#598 A Podcast About Nothing
Scott and Jessica have a long, interesting conversation about nothing.
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends and welcome to episode 598 of the Juicebox Podcast
show ever get on a phone call and just chat not remember why you got on the phone call to begin with and had a good time and felt like a good back and forth fun time there were laughs had etc. That's this episode. I have no idea how to tell you what this episode is about. But I enjoyed it. It's a good conversation with Jessica who is the mother of a child with type one diabetes. And you're going to listen to it. And when you do, you should remember 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 becoming bold with insulin. And with that, I give you a podcast about nothing.
Hey, US residents that have type one diabetes or care for someone who does don't forget t one D exchange.org. Forward slash juice box head there fill out the survey takes less than 10 minutes. Super simple. Absolutely. What's that word but nobody knows who you are anonymous. HIPAA compliant. T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. Help people living with type one diabetes help the show. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the Dexcom G six continuous glucose monitor. Find out more and get started today with a Dexcom cgm@dexcom.com forward slash juicebox I'll spell it for you. dexcom.com forward slash I mean, do I really have to spell Dexcom? All right. D E X Colm. dexcom.com forward slash juicebox? Listen Del Sol tree my voice just got
Jessica 2:00
to say how to be the cool mom.
Scott Benner 2:04
How old are your children?
Jessica 2:06
So I have my type one is nine going on? 10 next month and I have a seven year old.
Scott Benner 2:12
Jessica I'm already recording. But I gotta tell you if you're looking for those kids that teach you how to be cool. I think you're in trouble to begin with. Don't
Jessica 2:21
I don't know. We're pretty cool. They're pretty cool kids. Okay, really? Cool. Parents. Right. And that passes on. I have my other one he just popped in. He was waiting. He's like, can I say hi to Scott too?
Scott Benner 2:30
How many babies did you have?
Jessica 2:32
only have two for done?
Scott Benner 2:33
Well, they could say I want I don't care.
Jessica 2:35
Do you want to say hi to Mr. Scott. All right. Hang on. Put the headset on. Remember Mr. Scott,
Scott Benner 2:47
hey, what's your name? My name is John. John. How old are you? I'm nine going on? 10. July 14. Nice. Are you the one with diabetes? Yes, I am. No kidding. How old were you when you got it? I'm How old am I when I got it. You were seven, seven when I got it. Do you want us to kick your mom out of the room and I'll just interview you instead. I don't know. Maybe? Can she hear me? No, she can't even pass her back. No, look at her. Like we're talking about her and just smile a little bit to make her feel nervous. Right. Like right now. Yeah. Good job, man. That's excellent. All right. Yeah. Put your mind back on. Okay. Okay. Thanks. Nice to meet you.
Jessica 3:32
All right. You weren't talking smack about me.
Scott Benner 3:35
I told him. I said look at your mom and smile. Like we're talking about her so we can make her nervous.
Jessica 3:40
He did. Exactly. He's like I'm doing it. Got it.
Scott Benner 3:44
Yeah, kind of ruined it when he told you he was doing it. But it was still good. I thought it was delightful. Yeah. Do you feel good about your speech? You sound good? Okay, perfect. Yeah, so. Alright. Well, we're already talking. So, I mean, just say your name, but we'll keep going.
Jessica 4:05
Sounds great. Okay, Jessica. Last names Armstrong and her from Northern Virginia.
Scott Benner 4:10
You definitely want your last name in this. Um,
Jessica 4:13
do I? Well, depending how this goes, how's that sound?
Scott Benner 4:17
Sounds like you're hoping that I'll remember to take it out. If he's helped me to
Jessica 4:22
know, it's fine. Whatever. Why not?
Scott Benner 4:25
So are you from that area originally?
Jessica 4:27
No. So I grew up in the I was a military brat. We're in the Navy. So we grew up overseas right now. I'm calling from Charleston, South Carolina. So we spend you know, we come visit family down here but we live and work in Virginia.
Scott Benner 4:41
Yeah, cuz you're you have an interesting accent that I can't figure out.
Jessica 4:45
I like your accent actually.
Scott Benner 4:46
Thank you. I work on it very hard. I believe that I'm unaware of how I sound. I only know when the emails come and people mock me. It seems to be playful. But
Jessica 4:58
yeah, I don't think anyone means any harm? No, no,
Scott Benner 5:01
I don't either. But when when people send you emails and just ask for certain words to be repeated, I don't take that as friendly completely. I think it's funny, but it's okay. No, you just like you, um, you stretch out some words, but it's not Northern.
Jessica 5:17
No, but I do me. So my husband's from upstate New York and we love you know, the boss. You know, New England is amazing.
Scott Benner 5:24
Oh, you've got that going on. Okay. All right. I've got it straight now. Excellent. Well, I just spoke to your son. That was John. Yes. And John was seven when he was diagnosed. Yep. At the end of first grade. Wow. What a graduation that might have been. It was so
Jessica 5:41
we knew nothing. We were naive. I will play the dumb card when it came to the only thing I knew about you know, diabetes was I assumed the type two didn't really know there was a difference. I googled it the night before, actually. He was just being sluggish. And we were having some issues your normal, you know, we thought playing too much soccer. Too much water and just guzzling water, didn't think anything of it started Googling and diabetes kept coming up. But I was like, Surely not. I mean, we have no family history. Again, I didn't know anything about diabetes. And so the next day, I took my son to the pediatrician. And they're like, it's the flu, nothing serious. And I was like, We need a blood test. I want to do something. And they were like, why? So I said, Hey, this is what's coming up. There's like, you don't have any family history. Do you said no, not that we know of. So we started with a urine test. And we were, he's like, You need to go to the emergency room now.
Scott Benner 6:38
Oh, so they went from the flu to you better get to the emergency room.
Jessica 6:41
Quick. And then we just started spring break, I was planning on taking my kids to the trampoline park. But I was like, Hey, let's make a stop here. And called my husband who was in the Department of Defense at the time had to break them out of the Pentagon. I said, Hey, we gotta go pack a bag, trying to keep it cool in the car. You know, I have two kids who are excited to be on spring break. And now we're checking into the ER. When we got there. They were surprised he was even walking more or less conscious is what they told me. His blood sugar was 893. Wow. That's a big number. Yeah. And he was still awake. And, you know, still able to talk. They, you know, got him on IVs. And that's when they started telling us, you know, yeah, he's type one. So my husband and I are trying to Google and figure out what does that mean? And that started our adventure.
Scott Benner 7:27
No kidding. Could you look back and notice was he had he lost weight?
Jessica 7:32
Let's see. Okay, so Scott, I think you and I, I love listening to your podcast, because I can relate. So I was always a chunky kid. So I've been paranoid. You know, we try not to do you know, we did sugar but within limit. But I thought he was always a chunky baby. So he was starting to thin out and I just assumed he was growing. Okay. But yeah, maybe looking back. I personally think he's had it for quite a while. And we just didn't, you know, go into DKA. Or this just hit it. But yes. Now looking back, I think we could have seen it. But I'm thankful that we caught it when we did,
Scott Benner 8:05
of course. So you probably lived through the honeymoon without knowing he had diabetes,
Jessica 8:09
correct? Yes. And we even actually went through the honeymoon for quite a while even afterwards.
Scott Benner 8:13
Okay. That's interesting. I wonder about all the running around at soccer too, like that must, there must have been a real combination there. Because if all the exercise didn't help them keep ahead of the number then. I mean, obviously, it was time to be diagnosed. I am fascinated. You know, doctors like to, sometimes default to kind of making fun of you for you know, using what they call Dr. Google, but it turns out, you figured it out.
Jessica 8:40
Oh, yeah. For the one time when I even remember it. So we the night again, we were at church talking to a friend who's a nurse. And you know, now I know, you know, most not all nurses know what type one is. But she was like, No, he's not type one. And I think she even thought, you know, like thinking it's a type two. Like, he doesn't look like it or, you know, and so, I think we tried to be active. I mean, that's what you know, and again, trying to burn out kids energy to make them happy. Keep mom and dad happy. So yeah,
Scott Benner 9:08
I agree. We'd be not happy. I think it goes together. Well, all I've learned from these last couple of minutes is that soccer causes type one diabetes.
Jessica 9:17
Well, I will also say if you asked my other so if you asked Shawn, he will also blame it on Olive Garden. So we secretly joke that Olive Garden cause type one diabetes, we've been out a few nights before that before his diagnosis and he just seems sluggish. And again we try it you know, we eat like a normal family but try to be healthy. And afterwards he just seemed to tank and was just kind of had trouble keeping up with us. And naive you know? Alright,
Scott Benner 9:42
so the the unlimited breadsticks in the pot, and then his body just couldn't process any of it new drugs.
Jessica 9:49
And now I feel like the horrible parent but yes, so we never eat at Olive Garden again. So we sorry Olive Garden but no, I'm not a fan and I never really was to begin with and Just kind of nailed it for us.
Scott Benner 10:02
Well, I know some Italians that would, would I think they would crucify you for going to Olive Garden if
Jessica 10:08
I agree. It's not real Italian, not the point.
Scott Benner 10:12
Well, listen, I think the one thing to talk about here is the gay people joke about it or say it, you know, tongue in cheek, but I think they mean it. You know, mainly, you said, you know, the terrible parents that took somebody to Olive Garden while they had diabetes, I didn't know but you realize that there's no way for you to know that. And he's alive and he's healthy. And there's, I would never think of that, again. If I was you. There's, there's just no way to. You don't I mean, like, it's just like,
Jessica 10:37
Well, no, wrong. And I think you're right in this. And I think this has helped us this has been kind of like our tribe of listening to funny stories listening to you and Arden of you can't hold it. I mean, you take it day by day. I can't place blame, and you know, trying to explain that to the time at a seven year old. No, you didn't cause it, you didn't do anything. We didn't do anything. But here's what we're gonna do to get you on, you know, to keep you as best as we can with the numbers and range or, you know, we recently do to your podcast without on the Omni pod. So we've been playing the Omni pod game and just learning but I mean, loving the flexibility and trying to ensure Yes, you still need to Bolus for that pancake. If you want. I still secretly sometimes cringe, but we're trying to build that independence with him as well of what can you have nothing's really technically off limits. I mean, I'm with you. I do see, you know, there is two types of people in the type ones, you know, the low carb and we try to shoot for the medium middle range and trying to still be, you know, let them enjoy. Yes, childhood but keep them healthy.
Scott Benner 11:38
I don't, I don't see. Well, you know, if you listen, I don't, I don't have thoughts about how people eat. But I do know people who eat incredibly heavy carbs every day, and I hear them talking. I do think like mix a salad and once in a while, like what are you doing? You know, like, it's not you don't have to, like you don't have to double down on it. I think just because you can doesn't mean you should maybe fit sometimes, like just because you've learned a Bolus for it. Doesn't mean you have to have it every day. You know, it's it's cool that you know how to cover you know, honey smacks for breakfast but maybe have eggs once in a while.
Jessica 12:19
I would say definitely probably not. Honey smacks I don't know that's, you know, you're going old school there. I don't think I could do the honey smell. Oh, yes,
Scott Benner 12:26
I so I wore a CGM. Like it's been like, gosh, it's been like seven months ago now so that people could watch like my regular blood sugar. I put it up online for a while. Yeah. And I people were like, eat cereal. And so I got to the store. And I'm like, what cereal that I used to like when I was a kid. And so I'm looking and they ruined Fruity Pebbles. I don't know what they did to it. But they're not right anymore. So it was a note of that. And I was like honey smacks I remember having wants that. They still seemed like, they were so sugary that they they didn't you couldn't chew them. They just compressed like peanuts. It's disgusting. But as a child, I remember enjoying it. And I liked Corn Pops. I bought the two of them and mix them together. I thought if I was gonna eat a bowl of cereal, I might as well really go for it. And it's funny. Didn't really touch my blood sugar. I had to
Jessica 13:19
Oh, that's awesome. I had to create a new cereal.
Scott Benner 13:22
Yeah, and I well, please, anyone who knows how to use Macs and Corn Pops though they go together. But but I don't. That's a joke. I don't imagine anyone has ever tried. But maybe now I did eat enough finally to get my blood sugar to go up. But I did not feel like a second bowl of it. And really kind of pushed it. And still I think I was only like 160 I think it was one of the that and pizza. I think I had to eat three or four slices of pizza to get my blood sugar up into the 160s. And then it stuck there for a good, good long time. But I really had to eat a lot to make my blood sugar up like that. It was it was both interesting and a little sad. And you know, I mean, it was a weird situation.
Jessica 14:04
Makes me need to throw some doughnuts in there. That seems to be the new brown vacation mode, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. I
Scott Benner 14:10
can't eat a doughnut too much. That seems like a lot of sugar to me.
Jessica 14:13
But it is. You're not missing anything.
Scott Benner 14:16
So your email was interesting because you well, not even email I finally fixed my system. So it asks people why they want to be on the show. And you were like just to have fun and talk. And I was like, that's great. So
Jessica 14:29
hopefully it comes out that way. Yeah, well, then I again can relate to you. I you know, I was at home at the time I was a stay home mom, living the dream. I worked for the Department of Defense for a little bit. And then my husband and we got married got got had our first child John, and then we you know, daycare being what it is in our area. You know, I decided to stay home and was living the dream. And after John's diagnosis, it was like oh, so what are we going to do? My husband was looking to get out of the Department of Defense and a teaching job popped up. And he's always wanting to be a history teacher. So, I said, well, to make this work, I'm gonna have to go back to work. Okay. So I picked up, you know, ended up back at the Department of Defense, and now he's teaching where my son goes to school.
Scott Benner 15:12
Wow, that's interesting. What did you do it? Can you tell me what you did at the DOD? Or was it?
Jessica 15:16
Yeah, nothing. I wish it was something cool. It's nothing fun. I do human resources for kind of like senior executives. So these are the top of people, the government, my presidential appointees, people who make the big bucks and the big decisions
Scott Benner 15:32
at the Pentagon. And you you were in the Human Resources Department for that. So we hire and fire them. Oh, do you fire? A lot of them? No, no, thankfully, not too many.
Jessica 15:41
More of the hiring at this point. So and now with you know, for the secretary of army, we just appointed our first female Secretary of the Army. So yeah, so she's on board, and then she brings all her people on and it's my job. Just make sure everyone gets on and gets paid.
Scott Benner 15:57
Oh, that's a good job. Yeah, yeah. All this sounds like a good job, too. I may I be honest from I've been at home for so long. Now. I honestly believe that if you came to me and said, Scott, you have to go back. You're gonna go to work. It's gonna start next Monday. I'm gonna give you a whole week to think about it that by Sunday night, I'd be crying. I think I would I would go into a dark room and cry. I don't I don't want a job.
Jessica 16:26
I don't blame you. I will say the money's Nice. Yeah. But I mean it, it's the same thing. You just bounce with it and you go, I would say I'd probably give you a month to tell you that you were coming back. And that's pretty much how we were. And then we're like, oh, let's go on vacation. So you're right. Towards the end of that vacation. I was kind of like, Oh, am I really doing this? I haven't, you know, by that point? It's almost seven years, I'm going back into the Pentagon? Can I do this? What am I doing?
Scott Benner 16:53
Two aspects of being at home that are the same? Like I wouldn't, I couldn't find a way to trade them. So the interaction with my family was the one thing that I did not expect for that to be. And you know, don't judge me, I was pretty young when I became a stay at home dad, but I didn't except for all that, you know, I was just like, Oh, I thought I, I just looked at coal. And I thought, well, I'll just keep this kid alive and do the laundry. And this will be like my job. But there's just a connection that happens when you're around people for such a long time, especially your children and your wife and things like that. I don't know how great I'd be at being away from everybody for too long. I do think when like, when my son went to college, I cried. Oh, crazy amount driving home. And, and so I not certain like, I'll probably just die when Arden leaves you know what I mean? Like my brain will just like short circuit, I'll fall over. But the other thing is like schedule, like having, like being able to say to yourself, these are the things I have to do tomorrow. And I can do them whenever I want, as long as they're finished. And I can stop in the middle of something and go do something else. And no one has an opinion about how I do it. Or when I do it. That kind of freedom is amazing. It is you know, I would have I don't know how much trouble I would have. Letting someone else schedule out my life. Although I don't know if that's even how work works anymore. Everybody's at home anyway. Right?
Jessica 18:20
Well, I say yeah. And we're still so I'm still home from COVID aspect of things, which so it has been interesting. Last summer of you know, now the kids are home and you know, popping in on, you know, MST meetings or Zoom meetings to say hello to, you know, the Assistant Secretary of whatever it's like, yep, that's my child and other child and the dog barking in the background. Yes, it happens. I think it's gonna be a transition for us. When we do go back, you're right. And it's, it's been a mess, to have the freedom to work, cut it off, and then go spend family time and not have to worry about commuting or doing all that I you know, I only had a 20 Maybe half hour ride on the bus every morning and coming back. So which everyone's like he should podcasts. And I'm like, I don't know, I don't know how to do that. So that's how I finally started listening to the Juicebox Podcast when we were at home, you know, I'm, you know, plugging along and have it on the Alexa. But up to that point, I would always read or just stare out the window to mentally unwind or figure out what I need to do or make what's going on, you know, for dinner, dinner plans.
Scott Benner 19:20
Do I help you unwind?
Jessica 19:22
Sometimes, I mean, now, I think because it's just nice, or, you know, just to hear it, the bantering back and forth to other, you know, whoever's your guest or, you know, to laugh where it's nothing serious. I think I like that aspect of the podcast. It is a serious matter what we're dealing with on a daily basis with our kids or ourselves, whoever is that type one, but to be able to have humor with it, which I think we all need at this moment. Sometimes in our life of yes, yeah, I can help entwine.
Scott Benner 19:48
I don't, I don't even I don't think the podcast would still exist if it was dry, and just informative. And
Jessica 19:55
yeah, it gets boring. It gets old. I mean, I like history. My husband is a history teacher. But, you know, and I think that's trying to make it fun. I agree. Okay, so it's a good thing. So
Scott Benner 20:05
you how long ago did Omni pod wins, you guys get a pump.
Jessica 20:10
So we got it going into Christmas break, we thought would be a good time. So that was in December of what 2020 We thought we'd have that two weeks to kind of play with it. I do want to recommend, I think I got it off your Facebook page and hearing you talk about it. I, I wore an omni pod for the first time. And let John put some saline board for about a day of just flushing ourselves through it with our Omni pod coordinator who was phenomenal. And I think he was excited to see you know, Hey, Mom, you know, look at this, and let's give you 10 units of saline. It's like, okay, child come down. And for me, and I think showing him to you know, that first time when you stick it in, you know, we're okay, it really didn't hurt us much. And the witness, you know, something that he you know, that he does on a daily basis. So we did that in December had our first you know, oh, did it isn't not working, it kept going up numbers were going up, I waited probably a little longer because I didn't know of Alright, I think was a bad pump site, or, you know, we had to change it. And then we saw the numbers, you know, do that. But I think right now we're doing well with it. I also like at school, he doesn't have to, you know, physically inject himself. We're on MDI for quite a while and have to worry about, you know, does he have the right what he needs has been helpful?
Scott Benner 21:23
Would he inject in his classroom? Or would he go to the nurse? So
Jessica 21:27
we would go into we have what the offices and we have a nurse, kind of semi quasi nurse who's on staff and my husband was there if he needed to get called out. And yes, he would jack, we kind of gave him a private room to do so. He was the only type one for about two years. And then we actually had someone who joined his class who's also a type one. So there's two of them in fourth grade going down into fifth grade, which he loves to actually have someone his age, right. So she's on the Dexcom. And they compare numbers and talk a lot between each other. So it's kind of neat. That's very cool.
Scott Benner 22:01
I loved the idea that, you know, Arden could just give herself insulin in her classroom. She didn't have to leave that that was a big deal to me. Not not having to leave the room.
Jessica 22:14
Yeah, well, and it normalizes things, right. I mean, that makes sense. I'm hoping we can get to that point at some with him. I'm just nervous about the phone aspect of things or
Scott Benner 22:24
what makes you nervous.
Jessica 22:28
He's probably gonna listen to this later Scott
Scott Benner 22:31
Jami about to talk about your lack of maturity or something like
Jessica 22:34
he's still young, so it makes me nervous giving him you know, a full a phone or, but I can say, I tell them this. I do remind him I mean, he's been able to and which is, you know, class has cupcakes, he now knows. Okay, cupcakes. I'm gonna Bolus about 25 to 30 carbs. So and he can do that himself. So it's just constantly continuing, like you said, I think more maturity when we get there will be helpful.
Scott Benner 22:58
Yeah, I had a lot of luck with the texting. I thought I I'll say, you know, if I have the opportunity, I think texting is the unsung diabetes tool of parenting. Somebody who has type one, just the idea that you can kind of be there without being there. It also helps the timing a lot. Instead of you know, we're gonna have a cupcake. So I'll walk to another room, however long that takes and then give myself insulin and then walk back and you can just say, you know, Hey, um, I see the teacher moving around with cupcakes. I'm going to Bolus now you don't I mean, and then it just happens that that thing is I texting, it's a CGM pumps texting. To me, those are the three tools.
