because then it would be known and I did not want to do it. But here I am my sister and I siblings who I was supposed to not get it and I got it.
Scott Benner 14:25
My mom wasn't supposed to get pregnant, but I have two brothers. So it's funny how doctrine used to work. Like my mother was actually told, you know, it's safe to go ahead and adopt your you know, and you're not going to have children. So they adopt me, and then afterwards, like you don't need to use birth control. And it proved out for a long time. My brothers and I are all five years apart, like like a solid five years apart. So even when my brother Brian was born, they were like, well, that's a fluke. That'll never happen again, which was not good advice because now my mom at you know, 78 years old has a senator in his 30s because she was all like, I can't get pregnant doesn't matter. Wow. Yeah. But But imagine that was actual advice like, oh, can't happen to the second one. He was probably just playing the odds and trying to make your mom feel better. And back. Yeah, backfired on
Matt Fouse 15:17
Yep. Well, so now I'm crossing my fingers, my endocrinologist. I'm very good, like personal friends with him. He said, statistically, with my daughter. It's pretty low. I think he said, 11%. And I'm just like, every time she gets Moody, because she's going through a growth spurt, or, you know, she's like, No, I don't want to do that. I'm like, Oh, she's got diabetes. That's it may check her books or mood change every time she takes a sip of water. Oh, honey, she's got diabetes, we got to check her sugar. So just, I'm crossing my fingers. I mean, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'm still here, but it is in the blood in the jeans is gonna say
Scott Benner 15:55
it's working out for you and your sister. Right? So okay, so you're on the show, Matt, because you you responded when I said I want to talk to people who eat in specific in different ways. And which way do you eat?
Matt Fouse 16:10
I am plant based. Okay, wait, which I consider basically, the vegan eating. I don't eat dairy meat. But I hate vegans. I will not call myself a vegan. I do not like,
Scott Benner 16:29
let's not make all the vegans upset. But Okay. Here's what we see. Let me make sure I let me pick through some ideas. You would need an egg? No. Okay. Is this a dietary decision? Or is it a moral decision? Or is it somewhere in the middle?
Matt Fouse 16:45
There is no morals in my decision whatsoever.
Scott Benner 16:49
Are any morals in any of your decisions? Man? No,
Matt Fouse 16:52
I, um, I still hunt. I deer hunt. Um, you know, I fish? I just don't eat it.
Scott Benner 17:02
I just give it to a friend to do that. So that's super interesting. So your whole life recently? How did you make it to this?
Matt Fouse 17:10
About 15 years ago, I was a marathon runner. Free kids bachelor days when I had five hours to do training runs. And I adapted the vegetarian diet. And I noticed with my training that my healing and my any inflammation from stress was significantly less. And then I went back to eating normal food, you know, dairy in me. And then about two years ago, my wife started having issues with eating dairy. So as a household it's much easier to just eat drink oat milk, versus
Scott Benner 18:05
Yeah, no one of you got this card and then everybody's on this one, right?
Matt Fouse 18:09
Yeah, switch. So I cut dairy out and I started feeling really good. Like I still exercise daily, I run just not 20 miles at a time, right. I weight train. I'm a competitive axe thrower, so I'm fairly active. And I noticed like my joints you know, stop. They're not sore. So then I cut meat out again. And it's just been working for me. It I like the way I feel I feel like my mind is clearer. My thinking just kind of like Spry. I guess it's okay energy.
Scott Benner 18:57
Is there um, where are you a sugar Do you eat sugar?
Matt Fouse 19:02
I do so a lot of the plant base as they will label the food now it's like I feel like it's the new craze plant based plant based plant base. A lot of those can be sugary. So I do I eat sugar. And the plant based diet for me is very grain heavy. So when I initially started eating that way full time I was worried about my sugars, you know, because grain whole wheat spaghetti it can be a nightmare. Yeah, as we all know, with spiking your sugar, but I'm with the exercise that I I make the exercise like a prescription basically like six o'clock I gotta do something I get to go on a hike and it's amazing. I was joking with my endocrinologist. Like, why didn't you ever tell me that if you exercise and eat right, that your sugar's kind of do what they should? At least for me, I will say for me, I know that is not for everybody. But
Scott Benner 20:18
um, no, there used to be this online initiative that I don't think exists anymore called the Big Blue test. And it just challenged people with type one diabetes or diabetes in general, I believe, to go do 10 minutes of exercise, like look at your blood sugar, do 10 minutes of exercise, look at it again, and log that and most people experience some sort of a decrease in their blood sugar, especially people whose blood sugar's were, you know, higher, I think I've come to understand it better now. And thinking that if you don't have active insulin in you, you can exercise without dropping, but most of these people had some sort of mistimed insulin in their system. And their blood sugar's were normally higher, and, you know, so exercise and got that insulin working a little better and move it through their system, you know, more efficiently. That's something so I want to understand what it means to eat a plant based diet. So you got up this morning and ate
Matt Fouse 21:17
what I got up this morning, I ate avocado toast with some sea salt sprinkled on it and this seaweed sprinkles, which I love that adds flavor to it. And then a glass of oat milk.
Scott Benner 21:35
Okay, so you and I had incredibly similar and yet completely different breakfast. So I got up this morning, I took bread that I made myself, I made a slice of toast. And then I fried two eggs, and I ate that with toast. But I did sprinkle sea salt on the toast. Either kado is something it's in my house constantly. I watch my girls eat all the time. I've tried it. And I've come to believe that my palate doesn't want. I it's interesting, I have nothing against vegetables. But I don't eat them at all. And it's to my detriment, and I'm aware of it. But there I am very texture based, not just with my eating. But even like I've noticed one thing about Corona, which is interesting now that some stores have kind of opened up a little bit and people were moving around for a while that when I walk through a store, I touch everything that I go past fat fabrics, like tops, things like that, I it's part of my experience to feel something. And very similarly, if I put a pee in my mouth, it doesn't make sense to me that there's a crunchy shell on the top of squishy and then I'm out like it's hard to it's hard to put into words exactly what my problem is. But I eat like a four year old. And, and it's embarrassing. I am genuinely embarrassed. I don't want to eat a plant based, but I do wish I could incorporate more into my into my diet because I end up having to supplement to make up for those things.
Matt Fouse 23:11
Yeah, and if you google plant based diet, you'll probably get 10 different ideas of what that means it is it means but from what I take away from plant based, it is basically the new vegan except it strays away from the moral ethics of like animals. And if you know some, some people will say well plant based you eat vegan, but sometimes you can eat meat when you want to. So for me I like I do not eat it, it would not be the end of the world. Like if something got snuck in there. But um
Scott Benner 24:01
so you'd eat a steak if you wanted a steak you just don't want one and and so am I to understand that it's the the branding for the lack of a better term. Maybe it's not lack of their hair, maybe it's perfect term. Vegan is I eat plant based because either I want to or I have a moral opposition to eating a living. That was a once living thing. You're saying I have absolutely no trouble eating a once living thing. I just don't want to. Is that right? Okay. Okay. Yes,
Matt Fouse 24:30
yes, that that is my interpretation. In my the way I eat Oh,
Scott Benner 24:37
well, that's this whole series is that it's supposed to be about it's about talking to different people about how they eat. I don't give a man Yeah, about any of anybody's politics around food and I could sit here and make a passionate plea to not you know, farm raised cattle and slaughter for food. I think I could make a great argument about that. And, and I still at the same time, I did have a really Wonderful New York strip steak a couple of days ago so I could make a great argument for I think beef in you know in moderation is great for someone's diet too late so and but not for everybody and I think this is what why you're here is to say that I think you should eat the way your body wants you to eat. Like I don't know if like your body kind of tells you what it likes and what it doesn't like, right? Yeah, what it deals better with I'm sure there's vegan choices that you avoid. GMO pipe open has no visible needle, and it's the first pre mixed autoinjector have glucagon for very low blood sugar and adults and kids with diabetes ages two and above. Not only is Jeeva hypo pen simple to administer, but it's simple to learn more about. All you have to do is go to G Vogue glucagon.com Ford slash juice box. g Volk shouldn't be used in patients with insulinoma or pheochromocytoma. Visit g Volk glucagon.com slash risk. Everyone's given a blood glucose meter by their doctor. But did you ever stop to wonder if you got a good one? Is yours one of the most accurate on the market? Does it have second chance test strips? You know what I mean? So like when you touch the blood and it doesn't work? Do your test strips allow you to go back and get more blood without messing up the accuracy of the test? Is yours easy to hold simple to transport have a bright light. Is it easy to read? Do you have the Contour Next One blood glucose meter, go to Contour Next one.com forward slash juice box to learn more about what I think is the gold standard in accuracy. There's a lot going on at Contour Next one.com Ford slash juice box. For instance, you may be eligible for a free meter. There's information about test chip programs. And it's possible that buying the meter and strips with cash meaning not going through your insurance could be cheaper than going through your insurance. All of these answers and much more are answered at Contour. Next one.com forward slash juice box. The research that happens at T one d exchange.org. forward slash juice box has led to increased insurance coverage for blood glucose meter strips, changes in the American Diabetes associations guidelines for pediatric Awan seagulls. And it's also impacted FDA expansion of CGM labeling to include finger stick replacements and Medicare coverage of CGM devices. Here's how it works. You go to T one d exchange.org, forward slash juicebox. You join in something that is 100%, HIPAA compliant, and 1,000,000%. Anonymous, all you have to do is be from the United States, a person who's living with Type One Diabetes with a caregiver of someone who is and then you answer these very simple questions about type one diabetes, the T one D exchange, aggregates that data and comes to conclusions that help move care forward. For people living with Type One Diabetes. I went to the exchange as the parent of a child with Type One Diabetes, it quite literally took me about seven minutes to complete. And that was the end, T one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox. You could help move things forward too. You can find the links to all the sponsors and so much more at Juicebox podcast.com. We're right there in the show notes of your podcast player. I'm sure there's vegan choices that you avoid.
Matt Fouse 28:45
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, that I will not eat those weird. Tofu e noodle things that look like spaghetti. I tried them. I'm like, Oh, great, you know, low carb spaghetti. Awesome. And I think I would rather slurp down snot
Unknown Speaker 29:07
wasn't good.
Matt Fouse 29:09
It was not.
Scott Benner 29:11
I remember hearing somebody that Gosh, I wish I could remember I heard this. They were having the opportunity to try genetically. It's a book she just wrote, I'm never gonna think of her name. She's got an opportunity to try genetically manufactured meats. And you know, just trying them in front of the people who develop them and and she said all the you know, you know, people were like, It's good, right? And she was like, Oh, no, it's terrible. Like I can I can see where the technology is going. But this is this does not taste right. It doesn't feel right. Like nothing about it was quite right. I think she was talking about chicken. Like Like literally like lab made chicken.
Matt Fouse 29:50
Yeah, well, now they are toying around with 3d printing meat. Which is kind of weird. It's like I mean, you know I'm the same way though like whatever floats your boat, whatever is right for you. live your best life do whatever makes you feel good. It doesn't bother me, but like, printing out meat. I don't know. It kind of
Scott Benner 30:14
weird. It seems like a strange leap. I'm I am trying so hard to remember her name right now. I just heard her talking about her book somewhere. And now I am for the life of me having trouble. Jenny klieman I found it. So she wrote a book called sex robots and vegan meat adventures at the frontier of birth food, sex and death. Anyway, she was talking about this. And she and she said, You know, like, that just didn't didn't feel right. It didn't taste right. And yeah, not that I but you know, not that it couldn't at some point, or that maybe in the future? Because right? That's the idea. I'm guessing is that, that some people's arguments are going to be that more and more and more people, and you create more and more and more cattle and pigs and you know, everything else? Like eventually, it'll take more space, effort and resources to feed us then then we can, you know, balance, I guess is the idea.
Matt Fouse 31:10
Oh, absolutely. And we just keep growing too. I mean, what are we at now 7 billion or something? I don't even know the number. All those
Scott Benner 31:20
people eat every day, if they're lucky, and a lot of them don't get to.
Matt Fouse 31:24
And that was a worldwide pandemic. So there might be 15 billion next year. Who knows? I don't know.
Scott Benner 31:30
Yeah, I really, I genuinely care for it. We could be it could be doubling another eight months. I genuinely don't have a feeling about how people eat. Nor do I think that I completely understand the science around. You know, whether cow farts are is dangerous is landfills. You know, there's methane gas that comes from landfills. Is that more than cow farts? Maybe? I don't know. Like, and I think that when you hear arguments one way or the other, you're hearing them from people who, you know, if somebody says, oh, the cows aren't the problem, I'm gonna guess those are either people eating meat or people selling meat. You know, and and people were like, it's the cows swamp, I guess don't want you looking in their landfills. I would pretty much guess you know how stuff like
Matt Fouse 32:11
Yeah, yeah. And I think we'll maybe eventually get to a point where everything equals in some sort of magical equalisation point like, your body tells you, the world will tell us. Hey, we're out of me. And then what would that? Well,
Scott Benner 32:31
I'll tell you what, I'll eat peas that day. Matt, I'll smile. So so it's fair to say that if you learned through trial and error that a completely meat based diet for you know, vegetables is what made your body feel right. You'd be doing that. Absolutely, yeah. No, okay, that makes complete sense to me. Okay, so today for lunch, what are you going to eat?
Matt Fouse 32:56
I will have probably 10 pe, I will slice it up, make a wrap. With the I like how you call it branding of plant base, that options are just you can get anything now you can get you know, Manet's
Scott Benner 33:16
all these delicious sauces, so you can make it taste very, very good. So I'll probably have like a 10 pay wrap with some sprouts and lettuce and maybe a salad on the side. I cannot be more honest and to tell you that I am vigorously trying to figure out what the hell temp is online right now hold on.
Matt Fouse 33:38
It's like a grain base block of I don't think it's like it. Maybe it is a meat substitute. Um, but fry it up in a skillet. It's pretty delicious.
Scott Benner 33:52
Okay, hold on. A traditional Indonesian soy product is made from fermented soy beans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that bind soy beans into a cake form. Matt you're losing me where it says here a special fungus is used. So it's like it's spam, out of soybeans kind of feeling like visually it gets longer. The way they produce it. It looks like to me but I'm assuming you buy it in a smaller block when you buy it.
Matt Fouse 34:23
Yeah, it comes wrapped in usually like a plastic and it's like a rectangular shape and you can slice it. A lot of the fake and bacon as they call it is now 10 pay base like there's there's a bunch of different brands now. Some of them have grains, some are soy, some are flax. And I will say that it makes you regular, you will not have any problems.
Scott Benner 34:59
You don't need Fiber substitute.
Matt Fouse 35:01
Absolutely not wanting a fiber in my diet.
Unknown Speaker 35:05
That's hilarious.
Scott Benner 35:08
And it's it is very, I guess it's a very natural thing. It's probably a very common food in other countries.
Matt Fouse 35:15
I would assume so. Yeah.
Scott Benner 35:16
Because of the rate because it's just not there's not much to it. But the soy bean, I guess. Yeah. I'm looking at vegan bacon right now. Trying to figure out what that
Matt Fouse 35:27
problem if I made you a BLT Mm hmm. Side by side with the most luscious beautiful pig bacon. And faking bacon, right? soaked in liquid smoke and fried in the skillet. I think you'd be pretty.
Unknown Speaker 35:47
I'd be impressed. Pretty shot,
Matt Fouse 35:49
you would be impressed. Absolutely.
Scott Benner 35:51
I'm not gonna say no, I although this recipe I found says it's made in grapeseed oil and I am very, it's funny of all the things I'm not I am very particular about what kind of oils I take in or don't take in. Grapeseed is one of them. I don't I don't eat that so. Okay, so you're telling me that you could get fake bake into a point where it tasted like real bacon. But you mentioned a lot of different things. Do you make it yourself? Or do you buy it somewhere?
Matt Fouse 36:18
A lot of the brands now have the fake and bacon 10 pay ready to go marinated in a little packet. Okay, you throw it in the skillet for five minutes. It's ready to go. God. I do make like, I'll make my own marinades with like liquid smoke. Some oils and spices and leave it in there to marinate in the fridge and it's good. It's um, I made a BLT the other day. It's one of my favorite lunches. Actually, maybe maybe that's what I thought for lunch today. And I was so impressed. It had the most luscious local tomatoes sliced thick with vegan Manet's homemade bread because everybody's making bread right now. Right? Yeah. That's like the thing I made bread today. And I said Hey, honey, try this you're you're gonna be shocked and my wife was like, I'm impressed.
Scott Benner 37:17
She does she eat plant based?
Matt Fouse 37:19
She does not she will eat you know meat. She does it Gary.
