#1713 Mexican Sasquatch

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Erin discusses becoming a teen mom, moving her family to Mexico, and managing her daughter's T1D diagnosis in a foreign country. She shares her husband's journey with Type 1, the challenges of accessing medical supplies abroad, and finding confidence through adversity.

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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. (0:01) Welcome to the Juice Box podcast. (0:03) From my family to yours, I want to wish you a happy holiday.

Erin (0:16) My name is Erin. (0:17) I am the mom to a seven year old daughter with type one diabetes and also have a husband that was diagnosed later in life with type one as well.

Scott Benner (0:27) If you'd like to hear about diabetes management in easy to take in bits, check out the small sips. (0:33) That's the series on the Juice Box podcast that listeners are talking about like it's a cheat code. (0:38) These are perfect little bursts of clarity, one person said. (0:41) I finally understood things I've heard a 100 times. (0:44) Short, simple, and somehow exactly what I needed.

Scott Benner (0:47) People say small sips feels like someone pulling up a chair, sliding a cup across the table, and giving you one clean idea at a time. (0:56) Nothing overwhelming, no fire hose of information, just steady helpful nudges that actually stick. (1:01) People listen in their car, on walks, or rather actually bolusing anytime that they need a quick shot of perspective. (1:08) And the reviews, they all say the same thing. (1:11) Small sips makes diabetes make sense.

Scott Benner (1:14) Search for the Juice Box podcast, small sips, wherever you get audio. (1:18) Please don't forget that nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:24) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. (1:31) The episode you're about to listen to was sponsored by Touched by Type one. (1:36) Go check them out right now on Facebook, Instagram, and, of course, at touchedbytype1.org.

Scott Benner (1:42) Check out that programs tab when you get to the website to see all the great things that they're doing for people living with type one diabetes. (1:49) Touchedbytype1.org. (1:51) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Tandem MOBI system, which is powered by Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ Plus technology. (2:00) Tandem Mobi has a predictive algorithm that helps prevent highs and lows and is now available for ages two and up. (2:07) Learn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (2:12) The podcast is also sponsored today by the Eversense three sixty five, the one year wear CGM. (2:20) That's one insertion a year. (2:22) That's it. (2:23) And here's a little bonus for you. (2:24) How about there's no limit on how many friends and family you can share your data with with the Eversense Now app?

Scott Benner (2:30) No limits. (2:32) Eversense.

Erin (2:33) My name is Erin. (2:34) I am the mom to a seven year old daughter with type one diabetes and also have a husband that was diagnosed later in life with type one as well. (2:42) Oh,

Scott Benner (2:43) we're gonna find out all about that. (2:44) First, we're gonna tell you that an hour ago before this started, I got a, an alert on my phone. (2:50) And because I was I had my headphones on, I was listening to something else that pops up and talks. (2:55) And it said that Aaron Rogers recorded the Juice Box podcast today at 12:30PM. (2:59) And I was like, I got Aaron Rogers on the podcast?

Scott Benner (3:02) I was like, finally, this thing's coming around. (3:04) It was you. (3:05) It just mispronounced Aaron.

Erin (3:06) Right.

Scott Benner (3:07) Yeah.

Erin (3:07) Yeah. (3:07) In the middle of football season.

Scott Benner (3:08) Yeah.

Erin (3:09) I'm sure that.

Scott Benner (3:09) For half a second, I was like, look at me going. (3:12) You know? (3:12) But you'll be better than he will be unless

Erin (3:15) I'm sure.

Scott Benner (3:15) Yeah. (3:15) Unless he comes on and talks about, like like, I don't know, sweat lodge retreats or whatever he ends up seeing me to talk about when he gets on the podcast. (3:23) Yeah.

Erin (3:25) I don't have I don't have that to talk about. (3:27) You don't have

Scott Benner (3:27) any idea of that? (3:28) Okay. (3:29) No. (3:29) No. (3:29) That's fine.

Scott Benner (3:30) No Ayahuasca in your life?

Erin (3:33) Nope. (3:33) Not not familiar.

Scott Benner (3:35) It's alright, Darren. (3:37) How let's see how we wanna do this. (3:40) How old are you now?

Erin (3:42) I am 44.

Scott Benner (3:43) Got married when?

Erin (3:45) At thirty thirty four. (3:47) Oh. (3:48) Yeah. (3:48) 34.

Scott Benner (3:48) First marriage?

Erin (3:50) Yes. (3:51) But each of us it was his second marriage and we each had a child before we got married.

Scott Benner (3:57) Okay. (3:58) So you had let's see. (3:59) You were 34 when you got married, but you weren't married. (4:03) So that was ten years ago. (4:05) Is that right?

Scott Benner (4:06) You got married?

Erin (4:07) Yeah. (4:07) Just about.

Scott Benner (4:08) So your your firstborn is I'm watch me guess. (4:11) Let's see how I do on this. (4:12) 25.

Erin (4:15) Oh my goodness. (4:15) Yeah. (4:16) She is. (4:16) Goddamn. (4:17) I can't believe you.

Erin (4:18) Erin, take

Scott Benner (4:19) a second.

Erin (4:19) Because I was a very young mom, so that that's not usually the guess.

Scott Benner (4:24) Erin, why are you talking over my dancing? (4:26) I'm dancing. (4:27) Hold on a second.

Erin (4:28) I did it. (4:29) I did it. (4:30) I did it. (4:30) I did it.

Scott Benner (4:31) That's for all of you that think generalizing isn't okay. (4:35) Right. (4:36) It's works. (4:37) It works. (4:39) You know, I mean, like, it doesn't work every time.

Scott Benner (4:41) And sure, once in while, you end up hurting somebody's feelings. (4:43) But for the most part, there's a reason why things happen. (4:46) Look at me figuring that out. (4:47) Oh, I feel like a genius right

Erin (4:48) That's crazy.

Scott Benner (4:50) Don't you think we should end the episode?

Erin (4:51) 25.

Scott Benner (4:52) Oh, don't you think we should just end it right here? (4:55) Done. (4:56) Rob should put in that ta da music. (4:58) Ta da. (4:59) And then it should just end.

Scott Benner (5:01) Like, a magic trick was performed. (5:02) Alright. (5:03) So oh, god. (5:03) I really do feel good about myself.

Erin (5:07) You're welcome.

Scott Benner (5:08) And your, your husband, he he was married before. (5:11) He went a little more traditional, came in with a kid too. (5:14) You have a step son, daughter, like that?

Erin (5:16) Stepdaughter. (5:17) Yeah. (5:17) They're all girls.

Scott Benner (5:18) Okay. (5:18) Nice. (5:20) And then y'all have a kid together how long ago?

Erin (5:24) We have two. (5:26) So one is 11 and the other is seven.

Scott Benner (5:29) 11 and seven. (5:30) I said y'all, which is weird because that's not a phrase I use, but nevertheless wait. (5:35) And you have four girls?

Erin (5:36) Four girls. (5:37) Yeah. (5:37) Two in the home and two older, but, yeah, four girls.

Scott Benner (5:41) Erin being clear that if all five of us live together, I wouldn't be this calm, probably.

Erin (5:47) No. (5:49) Yeah. (5:49) It it's it can be a lot. (5:51) It

Scott Benner (5:51) can be a lot.

Erin (5:52) We're hanging in there.

Scott Benner (5:53) Alright. (5:54) So the 11 and the seven year old, one of them gets type one diabetes. (5:57) How long ago?

Erin (5:58) April. (6:00) Oh. (6:00) So it's been about a year and a half.

Scott Benner (6:02) And it was the younger one or the older one?

Erin (6:04) The younger one. (6:05) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (6:05) Okay. (6:06) So she's about six when it happened.

Erin (6:07) Yep. (6:08) She had just yeah. (6:09) She was newly six.

Scott Benner (6:10) Okay. (6:10) And her dad, who we could also call your husband.

Erin (6:13) Yes.

Scott Benner (6:14) He was diagnosed when?

Erin (6:16) He was 29 or 30. (6:19) So it was right about the time that we started dating, right before we started dating. (6:23) But he had the typical kind of story where he was diagnosed as type two. (6:28) It kinda lingered for a while and finally was diagnosed with type one.

Scott Benner (6:34) Did that impede your courtship at all?

Erin (6:36) No. (6:37) But he dealt with it a lot different than, you know, at the beginning of his diagnosis than we are dealing with my daughter's because his was kind of it wasn't clear what it was. (6:49) I mean, I guess it could have been, but they didn't. (6:51) They treated it like type two.

Scott Benner (6:53) He had a missed a misdiagnosis with type two for a little bit.

Erin (6:55) Yeah. (6:56) Yeah. (6:56) So it was it was completely different, and it didn't hit him as hard and fast as, you know, like, my seven year olds.

Scott Benner (7:04) Do you think he had Lada or a slow onset of some kind?

Erin (7:07) I think so. (7:08) Yeah. (7:08) They they said type one and a half, which I guess

Scott Benner (7:11) is Lada.

Erin (7:12) Kinda what they call that. (7:13) So yes. (7:14) Yeah.

Scott Benner (7:15) Okay. (7:15) How about

Erin (7:16) And even

Scott Benner (7:16) his Go ahead.

Erin (7:17) Management now is it's so much easier than my daughter's. (7:20) It's like I don't know. (7:22) He he manages it the same way. (7:24) It's just a little bit easier.

Scott Benner (7:25) Does he have outcomes that are, similar to hers?

Erin (7:28) They're better with less effort, I feel like, unless he just got really good at it. (7:32) But he's also on a GLP one medication that helps a lot.

Scott Benner (7:36) That'll help.

Erin (7:37) Yeah. (7:37) His management, it seems I I'm not the one managing him, so I I can't speak for him, but it does seem like it he has a better outcome with less effort.

Scott Benner (7:46) Does this give you the horrible feeling that he's better at type one than you are? (7:52) No. (7:53) No. (7:53) Good. (7:53) Because it shouldn't.

Scott Benner (7:54) I was just wondering if you No. (7:55) Were walking around feeling that way.

Erin (7:57) No.

Scott Benner (7:57) Okay. (7:57) Good.

Erin (7:58) It doesn't.

Scott Benner (7:58) Have you ever tried letting him manage your daughter and you managing him to see what would happen? (8:04) No. (8:04) That'd be awesome.

Erin (8:05) There's been there's been times, not very often that I've been I've been gone away from them, and he manages her, but I still have the follow-up and kind of the same things are happening.

Scott Benner (8:16) Same struggle.

Erin (8:17) Yeah.

Scott Benner (8:17) Okay. (8:18) Well, mean, in fairness, he doesn't have growth hormone going on. (8:20) He's not you know, there's things happening for your daughter that aren't happening for him, I would imagine.

Erin (8:25) Right. (8:26) Yeah. (8:26) I can understand why it happens, but, yeah, it but it gives me hope for her future that it's not always gonna be and it's not always hard, but

Scott Benner (8:34) Yeah.

Erin (8:34) You know, it's not always gonna be as time consuming almost, I guess.

Scott Benner (8:38) I take your point. (8:39) His side of the family, his children that aren't your children, his mom, like, going back that way. (8:45) Other autoimmune stuff?

Erin (8:47) Yeah. (8:47) His family's full of it. (8:50) His his dad's side of the family completely. (8:52) His his paternal grandmother was rheumatoid arthritis. (8:56) Both his dad and sister, thyroid issues, and his niece on that side too has already been tested for Hashimoto's.

Erin (9:04) So there's a lot of autoimmune going on on that side of the family.

Scott Benner (9:08) Do you ever wonder if a few generations ago, if all the old ladies who had stiff wrists just would've got a dog instead of got married if there'd be as much type one diabetes today?

Erin (9:16) I haven't thought about that, but there probably would not be.

Scott Benner (9:19) My wrist hurts. (9:21) That means get a dog. (9:22) What if that what that was what if that was the case? (9:25) So many of those, like, tell me about your family line stories somehow incorporate a grandmother with RA.

Erin (9:33) Yeah. (9:34) Really interesting. (9:34) Yeah. (9:34) And I never I never thought about that when we started, you know, having children. (9:39) But, yeah, it wasn't even something that crossed my mind.

Erin (9:42) And I have a medical background, but still it didn't even I didn't even think about it.

Scott Benner (9:46) You have a medical background? (9:48) You work at the place that makes band aids? (9:49) What do you do?

Erin (9:50) I I did. (9:51) I was a licensed vocational nurse. (9:53) So, like, actually, my last job that I had before moving out of the country was I worked at the school district, so I help kids with diabetes every day. (10:02) But

Scott Benner (10:03) Wait. (10:03) You got kicked out of the country or you or you left? (10:05) No. (10:06) What what happened?

Erin (10:07) No. (10:07) I didn't. (10:08) I guess that's a real question right now, but no. (10:09) I didn't. (10:10) I we moved to Mexico.

Scott Benner (10:12) Oh, do you live there now?

Erin (10:14) We do.

Scott Benner (10:14) Yeah. (10:15) Oh, and now I'm gonna have more questions. (10:16) Oh, good. (10:17) I'm having fun. (10:17) I don't think we should let much more of the podcast go without pointing out just one last time that I picked your daughter's age completely out of just randomness.

Scott Benner (10:25) Yeah. (10:25) I don't know what we're we we should call this episode The Great Kreskin, but find out what Kreskin mean. (10:30) Like, how how

Erin (10:31) would remember what that word is.

Scott Benner (10:32) How would it be said I know you're too young. (10:34) But how would it be said in Mexico? (10:36) And that'll be the title. (10:37) I'll figure all that out later.

Erin (10:40) The I don't know.

Scott Benner (10:42) Erin's like, listen. (10:43) Can we just get back to the diabetes thing I got shit to say? (10:46) Okay?

Erin (10:47) No. (10:48) You're fine. (10:49) That was that was pretty incredible. (10:51) I will admit.

Scott Benner (10:53) Your pause, like, I was like, either she's a sarcastic person and she's about to come back and sing me because I'm like her kid's nine or something like that and I'm way off, or she's generally out of her mind right now just going like, oh my god. (11:07) Like, he got it exactly right. (11:10) And I and then I was afraid it was gonna be like, oh, she's 26, but you said 25. (11:14) Because it doesn't feel the same if I missed the number Anyway No. (11:17) Yeah.

Scott Benner (11:18) Yeah. (11:18) Do you wanna know how I did it?

Erin (11:21) Yeah. (11:21) I

Scott Benner (11:21) would. (11:22) So I took your age. (11:23) I took off 10. (11:24) That gave me 34. (11:25) Then Okay.

Scott Benner (11:26) I sorry. (11:28) And then I said, okay. (11:30) You never got married, so you probably got you probably got pregnant younger. (11:34) Uh-huh. (11:35) And then I was like, okay.

Scott Benner (11:37) Let me just knock off another 10 to make it, like, you know, like, get me back down. (11:42) Now I've got you at 24. (11:43) That's not a get pregnant by mistake age.

Erin (11:48) Right.

Scott Benner (11:48) Right. (11:48) So then I just knocked off five more years, then I said 25.

Erin (11:53) You did that quickly.

Scott Benner (11:56) Well, you know, when you're willing to generalize about people, it really is easy to jump to conclusions. (12:02) So with dumb luck. (12:05) I'm sorry. (12:05) Okay. (12:06) So there's a bunch of autoimmune on your husband's side of his family.

Scott Benner (12:09) Did it translate to his children who aren't also your children or no?

Erin (12:12) No. (12:13) His daughter, as far as we know, no. (12:16) Okay. (12:17) No autoimmune.

Scott Benner (12:19) And tough question. (12:19) If you knew all this was gonna happen, would you have just swiped again on your app and gone to a different guy, or how do you feel about that in hindsight?

Erin (12:28) No. (12:29) I don't think so. (12:30) Okay. (12:30) No.

Scott Benner (12:31) Interesting. (12:31) I'm I'm always interested. (12:32) I don't think there's a

Erin (12:33) Yeah. (12:34) I don't

Scott Benner (12:34) think there's a wrong way to answer that question. (12:35) I do think there's a more acceptable way to answer

Erin (12:38) Yeah. (12:39) I thought about it.

Scott Benner (12:40) Did you?

Erin (12:41) Yeah. (12:41) In hindsight, I have I have thought about it a little bit, but

Scott Benner (12:44) Tell me Yeah. (12:45) Tell me what that means that you've thought about it.

Erin (12:48) Well, just knowing what I know now, like I said, I had the medical background and I could've I knew, like, his his grandma had RA, and I knew it was an autoimmune Mhmm. (12:59) Disease, but I never put the two together that if we ever had children, the possibility of of having autoimmune issues or diabetes was higher. (13:09) Like, I just didn't think about that.

Scott Benner (13:10) No. (13:10) Of course not.

Erin (13:10) And I don't think my decision would have changed, but I would have I would have thought about it more Yeah. (13:16) I think.

Scott Benner (13:17) A little, like, devil pops up on your shoulder and says, hey. (13:20) I don't know if you realize this, but if you marry that guy, you have a whatever percent chance more of one of your kids having an autoimmune issue. (13:27) You would have been like, oh, that's not gonna happen. (13:29) I'll be okay. (13:31) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Eversense three sixty five.

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Erin (15:42) Yeah. (15:42) Well or we could have had the conversation. (15:44) We each had a child already. (15:45) Maybe we could have had a conversation. (15:47) Do we want to bring more children into the world with with that risk, knowing the risk?

Scott Benner (15:51) What's the thing that happens there after people, like, build a little bit of a family, dovetail into a new family? (15:57) Does it feel like your relationship's not as real if you don't have your own kids? (16:02) Is there a pressure about that?

Erin (16:04) I don't think so.

Scott Benner (16:05) No? (16:06) Okay.

Erin (16:06) No. (16:07) I didn't I didn't feel that way, but I did want more children. (16:10) I kind of I obviously had my other daughter so young that my parenting experience, at the beginning, was was not the typical parenting experience. (16:20) So I kinda wanted to experience that, but I don't think I felt like I needed to bring our own children into the world to to make it a legit marriage.

Scott Benner (16:27) Yeah. (16:27) Yeah. (16:27) Yeah. (16:28) I I don't know. (16:28) I would just ask questions.

Scott Benner (16:29) I don't really have any thoughts about that. (16:31) Yeah. (16:31) How was your parenting experience different being a single younger mother versus now?

Erin (16:37) I was so young that I think it was it was almost easier because I didn't I was so naive that I didn't know all the bad things that could happen in the world almost. (16:48) She was born with a medical condition that was called gastroschisis. (16:53) So her intestines and actually her actual stomach were formed outside of her body, And so she had surgery right when she was born. (17:01) It's just something that happens. (17:03) It's not genetic.

Erin (17:04) It's not, like, passed down, but it often happens to younger mothers, which is odd. (17:10) But I think if that would have happened with one of my my children now, my younger children, I was older and knew real risks. (17:19) When I was 19 years old, I almost was so naive that I was everything's gonna be fine. (17:23) The doctors know everything. (17:25) Everything's gonna be fine.

Erin (17:26) But I think if it would have happened to one of my younger children, I think I would have been much more of a a mess.

Scott Benner (17:31) Seeing the world a little differently. (17:33) Back then, you're like, oh, they're gonna stuff it all inside and it's gonna be cool.

Erin (17:36) I I mean, kind of. (17:37) It wasn't yeah.

Scott Benner (17:38) Yeah. (17:38) Yeah. (17:38) I know somebody who was born with that, by the way.

Erin (17:41) Oh, really?

Scott Benner (17:42) Yeah. (17:42) It crazily enough. (17:43) Are there ongoing issues from that, or is that a thing that's taken care of and doesn't cause her any issues?

Erin (17:49) No. (17:49) It's a thing, luckily, that was taken care of. (17:51) They said, you know, at some point, she could develop some scar tissue from the surgery, but so far, it hasn't it hasn't caused any issues. (17:58) It just required the one surgery and a hospital stay for a few weeks, which was it was hard, but like I said, I was so young. (18:05) I it wasn't as traumatic.

Erin (18:06) It's I think it would have been now, which doesn't make it any more, like, serious. (18:11) It was just like I said, I was 19 and and very naive, so I think I handled it better than I would have.

Scott Benner (18:17) Because you're just like, woah. (18:18) It's gonna be fine. (18:20) Yeah.

Erin (18:20) Never did. (18:21) And it was, but

Scott Benner (18:23) Yeah. (18:24) Were you together making decisions with her father, or was it not even that close?

Erin (18:28) Yeah. (18:29) We were together for the first year of her life. (18:32) So yeah. (18:32) And he had a job where he would get off of work at, like, two in the morning, and I would pick him up from work, and we would go to the hospital and visit her. (18:39) I mean, we were visiting her probably more than any other parents were because we could stay awake at night because we were so young.

Erin (18:46) We we were there all the time. (18:48) But, yeah, we we did make decisions together at that time.

Scott Benner (18:51) Very cool. (18:52) Okay. (18:53) It's like an after school special at the beginning of your life.

Erin (18:56) Yeah. (18:56) It was yeah. (18:57) I had a very typical childhood, and then I I went to Catholic school from kindergarten to eighth grade, like a private Catholic school, and then I got sent to the big public school in high school and kind of I didn't go pray I didn't go crazy, but, you know, I I all the time, I got pregnant.

Scott Benner (19:11) By by way, my generalizations are coming full circle today. (19:13) Have you have you heard me talk about this in the podcast? (19:15) Like, every girl every girl I know that went to Catholic school, like, soon as they graduated, they, like, either cut their hair or grew their hair. (19:22) Like, they did something to, like, change the from the conformity that they were kinda stuck into. (19:27) You apparently went out a lot.

Scott Benner (19:29) Is that what happened?

Erin (19:30) Well, I didn't get pregnant till after high school. (19:34) I graduated high school, but I did yeah. (19:36) I just it opened up the world, you know.

Scott Benner (19:39) Yeah. (19:39) Did you feel compressed? (19:40) And then when it was shown to you, was it exciting Or what or did it feel like, I can't believe I didn't know all this existed? (19:47) Like, what what's the allure? (19:49) We're gonna get to the diabetes next, but this is interesting.

Scott Benner (19:51) No. (19:52) Yeah.

Erin (19:52) Yeah. (19:52) It was. (19:52) I didn't feel, like, sheltered or compressed when I was at the Catholic school. (19:56) I I really liked it. (19:58) But when I went to the public school and there's all kinds of different people Mhmm.

Erin (20:02) I met really fun people, and I had I had fun.

Scott Benner (20:06) This story about weed, or what are we saying exactly?

Erin (20:10) No. (20:10) No? (20:10) No. (20:11) No. (20:11) No.

Erin (20:11) I mean, I did do that too a little bit, but, I mean, everyone in my high school did for the most part, even, like, the good kids. (20:17) But now I was just meeting I went to the school where I had the same 30 people in my class for years and then going to the big school where I had 30 people in six different classes every day.

Scott Benner (20:30) Yeah. (20:31) I'm so, lost in my own head right now imagining people listening and and seeing them in, like, two different camps. (20:37) Like, the camp that's like, see, she would have just stayed in Catholic school. (20:40) She would have been okay. (20:41) And the people who are like, see, if you would have exposed her to the world sooner, she maybe wouldn't have been so, like, enamored with it or whatever.

Scott Benner (20:49) Like

Erin (20:49) Yeah. (20:50) No. (20:50) I I don't think I was doing anything different than

Scott Benner (20:52) Anybody else.

Erin (20:53) I would have done in Catholic school. (20:55) Yeah. (20:55) I wasn't being irresponsible. (20:57) Like, I was on birth control. (20:59) I was being responsible, and even all my friends from Catholic school, they were doing the same exact thing.

Scott Benner (21:04) This boy was able to get it through the birth control? (21:08) Like a superhero. (21:09) Look at that.

Erin (21:09) Oh my goodness. (21:11) But looking back, I probably didn't take it as

Scott Benner (21:14) Every day.

Erin (21:15) I I no. (21:15) I took it every day, but different times of the day, I was on antibiotics. (21:20) At times, I had really bad urinary tract infections.

Scott Benner (21:23) It was from all the sex, Erin.

Erin (21:25) No. (21:25) I had no.

Scott Benner (21:26) Wasn't the business

Erin (21:27) for me.

Scott Benner (21:27) I'm just teasing. (21:28) I'm sorry. (21:29) Well, one way or the other, got a nice kid. (21:33) Oh my god. (21:33) She is a nice kid.

Scott Benner (21:34) Right? (21:34) Like, she's not a big disaster. (21:36) No. (21:36) Okay. (21:37) No.

Erin (21:37) She's good. (21:38) She's great. (21:38) Awesome. (21:39) Wonderful. (21:40) That's awesome.

Scott Benner (21:40) Awesome. (21:41) Okay.

Erin (21:41) Thankfully.

Scott Benner (21:42) Yeah. (21:43) Right? (21:43) Because you're trying to decide, like, what would have been worse if she ended up like me or like him or like you don't do you have contact with him still? (21:51) So interested.

Erin (21:52) Not directly, but so my it's gonna get crazier, but my my oldest daughter, the 25 year old, she just had a baby, so I am now a grandma. (22:00) And so we were I I visited recently, and he was he was there. (22:05) So, I mean, we we get along just fine, but I wouldn't, like, reach out to him just

Scott Benner (22:09) to No. (22:10) No. (22:10) I I take Yeah. (22:11) Your But it's is it a little weirder because you're not old? (22:14) Like, you know what I mean?

Erin (22:14) I think he looks older than me. (22:16) So

Scott Benner (22:17) Oh, he's not holding up. (22:18) Is that what you're saying?

Erin (22:19) No. (22:20) He's he's fine. (22:20) I'm

Scott Benner (22:21) just I'm happy just you got away from him because he looks super old.

Erin (22:24) It is it is a little odd being a grandmother at this age and having a seven year old at the same time. (22:32) And her baby, I mean, she had her when she was 24 and it was planned and, you know, it's completely different experience. (22:37) But

Scott Benner (22:38) Yeah. (22:38) Her issue get in the way of the baby at all? (22:40) Anything with that cause

Erin (22:42) her? (22:42) No.

Scott Benner (22:43) Good for her.

Erin (22:43) She had a a completely normal pregnancy and and childbirth and everything. (22:47) So that was it was good.

Scott Benner (22:49) I didn't wanna tell you that the person I know that had the the same problem

Erin (22:52) Yeah.

Scott Benner (22:53) You know, probably happened twenty years before your daughter's. (22:55) Obviously, they didn't do it as well back then. (22:57) He had a lot of scar tissue from it, and it was problematic throughout his life. (23:02) So Okay. (23:02) Yeah.

Scott Benner (23:03) I'm happy for your daughter that didn't happen to her. (23:05) Okay. (23:05) Alright. (23:06) You've done enough. (23:06) I appreciate what you've given to the podcast.

Scott Benner (23:08) We'll now move forward. (23:10) Your daughter is showing signs. (23:13) Does your husband see it first? (23:15) Do you see it? (23:15) Like, how how does it kinda creep up

Erin (23:17) on you? (23:18) It happened quick, and I saw it first. (23:22) My husband was actually in Mexico. (23:24) We live in the Cabo area. (23:26) Mhmm.

Erin (23:27) And he was so the story or the schedule goes, we signed a lease for our house here in Mexico in April 04/01/2024. (23:35) She was diagnosed April 24. (23:38) So he was actually in Mexico kind of moving some stuff down to the house. (23:43) He was here for about a week, and she always goes to bed with a water bottle, you know, just by her bedside. (23:50) She came down in the middle of the night one one night and asked for a refill, it's like a 30 ounce YETI water bottle.

Erin (23:55) And immediately, was like, oh, no. (23:58) But I filled up her water bottle and and kind of went on with her life. (24:03) But over the next couple days, she was showing that really extreme thirst, and then she had two bedwetting accidents. (24:09) Like, oh, no. (24:10) But I, in my mind, was like, no.

Erin (24:12) It's not it. (24:13) I'm just really overthinking it because I know too much. (24:16) And she had a normal physical schedule a couple days after she wet the bed the first time. (24:21) She said, okay. (24:22) I'll just bring it up at the appointment.

