#1822 The Inside Track
Updates on Live events, website tools and more.
Key Takeaways
- Scott Benner announced a series of upcoming in-person appearances for 2026, including free events at Hofstra University (April 15) and Atlanta (April 18), as well as summer conferences like ADA and Friends for Life.
- The Juicebox Podcast website has been significantly overhauled with an advanced search tool that allows users to ask questions in plain English and find specific podcast episodes that address their concerns.
- New educational calculators and simulators—including A1C, Basal, Bolus, and Fat/Protein estimators—are now available to help users visualize how different variables affect insulin needs.
- The "Autoimmune Explorer" tool enables users to map symptoms to potential conditions like Graves' or Hashimoto's and generate a structured email or note to facilitate discussions with their doctors.
- For clinicians, the site now offers a "Clinician Share" tool, allowing providers to instantly text or email curated episode collections, like the Bold Beginnings series, to their patients.
Resources Mentioned
- Juicebox Podcast Website & Events: juiceboxpodcast.com/events
- Juicebox Docs (Provider Directory): juiceboxdocs.com
- Juicebox Podcast Private Facebook Group: Type One Diabetes Support Group
- Touched by Type One: touchedbytypeone.org
- SugarPixel: Secondary Display for CGM
- Beyond Type 1: Diabetes Community Resources
Introduction and Community Support
Scott BennerHello, friends, and welcome to episode 1,821 of the Juice Box podcast. I haven't said that in a while. If your loved one is newly diagnosed with type one diabetes and you're seeking a clear practical perspective, check out the bold beginnings series on the juice box podcast. It's hosted by myself and Jenny Smith, an experienced diabetes educator with over thirty five years of personal insight into type one.
Our series cuts through the medical jargon and delivers straightforward answers to your most pressing questions. You'll gain insight from real patients and caregivers and find practical advice to help you confidently navigate life with type one. You can start your journey informed and empowered with the Juice Box podcast.
The bold beginning series and all of the collections in the Juice Box podcast are available in your audio app and at juiceboxpodcast.com in the menu. If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box podcast private Facebook group. Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes. But everybody is welcome. Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. 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.
Upcoming In-Person Events: New York and Atlanta
Scott BennerI am here today just for a few minutes to let you know about some in person events that I'm doing, some coming up very soon, some over the summer, and to let you know about some pretty big updates to the website, juiceboxpodcast.com. I'm gonna do the events first, then the website. If this takes me more than seven minutes, I've failed. You ready? Here we go.
Juiceboxpodcast.com. Go to the menu. The menu now is in the top right. It's three little lines on juiceboxpodcast.com. On the browser, let me see what it looks like on your phone. Same thing. Two little lines, top right. Click on that there and scroll down to events. That'll take you to juiceboxpodcast.com/events.
And there you will see that this coming Wednesday, April 15 at 04:30PM, I will be at Hofstra University giving a talk. This is the annual symposium hosted by Cohen Children's Medical Center, and tickets are absolutely free. So you can go to my link, juiceboxpodcast.com/events, click on reserve a seat, and get your free tickets right now. It's from 04:30 till 07:30. I believe there's food. Am I right about that? Yeah. Scott will share his blend of actionable insights, honest discussions. Who wrote this? Let's see. We're gonna be talking about a bunch of stuff. Let me let me get the thing. I said six minutes or seven minutes, and now I'm already lying.
But let me just look through my notes real quick. Hofstra. Interesting. Are you out on Long Island? Do you know what do you know where the Hofstra is? And I'm gonna be a few days after that, I am going to be in Atlanta, Georgia. I'll tell you about that in just a second. But I just do wanna check on yeah. It looks like 04:00, welcome and registration, 04:30 to 05:30, keynote address with me, 05:30 to six at dinner break, networking, light dinner and refreshments available, six to 06:45, breakout sessions. Guests will choose one of the following specialized sessions, nutrition with diabetes, exercising with diabetes, diabetes technology, and then from 06:50 to 07:30, diabetes research update.
It's gonna be a nice little event here, isn't it? I again, I'll be there from 04:30 to 05:30 giving a talk, then I'll be around for a little bit afterwards at dinner and everything. If you guys wanna say hi, that would be lovely. That is April, the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra, 500 Hofstra Boulevard, Hempstead, New York. And don't forget, gotta get those tickets to get in the door. But again, it's absolutely free. I think you're gonna love it.
Now if you're in Atlanta, Georgia, just some days later on the eighteenth, I will be at the Community Connections networking event for Touched by Type one. This is a caregiver chat with me, Scott. Join us for a day filled with meaningful conversations and genuine connection on and on and on. Again, go to my link, click on, event details. That's gonna take you to the Touched by Type one website where you can register right now, I believe, for a morning or afternoon. Is that right? Morning or afternoon? Let's see what happens if you click on this one. 9AM, Atlanta, Georgia. And then what if I click on this one? What does this one say? Yeah. And at 1PM, there's a meetup in Atlanta.
So okay. Alright. I see what this is. You would think I would know about it because I'm going, but I don't pay as much attention as you would hope. 330 Marietta Street Northwest, Atlanta, Georgia, 04/18/2026. Absolutely free to attend, but again, gotta go get the tickets at this Touched by Type one website. I'm gonna be speaking, it looks like at 10AM, And I think again, there's another time, not a 100% sure. And then there's the t one d meetup from 1PM to 4PM at the same location, 330 Marietta Street Northwest. This is exclusively for adults with type one diabetes. It's free to attend, but registration is required and space is limited. So go ahead. Head over to my website now, juiceboxpodcast.com/events, and jump on those tickets for next week.
Summer Tour: ADA, Friends for Life, and ADCES
Scott BennerNow I will be taking a little break there in May. And then June, I will be at the ADA Scientific Sessions with SugarPixel. Look for the SugarPixel Juice Box podcast booth at ADA eight in New Orleans if you're there. On June 21 to the twenty eighth, I will be on the Juice Cruise on the Celebrity Beyond. There is still time to get tickets for the Juice Cruise, though I think time is now short. And then Friends For Life, I will again be with Sugarpixel. Actually, I'll be at Sugarpixel Friends for Life, ADA, and ADCES. But Friends for Life is July. I'll be there July '10. We have a really great event coming up. I don't think I'm allowed to spoil it yet, but if you're gonna be at Friends four Life, definitely look for the juice box slash sugar pixel event. Those of you who are clinicians, ADCES annual event in Columbus, Ohio, August. I will be there again with Sugarpixel. And to round out the year, September 26 at Touched by Type one's huge, huge event in Florida. You can get all the details you need about any of this at my link juiceboxpodcast.com/events.
Major Website Updates and Search Features
Scott BennerThe website has also been really, significantly updated. So now when you go to juiceboxpodcast.com, on the main page, there's, some searching tools. Episode episode episode FAQ. If you type something in there just like in English, like, I don't know, my blood sugar is high in the morning. That's a thing that happens. When you do that, it takes you right to like, real right there. You just get dropdowns of episodes where that's discussed. It gives you the bowl beginning, seven fifteen, bowl beginning, seven fifty fee, the pro tip, l ten eleven, episode diabetes variables on stress, food quality. And if one of those doesn't look right to you, if you go, oh, I click around, I don't know if this is it. Like, so I clicked on the first one here, bold beginning seven fifteen. What you'll learn, fear of insulin causes people to run chronically high. This is a far more dangerous long term and and so there's one where your you know, what you typed in matches up with stuff that's been said in that episode. Maybe that's not the one you want. Right? Maybe it's a different one. Or maybe you go, like, you know, on the main page here, it showed me five of them. I don't think any of these are right. You can actually click on see all results. It takes you to the frequently asked questions page. And my goodness, like, this search tool for the podcast is really just awesome.
I clicked over after asking my blood sugar is high in the morning, so it stays populated and gives you, you know, different links there to different episodes. But you can do a lot at this website. So I'll clear out the search bar. If you just click in it, it gives you a ton of things that people, commonly ask for. Can my child eat cake at a party? Click on that. Boom. Bold beginning seven thirty one food choices. Can my child with type one diabetes still eat cupcakes? Sneaking food episode four seventy three. Bolus four comes up episode. Like, it it's it's really good. Trust me. Go take a look at it.
And then on the side, there's, like, things you can click on. I think there's at on the mobile, you have to go to the bottom of the page. But on the browser, on the side, you could say, oh, well, you know what? I really only wanna search, I don't know, the ask Scott and Jenny episodes. So you click on that, go back to search, you know, I don't know. I'll just type in glucagon. It's just a keyword. And it gives you everywhere that the word glucagon pops up in the ask Scott and Jennings. It's really pretty awesome. You you you have to take a look at it to really get a good feeling for what it is. But it's a it's a wonderful tool to help you find your way through your questions and link you back to episodes that might be able to help you. I'm clicking on just any episode here to show you that afterwards, can click on link online. You can jump right to Spotify to the episode, right to Apple Podcasts, or right to the entire series on the website. Tons of different ways to listen.
Interactive Estimators and the Autoimmune Explorer
Scott BennerBack to that menu top right, you wanna do an there's an a one c estimator, a basal estimator, a bolus estimator, a fat and protein estimator, and a settings simulator. You should go check all of them out. They're very interesting. There's also an autoimmune explorer. Now you click on that. It you gotta, you know, you gotta click on the the disclaimer and get in, but you can kind of choose, I don't know, things that you've been experiencing, different markers. You know, I have let's see. Heat intolerance, hair loss, let's see, nail pitting. And now you've clicked in three things. I mean, there's a ton of stuff here to pick from. But you click in some things, and then it shows you what those symptoms kind of code to.
Now it's not a diagnostic tool. Right? It's not gonna for sure tell you what's wrong with you, but it will help you to figure out maybe what's going on. For example, on the four things that I just clicked on, I got one match on each one. So there's no, you know, no oh, sorry. My phone. It's not like three of the things I clicked on went to Hashimoto's. One of them did. But, you know, I don't know. Let's say I keep going. Oh, you know what? I've I had some sexual dysfunction. Now all of sudden, there's two matches on Graves, two matches on Hashimoto's. Oh, I've had skin rashes. Oh, okay. It doesn't really help anything. You kinda click around a little more, and then it starts to come into that, oh, I have lost weight. Now all of sudden you realize there's three of these are popping up for Craves' disease. Two for Addison's, two for Hashimoto's. Craves' disease, antibodies the thyroid to produce too much hormone, that maybe does sound like me. You click on that. There's other shared traits in there. Maybe you'll notice, oh, I didn't see fatigue on there. That is me too. And I have eye protrusion. Okay. It'll tell you, like, there's some shared traits that you have. It also can tell you that there's other stuff that's frequently associated with it. With this one, it's like vitiligo and RA.
But more importantly, maybe you can type in a specific concern. So if you say, like, you know, I don't know, I also feel whatever and hit plus, that adds it into your notes. And then the notes app can actually make suggestions to you. You can click on suggestions, it's and it'll tell you like, oh, discuss managing heat intolerance or in the context of Graves. And you look at all those things, you go, okay. Those are things I'd like to talk with my doctor at. That one, I don't have. Like, click that off. You can save the note. You can copy the note, paste it somewhere, or you can generate an email to yourself so that you have an outline for the things you wanna talk about with your doctor. That's on the website.
Defining Diabetes, Clinician Tools, and Physician Directory
Scott BennerBack to that menu, interactive defining diabetes. This is like 78 definitions from the defining diabetes series. I said seven minutes, I lied. If you're still with me, you care. It doesn't matter. And that's in it's been translated by AI into English, Spanish, French, I think German, Hindi. I forget what else. Did maybe I do Japanese? I forget what I did. You'll see when you get there. Anyway and there's also, like, a chat like, a quiz. So you can click on the challenge and start a hormone co secreted with insulin that delays gastric emptying and expresses glucagon, like, by hypertrophy, amylin, intramuscular oh, I think it's amylin. You click on it. Yay. And there's, a little countdown. It's a little game. You know, you can score to the end to try to test yourself on what some of these things mean.
Back to the menu. Guides for you guys. Right? Advice for type one parents from type one adults. Caregiver burnout. The episode frequently asked questions that I told you about earlier. There's some articles about GLP and diabetes, how to build good habits. There's a guide for physicians. There is the takeaways from the grand round series if you wanna share them with your doctor. There's just, you know, thyroid stuff. There's an article on pre bolusing. There's also something called clinician share. So if you're a doctor or a clinician, this is a website that you can use to help support you when you're trying to share the podcast with other people. Go check that out because there, it's a nice simple setup. You select a series that you wanna share the Bold Beginning series to somebody, click on it. All you have to do is click print, text, or email. It generates a list for you. I'm just gonna hit text real quick. It opens up my texting app, and it gives you JuiceBox podcast bold beginnings. Listen online at the link. Gives you a link for Apple podcast for Spotify, and a list of all the episodes with the episode numbers in it. Boom. You can just text or text or email that or, of course, copy it and paste it anywhere that you'd like to see it.
What else should we do? Oh, the the search is also on that tool there too for for physicians. And there's some stuff there for clinicians themselves, takeaways from the grand round series, and the link to JuiceBox docs. So juiceboxdocs.com is, I don't know how many is in there at this point. Let me take a look. This is a directory of doctors and CDEs that that have been suggested to me by listeners. There's 225 of them in there right now, and it's very easy to, search through. If you live in Nashville, you type in Nashville. And let's see. We got two doctors in Tennessee that have been, suggested by listeners. Tells you if they're pediatric, if they're adult, if they have if the provider themselves has type one diabetes. Pretty, really cool. And if you have a doctor you love and you wanna, suggest them to me, you can click on submit provider and send in their information. Please fill it out as completely as you can so it's valuable for others.
Deep Dive: Using the Estimators and Simulators
Scott BennerWhat else do we have here? All the links to all the series. Bold beginnings, pro tips, bolus four, small sips, after dark, die defining diabetes, myths, GLP, everything. It's all there. You wanna go find the series, some lists, some site links, juice box docs, the private Facebook group, the blog, how to contact, disclaimers, merch, the sponsor page. All that's right there, right in that menu. So that's it. I kept it to fifteen minutes. That's not bad. There's a lot going on at the website. A lot of it I think you'll find interesting. These estimators that you're gonna find there, listen, they're not medical advice for certain, but they should be able to give you, like, some ideas about how to talk to your doctors or, you know, get a feeling for if your settings are really wonky or something like that.
Using example here of the settings simulator, you know, you have to it's educational simulator only. You have to click I understand and everything to get in. And then you just are you can just pick a weight just to see how it affects insulin. So, like, you know, say somebody weighed a hundred and thirty eight pounds. You might expect their total daily insulin to be around 34 and a half units. You might expect their basal to be around 17 quarter units a day or point seven two an hour. You might expect their insulin to carb ratio to be 14 and a half. You might expect their sensitivity to be 52. Like, just, you know, not saying this is exactly right, but it's the same math your doctor uses to figure stuff out, and it's something you don't know about. So maybe you go there and go, oh, hey. I'm high all the time, and this thing says I should maybe be using more insulin or less. Maybe you're low a lot, and you don't know why. It's a it gives you a good starting place to talk to your doctor.
Same with the fat and protein estimator. Again, you gotta understand this is a tool, not for medical device, blah blah blah. Just helps you understand, hey. If there's, I don't know, 15 grams of fat in a meal and, six grams of protein and an insulin to carb ratio of one to 10, then what you simulate the event, it tells you like, hey. You know, this is just a simulation, but you might need this much insulin to cover this meal. Right? Just helps you with k cals, fat and protein units, theoretical units, how much the, you know, the bolus might be, how long you might stretch it out if you're doing an extended bolus. And, you know, again, it could help you understand maybe a little better that how how bolus thing works.
There's also a bolus estimator that takes a lot more into account, insulin to carb ratio, your insulin sensitivity factor, target blood sugar that you're shooting for, and then how many carbs in what I'm eating? I'll say 45. How much fat? Five. How much protein? Four. My current BG is one twenty three. How much do I have on board? I have a a unit on board. And it it'll explain to you, like, well, you know, we might use about this much insulin here. Pre bolus time should be about this, but there's no, you know, extended needed for fat. But you can look then and change the fat to, like, well, what if there was 10 grams of fat in that? Would that change it? And it certainly does. All of a sudden, it starts talking about how the Worsaw method might indicate to you that you maybe should spread out some extra insulin over time to impact that digestion.
The Importance of Support and Sharing
Scott BennerAgain, they're just kind of visualizations for you to try to understand some of the stuff that we talk about in podcast. I find some people understand by listening, some people understand by clicking and doing. I thought this might help some of you with that. I hope you find it valuable. It's pretty much it, really. We're about to I guess I'll tell you about this right now since I have, like, a little quiz about the positive childhood experiences and negative childhood experiences, the aces and the paces. And it it kinda helps you understand if you've experienced these things in your life as a child, and it helps to show you how to create, a home environment for people who end up, generally speaking, having a better chance at positive outcomes as an adult. That's in the menu as well. And there is a series coming out on that very soon with myself and Erica Forsyth.
That is pretty much it, guys. I hope you're enjoying the show. Please I'm not a YouTuber, so I'm not really accustomed to saying this, but subscribing to the podcast is such a significant help that it is hard to put into words and sharing it as well. When you're listening to an episode and you're enjoying it, please do share it with somebody else. If you know somebody who might need the podcast, sharing it with them either with a link or a text or, hey. Check out Juice Box or whatever it is you you're comfortable doing. This podcast is in its twelfth year, and I'm telling you, it keeps going because of good word-of-mouth. It is really, the best way to keep content like this going. It's free to you guys. I, you know, I try very, very hard not to charge you for it, and I've had a lot of luck so far, knock on wood, because so many of you listen. And, of course, that makes me kind of an eligible place for advertisers to put their ads, which is how all this gets paid for.
So just a general example, the the episode of frequent asked questions page, like the search feature. I've been working on that for a couple of months now. And it's taken up, I mean, I would say probably thirty or forty hours of my time. And what it is, like, the back end of it is this. I took the top 250 most Googled questions about type one diabetes. I took the entire list of struggles, which is a list that was compiled, from listeners about things they say they struggle with with type one. Right? It's a really comprehensive I think we ended up doing, like, 70 or 80 pages of that. It got still down into, gosh, I wanna say, like, 75 items. But and I'll I'll just read a couple for you. Mental burnout, hypoglycemic fear, insulin timing, exercise and blood sugar, illness, sicknesses, stress, physical health, technology overload. Like, this goes on and on. It's a long list. So this struggles list plus the top 250 most Googled type one diabetes questions plus some other stuff, all mixed together in kind of a a secret little goo, digital goo. And then all of those questions are mapped back to content inside of the podcast.
So if you've we figured these are the I figured these are the questions that people ask and we, generally speaking, think that most of those, you know answers or, you know, associated conversations are in the podcast. So how do you find them most quickly? Right? And this has ended up how it ended up being. So, like, you know, ketones and DKA warning signs click. What is a rage bolus? Here, what is a rage bolus? What is insulin stacking? What is insulin resistance? What is insulin bolus? What does the word bolus actually mean? That that's just from, you know, what is prebolising and how long before you should eat? This is all just coming back from what is a rage bolus. It matches to conversational stuff. Is it perfect? It's not. It works really well. And I am working on it to make it better and better all the time.