Scott Benner 37:26
Tell me about the fistfight about when the baby started eating food. When did you how does that like I'm imagining like you're a Protestant and she's a Catholic and we're trying to decide how like what religion like get it even like when when when the eating thing comes up. How does that work? Like how does your How does your your oldest eat
Matt Fouse 37:47
my daughter? Oh, my daughter eats a normal diet. Okay, um we'll get her regular yogurt and like for the baby I don't care i'm easygoing what like
Scott Benner 37:59
whatever.
Matt Fouse 38:00
I'm not gonna you know, spread my plant base preachings on other people. I don't care how you eat, whatever, whatever makes you feel good. If eating nothing, but steak makes me feel good. Yeah, go for it. But whatever. I couldn't
Scott Benner 38:16
even put throw a soap box in front of you. You couldn't really even get up and preach about plant base. It really is just about what's right for you.
Matt Fouse 38:24
Absolutely. And that that was my decision with eating that way. For you know, my diabetes and for the way I feel actually it's, it's my mind is it feels clearer. I joke that it made me Whittier with my wife, you know, like, I get to the punch.
Unknown Speaker 38:50
But she's laughing more you're saying
Matt Fouse 38:54
Why? That's my bad dad joke. Boy. Hey, hey, I'm funnier. Right?
Scott Benner 39:00
I bet you she doesn't agree with that law. As a matter of fact, I was hilarious the other day in public. Matt, I'm not gonna lie to you. There were people around me just gathered around. Everyone's having a good time. And I looked at my wife and my wife had a look on my face on her face. They said to me, oh, yeah, here this this one's gonna tell this one again that he's gonna roll into that story that and then they're all gonna laugh because they've never heard it before. And I'm stuck here hearing it for the 37th time.
Matt Fouse 39:25
Absolutely. Oh, we are so similar. Yes, yeah. Ah, this whole pandemic you know I'm not we're not rounds are normal group of people because you see one at a time instead of hanging out in a circle and same exact story. Like my white shirt those jokes 100 times and every time I get a chance with a new audience.
Unknown Speaker 39:50
Oh, yeah,
Unknown Speaker 39:51
God,
Scott Benner 39:51
I felt energized. I was like, Oh, hold on. These people don't know me. This will be good.
Unknown Speaker 39:58
The best is when
Matt Fouse 40:01
My wife will tell a funny joke and I won't laugh about it. But then I'll steal the joke around friends. She's like, Wait a second. That's my job.
Scott Benner 40:09
I'm the one that said that and you'd pretended it wasn't funny. And then you're probably upset if she didn't laugh when you thought it. Understand narcissism, Marsha, I gotcha. Well, okay, so all right, let's roll into one more meal. Like tonight for dinner. everybody's having one thing, what are you eating?
Matt Fouse 40:31
I try to stay lower carb for dinners. Okay, um, because I, I can eat anywhere from 7pm to 10. Because I never, you never know what my schedule is gonna be with life. So if I eat later, I just try to stay lower carb. So you know, maybe a salad with some garbanzo beans. And whatever else I whip up, I use the instapot a lot. I'm really big into eggplant. I love eggplant. And I can throw something in the instant pot for 10 minutes. And it's like this magical dinner. I slaved over all day. But you press a button. It's pretty nice. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 41:19
What about like, though?
Scott Benner 41:21
When's the last time you had pizza? I'm imagining you'd have to make it for yourself. And there's some sort of substitute for cheese. Right? But this everything else works. So how do you do that?
Matt Fouse 41:30
So pizza, we will make it home because my daughter loves pizza, she has a five year old. So I would get the dough premade in the bag at the grocery store, we'll roll it out. And my daughter can put her normal cheese on it. And usually what I will do is I will just put the sauce down. Or just olive oil and then put whatever I want on it like veggies or I do not like the fake Jesus. They have a weird consistency. For me. I have yet to find a brand that I think tastes good. So I'll make more of like a flatbread type, and then a little olive oil and vegetables or just Yes, a
Scott Benner 42:18
red sauce and have a tomato pie kind of a thing?
Matt Fouse 42:21
Absolutely. Yes. And that's easy, because you can throw both in the oven and everybody can eat the way they want to. And yeah, it's
Scott Benner 42:29
all good. That sounds nice. It really does. I mean, I I'm just trying to wrap my head around. Because I think the reason I'm asking so much is because I believe that most people's idea would be either a I don't want to just eat vegetables or how hard it would be to eat something new day after day after day. But you'd really don't have that feeling at all. Like you're just
Matt Fouse 42:49
I don't I've been eating like that long enough that you just kind of have these meals in your back pocket. It's kind of like one of your episodes. You were talking about Bolus saying how you just kind of learned, like, well, the moon is a waning gibbous tonight. So I'm going to Bolus this you know, so it's like, you kind of have these things in your back pocket that's like, wow, tonight, I'm having the eggplant with tomato sauce base with some flat bread and then you get used to it, it is harder at first. There's a lot of really good cookbooks out there that will give you ideas because you know, your diet is kind of limited, but there is a substitution for anything you like that is normal eating pretty much or they're like,
Unknown Speaker 43:45
God, I'm sorry. Like, if
Matt Fouse 43:47
you like bacon, there's bacon. If you like steak, there's steak type, consistent things. So it's um, you learn it's a learning process. Yeah.
Scott Benner 44:00
Are there more carbs in plant based eating than people would imagine? Like how like how carb heavy are your meals?
Matt Fouse 44:13
I think I think I'm gonna say yes and no. So if you eat a lot of vegetables, you could eat plant based low carb ish. If you eat the heavy greens and potatoes and spaghetti and wheat and bread, you could be very high carb. So I think that question is, it depends on how you like to eat. Okay, so
Scott Benner 44:44
if it's more vegetables, there's going to be fewer carbs. I guess unless you involve more routes and things like like potatoes and yams and stuff like that. There's a little more there. But otherwise your other options are more flour. Great. based and which are gonna bring carbs with it? Yes. So but even like you could have a potato chip and be vegan and like my daughter has a vegan friend and I am fascinated by how poorly she eats. Because in my mind vegan means healthy. That's, you know, my, my leap and yet she's the kid who's in the snack drawer more than anyone else because she's she's positive. There's no nothing from an animal in that drawer basically.
Matt Fouse 45:29
Oh, absolutely. You can eat like an alley rat and still be vegan got it is actually pretty shocking What? Technically vegan foods can be like, you would never in a million years think but Oreos? are vegan, right? Or am I allowed to say brands,
Unknown Speaker 45:53
whatever you want got
Matt Fouse 45:55
like Pringles are technically vegan. You can eat Pringles for dinner, hovering over the sink,
Scott Benner 46:06
you know, and and tell everyone you're a vegan. So there is a way for me to be an incredibly unhealthy vegan
Matt Fouse 46:14
100%
Scott Benner 46:16
as long as I can be involved, then that's fine. I could be vegan till Finally, I could change my eating habits up and maintain my level of actually, that's not true. As I get older. I just there's fewer, like junk food, I guess type things that I'm willing to tolerate. And they just don't. I've come to believe that as I get older and my body gets older, it's less capable of overwhelming the hell that is the poorly constructed food and you know, things that aren't have any natural ingredients. And then whatsoever. You know, I used to be able to eat a bag of Doritos and it meant nothing to me. And now if I see it or eat Oh, I think I would never eat that. And you know, it's just it's interesting, because I put it in my body and my body would fight against it the whole way through it would just be like this shouldn't be in here. Yep, but that does come with age a little bit. People will find out sadly as they get older.
Drink Coffee.
Matt Fouse 47:16
I drink I live off of coffee. Okay, um, so my job if you want to call it that I'm self employed stay at home dad. So I own a mobile espresso business. So I always have the espresso machine on. I am basically like a caffeine addict. It's nonstop. It's
Scott Benner 47:43
not I didn't mean to like I didn't know if that was something you did or didn't want to share. But I feel like we've hit into something a mobile espresso business you bring me a cup of coffee.
Matt Fouse 47:54
So, yes, I own it's a Vesper Abbaye. It's a three wheeled scooter from Italy
Scott Benner 48:03
Dude, I'm already on your Instagram keep talking.
Matt Fouse 48:05
Yeah, guys. Um, and I fabricated in espresso machine and all that good stuff on it. So I cater to movie sets, weddings, corporate events. Right now work is kind of dead because everything I do is event based. There's no there's no movies being filmed. No TV shows being filmed. So um, but like I got to do some cool things. I did the set of House of Cards and they're filming it around here. Veep a few other movies and documentaries. It's fun. So I you know make espresso for famous people and come home and be like, Hey, honey, Robin Wright today he told me. Hey, Matt, sweetie, your cappuccino is delicious. She's like, well, maybe Robin Wright can pack your lunch tomorrow.
Scott Benner 49:01
I don't think she's going to because she wasn't putting up with Sean Penn. I don't think she's gonna put up with me either. Yeah. That's a really interesting to what part of the country are you in?
Matt Fouse 49:12
I am right outside of Baltimore. Okay. Yeah, wow.
Scott Benner 49:18
Well, that's really I did not expect you to say that. I was just wondering like, my thought process was, most people can't live without coffee. So I want to make sure to ask while everybody's telling me how they eat if it fits into their diet or not. I've never had a cup of coffee in my entire life.
Matt Fouse 49:35
You know, I call you those weirdos I don't know how you live Do you sir coke. What
Unknown Speaker 49:42
do you do? I don't do
Scott Benner 49:43
any drugs. I don't drink and I don't think I'd be in better shape. Even just for that. But it's just it's it's nature's joke against me honestly. Now I don't think I say it on here. Everyone smile. I don't think I've had the equivalent of case of beer in my life maybe, you know and I, my parents drank coffee all the time. There was constantly coffee in a coffee pot in my house. I never remember having any aversion to it. Nothing bad happened. I wasn't burned by a cup of coffee at a young age or something like that. It just never occurs to me. I have an incredible amount of like, mental or intellectual energy. And I when you stimulate me, it goes way too far the other way. Like, I'd be the worst person to be drunk with I think, although, although I'm guessing, and I think if you gave me a cup of coffee, you'd you'd probably get like binding gag me until it wore off. I just I would go on. Like, look how fast I talk now. Yeah, I don't do that. I drink mainly unsweetened iced tea and water. throughout my day. I try not to have too much caffeine or sugar. And I don't know. I don't know. I see. Everybody loves their coffee. You want to love it? You don't I mean? Like, it seems like one of those things. It would be absolutely amazing. It does. Yeah. doesn't strike me for some reason. Okay, so let's talk about bolusing for your diet. So this morning, avocado toast. I'm gonna guess is it one slice of avocado toast and a half of an avocado. I'm going to try to get
Matt Fouse 51:24
it depends on how hungry I am.
Scott Benner 51:27
But sometimes it's too. Okay. So what do I so Okay, so for avocado, I'm guessing at around 14 carbs and depending on the toast you like, somewhere between 15 and 22? Yep. Right, that right there. Okay. And there's fat in the avocado, which people wouldn't think about which would probably stretched out your you need for your boss. Is that true? Does this need like some sort of an extended or something like that?
Matt Fouse 51:54
Correct? Yes. Um, I recently um, thanks to thanks to you, actually, the podcast. Oh, hold
Scott Benner 52:02
on. It clearly. Is this the part where you say something nice about me. Go ahead. Okay. Yeah, go ahead. Take your time with me. Because
Matt Fouse 52:10
I recently, you know, went on loop from listening to the looping episode, I think with Katie de Simone, right. It's amazing. And I joined the Facebook group. So now with loop, it's a new way of thinking for me as a diabetic. Because the last 30 years, I thought differently, basically, Thomas so. So now, instead of being like, Okay, this meal has 40 carbs, right. I'm going to Bolus for that. I did this advanced diabetic ninja trick I that has been working amazing for me where I will bolus, like half or three fourths of the suggested Bolus that Luke tells me to because I never know what I'm going to do outside. Like if I'm going to do yard work. So like, previously, you'd have all this insulin on board. And that's it. You got it. It's there. You're getting it. Yeah. Where now with loop, I can do like half of what it suggests I can go outside and mow or pick up sticks in the yard or whatever. And loop kind of, you know, because it adjusts every so often, like what every five minutes it makes a decision. Well, it's getting kind of equalizes itself out where I don't go too low or too high. That's nice. Yeah. And I'm actually going to try to do the auto Bolus branch coming up. I've heard great things about that.
Scott Benner 53:49
I recommend that one. Okay. Yes. For sure.
Matt Fouse 53:53
I made the loop at the beginning of the pandemic. It was like, You know how it is I was all nervous. I sat down, I read all the documents. And I have yet to update, because I'm like, I don't want to lose something great that I had.
Scott Benner 54:11
Well, the great thing about that Auto Bolus branch, in my opinion is that it really the only difference in it is that there's a switch to turn the auto Bolus offer on. So if you put it on and you hate it to shut it off, and you still shut it on, you have the old version then like that, or the functionality, at least if you have the older version, which is an older, it's still being updated. And I think it was just updated recently, actually. And people use it all the time with a lot of Yes. So the podcast has been helpful for you. How long have you been listening to it?
Matt Fouse 54:40
Probably about a year no calm. I would make it my daily habit. When I did go to the gym. I would play an episode and run on the treadmill and lift my weights and but yeah, it is I have to thank you. It's A new way of thinking, honestly, it's like, I like to joke with my friends being like, yeah, Hama, I'm an advanced diabetic. I listened to a podcast,
Scott Benner 55:13
like we're gonna start calling you all juicers or something like that, that might be funny. Well, first thank That's very kind of you to say, and I appreciate it I, I steadfastly maintain, if you were to talk to me privately, and I wasn't being goofy for this, that I shared some tools and you're using them, it's all you, you know, they mean, like, you just heard ideas you hadn't heard before. But the reason I enjoyed hearing that from you, is because you've been diabetic for so long. And everyone I bumped into wants to immediately say, Oh, your podcast must just be listened to by parents of kids with diabetes. Because those people you know, they're more careful, or they're more involved, or Bob, and I'm like, No, I, it's about 5050. I have adults living with and, and parents of, and I get to see that actually, because of the private Facebook group. When people come in, they say what their relationship to diabetes is, which is incredibly helpful for me to know who I'm talking to. And I'm not I'm not surprised by it. I'm surprised by how many people are surprised by it, that they don't recognize that the way insulin works, is the way insulin works gonna work for you the same way it works for my daughter, and people are different within Of course, they're small variables. And some people are different. There's outliers and everything. But most of people, it's the same insulin goes in it has a certain amount of time before it works. You're trying to balance that insulin against you know, the action of the food and you just try to make this this you know, a fair fight between the food, the insulin, that's not specific from me, to you, or from you to my daughter or anything else.
Unknown Speaker 56:52
So absolutely.
Scott Benner 56:52
I'm always I'm always a little weirded out when people like, Oh, that's just for kids. Right? And I'm like, why does it? Like why do you think it matters? timing your bolus is just important for children. Before we move on, and please do be honest, and I'm being serious, to be honest, in your mind, who's more famous me or Robin Wright? Penn go?
Matt Fouse 57:12
Oh, you definitely.
Unknown Speaker 57:15
Definitely.
Scott Benner 57:16
She's a better actress. But I mean, for you personally. I'm more important. I think
Matt Fouse 57:21
she she's better looking. I'm sorry.
Unknown Speaker 57:24
Well, yeah.
Scott Benner 57:27
Absolutely gorgeous woman, but I and I can't compete on that level. But I think I'm at least I don't know if more famous is the right way to put it. But I am definitely more important. I'm saying in a rowboat situation with a leak and one of us has to go over to save to others. Robin Wright pens in the water, right?
Matt Fouse 57:43
Oh, 100%. Never, she never taught me about
Scott Benner 57:50
who's gonna help you polish for those coconuts when we get to the desert island. I gotta be honest with you, if you don't push me out of the boat immediately, I'd even be disappointed. I'd be like, What's he doing? I'd push you out and get her back. Nevertheless, alright, so prior to looping bolusing for your way of eating anything special people should know about it.
Matt Fouse 58:19
My bolusing worked fairly the same. I you know, I would Pre-Bolus before a meal. The only difference would be like I said, you would Bolus and you could cancel a Temp Basal on the Omni pod. But it didn't make the decisions based on what you were doing. What is what I love loop for like, if I get on the treadmill and forget to do a override that hey, body, I'm exercising loop most of the times figures it out like after like 10 minutes of running. It's like dudes doing something
Scott Benner 59:09
blood sugar spawn starting we
Matt Fouse 59:11
better cut with our circuit and, and it's very, very seldom that I will go when drop to where I have to get off and
Scott Benner 59:21
drink juice or whatever. Which I see you have starbursts on your desk for our conversation.
Matt Fouse 59:27
That is my go to it's quick and
Scott Benner 59:31
you know I never asked people but and I don't see most of the people you just have a great internet cache and so we're looking at each other but I don't see most people while I'm recording which I'd like to change in the future maybe but but I can hear people eating and checking their blood sugars in the background. I never mentioned it I wonder if people listening can hear like sometimes you'll just hear like you know, like there's a click in the background or something like that. I'm like somebody's checking their blood sugar right now or, or you'll you'll hear a little fumbling around. Some rappers or something, and I leave it in the show because I think it's interesting.
