#1780 Best Of Juicebox: Type 3c Diabetes

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.

I am re-sharing this episode in memory of Lara.

Lara lived with type 3c diabetes after losing her pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, and part of her stomach during surgery for a pancreatic tumor. In this conversation, she shared what that life looked like — the physical challenges, the learning curve, and the strength it took to keep going.

Lara has since passed away. Her mother asked if I would run this episode again in her memory. I am honored to do so.

If you didn’t hear Lara the first time, listen now. If you did, maybe you’ll hear something new. Lara’s story matters.

+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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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 (0:0) Hello, friends, and welcome to episode 1,109 of the juice box podcast. (0:13) 46 year old Lara has type three c diabetes. (0:17) She lost her pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, and part of her stomach during a pancreatic tumor surgery. (0:23) Lara found the podcast while she was looking for help with her new diabetes. (0:27) She found episode two seventy nine and has been a listener ever since.

Scott Benner (0:32) Nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (0:37) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. (0:44) When you place your first order for a g one with my link, you'll get five free travel packs and a free year supply of vitamin d. (0:52) Drink ag1.com/juicebox. (0:57) Don't forget to save 40% off of your entire order at cozyearth.com.

Scott Benner (1:02) All you have to do is use the offer code juice box at checkout. (1:05) That's juice box at checkout to save 40% at cozyearth.com. (1:11) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group, Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. (1:21) If you're not already subscribed or following in your favorite audio app, please take the time now to do that. (1:26) It really helps the show.

Scott Benner (1:32) This episode of the juice box podcast is sponsored by the continuous glucose monitor that my daughter wears, the Dexcom g seven. (1:40) Dexcom dot com slash juice box. (1:43) Get started today using this link, and you'll not only be doing something great for yourself, you'll be supporting the juice box podcast. (1:50) This show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries, Gvoke HypoPen. (1:56) Find out more at gvokeglucagon.com/juicebox.

Lara (2:02) My name is Lara. (2:04) I am Canadian. (2:05) I live in Canada in British Columbia about an hour outside of Vancouver. (2:09) I am 46 years old. (2:12) I'm married and have one daughter who is 17 graduating high school this year, and we couldn't be more excited about that.

Scott Benner (2:20) Nice.

Lara (2:21) And I'm currently in a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Scott Benner (2:25) Not as nice. (2:26) Okay. (2:28) I okay. (2:29) So my first question is, before we started recording, because of the spelling of your name, I said, is it Lara? (2:34) And you said, yes.

Scott Benner (2:35) But then because of your Canadian accent, I thought you said Laura. (2:38) So now I don't know what to do.

Lara (2:40) You know what? (2:41) It's a okay by me. (2:42) I it's pronounced Lara. (2:44) I get Lara, Laura. (2:46) It doesn't bother me whatsoever.

Scott Benner (2:48) But I wanna get it right.

Lara (2:49) It's Lara.

Scott Benner (2:52) I'm leaning on the r too much. (2:54) Right?

Lara (2:54) Lara.

Scott Benner (2:55) Yeah. (2:56) So Lara, did I get it?

Lara (2:57) Yep. (2:58) I got it. (2:58) Got it.

Scott Benner (3:01) Well, I was gonna curse right off the bat and say, shit. (3:04) That sucks. (3:05) But, when did you learn about the cancer?

Lara (3:09) Well, it was March. (3:11) I'm gonna back up a little bit because it all started in March 2021. (3:16) I was two weeks out of moving. (3:18) We had a major move, underway to move to Acreage, in a much larger house. (3:24) And two weeks before our giant move, I ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis, which was unusual for someone of my age.

Lara (3:34) And I spent seven days in the hospital being treated for pancreatitis. (3:39) I'd had all of the CTs, the MRIs. (3:42) Everything came out perfectly clear, clear pancreas. (3:46) They did find in July when I had the secondary scan an abnormality in a bile duct. (3:54) And at that point, they told me that they were going to monitor it, and I might need to have my gallbladder out.

Scott Benner (4:01) Okay. (4:02) So Can can I ask first? (4:04) Let me let me Yep. (4:05) Let me step you through it. (4:07) What are the symptoms that landed you in the hospital initially?

Lara (4:11) I had a terrible, terrible back pain. (4:14) So it was radiating in the middle of the night from my, mid back through my shoulder blades, severe nausea, oily stool, abdominal pain, and just a general feeling of unwell. (4:30) But, actually, by the time I ended up in the hospital, my symptoms had recovered, but my blood work was still showing, high lipase numbers, and inflammation markers were up. (4:45) So the only way to fix that is to put you on IV drip only and no food for seven days.

Scott Benner (4:52) Okay. (4:53) Lipase is, that's just an indicator for the pancreas. (4:57) Is that right?

Lara (4:58) That's right.

Scott Benner (4:59) Yeah. (4:59) By the

Lara (5:00) way Those numbers are high.

Scott Benner (5:01) Oily stools, never something you want. (5:04) I don't care for what reason.

Lara (5:05) No. (5:05) But I was on a keto diet at the time too, so I kinda thought at the same time, maybe that was all related. (5:12) Like, it wasn't something and, initially, I didn't have any pain that started later. (5:17) So I didn't really think much of it, to be honest with you. (5:20) It kind of came and went.

Lara (5:22) Mhmm. (5:22) And in hindsight, really, there the warning signs were there from long ago, and that's kind of what I wanna bring attention to people to be really in tune with their body.

Scott Benner (5:33) If you take insulin or sulfonylureas, you are at risk for your blood sugar going too low. (5:41) You need a safety net when it matters most. (5:44) Be ready with Gvoke HypoPen. (5:47) My daughter carries Gvoke HypoPen everywhere she goes because it's a ready to use rescue pen for treating very low blood sugar in people with diabetes ages two and above that I trust. (5:59) Low blood sugar emergencies can happen unexpectedly, and they demand quick action.

Scott Benner (6:05) Luckily, Gevo Kypopen can be administered in two simple steps, even by yourself in certain situations. (6:12) Show those around you where you store Gevo Kypopen and how to use it. (6:16) They need to know how to use Gevo Kypopen before an emergency situation happens. (6:22) Learn more about why Gvoke HypoPen is in Arden's diabetes toolkit at gvokeglucagon.com/juicebox. (6:30) Gvoke shouldn't be used if you have a tumor in the gland on the top of your kidneys called a pheochromocytoma or if you have a tumor in your pancreas called an insulinoma.

Scott Benner (6:40) Visit gvokeglucagon.com/ risk for safety information. (6:47) Yeah. (6:48) No. (6:48) I'm my my I'm doing a little reading right here. (6:51) So lipase does not, correlate to pain, in case you're wondering.

Scott Benner (6:56) It doesn't. (6:56) It doesn't. (6:57) And it there is a a concern here. (7:00) Is is lipase, attached? (7:03) Does it mean diabetes, you know, for example?

Scott Benner (7:06) Mhmm. (7:07) And it does say that lipase elevation shortly precedes the onset of type one, but that's probably a thing nobody knows when it's happening, I would imagine.

Lara (7:16) That's right.

Scott Benner (7:17) Yeah.

Lara (7:17) And it's not something that they normally test for unless you're having issues. (7:21) So until you're already at the point where you're having some symptoms and some issues, that's when it look when they look for it. (7:29) And it was actually by chance, my doctor thought, oh, I shouldn't even check for this level because he had also had a patient recently just before me with the same issues. (7:39) So and that was her issue.

Scott Benner (7:42) Yeah. (7:42) I was wondering how they got to it so quickly, honestly. (7:45) Plus and I don't mean to be pejorative, but you're in Canada, so you it's a province coin flip whether you get good health care or not. (7:51) Right?

Lara (7:53) Is that ever the truth?

Scott Benner (7:54) And I

Lara (7:55) can tell you some nightmare stories that I've been through recently, actually, about that. (8:01) But in this case, in the very beginning stages, I was treated very well. (8:05) They were on top of it right away. (8:08) I had the proper scans and and everything. (8:11) It seemed to be going along pretty well.

Scott Benner (8:14) Mhmm. (8:15) But it was yeah. (8:17) Yeah. (8:17) So so what was the treat what was the initial treatment?

Lara (8:20) The initial treatment for me was hospitalization, clear fluids. (8:25) After a few days, I was on only IV fluids because they're they put you on digestive rest

Scott Benner (8:33) Mhmm.

Lara (8:34) Is really the only way to get past that. (8:36) And then by the time I left the hospital, I thought I was all good to go. (8:41) We'll check and see if maybe the gallbladder needs out later, but, I felt totally fine.

Scott Benner (8:48) Okay. (8:48) Was the gallbladder showing any indication, or was that just a thing they said we have to watch out for?

Lara (8:54) Gallbladder and pancreatitis go together very often. (8:59) And because they found that abnormality in the bile ducts, they were watching that, and that might have been the trigger where they would have pulled the gallbladder out if that hadn't resolved itself.

Scott Benner (9:10) And my last question is when they when you said they scanned your pancreas, was that ultrasound?

Lara (9:15) It was CT scan.

Scott Benner (9:16) CT. (9:17) Okay. (9:17) Thank you. (9:18) Sorry. (9:19) Go ahead.

Scott Benner (9:19) Keep you you left. (9:20) You thought you were good to go. (9:21) I'm sorry. (9:22) Keep going.

Lara (9:22) And then so they said come back in six months, and so that put it around February, my birthday of 2022. (9:31) And I was feeling fine and well. (9:34) They had scheduled me for a the follow-up CT scan, and I was expecting at the very worst that I would have to have gallbladder surgery. (9:44) No big deal. (9:45) But I got a phone call after that initial scan in February 2022, two days later, to come back in.

Lara (9:53) And I knew at that point that I was in trouble. (9:56) So at the second scan, they found a 1.4 millimeter mass on my pancreas. (10:03) It was very, very small, very, very early. (10:07) It had zero spread. (10:09) There was no indication of any real seriousness at that point.

Lara (10:16) They thought, no big deal. (10:18) We can get in there really quick, get it out without having any spread. (10:22) And I and I didn't have any symptoms. (10:24) They thought this this would be a curable thing for me.

Scott Benner (10:28) For clarity, you said it once, but I wanna make sure I repeat it. (10:31) The pain was gone. (10:32) Right?

Lara (10:32) Pain was gone. (10:33) I was totally fine. (10:34) I was actually very annoyed that I had to go in for this scan, because I had to take time out to do it, and it was a contrast dye one, which I don't really like doing. (10:45) And, I thought to myself, well, I was fine. (10:49) So why am I doing this?

Lara (10:51) But I did my due diligence, and thank God I did because it it was a a bad thing.

Scott Benner (10:57) Before we move forward Mhmm. (11:00) And you tell me about, you know, what they what they decided to do. (11:04) You mentioned this, but I wanna dig into it for a second. (11:06) You said hindsight's, like, I don't know if you used those words, but I thought, like, were there hindsight symptoms? (11:11) Where even for years before, did you have issues that you ignored or stuff that you, like, look back and go, oh, I think this was a thing?

Lara (11:21) The only thing I would say that I should have paid more attention to was the symptoms from the pancreatitis, which was the oily stool. (11:30) And I should have been on top of that, but I with the keto diet, I was I thought maybe I'm just not digesting well, which clearly I wasn't because there was issues there, and it was completely unrelated to the keto diet. (11:46) But it that also could have been something that triggered it as well.

Scott Benner (11:51) How long before and for how long did that occur before you got the lower back pain shooting to your shoulders?

Lara (11:58) I would say several months.

Scott Benner (12:00) Okay.

Lara (12:00) But not continually, off and on, not every day. (12:04) So I I I didn't really think anything of it. (12:07) Mhmm. (12:07) And that was silly on my part.

Scott Benner (12:09) So You know, honestly, Lara, probably not. (12:12) You know what I mean? (12:13) Like, because for every person who can say, I ignored this and it turned into cancer, there's a there's a million people Yeah. (12:21) You know what I mean? (12:22) Who are like, oh, I ignored it.

Scott Benner (12:22) Guess what? (12:23) Everything was fine. (12:24) So I I mean I know.

Lara (12:26) I guess that is the case.

Scott Benner (12:27) Yes. (12:28) Yeah. (12:28) Don't beat yourself up. (12:29) But but at the same time, it's it's great to know what to look for. (12:32) Also, I think it helps highlight that your pancreas has something to do with your digestion, and a lot of people don't know that.

Scott Benner (12:37) So But yeah. (12:39) Huge portion. (12:39) Mhmm. (12:40) Yeah. (12:40) Alright.

Scott Benner (12:41) Yeah. (12:41) Okay. (12:42) So they see this this little mass, and they're gonna try to take it out. (12:46) So what are next steps?

Lara (12:47) So the next steps are PET scan and biopsy. (12:51) I had the referral to a hep hepatobiliary oncologist surgeon who was confident that this was going to be a curable thing for me given that it was so small. (13:05) So PET scan showed, just this very same actually, it showed the same tumor, very small. (13:13) It also lit up my thyroid, which I had a thyroid nodule. (13:17) They said that was gonna be okay.

Lara (13:19) They would do a fine needle biopsy on that, but it would be unrelated to what I was dealing with with pancreatic cancer.

Scott Benner (13:26) Mhmm.

Lara (13:27) The biopsy was done, and it confirmed that we were dealing with invasive ductal adenocarcinoma, which is the worst kind of pancreatic cancer to have.

Scott Benner (13:39) Mhmm.

Lara (13:40) It spreads quickly, and it's quite aggressive. (13:43) But we were still confident that, with the surgery and then six months of chemo after the surgery was done, that I would have the cure that we were looking for. (13:54) So I went in very, very positive and confident that I was in good hands and that things would be a okay. (14:03) And I do wanna say that this was all extra scary for me because ten years ago, we lost my uncle to pancreatic cancer at 57.

Scott Benner (14:12) Really?

Lara (14:14) Yep.

Scott Benner (14:14) Yeah. (14:15) I have to tell you, Lara. (14:16) I don't I don't know if people know this. (14:18) I haven't said this in a while, but when I sit down to record, generally speaking, I don't really know what I'm doing. (14:24) I don't, like, I don't preplan my conversations, and I don't really look at my calendar.

Scott Benner (14:31) So you know how some people really wanna know what the weather is before they go outside? (14:35) More of a wander outside and see what the weather's like person. (14:38) And I and I do that with this too. (14:40) And I just wanna tell you upfront, I don't wanna slow you down. (14:43) But if I pause, I lost my mom to cancer, like, in the last year.

Scott Benner (14:48) And I'm having a more difficult time with this than I thought I would. (14:52) So don't I don't I don't wanna stop you. (14:55) We're definitely having this conversation. (14:57) But at some point, I'm gonna cry today, just so you know. (15:00) Like, let's just put

Lara (15:01) that out. (15:01) And I likely will too, and that's a okay. (15:04) Okay.

Scott Benner (15:04) Okay. (15:04) Good. (15:05) Good. (15:05) As long as we're both expecting it. (15:06) Yes.

Scott Benner (15:06) Yeah. (15:07) You just it just it took me by surprise a second ago, and I was like, I don't feel right. (15:11) Why do I not feel right?

Lara (15:12) It gets you.

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Lara (16:30) No. (16:30) I really did. (16:31) Because by all stretches of the imagination, this was found by accident. (16:35) It was found so early. (16:37) It was very small, almost at the point where it wouldn't even be something that would be detected.

Lara (16:43) It has to be a certain size before it can be detected on scans.

Scott Benner (16:46) Mhmm.

Lara (16:47) The cells can be caught in PET scan just floating around because they light up. (16:51) Like, they feed it they feed them sugar, and the cancer cells light up like a Christmas tree.

Scott Benner (16:58) Yeah.

Lara (16:58) But the actual tumors need to be big enough to be able to be found. (17:02) So this was just at the point. (17:04) It was so small. (17:06) Surgery. (17:07) There was going to be a distal pancreatectomy, which means they would have taken half of the pancreas and my spleen because those things are connected.

Scott Benner (17:16) Mhmm.

Lara (17:17) And by all searches of the imagination, they told me that the pancreas that was left over was going to take over the insulin production, and I wouldn't be a diabetic. (17:29) I would be fully cured and just had to get through this hard road for, well, six months surgery. (17:36) Well, recovery and then six months of chemo. (17:39) So they started the chemo six months after their full surgery.

Scott Benner (17:42) Right. (17:43) So you thought I'm getting a surgery, not much is gonna change other than I'm not gonna have cancer anymore. (17:48) And That's it. (17:49) Yeah. (17:49) Okay.

Scott Benner (17:50) So when did they tell you that's not what happened? (17:53) Is it, like, right when you woke up or Mhmm. (17:56) How does that go?

Lara (17:57) So my surgery was scheduled for 03/28/2022. (18:02) And on the March 25, I had my last CT scan before going into surgery, and I never saw the results of that. (18:09) And while I was being wheeled into surgery from the little holding room after I'd been laying there crying my eyes out scared as scared could be. (18:20) I met the surgeon for the first time face to face because this was still times where they were doing phone appointments, and I hadn't seen his face even. (18:32) So there he stood with me and told me that the tumor had grown in that six week time frame from one CT scan to the next from 1.4 millimeters to four and a half centimeters, and it had taken over the entire pancreas.

Scott Benner (18:50) Not good with the metric system, but that sounds like a significant increase.

Lara (18:54) Significant is right. (18:57) So it went from one tiny little dot in there to taking over the whole pancreas. (19:03) And at that point, he said there still haven't been any spread, but the likelihood that I was going to lose the entire pancreas was was pretty probable.

Scott Benner (19:14) Yeah. (19:14) For people, who like me who don't know the the metric system, that's about a 40 times gross or growth of of the mass.

Lara (19:24) Yes.

Scott Benner (19:24) Yeah. (19:25) It grew by, like, 40 times its size in six weeks.

Lara (19:29) That's right.

Scott Benner (19:29) Yeah. (19:29) That's

Lara (19:30) aggressive. (19:30) Saying invasive and aggressive

Scott Benner (19:33) Mhmm.

Lara (19:33) That it that it is. (19:35) So the importance of the early detection was astronomically important. (19:41) I I I can't even say because at this point, the surgery could the whole pancreas could still come out. (19:50) The cancer hadn't still spread at that point. (19:52) So there was a silver lining to that, although I was completely unprepared for what what I was going to find when I woke up.

Lara (20:01) So

Scott Benner (20:01) Yeah. (20:02) Yeah. (20:02) Yeah. (20:02) It's like it's like the opposite of Christmas. (20:04) You got two gifts instead of one.

Scott Benner (20:06) And usually, they were like, hey, guess what? (20:08) You have cancer and diabetes. (20:12) It's like you're like, I didn't have either of these things five minutes ago. (20:16) What the hell? (20:17) And and and so you're coming out of a surgery as a type one, basically.

Scott Benner (20:23) But it's type three. (20:24) Right? (20:24) Is it what they call type three c?

Lara (20:25) Type three c.

Scott Benner (20:26) Type three c. (20:27) You come out of surgery as a type a type three c and somebody telling you, hey, there's way more cancer in there than we thought. (20:34) And and that's all out of nowhere from and so for all the crying you did before, how does it No. (20:42) Yeah. (20:42) You do a little more after, I imagine?

Lara (20:44) So the surgery was nine hours when it was supposed to be, like, three and a half. (20:51) So that alone was a huge undertaking. (20:54) And I when I got to the Recovery Room, it was very late, and that's when they told me that I had lost my whole pancreas. (21:03) And I also awoke to nurses in sheer panic because they were unable to control my blood sugar. (21:11) So they kept me in the Recovery Room because they're got me on, in this point, insulin drip, which has to be done with one to one care.

Lara (21:20) And they're worried about DKA at this point. (21:22) And I don't even know what DKA is.

Scott Benner (21:25) You're not even awake, but you definitely don't know what it is. (21:29) Right? (21:29) Also, I take your point about the time, I remember we dropped my mom at, about eight or nine in the morning at the hospital. (21:38) During COVID, we couldn't even go. (21:39) My my, like, 70 at that point, 78 year old mother, I think.

Scott Benner (21:44) I think 78 or 79. (21:45) We basically wheeled her through the front door, gave her a good running push, was like, good luck, and then had to leave. (21:50) You know? (21:51) Like, because they wouldn't even let you come in with her. (21:54) Yep.

Scott Benner (21:55) Was frightening in in and of itself. (21:57) But the doctor said, I'll call like, my number was the one he was gonna call after the surgery was over. (22:03) And I'm not lying to you. (22:05) It was, like, 07:30 at night when he finally called me. (22:08) And he and he called to say, my assistant basically is still closing your mom up, but I'm done now.

Scott Benner (22:17) And I was like, wait. (22:17) This this like, I just figured the schedule got messed up or they lost her. (22:22) Like, seriously. (22:22) Because you could Yeah. (22:23) They because I we really did just kinda run through the door with the wheelchair and we're like, alright, mom.

Scott Benner (22:27) Like, well, good Good night. (22:29) Yeah. (22:29) And, like, I was thinking, maybe she's just sitting in a hallway somewhere, you know? (22:33) But, but instead, it took the better part of the day to do what they ended up having to do for the same reason because they got there and they were like, wow. (22:41) There's more here than we expected.

Scott Benner (22:43) So Yeah. (22:44) Yeah. (22:44) Yeah.

Lara (22:44) My family was completely unprepared because they were waiting at the hospital and at some point, they had to go home. (22:51) And I remember them my husband saying, yeah. (22:54) We got the phone call. (22:55) We were almost home. (22:56) And it was way late at night, and the surgeon called and told him, but I still hadn't spoken or seen any of my family.

Scott Benner (23:04) That sucks.

Lara (23:05) And listening to these nurses in panic about these things that I don't know about.

Scott Benner (23:12) They're like, hey. (23:12) We can't get our blood sugar under control. (23:14) And you're like, what? (23:14) That wasn't part of why I was here. (23:16) Like Right.

Lara (23:17) Yeah. (23:18) And then there's and I and I don't even know what numbers mean at this point. (23:22) Right? (23:22) So my sugars were at 25, and I don't know what

Scott Benner (23:27) Oh, I could tell you. (23:28) But I only after I go to a conversion chart on my website.

Lara (23:31) I have a conversion chart saved on my phone from the Juice Box podcast. (23:36) But

Scott Benner (23:36) Thank you. (23:36) 20 oh my god. (23:38) 25? (23:39) Wait. (23:39) Are you serious?

Scott Benner (23:40) Yeah. (23:41) Yep. (23:41) Oh, that's a four like, a four fifty blood sugar.

Lara (23:44) Yep.

Scott Benner (23:44) Yeah. (23:44) Yeah. (23:44) Okay.

Lara (23:45) For hours. (23:46) For hours and hours and hours. (23:49) And once they got them finally back down, I think it was about 01:30 in the morning is finally when I left recovery and then went up to the ward. (23:58) But I had had asked to call my mom because I just wanted my mom. (24:02) I just as you do Yeah.

Lara (24:05) I just needed her. (24:06) And so I had the phone call with her completely out of it, totally confused, and very angry.

Scott Benner (24:13) Yeah. (24:15) And angry for a Canadian. (24:16) What does that even mean? (24:17) Were you saying darn it?

Lara (24:20) Oh, I can get super angry.

Scott Benner (24:23) I always tell people, you know, you don't know about Canadians. (24:26) So people always say there's there's not as much gun violence in Canada. (24:28) I was like, but they love to stab each other, so don't go giving them too much credit.

Lara (24:32) And I also hear we're very sweary. (24:35) So Yeah.

Scott Benner (24:37) Well, I know for sure in bars, you're very stabby. (24:40) So Yeah. (24:41) Because

Lara (24:43) we can't get guns here. (24:44) Right?

Scott Benner (24:44) Well, I I I assume that's why it's happened. (24:46) Yes. (24:47) Yep. (24:48) So well, you reached for your mom. (24:50) Like, you skipped right over I I I don't mean this in a bad way.