So my point is there is if you share the podcast and people buy ads on the podcast, then I can spend forty hours on working on this tool for you. Or I can sit around imagining other things that I think will be helpful for you to hear on the podcast or take the time to meet people and set up shows like the one you might have heard recently about, you know, a potential core cure for type one diabetes. Like, that doctor who came on, really lovely man, doctor Wachowski, he's in episode eighteen seventeen for an example. Like, I've been working on setting up that interview with him since 2025, and we finally recorded in April. And then that recording is rushed out to an editor who is a grown up who gets paid, and I pay him. And I pay for the website to go up. And there's a lot of money that goes out the door to keeping the podcast going. I'm not crying poor. I make a living. I'm not arguing about that. What I'm saying is that supporting the podcast brings you this stuff. It allows me the time to have these conversations, do these things, go to ADA.
You know? I mean, I'm listen. I'm gonna go speak at that hospital on Wednesday. Nobody's paying me to do that. I'm gonna leave my house at noon to get somewhere in time. I'm gonna spend a number of hours there. My whole day is gonna be that. I'm gonna drive back and forth. I'm not charging a hospital for my time, but I can afford to do that on a Wednesday afternoon because you guys support the podcast. I am driving to Atlanta to speak at the touch by type one event. I am not charging touch by type one for me to be at that event. I'm sure they'll help me pay for my drive. Or if I want to fly, I'm sure they would have helped me with my my airfare, but I don't get paid on top of that. And that's a thing where I'm leaving on a Friday, and I don't come home till Saturday. I just think it's a great thing to do. I like supporting people like that. And, again, I'm able to support those people because you guys listen to the podcast. You share it. And no kidding. You're subscribed, and you're downloading episodes and listening to them. This is what keeps all this going.
Then the more social media changes, the more I need you guys because Facebook doesn't let creators get to their followers the way they used to, because Instagram doesn't do that because there is no good way to share a link with you. Because every time you share a link, Instagram, Facebook, any of social media platforms, really, they want you to stay in their platform. So if I make a post that says like, hey. You know, Tay on the podcast, you know, I put up an episode called orange Julius. It's pretty great. It's with Kelly. She opened up about raising two teens that's diagnosed type one diabetes at age six. She discusses international living, multiple miscarriages, alarm fatigue, and managing different sibling personalities. If I put that into a a post and put it in Facebook, the Facebook algorithm will not serve it to you. You will never see it because it'll also have a link that leads you out of Facebook into a podcast app. Or even the fact that the this is crazy, but even the fact that the verbiage in the post indicates that I'm trying to tell you about a podcast, Facebook's algorithm will see it as an attempt for me to get you to leave Facebook. And so, therefore, it's not gonna show it to you.
So, I mean, I could tell you to join my email list. That might help. But truth be told, it's it I need you. Like, I'm it's on you. You gotta open up your app and download some episodes. Make sure you're subscribed or you're following, you know, especially in the big apps, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, stuff like that, and just tell people about it. I really do appreciate your time and, I mean, twelve years of a fantastic support. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box Podcast. And I guess I should have said at the beginning that nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. And I only went over my seven minute estimation by twenty one minutes. It's not really bad. If this is your first time listening to the Juice Box podcast and you'd like to hear more, download Apple Podcasts or Spotify, really any audio app at all. Look for the Juice Box podcast, and follow or subscribe. We put out new content every day that you'll enjoy. Wanna learn more about your diabetes management? Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and look for bold beginnings, the diabetes pro tip series, and much more. This podcast is full of collections and series of information that will help you to live better with insulin. I can't thank you enough for listening. Please make sure you're subscribed or following in your audio app. I'll be back with another episode of the juice box podcast.
#1821 After Dark: Bigger Fish to Fry
Kelly opens up about raising two teens diagnosed with Type 1 at age six. She discusses international living , multiple miscarriages , alarm fatigue , and managing different sibling personalities.
Key Takeaways
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): High ACE scores can indicate a higher risk for mental and physical health challenges in adulthood, but awareness and proactive parenting can help break generational cycles of trauma.
- Autoimmune Links to Trauma: Rachel's son developed POTS and T1D shortly after a severe physical assault and concussion, raising interesting discussions about how acute trauma or head injuries might trigger underlying autoimmune conditions.
- The Value of a Service Dog: Service dogs can offer incredible dual-support for conditions like PTSD and diabetes, providing a calming physical presence during panic attacks and early low blood sugar alerts before a CGM even registers the drop.
- Advocating in Schools: Parents must remain vigilant and confidently advocate for their child's health needs and 504 plans at school, especially when administrators or teachers try to push back or disregard the rules.
- Symptom Clustering: When diagnosing complex or overlapping conditions (like POTS, Hashimoto's, and T1D), looking at clusters of symptoms can help patients and doctors identify the root causes faster than addressing isolated complaints.
Resources Mentioned
- Juice Box Podcast After Dark Series: juiceboxpodcast.com
- Omnipod 5: omnipod.com/juicebox
- Dexcom G7: dexcom.com/juicebox
- SugarPixel: customtype1.com/juicebox
- Juice Cruise 2026: juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise
- Camp Seale Harris
- Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)
- Wrong Way Recording: wrongwayrecording.com
Introduction and the After Dark Series
Scott BennerHello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Juice Box podcast.
RachelMy name is Rachel, and I have a 13 year old son who has type one diabetes.
Scott BennerI don't know. I get nervous when I'm on the spot. 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. From drugs to depression, self harm, trauma, addiction, and so much more. Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and click on after dark. There, you'll see a full list of all of the after dark episodes. If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. But everybody is welcome. Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. 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. Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say? A free Omnipod five starter kit. Free? Get out of here. Go click on that link. Omnipod.com/juicebox. Check it out. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. Links in the show notes. Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. Today's episode is also sponsored by Dexcom. The Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. You can learn more and get started today at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox.
RachelMy name is Rachel, and I have a 13 year old son who has type one diabetes.
Scott BennerWhy did you just giggle through your name? What was that? I don't know. I get nervous when I'm on the spot. And then you giggle?
RachelYeah.
Scott BennerAlright. I can't match that energy. I'm sorry.
RachelOkay. Sorry for you.
Scott BennerI don't have giggle energy. Although sometimes I do, but takes a lot.
RachelGo find it.
Scott BennerMaybe you'll find it for me. Challenge accepted, you should have said. You said, alright. I'll get you there. Don't worry. Rachel, why are you nervous?
RachelI'm always nervous when I talk about myself Really? And my kids.
Scott BennerYeah. Are you always nervous or just in certain situations?
RachelNo. I think it's all the time.
Scott BennerDo you have ADHD or anxiety?
RachelI've got bad ADHD. Unmedicated. Makes type one a fun thing to deal with.
Scott BennerWait. Wait. You're unmedicated?
RachelOh, yeah. Unmedicated ADHD all the way.
Scott BennerOh, wait. Wait. You're medicated, not unmedicated.
RachelNo. Unmedicated. Oh,
Scott BennerI just really
RachelI don't take ADHD meds. I just wing it.
Scott BennerYou're just riding this?
RachelYeah.
Scott BennerLike, you're on a bull?
RachelYep. With
Scott Bennera rocket up its
RachelWe'll see if we remember what we're talking about today.
Scott BennerWe're gonna see if your episode doesn't have a picture of a bull with a rocket up. It's something that might that might be it right there. Well, let's see if we can stay on. I must already have an episode called eight seconds. And if I don't, we're well on our way.
RachelWe're on our way. My type one kiddo, he has ADHD too.
Scott BennerYeah. It's not uncommon. Yeah. How long do you think you've known about yourself? How old are you?
RachelI'm 36.
Scott BennerOh, you're young. Yeah. Do you feel young?
RachelNo. You're young.
RachelI feel so old.
Scott BennerAre you from the Midwest?
RachelNo. I'm from well, I'm originally from California, but I live in Alabama.
Scott BennerDo you? Yeah. It's a lovely mix in your voice of the two things. I like it. Yeah. I like it. Alright. I just wanna say to Rob while he's editing this, leave all the giggling in. It's fine.
RachelNo. There's gonna be a lot of giggling. I giggle a lot.
Scott BennerJust leave it in. I think it's gonna be delightful.
RachelLeave it. Yeah. You know what? It's gonna make somebody's day because laughing is contagious. So
Scott BennerI hope so. That's nice.
RachelMaybe somebody will be listening and they're just feeling really down like I was in the beginning, and they'll hear my giggle. And they'll be
Scott Bennerlike, oh, it's all gonna be okay. Can I tell you, Rachel, that I not only do I believe that's true, but I've watched it happen, and I've had people tell me the very same thing? Very recently, a woman told me that the first episode of the podcast she landed on was the one where the lady came on to talk about the school nurse mistake that was made on her daughter. And if you haven't seen or heard that one, if you haven't heard that one, you really have to go find it. The school nurse gave the daughter two full syringes of insulin. Oh, I did hear the hell. Yeah. Right? Instead of, like think instead of two units, she gave her 200, if I'm not mistaken. Right? Kid's okay. Nobody panic. But this poor lady finds the podcast. That's the first episode she listens to. And she says, at first, it's like a panic for her, but then she realized that the woman was there. We were talking about it. I was joking about it. The kid was okay. And she she said it made her feel like it was gonna be okay to relax and and be a real person around all this. So I think you're right. So giggle away. Okay, giggles?
RachelThings happen. You're gonna make mistakes. It's gonna be alright. Everybody's gonna live through it.
Scott BennerYeah. Try not to give two hundred units of insulin when you mean to give two because that's not one that everybody definitely lives through.
RachelOh, yeah. I definitely know. But if you listen to the story, it's fascinating how it all worked out and and how it ended up working out well is is fascinating too.
Family Dynamics and Early Motherhood
Scott BennerBut that's neither here nor there. So you're 36. How many kids do you have?
RachelI've got four kids.
Scott BennerFour kids? Yeah. When did you start? When you were 12?
Rachel19, bro. Twelve's too young.
Scott Benner19. I'm glad you know the loss.
RachelThat's know what though? I'm pretty sure my grandma started when she was 12.
Scott BennerAre you That was, like, the thing back Wait a minute. Are are you what are you being serious? No. How old did you
RachelYou know, because in the old days, people got married when they were, like, really young, and they had kids really, really young, and that was, like, the thing.
Scott BennerOh, okay. Yeah. You just think she was younger younger. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In California?
RachelNo. Oh, no. She grew up in South Dakota.
Scott BennerOkay.
RachelMost of my family is not originally my family is not originally from, California.
Scott BennerOkay.
RachelMy family is originally from, like, South Dakota and the South.
Scott BennerOh, well, South Dakota sounds like a place where there's nothing to do but have sex.
RachelThere's nothing to do there
Scott BennerYeah.
RachelAt all.
Scott BennerBut you spend eight, ten minutes looking at one of those animals and you go, okay. That's a
RachelIt's literally the middle of nowhere.
Scott BennerYeah. Now what do I do? It's cold.
RachelIt is. Oh my gosh. And do you know their speed limits are, like, 80 miles an hour? That's the speed limit.
Scott BennerI would like that.
RachelThat's nice.
Scott BennerI do like a fast driving. Okay. You have four kids. How old are they?
RachelYeah. 17, 15, 13, and nine.
Scott Benner17, 15, 13, and nine. And the I don't know which one has diabetes.
RachelThe 13 year old.
Scott Benner13. I was gonna guess that. I should have guessed. I would have looked brilliant if I would have just said what I
Rachelsaying. You would have. You would have looked like
Scott Bennerhe just People would have been
Rachellike psychic.
Scott BennerHe might be at work. And then instead, I just didn't say anything because I thought, oh, I've got a one in four chance. I'll be wrong. And then I was gonna be, god damn it. Well, now you don't even believe me that I was gonna pick the right but I was. I was gonna say perfect.
RachelTime, just go with your gut. It's okay.
Scott BennerHow old, was that 13 year old when they were diagnosed?
RachelHe was 12.
Scott BennerThat's last year.
RachelYeah. We just hit one year, January 11.
Scott BennerOh, are you okay? How's it going?
RachelYeah. It's going. You know? It's, at first, we were dealing with a lot of lows, and then we were dealing with crazy highs, and now we're back to lows. So
Scott Benneryou know? Sorry. I think there's something about your It's a roller coaster. I think there's something about your speech and your voice pattern that's gonna make me laugh at things that aren't funny.
RachelYes. It's okay. My kids do it too.
Scott BennerLaugh at you?
RachelYeah. Everything. Everything. Like, if if somebody's crying, they laugh. They don't know. Or, you know, somebody died, they're just giggling, they don't know how to be serious.
Scott BennerThat's fairly inappropriate. I I mean, in the wrong setting, don't you think?
RachelI mean, I hope they laugh at my funeral because I don't want them crying. I
Scott Bennerdon't know. Do you feel like you're a decent parent or maybe not?
RachelI think I'm a rock star given everything that we've been going through.
Scott BennerThe situation. Is there a boy living there with you and those four kids? Oh, no. Uh-uh. You let him go?
RachelOh, long time.
Scott BennerWas he let go for poor let go for poor performance? What happened?
RachelYou know, it just didn't things just didn't work out. You It wasn't a good situation.
Scott BennerYou're telling me when you crank out four kids in four years at the age of 19, things get dicey?
RachelWell, you know, sometimes you're just not somebody's person. So I guess
Scott Bennerdon't notice that when they're on top of you making babies?
RachelListen. Narcissists are really good at putting on a show.
Scott BennerAre you talking about you or him?
RachelHim. Oh, okay. No. So, actually, my oldest I was actually when I was
Scott BennerJesus, Rachel. Maybe a preface or something. I'm so sorry to know that. Why? Now I feel like I can't joke with you and that everything I've said is wrong.
RachelTold you I'm not easily offended and you know what? I'm not even ashamed of my life because things that happen happen and it made me who I am. But
Scott BennerI don't want
Rachelyou oldest.
Scott BennerOh. Don't I kept the baby. I oh. Oh, okay. I get I don't want you to I I'm not. Alright. Let me start over. You took me out of left field. Hold on a second. This has happened once before in the twelve years that I've recorded this podcast. And the and the last time, I did not pivot quickly enough. And so this time, I am. And if you wanna go look for that one, you can't find it because it is one of the it is one of the three episodes that never aired because at the end of it, the person I spoke to and I both went, you wanna delete that? And we both went, yeah. Let's do that. Because we were having this fun, laughy conversation that suddenly took a weird like, not a weird turn, but like a stark turn. Mhmm. I wasn't I don't know what happened. It's hard to know, like, you're vibing and you're talking and everything and, like, I just didn't pivot quickly enough And it just felt strange. So this is why I put my foot in the ground when you said that.
RachelIt's okay because I can pivot us too if you can't.
Scott BennerSo No. Okay.
RachelGood. So my I have my oldest, and then my ex husband that I was married to for seven years.
Scott BennerMhmm.
RachelTogether for nine, is my boy's dad. And then my little girl, actually had after I got divorced, and, her dad actually had passed away in 2023.
Scott BennerCan I ask questions about the thing you just said, or do you prefer if I
RachelNo? Absolutely. Ask all the questions. I'm an open book because you know what? Something I say might help somebody, and you never know.
Scott BennerWell, that's what I'm hoping. What prompts you to keep the baby after I don't know what to call it. The event, we'll call it.
RachelThe event. Yeah. Okay.
Scott BennerWe'll call it the event. That's fine.
RachelI actually wasn't sure at first, and then I just prayed a lot about it, and I just took some time to really think instead of just jumping to a decision. And, you know, it's not a baby's fault how they get here. And who am I to say that she wasn't supposed to be here even though it happened in a bad way? Like, what if she changes the world? What if she creates a cure for something? What if she you know what I mean? Like
Scott BennerMhmm. And she's super talented.
RachelSuper talented. She sings really well. She's in marching band. Super smart. Like, reading out of college level at in the fourth grade. She's just amazing.
Scott BennerSo glad you didn't say she got fired from her job at the Piggly Wiggly because she couldn't run the deli counter, and I would have been like, oh, gosh.
RachelNo. So she actually hasn't had a job yet either. So she keeps asking me to get a job, and I'm just like, I want you to focus on school. Mhmm. School's important. Marching band, choir, all the things you're doing is what's gonna get you into college. And she wants to go to Juilliard, and so I said, you need to focus. You need to focus on your career path, focus on school, focus on getting your portfolio together. Like, there's more important things than having a job.
Scott BennerGood for you. I take it back. You're a good parent. Now
RachelThanks.
Scott BennerDid you know the assailant?
RachelNot, like, personally. Like, I had met him a couple of times before, and then we were at a party and things happened.
Scott BennerDid that person, go to a prison for this?
RachelNo. I actually never told anybody until, oh, I think she was about four months old. And my mom kept telling me, like, she had gotten me a, like, spa treatment thing for my first Mother's Day. Mhmm. And she's like, why don't you go and do that? Like, you haven't even used it. Get away and let me watch the video and stuff. And then I finally broke down and told her, and then I said, it's not because I think you're gonna hurt her, but I'm just so afraid. And then
Scott BennerOh gosh.
RachelYou know, things spiraled from there.
Processing Trauma and Being Open
Scott BennerHow did you deal well, I mean, I have a lot of questions. But first of all, personally, how do you make yourself, I mean, right with all that or right as you can be? You can manage diabetes confidently with the powerfully simple Dexcom g seven. Dexcom.com/juicebox. The Dexcom g seven is the CGM that my daughter is wearing. The g seven is a simple CGM system that delivers real time glucose numbers to your smartphone or smartwatch. The g seven is made for all types of diabetes, type one and type two, but also people experiencing gestational diabetes. The Dexcom g seven can help you spend more time in range, which is proven to lower a one c. The more time you spend in range, the better and healthier you feel. And with the Dexcom Clarity app, you can track your glucose trends, and the app will also provide you with a projected a one c in as little as two weeks. If you're looking for clarity around your diabetes, you're looking for Dexcom. Dexcom.com/juicebox. When you use my link, you're supporting the podcast. Dexcom.com/juicebox. Head over there now. Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. You heard that right. 0. That's less than your daily coffee for all of the benefits of tubeless, waterproof, automated insulin delivery. My daughter has been wearing Omnipod every day since she was four years old, and she's about to be 21. My family relies on Omnipod, and I think you'll love it. And you can try it for free right now by requesting your free starter kit today at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. Omnipod has been an advertiser for a decade. But even if they weren't, I would tell you proudly, my daughter wears an Omnipod. Omnipod.com/juicebox. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Why don't you get yourself that free starter kit? Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox.
RachelYou just have to do a lot of work, therapy And, you know, with my kids, I keep the line of communication open always. Always. You can it doesn't matter what anybody tells you. It doesn't matter what you did. Like, you you're never gonna tell me something that's gonna make me not love you. And even if somebody says they're gonna hurt hurt me, like, they have to get through me. So and they're not gonna get through me.
Scott BennerDoes she know?
RachelI actually just told her.
Scott BennerYeah. What goes into that decision?