Jessica 23:41
Okay, now, I think it goes hand in hand. Well, I will say and I just wanted to shout in regards to you, one of your sponsors, who I've heard nothing about good things, ducks calm, specifically, if you need to edit that out. But that just didn't work for us. And I feel like in the type one community, it works for a bunch of other people. But we at certain intervals in our adventure felt like we were failures, because it didn't work for us. And everyone kept saying how great it was. So we ended up on the FreeStyle Libre, which we've been on for about a year and a half. And that works for us. Now, obviously, as it advances Dexcom I'm hoping eventually it's going to get there on certain things. I mean, now the libre two's out, but it works. You know, our numbers are always accurate. We just had issues with the Dexcom back and forth. And you know, we were all frustrated. John was upset. It just wasn't reliable for us. So
Scott Benner 24:33
you know, hold on one second. Sorry, my throat clear that I'll edit out the part about Dexcom I'll leave it now. I'll probably just leave it all in because I don't care. But I so I've seen it not like the best way I could describe it as it just doesn't mesh with some people's body chemistry but I haven't seen it that frequently. Yeah, but it I do know what I can think of a Personally, the top of my head were, you know, their blood sugar's like it's 220. And they're like, No, my blood sugar's 80. Or it says 80 and 300. Like, it just never worked for that person. And there's nothing they were, you know, once I helped them dig through it, I couldn't see a thing in the world they were doing wrong, other than, you know, maybe this, it just doesn't work for everybody. And I don't know why that would be. I'm not a scientist, but it makes sense to me, you know, that it wouldn't be for everyone.
Jessica 25:28
No, yes. We're in the same boat where it was, you know, sometimes, yeah. 200 200 Points off was a big deal.
Scott Benner 25:34
That would be that would be something not working. Yeah. But but it's, but I think what gets confused when people talk about it? Is that is people will say, Oh, Dexcom de, you know, whatever you're talking about Assam to be Dexcom doesn't work for us. And then people just think that that means it doesn't work. It doesn't mean it won't work for you. It didn't work for that person. And it really is, you know, I don't know, like, it's just I don't, I don't understand when people think that something's going to be perfect for everybody. And it's but it's such a letdown. Because it's not like there's 1000 options. And you do have diabetes. It's not like, it's not like you really wanted this, you know, universal remote control to work for your TV set up. But it didn't work. You're like, oh, I guess we'll just use three remotes instead. Like it feels like a real like, oh my god, like, I was gonna, like really lean on this thing.
Jessica 26:25
So yeah, it was, you know, and what it does? I mean, so now we become Yes, I think like every you know, when you do rely on that CGM so much at night to just be able to begin and say, Okay, here's your, you know, do I need to give insulin where we're at? And I think for us, it was a trying to show to that, especially to John of, you know, embracing technology. I do feel like I'm an older person than what I really am. I've already been I've gotten to the point where I'm like, I don't you know, totally podcast, I'm not really sure what that is. But just because I'm uncomfortable or uncertain doesn't mean I need to, you know, be away from that technology, especially for a growing child who you know, this is, as it's advancing rapidly, to jump forward, where it's like, you know, we were comfortable on MDI, well, yeah, but is that something he wants to do? So it was, hey, let's try the Omnipod. But now, and he's like, can I just keep the ducks or the libre off? I'm like, Yeah, how about you keep it off for a night, but now I'm so used to seeing that at night, I need to see it, just to you know, keep those stable and make sure you are leveled?
Scott Benner 27:26
Well, the other thing I guess we don't talk about because it seems like, I don't know, you're, you're shaming somebody, I guess that's such a millennial word. I don't really think of it that way. But that's not the point is that user error is a huge problem with technology. And yet, you know, and I'm not saying you were doing it wrong, I'm saying that, you know, there are a lot of people who are just like, This thing doesn't work. And you're like, well, you're using it wrong. And, you know, like, it's, it's there, there is a especially with pumping, I think there is a time where it's it's a little like starting over because you're relearning something again. And pumping frequently. Basal is not the same as it was with with MDI. And that happens to a lot of people, they start a new pump. And then they're like, Oh, my God, my blood sugar's high all the time, and then they make that leap to the pump doesn't work.
Jessica 28:19
No, I agree. And it's sticking it out. And I remember even pulling up your other paths, you know, listening to tips, and, you know, your pro tips and going back, because, again, we get comfortable in those things. So again, easy to swag on certain things I knew with his MDI. I mean, we were still relatively low, I would argue comparative to some other for insulin purposes, you know, maybe two units per meal is what we were at. The, his basil Glar was a little higher. So you know, transitioning over, it was like, yeah, that doesn't transition. So trying to my husband and I both were getting frustrated. So I guess we just need to hold out at it. That month, maybe even two months of just trying to learn going back and forth and resetting and re enter. He's a growing boy, also, so that first things in the loop to
Scott Benner 29:09
know I hear you, I mean, everything's the stuffs fantastic. I, you know, I can tell you right now that if you came to this house, and tried to take the Dexcom and the Omni pod out of here, I would I would meet you with force.
Jessica 29:23
You know, everyone's like that. We all have it. Yes. Technology, right?
Scott Benner 29:27
It just it does what it does, I can be completely honest and say that. I don't I guess I could do it with MDI and Dexcom. It would be a lot of shots, and a lot of like thinking more more thinking. Then then I would want to be involved with I don't think Arden would want to be involved in it either. But it's doable, then, but without the CGM. Now, I think you're saying to yourself If I'm not using a glucose monitor, like, like, purposely not, not that you can't afford it, or your insurance won't cover or something like that, but if you're purposely not using it, I don't know how you can be comfortable believing that you're a one, see if it's lower is not. Like, I don't know how you can't slip back into that ABS idea of like, well, you must have a lower a one C, because you're low a lot. You know, I don't know how to know that or not know that, I guess, is
Jessica 30:30
no, I agree. Yeah. Well, and we try to immerse still try and, you know, it's a balancing act. And we still every now and then we'll hit a low I think we find now when we were on made that switch the Omnipod I found exercise didn't affect us as much as it used to when we were on MDI. So I would kind of counter you know, okay, I'm getting ready to Bolus it's you know, you're gonna go running in a little we'll go ride a bike or something. So I went, you know, who go lower, and the insulin and then come to find out that that didn't work out like it was supposed to. You didn't go Wait, your, your body didn't do what I needed to do, buddy. And so there is still some times that. And that's usually I find when we still do get those lows. But thankfully, John, we've already from the beginning, we tried to be intuitive of Hey, what is the low feel for him to recognize it so even now, like he'll run around without if he doesn't have his, you know, we say robot person, he can usually pick up when he's going low or getting ready to drop, which has been phenomenal. And I think why we stayed on MDI little longer, just so he could recognize that. And I know some people can, some people can't, but thankfully, he still can't. Like he'll wake up in the middle of night sometimes and say, you know, I do feel low. And it's like, Well, you're right at 70 and you're dropping. Yeah. Okay, let's,
Scott Benner 31:43
there's no doubt that people can feel it. But you know, to to argue the other side. I always tell Arden, if how you felt was an important measurement of this, then there wouldn't be a meter. So
Jessica 31:57
that's yesterday, right? Yeah, cuz it's always nice to have that. I don't sometimes to when you you're not low in your, but you might feel it and no, no. When at Yeah,
Scott Benner 32:06
I love it. When she's like, I don't need to test like, I feel right. I was like, Yeah, I don't know what that means.
Jessica 32:13
Let's just do it anyway. Okay, okay.
Scott Benner 32:16
It's okay. And sometimes I'll go, okay, good gift. If trust me comes up, then I'm like, alright. I don't want you to think I don't trust you. And sometimes I'll just be like, Look, just test so we can both see like you. Maybe you'll be right, and I'll be wrong, and that's fine, too. So yeah, we're
Jessica 32:32
the same way. I'm like, Yes, you can prove me wrong. That's okay. Yes, John. Go ahead. Just show me. Do it. Yeah,
Scott Benner 32:37
there you go. Well, it's done. So you guys are pretty new to this still?
Jessica 32:44
Yeah, I mean, I think yeah, I would say three years comparative. Yeah. To some of your you and your guests.
Scott Benner 32:50
Yeah. Even not even compare to other people. Just like if you really like maybe I'm wrong, but the first year is a blur, right? Yeah. Right. So that doesn't count. Cuz you didn't learn. The first year. You're just like, Oh, my God, look, he's still alive. Everybody like, yeah, and
Jessica 33:06
I did it. Does anyone else do that? You're like, Is he sleeping in? Or should I be concerned? Oh, my,
Scott Benner 33:12
yes, i Yes, I could tell the sadder stories, but I try not to put them on the podcast, but I would put Arden to bed and just look at her and think like, don't die, don't die, don't die, and then out of the room, and it was a completely earnest feeling. You know, just like I 100% was just like, crossing my fingers and walking out of the room before it
Jessica 33:33
going well, and I think you know, our inner canal, you know, and we do get that and I understand for safety reasons, or whatever, you do get a little scared. We were scared to just kind of, you know, well, you know, you don't want to overdo it. Double check in the middle of the night, Do this, do that. And you're just like, I'm never gonna sleep again. What? And then we were eventually, it seemed like his body got regulated. And then I, you know, I'm like, Are we being horrible parents and selfish because I can't check in the middle of the night. I didn't want to wake him up. And he would always wait. So it got to the point. Do we still need to do the two MHS? You know, 2am checks, he seems fine.
Scott Benner 34:18
Are you using insulin? Well, if you are your blood sugar may be jumping up and down and up and down, and up and down. Up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down. And there's no way to know where it stops, right? Where if it's going to or how much more insulin you need when it's up or how less, fewer but less less. It's liquid, right? less insulin, how much less insulin you would need to stop making those lows. It's all kind of just a guessing game. You're testing with your meter at certain increments. I understand. That's good. And you have a great meter I hope I hope you have a Contour. Next One blood glucose meter. But that's not the point. The point of this is you could use with some more data, a little more vision you could use Dexcom G six continuous glucose monitor Did you hear that magical music? When I said Dexcom G six, as if I lined it up completely, just so that would happen? I did. That's what I do. I'm just bored today. And I thought, let me see if I can run my, my opening thoughts right into the doodle loop. And I did it. And now I'm proud of myself. I'd be more proud if you had it over to dexcom.com forward slash juice box to really look into the Dexcom G six CGM. Listen, no joking around, being able to see the speed direction and number of your blood sugar is huge. Right? 89 to 1500 87. What does that mean? What if you knew it was 187? And headed down? What if you knew it was moving down at two or three points per minute? Wouldn't that be interesting? It would trust me. It helps me every day make great decisions with my daughter about her blood sugar, and it would help you. I swear. I'm not saying that my results are gonna be yours. But my daughter's a one C has been between five, two and six, two for almost eight years. And the information that I get back from the Dexcom G six continuous glucose monitor is at the core, the center at the focus of how we make those decisions about insulin. I've learned so much from watching the Dexcom I think you would too. dexcom.com forward slash juicebox.
Jessica 36:37
He's okay. And they're like, Well, if you're okay with that, like, yes, we need to sleep too. And so does he
Scott Benner 36:43
there's an incredible balance to be struck. And yet again, I'm not arguing but you could you can look at it from both directions. Like if you need to. I don't understand if it's important to test your blood sugar during the day. Why is it not important to test it? Yeah. Is it because you want to sleep? Because that seems like the only reason and by the way, really, really valid reason? Because little Johnny's not going to be okay. If mommy and daddy are stabbing each other, you know?
Jessica 37:10
Just Well, I can't tell you. Yeah, there has been times or Yeah, going in the middle of you know that. And yes, stabbing yourself at the same time not getting enough blood. And yeah, I'm
Scott Benner 37:21
just so tired. You're pro you're poking your own finger. And then you're arguing and, and you know, nobody's rested. And you can't say enough. What good rest is to people you really broken sleep might be the worst thing you can do to yourself.
Jessica 37:36
I agree. No, it's it. You know, it was your starting childhood. Yeah, it's a new baby, but not. And that
Scott Benner 37:42
never goes away feels like it's like yeah, like, you know, when you have a baby, you're like, if I can just live through this six months, that kid will sleep through the night. And I will be saying again, like that's how it feels. And then the kids. And there's an event coming and you can't see it with the with the diabetes, because I mean, look, Arden's insolence incredibly well regulated. But, you know, she still can get low. And, you know, and blow could mean 50. Right. And that that needs intervention. And without the technology. She I mean, I guess without the technology, she would probably sleep a full night with their blood sugar that low if somebody didn't know, once a month, maybe or so. I don't know, you know? Yeah.
Jessica 38:30
No, well, like you said, there's no need to at this point anymore, which, yeah,
Scott Benner 38:34
it's interesting, you get the beeping, and you're like, oh, okay, I'll go take care of it. And then it doesn't seem so bad. And I have to say two algorithms are, if you're using a pump with a glucose monitor, the algorithms are insane. They're just, if you even if you try to get low, I don't think that I don't think that loop has physically let art and get below 50. In forever, you know, like, even if she tries to get low, it's now she hasn't been in some emergency situation where cutting off the insulin wouldn't, wouldn't help. Luckily, that hasn't happened. But I don't believe that it would help if you know if that happened, if we gave her you know, just viciously too much insulin or something like that. I don't think the loop could stop it. But that's just common sense. That's not speaking about the technology. But in general, when it's making all the decisions throughout the day. It is in general, putting you in a position where an emergency low is incredibly unlikely. So even if you get a drifting low from activity or something unexpected, it does a fairly good job of stopping it from being you know, like a call 911 situation
Jessica 39:43
of anything. Okay. Well, that's our next I think, hurdle to figure out. Yes. The looping aspect of things.
Scott Benner 39:51
Can you loop with Oh, libri
Jessica 39:54
I think you can I think Well, from what I read Scott now again, not just reading it like can I? So the libre to my understanding, and we've tested it out, it's kind of more like the ducks calm. So it's a full CGM. And I think you can build your own with the libre and with the Omni pod?
Scott Benner 40:16
Well, that would be, you're talking about just so people understand you're talking about a do it yourself system, not through the FAA not through the companies, etc.
Jessica 40:25
You're eventually hopefully fingers crossed for someone like me, I would prefer this companies to get where they need to get so I can just Yes. And that to us and not have to worry about doing it myself. No,
Scott Benner 40:34
I don't want I think loops are amazing. And I don't want to have to use it. So I would rather there be a I would rather there be an option from directly from the company that's viable?
Jessica 40:46
Yeah. And I think right on the right is an Omnipod.
Scott Benner 40:49
Yeah, we're talking. We're talking right now in June of 2021. You and I, this won't go out for a while, but the Omni pod five will be out soon. And Dexcom seven, I think will be announced at some point.
Jessica 41:07
Okay, and I said and I think the desktop from what I've seen of the seven it kind of almost looks more like a FreeStyle Libre. Ms. I feel it's not as it's just one piece. Right?
Scott Benner 41:16
Are you a little disk? Disposable you were I think I think it's still 10 days. Okay, I'm not sure. Honestly, like I said that the announcement has an app yet. Kevin's I booked Kevin for the show. Like he'll be on in like 20 days. And he's gonna tell me all about it. But I don't know at that exactly what's happening then. And I wonder too, if you can't get a sample when that comes out to see if it?
Jessica 41:41
That's true, maybe to see if it was something like you said, or just Yeah, yeah. Who knows his body change now that?
Scott Benner 41:47
I don't know. I don't know. Like, I genuinely don't know. I have no idea. Like, I know there's a little wire and it's got some coating on it. And that coating absorbs interstitial fluid and gives you like, I know all that. But I don't I don't know the rest. I don't know if it's going to change enough. Where you might see an improvement. I don't know if it was in John. I think there's no way I know. He's a special he's a special boy. That's all Yeah, John you're interstitial fluid is very very finicky. Did you did you do all the things did you make sure he was hydrated and like get his blood sugar stable? And like
Jessica 42:26
we did every Yeah. So and even you know, talk to Dexcom constantly where you know, okay, is it you know, you even remember being on with one point. Not the CEO but someone from you know, like, bigger above customer service, where it's like, okay, is it in the right spot and trying to you know, do like even a Facebook or like a Zoom meeting? ATOD where it's like, Okay, try different locations. Are we putting it on? Right? Are we you know? No, and it just Yeah, hydrated? Or wait, you know, blood sugar's were perfect. You know, we would, you know, check the meter. And it was like, why is it just not working bad batteries? That receiver? Maybe Maybe it was, you know, constantly. So that is just, you know, for done? Yeah. No, I tried,
Scott Benner 43:05
I would have tried probably would have done the exact same thing. I and I am in the awkward position of accepting very happily ads from Dexcom and having an incredible experience with it. So I not the right person to ask because I don't it works great for us.
Jessica 43:22
No, it does. And that's Yeah, awesome. Eventually, I should reach out for FreeStyle Libre as well for you. You can who needs you can always have more ads.
Scott Benner 43:31
Well, it doesn't work that way, though. Okay, I can't do Ford and Chevy. At the same time. Gotcha. Okay. Ford and Chevy wouldn't like that. That makes sense. All right. I understand. There are some concessions you make when you would you sign deals with people. And one of them might be not to tell somebody about a Mustang when you're in an ad, like I can talk about on the show like we are now I just I couldn't do it. I you know, it's interesting. I think, contractually, I can't do it. But ethically, I wouldn't do it. Like I have a I have a business relationship with them. I wouldn't like go taking money from like, the gas station across the street being like, hey, you can go to Sunoco or golf. I'm happy to tell you about either. Maybe just would seem like a dick move in my like, just me. Okay. No,
Jessica 44:16
you are not you don't know. Don't need to be like that. Yeah,
Scott Benner 44:19
that's all I mean, I could use some more money. Not gonna lie to you about that. But I definitely wouldn't do I wouldn't do that to any advertisers. I get it that just seems
Jessica 44:28
I think we all could use more money. But yeah.
Scott Benner 44:32
Especially you don't even have a job. You just sit it on?
Jessica 44:35
Yeah. Yeah, we, you and I both know that there's always that's that's a full time job. Just being at home. That's
Scott Benner 44:42
Kelly and I were just talking about this the other day, and I said still. I mean, it's now 21 years since I became a stay at home parent right. And back then people who I guess are, were my age now looked at me like I was like a scumbag. But really get, you know, like I was taking advantage of my wife. And it's it's not an easy job like I tried to, I simply say like I haven't seen television when the sun is up in like 20 years. And I don't use that. But it's a good measure, like I'm trying to say like, I don't have time to stop. You know what I mean? Like, there's just my day I get up, and there's something to do. And it leads the next thing to do. And it leads to the next thing and meals and stuff around the house like today, I need to have someone come out and fix my oven. So I will get somebody on the phone and like, we'll talk them through that and they will come and they'll be here like, I'm not fixing the oven, but I'm going to pay bills, and then on standby, laundry to fold like you wouldn't believe. And I think the sheets needs to be stripped off the bed and washed and etc, and etc. And on and on and on. And it's not exciting stuff. It's nothing like real like, oh, I went to the DoD today. And I told that's not exciting sometimes either. But you know what I mean? Like, it doesn't sound like a big deal. Like it's not it's not I went to a bank or I drove a truck, or it's it sounds like you did the laundry. Except no one wants to do the laundry. So, you know, it's not a job that it's, um, it's not a job that a lot of people put stock in as being important, but you know, see how important it is when you can't find clean socks, you know?
Jessica 46:28
Oh, yeah. Now you're or Yeah. Or you forget to make her you know, you're the first person what's for dinner? Yeah, I don't know what is for dinner. Oh,
Scott Benner 46:35
yeah. You want to if you want to know what it feels like to be rejected? Have someone tell you they didn't like dinner five nights in a row? Yes.
Jessica 46:42
Especially if you. We've also had that conversation at the house where it's like, Mom, I feel like you're making the same thing ever. And it's like, yes, every week, I have to have similar things. And I need ideas. anyone's got any ideas besides pizza. Now how many animals
Scott Benner 46:57
do you think there are in vegetables? I always say that. I'm like, they're like, We would like something different. I said, I don't know what you think. But you can eat a cow. A pig?
Jessica 47:09
Yeah, fish. That's about it. Yep. Bugs
Scott Benner 47:12
down on the bottom of the ocean. That's the end. Really. They can be baked, fried, grilled, grilled. Your options are now done there, too. It's just
Jessica 47:24
like, Yep, no. Well, and that's it. So it's fun with so my husband being a teacher, we take turns. So during the summer, those roles get to switch. So and then so by the end of the summer, he's like, Yep, I'm ready. I understand. Yep. So my where he's like, I don't know how you do this. I'm like, I don't know how we do it either. But you just do it. It's maddening
Scott Benner 47:44
sometimes. In the days like blend together, in because you don't leave the house. Or you know what I mean? Like you sometimes don't leave the house. So you have no conscious. Like, at least when you commute, you're like, Okay, well, I drove to work. I drove home.