Scott Benner (24:54) I I honestly don't. (24:55) But when you thought I need help, you didn't go to your husband. (24:58) You went to your mother.

Lara (24:59) I went to my mom, and I and I always do, especially with the medical stuff, because she she understands more. (25:06) My husband's a little bit more of a stress case when it comes to all of these things.

Scott Benner (25:10) Mhmm.

Lara (25:11) And I knew that he had my daughter with him, and I kinda didn't wanna get her involved at this point before I'd even figured things out. (25:20) And I think you always just I I do just reach for my mom.

Scott Benner (25:25) I just think that this highlights a mother's instinct on your part because if I was in trouble, I would drag everybody into my horror immediately. (25:34) I'd be like, I don't can't believe you people left. (25:37) Was like, I need everyone back here. (25:39) I want a vigil. (25:40) There should be candles, crying.

Scott Benner (25:42) I actually cry in shifts. (25:43) So every time I look up, I see somebody sad. (25:45) Why?

Lara (25:46) I went total opposite. (25:49) I went into, like, recluse mode. (25:52) I didn't want to see anybody Mhmm. (25:55) At all.

Scott Benner (25:57) Yeah. (25:57) Did you think you were gonna die? (25:59) Is that when does that occur to you the first time?

Lara (26:02) The first time it occurred to me that I might die was when I first got the first report with the that I had pancreatic cancer because, I mean, the Google tells you no one comes out of

Scott Benner (26:13) it. (26:13) Yeah.

Lara (26:14) And so I tried really hard and I did. (26:17) Probably to my dismay, actually, in the end, I stayed off the Google, and I stayed off all of the Facebook groups for pancreatic cancer because it was all nothing but doom and gloom. (26:31) And I wanted to stay positive because I knew mindset had something to do with it. (26:36) And I always felt that I was in good hands and that I should trust the people that were dealing with me in my situation and not the random strangers that have had a myriad of ex different experiences, some good, some terrible. (26:51) Right.

Lara (26:51) And I didn't know where I was gonna fit into all of that.

Scott Benner (26:55) I hear you.

Lara (26:55) So I didn't do a whole lot.

Scott Benner (26:57) You don't wanna jump into somebody else's story and put it on yourself when maybe you're not in the same position they're in.

Lara (27:03) Yes. (27:04) Yeah. (27:04) And especially since so many of those stories are not good.

Scott Benner (27:07) Right.

Lara (27:08) It was not a safe place when I was learning a whole new life at the same time.

Scott Benner (27:14) Yeah. (27:14) Yeah. (27:14) You make yourself crazy, I would imagine.

Lara (27:17) Totally.

Scott Benner (27:17) Yeah. (27:17) So okay. (27:18) So you're you're kinda locked down. (27:20) You're you got your mom. (27:21) What's your does your mom say anything valuable, or is it all just a lot of love?

Lara (27:25) It's just a lot of love because at this point, she didn't know what was gonna be valuable to say other than she was it was gonna be okay and that she would be there every step of the way, which she has been holding my hand every step of the way along this whole journey. (27:43) She's not left my side Yeah. (27:45) And has been an amazing support for all of us, my family included. (27:51) So we couldn't have done any of this without her.

Scott Benner (27:53) Did she get off the phone with you and latch up the dogs, take a a big cut of whale blubber and head right to you on her sled or how did did she stay where she was? (28:05) That's how you guys get around. (28:07) Right?

Lara (28:08) That's right. (28:09) Yeah.

Scott Benner (28:09) Yeah. (28:09) Yeah. (28:09) Right. (28:10) Yeah.

Lara (28:11) So she was there early the next morning. (28:14) So at one in the morning, I ended up back in my room, a room, which was nice. (28:19) I had a private room, which doesn't happen very often here in Canada. (28:22) They're usually a four bed ward room. (28:26) And given the nature of what I was going through, I appreciated that time where I was just alone and not having other patients in the room, but she was there.

Lara (28:38) And you almost had to kick her out to leave at the end of the day. (28:42) So I spent nine full days in the hospital recovering from the surgery. (28:47) The next day after the surgery, they'd sent in the the first endocrinologist that I was to meet. (28:53) And I sent her out the door as fast as she came in because I knew immediately she wasn't gonna be a fit for me.

Scott Benner (29:00) How come?

Lara (29:01) She came in so bubbly and squealing with her hair in a high ponytail, and she's talking to me like, life is good. (29:11) We have insulin. (29:13) And she was so trying to be this bubbly positive person, and I was just I'm like, I like the facts. (29:19) I don't need no, like, fluffy stuff. (29:22) Tell me where it is at.

Lara (29:24) Like, tell me what I need to know, what I need to do.

Scott Benner (29:27) You and Armen might get along really well because you I I like that the the most despicable part of her was her high ponytail. (29:34) I

Lara (29:35) I just couldn't. (29:36) I couldn't deal with her. (29:38) And and she just she came in. (29:40) She gave me a meter. (29:41) She gave me, and left the nurses a basic LARPEN.

Lara (29:46) That's what that's how that went down.

Scott Benner (29:48) You know what I was really surprised by earlier in your story? (29:51) You can't be the first person to go into surgery and come out without a pancreas. (29:55) Why were the nurses so thrown off by it in post op? (29:58) Because, obviously, you're not a person using basal insulin when you win in. (30:01) You have no insulin at all.

Scott Benner (30:02) Like, your body is, like, devoid of insulin. (30:04) And so Yep. (30:06) I'm not a doctor, Blair. (30:07) I just wanna be clear. (30:08) And if you took a person and handed them to me and said, hey.

Scott Benner (30:11) I just took this person's pancreas out. (30:13) My brain would go, well, we have to get basal insulin going right now. (30:17) I don't know why that's difficult. (30:19) Like like, you know what mean?

Lara (30:21) Know what? (30:22) I don't either. (30:23) But I do know that they don't do these surgeries very often, and I am one of the few that it does happen because, normally, these things are found too late for this to make a difference.

Scott Benner (30:35) Yeah. (30:36) Oh, they don't do the removal because it's over by the before it starts.

Lara (30:40) That's right. (30:40) Yeah. (30:40) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:41) No. (30:41) Yeah.

Lara (30:41) That part I get, but when you're when you are in that one to one care recovery room, I mean, surely, you've had diabetics through there before.

Scott Benner (30:52) Mhmm.

Lara (30:53) You know how to deal with the one to one and the IV drip of insulin, but they were shocked and didn't know what to do.

Scott Benner (31:01) This so this endo that comes and sees you after the surgery, she wasn't meeting your energy. (31:05) Let's just say that. (31:06) Right? (31:07) Yeah. (31:07) Because your energy was, hey.

Scott Benner (31:08) I just found out I have way more I had way more cancer than I thought I did, and now I have diabetes on top of that. (31:14) And she came in like mister Rogers, and you were like, no. (31:17) We're not doing this. (31:18) Yeah.

Lara (31:19) That's right.

Scott Benner (31:19) Okay. (31:19) Yeah. (31:20) I understand, by the Mhmm. (31:22) So what what ends up happening then? (31:24) Like, you got your Basilagar pen, but what else did you get out of that?

Lara (31:28) So they never actually this this is this is I know you're gonna find this shocking, and I've heard because I've listened to the diet the the diagnosis stories on the Juice Box podcast. (31:39) They would come in at night and give me a shot of Basaglar. (31:45) They didn't explain to me what that was.

Scott Benner (31:47) Mhmm.

Lara (31:48) And then with my meals, as I could eat, because there was a a long period of time where I had just really any difficulty. (31:57) Because they removed part of my stomach as well. (31:59) So this surgery comes with gallbladder, spleen removal, part of your stomach, and your pancreas. (32:06) So they've reconnected it all.

Scott Benner (32:08) Why the stomach? (32:09) Was there cancer there?

Lara (32:10) There wasn't. (32:11) But just how the digestive tract works, they have to When they remove Yeah. (32:18) I see. (32:18) They make the stomach smaller.

Scott Benner (32:19) Okay. (32:20) The basal guards basal guards Lantus. (32:23) So that's your so they were giving you slow acting at night, but not telling you what it was. (32:28) They didn't say this is basal insulin or nothing. (32:31) Well, in in fairness, you did scare the lady away who might have told you that.

Lara (32:35) Well, she didn't she came in, and she wasn't even really prepared to give me any education or anything at that point. (32:42) I think they thought maybe too early, but, obviously, they didn't know me because I need to be armed with the facts, and I need to know what it is that I'm doing and how how like, how is this gonna work? (32:54) Like, you can't just come and shoot me up with something and then expect me to know what it is when this hasn't been a part of my life. (33:01) And it and I actually, truth be told, only know one other type one diabetic in my life. (33:07) So Yeah.

Lara (33:09) I didn't know.

Scott Benner (33:10) Right. (33:10) No. (33:10) Yeah. (33:11) You don't you you have no idea. (33:12) Did you say nine days in the hospital after that?

Lara (33:15) Yep.

Scott Benner (33:16) Nine days. (33:16) Okay. (33:17) Do you have any idea what you're doing diabetes related by the time you leave even? (33:23) One

Lara (33:25) night, I'm gonna tell you this because what no one told me anything about diabetes. (33:29) They would come in. (33:30) They would give me when I would eat, they would give me a a shot of insulin with my meal. (33:35) They would give me the Basaglar at night, but they didn't explain to me, like, how much or what would happen or whatever. (33:42) And I remember one night not knowing not knowing anything, and I I didn't feel well.

Lara (33:49) And if you know me, you have to I have to be near death to press that nurse call button because I just can't stand it. (33:55) And it was in the middle of the night, and I thought I'm gonna annoy all these people at this point. (33:59) I was in a four bedroom, and I was sweating and shaking. (34:06) And and I felt like I was running out of time. (34:10) I pressed the call button, and, of course, I had a low blood sugar.

Lara (34:15) I didn't know this was gonna happen to me. (34:17) They didn't tell me. (34:19) They said, oh, you have low blood sugar. (34:21) Drink this juice. (34:23) Okay?

Lara (34:23) But they didn't tell me this would keep happening either.

Scott Benner (34:26) You just thought, like, oh, they probably just got it wrong this one time. (34:29) This will never happen again.

Lara (34:31) Yeah. (34:31) They didn't tell me this was gonna be a regular, almost daily occurrence for me.

Scott Benner (34:35) It's so difficult to be prepared for the first time anything happens. (34:39) And this is gonna sound disconnected for a second, but I have a fairly healthy life overall. (34:45) Like, I'm a a pretty robust person. (34:47) We were cleaning the other day. (34:48) My wife and I did the very adult thing of cleaning our house one Saturday and just, you know, spent the entire day cleaning stuff.

Scott Benner (34:55) And I'm a boy, so she's downstairs doing what she's doing. (34:59) I just take bleach and cut it with water, put it in a spray bottle and just, like, douse everything and wipe it down and, like, hey, look, it's clean. (35:05) And, by the way, it works great. (35:07) But I was cleaning in a corner. (35:10) This is gonna sound ridiculous, but there's a toilet in the corner and a corner in the corner.

Scott Benner (35:14) And so I sprayed down the toilet and I sprayed down the floor and then I walked away and came back. (35:21) And I was in a room, obviously, with a fan that was drawing the air up from the ground. (35:25) And I turned back around to kinda go down onto my knees into the space to, you know, wipe everything up and do everything I was gonna do. (35:33) And I think between the the ceiling fan running and how much I had sprayed, I just bent down and took in a bunch of bleach in through like a breath. (35:42) And I felt it hit the back of my throat and then started going down by a sock, like, I don't I don't know how air works, but it was going down through my chest.

Scott Benner (35:52) And as it was going down, like, I I wasn't I couldn't breathe. (35:57) And I've never been in that situation before. (36:00) And so I'm wearing rubber gloves. (36:03) I'm holding stuff. (36:04) I have earphones in my ears.

Scott Benner (36:05) Like, you know what I mean? (36:06) Like and I I'm I'm like, uh-oh. (36:10) And I'm I'm like, okay. (36:11) I need to get like, I feel like I should drink something. (36:14) It's the only thought I have.

Scott Benner (36:16) I stand up immediately, schnaught, running out of my nose. (36:20) My eyes are watering crazy. (36:22) I'm coughing to try and I'm thinking, oh, god. (36:25) I'm I'm coughing. (36:26) At least I'm breathing.

Scott Benner (36:27) And I'm coughing and coughing. (36:29) And I'm trying to pull the gloves off because I don't have a cup and I'm gonna I know I'm about to, like, just take water, like Tom Hanks in one of those movies, and, like, throw it at my face and try to get some in my mouth. (36:39) What was that one when he was on the island castaway? (36:41) Then I'm, like I'm gonna, like, do that. (36:43) Right?

Scott Benner (36:43) And but I'm I have the wherewithal to think I have bleach on my gloves. (36:47) I have to take the gloves off. (36:48) But as I'm reaching for the gloves, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna die. (36:52) Like, the I am gonna fucking die cleaning the goddamn toilet. (36:55) That is literally what went through my head.

Scott Benner (36:57) I was like, son of a bitch. (36:59) I'm quasi famous. (37:02) This is gonna get around. (37:03) And, like, so I'm, like, I'm pulling on these gloves trying to get them off. (37:06) I'm trying to get the water running.

Scott Benner (37:08) And as I reach for the water, I think, water or milk? (37:11) I forget. (37:12) Is water bad? (37:13) Woah. (37:14) Is water gonna make it worse?

Scott Benner (37:15) And then I just had the thought. (37:16) Was, whatever. (37:17) I gotta clear it. (37:18) Like, so I just started, like, shoveling water at my face. (37:22) I got one good breath and I was like, help.

Scott Benner (37:26) Need help. (37:26) So I start heading through the house to get to Kelly. (37:29) And I'm like going down the stairs. (37:30) I'm like like hacking up like it felt like a lung was coming out. (37:34) But we've been married forever, so she ignores me all the time.

Scott Benner (37:38) So so like I'm coming down the stairs, I'm like, Kel, Kel, Kel, help, help. (37:44) She goes, what's going on? (37:46) And I'm like, all I wanna say is, you son of a bitch. (37:49) Like, what's going on? (37:50) I'm dying.

Scott Benner (37:51) Look at me. (37:51) Like, I agree. (37:52) And I'm like I'm like, blah blah blah. (37:53) So now I'm like running through the kitchen getting trying to get a glass so I can force down as much liquid as I can in between breaths and having that real panic feeling like my brain's gonna shut off because I don't have enough oxygen. (38:06) And I finally get it in and I'm standing there just dripping out of every hole on my face and, like, just dying.

Scott Benner (38:12) And she's like, what's going on? (38:13) And I was like, you were no help what so ever. (38:16) And I'm like What's up?

Lara (38:18) Oh, god.

Scott Benner (38:20) I was like, I was counting on you and you just stared at me. (38:23) But but but my point in telling the story, besides Laura, let's be honest, it's funny. (38:28) But besides telling It's it funny. (38:30) Yeah. (38:30) Besides telling it for that story, I was thrust into a situation I'd never been in before around my health and I barely held myself together.

Scott Benner (38:39) And I and I think I was in like, I was in real trouble. (38:42) And then she got put into a situation she had never been in before, and she kinda, like, just froze. (38:48) And so I'm picturing you a couple of days shy of learning that, you know, all this just happened with my pancreas and all this other stuff, you get a low blood sugar. (38:57) You must have been me standing at the sink. (38:59) You must have been like, I'd right?

Scott Benner (39:00) I don't know what is happening or what I'm supposed to do.

Lara (39:04) Yeah. (39:05) It never happened to me before in my life, and I wasn't expecting it. (39:08) Didn't know it was a thing for me, and I didn't know how to deal with it. (39:15) But drink this juice. (39:16) Yeah.

Lara (39:17) Everything will be fine.

Scott Benner (39:18) Well, let me just say this. (39:19) If more of you would click on the links for the advertisers, I could probably afford to hire a cleaner to come through once a month and do a deep cutting on the bathroom.

Lara (39:27) I will share it all. (39:29) Yeah. (39:29) I mean,

Scott Benner (39:29) you guys could probably save my life by supporting the advertisers better. (39:33) I'm not a person who pays to have things done around my house. (39:36) Like, I like, even my neighbors, like, somebody's cutting their lawn. (39:39) I'm like, can you just cut your own lawn? (39:40) And she's like, I'm 60.

Scott Benner (39:41) And I'm like, just get out there and do it. (39:43) You'll be fine. (39:43) I'm kidding. (39:44) But, I mean, if the podcast got big enough, I would get somebody to clean the bathroom. (39:48) Just so you all know, you could save my life by supporting the sponsors.

Lara (39:52) And that's it's an important thing.

Scott Benner (39:54) Well, for me for me, Lara, because I obviously don't know enough to, like, dilute the bleach better before I

Lara (40:00) use Oh, boy.

Scott Benner (40:02) Basically atomized

Lara (40:03) lessons we learned.

Scott Benner (40:04) Yeah. (40:04) I basically atomized bleach and then, like, sucked it up. (40:09) So anyway, I'm an idiot. (40:10) But anyway okay. (40:12) And by the way, what am I complaining to you?

Scott Benner (40:13) You have fucking cancer. (40:14) So Yummy. (40:17) Yeah. (40:18) We haven't gotten to the the the the truly horrific part of your story yet. (40:21) Okay.

Scott Benner (40:22) So your low blood sugar, they get you back up. (40:26) Does that make you think not even, like, this could happen again? (40:29) You're not even at that yet. (40:31) Yeah.

Lara (40:31) Because I didn't know. (40:32) Like, I I honestly hadn't a clue. (40:36) Because really at this point, nothing had been explained to me. (40:39) They just kept coming in, giving me insulin, feeding me, which was a difficult thing for me to do. (40:45) They're giving me insulin for meals that I don't know that I can eat.

Scott Benner (40:50) Yeah. (40:51) Yeah. (40:51) Just

Lara (40:51) And then even checking blood sugars, they would come in, poke my finger, but not really explaining. (40:58) They would say this is good or whatever. (41:01) I I mean, I honestly didn't know. (41:03) I had a meter they gave me, but they they didn't come with enough lancets or strips to do anything with. (41:11) Just one of the sample ones.

Scott Benner (41:12) Yeah. (41:13) Yeah. (41:13) Sample meter, ten ten strips in it. (41:15) Right? (41:16) Yeah.

Lara (41:16) Done. (41:18) So I I was just really relying upon the care that they were giving me, and I figured by the time I was gonna go home, I would have have been to a class of some sort. (41:30) I don't know. (41:30) What how does this even work?

Scott Benner (41:33) Apparently not well. (41:34) Good job, Gary.

Lara (41:35) I fired my I my oncologist or my endocrinologist, so I they had to find a new one for me, which they did. (41:44) Thank god. (41:45) It wasn't until my they're getting ready to send me home after this nine days in there. (41:51) And I said, but I don't know. (41:54) Like, what am I what do I do?

Lara (41:56) They still hadn't explained that to me. (41:58) So the endocrinologist came in and said, give yourself thirty five units of Blade Basaglar at night, four units of Admalog for breakfast and lunch, and six units of Admalog at dinner.

Scott Benner (42:12) Did they tell you to count? (42:14) Like, would they put you on a sliding scale or tell you to have a certain amount of carbs or anything like that?

Lara (42:18) Just eat like a diabetic plate. (42:21) Oh. (42:22) So my dad's a type two diabetic, so my mom's like, okay. (42:26) Well, you need to have, like, a little bit of carbs, lots of vegetables, and some protein. (42:30) So outside of that, I didn't know how to eat anything else.

Lara (42:34) I didn't know that I could give myself more insulin if I had a snack. (42:39) I didn't know any of that until I found your podcast. (42:44) No one taught me that.

Scott Benner (42:45) That's something. (42:46) I wonder if people in the medical profession hear that and are just ashamed.

Lara (42:50) Well, they should be because it is such a huge thing, and it is something that can, as you know, kill you in a second

Scott Benner (42:59) Yeah.

Lara (42:59) Or send you into DKA if you're not careful with with taking enough insulin at the right time. (43:07) Brutal.

Scott Benner (43:07) I'm assuming you're along with this because these meals were probably not properly covered by insulin at all. (43:12) I mean, he who even knows if that was the right amount of basil for you? (43:16) Right? (43:16) So Who knows? (43:17) Because 35 And I mean, I may I ask how much you weigh?

Lara (43:21) I was much heavier at the time.

Scott Benner (43:24) Okay.

Lara (43:24) But as you well know, cancer and all of this surgery and all, I the massive weight loss, very quickly then put me into a point where I was experiencing multiple lows through the night

Scott Benner (43:39) Yeah.

Lara (43:39) Because I was having too much at that point. (43:42) So I was I think at the end, I was down to twenty one units of bezaguars.

Scott Benner (43:48) I was gonna say. (43:48) Yeah. (43:49) Mhmm. (43:49) Did you have any situation where somebody who you kind of knew saw you one day and was like, oh my god, Lara, Ozempic? (43:55) And you were like, no.

Scott Benner (43:55) Cancer.

Lara (43:57) Pretty much. (43:58) Yeah. (43:58) Yeah. (43:58) I kept it all very quiet, actually. (44:00) I didn't tell anybody what was going on until until I started chemo, actually.

Lara (44:06) I I didn't let anyone in. (44:09) I was so in such a terrible state of mind. (44:12) I didn't let any other than my very close circle, no one knew what I was going through.

Scott Benner (44:18) Can you give me a little bit of color on why that was? (44:21) Like, what why did it seem important to you to keep it to yourself at first?

Lara (44:24) It seems silly now, but I felt like I was going to be judged for maybe having a bad lifestyle or I I don't know. (44:36) I think it was just also shocking for me too. (44:40) Like, even just saying the words out loud put me into a place where I didn't wanna be.

Scott Benner (44:46) Yeah.

Lara (44:47) And it's made it all more realistic, and I wasn't prepared to answer people's questions because, well, I really didn't know what was going on at that point for myself. (44:58) And trying to explain it all, I just wasn't ready for it all. (45:03) And then in the end, when I did tell everyone, the support and the outreach was astronomical. (45:09) And I probably should have done it sooner.

Scott Benner (45:11) Yeah. (45:12) Your worry, was you just imagined, really. (45:15) Yep. (45:16) Yeah.

Lara (45:16) 100%.

Scott Benner (45:17) Okay.

Lara (45:18) So when I left the hospital, I left the hospital with my one Basaglar pen and had to stop at the diabetes educator on the way home from the hospital where she gave me a sample of the Freestyle Libre. (45:35) A little schooling on how to inject, where to inject, may and then I stopped at the pharmacy for my Admolog pens, which I didn't have, needles, digestive enzymes, which is another something I have to take every day with everything I put in my mouth.

Scott Benner (45:54) Yeah. (45:55) Which ones do you use?

Lara (45:56) I use BioCase. (45:58) Okay.

Scott Benner (46:00) I use pure encapsulations, but I don't need it every time. (46:04) But I and I obviously don't have the same issue you do. (46:07) I might not even have an issue. (46:08) I don't even know. (46:09) I just know it helps.

Lara (46:10) That's all it's important.

Scott Benner (46:11) Yeah. (46:11) Yeah. (46:11) Honestly, like, I had a slice of pizza yesterday and I put the pizza on the plate and then I thought, where are those little pills? (46:20) Mhmm. (46:20) And I popped two in my mouth.

Scott Benner (46:21) I went with two because cheese and grease and Yep. (46:25) Boom. (46:25) I swear to you, I don't know that I eat pizza. (46:28) Like, any bloating or, no bloating, no gas, no unpleasant trip to the bathroom, you know, hours or days later, nothing like that. (46:36) And it's all just from this little tiny freaking, like, thing.