RachelWell, for a long time, I wasn't gonna tell her. And then she said, you know, I really wanna know who my dad is and, like, why he's not around and all the things. And so I told her, you know, as nicely as possible. And I told her this is why I'm so crazy about Internet safety and physical safety and, you know, don't put yourself in situations that could lead to something dangerous. Like, this is why I'm so crazy about people not staying the night. You're not staying the night at other places. Like, this is why all these decisions
Scott BennerI mean, they all feel like the time. Yeah. Yeah.
RachelYeah. Like, this is why.
Scott BennerHave you ever seen this person again? Do you see him?
RachelUh-uh. Nope. No. It's the last I knew he was in California.
Scott BennerGod. Oh, I'm so sorry. I mean, it's a long time ago, but still.
RachelYeah. You know, I'm but like, you know, like I said, it it made me it's one of the events that made me who I am today, and I'm stronger that I got through it. And I have an amazing kid from it, and so and she looks just like me. I copy and pasted her.
Scott BennerThat's lovely. You're that's that's always maybe one of the somehow saddest, nicest stories I've heard in a while. Like, after all I've been through. And, like, sometimes people say that and then the stuff they talk about, I'm like, that's really not a lot. But you have a different pathway, different perspective. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Yeah.
RachelI have a lot. I you know, my marriage was a not a good situation and very emotionally, verbally, financially abusive, and, you know, and then my little girl's dad passed away. So I'm parenting her all by myself, and his family's not involved. So
Scott BennerWait. Hold on. So you have four kids? Yeah. The one the oldest is from what we just talked about. Is this the second the girl you just brought up?
RachelNo. My last is the little girl.
Scott BennerOkay. So you have like, every word I wanna use sounds, like, not enough. But your oldest is from the incident, and then your middle to her from your marriage
RachelYes.
Scott BennerTo to the seven year marriage
RachelYes.
Scott BennerThat you got rid of that guy Yeah. For for the reasons you just said. The youngest is from a different guy?
RachelYes. That so I he was my best friend. My youngest one's dad was my best friend.
Scott BennerAnd he's passed away recently? And he passed away
Rachelin 2023.
Scott BennerMy gosh. Yeah. My I'm so sorry. Wow.
RachelSo it's been a lot of things, but you know what? We we've all gotten through it, and we're all stronger for it. So
Scott BennerYeah. Well, that that's why they made that song. Yeah. I mean, this song is not what doesn't kill you makes you weaker. Like, that's not that's not the song. If it was, then, you know, what it's
Rachelsong Then we got diabetes diagnosis.
Assault, Concussion, and a Type 1 Diagnosis
Scott BennerWhat else is before we get to the diabetes, what else is happening? Is there are there other things, or are we gonna get to the diabetes as the last thing?
RachelNo. I mean, I don't think that there's much else. Like, oh, well, we have a service dog. Well, she's a puppy, but she's trained to be our service dog.
Scott BennerThat's fun.
RachelSo that's really exhausting. No. It's fun now that she's a little older, but when she was when we first got her, it was crazy. This dog was like a tornado.
Scott BennerWhat leads to that? Like, the the kid gets the diabetes and you somebody says service dog and you think yes and then dive in too quickly?
RachelMy mom had a service dog
Scott BennerFor
Rachelfor PTSD and hearing.
Scott BennerOkay.
RachelAnd then I also had a service dog for PTSD and hearing. And so I don't know. It's it's so it's crazy how it all kinda happened, though, because part of my service dog's story leads into, like, diabetes. You know what I mean?
Scott BennerStart there. I'm impressed that the service dog has a story. I don't have a story. Yeah. What what's your go go ahead.
RachelOkay. So we had our we had well, we had the dog. We I say we because my 15 year old son bonded with our with the dog so well that if she had to save one of us in a fire, it would be him and not me. Like, all the rest of us would die. He'd be the sole survivor, him and the dog.
Scott BennerI can't believe that's the example you brought up. We just talked about this in my house last night about who you'd go grab in a fire.
RachelYeah. No. I'm telling you. She would she would get him, and that would be it. Like, we would all perish. I found out that she had cancer. She had mammary gland cancer
Scott BennerMhmm.
RachelIn April '23 is when I found out about it. In October on the October 24, I let my dog out to go to the bathroom, and she was taking a really long time. So I walked down there to find her, and she's just, like, laying in the grass. And I'm like, okay. Come on. Let's blow in the house. And she could not get up. And when she did get up, she was stumbling a lot. And I'm, like, freaking out. I'm hollering for my oldest kid to come out and help me pick her up and bring her in the house. And so we pick her up, we bring her in the house, and I made a floor, like, bed on the floor Mhmm. So I could sleep next to her and you know, away from all the kids. So just in case she didn't wake up in the morning, you know, I could handle it before the kids got Yeah. And so me and my daughter lay her down right next to the bed I made on the floor, and she stayed in that spot all night long. She did not move. When I fell asleep and woke back up, she was still in the exact same spot. So I was like, okay. This is this is not gonna end well today. So I wake up, and I take her to the vet. And we ended up putting well, I picked up my oldest son before we went to the vet. But I picked up my oldest son. We went to the vet. We ended up putting her to sleep. I went home and got in the shower, you know, because I just had
Scott BennerA long Yeah.
RachelTears and dog hair, and I was on the floor at the vet's office, like you know? Yeah. And while we're putting my dog to sleep. And five minutes after we get home and I get in the shower, my oldest son says, hey. You have a missed call from the school. Hey. You have another missed call. And I'm like, well, answer it. So he answers my phone. He said, mom, it's the ambulance. They have to talk to you. And I'm like, what? So I hop out of the shower, and I'm like, hello? And they said, hey. Your son was assaulted at school. He was knocked unconscious, and we are taking him to the hospital. I said, okay. So I'm you know, I don't know the whole story. I don't know what's happening. I just know that my kid is on his way to the hospital, and my brain says, do I go to the hospital, or do I go to the school and beat up the parent? Like you know what I mean? Like, what do I do?
Scott BennerI mean, you're you're at the hospital. I'm assuming.
RachelI did. I went to the hospital because, you know, my kid is more important than any revenge or any anger or whatever. So I meet him at the hospital. He want they roll him in, and he just looked so out of it. Like, he was just staring off into space, looking around. It was very sad. It was probably the worst thing I'd seen up until that point. He was out of school for a little while. You know? And then for almost a whole year after that now this happened the assault happened 10/25/2020 At the 2024, he was still having what we thought were concussion symptoms. So his doctor finally sent him to the concussion clinic here in Alabama, and they diagnosed him with POTS. They diagnosed him with post concussion syndrome, and then they wanted him to go get some labs done. And they were looking for something, I don't know, something in his blood that had to do with the concussion. Right? They weren't looking for really looking for, like, blood sugar or anything like that. Mhmm. That was on a Thursday when we went to the clinic. On Saturday, I got a call, and I was like I looked at my phone. I'm like, well, I don't know anybody in this town. And so I didn't answer it the first time. And so I sent it to voice mail, and it immediately called me right back. And so I'm like, thinky thingy. I'm like, oh, that's the town the doctor's in. So I answer it. She said, hey. You know, Grayson's test results came back, and you need to get him to the emergency room to have them recheck his blood sugar. It could be a lab error, but, you know, the endocrinologists here at the hospital think that it can't wait till Monday, so you need to go. Probably about ten minutes before that phone call, me and my three youngest kids were outside building a snowman. Like, life was great. We were having so much fun. I mean, I even have the last picture we took before we got to the hospital and got a diabetes diagnosis, but, like, it was just it was such a fun day. And then we got to the hospital, and they took his blood sugar. And it was four forty eight, and they were like, yeah. He's definitely gonna stay here. And then that's how we got our diagnosis.
Scott BennerMy gosh. That's a that's a whirlwind.
RachelYeah. And then I started thinking about it, you know, like, a lot of stuff was happening. Obviously, it was a lot of, like, education and stuff. And then I started thinking about the fact that my son is 12 now, but soon he's gonna be 13. And then soon he's gonna be 16, and he's gonna wanna drive. And when he drives, he's gonna wanna go places with his friends by himself, obviously. He's not gonna want his mother toting along around with him all the time. And then shortly after he turns 16 and wants to drive, he's gonna go to high school or he's gonna go to college because he's gonna graduate high school. And I can't go to college with him. Like, you know what I mean? And so my brain just started spiraling about this whole future that he has that hasn't even happened yet.
Scott BennerRight. No. No. And how you're trying to get ready for it somehow.
RachelYeah. And so
Scott BennerBefore you even know what you're doing.
RachelDog. Like, maybe I'll look into that.
Scott BennerOkay. You're like, you know what'll help? A four legged dog.
RachelYes. That will always be with him, and we'll have his back. You know what
Scott BennerI mean?
RachelAnd then it's actually funny because I had mentioned to the endocrinologist that we use. I had mentioned to the diabetic educator there that I was thinking about maybe seeing about a service dog, and she put me in contact with another parent in my same area that has a service dog.
The Service Dog and Early Alerts
Scott BennerI'm sorry. Do you still have your dog? Are there three like, when you get together with your mom, are there three service dogs there?
RachelThere's well, my mom is in California, so we don't get together really.
Scott BennerBut Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah. But do you still have one?
RachelNo. No. She I put her to sleep the day that my son was assaulted. Remember?
Scott BennerI put her to sleep with the That was the oh my gosh. Okay. I thought the service dog was a thing in the past. That was the dog.
RachelAnd That was the dog. And then, you know, everything's filed after that.
Scott BennerSo you haven't had your dog for the last year or so? Uh-uh. And has that been an issue for you?
RachelNo. It's been alright.
Scott BennerSo you didn't need the service dog?
RachelNo. Well, the thing is is that I had to learn how to to just do things, you know, like, when I'm having an episode and I'm, you know, freaking out and I don't realize where I'm at, like, I just have learned to get through it. Like, just to sit down and breathe for a minute and tell myself, like, hey. You know, it's okay. You're not in the past. The past is not now.
Scott BennerSo you know my next question.
RachelI'm getting another one, but I just couldn't. The pain of losing her was so
Scott BennerI imagine. Yeah. But do You
Rachelknow what I mean?
Scott BennerYou know my next question, though. Right? You had a service dog. You don't have it anymore. You don't feel like you need it. You got your son a service dog.
RachelWell, so I actually decided to get him one instead of myself.
Scott BennerOh, so it was the decision. Like, you could only have one.
RachelI see. I had to I had to make the decision of, like obviously, you know, service dogs can be expensive, and the training can be expensive and everything. And so I I care about my kids before myself, so I will suffer severely for my children not to suffer.
Scott BennerAre you suffering?
RachelI mean, every day is a struggle. Like, you know, I I told you I'm an anxious person. I'm anxious all the time.
Scott BennerHow does a dog help you with PTSD?
RachelSo there's you know, they can just kinda sense when you're starting to get into that moment of, like, panic, and she would come over and she would just lay her head down on me. And it's almost like she would kind of put her body onto me, and it was like I felt almost like if you're getting a hug.
Scott BennerMhmm.
RachelYou know what I mean? And so she it's just like she brings a calming emotion to a bad situation, and she could always tell when you know, even even other people, she could tell when anybody was upset. And she, you know, she wouldn't leave you alone until she knew that you were better.
Scott BennerThe way you describe yourself, ADHD, anxiety, etcetera, would you have described yourself that way prior to being 18?
RachelI know I had ADHD before that, but no. I really didn't pay no mind to any of it. Like, I know my mom had done, like, some testing for me when I was a kid, and, you know, she got some diagnoses for me. But she was like, I'm not gonna put my kid on medicine. I'm not gonna put my make my kid a zombie. Like, she was all against medicine. So for the longest time, like, that was kinda my outlook too on
Scott Bennera I'm wondering how much of your I mean, the PTSD is obviously from, you know, what we talked about earlier. Correct? Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay.
RachelThat and my marriage.
Scott BennerThe marriage. It's bad. How do you financially abuse somebody? You said that during your
Rachellife. Abuse. Yeah. So okay. So that's the thing. When I was in my marriage, I didn't think that there was any real abuse. Like you know what I mean? Like, there were sometimes where, like, a beer bottle was thrown at me or, you know, things like it it was a little bit physical, not a lot, but, like, one or two times it was physical. But I was like, no. No. It's not. It's not domestic violence. It's not that. When I had got divorced, my mom said, can you just go to one domestic violence counseling group? And I said, no. No. And she said, just one, and I'll never bug you again if you say you don't belong there. I said, okay. So I went. And when the women that were there started talking about their stories is really when it clicked for me that, oh my gosh. I have been abused for years. Years. And that just because it's not physical abuse doesn't make it any better. And, actually, a lot of the women in that room said that the physical abuse was the easy part because bruises heal, and your brain is hard to heal.
Scott BennerWhat's an exam so of throwing your beer bottles, an example So physical. Yeah. And demeaning
RachelBut so, like, financial. So, like, I didn't have a job. I was a stay at home mom for most of the time. I got a job only he would let me have a job before, like, the Christmas season for holidays, and then he would go he made all the money. So he would go and take money out of the bank account and only leave in there a certain amount of money that I would need. Like and I all I could never access any of the money without permission. Like, I had to ask for money.
Scott BennerWhere did the rest of the money go? Just smart investments, building a future?
RachelNope. To his affair.
Scott BennerOh, awesome. Yep. Long do you think that was going on?
RachelIt was at least a year that I know of because I remember the day I found out about her. Me and him were with our kids that we had and the three kids. We went with a friend and their kid to a fish boil or a crawfish boil. And he went to the bathroom, and his phone went off. And I had just picked it up to look, and it was another woman. And I read their messages, and they were talking about, you know, all our marital problems, blah blah blah. And I remember we about it that day, and he's like,
Scott Bennerwell, she's just a friend, and I'm just venting to
Rachelmy friend. It's no different than you. I said, no. It is different because that is a friend of opposite sex. You don't talk about your marriage problems with your friends of opposite sex. I'm sorry. You just don't. It's not appropriate. You know what I mean?
Scott BennerNo. I'm yeah. Listen. I'm with you. So But he was cheating at that point, you believe?
RachelOh, yeah. Oh, yeah. There's no doubt in my mind. Because also somebody that worked with them so they worked together. And then somebody that worked with them actually ended up delivering a pizza to me one day after me and him had separated. And he said, hey. You know, such and such such and such is actually pregnant by by your husband. And I was like, what?
Scott BennerGood time.
RachelHe was like, oh, yeah. They've been dating for a long time. And I was like, are you kidding me? He said, no. They're always together holding hands and stuff in the workroom. Like I'm like, okay. So all of my thoughts around that were correct.
Scott BennerAt the fish fry, when you pick up the phone you can be honest with me. Yeah. Before you pick up the phone, are you already wondering and you're thinking, me catch him here? Or were you literally just like, oh, your phone's
Rachelgoing off? Literally just was like, hey. Your hey. His phone's going off. Let me check it because he was at, you know, the bathroom.
Scott BennerUp until that moment, you thought you were Up
Racheluntil that moment.
Scott BennerYou were in a regular old relationship where just beer bottles got thrown at you and you weren't allowed to have money.
RachelYeah. So, you know, there had something in the beginning. Like, in the very beginning of the relationship, there was something that was kind of weird, and then I decided to ignore it, and we talked about it, and that was it. You know what I mean? And so I really thought that that was just it.
Scott BennerOh, you sniffed it out once. And then Mhmm. And then
RachelAnd then I ignored it for what I, you know, wanted Mhmm. The life life that I thought was gonna be.
Scott BennerGotcha. My
Rachelgoodness. So
Scott BennerI can't keep apologizing to you because it's weird. But, like, sorry. You went through that. Yeah. Yeah.
RachelDon't be sorry. I like I said, it it made me who I am. It made me strong enough to help my son through his stuff, and, you know, it's we're getting through it.
Scott BennerSo My goodness.
RachelBut, yeah, that's kind of, like, the whole process that kinda led up to to me getting him a service dog.
Scott BennerGotcha. I understand. You did a good job
Rachelas well.
Scott BennerThe dog
Racheldid? Just joined yeah. He just joined the baseball with the high school that we're
Scott BennerWait. The dog did or your son did? Oh, okay. Because I thought it gonna be one of those Disney movies where the dog was playing left field or something like that. So cute. No. No. Okay. I told
Rachelthem they need to change their mascot from an eagle to a golden retriever, and then she could just be their mascot.
Scott BennerAnd they were like, this lady's got a lot of ideas. We gotta get her out of here. Yeah. Yeah.
RachelBut no. So she actually she has been fan phenomenal through, you know, his first sports experience with diabetes because, like, last night, for example, I brought her with me. Me and her were sitting in the car. He was out on the field, and she was pawing at me and, like, try literally trying to get into my lap from the back seat. And I'm like, ugh. What? What is it? And then she, like that's kind of her phrase. Like, what is it? And she was like, oh, yeah. Now I can really tell you what's going on.
Scott BennerWow.
RachelAnd so
Scott BennerHe's low or high at that point?
RachelLow. Yeah. So she's telling me he's low. So I I check his Dexcom. His Dexcom says he's 90 something. And I'm like, okay. Well, let's just check anyway. So we do a finger poke, and it says 80. And so I look at her, and I'm like, okay. We'll watch it because that's still not what Dexcom says. Like, that's still lower than Dexcom. And so we go sit back in the car, and maybe five minutes later, she's like, lady, I'm telling you something ain't right.
Scott BennerAnd I'm like the kid. Yeah. She's like, it's only
Rachelbeen five minutes. Like, chill out. You know?
Scott BennerAnd She's reading the fall of the blood sugar, you think?
RachelYeah. And she's like, no. Something is wrong. I went and checked him again. Like I said, within five minutes, he was down at 66.
Scott BennerOh, pretty cool.
RachelAnd then by that time, Dexcom had caught up a little bit and said, you know, 78 arrow down. And I'm like, okay, Dexcom. Like, this could have been really bad if he kept, you know, being out there running bases and stuff, and he's at 66. I don't even wanna know what would have happened by the time Dexcom caught up.
Scott BennerCan I ask you prior to the it's a practice? Right? It's early in the year. Yeah. And you're in the South, though, so you could start playing outside. But prior to the practice, did he eat something? Did he have a meal?
RachelPrior to this practice, he actually was low at school, and the nurse gave him some carbs and some protein and stuff like that. And then before we went to practice, I gave him a protein bar and, you know, some stuff to kinda just keep him going.
Scott BennerBut did you bolus for it?
RachelNo. No. Told him I said, don't take any insulin because you're you know? His doctor wants him to be one hundred at least to be able to exercise. And how many carbs is in? I'm that's sitting right here, the rapper is, because he didn't even finish the whole bar. Let's see. He this one is 47 carbs, and it's like a it almost is like the size of two protein bars in one, but 49 carbs. And I said, don't don't take no insulin for it. It's fine because you're about to go to practice.
Scott BennerAnd he got low anyway.
RachelYeah. Even and it happened twice.
Scott BennerHow do we get insulin? MDI?
RachelSo he is on a a Omnipod now.
Scott BennerA five? Yeah. Interesting. How long?
RachelYeah. He's on Omnipod five. We started in August past year of 2025.
Scott BennerDo you adjust targets for activity? Do you
RachelYeah. So while we go to, like we'll put him into I always call it sports mode, and he laughs
Scott Bennerat me.