Erin (24:24) Mhmm. (24:24) And I'm so thankful that I had that appointment scheduled because I don't know that I would have taken myself seriously until it got bad.

Scott Benner (24:32) Okay.

Erin (24:32) I really doubted myself and and thought I was overthinking things. (24:37) And the only glucometer that we had in the house, my husband had in Mexico. (24:42) Like, we didn't have a ton of extras. (24:44) He had one, and that was that was it. (24:47) Oh.

Erin (24:48) So I think I maybe would have pricked her finger, but she would have really freaked out if I told her I had to prick her finger with a needle at that time. (24:55) So looking back, I don't even know that I would have made that decision.

Scott Benner (24:58) Okay. (24:59) Do you think you were having trouble talking yourself into believing she had type one or talking yourself into being brave enough to hear the answer?

Erin (25:08) I think probably both.

Scott Benner (25:09) Okay. (25:10) Yeah. (25:12) But it got to you at some point. (25:13) How long until that appointment popped up?

Erin (25:16) I think it was six days from the day that she woke me up in the middle of the night for extra water

Scott Benner (25:23) Yeah.

Erin (25:23) Until the appointment.

Scott Benner (25:24) Did doctor take you seriously when you said, hey, I think?

Erin (25:28) Yes. (25:28) Yeah. (25:29) Thank goodness. (25:29) So she was going on about the normal, you know, normal questions and, you know, if I had any concerns. (25:35) And it was the first time I had seen this doctor, so we had no relationship with her at all.

Erin (25:38) I told her my concerns and I also said my husband also has type one diabetes so she said let's, you know, prick her finger and we'll get a urine sample. (25:47) They did that and the rest of the appointment was done. (25:50) They pricked her finger and it was 304. (25:52) I just remember looking at it, I had to turn around and put my back towards my daughter so I could let it tear out real quick and then get it together, turn back around.

Scott Benner (26:01) Like, where does the tear come from? (26:03) Does it come from her life's not gonna be as perfect as I hoped or I have knowledge of what type one diabetes is and here it comes? (26:11) Like, is it somewhere in the middle? (26:13) Do you remember what the overwhelming feeling was like at that moment?

Erin (26:16) I think it was just because I had I had that suspicion in the back of my mind anyway. (26:20) Maybe not even in the back, in the front of my mind Yeah. (26:23) And just seeing that number, instantly, knew that suspicion was true. (26:27) So all the other things didn't really flood my mind, but I I just

Scott Benner (26:31) Emotion.

Erin (26:32) Yeah. (26:32) It was just

Scott Benner (26:33) When did the other things get to when do you start thinking about the other parts?

Erin (26:36) On the drive to Children's Hospital, they sent us there. (26:40) I think on the drive, I had to text my husband and I just said, Dylan has type one diabetes. (26:47) You probably need to come home. (26:48) He was scheduled to come home the next day anyway, but I was just like, can't do this by myself. (26:54) I called my mom and and asked her to go to the children's hospital with me because I was I knew it was gonna be emotional, and I I just I didn't know how I was gonna handle it.

Erin (27:04) I knew I needed to keep it together, and I did. (27:06) But I just at that time, I wanted my mom to.

Scott Benner (27:09) Yeah. (27:09) No kidding.

Erin (27:10) So she came with me. (27:12) And luckily, we went to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and we got there at, gosh, like one in the afternoon, and we were out of there by 6PM.

Scott Benner (27:23) Really? (27:23) Because she wasn't in DKA, obviously, but because

Erin (27:27) She wasn't. (27:27) No. (27:28) And I was trying to push for the least traumatic experience for her.

Scott Benner (27:33) Okay.

Erin (27:34) And I said, we can do this, I said, I have the knowledge. (27:38) I said, I don't know everything, but I know enough where I I can do what I need to do to keep her alive until we get this situated. (27:45) I said, but if we are admitted to the hospital and she gets an IV and, you know, all these tubes and all these people, I said, she's gonna freak out. (27:52) I mean, any kid would, but this kid in particular would.

Scott Benner (27:56) Do you think they were comfortable with that because your husband has type one?

Erin (27:59) I think that and then also my job at the time was at the at the school district dealing with kids with diabetes every day.

Scott Benner (28:07) Have background.

Erin (28:08) So I, yeah, I told them that too. (28:10) But I think probably my husband was

Scott Benner (28:13) Yeah.

Erin (28:14) More of a driving factor than than my job.

Scott Benner (28:17) He had a great sense of humor when you texted him and said, Dylan has type one diabetes. (28:22) I need you to come home. (28:22) He would have responded back in Spanish, and and it just would have said, I'm sorry. (28:28) Have the wrong number.

Erin (28:29) You have the wrong number.

Scott Benner (28:32) It would have been funny. (28:33) Like, retrospect, not not right at the moment. (28:35) But Yeah. (28:36) You'd have been like, oh, I knew this one was a problem. (28:38) Okay.

Scott Benner (28:39) Did they give her a CGM leaving the hospital?

Erin (28:41) They did. (28:42) Yes. (28:42) So she came home with a Dexcom g seven, and then she was MDI for a couple months. (28:48) I had to really push for her to get a pump before we moved, so we moved officially July 1 of that same year. (28:55) They don't have the same supplies available here.

Erin (28:59) Of course, they have insulin, and they do have an insulin pump. (29:01) I don't know which one it is, but we chose Omnipod five just because we knew she was gonna be swimming and active here in a different way. (29:10) But I really had to push for us to get, like, the training scheduled and everything before we left so that we could get all the supplies we needed before we were here.

Scott Benner (29:18) Yeah. (29:19) I'm sorry. (29:20) You moved for business for a job?

Erin (29:23) So, yeah, our family yeah. (29:25) Our family's in doing construction down here and then, fishing charters.

Scott Benner (29:29) Okay. (29:29) Alright. (29:30) And but you are a US citizen, so getting the ION POD five is not a problem, but it was easier when you were at home.

Erin (29:37) Right.

Scott Benner (29:37) Gotcha. (29:38) Will you stay there forever? (29:39) Are you gonna stay there for the length of the of the construction job?

Erin (29:43) That's where we are here indefinitely.

Scott Benner (29:46) Yeah. (29:46) Do you, speak Spanish?

Erin (29:49) Not fluently. (29:50) I'm getting better.

Scott Benner (29:50) Does it matter?

Erin (29:52) Where we are? (29:53) No.

Scott Benner (29:54) Alright.

Erin (29:55) No. (29:55) It's a very touristy place, so, pretty much everyone speaks English. (30:00) I wish it was a little more

Scott Benner (30:02) Low phone.

Erin (30:03) Spanish, then I'd be forced to Yeah. (30:04) Speak a little bit more, but but I but I'm getting better.

Scott Benner (30:07) How's the humidity?

Erin (30:09) Better now. (30:10) During the summer months, like, it's just getting better now. (30:13) But, like, June to middle, October, it's bad.

Scott Benner (30:17) It sounds like five months. (30:18) Five months. (30:19) Yeah. (30:19) I won't be coming. (30:20) I was gonna offer to come down, but, now I won't that you told me there's humidity for five months.

Erin (30:25) October to March is fantastic.

Scott Benner (30:27) Can I come October? (30:28) Wait. (30:29) Hold on. (30:29) October, November, December, January, February, March. (30:31) Six months I can make it?

Scott Benner (30:33) Yeah. (30:34) Alright. (30:34) I'm on my way. (30:35) Build me a house. (30:36) Are you guys building houses right now?

Scott Benner (30:37) Is that what's going on?

Erin (30:39) They're not in construction yet. (30:40) Oh. (30:40) Well, come They will

Scott Benner (30:41) be I mean, I'm

Erin (30:42) We'll have a condo for you.

Scott Benner (30:43) I'm pretty old. (30:43) Can you hustle a little?

Erin (30:46) Coming right along.

Scott Benner (30:47) I mean, Jesus. (30:48) How long you've there? (30:49) Six months already? (30:50) Chop chop. (30:51) I guess there's probably still public officials to bribe and stuff like that.

Scott Benner (30:54) You're probably just getting through that part right now.

Erin (30:56) I mean, do. (30:58) Yeah. (30:59) Things are a little different here and and move a little bit slower sometimes, but my husband's family was in construction back in The States too, and it it didn't move any faster, really.

Scott Benner (31:09) I'm I'm teasing. (31:10) You comfortable there? (31:11) You feel comfortable, safe, all that stuff?

Erin (31:14) I do. (31:14) Yeah. (31:15) There's a lot of families just just like us. (31:17) Yeah. (31:18) That I've

Scott Benner (31:19) Where do the kids go to school now?

Erin (31:21) They're in a private school. (31:22) It's a dual immersion school, so they have half their day in English and half in Spanish.

Scott Benner (31:27) Nice. (31:28) Is she is she picking it up quickly? (31:29) Are the kids picking it up fast?

Erin (31:31) Yeah. (31:32) So they're they went to a charter school. (31:34) We were from California back in California that had the same kind of model. (31:37) So my my older daughter's pretty fluent already even before we moved here. (31:41) Mhmm.

Erin (31:41) But my little one, Dylan, the one with diabetes is picking it up picking it up now.

Scott Benner (31:46) Good. (31:46) Nice. (31:47) How is she dealing with the diagnosis starting from the hospital? (31:51) Like, was there any comfort? (31:52) Like, daddy has this.

Scott Benner (31:53) You I'm sure you yanked that one out pretty quickly. (31:55) Like, oh, just like daddy. (31:57) Did that help her feel any more comfortable or not really?

Erin (32:00) Not really because his the

Scott Benner (32:02) way Kinda quiet.

Erin (32:03) Earlier, the way yeah. (32:04) And he just kind of did it. (32:06) She knew about it, but she didn't really know what it was. (32:10) So it helps a little bit. (32:11) He had a Dexcom at the time too, so she knew what what it was.

Erin (32:16) She was newly six. (32:17) She was pretty little, but not as young as some some other ones, but she didn't know she didn't know a whole lot. (32:24) She was terrified of getting injections like I'm sure a lot of a lot of kids are at first. (32:29) That was one thing that we had to do before we left the hospital. (32:32) They had to see that she would let me give her an insulin injection.

Erin (32:35) He said if you she won't let you do this, we can't let you leave because she needs her insulin. (32:41) So this kid was screaming and crying, ready to run out the exam room that we were in. (32:47) So that was that was the hardest part.

Scott Benner (32:49) How has it changed your relationship between you and her?

Erin (32:52) She was always very attached attached to me. (32:55) It for a while, it became became worse. (32:58) Almost she was really, really attached to to me. (33:01) Mhmm. (33:01) But I'd say in the last six months or so, she's become like a new kid.

Scott Benner (33:06) Oh, how?

Erin (33:08) I think she became more comfortable here where we're living. (33:10) She made some really good friends, and I think it really just boosted her, maybe her self esteem or maybe her confidence in herself, and they really accepted her diagnosis. (33:19) Not that she had kids that didn't before, but they understood it and would kind of watch out for her a little bit. (33:25) Mhmm. (33:25) We've made some really good friends, like, with the kids' families, so I'm comfortable leaving her with you know, some of the parents, they kinda know what to do.

Erin (33:34) Yeah. (33:34) They don't know a lot about it, but they know enough to to keep her safe while they're there. (33:39) And I don't know. (33:40) She's just really blossomed.

Scott Benner (33:41) That's awesome.

Erin (33:41) The last I'd say it's about six months.

Scott Benner (33:43) I didn't think you were gonna say friends. (33:44) That's great. (33:45) I thought you were gonna say she got a little more comfortable with the diabetes, but that's really that's lovely.

Erin (33:49) Yeah. (33:50) I think just becoming comfortable. (33:52) She had a really hard time adjusting here at first. (33:54) I mean, it was a lot of changes. (33:55) She was diagnosed, and we moved to Mexico.

Erin (33:59) I mean, it was a lot going on.

Scott Benner (34:00) No. (34:00) Really. (34:01) You're like, hey. (34:01) You have diabetes now. (34:02) Also, we're leaving the country.

Erin (34:04) So Yeah. (34:05) And I yeah.

Scott Benner (34:06) And have I told you about the humidity? (34:08) Yeah.

Erin (34:10) We moved July 1, which is, yeah, kind of the hottest, most humid time that you can move. (34:16) But the kids were starting school in August, you know,

Scott Benner (34:19) it's had to get there.

Erin (34:20) Had to do. (34:21) But Yeah. (34:21) That was one thing too that immediately crossed my mind. (34:24) It's like, we we can't move. (34:26) You know, as soon as she was diagnosed, I was like Oh.

Erin (34:29) Our plans need to change.

Scott Benner (34:31) And your husband went, what's that now? (34:34) Because I got, wait. (34:35) What? (34:35) No. (34:36) We're going.

Scott Benner (34:36) He

Erin (34:39) said, no. (34:39) They don't. (34:40) I just didn't know how that was gonna gonna work, but we we've made it work. (34:45) It's been challenging at times, but it's, like I said, we've we've we've managed.

Scott Benner (34:49) Tell me more about that though. (34:50) So, you know, you it's a big change. (34:53) I'm not making fun of it. (34:54) Like Yeah. (34:55) Uprooting your family and moving out of the country is a is a big thing to do.

Scott Benner (34:58) And your kid's diagnosed right before that, you have the feeling like, hey, we can't go, but there's obviously business reasons why you you have to go. (35:06) Right. (35:07) Like, what got you through that or what happened that you saw or was it just necessity?

Erin (35:12) Well, at first, it was just necessity, but I came to terms with it pretty quickly. (35:17) I just kind of had to sit down and think of the logistics of it. (35:19) So, like, getting our supplies. (35:21) They don't have Dexcom here, and they don't have Omnipod five here. (35:25) I was thinking how are we gonna get these supplies from The States here.

Erin (35:30) I just really had to kind of put it on paper almost. (35:32) I have to write things down. (35:34) That's how my mind works and I have to see what the plan is. (35:36) Okay. (35:37) And then I feel better about it.

Erin (35:39) But I had to really think out all the logistics and see if it was something that we could do. (35:45) And it is. (35:46) We've figured it out. (35:47) We have family that comes down here all the time and people come to visit all the time because we live in a vacation destination. (35:53) So we just have them be our diabetes supply mules kind of, you know.

Scott Benner (35:58) Was gonna say you're the most popular people in the family now. (36:00) Right?

Erin (36:01) Right.

Scott Benner (36:02) Yeah. (36:02) And they're like, hey. (36:02) Wait till the wait till the humidity lifts and we'll head down and sleep on their couch for a while. (36:08) And then you use them

Erin (36:09) as place to stay if you can bring some Yeah. (36:11) Some Dexcoms and Omnipods.

Scott Benner (36:12) So reverse mule them and bring stuff into Mexico. (36:15) It's nice.

Erin (36:16) Yeah. (36:16) So it I it's worked out, and I've I've met some other families that kind of have done the same thing. (36:22) There's a family that lives here that's from Sweden now, and they were on the same devices. (36:27) I mean, there's other kids that have diabetes here. (36:30) There's less than back home Right.

Erin (36:32) From what I've seen, but it's also a smaller area.

Scott Benner (36:36) Okay. (36:36) This is this seems like a a good plan. (36:38) It's working. (36:39) Yeah. (36:40) Are you working down there or have you not worked since you left?

Erin (36:43) No. (36:44) Lovely. (36:44) I don't know that I could have. (36:46) I'm I'm ready now. (36:48) But, yeah, at first, it it would've it would not have worked.

Erin (36:51) So the girl started school August. (36:54) We meet with the nurse who only speaks Spanish. (36:57) Her work phone cannot download the Dexcom Follow app because it's not available in Mexico, and she has a Mexican phone. (37:05) So I had to provide her with an old iPad, And that that was fine. (37:09) That worked out fine.

Erin (37:10) But this this nurse was great and she really took on a big responsibility for my daughter Mhmm. (37:16) But she would message me probably 25 times a day.

Scott Benner (37:20) Oh, she's, like, real nervous.

Erin (37:22) It was. (37:22) Oh, yeah. (37:23) I think so. (37:24) So this year so that year was just it was hard, and I I appreciated that she was really she really cared, and I think she was scared something was gonna happen. (37:32) I don't think she had clearly dealt with a diabetic child before.

Erin (37:35) So this year, my seven year old is kinda managing herself. (37:40) The nurse is there for backup, but the Omnipod five has custom foods that you can add in the app. (37:47) Mhmm. (37:47) So I just change her carb count for her lunch every day in that app and then her snack carb count. (37:55) And there's certain snacks that she gets from the cafeteria.

Erin (37:59) I have all that preloaded, and she's able to just dose herself.

Scott Benner (38:02) Awesome.

Erin (38:04) Yeah. (38:04) We have the cap, you know, on her amount of insulin that she can get it at one time per bolus

Scott Benner (38:09) Yep.

Erin (38:09) You know, pretty low. (38:10) So she makes, you know, some kind of mistake, but she's right now, she can really feel if she starts to go low too. (38:17) So she's she's got some sugar in her little fanny pack, and she'll she'll eat a couple Smarties or, you know, whatever she feels like she needs, and she's becoming really good at it.

Scott Benner (38:27) Adapt. (38:27) Yeah.

Erin (38:28) I asked her a lot at the beginning of the school year, like, do you are you okay with this? (38:33) Is it too much? (38:34) She's like, mom, it's fine. (38:35) I don't have to go to the nurse anymore. (38:37) It's great.

Scott Benner (38:37) So she's pre came pretty far from, like, dodging you coming out over with a needle in the hospital.

Erin (38:42) Oh, my gosh. (38:43) Like, yeah. (38:44) Like, night and day.

Scott Benner (38:45) And Yeah. (38:46) You think that the desire to be autonomous is what got her there? (38:50) Or, like, what do you think let her is it just her personality now when you stop and think about it?

Erin (38:55) Probably her personality. (38:58) I don't think she had a known desire to become, you know, more independent, but it got to the point so this school year, there's a new principal at the school, and she's there's now three diabetics total at this school. (39:11) Mhmm. (39:11) And she's having all the diabetic kids pay for a one on one nurse to follow your kid around all day. (39:18) And I'm like, that is just not I didn't think that was one reasonable.

Erin (39:22) It's gonna be a huge cost Yeah. (39:23) For one. (39:24) I mean and I don't think that's what she needs. (39:26) She's gonna become dependent on this person. (39:28) She's finally, like, coming kind of out of her shell and and is feeling really comfortable here.

Erin (39:32) I don't want her to become dependent on this one person and kind of fall backwards. (39:37) So we really push for her not to have that.

Scott Benner (39:41) Did the others get pissed at you?

Erin (39:43) One is only four years old, so they were planning on on hiring their own nurse anyway.

Scott Benner (39:48) Okay.

Erin (39:49) And I have a relationship with that parent. (39:51) The other parent, I haven't met, and that was one of the concerns that the principal was having. (39:56) She's like, we already told all these other parents they have to do this. (39:59) But they also wouldn't let us share a nurse, which I don't know. (40:02) I thought that would have would have been a good compromise.

Erin (40:04) I haven't received any any feedback because, you know, negative feedback. (40:08) So we've had a couple meetings where, you know, they're saying that our daughter's doing fine. (40:13) So Cool. (40:13) We're gonna keep going. (40:14) Awesome.

Erin (40:15) Going the way it is until I hear hear otherwise.

Scott Benner (40:17) Now let me talk to you more about the way you feel like your husband's thing is easier for him and his a one c, what, comes back lower than hers does?

Erin (40:24) Much. (40:25) Yeah. (40:25) He's in, the 5.5

Scott Benner (40:27) What?

Erin (40:27) Sometimes six range.

Scott Benner (40:28) How much

Erin (40:28) she does? (40:28) She's in the the seven to 7.3.

Scott Benner (40:32) You're telling me that there's somewhere a seven year old that's managing their diabetes to a 7.3? (40:36) That's pretty great. (40:38) I mean, how is it different between what she does during the day kind of on her own and what happens when she's back home with you?

Erin (40:45) I don't think there's much difference. (40:46) She might not, you know, not give as long of a pre bolus for, like, lunch.

Scott Benner (40:51) Yeah.

Erin (40:51) She doesn't look at the clock and say, okay. (40:53) 10:15. (40:54) I have to pre I have to bolus for lunch. (40:56) It's kind of like they start packing up and getting ready to go outside, and I think that's when she does it. (41:01) And then if she's getting a snack from the cafeteria, she just does it while she's in line.

Erin (41:06) I don't see a huge negative effect from that at school. (41:12) It's working okay. (41:13) I try to do a longer pre bolus at home, but other than that, it's pretty similar.

Scott Benner (41:19) Does she eat differently than your husband?

Erin (41:22) Yeah. (41:22) My husband for a long time, up until my daughter was diagnosed, he really didn't eat carbs, sweets, anything because he, at the beginning, was taught not to eat those things because they thought he was type two and, you know, he made these big dietary changes. (41:38) And then once he saw that she could eat things, she just had to give herself insulin for it or we had to give her insulin for it. (41:47) He started eating fun things again, which I think is great. (41:51) You know, he's not going crazy, but he's able to enjoy enjoy things that he hadn't enjoyed for years.

Erin (41:57) But he does eat pretty healthy in general.

Scott Benner (42:00) So what do you think was going on there? (42:02) He he was managing through, like, I'm not saying restricting carbs, but, like, by not eating a bunch of carbs, he was managing that way. (42:08) He found a vibe that worked for him. (42:10) Do you think that he had a desire to not have that happen to your daughter so he kind of expanded on his own so that it would be the norm? (42:19) What do you think happened there with the shift?

Erin (42:21) That might have happened. (42:22) Like, I don't think consciously.

Scott Benner (42:26) Okay.

Erin (42:27) Because I think he would have expressed that to me, but I think he said it just opened his eyes. (42:32) Oh, I can actually eat these things in moderation and I give myself insulin.

Scott Benner (42:36) He was released from a prison?

Erin (42:38) Yeah. (42:39) I think yeah.

Scott Benner (42:39) Oh, so this is the only way he knew how to handle it?

Erin (42:43) Yeah. (42:43) And it was the way he was taught to manage it. (42:46) Right. (42:47) Even after he was on insulin, he thought he was still had to manage it the way he had been.

Scott Benner (42:51) Okay. (42:51) Okay. (42:52) That makes sense. (42:53) At what point during this process do you find the podcast?

Erin (42:57) It was pretty early on. (42:59) I think probably the night that we came home, I started looking on Facebook for Facebook groups. (43:06) Mhmm. (43:06) And I I just looked up, like, moms of parents of type one diabetics. (43:10) And then I think the next couple days, your Facebook group kept popping up in in people's comments.

Erin (43:17) So I found the Facebook group first and then started listening to the podcast later.

Scott Benner (43:22) And that has helped you where you're at now?

Erin (43:25) Yeah. (43:26) A lot. (43:26) It's helped a lot. (43:28) Not only, like, how to manage the diabetes, but also hearing people's people's stories and knowing kinda life goes on. (43:37) I mean, I was already we were already doing it, but hearing all kinds of people from all different walks of life, you know, are are managing.

Scott Benner (43:45) Yeah. (43:45) And that makes it what feel possible or less, like, stressful?

Erin (43:51) Yeah. (43:51) And it kinda makes I feel like when I brought up moving to Mexico, just to people in general, they would kinda think we were kinda crazy. (43:58) And then add our child's diagnosis to it, people kinda really thought we were crazy. (44:03) So it makes me feel like I'm not crazy. (44:06) Like, we're living our life like we want to, and I think it's obviously possible, but I feel like people thought we were kinda nuts.

Scott Benner (44:12) Really?

Erin (44:12) It makes me feel less nuts.

Scott Benner (44:13) Do you think they still think that?

Erin (44:15) Probably. (44:16) But

Scott Benner (44:16) Why? (44:16) Because you just went against, like, the norm?

Erin (44:19) Well, kind of when people just have this bad connotation of of Mexico in general, I think, that.

Scott Benner (44:24) Oh. (44:25) Oh, Oh, oh, I thought you just meant about being, like, abroad or something, but it's you think it's

Erin (44:29) No. (44:30) I think it's a lot of it's, like, Mexico in general.

Scott Benner (44:33) I see. (44:34) Well, why didn't you feel that way?

Erin (44:36) Oh, I did at first.

Scott Benner (44:37) Oh, okay.

Erin (44:38) So we started coming here quite often. (44:40) We've been coming here for years. (44:41) I've been coming here with my husband since 2012, and I was scared to death the first time we came. (44:47) I don't know why. (44:47) I didn't I don't know what I thought was gonna happen, but I wasn't very well traveled in general, so leaving kind of my comfort zone was hard.

Erin (44:55) So, yeah, being here and living in a whole another country is a big

Scott Benner (44:58) It's a big deal.

Erin (44:59) A big move on my part. (45:00) I'm not very adventurous, but I'm getting there.

Scott Benner (45:02) I mean, listen. (45:03) I I think maybe all evidence to the contrary, but did you sell your home in in The US or no? (45:08) You still have a place at home?

Erin (45:10) We have no ties to, like, our

Scott Benner (45:13) own Oh.

Erin (45:13) Home Okay. (45:14) Anything. (45:15) Car, nothing. (45:16) Yeah. (45:16) So when we go back, we have to stay with family or, you know, a hotel or something, but that helped me become more comfortable here almost because I knew I didn't have a place to go back there.

Scott Benner (45:28) Yeah. (45:28) No. (45:28) It's no going back, sort of feeling. (45:30) How is the health care there? (45:32) Like, how do you find the doctors helping you with diabetes?

Scott Benner (45:35) I know you they don't have all the same devices, but how about the care and and the way people think

Erin (45:39) about it? (45:40) So we still see doctors back home a couple times a year, and then she has a pediatrician here that doesn't really manage her diabetes, but if if there was an emergency situation, he'd be there to help. (45:54) He's familiar enough with it and has actually diagnosed a couple kids with type one since we've been here and has told me about them, not giving me their names and all, you know, this information, but he's kinda told me the stories. (46:06) And then in June, the same daughter with type one had to have an emergency emergency appendectomy here in Mexico. (46:14) That went well.

Erin (46:15) I mean, it went as well as could be expected. (46:17) She had the surgery and went home the next day and and healed just fine.

Scott Benner (46:20) Wait. (46:20) Wait. (46:20) Your daughter had her appendix out?

Erin (46:22) Yeah.

Scott Benner (46:23) At how at what age?

Erin (46:25) Just in June.

Scott Benner (46:26) That's is that what did the doctor say about that? (46:29) Is that common for kids that age or not really?

Erin (46:32) He didn't say one way or the one way or the other. (46:34) I think it's something that just I think it just happens. (46:37) It's random. (46:38) I've heard of it happening. (46:39) Yeah.

Erin (46:39) You can't really prevent it. (46:41) It's not

Scott Benner (46:42) Yeah. (46:42) No.

Erin (46:42) Like a genetic thing, but

Scott Benner (46:44) That's interesting. (46:45) I don't have mine either. (46:46) I'll tell you what. (46:46) I'm better for it. (46:47) I don't even know if it has any impact at all.

Scott Benner (46:50) Oh.

Erin (46:51) I don't think so.

Scott Benner (46:51) All I know is they were like, this has to come out or you're gonna die. (46:53) And I was like, well, right on them. (46:55) Let's do that.

Erin (46:56) Please take it out. (46:56) Yeah.

Scott Benner (46:57) Have you noticed any other issues at all or is type one the only autoimmune now with her?

Erin (47:03) So far, it's the only one.

Scott Benner (47:06) Nothing for Hopefully. (47:07) And nothing for you? (47:08) You don't have a thyroid thing or anything like that? (47:11) No. (47:12) Okay.

Scott Benner (47:12) Mm-mm. (47:12) Your mom didn't either?

Erin (47:14) No. (47:15) Okay. (47:15) She was type two diabetic. (47:17) She's she's in the nondiabetic a one c range now, but that's a separate, you know, separate issue.