Scott Benner (46:39) It's amazing. (46:40) So but you need it because they took they took your pancreas, is a a huge part in in digestion.

Lara (46:47) Yes. (46:48) And and with pancreatic enzymes, there is either it's a fine balance. (46:55) Too little or too much have the same effect, and trying to find that happy medium sometimes is just impossible.

Scott Benner (47:03) What's the effect?

Lara (47:05) You get a serious diarrhea.

Scott Benner (47:07) Yeah. (47:08) That's what I thought you were gonna say. (47:10) Yeah. (47:10) Too much or too little, same same situation. (47:13) Yep.

Scott Benner (47:13) Gotcha. (47:14) Okay.

Lara (47:14) Which is fun. (47:17) Really, really fun.

Scott Benner (47:18) Yeah. (47:18) Make make you long for those oily stools.

Lara (47:21) Right. (47:22) I'll take that.

Scott Benner (47:25) Isn't it weird when

Lara (47:26) you draw your lines? (47:27) Life is full of grossness. (47:29) Let me tell you.

Scott Benner (47:30) That's what happens. (47:31) You bring the inside outside. (47:32) Yep. (47:32) Yeah. (47:33) Yeah.

Scott Benner (47:33) Mhmm. (47:33) Okay. (47:34) So you've alluded to this a couple of times, but you really wait. (47:37) Wait. (47:37) I haven't let you dig into it because I'm in I'm trying to be modest.

Scott Benner (47:41) But the podcast helped you with your diabetes care, like, in totality? (47:46) Like, this is it. (47:48) This is where you learned about it. (47:49) Okay.

Lara (47:50) 100%. (47:51) I taught I took what they told me at the diabetes educator. (47:55) I threw it out the window. (47:57) I've only actually had one appointment with my endocrinologist since the fall went down. (48:04) I managed myself and learned to be bold and brave with the insulin so that I wasn't getting the huge spikes that I had, but it was the episode where Jen her name is Jen.

Lara (48:18) She had a total pancreatectomy as well. (48:21) She was actually my gateway in the Google search for finding like people like me. (48:28) Wow. (48:28) And that's how I found it and haven't stopped listening since.

Scott Benner (48:32) Let me tell you. (48:33) I I I mentioned earlier that there's something I have to tell you. (48:35) Right? (48:36) Mhmm. (48:37) Yesterday, I mean, I have a fairly robust, Facebook group.

Scott Benner (48:41) And I I forget, I posted something yesterday and someone a lot of times, people use my threads just to find me, which is smart because tagging me at this point is it it's difficult. (48:51) I I have trouble seeing all my tags. (48:53) She just asks out of nowhere, have you ever had somebody on with, t three c? (48:59) And I thought I definitely have. (49:01) Like, I thought of Jen right away, but what I but then what I thought was and I'm about to sit down with somebody who I think has it because this was, like, literally, like, two hours ago that I saw this post And I thought and I had looked at my I did I did brush my eyes over my my calendar this morning, like, as I was getting ready to sit down to do this.

Scott Benner (49:20) And so I'm, like, sitting here answering messages and at the same time setting up the file for you. (49:24) And I'm basically I open up my calendar to, like, put your name in the file. (49:28) And I saw it and then what struck me was it said, what's your connection to diabetes? (49:34) And it said other. (49:35) And I was like, other?

Scott Benner (49:36) What does that mean? (49:37) And I scrolled and then I saw, I am a pancreatic cancer survivor. (49:42) And then I saw all your notes and I was like, And so then I I finished responding to the person online and I said, and ironically, I'm interviewing someone today, like, who has it? (49:52) Like, you know, who has this situation. (49:54) And that's incredibly odd because people do not ask me about it with any frequency.

Lara (49:59) Timing is everything.

Scott Benner (50:00) Really insane, I thought. (50:02) So Mhmm. (50:03) Yeah. (50:03) So okay. (50:04) So you found Jen's, which is hers is just called type three c.

Scott Benner (50:08) Right? (50:09) Let me see if I

Lara (50:09) can find I think it says Jen Jen has no pancreas.

Scott Benner (50:13) Oh, yeah. (50:14) I do name things like a four year old. (50:15) Hold on a second. (50:16) It's not my fault. (50:19) I was not well educated.

Scott Benner (50:20) I was not well educated. (50:22) I don't have a lot of big words at my disposal. (50:25) Let's see. (50:27) Yeah. (50:27) Let me see if I can find it.

Scott Benner (50:28) I'll tell people what episode it is. (50:30) Okay. (50:30) What do we got here? (50:31) Pre owned pancreas, owner of a useless pancreas, two artificial pancreas studies. (50:36) You too can build an artificial pancreas, Kelly's bionic pancreas.

Scott Benner (50:40) I wait. (50:41) Was that not it? (50:42) Was pancreas not in the word in the title?

Lara (50:46) I thought it was.

Scott Benner (50:47) Hold on. (50:48) Jen had a pancreatectomy.

Lara (50:50) That's it.

Scott Benner (50:52) Episode two seventy nine. (50:54) There it is, if you wanna hear that. (50:56) Wow. (50:56) That was years ago. (50:58) Oh my god.

Scott Benner (50:58) I've been doing this forever. (50:59) How about that?

Lara (51:00) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (51:00) 2019. (51:01) Okay. (51:02) Well, then it was about time we had somebody else on to share their story. (51:04) So that's that's really it's great of you to do. (51:06) You you mentioned before we started recording today that this is out of your wheelhouse, like, being on the podcast, but you just wanted to Yep.

Scott Benner (51:13) To help other people.

Lara (51:15) I do. (51:15) I I have an innate desire to help people. (51:18) It's just who I am, and and I think that with this platform and the things that I've gone through, there is a lot of help or support or hope or whatever can be offered. (51:33) And for people that are going through this, that is everything.

Scott Benner (51:38) Yeah. (51:39) So once the surgery is done and you kind of, you know, you find the podcast and you figure out how to take care of your blood sugars and everything, how what's the length of time it's been from, well, I guess, first from the surgery. (51:50) How long it's March 2021 was the surgery. (51:53) Is that right?

Lara (51:54) It was March 2022.

Scott Benner (51:57) 2022. (51:57) Excuse me. (51:58) Okay. (51:58) So that's a year and, more than a half ago

Lara (52:02) Yeah.

Scott Benner (52:03) For the surgery. (52:04) And you did the six months of chemo.

Lara (52:07) I did.

Scott Benner (52:08) At the end of chemo, you rang the bell. (52:11) They told you were clean, the whole thing?

Lara (52:14) The whole nine yards. (52:15) Yep. (52:15) Totally clean. (52:16) Scans were clean. (52:18) There was no sign of cancer.

Lara (52:22) And because I didn't do my research and I stayed off the Google, I didn't realize that this is something that recurs even. (52:30) Like, they told me my margins were clear. (52:32) Everything was good there. (52:34) Everything they took thirty two lymph nodes as well. (52:37) They were all clear.

Lara (52:38) So after the six months of really strong chemo, which also that chemo, I will tell you, is infused in sugar water over forty six hours, which is good for diabetic.

Scott Benner (52:55) Yeah. (52:55) You had the bolus for chemo?

Lara (52:57) Mhmm. (52:57) Bolus chemo, and they said keep your try and keep your sugars at 10. (53:02) Okay. (53:03) Well, 16 to 22 was the average over those three days

Scott Benner (53:07) Mhmm.

Lara (53:07) Of chemo.

Scott Benner (53:09) Hey. (53:09) Did you get the bone pain after chemo? (53:12) Yeah. (53:13) Did anything help it?

Lara (53:17) I take, like, a Tylenol three.

Scott Benner (53:20) Uh-huh.

Lara (53:20) Mostly, it bothers me at nighttime. (53:22) It gives me restless legs, and the bone pain in my legs is is pretty bad. (53:27) So codeine, Tylenol codeine, helps with that.

Scott Benner (53:31) Did they give you anything for the restless leg besides the codeine?

Lara (53:34) No. (53:35) And I've had restless legs for years off and on, but it just gets exacerbated like crazy on chemo nights. (53:42) It makes chemo nights are impossible to sleep just from the jiggly legs and the pain.

Scott Benner (53:47) There's a medicine that helped my mom with the legs. (53:50) I'll ask my brothers and see if I can get you an answer. (53:54) Cool. (53:56) Oh, shit. (53:57) Laura, I'm sorry.

Scott Benner (53:58) Yeah. (54:00) So I'm sorry. (54:01) So you did the chemo, and it was really aggressive, and you're clean margins, but you didn't know that it has a a likelihood of coming back. (54:09) They didn't tell you?

Lara (54:10) They didn't tell me this. (54:11) There was zero discussion of reoccurrence.

Scott Benner (54:14) Yeah. (54:14) They told my mom, like, this is an aggressive cancer you have, but, you know, it's, you know, it's here in your ovaries and we're gonna take all that out. (54:22) Like, my mom got a whole hysterectomy. (54:24) Right? (54:24) So

Lara (54:25) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (54:25) We're gonna take all that out and you're clean and blah blah blah. (54:28) And, but then nobody really said anything about, like, but it could come back. (54:33) And it was crazy because ovarian cancer eventually takes my mom, but shouldn't have ovaries anymore. (54:42) So if you're a lay person, you think that doesn't make sense. (54:44) Like, you know what I mean?

Scott Benner (54:45) Like, how how could I have finger cancer if my fingers are gone? (54:48) But turns out Yep. (54:50) You can. (54:50) Right. (54:51) So Mhmm.

Scott Benner (54:52) Are they tracking you? (54:53) Did you get markers or symptoms? (54:55) How did you know that there was a recurrence?

Lara (54:57) So in July, I had my first scheduled follow-up. (55:03) So they were the plan for me was to do scans and blood work every six months for three years and then yearly after that for two years. (55:14) So July was my first six month follow-up. (55:18) And because of our beautiful free medical system here in Canada, my CT scan that should have occurred in July actually wasn't scheduled until the September. (55:29) But I went for the blood work, and they were tracking my CA nineteen nine tumor marker.

Scott Benner (55:37) Yeah.

Lara (55:37) And when I got that result, because we can check those lab results on yourself, I was sitting at home that day I had had this test done, and my tumor marker came back at 1,823, and normal is under 27.

Scott Benner (55:56) And they gave you a scan. (55:57) They couldn't find any masses, but they tell you we're gonna track the marker, and we're gonna go back to chemo. (56:02) Is that about the plan?

Lara (56:04) So they put they put in a request to get the scan done in a stat manner, and I ended up having to pay for a private PET scan because I couldn't get one done in a timely manner here. (56:16) And I was gonna have to drive four hours to get it. (56:20) And I don't know if you noticed that with a PET scan, you have to be off all insulin for six hours before a PET scan. (56:27) Oh. (56:28) And when you are insulin dependent, that's a feat in itself.

Lara (56:34) It has to be below 10. (56:37) Your sugars have to be below 10.

Scott Benner (56:39) But without insulin?

Lara (56:40) Without insulin.

Scott Benner (56:41) So you what? (56:42) You just starve yourself? (56:44) Yes. (56:44) Yeah.

Lara (56:45) Pretty much. (56:45) So I did I did it, but I thought driving four hours do that. (56:49) I I wasn't gonna do it.

Scott Benner (56:51) So we

Lara (56:51) paid to have a private PET scan done, which showed spread. (56:57) So I have no pancreas, but the pancreatic cancer cells were showing, on my liver, kidneys, and lymph node. (57:07) But there there was three masses that they could see on my liver.

Scott Benner (57:11) So they could see masses already. (57:13) How long ago was this?

Lara (57:15) This was in July.

Scott Benner (57:17) Four months ago. (57:18) Yeah. (57:20) Well, first of all, you're not nearly the only Canadian I know who can't get in for simple testing. (57:26) You know So there's an argument to be made like, yeah, health care is really expensive in America. (57:31) But at the very least, if you're waving cash around, somebody will see you.

Lara (57:35) Yes.

Scott Benner (57:35) You know, like so, you know, I have insurance. (57:38) There's someone to bill. (57:39) Oh, we can get you in. (57:41) But in Canada

Lara (57:42) Yeah.

Scott Benner (57:42) I think I know this to be true from people's personal experiences. (57:47) They basically it's whoever's gonna die first is at the top of the list. (57:51) So you That's right. (57:52) Right. (57:52) So you could have a problem that isn't, you know, imminent And you could you could end up waiting a year or more to get treatment for it.

Scott Benner (58:01) And that's not not not uncommon from what I understand.

Lara (58:04) It's not uncommon at all.

Scott Benner (58:06) Yeah. (58:06) Some provinces are apparently better than others where I guess, again, I should say province. (58:11) But you don't know you sound like that. (58:12) Right? (58:12) It's just that that you you have no idea.

Scott Benner (58:14) And so that's okay. (58:16) Oh, yeah. (58:17) Yeah. (58:17) So you get put in that so they would have killed you if you didn't pay for the PET scan.

Lara (58:22) That's right.

Scott Benner (58:23) And you ran the risk of your sled dogs being picked up on the scan by mistake. (58:27) You had because you had to go yeah. (58:29) Right. (58:29) Right. (58:29) I understand what's going on up there.

Scott Benner (58:30) Don't don't you worry. (58:31) And the Bob and the Snowman and all the stuff you guys have. (58:33) Yep. (58:34) So oh my god. (58:35) So yeah.

Scott Benner (58:36) Like, let's really think about that for a second. (58:38) If you would've waited on their schedule, all these masses are growing the entire time.

Lara (58:44) That's right.

Scott Benner (58:45) Oh, there's no way you would have lived. (58:46) Yeah.

Lara (58:47) When I finally got in for my provincially paid for CT scan, it took seventeen days for it to be read by a radiologist.

Scott Benner (58:57) Oh, that's not bad. (58:58) Just seventeen?

Lara (59:00) Just seventeen. (59:01) What the Shows cancer, but seventeen days before it was read by a radiologist.

Scott Benner (59:07) No kidding.

Lara (59:08) I already knew that I had cancer because the PET scan told me this. (59:14) And but and the blood blood work showed me this. (59:17) But then the oncologist wouldn't go by my private PET scan, and they were waiting for the CT scan result.

Scott Benner (59:24) Really? (59:25) They wouldn't look at the scan you had done?

Lara (59:27) No. (59:28) We had to hand deliver the images and the reports to them for them to put in the file, but they were waiting for the CT scan. (59:36) We had to drive an hour to the facility, get a CD ROM disc or whatever. (59:42) I remember the name.

Scott Benner (59:44) Go ahead. (59:44) Yeah. (59:44) Yeah.

Lara (59:45) Old school. (59:46) Deliver it. (59:46) Hand deliver it to the BC Cancer Center.

Scott Benner (59:49) Someone just had me fax something for, an insurance thing, and I said, am I sending it to 87? (59:55) Like, what are we doing? (59:56) I can't I can't just send you a PDF? (59:58) And they're like, no. (59:58) No.

Scott Benner (59:58) No. (59:59) I was like, why? (1:00:03) Does anyone ever stop and wonder why? (1:00:06) Like, like,

Lara (1:00:06) there's I ask these questions all the time.

Scott Benner (1:00:09) And by the way, at least, you know, a handful of years ago, Trudeau was at least handsome. (1:00:14) Now he's a little chubby. (1:00:15) So you're not even getting anything out of that anymore. (1:00:18) You know? (1:00:18) Nope.

Scott Benner (1:00:19) Canada. (1:00:20) I'm shaking my hand to Canada. (1:00:22) And you got all that stuff.

Lara (1:00:23) Oh, I am. (1:00:24) Yeah. (1:00:25) I'm shaking my head every day too. (1:00:27) Like, what the actual

Scott Benner (1:00:29) So Larissa, I'm sorry. (1:00:30) So this doesn't sound positive. (1:00:31) So, I mean, obviously, chemo and and in I guess you're getting infusions to shrink, swell. (1:00:37) Yeah. (1:00:38) Right?

Lara (1:00:38) I am. (1:00:39) So I I've opted for a few things, and I do have some positive I do have some positivity to talk about because I am doing very, very well. (1:00:49) So I have started on gemcitabine, Abraxane combination chemo, which is different from the first chemo. (1:00:56) They told me that the first time, the cancer cells have already seen this drug or these drugs. (1:01:03) It was a four dose combination, and they're still here.

Lara (1:01:07) So I opted to try something different, which is not the first line treatment. (1:01:11) It's second line. (1:01:12) So it is working well for me. (1:01:15) My recent scans show that there is delineation. (1:01:21) There is shrinkage.

Lara (1:01:24) There is no evidence in the kidneys any longer.

Scott Benner (1:01:29) Oh, wow.

Lara (1:01:30) The liver masses, the three of them, they are shrinking and delineated. (1:01:34) So I'm also along with what I'm doing, the chemo, I'm doing high dose vitamin c infusions and hyperthermia treatments along with a million supplements, through a naturopath, which they

Scott Benner (1:01:49) Are you doing cold plunge or you're just walking outside?

Lara (1:01:51) I'm actually the hyperthermia is not cold plunging, although I have considered it. (1:01:57) I haven't done it yet. (1:01:58) I'm a little bit of a chicken.

Scott Benner (1:02:00) Larry, you have cancer.

Lara (1:02:01) Don't think

Scott Benner (1:02:02) there's anything left to be afraid of.

Lara (1:02:05) True.

Scott Benner (1:02:06) Yeah. (1:02:06) Yeah.

Lara (1:02:06) The hyperthermia is where they heat the tumor. (1:02:09) So tumors, cancer can't live anything over 40 degrees.

Scott Benner (1:02:13) Oh, you you said hyper, not hypo. (1:02:15) I'm sorry. (1:02:16) Hyper. (1:02:16) Okay. (1:02:17) That's

Lara (1:02:17) okay. (1:02:18) So, yep, hyperthermia. (1:02:19) So I it's targeted treatment. (1:02:21) So I lay in this water bed type thing, and then they have a panel that goes over top of you, and it sends heat up and down. (1:02:30) So it heats the tumors, which then help the die off.

Lara (1:02:34) So you do that the day after you do chemo and then the day after that, so two days in a row, along with high dose vitamin c infusions Mhmm. (1:02:44) By IV.

Scott Benner (1:02:45) And this is being provided by Canada or you're No. (1:02:49) No. (1:02:50) I gonna say you're paying for this yourself. (1:02:51) Right?

Lara (1:02:52) Yeah. (1:02:52) It's $655 for one treatment.

Scott Benner (1:02:57) Jesus. (1:02:59) So I did cry in case you're wondering. (1:03:01) When you said the tumors were shrinking, it made me cry. (1:03:04) You you got me.

Lara (1:03:05) Thank you.

Scott Benner (1:03:06) Yeah. (1:03:06) Yeah. (1:03:06) Yeah.

Lara (1:03:06) So I've been told that one third of pancreatic cancer patients risk don't respond to treatment. (1:03:14) One third respond moderately. (1:03:17) One third respond well, and I am in the third of that third that are responding exceptionally well.

Scott Benner (1:03:24) Oh, good for you. (1:03:25) That's well that's lovely. (1:03:27) And I have a

Lara (1:03:27) So I'm determined.

Scott Benner (1:03:28) Well and maybe I have an answer for you. (1:03:31) My brother sent me the answer. (1:03:32) So rope in a roll, but it's commonly known as Requip, and it's a Parkinson's and, restless leg drug. (1:03:42) So Perfect. (1:03:43) R e q u I p.

Lara (1:03:46) Okay. (1:03:46) I'm gonna look into that. (1:03:47) I'll ask about that because it's brutal.

Scott Benner (1:03:50) We tried a number of different things to help my mom. (1:03:52) My mom was like, mom was doing some, like, drugs at the you know, for the for the restless leg and the bone pain at one point. (1:03:59) And we just kept pushing and pushing and, Requip was one of the things that actually helped her.

Lara (1:04:04) Cool. (1:04:05) That's good to know.

Scott Benner (1:04:06) Yeah. (1:04:06) I hope

Lara (1:04:06) I like to hear that.

Scott Benner (1:04:07) Meanwhile, you're gonna have to call a doctor, then they'll they'll return your call in seventeen days. (1:04:12) And then Right. (1:04:13) You'll mention that you heard it on a podcast. (1:04:14) They'll say, I'm sorry. (1:04:15) We have to do our own testing.

Scott Benner (1:04:17) And then they'll give you an appointment for nine years from now, and your legs should stop shaking about the time that you die of natural causes in your nineties. (1:04:24) So that'll be perfect. (1:04:25) Yeah.

Lara (1:04:25) Oh, you've got this Canadian medical system down pat.

Scott Benner (1:04:28) But it's free.

Lara (1:04:30) I know. (1:04:31) Right?

Scott Benner (1:04:32) You know why it's free? (1:04:35) It sucks. (1:04:36) It's not worth any money. (1:04:37) Yeah. (1:04:38) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:04:38) You should live here because people still bring up Canada. (1:04:41) They're like, oh, it's free in Canada. (1:04:42) I'm like, have you ever spoken to a Canadian? (1:04:45) Oh,

Lara (1:04:46) the Americans, especially with pancreatic cancer, are so far ahead of the game and standards of care. (1:04:55) It's unbelievable the things that can happen down there in these big medical centers. (1:05:00) I if I was rich, man, I would be down there, and I'd be getting a nano knife surgery, and you name it. (1:05:06) I would get it all.

Scott Benner (1:05:07) Right. (1:05:07) I mean, there's no listen. (1:05:08) There's no doubt. (1:05:09) It varying degrees of of, you know, everything that the luck of the draw of where you're born and how much money is in somebody's pocket is a lot to do with the kind of care you get. (1:05:20) And it you can, you know Mhmm.

Scott Benner (1:05:21) You can whine and complain all you want that it's unfair, but, that's how the world works. (1:05:25) And it Yep. (1:05:26) It's what it is. (1:05:27) So that really is

Lara (1:05:29) Advocate. (1:05:29) Advocate. (1:05:30) Advocate. (1:05:31) That's all you can do.

Scott Benner (1:05:32) Yeah. (1:05:32) You gotta keep arguing. (1:05:33) That's for sure. (1:05:34) I have found recently Jenny and I are doing a series that is aimed at doctors. (1:05:38) I keep being upset by the word advocate because I know what it the intention of it doesn't exactly match the reality of it.

Scott Benner (1:05:46) Like, people are like, you have to advocate for yourself which means like, you you know, which should mean what? (1:05:52) Like, you know, don't you you're asking for things you should just have anyway and that they should give you an so you're telling me like, have to talk you into doing your job more completely? (1:06:02) Like, that's Mhmm. (1:06:03) Like, I I need to understand what I need medically or else it won't happen? (1:06:08) Yep.

Scott Benner (1:06:09) And then, by the way, when I bring it up, you're gonna yell at me and tell me not to look at the Internet. (1:06:13) How the hell do you want me to understand this? (1:06:15) Like, you're telling me you either know and won't do it or don't know. (1:06:20) Either way, I'm not comforted by that answer. (1:06:23) And so I That's right.

Scott Benner (1:06:24) Come to you and push you to do more, but I I need information about what that means. (1:06:29) So I go to the Internet, so I turn to you and I go, hey. (1:06:31) Look. (1:06:31) I read online. (1:06:32) You go, oh, I read online.

Scott Benner (1:06:34) You're like, wait. (1:06:34) What? (1:06:35) Like, so so you know you know what I mean? (1:06:38) So I I don't know. (1:06:39) It's upsetting.

Scott Benner (1:06:39) The seriously, the word just keeps pissing me off because I don't think it should have it shouldn't exist. (1:06:43) You know what I mean?

Lara (1:06:44) It's you shouldn't have to. (1:06:46) I actually have two oncologists. (1:06:48) One that my one that I started with and the one that I was re referred back to. (1:06:54) And, apparently, he's very brilliant. (1:06:57) But trying to have a conversation with him, like, I'm very real.