RachelYeah.
Scott BennerYeah. I think your car has sports mode. It's when it drives, like, a it shifts a little sooner, and it's a little faster. You know what mean?
RachelWell, Oh, no. Like, the other day, I would I usually, I'll check him before we get there, and I'll you know, I told him, said, when you go see the nurse for your last school check, switch yourself into sports mode. And he's like, mom, what do you mean sports mode? And I'm like, you know, like, when you put your Crocs in sports mode? And he's like, I don't know
Scott Bennerwhat you're talking about. But, usually, I'll make
Rachelsure he did it. But this time, I didn't. So I ran onto the field, and I was like, hey, Grayson. Sports mode. And he's like, what?
Scott BennerAnd he's like, oh, I got it. Exercise mode. I gotta get out of here. I got yeah. Yeah.
RachelYeah. He's like, I don't know what you're saying. I was like, Omnipod.
Scott BennerMom, I wanna go away to college. I don't know if I've mentioned that before, but I just decided, what I I'm pretty far. I'd like to go far. Can I go far, please?
RachelAnd then said I Omnipod, and he was like, oh, I know what you mean.
Scott BennerOkay. So when he's diagnosed this a year ago when he's diagnosed a year ago, he's not he's not really diabetes wise, I'm guessing they caught it kinda quickly because they were looking at the other stuff from the head injury.
RachelThey caught it pretty early because they were looking for something else and happened to stumble upon it.
Symptom Clustering and the Root Cause
Scott BennerDo you think he has POTS or do you think he had post concussion stuff?
RachelOh, no. He definitely has POTS because they did the test in the room. Like so they'll have you lay down. They'll take your vitals, and then they'll have you like, they have you lay down for quite a while so that your body can just kinda relax. Right? So they can get your, like, starting vitals. Mhmm. And then after that, they'll have you stand for ten minutes. Just in one spot, just standing. No exercising. No walking around. Nothing. Just standing.
Scott BennerSounds exhausting. Sorry.
RachelYeah. It's very tiring.
Scott BennerIron my iron's just a little low right now. When you said that, I was like, oh, ten minutes. Not today. Right. No. Thank you.
RachelNot today. No. Not for me. So then they'll take your vitals again. And if your heart rate goes up by 30 points or higher, that is an official diagnosis for POTS. Upper or down. It can actually go down too. So, like, I actually have three children who have POTS of my four children.
Scott BennerOkay.
RachelAnd my oldest, her heart rate goes down.
Scott BennerHer heart rate goes down. But does she have a POTS distinction?
RachelSo she her official diagnosis because there's a thing around POTS is that doctors don't wanna diagnose it because it's you only get to that diagnosis after ruling everything else out. Right?
Scott BennerAnd
Rachelso and then there was that whole, like, oh, COVID conspiracy, COVID, you know, causes POTS, but it is really this is not the truth. You know? COVID can trigger your autoimmune gene with yes. Which can happen. But then once that is triggered, you can get any plethora of autoimmune diseases. Like, it that's not directly, you know what I mean, related. Mhmm. But so doctors, you know, they it's hard to find. I actually had a doctor tell me they described POTS. They said this she's gonna have these episodes her whole life. Just make sure she has good salt and water levels. You know? So she he described it. He told me how to to treat it, and then he's like, ugh, POTS is a dirty word. Because my mom was with me. She's like, oh, so like POTS? And he's like, POTS is a dirty word. And I'm just like, okay. Whatever. So my oldest daughter's official diagnosis is orthostatic intolerance, which is just another name for pots.
Scott BennerOkay. Well, you know, sometimes the pots and the pans are the last thing they get washed. Everybody runs out of steam, and they just sit in there. Right. People and people do that. They go, I'm gonna let that soak a little bit.
RachelJust leave it. It's gonna be alright.
Scott BennerI'm gonna let that soak as code for I'm done with the dishes now. Thank you. Also, you know there's actually a a medical issue called pans too?
RachelYes. I know. That that's crazy. I'm just like, okay. Well, I have POTS and PANS then, so let's go.
Scott BennerClank clank, baby. Okay. So wow. Okay. The POTS thing's in it is interesting. It's it's right up there with the other stuff that's difficult to to, you know To diagnose. To diagnose. Right. Yeah. For sure. I don't know why the word diagnose wouldn't come into my mouth just then, but that
Rachelwas ridiculous. Crazy is I have a niece with it too. So autoimmune obviously runs in our family, but nobody else in my family has diabetes.
Scott BennerThat was gonna be my next question. On your side of the family, what other autoimmune stuff are we seeing?
RachelWe're seeing pots. We're seeing I mean, he has diabetes. I don't really know what else. My family has a lot of crap.
Scott BennerLet's go through it together.
RachelI don't I don't know what all is, autoimmune, but I know that those two things are
Scott Bennerfor sure. Thyroid? Celiac?
RachelOh, here we go. My oldest actually is getting blood work because her skin is getting dark. She's having hyperpigmentation all of a sudden all coming started at the top of her arms, and it's all coming down. So they're gonna be checking her thyroid, and they're gonna be checking for, like, other things. And but they said she might have some insulin resistance.
Scott BennerOh, does she have other thyroid like issues? I have no idea. I wouldn't even
Rachelknow where to begin to know what that would be.
Scott BennerYou have the Internet though. Is that correct?
RachelYeah. But oh, god. I don't go to the Internet. That's just scary. That'll have you thinking you're dying tomorrow.
Scott BennerBut but if you why not say why not, like, use the machine and say, list all thyroid symptoms?
RachelDid I tell you that I'm already an anxious person?
Scott BennerYeah. But but but isn't I'll be like, oh my god. She's dying in five minutes. Well, I don't think it's gonna kill her in five minutes, wouldn't it give you an opportunity to stop that from happening?
RachelI mean, I guess it could,
Scott Bennerbut Is there not more anxiety with the unknown?
RachelNo. I for me, I think it's I I think it's hand in hand right there at the same level. Because I feel like once so, like, okay. With my son, I had no idea at all. I was completely oblivious. So was he. So was his dad. We didn't know nothing, and we were living life. We were we were building a snowman the day he got diagnosed. So we were out there having a lot of fun. And then and then, you know, bam. All of a sudden, life has changed, and I'm like, oh my god. What if I can't keep him alive? What if I mess things up? What if you know what I mean?
Scott BennerSo That stuff's gonna happen anyway.
RachelYeah. It is. Ready? I slept through a low, and that triggered me to get a sugar pixel, so that was great.
Scott BennerDid you use my link customtype1.com/juicebox?
RachelNo. Because I didn't know about
Scott Benneryou at time. Thanks a lot, Rachel. Because I think I would have made a dollar if you would have done that. But now
RachelI didn't even know about your podcast until I met the other type one mom that has the service dog because you actually, you did a interview with her, and she's the one who even told me about your podcast.
Scott BennerWas she nice when she told me about when you told her?
RachelNo. She was like, this guy, he is so rude. No. I'm just kidding. No.
Scott BennerBut a She jerk. But a couple of the episodes were helpful. Hey. Really quick. It's a yes or no. We're talking about your daughter. Right?
RachelYes.
Scott BennerFatigue, extreme tiredness, or lack of energy? Yeah. Weight gain, unexplained increase in body mass? No. Cold intolerance, excessive sensitivity to cold temperatures?
RachelOh,
Scott Benneryeah. Constipated, infrequent, or difficult bowel movements? No. Dry skin, rough, scaly, or flaky skin texture? No. Puffy face, swelling or puffiness around the face and eyes?
RachelI don't think so.
Scott BennerHoarseness, rough or raspy quality to the voice? Nope. Like Marge Simpson's sisters? No. Nothing like that. Muscle weakness, reduced physical strength?
RachelMaybe sometimes. Yeah.
Scott BennerElevated blood cholesterol?
RachelOh, she did have that.
Scott BennerMuscle aches, pains, tenderness, or stiffness in muscles?
RachelSometimes.
Scott BennerJoint pain, discomfort, swelling, or stiffness in joints? No. Menstrual irregularities, heavier than normal or irregular periods? Nope. Thinning hair, loss of hair density, or increased shedding? Yep. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Slow heart rate, fewer heartbeats per minute than normal.
RachelWhen she's having a POTS episode. Yeah.
Scott BennerBut other than that, no. Depression, persistent feelings of sadness, or hopelessness? Nope. Impaired memory, difficult recalling information, or concentrating? Nope. Is there any lumps on her neck or swelling in the base of her neck? No. Okay. But she has some of those things. She has the, the thing with the thing. And the doctor says, let's look at the thyroid. Is that right?
RachelYeah. So she I don't know what all she wanted to
Scott BennerFull thyroid panel. Let's hope.
RachelShe wanted to look at her thyroid, and then she said she was gonna check, like, her a one c and all that stuff. So
Scott BennerOkay.
RachelWe'll see what comes of it.
Scott BennerWhen is that happening?
RachelThis weekend. I gotta take her on Saturday.
Scott BennerWell, first of all, I hope you get good news. Yes. Me too. And if if if not, if you get news on the thyroid issue, it's one little pill once a day.
RachelWell, that'd be fantastic.
Scott BennerAnd then all the things you said yes to, if they're caused by that, away. Hopefully. Go away.
RachelYeah. That would be fantastic.
Scott BennerMuch and then then where's your anxiety? Your anxiety is much better. Right?
RachelOh, yeah. For that. I'm just an anxious person.
Scott BennerI understand. You could drop
Rachela cup next to me, and all of a sudden, I'm in a full blown panic attack, and I'm just I'm done for the whole day.
Scott BennerListen. You get a pass. No one's gonna hold your feet to the fire on this, but what I'm saying is
RachelBut no. Yeah.
Scott BennerThen the worry for her goes away a little bit. Yeah. In a world where you're going to be anxious anyway
RachelRight.
Scott BennerWhy not do the things that help yourself and be anxious instead of not doing the things that help yourself and be anxious?
RachelRight.
Scott BennerRight.
RachelNo. Yeah. Well, and then the thing is is that, you know, I've been working with the doctor on her symptoms for a long time, and it took a long time to even get to where we're at now. Like, when with the we I started with doctors on this in California, and then it took moving all the way to Alabama and finding a good doctor to, you know, actually look at anything further than.
Scott BennerIt's it's it's just a check engine, really. Like, you go through and check things, and then it tells you, you know, if it if it connects to something. And and I'm wondering just as you're talking about it, if it would have helped. Like, so there's, a symptom selector. Right?
RachelRight.
Scott BennerInsulin resistance, weight gain, weight loss, salt cravings, heat intolerance, cold intolerance, frequent thirst. And you can go through and check off any of those that, like, you may have. Then it goes on. There's gastrointestinal, connective structural issues, joint pain, hypermobility, stuff like that. Neurological, like brain fog or migraines, sleep issues, dizziness. And in the end, there's let me see here. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. There's maybe 40 things you could check off. Right? Right. And it's trained on I think at this point, it's 70 over 70 different clinical autoimmune related conditions.
RachelAnd and
Scott Benneryou check all
Rachelthose fantastic.
Scott BennerYou check all those things off and then, like, watch. Let's just do let's do easy ones. Let's do frequent thirst. I don't know. Delayed digestion, brain fog, fatigue. Alright? I scroll down and it's highlighted any of the things that that connect with that. And so it's not, you know, a lot of a lot of autoimmune issues overlap there.
RachelRight.
Scott BennerSo it brought up, just to give you a couple, this audit. What did you just say? This how do you say that word? Dysautonomia?
RachelThat one.
Scott BennerMhmm. POTS. Mhmm. Non celiac gluten sensitivity, long COVID, chronic Lyme, type one diabetes, like, you know, Hashimoto's.
RachelSo That's fantastic. Yeah.
Scott BennerSo And
Rachelyou you said you have that on there already or that's what you're working on?
Scott BennerI'm working on it right now. So, like, using Hashimoto's as an example, I chose fatigue and lethargy. Right. And so it highlights Hashimoto's. It shows you that you chose fatigue and lethargy, but there's also cold intolerance, unexplained weight gain, constipation. And so, like, if you go through, you know, using what you were saying with your daughter and we start adding the things, that you that you said yes to. Right. So we'll do them again for her. Right? What were the what were the things that you said? She has fatigue? Right? Did you say constipation?
RachelNo. Hair thinning.
Scott BennerHair thinning. Hold on a sec.
RachelShe's always dizzy.
Scott BennerReally?
RachelAlways. Always dizzy.
Scott BennerOkay.
RachelShe's got hyperpigmentation on her skin now.
Scott BennerAlways dizzy. Mhmm. Tissue for unexplained rashes, dry eyes, mouth, elastic skin.
RachelShe's intolerant to cold.
Scott BennerCold intolerance. Mhmm. Okay. So now while we're, like, starting to click on the I don't even have them all checked, but now when you scroll down and it gives you a more highly you're more highly likely to have thyroiditis at this point. Like, it's just it's just the Right. It really is what I No.
RachelThat's fantastic.
Scott BennerI hope so. Like, I I I
RachelEspecially to see a list, like, of, okay. Here's a bunch of symptoms. Do you have any of these? Because sometimes when people are putting their symptoms together, they don't they don't know what is relevant.
Scott BennerThat's what I was saying.
RachelWhat goes together.
Scott BennerYeah. And and and there it it does little nice things like like there's something here called HPA access issues, like and I thought, no one knows what that is. So I changed the program. So if you hold the mouse over top of it, it says disruption in the communication between the hypothalamus pituitary gland and adrenal gland. So yeah. Isn't I
RachelThat's amazing.
Scott BennerAnd then I put it on everything else. So, like, even stuff like salt salt cravings, which are, like, I mean, pretty obvious what that means. But if you mouse over, strong and persistent urge to consume salty food. So everything has a definition to it, so people can choose. And then once you cluster a cup once you've clustered together, like, let's just throw a brain fog on here and that's it. Right? And there's a button you can do an AI analyzation to, like, look at clusters. So you click on it. It kinda uses AI to analyze clinical clustering. And then it kinda comes back with a little report for you to look at, you know, get more context from. You can scroll down again. It tells you, like, the type one comorbidity delta, like thyroid has, like, a bigger connection to type one than celiac.
RachelRight.
Scott BennerPOTS is third. Like, this kind of stuff. Right?
RachelMhmm.
Scott BennerAnd then there's just all kinds of
RachelWell, and that could be fantastic too for people who's who are wondering about type one too because a lot of I've noticed a lot of stuff stuff that he had that they were calling post concussion syndrome or whatever were also, like I think that those were diabetes. I don't think that those were post concussion.
Scott BennerYeah. I was gonna You know what mean? I was wondering about that too. Like yeah.
RachelSo, like, his brain fog, like, was like, it's always hard to remember. I can't ever remember anything. And, you know, like, that could be ADHD. That could be a 100,000 things.
Scott BennerBut then after that, mean coming. Yeah. That went away. Right? I'm sorry. I cut you
Racheloff. Yeah. It started to go away. Like, a lot of the things that they were telling me, oh, it's it's just from his concussion. It'll get better. It'll get better. And then they finally were like, oh, it's post concussion. But then at you know, right after that, they found diabetes, and I'm like, I think a lot of that was diabetes.
Scott BennerDid he start that fight when he got clocked?
RachelNo. No? So so this is what happened, actually. So it was him and two other boys, and they're they're sixth graders. Right? They just started sixth grade. He had had trouble with this boy the first month of school. And then in October, the three boys were trying to get into their lockers. This boy came up and was slamming their locker lockers closed every time that they would get them open. So my son, like, turns and I saw the video of all this happen because our schools have recordings.
Scott BennerOh my god. How would I have gotten away with any of the things I got away with if there were cameras?
RachelTerrible. Terrible. We would be caught right away. Absolutely terrible. So he turns around and, like, flings his arm behind him, like, to tell him to knock it off. Right? And then the other kid said something, and then my son got up. And then the two of them moved down the hall, and they're, like, tussling. And then this boy grabs my son by his shoulders and rams him headfirst into the concrete wall.
Scott BennerIt's an escalation.
RachelAnd my son
Scott BennerCollapsed, I imagine.
RachelYeah. And immediately collapsed.
Scott BennerYeah.
RachelAnd that boy was just standing there staring at him. Mhmm. Wasn't calling for help. Nothing. And then when my son first woke up, like, he couldn't even talk. He couldn't even make words. He couldn't feel the whole right side of his body.
Scott BennerJesus.
RachelAnd so,
Scott Benneryou know, I Scary.
RachelI wonder sometimes I wonder if the concussion, you know, kinda triggered his autoimmune stuff because he had absolutely no medical problems before this at all.
Scott BennerYeah. There's a lot of autoimmune in your life, so I don't know. So Yeah. I don't know. So I I was wondering if brain fog and other issues of undiagnosed type one maybe led him to get into a fight, actually. Maybe. I don't know. Yeah. Because you kinda act a little differently. I didn't get to say at the end of this thing that I'm working on, you can click a button to generate a script to talk to your doctor with.
RachelOh, that's fantastic because most people wouldn't know how to bring that
Scott Bennerup. Right. My persistent cluster of symptoms including chronic fatigue, debilitating dizziness, cold intolerance, and brain fog suggest a systematic imbalance that requires targeted investigation, not just the symptomatic management. I am requesting appropriate comorbid comorbidity screening to rule out underlying autoimmune endocrine or nutritional deficiencies. Specifically, I need a comprehensive panel, full thyroid panel, ferritin. Can we please partner together to to look at these deeper markers? I'm committed to finding the root cause. So it helps people to, like, talk about it when they maybe wouldn't know how otherwise. I'm also have this other button here. I'm not this I haven't completely decided if this one gets to stay or not, but it's a it kinda just gives you more of, a a holistic plan for yourself at home, like, things you could do with food and stuff like that would help. Anyway, this is what I do in my, free time.
RachelNo. Keep working on it because I think that that that really has I mean, that's really got something there.
Scott BennerI hope so. Especially for someone like you and you are much more like other people than you think, like, the people I talk to all day long have stuff like this going on their family all the time. Yeah. Like, I just thought, like, maybe instead of having to sit in your house and wonder Right. Just sitting down and going, like, click click click click click click click. Oh, hell.
RachelOh. I that checks.
Scott BennerYeah. Now I have a way to look at this. Like, right because I'm not saying it's I'm not saying it's gonna diagnose you.
RachelWell, no. But it can definitely help you to. It's almost like when you people tell you to ask your doctor, what's your differential diagnosis so that they, you know, think outside of the box, not just what's normal, you know, what typically comes with these symptoms. Okay. But what else can happen? Yeah. What else can it be?
Scott BennerThis is not an announcement of it. So if you're listening and you're like, I really wanna hear it, you're gonna have to wait for another episode when I say I put it on my website.
RachelRight.
Scott BennerI don't know. If I told you how I got to it, it's, it's a big part of why I think the community is, like, really important. I Yeah. Like, I look at people's struggles where they're coming up short with things that are stopping them that I wish, you know, wouldn't get in their way. I asked a bunch of questions about I put up a post about asking people what other autoimmune issues they have in their lives, and you should have seen the incredible list that came back. And so I took that list and basically pulled it all together and created, I don't know, you know
RachelI love that.
