#891 After Dark: Survivors Guilt

Ashton has type 1 diabetes and she feels that drug use in her extended family is impacting her health.

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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 891 of the Juicebox Podcast.

Today's show is interesting. It begins with Ashton, who is the type one experiencing a low blood sugar. So we sort of just chit chat through her Lo, until the show kind of starts off properly. It takes us a little bit of time to get to why she's here today. But once we get to it, my goodness, what a story. Today's guest is here because she believes that people in her extended family, their troubles and turmoil are causing her problems with her blood sugar. I don't want to ruin the surprise but very specifically, there seems to be a lot of drinking and drug use in her extended family. And anyway, I think we get to something after a while, which is why the title is after dark survivor's guilt and not after dark cocaine use. So you really got to listen to this will unfold. It's something else. While you're listening. Please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan or becoming bold with insulin. This show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries G voc hypo penne Find out more at G voc glucagon.com. Forward slash Juicebox Podcast is also sponsored today by Dexcom. Now Dexcom makes the G six and G seven brand new G seven continuous glucose monitoring system. Arden has tried the g7 we've ordered it and it's arrived waiting for her in a little box right there at college for her to use up her last two g SIX sensors before she switches over and she's very excited. Dex comm.com forward slash juice box check them out at my link when you do you're supporting the podcast

Ashton 2:16
blade right now but

Scott Benner 2:18
you're fine. Do you want me to? I can stop the recording till you feel better if you like.

Ashton 2:23
Oh no, I'll be okay. Okay. I just I just started to go down. So

Scott Benner 2:27
okay, where do you? Where did you where do you do? Well, I guess do you have a CGM? How did you know you're getting low?

Ashton 2:36
I have the FreeStyle Libre too.

Scott Benner 2:38
Okay, so did you scan it before you started here? Or did you feel though,

Ashton 2:43
I started to feel low, and I scanned it and I was 4.2 going straight down. So

Scott Benner 2:50
Gotcha. Where do you start to feel your lows?

Ashton 2:54
I actually start to feel them around four and a half. Like 4.5.

Scott Benner 3:00
I'm gonna just realize and I should probably translate those.

Ashton 3:06
Oh, yeah. Sorry. I mean, Canada.

Scott Benner 3:09
No, no, it's fine. So 4.5 isn't at one. And you feel low there where you are. Do you think yeah, what do you think you were dropping.

Ashton 3:18
I'm dropping pretty good. I didn't eat very much for breakfast as like that I thought I was going to eat. And my daughter had to go outside and play for a little bit first. So we went outside. And of course, I wasn't even thinking and didn't have enough food for breakfast. And then we went outside and played and I came in and I was like, whoa.

Scott Benner 3:45
It's happening faster than I thought it was. Right. So well. Yeah. Well, we'll we'll just take we're not going to start until you're feeling better. So you think you had your Bolus for a meal? Didn't need as much as you thought and then had activity that you weren't counting on?

Ashton 4:01
Yeah, that's exactly it. Is my daughter she she's one or she's 19 months now. So she'll bring us first thing in the morning every morning she brings me or her dad her shoes and outside.

Scott Benner 4:19
Oh, that's good. But now if would you how long ago did you drink this juice?

Ashton 4:26
I just finished it. So can you

Scott Benner 4:28
play a game and scan again and tell me where you're at? Yeah.

Ashton 4:41
Oh, of course my reading is right. I'm using my phone right now. My reading of course is rate in the way of Okay. I'm coming up on 4.5 Now,

Scott Benner 4:55
now. Do you feel low still?

Ashton 5:00
Yes, I still feel pretty low.

Scott Benner 5:03
What are your average blood sugar's during the day?

Ashton 5:08
Oh, gosh, I had them really good until I had my daughter. And since then it has been a complete roller coaster.

Scott Benner 5:17
It's bouncing up and down. Yeah. Do you? Do these lows feel different than they did when you were pregnant?

Ashton 5:25
Yes, definitely. When I was pregnant, I actually didn't feel the lows quite so severely.

Scott Benner 5:34
Is that because you're bouncing around as much do you think?

Ashton 5:37
I think so. I pregnancy was lovely. I hardly felt like I was diabetic because I didn't like I was level pretty much the whole way until near the end, then my insulin needs shot right up. Okay. But yeah, they're pretty steady throughout pregnancy. And before for a couple years before pregnancy, my a one C was 6.5. So around 6.5, it didn't get any higher than 6.8.

Scott Benner 6:14
How do you come up? How do you come to that number? Is it? Do you have a like? I guess my question is, do you have a lot of stability around 120? Oh, geez. Around

Ashton 6:27
20 is, I think eight

Scott Benner 6:31
is so so 120 is like Oh 6.7 6.7 for you? It's an A one? Yeah, then that'd be an A one save about 5.8. So let's go to like 145, which would be about a six, seven or an 8.1 is do you have a ton of stability there or are you high and then low and high and then low all day.

Ashton 6:51
I'm right now high and low, all day. And before pregnant, before being pregnant, I was steady. Like, I wouldn't, you know, shoot up a little bit, but I could get it back down and stabilize it. And I would only I don't know, once twice a week is where I would shoot up and but it always came down nice and easy. But it seems like with all the stress going on and everything, I shoot straight up, I take a little bit of insulin. And then you know something happens with my daughter or you know, I just get busy with life and I don't eat or I'll forget to take insulin or I'm just kind of riding the roller coaster. I've been talking with my endocrinologist and my diabetic educator lately. And we're trying to make a plan like my educator told me like, Well, why don't you wear a fanny pack and have your insulin on you all the time? And I've been trying that, but I'm still having complete highs and lows lately.

Scott Benner 8:13
So do you use are you injecting your insulin or do you have a pump?

Ashton 8:17
I inject right now. I've always been MD mi MDI, sorry, no, you're fine. I, I've been diabetic for 17 years. Okay. Almost 18 And I've been MD MDI the whole time. How old are you? I am 27. I'll be 28. January,

Scott Benner 8:38
you were like around nine years old and you're diagnosed.

Ashton 8:41
I was it was actually a month after my 10th birthday birthday that I was diagnosed.

Scott Benner 8:51
Who is kind of interesting. This isn't even what we're talking about. And I'm just trying to chat with you until your until you feel like you're nice and stable. Yeah. So there's a disconnect between having the insulin with you when you need it. And and that causes some of the highs that then maybe later cause lows?

Ashton 9:16
Yeah, I'm thinking so like getting my daughter ready to eat her supper. And then I'll sit down, eat supper and I'm like, Whoa, what am I doing? I need to go take insulin. And so my timing of my insulin is way off right now.

Scott Benner 9:33
And that's where the bouncing around is coming from.

Ashton 9:36
I think so. Okay. All right. Well,

Scott Benner 9:41
that's it I mean, at least you know, what's happening and then I guess it's about correcting the

Ashton 9:46
Yeah, it's kind of a me problem at this point.

Scott Benner 9:51
It's gonna say Right, like, yeah, like starting a new habit or so. So what happened when you were pregnant? You just didn't have a lot of insulin need or you were just very focused on it.

Ashton 10:01
Um, well, I was very focused on it. But I honestly didn't have a lot of insulin needs until my third trimester. I like I could take two units for a plate of spaghetti in the beginning of my pregnancy. And that's actually how I found out I was pregnant was I could not keep my blood sugar's up.

Scott Benner 10:25
Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. So you didn't need to spend the money on the pregnancy test. And that's great.

Ashton 10:34
No, my endocrinologist. We were trying to figure out why kept going into these lows, and she was going to do adrenal testing on me. She was thinking maybe I had adrenal insufficiency or something. And then she called me the one day she's like, I never thought could you possibly be pregnant? And I thought about it. And I was like, You know what? I could probably be. Yeah. So we found out when I was eight weeks pregnant that

Scott Benner 11:05
Oh, no kidding. First, baby. Yes. Yeah. First one. Congratulations.

Ashton 11:11
We weren't planning but we weren't preventing either.

Scott Benner 11:17
Yeah, that's so that's about how that goes. I think a lot of the times, yeah. Just tell me if you feel okay. And we'll start. Although I'm feeling a lot better now. Better. Are you okay, for keeping this bit of the conversation in the final show? Word would you prefer? Yeah. Yeah, sure. Oh, cool. All right. Well, in. I mean, I feel like people know you a little bit. But go ahead, introduce yourself very quickly. Usually, I would tell you before we start recording, you don't need to use your last name. And, you know, just in you already told him told us a lot about yourself. So I guess just tell me your name, and then we'll keep talking.

Ashton 11:52
Okay, if my name is Ashton, I'm from Northwest Alberta, Canada. Um

Scott Benner 12:03
it's it Northwest. Yeah. Do you already said how long you've had diabetes and when you were diagnosed and everything so Alberta?

Ashton 12:08
Yeah. I guess I could add that my dad is a diabetic type one diabetic as well. He was diagnosed. seven years, eight years before me. Oh, no kidding. So yeah, I was three when he was diagnosed.

Scott Benner 12:26
Do you know about how old he was at that time?

Ashton 12:28
Oh, he would have been it was. It was actually on my parents wedding night. That from all the cake and booze and whatever. He got really sick and had to go into the hospital that night. I'm gonna say he was around 2728.

Scott Benner 12:47
No kidding. And is there any other like type one or autoimmune stuff in your family line?

Ashton 12:55
No. Well, my grandma on my dad, like my dad's mother and her mother. So my great grandma. They both had thyroid issues a little bit like, I don't that they never really told me. But what was that? But yeah, they had some thyroid issues.

Scott Benner 13:16
Okay, so then Yeah, so there's something going on. But you're so do you have you ever heard the story from your father like in hindsight that he think it was Did he can he see that it was coming on and he just that Oh,

Ashton 13:30
my dad thinks he was diabetic from the time he was a young child, because he would get this He told me he'd get this awful feeling and he would just need to run around and you know, burn off what he figures with burn off the shoulder. And he was always sick. My grandma was constantly taking him to the hospital. Even couple years before he would get so sick, he couldn't move, hardly go to the hospital. Nothing nothing. And I don't remember Oh, I guess it was just because he was the doctor figures because he would go home after work and he always would drink rum and coke. And the doctor figures that rum and coke kinda would balance them out at the end of the day.

Scott Benner 14:30
I don't know I should if rum and coke fix type one diabetes and don't you think no.

Ashton 14:36
Like for the months up leading up to his diagnosis getting? Yeah,

Scott Benner 14:43
I mean, that's strange. I mean, listen, I I'm not a doctor, but you can't stay alive for 20 Some years with type one diabetes without insulin. So maybe he was like, I mean, something sounds like it was definitely happening with his health for sure. And

Ashton 14:57
yeah, he he doesn't think die. Diabetes unnecessarily, but he thinks there was some autoimmune trigger that happened when he was younger and it just kind of snowballed.

Scott Benner 15:11
I guess that's interesting. I mean, it's, it's I mean, it's, it's odd. And it's interesting for sure. Okay, so tell me a little bit about why you wanted to come on the show.

Ashton 15:22
Okay, I wanted to come on, because I have some family members then that are addicted to cocaine. I'm so growing up my family, it like we're all really close. My dad, his brother's two sons are my two cousins were the only three kids on that side of the family. So we were always really close. My mom watched my two cousins all the time. And they were more like my brothers. And one of them got addicted to cocaine at 16 years old, I believe. So how long ago was that? That would have been about 15 years ago, okay. And so we struggled with him. And my dad's cousin, he's closer to me and my cousin, sage, the one who was addicted to cocaine. And he was also addicted. So I had two cousins that are addicted. So we were dealing with that. constantly worried about them. And now my we're not married, but I call my husband, his brother, who I've known for 20 years close or close to it. Has, he is addicted to cocaine as well. And it's just we find it pretty hard. Dealing with it because it's like my brother, and then my brother in law being addicted to

Scott Benner 17:11
a lot of people that you care about.

Ashton 17:13
Yeah. And now that we have our daughter, I have no siblings. And so and his little brother are my two siblings, basically. And then Tom, only my, my husband, Tom only has his brothers.

Scott Benner 17:35
Ashley, let me say something before we keep going. You probably shouldn't say other people's names. Oh, sorry. Don't worry about it. Don't I'm just so I'm gonna go back later. And I'll remove. But like, Okay, moving forward. My cousin. Yeah, my brother and my. Yeah. Sorry, no, no, don't be.

Ashton 17:58
So now with our daughter having our daughter here. We wanted them to have we wanted her to have her uncles. And we were all we're both my husband and my families were all really tight knit families. So it meant a lot of a lot to us that our daughter was going to have her uncles. And they just really haven't been a big part of her life or anything. But relating that to the diabetes. So we say get a call from my brother in law. And he's find some reason to get mad at you. And then he will not leave you alone. And he'll just go on and on and take deep digs at you and it shoots my blood sugar rate up. As soon as I see that he called me or texted me and he wasn't in a good my mindset. And my blood sugar would still shoot straight up. And I think that's half of my roller coaster too, is I get a message from my cousin or my brother in law. And I know that they're in a bad way. My blood sugar shoots straight up. So I take insulin to try and bring it down and everything but it just I'll come down and then he'll say something that'll piss me off and I'll shoot right back up.

Scott Benner 19:42
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is it a mixture of anger and sadness? And adrenaline? Or?

Ashton 22:47
I think it's anger? I think yes, I think it's all three of those things. Because I don't know I get so worked up, I will start just shaking and like ready to punch a wall? Almost.

Scott Benner 23:02
Tell me Tell me. I mean, what what is it about? I mean, obviously, let me start my thought over. Obviously that's upsetting, right? Like your loved ones that are struggling with something, it's upsetting. But they're not you and they're not your they're not your husband, and they're not your kid. So when I want to understand, like, what happens when you are kind of faced with their problem? Is it like what happens inside of you that you care so much that it's affecting you like that?

Ashton 23:36
I don't know. I think it's just the fact that I grew up with them all. And I know, I know them as people, the people, they are not the addict. I know who they can be without the addiction. And I think that is part of what works me up and the fact that I can't do anything.

Scott Benner 24:02
Okay. So a feeling of helplessness and and then that feeling that that they're wasting their life for and then you feel badly about that. I imagine.

Ashton 24:16
Yeah, well, and another reason I feel so badly about it is because when I was in end of high school there, I was about 17 The first time I tried cocaine and I had done it on and off for four or five years. And I never really got the addiction to it. I mean I I would go out and do it for fun and whatever. But I could go months without doing it. And then they do it a couple times and they get addicted. And I'm also very upset with myself. You Because I remember both of them would say, don't tell my girlfriend you saw me today. Don't tell me don't tell them I was here. Don't tell them this. And I just kept my mouth shut because they, the girlfriends didn't ask me anything. So I just kept my mouth shut and kind of almost protected them. And now, yes, it really bothers me now that I, I feel like for 10 years, I basically lied for them.

Scott Benner 25:39
I see. And now and now their situation is so bad off that you almost feel like you're a party to it.

Ashton 25:48
Yes. And I mean, I'm not in my auntie and uncle situation, or my father in law's situation, or I'm not the like, I'm not my husband situation where it's his brother. Or, and, or sorry, my cousin is like my brother. So that really gets to me. And then my cousin's little brother has also started.

Scott Benner 26:22
What is going on in Alberta? When they say it's not when they're saying when they say it's snowing there? I thought they meant like, you know, both both. Yeah, goodness. So tell me a little bit about everybody's background, like just generally speaking, is it? Is this a? Does it start as a party thing? Does it go from drinking to cocaine? And then some? Yeah,

Ashton 26:53
I would say I would say it's a party thing. But my cousin, so in my family, there is addictions all over the place, mostly alcohol. But there's cigarettes and drugs. And sorry, my cousin had a learning disability. Okay. And his dad was pretty hard on him growing up. So I don't know if that was his way of get escaping from his father and how hard his dad was on him growing up. Because that's the other thing. My dad and my uncle lost their brother, when my cousin who is addicted to drugs has when he was born. My father and uncle lost their brother due to I don't know the story. But I hear he was murdered by bad people.

Scott Benner 28:10
Do you think that was drug related as well?

Ashton 28:13
See, I don't know. Because from what my dad has told me, my uncle was a thief. He just stole stuff just because he got off on it. Okay. And so it's hard to say if it was he stole from the wrong person, or it was drug related, or they don't really talk about it. I think it hurts them quite a bit to talk about it. And we, me and my cousins, we do ask once in a while, but we don't cry about it.

Scott Benner 28:50
So is this? Well, is it systemic through your family? Is it systemic through the area? Like we, like we have conversations like this, there's obviously other other afterdark episodes, people come out and talk about, you know, heroin, and they're like, oh, where I live? It's everywhere. Like they talk about that. And so, I mean, it's like, I guess where do I start? Like these people you're talking about? Do they work?