Lara (1:07:01) I like to ask questions. (1:07:03) Unless he's read it in a textbook or it comes out of a textbook, he can't have an off the cuff conversation about anything. (1:07:10) So I have found a second oncologist who's teaming up with him that's my real talk guy. (1:07:18) And he I can ask him stuff. (1:07:20) I he's the one who gives me the positivity and the good notes and the and the high fives, whereas the other one basically looks at me and says, well, we can't cure you.

Lara (1:07:29) We're just prolonging your life, and this is how it's gonna be. (1:07:32) And this other guy is like, we're gonna get you into some clinical trials, and I've talked to this other specialist. (1:07:38) So the help is there. (1:07:40) Unfortunately, you really do have to look for it yourself.

Scott Benner (1:07:43) Yeah. (1:07:44) No. (1:07:44) That's exactly right. (1:07:45) And that advice and experience clearly translates back to managing diabetes. (1:07:52) And Mhmm.

Scott Benner (1:07:53) You know, like, if people are like, oh, god. (1:07:54) He's talking about cancer. (1:07:55) It's a diabetes podcast. (1:07:56) What are we doing? (1:07:57) It's all very specific to just helping yourself.

Scott Benner (1:08:00) Yep. (1:08:01) If you take what someone tells you, you are very frequently not gonna end up well. (1:08:05) Like, you know Nope. (1:08:06) I I don't know if you've heard me talk about this in the podcast, and I am gonna try to get through this real quickly. (1:08:11) My mom only got the surgery to remove her cancer because my neighbor's son grew up to be a surgeon.

Scott Benner (1:08:19) And he went to medical school with a girl who eventually ended up in OB oncology. (1:08:25) And so I could ask my neighbor if it was cool if I texted his son. (1:08:30) When I texted his son, I said, is there any chance you know somebody that could be helpful with this? (1:08:34) Because the oncologist my mom has seen will not help her. (1:08:37) Like, he was talking about, like, just hospice and, you know, blah blah blah.

Scott Benner (1:08:42) My mom got two more years. (1:08:43) And instead, he was just gonna manage her into the ground

Lara (1:08:47) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (1:08:47) Over the idea that he he said, I'm not gonna kill your mom in surgery, which my neighbor's son told me translates to, hey, his hospital keeps score. (1:08:59) And if someone dies in his surgery, his score goes down. (1:09:02) And I was like, are you serious?

Lara (1:09:05) Because that's the important stuff.

Scott Benner (1:09:06) Right. (1:09:06) Right. (1:09:06) Right. (1:09:07) And so I'm like, okay. (1:09:08) So he's like, don't worry.

Scott Benner (1:09:09) I know a girl from med school. (1:09:10) So he calls his girl. (1:09:12) That girl's like, oh, yeah. (1:09:13) I work for this guy. (1:09:14) He's amazing.

Scott Benner (1:09:15) And two days later, my mom and I are sitting in an appointment and the guy is scheduling her surgery.

Lara (1:09:20) Amazing.

Scott Benner (1:09:21) But my neighbor's kid grows up and does something different, my mom dies two years earlier. (1:09:25) That is not an over exaggeration.

Lara (1:09:27) And that's not acceptable.

Scott Benner (1:09:29) Yeah. (1:09:29) Is that how this is all supposed to work? (1:09:31) Like, right? (1:09:32) I'm lucky because my I don't know. (1:09:36) That's ridiculous.

Scott Benner (1:09:37) By the way, the guy on the other side's kid is an engineer. (1:09:40) So I guess, good thing I bought on this side of the street. (1:09:44) Like, do you know what I mean? (1:09:45) Like Yeah. (1:09:46) How is it that random?

Lara (1:09:48) It's ridiculous. (1:09:49) Oh, jeez.

Scott Benner (1:09:50) You guys are you guys are right now like, Scott, one of your neighbor's kids is an engineer, the other one's a surgeon. (1:09:54) Your your son's got a quantitative econ Where the hell do you live? (1:09:58) I'm in a castle. (1:09:58) Okay? (1:10:00) A castle.

Scott Benner (1:10:01) Yes. (1:10:01) The freaking point is, what the hell?

Lara (1:10:04) Yeah. (1:10:04) I have fought my way through everything. (1:10:06) I fought, I have fought, I fought, I fought for myself. (1:10:10) And and even when it comes down to diabetic technology, like, I they made me wait a year before I could get the Omnipod. (1:10:17) I asked to switch to the Dexcom.

Lara (1:10:19) Like, those are all things that I took control over myself. (1:10:24) Yeah. (1:10:24) And and forced the issue because they would've just let me keep going at status quo, and I know there's better.

Scott Benner (1:10:32) Yeah. (1:10:33) Listen. (1:10:33) People die. (1:10:34) Okay? (1:10:35) And some people don't have great care, and that's a fact of life.

Scott Benner (1:10:40) But what you need to understand is that the people you're talking to, they try very hard to see you as a person, but honestly, you're a drop in a stream. (1:10:52) Yep. (1:10:52) And when you look at a stream, you don't see droplets of water. (1:10:55) You see water rushing by. (1:10:57) And so if you wanna be treated like a special drop, you need to take care of yourself because everyone else is just at work doing their best.

Scott Benner (1:11:05) You know what I mean? (1:11:06) Like, I I don't listen. (1:11:07) You if you have a really nice car and you take it in for new tires and it gets scratched later, they didn't see your really nice car and think like, oh my god. (1:11:14) It's a Mercedes. (1:11:15) I should try harder.

Scott Benner (1:11:16) They they they got 50 cars they gotta change tires on today. (1:11:20) That's that. (1:11:20) And this this whether you wanna hear it or not, medicine's exactly the same way. (1:11:25) It's just

Lara (1:11:25) like Totally.

Scott Benner (1:11:26) And it's not that they're bad people. (1:11:27) They're not bad people. (1:11:28) They're fantastic people. (1:11:29) They went to college for ten goddamn years so they could figure out how to get inside of you and take out your pancreas without killing you. (1:11:35) I mean, that's amazing.

Scott Benner (1:11:36) You know what I mean? (1:11:37) Like, god bless them and thank you. (1:11:39) But the system Yep. (1:11:40) The process is where if you're not if you're not on top of it, then somebody else is. (1:11:46) Like, so

Lara (1:11:47) That's right.

Scott Benner (1:11:48) You know, I grew up around here, so I'm I'm more accustomed to a killer be killed lifestyle because that's just I mean, if you for you guys that live in the South and everybody's like, oh, I'm gonna go to lunch and two hours later, I'll do it. (1:12:01) Like, you would you know, that doesn't happen here. (1:12:03) Like, you're out there trying to get ahead constantly. (1:12:06) You know what I mean? (1:12:07) Like, you're not just climbing a ladder.

Scott Benner (1:12:08) You're also kicking with your foot as you're going up making sure nobody's following you. (1:12:12) And and that is not a good way to live. (1:12:15) This wasn't my point. (1:12:16) But when when you have that that inside of you, it helps with this other stuff. (1:12:22) Like, you've ever listened to the podcast and been like, how did Scott get that for his daughter?

Scott Benner (1:12:25) How did like, I would never accept anything less. (1:12:28) That that's how.

Lara (1:12:29) And that's the thing. (1:12:30) You don't have to. (1:12:31) Yeah. (1:12:31) You you don't have to accept anything less.

Scott Benner (1:12:33) You just need to know what to do and often people don't have the knowledge of like where to go next or who to speak to or, like, you know, you even if you have all this piss and vinegar, like, where do I point it exactly? (1:12:43) Yeah. (1:12:43) You know? (1:12:43) Yeah. (1:12:44) Absolutely just I I I can't say that it's it's just so true.

Scott Benner (1:12:48) It it just it just really is. (1:12:50) You know, I just happen to be a person who won't I won't accept that. (1:12:56) And I will reset the hill I'll die on every day. (1:12:59) So, like, you don't wanna, like, get into a thing with me. (1:13:03) I won't give up.

Scott Benner (1:13:05) You know? (1:13:05) And but I have people in my family. (1:13:08) My mom was like, well, they said they can't do anything. (1:13:10) And I was like, no. (1:13:11) No, mom.

Scott Benner (1:13:11) I'm like, that's for other people. (1:13:13) We're gonna work this out. (1:13:14) You you know? (1:13:15) And so

Lara (1:13:16) That's me too.

Scott Benner (1:13:17) Yeah. (1:13:17) Good for good for you. (1:13:18) It's why you're here.

Lara (1:13:19) Yep. (1:13:20) I'm already defying the odds with this time frame.

Scott Benner (1:13:23) So Sure.

Lara (1:13:24) I'm just gonna keep going.

Scott Benner (1:13:26) Yeah. (1:13:26) Good for you. (1:13:27) And when when does your daughter graduate, did you say?

Lara (1:13:30) She graduates this year. (1:13:31) So her grad will be in June.

Scott Benner (1:13:34) Can I ask a a hard

Lara (1:13:35) question? (1:13:37) Yes.

Scott Benner (1:13:38) She's young. (1:13:40) Obviously, you and your husband have had private conversations. (1:13:42) But when do you when do you bring your your child into it and say, look, mommy's fighting. (1:13:48) We're doing all these things. (1:13:49) This is what's going right.

Scott Benner (1:13:51) But we should have a conversation about the things I haven't said to you yet that you might need to know, especially a person like you who knows the value of talking to their mother even in their mid forties. (1:14:02) So Mhmm. (1:14:02) Have you done that, or are you thinking about it?

Lara (1:14:05) Yeah. (1:14:06) That's that's the hard one for me because and this is where I'll cry. (1:14:13) Though those conversations do happen, and we're pretty real about things around here. (1:14:18) And there's a few things that I'm working on for her so that she has some things for from me after I'm not here should something terrible happen to me in an untimely manner while I'm not ready. (1:14:33) But we do have the real talk about about those things.

Lara (1:14:37) And, unfortunately, that brings forward a lot of emotion. (1:14:41) And and for a 17, well, it should be 17 this month, it's really hard to regulate those emotions around those things. (1:14:52) So we're trying to learn to be patient and graceful with each other and giving each other grace and space and time. (1:15:00) But there's definitely some some work still to be done in that regards with her and the family. (1:15:09) But I at this point, I'm focusing on doing well.

Lara (1:15:16) It it consumes me.

Scott Benner (1:15:18) Of course. (1:15:18) Right? (1:15:19) I mean, because you what do you what do you start thinking about? (1:15:22) Something you wanna say to her on her wedding day or if she has a baby Yes. (1:15:25) Or like that kind of stuff.

Scott Benner (1:15:26) Right? (1:15:26) Yeah.

Lara (1:15:27) The exactly that. (1:15:28) And I saw I saw in one of the feeds on Facebook, it was a going away to college, like, photo album with notes and gift cards and that kind of thing for specific days along the way, and I was kind of working on that. (1:15:45) One page would have, like, a photograph and then a little note from me and and go get a manicure or buy someone a coffee or something like that. (1:15:55) So I'm focusing on on those kinds of things and then preparing for the eventuality should I not be there. (1:16:03) At first, I wasn't sure I was gonna be here for her graduation, but I'm pretty I'm pretty sure that that's gonna be a okay given how things are going.

Scott Benner (1:16:12) That's amazing.

Lara (1:16:13) But beyond that, I don't know.

Scott Benner (1:16:16) Yeah. (1:16:17) I saw these two girls on TikTok maybe, and they're not not that old. (1:16:21) They're they they felt to me, like, between 19 and, like, 22, like, that that age. (1:16:26) They're sisters. (1:16:27) Right?

Scott Benner (1:16:27) And I guess they lost their mom to cancer. (1:16:29) And they get together once in a while and tell their mom into a TikTok video all the things that that that, they you're thinking it's gonna be something sweet. (1:16:40) They tell them all the they tell their mom all the things they've screwed up or didn't tell her when she was alive or something. (1:16:45) It's pretty hilarious. (1:16:47) And

Lara (1:16:47) I love that.

Scott Benner (1:16:48) Yeah. (1:16:48) They like unburden themselves to their mother through TikTok. (1:16:51) Their their mother has passed. (1:16:53) And at one point, the girl one of the girls just starts cackling, laughing, and she goes, I drove my car for a year without insurance. (1:16:59) I didn't know you needed it.

Scott Benner (1:17:01) Like and she's just, like, laughing and, you know, and she's, like, here I think they get on there, like, mom, here's all the things we've done since you're gone that I know you'd be disappointed by. (1:17:10) And they just start rattling off this stuff. (1:17:12) It's very funny.

Lara (1:17:13) I kind of love that.

Scott Benner (1:17:14) Yeah. (1:17:14) It's very funny actually. (1:17:15) And it it made me feel good for them because they were really, like, together just they were laughing heartily. (1:17:21) Like, they they they were remembering their mom in a in a really lovely way. (1:17:25) And at the same time, I think there was some, like, child like, hey, I screwed a couple things up and I need to tell somebody.

Scott Benner (1:17:35) Like, it was Mhmm. (1:17:35) It was really interesting. (1:17:36) So again, we're not gonna think about that for you. (1:17:40) No. (1:17:41) But it would be I mean, I don't know how I call myself good at this and don't ask you that question.

Scott Benner (1:17:46) So I appreciate you answering

Lara (1:17:48) it. (1:17:48) No. (1:17:48) Seriously. (1:17:49) Yeah. (1:17:49) No.

Lara (1:17:49) It's it's the real it's the real talk about this stuff. (1:17:53) I mean, there's so many different layers and and so many things to think about and and plans to make both good and bad. (1:18:00) But I I think in actuality, everybody needs to be prepared for that because life changes in a second.

Scott Benner (1:18:08) Yeah. (1:18:08) And and you know what else too? (1:18:09) Like, I could get all granola here and say something and it'll sound like bull but it's actually true. (1:18:15) Having the idea like, we all live with the idea generally that we're gonna live forever. (1:18:22) Right?

Scott Benner (1:18:22) You know, like, we all feel like, oh, we'll live into our eighties and, you know, by the time I go, I'll be peeing on myself and I won't care anymore. (1:18:28) Or I say stupid stuff I'm gonna I can't wait to pinch nurses in a nursing home because nobody will say anything. (1:18:33) I wanna get to that age, you know? (1:18:35) Yeah. (1:18:36) But the truth is is that there would be value in knowing your expiration date because, you know, it's hard to think about.

Scott Benner (1:18:46) But, you know, even for me, like, my son's not married. (1:18:49) If I was gonna get hit by a car tomorrow, I'd spend the rest of the day writing things down to my children and my wife and letting them know what I what I want them to know. (1:18:57) But I don't know that. (1:18:58) So instead, if I get whacked tomorrow by a car or if, hey, let's be more realistic, Lara. (1:19:02) What if I try to clean the fucking toilet and almost kill myself?

Scott Benner (1:19:05) Okay? (1:19:06) And so, like Daddy. (1:19:08) What if I have a terrible toilet cleaning accident and I'm dead and I'd never by the way, do you think my kids would care about my advice if that's how I die? (1:19:16) Probably not. (1:19:17) Right?

Scott Benner (1:19:18) They'd be like, what are we listening to this guy for? (1:19:20) He killed himself with a spray bottle. (1:19:25) Anyway, I would I would have the wherewithal to do some of the things that you're thinking about. (1:19:31) And, you know, it's not a thing you wanna think about happening, but if it's going to happen, then isn't it a blessing of sorts to know and be able to prepare and not a blessing for well, you know what? (1:19:42) I was gonna say not a blessing for you, but maybe because you get to live through those emotions as hard as they are.

Scott Benner (1:19:46) But then, you know, five, ten years from now, your daughter gets to to have your thoughts with her, you you know. (1:19:54) Yeah. (1:19:54) And and so I don't know. (1:19:55) There's an argument to part be

Lara (1:19:56) of it all.

Scott Benner (1:19:57) Yeah. (1:19:57) There's an argument to be made. (1:19:58) Like, you're what you're trying to do is you're trying to complete your contract as a parent even if you're not gonna be able to stay for the entire employment, basically.

Lara (1:20:07) That's right.

Scott Benner (1:20:08) Yeah.

Lara (1:20:08) Yep. (1:20:09) That's a good way to look at it.

Scott Benner (1:20:10) Yeah. (1:20:10) Of course, is. (1:20:11) It's easy to say, of course, for me as I do not currently have cancer. (1:20:15) But for you, I just think as the person talking to you and and listening to you, that makes sense to me. (1:20:21) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:20:22) So yeah. (1:20:22) Well, you have such a good attitude. (1:20:24) Can I ask that my last question is how are you maintaining this good attitude?

Lara (1:20:29) Well

Scott Benner (1:20:30) Are you on the Canadian weed? (1:20:31) Is that what's going on?

Lara (1:20:33) No. (1:20:33) I I think if you asked me before, I was quite a very pessimistic person. (1:20:41) But I quickly learned that this is not a time for pessimism because I I'm just simply not ready. (1:20:49) And I know that I subscribe now to the thoughts that what you put out there, you be specific about. (1:20:58) You you keep your attitude positive even when it's not.

Lara (1:21:02) Some days, I fake it, and some days, I I don't. (1:21:06) But I have an immense support system. (1:21:09) I have so much support from family and friends that has helped a great deal. (1:21:15) And I think, honestly, it's just it's just had I've had to take a mind switch and and change. (1:21:22) I had to.

Lara (1:21:23) Yeah. (1:21:24) Otherwise, I wasn't gonna be getting out of bed every day, and I wasn't gonna be putting in the effort to get dressed. (1:21:29) And I it was very in those early stages, I realized that I was gonna go downhill very, very quickly if I if I didn't turn that around. (1:21:38) So I just I work it's something I work at every day, and I try to keep myself out of the news and and surround myself with positive stories.

Scott Benner (1:21:49) Yeah. (1:21:50) I bet you cancer really makes you stop caring about global warming pretty quick. (1:21:53) Pretty quick. (1:21:55) Yeah. (1:21:55) You're like, who are they gonna vote in?

Scott Benner (1:21:56) And you're like, don't care.

Lara (1:21:58) Don't care. (1:21:59) What's going on in the world? (1:22:00) I really don't know.

Scott Benner (1:22:01) I can just Yeah.

Lara (1:22:03) Focus on myself.

Scott Benner (1:22:04) Yeah. (1:22:04) My situation just changed. (1:22:05) I don't care what you do. (1:22:06) That's fine. (1:22:07) Oh, you discovered a new plant, did you?

Scott Benner (1:22:10) Don't care. (1:22:11) Yeah. (1:22:11) Yeah.

Lara (1:22:13) Yeah. (1:22:13) Well, I That's me.

Scott Benner (1:22:15) I know you came on to help other people, but I'm gonna end by thanking you for doing something kind for me, which you don't know that you did. (1:22:21) To know that I did something that helped you was it felt very good for me. (1:22:28) And

Lara (1:22:28) You really did.

Scott Benner (1:22:29) Well, and you're you're nice to say that. (1:22:32) And I'm not unaware of the reach and the impact of the podcast. (1:22:36) But for some reason, this coupled not for some reason, per pretty obvious reasons. (1:22:40) That knowledge coupled with you also struggling with cancer and what has recently, you know, transpired with my mom. (1:22:48) And and, you know, because there's part of me that thinks I didn't help my mom enough.

Scott Benner (1:22:53) And I know that's not the trust me, like, intellectually, I understand that's not true. (1:22:57) But emotionally, it feels like I could have made a couple better decisions along the way or zigged when we zagged or something like that or, you know, I I was listening to this thing the other day. (1:23:08) I learned about this, supplement that helps with your blood pressure. (1:23:12) And my mom couldn't take her infusions after chemo because her blood pressure was too high. (1:23:17) And I thought, oh, I wonder if this supplement would have brought her blood pressure down, and then she could have kept taking the the infusions that were gonna keep away the ovarian cancer in which she's have lived longer.

Scott Benner (1:23:28) And, like, that's a really unreasonable thing to think, so I don't consciously think it. (1:23:32) I wanna be clear. (1:23:33) Like, I'm not sitting around beating myself up about that.

Lara (1:23:36) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:23:36) But emotionally, it hurts. (1:23:39) And when you said what you said, you you emotionally made me feel better. (1:23:45) I I thought, like, oh, this lady has this this struggle and I made this thing and it it made it better for her. (1:23:51) Like, they didn't fix it, but it made it better. (1:23:53) And, anyway, so you you've made me feel good.

Scott Benner (1:23:57) I appreciate it.

Lara (1:23:58) I'm so glad. (1:24:00) I I really enjoy the podcast. (1:24:02) I shared it with others. (1:24:05) I I don't know. (1:24:06) I think there's value in it for a lot of people.

Scott Benner (1:24:08) Yep. (1:24:09) I also defy other people to make a ninety minute podcast about pancreatic cancer where you laugh and curse as much as we did. (1:24:15) I thought we had a good time.

Lara (1:24:17) We did.

Scott Benner (1:24:18) We did. (1:24:18) Did. (1:24:18) Really did. (1:24:19) I did enjoy it. (1:24:20) Well, thank you so much for doing this.

Scott Benner (1:24:21) If you hold on for just one second, I'd like to talk to you after we're done recording.

Lara (1:24:24) Yeah. (1:24:25) You bet.

Scott Benner (1:24:33) Thanks so much to Laura for coming on the show and sharing her story with us. (1:24:38) A huge thanks to Dexcom for supporting the podcast and for sponsoring this episode. (1:24:43) Dexcom.com/juicebox. (1:24:45) Go get yourself a Dexcom g seven right now using my link. (1:24:50) A huge thank you to one of today's sponsors, Gvoke Glucagon.

Scott Benner (1:24:54) Find out more about Gvoke HypoPen at gvokeglucagon.com/juicebox. (1:25:00) You spell that, gvokeglucagon.com/juicebox. (1:25:20) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box podcast private Facebook group. (1:25:26) Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes. (1:25:29) But everybody is welcome.

Scott Benner (1:25:31) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:25:35) If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. (1:25:45) The episode you just heard was professionally edited by Wrong Way Recording. (1:25:50) Wrongwayrecording.com. (1:25:53) If you're not already subscribed or following in your favorite audio app, please take the time now to do that.

Scott Benner (1:25:58) It really helps the show. (1:26:00) And get those automatic downloads set up so you never miss an episode. (1:26:04) Thank you so much for listening. (1:26:06) I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast.

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#1779 Diabetes Variable: Finishing (for men)

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In this episode Jenny and Scott chat about the end of the act. 

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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 back to another episode of the Juice Box podcast. (0:14) Managing diabetes is difficult, but trying to do it when you don't understand the lingo, that's almost impossible. (0:21) The defining diabetes series began in 2019, and today we're adding to it. (0:26) Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu, click on defining diabetes, and you'll see a complete list of all the terms that we've defined so far. (0:36) Hey.

Scott Benner (0:36) Do you need support? (0:38) I have some stuff for you. (0:39) It's all free. (0:40) Juiceboxpodcast.com. (0:41) Click on support in the menu.

Scott Benner (0:43) Let's see what you get there. (0:44) A one c and blood glucose calculator. (0:46) People love that. (0:47) That's actually, I think, the most popular page on the website some months. (0:50) A list of great endocrinologists from listeners.

Scott Benner (0:53) That's from all over the country. (0:55) There's a link to the private Facebook group, to the Circle community, and, we have a a fantastic thing there, American Sign Language. (1:03) There's a great sign language interpreter who did the entire bold beginning series in ASL. (1:08) So if you know anybody who would benefit from that, please send them that way. (1:12) Just go to juiceboxpodcast.com and click on support.

Scott Benner (1:15) While you're there, check out the guides like the pre bolusing guide, fat and protein insulin calculator, oh gosh, thyroid, GLP, caregiver burnout. (1:25) You should go to the website. (1:26) Click around a little bit on those menus. (1:27) It it really there's a lot more there than you think. (1:30) Nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise.