Matt Fouse 1:00:04
Oh, totally, it's real life. I mean, that is what we deal with. So it's like, You know why? Right?
Scott Benner 1:00:11
Okay, so bolusing, you were just using a lot of the skills from the podcast, you were doing Temp Basal increases and decreases and spreading out insulin and that kind of thing, just lining up insulin with the impact and that was working. But what you like about loop is that it can take bazel away when it sees you getting a low, I think that's a no brainer. I think that whether it's tandem, you know, whatever their, their loop, the loop system is called IQ or something like that. Or if it's going to be the forthcoming on a pod five or maytronics. Got another one coming out, you know, next year. I think I think that everyone who wants it and can afford it should at least try it. I think you should think about it the way we thought about fast like, Alright, well, let's see what this does. You know, because maybe you're gonna have a great experience, like method, and it'll change your life a
Matt Fouse 1:01:04
little bit. So absolutely. And I I recently, my endocrinologist was hanging out with me at my house, we're buds and I showed him the loop. And like, you're not gonna make me stop coming to see you. Right? Because technically, it's not FDA approved then. Right? Ah, and he's like, no, like, if we were both discussing as I think within the next decade, pretty much every diabetic will be on the looping system. It's the first thing to happen. That's a huge advancement. It's to me, it's like I say, I'm three fourths cured.
Scott Benner 1:01:55
Sometimes, right? Yeah, absolutely. Like able your blood sugar's can be.
Matt Fouse 1:01:59
I rarely go high. The only times I go high is things that are out of my control, like, a bad site, your Whoops, I forgot the bowl was it's all on me. Right? Um, so I yeah, it's, it's amazing.
Scott Benner 1:02:18
That's Arden's budget, or for the last six hours.
Unknown Speaker 1:02:21
Beautiful
Scott Benner 1:02:22
that you love it. It's just it's between. I mean, it's between 80. And she hit 120. For a second, I'm gonna be honest with you. What happened was she got out of bed. And she went and got cleaned up and got ready for school. And I know she walked away from the Riley link. Yep. So right when she started to drift up because she was feet on the floor, she didn't get a little insulin. And I did nothing, nothing to fix that. And she rose at 759 to 130. And by 839, she was back under 120. And by nine o'clock, she was 100 again. And now now she's 90, and she's been 90 for like the last hour. So that is just that's a weight lifted that. I mean, listen, you want me to make a prognostication right here, you'll have a steak one day. And my podcasts will get put out of business eventually, by algorithms. It really well. And when it ends, it's going to end because of algorithms, I am going to have taught everyone in the world how to use them. And there's going to be no reason to talk about diabetes anymore. Knock on wood, or we can go to the
Matt Fouse 1:03:38
wall. You know, like?
Scott Benner 1:03:40
Yeah, oh, God, please, listen, I love doing this podcast, I hope something else new comes up. But we all have to learn. But, but no, seriously, like not that not that talking about diabetes wouldn't be necessary. Because I think there's a lot of benefit in that part of it too. But just the management side of it, like when you really think about this show over the last six years. This show is is when you're talking about insulin at its core, me explaining the convoluted way that I broke down how insulin worked and how you can put it into practice in your life and how we have. And at some point, if you have a CGM and a pump with an algorithm in it, it's going to be about getting your settings right. And press Pre-Bolus thing on time. And,
Matt Fouse 1:04:25
yeah, that that's the thing too, is like, I like to say garbage in garbage out. You still have to know that. You don't hop in a car. And when you're 16 and just go, you have to learn all the fine you know how to turn but the key and then turn it on it. There'll be some good stuff.
Scott Benner 1:04:45
Yeah, but it just won't be I won't be. Although you know what, in fairness, most people are still not going to be able to afford this stuff. And it is short sighted of me to even say that because while I have a lot of interaction with the people who have pumps have glucose monitors, there are plenty of people listening who do not have those things and don't have a pathway to them either. And, and I think those people are always going to need that conversation. I'm just thinking that there's maybe I'm wishful thinking that one day, it's not going to be necessary for someone like me to sit down and say, Okay, now, you put your insulin in here, and you wait this amount of time, then you start eating, try not to eat that first eat this first because we want the digestion to like, you know, and then we'll spread it out, we'll do a nice extended bolus over two and a half hours. And that should take care of the fat and protein like I'm hoping not to have that conversation anymore. But at the same time, when, if you really asked me to describe it, I haven't just dumbed it down for the show, I genuinely believe this, it's just there's a timeline where the food impacts your blood sugar. And during that timeline, you have to equally impact the food with insulin. And that's just sort of it, you know, I don't see another another, I don't see a reason to think of it in a different way to be perfectly honest.
Matt Fouse 1:06:00
Yeah, insulin always works, you just have to know how to manipulate it with all those variables, which can be like rocket scientists to some people. And second nature. And others.
Scott Benner 1:06:12
I think, if you notice, when I'm talking to Jenny, I'll use a phrase when the insolence doing what I expect it to do. And, in my mind, what that means is, we have a good pathway for the sun to get dark and spotty. So a site that's working well. And then I do something, I know what the insulin supposed to do, based on what I did, like, I'm so aware of the amount I'm using and the timing I'm using, I know what's going to happen. And when that doesn't happen, if there's good insulin delivery, it's easy for me to fix, because the variables that everybody you know, talks about, there's so many variables. There aren't as many variables for me. But it's just because I've seen it so many times. Like, I don't know if you can see this now. And I don't know what this is gonna say, because I haven't seen this in a while. So I'm following five people's blood sugars right now. And with the exception of somebody who I just started talking to yesterday, I've got 9195, a 68, and a 79. And so, and a 91, which is my daughter's. So all those people, all of them are just doing what I do. That's it and they're all having reasonable and one of those lower blood sugars is a person who's switching to a pump today. So they have tresiba leftover in them and they're trying to get a pump going so that Yeah, his low little lower blood sugar is going to come up really soon. And I there's part of me that wants to that wishes I could make that public that you could look and go look Scott's following and helping five I'm just texting with him. I'm not there. I'm not I don't know exactly what the and I'm just like now a little more a little less turned off, turn it down. I talked to him for a couple of days there people sometimes there are people I owe favors to sometimes there are people you know, I just are in such bad ways that I think it's not going to help them if I don't talk to them. Or they get into a bad spot where listening to the podcast is impossible for them for certain reasons. And all I know is you use the tools use them about the way I tell you to use them. And it works. And that's it. Yep. So yep. Hopefully it hopefully that's what happens. All right, what am I not? What are the pitfalls of plant based eating? Tell me one of the things that you really hate about it that you shouldn't even admits other people or anything.
Matt Fouse 1:08:39
Oh, I would say the social aspect of it. Um, like, I won't say peer pressure, but like, you go to a potluck or something. And, you know, Aunt Trudy is excited that she just made these delicious cupcakes and is like, yeah, I gotta try one. He got to try one of these, you know, like, I know, that's loaded with 10 pounds of butter. And then yeah, there's this social aspect of like, I don't want to, like, make somebody feel bad and be like, well, I can't eat that. Yeah. That for me is the hardest part. And then like going to restaurants can sometimes you can be that annoying person and being like, well, what's in this? What's this? What's this?
Unknown Speaker 1:09:34
So
Matt Fouse 1:09:36
we rarely go out to eat, or of course now, we're not going out to eat but when we do, it's the places that I know what the menu is. Right? And honestly with a soon to be six year old and a baby who knows how often we'll go out to eat anyway.
Scott Benner 1:09:58
Everybody suddenly didn't have Corona anymore. You're still not going anywhere for about a year. Yeah. So just the idea of it's, it's different enough that it's noticeable and you might end up like hurting someone's feelings or asking a waiter, like, please make sure you use a pan that hasn't had butter in it or something like that, like you actually would have to say I'm, I'm completely vegan, like, I don't want any animal based stuff. And then do you think that people who don't see, even though it's not your perspective? People who don't think about animals the way like a classic vegan might think about it? Look at you and like, the soft guy doesn't want to see it in a cow. Like the view? Do you think there's that too? Like, do you think people
Matt Fouse 1:10:42
are 100%? Yes. I come across so often have like, I very politely say, Oh, no, no, thank you. I don't want to eat your cookies. One because I'm diabetic. And because our brother in it. Um, and some people just have a difficult time when you are different than what they are used to. It's like, Wait a second, you don't eat butter? Why? Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:11:11
Why don't you do that? And now you're explaining yourself and you don't want to be telling me but you don't need to explain yourself. Right? Like that must be. Right.
Matt Fouse 1:11:18
Yeah. It's like, well, I choose to not eat this way. Because it makes me feel better. And even sometimes, for some people, they can't grasp that either. Like, you don't eat like me.
Scott Benner 1:11:34
It's no different probably than a lot of social division in a lot of different ways. I would think you're, you're, quote unquote, too different. And so there must be a reason. There's something wrong with you. Or you're making me feel like there's something wrong with me. And then there becomes you know, that kind of like, clash. It's interesting. It really is. Yeah. Do you avoid telling people in situations where you don't need to?
Matt Fouse 1:12:01
Oh, yeah. 100% I am not that person of Hey, did you know I'm vegan?
Scott Benner 1:12:11
in a crowd of 1000 people, do you think you'd have more acceptance telling people you have type one diabetes or that you don't eat meat?
Unknown Speaker 1:12:18
Oh, type one diabetes?
Scott Benner 1:12:22
is wearing a thing on his arm but at least delete a cow. For cows have it happened to them? And are delicious, though. That's the problem. Your meat is too delicious. What are you gonna do? I mean a sauce. Think about a sausage from a pig. Oh my god. It's so good. Is there anything you miss?
Matt Fouse 1:12:46
Yes, like, I I write outside of Baltimore. I love crabs. I always say if I break my diet, though, it will be at a crab feast. I'll be food. One 100% Yes.
Scott Benner 1:13:08
I mean, I imagine there had to be something that you're just I'm interesting when I eat I don't particularly have like you couldn't say to me Hey, let's go here for dinner and make me like oh my God, that's an amazing thing. We have to do that. I'm not a real oddly of food person. I do appreciate good food versus average food. I have learned to like you know, I I use a smoker to smoke some meats. You know, and there's an obvious it's just obviously better. And there's I got making pizza and I I'll make the dough myself and you know, like, like, take the time to cook it at a temperature where it comes up the way you expect it from a from like a you know, from a restaurant. And I can see the difference in that I can see if you like cold ferment pizza dough that it digests easier. Like like, little stuff like that. But having said that, I would eat a slice of pizza from a boardwalk in three seconds and you know, think nothing of it. And then 10 hours later go oh my god, I still don't feel well for that terrible slice.
Unknown Speaker 1:14:13
Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:14:14
just really, eating is an interesting thing. It just really is that
Matt Fouse 1:14:17
quality makes a difference. You're right though yet.
Scott Benner 1:14:21
Yep. No, I hear it. I really do. So is there anything that you would want to tell people that we haven't talked about?
Matt Fouse 1:14:30
I would say one of the best outcomes which I wasn't even expecting were my labs. My a one C is always been, you know, great in range. But like my cholesterol and triglycerides and everything else. I was hovering at high cholesterol. Hmm. We have chicken pet chickens. So Previous to choosing plant based diet, I would eat like six hard boiled eggs a day. And my cholesterol was I think 190 hovering, like, my endocrinologist was like, Yeah, what's going on here? Like, oh, I have pet chickens. And I don't want those eggs. But, um, after choosing plant based diets, my labs were just the best I have ever seen. Okay. Yeah, my I think my cholesterol last time was like 110 total. In my performance, I'm not anywhere near a professional athlete level. But like, running, I don't get winded is quickly, I can go further. I can go longer. I recover quicker. And I attribute it to the plant based diet. If you had
Scott Benner 1:15:59
your exact diet that you have right now, but three times a week you had, I don't know, chicken or beef or fish. You're saying that you would feel differently physically? Like not as well. I'm assuming like inflammation, aches and pains stuff like that. Is that? Yes, yeah.
Matt Fouse 1:16:18
Yes. Yeah. Like my, I noticed my joints would be sluggish. Like, I am. 37. That's how old I am. Yeah. So you know, I get up in awe. But I don't experience any of that anymore.
Scott Benner 1:16:36
Wow. That's pretty. That's amazing. That's a that is? Definitely. I mean, I'm 10 years older than you and I, I think I'm more than 10. But let's just say I'm 10 years older than you. And I, I know what you're saying, My hands hurt sometimes. And they're achy. And you know, I do I wonder what all that is about? If it's just me getting older, if I'm eating something and taking something in that I don't want. My one of my last questions for you is, do you have to supplement with anything? Is there anything, you're not getting your diet that you have to take through vitamins,
Matt Fouse 1:17:11
I do take a multivitamin, just to make sure that I get all the vitamins and minerals that I need that might be left out. I get plenty of protein. You know, I probably get 90 grams a day, which for my body is just fine. For me.
Scott Benner 1:17:33
I think it's obvious that you found the way to eat that really works best for you. So I assume that's really what everybody should be doing is eating the things that make their body perform the way you know that it should. So that's Yes. It's really cool that I found it. Absolutely. Yeah, it really is. I appreciate you sharing all this with me. And with everybody. I see a very pregnant woman behind you.
Unknown Speaker 1:17:57
That is my daughter. Well,
Scott Benner 1:18:03
is that a boy or girl? Do you know?
Matt Fouse 1:18:05
We don't know? What number two, my wife said that we could find out and when it was time. She did it. And she's gets to make a decision. So we did we so we did it though. With my daughter. We didn't know either. And when she came out the doctor was like dad do you want to call it and she had her little legs closed and it was I say it was like scratching a lottery ticket off. I had to literally get a check. He all the legs apart. I was like girl.
Scott Benner 1:18:42
That's amazing. That is a that's a nice story. It really is. Well, that's it. I was supposed to cut the cord but then I couldn't panic situation something medical. And then when it was over I felt like so disappointed by it. And it stuck with me for a while. I don't know why with coal and then with Arden. I don't know what happened. Now I can't I couldn't tell you for certain if I cut Arden's cord or not. I really don't know. So it becomes a blur. Yeah, get ready for that when you get older everybody just going I vaguely remember being there when the human life came into the world couldn't tell you much about it. Really is a delightful thing getting older. Well, I'm I'm I think it's really cool that you figured this out and that you shared it with people. You're saying there are some really good cookbooks people could try? And I think if they're interested in it, they should give this a whirl. It obviously sounds inexpensive. Honestly, it's cheaper to eat this way. Right or no?
Matt Fouse 1:19:42
I think yes and no, I think you can eat on a very tight budget plant base. And you can eat very expensive.
Scott Benner 1:19:53
Some of the things that are made by companies that are pre packaged and ready to go can be more expensive. Is that Yeah,
Matt Fouse 1:19:59
then there I think it when if Paltrow has a cookbook, and if you dissect the meals, they come out to be like $300. I mean, it's like all these rare spices that are brought in from an elephant train from, you know, this country.
Scott Benner 1:20:18
So I meant for regular people, not people who, yeah, who read the goop website, but yeah. Which we're not going to talk about some of the things like when it says you should do with your vagina, because I think it sounds unsafe. She's got a very strange website. Let's just say that. Anyway. All right, man, I really appreciate you doing this and taking the time. I suppose. This is wonderful for you to do.
Matt Fouse 1:20:42
Thank you so much for having me. And, uh, I appreciate what you do. And you're thank you for being there. For us.
Scott Benner 1:20:51
It's my pleasure. It really is. A huge thank you to one of today's sponsors, g Volk, glucagon. Find out more about chivo chi popin at G Vogue glucagon.com Ford slash juice box. you spell that GVOKEGL you see ag o n.com. forward slash juice box. I'd also like to remind you to go to the T one D exchange at T one d exchange.org. forward slash juice box help move things forward. And a huge thank you to the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. Upgrade your blood glucose meter game at Contour Next one.com forward slash juice box.
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#404 How would you help a newly diagnosed friend?
People living with type 1 diabetes share their thoughts about what helps a newly diagnosed person.
From the Juicebox Podcast private Facebook group
You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon Music - Google Play/Android - iHeart Radio - Radio Public, Amazon Alexa or their favorite podcast app.
+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
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 everyone and welcome to Episode 404 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's show is sponsored by everybody but has no ads.