Ashton 29:15
Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, everyone goes to work. And my cousin, he, our, he just went back to work. He's actually been sober for two and a half, three months now. So he just went back to work, but he got to the point where he had lost his job and was sitting at home for months and got depressed and he is best friends with my brother in law, too. And my brother in law got really bad. He would do the drugs and hallucinate and telling us his girlfriend was fake. And I don't know what how happened. I haven't had a chance to talk to either of them about it. But something happened where my brother in law had to freak out. And that's what caused my cousin to start. Decide he needed to get sober.

Scott Benner 30:18
So something happened so crazy that one of them was like, I'm done with this. Yeah.

Ashton 30:25
And my husband and brother in law, they lost their mother when they were 10 and 12. Okay. So I don't know if that's where my brother in law's problems stem from? I think he didn't deal with it the same way my husband did. Okay, and is there

Scott Benner 30:50
a lot of poverty? or No? Where do you? How do you think of how do you think of these people? Do you think of them is? Middle class do you think of them is, you know, middle class, middle middle class people who are making a reasonable living like, do they own a home? As an example? Yeah.

Ashton 31:09
My brother in law, he owns a home in the so we live out in the country. He owns a home in the town close to us. But he was lately he's been struggling with bills and everything. So he actually got the opportunity to rent his house out. And he moved back out here with his dad. My father in law

Scott Benner 31:36
is pardon. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. Go ahead.

Ashton 31:41
Oh, I was just gonna say, I think like we everyone makes decent money like yes, hard times right now. But everyone has enough to live and it just goes around our area. It's just stupid. Like, I could walk down the street, and probably point out seven people who I've seen dude, cocaine.

Scott Benner 32:06
If Ashley, if I looked at them, would I know? Like just looking? Could I make a snap judgment? Or? Or is it kind of hidden?

Ashton 32:15
I'm with my cousin. It is hidden. With my brother in law. It's fairly hidden. But you can tell when he's been, you know, he went and partied all night last night. By looking at him. You could just tell his eyes are just huge, but droopy. And his face just will look gray and just basically like deaths,

Scott Benner 32:45
okay. I don't want to know where they work. But what kind of worked the people in your area? Like what kind of work is done in that area? I guess. A lot of oil

Ashton 32:57
field. Okay. Like my husband? Is it Equipment Operator building the leases and whatnot. My brother in law's an equipment operator. My cousin is an equipment operator. Mostly working in oil field, but they do some for farmers and stuff and they do reclamation where they put everything back to the way it was before they started working there.

Scott Benner 33:31
Okay. Hard work. Long hours outdoors, that kind of stuff.

Ashton 33:36
Yeah. I would say 14 hour days minimum. Okay. No, most days, not every day. But most

Scott Benner 33:44
days. It's the kind of job where back in the day, decades ago, it was like go to work. Then we go to the bar kind of thing. Yes. Okay. And now we're going to the bar we're drinking but we're also doing coke. Yeah. Okay. And, and so tell me if you don't mind. You said you did it as well, when you were younger. So yep. Tell me the attraction for you back then.

Ashton 34:15
Honestly, for me, it was just the fact that, you know, once I was feeling drunk, I could do a bomb. And I would have my together again, wouldn't feel so drunk that I needed to go to sleep.

Scott Benner 34:36
So that you keep drinking.

Ashton 34:38
Yeah, basically. Okay.

Scott Benner 34:41
Do you consider yourself an alcoholic?

Ashton 34:44
Um, I used to when I was, you know, from the time I was 18 till I was 21 I would say probably three or four times a week I would Have a drink?

Scott Benner 35:01
Blackout drinking or just

Ashton 35:03
No, no, no, I I've actually only been blackout drunk once in my life. And never again.

Scott Benner 35:10
What what do you think at that early age? I mean, listen, this isn't like, you're obviously not the first teenager to drink, right? But yeah, what do you think how

Ashton 35:19
and where I am? 18 is the legal age. Okay,

Scott Benner 35:23
but what? What drives you to it? Is it boredom? Is it fitting in? Is it about, like, a loosening of your attitude? Like, do you know? Can you even know even looking back?

Ashton 35:37
I would say, um, you know, socially. As kids, we'd all oh, let's go out to the bush and start a fire and have some drinks. And boredom. Like you say boredom Thurs? We're in northern Alberta. Like, of course we can do. There's tons of things to do. But everything seems to cost so much. So to to us as kids going and buying, you know, a case of beer and going out and having a fire with all your friends in the bush was it was just, it's a thing that has, like, my parents did it as kids. It's just

Scott Benner 36:23
stuffed holidays around here. Yeah, like local tradition. Almost. Yeah. Yeah. And it builds on itself, then, like, yeah, meaning that, um, meaning that like you, your family does it, and then somebody brings it up, and then happens again, and then your kids do it. And it doesn't seem that wrong to your parents, because they did it. Because even when you're talking about your I don't know if you know this, but it's interesting. You're incredibly upset about what's happened to the people in your life. And you also feel a little responsible. And at the same time, when you speak about it, like the act of using or drinking or anything. There's no contempt in your voice at all. Like you. I think that there's it sounds to me, like, there was there's a wish that, like, Wouldn't it be great if there was a way that we could drink and do some coke, but it wouldn't ruin anybody's life? Am I wrong? Or do I have that?

Ashton 37:25
Well, not the coke part. But I wish. I don't know, I'm not much of a drinker anymore. Okay, since I since I have my daughter, I think I've probably had 10 drinks in total in 19 months. And so I don't, I'm really scared to be hung over with a toddler too. So that's part of the reason, but I just, I don't know, I wish because I know a lot of people who they can't just go sit down at supper and have one drink. Okay, it's, it's you got it. They'll they have they drink to get drunk, they get drunk, they drink to get wasted, basically. And there's so many people around my area that are like that. And I wish it was different. I wish we could go sit down for supper and just, you know, have one drink with our friends and go home. But usually that ends up you know, you have two or three you're feeling good at supper. Well, let's go find something to do afterwards. And I just I guess I wish the people around me could understand that a sober life has been so much more rewarding. Yeah, and easy. I, my brother in law and my cousin, I can't imagine waking up every morning feeling that complete regret. And just feeling disgusting every day. But then doing it again. Yeah, and doing it again. And again.

Scott Benner 39:15
Because that's what you know. Exactly. Right. And see, it's interesting to me. Like when you say like, well, it fills the time or people drink to access or whatever. And this is just what we do. Like, while you're saying that well, and it wouldn't matter if it was you. If anybody said that. I start thinking of all of the other things that I enjoy doing, or the things that I wish I had time to do that I don't even have time to do. And it would never like in a million years it wouldn't occur to me to drink and get drunk. So that I couldn't exist. Like um, but but that's me, right so for other people, it's it's completely opposite. And and you do wonder How many little things stack up before you don't have a chance to have bigger dreams or other ideas? Like what, you know, your parents are hard on you, you live in a depressed area, you know, you're growing up to work in an oil field, like like that kind of like not that there's anything wrong with working in an oil field, but there doesn't feel like there's any other possibility. You're not like, well, I might I've, maybe I'll work in this oil field if I want to, or maybe I'll do these things. And it's just this feeling of like, This is it. Like, I'm here to do this drink. I'll make a baby, that baby will grow up work in this oilfield drink and like, this is what we do. It's not true, by the way. But no, yeah. You feel though, you know?

Ashton 40:46
Yeah. And I don't like for my brother in law. He lost his mom at a very young age. And his aunties, and everyone stepped up. But he's never really had that person to go to to talk about things like, am I stuck in the oil field?

Scott Benner 41:12
Well, that's even if you had somebody to talk to. They're so isolated in this bubble, that, like, you ever heard the saying that, like, you don't know if it's a saying or not, but you can't imagine things you don't know about? Yes. Right. So somebody has to be there. There has to be some example for you to say, Oh, well, I guess I could go do this as well. That's an actual thing that exists. You know, my son just graduated from college. And he's been going around and meeting with people and having conversations with people who work in different like industries, so that he can even understand how his degree applies to the world. So he's got a degree, and he doesn't know what he doesn't know. And so if you don't I mean, if you Yeah. So if you live in a rural area, where the business is pretty specific, I don't know how you're supposed to imagine what's happening right now in I don't know, Billings, Montana, or Atlantic City, New Jersey, or what people do for a living in Miami or Austin? Like, how do you imagine that if you don't know somebody that can explain it to you? And you don't know anybody who's ever gotten the hell out and gone and done one of those things? So there's no storytelling that to help you along? I guess that's, I don't know. Like, I don't know. I'm just talking. So yeah. Does that make sense to you?

Ashton 42:42
It does, yes. Because the other thing around this area that I've noticed, and I'm guilty of it, too. The friends we grew up with are kind of the ones you stick with. Yeah. Most of our lives, like I mean, I of course, I've even in the last year or two, I've gained friends from different towns and stuff. But we all went to the same high school, we all live within 3040 kilometers of each other. And we just, and that's the one thing that we've been trying to tell my brother in law, you need to get away from these people, you need to find someone else. Like we've offered her many times, you know, come out with us, we'll go for a quad ride or back, or, like, just come hang out with us instead of with the same people all the time. Yeah. And, or, you know, even my girlfriend, she she's got really bad anxiety and is having trouble making friends with and she just had a baby, and she's having trouble making friends. So, while we tell her, I tell her, well, let's go to this playgroup that they're holding out here, and maybe we can meet some people out there or it's kind of the same with my brother in law. And my cousin trying to tell them like there is more than just these 10 people out here

Scott Benner 44:19
Yeah. And then you can you can kind of have that feeling like why don't want to go meet those people. Those people are dorks or whatever, like they don't they're not cool like I am or they don't they're not interested in the things I'm in. But I think that those attitudes are probably mostly just you people protecting themselves well, I think what they really think is I don't want to I don't want to drag my coat up as to this playgroup. You don't I mean, and like, you know, yeah, I have all these people judge me, and you know, blah, blah. Like I think that kind of when you when you isolate yourself like that, you can isolate yourself for reasons you tell yourself, but there's probably other reasons you're actually doing it as well. And, and so, so you kind of find yourself in your In your circle, your I guess you kind of process through it already like you did it when you were younger, you're not doing it. Now you have a family, you're like building and you're like, hey, like everybody, like come over here with me where there doesn't have to be craziness and we can just live. But you can't get them to kind of jump on the other side of the fence with you.

Ashton 45:21
Yeah, it's. And I think that might be half of why I get so worked up and so upset about the situation is because I would have been in the same position as them. Yeah, I would have been right there with them. But I found this amazing guy, I started looking after my blood sugar's like, I went into DK over 10 times in my life. I've been in a coma, I've had my shins drilled through in order to get an IV and to me. And when I was about 22 years old, I puked for so long that my stomach lining came up.

Scott Benner 46:16
These are from like, DKA and not not taking care of yourself,

Ashton 46:19
not managing the stomach lining where I brought that a little bit of that up. That was actually from cocaine.

Unknown Speaker 46:27
Okay,

Ashton 46:29
I went out with my cousin. And I did some IR, I actually probably did more than I'd normally would have done. And I came home at midnight, and I puked until about eight in the morning. And I told I called my boyfriend to come get me. He brought me into the hospital. And I ended up being in there for a week. And he came to see me every day after work, he'd come sit with me in the hospital until he had to go home to bed. And I think that's what made made it click was he's not out there doing drugs. Why did I just go do this? And now I'm putting him through seeing me this ill in the hospital.

Scott Benner 47:20
And interesting to me is like the descritto Excuse me. Sorry, I did a bunch of coke before. I'm just kidding. Hold on.

What is interesting to me is that is that I mean that description of like the vomiting, right as an example. Or other things that you know, drinking, drinking, drinking, being so sick afterwards, if I said to you, across the street from your house is a lot of fun. But everybody in the house has the flu. And when you leave, you're gonna have the flu for six days. Would you say I'm not going there if I'm gonna get the flu? Yeah, but if I said you like, hey, next door, there's a bunch of coke and booze and you're gonna be incredibly sick afterwards. But it'll be a lot of fun. You'd go Alright, well, let's do that. That's so funny to me. Like, because the end result is, is feeling poorly. And for so that. So there's some other aspect to it. Right? There's some, you know, I don't know if it's addiction or what the other aspect of it is. I mean, imagine it's probably addiction. But somehow you like you had such a bad experience. You broke free of it. But now you're saddled with I don't know if you realize it or not. You have survivor's guilt. Like you got out.

Ashton 48:41
You know, I've never actually thought of it like that.

Scott Benner 48:44
Yeah, you got away from it. And now you feel responsible and guilty that you can't get everyone else out of it.

Ashton 48:52
Yeah, yeah, right. Yeah, that's, yeah. I've never thought of it like that. But no, you're 100%. Right.

Scott Benner 49:00
You know, the problem with that is, you know what the answer to that is, and it's tough is that you can't help those people. They have their own experience. They have to have their own vomiting, their stomach lining up experience, or something that's going to snap them out of it. And the truth is, those things may not come together. Honestly, you could have had your stomach lining experience and not had your boyfriend. And you might not have been your dog. Yeah, you might not have snapped out of it. Like it might have just been a confluence of different things in your life, that you were able to kind of stop and see all at once. And then those impacts of all those things together. were stronger than your desire to party. Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, like your moment of clarity might not come to everybody, and you certainly can't make them have it.

Ashton 49:55
No, and I've actually been getting better with realizing Not lately. You know if my brother in law sends me a text and this, I know when there's something up, he will just text me and all he'll say, is Ashton in the texts? So then I'll just immediately say, what what do you need? What do you want, and then he'll go off. And I'll say, Well, I'm sorry, I can't help you. And I'll just, if I have to, I'll put my phone in another room and let him phone, let them text and just kind of ignore it. And my cousin isn't so bad that way. He knows. He knows what I've gone through my whole life. And I think deep down, he doesn't want to bother me with his problems. And, but my brother in law, he I'm, he talks, he'll go through everyone, he will call everyone he can think of, to go through the same circle about my life. I'm done doing this, I'm done doing drugs, I need to get my life back, I need to get my girlfriend back, I need to do this. And about every week or two weeks, it was the same thing over and over again. And I had to get to the point where I just said, You know what? Sorry. You know what? You do this all yourself? Like, I can't be there to help you. All I can tell you is we don't like you. We, we love we love you. But we don't love the addict.

Scott Benner 51:38
Do you? Consider telling them that they need to get help? Like, were you? Are you not interested in talking to them again? Like,

Ashton 51:46
oh, no, we thought he lives. So my father in law lives through the bush like to it's a two minute walk through the bush to my father in law's house. And my brother in law is now staying at my father in law's. So on his good days, we just don't bring it up, we let him have his good day. But on his bad days, I will tell him like get out of my yard. Or, you know, I can't deal with this. Today, I've got my daughter to deal with having a bad blood sugar day, whatever. And he is usually pretty good with backing off when you tell her mean, you need the space. It's hard, but

Scott Benner 52:29
it's hard to hear. But it's that that sort of a problem, like you see to the level that they can't handle it. Right? You can't handle it either. It's not it's not a thing. Any one person can just sort of shoulder and make go away. It's not like it's not like if he could throw his problems onto you, he'd suddenly stopped doing coke, he just be more unencumbered and be like, well, now I can really party because I'm not worried about all the other problems. It's not like that, that conversation that those people have with you about, oh, I'm gonna stop and this is gonna happen. I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's not really they might want it to happen, but it's not going to it's no different than when someone comes to you and says, that's it for me. I'm done. I'm on a diet. You know, like, all right. Like,

Ashton 53:15
yeah, I'll see you when I believe.

Scott Benner 53:18
I heard that Arizona six months ago, they greatly so it's a it's a human. They're caught in a loop. And it's it is a pretty human thing. I think that's why a exists and and similar programs for drugs, and why people go to rehab, and things like that. Like, do you think that? I mean, is there locally supported rehab that they could go to? Oh, yes,

Ashton 53:45
we have. So

Scott Benner 53:48
business where you're at with this? Oh, yeah. There's a Walmart in a rehab next to it, right.