Scott Benner (1:34) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. (1:39) Alright, guys. (1:40) I'm gonna do a diabetes variable with Jenny that I did not explain to her what it was beforehand. (1:44) This was sent in by listeners, but I think it's gonna make her giggle or laugh. (1:48) So everybody get ready.

Scott Benner (1:50) Jenny, people wanna talk about finishing for men with type one diabetes.

Jenny Smith (1:57) You know me so well. (2:00) I

Scott Benner (2:01) knew I knew what this was gonna do to you.

Jenny Smith (2:02) Okay. (2:04) I think this is funny. (2:05) I think we only ever had one conversation similar to this, and it was in was it in a I think it was in a very

Scott Benner (2:12) little a very well, we did masturbating. (2:14) Yeah.

Jenny Smith (2:14) We did. (2:15) Yes. (2:15) Exactly. (2:15) Yeah. (2:16) So that's kinda funny.

Jenny Smith (2:18) Yeah. (2:18) But what is well, is this a very could be a variable just like it could for a female? (2:22) I mean

Scott Benner (2:23) Well, it's possible that they just didn't know where this fit exactly, and maybe they figured it fit because of the masturbation episode of the I variable don't know. (2:33) So I guess the variable really is control. (2:37) I mean, insulin use. (2:39) Right? (2:39) And your and your management and your outcomes.

Scott Benner (2:42) Or am I wrong? (2:43) Like, why do guys with type one why can they have trouble I'm just gonna keep going with finishing. (2:49) Finishing. (2:49) Finishing? (2:50) Yeah.

Jenny Smith (2:50) Sure. (2:51) As a baseline, I think it also goes along with erectile dysfunction.

Scott Benner (2:57) Okay.

Jenny Smith (2:57) Right? (2:58) If I'm thinking of, quote, unquote, finishing in the right way.

Scott Benner (3:04) Do you need me to define it for you, Jenny?

Jenny Smith (3:06) No. (3:07) You don't. (3:08) Thank you so much. (3:10) You might be like, oh my god.

Scott Benner (3:11) This is all very interesting. (3:12) I won't say a word. (3:13) It's the part It's

Jenny Smith (3:14) all good.

Scott Benner (3:14) It's the part where you go, okay. (3:16) Okay. (3:17) You we're we're talking about the same thing.

Jenny Smith (3:18) Totally get it. (3:20) But I think it might have some of the same, which is why I connected to potentially erectile dysfunction.

Scott Benner (3:26) Okay.

Jenny Smith (3:26) Because if there is, as you said, management issues in general, not just in that time, but in general, there could be a reason that finishing doesn't actually happen

Scott Benner (3:42) Okay.

Jenny Smith (3:43) In the timeline. (3:43) Right? (3:44) There could be nerve damage. (3:45) There could be vessel damage that doesn't create a problem with actual, like, erection, but it could actually create a problem with release.

Scott Benner (3:54) Okay.

Jenny Smith (3:54) Now that being the big consideration

Scott Benner (3:57) Mhmm.

Jenny Smith (3:58) In the moment, absolutely. (4:00) I mean, it could be that blood sugar is dropping, and body's responses are for preservation of overall health, not preservation of, like, gosh. (4:10) You gotta get the job done. (4:11) Let's just finish. (4:12) Right?

Scott Benner (4:13) She looks bored. (4:14) Yeah. (4:14) Yeah.

Jenny Smith (4:15) So, I mean, it it certainly could be relative to whether blood sugar in the moment

Scott Benner (4:20) Okay.

Jenny Smith (4:21) Is dropping. (4:22) I can't imagine that it would be relative to a rapid rise. (4:26) Although, maybe, you know, in terms of a rise could probably be similar to an adrenaline spike

Scott Benner (4:35) Okay.

Jenny Smith (4:36) In terms of that finishing.

Scott Benner (4:38) It's interesting to hear you talk through it without having any any forewar knowledge that we were gonna talk about it, because I think you're doing a good job.

Jenny Smith (4:46) Oh, great.

Scott Benner (4:47) I, of course, I cheated. (4:49) And so, I have it broken out as blood flow. (4:52) There are tiny arteries that bring blood into the penis that can narrow or stiffen called microvascular damage. (4:58) So less blood in would be a weaker or shorter or lasting erection or harder to complete. (5:04) Diabetes can cause neuropathy, so nerve signals, which dull sensations or messes with the nerve pathways that trigger orgasm or ejaculation.

Jenny Smith (5:12) Which, again, both of those are, like, more long term

Scott Benner (5:15) Yeah.

Jenny Smith (5:16) Repercussions of an issue.

Scott Benner (5:18) I don't think you'd be diagnosed today, and next week, this would be your issues. (5:21) Right?

Jenny Smith (5:21) Right.

Scott Benner (5:21) There's some some quotes here that men can, in this situation, can say that they can get there. (5:26) This is a quote, but it can take

Jenny Smith (5:28) forever. (5:29) Yes.

Scott Benner (5:29) And then autonomic nerves, these are nerves that handle automatic body functions like ejaculation. (5:36) If they're affected, you could end up with delayed ejaculation or retrograde ejaculation when semen goes backwards into the bladder. (5:42) Mhmm. (5:42) There's a thing I didn't didn't need to know today.

Jenny Smith (5:45) You didn't I yeah. (5:46) And that actually is something I've I mean, it all goes along with when you're discussing with somebody what's going on.

Scott Benner (5:52) Uh-huh.

Jenny Smith (5:52) All of these things kind of get

Scott Benner (5:54) because it goes back is this where the phrase coming and going comes from? (5:58) They catch me coming and going? (5:59) No. (5:59) I don't think so.

Jenny Smith (6:00) Oh, I don't think so. (6:01) That's funny that you would put that together. (6:03) So quick. (6:03) I

Scott Benner (6:04) don't know. (6:04) It's it's just word play, Johnny. (6:05) So they'd also says mentally that you brought this up. (6:08) That's why thought it was interesting. (6:09) Anxiety about performance or having a low blood sugar during sex can, like, change your arousal and maybe then Yes.

Scott Benner (6:15) Have trouble before you get into there. (6:18) Mhmm. (6:18) Feeling frustrated with diabetes or body image issues can feed that loop.

Jenny Smith (6:22) Which those wouldn't really be diabetes specific. (6:25) No.

Scott Benner (6:26) No. (6:26) But they're you know, I mean, how about this one? (6:28) Low testosterone, which is common with men with more common with men with diabetes can Mhmm. (6:33) Impact your libido and your intensity. (6:36) Okay.

Scott Benner (6:37) Medications too. (6:39) Just some add ons here. (6:40) If you're on SSRI, that could

Jenny Smith (6:42) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (6:43) Do it. (6:43) And high or low blood sugar during sex could totally kill arousal stamina. (6:47) I hear women I've a lot of these conversations with people. (6:51) Men and women all talk about, like, the having to have snacks at the bedside and how kind of I mean, it kinda take you out of the moment kind of thing. (7:01) You know what Or I having to stop to take off your device or having your device knocked around or hit or, you know Right.

Scott Benner (7:08) During whatever it is you're doing over there. (7:10) Is that it? (7:10) Did we cover all the reasons why you might not be able to finish as a male with type one diabetes?

Jenny Smith (7:14) I do believe so. (7:16) Yes.

Scott Benner (7:16) Would any of this impact a woman?

Jenny Smith (7:19) Yes. (7:20) I mean, many of the things that you brought up are more internal with a woman. (7:25) Right? (7:25) So things like damage to nerves from a sensation standpoint, both internal and external for a woman, And then, you know, hormonal changes that could be impacted by blood sugar. (7:38) Again, the broader picture, just like erectile dysfunction, the broader picture for a woman.

Jenny Smith (7:44) Hormonal fluctuations up and down could certainly create a problem with, I guess, finishing it for a woman too. (7:52) It's this pretty much the same concept.

Scott Benner (7:54) Yeah. (7:55) Here it is. (7:55) Less blood reaching the clitoris and vaginal tissues, reduced sensitivity or difficulty reaching orgasm. (8:01) Nerve changes can delay or weaken sensation. (8:04) Also, general dryness or less natural lubrication since nerve signals and blood flow both play a part in arousal.

Scott Benner (8:12) Women with type one often have hormonal fluctuations that interact with blood sugars.

Jenny Smith (8:16) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (8:17) Estrogen, progesterone shifts can alter insulin sensitivity. (8:22) Oh, that's an interesting thing. (8:23) And then low estrogen, especially in perimenopausal menopausal women, can lead to dryness, pain, or lower libido. (8:29) Thyroid issues which can be more common with people with diabetes, can add fatigue or low desire. (8:35) And then it says high blood sugars can fuel yeast infections, UTIs, or general irritation that can make sex uncomfortable or painful.

Jenny Smith (8:42) So, again, all around similar. (8:45) And as far as, like, the actual moment, what your blood sugar is doing, again, more on the drop or the low zone, not so much a climb or a rise being problematic in that moment, but it's much more, you know, gosh. (8:58) If you guys have been having fun for a bit of time Mhmm. (9:02) You could absolutely have a drop enough in blood sugar that at the very end, it makes it very difficult.

Scott Benner (9:09) What makes your blood sugar drop drop faster? (9:11) Jumping on a trampoline or having sex?

Jenny Smith (9:13) I would expect jumping on the trampoline.

Scott Benner (9:15) That damn trampoline is amazing, isn't it?

Jenny Smith (9:17) So don't have sex on the trampoline.

Scott Benner (9:19) Well, yeah, you made a point there. (9:21) Didn't I didn't think about that. (9:24) Be cold, wouldn't it?

Jenny Smith (9:26) Well, it depends on what time of the year and where

Scott Benner (9:28) you live. (9:29) Oh, you know, then it would be hot. (9:30) Yeah. (9:30) You're making a good point.

Jenny Smith (9:31) There you go.

Scott Benner (9:32) I just wanna point out here, it says birth control or hormonal therapy can alter glucose patterns, making things feel a little off cycle or inconsistent. (9:39) And I will bring up, if you don't believe your birth control can have impacts like that, there's been this, I I think it's a study, but it's at very least colloquially understood that there are women who are on birth control while they're courting and then later go off it and find they're not attracted to the men that they married because am I right about this? (9:58) Got it.

Jenny Smith (9:58) That's actually been out for probably at least two years. (10:02) I Yeah. (10:02) I read that quite a while ago as well.

Scott Benner (10:04) Yeah. (10:05) So when you're on I guess the idea is the pill makes your body feel like you're pregnant, which makes you wanna nest, which makes you look for a certain kind of guy. (10:14) And then once that guy is living in your house all day long, you're like, oh, that is not the kind of guy I would have picked if I didn't think I was having a baby with him. (10:21) Ain't that interesting? (10:22) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (10:23) Yeah. (10:24) You're all individuals, you're doing whatever you want. (10:26) Or, you know, we're all being controlled by, like, little chemicals in our body, and we don't have any actual thoughts of our own. (10:33) You decide the difference. (10:34) Jenny and I have to go.

Scott Benner (10:35) It's Friday.

Jenny Smith (10:36) Awesome. (10:36) See you. (10:37) Thanks.

Scott Benner (10:44) Okay. (10:45) Well, here we are at the end of the episode. (10:46) You're still with me? (10:47) Thank you. (10:48) I really do appreciate that.

Scott Benner (10:50) What else could you do for me? (10:52) Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? (10:56) Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribe in your podcast app, go to YouTube and follow me or Instagram, TikTok. (11:04) Oh, gosh. (11:05) Here's one.

Scott Benner (11:06) Make sure you're following the podcast in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. (11:12) You don't wanna miss please, do you not know about the private group? (11:16) You have to join the private group. (11:17) As of this recording, it has 74,000 members. (11:21) They're active talking about diabetes.

Scott Benner (11:24) Whatever you need to know, there's a conversation happening in there right now. (11:27) And I'm there all the time. (11:28) Tag me. (11:29) I'll say hi. (11:30) Hey.

Scott Benner (11:31) I'm dropping in to tell you about a small change being made to the Juice Cruise twenty twenty six schedule. (11:36) This adjustment was made by Celebrity Cruise Lines, not by me. (11:39) Anyway, we're still going out on the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship, which is awesome. (11:43) Check out the walkthrough video at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (11:48) The ship is awesome.

Scott Benner (11:50) Still a seven night cruise. (11:52) It still leaves out of Miami on June 21. (11:55) Actually, most of this is the same. (11:56) We leave Miami June 21, head to CocoCay in The Bahamas, but then we're going to San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Saint Thomas. (12:04) After that, Bastille, I think I'm saying that wrong, Saint Kitts And Nevis.

Scott Benner (12:08) This place is gorgeous. (12:10) Google it. (12:11) I mean, you're probably gonna have to go to my link to get the correct spelling because my pronunciation is so bad. (12:15) But once you get the Saint Kitts and you Google it, you're gonna look and see a photo that says to you, oh, I wanna go there. (12:22) Come meet other people living with type one diabetes from caregivers to children to adults.

Scott Benner (12:28) Last year, we had a 100 people on our cruise, and it was fabulous. (12:33) You can see pictures to get at my link, juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (12:38) You can see those pictures from last year there. (12:40) The link also gives you an opportunity to register for the cruise or to contact Suzanne from Cruise Planners. (12:46) She takes care of all the logistics.

Scott Benner (12:48) I'm just excited that I might see you there. (12:51) It's a beautiful event for families, for singles, a wonderful opportunity to meet people, swap stories, make friendships, and learn. (13:00) Have a podcast? (13:01) Want it to sound fantastic? (13:03) Wrongwayrecording.com.

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Pediatrician and mother Jen shares how her daughter’s Type 1 diagnosis reshaped her medical practice and how the Pro Tip series helped her move from clinical theory to practical management.

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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 (0:0) Here we are back together again, friends, for another episode of the Juice Box podcast.

Jen (0:15) My name is Jen. (0:16) I'm a pediatrician and a mom to three kids. (0:18) My oldest was diagnosed with type one diabetes about a year and a half ago.

Scott Benner (0:23) How would you like to share a type one diabetes getaway like no other? (0:27) Join me on Juice Cruise 2026. (0:30) You may be asking, what is Juice Cruise? (0:32) It's a week long cruise designed specifically for people and families living with type one diabetes. (0:37) It's not just a vacation.

Scott Benner (0:39) It's a chance to relax, connect, and feel understood in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. (0:44) We're gonna sail out of Miami, and the cruise includes stops in CocoCay, San Juan, Saint Kitts, Nevis aboard the stunning Celebrity Beyond. (0:54) This ship is chosen for its comfort, accessibility, and exceptional amenities. (0:59) You're gonna enjoy a welcoming environment surrounded by others who get life with type one diabetes. (1:04) I'm gonna host diabetes focused conversations and meetups on the days at sea.

Scott Benner (1:09) There's thoughtfully designed spaces, incredible dining, and modern amenities all throughout the celebrity beyond. (1:17) Your kids can be supervised, there's teen programs so everyone gets time to recharge. (1:22) Not just the the kids going on vacation, but maybe you get the kickback a little bit too. (1:27) There's gonna be zero judgment, real connections, and a whole lot of sun and fun on juice cruise twenty twenty six. (1:32) Please come with me.

Scott Benner (1:34) You're going to have a terrific time. (1:36) You can learn more or set up your deposit at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (1:42) Get ahold of Suzanne at cruise planners. (1:44) She will take care of everything. (1:45) Link's in the show notes.

Scott Benner (1:47) Link's at juiceboxpodcast.com. (1:50) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the juice box podcast private Facebook group. (1:56) Juice box podcast, type one diabetes. (1:59) But everybody is welcome. (2:01) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me.

Scott Benner (2:05) If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. (2:16) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (2:24) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. (2:34) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (2:38) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free, what I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit.

Scott Benner (2:48) Free? (2:50) Get out of here. (2:50) Go click on that link. (2:51) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:54) Check it out.

Scott Benner (2:55) Terms and conditions apply. (2:56) Eligibility may vary. (2:57) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (3:03) Links in the show notes. (3:04) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com.

Scott Benner (3:06) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. (3:13) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox.

Jen (3:17) My name is Jen. (3:18) I'm a pediatrician and a mom to three kids. (3:20) My oldest was diagnosed with type one diabetes about a year and a half ago.

Scott Benner (3:24) Okay, Jen. (3:25) I like how long you took to pull yourself together before you said that. (3:30) Because I don't think most people don't hear the part that happens before because Rob edits it out where I say, like, know, the next sound you hear will be you introducing yourself, trying to give it to the idea of the person, like, go go ahead and gather yourself and go ahead. (3:42) And you did exactly that. (3:43) Some people launch into it very quickly.

Scott Benner (3:46) Others wait for me to prompt them again. (3:48) And we'll sit there for, like, an an uncomfortably long time, and I'll go, you can go whenever you want. (3:52) They go, oh. (3:54) Right. (3:54) So I like yours.

Scott Benner (3:55) Yours was like, let me think of how I'm gonna say this, and I'm gonna say it nicely, and we're on our way. (4:00) So, Jen, you have three children. (4:01) Do we wanna say their ages or no?

Jen (4:03) No. (4:03) That's fine.

Scott Benner (4:04) Okay. (4:04) Three kids.

Jen (4:05) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (4:05) Married?

Jen (4:06) I am.

Scott Benner (4:07) And you're a pediatrician?

Jen (4:09) I am.

Scott Benner (4:10) What do you take of this? (4:11) So a friend of mine is a pediatrician. (4:12) It's been for a very, very long time. (4:14) Went to a great school. (4:15) I one day talked to him about being a doctor, and he said, I'm not a doctor.

Scott Benner (4:18) I'm a pediatrician.

Jen (4:19) Yeah. (4:20) Some days, feel more like more of a psychologist than a medical doctor. (4:25) Yeah. (4:25) It's it's fun. (4:26) I've been practicing for about fourteen years out of fourteen, fifteen years out of, training.

Scott Benner (4:34) It's a good long time.

Jen (4:36) Yeah. (4:36) And I work part time, so I can kinda do the mom thing most of the time.

Scott Benner (4:40) Very nice. (4:41) He described it once to me as, like, having to have a, like, a wide understanding of what's going on in the community as far as people's illnesses go. (4:50) Because in the end, he said, you know, most of the time, you just see people coming in with what's going on. (4:54) Does that fit the criteria to you?

Jen (4:57) A little bit. (4:57) Yeah. (4:58) Yeah. (4:58) I mean, it's, you know, also kind of like, you know, your first patient weighs five pounds because they're a baby, and your next patient weighs three hundred pounds because they're, you know, an 18 year old. (5:07) Oh.

Jen (5:07) So

Scott Benner (5:08) Like I said yeah. (5:09) So there's a wide, a wide scope of people that you meet with.

Jen (5:12) Wider inch. (5:13) Yep.

Scott Benner (5:14) Yeah. (5:14) Yeah. (5:14) Very, very interesting.

Jen (5:15) Okay.

Scott Benner (5:16) What made you wanna be a pediatrician?

Jen (5:19) Oh gosh. (5:21) I don't know. (5:22) I was one of those kids when I was, you know, eight years old, and they said, what do wanna be when you grow up? (5:26) And I said, wanted to be a pediatrician. (5:28) I don't really know.

Jen (5:30) I did a lot of volunteer work and a lot of work in high school and college, you know, with kids. (5:36) I always liked working with kids, and I originally thought about doing pediatric physical therapy was one of my thoughts Mhmm. (5:45) But, really went with my gut and decided to, go into medicine instead.

Scott Benner (5:50) Wow. (5:50) How long do you train for that? (5:51) Like, from like, give me you know, I left for college as a freshman, did a four year, and, like, how long does that whole thing take?

Jen (5:59) So college, four years, medical school, four years, and then pediatric residency is three years.

Scott Benner (6:08) Oh, wow. (6:09) And and you've been practicing for fourteen on top of that?

Jen (6:12) Correct.

Scott Benner (6:13) Oh, so you have ten you have twenty five years of effort since you left high school. (6:18) Right.

Jen (6:19) Yeah. (6:20) Have you

Scott Benner (6:20) been paid back? (6:20) Ish. (6:21) Tell people how many student loans you still have left.

Jen (6:27) Oh, I still have them. (6:28) Yes. (6:28) I'm definitely still paying off my loans.

Scott Benner (6:31) No kidding. (6:32) And the and the insurance is insane. (6:34) Right? (6:34) The liability insurance and everything?

Jen (6:36) I guess so. (6:37) My practice pays for that, thankfully. (6:38) So

Scott Benner (6:39) Lovely. (6:40) Do you work in a kinda, like, family type practice, or has yours been swallowed up by a giant conglomerate?

Jen (6:47) Currently in private practice.

Scott Benner (6:49) Do you have a preference? (6:50) Have you done both?

Jen (6:52) I have not. (6:53) I prefer to be in a outpatient setting. (6:56) I wasn't always one of those doctors who said I never wanted to work in a hospital. (7:01) Mhmm. (7:02) So I like being, you know, just in a in a clinic and doing outpatient medicine.

Scott Benner (7:07) Yeah. (7:08) Tell me why you say a lot of your job is maybe being a therapist for people.

Jen (7:13) Well, you know, a lot of people come in saying, no. (7:16) I'm worried about this. (7:17) I'm worried about that. (7:18) You know, we do a lot of well child checks, especially in the first couple years. (7:23) You see the kids quite often.

Jen (7:25) So a lot of it is, you know, reassurance about your toddler doing this or your toddler doing that. (7:30) Will I ever get sleep again? (7:33) Or the teenagers, you know, in teenage behavior. (7:38) And, you know, there's a lot of counseling involved with, kids at all ages and family members at all ages as well.

Scott Benner (7:45) Is that an on the job training situation, or is that something you feel like medical school and residency prepared you for?

Jen (7:52) No. (7:53) I don't think any of the training really prepared you prepared you for that. (7:56) I think it's just with a matter of time. (7:58) I always joke because, you know, my oldest child had him at the end of my residency, towards the end of my residency, and it just completely changes your perspective of things where I'm like, oh, I can't believe these parents are doing x, y, and z. (8:13) And then you're a parent, and you're going, oh, okay.

Scott Benner (8:16) They think they're killing that kid twenty four hours a day. (8:19) They're looking for they're looking for someone to tell him it's okay. (8:22) He said this. (8:23) He made a noise. (8:24) He burped.

Scott Benner (8:25) Is he okay? (8:25) Right. (8:26) I can't go through this again.

Jen (8:27) Spot on their skin. (8:28) Oh, yeah. (8:29) It's it's a lot of that.

Scott Benner (8:30) Well, so you think a little bit of the timing of when you had your first helped you maybe as you launched into your career?

Jen (8:37) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (8:38) Yeah. (8:39) That's interesting. (8:40) Okay. (8:40) So let's fast forward a little bit. (8:42) I'm gonna I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say, hope that you were able to diagnose your kid with diabetes.

Scott Benner (8:49) But tell me what happened and, you know, how you figured it out.

Jen (8:54) Yeah. (8:55) So I did. (8:57) You know? (8:58) I'll hey. (8:59) And I get a lot of people saying, oh, at least you caught it early.

Jen (9:02) At least you know what to look for. (9:04) At least his parents are doctors. (9:06) And I think I don't wanna say guilt is the right word. (9:10) It's just maybe a little I don't know. (9:13) I'm having the trouble finding the right word for it.

Scott Benner (9:15) Are you are you trying to tell me that you still feel like you didn't figure it out fast enough?

Jen (9:19) No. (9:20) I think I did.

Scott Benner (9:20) You did? (9:21) What's the adverse feeling from?

Jen (9:23) I guess just I wanted to be wrong.

Scott Benner (9:25) Oh. (9:26) Oh, you feel like you gave it to him because you recognized it kinda thing.