Scott Benner 0:11
Dexcom makers of the dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor and the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump. We're also going to thank g Volk hypo pen touched by type one, the T one D exchange, and the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. You can find out more about the dexcom G six@dexcom.com Ford slash Juicebox Podcast forget it's covered completely now for veterans. So if you're in the VA, definitely check out the link. You can also get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump at my Omni pod.com Ford slash juice box check out Arden's blood glucose meter at Contour Next one.com forward slash juice box g Volk glucagon.com forward slash juice boxes where you'll learn more about g voke hypo pen. And don't forget to touch by type one dancing for diabetes event is coming up very soon touched by type one.org. And you can add your name to the T one D registry very simply, very quickly at T one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox. There are links in the show notes and links at Juicebox podcast.com.
I logged on to the Facebook page recently for the podcast the private one that you can find by searching for Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes, when I saw Jenna's post, and it really caught my eye. Please remember while you're listening to Jenna's post, and the hundred and 84 comments that were left behind it, don't worry, I don't think I'm going to read every one of them. Please remember while you're listening, 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 for becoming bold with insulin. Jenna's post is really lovely. And I'd like to read it to you now. Hello all. I am not the parent of a type one diabetic. But my very best friend's son was just diagnosed over the weekend. They should be coming home from the hospital tomorrow. And I want to help her navigate this transition home.
Right now she is scared, very overwhelmed, and has information overload. Please give me any advice you could that helped you in the beginning. I want to put together a giant care package with tips, tools, items, or information you wished you had or that helped you. Any input you can share with us will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. D share shared that her biggest concern coming home with her five year old were snacks and she was looking for free snacks you know quote unquote free snacks as she's trying to figure out this insulin thing. So she said string cheese simple, simply smart popcorn, jerky, sugar free jello and olives were some examples of things that helped her transition in the beginning. Joni wanted to share that things will get easier. You should get a Dexcom and join a support group. Jennifer says while you're a great friend, perfect portions makes us scale to weigh foods and it tells you how many carbs that has counting carbs accurately is very important. While you're getting dosages adjusted. She also suggests getting a really cool backpack to carry the supplies around then. And that in the beginning having little bags of snacks pre counted with their carbs makes things easier. Nita popped in to say that she loves the scale she has greater goods, nourish digital kitchen food scale, please know that I have never used any of these products. I'm just reading the while this thread goes on forever. Someone else is amazed that a scale can count carbs. Kelly brings in another scale. This one is the nutria track. Apparently there are a number of these scales. You put something on tell it Hey, this is an apple or whatever. And it tells you the carbs. I wonder how well that works. Oh, well this scale thing freaks out a number of people. And then Julia says this is a wonderful community to start with. Oh, thank you Julia. The podcast that they This group is based on is a wonderful resource. Julia, you're very nice. Episode 11 is a great starting point. And then Julia brings something up that I would have suggested defining diabetes, the series within this podcast that just defines terms is very helpful in the beginning, while people are throwing new words at you, and you don't know any of them. aleena says, be patient with yourself, your child and this empire and this entire process because it will get easier. The first few weeks or months are wacky, and she warns to look out for a honeymoon period. For those of you listening, don't know, a honeymoon period is a time where the body still may make some insulin. And that can get confusing when you're measuring insulin using it, then you get some that's man made and some that's still made in the pancreas, it can make things a little wonky. So look out for the honeymoon period. If you get one, which not everyone does. Nina says that a lot of her friends were actually at home when she got there to support her, they brought, you know more quote unquote free snacks. And they did some stuff around the house that helped. So that the family could settle in. That's really lovely. I have to say that that was done for me to reminding you that I am a stay at home dad. When we returned from our vacation where Arden was diagnosed, a number of family members came and just cleaned our house top the bottom just you know, like put us in a reset in the house. And it was really helpful not to have to worry about stuff like that. In those first couple of weeks. It's a great idea. Becky says to know you're not alone is huge. And if Jenna could do her best to try to understand type one diabetes, that would be amazing. She also says that she wished she found this podcast years ago, and that has changed her life. Oh, Becky, that's really lovely. I'm very happy.
Oh, she also says get an Dexcom I agree with everybody else who said good at Dexcom. Laura says How about a nice cozy blanket. And something for the mom, like a bottle of wine or tea, something that may help comfort her. And educating yourself helps a lot to Laura said that she found the best support came from those that listen without judgment that there'll be good days and bad days. A willing ear is always very appreciated. Kimberly believes that her friend is going to need encouragement, a shoulder to cry on. And she brings up free snacks too. So obviously that's gonna keep coming up. And I want to say that when someone says a free snack, they're talking about food that doesn't need to be covered with insulin. And while there are some things that just have absolutely no carbohydrates in them that don't impact your blood sugar. I'd like to mention here that there are some things that have no carbs in them that people will tell you are free, that could have an impact on your blood sugar down the line. That's a higher level understanding. But we do have an episode about it. It's called diabetes, pro tip fat and protein. That said, in a nutshell, you could eat protein, like, like beef, for example, though, as it gets broken down in your system gets stored as glucose and can raise your blood sugar. Now it doesn't raise it nearly the same as if you you know, had a juice or an orange or an apple. But there is still impact calling it free is a bit of a misnomer, but I understand the inference and the Denise Megan brings up low supplies. So if you're listening and you're newly diagnosed, there are likely going to be times where you use too much insulin or balance it sort of incorrectly with the food impact and your blood sugar may start to get low. In that situation. You're going to need something to bring it up pretty quickly. Sometimes, fruit snacks hit the blood sugar very hard. As do juice boxes. My daughter uses Adam and Eve, the little Burton Ernie ones even though she's 16. Those work great and why Why? Why is my daughter carrying around a burden or any juice box when she's 16 years old, because it has a very little bit of juice in it so you get a little bang for your buck. There's only a tiny bit of juice think it's like four ounces, but it hits my daughter harder. So think about that. You don't want to have to drink 16 ounces of Gatorade 32 ounces of Gatorade to bring your blood sugar up 30 points you want. You want a hard hit. You know what I mean? Like bang, ooh, that worked. I moved 20 points. Just want to get something that you can regulate. A huge mistake I see people make is once they open the bag they eat a law. It's possible you might need to fruit snacks or three fruit snacks to fix your blood sugar. You don't have to eat all of them just because you open the package because eating all of them could bring A low blood sugar and continue to make it a higher blood sugar. Then you get on the roller coaster. And that's not fun. That's you don't want to be shooting up and then shooting down especially in the beginning when you don't understand really how the insulin works. So low blood, low blood sugar supplies, great idea. try really hard not to overdo it. Once you get on that roller coaster, it is hard to get off. David's advice, listen to the Juicebox Podcast and get a continuous glucose monitor, find some good meals and snacks that are lower carb and have the carb count ready. At the beginning, every meal was difficult for David because he couldn't think of any ideas for meals. Now he uses ingredients like vegetables, cheese, eggs, tofu, he said he's a vegetarian. But he knows that meat is also a low impact food. And don't forget about spices that can add flavor to meals. Even having one meal a day kind of prepared and understood as far as its carbon impact goes, can alleviate some of the mental weight of the diagnosis. He also says please listen to your friend because they're scared and overwhelmed. And listening really does help. David also suggest the diabetes pro tip series from this podcast. But he also says to listen at your own pace so that you don't become overloaded. Daniela offered to learn how to give shots and finger sticks.
Knowing a friend can help is a relief. That's simple and good advice. There's a follow up here to that one that was going to be my advice, learning ratios and all you can about specific care to help her out if she needs a break. This would have been so helpful when my son was diagnosed. And even now, eight years later, this would be the best gift in support you could give. Robin says that she's a nurse, and so is Jenna. And she says from one health care professional to another, please know that what we learned in our training about Type One Diabetes could never prepare you to be the parent of a child with type one. That there is a level of complexity in precise science, constant dynamics of change meal prep body's response to meals, response to school sickness, fear sports, these things all have an impact that you couldn't be ready for. Holly says to try to think about numbers you know blood sugar numbers as information and not a measure of personal value. She said she struggled with this personally for a while. In her 45 years as a person living with Type One Diabetes. She was able to help her daughter only think of the number as a piece of information on which to base a decision. I think that is actually great advice. Catherine says listen to the podcast. Thank you, Catherine. Lots of stories of people going through the same thing, plus tips and lots of good real world information, which I discovered it when I was first diagnosed. She also very much likes the book bright spots and land mines by a former guest on the show Adam Brown. Adams writing she says are clearly written and very helpful. Jennifer says here's a big one. And it's difficult to do never judge or react strongly to a blood glucose reading. You're gonna see highs and lows. But there are no bad numbers. Just simply your guide to adjusting ratios. Try to keep strong emotions out of your diabetes decisions. Always being a frustrated, sad angry can obviously lead to bigger issues. Jennifer, I know how you found this podcast. I like the way you think. Rebecca says she wished she knew that some of the older slow acting insulins were more impactful when they were split and used every 12 hours instead of once a day. Gina says she just got a meal that somebody made for and how wonderful it was to receive something that, you know, she didn't have to cook herself. Jodi brings up something here that I'd like to say, which is that putting a time restraint on when you're going to feel better is sort of silly, I did this I've shared it on the podcast before it was a bad idea. I got it into my head that you know, in a year I would really understand diabetes. So don't think oh, it's been a month or it's been a week or it's been a year. I should know all this by now. It takes a lot of time to have the experiences that build the knowledge base that you end up using day to day. They don't just come all at once. And often you'll have the experience and not recognize it as a valuable experience. So you don't save it. Or I also think you can be so freaked out in the beginning that you gret you get this great lesson and it just doesn't register at the time. having patience and not putting timelines on things, I think is a great suggestion. There's a follow up that idea here from Michelle. She said that there was a ton of grieving, discomfort. Don't forget this thing as traumatic. It's a loss of normalcy. There's going to be tears and frustration and anger but she was amazing. That how quickly things like that translated away, as she found things like Dexcom, or learned that there were some foods that didn't, you know, impact blood sugars. And in finding this podcast, she said, Actually, it looks like she found the podcast while she was still in the hospital with her daughter and it helped her a lot. Well, I'm glad Michelle, that's excellent. Michelle says less than 60 days later, she's transitioned to a dexcom g six. She's talked about her diabetes with their teacher and her classmates. And everything is, you know, getting normal, she's even back to playing volleyball, golf, tennis, I think that's a good, that's a really great message too, for anyone that this is not a permanent loss of normalcy. It's a temporary pausing while you figure out how to do things with diabetes. And then soon, you'll realize it's not that big of a deal to go out and play baseball and have type one diabetes, a lot of people do it. You can tell favia says that, of course everyone is different. But for her as the mother of a child with Type One Diabetes, she was mentally physically and emotionally drained after the diagnosis in hospital, say, a friend sent her flowers, and then just let her vent, and that it was a huge help.
Carrie says a 504 plan is a really big help. And for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a care plan that your school has to legally adhere to make. So a lot of things go smoother. Jamie says that her four year old was diagnosed at two and she wishes somebody would have just told her it's going to be okay, at some point, just reassurance that it's going to be okay. Lisa has not to make a lot of plans because there's going to be a lot to do right now. That's insightful and simple. Lee, you're learning Type One Diabetes right now. And it's kind of hard to do that while you're painting the garage. This has been said a couple of different ways but not so specifically, Holly says being able to offer to babysit is a big deal. Just childcare in general. So somebody could take a nap or a bath or just get away for a minute is a really big help. Jeanette says it's not a jail sentence. It's a lifestyle change. That viewpoint really helped. Sarah said it was important for her to have somebody there to support her but not to pretend that they understood what they were going through. This is a deep idea. And emotionally important. I don't think that it's a good idea to say oh my gosh, my aunt has diabetes. I know all about this. That's not great. Empathy, real empathy, not. I know how you feel, or I can't imagine Of course you can't imagine it's great that you can't imagine your kid doesn't have diabetes, right? You You don't have it. But coming in with with honest support, I think is what Sarah's saying, not you know, don't pretend. Bernadette says that her son was diagnosed at 13. And one of the best things that she did was to get him involved in his own care from the beginning. Finger sticks, giving himself an injection. He saw that he could do it believed he could handle it and gained a lot of confidence. And then soon he was telling her to relax that he's got it. It's excellent. A couple people have mentioned the genteel Lance. I guess it's like a suction Lance that people say it doesn't hurt as much I don't know my daughter says her Lance doesn't hurt she has the well how about that my daughter's had diabetes for so long. I can't think of the multi clicks or something clicks. See Li x we love It's terrific. But I guess everybody will find one that they like, ooh, fast clicks. It's called fast clicks.
Unknown Speaker 18:53
Got it.
Scott Benner 18:53
It's cool because it has a drum and you don't have to change it all the time. You'll see if you if you check it out. Lena says that the person asking the question Jenna could listen to the podcast to to absorb some ideas. She's found that meal planning apps can be helpful. And a grocery shopping buddy who helps you read labels. It's nice idea. One person here just says you're just such a lovely friend. And they remember being so lonely and sad. When they came home from the hospital Julia Julia is a frequent guest on the show said you're an amazing friend. I recommend not forgetting to help your friend. From the emotional standpoint she's likely drained and may think she can do it anything you can do to help take that burden off like errands or chores to help her relax would be very helpful. Julia. Cassie reminds us all that sleep is important. So anything you can do to help somebody take a nap I agree napping very important. Natalie said her child was just diagnosed and this post made her cry. Because of what a good friend, Jenna is, Taylor says, This is interesting. We just came home last week, I cried a lot, a lot. make her laugh, she'll cry too. But it'll be good. Don't try to point out the good parts of anything. But if you do point out something good, just reminder that everything is still the same, she can still play sports and eat food. She's still gonna have her first sleep over, go to college. And I'd like to add something here. I didn't find it helpful when people said, Oh, your kid got this because you can handle it. The inference that I am a together person and able to shoulder a burden of a medical diagnosis is not comforting. I think that's a little bit about what Taylor was saying there Don't point out the good parts to me. Don't say stuff like, Oh, well, at least you have health insurance, and stuff like that, because none of that is helpful. Vanessa points out that no one described the differences in carbs to her. And this is something we talk about on the podcast a lot. The glycemic load and glycemic index of different foods, which at its core, and at its very basic nature means that 10 carbs of grapes will impact your blood sugar differently than 10 carbs of a baked potato. And knowing that would be really helpful, especially when the impact dictates how much insulin it needs. So 10 carbs of one thing is not necessarily going to be the same as 10 carbs of another. Jill, I appreciate you bringing that up. Jay brings up something I think happens to a lot of people I wish she says that I knew my daughter could eat whenever she wanted. As long as I gave her insulin, the first day home, I thought she could only eat at certain times. And she sees a lot of moms with that same confusion. I agree. Sometimes when the hospital and the doctor are giving you rules, the rules seem very concrete. And it turns out, they're a lot more flexible than you think. I would say that common sense is a big, big and valuable tool in living with type one diabetes, and not getting brainwashed by something someone said to you one time is really important. Theresa brings up what I think is another great point to remind her that her child is the same person that nothing has changed about who the child is. I struggled in the beginning with not looking at my daughter and seeing diabetes before I saw her very important not to do that. Look at Alexandra jumps in and says give her my information. I'd be happy to talk to her if she needs help. That's really nice. Jennifer brings up my point don't say God knew that she could handle this if she gave her kid diabetes. Yeah, that's a obvious thing you would think but a lot of people say it. Margarita brings up something that I'm going to have a podcast episode about soon as I can. She said that she went through the stages of grieving while her son was diagnosed, and that it's fine. But you have to give yourself some time. Don't forget to take care of yourself as the parent. Very, very, very important. Another vote for a babysitter. Stephen says that once the initial shock of the diagnosis wears off, he found that the words education is the great equalizer are absolutely true. He's telling you to learn about how insulin works. Learn about how food impacts you learn about the quality of food, this one's coming from me. Processed foods are much more difficult to manage with insulin than more natural foods. It's just the truth. You can do it like I could Bolus a pop tart, but you're not going to figure that out on the first day. That's difficult. more votes are sending her friend wine. Cheese. You guys are a bunch of drunks.
Sima says you're an awesome friend for asking. Oh, Kelly, be the person that she doesn't have to be brave for. That's a that's an interesting way of thinking about a shoulder to cry on. You just be a place where your friend can be honest and doesn't have to pretend it's a great idea. Taryn says that someone that can help with the rest of the family, if there are other siblings is a big help. So those kids don't feel like they're just sort of being shelved while you're figuring out diabetes. Andy says this is good and he said that when she was coming home from the hospital, they were given like a packet of papers by everyone that she met with and that they need to be organized and going gone over and sorted out. And that even some of the things that are being said here aren't going to make any sense to her at the moment. She's going to need time to figure it all out. She also says that going to pick up her prescriptions for would be really helpful. Oh, Sarah, you are Oh girl after my own heart office. To do her laundry and bring her coffee, I don't drink coffee. But anyone who would do my laundry is a lifelong friend. Oh, Lois says Get her here on the on the this Facebook page will give her access to all kinds of great information. Thank you, Lois. I think it's a great Facebook page too. All right. Just listen, let her cry. Have her listen to the podcast that changed my life. I'm going through a little quickly now. Tina gave some lists of some carb counts that are, you know, you can kind of download off the internet so you don't have to guess. And Jenna comes in and says thank you This by the way, this thread is now four days old, as Jenna comes in to say thank you again. And Jen has been very responsive and, and Harding everybody stuff and everything. And then this guy comes in and says that the thread is going to become a podcast episode. If you'd like to join the Facebook group, there's links right here in the show notes of your podcast player, and at Juicebox podcast.com. But you can always search Juicebox Podcast, Type One Diabetes on Facebook, to join today. Hey, huge thanks to Jenna for making a post that got such great responses. And thank you to everyone who responded. I genuinely believe that this is the kindest place I've ever seen on Facebook, especially wrapped around type one diabetes. So many listeners, so many wonderful and thoughtful replies.