Jessica 48:01
Yeah, sometimes. And then yeah. Well, and then that I think everyone could probably relate more to to us, because you know, it was COVID that first you know, this first few weeks. I think we all were in a blur. Yeah. It's almost like being on a vacation. But we're not and or we're on vacation. But no one's having fun.
Scott Benner 48:16
Yeah, no, you're on vacation, except the beach blanket is gonna kill you. So just it well. And for all those people who are now thinking like, I'm stuck in my house, I want to get out of here. I have felt like that for 21 years now. Yeah,
Jessica 48:30
yeah. Well, that's what I think there's seven years, I wouldn't change it for the world. But then I think, yeah, if you had to go back to you make that shift, and you're like, Oh, so now I'm on the other end of it being like, I don't know how I did that for seven years. Wow. And, you know, it goes by fast too. So you're like, Well, I can't tell you what happened. Those two people are still alive and hopefully will be great people when they grew up. That's but we won't know yet. So fingers crossed? Well, yeah,
Scott Benner 48:55
that's the other stuff is a lot of it's not measurable, which is how people get away with doing it poorly, too. Because you don't you don't get judged. Every you know, you know, your boss looks over your shoulder sometimes. But if your kid's gonna grow up to be a serial killer, you don't find out until three girls go missing from the park, you know, like so you don't it's not like when they're eight, you're like, Oh, I didn't do a good job today. Or I could have said this instead of that or, you know, maybe it would have been important to teach them to not step on the flowers or whatever it ends up. Like, you know, like, but you don't get judged in the moment. It's the end and what always scared me about it. What would put a lot of I do mean scared like it pressured me into wanting to be a good parent. was the idea that like they're not a house you paint you can't paint it step back and go, Oh, why did we pick orange? You know, and then we'll repaint it again. Like when you step back and they're 25 You're like, oh my god, the kids are prick. Like it's too late then you don't I mean you can't start over so that put a lot of a lot of I do feel like it was pressure like I did not want to screw this up very badly. Like I thought the worst thing I could go through was like the last 25 years of my life looking back going, oh my god, I screwed those human beings up.
Jessica 50:08
You know what? I will say? I think any parents you're right, none of us intentionally want to and that is our last. I don't know, I don't know, especially with your children, my children. We're not sure which spouse of me or my husband, but yeah, strong willed. We are strong willed type a family, which can be good, but can also be extremely challenging at certain intervals.
Scott Benner 50:32
I've had those thoughts. I was like, Why does everyone have an opinion right now?
Jessica 50:35
Yeah. And no one asked you for those opinions. So please,
Scott Benner 50:40
if you want to have an opinion, get a job.
Jessica 50:42
Okay. keep them to yourself. Yes. Yes. There's
Scott Benner 50:45
three small bills. If you pay these, I will let you vote on
Jessica 50:49
you, then you get a voting right. Well, that's it. John. That's where we've been trying to drill. So. Yes, so I have fourth graders, fifth graders who have phones right now who, you know, personal opinion. My fifth grader or soon to be fifth grader does not need a phone. What would you do with a phone now? I can argue yes. For texting and blood sugar. Yes, but the rest of these little fourth and fifth graders? No. So our new one has been you know, you can get a phone when you get a job. You don't have one. So work for buddy. You can go
Scott Benner 51:23
play with that kid. He's not getting a phone. i It's funny when I agree. I'm gonna I'm going to contradict myself. I completely agree with you. And yet my children have headphones since they were tiny and little kindergarten,
Jessica 51:41
that will say okay, different perspective. I mean, Arden again, I mean, if it was more used for I don't know, or, you know, you know, your children. That's No, I
Scott Benner 51:51
don't. Here's what I'm
Jessica 51:53
Yes, you do, Scott.
Scott Benner 51:55
I don't know myself best. But the artists. So when Arden went to kindergarten, like Dexcom, there was no Dexcom. Okay, so we were like, all we could think of was that there was these 20 minutes where Arne would be in transit. That's how it felt. And what if she had a problem on the bus? There's a provision in Ardens 504 plan for how the bus can be stopped. And I can be contacted, like, that's how crazy it felt back then. And we don't we wouldn't do that anymore. She's too old anyway. But but he you know, he did you imagine, but there was there was actually like, there was a there's a there was a a process in place that if Arden were to have a seizure on a bus, that the bus would be stopped. 911 would be called in the school would contact me and give me the location of the bus. Like, that's how like, concerned, we were back then about it. And so we thought what if Arden's feeling low on the bus? And she's five, we'd wanted to be able to call and tell somebody, right? So yeah, that makes sense. So we go to get her a phone. And you know, we're not crazy, and we're not wealthy. So we were just like, here's a flip phone. And we I remember standing in the at&t store, and she couldn't operate it. She just, she didn't like she couldn't like there were too many buttons. He had to scroll through menus. It just it wasn't intuitive. It didn't work. And the iPhone had just come out. Maybe the year or so before. And she picked that thing up and immediately knew how to use it. It was incredibly intuitive. And so my, my five year old had an iPhone, and every parent of every child in the town I live in hated us for it. And I understand. And to them, I say that too bad.
Jessica 53:45
Right? Well, when John Armstrong listened to this podcast when it does come out, not until you get a job, but
Scott Benner 53:52
just like that, John, you went on the phone? Yeah, to get rid of that libre scarier mom a little bit and then
Jessica 53:58
give him idea of Scott. Okay.
Scott Benner 54:01
What's he gonna do with that phone anyway? Some moron talk fall over. It's not a big deal. Yeah, no. Yeah. Although it would be nice if he knew how to listen to a podcast. I'll give you some more downloads.
Jessica 54:14
That's true. I could put them on there for you. Yeah, he probably could figure out I'm sure of the podcasts versus this mother. Yes. Would you please. Oh,
Scott Benner 54:22
sorry. How did you find the podcast? So
Jessica 54:25
surprisingly, we would go to our endocrinologist and it was a nurse who we become best friends with who is also type one. So it's phenomenal working with that nurse. And that's what she said, Have you ever listened to this podcast? I was like, No, I don't do podcasts. You should really try. So I said okay, finally. And yeah, I knew and that's how we started hearing about it. And then you know, so finally had the time when COVID head I said, All right, I'll podcast Let me see.
Scott Benner 54:53
You're not podcasting. You're listening. I'm podcasting. You're okay, sorry.
Jessica 54:57
I am listening to the pod cast.
Scott Benner 55:01
You would have to I have to tell you,
Jessica 55:04
I can't even get the the terminology correct.
Scott Benner 55:08
It's a fascinating that you've had it well, thanks to the person who told you about it and all the healthcare workers who people about the podcast, I'm very grateful for that. But
Jessica 55:17
I mean, I'll say pass it and shared it. We've had, you know, recent friends who've contacted Oh, I know, so and so they just had their child. First thing I say, juicebox.
Scott Benner 55:25
That's very nice. I know a woman who is I love asking people how they find the show, because some of the stories are great. Somebody just told me the woman that does her eyebrows told her about it. I was like, that's the best. Thank you. I just, I just imagine like the wax is on and there. Yeah, that's pretty. Like, have you tried the Juicebox? Podcast?
Jessica 55:46
random conversation? Why not?
Scott Benner 55:49
I am really fast. Did you hear recently the, um, Sofia, the little girl from Russia who found it on?
Jessica 55:56
No. So that is on our so we've been traveling, and I put it in the car. So that is on our next one. We hit the road. Later this week.
Scott Benner 56:05
She's sarcastic and smart, and really like a self starter. And she found that on her own, and got herself all like, directed her mom about the technology she needed and everything. I find that one. Like that was really heartwarming to think that a 14 year old like, like, Wait, I don't want to ruin it for you. But the way she the way she started looking and found the podcast is really something. So
Jessica 56:28
we also just listen to the one to the other day was sneaking food. So that was just trying to have John, you know, just have it consciously in the background. So he can hear it trying to not that we sneak food often. But you know, I think it was good, good reminder to think of you know, making sure I'm not putting things off limit or how I respond of Wait, what's your blood sugar at or, you know, to make him think otherwise? Because you don't know what these little ones sometimes are thinking. Right?
Scott Benner 56:57
That was with Erica. Right. Yes. Good. And
Jessica 57:00
it was fantastic. Just again, helpful. Have you know, again, we have this. So again, technology. So now just Bolus for it or talk to us trying to keep that open line of communication.
Scott Benner 57:09
I like her a lot actually. When she, we did the first couple things we said we were going to do together and she's like, Well, I hope we see each other again. And I was like, Oh, you're not getting out of this that easy. sighs like you're good at this. You'll be back. Don't you worry. But yes, she does a great job.
Jessica 57:26
I mean, and it's just things like those different topics where you're just able to pull out and flush out and you're like, Ah, this is perfect. Or, you know, am I being mindful? Or am I doing this? It's been phenomenal. I mean, a great asset. versus, you know, I don't think I know, there's other people who have maybe there's type one communities, I don't think in our area, there's not as much
Scott Benner 57:48
I like the way you're thinking about it like you're like, like it's background music, almost like you put it on, so that he kind of hears the ideas without it being kind of jammed on his throat. Is that the idea?
Jessica 57:59
Correct? Yes. Or just you know, and I think to to show him that again, it's just not you. There are you know, other people? And you know, other people dealing with different things, whether it be type one or you know, yeah, different issues, things that we can think of. later down the road. I, my husband, at one point, he came home and I said, I just listened to the podcast with Scott and you had a guest on there, who's from Colorado, and he was doing mushrooms and acid tripping and my husband's like, really? Well, you don't know. I was just curious. Something different. It was on in the background.
Scott Benner 58:34
That was the was that the girl that came out to talk about psychedelics? Yes, yes.
Jessica 58:39
He's like, really? Are you listening? Yeah. And I said to I would be interested in taking John in it. I, I've been to Colorado briefly. And I was like, I'm curious. You mentioned about the altitude. Is that true? Would that affect insulin? I don't know.
Scott Benner 58:52
Yeah, it's interesting to hear stuff, like from all over the place where you just like, wow, that's the thing. I go up higher, and my insulin works better. And that happens for some people, or, you know, vice versa. They they're up for up for a while and they come back down and they have a weird change. Yeah, that's tough. I listen, I if your son finds mushrooms off of that podcast, then I should be charging more for my ads because people are really listening. I don't imagine that's how people are gonna, like make the the last session to do a psychedelic
Jessica 59:26
like really? Yes, I was on I was on this podcast talking about
Scott Benner 59:31
i Well, you know, what I loved about her is that she? She so earnestly just wanted to make sure people's drugs were safe.
Jessica 59:37
She was responsible and I think everyone you know, again, and she, I would argue, you know, I can use your government lingo. She was a subject matter expert, SME
Scott Benner 59:48
She was She definitely had the information I didn't have. So
Jessica 59:52
I was just like, wow, okay, although
Scott Benner 59:54
she's she's, there was one time so I rolled with her fine, right I thought I thought Everything she was doing was really cool. But she's she's, I got I was gobsmacked one time, because like we were pretty far through the episode and I was like, so you don't do any harder drugs, right? And she has no. Well, cocaine. And I was like, wait, what?
Jessica 1:00:15
That's kind of Yeah. Wow. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:00:17
I was like how do you how do you grade your schedules of drugs? That's like, I think that's pretty harsh. No. But she's like, Nah, not if you do it right. I was like, Okay. I might have to disagree with you there. But it was, um, he's just, I just in general think it's super interesting to listen to people with different perspectives. You know, if somebody just comes on and agrees with you all the time. I don't, I don't get what that does. And, you know, you want people from different walks of life so you can hear things. I never thought I'd hear somebody answer the question. You don't do hard drugs with no, I don't. But I do cocaine. Like, I just never thought that would happen. So I was like, wow, that was really interesting. You know, different perspectives are good. Yeah. You know, the perspective that I can't seem to nail down on the show is being imprisoned with diabetes. That yeah, that I don't, I am trying so hard to get somebody who's been like, like, not just like, you know, in the county lockup, but in prison. Actually, with that, I get so close. And then it never, I can never get it to workout. So they either have like parole issues, or they get scared about like, there's something at the
Jessica 1:01:30
end, maybe, yeah, maybe putting their name to it. I've been
Scott Benner 1:01:33
through it with a number of people and I can never get somebody to record. So one day.
Jessica 1:01:39
That would be that would be interesting.
Scott Benner 1:01:41
Imagine, like, like, how do you do that? Yeah,
Jessica 1:01:47
how would you do that? There's actually I saw a horrible movie about that a while ago, I don't know, horrible movie about. It wasn't that good of a movie, but that's how it was, I guess the wife somewhat committed, they think committed a murder and she ended up we're like, oh, and but she's at one point, you're injecting an MDI, into her leg. And you're like, oh, he has diabetes, and she ends up going to prison. And that's how the husband is able to help her escape.
Scott Benner 1:02:11
Wait a minute, what movie was this?
Jessica 1:02:13
I don't know. I'm gonna have to Google it and send it to
Scott Benner 1:02:16
my googling.
Jessica 1:02:17
Okay, you you do have your Google Maps, Google Google skills. I'm trying to think it was in it
Scott Benner 1:02:23
was Adrian Brody and Forest Whitaker in it? Possibly, yeah, possibly. Those are two pretty obvious people you would know.
Jessica 1:02:31
You know, I don't know people. I'm sorry. I don't watch a whole bunch of movies. That
Scott Benner 1:02:34
makes it worse. If
Jessica 1:02:37
it was one of those nights. You're sitting up on a Friday night you're like, you know, hey, let's Amazon something. You know, the kids are in bed, and we ended up on this movie, and you're just like, What in the world? But yeah, he ended up breaking out of prison. They had a kid I think I 1.2 I'm rambling and it sounds horrible.
Scott Benner 1:02:54
Oh, we're gonna try one more time prison movie.
Jessica 1:02:59
I need to google it to be these present.
Scott Benner 1:03:03
Maybe I keep getting the experiment.
Jessica 1:03:08
I'll pull it down and see what it shows me up. Saving senior pictures.
Scott Benner 1:03:16
The next three days.
Jessica 1:03:20
The next few days, let me I'm pulling up now. But yes, he ends up because she's diabetic. He's able to mess with her blood sugar. Like report or something. And through that she goes, you know, he's able she's been hospitalized because they think she's going into DKA. And then he breaks in through the hospital.
Scott Benner 1:03:41
Is it the next three days do we have it has to be it has to be? I feel like you don't know. Hold on a second.
Jessica 1:03:46
Hang on the next three days.
Scott Benner 1:03:50
With Russell Crowe.
Jessica 1:03:52
Now was Russell Crowe in it? Yes. It was Russell Crowe. Yes. Okay.
Scott Benner 1:03:55
And you're saying this was not a good movie? I mean, what do you think? Are you afraid Russell Crowe is gonna hear this.
Jessica 1:04:04
You might be listening. No, it was just kind of you look anything like oh, I mean, I would say it's entertaining. How's that? I don't know. Maybe? Like, I don't do a whole bunch of movies. So it's kind of like alright, you know, well, something we sat and watch and you're like, I think from a diabetic you're like, Ah, wow, she shot that, that MDI and that quick, she'd even hold it for three seconds you know, stuff like that. But
Scott Benner 1:04:25
here's what it says on Rotten Tomatoes. Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks give it their all but their solid performances aren't quite enough to compensate for the next three days uneven paced and implausible plot well yep, I would say that's that's sums it up in fairness one of every two people that saw it like that. By the way, also on my Google search page when I Googled prison movie diabetes I got what disease this Kristen Stewart have in panic room. Ah, now I want to know all those I just did not tell you all
Jessica 1:05:00
You have to see it. Well, not only
Scott Benner 1:05:02
that, but that's bullshit. Now I have to bleep out my, my. But I say, because how does he? Seriously it's too late. You missed it. Alright, well now we'll never know what disease Kristen Stewart had in panic room.
Jessica 1:05:16
But after a look later, we'll look it up.
Scott Benner 1:05:19
I don't care anymore. I'm letting it go.
Jessica 1:05:22
There you go. Let it go.
Scott Benner 1:05:23
I like these episodes where nobody talks about anything. And
Jessica 1:05:27
so now after I get off the kids gonna be like, Why don't you talk about?
Scott Benner 1:05:30
Tell them? Nothing? I would, I would say we mostly talked about how you're not getting a cell phone.
Jessica 1:05:35
Yes. Well, that's it. So there you go. There's your title right there. No cell phone till you get a job. Yes. pretty much
Scott Benner 1:05:42
gonna be Hayden planetary was almost Kristen Stewart in panic room, which is something I also learned the girl from
Jessica 1:05:52
and now you have a movie that you and your wife can watch later.
Scott Benner 1:05:54
Oh, yeah, I definitely want to see a movie that even though the actors tried really hard, so
Jessica 1:06:00
they tried. It counts. Right? Good parenting, you try.
Scott Benner 1:06:08
No, you know, you should tell you something you can offer you should be like, Scott told me that you said to him, you were gonna stare at me and try to make me feel bad. And make him think I didn't say it backwards.
Jessica 1:06:19
So beforehand, we're getting ready to go on a bike ride. It's like 915 like, alright, you know, I'm down to the wire on schedule. So like, right, we're going up quick bike ride ride around. So John's like, can I be on the podcast? I was like, you might say that my daughter was like that. I want to be on it too. Well, what would you say? She's like, I don't know. I have to live with him. Like, alright, well, that's fair. And they just started bickering about it. Like, not even on the podcast yet. Let's take a deep breath.
Scott Benner 1:06:46
Your kids on a bike ride before you're going to be on a podcast? Well, I
Jessica 1:06:49
figured I needed to clear my mind. We need to you know, we're at. So we're visiting family right now hanging out for Tony Ren, South Carolina. So you know, it's just nice. Everyone had breakfast? Everyone get out. Let's all just bike around. Look around a little island. I've been just kind of bike around. I think hopefully again, get the get the endorphins go in. It's not a bad thing. And it's not hot yet. So
Scott Benner 1:07:13
it's so hot here today. I Oh, listen to me. It's gonna be hot here then. Oh, boy. Yeah, I'd be I don't know where you're staying. But they got a rock solid internet connection. And I appreciate that. I will let them know. Thank you. Thank you. Hey, listen, if your daughter wants to come on here at the end and trash your son, it's okay with me.
Jessica 1:07:31
That's gonna be it. Yeah. So, uh, my daughter, Elizabeth is seven.
Scott Benner 1:07:37
He matches she jumped on here. And she's like, can I speak candidly? That kids?
She's just like it. I'll tell you another thing. She starts like trashing you.
Jessica 1:07:51
Yeah, that one. She's that one. That one's gone on. 20. Um, well, now that's her big thing. And so now we deal with that. So get that we're watching for her. I'm hoping nothing comes out of it. But so, you know, Donald be like, I'm low. And he is low legitimately. So I give him juice. And she'll be like, Yep, I'm low to mom pass some juice over. And I'm like, Yes, you can have a little juice to uh huh.
Scott Benner 1:08:16
I heard somewhere the other day that like to juice boxes is the sugar equivalent of how much sugar a person ate in a week, like 100 years ago or something like that? I don't remember the exact numbers. But it was a startling idea. Do you worry about her getting type one.
Jessica 1:08:33
Do I mean every now and then we had to be too I would say probably. You know, two years ago, we were in Boston visiting as we were making our way up to Maine. And she just kept sucking water down and I'm like, Okay, again, it's hot. But then at one point, just getting paranoia was starting to set in. So I remember sitting in the hotel room. And John's trying to talk to because we're like, we're gonna prick your finger. And she's, you know, he's like, it's not gonna hurt her child. I'm sure people thought we were murdering her bloody murder was screaming and she was fine. But it you know, John's like, we I do this every day. What's your problem? She's like, Are you sure it's fine.
Scott Benner 1:09:12
By the way? Anyone who thinks that doesn't hurt is out of their mind. I I do it. Semi frequently. I get here. Yeah, just you know, I you know, I didn't for years. I very purposefully when Arden was little, because we were testing so much. Oh my god, like 10 times a day or more. Yeah, that's where we're at. Yeah, so I very purposely never tested my blood sugar or even pricked my finger. Because I remember telling my wife and feeling very earnestly that if I know what it feels like, I don't know that I'm going to be able to do it to her. So yes, probably. So I was like no and but now I do it a lot. And there are times where you're just like wow, did that needle hit the bone in my middle of my finger like you know what I mean? Like it really feels like I know it doesn't like I'm being you know, sarcastic but it like if sometimes it hits you know, well Okay, you know, like kids a nerve or something that's actually for a second.