Jen (9:31) Not that I gave it to him, but just I wanted to be wrong. (9:33) You know? (9:34) I was like, well, maybe it's just that he's, you know, just extra thirsty and growing and and all of that. (9:41) You know? (9:41) You you wanna be in denial.

Jen (9:43) You don't want something to be right.

Scott Benner (9:45) Jennifer, I'm gonna try one more time to pick through the, like, the psychology of this. (9:48) I might be way off. (9:50) Do you not wanna be part of the story? (9:52) You were just hoping that there was nothing wrong. (9:54) That was that was big picture gonna take the take up the rest of his life kind of feeling, or do you just do you hate that, like, part of that story is you going, oh, I think he has diabetes?

Jen (10:03) Maybe a little bit of both.

Scott Benner (10:05) Yeah. (10:05) I go ahead.

Jen (10:07) A lot of me just wanting to be wrong, I think.

Scott Benner (10:09) Okay.

Jen (10:10) You know? (10:10) Where I kinda had it in the back of my mind, like, could this be? (10:14) And then part of me getting him checked was thinking, okay. (10:18) I'm gonna be wrong.

Scott Benner (10:20) Yeah. (10:21) This is great. (10:21) We'll go over. (10:22) We'll do a thing. (10:23) We'll have lunch, and, you know, we'll figure out what this what else did you think it could be if it wasn't diabetes?

Jen (10:28) Yep. (10:28) Maybe just just growing, being active. (10:31) You know? (10:32) There's a lot of things that happen in the teenage years. (10:35) So, physiologically, so sometimes you just don't know if, you know, what you're experiencing is, right or wrong.

Scott Benner (10:43) What symptoms was he having that that got you thinking?

Jen (10:46) Mainly just the normal stuff. (10:48) You know, waking up at night to go to the bathroom and drinking a lot of water and, you know, wanting me to refill his water and finding water bottles in his room at night, and that was about it. (10:58) He felt fine.

Scott Benner (11:00) It was the excessive thirst that that clipped into it right away.

Jen (11:04) Yeah. (11:04) And, I mean, his a one c was around eight when he was diagnosed. (11:09) So even the doctor said, you know, they never see it that low a diagnosis.

Scott Benner (11:14) Yeah. (11:14) How long do you think it had been going on before you got him to the doctor?

Jen (11:19) Maybe a couple weeks.

Scott Benner (11:20) Okay. (11:21) That's pretty quick. (11:22) Anybody else in your family have type one, extended family?

Jen (11:25) Not blood related, but my sister's husband, my brother-in-law has type one diabetes.

Scott Benner (11:30) But nobody related to you or your husband?

Jen (11:33) No. (11:34) We do have other autoimmune things in the family.

Scott Benner (11:37) Like what?

Jen (11:37) Hashimoto's, ulcerative colitis. (11:43) So with those two things, you know, you're at higher risk for having other autoimmune things.

Scott Benner (11:47) Can I ask a crazy question? (11:48) Because I've been I've been thinking about this lately. (11:50) Anyone in your extended family, a great athlete, very flexible, can throw a ball hard, anything like that?

Jen (11:57) I wish. (11:58) No.

Scott Benner (11:58) No? (12:00) I was getting a massage the other day. (12:01) Somebody gave me a massage as a gift. (12:03) My wife, by the way. (12:04) Two Christmases ago, I sat on this thing stuck in my refrigerator for a year, made the appointment a day after the the gift certificate expired, begged them into letting me use it anyway, and went to just, you know, go get a a massage.

Scott Benner (12:19) And the person, who was doing the massage for me, she was lovely. (12:24) And during the the process, she was kinda going, like, off the side of my hips. (12:28) My hip pointers hurt a lot. (12:30) I was like, oh, that really hurt. (12:32) And she goes right here and she touched him.

Scott Benner (12:33) I said, yeah. (12:34) The left one's worse than the right one. (12:35) They've been hurting for a while. (12:37) And she goes, okay. (12:38) I'll fix that.

Scott Benner (12:39) You know, there's part of you that's like, sure. (12:41) You know? (12:41) But, like, she grabbed my leg, did a thing, was, like, leaning into my hip, like, going, going, going. (12:46) She's good. (12:47) And I'm sitting there going, this hurts.

Scott Benner (12:49) And and she's doing it. (12:50) I'm like, this is not helping. (12:52) And then as I'm thinking this is not helping, she was like, it's not releasing. (12:56) And then she kept going and kept going and I'm not kidding you. (12:59) As the pain disappeared, she said, oh, I got it.

Scott Benner (13:04) And I was like, I said, that was really impressive. (13:07) And I hadn't talked through the whole thing. (13:08) By the way, I know myself. (13:09) So at the beginning of the massage, she said, is there any instructions? (13:12) And I said, yes.

Scott Benner (13:13) I am an entertainer at heart. (13:15) If you start talking to me, I'm gonna want you to have a good time. (13:18) And I'm not gonna relax, and I'm just gonna talk through the whole thing. (13:21) I was like, so please, just don't talk to me. (13:24) And I was like, I'm not being rude, but trust me.

Scott Benner (13:25) I'll ruin it for you and for me. (13:27) So she laughed, and she and she and I really didn't speak for a really long time. (13:30) But I said, that was so impressive. (13:33) You announced that you got it just as the pain went away. (13:37) Uh-huh.

Scott Benner (13:37) How did you know? (13:38) And she said, well, from working on myself, I've been able to figure stuff like that. (13:43) I have Ehlers Danlos.

Jen (13:45) Okay.

Scott Benner (13:46) She starts going, it's an autoimmune. (13:48) I went, I I know. (13:50) I was like, yeah. (13:51) Yeah. (13:52) I got it.

Scott Benner (13:53) And, anyway, so she had that she and I chatted afterwards, and I said, I should send my daughter in here. (13:57) I said, I you know, no diagnosis or anything, but, like, Arden's really flexible. (14:02) She has joint pain. (14:03) Like, you know, her shoulders feel like they're not in place sometimes. (14:05) I was like, she was, yeah.

Scott Benner (14:06) Send her in. (14:07) I'll I'll help her. (14:08) And I was like, awesome. (14:10) And she said, how did you figure it out? (14:12) And I told her I kinda painted a bigger picture.

Scott Benner (14:15) Said, but, know, there's this one thing I've always wondered. (14:17) Both of my kids have exceptional arms. (14:19) They both played baseball or softball, and they could throw a ball like a rocket. (14:24) And when you watch them on video, what you see is they have this exceptional extension when they reach back, like, so much more so than most people do. (14:32) And I I always wondered if that's part of that or not.

Scott Benner (14:35) Anyway

Jen (14:36) I'm not sure.

Scott Benner (14:37) No. (14:37) You you would have no idea. (14:38) But I would just like you know, sometimes I say to people, like, are there bipolar people in your extended family? (14:42) And a lot of people go a lot of people go, yes. (14:45) So I thought maybe I could, like, find a new, question like, does anyone in your family throw really well?

Scott Benner (14:49) Anyway, there's a long way to go for no for nothing at all. (14:53) But anyway, I I think I might have her on the podcast how to help that because she was so effective with it and was telling me her own story that I think people would find interesting, but I digress. (15:02) Yeah. (15:03) Cool. (15:04) Okay.

Scott Benner (15:04) So in the extended family, you know, little bit of that, but not a lot. (15:09) Did it ever occur to you as a doctor? (15:11) Did you ever say I might have a baby one day that has one of these issues, or is that not a thing ever popped in your head?

Jen (15:16) Not really. (15:17) I mean, you always want your kids to be healthy, you know, but never really thought about it.

Scott Benner (15:23) Okay. (15:23) Alright. (15:24) So we got him in the hospital. (15:26) He's got his a one c around eight. (15:28) They think you got it pretty quickly.

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Jen (17:43) I tried to kinda keep that on the DL that I'm a doctor because I want people to talk to me like I don't know anything. (17:51) You know? (17:52) Because, truthfully, I don't. (17:54) You know? (17:55) When as a general pediatrician, you know, you see the kids who are sick, and they come in.

Jen (17:59) Oh, okay. (18:00) How's your blood sugar? (18:00) Is this and that? (18:01) Like, I really knew nothing about pumps and CGMs and this and that. (18:07) I was a diabetes camp counselor back in the day down in Florida, but that was when kids were still doing, you know, finger sticks before meals and lining up for their insulin.

Jen (18:18) Yeah. (18:19) So things have changed so much since I've been trained. (18:23) So I wanted people to talk to me like I was just everybody else.

Scott Benner (18:27) Yeah. (18:27) Do you have kids in your practice who have type one?

Jen (18:30) I do.

Scott Benner (18:31) Yeah. (18:31) Do you get very involved prior to your child's diagnosis? (18:35) Did you get very involved in it, or was it one of those things where you're like, well, that's the endo, and this is me?

Jen (18:39) Yeah. (18:39) Pretty much. (18:40) Yeah. (18:40) We don't have anybody locally, for pediatric endocrinology, so people have to travel. (18:46) But pretty much make sure, you know, they're seeing their specialists.

Jen (18:50) Their a one c's are good. (18:51) They're doing what they need to do. (18:53) You know, prior to this, kind of just let the endocrinologists deal with it all.

Scott Benner (18:58) In that situation, are there now hindsight? (19:01) Are there overlaps that should impact your care that previously you weren't thinking about that now you are?

Jen (19:08) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (19:09) So another learning experience for you. (19:12) Like, this is you think this will help a lot of your patients too?

Jen (19:15) Absolutely. (19:16) You know, so many things that I've learned about, especially with the pumps and the CGMs and the symptoms of things. (19:24) I've learned a lot about five zero four plans

Scott Benner (19:26) Mhmm.

Jen (19:26) And school accommodations. (19:29) So not just for diabetes, but for other chronic medical conditions. (19:33) You know, I really encourage families to be proactive and get five zero four plans and make sure they're advocating for their kids' school system, which I don't think I did as much of before all this.

Scott Benner (19:47) Are you telling me that there were other kids under your care that you maybe in hindsight should have said, hey. (19:52) Maybe you guys should have a five zero four plan?

Jen (19:54) Or yeah. (19:55) Yeah. (19:55) I mean, I know the endocrinologists and the specialists tend to take care of that, but, you know, in reality, it's the pediatrician's job to say, you know, do you have everything set up for what you need?

Scott Benner (20:06) I've tried my hardest to, forget about five zero four plans because I it harkens back to a terrible time in my life. (20:12) But when you Yes. (20:13) You kind of you kind of laughed about it. (20:15) So tell me, a little bit about the process. (20:18) So you realized he's gonna need this.

Scott Benner (20:20) You started looking into it. (20:22) You know, it's not cut and dry as far as, like

Jen (20:25) It's not.

Scott Benner (20:26) What should go in the plan. (20:28) You don't recognize at first that the school very well may not be thrilled that you're trying to apply a five zero four plan, that they might fight with you or try to simplify it to limit their exposure. (20:39) There's a lot of things that happen once this whole thing starts moving in in that direction. (20:43) But would you tell me a little bit about what happened to you guys?

Jen (20:47) It was interesting because he was finishing up middle school and then going into high school. (20:52) So we didn't really do anything in the middle school time frame because there wasn't a lot of school left. (20:58) I'm a reader. (20:59) I try to do as much reading as I can, and I get perspectives from other people, talk to some people online, get questions answered. (21:08) You know?

Jen (21:09) And I learned that, really, a 100% of type one diabetes kids should have a five zero four plan. (21:15) Research the ADA website. (21:17) You know, the school comes back with what they think. (21:19) You know, they're kind of their cookie cutter. (21:21) Okay.

Jen (21:21) They get this and that and the other. (21:24) Because cell phones have become such a bigger issue with schools over the past year or two

Scott Benner (21:30) Yeah.

Jen (21:31) You know, I was surprised at how much you need to advocate for your kids for a five zero four plan and what they need to thrive in school.

Scott Benner (21:42) Specific to cell phones or in general?

Jen (21:45) Generally, think everything is okay. (21:47) But I think with the cell phones, you know, you have people say, well, you know, kids dealt with diabetes, you know, before cell phones existed. (21:55) I think that the general public and even in education don't realize how important the cell phones are to keeping you alive and keeping you managed on a twenty four seven basis.

Scott Benner (22:09) Yeah. (22:10) Your regular NPH was not attached to a digital device that was control controlling it.

Jen (22:14) Right. (22:15) Right.

Scott Benner (22:15) It's almost more helpful just to talk about it as the insulin pump controller or the CGM Right. (22:20) Receiver and then spring on them at the end. (22:22) It's also a cell phone.

Jen (22:24) Right.

Scott Benner (22:24) You know what's so funny? (22:25) Because I'm old enough. (22:27) How old are you? (22:28) Do you mind?

Jen (22:30) Sorry. (22:32) She's she's That's okay. (22:33) I just had a birthday. (22:34) I'm 45.

Scott Benner (22:35) Oh, happy birthday. (22:36) I'm about ten years older than you.

Jen (22:38) Okay.

Scott Benner (22:39) When they started letting kids take cell phones to school, I was like, hey. (22:43) This is a bad idea.

Jen (22:45) Right.

Scott Benner (22:45) And then it was a bad idea, but it became commonplace and people, especially parents are so pushy. (22:52) Then they just my kids gotta have this. (22:53) What if there's a problem? (22:54) How are they gonna get ahold of me? (22:55) The same way I got ahold of my mom in 1978 if there's a problem.

Scott Benner (22:59) When I got home, I spoke to her.

Jen (23:00) Right.

Scott Benner (23:01) But okay. (23:02) We we got it into our heads that, like, you know, the danger that's around if you can't contact somebody immediately, like, you know, by and and it became the norm. (23:10) Right? (23:10) And by the way

Jen (23:11) Right.

Scott Benner (23:11) There's a ton of good reasons that people should have communication. (23:14) I'm not even saying that. (23:15) Right. (23:15) What I'm saying is it clearly messed with how school works. (23:19) Right?

Scott Benner (23:19) Like, kids are Right. (23:20) Like, can't put their phones down. (23:22) They're you know, it creates all kinds of other problems. (23:24) It took us I mean, when did I get my my first iPhone? (23:28) 2007?

Scott Benner (23:29) Is that right is that right? (23:31) I think that's right. (23:31) Mhmm. (23:32) Okay. (23:32) So if that's right, then nearly twenty years later, we all went, That was a bad idea letting kids take phones to school.

Scott Benner (23:41) It took eighteen years for people to go, you know, we probably shouldn't give them a screen to porn and games while they're trying to learn. (23:49) Right. (23:50) It's or whatever else they're looking at. (23:52) But mostly games are important just in case you're wondering what they're doing.

Jen (23:55) Oh, boy.

Scott Benner (23:56) Yeah. (23:56) I mean, just put your head down. (23:58) It's you don't wanna know. (24:00) Point being is that in that time, some really good things came out of it. (24:04) Like, hey.

Scott Benner (24:04) You can see your CGM on your phone or give you insulin for your phone or I'm sure there's a number of things outside of diabetes that has a lot of value for. (24:11) And now we're gonna tell everybody, nope. (24:14) You can't have them. (24:15) And then there's the part of me that goes, yeah. (24:16) That's a great idea.

Scott Benner (24:18) And then there's the part of me that says, well, what are you supposed to do? (24:21) Because then I say, well, Jennifer's kid gets to keep his phone, but not your kid. (24:25) And where is that gonna lead? (24:27) You know? (24:28) It's showing a half in five minutes.

Scott Benner (24:29) But, anyway, you're trying to get the five zero four plan in place. (24:32) They're not understanding the necessity of the phone, especially in this time when the pushback is now going the other way. (24:37) Is that what you're saying to me?

Jen (24:38) Right.

Scott Benner (24:39) Yeah. (24:39) Yeah.

Jen (24:39) Yeah. (24:40) And I think, you know, they got the point that the you know, seeing the numbers and keeping the phone close and everything. (24:47) But one of the things I fought for was his ability to communicate with me during the day Yeah. (24:52) If needed.

Scott Benner (24:53) Well, you know, I made that impassioned plea about you don't need to talk to your parents all day. (24:56) But I'll tell you, if you can text with somebody who's helping you manage your diabetes, especially when you're younger, you know, it's such a big deal, and it makes everything so much better.

Jen (25:04) So Right.

Scott Benner (25:05) Look at me arguing with myself. (25:07) It's fun.

Jen (25:09) Well and I think that if you have something in writing and you have, you know, legal protection, then nobody's gonna get in trouble, and there's not gonna be any problems. (25:17) So I think that, you know, being proactive and advocating for your kids is just so important on so many levels.

Scott Benner (25:26) You know, some kids are gonna be like, just say, hey. (25:29) Look. (25:29) I need this. (25:29) It's no I don't care. (25:30) But when the rules start flying back the other direction where people can't have them, there are gonna be some people who are gonna be embarrassed that now your cell phone's gonna be a way for people to know that you have an illness or something.

Jen (25:39) Right.

Scott Benner (25:40) Yeah. (25:40) You know? (25:40) So then there are gonna be kids who struggle with that, not wanting to take their phones out. (25:44) I already talked to people whose kids are like, don't know, I can't get him to give himself insulin in class. (25:48) Why not?

Scott Benner (25:49) Doesn't want he doesn't want to pull his phone out when no one else is allowed to. (25:53) Mhmm. (25:53) That nobody wants a, you know, a spotlight shined on them. (25:55) It's interesting how the problems will, like, continue to morph and shift off of the issue. (26:01) But did you finally get it set into place?

Scott Benner (26:03) Did they argue for a long time? (26:05) Did you need an attorney?

Jen (26:06) No. (26:07) We didn't need to make it go that far. (26:08) Everything got into place just fine. (26:11) I just kinda sometimes just had to make myself clear, I guess, go into mom mode.

Scott Benner (26:16) We so when you made the sound about five zero four, it's more about the the speed bumps that you look back on

Jen (26:22) and go, this

Scott Benner (26:23) didn't need to be this way. (26:24) Right?

Jen (26:25) Right.

Scott Benner (26:25) Yeah. (26:25) It's just tough. (26:26) It's frustrating, and it's a it's a lot of extra work that in the end, everybody goes, oh, okay. (26:31) And you're like, yeah. (26:32) Why were you fighting with me?

Jen (26:33) Right. (26:35) Well and it's interesting because I think, you know, I talk to families with, you know, multiple different chronic medical conditions. (26:45) Right? (26:45) And a lot of people will say, okay. (26:47) Do you have a five zero four plan?

Jen (26:48) And people will say, what's that? (26:50) So it's interesting to know, you know, that it's not even common knowledge that someone may need one.

Scott Benner (26:58) Right. (26:58) Or they go, oh, is that an IEP? (27:00) And you go, no. (27:01) Not really. (27:02) No.

Scott Benner (27:02) It's not not really the same thing.

Jen (27:04) Right.

Scott Benner (27:04) Yeah. (27:04) Yeah. (27:05) I I guess I remember your frustration because at one point, I recall telling somebody, you can argue about this as long as you want, but when it's over, this is what's going to happen.

Jen (27:15) Right.

Scott Benner (27:15) And I I know that's way more direct than most people probably. (27:18) I actually, people have been telling

Jen (27:19) me I got it.

Scott Benner (27:20) Yeah. (27:20) People online have been telling me I'm very direct, and I keep fighting with them, which I guess is part of me being direct. (27:25) I don't see myself as the I know that's maybe insane, but I don't see myself as being direct. (27:30) I just see the world as, like, more common sense y. (27:34) Like, why would you not say that?

Scott Benner (27:36) That's

Jen (27:36) Exactly.

Scott Benner (27:37) That's right. (27:38) You know? (27:38) And and if I'm wrong, then I'll be shown to be wrong, and then I'll stop saying it.

Jen (27:42) But Right. (27:43) Yeah. (27:43) I don't Well and I hear a lot of, you know, people wanna complain about things. (27:47) Right? (27:47) In general, people would rather complain about things than not be active and do something about it.

Scott Benner (27:53) Right.

Jen (27:53) Right?

Scott Benner (27:54) Yeah. (27:54) No. (27:54) It's easier.

Jen (27:55) So so I think it's easier to just be upfront and say this is the way it's gonna be, like you said.

Scott Benner (27:59) This is what's gonna happen, I said. (28:02) You can fight if you want, but when this is over, this is what's gonna happen. (28:06) And then when it happened, the problem is then if one side keeps ego about it, now you're at odds forever.

Jen (28:12) Right.

Scott Benner (28:13) Because now that person feels like I beat them because people are insane. (28:17) But just I guess the way the mind works is is is is bizarre. (28:22) Right. (28:23) So okay. (28:23) So now it's set in place.

Scott Benner (28:24) You probably never even look at it.

Jen (28:26) Right.

Scott Benner (28:27) Are you happy you have it still? (28:29) Absolutely. (28:30) Why?

Jen (28:31) Well, like I said, I think it's just legal protection. (28:33) I think if somebody in the hallway or somebody who doesn't know him or a substitute or somebody wants to get him in trouble, then I'd say, nope. (28:41) That's not gonna happen.

Scott Benner (28:43) Yeah. (28:43) It it well, it is that easy sometimes. (28:45) Like, you know, put your phone away. (28:47) I'm giving myself insulin. (28:48) Put your phone away.

Scott Benner (28:49) I don't care. (28:49) Well, you Right. (28:50) You're gonna care because, you know, the administrator's about to tell you to shut up. (28:54) So

Jen (28:54) Right. (28:55) Yeah. (28:55) Right.

Scott Benner (28:55) It really is that. (28:56) It's just it's more like a document that keeps people from who don't understand your situation from being a jerk to you.

Jen (29:03) They're pretty much as Exactly.

Scott Benner (29:04) Yeah. (29:05) Well and and then if something goes wrong, you can get it fixed because it's been laid out somewhere and agreed upon.

Jen (29:11) Exactly.

Scott Benner (29:11) Yeah. (29:12) Which is why they try to pass off a super simple five zero four to you because it's less for them to comply with.

Jen (29:18) Right.

Scott Benner (29:18) More importantly, fewer things for them that they could potentially get in trouble for.

Jen (29:23) Right.

Scott Benner (29:24) Always look at it like that, you'll know where people are coming from.

Jen (29:27) Alright.

Scott Benner (29:28) Yeah. (29:28) Anyway. (29:30) Okay. (29:30) So management stuff. (29:33) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (29:34) You don't know what you're doing. (29:35) You get people to talk to you plainly, but did that help? (29:38) Or were you did you find yourself like, my people are great, or were you like, uh-oh. (29:43) I'm not getting I'm not getting much helpful advice here.

Jen (29:46) No. (29:47) I mean, I think, you know, a lot of people talk about horrible hospital experiences. (29:50) I think that we had a pretty good experience. (29:54) You know, everybody was really good. (29:56) I kinda got online right away, found some I'm in some doctor mom Facebook groups and got connected to some people who, you know, kinda gave me some basic advice.

Jen (30:07) One of my favorite expressions that I learned early on from someone, I wish I knew who it was, but they said, don't drink from the fire hose.

Scott Benner (30:15) Yeah. (30:16) And

Jen (30:16) that has stuck with me because I think you get so much thrown at you at one time. (30:21) You know? (30:21) And I can't imagine what it's like to not have a medical background and have all this stuff thrown at you.

Scott Benner (30:27) So even with things being thrown at you quickly and you understanding a lot of contextually what it was, it was still too much.

Jen (30:33) Yeah. (30:34) Okay. (30:35) Yeah. (30:35) Exactly.

Scott Benner (30:36) I made that die the finding diabetes series because of that idea. (30:40) Like, I thought everyone's yelling buzzwords at people and they don't know what they mean. (30:44) And they say them they say, like like, you don't realize if you're a person who says bolus all the time that there are a lot of people who go, I don't know what you're saying. (30:52) You know, like, so and then you just keep rolling on with it. (30:56) And the person you're talking to is back there going, I don't know.