Ashton 53:55
I don't know why there's not more around here, honestly. Because we are like, from just from the experiences in the last year that we've had with them. It seems like they are just overrun with people, okay. And my cousin, my auntie and uncle actually paid for rehab twice for him. And each time, the first time he didn't even make it there. The second time he got outside and decided no, I can do this myself. I'm done. I'm not going and that's the other thing they need to want to go. Yeah, right. My my brother in law, we've had a man that deep talks twice now. And someone goes and picks him up. We don't know who this person is because he will tell us. I need you to drive me so my truck isn't there so I can't leave. So you know, my father in law or my cousin and took him in, brought him there. And all of a sudden, two days later, he's out. And he's got his truck again. And we asked him who picked him up? And he won't tell us. He says a friend, that's all he says, is a friend. And so he's just not quite ready, I guess to take to do the work, I

Scott Benner 55:23
can't matter to you, though. You know, they mean that you can't be your problem. If Yeah, you know, if this was your kid, or your, or your kids father, then okay, then you have like a, it's I mean, it's a tough thing to say. But there are points in life when, if a family members dragging you down, you know, you're I don't know if you've ever sometimes people drown. And the people that go to save them get pulled under by them. Yeah, there's a panic that happens during drowning. And they can't stop and they end up drowning both people. And this sounds so much like that. Just like they're in a situation that is so terrible. And they just like, they're gonna pull you back into it. Like, that's my fear, as you're talking actually, is that sent me an email in a year and say, Oh, God, I did coke. And I'm not taking care of my baby. And I just I went to help my friend or something. And then everyone was there. And like, you don't even mean like, it's if I was you. I don't know your situation, I would pack up and leave. I really, I really would. I'd moved I'd move somewhere else.

Ashton 56:38
Well, I would if I didn't have such a great support system where I'm at? Because yes, I do have those two, pause. And the third one was dabbling a little bit, but he's not. I don't know. He doesn't seem like he's addicted yet. And like you say, I can't do anything about it. It's his life. And I've come to that point now. Where if they call, or someone tells me Oh, yeah, your cousin had a slip up, or whatever. I'm just like, okay, like, I'm upset about it for 510 minutes. And then it's done with because my grandma was actually the one who told my grandma was actually the one who told me because I, one day was having a really hard time dealing with that with the fact that they were all addicted. And I told my grandma everything. And she said, Well, Ashton, you can't do anything about it. Here. You're just gonna worry yourself twice? For No, for no reason. Yeah. Well,

Scott Benner 57:53
I mean, you have this baby. And here's your own thing. You have diabetes. And I mean, listen, of all the things that somebody's ever written to me about, like, why I want to be on the show. You're like, well, I'm, I have diabetes. And I'm, and I love people who are have addiction problems, and it's hard. And it's just while you're talking, the one thing that occurs to me is that because you are a person who grew up in that bubble, and you've been through it, like your description of using, like alcohol and Coke, as a younger person was disturbing to me. You were like, Hey, I just drank and then you just did some coke. So you could keep drinking? Like I Yeah, it's not a judgement at all. I just want you to understand that from my perspective, that's insane.

Ashton 58:42
Well, I I totally agree with you now that I'm in a good headspace. And

Scott Benner 58:48
but But what I'm saying is that when you're evaluating other people in your life, there is a section of you, that just sees that as partying. Like there's like, there's a part of you that at some point, thought that made sense. And I wonder if that part of you, keeps you from assessing what's happening to other people completely, honestly, because then you'd be assessing yourself. Like when you look at them, and they are a disaster. I don't know if you can say that to yourself, because then you're kind of saying, Oh, God, I used to be a disaster. I don't know. Like, maybe you can. But I just wonder if like, I don't know, sometimes, like, almost like, I'm the worst person to ask about what's in the podcast, because I'm too close to it. Like there are people that help moderate the Facebook page, who if you said to them, like I'm looking for an episode about this, they'd be like, bang, that's this one. If you asked me that, I'd go. I mean, I remember having a conversation about that, but I don't know. And so I wonder if like, because this is a world you live through, if you're not a little incapable of judging it as honestly as it needs to be judged.

Ashton 59:56
Like well, and you're completely right. err, and tell, I would say the last three, four months, I was talking, we, me and my husband were talking about the two boys that are having their trouble. And I just said to Tom, like, that was me. Eight years ago, yeah, I would have been there, I would have been right where they are with nothing. Like I shouldn't say nothing, because they do still have their vehicles in their houses. But they are barely scraping by to pay for those. And I said to Tom, I wouldn't have this beautiful child that I have. We actually just built an acreage on his dad's land. We've been in the house for a year now. And I said, like, look at all of this, look what I have. And if this was eight years ago, that I couldn't even imagine any of this. Right, I thought I thought I was gonna be going down that same path. And but the last few months, I really looked back on how I was, and how growing up growing up was. Or not growing up, but like, the teen years? Hard? Yeah. And like, I always wonder, would it be different if, you know, I went to a different school? Or if I went to, you know, the neighboring town, or if anything would have been different? And I, like I always, that's always in the back of my head is, am I protecting these two boys? Because I don't want everyone to look at me and judge me about what I used to do.

Scott Benner 1:01:57
Right? Yeah, that's why I said move. Like you need a fresh start. I know you can sounds like your property in places and stuff like that. But it's just one of those guys that you're talking about. If the day they were born, someone would have scooped them up and taken them to Maryland and left them on the front doorstep of some lovely people who don't drink and then do coke to reinvigorate themselves. They would 100% be a different person right now.

Ashton 1:02:25
Yeah, yeah, I completely agree. And like I said, if I didn't have the support I do. I mean, my parents are here. My two grandparents are still alive. They're here. I understand. My father in law, his siblings, like we're all a very tight knit family. And we've all been sticking it sticking together through all of this. And at this point, I feel like if I like if I would have moved probably 10 years ago, that would have been perfect. But now at this point, if I were far away from the two boys, I don't know, I think I would just constantly be wondering where they are, and what they're doing. And because every day, not every day, but probably three times a week, if I haven't heard from either of those boys. I will, you know, text them and just be like, Hey, what's up, or I will ask my husband. Hey, have you talked to your brother lately? Or whatever, just because? I don't know. I guess what

Scott Benner 1:03:43
are you telling me? I should? Are you telling me that because that was your past? You don't have a future? No, no, no. You have to let go of it. Like that's the only answer. It sucks. Like, Listen, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a therapist. I'm a person. But I'm listening to you. And I've met Listen, I have a an acquaintance who grew up with insane parents. Okay, like really controlling, odd, insane people. And it was ruining their life. And then one day, they just went to their mother and said, I love you. But you're dragging me down with you. And we're not going to speak anymore. And then they just didn't do it and their life righted itself like it Yes, it was her mother and that made it really difficult. But but that that person was a chain with a weight on it around her neck. And she and and it turned out the chain had a latch on it. And she just she wasn't being drugged down by something she couldn't get off. She She just didn't want to get rid of it because it was her mom. And then yeah, did and I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying that this woman is just floating around the world going like I don't talk to my mom anymore. That doesn't matter to me. That is a source of trouble for her. But it is Not as much trouble as the mother was. And like, I know you're gonna feel badly. But But what I keep wondering is, or are you guys also local to each other that you can avoid them?

Ashton 1:05:15
That's kind of it. We all live within 1015 minutes of each other. And we're in a really, really small town, like not, I don't even know how many people probably 2500. Okay. So not a ton of people, and we all still have a lot of the same friends. Like, we have a friend who we hang out with, but then we'll, we'll hang out with him for months and months, and it'll be fine. And then all of a sudden, he'll say, Oh, I ran into, and we went and had a crazy night out.

Scott Benner 1:06:05
Yeah, that's not going to stop. That's what I'm saying. But yeah, it's such a hard thing to say out loud. It's not gonna stop it. No, you could listen, my wife leaves her shoes on the floor. She's bad about it. If I really put my mind to it. I don't know if I could get her to stop doing it. And that's not drinking and cocaine. So, you know, you mean like, it's it's not an addiction she has, it isn't a crutch about her life. It isn't. It isn't a bunch of pain manifesting itself in an activity. It's that she's she, she has a habit. And she would first of all have to listen to me when I said, Hey, listen, you leave your shoes in the middle of the floor. We're going to stop doing that. She'd have to say, okay, Scott, you know what, you're right. I'm going to put some effort into that, can you please remind me every time and it would still be a process just to get a human being an adult to stop doing something that simple. My I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer here. But you're not going to stop those people from being who they are.

Ashton 1:07:10
No. And I've really, like I said, the last few months, I've really come to realize that. And we have distanced ourselves as much as possible. My brother in law, like he came over, I think, a week ago, he was in a good mindset, and everything came over and plowed our driveway. And that's the most I've seen him in probably in a few months. And like, just, I'm just trying my best to distance myself from them.

Scott Benner 1:07:45
Yeah. And try not feel bad for you when you're talking about it. Because I know you love these people. And this isn't what you want to do.

Ashton 1:07:53
No, it's not what I want to do. But for my family, my daughter, my sanity, my diabetes, I need to. And my two cousins. Like we have drifted apart tremendously since I had my daughter because of this reason. And same with my husband and brother in law, they used to be best friends. And Tom has just distanced himself, because he just can't handle the fact that while he lost his mother, and now they could possibly lose his brother. Okay, and so he's trying to, and he needs he also realized, his brother told him, he was starving and needed groceries. So we lent him some money. And Tom said, I should have went to the grocery store and picked him up food and not given him money.

Scott Benner 1:09:01
Right? Because the problems are sorted.

Ashton 1:09:05
Yeah, exactly. And then, about a week after that, Tom said, You know what? No, he doesn't need anything from me. Even if he is starving, I'm not going to the grocery store and buying food that he's like, I feel like that is enabling him. And he's told his dad to you need to stop lending him money to, you know, top up with his bills, because he's always, you know, $300 short on his bills or something like that.

Scott Benner 1:09:38
Yeah, I was gonna say that. There's the thing about lending people money, right? You don't lend people money. You just give it to them? Because you shouldn't expect it back. And yeah, and the bigger problem is the first time you do it, all it really does is lead to the second time it has to happen, which leads to the 50th time where they're like, Oh, I'm just $50 short this month, or I'm there assume that because they are in a they're in a deficit, right? They have a need doesn't matter that it's money, they have a need, yeah, meet the need, you have, probably you're not, I don't imagine you're sitting around with like, oh, we just have all this extra money sitting around. I don't know what to do. You don't I mean, it's Yeah. And so just because you've got a tiny bit of savings, or a couple of dollars in your pocket, and can afford to hands and probably can't afford, but can get away with handing somebody $50 or $100, or something like that, or giving them food. It's never going to stop. Never, ever, ever, ever going to stop. Because then that becomes part of their hunting and get their hunting and gathering process. Like I have a job, that job makes money, I have costs, I have a home, I have a truck, I have clothing, I have food, I don't meet those costs every month, but it doesn't matter. Because actions given me money. Now you're part of it. You're their job now to go to them and tell the sad story and go, I'm gonna stop I really am. But right now, I can't afford bread in my stomach, like, you know, like, and then you're like, oh, hell, and then that guilt gets to you, you give them that money, they're not giving it back to you. If they can exact right? And moreover, they're going to come back to you and ask for it again. So whether it's money, something tangible like that, or food, or it's part of yours, or if it's more psychological, like when they come to you, and they fallen apart, and now they need to dump their thing on you and then have you tell them, It's okay, you're basically recharging them. They're stealing your use of resources. And whether those resources are in your head or in your pocket. These people are there, they're black holes. That will you you can't fill them.

Ashton 1:11:42
That's exactly it. Because he is my brother in law, same thing, he will come and he Well, I shouldn't say he will. Because this, he's been doing better to the last while. But But up until about a month and a half, two months ago, he would come to us and try and dump everything on us. And we would just say, well, you that's your fault. You caused this, you did this, you made the choice. And he would just dump it on you. And he'd either get upset, or he'd agree with you completely. And then he Oh, well, I gotta go. And then he just leave and he wouldn't go home that night.

Scott Benner 1:12:25
Yeah, let me let me ask you. What do you in a perfect scenario? What would you want from these people?

Ashton 1:12:34
Honestly, I would just want for them to show up at you know, the two three family dinners we have a year. I think that's all I really want is to you know, have one or two good days with them once in a while.

Scott Benner 1:12:52
You see that's for you. But for Yeah. Yeah, for them. What do you need them to do? I don't like if I put you in charge of their life, if we took away their free will and I gave it to you. What would you make them do?

Ashton 1:13:10
I would make them quit the drugs obviously. Get a job. Find or you know, get a job or go to school or find a hobby. Lots of the boys around like my husband is leaving on a trip in a week to go snowmobiling at Revelstoke.

Scott Benner 1:13:33
Oh, that's a normal thing. They're not going to do normal stuff. But now, so those things that you just asked that you would say magic wand, make this person stop drinking, make them stop doing this? Are they going to do that? No. Okay, so then what's the what's the answer for you, because what I'm telling you is, you're not in control of them. And you being a crutch for them is just going to ruin you. You have a baby, you can't give somebody money, okay? And you can't give them your time or your energy. You don't want to be anxious. Listen, if they're driving your blood sugar up, I hate to I hate to talk like this. But if your blood sugar is bouncing all over the damn place, you can't be a good mom. And maybe 20 years from now, you're not going to be a healthy person because of that. And, and 20 years from now, when you're looking at your 21 year old child in the face, you're like, Well, I'm dying now. So good luck in this world, because I spent my whole life giving away my resources to people who didn't appreciate it and who were probably not saveable to begin with. So the so what I'm saying is the answer is this. They have to go to rehab and go through that process. And it works for them or it doesn't, and I would hope that it would, but that's the end of what you can do for them. You can tell them one time. I can't speak to you again until you complete rehab. Do not call here don't text me. Don't come by don't asked me for anything, don't come to any events, go to rehab, finish rehab, come back to me show me a chip. And then we can start talking again. Because you're not as much as this sucks to say they're not in a measurement of humanity at the moment, they're not where you are.

Ashton 1:15:20
No. And honestly, I've even the last I'd say week, I've come to the realization that they probably never will be.

Scott Benner 1:15:32
Well, hopefully, hopefully they can be. But that can't be your problem.

Ashton 1:15:34
Yeah, yeah, no, right, exactly. And I'm getting better at letting that go. And focusing on just my friends and family who are there. And trying to just distance myself from them. I'm working on that. I just

Scott Benner 1:15:55
so I don't know a ton about this. But I think it's possible that you should go to an Al Anon meeting.

Ashton 1:16:04
See, and that's the other thing. My husband had mentioned to me. He, because I had told my brother in law's girlfriend. I said, well, there is support meetings, maybe you should go to that. And when we got home from visiting her, he said to me, maybe you should look into doing this because you said I would, but it's just my brother. And I'm, I'm doing okay with it with that. But you it's, you're my brother, your two cousin, three cousins struggling

Scott Benner 1:16:45
with it. And that's fine. Yeah. Listen, growing up with alcoholic parents, or in an alcoholic like place is, is is impactful on people? Like it actually changes things like about your, like, let me see if I can think of one off the top of my head. Are you more comfortable when things are crazy? Like when when life looks good? Does it make you feel like it can't possibly last? You ever

Ashton 1:17:13
times like I'm more the last year or more content with calmness, and basically nothingness. So like, no one's bothering me. I'm good with that you

Scott Benner 1:17:27
are making real progress for yourself. I sounds like you are I listen, I can only assess you on what you're saying. Right? But you're making really good progress on your for yourself. And I just I don't know, I would treat. I would treat them like they were the flu. And I'd be like, I don't want to be around that. I don't want I don't want that get on me. Now. Listen, here's the interesting thing. If your brother in law came on the podcast, I wouldn't tell him, Hey, I hope people around you will abandon you. I hope that everybody leaves you, I would tell them, here's what you need to do for yourself. Yeah, I wouldn't tell him. Here's what you have to get your sister in law to do for you. Right? And so I it's not without compassion that I'm saying these things to you. I'm talking to you about your specific situation and to defend you and your specific situation. You have to get away from these people. Like yeah, that's that. I mean, I you know, it's harsh. And it's, it might sound cold, but it would only sound cold to somebody who doesn't know what this is. This reality is like, because this Yeah, right. Yeah, drowning, and they are trying to pull you under with them.

Ashton 1:18:40
And honestly, if I, myself didn't do the drugs and the drinking when I was younger, I think it might be easier for me.

Scott Benner 1:18:50
Oh, you'd be harsher. Yeah. Because you wouldn't have any perspective for it.

Ashton 1:18:53
Exactly. I wouldn't have that. What's the word? I'm looking for empathy? Like, yeah, empathy, I wouldn't have that same. I would.

Scott Benner 1:19:03
Your empathy is causing you to swim out 100 yards into the ocean and go, don't worry, I'll pull you back in. And you're not qualified for that. So not at all. So what's the answer? Tell me your because we're at the end here. We're wrapping up. So tell me you're telling me what the answer is to this. Like, what do you do next?

Ashton 1:19:22
I think my next shot, my next step is just let it be if you know if I am over at my father in law's and my brother in law is there and he's having a good day. I'll let him have that good day. I'll act like nothing's going on. But when he is in a bad spot, I just ignore him and leave and come home. I think is my best. Best Action right now.