Jessica 1:10:05
Yeah, they'll wake you up. Well, that's what thankfully, John, pretty much. I think that's where that type A, thankfully came in for both of you know, with me and him i being at home at the time, it was me and him going at it. I mean, my husband was at work, and that's where it's like, I can do it. Or you can do it. He's like, No, I totally want to do it. And he took that on pretty quick. Yeah, but yeah, there were times we were saying way of, okay, let's how, you know, trying to learn how to draw syringes, and you know, sticking yourself or purposely or accidentally, it happens. And just trying to understand,
Scott Benner 1:10:35
so last night, yesterday, in general, I'll let you go in a second. But yesterday, Arden went to the beach with her friends. So she's getting ready to leave the house and she's got supplies with her, you know, and I said, I think there's only like 45 minutes left in your pod? Do you want to change it now before you go or run the risk of having to change it while you're out? And she's like, I'll just change the oil amount if I have to. And I was like, okay, she's like, I don't think I'm gonna need 45 minutes today. And I was like, okay, so she left. 20 minutes later, she texts me. The pod just expired on time. I was like, Wait, it's expired, or it just reached it's like, because the pot is an eight hour grace period.
Jessica 1:11:14
Okay, that's why I was just gonna ask the same time like, so it was.
Scott Benner 1:11:18
She's like, it has a more out. She's texting me. It has eight more hours, right? That's okay, you're good. So they go to the beach, where I mean, she's not going to need a ton of insulin there. And then, but they went to a restaurant afterwards, she got like a waffle or something. She's with her like all of her girlfriends. And that was still fine there. But she gets home and she's like, she goes, my pot has a unit left in it. I have to change it. And I was like, okay, so she's doing it. She's like, give me a hand for a second. I started to walk over and like, actually, I can you get mom to do this, like, I got to run. So like I kind of took off. I couldn't help her. And I heard her say to Kelly, it's okay, I got it. Which was like the I don't want you to hear me on this. Like she does not trust Kelly for some
Jessica 1:12:01
Oh, well, I think there's I mean, there is that one parent who it just naturally falls on. So it's the same thing. Like he'll change out his pot, and I'm just watching or you know, and yeah,
Scott Benner 1:12:13
yeah. I'm sure my wife can do it fine. But at the same time, she's not accustomed to it either. I actually did get to watch them do a Dexcom together over facetime when I was away recently. And it was like an Abbott and Costello routine. I wish I could have recorded that. It was just a lot of Mom. Mom. Mom. I'll do. It's okay.
Jessica 1:12:35
I try it. That's what I tried to mind, John. And he's like, you're not doing it. Right. I'm like, I don't know. You don't know either. Let's just we're trying. Okay. Give your mom slack. Trying
Scott Benner 1:12:45
your 10 and I used to work at the DOD. So calm down.
Jessica 1:12:51
To your fire. Yeah. You my own children. Can you let me do this now
Scott Benner 1:12:55
you can. But it's looked upon very unfavorably by society. Yeah, man. Yeah. I mean, you could just abandon them at a strip mall or something like that
Jessica 1:13:05
now? Yeah. Never heard the end of that.
Scott Benner 1:13:08
never hear the end of that. Would you never hear the end of it from? No, no, no, I don't know. Who would complain most if you abandoned one of your children.
Jessica 1:13:17
I'm sure I have a list of people. Yeah, no, I'm kidding.
Scott Benner 1:13:20
Is there anything that we didn't talk about that we should have?
Jessica 1:13:23
I can't imagine I'm trying to think other email what I sent to you my email,
Scott Benner 1:13:28
emails, like I just got on the pod. I hope this will be a fun conversation.
Jessica 1:13:31
I was like, Yeah, well, okay. Well, there you go. It was awesome. Fun. No, I think I mean, I think you think the Omnipod is awesome. I can't, I think by the bodkin because of podcasts and because of you an awesome, I appreciate
Scott Benner 1:13:42
that. i You have it all dialed in. Now it's doing what you needed to do.
Jessica 1:13:46
I think so. I mean, like I said, there's still a lot of it. I know it's us. If I obviously like said I'm trying to calculate for that exercise, or I didn't Bolus correctly. So but I would say overall, I mean, our numbers are coming out better. And I think that's where we when we hit it, we were coming out of the honeymoon phase. And then I think we've been more and now summer I think we all goes maybe should have stopped but I feel like it's a wave like Christmas. Well, Christmas is just full of junk. You know, you have Thanksgiving, Halloween, it just keeps going and then you know, summer hits. So I usually more junk than what we normally you know, but we're happy with
Scott Benner 1:14:23
it. Also more sedentary a colder times a year, going down as much. You know, it's not being torture for that soccer, I would imagine.
Jessica 1:14:32
Yeah, well, that soccer has been a while so then that's taekwondo or other things that we're trying to you know, just be active force. You know, bike rides, go.
Scott Benner 1:14:40
Are they doing that stuff again? Look, can you do taekwondo again?
Jessica 1:14:43
We just yeah, we're starting to open up so everything I mean, and that's what so again, different where we were. Our school was open and then in person all year. Oh, cool. Did he Did he go? He did he did so we weren't sure read a bunch of things. And it was kind of like, you know, wear your mask, wash our hands and see how this goes. But yeah, Taekwondo has been open. And just, you know, I think everyone's trying to be out and be more active when you're at home. Anyways. Yeah, that's what we try to do.
Scott Benner 1:15:16
I think I think that you'll see some people can see a difference with hot weather, cold weather with inactivity, more activity, but you just kind of adjust from it. And
Jessica 1:15:26
yeah, or we're at the beach. We're at the beach yesterday. So blood sugar, you seem to regulate itself. We're in the pool. So more importantly, right now they're like, do you still have your parts on? Because I'm, you know, I don't want to lose a part if I don't have to. I don't want to lose, you know. So it's been taped up pretty good. So far. It's holding, but I graded
Scott Benner 1:15:42
it. Sounds like you guys are doing pretty well.
Jessica 1:15:45
Yeah, I would say for I guess what's been two, three years. You said still still fairly young, but still trying?
Scott Benner 1:15:51
No, I mean, it does. You have a good attitude. And you know, we you sharing a one two with me, Howard. Okay, so
Jessica 1:15:57
I've been cheating. We haven't, we've gone up a little. I've been cheating. We've been cheating on the agency. I've been using, you know, whatever the that app is to tell me what it is. I haven't really, every time I tried to get blood drawn to get it up for the agency or endo spend doing the zoom thing for the last year. So we've been sending reports. So we've gone up right now I think we're at 6.8. Because our last which is to me it was a little higher than what I want. So
Scott Benner 1:16:24
yeah, I mean, listen, it's not it's a good day. One thing. I don't know what you're upset about.
Jessica 1:16:28
Okay. Well, that's I didn't know anything under seven. Right? Listen,
Scott Benner 1:16:33
for me, it's as low as you can get it without having lows. That's how I think of it.
Jessica 1:16:37
Okay, that makes sense. Well, I remember when we first got it, he was like, five something and they're like, that's too low for a one. See?
Scott Benner 1:16:45
Listen, you can get if you can get a lower a one see without having long, protracted or dangerous lows throughout the day, then I think that's great. If you're still learning how to do stuff, which it seems like you are a little bit yeah, a six eight is not. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Certainly. It's a it's a really solid A onesie. I would think there's room in there for you to to bring the number down. Yeah,
Jessica 1:17:09
no, I think certificate comes. Yeah. And I think that's what more experienced as well as just are making those adjustments. I think you guys probably with more of the Dexcom because it's constantly you're getting wet that every five minutes where I have to be, we say beacon where I have to check it physically. And then it's just being sometimes frickin forgetful. Or, you know, hey, you just got that any 15 minutes? Let's, you know, or we find you know, making sure and bolusing far enough for him. Yeah, kids ready to eat.
Scott Benner 1:17:37
That's the little stuff, like remembering that, honestly, if your Basal is right, you remember to Pre-Bolus you understand the difference between the impacts of, you know, one carb to the next. I think that's an A one c in this, you know, in the coming down, yeah, in the low sixes and then getting into the fives if you're going to eat like a standard kind of American diet is knowing how to be aggressive around certain foods, not not abiding high blood sugars, meaning like you don't see a 140 and disco, you know, after this TV show, although like you just like go 140 you smack it get rid of Well, that's
Jessica 1:18:12
what we're trying to catch it I think, is where yeah, in advance of because you get you know, you know what it's like, in the normal day of routine of things, and you know, okay, and it's gonna kick in, or I do like the Omnipod it does that correction factor already are telling me how much I OB you have on. So that's been helpful. So that way, I'm not continuing to flush with insulin and okay, I need to wait for it to go through. And then so working that with John, which I don't have that much on, just wait a second.
Scott Benner 1:18:37
Let me to fry your mind a little. Yes, sure. Okay, the insulin on board is a dummy setting. That makes its calculation based on how many hours your endo told the pump. Insulin, I can change it right. And but you have to find what, what is true. So
Jessica 1:18:58
based on him, like how long it takes to run through his system, or right,
Scott Benner 1:19:02
like if you think if you think insulin, there's a lot of different ways to think about it. But if you think insulin lasts in a system for four hours, then you set that you set that setting it for hours, right? This is this is how long the insulin lasted the system. And then if two hours after you've bolused His blood sugar's to 50 because you completely, you know, missed on the food. The things still gonna think yes, insulin on board. Ah, so that's an example of okay, so try to imagine this 10 carbs of some simple like easy, digestible food, right? And then 10 carbs of I don't know, rice and Chinese food. So the rice and Chinese food is going to need more insulin likely than this regular taxi to diagnose food, digest food, but you just put in time carbs because you count the 10 carbs. So in the case of the easy digestible food, it works great. Put in 10 carbs, a little bit of a Pre-Bolus. You don't spike too much. You don't get low later. Yay, my insulin to carb ratio works great. But then you have Chinese food and you count the carbs. You put in the insulin and you spike anyway and you stay high. Well, it's not that your insulin to carb ratio is messed up, it's that it doesn't work for Chinese food.
Jessica 1:20:25
Correct. So that's when I'm gonna be more aggressive, more aggressive as well as with Omni pod. I can do what is up the extent
Scott Benner 1:20:32
you can ended Bolus you could do a Temp Basal increase. There are lots of ways to get insulin in there. But the point is, if you count the carbs put in the insulin gets super high. And an hour later when he's 300. Tell it? You know, I want to correct it'll say no, you still have insulin on board and board. Okay. Right. So you do have insulin on board. It's just not enough insulin for Chinese food.
Jessica 1:20:52
Correct. Okay, so just again, being mindful of what you're eating. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:20:56
The pro tip about glycemic load and glycemic index goes through that really kind of carefully. But but in my mind, it's, it's Basal Pre-Bolus glycemic load index, and then staying flexible. If you can do those four things is a one CLB all low sixes
Jessica 1:21:14
that'd be Well, I mean, I think that's I think that's what we're all wanting, and obviously, because of that, what the helps extend later, correct. Yeah, I mean, yeah, no, I
Scott Benner 1:21:26
mean, listen, it's just it's a, it's an N, you're not going to be rushed to it. Like you can listen to those episodes, those prototype episodes. And I think they'll get you to it more quickly. But you still have to live through the experiences to have real world examples to try to point to. And so that's, that's the game is learn as much as you can keep trying stuff. You know, it'll work
Jessica 1:21:52
out. Perfect. That's it well, and keep laughing. Thanks, Scott.
Scott Benner 1:21:56
Oh, that's my job. The rest of Yes. Yes.
Jessica 1:22:00
I appreciate it. Thank you.
Scott Benner 1:22:01
You're very welcome. I'm super glad you did this. I appreciate you taking the time.
Jessica 1:22:05
Oh, anytime. This was fun. Thank you. You have a good one.
Scott Benner 1:22:09
Oh, hold on a second. Hey, huge thanks to Jessica for coming on the show today and doing whatever it is we just did together. And a bigger thank you even that. Even yet even yet a bigger thank you and even a bigger and woo dexcom.com forward slash juice box. Thanks so much to the Dexcom G six continuous glucose monitor for sponsoring this episode of The Juicebox Podcast. There are links at Juicebox Podcast COMM And in the show notes of your podcast player to Dexcom Omni pod, all of the sponsors, check them out. When you click on the links. You're helping the podcast. And you know when yourself to a Dexcom is a hell of a thing. You're gonna love it.
Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast.
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#597 Does Jenny Burnout?
Scott and Jenny Smith, CDE discuss burnout, restarting T1 management, the past year of the podcast and whats to come.
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 wherever they get audio.
+ 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 friends, and welcome to episode 597 of the Juicebox Podcast.
We're just gonna have a few more episodes in 2021. And I thought we'd go out on a high note with Jenny Smith from the defining diabetes and diabetes pro tip episodes. You love Jenny, you know, Jenny, and today you're going to talk to Jenny. Like she's just a regular guest. Yeah, sort of. I'm going to ask Jenny, a question about diabetes burnout. And then we're gonna chat about what we've done this year and things we have planned for next year, etc, etc. So on and so forth. Please remember, while you're listening that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please always, also consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan, or becoming bold with insulin. If you find yourself with a few minutes, and you're on your sofa with your phone, go to T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. They're looking for US residents who have type one diabetes, or who are the caregiver of someone with type one to answer a few questions and a quick survey that benefits people living with type one diabetes, and the Juicebox Podcast, T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by Omni pod, head over to Omni pod.com Ford slash juice box to get started, learn more or find out if you're eligible for a free 30 day trial of the Omni pod dash. This episode is also sponsored by touched by type one, to learn more about them go to touched by type one.org or find them on Facebook and Instagram. All right. So here's the good news. It's the end of the year. I'm not gonna ask you anything, you're not gonna need to know anything technical. I'm just, we're just gonna talk again, because we haven't talked for a while like people on on the podcast. So yay, I do have a little bit of a, an angle. So okay, we'll see how it goes.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 2:23
There's always an angle there's got to be.
Scott Benner 2:27
So it's got to be about something. But before we start on that, I just wanted to ask you. I wanted I guess I kind of wanted to get your opinion about how all this is going like you and I have been at this for a while now. Like I think we started making the protests in 2019. Maybe that sound right? Yeah, that
Jennifer Smith, CDE 2:46
sounds about right, I think Yeah.
Scott Benner 2:48
And, you know, for people who, like, are just jumping in and listening. I think it's about time that I explained again, that just so people understand like, Jenny doesn't work for me. Like she's not. So So I want to give people the background for a second because there are a lot of new listeners since 2019. I don't know how long ago now maybe in the first year of the podcast in 2015. Jenny just came on as a guest. And I remember talking to her and having a really good time. And I left the the podcast episode feeling like Wow, I like that person. And I really agree on a lot of stuff. Stuff that I don't normally hear people talking about around diabetes,
Jennifer Smith, CDE 3:33
right, I believe it was it was about a one C, if I remember correctly. It was about a one C and the grander picture of a one C and the other things to consider. And even things like what's now known well, but things like time and range and standard deviation and all of those kinds of things. Right. So yeah, that was a long time ago, gosh, trying
Scott Benner 3:58
to see when it was see if I can pull it up. But I always do this, I always searched the wrong. There's such an easier way for me to do this. And I always do it the hard way for some reason. And the other thing about that episode is that while we were talking, I was saying things, you know, that I talked about and you weren't treating me like I was a lunatic. You were like, No, that makes sense. And you know, even though I was speaking about it probably differently than other people do. And we're kind of like, I don't know, blue collar simple terms or stuff like that. Like, I never got this feeling back from you. Like you were like, Oh God, what is he doing? You know, like you were like, No, yeah, right. It was all about a one see with Jenny Smith CDE it was actually April 6 2017. Okay, was that maybe yes.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 4:43
That would have been right because it if I remember, even remember the office, like I remember sitting in that office space, which it was a different house than we have now. And our little boy Who is he'll be five in January this year was just he had just been born.
Scott Benner 5:06
Well, both of our memories are failing us, because that was the second time you were on. Really? Episode 105. That episode in 2017 was the second time you're on the time I'm talking about with episode 37. November 10 2015. She really just a guest on the show the first time. And then I asked you back to like it two years later, because
Jennifer Smith, CDE 5:32
that was so memorable. Oh, no,
Scott Benner 5:34
no, no, you are you stuck in my head the whole time. But I kept like thinking like, I can't have the same people on over and over again. But it just seems so important that when I had an angle, I was like, let me bring Johnny back to talk about a one C, then after that, that's when apparently it takes me two years to do everything. Because for that entire like, next two years, I kept thinking, Where does Jenny fit? How can I get her to come back on it, you know, and keeping in mind too, that it's not your job, and I'm not paying you to do it. And so you can't just you don't want to intrude on people's lives. And then I sent you a note. And I said that I thought there was a collection of ideas within the podcast. And I want to talk about them singularly. And I think I sent over like the seven like, like broad topics that I wanted to cover. And I knew that you were the right person. Because you when you email me back, you're like, actually, there's 10. And I was like, oh.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 6:36
And I put them in order. Like we have to start here and then go here and then go here. And
Scott Benner 6:41
then you reordered them, which is something that I think we all know from listening to this podcast that I never would have done, I would have been like, look, pick through them, like don't bother. Which doesn't make a lot of sense. And then we kind of set off on making those pro tips. And I mean, I guess we both thought they were gonna be 10 long. And I we got them done pretty quickly. Jenny was a trooper like we recorded a number of hours a lot over in a short amount of time. But and I mentioned this all the time. We never spoke about it prior. So every pro tip episode you hear is just me going like Hey, Jenny, let's talk about Pre-Bolus thing today. And this is our topic, kind of just focusing for a second and then doing it. Literally no first sentence, no bigger idea about what we were going to do. And I'm very happy with them. I think they turned out really well. I also have to say that at this point. There are way more than 10.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 7:43
Because just in the pro tips. Yeah, I'm going
Scott Benner 7:45
to look to see how many. Well, you've just done. We just recorded two more that the people two more will hear pretty soon after this comes out. But 210 is newly diagnosed or starting over 211 is all about MDI 212 is all about insulin 217 Pre-Bolus 218 Basal 219 pumping. Oh my gosh. 1234567. All right, hold on J 123456. All right, I'm up to six when I do pumping, you count on your fingers the next seven okay. 220 fours mastering CGM to 25 is bumping nudge to 26 is perfect Bolus to 2231 is variables. To 37 is setting Basal insulin to 56 is exercise. 263 is fat and protein 287 is illness injury and surgery 301 is glucagon and low Beegees. Now this isn't a 2020. So that's 15 Okay. 307 is emergency room polar protocols. 311 is long term health. 350 is bumping nudge to 364 is pregnancy 371 is explaining type one. 391 is glycemic index and load 449 is postpartum and 470. is weight loss. How many is that? 23. Okay, and that took us into April of 2021. That's the last time we put up a pro tip was in April this year. Okay.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 9:22
I know we talk and do things all the time. So we must have been doing a variable since then. Yes.
Scott Benner 9:28
Yeah, we smoke all the time with the variables this year. And then what did we just record?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 9:33
We just did? Hormones, hormones. And we did. Did we do we did alcohol to
Scott Benner 9:40
menopause? No, wait. Menopause wasn't a protip alcohol. Maybe alcohol was
Jennifer Smith, CDE 9:45
a longer variable. I know we did alcohol as a separate longer, but I don't know if it was a variable or if it was a pro tip. I think it was a variable.
Scott Benner 9:54
So this should show everyone that you and I talk a lot more than they. So we don't speak Every day, we speak in like bunches, like an hour to hear an hour or two there. But you guys hear Jenny almost every week on the show. But Jenny and I don't speak every week. So I don't know why that's important. I just think people should understand that. Cool. Yeah. So anyway, those pro tip episodes are, I mean, I'm super proud of them, I think you could take them and listen and really change the way you're managing your diabetes pretty easily. I think they're cool, because you can listen to them at your own pace. It's not a class, you don't have to pay for them. You know,
Jennifer Smith, CDE 10:36
I think the other thing that's different about them, and I think it goes along with, whether it's a pro tip episode, or any other of the kind of episodes that we've put together together, is that it's not a cut and dry rip off sheet that just says, Here are all of the numbered steps to do something. Right. It's also we bring in, in a conversation way we bring in how did we do this ourselves? How, what kind of example Do we have to how this actually works in real life? And from the standpoint of just personal life with diabetes? You know, if I was somebody who I wasn't today, with the education piece that I have, I would listen to that in a much easier learning way. Then reading something that, you know, I've gotten as like a rip off document of, well, these are all the testing steps just go through them. And, you know, so personality, I think, brings a lot to people's ability to apply. Because the casual nature of discussion kind of makes it easier to make sense. Yeah.