Scott BennerStarted making this up from that.
RachelI think it's gonna be so helpful for people, especially, like, you know, for me, like, I live in Cal or Alabama. I'm from California. I don't have my family here. I don't have, you know, really anyone here, like so sometimes it it does feel very lonely
Scott BennerYeah. Once you get
Rachela diagnosis for, you know, diabetes. And so you're like, okay. What else can possibly go wrong?
Scott BennerLike Well, especially in autoimmune, in a situation where you can you know, using this as an example, like, you can click on brain fog and dizziness. It it doesn't point to one thing. It points to, like, nine things.
RachelYeah.
Scott BennerRight? And so Yep. When you go to the doctor and say, have brain fog and dizziness, they're not gonna say, oh, you know, I I don't know. I think you have mast cell activation syndrome. We should look into that. And I'm not saying that would be that, but at least you now have, like, well, it's possible it's one of these nine things.
RachelRight. And Yeah. Like, let's let's
Scott BennerRight. Like, let's
RachelGet through and make sure that none of these are happening so that we can figure out what as is actually happening. Yeah.
Community and Moving Forward
Scott BennerYeah. Anyway, what made you wanna come on the podcast?
RachelI listened to a couple of your podcasts after that. Other mom had told me about them.
Scott BennerMhmm.
RachelAnd it just and I found it so like, everything was just so crazy because everything happened so fast, but my support group grew so early on. And, honestly, a lot of the episodes were they made me feel less alone. You know? Okay. Like, I live in a state where I don't really have I don't have my family here. It's just me and my kids, and my ex husband's family's here, which they're fantastic. I love them, but, you know, they're not always involved all the time, like, day to day. But it just made me feel less alone to know that, you know, there are people that are having the same fears that I have and experiencing the same things. And you know what I mean? So I just was like, well, if our story can help anybody because our story isn't just about, you know, my son got diabetes. We had a lot of things that led up to to our life story, and sometimes, you know, it's hard to deal with the present when you have your past still that you're dealing with. You know what I'm saying?
Scott BennerYeah. No. You have a bigger you have a I mean, obviously, you have a bigger thing going on. Yeah. Quite honestly.
RachelBut you know what? We live every day, with happiness, and we're not afraid anymore. And, you know, honestly, like, honestly, diabetes has made me appreciate all of my children a lot more because
Scott BennerHow?
RachelIt's not just him. Like, my oldest you know, the boys go to their dad's house every other weekend, and I usually work the weekends that they go. And my oldest will call me, and she'll be like, mom, the SugarPixel went off. Grayson's low. And he's not even there. You know what I mean? Like, he's with his dad, but she's still that SugarPixel went off. We've gotta deal with this. And I just you know? And then, like, his brother his his brother, they share a room, and I'll wake my son up, you know, four or five times a night sometimes, and his brother gets disrupted too. His sleep gets disrupted, and he still goes to school every day. His grades are good. He still goes to baseball. He doesn't complain. He you know what I mean?
Scott BennerSo, like You got a little team there. You're realizing that those kids are all on each other's side.
RachelExactly. And all of my children, like, from the very beginning, I every single one of my children has given their brother an insulin shot. Every single one of my children has poked their own finger. Every single one of my children has poked his finger. Every single one of my children knows where all the emergency medicine is. You know? So, like, we all dove in. We all helped each other, and I was like, wow. I really did I really did get lucky with some fantastic kids.
Scott BennerHow much of that do you think is the way you built your family though based on your upbringing and your experiences?
RachelYou know, I don't know. Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing a good job, and then diabetes came and I saw all my kids rally around my son. And I said, okay. I think I did do a good job.
Scott BennerI mean, when I hear you talking, it it seems like and I know I know you an hour, but it seems like that, you know, you have a feeling of, like, we need to be self reliant. Yeah. Right? Because you it's hard to trust other people, and you you know that that, you know, other people can be brutal at times. And so but it doesn't feel like your kids are, like, hunkered down in a bunker, like, you know. Yeah. Right? But there's they still feel like they have everyone's back from your description.
RachelRight. Yeah. Yeah. Well, because family family is one of the I mean, family is the most important thing. Friends come and go. Partners come and go. But, you know, your family you're supposed to be there for your family, you know, till the end no matter what. Like, your family's supposed to be the one thing that you're always gonna have.
Scott BennerYeah. Did you feel like you had that growing up?
RachelYeah. So my mom was really big on that. So that's who I got it from. My mom was like family first, family. You help your family no matter what. Mhmm. You stick with your family no matter what. And if you make mistakes, that okay that's okay. You go and you clean up your mess. So, like, my family is not perfect. We but we clean up our messes.
ACEs and Breaking the Cycle
Scott BennerDid you grow up around any of do you know what the aces are?
RachelNo.
Scott BennerAlright. You wanna do something? Hold on. We'll do something together. So when you were growing up Yes. Did you have brothers and sisters?
RachelYep. I sure did.
Scott BennerA lot of them?
RachelI have one brother and two sisters.
Scott BennerOne brother and two sisters. Okay.
RachelMhmm. And
Scott Bennerdid you experience any let's see. Did you experience did you see a parent abused by by another parent?
RachelOh, yeah. My my my mom had an abusive husband. It was really bad sometimes.
Scott BennerDid anybody in the household go to prison?
RachelYeah. Her husband was in and out of prison. So When he wasn't in prison, he was beating her. So So My my childhood was traumatic. Yes or
Scott BennerReal quick. Physical abuse? A parent or an adult in the house hit, beat, kicked you?
RachelI I mean, spanked, but no.
Scott BennerEmotional abuse. A parent or adult in the house swore at you and told you, humiliated you, put you down as a child? Yeah. Were you abused sexually as a child? Yeah. Neglect. Physical neglect. You didn't have enough to eat. You were wearing dirty clothes, stuff like that.
RachelWell, I always worried where my next meal was coming from
Scott BennerThat's a yes.
RachelWhen my phone bill would be paid.
Scott BennerYeah. Emotional neglect. Did you as a child not feel loved, important, or special? Yep. Mental illness. A parent or an adult in the household was depressed, mentally ill, or attempted suicide? No. Incarcerated relative? Yes. Yeah. Mother treated violently. Did you see your mom treated violently? Yeah. Okay. Substance abuse. A household member was a problem drinker, alcoholic, or used street drugs?
RachelVery early in life. Yes. But once I my mom actually was on drugs until I was six.
Scott BennerDid you, witness a divorce of your parents? Yeah. Would it surprise you to know that this list indicates that the problems you had as an adult were very easy to know were gonna happen?
RachelNo. It wouldn't surprise me.
Scott BennerYou should really check out there's if you're interested in it, some mental health episodes. I'm trying to find it for you right now. And we talk about this. We're actually doing I'm actually making a series right now, basically, opposite of the aces. So the aces are are what we just went over.
RachelOkay. Gotcha.
Scott BennerAnd I'm looking to see where I can put you on that episode. There's so much. Where where is it? Anyway, it's somewhere. I'll get it for you when we're done. And you can go to juiceboxpodcast.com, go to the top of the menu, there's series, and you can, like, look at the mental health series there or Right. Or juiceboxpodcast.com/lists and you'll you'll see them all there. But yeah. There so there's this basically, it's the adverse childhood experiences list, and it's not perfect. But if you have a certain number of the things on that list, you are at a much higher risk of having things like this happen in your own life. But it doesn't mean that you can't stop that from happening.
RachelStop it from happening. Yep.
Scott BennerOr that you can't stop it from happening, you know, for your children. Like, so all those things I just read that you've experienced, have your children experienced any of those things?
RachelThey did experience well, my oldest three experienced the abuse I went through with me.
Scott BennerYeah. Yeah. So they saw they saw a parent?
RachelThe boys were really young, but my daughter remembers a lot.
Scott BennerOkay. And you don't you don't So you don't get high or drink in the house?
RachelOh, no.
Scott BennerNo. Okay. But they saw a divorce. Yeah.
RachelLike, so An ugly, ugly divorce like that.
Scott BennerBut isn't it interesting though? You by the way, Rachel, you said yes to a shocking number of those things. Okay. And Do
Rachelyou see why I'm so anxious on
Scott Bennerthe back? Could be giggling too if I was you. But your kids have been exposed to far fewer of those things. Yeah. You're doing a really good job.
RachelI'm trying. You know? I really I really try to you know? And I've had people be like, You're just you're just coddling them. You're just no. I'm protecting them. I'm protecting my children. And there's gonna be things I can't protect them from, like diabetes or Yeah. My oldest just recently got diagnosed with a double food allergy. Like, there's gonna be things I can't protect them from that I have no control over. But if I have control over it, I'm gonna I will fight you to the duel. Like, I will duel with you till the death and protect them.
Scott BennerTelling you you're coddling your kids by protecting them from stuff like this?
RachelIt's it's been thrown around at, pickup and drop off before.
Scott BennerGood heads. Is that what you're talking about? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They're everywhere. You know?
RachelYep. Yeah. They're everywhere. But, you know, it it's your job. It's your job as a parent to protect your children. And or they'll, you know, they use you do a lot. You spoil you spoil your kids. Blah blah blah. No. My kids are focusing on being children. I'm the adult. I had children. You know? They don't do chores every single day. They do chores, but not every single day. They you know?
Scott BennerI'll give you one here because I heard you say it earlier. My son is gonna be 26 next month. I'm not gonna tell you what he I mean, he's a he's a good job and he makes a a a a good living, especially for his age.
RachelRight.
Scott BennerUntil he graduated from college and looked for a job, he had never had a job once in his life. Yeah. Right. His job was
RachelThere's no need.
Scott BennerGo to school. Go to school. Yeah. Go to school. Understand what it is you're learning.
RachelExactly.
Scott BennerHave fun. Enjoy your life. Play baseball. That's what he was doing, you know, and focus on those And guess what? He got a job as soon as he got out of college.
RachelYeah. No. And that's that's I what want my kids. I want my kids to focus on what's like, having a job. Okay. Yes. It's fun. And and you my oldest is like, well, I need money. Okay. But I can give you money. Mhmm. You know, I'm I'm well, I'm not super rich. I struggle a lot every day, like but then my kids have what they need. My kids have most of what they want. Like, I will always figure out a way. Yeah. You know what I mean? And I didn't have that. When I grew up, I had to raise my sister. I had to have a job. I had to clean the house. I had to get us to school. I had to drive my mom to work most days so that I could have a car for me and my sister to get around. Like, I want them to be children.
Scott BennerYeah. And there's a difference between having some responsibilities, which my children have, and Correct. And being responsible for everything. That's different. Yeah. Like, I grew up being responsible for people's well-being. That's not a good position to put a 13 year old in.
RachelNo. Not at all. And and I I started at 13 doing that.
Scott BennerYeah. Well, trust me. Me too. So And I don't think that that's necessary. Like and there are p there are people in my life who will make fun of my kids too. Oh, they you know, when my son was in college, people in our family would be like, he's never had a job. He won't be able to make it. I was like, okay. He's getting an econ degree. He's not at home smoking crack.
RachelExactly. Or sneaking off with boys or Yeah. You know what I mean?
Scott BennerI hear you. Like, they so anyway, it's easy for people to judge. They're only judging based on what they know, and it doesn't mean Exactly. They don't know your stuff. So
RachelRight. And and I want my children to be children as long as possible. And that doesn't that doesn't mean my kids have no responsibilities. Like, you know, I will wash and dry clothes and separate. You have to put away. You have chores every couple times a week. You know? Like, my oldest, she babysits sometimes when, you know, I go work on a weekend or something or you know? And then they all take care of each other. Like, I say, okay. I'm gonna go work for five hours. You guys take care of each other.
Scott BennerAnd they do. Yeah. Look at that.
RachelAnd they do. And and everything's fine. Nobody dies. The house doesn't burn down. Nobody's bleeding when I get home. Like
Scott BennerI wouldn't listen to this. I wouldn't listen to those those people at the drop off line. Don't worry about them.
RachelAnd you know what? The my child has really good grades. My child my 17 year old who has no job and I don't put a ton of responsibilities on has a good life. She has fantastic grades. She is in a marching band. She's in the the advanced choir. She has friends. She you know what I mean? Like, I
Scott Bennerdidn't have
Rachelany of that fun growing up, like, I without having to worry about somebody else's well-being.
Scott BennerI'm with you. I I there's a difference between being responsible and having responsibilities. You can give them responsibilities without making them responsible. So
RachelYeah. And then part of, like, we were talking about the service dog. Part of that is for my son to be able to have the same experiences as his other two older older siblings who can hop in the car and just go with their friends, I don't worry. You know, like, obviously, I'll worry, but I'll worry less knowing that he has this dog that is relentless and will be like, no, bro. Stop right now. Mhmm. Stop right now and check. Something is wrong. And, you know, when he goes to college, she'll be there to wake him up, and I don't have to get up and wake him up.
Scott BennerYeah. Can I tell you something? Our conversation, has led me to the believe that when I'm done with this autoimmune thing, I'm gonna build one of these for the the adverse childhood experiences list too.
RachelI think you should. Uh-huh. I think you should because people need to, you know, people need to know what they've experienced. And and like I said, what I went through, it was traumatic. My life was not the best, but I believe that it made me who I am today. It made me strong. It made me be able to be strong for my children.
Scott BennerYeah.
RachelAnd it, you know, made me aware of it sucks that it made me aware of the dangers in life, but now I'm able to know what to look for to keep my children safer.
Scott BennerYeah. I I listen. I take your point. It would have been nice if someone would have just told you those things instead of, like Right. You know, accosting you with them. But Right. Yeah. Instead of putting you through it. But I I do take your point. And you are, I mean, I think a a shining example of someone who's been resilient against a lot of odds. And Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Well, that's awesome. And you I try. Yeah. Listen. You're not like, if you're not doing crack in the in the private of your own home Yeah. Or No. You know, outside pulling the wings off of flies or something like that. I think you're doing great. You know?
RachelNo. I actually you know, I never really like, I think I experienced with weed when I was a kid, and I drank when I was a kid. Like, I experienced that. Other than that, like, I grew up in narcotics anonymous. My mom got clean when I was six. And the stories that I heard growing up were enough for me to say, no. That's not for me. That's not the life that I wanna have.
Scott BennerYeah. Yeah. You So you were somebody put you on a path early. Yeah. Even the Yeah. So difficult question at the end. K. What happened to you when you were eight when you were 18? Yes. It happened previously as well?
RachelYeah. Well, sort of. So I was molested when I was 10 by my best friend's dad, and she was too. Oh, nice. And we had never told anybody, and she still actually talks to her dad. And her siblings will have their kids around her dad. And I'm just like, I I kind of
Scott BennerCrazy.
RachelLost touch with her because I'm like, how can you be around this person and let your nieces and nephews be around this person knowing what he did and not telling them?
Scott BennerDo you think
RachelYou know?
Scott BennerDo you think that there's anything about your first experience that in any way, I don't know what the right terminology here is, led to or influenced it happening again? Like, are you around certain kinds of people? Is it a certain area you live in? Like, is it
RachelWell, so I did grow up in a bad area, but, you know, I wasn't even at home when all of that happened. Like, I was out of my home.
Scott BennerAt a friend's house.
RachelYou know, like, I was at my friend's house when her dad did that. I was at my cousin's. It's not really my cousin. It was just a friend, but, like, a family friend, that I called a cousin. I was at her house when we were, you know, when I was 18. Like, every example of sexual abuse that happened to me was outside of my home.
Scott BennerRight. But the way you described your your your family growing up with Yeah. Drugs, is it a birds of a feather situation? Like, your mom's not really good friends with, the I don't know. With the Queen of England too. Right? You know what I mean? Like, it's Right. It's sort of, like, I don't know if she's a good example or not, by the way, of of
RachelMy my mom is fantastic. So, you know, she probably wasn't around the best people growing up, like, when I was very young. Because, obviously, she was on drugs and stuff. But when she got clean, she made the decision to really, like, change our life. And for a long time, we did live in a in poverty. We lived in a bad area, but she went to college. You know? She was four kids. She went to college.
Scott BennerYeah.
RachelFour kids, no help. She turned our lives around, you know, and she worked really hard to do that. And now she has thirty years clean.
Scott BennerOh, good for her. Ain't that great?
RachelSo and she you the the people that I grew up around in Narcotics Anonymous, like, there are people that have been in there for thirty five, forty years that have known me since I was a little kid that really helped to shape who I am. You know? The parties that we would go to, the the you know, they would call them little birthday parties for to celebrate your clean birthdays and, like, the group of kids I hung out with. Like, it really kept me away from, I think, a lot of the bad stuff once I was in my, like, teenage years.
Scott BennerWell, I don't I don't doubt at all that there are a lot of people who go through these things also end up being, like, some of the greatest people once they've gone through them too. And Right. It's and they do often stay behind to help others, which is Mhmm. Which is really wonderful. Yeah. And do you think if I read that list to your mom, she'd be like about her her childhood, she'd be like, yep. Yep. Yep. Or do you or no?
RachelNo. Yeah. I think she definitely would. I think she definitely has. My mom, you know, my mom didn't come from a good family either, but, you know, hopefully, my kids will be stronger. And, honestly, like, sometimes I look at what like, with my son with type one when it has been a fight with his school from the beginning. And I feel like everything I went through helped to make me stronger to be able to fight for him. Mhmm. Because before, I probably would have just been silent and just let, you know, them do whatever they wanted. Like, they didn't wanna follow his health plan. They didn't wanna follow his IP. They didn't wanna do none of this. They you know what I mean? And I was like, no. You're gonna do this. You're gonna do that. He's doing this. Like, I pushed back against them, and I had the confidence and the strength to do that. And I think that all comes from what you experience when you grow up.
Scott BennerYeah. Well, I hope you and everybody listening take some, solace in the idea that there's actually as much as there's an aces list, there's a pace list too, and it's positive Yes. Situations you can put your kids in to give them good child outcomes. And I am building a series with Erica Forsyth right now about that. She's a a therapist and she has type one. Yeah. You know, we talked about the aces a couple of times in the podcast, and then there was this day I was just sort of sitting at my desk thinking about, like, what do I do for the podcast? What do do for the podcast? And I thought, there must be an opposite list. Right? Like, if there's a list of if there's a list of things that you're around and it possibly could lead you in this direction Mhmm. Is there not a list of things that you could put yourself around that could possibly lead you in an opposite direction? It turns out there was. Right. And I was like, I'll be done. I thought I figured something out, Rachel, but it turned out it it already existed.
RachelWell, and with my sons, you know, they go to a household that's not the best. They go to a household with somebody who's not is not even somebody I would be friends with now. Like, when I look back, I would not even choose to be friends with my ex husband. Mhmm. And then they come to my house where, you know, it's more positivity. It's more let's talk about things. It's you know, I get to have conversations that are trying to help teach them stuff. Like, my son, when I would make a fuss about, you know, them not following things at school for his type one diabetes, he'd be
Scott Bennerlike, mom, just please don't say anything because, you know, the teacher were treating him different. He's like, and I feel bad
Rachelwhen the teachers get mad. And I said, well, you should not feel bad about advocating for yourself.
Scott BennerYeah. It's tough.
RachelYou advocate for yourself of no matter what.