Scott Benner 1:19:54
It's a good step also what it's going to teach you. My expectation is that At some point, you're going to progress and grow to the point where you think I don't even want to be around this one day a week. Exactly. You will, it'll, and that's where you have to kind of go to your that's where you almost have to go to your father in law and say, Look, I don't I'm not asking you to choose between your children. But I hope you understand that I can't bring my baby here. Like, like, we're doing a good job of building a good life for ourselves. And we can't keep coming back to this. And I feel badly that this is the situation with the boys or whatever. But yeah, we can't be around this. Listen, I'm gonna tell you something right now. There are people in my family and my extended family, people I love and care about greatly, who my children have never been in their car. And when it became obvious that we weren't allowing our kids in their car, and they sent it to us, we responded by saying, Yeah, I can't let you drive my kids anywhere. And you have to, you know, I'm sorry. And I know that's harsh. But we but and this is almost the same thing. Like because it was hard to say to them, it was hard for them to hear. And yet I had something I cared about more than their feelings.

Ashton 1:21:18
Exactly. And we've had a sort of similar situation is your car thing. Um, brother in law about six, eight months ago, asked if he could stay here, because he wasn't waking up for his alarms for work in the morning. He stayed here, and he wasn't waking up to his alarm. So my husband went and went down the hallway to wake him up. And he poked him a couple times and said, Get up. You're going to be late for work. Sorry,

Scott Benner 1:21:51
you're fine. I gave up on that a while ago.

Ashton 1:21:58
And he absolutely lost it. started calling my husband right down to the ground, went into the bathroom to have a shower and slammed the door. The bathroom was right beside my daughter's room. This is at 530 in the morning. So as soon as brother in law went out the door to go to work. I looked at my husband. I said he's not saying here one more time. He's not

Scott Benner 1:22:30
because he wasn't he wanted a mommy. He wanted somebody to help them get out of bed in the morning. Exactly. Man, you didn't want me got mad at you?

Ashton 1:22:38
Yeah, and he wasn't even high that night.

Scott Benner 1:22:43
No, he's emotionally immature. Exactly. Yeah.

Ashton 1:22:48
And so after that, I said, not. He's not to be around Rory when he's acting like that. He's not coming to stay here again. The other situation? His girlfriend got pregnant. She's about halfway along now. So Tom, and I had the conversation. Well, if he projects this baby attitude onto his child, well, our child will not be hanging out with his child.

Scott Benner 1:23:25
I don't know how to break it to you. It's already too late for that. That kid's already doomed. Exactly. That when it comes to that, that this person isn't fixing themselves before that kid becomes impressionable. That's yeah, that's not helpful.

Ashton 1:23:38
That's what my husband said to we're hoping that the well I don't know if their girlfriend if it's his ex girlfriend or girlfriend, but I think she is going to stay living where she is with out him. And they're gonna try and CO parent I think, I don't know, it changes all the time. What's

Scott Benner 1:23:59
gonna happen? I have some money. I'd like to bet on that. Yeah, so and I don't mean to be make light of it. I know. It really is just there is a there is a giant force moving in a direction. And a new baby or a girlfriend or you helping somebody wake up in the morning is not enough to stop this tidal wave that is this person's life. Like it is fine to crash down on the shore and destroy everything that it touches. And you got to move like you got to get away from where it's going to happen. And it's hard but and I get your get the feeling the overwhelming feeling of I can help I can help. I can help but I mean, that's the same feeling that a that a gambler has no I gotta hit this time. And then you know, it doesn't happen. It doesn't happen. It doesn't happen and then you'd make bigger and bigger bets to try to like win back what you've lost. And then before you know it, it's you in a dark black space with nothing around you. If you've bet your shoes, you're naked. It's over. And now you're done. And then that taints your child's life. Exactly. It's all we all know what to do here, Ashton. It's just a question of whether or not you're gonna do it.

Ashton 1:25:12
Yeah, and I've been working on it sounds like you're trying pretty hard for her for her.

Scott Benner 1:25:17
Pretty impressive what you're doing seriously? Like, like, Yeah, I'm not kidding. Like, it's not like you were like, the, the, like, the straight edge kid in the family. Like you did the whole thing, too. And then oh, yeah, hold yourself out. I, you know.

Ashton 1:25:33
And that's the thing is my younger cousin, the one who is starting to dabble in the cocaine. He was always the one who was straight edge. He started a company, he's got a company now, he led a small engine company. He he was always the one who said no, you know, you ask them for, if you want to cigarette Oh, no, I'm good. You know, he'll have two drinks and go to bed. Or he was never really a party, kid. And now he's getting drug into it. And that's a big worry for me. Because how can me go from? How can I go from party girl, wild child to family woman. And it was like, I, it didn't take me any work. It was just I woke up one day and I decided I'm, I'm done. I don't want that. I want a family. I want a life with this guy I want. And I just gave it up. And I just It worries me about my younger cousin quite a bit, because he was such a good kid. And he was always able to say no, and now he's dabbling, too. So I've had to distance myself from him, too.

Scott Benner 1:27:03
Yeah, I'm sorry. It's terrible. It there's nothing. Nothing

Ashton 1:27:07
it is. I have other like, I have my family and everything. But other than them, those three, but it's getting hard. And I've found, like I said, blood sugars with them up and down like they have been, it's so easy for me to get into that depressive mood. Where I'm bawling because I don't know where my brother in law or my cousins are or

Scott Benner 1:27:42
Yeah, but if you didn't know where they were or anything about their life, you wouldn't be worried about them. So you have to do what's best for you. Stop thinking about of just like your blood sugar, although I see you see it in your blood sugar. But really step back and see that what's really happening is that your emotions, and your nervous system, and everything about you is in turmoil for knowing these people

Ashton 1:28:05
do exactly that. Yeah, that is a great way to put it.

Scott Benner 1:28:10
Yeah. Forget, forget, forget, like forget focusing on your blood sugar, or on one thing, it's peace. There's a peace that comes with life. And, and they're taking it from you, or you're giving it to them, probably more specifically,

Ashton 1:28:25
I would say I'm giving it to them. Because I've given them your piece. I tell them I tell myself all the time. Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them, and then they will, you know, oh, hey, do you mind if we stop over for five minutes? And is it Rory don't come here? Yeah. And I'm like, Oh, okay. And then we ended up getting into a big conversation about you know, the other. The other thing is my brother in law and my cousin, they always come to us to bitch about each other. Okay, so that needs to stop to

Scott Benner 1:29:06
see the I don't know if you notice, but basically, what what you're surrounded with is a lot of reasons why bad stuff happens. And it all feels so normal to you. That you almost say it like, I don't know what the example here is. If you almost say it like, oh, you know what happens? They come over here and then they have to sleep here. So I have to wake them up in the morning. You almost say it like, you know what happens? Like some days you have to vacuum the rug. Like it's not normal. Yeah, but you haven't all these things that you're saying? They're not normal. But they seem normal to you.

Ashton 1:29:40
Yeah, it's just how it's been the last, probably your whole lives around. Well.

Scott Benner 1:29:49
What about the adults on your family who were doing the same thing 20 years ago? Yeah, I probably didn't see it happening. But these are probably just things that are repeating over and over again.

Ashton 1:29:59
And That's a big thing my husband and I are working on is breaking that cycle.

Scott Benner 1:30:06
Yeah, listen, you can break it in five seconds. Because you're right, exactly. Yeah, there's a way to break it, you can be done with this right now. So it's, um, it's up to you. Really, it's up to you about like, the level in which you're going to separate. And yeah, I can't tell you for sure that you going to bet it's going to work. But I'll tell you, it's worth trying.

Ashton 1:30:30
It is at this point, because like I said, every day, if something will come up, that reminds me of one of those boys. And that's what's on my mind for the next hour. Are they alive? Did they make it through the night? Did and I need to distance myself from that?

Scott Benner 1:30:47
Yeah, what you should be worrying about is, how's my blood sugar? Is it stable? Am I gonna live a good long time to raise my child and live with my person that I love? And do the things that I want to do? Like, that's, yeah, that's really where your focus should be. It's on yourself and your family. And you have to stop thinking of your cousin or a brother in law, on the same level as you think about your child or your husband. It just, it's, that's just what it is. I probably sound so callous today.

Ashton 1:31:15
No, no, I,

Scott Benner 1:31:19
I guess Yeah. But not to you. But I'm thinking the people listening are probably like Jesus got a little bit. But yeah, I mean, you've given people more than enough chances. And their situation is dire enough that expecting just you to be kind to them, or give them 50 bucks, or a loaf of bread and some milk and some other stuff. That's not going to work. So no, you have to do something that's going to work and protect yourself do because, by the way, he said it early on in the show, and we never it's got nothing to do with your direct story. But violence does follow drinking and drugs, and bad decisions and violence and sometimes violence on purpose. And sometimes violence by mistake in the form of a car accident or something like that, or even a home accident. These are not things you don't want to wake up tomorrow to hear that your husband had a car accident with somebody. And you don't I mean, like it's just I don't know, I my brain might be overly simplistic, but I would just get away from that. I would I would never and I'm not just talking about my ass like I've done it my life. Like I've seen people on my go, you are not dragging me down. I get one shot at this. I get I got my kids, my wife my opportunity. I am absolutely not. For somebody who doesn't want the help or can accept the help. You can't force it on them. And so

Ashton 1:32:45
and you just I've had a it's been so easy for me to accept that with, you know, close friends of mine that I've that I grew up with. I can no problem. Just delete them out of my life. Yeah, just like that. I'm have no problem. Just these two boys. They are albatross

Scott Benner 1:33:10
don't let them. Don't let them be your albatross. Like, just you got it. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm telling you that allanon is not a bad answer. I think I think really, that would be how you'd that that would be a way where you could talk to other people who've been in the same situation. And they could, yeah, you know what happened to them.

Ashton 1:33:29
Because it's not my, you know, my child or my parents or my brother, my sibling that is addicted. They are farther away from me. But we've all grown up so close that I'm just having that hard time letting them go. And I think you're right. I think an Al Anon meeting would probably even just to go to one I'm sure would make me feel so much lighter.

Scott Benner 1:33:57
I even forget being lighter. You have to find a way to value yourself over the their problems. So yeah, hey, I'm sorry, I shouldn't I actually I have to get I have a meeting coming up. Oh, no, sorry.

Ashton 1:34:13
I didn't realize wait, no,

Scott Benner 1:34:14
no, don't be sorry. We had a nice concert. I love this this wonderful. I I want you to know that I'll go back and edit it. I'll take everybody's names out. Okay. You're fine. And, and I appreciate you sharing the story. It's I think it's more I mean, listen, the salient details might be different. Maybe it's not cocaine and booze. Maybe it's, you know, other things, but there are plenty of people living with diabetes, who who are impacted by the people around them in negative ways. And I thought it was just really, I mean, it wasn't a whole story. Like you couldn't have talked about it for an hour. But hearing you say my blood sugar is affected by people around me be In short heads, and I don't know how to stop it, I think it's something a lot of people are going to are going to find some commonality with while they're listening. It might not be whale fields and Coke, but there's something going on in people's lives that is doing the same thing to them. So I really appreciate Yeah, time talking.

Ashton 1:35:18
That's kind of why I wanted to come on to is just how family members or loved ones affect our care

Scott Benner 1:35:30
into one group and call the mother. How's that? How the mother years in our life are affecting my diabetes. And why? Why don't they pull their head out of their ass so I can stop worrying about them. That's a long file off that I have to pare that down to probably something like after dark oil drilling and Coke, but you know

a huge thank you to one of today's sponsors, G voc glucagon, find out more about Chivo Capo pen at G Vogue glucagon.com forward slash juicebox. You spell that g v o OKEGLUC. Ag o n.com. Forward slash juicebox. I also want to thank Dexcom, makers of the Dexcom G six and Dexcom G seven continuous glucose monitoring systems, please get yours at my link dexcom.com forward slash juice box and of course the today's guest Ashton for telling this incredible story. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast. If you're looking for a community around your diabetes, check out the Facebook group Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes, it's a private group. It's absolutely free. I think it has like 37,000 members. It's incredibly active, very helpful. And it doesn't matter if you have type one, type two or whatever. There's every kind of diabetic and person using insulin and parent of somebody you can imagine there to great group Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes, absolutely free on Facebook. If you're enjoying the show, please share it with someone else who you think might also enjoy it. And please subscribe or follow in an audio app like Apple podcast, Spotify, Amazon music or something like that.

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#890 Best of Juicebox: Dexcom Calibration Practices

Originally aired on Sept 4, 2020. Jenny, Scott and the members of the Juicebox Podcast Facebook group compare their calibration ideas. Come along as we compare the Dexcom calibration practices of many people living with type 1 diabetes.

You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon Music - Google Play/Android - iHeart Radio -  Radio Public, Amazon Alexa or wherever they get audio.

+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends and welcome to episode 890 of the Juicebox Podcast

Welcome back everyone to the best of the Juicebox Podcast series. Today we're going to revisit episode 375 Dexcom calibration practices. This episode originally aired on September 4 2020. And it features Jenny Smith and I talking about when we calibrate our Dexcom G sixes. It's still something I see people ask every day. So here it is. While you're listening today, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. Are you a US resident who has type one or the caregiver of someone with type one, please go to T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. Join the registry complete the survey. When you complete that survey. You are helping type one diabetes research to move forward right from your sofa. You also might be helping out yourself and you're supporting the podcast T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by cozy earth. Now you can get 35% off your entire order at cozy earth.com Just by using the offer code juice box at checkout. I am wearing cozy Earth joggers and a sweatshirt right now these joggers are like the best and our sheets are super duper super, super cool. And silky and soft. Also from cozy Earth. Cozy earth.com use the offer code juice box to save 35% My daughter Arden began wearing the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump on February 4 2009. That was 5093 days ago. Were another way to think of it 1697 pods ago. At that time she was four years old. Hang out with me for a moment while I tell you more about the Omni pod Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. Today Arden is 18 and still wearing Omni pod back then there was one choice just one pod but today you have a decision to make. Do you want the Omni pod five, the first and only tubeless automated insulin delivery system to integrate with the Dexcom G six because if you do, it's available right now for people with type one diabetes ages two years and older. The Omni pod five is an algorithm based pump that features smart adjust technology. That means that the Omni pod five is adjusting insulin delivery based on your customized target glucose that's helping you to protect against high and low blood sugars, both day and night. Automatically. Both the Omni pod five and the Omni pod dash are waterproof, you can wear them while you're playing sports swimming in the shower, the bathtub, anywhere really. That kind of freedom. Coupled with tubeless a tubeless pump, you understand it's not connected to anything. The controller is not connected to the pod, the pod is not connected to anything, you're wearing it on the body tube lessly no tubing to get caught on doorknobs or anywhere else that tubing with those other insulin pumps can get caught Omni pod.com forward slash juice box that's where you go to find out more, you may be eligible for a free 30 day trial of the Omni pod dash. You should check that out too, when you get to my link Omni pod.com forward slash juicebox. So if you're looking for an insulin pump that is tubeless waterproof, and automated. You're looking for the Omni pod five, if you want to do it on your own, or you're not looking for the automation, Omni pod dash for full safety risk information and free trial Terms and Conditions. Please also visit omnipod.com forward slash juicebox.

fellow friends and welcome to episode 375 of the Juicebox Podcast. On today's show, Jenny Smith and I will discuss different ideas around calibrating continuous glucose monitors. My perspective of course will come from the Dexcom G six because that's what Arden uses. Jenny also wears the G six but she has worn the Medtronic CGM and many of you have added your thoughts to this episode through the private Facebook group. For the podcast I asked this quite Question Hey, calibrating your CGM, yes or no. And we got a lot of answers. They're all woven into this episode. At the end, I will read directly to you from Dex coms website. And of course while you're listening, I'd love it. If you'd remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please Always consult a physician before making changes to your health care plan. We're becoming bold with insulin. I also took a few minutes from the conversation while Jenny was setting up her microphone and everything and she was admitting to not being able to do something around her house and I put it at the end of the episode so you can enjoy it. Jenny is delightful. You want to know something else about Jenny. You can hire her just go to integrated diabetes.com. Jenny Smith has been living with type one diabetes for 31 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Nutrition and biology from the University of Wisconsin. She is a registered and licensed dietitian, a certified diabetes educator and certified trainer on most makes and models of insulin pumps, and continuous glucose monitors. She is also a very good friend of the podcast. So check her out. And while you're looking, check out the Contour Next One blood glucose meter go to contour next one.com Ford slash juice box to find what I believe to be the greatest blood glucose meter available. Second Chance test strips. Super bright light for nighttime viewing. It fits easily in your hand, but doesn't slip away. Well, if that makes sense or not. But it's easy to hold. You don't drop it. I like the shape. I like how portable it is. I can find it in a bag at night without the lights on. I've never told you that before but it's easy to find in a bag. And it's testing ability is just first class. Contour next.com forward slash juice box are the links in your show notes are the ones available at juicebox podcast.com. If you have time I'd also loved if you check out touched by type one.org and T one D exchange.org. Ford slash juice box touched by type one is my favorite diabetes organization. And T one D exchange. They're doing research to help people living with type one diabetes. And every one of you that completes the research. You just need to be from the United States have type one diabetes, or be the guardian or parent of someone with type one diabetes. Anyway, when you finish the research, the podcast gets a little help you don't I mean a little cha ching, and you're helping people live better with type one diabetes. It's a great organization 100% HIPAA compliant, absolutely anonymous. You can take your information out at any time, just tell them look, I don't want to be a part of this anymore. If you want to write so there's no pressure, you'll never have to go to a doctor's office never have to go to a testing site. And once a year, they'll ask you a couple of questions to keep your information updated. And your answers help shape type one diabetes care. It's pretty cool. Being Arden's parent, I was able to fill out the survey, it took me less than 10 minutes. And I did not find any of the questions to be like I was I was never like, oh god, why they asked me that was all very pretty simple actually. was easy to do. I think we're going to record an episode today that has the opportunity to be very controversial. Oh, great, but not in a way that I think I don't think it's gonna get us in too much trouble. So I this is gonna sound crazy, right? But I want to talk about how you manage your G six. As far as calibrating we're not calibrating it goes. And I asked online and got 77 replies. I just said to people

Jennifer Smith, CDE 8:53
and are all they are they're all different.