I'd like to also take a moment to thank the sponsors of the show. Because this is me, you know, going through a Facebook post and reading what I think are really helpful replies, it takes time. I know it'll take you a half an hour to listen to it. But it takes me hours and days to produce this episode and get it to you as it does with all of them. This podcast is absolutely free to the listeners because it is ad supported. So if you have the opportunity to check out one of the sponsors, please do if you're looking, you know for an insulin pump, check out the Omni pod. You don't have to buy it. But check it out, get the free no obligation pump santia. See what you think. If you're thinking about Dexcom, use my link to get there. And this same goes for all of the other advertisers. Every year around this time, they look back and see how many of you clicked on a link. And that's how they decide if they want to sponsor the show for another year. That's how a year from now you'll get another episode. It's how a week from now you'll get it one is actually going to be two more episodes this week. So that'll end up being somewhere around four hours worth of content just this week. It takes me I am the Booker of the show. I am the one who conducts the episodes. I edit, produce, do the technical parts of leveling the sound, getting you the episode, supporting it on social media. I think that each hour of content that you hear probably takes me six to seven hours to create. And I love it like don't get me wrong, this is the best job in the world. But it is ad supported. So click on the link, check out the sponsors. Tell someone else about the show. I mean, really, if if the show continues to grow, then we shouldn't have any trouble keeping the sponsors. You know what I mean? So if the podcast is really been valuable to you, and you meet somebody else who you think it could be valuable to also telling them is maybe the kindest thing you could do to keep the podcast going. So with all that in mind, thank you to the dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor. Find out more dexcom.com forward slash juice box and the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump my Omni pod.com forward slash juice boxes where you can get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod sent directly to you. To learn more about the Contour Next One blood glucose meter go to Contour Next one.com forward slash juice box. See what's going on it touched by type one at touched by type one.org. Don't forget that their dance extravaganza is coming up in just a few days. Check out that link for more information. If you're a US resident, add your name to the T one D exchange registry. They're looking for data from you simple, easy type one diabetes related data to help grow care for everyone. It's completely anonymous and 100% HIPAA compliant. T one d exchange.org. Ford slash juice box. No kidding. I Had some computer issues a few weeks ago, those of you who clicked on key Wendy exchange.org, forward slash juice box and filled out the registry questions paid for online backup of my data and on site backup, so I was able to buy some hard drives and get a backup service for the shows that have already been created. I know some of you may know I had like a computer issue, as a bit of a scary didn't lose anything. But there were 63 unproduced, but recorded episodes of the podcast on a computer. And I now have redundancy set up that was paid for by those of you who clicked on T one d exchange.org. forward slash juice box in October. It's very cool. It's amazing. People like to learn more about g vo cuyp open G Volk glucagon.com forward slash juice box. last little bits. If you have a great doctor, or you're looking for one, check out juicebox docs.com. That's where listeners of this show are sharing their favorite practitioners. If you have one, send them in through the website. And if you need one, go check it out. We have them all over the United States and all over the world actually more come in every day. Are you looking for those diabetes pro tip episodes. You can find them right there in your podcast player beginning in Episode 210. Or they're all neatly displayed at diabetes pro tip.com. Those of you who are looking for help, because you're newly diagnosed, I hope you'll go back, check out the Facebook page talk with people.
I really think the diabetes pro tip episodes are invaluable as our defining diabetes episodes. And we have some great stuff coming up in 2021. Jenny's gonna take all of the notes that she gets from people. And you know what? That's too soon. Let's just tease that out a little longer. I'm not gonna tell you what Jenny and I are doing yet in 2021. But let's just say yeah, gonna love it. Alright, thanks so much for listening to the podcast. Two more episodes coming this week. The holidays are upon us. I know. It's been a long year for everybody. I hope you're doing okay. But through it all. You've supported the podcast in record numbers. As the show approaches, 3 million downloads. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that you're here, that you're sharing that you're listening and that you're having the outcomes that you are. It's really heartwarming. And I just want to thank you as we go into the holiday season. I'll see you soon.
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#403 Hiking the FOMO Trail
John has T1d and Wanderlust
John is a teacher, a traveler, a husband and an adult living with 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 0:10
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode 403 of the Juicebox Podcast Today's show is with john. JOHN is a teacher who travels the world teaching children, hiking trails, and just generally living an adventurous life with Type One Diabetes. Hey, 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 any changes to your health care plan, or becoming bold with insulin.
This episode is titled hiking the FOMO trail. And it is sponsored by Dexcom Omni pod and touched by type one, you can go to dexcom.com Ford slash juice box to find out more about the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box to get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump and of course touched by type one.org.
John Palmer 1:27
My name is John Palmer. I'm originally from coastal California outside Santa Cruz. And my brother was diagnosed with diabetes at about 16. And then I was a late bloomer and didn't get it till I was about 31. And at that time I was living and working and teaching abroad. And actually just when I got diagnosed was when my wife and I had decided to take a year off from teaching. We met my wife and I met she's from Idaho, we met in Thailand teaching in Bangkok. And then we moved to Cairo, Egypt together. We were teaching and working there. But then we decided to take a year off to try to hike across the United States. And so it's like day three, I'm back in California, I'm getting ready for this big adventure. We're getting married two weeks before we start this big hike. And then I go to this kind of routine oral glucose tolerance test that I had been kind of enrolled in with Stanford University. And they're like, hey, things are out of whack. You're not good right now. And then all of a sudden, it all just kind of clicked into place. Like oh, yeah, I've had glucosuria for six months. And that's why I'm so tired. And that's why I can't put on weight and it all kind of just suddenly fell into place.
Scott Benner 2:39
Alright, john, you've already said a lot. So let's figure some stuff out. So you thought we'll get married and then go for a hike for a long time? Was that just to test the marriage out? Just to make sure it was right.
John Palmer 2:51
Right. It's one of those weeding out processes again, just make sure she really wants to be married with you. You can be stuck in a tent with somebody for a couple thousand miles. And yeah, you're pretty, pretty sure that you guys are gonna get along.
Scott Benner 3:01
I was gonna say you'd probably either be married forever or divorced in three weeks. Right? So right? Yeah, it's
John Palmer 3:07
a good litmus test. That's for sure.
Scott Benner 3:09
You were enrolled in the study at Stanford? I'm assuming because your brother at that point? Yes, exactly.
John Palmer 3:14
Yeah. So I was in trial net, which I think is one of the larger ones. And so I've been in trial net since I was early teenager. And then every six months or so I'd go to Stanford and they would just Just give me a big ol cup full of sugar water and then just watch my pancreas slowly try to beat it down. And then I went in there that one time and they just came back with this look on their faces. Oh, no, this is that's not the look you want from somebody and they showed me these huge numbers as Oh, man. This is? Yes, I'm part of the team now.
Scott Benner 3:45
Wow, that's amazing. We get trial and that has been on the show before my son's done it. It's a very reputable and and, you know, great way to track people who maybe don't have type one diabetes, but but could one day they they'll test you now for markers, I think there's five markers that indicate whether or not you're more likely to get type one diabetes. So did you know that you had the markers?
John Palmer 4:10
Right? So all of that information just really just flew over my head when I was a kid because you know, I started so young. So I'm sure I have all of that data, you know, when I was 13. But God knows what a 13 year olds going to do with that information. I was worried about, you know, Pokemon, and the girl sitting across me in history class. And so once I was, you know, been in the city for 10 years and and found out that I was type one, then we went back and looked at the data and my wife who you know, very small, so she went and kind of analyze a lot and find out I did have some of the markers. I did have some antibodies, so the writing was sort of on the wall if I was looking for it.
Scott Benner 4:46
Yeah, you just weren't really looking I guess. I mean, at that age what it just makes a lot of sense. Hey, can I get you to mute your phone and take it off? Yes. And take it off the table. Thanks. Yes.
I don't think the people listening care it just My brain jumps and then I have to start over again.
John Palmer 5:04
Yeah, I know exactly 100% that that ding alarm. Yeah. Oh, man, do I have an email that I have to get back to settling?
Scott Benner 5:12
But you know, I don't know you might need that phone for Are you using a glucose monitor?
John Palmer 5:16
No, actually, I am as low tech as you could get Currently, I'm on MDI. And, yeah, just a finger sticks. Just real low tech currently.
Scott Benner 5:26
How old are you now?
John Palmer 5:27
So I'm 32 as of now.
Scott Benner 5:30
So this diabetes thing is really new for you?
John Palmer 5:32
Yeah, yeah. So I'm only a couple years into it. But when when I got to that trial net, and they told me they're like, Hey, you know, your numbers are out of whack. And then suddenly realized, I probably have been suffering from this for a little while. So yeah, I was definitely a late bloomer polegato when I was 31. Maybe 30 is when my pancreas really started on quitting on me. Yeah.
Scott Benner 5:56
So do you have feelings about technology? Are you trying to avoid it? Are you thinking of doing it? Like, where are you at?
John Palmer 6:03
No. So when I got diabetes, I was in and started listening to Well, when I found that I was diabetic, I stay in my brother's place, and they spent probably like seven days just reading every hospital, you know, protocol procedures that they would use, because at the time I was without a job, didn't have insurance paying out of pocket wasn't something super doable for like the more advanced technologies, but no, I'm listening to the benefits of technologies, I think that I would be remiss to not give them attempt. So as I've been in Costa Rica, and my new job, I'm new school new insurance stable for the last six months or so a few months ago, I started contacting my endocrinologist, to put me in contact with the people that have pumps, and more specifically, I'm really looking forward to getting a continuous glucose monitor. But the technologies in Costa Rica right now aren't where we would like them to be. And so I guess, this is kind of time sensitive. But we're currently in the kind of COVID crisis. So it's a little more difficult to get the technologies that I would like, but in the future, yes, that next step is continuous glucose monitor for sure.
Scott Benner 7:21
I just wasn't, you know, I don't have a judgement about it. There's plenty of people who manage really well, without anything, it's, you know, it's not a life I'm good at. But, you know, there's plenty of people who told me they are.
John Palmer 7:33
Yeah, I understand that it just is such a trade off, because you're just gonna have to get the numbers that I would like to get, I just have to finger stick more often, I have to have a lower carb diet, you don't have to exercise at certain times in certain places, I just I have to do a little bit more to get the numbers that I want to. Because I'm lower tech, but know that that would definitely be the huge benefit to be able to have a pump and more specifically a CGM.
Scott Benner 7:57
So I want to go back a little bit. And I just feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't ask if you're Mormon. No, no. Okay. Because there have been so many Mormons on the show. And they always are telling a story about going somewhere to teach or to help somebody and I just thought, you know, why don't I just get this out of the way and find out up front? And, and I beginning to think it's the it is the prefer diabetes podcasts for the Mormon religion, but so I'm trying to understand a little bit what draws you to leave the country and go help somewhere else? Like, tell me your whole path around that?
John Palmer 8:34
Yeah. So I think that you're looking at it a little more altruistically than I was, I think that I was just finishing college and I'm like, hey, I want to go. I want to go travel the world. I want to go see stuff I want to go. So I thought, well, I can teach because I was teaching as a substitute teacher in California. Okay, well, I was substitute teaching credential, that's plenty. That's enough to get my foot in the door in a developing country. So I looked at a few different places I wanted to go Asia seemed fun because it just seemed kind of like the opposite of all the things and places that I knew as I grew up, so I was like, Okay, let's go somewhere with a low cost of living. Thailand, Bangkok seemed like a perfect fit. And then once that was there, I kind of saw the limit of how far you can go with you know, a basic teaching credential. So that's when I was able to get my master's my teaching credential abroad. And then with that, I was able to travel to these other different countries to continue teaching at an international schools. Okay, so
Scott Benner 9:31
you're just looking to be somewhere kind of chill and warm and go and still do your job.
John Palmer 9:37
Yeah, just looking for a sense of adventure because you know that the teaching racket in California or in America, it is what it is, but if I could do that in some, you know, exotic locale, then it seems so much more appealing to me.
Scott Benner 9:47
Okay, that's, that's pretty amazing. And you found a person who was willing to do that with you, too.
John Palmer 9:52
Yeah. I always joke that she's my Thai bride because we met in Thailand, but she's, you know, a farm race girl from Idaho. And we met up They're playing Ultimate Frisbee one day and we just hit it off and just started dating. You know, right then
Scott Benner 10:05
where you met in Thailand.
John Palmer 10:07
Yeah, we met in Thailand on an army base throwing frisbees to each other. And, yeah, we just started dating. And one thing led to another, we decided that we wanted to move to our next, you know, teaching location together, which was Cairo, Egypt. And I think we're six months or so into that. And I said, Hey, do you want to hike across America, you want to? Do you want to try to do this 2500 mile hike across the United States? And she's like, Sure, yeah. Sounds great. And then a week later, I was like, hey, do you want to take a year off to try to do that? And she's like, Yeah, sure. And then a couple weeks later is like, hey, do you want to? This is on the Nile River,
on a little boat among my name, like, hey, do you want to marry me? She's like, Sure. So like, okay, these are all lining up. Got my partner for life. Let's go do it. Do you?
Scott Benner 10:47
Would you consider yourself someone who has wanderlust Do you just want to catch
John Palmer 10:52
up, but I'm also I'm also a big homebody like this, this COVID quarantine, I haven't hated it. You know, it's given me lots of time to like, do all the things I want to do give me lots of time and space. But no, I definitely love that. You know, that sense of adventure. Look, you know, collecting passport stamps, I think we're up to 50. Right now, each of she has five more countries than me. And we always travel together. So I don't know how I'm gonna catch up to her. But yes, we do love traveling in new places, seeing new things.
Scott Benner 11:19
That's really interesting. I see, Your Honor. You're like, quite literally, on the Nile. When you decide I've drugged her all over the place. She said yes to everything she married me is probably like a no brainer.
John Palmer 11:31
Right? Yeah, exactly. She said yes. So far, all these crazy ideas. What's one more,
Scott Benner 11:35
so I'll whip out the craziest one now? How crazy? Was it when the diabetes I mean, it sounds like you guys probably just rolled with it. But was it an impact for her when you were diagnosed?
John Palmer 11:47
You know what she I received she's smarter than me. She said maybe six months before we left Egypt. I'm just like, we're watching the movie. And I peed like three times during the movie. And she was a bad man. I and I was attributed because Cairo, Egypt is rather polluted. And to get it's likely, it's a polluted city. And so I was assumed that I was the air quality. It's the poor water. It's, it's this or that. And it's the third time in getting up during the movie. She's like, hey, maybe you have diabetes, kind of half jokingly and I was like, Oh, no, I'm not going to get that till I'm older or something. I had some, you know, stupid throwback liner. Right? And then lo and behold, she was right. The whole time.
Scott Benner 12:21
Did she know about your brother?
John Palmer 12:23
Yes. So she was aware of my brother and the whole thing.
Scott Benner 12:27
It's interesting. I'd love to know if she was doing her diligence behind the scenes. Like I like this guy. I'm going all over the place with him. He's gonna ask me to marry him at some point. I wonder what this diabetes is? Because it sounds Yes, it sounds like she knew about it. You know?
John Palmer 12:39
Yes. 100% I'm, she's great at googling things behind our back or you know, my back. And so I'm sure that she was googling ik, like, losing way peeing all the time. Those are symptoms, what could be the and of course, you know, you're going to come across type one diabetes as one of those So, and she knew that my brother was so yeah, she put one on one together, far more quickly than I was willing to accept.
Scott Benner 13:02
I would never look at Kelly's Google history because I'm afraid it would say stuff. Like why is this guy an idiot? And how do you how do I sneak away in the middle of the night or you know, smother a person with a pillow? Like you don't mean like that kind of stuff? Yeah, well, if you know where longer you'll be, you'll be more concerned.
John Palmer 13:17
She had plenty of opportunities on trail to smother me or pushing you into a black bear or something.
Scott Benner 13:22
push me into a black bear. I don't know why I found that so amusing.