Scott BennerThat's a tough position to have to put a kid into.
RachelYou know what I mean? And so, like, they even though they are going between what I would call a good home and a not so great home, I feel like they're pretty level. You know? And so I think that a big part of that is that the positive is trying to combat and defeat the negative. You know what I mean?
Scott BennerYeah.
RachelSo Good for you. Definitely, I think there are some good things. And then, you know, just putting them around positive people. Like, in the very beginning, I found Camp Sou Harris, and I found the junior breakthrough type one is what they're called now. But, like, I found those early on, and I got to be around some amazing people who have type one who are so positive and so caring. And I got to bring him into that so early. Mhmm. You know what I mean? And so I think that that also helped him have good you know, learn to have good habits, with his diabetes. So I think there's definitely things that you can do and you can choose to do to put those positive things in your kid's life to help, you know, lead them down the right path and help their life be good.
Closing Thoughts and Links
Scott BennerYep. Hey. Listen. I think doctor King said it. Right? Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. So you just keep lighting candles and creating light, and and it it makes the darkness go away. It does. Rachel, you were delightful. I was Oh, thank you. I was pretty good, but you were you were better.
RachelYou were alright.
Scott BennerYeah. I did my best.
RachelYou know, try again next time. No.
Scott BennerListen. I'm just gonna listen. I'm just gonna keep plugging away till I get this thing right. That's all. Yeah. I really do appreciate you doing this. I Yeah. I did not
Rachelyou letting me.
Scott BennerOh, it's a pleasure. I didn't expect this story. I think it really, went in some interesting directions that I hope left people with a lot of ideas about how to help themselves. And, at the very least, they can, they can walk away from this thinking, I did not go through half the stuff she went through Right. And feel better about that. Nothing wrong with that. Every once in while, just looking over and going, I'm doing better than her. So
RachelIt's okay. You know what? And and hopefully, somebody will hear it and say, you know, just because we have diabetes in our life now doesn't mean that all of our the rest of our life is null and void.
Scott BennerYou're a very upbeat person.
RachelSo I yeah. It took a long time to get here. I spent a lot of years in anger, a lot of years in fear. I was afraid of my children even going to a playground and falling down. Like, it it really did take a lot of work, and I've really honestly, I got it I went started going to church again about a year ago. And, you know, I'm just living out of the philosophy that the Lord has not brought me this far to let me fall and to let me fail. And as long as I keep living true to myself and being a good person and being who I am, then only positivity can come into my life.
Scott BennerGood for you. That's awesome. It really is. That's fantastic. Yeah. I am very happy for you. I I think you are a success story, of the highest order.
RachelThank you.
Scott BennerAnd I those kids and you are sound like you're off having a nice time. Enjoy baseball season. I miss going to watch my kids play baseball.
RachelOh my gosh. And he's enjoying it so much, and I didn't think he would. But and his whole team is so supportive, and his coach is awesome. His coach had a type one on his team before.
Scott BennerMhmm.
RachelSo it's it's really great. And they all and Halo is his service dog. She loves to say hey to everybody. So in the beginning of practice, I'll take her over to the field and everybody comes and says hi to her and all that, and then we go and focus on what we're supposed to be doing. And, I mean, it really is, like, I found some really great people, you know, for him to be around.
Scott BennerDo you ever make it over to the college? That that's some pretty good baseball in Alabama.
RachelSo, actually, we have a team that we got matched with through Team Impact, and so crazy. They're my next door neighbors, and they play lacrosse. You know, we hang out with them all the time, and we're gonna start doing some more stuff with the lacrosse team the college, and and those boys are really fantastic.
Scott BennerSo Yeah. We won't hold it against them for using a stick while they're playing, but that's fine.
RachelBut you know what? They're really great. They're and and, actually, lacrosse is really fun. Have you ever watched it?
Scott BennerI mean, I like when they hit each other with the sticks. I think that's pretty cool.
RachelIt's kind of like hockey, but not hockey.
Scott BennerI like how they run behind each other and just, like And just push people down. Yeah. You're like, yeah. People on the back with this gun like, down. Like, it it reminds me of ice hockey that way. Like, the ice hockey players just right up the end. They just chop at your legs. You're like, hey. I'm trying to hit this little thing with the stick. Cut me a break. Yeah.
RachelThe best part of the game is when they get in the fights, and you're just like, yeah. Fight.
Scott BennerAlright, Rachel. I know you said you've done a lot of work, but I do think you're still itching to. Itching to punch somebody in the face. I think you need to get through that. Okay? I
RachelThere's still some to go through.
RachelI was telling my kids something, guess what, mom? And I'll be like, punch in the face. And they're like, no, mom.
Scott BennerNot do that. Let's not do that. Alright. Hold on one second. You're terrific. Give me a second.
RachelOkay. Thanks.
Scott BennerThis episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say? A free Omnipod five starter kit. Free? Get out of here. Go click on that link. Omnipod.com/juicebox. Check it out. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. Links in the show notes. Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. Dexcom sponsored this episode of the juice box podcast. Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. Okay. Well, here we are at the end of the episode. You're still with me? Thank you. I really do appreciate that. What else could you do for me? Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribed in your podcast app, go to YouTube and follow me or Instagram, TikTok. Oh, gosh. Here's one. Make sure you're following the podcast in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. You don't wanna miss please, do you not know about the private group? You have to join the private group. As of this recording, it has 74,000 members. They're active talking about diabetes. Whatever you need to know, there's a conversation happening in there right now. And I'm there all the time. Tag me. I'll say hi. How would you like to share a type one diabetes getaway like no other? Join me on Juice Cruise twenty twenty six. You may be asking, what is Juice Cruise? It's a week long cruise designed specifically for people and families living with type one diabetes. It's not just a vacation. It's a chance to relax, connect, and feel understood in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. We're gonna sail out of Miami, and the cruise includes stops in CocoCay, San Juan, Saint Kitts, and Nevis aboard the stunning Celebrity Beyond. This ship is chosen for its comfort, accessibility, and exceptional amenities. You're gonna enjoy a welcoming environment surrounded by others who get life with type one diabetes. I'm gonna host diabetes focused conversations and meetups on the days at sea. There's thoughtfully designed spaces, incredible dining, and modern amenities all throughout the celebrity beyond. Your kids can be supervised, there's teen programs so everyone gets time to recharge. Not just the the kids going on vacation, but maybe you get the kickback a little bit too. There's gonna be zero judgment, real connections, and a whole lot of sun and fun on Juice Cruise 2026. Please come with me. You're going to have a terrific time. You can learn more or set up your deposit at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. Get ahold of Suzanne at cruise planners. She will take care of everything. Links in the show notes. Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. Listen. Truth be told, I'm, like, 20% smarter when Rob edits me. He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. And it just I don't know, man. Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? And then I remember because I did one smart thing. I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.
#1820 Orange Julius
Kelly opens up about raising two teens diagnosed with Type 1 at age six. She discusses international living , multiple miscarriages , alarm fatigue , and managing different sibling personalities.
Key Takeaways
- International Travel & Embassies: When traveling overseas with T1D, always carry your supplies on the plane in a medical bag. In emergencies, the US Embassy has an after-hours duty phone to help coordinate local medical care.
- The Mental Toll of Multiple Diagnoses: Having multiple children with T1D can cause severe burnout and alarm fatigue. It's completely valid to seek professional mental health support (like talk therapy or a psychiatrist) to process the trauma and grief associated with these life-altering events.
- Different Personalities Require Different Management: Sibling dynamics play a huge role in diabetes management. What works for an organized, self-driven child might not work for a forgetful teenager, and parents may need to adjust their oversight accordingly.
- The Crucial Role of Pre-Bolusing: Consistently pre-bolusing meals, especially unpredictable school lunches, is one of the most effective ways to prevent massive blood sugar spikes and reduce the compounding effort required to fix highs later.
- Get Ahead and Stay Ahead: A proactive approach to diabetes management—addressing highs promptly, understanding food impacts, and pre-bolusing—ultimately requires less total effort and emotional strain than constantly playing catch-up.
Resources Mentioned
- Juice Cruise 2026: juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise
- US Med: usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514
- Medtronic Diabetes (MiniMed 780G): medtronicdiabetes.com/juicebox
- Touched by Type 1: touchedbytype1.org
- Eversense 365: eversensecgm.com/juicebox
- Tandem Diabetes Care (Tandem Mobi): tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox
- SugarPixel: customtype1.com/juicebox
- Wrong Way Recording: wrongwayrecording.com
Introduction and Sponsors
Scott BennerWelcome back, friends. You are listening to the Juice Box podcast.
KellyI'm Kelly. I have, two teenagers, and, coincidentally, they were both diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of six.
Scott BennerHow would you like to share a type one diabetes getaway like no other? Join me on Juice Cruise 2026. You may be asking, what is Juice Cruise? It's a week long cruise designed specifically for people and families living with type one diabetes. It's not just a vacation. It's a chance to relax, connect, and feel understood in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. We're gonna sail out of Miami, and the cruise includes stops in CocoCay, San Juan, Saint Kitts, Nevis aboard the stunning Celebrity Beyond. This ship is chosen for its comfort, accessibility, and exceptional amenities. You're gonna enjoy a welcoming environment surrounded by others who get life with type one diabetes. I'm gonna host diabetes focused conversations and meetups on the days at sea. There's thoughtfully designed spaces, incredible dining, and modern amenities all throughout the celebrity beyond. Your kids can be supervised, there's teen programs so everyone gets time to recharge. Not just the the kids going on vacation, but maybe you get the kickback a little bit too. There's gonna be zero judgment, real connections, and a whole lot of sun and fun on Juice Cruise twenty twenty six. Please come with me. You're going to have a terrific time. You can learn more or set up your deposit at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. Get ahold of Suzanne at cruise planners. She will take care of everything. Links in the show notes. Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. Today's podcast is sponsored by US Med, u smed.com/juicebox. You can get your diabetes supplies from the same place that we do, and I'm talking about Dexcom, Libre, Omnipod, Tandem, and so much more. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514. Today's episode is also sponsored by Medtronic Diabetes, who is making life with diabetes easier with the MiniMed seven eighty g system and their new sensor options, which include the Instinct sensor made by Abbott. Would you like to unleash the full potential of the MiniMed seven eighty g system? You can do that at my link, medtronicdiabetes.com/juicebox.
Living Overseas and a Double Diagnosis
KellyI'm Kelly. I have, two teenagers, and, coincidentally, they were both diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of six. We are a family of four that has lived overseas for six and a half of the last ten years.
Scott BennerTwo kids. One is how old now? 17?
KellyAlmost 17.
Scott BennerOkay. And when both of them were in their six year old year, they got type one diabetes?
KellyYes. So with Kayla, who is my older, she was diagnosed at six, and we found out right after we realized we were going to be moving to France, the the following year. And so I was able to really enjoy my son not having diabetes for about two years, and it was always a joke. Oh, thank goodness. It was Kayla that had it and not my son, Cooper, and then he got it. And we are right. It was so much better. Kayla took it on really well. Cooper has just always been a challenge with eating and and remembering to dose and all of that.
Scott BennerOkay. Are there other autoimmune issues in your family? Do you or your husband have anything I'm talking about beyond type one diabetes?
KellyNot for my husband or I. My husband's cousin has type one as well as his father, so my my husband's uncle. Oh. They both had type one. And my husband's side, it's also someone has Graves' disease. But my side, the only thing that they've ever really been somewhat concerned about is my dad was exposed to Agent Orange, and they were saying that possibly there's some sort of connection. They haven't found a connection close enough to actually pay for anything.
Scott BennerWell, I'm gonna guess that's about where that'll stop actually, right when they Exactly. Right when the government gets close to going. We might owe him money if we figure out the rest of this. They'll probably stop right around there.
KellyExactly.
Scott BennerHe was in, in Vietnam? Yeah. He was. Why? Is he still alive? Yes. Wow. Gosh.
KellyIt's his birthday actually tomorrow. Oh. He'll be 82.
Scott BennerHappy birthday. That's awesome. Very nice. What agent orange what do you what does he feel like it did to him?
KellyMy dad suffers with, Parkinson's now.
Scott BennerOkay.
KellyAnd so the VA did actually is is taking care of him for that.
Scott BennerOh, well, I guess that's good. Is there an idea that that could have implications to his children and his children's children?
KellyWhat I was told is that it could skip a generation. I haven't looked into too much about it when we found out we were over in France. And I said, oh, great. You know, take a look. But we were you know, it's hard enough to live over there. I had enough struggles, so I didn't look into it. And I don't need extra, frustration.
Scott BennerKelly, you you've said a couple of things that make me feel like maybe this has all been a lot for you. Is that fair?
KellyIt has been.
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyI feel like we've we've been at this for over ten years. I feel the burnout. With with insurance, it gets incredibly difficult. Living overseas can be difficult when you're trying to switch out Libres and you're calling the French system and your French isn't great. When you're going into the pharmacy and they laugh when they ask for your, they call it the carte vitale, and it's a Social Security card, basically. All of the supplies would be completely free, and they like to remind you that every time you're in the system going to to purchase everything. It's been difficult. I I found your podcast when we returned from France back in, I think, 2021. So I started listening, and I listen a lot. And it's still like, if you listen, you'll have your a one c's in the low sixes. We're at, like, six and a half to seven and a half right now.
Scott BennerOkay.
KellySo it's just it's every day is tough with alarms. We get alarm fatigue. And at night, you've got one high, one low, and it just having two is tough.
Scott BennerNo. I would imagine. And they were how far apart in age are they?
KellyThey are about two and a half years apart.
Scott BennerYeah. That's it. So we your first one gets it and is only maybe eight, maybe nine years old by the time your second one has it. Yeah. Then you have a nine year old and a six year old with type one diabetes.
KellyYep.
Scott BennerAnd that was about eight years ago.
KellySo Kayla was in 2015 and Cooper was twenty seventeen.
Scott BennerOkay. And would you say that it had, like, a psychological impact on you? Did you find yourself looking for therapy, or did your stress rise? Were you anxious before and more anxious now? Like, can you describe how it hit you first?
Miscarriage, Trauma, and Mental Health
KellyWhen Kayla was diagnosed, there was a lot of confusion. I really didn't understand the disease that sometimes you need sugar, sometimes you don't need sugar, and there were so many variables. And so I remember at the hospital, they were talking about carb counting, and we actually never really got into carb counting. We knew we did, oh, this is about a few units and went from that because with so many variables, I was I wasn't going to make myself crazy trying to understand this totally, like, foreign thing to me of carbs. So we did that. We tried to make it as low impact as possible, especially when we were once we moved over to France. There's not gonna be any restaurants that have your carb counts. You don't know when you're if you're at a restaurant in France, you don't know when the food's actually gonna be coming. The pre bola scene wasn't wasn't a thing. So we tried to make it, and and we were just MDI and finger pricking
Scott BennerMhmm.
KellyFor seven and a half years. And so we did what we could. Kayla's numbers really hurt. They weren't awful. We were below we were in the seventh pretty much that whole time. When Cooper was diagnosed, we were actually in Italy on vacation, and that one hit extremely hard. I was actually I think I was about seven weeks pregnant at the time. And so when he was diagnosed, it was almost like I was trapped to having a third diabetic. It was like I was getting into this pregnancy without knowing that I had two diabetics and thinking this one could get it much, much earlier than six years old like my my other two. So I was worried that every day would be, is this diaper too full? And just really concerned, and that really screwed me up mentally.
Scott BennerOkay.
KellyFor that time when we were on vacation, I was actually I had I had suffered a few miss two miscarriages prior. So I was actually on progesterone and baby aspirin. They were trying to figure out what was going on with these losses. And so I forgot the the pills when we went to Italy. And so I went to the pharmacy trying to get the prescriptions, and then I contacted my doctor to get that information over to Italy, and then he was diagnosed. I completely forgot about all of that. I never followed up. I never got the pills. It ended up I lost the baby, two weeks after his diagnosis. So mentally, I was a mess. I was worried. First, I was scared about my thoughts of wanting this baby so much and then being so scared and then not wanting the baby and then losing the baby and realizing, you know what? Even if this baby does get diabetes I have two amazing kids right now. It helped make me feel a little better about wanting to grow our family. Mhmm. With that, I ended up trying a few times later. We never figured out what the problem was. It ended up because I had so many other miscarriages. I gave myself some grace on forgetting the progesterone and, aspirin, and I got through the really dark place of knowing that I do want another child that the diabetes is not a reason not to have it for us, but it it took a long time to get through it.
Scott BennerYou know, I've been kinda playing around here in, Google Gemini while you're talking. And like you said, the Veterans Administration doesn't recognize a lot, but there's a lot of, information from the community. And it seems like the things that you're going through are not uncommon for a person whose father was exposed. Severe reproductive issues, infertility, generational miscarriages, autoimmune thyroid disorders, structural abnormalities, babies born with missing limbs, extra digits, webbed toes, congenital heart defects, that kind of stuff. The v again, I think the VA says that that's not connected. But the people living, seem to think it might be. So it's Yeah. That's really something. But but the the rest of it though, the your part of it, that kind of journey you went on from, gosh, do I really like, can I deal with, like, a third kid with type one diabetes? And then, like, actually experiencing a loss and then refiguring how you thought about it. That's a lot to go through and how much time. Like, how long did how long were you pregnant that time?
Sponsor Break
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Processing the Dark Places
KellyI was seven weeks pregnant when he was diagnosed. I lost the baby two weeks later. And so this was the 2017, and it was a very, very dark place.
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyI did actually have, we were at the US embassy, and they do have a psychiatrist there who was incredibly helpful. I had never thought about seeing a psychiatrist before, and he was phenomenal. He helped me through everything. I was very against drugs, trying to get anything. He said it's not a tattoo. You can try it if you don't like it. It's it's not a big deal. He did prescribe me lorazepam, and I only know that because of the the White Lotus season. I I went back, and I I couldn't remember what it was. And I there was such a a scene about her lorazepam.
Scott BennerSo That was the Piper season.
KellyYes. Piper. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I went back and I found it. I I took I think it was, like, during maybe the miscarriage awareness day or something. I knew it was gonna be difficult, so I took one of those. And I it I didn't feel any effects, and so I was like, forget it. I'm not I'm not going to do that. But talk therapy was was incredibly helpful. Having my kids being really great people, I really enjoy them, so that was helpful.
Scott BennerI just wanna be clear. I hate White Lotus, and I've seen every second of it. I hate watching it the same way I hate watch Severance. I just wanna say yes. The entire time
Kellythrough Severance.
Scott BennerI oh, I just I look at Arden. I'm like, why are we watching this? It's terrible. I said that this is bull like, masquerading as high minded art. I was like, I don't I hate this. And then next week, she says, you wanna watch Severance? I'm like, yeah, okay. Let me sit down. I think it's possible. I just enjoy complaining about it. But I feel every time I get done watching White Lotus, I feel like nothing happened. Why am I watching this? It's horrible.
KellyTo agree. Yeah. It it was there's a few great scenes and then that's it. Yeah. But for us, we really we do had just gone to Thailand, so we really enjoyed Oh. Looking at the scenery. And then next season, they're going to, I think, the Alps in France somewhere.
Scott BennerSo told me that.