Scott Benner (47:23) But How did your husband come upon a GLP medication? (47:27) Was it for weight and then he noticed it helped him with his diabetes, or did he have a doctor who was thoughtful about it?

Erin (47:32) No. (47:33) He had to convince a doctor to let him try it for type one. (47:37) He's very much into researching things and finding out answers and better ways to do things. (47:44) So he did wanna lose some weight, but then I think in that research he found I I don't know what research he found, but that it could be helpful in managing his type one as well.

Scott Benner (47:54) How long has he been on it? (47:55) How have you seen him change?

Erin (47:57) He's been on it for a few years now. (47:59) He was on one years ago that he had to I think he had injected every day, and now he's on tirzepatide, but he's a lot healthier. (48:10) I mean, he wasn't heavy heavy, but he had, you know, some weight to lose. (48:14) He's a big guy. (48:14) He's six foot six.

Scott Benner (48:15) Holy crap.

Erin (48:16) I think he was two hundred and, like, eighty pounds when he started, and now he's two forty, two thirty five maybe.

Scott Benner (48:24) How tall are you?

Erin (48:25) I'm five three and

Scott Benner (48:27) a half. (48:27) Oh, I guess he said we're going to Mexico. (48:28) You were like, I guess I can't. (48:30) Yeah. (48:30) I guess so.

Scott Benner (48:30) I I don't know how to resist that exactly. (48:32) Six six he could probably pick you up and carry you to Mexico, I would imagine.

Erin (48:36) I mean, I guess, but I'd go I'd go kicking and screaming if I didn't want to. (48:39) This

Scott Benner (48:42) giant man is stealing me. (48:43) Are your kids tall?

Erin (48:45) They are. (48:45) Nice. (48:46) Yeah. (48:46) So far. (48:47) Nice.

Erin (48:47) Yeah. (48:47) My, yeah, my 11 year old is five four. (48:50) I mean, so she's not super tall yet, but she's only 11.

Scott Benner (48:53) Well, to you, she's tall. (48:54) Let's just say.

Erin (48:55) Yeah. (48:55) She's she's a little taller than me. (48:57) Yeah. (48:58) Oh

Scott Benner (48:59) my gosh. (48:59) So he did that for his diabetes. (49:01) It helped it helped him with his weight, but you think he when you say he's healthier, does that did you just mean weight, or do you mean other ways?

Erin (49:08) Well, weight, he just he kind of like, to me, he just looks healthier. (49:13) I don't know how to really

Scott Benner (49:14) He's leaner?

Erin (49:15) He's leaner.

Scott Benner (49:16) Okay.

Erin (49:16) He doesn't drink alcohol at all anymore. (49:19) I think that's probably a a good a good thing.

Scott Benner (49:21) Wait. (49:22) He did?

Erin (49:23) He used to drink, yeah, alcohol.

Scott Benner (49:25) Do think the GLP took his taste away for it, or what are you saying?

Erin (49:28) No. (49:29) I don't think so. (49:30) But when you asked how he was healthier, I think I think in that way. (49:33) I don't know. (49:33) He was on the GLP one for a while before he completely stopped drinking, so I don't know that that that stopped it.

Erin (49:39) It was just it was a conscious decision to to not drink anymore.

Scott Benner (49:42) Did he ever mention that he couldn't I'm sorry to use phrases where it sounds like I'm trying to be young, but I'm not. (49:48) Did he ever talk about the GOP stopping him from feeling the buzz of alcohol? (49:53) No. (49:54) No. (49:54) You never heard that one?

Scott Benner (49:55) Okay. (49:55) No. (49:56) I've heard that from a couple of people. (49:58) Like, they they feel like they metabolize it differently when their when their GOP is working.

Erin (50:03) I

Scott Benner (50:03) don't have no idea if that's by the way, let me just be clear. (50:06) I have no idea if that's right, accurate, any based in reality. (50:10) I've just I've had two different people say it to me. (50:11) So that that's

Erin (50:12) Yeah. (50:13) Oh, could be. (50:13) Maybe it took maybe he didn't even realize it. (50:15) Maybe he took the fun away, and he said, I'm not gonna drink anymore.

Scott Benner (50:18) It's like this ain't working anymore. (50:19) Well I mean, obviously, he has a lot to get away from. (50:22) He lives on a beach. (50:24) It's life

Erin (50:24) I it's like know.

Scott Benner (50:25) Life's very difficult.

Erin (50:26) I know. (50:26) I'm staring at the ocean as we speak.

Scott Benner (50:29) I mean, I looked a little bit because I thought I knew where Cabo was and it's down the peninsula. (50:33) Right?

Erin (50:34) Yeah. (50:34) Yeah. (50:34) It's it's Baja California. (50:36) We're at the very very tip we live. (50:38) So don't be very specific.

Erin (50:39) I'm not giving my address up, but we live in San Jose Del Cabo, which is a little north of Cabo San Lucas and it's it's it's just beautiful.

Scott Benner (50:46) And that's where my where my very affordable condo will be available in a year? (50:50) How long exactly?

Erin (50:51) Probably a couple years.

Scott Benner (50:53) I didn't really save your kid's life though, so I don't think you're gonna cut me a break on the price. (50:56) I I I need one of those people who's like on, and they're like, oh my god. (50:59) You saved me. (51:00) How come those people aren't building condos on the

Erin (51:02) beach? (51:02) Right.

Scott Benner (51:03) I'm waiting for this thing to pay back one way or another. (51:05) It's not happening.

Erin (51:06) It it will.

Scott Benner (51:07) If I just tried to get somebody to name a baby after me and it won't happen. (51:10) I mean, it's very difficult to get people to read. (51:12) They're they're very happy to tell you, like, how how valuable it's been for them. (51:15) But then you ask them to name a baby or give you a cheap condo and suddenly, they don't know you. (51:20) You know what I mean?

Erin (51:21) Yeah. (51:21) You ask for some form of repayment. (51:23) Yeah. (51:23) You get I'd

Scott Benner (51:24) like to see a little, what they call quid pro quo. (51:27) Right? (51:27) Like Right. (51:29) Your a one c's and the fives? (51:32) My condo is cheaper.

Scott Benner (51:33) No? (51:34) Nothing? (51:34) Okay. (51:35) I think it's awesome that you guys did this. (51:37) And I I mean, I would see it as adventurous too.

Erin (51:40) Yeah. (51:40) I think so now. (51:41) It just it it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and for the better, I I think.

Scott Benner (51:47) Yeah. (51:47) Is it, like, lessened anxiety that you feel in other parts of your life?

Erin (51:53) Yes. (51:54) Yeah. (51:55) At one point in my life, I was, like, had a diagnosed panic disorder, like agoraphobia where I was scared to drive by myself, like, to go in a grocery store. (52:05) It got really bad for a while there. (52:06) This was a number of years ago.

Erin (52:08) I've overcome that in living in a foreign country. (52:12) So

Scott Benner (52:12) That happened to anybody else in your family?

Erin (52:14) My dad, not as severe, I guess, but, yeah, he had that as well.

Scott Benner (52:19) Okay. (52:20) Did yours pop up in and around COVID or something that you can point to?

Erin (52:26) Yeah. (52:26) It was there was a traumatic kind of car accident that happened or car incident that happened. (52:32) I won't get into all those details. (52:34) But Sure. (52:34) Yeah.

Erin (52:35) There was there was something that I could kinda pinpoint it to, and it just kind of, I think triggered my already I was already really anxious about everything and kind of a it's like a worry warp, but looking back that it wasn't just normal worrying. (52:46) It was Mhmm. (52:47) Very anxious worrying and overthinking things, but then it just got out of control. (52:52) But with a lot of therapy and just kind of exposing myself to things, it kinda snapped me out of it. (52:59) And

Scott Benner (52:59) Talk therapy?

Erin (53:01) Yeah. (53:01) And then, I don't know if that was really what helped, but I think just getting out and doing things help more. (53:08) And I think maybe the talk therapy supported me in getting out and doing things.

Scott Benner (53:12) It's interesting because you've been through been through is the wrong I didn't mean it that way. (53:16) But, like, you've experienced a lot more than Yes. (53:19) Like, you know what mean? (53:19) Like, you've almost lived two lives. (53:21) It's interesting.

Scott Benner (53:21) Right?

Erin (53:22) Yeah. (53:22) No. (53:23) I really I really have.

Scott Benner (53:24) Right. (53:24) Yeah. (53:25) Like, so I imagine, like, you're 19, you have a baby, guy's not around for that much longer, you're on your own a little bit, you know, there's some medical problems. (53:33) It's probably a lot of head down, like, just do the thing you're supposed to do. (53:36) And then right and then what does it turn into like a little thing where you're almost like you have a doll that talks to your friends.

Scott Benner (53:42) Right? (53:42) That happens for a while. (53:43) Right? (53:43) And then you matured it while she's maturing. (53:46) Is that how it went?

Erin (53:46) Yeah. (53:47) Yeah. (53:48) Yeah. (53:48) If you ever watched like the Gilmore Girls, feel like. (53:51) And my older daughter is also named Rory from that.

Erin (53:53) It wasn't from the show. (53:54) She was born right before it came out, but it was I mean, it was kinda similar to that. (53:58) We were yeah. (53:59) We kinda grew up together.

Scott Benner (54:00) Yeah. (54:01) But then she's off on her own, and then you're like, you have a young family again.

Erin (54:05) Yeah.

Scott Benner (54:06) Yeah. (54:06) I've been struck a number of times over the years making the podcast when you talk to much older people Uh-huh. (54:12) Who have not had the benefit of a spouse living, like, a really long time. (54:16) It's interesting. (54:17) You can talk to people sometimes who have lived three separate lives inside of a lifetime.

Erin (54:23) Yeah.

Scott Benner (54:23) It, had experience like yours, like, know, a baby early, baby grows up, moves out of the house, they get married again, they're married for fifteen years, they're really having, a nice life, husband drops dead, they do it again. (54:36) And then you start asking them questions about the first husband or the second, and it's super interesting. (54:42) Like, they remember them, but more like stories they've read.

Erin (54:46) Yeah.

Scott Benner (54:46) Yeah. (54:47) It's really interesting, actually. (54:49) But not that I'm saying your daughter's a remembrance of yours, like, it's, you know, Goldilocks and the three bears.

Erin (54:54) No. (54:54) But her childhood kind of is, like because our relationship now is an adult. (55:00) She's my child, but it's like an adult, you know Yeah. (55:03) Relationship now.

Scott Benner (55:04) So And she and you probably have friends that aren't much older than her.

Erin (55:08) Yeah.

Scott Benner (55:08) Yeah. (55:09) Yeah. (55:09) My son's 25, but I don't know any 25 year old people I hang around with.

Erin (55:13) Right.

Scott Benner (55:14) But I'm a decade older than you are.

Erin (55:16) Yeah. (55:17) But also being an older parent now for, like, my seven year old. (55:20) Yeah. (55:20) Some of the parents are are

Scott Benner (55:22) They're younger.

Erin (55:23) They're younger. (55:24) Yeah. (55:24) And some are my age. (55:25) I mean, and some are older. (55:26) But, yeah, it's a whole it's a whole range.

Scott Benner (55:29) Yeah. (55:29) No. (55:29) I I find it incredibly interesting. (55:31) What motivated you to be on the podcast?

Erin (55:33) I think just my fear of when we first got this diagnosis, and I was like, oh, our plans are gonna have to halt, and we're gonna have to change everything. (55:42) Stop our plans. (55:43) Really freaked me out, and listening to people's stories kind of helped me. (55:49) So hopefully, this story can help someone or or realize you you can live the life that you had planned even though you got this little bump in the road.

Scott Benner (55:57) You're giving back. (55:57) You wanna add your story to it so somebody else might hear it.

Erin (56:00) Yeah. (56:01) Yeah.

Scott Benner (56:01) It's lovely. (56:02) Plus you have nothing but free time in that beautiful beach there. (56:05) So, like, why not? (56:05) Yeah. (56:06) Yeah.

Scott Benner (56:07) When those kids leave for school, you're like, see you suckers.

Erin (56:10) Yeah. (56:10) They

Scott Benner (56:11) Mommy lives at the beach.

Erin (56:13) They leave early too. (56:14) They start school at 07:30 in the morning. (56:16) Oh,

Scott Benner (56:17) the whole day is yours. (56:18) Don't get a dog. (56:19) Jesus.

Erin (56:20) Oh, we have one. (56:21) No.

Scott Benner (56:21) Oh my god.

Erin (56:22) She's fine.

Scott Benner (56:24) Oh my god. (56:24) I like, you're young. (56:26) You they must leave, and you must be like, oh, the whole day is mine.

Erin (56:31) Sometimes. (56:32) And I lonely? (56:33) I don't know. (56:34) I don't I don't quite enjoy being in charge of the house all day anymore.

Scott Benner (56:39) Really?

Erin (56:39) It's getting a little bit boring. (56:41) I'm ready to

Scott Benner (56:41) Does that Sasquatch you married, is he at home or does he go to an office?

Erin (56:46) He's He's

Scott Benner (56:47) six six. (56:48) Right? (56:48) Like, it must you must look up once in a while and think something escaped from the zoo when it's in your house now.

Erin (56:54) Yeah. (56:54) I I'm so it's so funny. (56:56) I'm so used to it. (56:58) So when I see someone out in in the wild and they are tall, it they have to be very tall.

Scott Benner (57:03) To throw you off.

Erin (57:05) Yeah. (57:06) Yeah.

Scott Benner (57:06) Clearly not apples to apples because you said your husband's six six. (57:10) My wife's five nine and wears a lot of heels. (57:13) Yeah. (57:13) And because of that, like, she stands, like, six feet tall sometimes when we're out places.

Erin (57:18) Yeah.

Scott Benner (57:18) And I everyone looks short to me now, but I also feel shorter than I am Uh-huh. (57:25) Because of her.

Erin (57:25) Because you're right?

Scott Benner (57:26) Yeah. (57:27) And, like, every once in a while, she won't be around and there's, like, a bunch of women around. (57:32) And I I have, like, a conscious overwhelming feeling like, oh, if I would have married a shorter girl, I'd feel taller.

Erin (57:39) Yeah.

Scott Benner (57:39) It's like yeah. (57:40) It it because you must feel like I don't know. (57:43) You must feel like a small child standing next someone. (57:45) Must because that's how I ended up feeling. (57:47) I just had it recently.

Scott Benner (57:48) I went to a talk a speaking thing, and there was a dinner. (57:51) And I was standing in a group with a bunch of people, and I was the tallest person in the group. (57:55) And I was like, this is what it would have felt like if I would have just not married Kelly. (57:59) Yeah. (57:59) Yeah.

Scott Benner (57:59) I've

Erin (58:00) Yeah. (58:00) I've never had that experience, I don't think, unless I'm, like, literal children.

Scott Benner (58:04) Literal children. (58:05) Well, five threes. (58:06) I mean, you know, you're

Erin (58:07) not gonna I'm not I'm not short, but, know, I'm never the tallest person in a group.

Scott Benner (58:10) Yeah. (58:10) You're not gonna overwhelm a a group of people as far as height goes.

Erin (58:13) No. (58:13) Not with my height.

Scott Benner (58:14) I wanna be honest. (58:15) I'm only five nine, but I am frequently the tallest person in groups that I'm in. (58:21) Now when someone's taller than me, and I say this all the time. (58:24) When someone's taller than me, I look like child standing next to them.

Erin (58:27) Yeah.

Scott Benner (58:27) But there are a lot of people who are shorter than me and around a lot.

Erin (58:30) Right. (58:31) So My husband played football. (58:34) He said all his college friends and adult friends are

Scott Benner (58:38) Monsters.

Erin (58:39) Almost all his size. (58:40) Yeah. (58:40) So it's not yeah. (58:42) It's not unusual.

Scott Benner (58:43) No. (58:43) I mean, he I'm looking I I mean, I yeah. (58:46) I'm looking at your description of him in my mind, and I'm saying, boy, he was a tight end. (58:49) Right? (58:49) He played tight end?

Erin (58:51) He was offensive tackle.

Scott Benner (58:53) A tackle? (58:53) Oh, so he was thicker than

Erin (58:55) He was. (58:56) Yeah.

Scott Benner (58:56) Ah, okay. (58:57) Jeez. (58:58) Look at him. (58:58) Did he make any did it go anywhere? (59:00) Did it look like it was gonna turn into a thing or

Erin (59:02) He played professionally for a little bit. (59:04) It didn't, but then he got injured and that was it.

Scott Benner (59:08) Oh, that's a shame. (59:09) You know, it's funny we talked about it the other day because it's used my son played baseball all the way through college. (59:14) And, you know, there's people say, they're the pros. (59:17) They're the best in the world. (59:19) And we always say, well, they're the best in the world that didn't get hurt.

Erin (59:23) Yeah.

Scott Benner (59:23) Yeah. (59:23) That's a part of it you don't think about until you're involved in it. (59:26) Like, are plenty of guys out there that can pitch, but their arms fell apart or, you know, something happened and, you know, they had the skill, but their body wouldn't keep up with it. (59:35) It's kind of interesting. (59:36) Yeah.

Scott Benner (59:37) Well, you met him later though. (59:38) You didn't know him in college.

Erin (59:40) No. (59:40) So we we actually went to the same high school and we're friends in high school, but then re remet as adults. (59:47) So, yeah, I was we didn't know each other then.

Scott Benner (59:50) How about that? (59:51) That's super interesting. (59:53) Yeah. (59:53) Wow. (59:53) Awesome.

Scott Benner (59:54) Can I ask you, when you think about your daughter's a one c, her outcomes, her highs and lows during the day, you know, where her variability sits, What do you think the steps are to get her to if you're interested in a lower number or less variability? (1:00:09) Like, what do you think has to happen to get you there?

Erin (1:00:11) So her eating habits aren't aren't the best. (1:00:13) She's getting better as she gets older. (1:00:15) When she was first diagnosed, her her foods that she would eat, it wasn't limited. (1:00:22) She just didn't she just didn't like very healthy things, and that's completely different than my older daughter. (1:00:27) We fed them the same when they were little and just have their preferences.

Scott Benner (1:00:30) Yeah.

Erin (1:00:31) And so we're slowly kind of integrating healthier eating habits with her, and she's choosing kind of easier to dose for. (1:00:38) I don't even wanna say healthier, but they're healthier and easier to dose for. (1:00:41) Some of these, like, processed foods and just things that she likes to eat are I've learned a lot on how to dose for them, but it's still not not as easy. (1:00:51) And then coming here to a new country where things aren't like, we'll go out to eat. (1:00:55) There's not a lot a lot of chain restaurants.

Erin (1:00:57) We don't go out to eat a ton, but it's just it's just kinda estimating or using AI to kinda guess how many carbs are in this this meal and just kind of guesstimating and figuring that out. (1:01:09) And we are, and I think she's doing she's doing okay for the time being, and I think it's just gonna get better. (1:01:15) I'm gonna get better at dosing for these things, and her eating habits are gonna get better. (1:01:20) And I think those two things combined are gonna gonna help a lot.

Scott Benner (1:01:23) Valuable for you. (1:01:24) What's the thing you're most concerned about moving forward? (1:01:26) Like, what's one of those, like, mom, like, panic worries you have?

Erin (1:01:31) I just don't want her to have awful things happen to her medically as she gets older and have, you know, effects bad effects from

Scott Benner (1:01:40) Complications are what

Erin (1:01:41) you're Complications. (1:01:42) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:01:42) Yeah. (1:01:42) That's the

Erin (1:01:42) word I was looking for. (1:01:43) But so sometimes I'll see a high blood sugar after breakfast when she's at school, and that's sometimes what comes to my mind is, like, oh my gosh. (1:01:51) Like, this is the third day in a row she's had this high blood sugar after stir, you know, breakfast, and she's at school, and and this is gonna lead to this. (1:01:59) But in the long term, I don't think I don't think it will. (1:02:02) She's still relatively new at it.

Erin (1:02:05) I mean, it's been a year and a half, but in the whole grand scheme of things, she has her whole life and I I think we're doing okay.

Scott Benner (1:02:10) Mhmm. (1:02:11) Did you ever have to manage her without the automation or were you into it right away?

Erin (1:02:16) Like, well, we were MDI for a few months first.

Scott Benner (1:02:18) Okay. (1:02:19) Yeah. (1:02:20) Was she honeymooning during that time?

Erin (1:02:23) Looking back, possibly, but not significantly. (1:02:27) That's how I would describe it. (1:02:29) No. (1:02:30) It went into kind of full blown insulin dependence, not not a lot

Scott Benner (1:02:35) of Pretty quick.

Erin (1:02:36) Variables at first. (1:02:38) So maybe a little bit, but not no. (1:02:40) There's there wasn't like this drastic shift that I ever saw from coming out of it.

Scott Benner (1:02:44) Okay. (1:02:45) Do you think you could go back to managing that way, or do you think that a lot of your success is is hinged on the the devices you're using?

Erin (1:02:53) No. (1:02:54) I think I I think I could go back to that. (1:02:56) I think I definitely could. (1:02:57) She probably wouldn't love it, but I could.

Scott Benner (1:03:00) Okay.

Erin (1:03:00) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:03:00) That's cool.

Erin (1:03:01) We might be able to manage in school though. (1:03:03) You know, the devices really make school time a lot a lot more manageable because she wouldn't be able to be giving herself injections on her own at school. (1:03:12) That's not really something she could be doing at this point. (1:03:14) So I'm thankful for for that.

Scott Benner (1:03:16) Yeah. (1:03:16) Are you able to text her during the day, and is that something you actually do as part of your management plan?

Erin (1:03:21) I tried it first and she wouldn't see it or Mhmm. (1:03:27) I would call her and she'd like she'd be in the middle of the class. (1:03:30) She wouldn't like go excuse herself. (1:03:32) Like, she'd just be in the middle like, hey, mom. (1:03:34) Like, we're not doing that right now if I ever need something.

Erin (1:03:37) Like, there was a day kind of recently, maybe last week or the week before where she just had a really high blood sugar. (1:03:42) It didn't make sense why, and I thought the Dexcom was off. (1:03:44) So I just messaged the nurse that's there. (1:03:46) I said, hey. (1:03:47) Can you go down and have her finger stick?

Erin (1:03:48) And if it's right, can you have her do a correction dose? (1:03:50) So I'm able to message the nurse when needed. (1:03:53) Mhmm. (1:03:53) Other than that, I've been able to not text her. (1:03:58) Eventually, I think when she gets a little bit older and a little more responsible with the phone, because right now, she doesn't even really think of it as a phone.

Erin (1:04:05) It's just her

Scott Benner (1:04:05) Device.

Erin (1:04:06) Dosing device. (1:04:07) Yeah. (1:04:07) She knows it's a phone.

Scott Benner (1:04:09) I love the idea of her in the middle of a lesson, she just picks that phone up, she's like, go for Dylan. (1:04:13) And

Erin (1:04:14) Yeah. (1:04:14) I'm just so I think this isn't gonna work. (1:04:18) So eventually, it will. (1:04:20) But like I said, I have the nurses back up right now. (1:04:23) If I ever really needed to get a hold of her

Scott Benner (1:04:25) You can do

Erin (1:04:26) it. (1:04:26) I can message the nurse. (1:04:28) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:04:28) Very cool. (1:04:28) Very cool. (1:04:29) Is there anything that I have not asked you about that I should have or anything I missed or glanced over or anything like that?

Erin (1:04:35) I don't think so. (1:04:36) I think we we went through all my lives and

Scott Benner (1:04:39) My lives.

Erin (1:04:41) And our experience here. (1:04:43) Yeah. (1:04:44) I think I got got everything out that I wanted to. (1:04:46) Just most importantly, don't let diabetes or any other diagnosis really. (1:04:52) I mean, I some have more restrictions than others, but especially this diagnosis, it's really manageable no matter where you go.

Scott Benner (1:04:59) And all the concerns that you had in the beginning ended up not being things that actually held you back?

Erin (1:05:05) Yeah. (1:05:06) Right. (1:05:06) Yeah. (1:05:06) Not to

Scott Benner (1:05:07) be too philosophical, but if they would have held you back, then it would have turned out that you were holding yourself back, not them.

Erin (1:05:13) Yes.

Scott Benner (1:05:14) Yeah.

Erin (1:05:14) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:05:14) Okay. (1:05:15) Yeah. (1:05:16) Alright. (1:05:16) Well, then I think that's your takeaway besides marry a tall guy. (1:05:19) That's also important.

Erin (1:05:20) But one without diabetes.

Scott Benner (1:05:22) But that one if you can find a tall guy without by the way, now you're gonna get hate from people with diabetes. (1:05:26) They're gonna be like, woah, there's nothing wrong with me. (1:05:28) You know what she's saying. (1:05:29) It would have been easier.

Erin (1:05:30) Yes.

Scott Benner (1:05:31) You all know it would have been easier by the way. (1:05:33) Very nice tall boy who likes the beach, obviously, and is a hard worker because he he's making stuff happen.

Erin (1:05:39) Yeah. (1:05:39) We're doing we're doing stuff out here. (1:05:41) Pretty awesome.

Scott Benner (1:05:42) I I'm gonna look into you. (1:05:44) I feel like I heard you say things. (1:05:45) Feel like I could go down there and maybe rent a boat from you or something like that. (1:05:48) I think you got a whole thing going on down there. (1:05:51) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:05:51) We do. (1:05:52) I'll just

Erin (1:05:52) We do. (1:05:53) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:05:53) You can

Erin (1:05:53) send me a message. (1:05:54) I'll give you the info.

Scott Benner (1:05:56) Hey. (1:05:56) And for anybody else listening, if you're building condos or houses on the beach, I and I've helped you, I mean, now's the time. (1:06:01) Right? (1:06:02) It's getting to the end now. (1:06:03) I've been doing this eleven years.

Scott Benner (1:06:04) Scotty needs a you know what I mean? (1:06:07) I need to quit on the pro quo at this point.

Erin (1:06:09) Right. (1:06:10) I'd like to get something out

Scott Benner (1:06:12) of this before it's over. (1:06:13) Then I would like it to be, that involved the beach if somebody could help me. (1:06:17) My wife would be thrilled, by the way, to do what you did.

Erin (1:06:21) Really?

Scott Benner (1:06:22) Yeah. (1:06:22) The move so let me be clear. (1:06:24) There's no way she's moving away from these children. (1:06:27) So Right. (1:06:27) In the end, she's not doing this.

Scott Benner (1:06:29) But if you could magically put her on a beach somewhere, I think the happiness quotient for Kelly would go up a 150%. (1:06:37) I think I think that girl would thrive in the sun. (1:06:41) So

Erin (1:06:41) Yeah. (1:06:41) It's made my life better and we came from Southern California, so I wasn't really roughing it there, but

Scott Benner (1:06:46) Mhmm.

Erin (1:06:46) It's the water was cold. (1:06:48) It was gloomy at the beach all the time. (1:06:51) So here is you can enjoy it more and it's made me happier. (1:06:54) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:06:54) I visited San Diego for the first time in my life as an adult as an adult as anything, past year towards the end of the season. (1:07:03) Yeah. (1:07:04) Beach was nice, but, yeah, water was cold. (1:07:06) It wasn't, like, it wasn't that doable. (1:07:08) The weather was insane.

Scott Benner (1:07:10) Like, I see why y'all are, like, trying to keep that to yourselves because, man, is the weather nice there.

Erin (1:07:19) Just love the in particular. (1:07:21) Yeah. (1:07:21) We were a little bit north and experiencing, like, wild fires and I

Scott Benner (1:07:25) don't want that.

Erin (1:07:26) You know, all that stuff. (1:07:27) So, yeah, it's it has its good and bad.

Scott Benner (1:07:29) If somebody, Aaron, could just make a perfect place for me to live, I would appreciate it. (1:07:34) And then, of course, can if you can make it affordable so I could actually live there, that would be nice too. (1:07:37) Guess, you know, the problem is is that anywhere that's perfect is you kinda get overrun with people who have more money than than me. (1:07:44) That's for sure.