Unknown Speaker 13:30
Seems like
John Palmer 13:32
the most dangerous was she hikes Fast Money so she's always you know, 20 feet in front of me. So she pisses off all the rattlesnakes and whatnot. They're sleeping. She walks by kisses him off, and then I come stumbling through and there's these rattlesnakes, she's ready to start nipping at you, but those are the times I'm like, Katie,
Unknown Speaker 13:48
do you love me?
Scott Benner 13:50
I'm interested. Do you? Have you ever said to her? What if we walk together?
John Palmer 13:55
Yeah, but yeah, I guess but she
Scott Benner 13:58
can't. My wife can either when I go out in public with my wife, she's, you have to keep up with her. Yeah, she's motoring along and you're like, hey, are we in a race that I'm not aware?
John Palmer 14:08
Right, right. I just tell her I'll see you at the next water source. I'll see you the next campsite. I'll get there when I get there.
Scott Benner 14:14
Dude, she's trying to leave you somewhere. So um, so you know. So you're in Thailand, you end up in Egypt? You I guess you finally do come home you get diagnosed and then you go on your hike through the through the trail is that right?
John Palmer 14:26
Yeah. So I was I they gave me a test kit right then and I've just started religiously checking my blood sugar's and I was hovering around 100 maybe 110. So with I naively thought with with diet with it to ketogenic diet, if I keep it low carb and I'm, you know, stay super hydrated. You know, maybe I can keep these numbers at bay. I thought that maybe I was the 1% of 1% of type ones that have these exigent circumstances that allow them to do this, that or the other. You know, I was doing I was googling stem cells and I was looking for every avenue I could do anything other than face the fact that I'm gonna need to get on insulin and start doing things the right way.
Scott Benner 15:05
Yeah. Did you speak to your brother in that time frame?
John Palmer 15:08
Oh, yeah, yeah. religiously. I was constantly calling him like, Hey, what's up with this? How does this work? And so it was, I think that if I didn't have a brother, that was type one, and I didn't know the ins and outs of type one diabetes, that I never would have gone on trail and tried to hike 1000 miles with you know, a decreasingly functioning pancreas. Satya,
Scott Benner 15:28
did he give you any advice in that time that you ignored? But you look back on now and think that was the right thing right there.
John Palmer 15:37
Right. So he gave me some advice. But he honestly, I've been since I become a type one diabetic. I've been really hounding him to read this article, read this book, go listen, these three podcasts because I find that he got a lot of that. Don't die advice from hospitals. You know, I talked to him, I was like, hey, what were your numbers when you were, you know, 15. And he's like, Oh, my endo said keep it 130 and just go from there. So he got a lot of, again, that don't die advice that you get from a hospital protocol to, that's not really going to keep you at the numbers that you'd like to with control. But it's just to keep you keep you out of the emergency room.
Scott Benner 16:13
Yeah, it's just it's interesting, because he got it at a different time, you know, in history and at a different age. And I was wondering if he was going to be the one who was like, Listen, here, here's the skinny on this. Or if you were going to look at him and go, Wow, I'm learning so much. I think maybe he's in a different place than I want to be in.
John Palmer 16:33
Yes. Yeah. That's a really good point. He was very instrumental once. So I hiked 1000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, and then winter hit. And so I had this kind of like, winter couple months, I was like, What am I going to do? So I flew to Florida to try to hike across Florida and I get about 500 miles across Florida. And my numbers just kept creeping up and creeping up. I was like, Okay, this is this is not working. And I think I was on Metformin at one time, which is kind of like a type two diabetes medication, right, that an endo prescribed to me and, and that was working with decreasing effectiveness. So I thought, Okay, well, this isn't working. So I called my brother and he was living in Miami at the time, and I'm somewhere in Central Florida in the Everglades or what have you. And I said, Hey, Mike, I need you to come pick me up. So he drove out there picked me up, took me to his place, and I just remember that first unit of insulin when I you know, shut it up on my butt. I immediately just felt this wave of euphoria. This like my body was finally like, Oh, this is what you've needed the whole time. What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you why'd you wait this long on us? And he was very instrumental in giving me a proper advice for Bolus and Pre-Bolus. Seeing all the all the basics that you kind of need laid out in front of you.
Scott Benner 17:43
That's excellent. I I wonder how many people have that story because I hear it so frequently. You know, I have type one diabetes, but I was diagnosed as an adult and someone gave me Metformin. Now, you don't need you given Metformin because they thought you were type two, or because they because I don't understand otherwise.
John Palmer 18:02
Yeah, cuz they, I was, I was showing them my numbers. I'm like, Okay, well, you're not quite type one yet. You're type one and a half. So this might prolong it. You know, your pancreas might last Another week, another month, another six months, a year or what have you. So this might help me hurt the tide.
Scott Benner 18:17
Yeah. Okay. So they were trying to move you through your honeymoon without insulin.
Unknown Speaker 18:23
Yes, exactly. Right. Okay. Do you in retrospect, I
Scott Benner 18:26
was gonna say, looking back.
John Palmer 18:27
Yeah, yeah, looking back. It's like putting duct tape on the Titanic, you know, it was all the way down. It was like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. There's, there's just you know, it was on the way out.
Scott Benner 18:37
Yeah. And you should have been using insulin at that point, you think
John Palmer 18:40
100% on it. In retrospect, as soon as I found out, I should have driven to Mexico or driven to Canada loaded up on insulin. And then, you know, try to do what I was going to do. Right. Which is actually what we did, because we I'm in between that kind of winter. My wife and I we met in Thailand again to kind of visit some friends. And I thought, well, Thailand's insolence so cheap, let me just run by some pharmacies, and I was just getting it for a fraction of the price essentially. Gotcha. JOHN,
Scott Benner 19:09
are you stalking plastic cups while you're talking to me? What's go?
John Palmer 19:12
I got a cute little kitten, and she's going crazy. So I removed her toys. So it should be it should be quiet. We've had a little quarantine Kitty, which has been really fun. But yeah, noisy.
Scott Benner 19:22
You gave birth during this quarantine. Something like that. How did you get it? Uh, how did you get the kitten delivered to you airdrop. Oh, well,
John Palmer 19:29
there's Yeah. Well, there's unfortunately just a million cats on Facebook that need adoptions. So we found a little cat its mother died. And yeah, you know, the owner was happy to deliver it on over so yeah, we got a little cat.
Scott Benner 19:43
So is that kitten an indication that you are not going to be traveling the world anymore.
John Palmer 19:48
I know we really want to try to travel the world as much as possible. But we do want to have kind of home base and we're actually hoping that's kind of going to be in a bit of an adventure cat. So she's a kid. Right now, but we got a little halter and a little leash and stuff and we're slowly taking her out to the parks and walking her around a little bit. Hopefully we're gonna get her into a little Catholic and height trails with us. So
Scott Benner 20:09
So the plan is that this kitten one day will be a cat who's sitting in a boat in Egypt, when you say, Hey, I think we should have a baby. And
John Palmer 20:17
exactly, that's the plan.
Unknown Speaker 20:19
Girls girl's gonna get tired of you at some point.
Unknown Speaker 20:22
At one point, she's
John Palmer 20:23
gonna say enough is enough.
Scott Benner 20:26
JOHN, do you have any ideas that involve you cutting the lawn on Saturday?
John Palmer 20:31
Yeah, but you go fix the garage.
Scott Benner 20:33
That's so you really? See you're, you're a free spirit. John's like you. I have to tell you, I don't I like my dogs. Fine. But I if you if I want to sleep past 730 I can't own a dog. It's it's that it's that impactful. And if I'm trying to imagine a world where I'd be like, I'm gonna travel still, we'll take the pets with us. I think that's a special person that has that thought. And it's not, you're not um, you're not not thinking it through, you understand the impact of it. And you're actually you're up for it. Yeah, no
John Palmer 21:05
hundred percent. In fact, this cat to me is kind of just a little dry run for the diabetic dog that I really want to get. I want to get like a young hungry Mutt and do the best I can to train it to smell my blood sugar. And then I'll have you know, a super fun diabetic dog that can take hiking with me. Like a cool Yeah, cool. Animal for life.
Scott Benner 21:24
Have you heard my episode with the guy that did the strangest dog himself? You did?
John Palmer 21:28
Yes. Yes. Hundred percent.
Scott Benner 21:30
So this podcast is is is ruining your life, john. But I my real. My real question here is in your initial like, correspondence to me. You were telling me about the you know, the diagnosis, then right off onto the trail? And how the podcast was helping you back then can I ask how you found it?
John Palmer 21:53
Oh, yeah, it was tremendous. So I had exhausted all of the I had read all of the hospital protocols that they have for people with type one. And I listened to every TED Talk. And I was like, Okay, well, I'm a glutton for podcasts. So there has to be a diabetic podcast out there, and listen to a few. And then I found juice boxes like, Okay, this one's resonating with me. This is kind of your easy come easy go disposition was kind of in line with my temperament. So it's like, Okay, this is this one could work. And then hearing the numbers, and the technology and the lifestyle that people were using and living in, I was like, Oh, this is super tangible, like I can do the things I want to do. while still being a type one diabetic. And, you know, going everywhere I want to go and doing everything I want to do. I'm not gonna let you know, type one, be the thing that I use as the excuse. Because I mean, I use plenty of other things is excuse. I just don't want to take one to be my excuse.
Scott Benner 22:45
I don't want to make you so bold, john, that you're trying to travel the world with a caravan of puppies and kittens, though? Like you have to be a little reasonable. You understand? Right? Yes,
John Palmer 22:54
yeah. And I think one of the things that I've been able to figure out along the way is, you know, how to manage insulin and testing and all those things, moving from country to country, you know, on a road trip on a hiking trip on planes, having to manage all of those things. It's Yeah, it's just been trial by fire, essentially.
Scott Benner 23:15
So was the podcast more about attitude for you? Or are you picking up management ideas to because you have no technology? So it's interesting.
John Palmer 23:23
Yeah. So yeah, the technology parts just made me envious. And, you know, actually, the way I've kind of thought about is like, I'm going to hit those same figures, I'm just going to do it with low tech. If that means that to check my blood sugar a million times a day, then that's all I'm gonna do. Because I want I want I yeah, I kind of demanded myself to hit these numbers hit these quotas. So I'm hearing the numbers that people are able to get with a continuous glucose monitor and and, you know, an omni pod or a pump. And I thought, well, I should try to do the same thing, even if I'm low tech. So it took a lot more work and a lot more. Yeah, it just took a lot more work. But you know, I was still labeled and looking at my agency numbers. When I was kind of untreated. I was at a seven and then it brought it down to a five three, and now I've been about a six the last couple of weeks, and those are significantly higher than I would like but I kind of dabbled in vegetarianism and veganism for a minute, but I found it to be super unsustainable, just because it was so high carb. Okay. But yeah, I have been able to essentially hit some of those numbers and trying to
Scott Benner 24:26
how much intensive time is spent getting that five or that six with the, with the vegetables or are you in a rhythm now?
John Palmer 24:38
Now and they've been a bit in a rhythm where I know, I think, specifically for myself, it was being able to have some foods, they know what they're going to do. And then when I do miss the mark, I have a handful of you know, little tricks or tips that I use to kind of move my blood sugar the way that I need to There's always a yoga mat. I'm always, I love cold showers. So I know I can move my blood sugar 1020 points, at any point if I want to by taking a freezing cold shower, or doing some jumping jacks or hopping on my bike or doing like, I love playing for his niece or wife and I always go through freezing at the park. So I'm trying to do all the other peripheral things to try to keep it in line. If, if I can't do it with the tech that I have,
Scott Benner 25:27
who told you about the cold shower? I've never heard that one.
John Palmer 25:30
Oh, that one. Um, I think it was just some kind of hippie guru thing. His name's Wim Hof. He's kind of just some like Yogi cold water, it's kind of those Heat Shock proteins and cold shock proteins, I think there's a good bit of science backing those up. So I love taking super hot showers where I'm just just sweating bullets the whole time, kind of like a sauna. If I had a sauna, I would do that. Or a cold shower can move at the same. Or I find that if you know, a couple downward dogs on a yoga mat can move what I need to move, you know, in varying degrees. So I try to use all those other kind of physical tools to move my blood sugar when I need to, because I'm not currently with the technology that would like to have.
Scott Benner 26:11
It's interesting. I hadn't heard the cold side I I have heard of quite a bit about sauna dry heat. And that and that Heat Shock being good for you. But I didn't I didn't know the other part of it. And obviously the activity is just, you know, it's right there. Arden's working out more, since we've been trapped in the house, doing doing more intensive workouts. And, you know, if she there's either we have to manipulate her insulin prior, she has to take some sort of a snack going into it. Or, you know, we have to, you know, she has the time it after a meal and sort of let the meal help with it. Because, you know, she can see 70 or 80 points pretty quickly come off her bladder with a workout.
John Palmer 26:55
Yeah, hundred percent. I can recall you talking about being out all day with Arden for a softball tournament in the blazing heat for you know, 567 hours. And while I was trying to do the same thing, hiking, you know, a marathon a day, every day, day after day, I was trying to do those same things. But with the limited technology, it just took so much more management. Yeah. So like if I'm up in the mountains, and am I lightheaded because there's no oxygen up here on my lightheaded? Because I'm low. So in all of these situations, when in doubt, I would just test it out,
Scott Benner 27:31
how often do you think you'd have?
John Palmer 27:33
Now, sometimes it's as low as five, six times a day. But when I was on trail, sometimes you'd be 2025 30.
Scott Benner 27:40
And that, and that was necessary, you found that you never were like, Oh, I'm doing this too much. This was what was needed.
John Palmer 27:45
You know, it's funny, because when I talked to kind of an old school and endocrine, he was like, oh, tests, you know, test once before a meal and three hours after, and I was like, Well, I'm testing, you know, 1020 times a day. He's like, Oh, that's too much. And I'm like, Well, my number is gonna be not my number is going to be off. If I'm not testing that much with the things that I'm trying to do.
Scott Benner 28:04
Yeah, I think when they say that back, then their expectation was that your blood sugar was going to go somewhere around 300 and then drop back down again. So you might as well not pay attention while it's high, because it's going to be high anyway. Right. And then if it's high, three hours later, once the food's out of you, then it's okay to try to fix that number. And that's just a, you know, obviously, an old way of looking at it, he took a new way of thinking without the technology and applied it. And you know, I've talked about it before prior to Arden having a dexcom. We tested a lot and and always in those times where I was like, I need to know what's happening now not so much about when the food went in. That you know, that model wasn't in my head, it was more about trying to figure out the bigger picture without being able to see a glucose monitor.
John Palmer 28:51
Right 100%. And I feel like trying to flesh out that beer picture is a bit of a challenge with that tech without that technology. Because the the way I kind of envisioned it is like if you guys with your CGM, you have a graph. So I wanted a graph to but all my data points were, you know, a finger stick. So I still thought like, I want to know what this graph is doing. And not having data points isn't acceptable. So I just got a more finger six got to find out
Scott Benner 29:16
and you're back. But your background? Is that a way? What am I asking here? Is that a way that your brain always worked? Or did you make this adjustment for diabetes?
John Palmer 29:27
I think I definitely made this adjustment for diabetes, because I think my personality might be a little bit more like, Oh, we can brush it under the rug. It's we don't have to address it today. We can put it off till tomorrow. And then when I kind of got hit with abuse, I was like there's no waiting for tomorrow for diabetes. It's all user managed. It's it's all falls on me. So I kind of grabbed the bull by the horns in that regard and really took a proactive, proactive approach. And when I do mess it up and I'm lethargic and I you know, didn't Pre-Bolus for a thing or something and I'm not seeing the numbers that I Should I kind of look at myself in the mirror? And I think like, well, there's only one person that can change this. So it's got to come from me.
Scott Benner 30:09
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John Palmer 34:11
I kind of look at myself in the mirror. And I think like Well, there's only one person that can change this.
Scott Benner 34:17
You know, that's incredibly commendable, john, because, you know, you spent most of the time on here so far talking about a carefree idea, you know, lifestyle, like if you apply data to almost any of your other decisions, the data would tell you to do something different than what you're doing. And so I was like, that's really kind of incredible that you made that shift just for this but didn't lose it in the rest of your life.
John Palmer 34:40
Right. Yeah, I think I yeah, hundred percent. And on that note, I think I tried to parlay this kind of like boohoo I have diabetes into No, let's go attack this situation. Let's go move forward proactively. Kind of like you. You echo in this podcast. pretty frequently. It's like you have to be proactive about it. You have to be Making Moves to move into the direction you want to go. Because there's it's never gonna happen on its own otherwise,
Scott Benner 35:05
yeah, no diabetes is a lot like you walking in the woods with your wife, if you get behind, you're always just always chasing and you're never gonna catch up. Right? Exactly, yeah. And then you know, your wife, finding a place to stop for water is basically your body. Finally, finally, you know, clearing all the food out of your system, and hopefully, your blood sugar returning to normal, and we're at least a good starting place. Now, I'm obviously a firm believer in being ahead of diabetes, I would much prefer you do something that goes, you know, the direction you don't mean it to do, but at least you can say that Alright, well, I did this, and I got a little low. Next time, I'll know how to do it better, rather than constantly letting diabetes go first. And then you just staring into the abyss wondering, you know what happened, because so many things have now happened, you have no earthly way of deciphering all of them. You know, you have to be ahead of the wave, you know, just count.