Scott Benner 11:59
I think in a weird way, we've kind of combined storytelling with diabetes management. And yeah, that is how people's minds tend to work. So I'm super proud of them. I just looked the other one that we recorded recently. That's not up yet. his honeymoon. Honeymoon. That's
Jennifer Smith, CDE 12:13
right. I knew there was another one. And the
Scott Benner 12:15
reason that they pro tip episodes can keep growing, is because the Facebook page for the podcast is so big at this point, that it is a legitimate sample size of what people go through or think about. And so I kind of get to stand back a little bit and watch and when you see things happening over and over again, you say okay, this is a real need for people. Like it's not just it's not just a an outlying concern that a few people have, like, there needs to be a pro tip about honeymoon. It's, you know, you know, it feels super simple sometimes to Jenny and I but you know, like, sometimes we'll start I'll be like honeymooning. Yeah, just stay flexible. And eventually, the pancreas will stop working. And then you'll find level and you're done. But that's not really very helpful. Yeah, so we have these bigger conversations. And, but we never get to, we very infrequently talk to you like you're a person, like I think we did at the end of last year, right? Where we just one person I promise, Jenny's like a real person. So I wanted to ask you a question. And we're gonna get a little technical for a second, but a little personal. And then I'd like to kind of, well, you'll see where I'm going. So here's my question. You've had diabetes for Let me test myself. 33 years. Yeah, good job. Thank you. I don't know when you were diagnosed, but I feel like in my heart, you were like, eight 911? Like in that range?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:39
Yeah, I was I had just turned 13.
Scott Benner 13:42
Okay. And I as I started saying, eight or nine, I started adding that the 33 And I'm like, Jenny's not over 40 I was like, so that's not right. Like, like, how old are you?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:51
I'm over 40
Scott Benner 13:53
My heart Jenny or not?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:57
Not in my brain. I'm not either. It's it. I know. It's kind of like, I was looking at my number and think I just, I, I guess I have this eternal feeling of being like 32 I don't know why that number. But like, I I have a visual now being you know, over 40 that, like the 20s are a lot of growing and changing and learning and finding like, your place, right? And then I feel like the 30s are like growing in that like, you feel a lot more stable or many people do I did. You found like kind of this like, friend group. You're on this path kind of thing. And then like bolder than that, you just keep developing. On top of that. You might make some major changes, but you have a lot more. You've got a lot more hindsight to make better decisions in those changes than you did when you were like 26
Scott Benner 14:58
I don't think if the internet was only full of people in their 40s There'd be much less arguing, like, for some reason, because you just be like, Oh, no, I see where this is going like this. We don't need to talk about like this, we can be kind over here, you know, or whatever.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 15:12
As long as they're not politician, yeah.
Scott Benner 15:15
I so I agree with you, I, I felt the very same way about like you're kind of building on yourself through life. But the reason I asked the one to give context to how old you are, and how long you've had diabetes, because you started out, you know, as a child, you know, taking regular an MPH, right? So and yeah, I
Jennifer Smith, CDE 15:34
didn't I did regular and then the same as NPH. It used to be called L or lenti. And it was made by Lilly, of which it Yeah, it's now enter MPH is the only what was called an intermediate acting insulin on the market. You cloudy had to roll it and mix it.
Scott Benner 15:51
I can remember my friend Mike rolling his insulin. Yes, yeah. But But you've lived through pretty much every modern change. Yeah, variation of diabetes management. Mm hmm. And I guess I'm wondering because, you know, well, because of the, of what we do here together, it could be easy for people listening to see us kind of two dimensionally, right. Like, you know, I think people think my daughter's blood sugar doesn't go over 85. And that's not true. And you have to tell people that but but the one thing I want to know is, is it Have you ever experienced what people classically call burnout?
If you're looking for a diabetes organization to get behind, or you just want to see some great things being done for people with type one diabetes, head to touched by type one.org. There also over there on the Instagram, and the Facebook machine, you should find them touched by type one. If you're ready to ditch the daily injections, or send your old pumper packin, it may be time to try the Omni pod to Bliss wireless continuous insulin management system all that means pump that doesn't have any tubing. Why don't you head over to Omni pod.com Ford slash juice box and find out where your eligibility lies. You know, it's possible you may be I don't want to use eligibles wise, but just let me say it again. So we make three times you may be eligible for a free 30 day trial of the Omni pod dash 30 days of an insulin pump. The Omni pod for free, almost feels like a gift. But it's not. It's just it's just how things work over there at Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. You know, you can also ask for a free demo pod to be sent to your home. You can see a picture of me pretty soon at that link, which will probably be frightening for you. So when you click on it, you hold your hand up, like by the screen. So when you see the picture, you just it's not like that yet, but pretty soon apparently they're gonna know how they think you guys like me. So there's gonna be a picture there soon. So get ready for that. Omni pod.com forward slash juicebox. Seriously, go find out if you're eligible for a free 30 day trial of the Omni pod Dash. And don't forget to about the Omni pod promise. The Omni pod promise is simple. If you're waiting for the next big thing from Omni pod, and that's why you're not upgrading now to dash or starting with Omni pod or something like that. Because you like Scott, I'm going to wait for the next big thing. You don't have to the Omni pod promise says this. There is no need to wait for that next big thing. Because with the Omni pod promise you can upgrade to Omni pods latest technologies for no additional cost as soon as they're available to you and covered by insurance terms and conditions apply. And all the details of course. Alright, on the pod.com forward slash juice box. A moment ago, I asked Jenny about burnout. And this was her answer.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 18:59
It's a good question. And I've it's not that I haven't thought about that myself. I mean, I've seen the burnout books. You know, there's a lot of there's a lot of resource in terms of burnout, but I don't I don't honestly know, I don't feel like I've gotten to the point of burnout. And I don't I've asked myself I'm like I don't I don't know why. I don't know why I just don't do some of the things that are typical for burnout habit or burnout tendency. I had a friend that I met in a diabetes training camp as an adult and I think her sort of acronym was PMA positive mental attitude. And when she brought it up at Camp I never thought about like applying a term to kind of how I think about things. But even before diabetes, and I have memory of that, because I was certainly not young, young, right? I am typically a pretty happy person. And I don't know if that has something to do with it. I don't know. But I, I also was the person who went to college knowing what they wanted to do. I had a defined path, I knew that it was gonna probably take some turns and angles and wasn't going to get there directly after graduating from college. Right. But I think some of my positivity goes into how I talk to people and teach people. And I felt long term like I had a really good diabetes educator to begin with. I had a really awesome dietician. I don't know if I hadn't had them as good bass. Would I have even decided to go into this as a career. Because at that point, when I was diagnosed, I actually wanted to be a veterinarian. Okay. I had done stuff with our local veterinarian, I had done some, like volunteering in the office, and then loved my dietician loved her, and transitioned in high school to thinking, Well, gosh, I really like nutrition. I really like where this can put me. And I felt even at that point that I wanted to give back. I wanted to be able to teach people like, why I could do what I did. So I don't
Scott Benner 21:43
know. I wonder if you know about yourself that if you were very angry, because I've spoken to you privately when you've been upset about things are sure pissed off, if you were very angry, and I shut the audio off and could only see you, I would have no way of knowing you're angry. Like you smile through anger. Like I don't even know if you're aware of that or not. Like you don't you never look unhappy, which I think is also why I think of you as younger. Oh, well. That's a good thing. Yeah. And, and I take your point. And, you know, from my perspective of talking to, I mean, at this point, there are probably 60 episodes that have been recorded that aren't out yet. So I've probably spoken to like 700 people who have diabetes or love somebody who has diabetes. And recently and I've talked about it in smatterings on the podcast. But recently we found out kind of out of nowhere that my mom had cancer, that she had just been healthy. And then she didn't. And then she wasn't, and she's had surgery since then she did really well through the surgery. And she's got chemo coming up in a couple of weeks. And, and so she's doing very well for her situation. astoundingly well, she's 79 years old. But as I was taking your home one day, from a doctor's appointment, like in the car, I felt like I was talking to my kids was very strange. You know, you get your kids in the car, and you're like, let me explain something to them why they can't get away. And I said to my mom, I said, Mom, I've spoken to a lot of people who have lifelong illnesses. And if you ask me what the biggest differences between success and not being successful, I said, I can't believe I'm saying this. I think it's attitude. I just think it's desire to fight an attitude, and not falling down a well of despair. And now, there are some people who are predisposed to that, right? Like some people are more predisposed to depression or anxiety and a lot of things that make diabetes more difficult, right? Correct. And as I asked you the question, have you ever burned out? In my mind, I thought, There's no way she has like, you just, it's not. It doesn't seem like how you work. But but that's not to say that a person that it happens to, is doing something wrong, I just, I just think that outside influences hit you. And the chemical makeup in your brain responds the way it responds. You can't tell you can't tell a depressed person not to be depressed. Right? Right. No, right. And you cannot and you and I don't think you can tell a person who has no inclination towards depression. Go ahead and get depressed because I grew up as broke and kind of destitute at times, as you can imagine. And I've never felt depressed in my life. Really? You know what I mean? Like, and I've had some pretty bad things happen to me. And I've rebounded from them pretty quickly, not effortlessly. They were difficult, like personal like things to write. But I think people just get they can't help it. Just pull out a dream, you know?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 24:44
Yeah, I mean, I can think back honestly. And I've read I mean, I remember my diagnosis very well. I remember being in the hospital at that point. They kept me in the hospital for an entire week. And even even in the house As my friends came to visit, and I had a room full of balloons, and you know, all of that kind of stuff, I never even at that point, I don't remember, maybe I was, but I don't remember being angry about being diagnosed with something that now is going to be a daily thing to manage. That means like being handed like a newborn baby and be like, Here you go. Figure it out, because it's all brand new. And it's all up to you. You know? I mean, I did I have really good support from the beginning, did that make a difference? I have to say that that was at least a good piece of why I started out managing the way that I did. And even at that point, management was very simple, right. And I was diagnosed at a point in which glucose monitors, home based glucose monitors had only been on the market for a couple of years. It was hadn't been a long time. But I never remember being angry about it. I can remember situations that made me angry. At more like a person, like my mom, for example, in high school, I so wanted our, our, our boys, varsity team made it to state. And it was in a city that was about an hour and a half away from where we were, and all my friends, they had all like put in and like gotten a hotel room to stay over. It was one night, and then the next day as well. Everybody was going to go right, I thought everybody was going clearly that only meat was staying home. But my mom was like, Absolutely not, you're not going you know, all these things. And I know a piece of it, that she'd never said, I'm worried about your management. There are all of the other things that were brought up. But in the back of my mind, I had a sense that a lot of it was her worry that nobody else would know what to do to help me which wasn't really the case. I mean, I'd really good friends who knew signs and symptoms of low blood sugar, they knew I had like, raisins in my pocket and stuff, right? As well as parents, you know, their parents who I had slept over at houses, and they knew how to help me and what to do, but I was not allowed to go. And I remember being irritated. Not that I had diabetes, but that I think that I thought that my mom thought that was enough of a reason to be like, you can't go
Scott Benner 27:39
it's not safe. You know, hold your
Jennifer Smith, CDE 27:42
I was a senior and it would have been I was probably eight teen because it was my senior year in high school. Okay.
Scott Benner 27:51
So you know, I have to name this something specific. But if I didn't, it would just be called Jenny has raisins in our pocket. You don't get I don't get to be on the episodes where people name their own stuff by saying crazy things out loud. But you said you feel like that's as close as you came to being upset?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 28:12
I do. I really do. I mean, even through like another point that's is since I work with a lot of women through pregnancy with type one, right? I think that I could have been irritated about it during my pregnancies. Had I not had a good MFM team that really outraged outright told me they were like I you know, outside of your diagnosis, I wouldn't have you coming to a high risk clinic because you're doing a really good job of managing, like, you know, your visits here are not really as necessary, because of everything that you're doing. Could it have been different though, if I had a team that really didn't respect what I knew how to do? Sure, but I think I don't, I don't think that I've been angry about the diabetes, I would have been more angry about their interaction with me, it's
Scott Benner 29:11
interesting to me because there's so much about us that it's out of our control. Like you're also like, you know, you're generally speaking a lean, athletic person to like if you had a different body style, it could be different for you just as sure theme as if the chemical makeup in your brain drug geared more towards being sad about it. Like it's, you know, one size doesn't fit all for everybody, obviously, but I just wanted to ask you if it ever happened, and now that we say that it hasn't. How do you help people with it when it does happen? Because now you're more clinical and less like it's not your personal experiences come through other people now instead of through yourself, right? Because you speak to a lot of people I imagine this Yes.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 29:50
Right. A lot of people.
Scott Benner 29:52
Yeah. It is interesting for people to know that like, like my personal experiences that come through my life. are one thing, but now I have personal experiences by talking to other people to like I keep opening up my perspective by meeting more and more people, right? I had a person asked me kind of privately the other day, they were surprised that there was a afterdark episode about heroin use. And I was like, I was like, I don't know why you'd be surprised by that. I, you know, I was like, this is a person, this happens to people, it happens to people who have diabetes, like, don't you want to hear what it's like, so that you can expand your knowledge of things? So I just think of that as well, like, how do you deal with burnout? I guess a it depends on who you are. And, you know, like, and what your scenario is, do you have support from other people? Do you have good tools about there's part of me that thinks that a lot of burnout is avoidable? Just by understanding how to use insulin? I think that you know what I mean, like, it's almost like, right, it's almost like being tortured. When you don't know how to use your insulin, right? Because your blood sugar goes high, you have all those cloudy problems in your head, you end up you know, doing something about it, some people just leave their blood sugar high and give up. Some people Bolus like crazy, make themselves low get caught on that, you know, that bouncing up and down. There's so many different aspects that start to feed into it as it as it happens to you that if you can just avoid it. I think that's a big piece of it. Now, you might burn out on the on the necessity of what you have to do to avoid it,
Jennifer Smith, CDE 31:24
to avoid it. Right? Well, and that's where I think taking into consideration understanding of, you know, we have a huge list of variables, right things that we discussed things that people wanted to address, because they thought that they were variables and whatnot. But I think when you understand the variables that are in your life, like, I am not a mountain climber. Is that could that be a variable? Things like altitude and whatnot? Yes, absolutely. But in my day to day life, that is not a variable I have to consider. So I think some of the burnout comes from maybe not knowing enough of the variables that are your consistent things. And it takes time, you you have to learn to manage around those that are yours on a day to day or week to week kind of basis. But I think burnout comes more from, as you said, the up and down swings that look like there's nothing different that you can do that you've tried this, you've tried that and a big one that I see it happening is definitely parents. And I think a big piece in that picture. And it kind of goes along with adults to is overnight, when you're supposed to be sleeping. That major shift in glucose that has you up every couple of hours or the worry that Well, I adjusted. And now is it actually going to work the right way I have to get up again, I have to get up again, are alarms, nuisance alarms that are you know, they become a nuisance. Really, it's not that they're not necessary and beneficial. It's that they're they become a nuisance. They think the overnight time period is, is a place that burnout is most likely to come from, because not only are you managing something that looks really erratic at one point or another, but you're losing sleep. Yeah. So you're not getting this like revival overnight, which is what your body is supposed to be doing to get you ready to take care of the things the next day. I think many people can deal with the ups and downs in the daytime. Because you're supposed to be awake. Yeah.
Scott Benner 33:42
They it's so it's heartbreaking. I mean, I'm not. I'm obviously not bragging but I was away from Arden all day yesterday, we my mom is moving out of her of her apartment and going to an assisted place to stay while she's getting chemo. She just lives alone still, and we didn't want her to be by herself if the chemo might make her sick. Safety. Yes. And so I was gone yesterday for I mean, nine or 10 hours, like out of the house. And Arden went and got she got her prom dress yesterday. So there was some adrenaline that they handled pretty well. I think I sent one text and I was like here do this just because I don't think either of them thought that it was going to be super exciting to go get a dress but I had in the back of my head, there's a variable. And then they went to a meal later which my wife and daughter did a great job of bolusing for and a couple of hours after the meal. I started seeing a rise that I knew was fat. And I sent a text and I said you know have you done anything about this rise? And my wife said yeah, we added 10 carbs to the meal because she's looping and I said that's not gonna work because the the fats gonna act like its own separate meal. And I was like so just I just picked a number out of my head based on. I mean,
Jennifer Smith, CDE 35:02
just based what she had probably, I don't know what an experience I have
Scott Benner 35:06
no, I gotta be honest with you have no idea what she ate. I looked at the angle of the Dexcom graph and the number and how long it had been since she ate. And I said, Why don't you put a I think I said, 20 carb Bolus here like it's a new meal. And then by the time I got home Martin's budget was like, 84. Mm. Right. And
Jennifer Smith, CDE 35:24
but that's also hindsight. It's not like you've never seen graph happen like that. So you're, you know, even not really consciously acknowledging it. You're kind of going into the recesses of your brain thinking, this is more, it's about this more from previous experience of what I've had to do at this point of the day. Yeah,
Scott Benner 35:46
yeah, I basically said 20 carbs, she's like four and a half to one. So I was like, I actually was in my car. I was like, four 812 1620. You know, like, I just kind of I wanted to have about five units is what I thought, which is why Yeah, 20 carbs. And it's just the I've also seen the fat from these things kind of rest in the 20 to 30. Like, grams of fat. But that's not my bigger point on second. Excuse me, this is this could be it. I doubt it. He imagined. But anyway, it it. My point is, is that there are plenty of people who see that rise and stare at it and don't know what to do. Don't understand about fat impacts, like, you know, because you go to a restaurant, there's like, you know, don't think about how salty restaurant food is that dehydrates you. Like there's all kinds of things, right. But I've seen it so many times. Now. I just know what to do. And I think other people could get into that position as well. And I know you're in the rest of the time that we're talking. I just I'm thinking it's the end of the year, beginning of the year here. I was wondering, if, if someone's listening to this, and they either want to figure something out, start over, put an end to whatever madness is going on in their life. I just thought we could spend a couple of minutes here at the end just telling them maybe, you know, I'm not into like New Year's resolutions, but, you know, like, where to start to start over again.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 37:19
Yeah, I mean, well, I think a, an easy one, quite honestly, if they're gonna stay with information from a podcast, they could easily just do the very first pro tips, honestly, which is like newly diagnosed or starting over, right? It's a what, what do I really need to look at? I mean, you're motivated enough to say, I have done I'm so burned out on this up down that I can't figure out and nothing looks like day to day is ever the same. Then starting over by saying okay, well, maybe you need to simplify things a bit, right? Maybe you just need to go to K I am just going to eat like three meals today. And I'm going to see what happens after the meals whether you're injecting insulin or pumping insulin or you got some algorithm driven kind of you know, management if those are your big pieces that the roller coaster starts after address where that starts right for many people it's definitely meal times. If it's not, you feel pretty good about the daytime but it's the overnight that you're like, I have got to get sleep please let the you know Sandman dust calm and let me sleep tonight. But then, you know, maybe that overnight is oh gosh, I don't know what's wrong. So maybe I have to do a Basal test. So if you simplify down to a point of time, versus the vast like whole 24 hour for many people that it makes it more doable Yeah. I think
Scott Benner 38:56
that and I wonder if you agree but for all the graphs that I've seen, and I used to just see them when people sent them to me but now the Facebook page is like people post a lot of graphs This is crazy. I've been drinking water the Hold on What I would say is without seeing your graph or knowing your life if you're struggling like this, Jenny's right on like your either your Basal is bad and it just could be better or you're bad at meals like like just bare bones like I know we don't usually talk like bad but like, like just just to kind of shock you into place. You're either not Bolus in your meals correctly with timing or amount, maybe both. And if your Basal is wrong, those meals are going to be more difficult it's super easy overnight to find stability because there's no food in there. Now there's sometimes there can be growth hormones and but but you're looking for long stretches without meal insulin or food where there's real stability like stable blood sugars, you're not fighting lows, you're not fighting highs you're sitting, and you have to decide what that means for yourself, I can tell you in my life, I think my daughter's Basal is perfect when her blood sugar sits in the, like 8090 range, like right in there. I'm pretty good with that. And then from there, if you're eating and blood sugar shooting straight up, well, you didn't Bolus, right, you know, like so learn about and some
Jennifer Smith, CDE 40:22
of that might be from ratios that you've been given that aren't absolutely correct at all right, it might just be recognizing Well, I've put into action, I've heard all this about Pre-Bolus, I've put that into action, and my blood sugar doesn't even move when I Pre-Bolus 45 minutes, and it's just sitting there. And then I can eat and it still rises Well, you know, there are a couple things to look at there. So your settings
Scott Benner 40:47
need to be like all of this is predicated on your settings being right, meaning that your Basal set where your body needs it, meaning that your insulin to carb ratio is at a place where it's going to be effective. And you need to start understanding that all foods aren't created equal. And you might your carb ratio might work great for I don't know, like, you know, some natural food that's, you know, just a, it's just what it looks like on the plate versus, you know, having something processed, that you don't really know what's in there, the impact it's going to have, like, they can tell you how many carbs are in it. But that doesn't mean it's going to impact your blood sugar commiserate to the carb count. Right? But, but Jenny's point is right, like we can sit here and kind of like spit ball around. But the truth is, is that the answers are in the Pro Tip series already, like I could, I could just, it's there, like you have to go listen to it. But that's the part that I wanted to, I wanted to say, because I do see online that people get can get so frustrated or so far into the weeds are so tired that even saying to them look in these, you know, six or 10 hours of listening to a podcast? Or the answers, they'll say I can't do it. Like I'm into that I have to say to you, like I understand, but I think he can't afford not to do it. Because you just you just gonna be lost forever the way you are right? Like, yeah, you have to take a stand somewhere and say, Alright, I'm going to give away some other stuff in my life, I'm going to and I know, you've probably heard a million things about diabetes, you think Well, I'm gonna hear one more thing, it's not going to help, this is really going to help if you listen and understand those pro tips even, I don't know 50% understand them, your ACE earring, once he's gonna come into the high sixes if you really understand them, it's going to come into the lower sixes. And when you really start putting it together, I mean, there'll be a time in your life where you could have a five without trying.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 42:40
And I think the good thing about the pro tips episodes are really two that again, in conversation, we bring in other pieces that could be being considered right things that might be other variables that are hitting just you right, are, are all of your labs, like your thyroid, is that in the right place, because there are a lot of other health related things that despite all your best efforts with your diabetes management, and testing and evaluating may actually be making diabetes management more ragged, it might be making it harder for you. So you know, while type one is typically, you know, the focus is on blood sugar and insulin and everything. Well, if you have type one, and another autoimmune disorder that isn't managed, that could be a piece in the mix, too. And that's leading to your being frustrated with what you thought was right. Yeah. And actually should be right. And it's not. Because of this other thing.