Erin (1:07:45) So Yeah. (1:07:46) There's a lot of people with a lot of money here. (1:07:48) I had no idea.

Scott Benner (1:07:49) Oh, do you feel poor in Cabo? (1:07:51) Sometimes.

Erin (1:07:52) Yeah. (1:07:52) Yeah. (1:07:52) With the people that have moved here. (1:07:55) Yeah. (1:07:55) There's some really, really nice places here.

Scott Benner (1:07:58) My son came home from college and said I feel poor at college. (1:08:02) Like, awesome. (1:08:03) Well, I said try making friends with those kids because maybe they can get you a job one day.

Erin (1:08:07) Right.

Scott Benner (1:08:09) Alright. (1:08:09) Well, hold on for a second. (1:08:10) That is really nice of to come on and do this. (1:08:12) I really do appreciate it.

Erin (1:08:13) Okay. (1:08:13) Of course.

Scott Benner (1:08:14) Yep. (1:08:14) Hold on a second. (1:08:20) Today's episode of the Juice Box podcast was sponsored by the new Tandem Mobi system and Control IQ Plus technology. (1:08:27) Learn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. (1:08:32) Check it out.

Scott Benner (1:08:33) Are you tired of getting a rash from your CGM adhesive? (1:08:36) Give the Eversense three sixty five a try. (1:08:39) Eversense cgm.com/juicebox. (1:08:43) Beautiful silicone that they use. (1:08:44) It changes every day.

Scott Benner (1:08:46) Keeps it fresh. (1:08:47) Not only that, you only have to change the sensor once a year. (1:08:50) So, I mean, that's better. (1:08:53) This episode was sponsored by Touched by Type one. (1:08:56) I want you to go find them on Facebook, Instagram, and give them a follow, and then head to touchedbytype1.org where you're gonna learn all about their programs and resources for people with type one diabetes.

Scott Benner (1:09:08) As the holidays approach, I wanna thank all of my good friends for coming back to the Juice Box podcast over and over again. (1:09:15) It means the world to me. (1:09:16) It's the greatest gift you could give me. (1:09:18) Thank you so very much. (1:09:20) Unless, of course, you wanna share the show with someone else, then that would be an awesome gift too or a five star review.

Scott Benner (1:09:24) I don't know. (1:09:25) You don't really owe me a gift, but, I mean, if you're looking for something to do. (1:09:28) You know, subscribe and follow, tell a friend, etcetera. (1:09:31) Thank you. (1:09:31) Merry Christmas.

Scott Benner (1:09:32) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. (1:09:39) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. (1:09:42) But everybody is welcome. (1:09:43) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:09:48) 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.

Scott Benner (1:09:57) If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. (1:10:03) Listen. (1:10:04) Truth be told, I'm, like, 20% smarter when Rob edits me. (1:10:07) He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. (1:10:13) And it just I don't know, man.

Scott Benner (1:10:14) Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? (1:10:17) And then I remember because I did one smart thing. (1:10:20) I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.

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#1712 Porcine Cell Recipient

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.

Kelly shares her groundbreaking experience as the second person in the US to undergo a porcine islet cell transplant. She discusses battling T1D burnout, the unique procedure involving the omentum, and her hope for a functional cure.

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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. (0:01) Welcome to the Juice Box podcast. (0:03) Happy holidays to everyone juggling carbs, cookies, and the chaos of this season.

Kelly (0:16) My name is Kelly. (0:18) I live in Illinois. (0:19) I've been a type one diabetic for thirty eight years. (0:23) I recently had what is called a porcine islet transplant. (0:27) I am about a month out now, joined a clinical trial.

Kelly (0:30) I'm excited to talk about that, today.

Scott Benner (0:34) The podcast contains so many different series and collections of information that it can be difficult to find them in your traditional podcast app sometimes. (0:42) That's why they're also collected at juiceboxpodcast.com. (0:46) Go up to the top. (0:47) There's a menu right there. (0:48) Click on series, defining diabetes, bold beginnings, the pro tip series, small sips, Omnipod five, Ask Scott and Jenny, Mental Wellness, Fat and Protein, Defining Thyroid, After Dark, Diabetes Variables, Grand Rounds, Cold Win, Pregnancy, Type two Diabetes, GLP Meds, The Math Behind Diabetes, Diabetes Myths, and so much more.

Scott Benner (1:08) You have to go check it out. (1:09) It's all there and waiting for you, and it's absolutely free. (1:12) Juiceboxpodcast.com. (1:16) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:24) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin.

Scott Benner (1:33) Today's podcast is sponsored by SkinGrip. (1:36) Your devices, they can fall off. (1:38) But with Skin Grip, they stay secure for the full life of the device. (1:42) Juice Box podcast listeners will save 20% on their first order at my link, skingrip.com/juicebox. (1:50) If you want a durable skin safe adhesive that lasts, you won skin grip.

Scott Benner (1:55) Today's episode is also sponsored by Omnipod. (1:58) Check out the Omnipod five now with my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:04) You may be eligible for a free starter kit, a free Omnipod five starter kit at my link. (2:11) Go check it out. (2:12) Omnipod.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (2:15) Terms and conditions apply. (2:16) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:21) The podcast is also sponsored today by US Med. (2:25) Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514. (2:32) You can get your diabetes testing supplies the same way we do from US Med.

Kelly (2:37) My name is Kelly. (2:38) I live in Illinois. (2:40) I've been a type one diabetic for thirty eight years. (2:44) I recently had what is called a porcine islet transplant. (2:48) I am about a month out now, joined a clinical trial.

Kelly (2:51) I'm excited to talk about that, today.

Scott Benner (2:53) Awesome. (2:54) Kelly from Illinois. (2:56) You're Kellinois. (2:58) Now we're 30 did you say thirty eight years?

Kelly (3:02) Thirty eight years. (3:03) How old?

Scott Benner (3:03) How old are you now?

Kelly (3:05) 45.

Scott Benner (3:06) Wow.

Kelly (3:07) I was diagnosed just before, just before I started third grade.

Scott Benner (3:11) Okay. (3:12) Alright. (3:13) Do you remember much about it?

Kelly (3:15) So we were living in South Florida at the time. (3:18) I remember being in second grade and just having all the classic symptoms. (3:21) Right? (3:22) Frequent urination. (3:23) Just excessive thirst was probably the one I remember the most.

Kelly (3:27) My parents started to notice that I was losing weight. (3:30) And at one point, I was starting to lose some hair. (3:33) So they took me to the doctor, and, they, of course, did the blood did the blood test, and it was off the charts. (3:40) I don't think that the machine could've you know, the glucose monitor could read it back then. (3:44) So the next move was to the hospital.

Kelly (3:46) So I missed the beginning of third grade, I think, by two weeks. (3:50) But, yeah, I remember that day very vividly. (3:53) It's obviously very traumatizing being a kid Yeah. (3:57) And then having to learn how to take shots and all of that. (4:00) My parents, thank god for them, I mean, were amazing and and really did a lot of this in the beginning.

Kelly (4:06) I don't even know that I actually took my own insulin syringe for probably a year or so after diagnosis. (4:11) My parents were just very heavily involved. (4:13) So but, yeah, I'm I'm glad that those days were over and the lack of technologies, which we had nothing back then. (4:20) Mhmm. (4:20) Compared to now, I don't know how we made it through the eighties and the nineties, to be honest.

Kelly (4:25) It's very diff you know, very difficult time to be a diabetic, I think.

Scott Benner (4:28) Yeah. (4:29) What do you think the biggest change is? (4:31) Like, not just like, don't tell me it's a CGM or it's this. (4:34) Like, what is it for you personally? (4:35) Like, what has changed for the better for people with type one diabetes?

Kelly (4:39) Well, know, when I think about how we manage diabetes in the eighties and nineties, it just seems like a it's I mean, in retrospect, it seems like it was a disaster back then. (4:49) I mean, your your parents were handed a sliding scale to figure out, you know, how much insulin you're gonna need for carbs and all of this. (4:57) And, I think we took two shots a day back then. (5:00) There was no testing of blood sugar through, like, maybe as aggressively as we should have throughout the day. (5:05) I think we just did it before and after meals, and that was it.

Kelly (5:08) So it's the not not knowing, right, what your blood sugar is. (5:11) Like, we can just look down look down at our CGM and and see that, you know, right away. (5:16) I I I just could sometimes think it's amazing that we live through all of that because we just didn't have access to what we have access to now. (5:24) Yeah. (5:25) It almost seems like on some level, it wasn't, really the safest back then.

Kelly (5:29) You know?

Scott Benner (5:30) But what you it's what you had, though. (5:31) Right? (5:31) I mean, it's not

Kelly (5:32) like It's all we had. (5:33) Yeah.

Scott Benner (5:34) And so health wise, when you think of yourself at 20, did you think of yourself as unhealthy?

Kelly (5:43) I don't think I ever thought of myself as unhealthy, but I even in my twenties think that my level of care probably wasn't what it is now because being a college student, you know, I I don't think I was as focused. (5:56) I mean, I remember going to bed thinking, oh, I really should test my blood sugar, and I wouldn't. (6:00) You know? (6:00) And so we didn't have CGMs when I was in college either. (6:05) So, you know, there there were definitely some moments that gave me some wake up calls back then.

Kelly (6:12) I can remember one time waking up, and somehow I found myself in the basement of our home, but it was like I woke up as if I had just come out of a severe low glucose. (6:23) I was like, why am I sitting here? (6:25) What am I doing? (6:26) And so it was moments like that that really forced me to take better care of myself. (6:31) I'd say probably around the age of 25, I just got really serious about, okay.

Kelly (6:35) I need to go on an insulin pump, but I need to I need I need to make sure that I'm really taking care of myself. (6:39) I don't wanna wake up on the Basement Floor, you know, Mhmm. (6:42) Not really knowing where I am, what I'm doing, and somehow I miraculously came out of that on my own.

Scott Benner (6:48) What do you think happened at 25?

Kelly (6:50) I can only imagine it was another severe low. (6:53) Like, I never had to go to the hospital for a low. (6:55) There was one time where my father did drive me to the hospital, but I woke up kind of out of that state in the car. (7:02) And I remember thinking, what are we doing? (7:05) Where are we going?

Kelly (7:06) I'm in my pajamas. (7:07) I had a a little glass of juice in my lap, and my father says, you're not acting right. (7:11) I have to take you to the hospital. (7:12) I said, no. (7:13) I'm fine.

Kelly (7:14) Turn around. (7:14) I made him turn around. (7:16) But I think it was one of those moments, and maybe it was that moment, that just made me realize, like, you've gotta stop this. (7:22) Like, you've gotta figure out how to take better care of yourself or you're, you know, you're not gonna live with this. (7:27) You know?

Kelly (7:28) And I don't think I was ever I don't think I I would ever, like, fully neglected my diabetes. (7:32) I just think there were moments where I got very lazy with it, and that's what led, you know, to those sort of episodes. (7:37) So right around, I'd say, age of 25, I got serious and never had any any issues like that again.

Scott Benner (7:43) Yeah. (7:44) Do you have context for they say it takes into your mid twenties for your brain to fully form for you to be, like, you know, kind of a a a complete person. (7:53) So you had some impacts that kinda snapped you right, and then you got yourself together and never went back. (7:59) It didn't go backwards on you.

Kelly (8:01) Yeah. (8:02) Exactly.

Scott Benner (8:02) Awesome. (8:03) Were you married at that point or dating seriously? (8:05) Anything like that?

Kelly (8:06) I mean, I was so I mean, I graduated college around '22, and I got a job right away. (8:13) So, no, I didn't actually get married till I was about 33.

Scott Benner (8:16) Mhmm. (8:17) And

Kelly (8:17) I have two children and I had very successful pregnancies despite type one, I'm very grateful for that.

Scott Benner (8:23) Nice.

Kelly (8:24) You know, I think just having diabetes for thirty eight years, you know, it's even though I almost don't know life any other way because I've had this since I was, you know, seven years old, it's still a burden, I I feel. (8:37) I think it's just, you know, you can never, like, take a step away from diabetes. (8:41) And I think that's what led me down the path of trying to explore what clinical trials are out there. (8:46) And it really took me moving to Illinois. (8:48) I mean, I lived in the Northern Virginia area for about thirty three years.

Kelly (8:53) Never really researched this. (8:56) I had heard about different things happening, but didn't get really serious about researching until I moved. (9:01) So when I moved to Illinois, last year, I was amazed to discover that there are several research hospitals in the Chicago area as well as one in Madison, Wisconsin, and all of them had been doing islet transplants for years, I mean, decade plus. (9:17) And I thought, this is incredible. (9:18) How come I never knew this?

Kelly (9:20) So I contacted all of them and was trying to see if I would be a candidate for a clinical trial. (9:27) So at first, the first one, one of I would say one of the hospitals I didn't qualify because, you know, all the criteria is different for all the studies, obviously. (9:38) So some, have to have a certain blood type, which I didn't have. (9:41) Others, you know, there are BMI requirements, and things like that. (9:46) I was able to get in touch with the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Kelly (9:50) The first path I tried to go down was the islet cells where they harvest the cells from a cadaver pancreas. (9:57) That didn't work out because we actually had to go through insurance for that. (10:01) That that particular one wasn't even considered a clinical trial. (10:04) Like, they've been doing this

Scott Benner (10:05) Mhmm.

Kelly (10:06) For years. (10:07) And so if your insurance covers the procedure, you can, you know, have this done. (10:11) Fortunately, my, my insurance company told me they don't cover islet cells, and I almost laughed.

Scott Benner (10:16) I was like, oh, of course, you won't cover

Kelly (10:17) a cure. (10:18) I'm like, why would we do that? (10:20) Because my understanding is you leave hospital, and you're essentially not diabetic anymore. (10:25) I mean, it it works that fast. (10:26) Right?

Kelly (10:27) It's it's incredible. (10:29) So, downside, obviously, to doing the cadaver route is you do have to take immunosuppressant drugs, the rest of your life. (10:36) So there is, you know, there are some pros and cons to be weighed there, of course. (10:40) So after that kinda fell apart, I waited, and I was back in touch with the University of Illinois again and learned that they were gonna have another they were gonna actually have a clinical trial opening up in I in August of of this year. (10:56) And I was able to get in touch with the research team, and they said that they thought I might be a good candidate.

Kelly (11:01) So we went out, and I had all kinds of tests done. (11:05) And they said, that I qualified. (11:10) And so I had my transplant surgery on October 14, and what made this different was that this particular study, they took islet cells from pigs. (11:24) So it's porcine islets. (11:26) This has been, effective in primate studies, but we haven't really studied this enough in humans.

Kelly (11:33) I'm actually the second person in The United States to do a porcine eyelid, which is pretty remarkable.

Scott Benner (11:39) It

Kelly (11:41) has been done in other countries. (11:43) I think New Zealand was one of the first. (11:45) It's been done in Argentina, Germany, the list goes on, but it's it's still being studied. (11:50) So this is a, you know, this is an efficacy and safety study. (11:53) So I got a certain amount of porcine islets, and the surgeon believed that in a couple of weeks here, I should start to see some changes in insulin requirements.

Kelly (12:02) So that's very exciting. (12:03) Whether this is going to lead to full insulin independence is still unknown. (12:10) It certainly is a possibility, but we just don't know.

Scott Benner (12:13) So okay. (12:14) Let me ask a couple of questions.

Kelly (12:15) Sure.

Scott Benner (12:17) Me start at the beginning here so I can piece my way through it. (12:19) How long ago did you have the procedure?

Kelly (12:21) On October 14.

Scott Benner (12:22) Okay. (12:23) So that's a month ago.

Kelly (12:24) Yes.

Scott Benner (12:24) Okay. (12:25) And they give you it's pig cells cells from a pig. (12:32) Okay. (12:32) Yes. (12:32) You need anti rejection meds for that?

Kelly (12:34) You do not. (12:35) That's what makes this

Scott Benner (12:36) Why is that?

Kelly (12:37) So different. (12:38) So the cells are encapsulated

Scott Benner (12:40) Oh, okay.

Kelly (12:41) Which you've probably heard

Scott Benner (12:42) of that. (12:43) Right?

Kelly (12:43) Yeah. (12:44) That that's why.

Scott Benner (12:45) So it's in in one of those pouches?

Kelly (12:47) It's actually not in a pouch. (12:49) So this also fascinated me. (12:50) That's what I thought we were gonna do. (12:52) I actually thought they'd be in a pouch. (12:53) They put them in your, Omentum, which I had to Google.

Kelly (12:57) I didn't even know this was a body part that we had. (12:59) Okay? (12:59) So this is a little, like, fatty tissue in the upper abdomen area, and it kinda drapes over your intestines like a curtain or an apron.

Scott Benner (13:08) K.

Kelly (13:10) This area is being utilized for islet cell well, I don't know about cadaver, but certainly for porcine. (13:18) It's a protected area and, rich in blood supply, and, it's it's known to be an area that that I guess, these cells can thrive. (13:28) So that's why they're starting to to do them in the momentum.

Scott Benner (13:30) Okay. (13:32) So they put them in there, and it's been a month. (13:35) Have you have you noticed any difference at all? (13:41) You've probably heard me talk about US Med and how simple it is to reorder with US Med using their email system. (13:48) But did you know that if you don't see the email and you're set up for this, you have to set it up.

Scott Benner (13:52) They don't just randomly call you. (13:53) But I'm set up to be called if I don't respond to the email because I don't trust myself, a 100%. (14:00) So one time, I didn't respond to the email And the phone rings at the house. (14:04) It's like, ring, you know how it works. (14:06) And I picked it up.

Scott Benner (14:07) Was like, hello? (14:07) And it was just the recording. (14:08) It was like, US Med. (14:10) Doesn't actually sound like that, but you know what I'm saying. (14:12) It said, hey, you're, I don't remember exactly what it says.

Scott Benner (14:14) But it's basically like, hey, your order's ready. (14:16) You want us to send it? (14:17) Push this button if you want us to send it. (14:19) Or if you'd like to wait, I think it it lets you put it off, like, a couple of weeks or push this button for that. (14:24) That's pretty much it.

Scott Benner (14:25) I push the button to send it, and a few days later, box right at my door. (14:30) That's it. (14:31) Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514. (14:36) Get your free benefits checked now and get started with USmed. (14:39) Dexcom, Omnipod, Tandem, Freestyle, they've got all your favorites.

Scott Benner (14:46) Even that new islet pump. (14:48) Check them out now at usmed.com/juicebox or by calling (888) 721-1514. (14:56) There are links in the show notes of your podcast player and links at juiceboxpodcast.com to US Med and to all of the sponsors. (15:03) This episode is brought to you by Omnipod. (15:06) Would you ever buy a car without test driving at first?

Scott Benner (15:09) That's a big risk to take on a pretty large investment. (15:12) You wouldn't do that. (15:13) Right? (15:14) So why would you do it when it comes to choosing an insulin pump? (15:17) Most pumps come with a four year lock in period through the DME channel, and you don't even get to try it first.

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Kelly (16:05) Not yet. (16:06) But they told me that I shouldn't really see any changes for about six weeks.

Scott Benner (16:11) Six weeks.

Kelly (16:11) And so I to be honest, I haven't seen anything yet. (16:15) So I'm just it's sort of like diabetes as usual. (16:17) Right? (16:18) I haven't seen any change just yet.

Scott Benner (16:20) My gosh. (16:21) But you're the second person. (16:23) So I was gonna say if you talked to anybody else that's had it done, but there was one other person.

Kelly (16:27) One other person, in The US study. (16:30) Yes. (16:30) And if you look at the studies that have happened overseas, they're mixed in terms of success rates. (16:36) Right? (16:36) So, you know and each study was slightly different, so the the goals of each study are are different.

Kelly (16:42) But this clearly is an an area that is still being, well, you know, studied. (16:47) We I don't know that anyone has gone to full insulin independence, but they certainly have had, success, you know, in the area of, like, better control after

Scott Benner (16:57) Mhmm.

Kelly (16:57) Meals. (16:58) Right? (16:58) Better like, less spikes after eating, things like that. (17:01) So

Scott Benner (17:03) Have there been any changes? (17:04) If I yell suey, will you come running? (17:06) Anything like that? (17:08) Sorry. (17:08) That's a that's a bad pig joke.

Scott Benner (17:11) How long was the procedure? (17:13) How long was it to recover from it?

Kelly (17:15) This was a very easy surgery. (17:17) So it was done, laparoscopically. (17:19) They made four tiny incisions, probably a centimeter, around my abdomen. (17:24) They sort of said, imagine, like, a funnel. (17:26) Right?

Kelly (17:26) They're funneling the cells into your omentum, and, and that was it. (17:31) And I was in the hospital for two days. (17:33) Recovery was very easy. (17:35) I didn't need any pain medicine. (17:36) I may have taken an ibuprofen on, you know, the first day after it was released, but nothing beyond that.

Scott Benner (17:41) Really like that. (17:42) Just easy. (17:42) What's the doctor's name?

Kelly (17:44) So the doctor, the transplant surgeon that did my surgery is doctor D'Coco. (17:50) He was amazing. (17:52) And, really, the entire research team there is amazing. (17:55) I still go in once a week for follow-up care, so they do a lot of blood work. (17:59) They're also doing, like, C peptide tests, right, to see if there's any activity and things like that.

Kelly (18:04) So I'll be going to every other week appointments pretty soon. (18:08) But, yeah, I'll be I'll be followed essentially the rest of my life as part of this study.

Scott Benner (18:12) So gonna say what's your responsibility to the study after that?

Kelly (18:17) So the visits will slow down a little bit. (18:20) You know, maybe it'll be once a month for a while, and then eventually, think it may be even twice a year or something like that. (18:26) But, yes, I will be closely monitored for the rest of my life.

Scott Benner (18:30) Okay. (18:31) Can you tell me have you given thought to if you wake up six weeks in, eight weeks in, twelve weeks in, there's no change. (18:39) Do you think you'll be disappointed, or do you think you'll have just been happy to help?

Kelly (18:43) You know, of course, there'll be, like, a little disappointment, but I I went into this knowing that there's a big question mark around whether this is gonna work fully. (18:53) My hope is that maybe this will lead to, you know, more opportunities for other type ones. (19:00) I mean, certainly in the cell therapy space, there's so much being done. (19:03) It's incredible. (19:04) I really didn't know until I spent I mean, I spent probably about three or four months just diving into all the hospitals in my area that were doing islet cell transplants, and I just couldn't believe how much I didn't know.

Kelly (19:15) So there's a lot happening. (19:17) I met I also met I don't know if you've heard of doctor Oberholzer. (19:22) He's a Swiss transplant surgeon who's been heavily involved in the University of Illinois in Chicago. (19:28) He's the one that started the diabetes I'm sorry, the Chicago Diabetes Project, which you may have heard of.

Scott Benner (19:33) I have. (19:33) Yeah.

Kelly (19:34) Yeah. (19:34) He did his first eyelid transplant in 1996, and I've read a lot about him. (19:39) I've just been so amazed by his work, which has been solely focused on

Scott Benner (19:44) a

Kelly (19:44) cure, like finding a cure, developing cures. (19:47) So this is his his whole life's work. (19:49) Well, he happened to be in Chicago while I was there and came just walked into my hospital room the day of surgery, and I couldn't believe it. (19:58) I was like, wow. (19:59) You're here.

Kelly (20:00) It's like, I had no idea he was gonna be there. (20:02) So it was wonderful to meet him and talk to him about these procedures and just all that is being done in the islet space. (20:09) It's it's really amazing. (20:11) So I I do believe that there'll be a cure for us in the near future. (20:14) I know a lot of people think that's just not that'll never happen.

Kelly (20:17) But these cell based therapies, there's so much happening right now in this space that I I think it will be available to most of us in the future.

Scott Benner (20:24) No. (20:24) That'd be crazy. (20:25) Yeah. (20:27) What what did you have to do to qualify? (20:29) Is there anything that would have disqualified you?

Kelly (20:32) Yes. (20:33) So each study has, you know, slightly different criteria. (20:36) This one, you had to meet certain things. (20:38) And I I I don't recall the entire list, but I know a big one was, like, hypoglycemia. (20:45) Like, if you don't feel when you're low, that certainly is a is a factor that that helped me qualify because I I do think I have lost sensitivity over the years, which is not uncommon when you've had diabetes for a long time.

Kelly (20:59) I could be, you know, out doing some activity, and maybe I don't recognize this. (21:04) I don't feel it right right away. (21:06) I'm waiting like, have to wait for the CGM to alert me.

Scott Benner (21:09) Mhmm.

Kelly (21:09) So that's certainly not a a great thing. (21:11) There's some other factors, like, you have to make you have to be a certain weight, you know, and BMI is a factor in these studies, and a couple of other things. (21:21) But but each each one, like I said, has has slightly different criteria.

Scott Benner (21:25) Yeah. (21:26) Okay. (21:26) Alright. (21:27) What made you wanna come on the podcast, actually? (21:29) Like, that that's interesting because you you scheduled this, and you don't know what the outcome's gonna be yet.

Scott Benner (21:35) So Yeah. (21:35) What's what's your hope in in talking to people?

Kelly (21:37) Well, what I was hoping to to share is that there is a lot there's a lot of work being done right now trying to develop a cure for diabetes. (21:46) It's been and it's been going on for many, many years, and I I just think that there are a lot of type ones like me out there who thought, I'm gonna have this forever. (21:54) You know? (21:55) Yes. (21:55) There's studies being done, but that's never going to apply to me.

Kelly (21:59) It's not something I'm ever gonna be able to participate in. (22:01) And I would encourage type ones to really especially if you live in close to a big city like Chicago or and I'm and, I mean, these are being done all over the country. (22:10) University of Miami does islets. (22:12) I believe the University of Virginia does islets. (22:14) So this is happening all over the country, I think even UCLA.

Kelly (22:18) Just do your research. (22:20) And if it sounds like something you'd be interested in participating in and maybe you'd have the opportunity for a little bit of a break from diabetes, you know, you'd be surprised. (22:30) I didn't think that I was gonna qualify for any of these. (22:33) I do feel fortunate that I was able to get into one. (22:36) And even if it, know, let's say, only works 50% of the expectation.

Kelly (22:41) Right? (22:41) Like, maybe I don't have full insulin independence, but even to get kind of that break from, okay. (22:46) I can eat a meal, I don't

Scott Benner (22:47) have to worry about where am I gonna be two hours from now or three hours from now.

Kelly (22:51) Right? (22:52) Like, just having, just a little bit of a break from type one would be absolutely amazing for me.

Scott Benner (22:57) Let's talk about that a little bit. (22:59) After nearly four decades of type one diabetes, like right? (23:02) Like, what is it about your experience that made you think, I'm just gonna go ask somebody to cut my belly open and stuff some some pig cells in here and see if that doesn't help me? (23:13) You know what I mean? (23:13) Like

Kelly (23:13) Like, what encouraged me to go this route?

Scott Benner (23:16) Yeah. (23:17) What's the long term implications that make you think of because there are people out there who've done transplants. (23:22) Right? (23:23) Like, often they're in in poor health and maybe makes more sense. (23:26) But even when you tell somebody, like, you have to go on immunosuppressant, like, that's a big thing.

Kelly (23:31) It

Scott Benner (23:31) is. (23:31) And to have somebody hear all the possible side effects and problems with being on an immunosuppressant and then them still say, like, yeah. (23:38) Let's do it. (23:39) Like, something's had to have happened and happened over and over again that makes them say, like, well, let's just throw caution to the wind and try this thing now. (23:46) I'm wondering Yeah.

Scott Benner (23:47) About that for you.

Kelly (23:49) I think for me, it's just there is a certain level of exhaustion with living with this. (23:53) Right? (23:54) I wanna be able to just go on the, you know, Peloton and not have to worry about, am I gonna drop low, or am I gonna have to eat before, you know, I get on the bike? (24:03) And it's just all of those decisions that you're making all day long can be so exhausting. (24:08) And I understand why people, you know, say they have diabetes burnout.

Kelly (24:12) I think that's a very real thing for a lot of us, especially when we've had it for, you know, in my case, nearly four decades.