John Palmer 36:04
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I feel like that that proactive kind of not aggressive approach, but kind of like a Yeah, the progressive approach, I think, is really beneficial for diabetes. And on that note, I also tried to kind of use diabetes as the reason or the justification. To go that little bit extra to like, this morning, I went for a bike ride and bought a bike off of Craigslist a couple days ago, because just want to be able to get out in the city and kind of move around in the hills. And I thought, Okay, well, I'm tired, I should go home, but I saw a church up the hill is like, well, you have diabetes, you should probably go bike up to that church and get a little bit more exercise because it won't kill you.
Scott Benner 36:43
Nice. And that and that that was your push, you're just I need this exercise for my overall health. Specifically, because I have type one, you know, it's a bonus otherwise,
John Palmer 36:54
all right. And I think I took that from something that you had kind of said about art in I think it was maybe getting ready for summertime and like, hey, Oregon, what are you gonna do over the summer, you can't just, you know, hang out here and watch Netflix all day, you got to go do this, this or this? And that kind of thought, you know, john, you're lazy. If you're left to your own devices, you really got to get this internal fire to keep moving because diabetes is it's walking either way. You got to run faster than it.
Scott Benner 37:20
I'm hearing a Morgan Freeman voice over my head. Left to his own devices. JOHN is inherently lazy.
John Palmer 37:29
Beginning of Shawshank, right, yeah, exactly.
Scott Benner 37:32
Luckily, podcast.
Unknown Speaker 37:34
Yeah.
Scott Benner 37:36
That's where Scott Yeah. Scott said you should get up doesn't take his own advice, by the way, just tells john and his daughter and anybody else who's listening.
John Palmer 37:45
Yeah, for sure. And I'm taking all the little cheap tricks. I can like, whatever. Like I heard some cheesy motivational quote, The other day, I was like, motivation is like a shower doesn't last, you need a new one all the time. And that's kind of the way I feel about motivation. And I was trying to channel some tip or trick or even if it's some chintzy little thing, if it gets me to do the thing that I should have been doing already, then it was a success. Whatever works,
Scott Benner 38:08
honestly, I mean, quite honestly, like whatever works, if you need to hang up a poster or write it on your hand, or, you know, put somebody in charge telling you to move, like whatever it is, make yourself accountable is you know, it's fasting. Listen, I've been stuck in this house for, you know, six weeks now. And the other day, I thought, hey, Scott, what if we just didn't eat one day? Like, you know what I mean? Like, what if we just like tried to scale back this, you know, because it's, it's just, there's, there's times when there's nothing to do, and you do find yourself going, like, Oh, this is just a cracker. It's just a pretzel, but they're all calories that I would normally eat. And so I just, I looked at myself in the mirror, and, and I was like, This isn't okay. Like, you know, I put a couple pounds on since this started, and I was already not where I wanted to be. So I just, I put it in my mind, I was going to do something, I didn't know what it was going to be. And I saw another person online, say, Hey, I'm doing a water fast. And I thought I could do that. And so I did a 36 hour water fast. And then I went on intermittent fasting, and I lost seven pounds in like five days. He was fantastic. Yeah, you know, and so I'm just like, it's not, it's no trouble for me. I actually kind of prefer it, why would I not? Why would I not do this more frequently. So now I'm going to wait seven days and I'm going to hit that I'm going to do the 36 hours again, and just you know, put in that and by the way, 36 hours, you're asleep for eight nine of them anyway, it's just one day. It's one day of drinking water when your stomach says hey, you're hungry. That's,
John Palmer 39:41
ya know, I'm a big fan of that as well. And if I ever have like a blow up meal with you know, burgers and fries and dessert or whatever, the next morning I'm like, you know, this would be a perfect opportunity to maybe skip breakfast and lunch and then I got a 20 something hour fast going, you know, it's not like I don't have the calories in my system from yesterday's gluttonous meal. So Let that clear knows. Yeah.
Scott Benner 40:02
I think sometimes psycho psychologically, and maybe subconsciously, and maybe not so much. You have that sort of like, I don't know what to call it, but like, you feel like Well, I've already messed up. I might as well double down. And instead, instead of waking up after the fries and the and the and the burger and saying, Let me do something a little more reasonable today, you're like, well, let's just go for pancakes. I've already screwed this whole thing up.
John Palmer 40:29
Right, right. There's leftover dessert. Let's eat that for breakfast. Yeah,
Scott Benner 40:31
right. And before you know it, you're eating cold pizza off of the counter. With underwear standing over the sink, when nine hours prior, you are literally mumbling to yourself. Why did I eat all of that pizza?
John Palmer 40:43
Yeah, exactly. And so I found that, like, I get especially early in my kind of diabetes. I was I got really envious. I got really jealous. And not. Yeah, maybe even resentful of people just eating carb laden things all around me. And like, man, I can't I can't do that, that I'm so jealous. And then I realized, well, I could have a bite of it. Yeah, I can't have, you know, five slices of pizza without, you know, dealing with my blood sugar for the rest of the day, especially without tech. But you know, I can I can have a bite, I can have a nibble I can. You know, there's little things I can do. Where I feel almost sated enough. Without having blown my blood sugar up.
Scott Benner 41:21
I have a question where you have five slices of pizza person prior to diabetes?
John Palmer 41:26
No, probably not.
Scott Benner 41:28
That interesting, then just it really is very reminiscent of the, you know, the kind of, you know, sheltering in place we're doing right now. There's people who never leave their house for years, they don't care about it, then suddenly someone tells them they can't leave their house. And they're like, this is bull. I, I need my freedom. I want to go outside. You never went outside before what do you even care? But But you you see people eating food that all the sudden you think I'm not, you know, quote unquote, allowed to have that, which wasn't, you know, which isn't true to begin with. And I can follow you through five slices of pizza, if you want to try it sometimes. But But the point, the bigger point is, is that you didn't want the five slices of pizza, you just didn't want to be told you couldn't have.
John Palmer 42:10
Yeah, exactly. And it's like that kind of fear of missing out like everybody's just eaten away carelessly. And I have to do all of these things. boohoo for me. And then again, trying to channel that into Okay, well, how can we use this for like, a positive motivating force rather than a boohoo Poor me? And again, like I'm very envious and jealous of the people with a good hold of their technology where they can I know what four or five slices are going to do. So I can have five or six because it's not that far off from you know, a few. I think,
Scott Benner 42:42
you know, I'm sorry to cut you off. It's a very important point to make here. That you didn't want the five slices until someone told you you didn't want them. And how often is that happening to people? You know, how often are they like, oh, I've got this type one diabetes. Now look how it's ruined my life. I can eat an entire lemon meringue pie. Have you ever done that? Did you ever construct? Did you ever once in your life thinking oh, I'm going to do today? lemon lime pie, whole thing? nine inch pie? Cuz no one's you know, no one's ever thought that before. You've never thought that before. And you can't let yourself be kind of pushed around that way, by your thoughts. Because your thoughts? Often, you know, they're often fighting against you a little bit. You don't you don't realize it all the time. It's just it was really interesting when you said that. So I appreciate you bringing that up.
John Palmer 43:30
Yeah, it's that kind of classic FOMO fear of missing out.
Scott Benner 43:33
Yeah, right. If I was younger, I would, I would have said FOMO. But I you know, I'd have to Google that to be sure that it was what I meant. And because there'd be part of me that would think that that was an 80s like grunge band or something or 90s grunge band or something. Even I forgot that grunge was in the 90s just now I've just I've crested that age where I could just whip out FOMO on my own, you know? Yeah. Somebody texted me something the other day. It was one of those like four letter acronyms. And I thought, let me just Google that before I respond to make sure I'm responding properly.
John Palmer 44:04
Right. That's when the beauty is that teaching middle schoolers. I teach middle school history. And so I'm always up on the latest. OK, Boomer or whatever, whatever little saying, you know, it's going around. Yeah. Well, your gigs out there.
Scott Benner 44:18
You're old to them. Where are you teaching right now?
John Palmer 44:20
So now I'm in the capital city of Costa Rica, San Jose. Do you speak Spanish?
Limpopo?
Yeah, so I spoke very little Arabic, and pretty decent Thai. And then I've been really working on my Spanish. But that's
Scott Benner 44:35
sort of part of your Lord though. I'm assuming they want you to teach the kids in English.
John Palmer 44:40
Yeah, so these are Yes, spoiled international students, kids. So like their parents might have went to a university in Australia or in States or Canada or wherever. And they want their kids to go somewhere similar to that. So they put them in these kind of yet spoiled rich kids schools.
Scott Benner 44:57
My sister in law teaches children in China. online and she said their their parents are almost always physicians or, or very wealthy people and they're trying to get them through you know that the education system in China which apparently is, is like a it's like a one and done thing like if wherever you land at the end is where you land and it really it really does impact the the complete rest of your life.
John Palmer 45:23
Right and it's super rigorous as well. Yeah.
Scott Benner 45:26
Wow. So okay, so you have a Costa Rican cat I didn't realize that.
Unknown Speaker 45:30
Yeah.
John Palmer 45:31
Well Chico, Kenya, Costa Ricans are called Tika so we got our Chico kitty,
Scott Benner 45:35
kitty. That's it. I'm writing that down. Because I think that's amazing. And so far pushed into a black bear is the name of your episodes. I'm trying to get away from that.
John Palmer 45:46
Yeah,
Scott Benner 45:47
so so you teach five days a week? How does that work? I'm interested.
Unknown Speaker 45:52
Yeah, yeah,
John Palmer 45:52
it's just a regular. If you saw the school, if you saw the kids, if you talk to them on the phone, you wouldn't know that they're in Costa Rica. It's just a super normal school, maybe slightly better. I mean, I started at some really, really impoverished schools and some really not rough situations, but they definitely didn't have all the academic supplies that this current school has. But yeah, it's um, it's a really really high level students. They just super on the ball really supportive students and parents and staff that it's a really, really great situation. super happy to be here currently.
Scott Benner 46:27
Is it a place you could live forever? Or is it not how you think of it?
John Palmer 46:32
Oh, no, it definitely we moved here. And we're like, oh, we could be here for for a while. So I think that we're going to be here for three, four years. Have a cat a little car little little crappy four by four and a surfboard. So we're going to be here for a little while. Okay.
Scott Benner 46:47
It's one of the places that I always dreamed about vacationing. And then when I look I think, oh, I don't speak the language and and then I I talked myself out of it very quickly, but it's it's Is it a place have you do you always feel safe?
John Palmer 47:00
Yeah, hundred percent, especially coming. I mean, growing up outside the Bay Area, California. I mean, I, I some more carjackings in San Francisco, are more attempted muggings in San Francisco than I have in any of the places I've lived abroad. But that again, is if you're in the wrong spot at the wrong time, then, you know, you kind of brought it on yourself. So yes, super safe. Great, relatively good infrastructure. It's fantastic for the region. The the people that's one of the things I really enjoy about living in Costa Rica currently, it's just the disposition and the friendly nature of the people.
Scott Benner 47:36
And the minute do the municipalities treat the expats? Well,
John Palmer 47:41
oh, yeah, they they really enjoy the gringos out here. They they most gringos that come out here. I know that's kind of a racial slur, but they use it down here, the term gringo and gringa, kind of in a friendly way, which is different from what I was used to in California, but they really like gringos here. They, it kind of it pushes the economy around a little bit here and there where you know, gringos come down and they buy a bunch of properties. So the property values might go up, or the buying power of the local currency might go down because of all the influx of cash, but no, it's um, about 30% of their whole GDP is tourism. So they really, really enjoy people coming through.
Scott Benner 48:21
I'm laughing in the back of my mind feeling like someone went off to you know, john, when we call you a gringo, it's good. Don't worry. You're like, Okay, thank you.
John Palmer 48:31
Yeah, you say, nice.
Scott Benner 48:34
Every time you walk away, there's a group of guys that are like, he buys that every time. It's amazing. Anyway, doesn't leave anything. It's got such an idiot. I mean, he's nice and all I like what he's doing with the kids. But why is he so easy to get this over on? I, I hear what you're saying. There's different terminology that in different places Can you know it lands that can land much differently?
John Palmer 48:59
That's one of the other things about living here too, and just living anywhere. broadest is how remarkably similar it is to the lifestyle that you might lead in the West.
Scott Benner 49:09
How so?
John Palmer 49:10
There's, I mean, we watch Netflix, there's a Gold's Gym across the street. I could walk to the movie theater in four minutes. You know, everything's surprisingly normal. If you can learn how to say pojo instead of chicken you can get by
Scott Benner 49:24
live if you can learn to say for your freedom, you can order some fried chicken you'll be okay. And and are you picking the language of just completely organically just from being around speakers?
John Palmer 49:37
No, I'm not studious enough to do that. I wouldn't maybe no, I'm not immersed enough to do that because my home life is all English because my wife and I Well, we pepper each other in Spanish, but we're not having long, intricate conversations in Spanish. And then my students all speak perfect English and my academic studies and the things I teach are all in English. All my meetings, all My administration or my colleagues are all Western. So I do take the the school does a really good job of supplying a one or two hour language class once a week. And then there's million free apps and whatnot and all the subtitles for everything we like, if we're watching a Netflix show, we always turn the subtitles on Spanish. There's little tips and tricks we do here and there to try to catch a new word or two every day.
Scott Benner 50:23
That's kind of brilliant. The subtitle idea really is interesting. And you know, I'm not that you wouldn't, but your friends like you hang out, like are used to just you and your wife back at your place at the end of the day until the next day. Are you meeting people and like, branching out socially?
John Palmer 50:39
Yeah. So again, I play Ultimate Frisbee, which has just been a godsend for everywhere I go. In every major city, there's a big opening for the crew, there's big groups. So everywhere I move, I immediately have a network of friends to plug into right away. I've been playing for 15 1015 years. So I'm a half decent asset to a team. So for example, when we moved to Costa Rica, we went out to the practice, we start playing, we did the best we could. And in that practice, they're like, Hey, we're going to a tournament in Panama. Two days from today. Can you come with us? And we're like, well, I've school on Tuesdays, I can't come but let me know about the next one. And so maybe I think it's about a couple months ago, my wife and I, we took a bus to Nicaragua to go play frisbee tournament with our team with a bunch of bunch other Central American teams. So I got to play with my team, meet new friends meet new other people in the region. So that's one of the really, really valuable ways that I have to kind of connect in with the community, right? And then also, the school does a really good job of linking you up with other like minded folks.
Scott Benner 51:41
I guarantee that no matter how long I do this podcast, no one is ever going to say again, I took a bus to Nicaragua to be in a frisbee tournament.
John Palmer 51:49
Yeah, anybody has their niche, right? No, no, I'm
Scott Benner 51:52
pretty sure I'm pretty sure you've spoken a sentence, no one will ever speak again. That's, well, that's incredible, honestly, like that. And I do, I firmly believe in what you say. And I traveled not nearly as much as you. But every time I get somewhere, I think this is like everywhere else. Everywhere is like everywhere,
John Palmer 52:11
you know, and 100% when every time I go to like a major downtown tourist trap, Main Street type of place, you see the same mass produced Chinese tchotchkes at every single High Street and every single you know, major city, like if you're in, if you're in Chinatown, in San Francisco, you're gonna see the same things that you would see on the tourist trap street in Costa Rica, or in Cairo, or in Bangkok, they all have the same kind of mass produced stuff. And like when you, the more you probably realize,
Scott Benner 52:39
I mean, things are so similar. You're making me feel like there's a warehouse in China production facility, where they walk in on one day, and the sign comes up and says Florida, and they're like today, we're gonna make stuff that people who go to Florida will think has been natively made in Florida. And tomorrow, it'll be Thailand. And the next day, it'll be here and you know, stuff that you I'm wondering
John Palmer 52:59
that same thing too, because I feel like I see the same, the same, you know, t shirts, the same mugs the same, you know, cupholders for sale all around the world.
Scott Benner 53:07
Yes, I have a beautiful little Um, I don't know what you would call like a wooden dish that you put on your your desk that holds thumbtacks and like little loose things that don't have anywhere else to go. That was bought on an island and definitely made in China.