Scott Benner 43:41
I can't say how much compassion I have for that feeling of like, I'm doing everything I was told to do. And nothing's working like I am. I have so much empathy, if that's happening to somebody. Because it's maddening. It really it just it's maddening. Well, in 2022, so Jenny, and I have kind of have, we have a plan, but we're going to do some, like addendums, or add ons to some of the pro tip episodes to kind of like take deeper dives into them. And I think I'm going to try to sneak in a defining series around thyroid terms to because over and over again, I just see people I don't think I don't think that many doctors do a good job of explaining how important thyroid management is to people who need thyroid medication. And you
Jennifer Smith, CDE 44:29
did you you talk to someone right? You talk to a physician,
Scott Benner 44:34
her episode is terrific. But I want to do like just i What do I want to say when people come in to the show? And they're like, where do I start? Like it's easy to say listen to the pro tips. Right? It's but there's some people are so newly diagnosed are so confused, that they need someone to go through and define like, like you can't just hand somebody a toolbox. You have to say to them, this is a hammer. You hold it in your hand like this, and this is how it strikes nails. Now, when you hear that you need to use a hammer, you don't go I don't know what a hammer is. You like the definitions essentially? Yeah. So I think we need definitions around thyroid stuff too. And and then I think towards the end of the year, when that's all done, I think I'm going to reinstate ask Scott and Jenny, if we have time, cool. I like it when people send in questions. And we
Jennifer Smith, CDE 45:23
know the questions are great. I love and as like, as you said before, I mean, I don't work for you like, this is purely because I can't duplicate myself, I can't see enough people. Privately I am, this is a way that I feel like that original feeling when I went to college, to get to this point, I wanted to be able to teach people that there was there was management, there was a sense of being able to feel like you've got some peace in control, right. And I like I don't know, I like doing this because I, I hear back from Scott all the time, about people's comments and things. And I'm glad I'm glad to be able to do something like this. That gives out into the world people I will probably never meet information that I hope is beneficial to helping people live well.
Scott Benner 46:26
So I know that that's how you feel because you've, you've just echoed that to me over and over again over the years. Because there's times that I've said to Jay, like, if I'm taking advantage of you just say no, like, you know what I mean? Like, and she's always like, no, I really like doing this. And you know, this year, if I showed you a chart of the downloads every day, this year, 365 of them in the last half of this year, the show has doubled since the first half of this year. And I was thrilled by how many people listened to it in the first half of the year when not what I was like what is happening. So to your point, like Jenny could say to you like she could come on here and say, this would not be uncommon in in just not the diabetes space. But in the health space, where people jump on to programs like this, where they know they're going to reach people, they say some basic stuff, just enough to whet your whistle and make you think, ooh, that lady knows something I need to know. And then they draw you in and say, Okay, now pay me and I'll tell you the rest of it. And in fairness, Jenny, this is what you do for a living. And yes, yes, but there's a whoever you are inside, whatever makes you smile while you're angry. Jenny just wants to reach as many people as she can. She's not saying I only want to reach the people who are going to pay me and she thinks that this podcast is a valuable way to do it. Is that fair to say? Yes. Yeah.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 47:44
valuable way to provide again, I mean, the especially reaching more people around the world now, which I know that you are, which is great. I think resources around the world are different country to country. And they're different enough that having worked with people outside of the United States that people really value information that is right, but also information that they can apply. That's not just a standard form of do this, do this. And it should work out or getting the other statement, which I hear often from people, which is Oh, that's just diabetes. No, really. I mean, sometimes there are I call them bad diabetes. Herodias. Were like, I've thrown every magic potion at this. I put all the mousse into it. I don't know what the problem is today. But you know, even those I like I compartmentalize them, right. It's okay. And then tomorrow is another day, right? Yes, I just go forward. I'm like it was done. Today. Looks great. Just gonna go.
Scott Benner 49:02
Yeah, everyday, everyday is not to throw your hands up in the air and give up there, though. It does happen. I mean, I I've had the same thing happen here where I'm like, Look, we changed your pump. We did everything we're supposed to do. i Let's just wait. Drink a bunch of water and try to stare at a wall for an hour. We'll see what happens. Don't think about anything, just let it go. I take I really do take your point. It's I think that the one the thing that gets done on the podcast that I'm most proud of is that, you know, I saw someone recently say to me, Well, I got a note from someone that said, Okay, ready, this person runs a Facebook group about diabetes. And somebody who listens to the podcast was on their Facebook group and someone asked a question and they answered it. They said if I was you, I'd make the Basal stronger here. And they that's not what they do in that group in that group. They would have explained to that person, very simply call your doctor and ask them and that's just I mean, that's fine. There's nothing wrong if that's the kind of support group you want to run. I'm okay with that. But you know, it's not my business. That's just not what we do here. You don't mean like, you're going to get like a concrete answer that you can go as an adult and make a decision about on your own. If you want to call your doctor, you should. But in the middle of you struggling with all the things that we just brought up, that could be going on in your life, to be told, we'll just go call a different person now like, like, Man, I'm here asking you like it. I mean, like you either have an answer you don't? I think the answers are inside of this podcast. And I'm proud of that I can't force feed it to everybody, I can't give you the time to listen, you know, all I can say is that Jenny and I have done our best to like, put out what we know. And hopefully it's valuable to you.
Jennifer Smith, CDE 50:47
And I think the good thing too, is that you don't have to listen to the whole, you know, like library worth of podcast episodes, to get it all working. If you're really struggling with one piece. I would guarantee searching in there for this topic, you will find at least one episode about that topic. And then hey, maybe your questions get answered. Right. And that's great to point
Scott Benner 51:15
of the pro tips was to put ideas in singular places, because the truth is, the podcast works the way my brain works. There were answers but you had to like listen to get them all out. And I used to just say to people, like, Look, if you listen to the podcast, you'll understand. And then at some point, I just thought there are so many episodes, like that's not a reasonable thing to say to people anymore. So that's why this stuff is here. So you have to understand how a podcast is set up, Jenny and I started putting these out in 2019, you're gonna have to go back in the podcast player and find them. I can't I can't just repost the pro tips. So for people who are longtime listeners to understand how a podcast works, I mean, I can I guess, and there's been a part of me who's thought it through? Like, can I just repost them as new so they pop up in the front. But that's very unfair to people who have already heard them. Right. You know what I mean? And I
Jennifer Smith, CDE 52:07
don't because people want new information. If you've been a long enough listener, you want something that's new, right?
Scott Benner 52:14
Yeah. And even on a podcast, like it's impolite to jam old content to people. Like, I don't want to fill your podcast player with something you've heard already. Right? Not that the contents not super valuable. But you got to go find it. And I've done right, you can go to Juicebox Podcast, comm and find it. You can search in your podcast player, you can go to the Facebook page and ask around there's lists in the, you know, on the Facebook page, there's lists. If you want it, it's there, you can find it. And if you absolutely can't find it, send me a note, and I'll tell you how to get started. But don't bother Jenny. I'm just kidding. Oh, Jen, you don't know anything about where to find the podcast?
Jennifer Smith, CDE 52:52
Oh, no, I don't I have to serve some myself. I know this was in here, or somebody will ask me and I'll be like, I'm talking to somebody. But episode was I know you talked about that and be like, I don't know. Let me look for no idea what numbers the episodes are
Scott Benner 53:07
your recollections better than mine? Like sometimes Jenny will be like, we talked about this already. You have to understand from my perspective, like wherever you're listening in real time right now. I'm like six months ahead of you. Like so like I recorded something. I'll record something tomorrow that you'll hear in like July or August of 2022. Great. So when people are like you remember when you said this this lady? I'm like, no, no, I do. He wrote me. I mean, tell me the story. I'll see if it jogs my memory. But it is not easy. Like I live in like two universes almost when it comes to this, like I'm in the present. And I'm in the future at the same time. So anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Whatever you, whatever you, whatever anybody celebrates. I just thought, you know, it's always nice to start the new year or end the old one with Jenny. Oh, I just thought we could do that this time. Well, thanks. Thank you. I appreciate Yes, very much. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Bye. Bye.
Let me thank Omni pod for sponsoring this episode of The Juicebox Podcast remind you to go to Omni pod.com forward slash juice box to find out if you're eligible for a free 30 day supply of the Omni pod Dash. And don't forget to go to touched by type one.org and find them on Facebook and Instagram. I also just want to thank Jenny for everything that she's put into the show this year. And for the years before that. I guess the previous years would be the way to say that for like this year and previous years probably would have been a little smoother. I want you to know we're not like other podcasts over here at the Juicebox Podcast. Content keeps coming. I don't care if it's Christmas, New Year's, my mother in law's birthday or Halloween. Keep checking that podcast player. I'll be there
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#595 Plane to Maine
Barb is the mother of a young adult 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 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 595 of the Juicebox Podcast
the title of this one came down to the wire, I was between plane to Maine and give a hoot. I honestly don't even know what I'm gonna do when I'm done with this, when I go out and actually type the words into well, it's a lot of technical stuff that you don't care about, but where you see the title of the episode, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. Today I'm going to be speaking with Barbie. She's the mom of a child with type one diabetes. She's got an interesting story about how her child was diagnosed, and a ton more. You're just gonna listen. I can't you know what I'm saying here, right? Like, I can't explain the whole podcast he in 30 seconds. It's, it was a long and winding road. I don't know what we talked about anymore. I just remember having fun and thinking, yeah, BB was good. While you're listening, please remember 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. We're becoming bold with insulin. Don't forget in the show notes of your podcast player and at Juicebox Podcast comm there are links to all of the sponsors support the sponsors support the show.
This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by touched by type one, they're absolutely my favorite type one diabetes organization. And I would like very much for you to check them out at touched by type one.org. They're also on Facebook, and Instagram. I also want to thank the over 300 supporters at buy me a coffee.com Ford slash Juicebox Podcast, just nice people who get motivated once in a while to buy me a coffee. It's a really kind thing that you do. There's like 35 members and over 300 people who have done it at least once. And I would love to thank each one of you in person. But since I can't, I'm just going to say it here. Thank you. Thank you, thank you very much. It's very kind. Your messages are extraordinary. The ones that you leave there buy me a coffee. Now I said the thing and you're going to buy me a coffee.com forward slash juice box, the messages that you leave there are just stunning and touching. And I very much appreciate them.
Barbara 2:31
I'm Barbara. I'm the mom of a daughter that has type one. And she was diagnosed last year. I'm also a registered dietitian. And we live in suburban Chicago.
Scott Benner 2:46
Nice. Okay, so last year 2020.
Barbara 2:51
Yes, right. I about six months into the pandemic.
Scott Benner 2:55
Oh, how old was how old? Was she? So?
Barbara 2:59
Yeah, so she was 10.
Scott Benner 3:02
Got it. I'm now making notes. My wife bought me this really cool little whiteboard.
Barbara 3:07
I heard about this. I'm trying to get one for my husband. He's a lawyer, but he likes old school legal pads. So it's going to be a big switch in our households.
Scott Benner 3:18
I've just so kind of sits in front of me while I'm doing this. And I can like so it doesn't make noise. You know what I sometimes I was like, I'd write stuff down on paper and it would be loud. So I can kind of make notes while I'm going in case there's something I want to remember to say which that's where it's become very helpful, because I'll think of a question. And if I can't, if I can't keep it my head, then I lose it. So now I'm just sort of like one wording, like jotting a word down and then coming back to it. It triggers it.
Barbara 3:48
That's so smart.
Scott Benner 3:48
No one told my wife what a good gift. This was.
Barbara 3:52
I don't want her to I might buy one for my husband.
Scott Benner 3:55
What are holding this over my head, but she will. Any autoimmune stuff in your family?
Barbara 4:01
None. Um, it actually you know, and I mentioned earlier that I'm a registered dietician. And honestly, even when I was in school, I didn't really learn about type one. So I mean, they, you know, with a section that we learned about in school, but we never really went into depth because we didn't see a lot of patients with type one. So it was sort of so far off my radar. How long ago was school? Um, so I've been a registered dietician now for 12 years.
Scott Benner 4:33
I was I asked because I'm wondering if you remember what they said about diabetes. While you were
Barbara 4:39
I want you to it's so interesting, because I have a visual in my head. You know, like one of those choking posters, where I'm, you know, like, you're talking about, like excessive thirst. Yep.
Scott Benner 4:53
I know what you're talking about. My daughter's had there was one hanging in my daughter's school that was about signs of hypoglycemia. They're all just like different, different cartoon faces with different levels of like, like horror on there, do you know?
Barbara 5:08
Exactly, exactly. So that that was sort of like the visual that I had in my head. But it wasn't something that I, you know, we didn't even know anyone at the time that had type one
Scott Benner 5:19
in the schooling didn't go deeply into it.
Barbara 5:23
It didn't go deeply into it.
Scott Benner 5:25
Okay. Well, that seems to be about par for the course. But I assume to that course, or I didn't mean these course twice, but your dietitian, that situation or even being a nurse, it's everything's an overview, you're not deep diving on anything until you get into a specialty, I guess.
Barbara 5:42
100% and, you know, I'm in private practice. So most of what I see is weight loss, or sometimes weight gain or healthy eating. Um, occasionally, I see autoimmune conditions, but they're, you know, they're, they're fewer and farther between,
Scott Benner 5:58
Do people ever come to you for to get like a food out of their diet, like somebody comes along and says, I'm celiac now. And I need to know how to transition to it. Do you ever get that kind of question?
Barbara 6:09
100%. And, you know, actually, I don't know if it's a coincidence. But I, you know, been seeing more clients that have autoimmune issues right now. And there are a lot of elimination diets that are now very common, you know, trying to find certain things that trigger inflammation. So I feel like I'm dealing with that a lot more
Scott Benner 6:31
people trying to get rid of like psoriasis, stuff like that. Exactly. Yeah. Wow, that's interesting. I wonder if you're seeing it more. Or if it's like, when you buy a new car, and then suddenly you see them on the road everywhere.
Barbara 6:44
I mean, 100%, I also have to say, since the pandemic, I've been really busy, because I feel like a lot more people have been home. So people are taking time to do things like, you know, figure out their diets and, you know, do more things for self care. Yeah. So it might just be just the sheer volume of what I'm seeing.
Scott Benner 7:06
I guess, when you get extra time, when you're not doing all the things that you used to do. You lose the excuse of like, oh, I would, but I don't have time now you're like, Oh, darn, I have time now. I'm gonna have to just keep telling myself that I guess.
Barbara 7:21
Exactly.
Scott Benner 7:24
Okay, so she's diagnosed at 10. Can did it come on in the classic way did you have like, you know, were you on an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean? Because I mean, pretty,
Barbara 7:34
pretty much had to get on an airplane, not over the Atlantic Ocean. But um, you know, when when COVID struck in March, my girls, you know, had sort of been home and my daughter was dying to go to camp. And her sleepaway camp was one of the few camps that were running. And we were a little bit nervous to send her but she, she begged us to go. So, um, that camp said that they were taking every precaution, you know, to prevent COVID, including, I think, three tests right before she left him, he had to do like a temperature check for a week. And so we decided to send her and she actually got on a plane and went with another family to camp. And about a week and a half into camp. I got a text message from one of the directors of the camp saying that, you know, she wasn't feeling well. She had thrown up a couple of days before. And they said that they had given her a couple of COVID tests, and it was negative. They also asked if she had a history of eating disorders because she was restricting her food. So I got, you know, very concerned. And I asked to speak with her on the phone. And I spoke with her on the phone, and I could tell that she really she was sort of slurring her words, she was crying a lot. So I very quickly hung up the phone and FaceTime her. And I noticed that she just she really didn't look well, she had lost some weight, which, you know, it ended up all the information kind of came out later, she had lost about 13 pounds in the matter of a week and a half. And my first reaction was just to tell them to take her to the emergency room. Because, you know, we were so far away. It it's i i Like I didn't know what to do. So the first thing that I could think of was just to have them take her to the emergency room.
Scott Benner 9:42
Can you say a little more about how it felt to be that far from her when she was struggling?
Barbara 9:48
I mean, it was there were so many factors in place. It was so hard. I mean, I think you know, any parent that sends their child to camp whether the camp is you know, a couple hours away or in this case You know, 20 something hours away, if to not be with your child when they're not feeling well is very, it's it's so difficult you just, you know, you hope that they're in good hands. And at the time, we felt like, you know, she had all this stuff going on and she wasn't in good hands. So that was that was really hard. And then, you know, when she finally you know, was was receiving care, I couldn't get a flight. Because you know, remember, it's about six months into the pandemic, so people weren't really flying.
Scott Benner 10:33
Yeah. Well, how far was she from you? Like states away? Or
Barbara 10:38
she was states away. So where, you know, we're in suburban Chicago, and she was in Maine. Wow. So and if you think about that, and she's kind of in rural Maine, so the closest town being Portland, which is still you know, a distance. So it was not easy to get to? And had I driven I mean, it would have taken longer than just waiting until the next day to get a flight.
Scott Benner 11:00
Yeah. Did they try rubbing seafood on her? Were they using all the main tricks? I wonder?
Barbara 11:06
No, you know what, it might have been better than what they were doing? Because, you know, later it turned out that they were giving her Gatorade, because she, you know, she wasn't eating was refusing to eat and vomiting, which I mean, you can only imagine Gatorade to the stage she cannot look at Gatorade
Scott Benner 11:22
was Did that happen at the camp? That happens at the camp? Yeah, well, camp. I mean, counselors are not, you know, they're usually younger. Right?
Barbara 11:31
They are. And, you know, they had it, you know, sort of a strange set of circumstances, because it was COVID. Normally, they get a lot of foreign counselors that are a little bit older. And because people weren't traveling, you know, I guess like with the travel visas and stuff, they ended up with a bunch of younger counselors from the US. And I just felt like, weren't really well trained,
Scott Benner 11:53
well, weren't well equipped for the dogs diagnosed type one diabetes. That wasn't on their to do list either. Plus everyone. You know, when you really look back, everyone has to be freaked out right in the beginning of COVID. And now there's this kid that's super sick. You know, everyone's looking at her going like kids got COVID
Barbara 12:13
100%. I mean, she said she had something like five COVID tests. And you know how unpleasant. I mean, I was very fortunate, I got vaccinated before I needed a COVID test. But they, you know, they the swamp goes all the way up your nose. And my daughter said it felt like she was drowning. And they did five of that.
Scott Benner 12:31
Yeah. Because they wanted to prove she had COVID. So they could put her somewhere and be done with her. And they and they didn't know what to do. And well, that's, you know, I have a tiny bit of a similar, similar situation. I mean, not similar with diabetes, but my son was in Florida playing baseball with his college team. And I was there watching, and he got sick. Like, right as and it wasn't like into COVID. It was like, those couple of weeks. Excuse me, like, you know, when I think mid March is when everyone kind of came to like grips with like, Oh, this is a thing, and I'm gonna go into my house now. So this was like, this was like, the week before that. And it's just rumblings like, you know, you still hear people saying, like, did you hear on the news, there's a thing, I wonder if it's gonna be a problem. Like it was still like that. For most people, and my son gets a viral infection while he's there. So. So luckily, that what he had was treatable with antibiotics. And you know, so I might not have met viral infection. I'm not exactly certain. Obviously, I'm not a medical person, but he got something that was treatable with antibiotics. And but as soon as he got sick, people backed away from him, like he was on fire. I, you know, and then we got the antibiotics into him, and it made him better very quickly. And then you had to basically go from person to person to go listen to antibiotics don't work on viruses. If this was cool, he wouldn't be getting better. And then you're counting on people knowing that that's true. And it was just everybody was at to arm's length from them. At that point. It was very first. Yeah. So I can see that happening for certain to your daughter as well.