Scott Benner (24:17) For sure.

Kelly (24:18) You know, I'm in great health. (24:19) I've had no complications from diabetes. (24:21) Thank goodness. (24:22) But but it's just it's just one of those things where it's it's It's enough already. (24:26) Full time job.

Scott Benner (24:27) Yeah. (24:27) Like, that's enough of this. (24:29) I'm good.

Kelly (24:29) Yes. (24:30) It's like, sign me up for one of these, you know, options. (24:33) Let's see if this works. (24:35) I I'll be honest. (24:36) I think I probably would have gone down the route too of doing the cadaver eyelets had I qualified or, you know, had my insurance been willing to pay for the procedure just because I would love to know what life is like without this.

Scott Benner (24:48) You know? (24:49) You're you're just desirous of anything happening that's different. (24:52) Seriously. (24:53) Yeah. (24:53) You're just like like, okay.

Scott Benner (24:54) I'm ready for something different now. (24:55) Let let's be done. (24:56) Yeah. (24:56) Yeah. (24:56) So would you try something again?

Scott Benner (24:58) Like, say this doesn't work. (25:00) Would and they called you six months from now and they're like, hey. (25:02) We got a, I don't know, dog sells this time. (25:05) Let's go again. (25:06) Would you be like, like, right on.

Scott Benner (25:07) Let's go.

Kelly (25:08) Yeah. (25:09) I think if I absolutely would consider it again. (25:13) I mean, in this case, I felt like the worst case scenario with this procedure is that it just doesn't work. (25:17) Right? (25:17) There were no I didn't have to you know, you always wanna weigh the the risks and the benefits of these things, of course.

Kelly (25:25) But, yeah, I think if it's the right procedure, as I felt this one was, I probably would consider it again.

Scott Benner (25:31) Yeah. (25:31) Plus that curly tail is not that bad. (25:34) I

Kelly (25:36) my kids would have loved probably if I dressed up as a a pig this year

Scott Benner (25:40) for Halloween. (25:41) Are they are they how old are your kids?

Kelly (25:43) 11 and four.

Scott Benner (25:45) Oh, 11 and four? (25:46) Yeah. (25:47) Look at you. (25:47) You had one when you got married and one after a wedding where you got drunk. (25:52) What happened there?

Scott Benner (25:52) Was it No.

Kelly (25:53) No? (25:53) You know, after my first, I I just thought I was good with one child. (25:58) I really didn't think I was gonna have any more kids. (26:01) And then, you know, after they maybe she was around five years old. (26:05) I think you forget how hard it is in the beginning.

Scott Benner (26:08) I haven't forgotten.

Kelly (26:09) You're like,

Scott Benner (26:09) you know, I

Kelly (26:09) can do this again.

Scott Benner (26:11) I haven't forgotten. (26:12) I have a I have a kid with diabetes. (26:14) I I I'm I'm aware every day. (26:17) She somebody said to me recently, like, you know, what is it you're waiting for? (26:21) And I was like, for her to get to 25.

Scott Benner (26:22) I because it's funny that you said 25 because I I mean, all the stuff you've just talked about. (26:27) Right? (26:27) That happens to everybody. (26:29) Happens to my daughter. (26:30) It's gonna happen to if you're listening, it's gonna happen to your kid.

Scott Benner (26:33) Like, there are people who I think outwardly appear to be handling it better, but I don't know that it doesn't impact everybody the same way even if they don't show it. (26:42) And Yeah. (26:43) You know, and, it's just there's parts of diabetes that Arden just skates through. (26:48) And there's Yes. (26:49) And there's parts of it and I and I don't even know if I should say diabetes, like autoimmune.

Scott Benner (26:53) Like and there's parts of it that, like, are hard for. (26:56) And Absolutely. (26:57) And and, you know, and it just it's I don't know what to do. (27:00) Like, you know, you so you try to be supportive, but people aren't always ready for that. (27:04) You you know, you can't force people to you can't force people to do anything.

Scott Benner (27:09) Mhmm. (27:09) You know, you it's easier when they're kids because you say, like, here, do the thing and I'm taller than you, so do it. (27:15) And they're like, right on. (27:17) And then they just do it. (27:18) Right?

Scott Benner (27:18) But people start to grow and, you know, they their own struggles and and their own mindset and suddenly, you're you're just an you're an opinion. (27:27) You're not a Mhmm. (27:29) You're not the end all be all anymore. (27:31) So anyway, yeah, I say keep them little because they're easier that way.

Kelly (27:34) And I think maybe that was one benefit to getting type one as a child. (27:38) And granted, I don't wish this upon anyone, especially children, but, you know, it's it's it's as if I don't really know life any other way. (27:46) Right? (27:46) I've had this for so, so long. (27:49) But I because of that, I I like I said, I am I'm just open to you know, if there are if there is the possibility to get rid of it, I I'm certainly open to it.

Scott Benner (28:00) Well, sure. (28:01) Because you're sure you don't have an experience to know it another way, but you can imagine it another way.

Kelly (28:06) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (28:06) You look at other people who don't have it and you go, that seems better.

Kelly (28:09) That would be nice.

Scott Benner (28:10) Yeah. (28:10) Yeah. (28:10) Right. (28:11) Yeah. (28:12) And your husband did your husband have any autoimmune issues or anything going on with him?

Kelly (28:15) None. (28:16) And there's really none in my family either.

Scott Benner (28:18) Really?

Kelly (28:18) There I don't have any cousins or siblings. (28:22) No one has type one, so that's just a mystery. (28:25) Celiac. (28:25) No celiac.

Scott Benner (28:27) Eczema. (28:29) No. (28:29) The the Michael Jackson thing, vitiligo. (28:32) No. (28:32) Raynaud's, cold hands.

Scott Benner (28:33) Anybody have RA? (28:35) No. (28:36) I'll be damned. (28:36) I know. (28:37) You just got super wonder.

Scott Benner (28:39) So what

Kelly (28:39) was the trigger? (28:40) Was it a virus? (28:41) You know, some environmental factor? (28:43) You it will never know. (28:45) Right?

Scott Benner (28:45) Did you have a virus before you were diagnosed?

Kelly (28:47) I certainly don't remember if I did.

Scott Benner (28:50) Yeah. (28:50) It would be like a nothing before you had diabetes, nobody paid attention to health. (28:54) You're either sick or you were getting better or you're Yes. (28:56) Or you weren't sick. (28:57) Nobody was, like, tracking anybody's health in this in the eighties.

Scott Benner (29:00) Yeah. (29:01) Yeah.

Kelly (29:01) I don't I certainly don't remember Yeah. (29:03) What could you know, a virus or what else could have possibly triggered it.

Scott Benner (29:07) Yeah. (29:07) No. (29:07) I hear you. (29:08) Okay. (29:09) So oh, Do you ever think about testing your kids for autoantibodies?

Kelly (29:15) I do. (29:16) I've done the trial net. (29:18) In fact, I did it when they were both two, and I just ordered the kits again. (29:23) They there was a period of time, I guess, where you could not get the kits. (29:27) I think there was maybe had something to do with fund the lack of funding in this study, but now they're available again.

Scott Benner (29:32) Yeah.

Kelly (29:32) So I was able to order them, and I'll do another. (29:34) Thankfully, they were negative when they were two, so I'm certainly hopeful they'll all you know, be negative again. (29:40) But yes. (29:41) I I think I'll probably always do trial med as long as I'm, you know, able to I don't I don't know how how often they recommend we do it. (29:49) That'll have to I'll have to look up again, but they they certainly will were willing to send the kits again.

Kelly (29:54) So I thought, okay. (29:55) Great. (29:55) Let's do it.

Scott Benner (29:56) Very nice. (29:56) So I'm glad you get a little peace of mind from that. (29:58) That's nice. (29:58) Yeah. (29:59) How do you manage right now?

Scott Benner (30:00) Are you a pump, CGM, MDI? (30:03) What do do?

Kelly (30:03) Omnipod five, and I'm using the Dexcom g six. (30:09) The hospital actually gave me a g seven, so the hospital and their research partner who was in Japan is so it's like a blinded CGM. (30:19) I can't see

Scott Benner (30:19) Right. (30:20) Right.

Kelly (30:20) The numbers or anything like that, but I am carrying their device around and It's recording. (30:25) Seven.

Scott Benner (30:25) Yeah. (30:26) And it's recording data for them. (30:27) They'll download it

Kelly (30:28) later. (30:28) Right.

Scott Benner (30:29) Yeah. (30:29) Yeah. (30:29) I remember those. (30:30) That's how you used to have to get a CGM, by the way. (30:32) Oh.

Scott Benner (30:33) Back in the day, you had to wear a blinded CGM, then they went back and looked at your numbers and then told you if you were allowed to have one.

Kelly (30:38) Oh my gosh. (30:39) Wow. (30:39) I remember that.

Scott Benner (30:40) Yeah. (30:40) That was that was fun. (30:41) We did that one, you know, where you're just, like, hoping somebody gets low so that you'll get an excuse to get deceased.

Kelly (30:48) Qualify?

Scott Benner (30:49) I mean, really. (30:50) And that's a horrible feeling. (30:51) Like, you slap it on, you're like, I hope she I hope these lows we keep telling her about happen while this thing's recording.

Kelly (30:56) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:56) Obviously, we didn't make her low on purpose, but, like, it was like

Kelly (30:59) No. (31:00) These tools are so essential. (31:01) They they should never be a it's a shame, and I I won't go all political on you, but it's like every diabetic should be able to access the best technology that there is out there for this. (31:13) And I don't know how I lived so many years without a CGM.

Scott Benner (31:15) Well, obviously

Kelly (31:16) I it's really a miracle.

Scott Benner (31:17) How long have you had CGM and an algorithm? (31:19) Like, I mean

Kelly (31:20) With the algorithm, not that long. (31:22) Because before the Omnipod five came out, I was using whatever the first edition Omnipod was. (31:29) I didn't have the dash.

Scott Benner (31:31) Oh, you had the you had the old the original pod? (31:33) You went from the original pod to the five?

Kelly (31:35) Yes. (31:35) Really?

Scott Benner (31:36) Yeah. (31:36) What was that called?

Kelly (31:38) I forget what it was called. (31:39) Someone asked me this the other day. (31:41) I can't remember. (31:41) But I had that for probably a decade.

Scott Benner (31:44) Yeah. (31:46) Yeah. (31:46) How was your outcomes during that decade?

Kelly (31:49) You know what's funny? (31:51) My a one c was better on the old school one than it is on the Omnipod five, interestingly enough.

Scott Benner (31:57) Were you more focused on it?

Kelly (31:59) I wish I could tell you. (32:00) I think if there is a downside to the Omnipod five, in my opinion, is I do not like there are times where I think it does not correctly estimate or or predict that you're going low, and it will cut me off for, I think, far too long. (32:13) And then that sends you back up to, like, the January or January sometimes. (32:17) That particular feature is not my favorite.

Scott Benner (32:20) Okay.

Kelly (32:21) I didn't have that problem before. (32:23) You know, I would bolus and wait the two, three hours, and if I needed to correct again, I would. (32:28) But, yeah, I I think my my a one c has certainly been higher on the fives, which I bet I don't love.

Scott Benner (32:33) Okay. (32:34) Well, I think they're working on another version of it right now. (32:38) So I think it's in the testing phase.

Kelly (32:40) God. (32:40) That would be great.

Scott Benner (32:41) Yeah. (32:41) Like a like a two point o kind of a feeling. (32:44) Yeah. (32:44) But I was wondering, like, because it's telling you it's taking care of things now, are you not looking in on it as much and helping it? (32:53) Do you know what I mean?

Scott Benner (32:54) Like, do you ever just think, well, I probably need more insulin here. (32:56) I'll I'll bolus again, or do you just wait for it?

Kelly (32:59) I admit I am guilty of overriding some of the decisions that the vibe is making. (33:06) Mhmm. (33:07) And I love my endocrinologist. (33:08) He's amazing. (33:09) It sounds like you just have to trust it.

Kelly (33:11) You have to give it give it more time and but I I do. (33:14) I have moments where I'm like, okay. (33:16) I'm tired of this. (33:17) I'm tired of waiting. (33:18) I'm just gonna Yeah.

Kelly (33:19) Take a half unit or a unit and see where we land.

Scott Benner (33:21) I think you should, first of all. (33:22) But, like Yeah. (33:23) You know, at the same time, I was wondering if you weren't doing that. (33:26) But you are. (33:26) You're Yeah.

Scott Benner (33:27) I understand. (33:27) Involved. (33:28) Yeah. (33:28) Yeah.

Kelly (33:28) Manipulated at times. (33:30) Yeah.

Scott Benner (33:30) Is it easier? (33:32) Like, is it enough to take away whatever made you decide to do the cell transplant? (33:39) Like, you know, if if it gets better and better, you know, if these are

Kelly (33:42) Oh, yeah. (33:42) If it gets better, and I think there's a possibility. (33:45) So let's say in a month, I start seeing some changed insulin requirements, you know, meaning and and this is what's also being closely tracked by the hospital. (33:52) We go over how much you know, what is your daily insulin? (33:56) We'll look at it week to week because that's how we're gonna be able to tell if things are changing.

Kelly (34:00) Am I taking less insulin? (34:01) Right? (34:02) Are we seeing anything on a C peptide test? (34:04) Like, these sorts of things. (34:06) So if we start if the islets start doing their job and we're making insulin, I won't be taking as much, synthetic insulin.

Kelly (34:14) So maybe the Omnipod five will will work out even better for me in that situation.

Scott Benner (34:19) Right.

Kelly (34:19) But, yeah, time will will tell. (34:21) You know, I'll when the surgeon from Switzerland came to see me in the hospital, the one who I mentioned, runs the Chicago Diabetes Project, he mentioned to me that he that I should expect to see some change in six weeks. (34:35) So if that's the case, we're talking about two weeks from now.

Scott Benner (34:37) Two more weeks.

Kelly (34:38) So I'm excited to see if that's the case. (34:41) He certainly seemed confident that I was gonna see some level of change.

Scott Benner (34:44) So Yeah.

Kelly (34:45) That gives me hope. (34:46) He's also amazing, and I would recommend that every type one look him up and get to know him and look at the Chicago Diabetes Project. (34:53) His name is doctor Jose, Ober Bolzer. (34:56) He's just an amazing human being. (34:58) His entire life is is dedicated, towards developing cures.

Kelly (35:03) He runs in the Chicago, marathon every single year. (35:07) They raise money, and that money goes directly to Cure Focus Research. (35:11) And what I found amazing about him is he ran the Chicago marathon this year on a Sunday and comes to see me in the hospital two days later. (35:19) He just walked in my room, I was like, wow. (35:22) This is I had no idea that he was there, that he would even stop by to see me.

Kelly (35:26) So I was really, I was really taken aback by that.

Scott Benner (35:29) Oh, I don't know. (35:29) You're probably pretty famous in this. (35:31) You're the second person that did it with him.

Kelly (35:33) That was a really special, surprise, you know, to see him. (35:37) Felt, you know He probably opened

Scott Benner (35:39) that he probably opened that door and was like, oh, she's still alive. (35:41) Good. (35:41) That's awesome. (35:43) Oh, god.

Kelly (35:45) Yeah. (35:46) No. (35:46) I definitely feel a deep sense of gratitude to him and and really the entire transplant team in Chicago for their work because it's now they've done some amazing work, towards, you know, a cure for all of us.

Scott Benner (35:57) Did they give you any idea did they say, like, listen. (35:59) If this doesn't work, this is why it doesn't work. (36:02) Like, is there how much of this do they understand? (36:04) Or do you think they're just like, I wonder what's gonna happen now?

Kelly (36:07) Well, you know, they're so they there is data, from the studies that were done in other countries. (36:14) The first one, I think, was New Zealand. (36:16) So this is this was first done, I believe, in 2014.

Scott Benner (36:19) Mhmm.

Kelly (36:20) You know, they work with their their research partners in New Zealand and in Japan and probably other places. (36:25) So I know that this has been well studied. (36:27) It just hadn't hadn't been approved. (36:30) You know, they had to go through FDA approvals and what have you to be able to do this in The United States. (36:35) So this is the first time it's being done here.

Kelly (36:38) But, you know, it has been done elsewhere. (36:41) So it's and it's still being studied, so we really don't know.

Scott Benner (36:44) Do you know if it's ramping up? (36:45) Are they gonna start doing more people or more cells?

Kelly (36:49) Clinical trial is still open. (36:50) So as far as I understand, people could apply. (36:54) I'm not sure how many patients they're gonna recruit for this, and my understanding is that there's two phases. (36:59) So I'm in phase one, and we got a certain amount of islets. (37:02) Phase two, they're supposed to those patients are gonna get a little bit more islets.

Kelly (37:06) So, you know, this is all part of testing the safety and efficacy of these cells. (37:12) So I think this the second round of patients will get a, you know, a bigger batch of islets.

Scott Benner (37:17) Does the, the pig get the liver? (37:19) Do they

Kelly (37:20) So this is the part that I admit makes me sad.

Scott Benner (37:23) Oh, he's he's chop he has pork chops now? (37:25) Is that right?

Kelly (37:25) You know, because I I don't know, and don't quote me on this, but I had heard that somewhere between twelve and fifteen baby pigs are taken for one

Scott Benner (37:34) transplant. (37:34) So,

Kelly (37:35) you know,

Scott Benner (37:35) I know.

Kelly (37:36) And I do I I have a soft shopper animal, so, of course, it makes me feel bad. (37:40) And part of me is, like, I really wanna get rid of diabetes. (37:42) So I'm gonna touch on that issue right now. (37:45) Kelly's

Scott Benner (37:46) like, I could alright. (37:47) I'll do it. (37:48) She's like, I don't wanna kill him, but I'm okay with it. (37:50) I just Yeah.

Kelly (37:51) I know. (37:52) It took me a while to accept that this is what I this is the road we're we're taking. (37:56) Okay?

Scott Benner (37:56) Do you have any idea how they came up with pigs? (37:59) Like, why why pigs?

Kelly (38:00) Well, I know that that we have used pigs for other things. (38:05) You know, they do, heart valve replacements.

Scott Benner (38:07) Yeah. (38:07) No. (38:07) I just didn't know if

Kelly (38:08) they Yeah.

Scott Benner (38:09) Like, told you I you know what? (38:10) The the greatest thing about your story so far is that it feels like you just got to a point where you were like, pig stuff? (38:15) Whatever. (38:16) I'm not gonna ask a ton of questions here. (38:18) Like, let's go.

Scott Benner (38:19) Like, really?

Kelly (38:20) There may be some truths.

Scott Benner (38:22) Oh, no. (38:22) No. (38:22) I heard it. (38:23) Yeah. (38:23) You heard it in your voice a couple times.

Scott Benner (38:24) I heard in your voice at one point because you said something about, like, I had to look it up. (38:29) It it was about the omentum. (38:30) You're like

Kelly (38:30) The omentum. (38:31) I didn't even know we had that.

Scott Benner (38:33) You sat in a room and someone was like, we're gonna put some slices in you and stick some pig cells in your omentum. (38:37) And you were like, rock and roll. (38:38) Let's do it. (38:40) Sign me up. (38:41) I feel like if they would have said, we're gonna cut off your big toes and stick them in your ears, and it might lower your insulin needs, you would have been like, I'm okay.

Scott Benner (38:50) Yeah. (38:51) Tell you. (38:51) They're I

Kelly (38:51) would cons they're definitely I would consider a lot at this point.

Scott Benner (38:54) But that's the that's the part I still can't I don't feel like I've dug into. (38:58) I don't feel like I've gotten to it yet. (38:59) Like, why why? (39:01) Like, why do you feel that

Kelly (39:03) Why you wanna lose tabs?

Scott Benner (39:04) Great. (39:04) Aside of the obvious idea that I don't want you to have type one diabetes, and you don't want that, and I don't want my daughter to have like that. (39:10) That aside, but there's something fun you've been doing it for four decades. (39:15) Like, there's

Kelly (39:15) something burnout. (39:16) You know? (39:17) You're tired you're tired of it. (39:18) I'm tired of making many decisions all day long about what to eat, how much insulin does it take. (39:24) Okay.

Kelly (39:24) I wanna exercise now. (39:25) But if I lift weights, I'm gonna go high. (39:27) If I do cardio, I'm gonna go low. (39:29) Do I need to eat a snack before this? (39:30) Does that have do I have to accompany that with protein to keep the blood sugar stable?

Kelly (39:34) It's like all those many decisions are just so exhausting all day long.

Scott Benner (39:37) Okay. (39:37) It's just you've done it one too many times.

Kelly (39:40) Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (39:40) Like but it's the repetition of something. (39:43) Right? (39:43) Like, it just

Kelly (39:43) Of course. (39:44) It's the repetition. (39:45) And I just go back to, you know, wouldn't it be great to just have this burden, you know, lifted? (39:50) It's like it is a burden. (39:52) It's it's another, you know, you have a full time job.

Kelly (39:55) You're a mom. (39:56) And then, you know, I feel like diabetes is often your third, you know, full time job.

Scott Benner (40:00) Right. (40:00) Right. (40:00) Right.

Kelly (40:01) Really is. (40:01) And it's

Scott Benner (40:02) I hear it. (40:03) I hear you.

Kelly (40:03) And look. (40:04) We have technology that is amazing. (40:06) Thank god. (40:06) We're not where I was in the eighties and nineties with nothing, right, to manage us. (40:10) We have great tools now, which is wonderful.

Scott Benner (40:12) Yeah.

Kelly (40:13) But they certainly, you know, don't replace

Scott Benner (40:17) Yeah. (40:17) A normal life. (40:18) Just a regular life where you don't have to, like, think about this stuff. (40:21) So

Kelly (40:21) Yes.

Scott Benner (40:22) Dig into your personality for a second because I just got done recording with a lady who's I I asked her a similar question from a different perspective because she's just one of those people who's like, no. (40:31) It's all fine. (40:32) I'm good. (40:33) Like, you know what I mean? (40:33) Like, she's had it, like, fifteen years longer than you, and she's just and I I I as I spoke to her, was like, is that your personality?

Scott Benner (40:41) Have you always been upbeat like this, or do things not bother you? (40:44) Like, that guy so my question back to you is is, like, does this make sense with your personality, or is it just such a thing that's overpowering who you are even? (40:52) And you're just like, I have to get rid of this somehow.

Kelly (40:55) Oh, that's a tough one. (40:57) I just think I there's a part of me that has this desire to continue to pursue options. (41:03) So if there are options out there and then right now, it's clinical trial because I would have certainly taken the cadaver path, but doing that, I would have been on low dose immunosuppressants. (41:13) But to me, I felt like it still would be better than just the daily day to day, you know, management of diabetes. (41:20) I was really willing to go down that road.

Scott Benner (41:22) Part of this then for you is just a desire to continue looking. (41:27) Yeah. (41:28) Okay.

Kelly (41:28) Yeah. (41:28) And granted, I don't know what Good. (41:30) I'll be able to do in the future. (41:31) Right? (41:31) This I may not be able to I I don't know what will happen, let's say, a year or two years from now.

Kelly (41:36) Like, if this doesn't work, you know, do I do we do it again, or am I allowed to then pursue the other path? (41:42) I'm not really sure what the answer is there yet.

Scott Benner (41:45) Mhmm.

Kelly (41:46) But I certainly think I would be open to continuing to pursue cell based therapies. (41:51) You know, we they call these functional cures. (41:53) Right? (41:53) Because it's never gonna restart your pancreas. (41:56) That's never that's never gonna happen.

Kelly (41:57) But we have other they have other procedures that they can do that essentially will cure you of diabetes, and that they are these cell based therapies.

Scott Benner (42:08) Yeah. (42:08) I don't well, I'll tell you, like, I wonder when you said it's never gonna happen like that. (42:12) I wonder how it is gonna happen because things that seem disconnected now but maybe aren't completely. (42:19) Like, I I I witnessed a person going to GLP recently. (42:22) He doesn't have diabetes.

Scott Benner (42:23) Right? (42:23) But, like, just look at metabolically what happened to this person. (42:27) So much inflammation left their body and so many different impacts of inflammation. (42:31) Then you see type ones who take it who, you know, have a decrease in their insulin needs. (42:35) You know, like Yes.

Scott Benner (42:36) And then I think back to twenty years ago when I had some researcher on and kinda wondering out loud, are those beta cells in my pancreas, are they are they really gone? (42:47) Are they ruined? (42:48) Or is there just so much I remember these words. (42:50) There's there's just so much inflammation in there that they can't move. (42:53) They can't do what they're supposed to do.

Scott Benner (42:55) And and that's one of the things that somebody's been studying for a while. (42:58) Like, is it just all, like is it your immune system attacking? (43:03) Like, I don't know. (43:03) Like, I just wonder, like, is there a cocktail of things, or are you right? (43:07) Is it you have an autoimmune response.

Scott Benner (43:09) It is just too harsh. (43:11) Even if we could magically flip those beta cells back on, your immune system would come back in and be like, oh, no.

Kelly (43:16) Would come

Scott Benner (43:16) back and

Kelly (43:17) attack it.

Scott Benner (43:18) Yeah. (43:18) And grab them again. (43:19) Like, is this more about autoimmunity than it is about the pancreas? (43:23) Like, you know, I don't like I

Kelly (43:25) think it's all of that. (43:26) Sure.

Scott Benner (43:26) Yeah. (43:26) It's so much of it. (43:27) Right? (43:27) And and in the meantime, good people, like the ones you're dealing with, they're like, I'm gonna take this piece of it here and focus on this piece right here. (43:35) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (43:35) You know? (43:35) And I'm gonna work on cell therapy because, like you said, functionally I mean, honestly, if somebody could put four slits in your omentum by the way, we'd have to figure out where it is. (43:44) But after we find out where it is. (43:45) Right? (43:45) And we do this and that fixed it, then who the hell cares?

Kelly (43:50) Right.

Scott Benner (43:50) Really. (43:51) You know? (43:51) Like, you you still have other problems. (43:53) You still have an overactive immune system. (43:55) Like you said that if you take all this off your plate, then you just be back to having, like, regular people problems.

Kelly (44:01) Right.

Scott Benner (44:01) Seriously. (44:02) Without all the math and the worry and the low blood sugars and every other thing that comes with it.

Kelly (44:08) Yes. (44:08) No. (44:09) Absolutely. (44:10) And these cells, I mean, they're they're sort of, you know, in in a baby phase right now. (44:15) They're it's only been, what, four weeks.

Scott Benner (44:18) Yeah.

Kelly (44:18) So in the first few weeks, they're trying to survive, and they have to connect to your blood supply. (44:24) And so they're they're busy at work, so I've been told. (44:28) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (44:28) It's awesome.

Kelly (44:29) And if engraftment, you know, succeeds, they'll be able to produce a small, you know, some insulin. (44:34) So I don't know.

Scott Benner (44:35) Question for you.

Kelly (44:36) Yeah.

Scott Benner (44:37) If it starts to work. (44:38) Right? (44:38) Like, I always wake up in a couple days, you know, fourteen days from now, and you're like, hey. (44:43) I've got low overnight for no real reason. (44:45) I'm gonna turn my basal down.

Scott Benner (44:46) Like or, you know, like, that kind of thing happens, you start noticing you use less insulin. (44:50) Is there any reason you can't go back and go, hey, doc. (44:52) Why don't you shove some more of them in there? (44:54) Right?

Kelly (44:56) Well, unfortunately, I don't think it will work that way for me. (45:00) So their research partner I think the study was funded by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. (45:05) So they're obviously heavily involved in this. (45:08) And

Scott Benner (45:08) Oh, they need to track your progress.

Kelly (45:09) And I think even my blood, my the blood tests that I take every week get sent over to Japan for additional testing. (45:16) So it's kinda fascinating, but, yeah, they they certainly are in control of some of the decisions here. (45:22) So I don't know that they'll let me just go for round two right away.