John Palmer 53:22
Yeah, exactly. I wonder how many local Yeah, local tchotchkes people have mass produced in China. So how
Scott Benner 53:27
does your health insurance work there? How do you get your insulin every
John Palmer 53:30
day health insurance down here is really good. So um, well, that's again, that's a product of my school who has really good health insurance. So when I found out I was diabetic, it was probably the worst time possible because I was in between jobs, living on savings for that year trying to do some, you know, big, epic hike. So I'm like, I don't know how to pay for any of these things. And then it was, I needed all of these prescriptions in America, and it couldn't buy anything over the counter and it's prohibitively expensive. So it was actually cheaper for us to fly to Thailand. And we also flew to Cairo just to see friends and both both of those locations, and I just stocked up for a couple hundred bucks worth of insulin there. I had a backpack full of noval rapid or Lance lantis or what have you. It each of those locations. Now that I'm here in Costa Rica, we have really good health insurance. So I just walked to the local pharmacy, I pay out of pocket. They were bursting back in USD in a couple weeks or in a week or so. As far as the technology that's still left leaving something to be desired, but they don't quite have the CGM here yet.
Scott Benner 54:35
Okay. And so if you wanted to CGM, you'd have to pay cash and have it shipped from America or they won't even do that, or will they because you're an American citizen.
John Palmer 54:44
So they have they have a I think Medtronic that's the big brand, right and tronic
Scott Benner 54:49
tronic has the 670 G and the I can't think of their CGM name at the moment and then there's Dexcom was the one Arden uses and I fed in Libra which is not a container This monitor, but it's one of those ones that you can scan the thing and get the number without testing.
John Palmer 55:05
Okay, so I think they have the Libra and then they have an old Medtronic or two and they do not have a dexcom yet. So those are some of the CGM technologies that I'll be looking forward to getting in the next six months as things open up here.
Scott Benner 55:19
Yeah. How were you? When you said you, you'll be there for a number of years? How did you transition back home? Is your experience there looked on as, like, desirable back here when you want to come back?
John Palmer 55:32
Yeah, so I was able to get what I kind of saw the ceiling on teaching without credentials. in the developing world that kind of saw there, there's a pretty low ceiling on kind of your salary level. So I was able to get a master's degree while working abroad from Framingham State University, which is out in Boston. And so that's like, again, a Western recognized, you know, full fledged master's degree. And then all of the all of the schools that have been working at our Western Association of Schools and Colleges or wosk, a super they're wosk approved that the yet the big accrediting body. So all of the schools I've been teaching, it would transfer to my air quotes, like years of teachings, years of teaching earned. So if I did go back to teach in the West, all of that would kind of build up to increase salary and job position, what have you. But truth be told my wife and I don't have any plans on returning moving back to the west anytime soon? Because we they pay you a ridiculous amount of money to be a teacher in Cairo in Egypt? So we're thinking maybe after some nice cushy years in Costa Rica, maybe we'll we'll go for another cash grab and another developing country?
Scott Benner 56:47
Interesting. I don't want exact numbers. JOHN, I'm not asking your business. But if a teacher in America makes how much a year, on average, do you think 30 4050. Okay. And in Costa Rica,
John Palmer 57:02
oh, easy. 30 4050.
Scott Benner 57:04
Right. But you get to live in Costa Rica. And then look Costa Rica and lower
John Palmer 57:07
cost of living, right. And so and they pay for flights to and from wherever you want to go once or twice a year, and they pay for your housing, and they pay for your insurance. And there's all these other little added bonuses, like there's a school bus that comes to my front door to pick me up to take me to school every day to and from,
Scott Benner 57:23
wow, $50,000 in Costa Rica is like how much in California,
John Palmer 57:28
in California, it would probably be a similar buying power, maybe a little bit more. And, and most of our salaries are paid in US dollars. So there's actually this, there's this kind of cultural trend in Thailand, where people just ask you how much you make, and they ask you what your rent is. And at first was really jarring. But I found it to be really liberating, because it only kind of helps the employee to know what they're getting paid and all the people around them and only kind of adds to the the abilities of the employee. So I really appreciate having this kind of candid open open conversations. So in Thailand, they don't pay you anything because people want to move to Thailand. So you're looking at that, without a credential you're looking at, you know, 20 30,000 with a credential, you're looking at that 30 4050. And if you're at a good school, you're somewhere in the 60 7080 I did, I had a guy that I played Ultimate Frisbee with. He was from Iowa, he taught physics, and he was making 110 a year. And again, net negligible taxes, free flights, free accommodation, you know, all these other perks that you know, would be unheard of in the western. What?
Scott Benner 58:33
Why do people want to be in Thailand? What's the attraction?
John Palmer 58:36
There's a lot of medical tourism there. It's it's cheap. It's a lot of Australians go there Russians go there a lot of anything on the kind of that region of the world
Scott Benner 58:48
on it's really popular there. Gotcha. Okay, so now we are leading up to asking if, if it's 30 4050 What is it in Egypt?
John Palmer 58:58
Oh, it was summer. Yes, there's 4050 for like an entry level teacher. But again, there's literally no taxes and every other thing that the school pay series, so let's say your base salaries 40 50,000, then they're paying you 800 bucks or 900 bucks a month in rent. And so if they're paying my wife and I each 800 900 bucks a month in rent, and we're spending, you know, 700 bucks in rent between the both of us, then you know, just cash in hand.
Scott Benner 59:28
I see Oh, and then there's such a there's just no taxes. So you're, you're really bringing that money back with you.
John Palmer 59:35
Yeah, and, for example, there Uber Eats there in Cairo. Like I would order maybe three or four or five shawarmas like a kind of Middle Eastern burrito, I'd order you know, 20 of those a week and they're maybe 60 cents apiece, delivered pot fresh to your front door. Wow. Versus the Yeah, there's a multitude of things that made it really easy to live there. Conversely, there are some geopolitical things and some cultural things that make it slightly less appealing to live there, which is why it's considered air quotes a hardship position, which again, makes you that much more marketable when
Scott Benner 1:00:09
you go to another spot you're willing to do it. Is that that are Westerners not as welcome there as they are in Costa Rica.
John Palmer 1:00:17
Yeah, that's Yeah, that's one way of putting it. Um, also, it was really troubling for a really good example of this was my wife and I, we would, you know, traveled around together, and you just kind of got stared at all the time. And then I went to a frisbee tournament in Dubai, my wife got sick, because she got sick a lot there just because the, it's kind of, again, a slightly polluted or rather polluted city. And when I was traveling through the airport, and you know, going through customs only things I just suddenly not getting stared at. And it just felt like it just flowed through the airport and got no friction at all. And then it came back and I told him was like, hey, Katie wife. It was just so smooth moving through the airport. And she's like, Well, yeah, it's terrible for me moving anywhere without you. And I thought, Oh, it's so much easier for me to move without you. Because there's just a lot of unwanted attention towards Western women, or failed women. She was a lot of sexual harassment. I
Scott Benner 1:01:16
see. Oh, yeah. Oh, she Well, she probably looks naked to them, even when she's dressed. Right. That's interesting. And Cairo is such a dense city. Yes. Like it is. Really, those buildings are right on each other. It's,
John Palmer 1:01:30
it's, it's arguably the most densely populated city in the world. It's got about 22 million people. So it's one of the largest population centers in the whole world. And with little to no infrastructure. It's Yeah, it's it's a good challenge. Wow.
Scott Benner 1:01:43
But you, but it's, but it's worth it. Because your it'd be a little more money. And it sounds like you're up for the challenge.
John Palmer 1:01:50
Yeah. And it was such a great experience. Like, when we moved to Costa Rica, we got to know all of our colleagues, and we would just listen to them complaining like, oh, Costa Rica is this and this is wrong with Costa Rica. And we're like, Whoa, you know, how much worse it could be? I guess that was that was that was our takeaways? Yeah, I guess things aren't perfect. But you know, you could be in a situation that's a lot less desirable than than this one. Okay.
Scott Benner 1:02:16
Well, you're doing great work, man. It's really, it's a special kind of person who'd be who's willing to travel around like that, and put up with, you know, what your wife described? And, and, you know, just just, I mean, I want to be more honest, I think it's, I don't think everyone's got it in them to just go somewhere that they can't imagine in their mind. You know what I mean? Like getting there initially, there's so many fears. Like, I had a question that was based on fear earlier that didn't ask you and I thought I was gonna ask you, if you had a medical condition, would you want to come home, but that's just my, you know, probably baseless feeling that things are just better in America.
John Palmer 1:02:52
Right. And there are so many things that are air quotes better in America. Um, there are a lot of things that you can get an equivalent version of. So for example, while playing Ultimate Frisbee again, I blew up my ACL. Just before, I think it was like a month before we moved from, from Bangkok, Thailand to Cairo, Egypt. So I'm completely hobbled up, my wife has to move all of our stuff from one apartment to another and pack it all up to move to Cairo. And meanwhile, I'm getting an ACL surgery. And I was kind of worried, like, Do I go back home to do it? Do I get it done here. And so I started looking into the type of medical treatment I could get in Thailand for a significant operation like that. And I found a doctor that does nothing but ACL surgeries, he worked for the Thai national soccer team. He's been doing it for 30 years, he used all the latest medical technology. Big GE, you know, MRI machines, like all of it was, you know, top of the line stuff, and it cost me three grand out of pocket.
Scott Benner 1:03:56
Yeah, I all I could imagine, while you're telling that story, is your wife packing up that apartment and thinking this guy's a real treat? I'll tell you.
John Palmer 1:04:05
What, just wait till I ask you to hike across America with me?
Scott Benner 1:04:08
That's great. Well, I mean, listen, I'm sure there are things that are that are I don't know what the I don't think the word is better. But you're accustomed to it. There are things here The people here are accustomed to would feel different going somewhere else. It's a special person who can just make that leap and be accepting like that. Do you have a we're at an hour and I can't keep you much longer. But do you have any perspective on why that is? Did you grow up with like, hippie parents? Or like, Where did you get that feeling from?
John Palmer 1:04:36
Hmm, you know, I think a lot of it came down to reading a reading a few books and then also being kind of immersed in situations that I wouldn't have desired them to be like that. So I think I think a good example of this was like two weeks into Cairo. We're driving 90 minutes across the city and the driver I'm in the backseat. The Uber driver didn't buckle in his seatbelt. So he His car had this automated Ding, ding, ding, and it would go off every 10 seconds for a 90 minute car ride. And instead of asking him to buckle in his seatbelt or do something that, you know, he wasn't clearly wanting to do, he was happy to live with that thing. I thought, Okay, well, I can try to change the situation to make it the way I want to, or just accept it and try to enjoy it the best I can. So I found that to be a really good meditative practice to try to just enjoy the situation I'm in, regardless of the circumstances, when if there's circumstances that I want to if I need to change them, then, you know, be proactive about changing it. But if there's something that you're not willing or able to change, then just accept it for what it is
Scott Benner 1:05:40
because the driver is not bothered by the digging. So there's obviously a way to be Zen about it, right? What is it about you that? Listen, I'm gonna first of all tell you, I would vote for I don't want it the thing but it but if, if it's going to, then there must be a way to teach to talk yourself into not wanting to be upset by it, I guess. And maybe that is the same thing for the travel, just the idea that this is going to be different. But I don't have to react to that feeling I have inside like, Oh, this is different than what I'm expecting, it makes it wrong.
John Palmer 1:06:15
Right, and bringing that full circle back to diabetes back to type one, you know, it's not the situation that many of us would have chosen, or any of us would have chosen. But you still have to deal with the situation as it lays right now, and having kind of a positive and productive approach can at least give you the feeling that things are okay.
Scott Benner 1:06:33
Yeah. And at some point, I would tell you that after enough time, you know, I don't want to overuse something people say all the time a new normal, but it really does become you're accustomed to it. And then it shouldn't I think of pumps site changes as an example of this that you wouldn't know about yet. But they happen regularly on some sort of a, you know, you know, every few days, like, you know, situation for your on a schedule. And it in the beginning. I know, at least for me, and I've seen it for art, and you do get that feeling like Oh, here it comes. Like it's that thing I have to do again. But really, it isn't much different than what we were talking about before, right. And so at some point, you just give yourself over to the idea that this happens on this schedule. And if I expect it, and I tell myself, it's not a ding, ding ding it's just, it's what it is. And I'm not bothered by it anymore. I haven't had that feeling in years. But in the beginning, I did. And it was that feeling of I don't want this to be happening. versus this is happening. And I don't see it as bad. So
John Palmer 1:07:43
yeah, hundred percent.
Scott Benner 1:07:44
Oh, john, I really appreciate you doing this and for reaching out. And yeah, I mean, it's a magnificent story. And yeah, well,
John Palmer 1:07:51
I was I'm really appreciative that I could just give back in some small way to kind of the the resource that had given me so much when I really needed it. So you know, happy to touch base with you.
Scott Benner 1:08:01
I appreciate that. I also if four years from now, you've been using for a pump and a glucose monitor for a while. Come Tell me I'd love to have you back on again that make an interesting full circle.
John Palmer 1:08:11
Yeah, call you back from the next country.
Scott Benner 1:08:13
Yeah, we're Yeah, wherever don't don't even guess where it could be. could be anywhere.
John Palmer 1:08:17
Yeah. Leave it up. We'll leave it up to be decided.
Scott Benner 1:08:20
All right. Listen, that cat's gonna kill you in your sleep one day just so you know. Like they say the only difference between house cat house cats and lions is that the house cat knows it can overpower you if it could, it would come for you.
John Palmer 1:08:32
Yeah, well, mini lion. Yeah, hundred percent. If only
Scott Benner 1:08:35
if only it was if it felt like it could get you. It would take a shot john, just so you know.
John Palmer 1:08:40
Right, right. Dogs man's best friend. Cats are just putting up with us. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:08:44
no kidding. It's wonderful. A really thank you so much for doing this. And thanks so much to Dexcom on the pod and touched by type one for sponsoring this episode of the Juicebox Podcast. Don't forget that dancing for diabetes program for touched by type one is coming up soon. Go to touch by type one.org go to programs, click on dancing for diabetes. You'll see it right there. Check it out. And of course to get that free, no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump you go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. Then head right over to dexcom.com forward slash juice box to learn more and get started with the dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor. Hey, everyone, its Scott. As 2020 starts to wind down here. I just wanted to say thank you, the podcast. I'm looking now at the statistics for the podcast. And I'm realizing that since 2018, there's only been three months that didn't do better than the month previous to it. And when that happens, it only happens by like a percent or two, it's absolutely fascinating to watch the growth of the show. And that's completely because you all share the podcast with other people. So I wanted to tell you what that does. When you tell someone else about the show when it grows, and other people find it. This is from the private Facebook group. For the podcast. It's called Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes. I was referred to the podcast by a mutual tea One day, my son was diagnosed two years ago in August at the age of eight. He is now 10. And in my opinion, has made leaps and bounds in managing and administering his own MD is within two weeks of diagnosis. Don't get me wrong, there's been some very hard and struggling times. But after listening to several of these podcasts, as a parent of a type one, I paused and thought, this is exactly what I needed to hear. We are not the only ones. The other people are doing the same things we are day in and day out. So please keep up the great work. And the show. An adult comes in and says that not only are they a nurse, and thought they were going to be great at managing their type one diabetes, but it turns out that, you know, that's not how it worked. I BG levels are all over the place with extreme highs and unexpected lows. Simple things like doing yard work and walking around a mall caused me to come crashing down. But thankfully, I found the Juicebox Podcast through another Facebook site. And it is opened my eyes to a new way of managing my diabetes, I have been so afraid of being bold with insulin, because I live alone. And I work in a fast paced environment. I'm constantly worried about going low at night or having a seizure. So I live on the high side. This podcast has taught me so much and has given me the tools and the confidence to try to keep my BG in a tighter range. Thank you to all of the Juicebox Podcast followers for your knowledge and kindness. These messages come through Facebook, I get them on Instagram. They come as podcast reviews, mostly on Apple podcasts. Here's one from that the type one community is somewhat small. And when you're newly diagnosed, there just aren't a lot of people you can talk to and learn from. I found this podcast early on and I couldn't be more thankful for it. I know we wouldn't be doing so well, just three months into diagnosis had I not decided to listen. But doesn't matter how you share if it's in person on Facebook, Instagram some other way. As long as you're telling other people about your experience, they have an opportunity to have the same experience. And then the show grows and it reaches more and more people. The more people that reaches, the more people are able to support the sponsors. And the sponsors want to continue to support the show. And then you continue to get more show. It all is just one big ecosystem. And I guess it's one little ecosystem honestly. But it's the right kind of ecosystem that kind that helps. So I really appreciate all of your support, that you listen so fervently and that you're sharing the show with other people. it's um
it's incredibly touching. I wish you guys could all get these messages. They're heartwarming, no kidding that these messages seeing people's happiness health, getting a text from Jenny yesterday about. She's like I want to do more to help people. That kind of stuff. It fills my heart. It's great for my soul. And I hope you are having a similar experience with it.
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