Barbara 14:17
Yes. And, you know, there's this added dimension of her being at an all girls camp, and there being some drama. I think, you know, one thing that COVID has sort of done is it's made everybody a little bit, I don't want to say anti social, but you know, these were kids that were basically you know, at home or homeschooled on their devices since March, and all of a sudden, you know, they're away at camp with a bunch of other 10 year old girls. So there was there was definitely an element of girl drama. Um, and they kept, you know, citing girl drama as an example that she was restricting her food. So it was just so many different things at once. It was very overwhelming things
Scott Benner 14:59
started getting confused? Yeah, yeah, they were pointing at one thing and thinking it was something else. And yeah. Did the girls back away from her? Did she experience that?
Barbara 15:09
Yes. Because, you know, she had vomited a couple of times, which is often a sign of DKA. And everybody was so freaked out because that's also a sign of COVID. So there were some girls on the bunk that were kind of taunting her saying that she had COVID. I mean, you know, it was a lot. Yeah,
Scott Benner 15:27
no kidding. That sucks. How long did it take you to get to her day?
Barbara 15:32
So it took we found out so I got the text from the camp director, I want to say around three in the afternoon. And she basically I don't want to throw anybody under the bus. But she said no rush. But of course, you know, as a parent with a child multiple states away during this time, I called immediately. Yeah. By the time they finally got her to the emergency room is about 5pm. And so when I got the call from the emergency room, my husband was simultaneously looking at flights. So the next flight that I could get was 8am. The next morning,
Scott Benner 16:11
were you on your own private plane? Was it that part of COVID?
Barbara 16:15
I wish I could have you know,
Scott Benner 16:17
I don't know. I don't mean, can you afford a private plane? I mean, were there not only people on the flight?
Barbara 16:22
Oh, there was no, there was hardly anybody on the flight. I mean, it was I had like two rows to myself.
Scott Benner 16:29
Yeah, we flew home when I flew home from Florida. I was on a flight on a on a full flight with like nine other people. So like, I mean, like a giant plane with nine other people. We were just spread out as far as we could. People are like laying across three seats. It was the most comfortable I've ever been flying in my entire life.
Barbara 16:48
So funny. And I feel like that just changed very quickly. Now, back to being you know, pre pandemic levels.
Scott Benner 16:55
Yeah, no, I was on a plane. It's June. Now when you and I are talking, I just was on a plane. And it was it was packed. So yeah. But okay, so she goes, they finally you tell them to take her to the emergency room. So is she diagnosed without you there? Alright, this is a super short ad break, just reminding you to go to touched by type one.org. It's a wonderful organization doing things for people with type one diabetes, touched by type one.org. The one is a one like the number one, right so like, touched that's to I'm not gonna spell touched for you. And then by and then type and then the number one.org touched by type one.org. They're also on Instagram and Facebook. And you will spend no better few minutes of your life today than if you check them out. Touched by type one.org touched by type one.or Whoa, whoa. I don't know if I've ever done this on the podcast. But since I mentioned the buy me a coffee link at the beginning of the episode, I want to tell you that I'm sitting right now in an incredibly comfortable, well built and supportive chair that was bought for me pi to people who listened to this podcast. And it changed my life this year. An expensive chair is not something I would have spent money on on my own. Tiny little story here is that at one point on Facebook, someone just kind of got the idea. Like they want to do something nice for me. And that's how this buy me a coffee thing got started. And before I knew it, there was so much money being put into it. I mean, I don't know if it's buy me a coffee. It's just kind of a name. Like, I don't actually drink coffee. I assume you understand that. Anyway, I just was so grateful. And they had this money now. And I didn't know what to do with it. And so I said to people, like I can't just like I don't want to just put this money in my pocket. Like I want to do something for the podcast, I want you guys to get something out of it. And some kind people asked what I needed. And I just said like, you know, a more comfortable supportive chair would be a big deal. My back feels so much better than it used to. I spent a lot of time sitting in this chair, making this podcast for you. Anyway, it's a weird little thing that just never thought would happen in my life. It's odd and nice. And I don't know. You'd have to be in my shoes to know what I'm talking about to see a bunch of people, like hundreds of people come together and say, Scott, I want you to be more comfortable. Take $5 and buy yourself a chair is really like one of the more surprising and lovely things that happened to me this year. Anyway, if you want to do it too. I mean, I'll take your money. Buy me a coffee.com forward slash Juicebox Podcast. It is really just a kind of a superfan thing to do, I guess but it means a lot to me. So thank you very much
Barbara 20:05
She is, and I just I don't want to forget one thing because I think we have, um, oh, yes.
Scott Benner 20:12
No, I'm sorry, whatever you want to say go ahead, go back to what you were thinking we,
Barbara 20:16
we, we have a little bit of an interesting connection. So one of the things that I did after I spoke with her on the phone, so they handed me the phone to speak with her. And I very quickly switched the phone to FaceTime, right, just so I could get a look at her. And once I had a look at her was when I insisted that they take her to the emergency room. Yeah. But this is kind of like, you know, Post story. But um, months later, my husband had a friend that told him that he should write to Tim Cook. And tell him basically, that FaceTime saved our daughter's life.
Scott Benner 20:54
Well, at the very least, it it let you look her in the face. Right. And then there's a lot to be inferred from that.
Barbara 21:01
100% Yeah, I mean, I took a look at our NGBs big dark circles under her eyes. And she just she looked terrible. And she couldn't even sit upright, and she said her stomach hurt. But anyway, I my husband, and I had this little contest where he wrote Tim Cook. And he you know, and I will come as well. But my husband said that his letter was, you know, sort of more concise and to the point. So, I was like, Okay, fine. So my husband sent a letter months later, we don't hear anything. And so I sent my letter. And literally within 24 hours, I got a letter back from Tim Cook, thanking me for my letter, and saying that it's stories like mine, that you know, make them go on and do all the things that they do, but
Scott Benner 21:44
more importantly, approved that your husband's letter suck. That really is the most important part. You know, it's funny. You said a minute ago, you're like, we have this interesting connection. And I was like, Ooh, me and you.
Barbara 22:00
I thought you had some kind of Apple story. I do. Yeah. And I own story. Yeah,
Scott Benner 22:05
yeah, I do. When the first iPhone came out, I mean, the very first iPhone, I got one, back, then you had to stand in, I stood in an alleyway behind a cellphone store for hours to get it, actually, with Adam, who's the doctor who came on and talked about COVID a lot during COVID. He and I just stood behind an iPhone store for a couple of hours and got our phone. Anyway, I was migrating my pictures onto it. And it was super excited. And I know that's hard for people to believe now. But having a handheld device that would hold your photos or the even could have your calendar on it was unheard of at that moment. Like it just didn't exist, like in a real functional visual way. And so my wife was leaving for work one day. And I just stopped her to show her and she's like, I have to go and I'm like, no, no, look at this. And I only held her up for 30 seconds. You know what I mean? Like she she was had to get out the door. And as she drove down our driveway and then pulled onto the street, only a few seconds ahead of her a tree fell across the road, like this big branch from this tree like this giant branch that would have like, easily crushed anyone's car. And I was like, oh my god, I saved your life by showing you my iPhone. And, and I wrote that. Adam, actually I wrote it up in an email and I sent I shared it with a couple of friends. And Adam was like, send it to Apple. And I did. And maybe a few weeks later, I was contacted by a law firm in New York, that wanted me to sign an NDA before they would continue to have conversation with me. So they reached out to me and said, Hi, we'd like to talk to you about something we can't tell you what it is. If you sign an NDA, we'll tell you why we're contacting you. And I was like, I am fascinated. So I did that. And it was apple. So I got flown out to Los Angeles, me and about 30 other people. And we were we made each of us made iPhone story commercials. And I think they picked six of them that actually made it on to television. Mine did not make it onto TV, and I still made like $11,000 I got a week off and got to go make a commercial.
Barbara 24:15
That's amazing.
Scott Benner 24:17
But I don't think I was tall enough. Or I'm not sure exactly what I wasn't enough of. But, but mine didn't make it was still an amazing experience, though. And it was from doing that. I don't know if that stuff if anybody would even remember those. But there was like, like, I'm an airline pilot, and I use my iPhone to check the weather before I get to the airport. Like it was super simple stuff like that, because the phone didn't really do very much. Without apps, like really think about your phone without an app. It's useless. And then there was no app store really. So anyway, that's yeah, that was it. You didn't get to go to Hollywood like I did, though.
Barbara 24:58
No, no, my Sorry, in a very different editing.
Scott Benner 25:02
Just got the mock here has.
Barbara 25:05
Exactly. You know who is gonna write all the letters in the house?
Scott Benner 25:08
Well, I mean, also who's gonna shut their mouth? I would think. So how did she was there someone with her in the hospital for the first hours? Yes to get there.
Barbara 25:21
So. So basically what happened, you know, as I mentioned, it was sort of rural Maine, and there wasn't a major medical center, but because she was clutching her stomach, they thought maybe at the very least, she needed a sonogram. And this one hospital that was near the camp didn't have that kind of technology. So they thought that they were going to transfer her to a bigger Medical Center. But when she arrived at the first emergency room, they did one of the nurses thought to do a finger stick. And when they did a finger stick, they found out that her blood sugar was 600. Well,
Scott Benner 25:57
oh, so then they get her go. And where was she by the time you got to her? What state? No, she
Barbara 26:02
was she was in Maine. She was in Portland. I didn't
Scott Benner 26:05
mean like that. I meant, like, what state was her health in? Sorry, as I, as I said that, I realized that I like that.
Barbara 26:12
So I guess at the time, what the, what the the nurse said to me was that she was she she basically said, you know, we just did a finger stick. And she's in something called DKA, which I actually had to Google. And she explained that, you know, it's often when children get diagnosed with type one diabetes, she explained how high her sugar was. And this was like, you know, like, in those movies, when, you know, people are listening to their doctor, and their doctor tells them that they have cancer, and they just they don't hear anything. So my husband was sitting there while I was on the phone. And I felt like he was sort of googling so we could, you know, figure out what was going on. It was just very overwhelming.
Scott Benner 26:58
Yeah, no kidding. Okay, so she, how long was she in the hospital.
Barbara 27:03
So she was in the hospital for three and a half days. So she was in the ICU for a couple of days, I guess the standard protocol is to very slowly bring the blood sugar down with insulin. And what they basically had to do is, since she had to be transferred from the rural hospital to the major medical center, they had to give her an insulin drip in the ambulance as she was going. And they mentioned to me that there were, you know, slight risks involved, which is, you know, just another thing that and terrified me. And so when I arrived, she was in the ICU.
Scott Benner 27:42
So when when, when she gets cleared to leave the hospital, I'm assuming you're getting right on a plane.
Barbara 27:50
Yes. And that was that was terrifying. Yeah. Because I basically went, you know, they won't allow you to leave the hospital with a child that has type one unless you've gone through the education piece, so that I know how to give her insulin. So I left the hospital with needles with insulin. I mean, it was like I, I had to navigate, you know, having a child that could barely walk because you know, as I mentioned, she lost 13 pounds, she can barely move. And I had all of this stuff with me.
Scott Benner 28:23
I couldn't bring myself to leave the parking garage to make the 30 minute ride back to the house. We were staying in. Like, and we were in the hospital for five days. We were so scared to leave the hospital. We left the hospital, went downstairs, went right into the cafeteria and had lunch, because I think we didn't want to leave the building. Yeah. And it was terrifying. Yeah. And then you had to get on a plane. But did you? Were you in that like ignorance is bliss thing? Did you not know enough about it to be like, like, properly terrified? Were you just terrified of the big like the specter and not of something specific? Well, I
Barbara 28:59
feel like I had two bad options, right? Because I definitely didn't want to leave the hospital. That's for sure. I mean, it was so uncomfortable. And I barely slept. But I definitely felt safer in the hospital. But remember, we're in Maine. And so my other option was to stay in a hotel overnight with her, or get on a plane and at least be home and have the support of my husband. You know, we know some doctors. So it was like it was almost like what's better, you know, so it was terrifying to be on the plane, but I also didn't want to stay overnight with her in a hotel, if that makes sense.
Scott Benner 29:34
Yeah, no, that trust me, that all makes sense. I'm fascinated by that idea that, that you had to be thrust like it wasn't just a quick ride back to the house. Yeah, you know, that that was really something so you made it obviously. Because yeah, you've made it back. Most of your fears, unfounded, did you have any trouble?
Barbara 29:54
Well, so we have this one crazy thing in that airport. So When my daughter got, you know, transferred to the hospital from canopy center with a backpack, and I didn't really think to look in the backpack before we got to the airport. So as I'm taking her through security, and my daughter sort of goes through security first, we find out that one or she has this water bottle that she really likes, and it's filled. So they made me get out of the security line, and go into the water bottle and then come back. And she was already my newly diagnosed type one daughter's all the way on the other side of the metal detector. And I had to leave her so that was a little bit panic inducing.
Scott Benner 30:39
Did it feel see that's interesting for people to understand like you What did you walk away from her 30 feet, and it felt like you were leaving her in another country? Right?
Barbara 30:48
100% I was just terrified. I,
Scott Benner 30:51
I can relate to that idea. Like, I can't walk away from her. Like I have to stand right here in case something happens that that Yeah, I thought you were gonna say that there was like a fishing knife in her bag or something like that, that you guys were up against the wall.
Barbara 31:05
I mean, the irony of the whole thing, it was a filled water bottle. So like I felt like she needed the water all along in camp when she's getting Gatorade and then ends up having to empty it out at the airport.
Scott Benner 31:19
Finally, we've got the right thing in our hands, and we're dumping it away. But that feeling of like even being separated by feet in that situation? Oh, I definitely know what you're talking about. I have had that, like, I have had that exact thought, like I have to be here like right next to her tech. How long did it take for that feeling to go away? Or has it not?
Barbara 31:38
I know, it's gotten better over time. You know, as we've started to give her more and more independence. I mean, she's 11. Now, I kept her remote this year for school, you know, because it was a new condition because of COVID. We just sort of wanted to get a handle on her blood sugar and having her home was the easiest way to do it. So as we've had her home, and we've been able to manage things better, we've started to give her more and more independence. And also, you know, she has a Dexcom. And that's huge. I feel like she can be feet away from me. And I can see what's going on with her blood sugar and texture if I feel like you know, it's going too high or too low. So that's I mean, that's a game changer.
Scott Benner 32:21
I'm really very new to this, though. It's interesting. Yeah. Is it going anywhere near how you hope?
Barbara 32:30
I mean, we're definitely trending in the right direction. The past couple of doctor's appointments, her hemoglobin a one C has been a 6.70. Good for you. Down from 13 when she was initially diagnosed,
Scott Benner 32:44
that's a nice sleep. I know I it's funny, I feel stupid saying this. But did you have like a focus for coming on? Were you did you? I don't remember. I don't really?
Barbara 32:56
Oh, yeah, I think my you know. It was like sort of twofold. Number one, you know, right before we sent her to Cam, she had a full physical. So when she had a full physical, like, we thought everything was fine. And she was perfectly healthy. And we were able to send her halfway across the country. And literally within a week and a half of being gone. She ended up in the ICU. So my husband and I had this moment of, you know, well, something should have been done in the pediatricians office, like there should be this like universal standard of care where they at least to a finger stick, because they don't really take blood work from children. So unless like you see the signs and symptoms of something going wrong, there's no reason for them to even look at blood work. whereas adults, you know, have physicals every year, and they take blood. So I think I was just I feel like, I would love at some point for pediatric practices to adopt this. You know, just like, easy finger sticks, get a baseline, you know, what's going on with the children because it really would have helped us so much.
Scott Benner 34:19
Did you feel like you paid to rotate your tires before a road tripping out a flat tire anyway? And then 100%? Yeah, and then you felt like, Oh, I did everything I could do and they still didn't? Well, I mean, so I'm not going to disagree with you. And but I would say that I think this might be a thing, that if you wait five years and think back on it, you won't feel similarly. I'm not certain and there's no way for me to like, I mean, we could put on our calendars, I guess and reach out to each other. But I think that when you're first going through a diagnosis in the first year or so, it there is that like there are a lot of feelings that are similar What you just brought up like somebody should do something, there should be a way to this whole thing except they think maybe there isn't. You know, I mean, I don't disagree with you that you could fingerstick every kid on the planet, and maybe you'd catch some of them with a high blood sugar. I'm sure you would. But if you look at that, from the perspective of people who never get diabetes, I bet you hear them say, I don't, you know, I don't want you to finger stick my kid. Like, I wonder how much of that like becomes perspective? Because of what happened to you. But I don't disagree. Like I mean, it's an incredibly, I think, at the very least, when kids come in with flu like symptoms, they should check their blood sugar. Yes, you know, for certain, because they're, you're definitely going to catch some kids and keep them from getting, you know, into decay or deeper into it. But I do know how you feel like, is that a, is that a helpless feeling? Like I don't I like to dig into the psychology of it a little bit like this, like, does it make you feel like, nothing's within your control?
Barbara 36:04
It definitely does. But also, I think I think about it a little bit differently, too, because I feel like you know, sometimes, like in the first year of a diagnosis, you have all this kind of fire underneath you. And you feel like that's when like you want to see changes made. Um, and so it keeps me hopeful in a way. Because I feel like maybe at some point, it will be a standard of care, because you're hearing about more and more type one. diagnoses, someone sent me a study recently as related to COVID that they think COVID might trigger type one.
Scott Benner 36:42
So I do I want to be careful when we say that, because I think what you're going to find is that it's not that COVID gives you type one diabetes is it COVID puts your body in a instruct in a stressful situation. You very likely had the markers for type one diabetes already. And this is the thing that yes, propelled it. I know, and to say, and to say COVID triggers type one is, it's like a headline statement. That absolutely is it's, I understand what you're saying it's true. In content.
Barbara 37:13
It doesn't explain that. Yeah. specific mechanism. Yeah, of course. Yeah,
Scott Benner 37:17
yeah, you don't magically get diabetes, when you get COVID, you are a person who has anybody's markers that are making you making it clear that you are going to get diabetes, at some point, something throws you into that situation, could be anything really
Barbara 37:33
100% And you know, the fact that you know, a hemoglobin a one C, you know, it's a measure of your blood sugar over the past three months, the fact that when they did it in the hospital, and hers was 13, and meant that her sugar had been running high, you know, for a month before she ended up at that point. So, you know, there's there's a certain elements of Oh, my goodness, you know, she was complaining about headaches. And we thought, well, she was spending a lot of time on the screens and wasn't wearing her glasses. So you know,
Scott Benner 38:03
no, yeah. Oh, it's the worst. Listen, the first time in your life, especially attached to your children, that you recognize that we're all on a rock, hurtling through space, and nothing, right? Nothing happens for any reason that that you can figure out like, it's a, it's a hard thing to swallow that, you know, your decisions don't lead to ultimate safety, I guess. Yeah, like, you know what I mean, like you, you get what I mean, I was very careful when I was a kid, I grew up really broke. And I looked around, and I thought I have to establish credit. So I remember getting a credit card to Sears and buying something just so I could pay it off. So that I can start building credit was only like 18 years old. Right? And that made me feel safer. And my home makes me feel safe. But the truth is, if like three ill intended people wanted to get into my house right now. They absolutely could. But I feel safe. And you know, I try to get a house in the nicest neighborhood you can so you can feel safe. So you can feel like you're sending your kids to good schools. And it's all true, right? Until, you know, a meteor crashes into you. And then you realize that none of this had anything to do with you. You were just getting lucky the whole time. Right? I mean, and it's a hard pill to swallow. Like as a as a person who cares about another human being and you're trying to keep them healthy and alive. To realize that something random could happen. I heard someone say recently, I was listening to an interview somewhere. And the man had had a near death experience. And he said that what stuck with him most when it was over was that you could be talking to somebody and an hour later they might not be here anymore, and that there's no way to know that's gonna happen or not happen. And that he found it frightening and freeing at the same time. So I don't know it just made me think of that when you when you were saying that because I completely understand the idea of wanting to create as good Have a situation as you possibly can, and yet not losing sight of the fact that, you know, random things happen. And sometimes people are in the way of it. It's, it's terrible. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's that's not how that's not what should happen. But I mean, for me, I always kind of go back to this feeling of, if you could go find me right as I was getting ready to have my first kid, and you and somebody came, I don't know popped out a space in time and said, Look, you know, you're gonna have two children. And, you know, here are all the health issues that are going to happen for your wife, as you get older for you, as you get older, for your son for your daughter, like, you're gonna have a car accident one day, like, you know, all this stuff is going to happen. You can't stop it. I don't know if I even would have believed it. Because when I was young back then I just thought if I make good decisions I'll put are in good positions and will have good outcomes. But, you know, then a girl hits you in the bumper when you're waiting at a stop sign and you realize she's on a different path than you are. And now suddenly, you're in her way. So I don't know. It's a It's frightening. The whole thing? Do you have your other children too?
Barbara 41:12
Yeah, so I have a younger daughter as well. Okay, so an 11 year old and a nine year old.
Scott Benner 41:20
Do you have concerns about diabetes for them?