Scott Benner (30:58) I guess I'll figure out what bolus means later, and then I'll maybe this will all make sense. (31:03) Nope. (31:03) It won't. (31:04) So what did you find like, I know how I think of it. (31:07) I mean, if you it's not a secret.

Scott Benner (31:09) I think of it the way it's in the bowl beginning series. (31:12) Like, that's that's how I think about the beginning. (31:14) But what did you find that was helpful?

Jen (31:15) You know, just talking to people, really. (31:17) You know? (31:18) And I think that the people in the hospital did a great job with him and with me. (31:22) And, you know, we were it was less than twenty four hours, so we were in and out and, you know, put a Dexcom on him right away, which was great. (31:31) And, you know, it it turned into a pretty good experience.

Jen (31:35) Went back to school the the following day.

Scott Benner (31:38) Did you realize he's right back again?

Jen (31:40) Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (31:41) Well, did you have that, like, we can do this, nothing's gonna stop us vibe going?

Jen (31:45) I tried.

Scott Benner (31:45) You tried? (31:47) Is your husband in medicine too?

Jen (31:49) He is.

Scott Benner (31:50) Yeah. (31:50) Is he, like, just a different kind of doctor?

Jen (31:54) He's an anesthesiologist.

Scott Benner (31:56) That's the best job, isn't it?

Jen (31:57) Yeah. (31:59) He just doesn't he talks to them, puts them to sleep.

Scott Benner (32:01) And he pops

Jen (32:02) on a

Scott Benner (32:02) pop then he pops on a podcast. (32:03) Right?

Jen (32:05) Yeah. (32:06) I guess. (32:06) Don't know what he does. (32:07) I

Scott Benner (32:07) don't ask him. (32:08) Hey. (32:09) Listen. (32:09) An anesthesiologist saved me recently. (32:12) I've been put out a number of times.

Scott Benner (32:13) Actually, my son said to me the other day. (32:14) He goes, you you know, you've had a lot of surgeries? (32:16) And I was like, yeah. (32:17) I was thinking that the other day too. (32:18) You know, when I get the Jackson juice, it burns like crazy for me.

Scott Benner (32:23) It doesn't it doesn't for everybody, by the way. (32:25) So last time I had to have it you're laughing at what part? (32:28) The Jackson juice? (32:29) Yeah. (32:29) Okay.

Scott Benner (32:29) And so, like, I so I said that to the anesthesiologist. (32:32) I'm like, hey. (32:33) Yo. (32:33) Easy. (32:33) That's gonna burn.

Scott Benner (32:34) I was like, is there anything you can do about that? (32:36) And he goes, oh, yeah. (32:37) No problem. (32:38) And he tourniquet my arm and kinda, like, put it in a little slower and then held it for a minute before he let it through and it didn't burn. (32:45) And I was like, I remember thinking, thank you, but I couldn't actually say it because I was gone.

Scott Benner (32:50) I was gone.

Jen (32:51) Right.

Scott Benner (32:51) But now if I have something done, it's the last thing I tell people. (32:54) Like, are you aware of how to do this? (32:56) Because otherwise, when they inject it into my IV, my arm feels like it's on fire. (33:01) And then that goes across my chest and that's like my last remembrance as I pass out. (33:06) Oh.

Scott Benner (33:06) I mean, in the in you know, meanwhile, I I guess it really doesn't matter because you're asleep in, like, a split second. (33:11) Tell your husband if he ever wants to come on to a podcast to explain the complexities of the idea that we understand that anesthesia makes people go to sleep and wake back up again, but we don't know understand how. (33:23) I'm fascinated by that conversation. (33:25) So yeah.

Jen (33:26) Oh, yeah. (33:26) He would love

Scott Benner (33:27) I there may be I was just saying it to Arden the other day. (33:30) She was talking about something medical. (33:32) She's like, why can't they just I was like, Arden, you know what? (33:35) I said, do you know that we don't know why anesthesia works? (33:38) And she goes, what?

Scott Benner (33:40) I'm like, the stuff they put in you, you fall asleep, you don't die, and you wake back up when they take it away. (33:45) And she goes, yeah. (33:45) I said, we know that happens. (33:47) We have no idea why. (33:49) She's like, what?

Scott Benner (33:50) I'm like, yeah. (33:51) Now imagine what else we don't know. (33:55) Yeah. (33:56) Yeah.

Jen (33:56) Right.

Scott Benner (33:57) But okay. (33:58) So he's he's been through med school. (34:00) You've been through med school. (34:02) But does somebody take the reins on the diabetes thing, or do you have that, like, I I we're we're trying to stay very vague about your children. (34:09) Is your child of the age where you're like, oh, no.

Scott Benner (34:11) It's theirs to take over, or did you feel like, no. (34:13) I should be helping?

Jen (34:14) Yeah. (34:15) It's I mean, it's pretty much all me. (34:16) Like I said, I work part time. (34:18) So and because I'm more on the general practice kinda side of things, I tend to manage most of it, you know, as far as I'm the one who's calling the insurance and, you know, making appointments and sending the messages. (34:34) I mean, the nice thing about having a teenager who is smart and functional is that he does a lot of it himself.

Jen (34:44) You know? (34:44) Every once in a while, I'm like, oh, is it a Dexcom day? (34:47) Or so a lot of it is on him.

Scott Benner (34:50) But By choice? (34:51) Like, does he want you not to be involved, or is it No. (34:56) He's looking for no?

Jen (34:57) No. (34:57) I mean, we I'd say it's a team effort, but, you know, he's very intuitive

Scott Benner (35:02) Okay.

Jen (35:03) Which I think is good. (35:05) It's funny because we've even had his endocrinologist, the nurse practitioner say, you know, don't make changes on your pump without talking to us. (35:13) And I'm gone, okay.

Scott Benner (35:16) Yeah. (35:17) I'll call you up before I change the basal from point six five to point seven.

Jen (35:22) Exactly. (35:22) Exactly. (35:23) No. (35:23) There has been I mean, we definitely communicate with them. (35:26) I I I try not to play doctor with my kids.

Jen (35:30) So, you know, I do wanna communicate with them and make sure that everybody's on the same page. (35:34) But I think for little things like that, you know, that's definitely something he and I can do together.

Scott Benner (35:40) You feel like you'll grow together? (35:41) Do you have an expectation that at some point he's gonna look at you and go, okay. (35:45) That's enough now? (35:46) I'm good? (35:47) Like, I don't want you involved anymore, do you think he'll keep accept accepting your your help?

Jen (35:52) I don't know. (35:53) I guess we'll see what time.

Scott Benner (35:54) You're not an anxious person.

Jen (35:56) That depends who you ask.

Scott Benner (35:57) I know. (35:57) Your husband thinks you are, but I I'm asking you. (35:59) Yeah. (35:59) Yeah. (35:59) Yeah.

Jen (36:00) He probably does. (36:00) Yeah. (36:01) Yeah. (36:02) I mean, I'm definitely a worrier, but I think it just depends on what's going on.

Scott Benner (36:06) More so since you had kids? (36:08) Definitely. (36:08) Definitely. (36:09) Yeah. (36:09) That's the thing.

Scott Benner (36:10) I I I know I've probably joked about it one too many times, and I was like, I think there's a switch in there. (36:14) The kids grab it on the way out, and they, like, flip it. (36:17) And then Mhmm. (36:17) Like, because my wife was a lot more chill before, like, I made her pregnant. (36:21) But it's good though.

Scott Benner (36:22) Right? (36:22) You're keeping the kid alive. (36:24) Not good for you. (36:24) It's good for them. (36:26) You're you're very vigilant for them.

Scott Benner (36:28) That's awesome.

Jen (36:30) Right.

Scott Benner (36:31) So I will tell you, as a person who's been at this for a a very long time, being the parent of someone with diabetes, there is more than likely going to be a moment where your your child is just like, hey. (36:44) I'm good. (36:46) And Mhmm. (36:46) They're probably not really going to be. (36:49) But it turns into more of, like, a a psychological necessity at that point.

Scott Benner (36:55) Mhmm. (36:55) You're going to have to, at some point, like, like, create boundaries. (37:00) And they'll he'll probably make them. (37:02) And then you're gonna have to, like, find a way to, like, live with them, not ruin your relationship, but still at the same time make sure that the health part is okay. (37:10) It's a really unfun part of this whole thing.

Scott Benner (37:13) In case any of you are wondering what comes next, this is there's Right. (37:17) The it's not a big party. (37:19) But you get through it, like, you know, and it's it's just it's a process like the like the rest of

Jen (37:23) it. (37:24) Right.

Scott Benner (37:25) What what kind of outcomes are you having right now? (37:27) How does this, like, what do you think of as a spike at a meal? (37:31) What are numbers you're shooting for? (37:33) What kind of a one c's you're trying for? (37:34) How do you like your variability?

Scott Benner (37:36) Stuff like that.

Jen (37:37) You know, I mean, the crazy thing that, I mean, you know about diabetes is, like, doing the exact same thing every day, and your numbers are gonna be different because that's just the way it is. (37:46) One thing that I think helped early on was that one of the doctors said, you know, the goal is to not be a 100% in range, right Mhmm. (37:56) All the time.

Scott Benner (37:57) Mhmm.

Jen (37:57) And I think that, you know, knowing that the goal is not perfection and that the goal is, you know, being safe and having quality of life and, you know, functioning and feeling good, I think, is the point. (38:09) On the I don't know if it's on the Dexcom app or the Mobi app, but they're they do give a percentage on the bottom of the app Yeah. (38:17) About, like, your time and range Mhmm. (38:19) Which I think is good and bad if you're a numbers person.

Scott Benner (38:23) Because if you're you think that any number under a 100 seems like failure to some people?

Jen (38:29) I mean, I could see where some people might feel like that. (38:32) Yeah. (38:32) Right? (38:33) And because every day is so different, you might have a day where you're 50 to 60% in range. (38:37) Right?

Jen (38:38) And then you might have a day where you're 90% in range.

Scott Benner (38:40) Yeah.

Jen (38:41) So I think that seeing that and can sometimes be a little bit frustrating, I'm sure. (38:47) But, yeah, I mean, the goal is to, you know, make sure he's feeling good and keep numbers in range as much as possible. (38:55) But I think that, you know, aiming for that a 100%, I think, is is tough.

Scott Benner (39:00) You don't feel that way? (39:02) Like like, it's failure if you don't do a certain thing. (39:05) If not, how did you get to that?

Jen (39:06) No. (39:07) I don't. (39:07) And I think that, you know, like, all things in parenting, you see things online. (39:11) Right? (39:11) And you see you know, at first, I was following all these people online and, oh, my kid only eats veggies and meat and blah blah blah.

Jen (39:19) And, you know, and you're like, oh, I wish that it was like this, and I wish it was like that. (39:25) But in reality, I think you have to do what works best for you and your family and your situation.

Scott Benner (39:31) Mhmm.

Jen (39:32) Right?

Scott Benner (39:33) Yeah. (39:33) For sure. (39:34) I agree. (39:34) Like, so how does that happen? (39:36) You look online for what?

Scott Benner (39:37) For community, for people who understand, for answers, that kind of thing. (39:41) At some point, you find someone who was like, I'll tell you what I did. (39:45) I'd I eat one carb a year, and it's fixed everything. (39:49) And you're like, okay. (39:50) Well, we'll just that's what we'll do.

Scott Benner (39:51) Right? (39:52) Because they show you a beautiful graph, and you're like, yes. (39:54) I'm looking for that.

Jen (39:55) Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (39:55) Yeah. (39:55) And then what does it hit you five seconds later? (39:58) You go, I I do I would like a piece of bread once in a while. (40:01) Like, hold on a second. (40:02) Like, I Exactly.

Scott Benner (40:03) Yeah. (40:03) I didn't want things to change that much. (40:05) Does that leave you feeling like it's an all or nothing situation? (40:10) Like, well, I either have to be completely no carb or I have horrible blood sugars?

Jen (40:16) Not necessarily, but I think that that probably takes time to get that message through.

Scott Benner (40:22) Yeah.

Jen (40:22) And think there's a lot of that in parenting, you know, the comparing to other people and, well, my kid's reading at three years old and, you know, my kid's in advanced classes and my kid's not. (40:32) And Mhmm. (40:32) You know, there's a lot of that, I think, in all aspects of parenting. (40:35) So I think that it's important to step back and realize, you know, again, what works for your family is what works for you. (40:43) And I counsel that a lot in my job with different aspects of life.

Jen (40:49) So a lot of this has kind of turned over into the way that I counsel families and do reassurance and have empathy for their situations and talk to them about their life.

Scott Benner (41:03) Yeah. (41:03) I I find that the messaging I I wish hope I'm I'm giving out is that there is a standard that you're reaching for. (41:12) You don't need to get to it today. (41:14) And Exactly. (41:15) You also don't wanna get halfway to it and go, that's good enough.

Scott Benner (41:19) It's a process, and that process may take longer or shorter for different people. (41:24) And you're certainly not gonna get through it, quickly or at all if you don't have at least some of the tools and the basic understanding. (41:31) So go find those understandings, live through your experiences over and over again, and keep making adjustments till you find find the thing that works. (41:38) The tough part is that the diabetes is adjusting while you're adjusting.

Jen (41:42) Correct.

Scott Benner (41:42) Yeah. (41:43) Yeah. (41:43) It's not a lot of fun. (41:44) Right. (41:45) It really it really isn't.

Jen (41:48) Right.

Scott Benner (41:48) Can I ask you a question?

Jen (41:50) Okay.

Scott Benner (41:50) Yeah. (41:51) Yeah. (41:51) So this is have I not been asking you questions? (41:54) You just think, like, have you not been asking me questions for the last forty minutes, you dumbass? (41:58) But, like so I've been I I just talked about this with another person, so it's gonna come up in the podcast in succession.

Scott Benner (42:05) So for you listening, guys listening, I'm sorry. (42:07) But so you're a mom. (42:09) Your your kid has type one diabetes, not for a long time, but for, you know, a rather newer diagnosis. (42:15) You're also obviously who you are professionally. (42:19) If I told you that I have on my website, I've just not made it public yet, I have a calculator that if you put your weight into, it would give you an average start for insulin to carb ratio, basal, and sensitivity.

Scott Benner (42:38) Would you say I think that's a good thing for people to see? (42:42) Possibly. (42:43) How much does your child weigh?

Jen (42:45) Mine? (42:46) I have no idea. (42:47) Can

Scott Benner (42:48) you ballpark guess?

Jen (42:50) Maybe one thirty? (42:51) Okay.

Scott Benner (42:51) So if I type one thirty in as the the weight, it will tell you that an estimated total daily dose is around thirty two and a half units. (43:00) Do you think he uses about thirty two and a half units a day, or is that wildly off for him?

Jen (43:05) No. (43:05) That's probably possibly about right.

Scott Benner (43:07) About right. (43:07) Okay. (43:08) Is his basil about point six eight an hour? (43:12) Point seven? (43:13) Does he use about sure.

Scott Benner (43:15) Does he use about sixteen units a day in basil?

Jen (43:18) That sounds about right, I think.

Scott Benner (43:20) It's Okay. (43:21) Do you think a unit moves him how far? (43:24) Like, when you're doing a correction, if he's 200, what gets him to 100?

Jen (43:28) Maybe three or four units. (43:29) I'm not sure.

Scott Benner (43:30) It could be more yeah. (43:31) It's interesting. (43:31) This tells you, like Yeah. (43:33) You know, it it says, look. (43:34) Here's an estimated start for your insulin sensitivity.

Scott Benner (43:36) You know, one unit drops you by 55 at a standard eight so it's using for insulin sensitivity, it's using the, the 1,800 rule to find the number. (43:46) Mhmm. (43:47) You can switch it to use different like, a more resistant or a more sensitive rule. (43:51) Same thing for the insulin to carb calculation. (43:54) It's being done by the 500 rule, which is where the math comes from to figure out people's starting rates for their their carbs.

Scott Benner (44:01) And for basil, there's, different factors. (44:03) It's using the standard, which is point five five, but it it also gives you opportunities to switch to high sensitivity resistant or highly resistant. (44:10) My question is, if you had that because you have access to people. (44:15) You talk to a lot of people. (44:17) So if if it's true that people are being asked to do something with specious settings, they're not quite sure if their settings are right, would it not be helpful to give them something that says, look.

Scott Benner (44:30) These are about maybe where you should start looking at your settings for. (44:34) Does that seem like a value to you?

Jen (44:36) Possibly. (44:37) I you know, I I know we relied on his doctors to kinda create those settings and at the beginning and and periodically when we check-in. (44:47) You know? (44:47) And those are all on his phone, which is why I said I wasn't sure. (44:50) Yeah.

Jen (44:51) Yeah. (44:51) No. (44:51) Of course. (44:52) So all of those settings are there, and I know that the, you know, the medical professionals created those settings, and we adjust up and down, you know, as needed.

Scott Benner (45:01) Mhmm. (45:02) I'm just I'm wondering because you're a doctor. (45:04) Like, if if Mhmm. (45:05) You could somehow look at this calculator and go, okay. (45:07) Well, these are the these are the mathematical formulas that an endocrinologist is using to get a starting point for these numbers.

Jen (45:13) Right.

Scott Benner (45:14) Right? (45:14) Would you consider sharing it with somebody, or or would that scare you? (45:18) And if so, what scares you about it?

Jen (45:21) I would probably let the specialists do that just because they have so pediatric endocrinologist has three extra years of training

Scott Benner (45:28) Mhmm.

Jen (45:29) Compared to me.

Scott Benner (45:30) Yeah.

Jen (45:31) So, like, my residency is in general pediatrics, and I did some rotations in in endocrinology. (45:37) But if you're an endocrinologist pediatric endocrinologist, you've done three more years on top of that. (45:43) So I feel like probably leaving it to them to create the mathematical goals and do that, at least to start everything, is a good thing. (45:54) Like I said, we kinda adjust up and down in increments if needed, but Right. (45:59) I think getting their perspective from the beginning is important.

Scott Benner (46:03) How long has your child had type one now?

Jen (46:05) A year and a half.

Scott Benner (46:06) Year and a half. (46:07) The reason I asked you a question about the calculator is because you're very new at type one, but you've been a doctor for a very long time. (46:14) Mhmm. (46:15) So you're gonna be more risk adverse about, like, just telling people like, hey. (46:18) Click on this link.

Scott Benner (46:18) But at the same time, have you not gotten a lot of your information that way?

Jen (46:24) Right. (46:24) That's true.

Scott Benner (46:25) Yeah. (46:26) Yeah. (46:26) So I it just it's it's interesting. (46:28) The the reason I ask is because I'm gonna spend a fair amount of time this year talking to people in clinical settings. (46:34) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (46:34) I want to be able to say to them, listen. (46:36) I've been doing this for twelve years. (46:38) This is what they need to know, and these things will help them get to it faster. (46:43) Mhmm. (46:43) But you've gotta believe that it's a big leap if you're a person who went to medical school or you're a nurse or, you know, a professional person, And a guy comes along and goes, hey.

Scott Benner (46:54) I make a podcast. (46:56) I you know, everything that I know about diabetes is in these these series right here. (47:01) I think if you listen to them and understand these t shirt slogan sayings about type one, you'll be well on your way. (47:06) But you do need good settings. (47:08) So here's the thing that'll help you get to that.

Scott Benner (47:10) Godspeed. (47:11) Like, take all that, synthesize it together, apply it to your own life, and I think you're gonna be better off if you do. (47:17) How do you make a person like, because that's my pitch. (47:20) Yeah. (47:21) And by the way, I believe it.

Scott Benner (47:23) Okay? (47:23) And I believe it because I've seen it work for, I mean, honestly, countless people. (47:29) Mhmm. (47:29) So, like but how do I say it? (47:32) But but what I just realized is when I said it to you, you were kinda like, I don't know.

Scott Benner (47:35) I don't think so. (47:37) I want I want and you listened to you listened to this podcast. (47:41) Right?

Jen (47:41) Yeah.

Scott Benner (47:41) Yeah. (47:42) So you you listened to this podcast. (47:44) You've had some success, I would bet, on things that I've said. (47:47) And and then what's your kid's a one c?

Jen (47:49) Right now, probably around six point something.

Scott Benner (47:52) Yeah. (47:52) You're doing good. (47:53) And when I said, hey. (47:53) Do you think I should tell people about that? (47:55) She were like, what made you go,

Jen (48:02) Well, just kind of like I don't know. (48:04) It's hard to explain. (48:05) You know? (48:05) I mean, it's good to get online and get people's perspective of things, I think. (48:09) Like, when we were looking at pumps or, you know, various inform to get information.

Jen (48:15) Right?

Scott Benner (48:16) Yeah. (48:16) Yeah. (48:16) Go ahead.

Jen (48:19) But

Scott Benner (48:21) May I? (48:22) Yeah. (48:22) You trust yourself. (48:24) Yeah. (48:25) And so if we step out of this conversation and we and we you, as a doctor, look at you as a parent situation, you say, well, yeah.

Scott Benner (48:33) That person was able to go online, get things and synthesize it and put it together because they were a doctor and they had more critical thinking. (48:39) But what about the people who don't have the critical thinking? (48:41) So you think it's possible that you had success because you had knowledge that other people don't have. (48:46) I'm telling you that this works eight to 80, blind, cripple to crazy. (48:51) It doesn't matter.

Jen (48:51) It's just like a lot of things. (48:53) I mean, half my day is people coming into my office saying, well, I looked at this online or I found this on Google. (48:59) I asked chat GPT.

Scott Benner (49:00) Right. (49:01) Right. (49:01) And so you're freaked out because what if they're getting bad information, but you got good information when you did

Jen (49:07) it. (49:08) Right.

Scott Benner (49:08) That so my that's gonna be my problem when I'm talking to doctors. (49:12) So you've just identified for me what I have to change about my pitch. (49:16) Thank you. (49:18) Because, because here, I'll pitch it to you a different way. (49:21) You may or may not know this, but if you go to one of these AI, like, models at this point and ask a diabetes questions, it's gonna give you some pretty rock solid advice.

Jen (49:29) Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (49:30) Yeah. (49:30) I just had a medical problem cleared up for me because of chat GPT.

Jen (49:35) Oh, definitely.

Scott Benner (49:35) Something I I struggled with forever. (49:37) I talked about on the podcast recently. (49:39) If you haven't heard it, it's worth listening to. (49:41) I was hilarious when I explained it. (49:43) But I'd still be struggling today if it wasn't for that.

Scott Benner (49:46) And you could say, well, you could have googled it. (49:47) I did Google it. (49:48) It didn't work out that way for me. (49:50) Like, I couldn't get an answer that way. (49:52) I've seen people drop their graphs into a model and ask it where they think they're making their mistakes with their insulin and without any context, it's being valuable to them.

Jen (50:01) Right.

Scott Benner (50:02) So but I get also that I don't want just people running around yelling out into the and whatever they hear echoed back at them, they just start doing. (50:10) But I'm I'm not saying that. (50:11) I'm saying that when a person is lost in the woods, if you don't have a flashlight and a map to give them, it still might be nice to stand off in the distance and yell, over here, and see if they can't make their way to you. (50:24) Right? (50:24) Right.

Scott Benner (50:25) That that's kind of how I think about it. (50:26) I know that the medical system, and for a lot of good reasons, does not think about it that way. (50:32) But, you know, I'm I'm gonna guess a couple 100,000 people listen to this podcast and, they're doing okay. (50:39) So, like, so I'm trying to figure out how to, like, how do I leave that message because I have until April. (50:45) I have until the April because I have, hey, Scott.

Scott Benner (50:50) I am the diabetes coordinator for the office, and I am thrilled to announce that you have been chosen as the keynote speaker at our symposium. (50:59) So I have about Yeah. (51:01) Three I got about three months to figure out how to say that. (51:08) So, anyway, I I I I like that you were I I could bounce it off of you for a second. (51:13) Thank you.