Scott Benner (45:25) I interviewed a lady one time who did one of those, I think, the Vertex pouch or one of those pouches. (45:29) Yes. (45:30) So very nice. (45:31) And it was a blind study, so she didn't know if she you know, they didn't tell her if they act they actually opened her up, put a pouch in, didn't tell her if it had the cells in or not. (45:37) Oh

Kelly (45:38) my gosh. (45:38) Yeah.

Scott Benner (45:38) Right? (45:39) So she's out in front trying to help everybody out, which is awesome. (45:42) But she starts seeing a real decrease in her needs, her insulin needs. (45:45) But then they took the pouch back out. (45:47) And I told her, was like, I would have left the country.

Scott Benner (45:49) I would have been like, hey. (45:50) I know I said I wanted to be part of this, but you screw off. (45:53) I'm I'm I'm out of here. (45:54) You're not taking my pouch back. (45:56) Yeah.

Scott Benner (45:56) Ain't that crazy? (45:57) Because they had to take it back out again because that was the part in the study they were up to.

Kelly (46:01) Oh, see. (46:01) I don't know that I could do that.

Scott Benner (46:03) Yeah. (46:03) No. (46:03) I would I I told her I I would've I would've went to Mexico. (46:06) I would've been like, goodbye.

Kelly (46:07) There's no way.

Scott Benner (46:07) Yeah. (46:08) Sorry. (46:08) I'm leaving. (46:09) You're not taking my pouch. (46:10) Right.

Scott Benner (46:11) Yeah. (46:11) Right. (46:11) But I just think, like, in that same vein, you were nice enough to jump into this at this point. (46:18) And it would I'd feel personally sad for you if, like, two years from now, they realized they should've just given you, like, 18 more ounces of, you know, of of piggy stuff and that they still could give it to you, but you're part of, like, some studies so they can't change it for you. (46:31) So thank you from everybody listening.

Scott Benner (46:33) I we really appreciate that you did this. (46:35) It's awesome.

Kelly (46:36) Yeah. (46:36) No. (46:36) Absolutely. (46:37) I hope that it's you know, and I imagine I'll be in the research books, and I hope that this will help, you know, type ones, in the future so we can start to identify whether this is this is a path that will, you know, help all of us.

Scott Benner (46:50) Wouldn't it be awesome? (46:51) I mean, an outpatient procedure that you basically took an Advil to, like, get through the discomfort of it.

Kelly (46:58) Very easy surgery, really. (46:59) Yeah. (47:00) Were help. (47:00) Surgeries in my life, this was easy.

Scott Benner (47:02) If that were to help something or even be the beginning of something, it would just Yes. (47:05) It would just be incredible.

Kelly (47:07) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (47:08) When you think about the future with diabetes, if, let's say, you have a a decreased need and it does take away some of your decision making that has to happen during the day. (47:18) Can you imagine other ways to help yourself? (47:21) Like, have you, like, have you thought of, like, other things you could do to release the burden a little bit to help the burnout?

Kelly (47:28) No. (47:29) And I think that's a great question. (47:31) I I it's just always there. (47:34) You know, in some days, maybe it's you feel it more than others, but I think I struggle the most with you wanna go out. (47:42) There's certain meals that I know are not gonna be great for blood sugar management.

Kelly (47:47) So it's just, like, be so nice to just be able to go to a restaurant with your family and just order the meal that you want and not have any guilt or any worry or even, you know, be able to go take an exercise class and not sit here and have to do all these implement all these strategies to prevent yourself from going high or low. (48:03) You know? (48:03) I think just being able to remove all of that would be amazing.

Scott Benner (48:07) Talk about the guilt for a second. (48:08) What do you mean the guilt?

Kelly (48:09) I guess I'll give you just an example. (48:11) Like, if you're gonna go out to dinner with your family. (48:13) Right? (48:13) And so and we all know carb counting is it's it's not an exact science. (48:17) So there are certain meals I think I generally would avoid eating because I know they're going to be difficult, You know?

Kelly (48:24) No matter how well I do with the carb counting or pre bolusing, it just sometimes doesn't work. (48:29) Right? (48:29) Yeah. (48:30) You know, that's just another thing I think that frustrates me with them with diabetes is you just that's what happened to it. (48:35) Like, no.

Kelly (48:35) I'm not gonna do that or, you know, not gonna have ice cream with the kids. (48:39) We, you know, we take the kids out for ice cream. (48:40) I never get it. (48:41) Never. (48:42) Because I don't wanna deal with it.

Scott Benner (48:43) Yeah. (48:43) But the guilt is that you're not enjoying the ice cream with the kids in that scenario.

Kelly (48:49) Maybe the guilt is if you if you do partake. (48:52) Yeah. (48:52) If there's a time where you do partake in something that's, you know, gonna not be great for your blood sugar and then you're, like, feeling bad about it three or four hours later. (48:59) I think sometimes I do. (49:00) It's like, oh, why did I eat that?

Kelly (49:01) I knew I shouldn't have had that. (49:03) You know? (49:04) Like, some birthday cake, like, at someone's house. (49:06) That's a good example. (49:06) I had birthday cake recently, and I'm like, oh, just a tiny piece.

Kelly (49:09) It'll be fine. (49:10) No. (49:10) It wasn't fine.

Scott Benner (49:12) So the the guilt can come in a lot of different ways. (49:14) Like, so you could you could feel guilty for not partaking with your family. (49:17) You could feel guilty after your blood sugar goes up later. (49:21) You could feel you feel guilty because it's a thing we all have to talk about or deal with or even guilty then if you try to ignore it, then you feel guilty for ignoring it.

Kelly (49:31) Yeah. (49:31) No. (49:31) That's all that's that's true.

Scott Benner (49:33) Right? (49:33) Yeah. (49:34) Yes. (49:34) And I'm missing some examples too, would imagine.

Kelly (49:37) No. (49:38) I think we definitely deal with all of that as type ones. (49:41) I I think that's very accurate.

Scott Benner (49:43) Every day doesn't stop.

Kelly (49:44) Yeah. (49:45) It it never stops. (49:46) It's always there.

Scott Benner (49:47) Jeez. (49:48) I I'm sorry. (49:49) I just as my daughter gets older, I think more and more about these parts of it. (49:53) You know?

Kelly (49:54) Well, you know, I I it's and it's hard. (49:57) Look. (49:57) We all have our moments, our struggles with diabetes, but I think for the most part, I think a lot of us care about managing it. (50:07) Right? (50:08) We don't we don't wanna have problems.

Kelly (50:09) And so I'm thankful, knock on wood, that after three years, I don't have any health issues and I was able to have two successful pregnancies. (50:17) And I when I talk to parents that have young children that, like, just got diagnosed, you know, they just can't imagine, like, how are we gonna get through this? (50:25) And, like, what's gonna happen when they get older? (50:27) And it's like, oh, I'm like, you can do it. (50:29) It's it's not gonna be easy.

Kelly (50:31) Like, they can do every everything that a, you know, a nondiabetic, can do, whether it's, you know, certain sports. (50:38) We we can do all of it. (50:40) It's just that it it takes a it just takes a little more focus. (50:43) We've gotta, you know, closely manage our our sugars, and I know that that's not fun for any of us, but it's not like we we can't do you know? (50:51) No.

Scott Benner (50:51) You can do it. (50:52) It's just it's there's a human aspect of it that stops people from responding the way that that the the situation needs all the time. (51:00) Yeah. (51:01) You know? (51:01) So you have this I don't know if there's this duality happening.

Scott Benner (51:04) Right? (51:05) Like, you're like, I I can put all this effort into it, but then and I'm happy to put the effort in, but then the burnout and you can't put the effort in, and then your blood sugar gets higher, it bounces around, then you feel terrible physically, then you have the guilt that you didn't do something about it. (51:18) Like, Yeah. (51:18) I it creates an action, a a stillness where you're not doing anything all of a sudden on any front.

Kelly (51:24) I mean and all of that is true. (51:25) And I think to say that you feel like that every single day, I don't think I do, but, you know, you you absolutely have those moments that, you know, as a type one.

Scott Benner (51:35) Yeah. (51:36) And you don't wanna have them, like, in your neighbor's house while everybody's singing happy birthday. (51:40) Yeah. (51:40) Right. (51:41) Right.

Kelly (51:42) Or Right.

Scott Benner (51:43) Or, you know, Thanksgiving when your grandmother, you know, your your cousin's like, oh, she's not having pie. (51:50) And you're like, no. (51:50) Yeah. (51:51) Yeah. (51:51) I I what's something wrong with my pie?

Scott Benner (51:53) What's wrong with my pie, Kelly? (51:55) Yeah. (51:55) Yeah. (51:56) There's nothing wrong with it. (51:57) My I can't take the

Kelly (51:59) food away from you because they're like, you can't eat that.

Scott Benner (52:01) You can't the did the old ladies do that? (52:03) Did they

Kelly (52:03) Oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (52:04) Yeah. (52:04) Yeah. (52:05) Give me that. (52:06) You don't want that.

Kelly (52:07) Yeah.

Scott Benner (52:08) Well, they're probably right too. (52:10) Damn it. (52:10) But you're like

Kelly (52:11) We're like, we know we shouldn't have this, but, you know

Scott Benner (52:14) Oh my gosh.

Kelly (52:15) What do you know about pre bolusing? (52:16) I'm joking.

Scott Benner (52:17) Would it help you if oh god. (52:20) What would help you? (52:22) Could you throw some of it on your husband?

Kelly (52:25) I am all way. (52:25) Like, what I

Scott Benner (52:26) don't know. (52:26) You'd be like, dude, listen. (52:28) You're in charge of dinner bowl or something. (52:29) Like, get it, like because what what occurs to me it's gonna sound silly for a second, especially to adults, but just hang with me for a second. (52:35) When my kid was younger and didn't have any thoughts of her own, I could put her a b one c wherever the hell I wanted it.

Scott Benner (52:42) And I could do it effortlessly because I had a different motivation. (52:46) I'm not burned out. (52:47) I'm not carrying the burden she's carrying. (52:49) So I I have a little I have a little more mental space for it. (52:53) And when you put somebody else in because we're we're talking all the time about these algorithms.

Scott Benner (52:56) Right? (52:56) Like, what's the goal? (52:57) You're hoping one of them works so well one day that your blood sugar just sits at 90 and doesn't move very much.

Kelly (53:03) Right.

Scott Benner (53:03) We're all sitting around hoping that happens. (53:06) What if your husband could do that for you? (53:08) Like, what if he could alleviate a little bit of it at one meal or on, like, I don't know, or on the weekend or, there's no way you'd ever give control over it over to him. (53:17) But like

Kelly (53:17) I was just gonna say that probably would be

Scott Benner (53:19) my You're like you're like, you don't know this guy, but, like, it's it's a bad idea. (53:23) Oh. (53:23) But, like, if I came to your house and I was like, hey. (53:26) I'm gonna live there for a week. (53:27) I'll do all your bolusing.

Scott Benner (53:29) Like, don't you think at the end of the week, you'd be like, this was awesome.

Kelly (53:33) Well, you don't think see, I just think about there's a control piece to it too. (53:36) Right? (53:37) Like, I might feel strange that I can't take my whole bolus or see where my blood sugar is heading if I put all of that on someone else, and I'm like.

Scott Benner (53:47) Well, yeah. (53:48) But treat me like a robot for a second. (53:50) Let let's say it was a robot that showed up at your house, and it was making all the decisions for you. (53:54) Or that you you'd be would you be okay with that?

Kelly (53:57) Yeah. (53:58) If it could control all the highs and the lows and I didn't to think about anything, then yes.

Scott Benner (54:02) Then do you think that would make the burnout go away?

Kelly (54:04) Oh, sure. (54:05) It would. (54:05) Absolutely. (54:06) Okay. (54:06) You know, and as long as I don't need to worry about, you know, any bad hypoglycemia episodes and we're putting a robot in charge of all this, so that would be amazing.

Kelly (54:15) And maybe they could also use an insulin that works faster too. (54:18) We can throw that in.

Scott Benner (54:19) Why don't we teach it to vacuum? (54:20) Why don't we teach it to vacuum while we're at it? (54:23) That's all I'm That would

Kelly (54:24) be great.

Scott Benner (54:25) Well, goddamn right. (54:27) I hope that I'm doing a good job of picking through your psyche about this. (54:31) Like, I I wanna understand, like, I I get that you can feel guilty at times. (54:34) I get that you feel burnout. (54:36) I get that it sucks.

Scott Benner (54:36) Like, I understand all that, but I don't know that contextually people listening would be able to, like, figure out the why. (54:43) I I would imagine because the I think the way people's minds work is no matter what you say, someone's gonna say, yeah. (54:48) But, yeah. (54:49) But this Mhmm. (54:49) Yeah.

Scott Benner (54:50) But that Well, I

Kelly (54:50) had experienced some of that. (54:52) People were like, why would you wanna do a study? (54:54) Why would you wanna participate in something where you don't even know if this is gonna work? (54:58) Like, well, that's the whole point. (54:59) It's a clinical trial.

Scott Benner (55:01) Yeah. (55:01) We get if no if no one does it, we're never gonna find out.

Kelly (55:04) We're never gonna get anywhere if no one signs up for this, and I saw a benefit to me in this for sure. (55:10) I mean, based on what we've learned, the data from the other studies, and this certainly this is happening eleven years after the first porcine transplant. (55:21) So a lot has, you know, changed since that time, I would imagine. (55:24) I just thought I wanna be part of something that has the potential to change, you know, the future for for type one diabetics.

Scott Benner (55:32) Yeah. (55:32) No. (55:32) I said it before. (55:33) I'll say it again. (55:34) I I appreciate it.

Scott Benner (55:34) I think it's lovely that you did

Kelly (55:36) you.

Scott Benner (55:36) You should have responded to that person and said, what if there was a trial that would stop you from being a shithead? (55:40) Wouldn't you do it?

Kelly (55:43) They were like, why wouldn't you sign up for the other one? (55:46) The like, the why wouldn't you do the the cadaver islets? (55:50) It's a guarantee. (55:50) I said, well, yes. (55:51) I understand that, but, also, you know, there's immunosuppressants involved.

Kelly (55:55) Like, obviously, there are things you have to weigh in each of these studies.

Scott Benner (55:59) Immunosuppressants are no joke. (56:01) I've I've spoken to a number of people who've had to have transplants. (56:04) They wasn't, like, it wasn't the thing they decided. (56:06) They were only like, hey. (56:07) Let's try it.

Scott Benner (56:08) Like, it happened to them. (56:09) They had to do it, and that ain't easy. (56:12) And it it that's its own new problem. (56:14) Trust me. (56:14) You're burned out on that just as much as the other thing.

Scott Benner (56:17) Now you're gonna be burned out on something else and you're gonna have insulin. (56:19) And then by the way, I've also I've also interviewed people who've had three pancreases. (56:24) Wow. (56:25) They work and then they stop they give them another one and then it works and then it stops and they give them another like like that, you know, the I think people get confused sometimes. (56:35) They think medicine is television.

Scott Benner (56:37) Like, it's not it's not this isn't a sci fi show where everything works. (56:40) You you know what I mean? (56:41) Like, these are it's 2025. (56:43) We're trying it. (56:44) And it's you know, some of it works and some of it doesn't.

Kelly (56:47) Good news, I mean, for those that do pursue the cadaver islets, compared to a pancreas transplant, I mean, you're in the full dose anti rejection drugs the rest of your life, which come with risks. (56:58) Yeah. (56:58) For sure. (56:59) The this when you do an islet cell transplant, the dosage is is is far less than a major organ transplant. (57:06) So that's good, but it's not you know, it doesn't come with no risk.

Kelly (57:09) Right? (57:09) You're still trading, you know, one thing for another. (57:12) And so, yeah, I think anybody who's considering that has to has to weigh the the pros and the cons. (57:17) But I certainly would have considered it. (57:19) I from the the research that I did, I thought it was a for whatever reason, I really felt strongly that it would be better than having diabetes.

Kelly (57:26) So I was heading down that path. (57:29) And, you know, once insurance kinda fell through, I said, okay. (57:32) Well, maybe the next path to take is to try to participate in a clinical trial because, you know, the I won't have to worry about going through insurance and Yeah. (57:41) You know, I can help.

Scott Benner (57:43) Your husband was on board with this. (57:45) Did he have any reservations when you brought it up?

Kelly (57:47) Yeah. (57:48) No. (57:48) I think he you know, he's always been very supportive. (57:51) You know? (57:51) And when I told him about this, I think we were both just, at first, very surprised to learn that we had options in the Chicago area

Scott Benner (57:58) Yeah.

Kelly (57:59) More than I ever knew. (58:01) I really knew nothing about these trials. (58:03) And so, I had spoken to four different research hospitals in the area. (58:08) Just landed on, UIC or University of Illinois in Chicago, but he supported it. (58:13) He he looked at you know, I had emailed him some information about the study and just said if this is something you really wanna do, definitely support it.

Kelly (58:21) And, I mean, I flat out asked the doctor. (58:23) I just need to know what the real risks are here. (58:25) I have two young children. (58:26) So if, like, dying is a risk. (58:28) Like, I need to know that.

Kelly (58:29) You know?

Scott Benner (58:30) Right.

Kelly (58:30) I but, you know and, of course, I think what I learned in speaking to the research team and looking at the other studies, I mean, no one has died from doing a porcine transplant. (58:41) The worst that could possibly happen here is it just doesn't the cells don't produce enough insulin for us to get off of synthetic insulin, but they certainly could work to some extent. (58:50) And I think that even that would be really just a break for me.

Scott Benner (58:55) Yeah. (58:56) Well, good for I I I hope so too. (58:57) Like, I I hope it I just I don't know. (58:59) I I I hope the best for all of this, and I'm very pleased for people to be out in the world trying to put push this stuff forward. (59:07) And, they'll have

Kelly (59:07) Oh, absolutely.

Scott Benner (59:08) Hopefully, they'll have good success and be able to share it with everybody.

Kelly (59:11) Yes. (59:12) That is certainly the hope. (59:13) And I do believe that's where we're headed. (59:15) Right? (59:15) There's a horrible amount work being done in this space and has been for a very long time.

Kelly (59:19) Sure. (59:20) You know, people think, oh gosh. (59:21) This is so new. (59:21) Why are you doing this? (59:22) It's like, it's not really new.

Kelly (59:24) I mean, the the the one of the surgeons did his first transplant in 1996. (59:28) It's this is not new.

Scott Benner (59:29) No. (59:29) I've I interviewed somebody, I mean, easily fifteen years ago about, like, those Vertex, like, pouches and stuff like that. (59:37) And so, you know, people have been at after this for a while, they just gotta figure out the technology behind it and and Yes. (59:43) Oh, well, alright. (59:44) I got my fingers crossed.

Kelly (59:46) Well, thank you.

Scott Benner (59:46) You're welcome. (59:47) I appreciate you doing this for me too. (59:48) This is, a World Diabetes Day we're recording this.

Kelly (59:51) Oh, that's right. (59:52) Well, that's pretty spectacular.

Scott Benner (59:54) It is.

Kelly (59:54) Well, thank you for having me on. (59:55) I really appreciate it.

Scott Benner (59:56) No. (59:56) You were awesome. (59:57) You really were. (59:58) Hold on one second for me. (59:58) I appreciate this.

Scott Benner (59:59) Give me one second. (1:00:06) Today's episode was sponsored by Skin Grip. (1:00:09) And Skin Grip, they understand what life with diabetes is like, and they know how infuriating it can be when a device falls off prematurely. (1:00:17) They don't want that to happen to you. (1:00:19) Juice Box podcast listeners save 20% off of their first order when you use the link skingrip.com/juicebox.

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#1711 Out of Shell - Part 2

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Janelle discusses marrying young, military life, and her son’s Type 1 diagnosis. She shares how she manages anxiety, homeschooling, and why she switched from Omnipod to Tandem Mobi.

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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. (0:01) Welcome to the Juice Box podcast. (0:03) Happy holidays to everyone juggling carbs, cookies, and the chaos of this season.

Janelle (0:18) Hi. (0:19) I'm Janelle. (0:20) That's it. (0:20) I I don't got a lot about me. (0:23) Really, I really don't.

Janelle (0:24) That's the funny that's the funny thing. (0:25) This is out of my comfort zone.

Scott Benner (0:28) This is part two of a two part episode. (0:30) Go look at the title. (0:32) If you don't recognize it, you haven't heard part one yet. (0:34) It's probably the episode right before this in your podcast player. (0:39) If you're living with type one diabetes, the After Dark collection from the Juice Box podcast is the only place to hear the stories that no one else talks about.

Scott Benner (0:49) From drugs to depression, self harm, trauma, addiction, and so much more. (0:56) Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and click on after dark. (1:01) There, you'll see a full list of all of the after dark episodes. (1:06) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. (1:12) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes.

Scott Benner (1:15) But everybody is welcome. (1:16) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:21) 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. (1:32) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:40) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin.

Scott Benner (1:49) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. (1:56) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. (2:00) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Omnipod five. (2:04) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free, what I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit. (2:14) Free?

Scott Benner (2:15) Get out of here. (2:16) Go click on that link. (2:17) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:20) Check it out. (2:21) Terms and conditions apply.

Scott Benner (2:22) Eligibility may vary. (2:23) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:28) Links in the show notes. (2:30) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (2:32) So how is this gonna help you break out of your norms?

Scott Benner (2:36) Like, what is it you're hoping to like, on this little journey of yours, where are you trying to get to?

Janelle (2:40) I don't think I've really figured that out yet. (2:42) I think I think, like, after his diagnosis, I've kind of just, like, put myself in this, like, tiny little box, and I haven't ever forced myself to really come out of the box. (2:54) And I'm sick of living in the box. (2:56) So we're just gonna, like, try a bunch of things and see what kind of helps me get there.

Scott Benner (3:02) And the box is you being a tool of his health, and you feel like you're not much more than that?

Janelle (3:07) Yeah. (3:07) I'm quite literally like, most days, I'm like, I'm quite literally on this Earth to be a pancreas.

Scott Benner (3:13) Okay. (3:14) And is that impacting your other child? (3:16) You you is that impacting Amber at all?

Janelle (3:18) I mean, I think to some degree just because not, like, obviously, on purpose or anything, but Paxton does require so much extra attention. (3:27) Mhmm. (3:27) And so I try to make a conscious effort when I can of, you know, pulling her aside and, like, spending extra time with her, but then that's kind of also where my husband has stepped in and, you know, is taking her out, you know, for, like, daddy daughter dates and stuff like that so that way she doesn't feel like she gets any less love.

Scott Benner (3:41) Want me to break your heart?

Janelle (3:43) Sure. (3:43) Go for it.

Scott Benner (3:43) I genuinely believe that my wife and I did a great job of not letting either of our children feel ignored. (3:50) Yeah. (3:50) They both felt ignored. (3:52) Yeah. (3:52) Yeah.

Scott Benner (3:52) I don't know how to, like

Janelle (3:53) I think I can agree to that somehow too because Paxton gets all this attention all day every day, and he's still like, you guys never spend enough time with me.

Scott Benner (4:01) Cole told us recently, like, I just remember it always been about Arden and Arden was like, you guys were always a baseball with Cole. (4:07) And I was like Mhmm. (4:08) Wait. (4:08) What?

Janelle (4:08) No matter what you do, it's never enough.

Scott Benner (4:10) I was like, you sons of bitches. (4:11) Like, the two

Janelle (4:12) of you. (4:12) Be grateful.

Scott Benner (4:13) Yeah. (4:13) This Well, is why people just sit around and drink. (4:15) Because, like, they're probably like, yeah. (4:17) It don't matter what you do. (4:17) The kid's gonna hate you at the end anyway.

Scott Benner (4:19) And I was like, they don't hate us, but, like, the way they remembered is really

Janelle (4:22) Yeah.

Scott Benner (4:22) Yeah. (4:23) I think it's one of the unspoken truths of being a parent that it really is true. (4:29) Like, no matter what you do, someone is gonna say, well, what about this? (4:33) Yeah. (4:34) Actually, you see it in social media too.

Scott Benner (4:36) Right? (4:37) Yeah. (4:37) Like, the goalpost moving. (4:38) Like, somebody says, like, this is bad, and you and then the person just, instead of addressing that, just moves the goalpost and says, well, what about this? (4:45) Yeah.

Scott Benner (4:45) You know? (4:45) And I don't think the kids are doing that on purpose that way, but maybe it's just a a human reaction to things.

Janelle (4:51) Yeah.

Scott Benner (4:51) You know what saying? (4:52) Yeah. (4:52) It's very interesting. (4:54) Okay. (4:55) So you're gonna break free of this, but we have to figure out how to do that for you.

Scott Benner (4:59) Yeah. (4:59) So what's taking up all your time that we could help to minimize? (5:03) I mean, I if I was you, I'd ship the kid off to school. (5:05) I think that would definitely free up some of your time. (5:07) I'd be like, why don't you go learn about Thanksgiving somewhere else?

Janelle (5:10) No. (5:11) My gosh. (5:11) I mean, my husband would agree with you there. (5:13) Yeah. (5:14) I don't know.

Janelle (5:15) I don't think that's a I don't think that's something I'm willing to give up yet. (5:18) I think I'm willing to give up more of the other stuff first, but I don't really know. (5:24) I think, genuinely, I just spend so much time pouring myself into type one that it's like, I let everything else fall to the wayside. (5:35) Like, even just, like, dumb stuff around the house. (5:37) Like, oh, I leave the dishes sitting in the sink for too long or, like, because I can't fathom doing the dishes when I'm just so exhausted from analyzing all of this data all day.

Scott Benner (5:46) What would happen if you didn't do it, though? (5:48) Like, is this the anxiety? (5:50) Like, are you doing stuff you don't really know to do? (5:52) Have you ever heard me say that worry is a waste of imagination? (5:56) Yes.

Scott Benner (5:56) Okay. (5:57) Do you think that's happening a little bit?

Janelle (5:59) Yeah. (5:59) I think so.

Scott Benner (6:00) Alright. (6:00) Do you need to be medicated? (6:03) Have you tried

Janelle (6:04) hope not.

Scott Benner (6:05) Tried weed? (6:06) Like, is there I

Janelle (6:07) mean I mean, maybe. (6:08) But

Scott Benner (6:08) I mean, maybe. (6:09) Okay. (6:09) So you've tried weed. (6:10) Does that help?

Janelle (6:11) Yes. (6:12) I have not.

Scott Benner (6:13) It doesn't help? (6:14) Okay. (6:15) No. (6:15) Oh, alright. (6:16) So nothing can get through your your superhero outfit of of anxiety and worry?

Janelle (6:21) I guess not. (6:22) No. (6:22) It's, pretty invincible.

Scott Benner (6:25) Maybe you need more kids.

Janelle (6:27) I I fear that that is not the answer.

Scott Benner (6:31) Is this impacting your personal life with the boy?

Janelle (6:35) I think it has. (6:36) I think it has. (6:37) Yeah.

Scott Benner (6:37) You think he feels alone and ignored?

Janelle (6:40) Yeah. (6:41) To some degree.

Scott Benner (6:41) Is he?

Janelle (6:43) I mean, maybe more so than he should be.

Scott Benner (6:46) Mhmm. (6:47) But you don't care because the other thing is and care is not the right word, but it is at the same time. (6:52) You don't care because the other thing seems more dire? (6:56) Yeah. (6:57) What if I told you the other thing will become dire eventually?

Janelle (7:01) I mean, I'd tell you that you're completely right.

Scott Benner (7:03) No. (7:03) I know. (7:04) It's obvious. (7:04) But, like, I'm just saying, like, you you're too smart not to know this. (7:08) But I'm trying to, like, figure out, like, what here.

Scott Benner (7:11) Here's an example. (7:13) My wife, I hope she's listening. (7:15) Hi, sweetheart. (7:17) Has long COVID.

Janelle (7:19) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (7:19) She can see it coming on when she gets, a flare up. (7:22) Yeah. (7:23) But instead of slowing down and stopping for a day or two, she ramps herself up acting as if she's going to drive through it unscathed, which instead turns into her two weeks later being so exhausted that she has to take off two days from work and sleep for forty eight hours. (7:37) Yeah. (7:38) And I say to her, what if the next time you feel it coming, you just scale back then so that it never really gets up to full speed and you never get to the point where you actually have to stop and you've made a new problem?