Scott Benner 8:55
Oh my god, all of them are so different. So it says I said Dexcom calibration thread share what works for you. And I did say your tips may be used in an upcoming episode of the podcast. So first, I guess we'll talk about what we do and then we'll dig through all of this now for clarity right that I mean Dexcom you know their I guess their public statement is that the Dexcom G six does not need to be calibrated.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 9:25
It doesn't need to be unless it's unless the system asks for a calibration Okay, in my year and a half of use of G six now I've I think I've seen it asked for a calibration maybe twice on its own like you know, like a this is not right or I think one of them might have been you're not right I'm gonna give you a calibration then the system was like no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to ask for calibration again in like 30 minutes or something. I think what kind of did that Yeah, technically G six isn't supposed to require a calibration through the whole 10 days of life, right? Unless it requests

Scott Benner 10:09
one. Okay. All right. So there's a whole bunch of information on the website about it. I'll probably read it at the end, just so that it's in here. By the way, keep in mind, I did not tell Dexcom I was making this, I don't do that. So I didn't, I wasn't like, we're gonna do a calibration episode. It's just something people talk about all the time. And every time someone talks about it, it's like religion or politics. Do you know what I mean? Like, someone will come in and say, well, here's what I do. And 30 people be like, that's wrong. Don't do that. I was like, wow, everyone has such feelings about this, you know? Yes. So obviously, I think whatever works for you is what works for you. But Jenny, do you do you have like a, like a way like, when you start a new sensors, or a thing you do?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 10:55
You just start a new sensor. I pop it in, I expect. It's funny. I, I see a lot of people you know, work with a lot of people are like, it always kind of like you just said it is always low for a one hour for five hours, six hours after I started up, I know that it's just going to read me low. And whatever. I'm kind of, I think I'm sort of odd in that. Sometimes when it gets going. It is spot on. And I always do a finger stick because I always want to verify where it is. That's just my habit. Yeah. Sometimes it stays completely reliable. From the get go. It's great, right? Sometimes it's a little bit off. But then as it kind of keeps going. It gets right on with a finger stick. Yeah. And sometimes it has that weird. Low. The fun thing about that low is, it always seems to be if I have to change the sensor at night. It's gonna be low. And then I'm gonna be fighting the annoying alerts. All night

Scott Benner 12:08
long. All right. Okay. So is the time that I can relate to what you're saying. I might take a detour for a second here. But before I do your, uh, your your spotty on your end. You plugged in the Ethernet, right?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 12:22
I did plug it in. Yeah. All right.

Scott Benner 12:24
Make that mic a little closer to you, please. So I better i Yes, I do think that. What's that old cartoon with a round head? And do you know what I mean? It's like, if something's gonna go wrong, it will and it's attributed. How is it possible? I can't remember Murphy's Law. Okay, was it a cartoon?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 12:46
cartoon? I think it's actually, I don't know that it's necessarily a is maybe it is a cartoon. I don't know. What am I kidding? No, no, it's like rule of thumb.

Scott Benner 12:55
My thinking of I think I may have had a mini stroke just now because I don't think there's any cartoon associated with Murphy's Law. Okay, let's get away from that thought. I

Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:04
think that this might also be the issue between my voice. I, well, it came with the mic. And I always try to be very protective of the mics. I always put the little Styrofoam thing she's

Scott Benner 13:20
talking Styrofoam between the microphone and her mouth when you throw that out. Please. No wonder you can't change that light bulb. Everything you said about the light bulbs thing in the episode now just

so yeah, so I said at the beginning, but just to reiterate, Arden CGM is usually go on. And then they read perfectly. And then sometime in the first hour, it just decides that she's low, like, you know, way lower than she is. And if you let it ride out, it comes back up. Now

Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:56
hit a particular time. Do you have like a defined time that usually

Scott Benner 14:00
Yeah, I think in like, if I don't see it in like three or four hours, then here I go. I calibrate it. If it's not that now I don't calibrate low to 90. Right. So we'll talk about that. Like you can confuse the CGM. If the reality is, if the reality is too far from where the CGM thinks it is. Right? You can't calibrate it because it just goes does not compute and you know it, you fry its mind. And it takes forever for it to come back from that. But know if she's, if she's 100. And for clarity, too, I think this makes sense to say obviously, we're using the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. If you have like an old Genki blood glucose meter, you know, the G six is probably way more reliable than your old meter is right but I'm very comfortable that this meter is is pretty spot on. And so if the meter tells me she's 100 But it says she's 60 Well, then that's too far apart, obviously. And so I'll calibrate it, but I'll tell it like she's 75 and kind of coax it up, and then test her again a little while later and coax it the rest of the way. So that's one of the ways I sort of, if it's too far apart, I calibrate but I don't you have no

Jennifer Smith, CDE 15:25
timeframe to calibration, coaxing kind of way, like you said, and if it gets up to par quicker, you probably don't calibrate again, or at all it does. Then you'll calibrate again. But that's not like a defined time period after that initial coaxing.

Scott Benner 15:43
Yeah, yeah, I don't have like, I don't have like a magic number to it, like, like everyone else does. Like, here's a person who said, over 50 Points off, I wait an hour for blood sugars to stabilize. And if it's still off, I pull it and get a replacement. Well, that seems aggressive. And I wouldn't do that. Because last night, like I said, Arden's sensor went on. Around seven, came online, around nine was great. Said she was low, around 10. She was in the shower, but I don't think that has anything to do with it. She gets out. It's wrong for a while. And then it just is right again. And then it just shuts off for like, two hours. It's what last night was that was last night was an uncommon occurrence for us, we don't usually lose a signal during it. But as it came back on, I calibrated it probably two times overnight. And then it's now it's it's beautiful. Like if I use this person's theory, I would have pulled it off. And I knew not to pull it off less than I was like, No, this one's going to come around. Right? You know, and it did. Tina says that I calibrate if it's way off after warm up. But only if it's a stable arrow. I didn't do it once and waited for it to catch up and that sensor ended up being not good. So there's so much anecdotal conversation in this thread. Everybody knows, I bet you if Dexcom was here, they would just tell you like, Don't calibrate it. It'll it'll figure it out. Right? But what do you do when it doesn't figure it out?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 17:29
Yeah, that's when people get frustrated like this. They're like, well, it's clearly not doing what I want it to do. I haven't calibrated so either I'm just frustrated enough to pull it off and start a new one up. Or they calibrate and then they calibrate and then they calibrate and then calibrate and you know, I think Dexcom in the first 24 hours tells you not to calibrate leave it alone, the system should write itself after that. If the system is off compared to finger stick, then if your glucose is less than 70, you can calibrate if there's more than a 30% difference between finger stick and CGM. If your glucose is more than 70, and finger stick to CGM is off by more than 30 points, then you can calibrate. Okay, so those are the rules of thumb that at least used to be a piece for Dexcom in terms of when they would say, okay, it's okay. Now to go ahead and calibrate. Yes, the system technically doesn't require them. But if it's this much off, you could calibrate because clearly, it's not keeping you where your finger sticks are. And again, I you know, the fact of using an accurate blood glucose monitor. That's huge. That's huge.

Scott Benner 18:52
You definitely can't use an old technology. Now. There's a Listen, I'll make this argument all day long. If you've got a 10 year old meter, and you've got a Dexcom G six, you trust the Dexcom G six, not the meter, and you don't tell the Dexcom who might really know that your blood sugar is 90 that Oh, no, no, it's not it's 120 This old busted up meter I have here says so you know, because then then you're then you're literally telling the CGM what you're really 120 and it's going no, we're not. We're 90. And that causes confusion. You know, the next person in here. So Stacy goes. Don't calibrate. Install the sensor. When the BG is most stable, like right before bed, stay hydrated. Learn what the trends are for you or your child because everyone is different. Thanks again for the pakoda it's not about that. But so her explanation is she doesn't like to put on a new sensor in a time of blood sugar turmoil, correct up or down or anything like that. Is that also something that helps do you think

Jennifer Smith, CDE 19:54
I would expect that it would help? Yes, I mean, I don't. My personal Do I pay attention to that? No. I mean, when my sensor dies, I replace it and I started up. But it for those who do have more issue with sensor accuracy from the get go, it could be a very good rule of thumb because it used to be, I mean eons ago, when sensors first came out, that was the rule with the calibrations, make sure that you have a stable horizontal line or a horizontal arrow. Or there's there's not a very large rate of change happening, so that the system can kind of get on par with what it's sensing in a more stable setting.

Scott Benner 20:38
That to me makes sense. Because if you're rising quickly, and at the moment, you're 71, and you tell the thing, you're 71, it's aware that you're rising your meters not. And so by the time you put the number in, you might be 80. And then that's also well, so. So it's interesting here, because the next Lisa comes in and says, in these books, these two people are parents, it's interesting the difference between parents and maybe this is where we really give parents and people with type one a little extra, because you know, they're paying attention a little extra, right? Like you just said, like, I'll put my damn thing on whenever I need to. And that's the end of it. But Lisa said new sensor inserted and warm during stable time, she says the same thing. And then she says when it works for her stay hydrated, avoid rapid blood glucose changes during the warmup. And the first hours. For example, that looks like they exercise physical exercise be suspicious of unexpected values in the first evening, I 100%. Believe in that I you know, first day of a Dexcom. If I don't trust what I'm seeing I check, right. She says she gives a little rule of thumb here. If way off from a finger stick and a flat arrow. I calibrate a value in between but never more than too many miles. Or 36. Oh, she's from? Oh, yeah, at least I think is Australian at a time. Normally given one, the sensor gets a brain normally given one a sensor gets around. I don't know what she means by that. But so that's it for her right? It's way off from a finger stick. And you have a flat our all calibrated value in between but never more than the 36 points off for Americans. So I think what she's saying is, if the if the things that if the sensor says she's 100. And the meter says she's 136 She picks a midpoint and tells it oh, I'm really 118. That's what I say

Jennifer Smith, CDE 22:33
sounds like yeah, that sounds like what you're doing

Scott Benner 22:35
to coaxing it towards the truth. Right? Yeah. It's like the first hour of interrogation after you've been arrested. We don't go right. We don't go right for the for the idea that we start off with. So are you there?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 22:50
I do have to say, you know, I guess I didn't, I guess I didn't really think about it in in terms. Maybe subconsciously. I was thinking about it. But in terms of like the comment about starting a new sensor before exercise, I don't do that. Okay. I will, I guess, again, subconscious level, I will start it when I'm not going to be moving so that things are moving quicker. I just do finger sticks. If I have a sensor that dies before I plan to go out, I just do some finger sticks and go about my exercise plan.

Scott Benner 23:25
Yeah, well, we, you know, we've run into situations before where we're, you know, throwing on new equipment. Honestly, whether it's a pump or a CGM, and we're running out of the house or Arden's leaving, but we're going to split up. And I think I must always say, hey, look, that's a new pump. So, you know, let's be extra careful. That's a new CGM. Pay attention to how you feel you should probably test in an hour. Right? You know, I think we all have feelings around technology, like, you know, a continuous glucose monitor, or even an insulin pump site isn't a television, it's not just like it works. This thing should do exactly what it's supposed to do every time this. There's also a dance it's doing with your physiology. And that's different for many, many of us, and not always repeatable in the same ways. So,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 24:17
right, like, I think there are some people to someone who is a very true listener to your podcasts, who I've been working with for a bit and he actually wears two sensors, he wears G six, and he wears a libre, at the same time interesting. And, you know, a piece of it is the benefit with the pumping system that he uses when it's when he has a new sensor. He wants to be able to continue to feed glucose values to the system in order to keep it running right and doing what it's supposed to do. So he uses the libre data then to plug in the glucose values in order to not have to do finger sticks in that time period. I'd like to be able to still give it glucose values, which I think is, you know, if you're not, if you don't really care about wearing more robotic parts, that's a great idea, you know, those time periods too, and I've had them. G six for me has been kind of funny I have, I would say I have really good accuracy with it. But by about day eight on 90% of my sensors thus far, day eight, I start to get sensor error, wait three hours, and then it'll come back. And I'll get a little data and then it'll give me another sensor error, wait three hours. And at this point, if I get it twice, on day eight, I'm like, kaput, the air the sensors done, I take off, I call it in Dexcom is great. They've send me new ones. They always ask the same darn questions. I'm like, I don't know why it's dying on day eight for me, but it is. So. But I mean, in terms of units, and just the time periods when you get those errors, having a backup, like wearing a libre, which again, also doesn't require any calibration, kind of can give you a back up in terms of your initial system

Scott Benner 26:08
overlap it, you're

Jennifer Smith, CDE 26:09
right, it's a little overlap.

Scott Benner 26:11
Well, you know, and we do testing in that time, like I, I don't I agree with you, when when I see people who are like, Oh my god, the worst time in my life is the two hour warm up when I don't have Dexcom. Right. And I think those people must be newer to diabetes, or to decks or in general, because I've never once thought, Oh, my God, we've lost the CGM for two hours like this thing. Like last night it you know, it, um, it lasted the full 10 days, like right up till to the hard stop. And it wasn't a problem once during the thing. And then the next two hours, I just hold our nose, like they get an hour, just test. And if you need insulin, give it to yourself, like, you know, the way we did it for years and years and years before this technology exists.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 26:55
I feel like that's probably the case. And it's, I sort of have, I compare it to kind of being like, you're on the mothership, and all of a sudden, you get like, spit out the back door, and now you're like, Lost in Space? Where am I traveling to? What's going on? I mean, quite honestly. fingerstick I mean, it's I know that and for many parents, I think it's hard when you've gotten so used to a system that you feel like you're saving your little ones fingers. Yeah, you know what? They're going to be okay. It'll be alright, if you stick their finger, you know, they'll be okay. If you get information that's going to help in the short term,

Scott Benner 27:37
right? I'm helping a person right now. And I said, Hey, why don't you check with the meter, and they have the contour. So I was like, I'm pretty comfortable with this. And they responded back and we're like, we don't we didn't ever test. And I said you probably should have a little bit. And you know, and so and now is one of those questions. Why do you want me to test right now? I said, because we're about to do something. And I want to be 100% sure we're doing the right thing. And I don't know you. And you know, I don't know when you put the CGM on, I don't know how you've managed it. Like I just want. I want a little peace of mind here. Right? Don't take your peace of mind from an old meter. But you know, at the same time, okay, ready? What do we have here? Dana's got some solid advice. I think I've probably calibrated every sensor a few times, but it has to be a flat arrow. I use decks, comps for trends, and a finger pick through a finger poke throughout the day. So if it's consistently off by 10, or 20 points, over two and three or two or three checks, then I'll calibrate. So if she's off by more like between 10 and 20 points, two or three times, then she brings the CGM back. I have to admit, I would do that too. I don't know that, that she's saying she does it consistently through every sensor. We don't do that. But if I saw that, I agree I would do it. You know, and Arden's a one see very closely matches her Dexcom data. Right, so I'm comfortable that I'm doing the right thing.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 29:11
Yeah, mine does too. And that's a lot of people do some comparison. I mean, I'll usually get emails from people and they're like, Well, my my GMI from tax calm was telling me this, but my agency came back at this what's what is the deal? You know, and I know that we've talked about that before on a couple of other episodes, but I mean, you have to understand the difference you know, blood glucose versus interstitial glucose, a little bit of variance there. Could be I myself also have very good comparison between the Dexcom average and my actual Awan See, they're they're close. I think that the last one was within like, one point or point one.