Scott Benner (51:13) Sure. (51:14) Yeah. (51:14) Yeah. (51:14) But I but your reaction told me a lot. (51:17) It was very helpful.

Scott Benner (51:18) Because you're you're a you're a lovely, reasonable, smart person. (51:21) I've been talking to you for an hour. (51:22) And you listen to the podcast and got value out of it. (51:26) And still when I said, should we tell other people about it? (51:28) You're like, oh, I don't know, man.

Scott Benner (51:32) That was pretty that was pretty good information for me. (51:35) I appreciate that. (51:36) Anything in your story that we haven't touched on, stuff that you wanted to talk about that we've missed? (51:40) I won't I don't wanna miss any of your topics.

Jen (51:42) I guess just talking about, like, the way that it's changed the way that I practice medicine a little bit.

Scott Benner (51:48) Yeah.

Jen (51:48) You know? (51:49) And it's not not just diabetes, but just really any chronic medical condition too. (51:54) One of the things that I try to address, I try to be a whole picture kind of person. (51:58) Mhmm. (51:58) So if I know I'm seeing a sibling of someone who's you know, I know the sibling has been undergoing cancer treatments or the sibling has had some health problems.

Jen (52:09) You know, I try to make sure that the siblings are okay and the families are okay and how can I help kind of thing? (52:17) Yeah. (52:18) Or what do you need kind of thing. (52:19) You know, I'd like to admit that I was like this before.

Scott Benner (52:23) You don't think you are?

Jen (52:24) I don't know. (52:25) I think that it has changed a little bit. (52:27) Like I said, I definitely know more about the school stuff and the five zero four and the you know, just in general, you know, I recently was on the school on the phone with a school for, like, almost an hour talking about a kid with a not diabetes, something else. (52:41) But I think it's just wanting to help those kids and those families navigate the health care system because it can be really challenging if you don't know what you're talking about.

Scott Benner (52:52) What I feel like I'm hearing is that as your family's story gets deeper and richer and you have more perspective and experiences, that's impacting how you're talking to people in the practice.

Jen (53:05) It is.

Scott Benner (53:06) That's what people mean when they, you know, when they say, like, oh, my doctor's great. (53:11) They've been doing this forever. (53:12) It's the it's the bad stuff. (53:14) It's the nuance stuff, the stuff that nobody teaches your rights in a book that you get out of out of that. (53:20) Like, it's it's life.

Scott Benner (53:22) Like, you have more you have more life now than you had before, and now you Right. (53:26) And you have a a really great place to apply it in. (53:28) Answer for me why is it that that stuff wasn't common sense before you had the life experience? (53:35) And this isn't me coming down on you. (53:36) This is me trying to understand the the human mind.

Scott Benner (53:39) Like because, honestly, now that you've said it out loud, it's not like it's some great, like, stroke of genius. (53:46) Right? (53:46) To say yeah. (53:47) To say to somebody, hey. (53:48) Your brother's sick.

Scott Benner (53:48) I'm gonna be a little more compassionate to you. (53:50) Like so what what do you think that is? (53:52) Is the job just so clinical that it doesn't allow for that, or what what is that?

Jen (53:57) It is. (53:58) And then a lot of it is time. (54:00) I'll be honest.

Scott Benner (54:01) Mhmm.

Jen (54:01) You know, if you're doing a well child check and you have fifteen to twenty minutes in with, like, with someone, you know, you're you're going over a lot of things in those that fifteen, twenty minutes. (54:11) But I think I've also learned to kinda pick and choose what needs to be gone over.

Scott Benner (54:16) Okay. (54:17) So your experiences are making you reallocate the time differently?

Jen (54:20) Correct.

Scott Benner (54:21) Gotcha. (54:22) It's like when they ask you, what's that one pediatrician thing that I they clearly you're supposed to assess their mental health, right, if they're depressed, and you do it with, like, one sentence. (54:31) What's the sentence? (54:32) Say it.

Jen (54:33) Well, there's different screenings that we're supposed to be doing with the kids. (54:37) Like, there's one called a PHQ nine. (54:39) I tend to just talk to the kids about how they're doing or if there was any concerns.

Scott Benner (54:43) I have an interesting experience because my my kid's pediatrician who's no longer their doctor, they're older now, but was a friend. (54:50) And so he'd, like, look and go, Arden, are you sad or anything?

Jen (54:57) I don't say that.

Scott Benner (54:58) Yeah. (54:58) And and he'd be she'd be like, no. (54:59) And he'd look at me, I go, she seems okay. (55:01) They're like, alright. (55:01) And then that was sort of how it would go.

Jen (55:05) Right. (55:05) Right.

Scott Benner (55:06) But yeah. (55:06) But you so you have, like, these little, like, lead in questions that you're supposed to ask, things you're looking for,

Jen (55:11) that kind of stuff. (55:12) Yeah. (55:12) And I think, like, I don't I tend to not argue with parents as much if they're wanting something that's relatively easy. (55:19) You know, a lot of people come in and they say, well, I want labs, or I want a referral, or I want this. (55:23) And a lot of the times, if it seems reasonable, I'm like, okay.

Scott Benner (55:27) And prior, you'd be like, this situation doesn't call for that, or I don't Right. (55:32) Right. (55:32) Instead, you're like, this will make them happy or comfortable or or satiated.

Jen (55:36) Exactly. (55:36) If you feel more comfortable checking some lab work and we have a reason, like, something we can code for and you're concerned, I'm fine doing it.

Scott Benner (55:44) Yeah. (55:44) Why I am you have a tough enough life. (55:46) Why am I making a fight here?

Jen (55:48) Exactly. (55:49) Exactly.

Scott Benner (55:49) And that comes from now you know what it's like to have a tougher life.

Jen (55:53) Right.

Scott Benner (55:53) Prior to Arden's diagnosis, I would tell you that I had a two year old and a, like, I don't know, four year old. (56:05) And I just bought a little house and we were fixing it up and we had a property and everything. (56:11) Like, we were doing okay and everything felt like it was going and I was like, oh, my life is this is what I was trying for. (56:16) Like, you know what I mean? (56:17) Like, all this stuff is happening.

Scott Benner (56:18) And prior to that, like, any of the hardships I had before that were gone. (56:22) Like, I'd I'd kind of, like, moved into another part of my life, you know, and then this happened. (56:28) And I was like, oh, god. (56:30) Like, this is I didn't expect this level of resistance from the world.

Jen (56:35) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (56:35) You know? (56:36) And it it was it it was really a shift. (56:39) And I'm wondering, like, did you have a similar experience where things were going okay and then suddenly this happened? (56:45) Or did you have a lot of struggles that prepared you for this?

Jen (56:49) No. (56:49) I think probably very similar experience, you know, when you're just cruising along. (56:54) And then, you know, my grandfather used to have an expression where he would say, man plans and god laughs. (57:00) So you know? (57:02) But I wouldn't say it changed too much.

Jen (57:03) I mean, we still travel. (57:05) You know, I think when you originally maybe get the news of the diagnosis, like, okay. (57:10) What's gonna change? (57:11) Right? (57:11) Well, we still travel.

Jen (57:13) We still do the things that we wanna you know, but you have to adjust. (57:17) So but I think that is the original fear, of course.

Scott Benner (57:20) Yeah. (57:21) So it's not perfect, but you still you make your way through it. (57:23) Okay?

Jen (57:24) Yeah. (57:24) We try.

Scott Benner (57:25) I feel badly when, like, you're talking about how, like, you know, how it impact how things can impact people. (57:30) Like, I mean, it was hard. (57:32) I'm not gonna say. (57:33) And, I've I've said this before. (57:35) It I I didn't have a podcast to listen to.

Scott Benner (57:38) You know, a lot of the things that I just say off the top of my head now that people are like, oh, Scott's so lucky. (57:42) Like, I had to figure all that out by, like Mhmm.

Jen (57:44) You know,

Scott Benner (57:44) living through horrible situations. (57:46) Still, I'm okay. (57:48) Mhmm. (57:48) You you know, you know, like, but it wasn't great. (57:50) Like, there was there was a there were years of, like, oh my god.

Scott Benner (57:54) This is going wrong. (57:56) You know? (57:56) And and this isn't gonna be okay, she's gonna have real problems. (57:59) And but I just I don't know why I didn't give up, to be perfectly honest with you. (58:03) I'm just happy that sort of not how I'm, like, built or whatever.

Scott Benner (58:06) But but now I look up and I see people who are have access to help or information or even ideas, you know, and then they can't get to them. (58:16) And then that that kinda breaks my heart too.

Jen (58:18) Oh, right.

Scott Benner (58:19) Because you know what people are going through. (58:21) And Absolutely. (58:22) Some of it's just not necessary.

Jen (58:24) Yeah. (58:25) And that Well and, I mean, I see a lot of kids who don't have supportive families, and it's you know, don't have transportation to their specialists and don't have people who are taking care of them. (58:37) And I think that that is even more difficult Yeah. (58:40) And sad.

Scott Benner (58:41) Out of 10 random people, how many kids do you think are living a life with a a parent that's not not, supportive in one of those ways?

Jen (58:52) You mean on a, like, on a regular day?

Scott Benner (58:54) Yeah. (58:54) Like, how many how many how many times a day do you walk out and just run your head into the concrete wall across from the door when you walk out?

Jen (59:00) Boy. (59:03) Multiple. (59:04) No. (59:05) Probably a handful.

Scott Benner (59:06) Yeah. (59:07) Yeah. (59:07) It's tough. (59:08) Yeah. (59:08) I mean, have you sat quietly and thought about that?

Scott Benner (59:11) Like, what's the help there, or is there just nothing to do? (59:14) Definitely. (59:15) Have you come up with any answers? (59:17) Like, how do you how do you circumvent a a parent that's not valuable in this situation?

Jen (59:21) I mean, it's definitely tricky. (59:23) You can't call CPS on everybody. (59:26) You know? (59:26) I try to just make sure that they have what they need and, you know, any referrals. (59:30) Or like I said, I try to say, how can I help?

Jen (59:33) You know? (59:34) Sometimes it's just a tricky situation.

Scott Benner (59:36) Yeah. (59:37) Does it end up I mean, you've been at it long enough now. (59:40) Think back ten years ago to a family that you were like, uh-oh. (59:43) This is a show, and this kid's in trouble. (59:45) Did it end up that way, or did it do do things have a way of working out when you don't expect them to?

Jen (59:51) It's hard to know from ten years ago because a lot of times people fall off the grid. (59:56) So, you know, if there was somebody at that point, they may not even be in our town anymore or in our practice or

Scott Benner (1:00:03) You don't

Jen (1:00:04) You know, hard to hard to know. (1:00:05) Right?

Scott Benner (1:00:06) Yeah. (1:00:07) You don't you don't always get to, like, see somebody all the way through. (1:00:10) Is that tough?

Jen (1:00:11) Exactly.

Scott Benner (1:00:11) Is it hard to, like, put so much effort into somebody and then not see the result, or is that part of the job?

Jen (1:00:17) I mean, it's kinda part of the job, I think. (1:00:19) Especially when you're in a practice with there's, there's six of us in our practice. (1:00:23) So, you know, I'm not always seeing the kids for everything. (1:00:27) So sometimes people will bounce back and forth between different doctors. (1:00:31) So you may see them for a little bit and then not see them for a little bit.

Scott Benner (1:00:34) Yeah. (1:00:35) People people don't even consistently come when they're supposed to? (1:00:39) No. (1:00:40) Oh, you said that like, no, dummy. (1:00:41) I can't believe you asked that like a question.

Scott Benner (1:00:43) I would never not do that. (1:00:46) That's why I like, it doesn't it doesn't occur to me.

Jen (1:00:49) Yeah. (1:00:49) Well, I'll see someone who said, oh, I haven't been here in three or four years. (1:00:52) So, well, a, you're lucky.

Scott Benner (1:00:55) Yeah.

Jen (1:00:55) Right? (1:00:56) That you haven't needed a doctor in three or four years. (1:00:58) And b, I say, well, you're here now, and that's all that matters.

Scott Benner (1:01:02) You just made the same noise my son made to me the other day when I said, like I I go this is gonna sound I don't know if this is gonna sound Pollyanna or childish. (1:01:10) I'm not sure. (1:01:11) But I said, man, so many people drink too much in the world. (1:01:14) It's not part of my lifestyle, so I don't really, like I'm not aware of it, I guess. (1:01:19) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (1:01:20) But he laughed and he went, yeah. (1:01:22) I I was like he's like, dude, everybody. (1:01:25) And I was like, gotcha. (1:01:28) It's also by the way, you do whatever you want. (1:01:30) I honestly don't I honestly don't care.

Scott Benner (1:01:32) We me and my kids had this conversation again recently about, like, judgment.

Jen (1:01:36) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (1:01:37) And I stood there and I was like, listen. (1:01:39) I am not judgmental. (1:01:41) I was like, you can live your life any way you want to. (1:01:45) That's not gonna stop me from assessing it the way I see it, but my assessment's not a judgment. (1:01:50) And I was like, and that's only a thing you can measure in my heart, so you have to believe me.

Scott Benner (1:01:55) Mhmm. (1:01:56) Like, like, if you ask me to talk about a life's ill, like, in, like, stark terms, I guess you'd be like, wow. (1:02:02) That's really judgmental. (1:02:03) But the part you wouldn't hear is that, like, I if that's their life and that's what they want, whatever. (1:02:09) Like, I don't really have an opinion about what other people do.

Scott Benner (1:02:12) I have an opinion about the idea, but not about your decision. (1:02:15) And I I keep, like, oh my god. (1:02:17) Are they gonna understand what I'm saying at some point or not? (1:02:20) Because I think people who listen to this would say, generally speaking, like, don't think Scott's judgmental at all. (1:02:24) Like, I think he's I'm pretty live and let live.

Scott Benner (1:02:26) Like, I'm a Mhmm. (1:02:27) You know, that that's my vibe. (1:02:29) But if you ask me, like, do I think you should be drinking a case of beer every couple of days? (1:02:33) I have some pretty strong thoughts about that. (1:02:35) Right.

Scott Benner (1:02:36) Yeah. (1:02:36) Yeah. (1:02:36) Yeah.

Jen (1:02:36) Me too.

Scott Benner (1:02:37) Yeah. (1:02:37) You're right. (1:02:38) But if that's what you're doing, like, go get it. (1:02:41) You know what I mean? (1:02:41) Like, it's sorry with me.

Scott Benner (1:02:43) Like, just, you know, pretty much it. (1:02:44) Anyway and so when I said that about the drinking, my son was like, yeah, durr. (1:02:49) Like, it was which is, anyway, what you just made me think of when I was like, do people not come to their appointment? (1:02:53) You're like, yeah, idiot. (1:02:55) They don't.

Scott Benner (1:02:55) Yeah. (1:02:56) Yeah. (1:02:56) What?

Jen (1:02:59) Sorry. (1:03:00) I didn't know that.

Scott Benner (1:03:02) I was like, I just like, if you tell me I made this baby and I gotta take care of it, I'm taking care of it. (1:03:10) Like, I don't know. (1:03:10) Like, I just that's again, I'm not even taking credit for it. (1:03:14) I think I'm just wired that way or my past experiences have put me in that situation or whatever. (1:03:19) Anyway, so okay.

Scott Benner (1:03:22) Well, this is interesting. (1:03:24) Like, I I do you think you'll keep practicing?

Jen (1:03:27) I do. (1:03:28) You know, I'm still young in the field of medicine, I guess. (1:03:32) I always think that maybe I'll do some other things, but this is kind of what I know how to do. (1:03:37) Mhmm. (1:03:37) So I don't really wanna start over and do something else.

Scott Benner (1:03:41) Well, if you keep that promise to yourself, and I can keep this podcast going, would you, like, come back in a few years?

Jen (1:03:49) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (1:03:50) I really wanna hear how you've morphed.

Jen (1:03:54) Okay.

Scott Benner (1:03:54) Yeah. (1:03:55) Because you're very new at this. (1:03:56) You don't even realize it. (1:03:57) You're like, no. (1:03:57) I've at this a year and and three the year and three months, Scott.

Scott Benner (1:04:00) I don't know you heard the three months. (1:04:01) Okay? (1:04:02) You're gonna like, three years from now, you're gonna have such a different perspective, and I am super interested to figure out how it impacts your profession.

Jen (1:04:10) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (1:04:11) Yeah. (1:04:11) Keep me in mind is what I'm saying. (1:04:13) I mean, did you have a good time?

Jen (1:04:15) Yeah. (1:04:15) Definitely.

Scott Benner (1:04:16) Good. (1:04:16) Good. (1:04:16) You're a little reserved, so sometimes I didn't know if I was insulting you or you're just being proper. (1:04:21) Do you know that about yourself? (1:04:22) Are are you being professional or you're reserved?

Jen (1:04:25) I don't know. (1:04:25) I talk on the phone to a lot of people, parents, and stuff, so maybe it's just me being

Scott Benner (1:04:30) You're like, you have a you were you were measured a couple of times. (1:04:32) You're like, oh, I'm not gonna say that out loud. (1:04:34) He joked about this. (1:04:35) I will not respond to that. (1:04:39) But but but I made you laugh a couple of times, which made me feel yeah.

Scott Benner (1:04:42) Yeah. (1:04:42) Yeah. (1:04:42) I'm like, oh, I got to her. (1:04:44) Which, by the way, is why I told the masseuse, let's not start. (1:04:48) Okay?

Scott Benner (1:04:49) Because if you start chatting me up, I am gonna feel like a compulsion to make you laugh, and I'm trying to relax. (1:04:57) Okay? (1:04:58) Yeah. (1:04:59) You're really you're lovely, Jennifer. (1:05:01) Thank you.

Jen (1:05:02) Well, thank you.

Scott Benner (1:05:03) Seriously. (1:05:03) Do you think you'll keep listening to the podcast for support community, or do you think you were there for information and you have it?

Jen (1:05:11) I think I will. (1:05:12) I tend to be a little bit choosy, can I say? (1:05:16) You know, a lot of things that I see online and things that I look at are younger kids. (1:05:21) Mhmm. (1:05:21) And, you know, while it's still helpful for me maybe in practice, not really personally.

Scott Benner (1:05:29) Might not feel the same.

Jen (1:05:30) Yeah. (1:05:30) So it just it feels a little bit different. (1:05:32) But, so I I kinda go through the podcast and look for things about teenagers and various things.

Scott Benner (1:05:38) And Yeah.

Jen (1:05:40) So it hits home a little bit more for me.

Scott Benner (1:05:42) Gotcha. (1:05:42) Yeah. (1:05:43) Well, don't miss knowing all of your tools part one and part two because in part two, I talk about the medical thing that happened to me. (1:05:49) And Okay. (1:05:49) If nothing else, I believe I was hilarious when I explained it.

Scott Benner (1:05:53) So you don't wanna miss that. (1:05:54) I also think that not that not that I'm telling look. (1:05:58) And I crank out a lot of content. (1:05:59) I'm not telling you you have to listen to 20 episodes a month. (1:06:01) Although, I please do.

Scott Benner (1:06:03) But it but what I am saying is that I think there's something in those stories sometimes that you don't know the value of until the day you need it, and then suddenly you have it. (1:06:14) Maybe not unlike, you know, what you're learning about, you know, your own personal experiences and how they're helping you at work. (1:06:21) So Right. (1:06:22) I just like to tell people that one of the reasons like, when people are like, why don't the the descriptions of the podcast tell you exactly what the episode's about? (1:06:31) There's a couple of reasons.

Scott Benner (1:06:32) One, if you even just stop and think about the last hour, what the hell was this about? (1:06:36) You you know what I mean? (1:06:37) Like, how you breaking that down? (1:06:38) You you you can't break that down into a sentence. (1:06:40) But Right.

Scott Benner (1:06:41) Two, let's say it was about, like, I don't know, celiac. (1:06:45) And, you know, like, say that when we got done, you were like, well, what we basically talked about here was celiac and this. (1:06:50) I know it's not what we talked about, but, like, let's say that was it. (1:06:52) And I put that in the description. (1:06:54) Today, Jen comes on.

Scott Benner (1:06:55) She's a pediatrician who's blah blah blah blah blah. (1:06:58) And you see two words, you go, I don't need that part. (1:07:00) Mhmm. (1:07:01) And then you miss the rest of it.

Jen (1:07:03) That's true.

Scott Benner (1:07:04) That's the thing about it. (1:07:06) Maybe I'm giving myself credit, I don't mean to be. (1:07:08) But I think that these conversations are really valuable in ways you can't even know all the time even while you're listening to them. (1:07:16) And and sometimes it takes time before you go, oh, I'm glad I heard that.

Jen (1:07:20) Right. (1:07:21) So Right.

Scott Benner (1:07:21) Anyway, keep listening if you like. (1:07:23) If you don't, there's other people listening. (1:07:25) I'll be okay, Jen.

Jen (1:07:26) I will.

Scott Benner (1:07:26) Alright. (1:07:27) Hold on one second for me. (1:07:28) Okay? (1:07:28) You really were terrific. (1:07:29) Thank you.

Scott Benner (1:07:30) Happy New Year.

Jen (1:07:30) Thank you.

Scott Benner (1:07:38) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (1:07:42) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say? (1:07:49) A free Omnipod five starter kit. (1:07:52) Free? (1:07:54) Get out of here.

Scott Benner (1:07:54) Go click on that link. (1:07:55) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (1:07:58) Check it out. (1:07:59) Terms and conditions apply. (1:08:00) Eligibility may vary.

Scott Benner (1:08:02) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (1:08:07) Links in the show notes. (1:08:08) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (1:08:12) Dexcom sponsored this episode of the juice box podcast. (1:08:16) Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (1:08:25) Thank you so much for listening. (1:08:26) I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. (1:08:30) If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app, like Spotify or Apple podcasts, please do that now. (1:08:38) Seriously, just to hit follow or subscribe will really help the show. (1:08:42) If you go a little further in Apple Podcasts and set it up so that it downloads all new episodes, I'll be your best friend.

Scott Benner (1:08:48) And if you leave a five star review, oh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card. (1:08:53) Would you like a Christmas card? (1:08:55) If this is your first time listening to the Juice Box podcast and you'd like to hear more, download Apple Podcasts or Spotify, really any audio app at all. (1:09:10) Look for the Juice Box podcast and follow or subscribe. (1:09:13) We put out new content every day that you'll enjoy.

Scott Benner (1:09:17) Wanna learn more about your diabetes management? (1:09:20) Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and look for bold beginnings, the diabetes pro tip series, and much more. (1:09:27) This podcast is full of collections and series of information that will help you to live better with insulin. (1:09:34) If you're new to type one diabetes, begin with the Bold Beginnings series from the podcast. (1:09:38) Don't take my word for it.

Scott Benner (1:09:40) Listen to what reviewers have said. (1:09:42) Bold beginnings is the best first step. (1:09:45) I learned more in those episodes than anywhere else. (1:09:48) This is when everything finally clicked. (1:09:50) People say it takes the stress out of the early days and replaces it with clarity.

Scott Benner (1:09:54) They tell me this should come with the diagnosis packet that I got at the hospital. (1:09:58) And after they listen, they recommend it to everyone who's struggling. (1:10:02) It's straightforward, practical, and easy to listen to. (1:10:05) Bold Beginnings gives you the basics in a way that actually makes sense. (1:10:10) The Juice Box podcast is edited by Wrong Way Recording.

Scott Benner (1:10:14) Wrongwayrecording.com. (1:10:17) If you'd like your podcast to sound as good as mine, check out Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.

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The Juicebox Podcast is a free show, but if you'd like to support the podcast directly, you can make a gift here. Recent donations were used to pay for podcast hosting fees. Thank you to all who have sent 5, 10 and 20 dollars!

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