KellyWe'll be watching it.
Scott BennerI hate myself for watching, and I'm sure I will. No. I really do. I know it's not good. If Mike White is listening, there's no reason he would be. I'm sorry for you, but I just I know that this is not real. Like, this is it's made Walter is it how does it how do you say his name? Goggins? Goggins? How Mhmm. It's made him much too famous.
KellyHe was amazing in, Justice.
Scott BennerYes.
KellyOr no. Justified.
Scott BennerJustified. Justified is awesome.
KellyLoved him.
Scott BennerHe was awesome in justified. Also, gave him a, a sitcom that didn't last very long that I have to say, I think if the writing was a little better, would have really done he was awesome in it. I like the guy a lot, but I'm seeing him in, like, too many commercials now. I mean, I feel good for him, but he looks a little too fit, a little too tan, a little too rich. That's all I'm gonna say. Walter, congratulations. I'm I'm I'm not I'm happy for your success. Let's move on. Did you blame yourself for thinking about, like, oh, maybe I don't wanna be pregnant again? Did you have any of that?
KellyOh, yeah. For for that dark dark period, it I had never thought that I would ever think of terminating a baby. So it was it was probably a week of thinking that. Just a lot of it feeling trapped that I didn't have all the information before I got pregnant.
Scott BennerMhmm.
KellyThen I turned it around while I was still pregnant, and then it didn't continue. So
Scott BennerDo you feel bad for thinking it then?
KellyI felt awful for thinking it. Yeah. But then I kept trying. So it's no it was it was something where I had the feeling. I can honor that feeling, and I no longer feel feel bad about it. I'm happy that I did try
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyAgain. But yeah. So that was it was really hard.
Scott BennerI I mean, if I could say outside of the shock of it happening and the you know, I'm assuming the crazy hormonal rush you get when you're first pregnant and then the rush that must come after the pregnancy, you know, ends, like, that's all gotta be overwhelming. But I don't think that thinking about it is insane at all. Like, I think it's pretty reasonable and rational to wonder. I've got two kids. They both got type one diabetes when they're six. Is this gonna happen again? Is that something we can all live through? I think you might be crazy not to think about that from my from my perspective. So but I can also understand how it would make you feel once it you know, once that happened afterwards. My gosh. Well, I'm sorry you went through that. Do you feel like, can you describe how you feel removed from it, like, a decade? Is it I mean, how do you look back on that time in in hindsight?
KellyThinking about it now, I've definitely turned the corner. For a long time, I couldn't be around babies. I ended up having seven miscarriages. So it was two a year consecutively, basically. And what I really enjoy now is that I real I don't remember due dates. I don't remember really, like, exact dates on when things happened. I know it was a hard time. I remember you know? It's it's a weird thing when babies are triggering.
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyIt's great to really enjoy my family of four. It's great that at this age, we have teenagers and we can go on vacations and really enjoy time. So I try to look at those positives.
Scott BennerYeah. I mean, babies are like Jeeps in the summertime. They're everywhere.
KellyYeah.
Scott BennerAnd, yeah, I guess if you're having a a triggered moment from it, that's terrible. Hey. Can I ask? I hope this doesn't seem insensitive. Why'd you keep trying when it was happening over and over again? Like, what was your mindset around it?
KellyWe kept trying different things. At first, there it was, you know, the normal. And then the next time, we're gonna try progesterone and baby aspirin, and then I forgot the pill. So the next time, I won't forget, and I'll do that. And then the next time, I had actual shots. I forget what it was called. Maybe Lovenox or something. And that actually scared me because it burned so much. It was a shot to my abdomen, and I felt so awful for the kids. And I actually posted in one of the diabetic groups. And I was like, oh my gosh. Are my kids having to feel this burn all the time? So and then the we just kept trying more things. And another thing is we were in France at the time. So I almost felt like had we been home, we would have tried a little harder, like, been a little more aggressive with things. I don't know. But it got to the point where we were going to be moving back to The States. I didn't wanna be pregnant during a move, and it was done.
Scott BennerHow did it impact your husband? Did do you did two of you ever talk about it? Was it I mean, I can't imagine. I don't wanna I wouldn't wanna minimize anybody's experience, but, I mean, your experience and his have to be different, but I would imagine equally devastating. So did you talk about it together, or did you kinda have your own separate feelings?
KellyWhen we were in it, it was very I was so distraught, and I didn't talk to him about his feelings at all. After and through each time, he would always say, we were a team, but, really, I was the decision maker
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyOn it. We've never really gotten too in-depth about it since it's happened.
Scott BennerFrom your perspective, do you think he was doing it because you wanted to?
KellyNo. No. No. No. We were both we had always we're both children of three.
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyAnd we just always like, that was our family. We were com completing our family.
Scott BennerDid the pregnancies last about the same amount of time every time, or was it always different?
KellyYes. And and I guess that also makes it a little bit easier. I never got past ten weeks
Scott BennerOkay.
KellyI think. So it was always, you know, hopeful, but we weren't you know, it it is weird. Like, yep. I'm pregnant again. Okay.
Scott BennerOh, but you're not showing like, it's not No. Like, all the whole physical transformation is not there so much, and that part makes it a little easier to repeat. And and because do doctors also do that thing where they go, just try again? Do they give you that whole thing?
KellyYeah. And one thing that was weird is and maybe it was because we were in France. We never got sonogram pictures. We'd see them, but we never actually had them.
Scott BennerOh, yeah.
KellySo I guess it's a little less tangible.
Scott BennerMaybe they only give them to French people. Perhaps. If they're like, oh, they're American. They can't have it.
KellyAnd one thing is I really wanted to have a baby in the American hospital in France because they talked about how amazing the food was. They are in tuxedos, and I I wanted that experience.
Scott BennerYou're looking for the whole thing.
KellyWell Exactly.
Scott BennerAnd that is I had no idea about that. They're in tuxedos? Yeah. Like, in the delivery wing?
KellyYeah. It's a private hospital. Oh.
Scott BennerYeah. I mean, that does sound fun. But, I mean, now you're it's all these years later. Right? You got a great family and, you know, you're doing well.
Managing Different Sibling Personalities
Scott BennerMe about when you said, oh, we thought when the first one got it, lucky that one will be better at this than the other one. Like, has that all played out the way you expected, or is that not the case?
KellyExact it's exactly how we expected. My daughter, she is much more mindful about when what she's giving when she's giving it. My son, he will forget. He has no concept of a balanced meal. Right now, he is eating his school lunches every day with I think it's pizza, milk, and apples. You get a little fiber with that, but it's just it's it's been tough with him. Trying to text him with corrections has become more and more difficult. With my daughter, now that she is a junior in high school, I'm trying to not text her nearly as much so she has a little more control, and getting ready for college. But he's just he's sometimes he's just a bonehead, and he just doesn't doesn't think about diabetes.
Scott BennerHe take after you and she takes after your husband or vice versa?
KellyIt's it's definitely that. He's more like me, and she's more like him.
Scott BennerAnd does that make it more frustrating or easier to understand?
KellyIt's easier to understand.
Scott BennerOkay. So do you give him a pass more than you should?
KellyMaybe. I'd yeah. I definitely expect more from my daughter than my son. The one thing that I really was impressed with is on day one, he gave himself his first shot at six because he had seen his sister do it.
Scott BennerHe's probably like, I see this all the time. I know what to do.
KellyYeah. Yeah. So he can do the things. He just doesn't know how much or when. A lot of times now he's getting to where he wants to give more insulin so he can get low, so he can snack and have all the treats. So
Scott BennerOh, that's not a great plan.
KellyNo. It's not.
Scott BennerCan we just at least call that pre bolus thing for a snack later instead of getting low so we can eat? Yeah. Yeah. Please. Hey. Listen. I don't wanna be your therapist, but why do you expect more from your daughter than from your son?
KellyI don't have to bug her as much. She has always been very organized, and so I don't need to expect more. She does what she needs to do, and I'm hoping to bring him up to her level.
Scott BennerSo you just know she's going to do it. It's not so much that you want more from her. You just know she has she's together and she has more to give and she puts it towards this effort. Yep. Is that because that's her personality and she's just going to do it, or do you think she's beholden to how she believes you and your husband feel and what you want from her? Is she trying to make you happy?
KellyI think she's self driven.
Scott BennerOkay. And he's just like a boy. He's just a knucklehead.
KellyExactly.
Scott BennerAnd he's got trouble remembering things like you.
KellyMhmm.
Scott BennerAnd do you have ADHD?
KellyI do not.
Scott BennerDo you ever has anyone ever joked with you and said, like, hey. You have ADHD? Like that? No. No?
Scott BennerOkay.
KellyBut perhaps there's there's definitely times when I I get distracted.
Scott BennerMhmm.
KellySo it's possible.
Scott BennerDo you have anxiety?
KellyWell, I didn't used to. I try to be, very go with the flow, but, yeah, it's I think with more moves and, less roots and instability, I have more anxiety.
Scott BennerThat's interesting. What about I wouldn't call you guys transient, but you move probably more than some people. Right?
KellyYes. Yes. So before we had Kayla, we bought a house. We knew it wasn't our forever house, but we didn't expect to ever live overseas. In 2016, we moved over to France. We were there until the 2020. And when we were returning, we didn't want to return to our townhome, so we went to Virginia. For two years, we were there just renting. My kids immediately took to American life. My my son was actually in France longer than he was in America beforehand, but the second he came back, he was all about baseball, soccer, football, and just loved it. And then we had one more move over to Jordan for two years, and so we're back now just trying to find, our forever home. Or and when we say forever home, we're probably thinking just to get it through.
Scott BennerThrough your son through college?
KellyNot even through college. I think we'd even be happy with, high school. High school. But we're just trying to set down some roots. So I think that has been just a little difficult.
Scott BennerOkay. And that brings anxiety because you're always thinking about moving again because you're like, it's just not a lifestyle that sits comfortably with you or it doesn't sit comfortably with you since the kids have diabetes.
KellyIt's almost that we're just always kind of in limbo. Where are we going to live right now? We need to find a place so the kids can maintain stability. When it comes to the kids' diabetes, that's and that pretty much travels with us. Whatever we we need, we can we can do wherever.
Scott BennerOkay.
KellyBecause we were living overseas, travel became pretty simple. We were able to figure out, like, exactly what we needed to bring. A lot of people would bring, you know, three times the amount of of things that they needed. And when you're flying with all of these discount European airlines, you you can't bring a whole lot. So we we try to to be as as light packers as possible Yeah. And, it hasn't been too too difficult.
Alarm Fatigue and the Burden of Nights
Scott BennerMhmm. So to the diabetes now, you're you said, a one c has been six and a half to seven and a half with both the kids?
KellyYeah. Cooper there's been times when Cooper reached eight. It hasn't been for a bit.
Scott BennerWhat do you think causes the rise when it happens?
KellyI think a big one is the the lack of prebola scene as well as the nights. There are times when we'll have alarm fatigue. One will be high, one will be low, and it just gets where every night is daunting. The kids
Scott BennerCan you not put that type a husband onto that problem?
KellyYes. For him, he he needs to sleep more. His job is very demanding, and so I try to take on more. But when he takes it on, it's more we all kinda feel it afterwards. Like, I'm so tired, and I was up all night. We we actually got a sugar pixel recently. I didn't realize that there were different levels of the alarm. I didn't test it. And the first time, the first night, we had it on high, and it it it almost shook the whole house.
Scott BennerIt woke everybody up?
KellyHe was like, if this is happening, we are getting to divorce. He was like, no way am I going to live through this.
Scott BennerHey. Before you guys get divorced, let me just say customtype1.com/juicebox. I make a couple bucks when you buy one through my link.
KellyAnd we did.
Scott BennerYeah. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yes. So your husband is gosh. I hate these conversations. But is he not supportive of the whole thing?
KellyHe's incredibly supportive. Okay. Definitely. We've we've always been very good at being a team, talking about it.
Scott BennerBut your team stay up at night, he's team. I sleep and don't wake me up.
KellyNo. No. He he will definitely do it. Okay. If he gets up, we all hear it. We all hear about it. We we definitely work together on it. I am much more invested. I will read the books and listen to all of your podcasts. I also have more time to do that. What I'm trying to do is when we started, the idea of a 7.5 a one c was what we were aiming for.
Scott BennerSure.
KellyAnd, I mean, we've been at this for a decade. I'm slowly trying to get them to be like, it's your 200 you need to correct. And I would love to get to the point where it's your one fifty. Let's correct. So it's just been hard to get everyone on board to want the tighter control.
Scott BennerCan we talk about that part of it for me, Kelly, please? Because I would like to separate your family and and your life away from the idea. So how do I mean this? Nothing that happens here going forward is punitive. I just really want your opinion. Okay? Your perspective. Does that make sense? Yep. Okay. If I told you that while we were sleeping, lava was coming into the kid's room, would your husband be like, but I gotta sleep? Right? He'd no. He'd say, look. There's there's fire in the house. We gotta go. We gotta I gotta get up. I gotta be doing the thing. He wouldn't complain. He was tired the next day. Like, why do you think people don't see diabetes that way?
KellyI think you would complain about being tired after a lot
Scott Bennerof think you would? He'd be like, can you believe there was lava in the house last night? Had to get up and save us all.
KellyNight. Yes. Yeah. It's it's a tough thing, and I feel like perhaps because we have two to deal with, it just becomes twice as difficult because they aren't perfect at night. And I get it. I I know that a one c's are lowered at night, and so we're working on it. I actually just switched the alarm for the SugarPixel while he's away on a business trip to see if the lower alarm is going to work better. I know it's important.
Scott BennerI know you know it's important. I'm I'm listening to you. And I and by the way, I know he knows it's important. I'm asking, like I'm not talking about you guys right now. I'm asking you to, like, philosophize with me about a bigger idea. Right? Like, I just got done speaking, you know, to a person two days ago who's had diabetes for over thirty years, and they got up in the morning, had three units left in their pump, went to work and knew they had three units left in their pump. And then halfway through the work, they thought, oh, I'll just, like, I won't eat. I'll get through it. And, of course, a couple of hours later, they're out of insulin. And then they can't get home for three hours, then their blood sugar is, like, almost 500. And I was like I'm like, why didn't you bring up, like, more insulin with you or a pump or something? You know? Like, the the supplies say, I thought I'd make it. They know the other side of what happens if they don't. And yet it's not enough to move them to action. And I don't know if it's like maybe it's it's wrong to ask the parent of somebody this question because an adult's gonna tell you, hey. Life happens. It gets in the way. Blah blah blah. But, like, it's, like, there's some pretty significant impacts of that. What I'm imagining is that while that's happening, your guts are retching thinking about your kid's blood sugar being 200 overnight. And so you're try am I right? It's hard to deal with. Right? The knowledge? Yeah.
KellyAt the beginning for a while, I would just stay up until at least two or so. I sleep incredibly soundly. So having alarms, they would need to be loud for me to to wake up. So the way I battled it was I just didn't sleep until after two.
Scott BennerPeople with diabetes complaining about something everyone in the world wants, which is I sleep soundly. Nothing wakes me up. Everyone wants that right, until there's diabetes drop. But I'm saying when you wake up in the morning and realize your kid's blood sugar is one eighty five all night longer, it hurts. Right? I'll speak for myself. Like, it hurts me every time something like that happens.
KellyYeah. Like, oh, there was a fail.
Scott BennerSee, you see it as a failure. I see it as a health thing. Yeah. I understand that I sleep soundly and that sleeping's part of being human. Like, I don't think of it as a failure if I didn't hear the alarm. I think of it as I don't know. Like, I think in my mind, I see my daughter's life as a timeline and I feel like I woke up in the morning to find out that, like, a couple of minutes just came off the back end of it. Yeah. I'm not saying that's true, like, apples to apples, but, like, I'm saying that that's how it makes me feel. Like, oh, we all slept last night, but instead of being 86 when she dies, Arden's gonna be 85 and 362. Like, do know what I mean? Like, that's how it feels to me. I don't know if that's right or not. It's just how it impacts me. I don't understand why other people don't feel that way enough so much so that they are motivated to do something about it. That's the part I can't I can't get straight in my head.
KellyYeah. Well and that's why we are are trying these different things. I would like to give the kids the sugar pixel and try the, vibrating under their pillow to see if that will help. We also just started the sugar mate. The phone actually wakes me up.
Scott BennerOkay.
KellySo that's great for the lows. So we don't have any problems with the lows. But, unfortunately, with that one, the the it's only lows, not highs. We have taken since we came back to The States, we have taken, different approaches to get this handled. I'm hoping at some point, we can get the kids on, Omnipod five. We're struggling with the cost of it right now with our insurance versus what we had overseas. So, right now
Scott BennerWhat's their management right now?
KellyCooper is on the Libre three plus and Dash, and Kayla is on, Dash and g seven.
The Struggle to Pre-Bolus
Scott BennerAnd what happens when they get high overnight? Is it from, a late night meal? Is it a miss on dinner? How are these things that are happening overnight? Like, where do you think they're they're emanating from?
KellyIt could be a mix of everything. We'll have a late night meal. It could be if it's burgers, we know about the the late fat and protein spike. I actually was very excited. We had some tacos the other night, and I knew I was ready for the spike. And I I actually managed it. It was the first time that I actually, like, gave him the right amount, so that was exciting. But then it could be where Cooper is low, and he goes downstairs. I just found out today he he he says he got some milk. Well, then he also got some banana bread that I didn't know about, and then that spikes him. So it's not knowing exactly what he's having.
Scott BennerAnd So, mom, I got a little bit don't worry. I took care of I took care
Kellyof it. Exactly.
Scott BennerBut then didn't tell you about the 40 carb piece of banana bread he took with him.
KellyYes.
Scott BennerYeah. Yeah. And why do you think that is? Does he not know? Does he want not wanna be bothered? Do you think he forget do you think it's literally, like, he just forgets?
KellyI don't think he knows the actual impact of what's going on with it.
Scott BennerAnd if you told him?
KellyOh, yeah. I said, I just noticed. What what did you do here? And he's you said you got milk. What else did you have? Oh, yeah. Well, I did this. I was like, okay.
Scott BennerAnd then you do say, well, we need a bolus for that? Yeah. And he says, leave me alone, old woman. What does he say exactly? Like, do does he ignore you? Why do you not push back? Tell me about that whole interplay.
KellyI don't think he has down knowing how much he needs to give himself for the food that he's eating. We are one thing is he ends up having, like, school lunches every day. Every day, I know at 11:20, he really needs to get his pre bolus in. Mhmm. He forgets, or he'll have it, and it will still spike up. So it's like have five chances of very structured time. We know when he's going to be eating every single day at lunch, and it's still a struggle.
Scott BennerHow about a timer on the phone? What if you called him at that time of day every day?
KellyOh, yeah. I text him. But even when he he does pre bolus, he'll go low and he'll eat, and then it's an immediate spike. I'm it's it's the school lunches. They're
Scott BennerGarbage.
KellyKilling me right now.