Scott Benner 29:54
Well, that is that is definitely how I, in the end, assess whether or not I I'm managing that sensor Well, right. And it's funny too, because, you know, back in the day when people were rampid for information back when information used to go really slow, like a new CGM, you know, the G five would come out and people right away is I get the notes. Scott doesn't work review it, Bob a lot. I'm like, I'm not going to know for three months. Like, why do you?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 30:20
What are you talking about? Ask me two days after, right?

Scott Benner 30:23
Here's how we'll know three months from now I'll look at Arden's data. Somebody sent me an email and said, Please say data for me. So I'll look at Arden's data. And then I'll look at her agency. And if they match, I'll say Hmm, that CGM must have been pretty good. Because there's no other way to tell. And so I do think that this is kind of crazy, because it's user error. A lot of the times right and not error, like, oh, you screwed up, I think, Oh, you don't know how, which is why I want to put this this episode together. Because it just it is like sometimes this thing needs a little massaging. Chelsea said, we calibrate only if the arrow is stable. Usually first thing in the morning, and before I go to bed, keep hydrated. Never calibrate when there is no arrow? Because she believes rackets that means the sensor is confused in general, right?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 31:19
Correct. That means the sensor is it's still giving you data, but it's it's making sure like all of its little algorithm, whatever it's doing internally there, it's not giving you an error, an arrow of direction, because it's seeing a glucose value. But there's there's make sense for them. Yeah, it's kind of confused, I guess. Yeah.

Scott Benner 31:41
She goes on to say try to calibrate when food or rapid insulin is on board. And some people say this is her gleaming I think what other people said to her that works for her, insert it let it marinate overnight and then calibrate in the morning and in fairness, Jeanette came in and said this and put arrows to it. Like she was like, I completely agree with this one. Next person says we rarely calibrate. We know that the de Dexcom will oftentimes be off a bit in the first 12 hours. If you do calibrate, do so when numbers are stable and not dropping increasing quickly. Right? Yeah, see people are starting to hear

Jennifer Smith, CDE 32:21
idea is not, it's not I guess, proprietary to Dexcom. A lot of people with Medtronic do exactly that as well, because of I think their sensor has long term been a little bit more wonky, kind of in the get go kind of stage. So there are a lot of people who even with the older Medtronic sensors would let it do that, like marination, they'd sort of inserted at night, they'd start it up first thing in the morning, still get another two hours of wait time period, but it was enough that they got rid of that sink in period.

Scott Benner 32:57
Have you ever seen people put a sensor on but and then cover it? Yeah. And not not at all, like put a transmitter in it or anything like that. I've seen people do that. In fact, I've

Jennifer Smith, CDE 33:09
had a couple of parents who do that with their kids kind of this marinate idea. They'll use that. Whatever it's called caveman. It's like the the sticky wrap. It doesn't really

Scott Benner 33:17
stick stick. Like if they give blood now they wrap it around your cotton, right? Yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 33:22
exactly. So what they'll do is they'll put the Dexcom on, not put anything in it like meaning like a transmitter. And then they just wrap that around, let it sit and then they started up when the actual old the old sensor dies.

Scott Benner 33:36
Because and Dexcom has been on and in the past obviously a lot and they've they've you know, I've been told more than once. Right? There's this there's this wire that goes in and it needs time to I mean, let's say acclimate to the interstitial fluid get wet. Yeah, I think it's soaking in right I think is the idea. It's I guess it's like, you know, it's it's like taking a log and dipping it in water and pulling it back out right away. The logs not wet in the middle from that, but if you throw it in there for a few hours, it'll soak through. Gabriella, I only calibrate within plus or minus 30% of Dexcom readings directionally towards my readings directionally towards my meter, I don't get into calibration loops as a result. Have you ever seen a calibration loop personally? Where it asks you to calibrate you calibrate and then it tells you to calibrate again?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 34:28
I have not not with G six. I have had that with G five. But again, not often either with that,

Scott Benner 34:34
I think I've seen it. I honestly have to say maybe twice. And we've gotten out of both of them by being persistent and and doing it. Here's a question for you. Let's say you calibrate and let's I'm gonna try to make up a number here. So let's just say your blood sugar's really 90. The Dexcom says Is your 120 and you put in 90, and it says 110. You know, if you put in 90 Again, it will agree with you, right?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 35:11
It did not done that a

Scott Benner 35:13
double calibration on close numbers, forces it to agree. Now, the question my head always is, does it stick then is that right to do? Or is it just making me feel better? And all I can say is that when I do that, things go okay afterwards, but I don't know if that's right or wrong. This is probably right, where I'm thinking right now people are listening. And they're just like, they're pulling their hair out and punching the dashboard of their car. And they're like, such bad information. Let's keep this in mind. I'm just telling you what I've done in the past. I'm not telling you to roll. I'm certainly not saying Dexcom says to do it. We're having a long conversation here about what other people do because it's such a varied thing. Don't do it if you don't like it, like, you know, or try it once and see what happens. I don't know. But I don't even know if the outcomes right or not. I do know that it makes me comfortable that you've

Jennifer Smith, CDE 36:07
done it a couple of times. So it's Yeah, seems like it works when you've done it.

Scott Benner 36:12
Well I've done it enough to say it out loud and let my voice be recorded while I'm doing it. Yeah, I willy nilly on here yelling about diabetes stuff.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 36:19
Right? Right. Yeah, I I've never tried that. I guess the next time that I feel like it warrants a give it a whirl. See what happens. Mike, give that a whirl and see how that works out especially at two o'clock in the morning. I'm like, I'm not Oh.

Scott Benner 36:36
Elena says I don't calibrate I find that calibrating leads to far more inaccuracy than just letting it go. With that said, I do think the first 24 hours or so of a new sensor can be rough. And it eventually works itself out. Tarot, we check on the first day. If it is 20 Points off. We calibrate. And if it helps, and if it helps it not to be so wonky that day. Any other time we spot check it, it's right on. That'll stop it. She's saying okay. Molly, I have never had to calibrate. And when I test as long as my arrow is stable on my Dexcom they match within three to eight points. Wow.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 37:17
That's great. Oh, God, I think you know, and I think a big piece of this too, which has now been commented a couple of times by people is hydration. That is a and I know we've talked about it before I've mentioned it before that is just enormously important. And I think especially for for kids, little kids who you kind of have to coax them to drink more, right? And remind them I mean, kids without diabetes, I don't even think parents pay attention, honestly, to how much their kid is drinking through the course of the day. But kids with diabetes, certainly, especially with the fluxes that they have in their blood sugar. Hydration is huge. And then you've got kids who are very into sport. I mean, they might be doing something for four hours, you know, four times a week. Make sure they're drinking. Yeah, absolutely. So but for sensor specific, though hydration is so important.

Scott Benner 38:17
Well, you know, your point is well taken because today in the in the private Facebook group for the podcast it somebody asked about their creatine been been creatine or something like that, like yeah, they're

Jennifer Smith, CDE 38:29
creatine been is. Yeah, blood urea nitrogen is what it stands. Thank

Scott Benner 38:33
you, Jenny. And everyone who came in who had any kind of a medical background was like, Look, if I was you, I would just make sure I'm hydrated. You know, Natasha says, we used to try to calibrate after the first 24 hours if Dex was still over 20% off for the last sensor change. We did a pre soak Oh, see that? The new sensor, they soak their sensor overnight, and then snapped in the transmitter in the morning. And it worked without calibrating the x was very close to the Contour. Next One, thank you for the plug once the 24 hours past nice X was also less jumpy during the 24 hours. And

Jennifer Smith, CDE 39:11
I've seen that too. That's actually an interesting comment. You know, with G six, the the system has smoothed the data, right? So you get this smoother trendline with less jagged down, but a lot of people have questioned in that first like Let's even say 12 hours. Some people do get that like that little object where you can see that the numbers those little dots every five minutes they are more up down up down versus this nice smooth into each other. So that's interesting that somebody kind of commented on that.

Scott Benner 39:50
Well someone comes in and asks Do you can you explain pre soaking and she Natasha went on and said before the current sensor expires, apply the new sensor but not but do not move the transmitter. So the type, so the type one will still be wearing two sensors one active one inactive for a period of time, this gives the new sensor a chance to acclimate for longer than the standard two hour warm up period. If you do this, be sure to cover the new sensor to protect the delicate electronics. We use a band aid Oh, a band aid i Yeah, this is completely off label. Obviously, most of our base of the podcast is off label right?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 40:25
I would expect that a band aid that's one of those like larger band aids would probably be the better option just to really protect that internal part of the sensor. Because you know, the funny thing about G six, and I didn't realize it initially after I started to wear it, but G six has this like sticky stuff. Like inside. And when you remove your transmitter, you can see it on there. And that's why you have to clean the transmitter off every time you take it off. Does

Scott Benner 40:53
it remind you of like petroleum jelly or something? I don't know what it is, though.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 40:56
Yeah, it's like Carmex or like, you know, like, yeah, like petroleum jelly gynae.

Scott Benner 41:03
I, I definitely know what you're talking about. Yeah, it. Listen, Linda, we never calibrate. And I have to say to their sensors for weeks in a row that we don't calibrate. Like, I don't need most like, this is interesting to do. But I'm not a person who's in a position of saying, Oh, wow, we really need to figure out what works. Because what works for us is, you know, like,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 41:28
do what works for you. And you might have censored a sensor that one. One, I guess, idea of what to do with this particular issue. It could be different three months down the road when you've got another sensor.

Scott Benner 41:42
Oh, can you get sorry?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 41:45
I thought I had it turned off. But yeah, it might be three months down the road that it's a completely different calibration need, right that you do something completely different this time versus the last time that you needed to calibrate.

Scott Benner 42:00
Yeah, there's three people here, Irene, Jeanette, and Jolie. And they all say the same thing. Like, once in a while, like I put along that works great. But sometimes I get it where it asks me to calibrate twice after a warm up, even though it's not supposed like, have you seen that. And if

Jennifer Smith, CDE 42:14
I have and I didn't see that until Gosh, a cup, maybe it was the beginning of this summer that I put a sensor on. I gave it the code and accepted the code. And after the two hours, it was like, You need to calibrate with it with two finger sticks. And I was like, but I fed you a code and then it I believe it's every 24 hours then if it didn't, for some reason register the code even though it told you you did, you'll get the two hour warm up two finger stick and after that once a day, you'll get a request for another calibration every 24 hours with a new sensor.

Scott Benner 42:48
Okay, how amazing is all this by the way for it? Listen, for those of you who have walked into diabetes during the time of glucose monitoring, you're probably thinking, you know, oh, that sounds like a problem. And for anyone, Jenny or me with Arden, who were around before this, I think this is all like astonishingly amazing and just magical. You know? Danielle, we rarely check with a finger poke. We only check when we are surprised by what Dexcom is telling us. I think that's important to remember. That is exactly how I feel about it. It's that like when I don't know how to I don't know how I know. But when I don't trust it, I don't trust it. And right, you get that over time. I think

Jennifer Smith, CDE 43:30
it's kind of like with the ones that as you said they start up and it just reads like ello W Yeah, your low your blood sugar is like 39 I'm like, Yeah, I don't feel 39 I know. I mean, I have you know symptoms, thankfully for low blood sugar still. And I would know a 39 I mean, I really would. And so I can be like yeah, that's totally wrong. I'm gonna do a finger stick and it's going to come back at like 78 or like maybe 90 or something you know. So symptoms are another piece to it as well if you are feeling very differently than what the CGM is telling you. Even if you haven't done a finger stick in three months. Yep, figure out where your glucometer is.

Scott Benner 44:10
Go find that first. Megan says I don't calibrate if it's an accurate we go off finger sticks. Excuse me, why can't I say finger sticks until Dexcom becomes accurate? My daughter has been wearing Dexcom for two years. I only calibrate if it's off by more than 50 points which is rare. And I only calibrate when the the error was level was he says I've never calibrated a Dexcom CGM. Wow, yeah.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 44:40
That's amazing. Yeah. Must have been must be somebody then who's never been on G five because that required

Scott Benner 44:45
you to have calibration, right? Yeah.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 44:48
Although interestingly, I have had people who've worn GE five who have said they want it back calibrate. I just don't calibrate it. I've just let it and honestly the system will All, it will keep running unlike G four, and the previous, if you didn't calibrate it, it would just stop giving you information. G five would keep giving you data. Okay, it would keep asking for calibrations, but it wouldn't. It wouldn't stop giving you data. Well,

Scott Benner 45:16
you're right. You're 100%, right. Oh, I remember that too. Yeah. Okay. Sara in the morning with no carbs or insulin on board with a level arrow. So we're starting to see some similarities with people's answers that are that are repeating over

Jennifer Smith, CDE 45:31
I mean, I think if you could put it together in a simple, it would probably be one be hydrated, yep. To make sure that the glucose value is stable, or that you're in a stable time period, meaning you haven't eaten like the whole basket of like, chicken fries, and like ice cream, and now you're waiting for your sensor to give you good data. Right? Well,

Scott Benner 45:50
I'll tell you what, there's a couple of there's a couple of statements in here that really does shine a light on what anecdotal information is, because there's a person and they're even putting a laughy face in it, who says, I usually only need it during the first sensor session with a new transmitter. I feel like the new transmitter needs a few days to learn me, the transmitter has nothing to do with the measurement of your blood sugar. It's just sending the signal right to but even so that's it right? Like you see something over and over again. And if you misconstrue it, all of a sudden you feel like it's a roll. You know? It's like when people's likes Murphy's Law. Oh, that thing? Always. I love it. When people say this about diabetes, this stuff always goes wrong at the worst times. And to that I always respond, what would a good time be for it to go wrong? Right? Every time feels like a bad time. Exactly. Yeah. Going along and living your life and then all of a sudden, something you're counting on stops working. There's a good time for that.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 46:53
You're always stinks no matter if it's two o'clock in the morning or when you're on the beach vacation or your whatever, in the middle of a basketball tournament. It's never a good time.

Scott Benner 47:05
Jeff Brent and Jaya, I don't calibrate.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 47:11
If I'm curious for those who are not calibrating

Scott Benner 47:14
how close they're a once the match is there?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 47:17
I'd be curious about that. But I'd also be curious if they're also people that may not be doing finger sticks. So they may not really know if their sensor is really off. Yeah, I mean, because, you know, having had diabetes as long as I have. I didn't have sensors for a good majority of my life with diabetes. It didn't. And I mean, my first sensor was in 2006. That's when I first started using them. And so I was always, I still am, I still do finger sticks during the day, even if it's not to check my CGM. It's because it's time to eat. And I'm so programmed. I'm just programmed to do a finger stick, I can do a finger stick when I wake up in the morning, I do a finger stick at lunchtime. I do a finger stick at dinnertime. I always do it before I go to bed. And I'll even do more than that during the day with exercise, right? And I just it's just a routine. It's like brushing my teeth. It's not something I think about anymore. So I think that I'm also a little bit more in tune then with Oh, my CGM is reading this. My finger stick was this, you know, and for those who pump especially if you're relying on the CGM, but you've not really been doing finger sticks, and you're kind of wondering Why will my GMI from Dexcom is telling me this is my average. But every time I get my a one C done, Gosh, it looks like I'm a lot higher. Yeah, well, it. It could just be that CGM just isn't reading you, as accurately. Do you remember

Scott Benner 48:53
a long time ago in the original Omni pod? PDM. There was the meter. Yeah. And that the meter wasn't it wasn't great. And so that's how I figured it out. Right. So how did I figure out the meter wasn't great, because Ardens a one C kept coming back higher than it should and it didn't matter. This is before CGM. And it didn't match what the finger sticks. Were telling me. And that's when

Jennifer Smith, CDE 49:20
I figure out how to play with the kalam Yeah, then you change

Scott Benner 49:22
the calibration code and the meter works better. And so I used to it was 17 or 18 Right? All the all the test strips for the Omnipod PDM are code 1616 And some people change the meter to code 17 And some people change the meter to code 18 depending on which ends up being more accurate for them. We were 18 I know a lot of people were 17 Yes, I was 18 Yes. And then Ardens a once he started matching my expectations just like that, so you can be mad about it if you want but at this point now that meters a decade old, and you know and so the people were like I can't believe that the new dash doesn't have a meter on it. You You don't want a meter in your technology because the meter keeps getting older. All of our new technology now is updatable, right? It's like your iPhone, you want to put a new operating system on it, you can a new app. But if you stick a physical piece of equipment into it like a meter, now suddenly you're stuck with that meter forever. And that's, that's I don't think that's a good play. And I think that's why if I had to guess why on the pod took it out, I think that's one of the reasons. It could be. Yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 50:29
I mean, it's also the reason I think that they've decided, you know, now when you get Omnipod, the dash system, you get the Contour. Next One, right.