Barbara 41:22
Well, so um, I think I heard about it on her podcast, but um, T one D exchange. Um, you know, they have a whole database, but they also offer blood tests. So you can test everybody in your family to see if they have the markers for type one as well. Trial net. Oh, try on that. Sorry. Try
Scott Benner 41:44
that. Okay. Listen, pimp everybody out. That's been on the show. That's fine. Thank you. May I will watch
Barbara 41:50
this. We've been on the pod two and we're obsessed. Bob,
Scott Benner 41:54
do you want to see something that you might find creepy, but a little interesting. Watch this. Yeah. If you just go to T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. Now and you're a US resident who has type one diabetes, or a US resident who's the caregiver of someone for type one, you can join the T Wendy. Registered T one D exchange registered? Well, it's easier when I can edit it, doesn't it? Hold on a second? The you will be asked a few simple questions. None of them are deeper probing. It's 100% HIPAA compliant, completely anonymous. And your answers will help other people living with type one p one the exchange.org forward slash juicebox it's not bad right. Now. I could do those in my sleep. I love the T one D exchange and what they're doing but try on that is where is that? Yeah, yeah, you can get checked for the marker. So you did it for your, for the other?
Barbara 42:45
Yes. So I did it. Um, and then my husband, I think you can for trial that you have to be 45 under so my husband, he's 52. And so he he did it through I think JDRF offered something to I believe we've all tested. I'm sorry.
Scott Benner 43:06
I know. JDRF is like it cost like 50 bucks and trial. It's free or something like that. Right?
Barbara 43:11
Yeah, but trial that you can only do up until age 45. So we all tested and none of us had the antibodies.
Scott Benner 43:18
Oh, that's cool. Now, I think trial net isn't retesting any more if you get no antibodies. But I think that I they used to I wonder if that's not a financial decision on their part because they're, they're funded by other people. Whereas I guess you can always buy it through the JDRF. The one they're doing Yes, yeah. I think trial that might end up being a sponsor at some point. I feel like I remember having a conversation with them a couple of weeks ago.
Barbara 43:50
Well, if you want me to pimp out on the pod, we actually did the free trial through the Juicebox Podcast. Oh, no.
Scott Benner 43:58
Thank you. Did you get the free no obligation demo? Or did you get the free 30 day trial of the Omnipod dash?
Barbara 44:05
We got the free trial of the Omnipod dash?
Scott Benner 44:09
Oh, you did 30 days? Yes. That's cool. Listen, let's just remind everybody that their advertisers, but this isn't an ad, but I want to know how that went. So you contact them, because I talk about all the time, but I've never done it, obviously you contact them, they get you out 30 days worth of pods a PDM. get you all set up and going to get this app to go through your doctor does it just straight does.
Barbara 44:32
It does because I think they want to make sure you know if you're making that kind of a commitment that you'll be able to continue with it. And initially it wasn't covered by our insurance, but we heard so many positive things about it that we said you know, we'll try it. And then honestly, I think we paid for one month out of pocket and then our insurance decided to cover it. So it worked out.
Scott Benner 44:57
Yeah, that's excellent. No wins on the pod.com forward slash choose people support the podcast. What are you doing? I got a I have bills to pay to. So that's really that's really cool. I love on the pot. I mean there Yeah, sponsors because of how I feel about them. I could have, you know, I'm sure I could have gotten an ad from a different insulin pump. But this is the one that I I've seen a ton of benefit from for Arden. And it's been like a real like, like, genuine like, help to us over God over a decade now. So I'm glad that you got it and that you like it. That's very cool. How do you find the podcast?
Barbara 45:38
Um, oh, so I had heard, I initially found the podcast by the woman, I'm going to give her a huge shout out. But she has type one, just the woman who does my eyebrows of benefit. And I had actually, I brought my I had brought my daughter with me. Um, and we noticed that she was wearing a pump. She had the Medtronic pump. And so I like gently talked to my daughter. And I said, look, look, she has a pump. And so then my, my daughter said to her, I have type one too, and they got into a whole conversation. And I feel like I'm just going to get my eyebrows done more often than I needed to because she was such a great resource. But she was initially the one that told me about the podcast.
Scott Benner 46:27
I love hearing how people find out from each other. That's so so interesting to me. And I and I have this visual of your, your, your brows getting thinner and thinner. And you're like, I hate how my brows look now, but this girl knows so much about diabetes.
Barbara 46:43
Actually, the opposite sort of happened. I actually over time told her to do less than less. And it was more like therapy for me just like sitting there and getting all of her tips something because I think she's in her 30s and has diagnosed in her teens
Scott Benner 46:59
that I'm smiling very big. Such a big smile from that. That's, that's very, very cool. Also, if people are interested, Arden gets her brows threaded. not last. So if you have a threading professional around, you should try it. It's fascinating. Really, really cool. Like just I've ever seen anybody do it.
Barbara 47:20
Yeah, I've had it done before. Okay, um, but I think I can never switch because this is like, I mean, I feel like I learned something every time I go see her and my brows look good.
Scott Benner 47:30
So ask you this. I'm gonna admit this on the podcast. The person who cuts my hair is fine. But I don't love what she does. And I want to switch to another person that the place buy feel too bad to do it.
Barbara 47:45
I think that's a tough one. But I you know, it depends how long they've been working in the business because I feel like they ends up developing a thick skin because it must happen all the time. People think
Scott Benner 47:57
there's this guy in there and I just want to see what he's gonna do with my hair. That's all and I find myself thinking, this is gonna sound crazy. I find myself thinking maybe I can figure out what days my person works and get her and get an appointment on a day when she's not there with the other. You know, I don't borrow, generally speaking don't care about stuff like this at all. And this one thing, like even Arden's like, just tried the other person. I'm like, I can't like she's so nice. I don't know. I don't know how to do it. I feel terrible. I just have to do it. Alright. Yeah, I don't know how we got on this. Like how my brain jumped to this, but I think we're talking about gourmet. No, no, no, I know how we got to it. I'm just like, I don't know why I talking about it now and admitting to everybody that I want to switch hairdressers, but I'm scared to hurt someone's feelings. I really want to this guy looks like he would do such a better job. I don't know why. But anyway, it's not a gender thing. He just seems that. I don't know. I have really great hair. Barb is something you don't know about me needs a pro touch. You know what I mean? Anyway, yeah. Well, so how do you think your daughter's doing? Like, a year into it? Are you pretty comfortable? I mean, the numbers sound great. Sounds like you guys are getting a handle on everything. But I mean, how was she doing personally?
Barbara 49:20
So I, you know, she has her good days, on her bad days. You actually had a podcast recently about mood and blood sugar. And we definitely see that with her, you know, because as like, the pump is relatively new for her. And we're constantly you know, adjusting her doses and stuff. And, you know, like, every I feel like, all the stuff happens in a year, like all the freak technology stuff, like, you know, we put the Dexcom and the Dexcom falls off or like we put the pump on and it's a bad site. So, you know, it's like we're still a huge learning curve. And I feel like that definitely affected her, I would say, you know, she's not ready to deal with it yet. Um, and maybe partially like the trauma of the diagnosis. I mean, she's interested, you know, in one on Bolus thing, her and she, you know, she she asked a lot of questions, but I would say, you know, I'm still like her external pancreas. I'm still, you know, I mean most of it.
Scott Benner 50:25
Yeah, that's not gonna end anytime soon. But no, but so when you say she has good days and bad days, what's an example? Is that an example of her feelings? Or is that an example of things going better, so the day goes better?
Barbara 50:40
I think it's full. You know, sometimes like when her blood sugar's and like, great range all day, she'll say to me, Mom, I'm having a great day, I feel great. Um, and then other days, when it's a little bit higher, she'll say, I don't feel so good. I just feel like I have no energy. There's also, you know, a little bit, and a lot of this, you know, I guess happens in the beginning, where, you know, her sister will eat something like, ridiculously sugary, and she'll say, Well, I can't have that, or, you know, you're gonna have to give me so much insulin for this. So like a little bit of resentment toward her sister that doesn't have type one. Um, but we've been able to get her some help, which I think has been huge. I think it's, you know, it's sort of part of the process of going through this. Yeah,
Scott Benner 51:29
she's talking to somebody. Yes. Yeah. That's good.
Barbara 51:33
I mean, part of it is, you know, the whole trauma of how she was diagnosed, that was huge. So it's like, she had that on top of COVID. You know, and then her diagnosis. So it's, you know, there's a lot
Scott Benner 51:47
do you think when you say, resentment towards her sister, do you think it's towards the person? Or do you think it's towards just anybody who can think it's just because that person's there in front of them?
Barbara 51:58
I think it's because she's there in front of her 100%? Yeah.
Scott Benner 52:02
Do you see it translate to other aspects of life? Or is it mostly around food and accessibility to eating when you want those sorts of things?
Barbara 52:14
I think it's mostly related to that, because, you know, it's always funny, you hear these stories about kids that are like tears at home and the teacher say that they're like, complete joys, you know, I think she like rains it in and all the other areas, but when it comes to her sister, that's sort of when it comes out a
Scott Benner 52:32
lot. Yeah. That Do you think that sisters younger? Right? Yes. Do you think she takes any, like, joy in being able to eat something that your daughter can't?
Barbara 52:45
I mean, she's gonna. And, you know, it's my husband. And I feel like we're sort of trying to find our way a little bit. You know, I'm a registered dietician. So I've always kept like, a super healthy household. But I know that I have girls, and I don't want them to have any issues around food. Um, so it's like this fine line between, like, letting her have things once in a while. But I'm not, you know, like, I feel like you do a very good job of this with Arden, like, you know, you say this a lot in your podcast, like, she wants to go to the movies, and she wants to slushy and she wants, you know, and you just figure out exactly how to correct for it. Um, I feel like my husband and I are trying to navigate the fact that, you know, we keep a super healthy household, maybe because I know too much or, you know, whatever it is, um, and then also trying to allow her to have treats and trying to figure out, you know, how to Bolus for that.
Scott Benner 53:43
Yeah, it's so much less about the food, and so much more about access, and not feeling and not feeling like there's something that exists that you are not, you know, quote unquote, allowed to do. Like, I think that's really the most important but like, in the moment, like the blood sugar, or the food or whatever, you know, that comes and goes, but the idea that I have diabetes, and because of that, there's a thing I can't do, that, to me feels like the most dangerous thing to feel like I feel 100%
Barbara 54:17
And I feel like Yes, and I feel like we're trying, you know, I have this very good friend. She's also a registered dietician. And we used to joke that, you know, more than anyone, we're gonna screw our children up, like, you know, we both have daughters, and it's just going to be one of these things. So I've tried to not make it about that, but there's not you know, even if I don't keep it in the house, like we'll still go out, you know, and have treats and stuff like that. So I don't want her to feel like you know, there's something that she can't eat. And I think we made the mistake in the beginning when she first came home from the hospital and I feel like you've talked about this too, where like, you give all these free snacks you know, so they were like she to this date, like cannot look at a string cheese or a hard boiled bed. And I feel like we back down quite a bit from there. I'm just allowing her to have what she wants still trying to keep it healthy. But just figuring out how to Bolus for it,
Scott Benner 55:12
what sounds to me like you're doing a great job. And to be honest, that anything that you've mentioned so far in this time, it's common stuff that happens to everybody. You know, it can feel so like personal and, and foreign. But the truth is that anyone who has, you know, been diagnosed with type one is going to go through most of the things that you've just said, you know, over this entire time, I mean, aside from the main thing in the plane and stuff like that.
Barbara 55:42
Right. And actually, I have another thing to add to going through this time, please. I might have mentioned this in the email to you, but she's also been in a clinical trial.
Scott Benner 55:52
Okay. Yeah. Which one?
Barbara 55:55
So she's in she's been in the clinical trial for two clues about oh, yes,
Scott Benner 56:02
hold on. I just made a note for myself, because I have a strong feeling that this episode is going to be called playing domain.
Barbara 56:08
Because I have I have such a good name for you for the episode.
Scott Benner 56:11
You have your people coming with titles. I go ahead.
Barbara 56:16
Okay, this will make sense in a little bit. But the title should be Bernice the male owl.
Scott Benner 56:24
You're not in charge of the titles.
Barbara 56:29
Good story about this title
Scott Benner 56:31
bar. There's part of me that thinks that it would be funnier if I did not let you tell the story about why you think that's the title. And we just let people wonder why you think Bernice, the male owl would be a good title for the bus. But tell me first about Oh God, here we go. To miss a blob that I get to write to miss. I can't say it to the mob. The blizzard mob? I have. Yeah. Okay. So she was in that trial, or isn't that trial.
Barbara 56:58
She is currently in the trial. And the way that it works with the trial is that they catch kids within the first six weeks of their type one diagnosis to put them in the trial. So basically, we arrived back from Maine, the end of July. And then she started her first two week drug infusion in September. And because of COVID they couldn't do it here in Chicago. So we had to go to Iowa for two weeks.
Scott Benner 57:29
Oh, I didn't know I was gonna get a bonus of you saying Iowa with your Chicago accent. I thought Chicago
Barbara 57:35
New Yorker comes across. Yeah.
Scott Benner 57:39
Yeah. It's really cool. It's a it's an interesting mix. Hey, this is gonna sound crazy. Do you know how to spell to close them off?
Barbara 57:45
Yes. So if TPL I'm actually writing it LIZAM UB. Oh, no. Is it to poison? I have to don't have to Google this.
Scott Benner 58:02
The reason I'm asking is I'm trying to search my site to tell people the episode where they came on and talked about it because super interesting. And you might want to go look, but it's a word. I can never remember how I found it. It's episode four. Yeah, yeah, it's episode 452. So if you're interested in hearing about the trial hearing about why this trial is so interesting. Take a look. It's it's a really cool they one of the I think one of the dogs. Have you heard the episode? Yesterday, the co founder of prevention bio came on and talked about it and what they're hoping to do with it. It's really cool. But you tell me about it. So she gets an infusion of this drug monthly. Is that right?
Barbara 58:49
No. So she gets to so it's an 18 month study. And she gets two infusions that are each 13 days.
Scott Benner 58:58
Okay. I gotcha. Oh, she goes every day for 13 days.
Barbara 59:03
Yes. Wow. And so it was so interesting, because once she got into the trial, they had to inform us that was no, it was no longer being run in Chicago because of COVID. So that we actually had to go to Iowa. For her to have this drug infusion.
Scott Benner 59:25
And you think it was worthwhile? You happy to?
Barbara 59:30
Um, I don't know, time will tell. And actually, I mean, we have we've sort of been very positive about the whole thing, because she's been remote learning the whole year. It made it very easy to go, she could just bring her computer to the hospital every day. And if you're ever going to participate in a clinical trial, like the best time to do it is when the world is shut down. Gotcha. Um, so, I guess, you know, we'll sort of see what happens but they just informed me that, I guess, because they've had such positive results that they've extended the trial and extra six months. So we'll find out in about a year if it worked.
Scott Benner 1:00:10
And so what's the so first of all, is this a blinded? Like, is it possible? You're not getting the drug? Yes. Okay. And but so what is the hope, like, the hope is
Barbara 1:00:23
that she'll need less insulin over time. That, you know, whatever cells she has in her pancreas, so they catch the kids in their honeymoon phase, when there are certain cells in the pancreas that are still producing insulin. And I think it works like, you know, by two mechanisms, either it helps to regenerate some of the cells that have died, or the cells that are still there, it helps to kind of like pump them up so that they still continue to produce insulin.
Scott Benner 1:00:52
It's very, very interesting. Well, I hope you got the drug, and I hope it does. What they're what they're aiming for, for you. That's really something Jade your daughter's a trooper for for doing that, too.
Barbara 1:01:04
Yes. And you know, she has a really good attitude. She said that, even if it's not helping her, which, you know, we're not so sure that she feels like it will help other kids eventually. So, you know,
Scott Benner 1:01:20
that is very sweet of her. thank her. Thank her for me. Yes, I will. Alright, Barb, we're gonna end here. But I don't know. Tell me about the hour, I guess. Let's go. Okay.
Barbara 1:01:31
So, you know, so when she was first diagnosed, I got a lot of advice from people about, you know, like things like, you know, crying a shower, you know, just to kind of find somebody to talk to. And I feel like because she was diagnosed, and then we did this clinical trial, it was kind of like, go, go go. And so I didn't really have time to like, process all of the emotions of it. But so she had her second drug infusion for to play them out in March. And we were back in Iowa. And my husband and my younger daughter came to visit and my younger daughter has this owl. And she said, you know, from when she's three years old, that the owl, it's Bernice, but it's a male owl. She's just for whatever reason, she's always said this. So it's a little joke in our family. Well, when we were on our way, back from Iowa, it was like, we felt kind of like the sense of relief that she was done with, you know, the second round of her transfusion, we get home. And then we realize that my younger daughter has left the owl in the hotel. And so I, I lost it, it was like a year's worth of emotions. Like I just It all came out. And so we call the hotel and I you know, warn my daughter that the owl might not be there because of COVID. You know, like they probably anything that they find in the rooms they have to get rid of. And she's hysterical and hyperventilating, loves this owl has had this Alison, she's three. And I got this really nice young woman at the front desk. And she said that she knows what it's like, you know, to have a lovey, and she will check the rooms and she promises if she finds it, she will send my daughter like is telling you that she will not go to sleep unless I drive back to Iowa and go get the owl. I mean, it was really it was like, I just felt like it was this. It was like the Holy Year. You know, like I'm sure everybody has sort of felt this way the COVID. But it was like COVID, the diagnosis, that clinical trial just kind of everything at once Well anyway, the woman found the owl, and we're getting ready to go on spring break. And she ended up sending the owl to the hotel that we were staying at in Las Vegas, and the owl arrived in a FedEx package. And then my daughter opened owl and just started to cry just completely lost it. But anyway, when I was thinking about the podcast, I was like that just kind of sums up our year like this, you know? Tremendous amounts of emotion and
Scott Benner 1:04:13
yeah, did you feel like did you feel like, I couldn't stop diabetes, and I might not be able to do a lot of things, but I'm not losing this owl. Is that like
Barbara 1:04:22
100%? I mean, you have no idea what links I went to to get the owl like this young girl who worked in the hotel. She was new to the job so she didn't even know how to FedEx him. So my sister said to me, oh, but I'm sure if she's a young girl, she has a Venmo account, just like send her some money and tell her you know you'll get her a FedEx number you know, so I felt like I am going to have this owl sent and that out and I even let them know at the hotel in Las Vegas that they were expecting a FedEx from us.
Scott Benner 1:04:56
Control Stop that Meteor from hitting you Did you Did You got in front of that one? Exactly the whole time you were talking. I just was waiting for you to mention a person. So I could say who? And then it didn't work out. I feel like down like, a stupid joke. Well, I'm I'm glad you got Bernice back. And yeah, but I think that I think that more importantly, right like, it's, it's a good example of how out of control, like diabetes can make you feel like, really that you just did I mean that that became so important. Like, I get that it's important to your daughter. Right. But that, but that that became so, so important, I think is a good example of needing to feel like you're ordering things, you know, you know, something, something's going your way. I'm glad that I'm glad that it went went your way and that your daughter got her owl back. So now I'm assuming she holds it while she's mocking your other daughter with food.
Barbara 1:05:56
It sits in the kitchen.
Scott Benner 1:05:58
Oh, my God, that's something Well, I really appreciate you doing this. Did you? Did you like talking? Did it meet your expectations? I think you were pretty excited to come on. So I didn't work out. Yes.
Barbara 1:06:09
I mean, I really feel like this has been such a great resource for us, like we get excited for when your episodes come out. We've tried a bunch of things that you've discussed, we actually tried, like you had a whole episode on the Warsaw method, which we've tried with my daughter, I feel like it's just made such a huge difference in our lives. So thank you for that.
Scott Benner 1:06:30
You're welcome to you know, I'll say this to you here because your episode will go up so far in the future. I think I can get away with this. But I have a meeting tonight about turning that Warsaw method into an app so that people can just have it on their phone to figure out the fat for the food.
Barbara 1:06:46
Oh, it's amazing. Yeah, I mean, I feel like it takes like, you know, it's like bringing back like, I don't know, math from college or something. You know, it's such like a mental game.
Scott Benner 1:06:58
Try to try to imagine maybe having a little app on your phone that you can just plug in the fat and everything. And it'll just, it'll help you get to that answer. So I'm gonna try. I have an app developer calling me tonight. We're going to try to figure that out. That's amazing. Cool. So well, I am super happy that you did this. And I am glad you found the podcast and that things are going well for you guys. I appreciate you. Please tell your daughter, I really appreciate her doing a trial, like anybody who does trials or are just helping everyone. So it's a really, it's a really big deal because I know it's not easy. And it takes up can take up time some of them so very cool.
Barbara 1:07:38
Thank you so much.
Scott Benner 1:07:48
I want to thank you so much for listening, and remind you to check out touched by type one.org. Find them also on Facebook and Instagram and go see what they're doing and what they're all about touched by type one. I want to thank Barb for coming on the show and sharing her story. Her story. Her story story. I want to thank Barb for coming on the show and let me get a drink. Hold on. I want to thank Barb for coming on the show and sharing her story. There we go. Oh, that was easy, huh? And thank you of course for listening. I'll be back soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast.
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