Scott BennerYeah. Yeah. Listen. It's again, not punitive. Incredibly hard. I believe this after talking to adults over and over again. It's incredibly hard to remember to pre bolus. It is, for some reason, psychologically difficult to say to yourself, well, I didn't pre bolus, so I'll bolus more here because I'm not pre bolus. I think there's something. I feel like I'm watching Arden, and I'm realizing as she's older, and I'm, like, seeing her interact with this all more as an adult. She doesn't mean to forget. And once she knows she forgets, she doesn't want to feel badly about forgetting. And then there's something simpler about ignoring than addressing. I'm sure there's some very simple psychology around this that I just don't understand. Mhmm. I think that they don't wanna let themselves down. I think they don't wanna feel like they're letting themselves down. I think they don't wanna feel like they're letting other people down. But then you get back to the truth of it, which is you're hungry when you're hungry, and nobody thinks to be hungry before they're hungry. Like, do you know what mean? Like, nobody goes like, oh, I bet you I'm gonna be hungry in a half an hour. I should start thinking about what I'm gonna eat so I can bolus for it in fifteen minutes. Like, that's just not how things work. Right? So you can set up timers to try to remind yourself. But, like, even with, like, with, like, thyroid medication, like, I realized that if Arden misses it for a day, I think she does that thing. You're trying to be perfect at something and perfection obviously doesn't happen, and then people go to a reset. You ever notice when people say I'm gonna start a diet, they say I'm gonna start on Monday? Yeah. There's actually something about that. There's a psychological aspect of that that I don't obviously have any education, so I don't really understand. There's definitely something to that that that strikes a lot of people. And what I think I see happening is that whatever it is that tells you, I will do it on Monday, works on a micro level with this diabetes thing too. Like, oh, I missed that. It's okay. I'll just get it next time.
KellyNext time.
Scott BennerYeah. Except there is never a next time because you miss breakfast, and that messes up lunch, and you then it messes up dinner, and then it messes up overnight, and you wake up high, and then it happens again. Like, there's no reset in there. Like and and so it feels like there's this fairly natural human intricacy that I don't completely understand that's getting in the way of the structured need of diabetes that causes the whole thing to just run off balance a little bit. And I don't know if any of that made sense to anybody else, but that made an incredible amount of sense to me. So
KellyWell, that's good.
Scott BennerYeah. I don't know how to fix that other than set a timer on your phone and pre bullish your meals. Because if you get the first one right, then the second one's more likely to be right, you're less likely to have to treat or eat in the middle, which causes some sort of imbalance again. And, anyway, when that person told me they didn't have insulin for three hours, I said, please never do that again. Like, go to work with another cartridge or whatever your whatever your pump would need so you could switch while you're like, you should always have this with you. And I said, like, look at all of the look at all of the stress and anxiety and high blood sugars and guilt and shame that you've been through over the last six hours now because of this going on more time. Like, are you telling me that this is less effort than bringing up extra pumps to work with you? And if you're sitting here telling me consciously, I know that's not the case, then you need to figure out. You, god, your therapist, whatever. However you're gonna figure it out. Like, why didn't you go with a pump that day? Like, why didn't you take insulin with you if you knew all this was gonna happen and you hate the way it makes it feel? Like, I don't know if it's self flagellation or I don't know, but I find it incredibly interesting. And I was, you know, looking for your input on it as well. So
KellyWhen it comes to the pumps, we have so many such limited amount that for us, we run it until after the eight hours, but I've instilled with them to always have a pen with them.
Scott BennerMhmm.
KellySo they have it. Sometimes they won't one thing I I really do love about Omnipod is that it is so simple to kind of go back and forth. So if they want to have an afternoon without it, then we can give them the pen. We still have a bunch of Tresiba. So there's times when, if they want to go off the pump for a bit, we give them some Tresiba to deal with the long acting. But, yes, for me, having insulin and a backup is a nonnegotiable.
Scott BennerYeah. Because the entirety of the issue between your children, the a one c that they have now and the one you're hoping for them to have for their health and their longevity and everything else, it gets all the human stuff. Right? Like, that's what gets in the way. It's all the just the frailties of people and where people drop the ball. Like, that's the stuff that's causing the issue. Right? Like, if you could get people to bolus when you wanted to, things would go better. Right? Am I right about that?
KellyMost of the time, yes. There there are times that I'm still yeah.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Scott BennerYeah. You're not quite right on everything. But I'm saying, like because I'm telling you right now, if she just said to me, here, take care of this, and I made all the decisions, I'd put her a one c right back where I wanted it. No trouble. It would be right there. And the overnight would be better, but, like, she's the one that has to live with it. She's the one that has to do it. I was in an event recently. It was a couple day event, and they sent me over somebody. There's a lot of people with diabetes at this event, and they sent me over, a person who new newer diagnosed as a person in, like, their late forties and coming out of a honeymoon. And he he says he gives me his pump and he's like, I I just don't like, I don't know what to do. Like, I'm two twenty all the time, you know, blah blah blah. And I just I pulled out my phone. I actually went to my own website. I was like, let's double check your settings. You know? I said, how much do you weigh? And we looked, I said, well, this thing thinks your basal's a little light. And if you're still coming out of a honeymoon like this, you know, the difference between point five an hour, point seven, point eight an hour is a big is a big difference. Think I your basal's a little light. So he said if you, explained my thinking, they changed their basal rate, and I said, okay. I'm like, now you gotta get this blood sugar down. Like, you know, how much do you wanna give to put this blood sugar down? And the person didn't know. So there's a thing I was at all day, and I think I intersected him at I was at a talk I was giving. It was after the talk. I think the talk was at 03:00. So let's say it's, like, 03:00 in the afternoon, and he's really scared. Like, he doesn't know what he's doing, and he's seeing high blood sugars that aren't going away. He doesn't feel well. And I just said, look. Let's do this. If I'm you, I bolus this much. I said, come find me in an hour. Came back in an hour. I said, okay. Let's put in more. Like, I worked his blood sugar down over about three and a half hours. I got it to one ten. Came over to me. I said, how do you feel? He goes, I feel like a little I almost feel like I'm low. And I was like, yeah. I said, you scared, or are you you know, do you actually feel shaky? Kinda couldn't tell, so I gave him a couple of carbs just to kinda make him feel better. And he said, oh, I feel better now. I'm like, good. And, we made a very small bolus. I think we put his blood sugar to, like, 87, 88, and that range is just slightly under 90. And it drifted back up to about a 105, and then, this thing goes on all night. And, you know, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, every time I walked past him, he hold up his pump. His blood sugar was super stable at that number. And I said, that's good. I feel like, you know, we got you down without making you low. We gave some time for that insulin to get out of you. Feels like your basal's holding it there. I said, you know, if it should drift up on you, put in a little more basal, but I think you've got it. And he said, thank you. It was very appreciative, which is was nice, but not needed. And then the last thing he said to me was like, can you just stay with me and keep doing this? Like, jokingly. And I was like, no. I'm like, you can do it. And, like, know, I explained it to him and everything, but I really did walk away because I haven't been that involved with Arden in a long time. And I really did walk away and think, like, oh, I could still do that for her. Like, could do that. I think I could do it for anybody, honestly. Like, it's just about there's a group of people around afterwards and how did you do that? Because they all you know, a lot of them have diabetes. And I just said, honestly, like, I want it to be more difficult. And I know it sounds boring because I say it over and again, but it's timing, amount, understand the impacts of your food. Don't stare at a high blood sugar too long. I'm like, that's pretty much it. Like, if you just do those things, this is what happens. Know, You the next part of that is is I don't know how to get people to do those things. Like, you know, that's that's the part I don't think we're ever gonna come to a complete answer on anyway.
KellyYeah. I mean, it's a huge shift when you start thinking you correct after two fifty. When you speak with people who really have it figured out, they wouldn't they don't wanna they they don't wanna be over 200 ever.
Scott BennerYeah. Two fifty.
KellyAnd for us, it's like, okay. Well, we're eating, and it's gonna spike. I'm working on stopping the spike. Let's let's round it out. I I think we're we're definitely getting better.
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyBut it's just it it takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of communication knowing exactly what they're eating. I take full responsibility for the nights. I need I need to get those figured out.
Scott BennerIn the end, every bit of this is easier said than done. Okay? But I just find it to be true that you are putting out a lot of effort. I don't mean you. I mean all of you. You're putting out a lot of effort. I think you could use less effort if you put it into a different place. And I do think it probably falls under the heading of, like, you know, work smarter, not harder. Yeah. But you but it's not as easy as that you have to hurdle over the psychological stuff too. Like, all the, like, you know, feeling like you let yourself down or having that body grief that says, do I wish this wasn't my situation? I don't wanna do this. You know, there's a lot more I'm not saying there's not a lot more to it. And I think that everybody you know, I said this over and over again this weekend, and I say it on the podcast all the time. I don't meet people who I think are noncompliant. I think everybody wants to do well. And, there are just different variables and speed bumps that get into people's foot, you know, into their way along the time. But if you wanna just talk about it dispassionately for a second, timing and amount, understand the impacts of your of your food. Don't stare at a high blood sugar and pre bolus. You gotta pre bolus. So, you know, work put in effort now to save yourself a lot of trouble later. And by the way, take out the words that go to diabetes. That's those are pretty good rules for life, to be perfectly honest with you. You know? And in the end, what I I got done saying to everybody, I was just like, look. Get ahead. Stay ahead. Like, get ahead. Stay ahead. Like, I said, jump on diabetes, beat the hell out of it, get it down on the ground, and hold it by the neck, and don't let it back up again. You stay in control of what's going on. Just get ahead of it. Stay ahead of it. So, I mean, that's, again, all easier said than done. But is there anything we haven't talked about that you wanted to? Like, I I did a fair amount of talking. So did we skip anything or anything we missed?
Traveling Internationally with T1D
KellyOne thing I wanted to talk about was our our international experience. Mhmm. For people who are going overseas, I know a lot of times they're asking about carrying their insulin. Everyone should always have a medical bag, an extra free medical bag that has all of their supplies. We moved overseas twice. That means that we brought everything that we owned for our supplies. And, like, mostly, the omni like, the CGMs and the pods and the insulin came on with us. We checked needles and things like that, but those are the things that you can carry on for free. All the insulin for two kids, we were able to get that in, like, one of those lunch boxes that Costco would have that expands.
Scott BennerMhmm.
KellyThat was no issue. Have a medical certificate. You can get through the airports with water. Even in Jordan, every time we had to fight things like that, they weren't familiar with Omnipod, so they would look at those for a very long time. But you just have to to stay firm that, no. This here's the medical certificate. These are things that we need, that you can get through those. We had a medical emergency in Italy when Cooper was diagnosed. A lot of people don't know. I didn't know until we were in France, and there's a duty phone for US embassies. If there's a medical emergency, you can call the US embassy even if it's after hours, and they will help you. When he was diagnosed, we they called the doctor in Florence at the consulate, the US consulate in Florence, and he called the children's hospital. When we got there, they knew we were going to be there. They said, we need to make sure we take great care of you or my boss is going to be very angry or whatever it was. Like, they made sure to help us really well. And you have that option with the embassies. They can help you for things like that.
Scott BennerAnd you don't have to be in the military or anything. It's just being a citizen affords you that. Okay.
KellyAnd and, the employees of US embassies, they have the duty phone for a week. And off hours, they're the ones that will help you through these kind of emergencies.
Scott BennerSo That's good
Kellyto have this, this service that you can use. I was incredibly thankful that we had that. It was, of course, during All Saints Day, and everything was closed, but they still had people to help us. Also, insulin. If you are overseas, lot of times, if for us, our insurance, they covered 90%. So when you're buying the insulin overseas, it's cheaper anyway. Could be cheaper than your co pay. A lot of times, we would actually stock up when we were visiting different countries. That's an option as well. I think
Scott BennerNice.
KellyThat's pretty much it when it comes to overseas stuff.
Scott BennerDo you think you'll ever go back, or do you think you're gonna live here for the foreseeable future?
KellyI think we we want our kids to have a little bit of roots right now. We didn't expect to go back to Jordan, but we really enjoyed having that family time, having the the ability to travel on limited resources, and having the experience to experience cultures completely. Going to these international schools with kids of of all areas of the world, it was really great. But I think for now, we'll be here for at least through high school for Cooper.
Scott BennerOkay. Hey. Do your kids, speak a bunch of languages, or did that not work?
KellyYou'd think they would. Yeah. But
Scott Bennerno. Kelly's like, I thought that was gonna be one of the things that happened. Yeah. How about you? Do you speak any French?
KellyI speak a bit of French. I can get by definitely in a restaurant. Absolutely. I'm really good at that.
Scott BennerDon't
KellyOtherwise, yeah, we we went expecting to be there for three years, added another year, and then COVID added another. So we were there longer than expected. My daughter, she is in French five now. So, yes, she kept with it. My son, he went back to he's doing Spanish, so he didn't. With us, we were in the embassy community. We are going to English speaking schools, so it it wasn't as immersive as, I would have hoped.
Agent Orange and Autoimmune Links
Scott BennerA lot of our native French speakers listen, so don't don't whip out your restaurant French here because they'll they'll definitely I mean, I they'll definitely judge you. Just wanna say. Also, if it didn't really completely fit into this conversation, but if you've had a a parent or a grandparent who was in the Vietnam War, it's really interesting to pick apart Asian orange and autoimmune. I I pulled up a lot of information for myself in case I needed it, which we didn't end up talking about, but it's worth looking into if you're interested in Birth defects, miscarriages, autoimmune issues, the difference between what the VA says is happening and what family groups and people who are living, you know, through this talk about there's a bit of a disparity between, you know, the the official stances from each. There seems to be a fair amount of organizations who are still fighting against this. There's a national birth defect registry, children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, legislative lobbying. It's it's interesting if you're if it's something you're you wanna know more about. There's a lot it seems like there's a lot of information out there that you could, immerse yourself in. So well, Kelly, thank you. This was awesome, and it's always nice to be treated well by a woman named Kelly. So I can go tell my wife.
KellyI appreciate all that you have to say, so thank you.
Scott BennerThank you for listening too. I mean, I heard you try to tell me a couple of times, and I didn't dig into it with you because it's Monday, and I don't need you to be nice to me today. I'm still waking up. It feels like you listen to the podcast a lot and that you found it valuable, and, I mean, that means a lot to me. Can you just tell me how you found it?
KellyIt was definitely it was the on Facebook groups all the time, and it wasn't until we returned that I had some time off to really get into podcasts. What it's done is change my perspective of things. There are some groups that a lot of complaining and that's diabetes, and yours was very different. It took a while to to get on board with it that, oh, these people all have it figured out. I'll never get there. It's definitely taking a while. But knowing that it can be done and changing your perspective of what is okay for your numbers and that you can get what you think is going to happen. It's it's taking a while, and I keep trying, but I really like hearing all of the different perspectives of everyone.
Scott BennerI'm glad. Tell me what holds you back. Is it expectation? Is it is it complacency because you've been at it so long? Like, what what keeps you from making, like, some big grand shift?
KellyI think one of the reasons is was thinking, oh, I'm going to try I really wanted to try looping, but I'm not technical. It was too overwhelming. And then I was thinking I was holding out for Omnipod five, and now that is out of reach at the moment. Once the kids got on the pump because I was listening to you for probably two years before the kids got on Dash. And the only reason we got on Dash was because people were upgrading to Omnipod five, and they were giving them away. So that was the only thing, and that's it it sucks that it's a lot of it has to do with finances, but that's where we were at.
Scott BennerYeah.
KellyI felt like I could try harder once I had the dash because I know there's talk about, yes, this is same for MDI, but a lot of it is is very geared towards having better control as you can have these like, stopping the the basal is huge. Adding a little bit of insulin for corrections, it allows you to do so much more. So I'm getting there. I feel like with two of them, I don't know where my head's at. I can't focus on just one.
Scott BennerThere's too much going on. Is that how it feels? Like, it there's too much going on to focus on all the things that you need to focus on at the same time.
KellyExactly.
Scott BennerGot it. Okay. Well, I wish you a ton of luck. I don't know what to do about that. Maybe you could grow another head, two more hands
KellyMhmm.
Scott BennerOr something like that. Or, you know, make the boy help more. You could always do that.
KellyNo. He he does a lot. It's just we hear it when he does it.
Scott BennerJust Every just send him outside when he starts complaining. That's all. Just I know. Because I do think that there's probably a barrier here that if you break through it, what you're gonna get to on the other side will be a lot more cruise control y than what you're doing now. Does that make sense? You know?
KellyYeah. I'm I'm just ready for it to all click.
Scott BennerYeah. Hey. Any chance your husband's name is Julius so I can call this agent orange Julius or no?
KellyIt has not.
Scott BennerYou could have lied, Kelly. Okay. Thank you. Don't know I don't know what to
Kellycall this up.
Scott BennerThat's okay. I think I think that's the way we wanna go. And now I don't know what to call this, though, but that's okay. We'll figure it out. Thank you very much for doing this.
KellyTo hearing it.
Scott BennerYeah. I'll figure it out. Don't worry. I really do appreciate your time. Can you hold on one second for me?
KellyYep.
Closing and Outro
Scott BennerI'd like to remind you again about the MiniMed seven eighty g automated insulin delivery system, which, of course, anticipates, adjusts, and corrects every five minutes twenty four seven. It works around the clock so you can focus on what matters. The juice box community knows the importance of using technology to simplify managing diabetes. To learn more about how you can spend less time and effort managing your diabetes, visit my link, medtronicdiabetes.com/juicebox. This episode of the juice box podcast was sponsored by US Med, u s med dot com slash juice box, or call (888) 721-1514. Get started today with US Med. Link's in the show notes. Link's at juiceboxpodcast.com. Okay. Well, here we are at the end of the episode. You're still with me? Thank you. I really do appreciate that. What else could you do for me? Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribe in your podcast app, go to YouTube and follow me, or Instagram, TikTok. Oh, gosh. Here's one. Make sure you're following the podcast in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. You don't wanna miss please, do you not know about the private group? You have to join the private group. As of this recording, it has 74,000 members. They're active talking about diabetes. Whatever you need to know, there's a conversation happening in there right now. And I'm there all the time. Tag me. I'll say hi. The Juicebox podcast has been in production since January 2015, and in that time, we have amassed just a fantastic catalog of information for you. The defining diabetes series, also bold beginnings, diabetes pro tips, small sips, fat and protein, algorithm pumping, mental wellness, ask Scott and Jenny, diabetes variables defining thyroid, after dark, the math behind Omnipod five, pregnancy, how we eat, grand rounds, Coldwin, GLP meds, the quick start guide if you wanna get going with the podcast but you don't know where to go. Diabetes myths, there's even a type two diabetes pro tip series. All of this is at juiceboxpodcast.com. Go to the menu, click on series, and they can all be found right there. If you go to juiceboxpodcast.com/lists, you'll get all these great downloadable lists of all the the different series so you can save them on your phone, keep them for later. Every episode is listed along with its episode number. So you can go into Apple Podcasts or your, you know, wherever you listen to your audio, and say you wanna hear episode fourteen sixty nine, steal a one c overnight from the small sip series. You just go to the search bar, type juice box, one word, and then the episode number, fourteen sixty nine. It should be the first return you get. If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. Listen. Truth be told, I'm, like, 20% smarter when Rob edits me. He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. And it just I don't know, man. Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? And then I remember because I did one smart thing. I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.