Scott Benner (7:49) And then she stares through me as if I'm a fucking idiot. (7:53) And then I think the staring means, yeah. (7:56) Yeah. (7:56) Scott, that's making sense, but I don't know how to do that. (7:59) Yeah.

Scott Benner (8:00) Are you Catholic? (8:02) No. (8:03) Really? (8:04) No. (8:04) None of this makes any sense, Jenelle.

Scott Benner (8:07) Why are you so nervous? (8:08) Wait. (8:10) Is there other anxiety in your family besides your mom, like, family line?

Janelle (8:15) I don't think so.

Scott Benner (8:16) No? (8:17) No. (8:17) Crow anybody got Crohn's?

Janelle (8:20) My mother-in-law.

Scott Benner (8:21) People pooping a lot after food. (8:24) How's Thanksgiving? (8:25) Is it just the line of the bathroom afterwards?

Janelle (8:27) No. (8:27) It's not.

Scott Benner (8:28) Not that bad? (8:29) Okay. (8:30) Any mental illness? (8:31) Any depression in the family?

Janelle (8:34) My dad had depression.

Scott Benner (8:35) Ah. (8:36) Your mom's anxious, your dad's depressed, and you're worried all the time.

Janelle (8:41) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (8:42) You worry about stuff that's ridiculous to worry about?

Janelle (8:46) Sometimes. (8:47) Yeah. (8:47) And then I catch myself. (8:48) The stuff that's, like, completely ridiculous, it's easier to, like, you know what I mean, rein it back in. (8:53) But the day to day stuff is a lot harder to kind of, like, push past.

Scott Benner (8:56) So you can't write off the kid thing because the kid because you used some pretty harsh language earlier about, like, I'm keeping him alive. (9:03) Yeah. (9:03) You kind I I know you are, but it also you run afoul of the you ever see somebody online and by the way, if one of you saw the you did this, I'm I'm not talking about you. (9:13) I'm talking about the other one, so don't get mad at me. (9:15) Okay?

Scott Benner (9:15) Did you ever see somebody who, like, a cookie saved my kid's life today? (9:19) Like, the real, like, dramatic, like you ever seen that?

Janelle (9:22) Yeah.

Scott Benner (9:22) Yeah. (9:22) Maybe don't lean that hard into the drama. (9:25) You know what I mean? (9:26) Like so I I I get the point you're trying to make, but Yeah. (9:30) Yeah.

Scott Benner (9:31) So is that happening? (9:32) Are you leaning into the drama when it's about him?

Janelle (9:37) I try not to. (9:38) I think some days, it's harder to kind of, like, detach from the drama, especially, like, after, like, a a super rough, like, blood sugar day. (9:45) Mhmm. (9:46) Where you're kind of just, like, mentally drained from having to, like, give it attention twenty four seven instead of being able to kind of detach. (9:52) But, yeah, I mean, I I try really hard not to lean into the drama.

Janelle (9:56) I try to keep the aspect of, like, you know, type one doesn't change his childhood that much, and I'm trying to keep everything as normal as possible. (10:04) But, you know, it's it's hard to keep that mindset twenty four seven.

Scott Benner (10:06) What's the thing you're really worried about? (10:08) Like, what's your biggest worry for him?

Janelle (10:10) I think my biggest worry is any and neglect is a harsh term, but, like, any neglect that I would put on him while he's young and not the one in charge of his diabetes management. (10:23) Like, if it caused him future complications, like, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for that.

Scott Benner (10:28) Oh, okay. (10:29) You're worried he's gonna have a a medical condition in the future or an outcome in the future that you're gonna then look at and think, oh, that was my job. (10:38) I should have stopped that from happening.

Janelle (10:40) Yeah.

Scott Benner (10:41) Oh, that's not gonna happen.

Janelle (10:43) Yeah. (10:44) I know. (10:44) Realistically.

Scott Benner (10:45) Yeah. (10:46) I mean, if he has something like that, it's gonna be after he's an adult making his own decisions. (10:50) Oh.

Janelle (10:51) Yeah.

Scott Benner (10:51) Do you want me to make sense to you?

Janelle (10:52) Yeah.

Scott Benner (10:55) Okay. (10:56) So you're thoughtful. (10:58) You understand this. (10:59) You're paying attention to it. (11:00) You're putting in good effort.

Scott Benner (11:01) So while you're in control of his diabetes, everything should be fine. (11:05) Yeah. (11:05) Right? (11:06) The only thing that you can't really help is what he does after he's off and away from you. (11:12) Yeah.

Scott Benner (11:13) The way he separates from you as an adult one day is going to have a lot to do with the relationship that you have now with him moving forward. (11:23) Yeah. (11:24) So if you're overbearing and or like, you know, at some point, he's gonna just think you're being ridiculous. (11:29) Right? (11:30) Like, if you're doing something that's perfectly reasonable, I, all the time, Arnd's like, ugh.

Scott Benner (11:33) I don't know what you think you're doing. (11:35) And I'm like, oh, okay. (11:36) So you're gonna get to that at some point. (11:37) Right? (11:38) Yeah.

Scott Benner (11:39) If you have a bad relationship because of how you're over focusing on the diabetes, that probably leads him more towards not taking care of himself than anything else.

Janelle (11:51) Agreed. (11:52) Yeah.

Scott Benner (11:53) So it's really all about, oh, you really know all this already. (11:56) You didn't go to therapy? (11:57) You just figured this out?

Janelle (11:58) No. (11:59) I'm in therapy.

Scott Benner (11:59) Oh. (12:00) Oh, okay. (12:00) A therapist explained it to you. (12:02) Oh, is that what happened? (12:04) A therapist explained this to you?

Janelle (12:06) Kind of. (12:06) Yeah. (12:06) I think I think a decent amount was self realization, but the therapy definitely helped.

Scott Benner (12:11) What's the copay on the therapist?

Janelle (12:12) Oh, god. (12:13) I don't even know. (12:13) We just got new insurance, so I gotta figure all that out.

Scott Benner (12:16) It could be more than 40, you're saying?

Janelle (12:18) Oh, a 100%.

Scott Benner (12:19) I'm not even pretend to ask me for enough?

Janelle (12:21) You're not charging enough.

Scott Benner (12:23) You know what? (12:24) I had a meeting the other day with one of the advertisers, and I thought the same thing. (12:27) I was like, I don't think I'm charging enough money.

Janelle (12:29) I'm undervaluing myself.

Scott Benner (12:31) I sat there, and I thought, I think I'm getting screwed. (12:34) And, like, and not like Brenda did in squishy pushy. (12:39) So there's there's a little highlight for you. (12:41) Don't forget Brenda 71. (12:42) Go listen to that episode right now.

Scott Benner (12:44) Now I you know, I should do more shout outs for other episodes within episodes.

Janelle (12:48) You definitely should.

Scott Benner (12:49) Yeah. (12:49) I'm gonna start doing ads for myself. (12:51) Okay. (12:52) So you know all this. (12:54) You're trying to get it stopped.

Scott Benner (12:56) Now step away from all this. (12:57) Stop being yourself for a second. (12:59) Be me. (12:59) Mhmm. (13:00) What should you be doing?

Scott Benner (13:02) Like, what puts an end to this? (13:04) Because listen. (13:05) I've had a ton of conversations with a lot of ladies who have made babies. (13:08) This mother guilt thing, this mom's guilt thing is ridiculous. (13:12) Okay?

Scott Benner (13:12) Like, it's horrible. (13:13) I don't know. (13:14) I mean, obviously, it's been keeping people alive for generations. (13:17) It's probably it's pretty, you know, pretty valuable, but that's back when nature didn't expect you to live past 30.

Janelle (13:22) Yeah.

Scott Benner (13:22) What is it that you can do to make a good relationship with this little boy and and your and your daughter and your husband in a way that everybody's gonna be happy when he's 18 and goes off and marries some girl? (13:35) I mean, you know, or hopefully, you know, does whatever he's gonna do. (13:38) What's gonna make him

Janelle (13:39) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (13:40) Head off into his adult life and not struggle with this thing that's diabetes? (13:45) And why do you think it's for you to do? (13:48) Why don't you see it as a bigger, like, steering of the Titanic and less about, like I think you should be looking at this more macro. (13:56) You gotta stop putting it on yourself and start thinking bigger picture, I think. (14:00) But what would do that for you?

Scott Benner (14:03) Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. (14:06) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? (14:12) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. (14:17) And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. (14:20) You heard that right.

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Janelle (16:07) Yeah. (16:07) I agree. (16:08) I think, honestly, as dumb as it sounds seeing him have a better relationship with his diabetes than I do. (16:14) Because if he looked at diabetes the way I do, that would break my heart. (16:20) And it's hypocritical because I'm the one modeling how to, you know, act towards diabetes management right now.

Janelle (16:28) And, you know, I don't want him to constantly be stressed out about his numbers. (16:32) I want him to know how to manage himself. (16:34) You know what I mean? (16:35) In a, you know, in a good way, but I don't want him to live day to day thinking that he's only here to be a pancreas.

Scott Benner (16:43) What should I say to you? (16:47) Because I could say the thing that your husband won't say. (16:51) You want me to do that?

Janelle (16:52) I mean, sure. (16:53) Go for it.

Scott Benner (16:53) You gotta calm the fuck down.

Janelle (16:55) Yeah. (16:55) Yeah. (16:55) Oh, he has said that.

Scott Benner (16:56) Oh, he said it? (16:57) Well, he's dead.

Janelle (16:57) He said that.

Scott Benner (16:58) Let me tell you something. (16:59) Got you.

Janelle (16:59) It doesn't I don't receive it well.

Scott Benner (17:01) Well, no. (17:02) Of course not. (17:02) What a major mistake. (17:03) Listen. (17:03) If you're listening, man, you can't say that.

Scott Benner (17:05) That's ridiculous.

Janelle (17:05) I know.

Scott Benner (17:06) You gotta get someone else to say it. (17:07) Here's a here's a good trick. (17:09) Get her crazy friend to say it. (17:11) Because when she realizes the crazy friend thinks she needs to calm down, she'll be like, oh, god. (17:15) If Pat thinks that I'm crazy, what the hell is happening?

Scott Benner (17:18) I'm partially joking, but I'm partially not. (17:21) Yeah. (17:22) I know it's very much easier said than done. (17:24) Yeah. (17:25) You've said all the right stuff.

Scott Benner (17:26) You're modeling the wrong thing to him. (17:27) He's gonna pick it up. (17:28) That's what he's gonna think his diabetes is. (17:30) It's gonna seem like a thing that's always trying to kill him that he should be scared of. (17:34) You don't want him to feel like that at all.

Scott Benner (17:35) Right? (17:36) So what do they tell you in AA?

Janelle (17:39) I don't know.

Scott Benner (17:40) You don't know anybody in AA? (17:42) No. (17:42) I think you're supposed to fake it till you make it.

Janelle (17:44) Ah, okay.

Scott Benner (17:45) Yeah. (17:46) Pretend that you're a calm.

Janelle (17:48) Okay.

Scott Benner (17:48) Yeah. (17:49) And then he'll become. (17:50) And then hopefully, you'll actually become. (17:52) Because Yeah. (17:53) The goal here is that you'll see that he's not gonna die Yeah.

Scott Benner (17:56) That nothing terrible is happening, and you'll chill the fuck out.

Janelle (17:59) Yeah. (18:00) Yeah. (18:01) Perfect world. (18:02) I agree.

Scott Benner (18:02) You promised you were gonna curse a lot in this episode, and you've not cursed, I don't think, one time.

Janelle (18:07) I don't know if that's a good thing or not.

Scott Benner (18:09) I'm worried that you're not comfortable.

Janelle (18:11) I feel like I am. (18:12) I feel like I am to some degree, but also I've definitely saved your editor some work. (18:15) So

Scott Benner (18:16) Yeah. (18:16) It's alright. (18:17) He's got listen. (18:18) I mean, he's just riding his bike and editing this podcast. (18:21) He really didn't have a lot to do.

Scott Benner (18:23) He's got the greatest life. (18:24) Rob's laughing at it. (18:25) He's like, don't have a great life. (18:26) He does. (18:26) He gets up in the morning sometimes, takes a laptop, bikes off somewhere, and edits the podcast, like, in a cafe.

Janelle (18:32) Okay. (18:33) Yeah. (18:34) That sounds sweet.

Scott Benner (18:35) It does, doesn't it?

Janelle (18:36) Yeah.

Scott Benner (18:37) Yeah. (18:38) Freaking hippie, Rob. (18:39) Yeah. (18:40) He's probably camping right now somewhere working. (18:43) Yeah.

Scott Benner (18:43) He's got a good life. (18:44) I don't know if he knows it or not, but from my perspective, I was like, this guy's doing it.

Janelle (18:48) Yeah. (18:49) The grass is always greener. (18:50) Right?

Scott Benner (18:50) Well, I don't know. (18:51) I don't see the grass. (18:52) I'm stuck in this room. (18:55) The grass. (18:56) I had to bring a chameleon in here to see something move and be alive and be green.

Janelle (19:00) Oh my god.

Scott Benner (19:01) He's still motoring around. (19:02) What's up, buddy? (19:02) You're having a big day today. (19:03) He ate a giant roach today and two huge silkworms. (19:07) He seems so happy.

Scott Benner (19:08) Yeah. (19:09) Yeah. (19:09) Okay. (19:10) So I don't know what to say to you because you already know all the things I was gonna say. (19:20) You believe them for the right reasons.

Scott Benner (19:22) You're on the path. (19:24) Mhmm. (19:25) But at the same time, and I don't wanna be a bummer, I have no confidence you're gonna do any of these things.

Janelle (19:30) Oh, I don't blame you because I don't have the confidence either.

Scott Benner (19:36) I feel like I could easily interview you five years from now, and you'd be like, oh, I'm making that kid fucking crazy, Scott. (19:41) You should For all the ladies that are listening and I mean, I could say men too if that would make you all feel better. (19:47) But for all the all the moms that are listening right now and are like, I'm doing this too, I wish there was an answer. (19:53) I don't think there's I don't think you need to be medicated. (19:55) You don't seem unstable to me at all.

Janelle (19:57) Thanks.

Scott Benner (19:57) Yeah. (19:58) You're welcome. (19:59) You're not depressed. (20:00) You have ang anxious thoughts, but I don't think you're anxiety ridden.

Janelle (20:04) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (20:05) You know, you're not worrying about things that aren't real. (20:08) The things you're concerned about are actually real. (20:10) Yeah. (20:11) It seems like you're just putting too much weight into them. (20:13) Now, in fairness, if I go back to three years into Arden's diagnosis, I'm out of my goddamn mind, and you seem much more reasonable than I did three years into it.

Scott Benner (20:25) Seriously, you're doing way better than I was doing.

Janelle (20:28) Yeah.

Scott Benner (20:29) Yeah. (20:29) So my thought is it's probably gonna be fine. (20:32) You're gonna mess that kid up a little bit, but I think you're gonna figure it out before it goes over the edge.

Janelle (20:37) Hopefully. (20:37) That's the goal.

Scott Benner (20:38) Yeah. (20:39) No. (20:39) It seems good. (20:40) I think you're onto something here.

Janelle (20:41) Okay.

Scott Benner (20:42) Don't overthink the overthinking.

Janelle (20:44) Yeah. (20:45) I think one overthinking is enough. (20:46) I don't need to, you know, multiply it by

Scott Benner (20:48) any means. (20:48) Because right now, you're no kidding. (20:50) You're overthinking the diabetes, and then you're realizing you're doing it and then trying to apply changes to it. (20:55) And now we're sitting here worrying about the worrying. (20:59) You see what I'm saying?

Janelle (21:00) It's always something.

Scott Benner (21:02) It's your whole generation. (21:03) Guys you gotta seriously, you guys are a mess. (21:06) Like, just chill out. (21:08) It's all gonna be okay.

Janelle (21:09) Yeah.

Scott Benner (21:10) Yeah. (21:10) You're not in charge of anything. (21:12) No. (21:12) It doesn't matter. (21:13) You can't you can't really change the world.

Scott Benner (21:15) You're you're upset about politics. (21:17) It doesn't matter. (21:18) You're upset about this. (21:19) It doesn't matter. (21:20) You want your husband to be different.

Scott Benner (21:21) Doesn't matter. (21:21) That's how boys are. (21:23) He wants you to stop worrying. (21:24) Doesn't matter. (21:24) That's how girls are.

Scott Benner (21:25) Your kids got a real issue. (21:27) It's worth worrying about. (21:28) It's just not worth ruining your life over. (21:30) Like, so Yeah. (21:31) My thought here would be stay rested.

Scott Benner (21:34) I know it sounds crazy, but make sure you're getting your sleep. (21:37) Because once the sleep starts slipping away, then all these thoughts could pile up on you real quickly. (21:41) Right?

Janelle (21:41) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (21:42) So keep sleeping. (21:43) Let the boy keep helping you. (21:45) Right? (21:45) Yeah. (21:46) Be a little nicer to him.

Scott Benner (21:48) Okay? (21:49) You know what I'm saying? (21:50) It's not like an alarm shouldn't go off once a month and you go, okay. (21:53) You've got ten minutes. (21:54) Like, that's not a really good way to do it.

Scott Benner (21:56) I'll talk to you now. (21:58) And he's like, I thought we'd have sex. (21:59) You go, listen, you can talk or have sex, but one way that you got ten minutes and I'm out of here. (22:03) You can't be like that. (22:04) Right?

Janelle (22:04) Yeah.

Scott Benner (22:06) And you just, like, you know, have experiences, realize that you know what's going to happen, and there's not a reason to worry about every little thing because you you understand this a lot better than you think you do. (22:17) Yeah. (22:17) That's all. (22:18) Yeah. (22:19) It's good self talk.

Janelle (22:21) Yeah. (22:21) I think it is.

Scott Benner (22:22) This is one of these episodes that Erica will listen to and later send me a text and go, you were so good with that girl, And I'll say thank you.

Janelle (22:29) I'll give him I'll give him a gold star.

Scott Benner (22:31) Oh, thank you. (22:32) The no copay. (22:33) I gotcha.

Janelle (22:34) No. (22:34) I mean, I don't know. (22:36) I'm thinking on that one.

Scott Benner (22:37) What are people paying for their therapy?

Janelle (22:38) I don't know. (22:39) I think it's I mean, I don't know. (22:41) Insurance is ridiculous. (22:43) But

Scott Benner (22:43) I know it is. (22:43) Do you have, like is it military insurance? (22:45) Is he still in, by the way, or is he out?

Janelle (22:47) No. (22:47) He's not. (22:47) He did he did five years, and then he got out.

Scott Benner (22:50) What's he doing now?

Janelle (22:52) He works for IBM.

Scott Benner (22:53) I gonna was say, what kind of good job did he get that you're sitting at not sitting at home. (22:56) You understand what mean? (22:57) You don't have to work.

Janelle (22:57) Well, I know what you're saying. (22:58) No. (22:58) I'm sitting at home.

Scott Benner (23:01) It's not like it's, like, 75, and I'm like, wow. (23:03) Your ass is spreading, and that boy's out there working. (23:06) Like, I wasn't talking about that. (23:07) Like, I just meant, like, I mean, you don't have to make an income is what I'm saying.

Janelle (23:10) No. (23:11) No. (23:11) I don't.

Scott Benner (23:11) Okay. (23:12) And North Carolina, a little cheaper to live. (23:14) Right?

Janelle (23:14) A little bit. (23:15) Yeah.

Scott Benner (23:15) That's not much because we keep coming down there and ruining it.

Janelle (23:19) I mean, I was one of the ones that came down here and ruined it, so I can't

Scott Benner (23:22) When I said we, I meant me and you. (23:23) Yeah. (23:24) Yeah. (23:24) Yeah. (23:25) I didn't didn't mean me and the people I'm living around.

Scott Benner (23:27) Although, my neighbor just left for North Carolina.

Janelle (23:30) Ah, okay.

Scott Benner (23:31) Actually, they're good people too.

Janelle (23:34) Okay.

Scott Benner (23:34) They're moving there because their daughter's playing softball in college, and they literally sold their house, changed jobs, and went there just so they could catch some of her softball games.

Janelle (23:43) That's so awesome.

Scott Benner (23:44) Yeah. (23:45) Anyway, for the rest of you, that's what good parenting looks like. (23:49) People are just like, my dad was doing heroin, and I'm lucky to be here. (23:52) Okay? (23:53) And so and I get it.

Scott Benner (23:54) We don't all get the same, the same good role as others. (23:58) Although, I do think it's overly simple, like, what causes. (24:01) And I I guess I'd like you to think about that, really. (24:04) Yeah. (24:05) Like, when I asked you why are you, like, a solid person, you named very basic things about your parents.

Janelle (24:12) Yeah.

Scott Benner (24:12) Right? (24:13) That should tell you that those are really the only things your kids need from you, really.

Janelle (24:17) Yeah.

Scott Benner (24:18) You know, the rest of this is sort of bull

Janelle (24:20) Yeah. (24:20) I agree.

Scott Benner (24:21) Yeah. (24:21) I mean, has your kid come close to having a seizure? (24:24) No. (24:25) Mine had one by the time they were three.

Janelle (24:27) Really?

Scott Benner (24:28) Yeah. (24:28) Arden had one. (24:29) She was, like, six months after she was diagnosed.

Janelle (24:31) That's wild. (24:32) Yeah. (24:32) We've been we've been very fortunate. (24:34) He hasn't gone back into DKA. (24:36) I mean, he wasn't in DKA at diagnosis, he's never gone into DKA in the three and a half years that we've been

Scott Benner (24:41) No. (24:41) You caught it quickly, by the way. (24:43) Yeah. (24:44) Yeah. (24:44) In the story, it got lost a little bit because I was a I'm a little all over the place today, but that's between us.

Scott Benner (24:48) But, I mean but, like, it got you you you picked that up pretty quickly. (24:52) You you got him in the hospital on time. (24:54) It sounds like early even. (24:56) I mean Yeah. (24:56) You're gonna use that same brain to watch him as he's moving forward.

Scott Benner (25:00) Yeah. (25:00) And the only real damage you can do to him is what? (25:03) Come on. (25:04) It's right there. (25:04) Just saying.

Janelle (25:05) It's right there. (25:05) It's right there. (25:06) I mean, I guess give him negative associations with type one.

Scott Benner (25:10) Yeah. (25:10) You don't wanna be one of those people that when people talk about their mom, go, you you know my mom. (25:14) She's a you you you know. (25:16) Yeah. (25:16) Yeah.

Scott Benner (25:17) Yeah. (25:17) You know people. (25:17) Right? (25:18) Yeah. (25:18) Hey, my mom.

Scott Benner (25:19) My mom. (25:19) You you know what I'm saying? (25:21) Yeah. (25:21) You just don't want them to say that. (25:22) You just wanna say, oh, my mom's cool.

Scott Benner (25:24) Yeah. (25:24) Yeah. (25:25) To be cool. (25:26) Be a little Fonzie.

Janelle (25:28) I need to.

Scott Benner (25:29) Do you even know what that means?

Janelle (25:31) I feel like I've heard that saying before.

Scott Benner (25:32) Oh my god. (25:33) You don't know what that means?

Janelle (25:34) No. (25:35) Oh,

Scott Benner (25:35) hell. (25:35) I'm gonna be dead soon. (25:37) Okay. (25:38) Jeez. (25:39) Fonzie was a character on a television show called Happy Days.

Janelle (25:43) Okay.

Scott Benner (25:43) And he was a very cool person. (25:46) And back then, was nothing better than being cool in the fifties when the show was being, portrayed, and he was almost magical. (25:52) Fonzie could strike a jukebox and it would just start playing the song he wanted just by tapping it with his fist.

Janelle (25:59) Okay.

Scott Benner (25:59) He was like a magician in the fifties with a leather jacket riding a motorcycle.

Janelle (26:03) Okay.

Scott Benner (26:04) Yeah. (26:04) Had, like, a real, like, kind of, like, tough guy vibe, ironically played by a a very mild mannered Jewish man named Henry Winkler.

Janelle (26:13) Okay.

Scott Benner (26:13) Who is a a a lovely man if you go find him somewhere and where he's still an older man talking right now. (26:19) Just lovely. (26:21) It's not the point. (26:22) The point is is that, it was, like, be cool like Fonzie.

Janelle (26:26) Okay.

Scott Benner (26:26) So we're all gonna be little Fonzies. (26:28) Now that's a lot hold on. (26:30) You're not done yet with the rest of

Janelle (26:31) done yet. (26:32) I'm still listening.

Scott Benner (26:33) Be little Fonzies is a line from Pulp Fiction. (26:36) I'm gonna guess another movie you haven't seen.

Janelle (26:38) Yeah. (26:39) No.

Scott Benner (26:39) Oh my god, you people. (26:41) Okay. (26:43) So there's, like, this moment where everybody's pointing guns at each other. (26:46) I think Sam Jackson was it Sam Jackson's little Fonzie? (26:49) Yeah.

Scott Benner (26:49) He's like, hey. (26:49) He's like, be cool. (26:50) Be cool. (26:50) We're all Fonzie or little Fonzies or something like that. (26:53) Anyway, that's written by Quentin Tarantino.

Janelle (26:56) Okay.

Scott Benner (26:57) You've seen any of his movies? (26:58) No. (26:59) What have you been doing?

Janelle (27:00) Diabetes.

Scott Benner (27:01) Why don't you go watch a fun why don't you go watch a what's your favorite movie? (27:05) Let's pivot for a second, Janelle. (27:07) What's your favorite film? (27:08) Gonna say 13 going on 30 or something like that? (27:10) I'm gonna kill myself.

Scott Benner (27:11) Also, don't think we're allowed to say that

Janelle (27:13) on even lamer and say that I'm a Disney adult.

Scott Benner (27:15) Oh my god, Janelle. (27:17) Stop it. (27:19) And the rest of you stop it too. (27:23) I mean, listen. (27:24) I did I tell somebody the other day what a good movie The Incredibles is?

Scott Benner (27:28) I did. (27:28) You know? (27:29) Actually, it was Rob. (27:30) I was it made me I don't Rob and I were talking about something. (27:33) Rob and I text a lot, apparently.

Scott Benner (27:36) And I was, I was talking about that scene where Frozone is looking for a super suit.

Janelle (27:41) Yeah.

Scott Benner (27:41) Yeah. (27:42) And he's like he's like, woman, where is my super suit? (27:44) That whole thing? (27:45) I love that. (27:46) I love it.

Scott Benner (27:46) It's a great scene. (27:47) And then I said, The Incredibles is probably the best Fantastic Four movie we're ever gonna get. (27:53) Right? (27:53) And now you're here telling me you have not seen Pulp Fiction? (27:56) No.

Scott Benner (27:57) Have you even heard of it?

Janelle (27:59) Yeah. (27:59) I've heard of it.

Scott Benner (28:00) And what stops you from watching it?

Janelle (28:04) I don't know. (28:04) I guess I've never been, like, a huge movie person in general, so maybe that's why.

Scott Benner (28:08) Well, that's fine. (28:09) Do you prefer television? (28:10) Have you seen New Girl?

Janelle (28:12) Yes. (28:13) I've seen some episodes of New Girl.

Scott Benner (28:14) Some episode how do you start watching New Girl and not watch them all? (28:18) Are you busy with the diabetes?

Janelle (28:19) I think think I tried it a while ago and I just couldn't get into it.

Scott Benner (28:22) Oh my god. (28:23) What is happening to everybody?

Janelle (28:25) I don't know.

Scott Benner (28:26) The sarcasm is so tight in New Girl. (28:27) It's awesome. (28:29) Alright. (28:29) And it's, okay. (28:30) This is not the point.

Scott Benner (28:32) I need you to I need you to relax. (28:34) What are we gonna do one thing this weekend that gets you away from diabetes? (28:38) Take that kid no offense, Paxton. (28:40) Take that kid. (28:42) You name him after Bill Paxton?