Scott Benner 50:37
And the PDM is now really just sort of like a lockdown Android device. Right? Right, exactly. But it's it. But the point is, is that I saw that as far as moving on, I kept thinking like, Oh, my God, this meters Old, old, old, and I felt tied to it at that point. You know, I am. I hate to say this, but I am so much more happy with the Contour Next One than I was with the PDM meter. Back in the day, I'm thrilled with it. And I think that to people listening probably were like, Oh, my God, Scott's taking a meter ad. We know he uses Dexcom, he probably doesn't even use a meter, we use a meter every time we need a meter. And it's a lot more than you think it is. And it's not because Dexcom is not great. It's for the reasons Jenny just said. So I was actually kind of

Jennifer Smith, CDE 51:21
curious, you know, I my insurance doesn't cover the Contour. Next One I wish it did. It covers the accucheck Guide me, which is another very similar to the contour its accuracy kind of parallels, right. But the interesting thing is, I do have a Contour Next One. And I had like the sample bottle of test strips that kind of comes with it. And so I played once I got my accucheck I was like, I'm just curious. And they were pretty spot on with each other, quite honestly, which was nice to see. But also then went back to my old school PDM and my freestyle light test strips and and I figured out that actually that code 18 is the one if it was the code 18 It was within like two to five points of the Contour. Next One, the accucheck. Yep. So that's old school as it is. Code. I

Scott Benner 52:11
know. I know. That doesn't make sense to a lot of people. But code 18 for code 16 strips in the old PDM perfect for Arden was the way to go. You know what's interesting here, here, I have three people in a row who I know are not old school diabetes people but been added a long time right people whose comments that I'll pay attention to when I see them roll by Jen, a big note a calibration, Shawn, personally, I would never use the G six without calibrating. And then the third person reads as we calibrate if readings are off by more than 20%. But it doesn't happen that often. These are three people whose opinion, I think are probably pretty good. And they said three different things.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 52:52
And they all do it differently. And I think it's also kind of as I commented earlier about mice a good number of my sensors, like just being done on day eight. I think it goes back to the the truth in that the sensor filament interacts with everybody's body system, body tissue, interstitial fluid, whatever you're going to call it a bit differently. I think that's the reason some sensor systems work beautifully for some people, and not so beautiful. For others. I've got friends who love their Medtronic sensors get really awesome accuracy finger stick CGM. It's always on they don't have any problems with their systems. I could not get that thing to work for me. For the life of me and I wore both my sensors. I wore Medtronic and Dexcom. And it just never want to work

Scott Benner 53:45
for as good. You know, here's another name that I Kristen who I know. And she says I've never calibrated I do not believe my blood. Here's why. I do not believe my blood glucose meter to be more accurate than my Dexcom. So she just doesn't have probably that she can confidence in her meter. And some people don't think about that. They're just like, yeah, I checked it. So the meter the meter is like God, you know, the meter said, so the meters right? Well, you know, some of those meters. If you've seen the testing, I brought it up recently on an episode. There's I think the last one was like 2018, right? And it kind of ranked them only like six meters even ranked in like I would use this if I was you. All the other ones were like don't buy this meter. Right. The variance was way off. Yeah, right. Well, okay, we're out of time, aren't we? Because we're also at the end of the list, and I only had you for an hour today. So I actually got down to the list. There's people's I'm sorry, I skipped some that obviously were repetitive. But yeah, like Jenny said in the middle. I think that what works for you is important that checking with a quality meter is important. And it seems that you know the consensus seems to be if you're going to calibrate make sure you're high hydrated at a stable blood sugar before exercise, no active insulin, that kind of stuff. So the thing has a chance to

Jennifer Smith, CDE 55:09
get a lead correctly from the beginning. Yeah.

Scott Benner 55:12
I wonder if we'll get yelled out about this? I don't think so. We were very clear. Yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 55:17
I don't think I mean, it's not like we're saying, This is what you should definitely be doing. 100% to make. I mean, that's not this is not medical advice. This is just discussion.

Scott Benner 55:26
Jennifer, this is a work culture. Okay, if you say something out loud that somebody doesn't agree with. You're trying to ruin the world, don't you understand? All right. Listen, I want to wish you a lot of luck changing your light bulb. And I really wish I knew your husband, because I would go behind your back and tell him that you don't change.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 55:46
Like I will, he will laugh at me. He'll be like, Who do you see this little like thing on the side? This is very, like, pull it off. And so I'm like, scouring.

Scott Benner 55:54
Well, listen, I'm gonna help you for a little bit before you go. He's get up on a ladder and look around the ridge at the ceiling to see if there's little set screws that are holding the whole thing

Jennifer Smith, CDE 56:03
or not. There are no screws, there's nothing. So then it's

Scott Benner 56:07
got to be. Did you twist it for? I don't want you to twist it out of the ceiling.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 56:12
Yeah, I twisted the glass part of it, which is would be the next option. Because I've seen the glass bulbs that just twist off, right? This one is either really screwed in unbelievably tight, which I guess might be the case. Or maybe I'm just too worried to try to unscrew it or like, heavier because I don't want it to crack in my hand. Here are my

Scott Benner 56:32
two thoughts. When you're trying to turn it is the base the metal base turning with it? No. Okay. So maybe you have I don't think you have to turn the base. But what I am thinking is, is it possible that it's a reverse

Jennifer Smith, CDE 56:45
thread? Oh, counterclockwise?

Scott Benner 56:49
Do you have to turn it the other way opposite. I wish you had enough time I would like to make you go up right now and turn it and see if it comes off. But instead I will just wait for your text message later. And

Jennifer Smith, CDE 56:58
I will let you know whether I required help to change the light bulb or not.

Scott Benner 57:02
I 100% agree you shouldn't tell anybody about this. That's all. Yeah, all right. Well, thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it. Yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 57:09
absolutely. Have a good weekend. Okay, bye.

Scott Benner 57:14
Hey, everybody, Jenny's gone. I'm still here. We're gonna do everybody's favorite podcast thing I'm gonna read to you for a second this is from dexcom.com. In their frequently asked questions. The question is, is my Dexcom sensor accurate heading Dexcom G six continuous glucose monitoring system reading and meter value. Whether you're new to Dexcom, or experience, review product instructions before using the Dexcom G six. Keep using your blood glucose meter to make treatment decisions until you know how Dexcom works for you. Your meter gives you one number if you test twice, using the same or even different meter, it gives you another number and your Dexcom G six gives you a third. What do you do with all those numbers? Next heading is the test. The test your doctor does is considered a more accurate glucose number than any products you use at home. Both meters and Dexcom G six are compared to that doctors test to measure accuracy in clinical studies. They aren't compared to each other. Because of this, the Dexcom G sex reading and meter value are unlikely to be exactly the same number, but they should be close. Compare the meter and your Dexcom G six to see how closely the numbers match each other. If your G six reading and meter value are within what we call the 20 rule, also known as the 20% 20 rule, they match closely. Here's the rule. To use the 20 rule follow the steps using the table below my gosh there's a Table Lookup your meter value in the green middle column. The left G six column shows the low range for G six reading that okay, you're gonna have to go look at this yourself. I'll put a link in the show notes for this 2020 rule goes on to talk about good fingerstick practices. When you're using your meter. Make sure your test strips are stored as directed and not expired. Your hands are clean for finger sticks. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, not hand gel and dry them then test. There are times when the numbers temporarily don't match, but are likely to become closer over time. For example, the sensors first day. With newly inserted sensors the difference between your meter value and your G six reading may be greater. Generally the match gets closer over the first 24 hours. Glucose changes quickly. When your glucose is changing quickly. It is more difficult to compare numbers. The meter and Dexcom G six measure glucose from different sources. They are blood in interstitial fluid and blood glucose changes a little before interstitial fluid. The match gets closer and easier to compare. When your glucose stabilizes pressure on the sensor when something is pressing on your sensor it can affect 36 readings the match should get closer after the pressure is relieved. That of course is what people call a compression low. So everything they're saying here matches pretty much everything that we found talking to Jenny, my experiences and what everybody in the Facebook page was saying. To determine what to do watch a G six readings over several hours. If the readings are always higher or always lower than your meter values, and always outside of the 20 rule, consider calibrating. Also consider calibrating if your Dexcom G six and meter numbers don't match, and your expectations or symptoms fit the meter value, not the G six reading calibration. Calibrating your G six with your meter is never required, it can make the Dexcom G six more accurate or less accurate compared to lab results, but it should bring the G six reading closer to the meter. When calibrating make sure you enter the calibration within five minutes of taking the finger stick. You don't calibrate during a sensor error. If you like you can calculate the 20 rule on your own. The Dexcom G six reading must be within 20% of the meter value when the meter value is 80 MG DL or higher 20 MG dl of the meter value when the meter value is under 80. Please note that the information listed here is applicable to the Dexcom CGM user within the US only. I cannot just read you this link. Because it is it looks very maybe I can hold on one second. So it's dexcom.com forward slash FAQ s forward slash is dash my dash Dexcom dash sensor dash accurate. Like I said I'll put a link in the show notes huge thanks to the Contour Next One blood glucose meter for sponsoring this episode. Go to contour next one.com Ford slash juicebox To learn more, and thanks to touch by type one.org For being such a wonderful long term friend of the show. Check them out touched by type one.org. Of course if you'd like to get a Dexcom CGM dexcom.com forward slash juice box you can get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box take the survey AT T one D exchange.org forward slash juice box guys ready to hear Jenny admit the not being able to do something that I think she's kind of embarrassed about and some other chitter chatter. If you're looking for bonus material, I got you covered.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:02:44
I'm fed children I've gotten them changed. I've wiped but I have washed my hands and then I picked my tomato isn't my peppers from my garden and

Scott Benner 1:02:56
it was how did you get up? Six o'clock. Oh, so last night. That was seven o'clock your time. Last night. Last night as Arden's pump was winding down. I was like it'll make it overnight. Then her CGM and her CGM men, right. And we changed our CGM around seven o'clock and it was done. It lasted the entire, you know, 10 days. It was working great right when it shut off. And we hit like a little bit of a bleeder I was like, ah, that'll probably be okay. So it comes on in two hours. And Arden's CGM starts are all exactly the same. It comes on, knows her blood sugar perfectly. And within an hour tells me she's low and she's not. And then we we coax it along and get it going, and it's fine. So this happens. Around midnight, I go to sleep. And at 2am Kelly wakes me up and she goes, Hey, I need help we changed Arden's pump, because her blood sugar was going up. And her CGM has lost that signal. And I was like, Okay, no problem. I'll take care, but you go back to sleep. And I did take care of a Jenny. And then I went back to sleep at 6am. I was up for four hours in the middle of the night. And no, and it just, it would come back and it would go away and it would come back and it would go away. But I'm I know it's gonna be all right. And if this would have happened in the middle of the day, I want to be clear that this doesn't happen often. Does it just happen this time at a really bad time? But since it did happen, I know what I want to talk about today.

Speaker 2 1:04:43
Oh, great. And while we're doing that, I'm going to actually I've got like I have so many chords.

Unknown Speaker 1:04:52
What was going on? What

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:04:52
is the deal with chords?

Scott Benner 1:04:55
The room is cleaned up though it's different.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:04:57
Oh, oh because we are are putting in new floors. Oh, this room, no campus. This is the bigger of we put a new floors in our living room. They're like, we are purging our home of carpet.

Scott Benner 1:05:12
Okay, blah.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:05:16
So living room got done. Now we're moving on to the space that has been my office which interestingly has been, it's the bigger of the two like spare bedrooms, right? Okay. And so we're going to put new floors in here. And then we're going to put new floors in what is now the room that the boys technically share. Okay, we're gonna then transition rooms. I'm gonna take that room, which is actually the smaller they're gonna we're gonna move their stuff in this room and this is the bigger of soap.

Scott Benner 1:05:50
You're under. Well, listen, we your fun stuff. To me. I know there's nothing like being an adult is there? We just ordered a folding state floor for Arden's room. And she very Arden just picked this floor that wasn't very expensive. So we were like, okay, yeah, you can have she's like, Can I do this? And when she picked that one, we're like, yes, you can. And you absolutely can. But we're replacing we. It's funny, you said this we wanted to replace, we have hardwood through most of our house. So the kids bedrooms and this room, amen. is carpeted. And then our living room is carpeted. But everything else has Tyler or wood. And we wanted to make the living room, tile or wood or something. We weren't really sure what. Because the one one of the bonehead mistakes we made when we put the house together was we bought this carpeting and didn't realize and dog owners will know right away, you don't buy looped carpeting with a dog right. And we didn't know that our carpet cats or I think the over under on poles that I fixed in that carpet have to be in the 1000s you know, or sometimes the dog's leash or something gets caught on he runs away and just yanks out like six inches of carpet and I actually get back down on my hands knees with a hot glue gun and toothpicks and put each one back in again. Right.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:07:16
Hi, God, you have so much more time than me.

Scott Benner 1:07:18
Oh my god. The other option was the other option would have been to burn the house down. It was like right in the middle of the room. You know, like I was like we got to get out of here. It was just really bad. And so we can afford to put wood down or what we wanted to put down in there right now. So we just went out and bought like a really inexpensive piece of carpet and it's being delivered in a couple of days. I can't believe we're doing flooring at the same time. At same

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:07:42
time. Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen the floor in that room. Usually there's like a nice couch behind you. And that's all I see besides like,

Scott Benner 1:07:51
yeah, well my son stole the couch, just so you know. So that's gone now. He's like, I'm gonna take this sofa into my room because and he's home forever. So we're like, Alright, he's gonna take the candles, you know? So he's got that. And I have all of Arden's junk in here because we're waiting for the flooring to be put in her room so it's a bit of a disaster. Anyway,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:08:12
but I was gonna say I'm gonna get yet another cord totally forgot to plug the cord for the computer like direct connect in so give me a sec yeah sure

Scott Benner 1:08:29
I make Jenny plug her I don't let her use Wi Fi while we're doing this. So she's dragging an Ethernet cable across the room.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:08:37
And I also realized that I have no clue how to change the lights.

Scott Benner 1:08:42
What do you want to change in there? What do you mean we want

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:08:45
I want light bulbs in the ceiling died I cannot figure out how to get

Scott Benner 1:08:54
What are you talking about? Let me say

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:08:57
I don't know how to get it off. I have no idea

Scott Benner 1:09:01
is there no screw in the middle of it?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:09:03
There's no screws I've tried to turn in the glass doesn't unscrew. I don't know what to do with still. I have a big ol like floor lamp in here now. So like actually have Why have you

Scott Benner 1:09:19
brought anyone else into? Try to figure it out?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:09:23
No. I should ask. I know I should ask my husband. Do

Scott Benner 1:09:28
you not want to tell your husband you can't figure out how to change the light bulbs. Right?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:09:34
Like I'm not this dumb. Like I don't know what the deal is. So

Scott Benner 1:09:37
you're not wrong. It's isn't glass. It's a dome right?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:09:42
And it's glass right so it's like the wrong move. Like I just I think I also need to get like a taller.

Scott Benner 1:09:48
Are you reaching this? Yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:09:50
because I've got just the basic level, which this stool has worked fine for all of the other like ceiling things right? So why wouldn't it work for this

Scott Benner 1:09:59
long Has the light bulb in that light been working for you? This is the first time you tried to change it is

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:10:05
we moved in. It'll be October 1 will be two years in this house. And we've not changed the light bulbs in this light since

Scott Benner 1:10:17
because that's good run.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 1:10:19
Right? Good lights, I guess you know, but I also don't get used that very that often. Because I'm really on this in this room during the daytime. Okay, and so unless it's really dark in here, I typically don't usually use them. But anyway, yeah, cool.