Scott Benner (28:43) No way. (28:44) You don't even know who the hell Bill Paxton is. (28:45) Never mind. (28:46) No. (28:46) Alright.

Scott Benner (28:46) Take that kid and to your moms, and go over there and say to her this. (28:51) This is a following. (28:51) Go, mom, listen. (28:52) I love you, but I am noticing I am really uptight. (28:56) And I gotta I gotta and, god bless you.

Scott Benner (28:58) You are too. (29:00) But it's too late for you now, and it's not too late for me. (29:03) So I'm gonna I wanna I'm gonna give these kids to you. (29:06) I need you to keep them alive, and I don't wanna hear from you for the next three hours. (29:11) Okay?

Scott Benner (29:11) Like, it's like, don't kill this kid. (29:13) I wanna think he's gonna die. (29:14) Even the little one, what's her name over there with the red hair? (29:16) If she falls off of something and then nothing's broken, I don't wanna hear about it. (29:20) Okay?

Scott Benner (29:20) Three hours, my husband and I, we're gonna go to a movie. (29:23) We're gonna have lunch, and we're gonna make sex, and then we'll be back and get these kids. (29:26) Okay? (29:27) Also, if I was you, I'd sex before the lunch, but that's just how I think about it, but it's up to you how you handle it, Janelle.

Janelle (29:33) Personal preference.

Scott Benner (29:34) I don't like you on a full belly. (29:36) You know what I mean? (29:36) Me me or him. (29:37) Like, nothing worse than somebody's like, well, I'm gonna go to the bathroom first. (29:40) But now it's over.

Scott Benner (29:41) You know what

Janelle (29:42) I mean? (29:42) Like We're done now.

Scott Benner (29:43) Yeah. (29:43) Yeah. (29:44) Yeah. (29:44) Now that part's not happening anymore. (29:46) So, like, I say, what do we do?

Scott Benner (29:48) We go sex, a movie. (29:50) That's nice. (29:51) You kinda lean on each other in the film. (29:53) Then you go to have some lunch, and then you go get the kid.

Janelle (29:56) Yeah.

Scott Benner (29:56) Yeah. (29:57) And then you and then when you get back there, normally, you go, what happened? (30:00) Tell me everything. (30:00) You don't even ask. (30:01) You go, hey.

Scott Benner (30:02) We're here for the kids. (30:03) And you just take them and you leave.

Janelle (30:05) Alright.

Scott Benner (30:05) It's a good practice run. (30:07) And you'll have all that serotonin, whatever that happens to you from the intercourse. (30:11) You know what I mean? (30:11) Like, I say it's good for you. (30:13) You'll be chilled out a little bit.

Scott Benner (30:15) He's gonna be happy as a clam. (30:17) Mean, you he won't argue for a week about anything. (30:20) You know what I mean? (30:20) You could be like, we're buying a new sofa and painting the room. (30:23) He'd be like, right on.

Scott Benner (30:23) Let's do it. (30:24) And so you got him nice and calm. (30:26) You forget about the kids for a couple of hours. (30:28) You let your mom in on it so that she knows you need a little separation from this right now. (30:33) Like, don't be I I it'll be texting me.

Scott Benner (30:35) Don't ask me anything. (30:36) You're a nurse. (30:37) If you can't keep this kid alive, says a lot about you. (30:42) Put it on her. (30:43) You know what I mean?

Janelle (30:43) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:44) And then that's it. (30:45) And you come can you do that?

Janelle (30:47) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:48) Alright. (30:49) Hey. (30:49) If your husband gets laid out of this, I expect a thank you note. (30:52) Oh my gosh. (30:56) You too, by the way.

Scott Benner (30:57) Both of you write a note. (30:58) And I want them separately. (30:59) I don't want them together.

Janelle (31:00) Okay. (31:01) Sounds like a plan.

Scott Benner (31:01) Yeah. (31:02) I want separate thank you notes. (31:04) Alright. (31:04) Just what else? (31:06) What oh my god.

Scott Benner (31:07) I'm out of my mind today. (31:08) It's a Friday. (31:08) We shouldn't have done this on a Friday.

Janelle (31:11) Poor planning.

Scott Benner (31:12) Oh my god. (31:13) I'm really good. (31:13) These are my best podcast. (31:15) Do you think I'm the only one that thinks that, or do you think other people are listening and enjoying it?

Janelle (31:19) I think everyone hopes that you record more on Fridays.

Scott Benner (31:22) Yeah. (31:22) I hope so. (31:23) Because as I get done, I I like, I'll get done here, and I'll think, am I the only one that enjoyed that? (31:29) Or is

Janelle (31:31) No. (31:31) I'm having a blast.

Scott Benner (31:32) Oh, good. (31:32) Then I try to decide if I care.

Janelle (31:35) The answer's probably no.

Scott Benner (31:36) I'm in a really unique position where enough people listen that, like, I really could just do it for me at this point, and it wouldn't really matter. (31:45) I could kinda, like, handle it that way. (31:46) But I'm trying to give you guys what you want to. (31:48) Also, I think we've mixed in a lot of good advice in this conversation. (31:53) Yeah.

Scott Benner (31:54) Yeah. (31:54) I've said some questionable things here and there, but I don't think anything cancelable. (31:58) So, like, you know No.

Janelle (31:59) I mean, I think this episode is definitely cleaner than squishy pushy.

Scott Benner (32:02) Oh, wait. (32:03) Do you guys hear that one? (32:04) Yeah. (32:04) Yeah. (32:05) Yeah.

Scott Benner (32:05) This one's way cleaner than that. (32:06) And Brenda cursed a lot. (32:09) Jeez. (32:09) A lot. (32:10) God.

Scott Benner (32:10) She said some things I never thought I'd hear a 71 year old lady say, but then there it was. (32:14) So anyway Check

Janelle (32:16) it off your list now.

Scott Benner (32:16) Let me just tell you what I'm expecting is that Brenda's also gonna see a movie that I know get laid this weekend too is what I'm getting at. (32:26) So she's she's awesome. (32:28) Oh, like, you were good.

Janelle (32:29) Those are the those are, like, the best episodes.

Scott Benner (32:31) I hope so. (32:32) I really do. (32:33) I always think too about, like, people who just, like, I just did a speaking gig.

Janelle (32:36) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (32:36) Like, so I imagine all the people who were, oh, you talked about pre policing and blah blah blah, and then they're gonna turn on an episode and I'm gonna be saying to you. (32:43) I'm, go to a movie and get laid. (32:44) They're gonna be, like

Janelle (32:46) This this podcast is about only type one stuff. (32:49) Right? (32:49) Like, free ketos and all that fun stuff.

Scott Benner (32:52) Kid has type one diabetes. (32:53) I didn't break the rules. (32:55) Don't worry. (32:56) Somebody asked me the other day, what's your podcast about? (32:58) I'm like, oh, it's just a podcast.

Janelle (32:59) It's just a podcast.

Scott Benner (33:00) Yeah. (33:00) And they're like they're like, about type one? (33:02) I'm like, well, I mean, I talk to people who have diabetes.

Janelle (33:04) Yeah. (33:04) There's some connection.

Scott Benner (33:06) I mean, loose. (33:08) But, again, I and I told I followed up, and I was like, if I I said, you make a podcast that's just about diabetes, and what you're making is a podcast that no one's gonna listen to. (33:17) So I

Janelle (33:18) mean, fair. (33:18) Yeah.

Scott Benner (33:19) Yeah. (33:19) Just it's not don't get me wrong. (33:21) I'm sure that you get a couple downloads, but you're not gonna yeah. (33:24) I could be celebrating 20,000,000 like I'm gonna be next month. (33:27) Congrats.

Scott Benner (33:29) Just I'm just celebrating here on my own right now. (33:31) Do you have any idea how few podcasts get 20,000,000 total downloads?

Janelle (33:35) I don't. (33:36) But

Scott Benner (33:36) It ain't a lot.

Janelle (33:37) I will I will take your word for it.

Scott Benner (33:38) It ain't a lot. (33:39) I'm I'm I'm sitting at the very tip of a mountain. (33:42) The only people above me are very famous people and anybody who's ever been on the Joe Rogan podcast.

Janelle (33:48) Hey. (33:48) There you go. (33:48) I'd say that's something to be proud of.

Scott Benner (33:50) I I I'm pretty pretty proud of it, to be perfectly honest with you. (33:52) Okay. (33:52) Do you have any questions for me? (33:54) Anything at all that you wanna talk about?

Janelle (33:56) I don't think so.

Scott Benner (33:58) We did it?

Janelle (33:59) I think I think we I think we did a little a good little therapy session.

Scott Benner (34:03) I do too. (34:03) This is I'm way better than your therapist. (34:05) It's okay if you wanna say it.

Janelle (34:06) Yeah. (34:06) Hopefully, she doesn't listen to this and feel

Scott Benner (34:08) Inadequate? (34:09) Yeah. (34:12) But she's probably got rules she's following.

Janelle (34:15) I would I mean, fair. (34:16) Yeah.

Scott Benner (34:17) And she's probably burdened by things like, you know, her education and knowing what she's talking about. (34:24) I have no such burdens. (34:26) Janelle, I have no such burdens.

Janelle (34:28) No. (34:28) No such burdens.

Scott Benner (34:29) Yeah. (34:29) I'm just over here saying what I think makes sense.

Janelle (34:32) Hey. (34:32) Whatever.

Scott Benner (34:33) Yeah. (34:33) Also, your husband. (34:34) What's his name?

Janelle (34:35) Tyler.

Scott Benner (34:36) Tyler, I'm gonna speak directly to you right now. (34:38) You can't tell your wife to calm down. (34:41) I mean, I know we we act like it's it's all, like, equal and everything and, like, you know, it's not exactly equal. (34:47) There's, like, a handful of things you can't say to your wife. (34:50) Like, here's another one.

Scott Benner (34:51) Like, it's not that bad. (34:52) You don't say that during their period. (34:53) You know? (34:54) But it's not really that bad, is it? (34:55) You know?

Scott Benner (34:57) You don't say stuff like that. (34:59) You knew not to say the thing about the period. (35:00) How did you not know to not say the thing about the calm down?

Janelle (35:03) No. (35:04) It just makes it worse.

Scott Benner (35:05) Oh my god. (35:06) Are you kidding? (35:08) Only a thing you say if you want to make a fight, not if you wanna stop a fight.

Janelle (35:12) Exactly.

Scott Benner (35:13) Yeah. (35:14) You should just calm down. (35:15) I could see it in my wife's eyes. (35:18) If she had a gun, she'd murder me. (35:19) Okay?

Scott Benner (35:21) Now I I'm a glutton for punishment. (35:23) So every once in a while, I'll throw it in there, but not like you can't and she does it to me too. (35:28) I see her Yeah. (35:28) Like, picking at me. (35:30) You do that to him every once in a while?

Janelle (35:31) Every once in a while.

Scott Benner (35:32) Yeah. (35:33) Yeah. (35:33) Just to get him going for reasons you can't even, like, put into words. (35:36) Right?

Janelle (35:36) Yeah. (35:37) Yeah. (35:37) He's gotta push the buttons.

Scott Benner (35:38) You're just like, oh, let's see what happens if I do this.

Janelle (35:40) Yeah. (35:40) Oh

Scott Benner (35:43) my god. (35:44) I like okay. (35:45) You said you're never having any more kids. (35:46) I think you're gonna have more

Janelle (35:48) Oh, I hope not.

Scott Benner (35:49) I think you may I tell you what I think is gonna happen?

Janelle (35:51) Go for it.

Scott Benner (35:52) You're gonna chill out in the next year and a half or so. (35:55) Mhmm. (35:55) You're on a pathway. (35:56) You're doing well. (35:57) You're gonna realize the impact it's gonna have on your family.

Scott Benner (35:59) I think you're smart enough and thoughtful enough to put an end to it. (36:01) Right? (36:02) So you're gonna you're gonna tamp it back a little bit, and then everything's gonna seem lighter. (36:06) And then that voice in your head's gonna go, maybe we should have one more baby. (36:11) And then you're not gonna gain your wits about you in time, and then you're gonna be pregnant.

Janelle (36:15) It'll be too late.

Scott Benner (36:18) And then you'll spend the rest of your life going, what did I do here? (36:22) Yeah. (36:22) And then you know who you're gonna blame? (36:24) Tyler. (36:24) Tyler, you're gonna say, you should have spoken up, Tyler.

Scott Benner (36:26) You knew I didn't wanna have more kids. (36:28) And yet when I came to you in a moment of weakness, you made me pregnant again, you shouldn't have done that. (36:33) And then Tyler's gonna say, I thought I wasn't supposed to argue with you. (36:36) And then you're gonna say, well, not in those situations. (36:39) And then Tyler's gonna go run his head into a wall, and you're gonna smile with the rest of your life.

Janelle (36:43) Oh, my god. (36:44) It's a it's a lose lose. (36:46) Right?

Scott Benner (36:46) Well, that is what, being a heterosexual male is. (36:49) Yes. (36:49) Yeah. (36:51) You know, the only people that have it worse are lesbians.

Janelle (36:54) Oh, my god.

Scott Benner (36:55) I don't know what they're doing. (36:57) They're out of their minds. (36:58) Ivy, can you imagine?

Janelle (37:00) Yeah.

Scott Benner (37:01) Like, two people in the same situation telling each other to calm down at different parts.

Janelle (37:05) I I don't know how that would work.

Scott Benner (37:07) Oh, no. (37:07) I mean, obviously, it's gotta be incredibly difficult. (37:10) Yeah. (37:11) And by the way, is gonna be one of these things where I sound older, like a thing that older people say and everything. (37:17) And if you're thinking that right now, just try to stay alive twenty more years, then come back and check on them.

Scott Benner (37:22) Okay. (37:22) By the way, nothing wrong with, how anybody works or, you know, like, you know, I'm okay with how boys are, how girls are, how everybody is. (37:30) It's just the thing that I think you honestly need to understand while you're navigating your life. (37:35) I'm not overly generalizing and saying, you know how this person is or you know how this person can act. (37:39) Just are people, they have reactions to things.

Scott Benner (37:42) I don't know anything special about you, Janelle. (37:44) Like, I've just talked to 1,500 people. (37:47) Yeah. (37:48) Yeah. (37:48) We have a lot in common, and a lot of it is stuff that we like to pretend we're in control of, but really is more chemical or emotional than you wanna think it is.

Scott Benner (37:56) And silly to sit here and say that you're gonna stop it or that you're gonna therapy your way out of it or whatever. (38:03) It really is gonna turn into a situation where, like, you're gonna have a a an amount of experience. (38:08) It's gonna tell you how you wanna be. (38:10) And with some luck and a lot of effort, you'll do it. (38:13) Yeah.

Scott Benner (38:14) And some people do and some people don't. (38:16) I think it's got a lot to do with how much it means to you to get it done and how much time and effort you're willing to put into it to, you know, create a life for yourself that, you know, mimics the one you imagine.

Janelle (38:27) Yeah. (38:27) Agreed.

Scott Benner (38:28) That's it. (38:28) That's all. (38:29) And the rest of it's just silliness so that you'll listen. (38:32) Yeah. (38:32) Because I gotta sell these ads.

Scott Benner (38:34) Yeah. (38:34) I mean, Jesus. (38:35) It's something. (38:36) Hey. (38:36) You have no idea what it's like.

Scott Benner (38:37) You all out there with, like, your regular jobs. (38:39) You think they're hard? (38:40) Just try making a podcast. (38:42) It ain't easy.

Janelle (38:43) Oh, my gosh. (38:43) I can only imagine.

Scott Benner (38:44) No. (38:45) Do know what sucks? (38:46) Parts of it. (38:47) This part this part's fun. (38:49) Like, the rest of it, it's not as much fun.

Janelle (38:51) This is the easy part.

Scott Benner (38:53) This is the entire easy part. (38:55) It it real it really is. (38:56) Not like pipe fitting or anything like that, but it's Yeah. (38:59) I mean, it's not like making sure the email works for the military. (39:01) That sounds hard.

Scott Benner (39:04) You guys, does he, keep up with the certification? (39:07) Does he shoot?

Janelle (39:09) No. (39:09) Not, like, normally.

Scott Benner (39:11) Didn't even care.

Janelle (39:11) Not regularly.

Scott Benner (39:12) So you're not, like, an average, like, military young military family, really?

Janelle (39:17) I think it's more just the fact that he's putting his extra time elsewhere right now. (39:22) He's trying to finish up, he's in the last semester, for his bachelor's degree. (39:26) So he's trying to knock that out.

Scott Benner (39:28) Good for him. (39:29) That's awesome. (39:30) Oh, so he went in bef oh, yeah. (39:31) He went in without college, and then he came out and he's getting his degree. (39:35) He's working and getting a degree?

Scott Benner (39:37) Yeah. (39:38) Wait a minute. (39:38) He's working and getting a degree, and he's got a kid with type one. (39:42) He's got a wife who's freaking herself out about the type one.

Janelle (39:45) Yeah. (39:45) And we both coach soccer on top of that.

Scott Benner (39:47) You both coach soccer, I still had to tell you to have sex this weekend? (39:51) What the hell is wrong with you, Janelle? (39:53) Let's get to it. (39:53) Okay? (39:54) My god.

Scott Benner (39:56) I went over this in a recent episode. (39:57) I can't do it again. (39:58) But you're you're a whole generation. (39:59) You're not having sex enough. (40:01) I don't know what you're doing.

Scott Benner (40:04) I know you got the phone. (40:05) It's awesome and everything. (40:06) But, like, you gotta stop putting the blocks in order or whatever it is you're doing on your phone and, like you know what I mean?

Janelle (40:13) Yeah.

Scott Benner (40:13) It's like the best free thing in the world. (40:16) That I mean, it's a toss-up, really. (40:18) Pizza and sex, both awesome.

Janelle (40:20) I mean yeah.

Scott Benner (40:21) Yeah. (40:21) I mean, not that you no. (40:22) Not since you moved from New York. (40:23) Hey. (40:24) Tell people how much better the pizza was at home.

Janelle (40:26) Oh, so much better.

Scott Benner (40:27) Mhmm. (40:28) Mhmm. (40:28) They don't think they don't believe me when I say it.

Janelle (40:30) No. (40:30) North Carolina pizza is

Scott Benner (40:32) Yeah. (40:32) Most of you are eating the worst pizza in the world. (40:34) You don't even realize it.

Janelle (40:35) You don't even realize it.

Scott Benner (40:36) You have no idea. (40:37) I actually just saying it out loud, I'm gonna go get myself a pizza right now. (40:42) I am. (40:42) I'm gonna go to one of the best rated pizza places in New Jersey and get a pie.

Janelle (40:47) That sounds so good.

Scott Benner (40:49) You've all seen that remember that barstool guy who seemed fun and then turned into a lunatic? (40:54) You've all seen him stand outside of a pizza place that is, like, five seconds from my house enjoying a slice of pizza.

Janelle (41:01) Oh, my gosh.

Scott Benner (41:02) And I'm gonna go I'm gonna go there right now.

Janelle (41:05) And I'm gonna go there.

Scott Benner (41:06) Alright, Janelle. (41:06) Hold on a second. (41:07) You were awesome, by the way.

Janelle (41:09) Thanks.

Scott Benner (41:09) Please listen to only, like, 12% of what I said. (41:15) Why are you so nice? (41:17) I don't know. (41:18) You are, though. (41:19) You know it.

Scott Benner (41:20) Right?

Janelle (41:21) I don't think I do. (41:22) I think, honestly, most of the time, I think I'm just like a cranky bitch.

Scott Benner (41:25) Do you think you're a cranky bitch?

Janelle (41:28) Sometimes. (41:28) Yeah.

Scott Benner (41:29) Has this not been reminiscent of who you are today?

Janelle (41:32) I think more so, like, this is who I am when I'm not necessarily worried about the other stuff.

Scott Benner (41:38) Oh, like a like a doctor Jack or mister Hyde sort of situation.

Janelle (41:42) Maybe. (41:43) Yeah. (41:43) Which one is the question? (41:43) Have a maybe I have a personality disorder. (41:45) Maybe we missed that diagnosis.

Scott Benner (41:47) I just sniffed that out in the first twenty five minutes. (41:48) I'm fine. (41:49) You're that doesn't exist. (41:51) Do you think people now are listening are like, do you think he thought I had a personality disorder when he was recording with me? (41:55) He didn't mention it because, like, I mean, would I mention it if I thought you had one?

Scott Benner (41:58) Probably not.

Janelle (41:59) This journal of all of his podcast guests and what mental illness he suspects they have.

Scott Benner (42:03) Meanwhile, I should see the list of mental illnesses I suspect I might have.

Janelle (42:07) Which list is longer?

Scott Benner (42:09) Well, I don't wanna say. (42:10) It's embarrassing. (42:11) But no. (42:12) But you wait. (42:13) So this is who you wanna be?

Janelle (42:16) Yeah. (42:17) I would say so.

Scott Benner (42:18) Okay. (42:19) So then tell me how to be that person. (42:22) Like, what are you doing right now that you don't do in your regular life? (42:24) Because I'm just me. (42:26) Like, I don't have, like, another gear.

Janelle (42:28) Yeah. (42:30) I don't know. (42:31) I think I'm just sitting here not worried about Pax's blood sugars right now, and it's mostly as simple as that.

Scott Benner (42:36) And is he alive?

Janelle (42:38) Yeah. (42:38) He's alive.

Scott Benner (42:39) Is he under your charge right now?

Janelle (42:42) Kind of. (42:43) I told my husband that I was obviously tied up, and so I told him you're in charge of whatever happens and don't bother me.

Scott Benner (42:49) And now you're okay?

Janelle (42:51) I'm okay.

Scott Benner (42:52) Well, then just keep doing that.

Janelle (42:53) Yeah. (42:53) I know. (42:54) But like you said, it's easier said than done.

Scott Benner (42:56) Janelle, I gotta tell you again. (42:57) You gotta calm the down. (42:58) Like like I mean, if this is who you could be, you're awesome.

Janelle (43:03) Thanks.

Scott Benner (43:03) Yeah. (43:03) And I mean, I'm twice your age, so it feels weird. (43:05) But, like, I don't know what you look like. (43:07) I don't know anything. (43:08) And I would easily if I was your age, I'd be like and you well, of course, this Tyler guy didn't scoop you up.

Scott Benner (43:14) I'd be like, hey. (43:15) We should we should go out to dinner and get to know each other. (43:17) Like, you have a really good vibe about you.

Janelle (43:19) Thank you.

Scott Benner (43:19) Yeah. (43:20) No. (43:20) You're welcome. (43:20) But you're telling me that if I met you in any other situation, I would run for the hills. (43:24) Is that right?

Janelle (43:25) Possibly. (43:26) Yeah. (43:27) If you caught me at a bad moment, a 100%. (43:29) Uh-oh. (43:31) Like, actually, disengage.

Janelle (43:32) We're gonna go the other way.

Scott Benner (43:33) That lady's running a key down the side of my car in the parking lot. (43:38) Why? (43:39) I don't know. (43:39) I think I parked crooked. (43:40) She seemed very upset.

Janelle (43:41) Your your tire was touching the line.

Scott Benner (43:45) Alright. (43:46) Listen. (43:46) Janelle, for you and everyone else listening who wish they could be this version of themselves, I wish you all a ton of luck. (43:51) I can only tell you that I am, generally speaking, this level of this all the time. (43:58) And I am as nervous and worried as the rest of you about everything else.

Scott Benner (44:02) I don't know why that is, and I genuinely feel bad about it. (44:05) Whenever I talk to somebody who's anxious and I wouldn't put you in the level of, like, anxiety ridden. (44:09) But, like, whenever I talk to somebody who's struggling with that, it pulls to my heartstrings more than anything else because I wish you could feel what it feels like not to have that hanging over your head. (44:22) Like, I I don't think I can properly explain it to you.

Janelle (44:25) I don't I think it's hard to imagine what it would be like to not have it hanging over my head.

Scott Benner (44:29) It's so it's so freeing not to like, and that's all I can think when I'm talking to you. (44:34) Like, if I felt the way you felt, I imagine I'd be having the exact same outcomes that you're having. (44:39) Yeah. (44:39) Yeah. (44:40) And the weed didn't help.

Scott Benner (44:41) So I don't You wanna try mushrooms or something? (44:44) Like, I'm not an advocate, but, I mean, like, are you I mean, you know some

Janelle (44:48) I don't know. (44:49) I don't know if I'm on board with the mushrooms.

Scott Benner (44:50) You know some military people. (44:52) I'm assuming you could get a hold of it if you needed to.

Janelle (44:54) I mean, maybe.

Scott Benner (44:55) Is he keep in touch with the guys or no?

Janelle (44:58) Yes and no.

Scott Benner (44:59) Depends. (45:00) Depends on who they are in this situation. (45:01) Yeah. (45:01) I gotcha. (45:02) Alright.

Scott Benner (45:02) You're very interesting.

Janelle (45:04) Thank you.

Scott Benner (45:04) Yes. (45:05) You can come back again.

Janelle (45:06) Okay. (45:07) Cool.

Scott Benner (45:08) Couple years from now, when you figure the whole thing out and you know what you did, come back and tell everybody.

Janelle (45:14) Alright. (45:14) Cool.

Scott Benner (45:14) I will keep the podcast going until then. (45:16) That's the my that's that's my burden. (45:18) My burden is to keep this podcast going. (45:20) Your burden is to put your shit into motion and make it work.

Janelle (45:23) Alright. (45:24) Sounds like a plan.

Scott Benner (45:31) Dexcom sponsored this episode of the Juice Box podcast. (45:34) Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. (45:42) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (45:46) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free, what'd I just say, a free Omnipod five starter kit. (45:56) Free?

Scott Benner (45:58) Get out of here. (45:59) Go click on that link. (45:59) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (46:02) Check it out. (46:03) Terms and conditions apply.

Scott Benner (46:04) Eligibility may vary. (46:06) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (46:11) Links in the show notes. (46:12) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (46:17) I can't thank you enough for listening.

Scott Benner (46:19) Please make sure you're subscribed or following in your audio app. (46:22) I'll be back tomorrow with another episode of the Juice Box podcast. (46:27) Oh my, did I get lucky. (46:29) The Celebrity Cruise Line reached out to me and said, how would you like to come on a cruise before your Juice Cruise so you can get a real good look at the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship and share some video with your listeners? (46:43) I said, thank you.

Scott Benner (46:45) So that's where I might be right now. (46:47) If it's December let me actually find a date for you. (46:50) Not a 100% sure. (46:52) I think I'm going in December right before Christmas. (46:56) Like, you know, like, I don't know, like, the December.

Scott Benner (46:59) I'm sorry. (46:59) Know this isn't much of a that. (47:01) But if you wanna see video from me on the cruise ship, my wife and I are gonna head out and really check it out to see what it's all about to grab some great video for you. (47:09) Get it up on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook so you can see what you'd be getting if you came along on Juice Cruise 2026, which, of course, leaves from Miami on 06/21/2026. (47:21) We're gonna be going to Coco Cay in The Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Scott Benner (47:26) Do not miss it. (47:27) It's a great opportunity to meet other people living with type one diabetes to form friendships, to learn things, and just swap stories. (47:34) It's a relaxing vacation with a bunch of people who get what your life is like. (47:39) And trust me, there's a lot of value in that. (47:41) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.

Scott Benner (47:45) Come check it out and go find my socials to see what that ship looks like. (47:49) There's also a video at my link that's, kind of a ship tour with a celebrity beyond. (47:54) And let me tell you something. (47:55) If this ship is a tenth as nice as this video is, I am in for a great time, and so are you. (48:02) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.

Scott Benner (48:05) Come along. (48:07) If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. (48:13) Listen. (48:14) Truth be told, I'm, like, 20 smarter when Rob edits me. (48:18) He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that.

Scott Benner (48:22) And it just I don't know, man. (48:24) Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? (48:27) And then I remember because I did one smart thing. (48:30) I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.

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