Scott Benner 1:10:39
All right, listen, let's try to bring your yes, your bring your microphone a little closer. Do you know sir, to me, is that better? Try again. Better. Yes. That's okay. There's the spot. So hopefully we've answered some of your questions today about how to calibrate or not calibrate your Dexcom G six and the other burning question. How many people does it take to change a light bulb in Jenny's house? As of now we know the answer to be more than one. If Jenny's involved in it's in her office. Thanks so much for listening to the Juicebox Podcast. Please take the time to share the show with a friend. And leave a wonderful five star review on Apple podcasts if you're so inclined. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Best of the Juicebox Podcast. I hope you understand better now the process of calibrating your Dexcom G six. And I also hope that you're interested in learning more about the Omni pod five, or the Omni pod dash? Don't forget to use my link Omni pod.com forward slash juicebox would you like to save 35% on this sweatshirt that I'm wearing here? Are these silky joggers? Am I rubbing my legs while I'm saying it? I'm not gonna tell you because it sounds creepy, but they're super soft, cozy earth.com Save 35% at checkout with the offer code juicebox. And of course, you can get 10% off your first month of therapy at better help.com forward slash juicebox. Just by going through that link. It's all you have to do. If you'd like to know more about better help, there's going to be a short explanation at the end of this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation and you're not in my private Facebook group, it's absolutely free. And I think you would love it Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes on Facebook private group 35,000 Plus members. That's over 35,000 members, tons of conversations, opinions, perspectives, and great conversation absolutely free. Go check it out. If you enjoy the Juicebox Podcast or this episode or any episode, please go into the audio app you're listening in and leave a five star rating and a thoughtful review that will help someone else to understand why you love the podcast. The podcast is sponsored today by better help. Better help is the world's largest therapy service and is 100% online. With better help, you can tap into a network of over 25,000 licensed and experienced therapists who can help you with a wide range of issues. betterhelp.com forward slash juicebox to get started, you just answer a few questions about your needs and preferences in therapy. That way BetterHelp can match you with the right therapist from their network. And when you use my link, you'll save 10% On your first month of therapy. You can message your therapist at any time and schedule live sessions when it's convenient for you. Talk to them however you feel comfortable text chat phone or video call. If your therapist isn't the right fit for any reason at all. You can switch to a new therapist at no additional charge. And the best part for me is that with better help you get the same professionalism and quality you expect from in office therapy. But with a therapist who is custom picked for you, and you're gonna get more scheduling flexibility, and a more affordable price. I myself have just begun using BetterHelp betterhelp.com forward slash juicebox that's better help h e l p.com. Forward slash juice box save 10% On your first month of therapy

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#889 Type 2 Diabetes Pro Tip: Movement

A series for people with pre and Type 2 diabetes.

You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon Music - Google Play/Android - iHeart Radio -  Radio Public, Amazon Alexa or wherever they get audio.

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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.

• 00:00:21 Importance of exercise for diabetes.
• 00:09:52 Start exercising gradually and safely.
• 00:11:36 Walking is beneficial for health.
• 00:21:59 Exercise regularly for better health.
• 00:22:32 Regular exercise benefits diabetes management.
• 00:32:30 Stay active and find enjoyable exercise.
• 00:34:57 Exercise for increased heart rate.
• 00:40:43 Involving others boosts exercise motivation.
• 00:45:50 Take time to enjoy life.

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 889 of the Juicebox Podcast.

On today's episode Jenny and I will be adding to the Type Two diabetes Pro Tip series. And we'll be speaking today about getting moving. There are easy ways to get yourself going again, Jenny and I are going to talk about just a few of them and why they are so important. While you're listening today. Please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. And I have a couple things here for you just for Juicebox Podcast listeners if you want to try ag one that green drink from athletic greens, I actually drink it every day you can and if you use my link athletic greens.com forward slash juice box you will get a free year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first order. Now if you're looking for joggers, sweatshirts, sheets, towels, pajamas, that kind of stuff, you can go to cozy earth.com And when you use the offer code juice box at checkout, you will save 35% off your entire order cosy earth.com Use juice box at checkout

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Jennifer Smith, CDE 5:08
I was gonna say before, with your use of the word go v. And as we've like, texted about some things to, you have taken it to a degree to the route that really should be, along with anything that's supposed to impact health and weight and all that, like, you're not just sitting back eating a bag of Doritos expecting that this is going to be the magic trick, right? You know, you're really, you're conscious, you're being more aware than maybe you were before you're making sure that you're eating, you're not not eating because this med can take away appetite or reduce or increase satiety, right. Yeah. So you're I was just going to, I meant to say that that's a good thing that you're doing well, good lifestyle.

Scott Benner 5:56
I appreciate that. Actually, I started recording right before you said that, and I'm gonna keep talking. And I might, I might keep this in. I took my own advice. That's basically what I did was I looked at myself, and I thought, what would I tell other people to do? I'm going to do that. And, and that's, that's what I've done. So I, and the medication, like the specter of the medication, when the doctor gives it to you, it kind of helps you because they're like, Look, if you eat the wrong things, you could end up with, like, some horrible nausea and like, I don't want that. So, you know, but then the doctor is like, but in this first injection, if we go over, you probably won't experience that. I'm like, Well, I'm gonna start eating that way. Now. Just to get myself ready. Like because I don't, I don't want to be in a panic situation where I'm like, I don't know, tossing candies back. And this medication gets ramped up, and I'm like, oh, plus, plus, if there was any value to just wait, I wanted the weight loss value. Yes. And so the one thing I can for sure, say is that I don't, there's no hunger on this at all. Like, the first four days, I was getting hunger in my head. Like I was getting woozy,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 7:06
right, like shouldn't I should be eating something but your stomach wasn't telling it to you. It was more your brain recognizing that your body was giving you some signals of lack of enough intake. But you really weren't, like physically hung. That's not the right way to say it. It's not like you've got this signal from a rumbling belly,

Scott Benner 7:27
let's say Oh, my God. No, it's bizarre, because the only way I knew I was the only way I knew I was hungry is that I was like, am I gonna like, like, pass out? Like, why am I weak and dizzy? Like, do you know what I mean? Like, Oh, I haven't eaten anything. Oh, goodness. And so for the first couple days, I just put timers on my phone. And I was like, eat here. Eat here. Yes, because I didn't know what else to do. I'm back. I have a better flow now. And after I've been on it for a few days, I I am, I have a little bit of it's not hunger the way you would think of it. But it's not like a mask like hypnosis. Like it was the first time when when it first I don't know what's going to happen when I ramp up to a new dosage. But for now, I took my own advice I'm eating carefully cleaner. When I'm, if I have a sweet tooth, I go to fruit. Yeah, you know, like little stuff like that. I'm eating a lot of like chicken and turkey and like some lean beef and stuff. So

Jennifer Smith, CDE 8:31
I'm very proud of you. That's super awesome. Honestly. I think I mean, that's right or wrong long with like, lifestyle things, right? I mean, lifestyle, including while a medication might help lifestyle in many health conditions, is a piece that needs to be included. If the med is really going to help you the way it's supposed to,

Scott Benner 8:53
also wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Like I just thought like, it's not going to happen. What am I going to go back to a doctor six months ago, I'm really ready this time, you know, so I'm just like, I'm gonna go for it here. And, you know, and actually making the series if I'm being honest, has helped me too. Because, you know, telling people, this is how you can help yourself. It would be pretty hypocritical if I didn't do the same thing. Yes, yeah, I will say for the recording that I have eaten like this in the past and not experienced weight loss like this. So um, this stuff's gotta be doing something, I am gonna go I'm gonna get up a hill, a monster to spit on me. That's what I'm gonna do. Listening, you don't get that you gotta go back and listen to the episode before this. But today, today, we're going to talk about something that I think a lot of people need help with. And I'm going to be a great person to talk to you with about it because I easily could be asking these questions. So cool. How do I start to exercise when I'm not a person who's exercised because I don't want to get hurt. And I don't want to I don't want to like break down right away. I think that's got to be the biggest goal, right? The focus in the beginning?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 10:06
I do. And if you I think the majority of people that are listening are also listening because they're ready for a change. And I think that's a step two, any lifestyle change inclusive of adding activity is you have to have this, this motivation of something needs to give here, right? I've got to put some some in some effort in. Does that mean? Oh, gosh, I want to start exercising, so I'm going to buy the new shoes, I'm gonna head out the door, and I'm gonna go run 20 miles, because that's clearly what I have to start to do. That's, you're gonna come back and not want to do anything anymore.

Scott Benner 10:47
Yeah, right. You don't want to beat like you want to. I always say to people around me when they're starting up. Like, don't just go like that, like, let your hair on fire and run forward, because you'll burn out too quickly, and you'll get sore, and you'll skip and then you'll go right back into old things. Listen, this is old timey thinking. But I remember being 1011 years old, and my aunt and my cousin saying that they wanted to lose weight. And they just started walking after dinner. Yeah, it was literally all they did. It was one summer they started walking after dinner. I was stunned even as a child at how much weight they lost doing that.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 11:26
Yes. There are some some really good studies that have been done over a number of years for people, elderly people now who are in there, like, like 90 year old people who have had longevity, obviously, and health during that long life. And what are some of the biggest takeaways? These are people who they may not have done marathon runners, or crazy swimmers or they played tennis like a fiend every week. These were people that walked Yeah, walking was the most common thing for these people who were interviewed to have included long term. And if you're going to start with any kind of even the word exercise, I think, to some people is a turn off. If you think about it by of just increasing movement in your day, right? You might, I mean, most people have heard parked the car farther away. That's something you can do. And if the three trips to whatever store grocer that you're going to a week means that you're parking way in the back of the lot, and you're walking farther in, and you're not having somebody help you all the way out and cart, your groceries, you are increasing your movement. It may not sound like exercise, but you're changing and you're creating a new habit to include more steps than you were likely getting. Right. Yes,

Scott Benner 13:00
I laughed to myself because I do that because I don't trust people near my car.

Unknown Speaker 13:07
But sounds like my husband.

Scott Benner 13:09
I'm like these sons of bitches. And it's windy, they're not paying attention. Don't park

Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:16
next to the car that has car seats. Don't right,

Scott Benner 13:19
Jenny, I will only park if one side is on a curb. If there's a hill, I'll only park on the top side of it. I have a lot of rules about not I can't. If I see a little ding in my car. It ruins it for me. Anyway. So I do that. And I also take my cart back to Yes, like just until you get a little extra and it is it is helpful. I mean, it's safe, more walking than I get otherwise when I'm down marking.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 13:45
And if you're you know, if you're somebody who lives in one of the like, let's say a bigger city that might have some more public transport, whether it's a subway, a metro, a bus or whatnot. Let's say you take your car and you park in a lot and you get on a bus, park your car way to the back and walk farther in to where you get on. If you're standing and waiting for your subway, you could be marching in place. I guarantee you nobody's gonna care. Honestly, if you live someplace that there's a subway that most people take for public transportation. I promise nobody's going to look at you sideways. If you're walking in place, or walk up and down. Don't just stand there looking at your phone. Sorry, calling out people, right? It's the thing that people do, but you could be getting in more steps by just walking back and forth waiting, right? Going up and down on an escalator instead of standing. Walk on the left stand on the right. Be the Walker on the left.

Scott Benner 14:45
I will have an episode coming out a few weeks after this one goes up and it's with this person. We were just talking through ways that people can like lower their glucose values not and it wasn't about people with that. Diabetes, this person who comes on as a guest, she's talking about just everyday average people. And I thought, Oh, I'll have her on and see how what she's talking about might relate back to people with diabetes. And she was talking about calf raises, and how working your calves like just sitting in your seat, like lifting your heels and bending. And she's like that could actually lower your blood glucose. And I was like, oh, Jen, I forget her all explanation off the find it. Yeah. But yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 15:29
there are whole bunches of things like that, even if you have a desk, get and you have the opportunity within wherever you work, get a standing desk, one that you can raise up and down, stand part of your day versus sitting, you actually burn more calories standing than you do sitting all day long. Even if you're just standing in one position. If you have, you know, an underneath of a desk that allows enough space for one of those, it's, it's like a tiny, little pedaling. Like I can't remember what they're called, right. But you could be getting in some movement by doing that, and you're building it into your day where you're already continuing to do then what you need to do. But you're adding it in, which is extra. You know, if you got kids go walk to the bus stop and go and pick them up there in back. These are just, it's not what we would call exercise session, like 30 minutes at the gym with the trainer, right? Yeah. But this may be adding more than what you were doing. And it could start to add up,

Scott Benner 16:38
you know, a pet a desk pedal is what I guess they call it a portable under desk, or you know, you can get them for as low as like $35. Yes. So you all have Amazon, it can be at your house tomorrow, and you don't and you don't need the one that's like 200 bucks. So they that's a great, I mean, that's just that's what we're that's what I'm talking about here, because getting started has got to be the most difficult part. Yeah, I mean, just honestly, with this whole series, I keep thinking that, you know, whether it's going to the doctor, asking speaking up getting a blood test, like the Getting Started part is, is just always kind of the biggest leap. And that's why I'm excited to talk about it.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 17:17
Another one is if you do have some of even news, if you watch the news every single night, or you always sit down to a favorite program that you've recorded, and now you're going to catch up on it either during the commercial breaks, get up, move around, maybe get some simple five pound hand weights, lift them up and down while you're sitting on the couch or your your your favorite chair, or stand up during the commercials. Again, walk in place, do some squats, squats, kind of like the leg raises are, they're a great way to drop your blood sugar honestly, like crazy. So they can these, they could all be added in again, as examples to your day to day normal stuff that you're trying to get done. Without creating too much change in your, I guess what you're trying to do?

Scott Benner 18:09
Yeah, I also think that it can be scary, like the idea of like, we have to start exercising I imagine people think about, Oh, I gotta get a gym membership. I gotta go to the gym, they're gonna be people that are in better shape than me, I'm gonna be embarrassed. I don't want to do that.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 18:20
I don't know how to write that cost.

Scott Benner 18:22
It's a cost. I don't know how to do the exercises. Like I don't think you have to start with that even just like little tiny five pound dumbbells that you could I'm sure grab anywhere you could probably probably things in your house you could use just to just do some current like easy curls to like help the muscle tone come back and other ways to burn calories. You know? Yeah. It just make yourself stronger overall, like your whole body like it doesn't have to start with you know, military style push ups and

Jennifer Smith, CDE 18:53
not at all. And today in today's world, even something like a gym membership doesn't it's not necessary because we have so many tools that are free. YouTube is full of stuff that you can get started with. So again, as you mentioned, if you're if you are worried about how you might look or that you don't have the right clothes to wear or whatever it might be or that the gym membership is just, it's too pricey. It doesn't fit into your budget. Online. There are a number of they you close the windows in your house. Nobody has to see you. You could do it at two o'clock in the morning if that's what your schedule, you know, permits. There's a there's a wonderful it's it's walked down your blood sugar, it's by Lesley sandstone. She does she's fantastic. All of the people actually, in her online videos have diabetes, most of them with type two diabetes, and she has anywhere from 15 minute walks all the way to 45 minute walks going a mile all the way up to three miles And she's she's funny and she's fun to listen to. So that's one that I used to recommend a lot, actually, when I was working with the education

Scott Benner 20:11
when we want people to listen to the podcast while they're working, though, no, no, my I mean, my podcast, that's one. I want to I want to say something kind of like, odd that I make your point. I don't know how many people know Joelle and bead. He's a basketball player for the Sixers. And I read an interview with him recently. And they asked like, because he lived in Cameroon, he you don't think he came here until he was 16. He wasn't a like a basketball player. They asked him how he learned to play. And he said on YouTube. He learned to shoot on YouTube. He said, he said, I went to YouTube, I watched a bunch of videos and I went to the gym and practice. So I don't know what isn't on YouTube at this point. Correct. You know, go find something that will help and stretching to Right. Like I wanted to bring this up, like just getting your body stretched out is such a big deal. Yeah. And again, I think you can you can go to YouTube for that as well.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 21:10
Absolutely. There's even some really good flexibility, yoga, there are a number of different people who have really good free programs, some of them are even like 30 day, and you can start them and each day kind of builds on itself. And they're short enough to fit into a schedule that may not permit a lot of time. So yes, there. I don't, I don't think there's anything you can't find on YouTube.

Scott Benner 21:35
And there's no shortage of people on social media who are sharing their journey as well and throwing a camera in front of themselves and saying, Look, this is where I started. And here's how I've been going. Whatever you need for motivation, but the the movement itself. So how much? How much actual movement? Do I want to start with? Is it a certain amount of day? Is it a certain amount of week? How do I count it a

Jennifer Smith, CDE 21:59
certain amount of minutes, about 150 minutes a week is the goal. And that's a little bit more maintenance, right? If you're really looking for your activity increase, or your addition of activity that wasn't there to benefit loss, we're looking at around like 200 plus minutes a week kind of give or take. And the average recommendation is about 30 minutes of exercise a day, right or five days a week. So

Scott Benner 22:32
and should it be spread out? Like I don't want to, like get up one day and try to put two hours in or something like that. Right? Correct.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 22:38
And I think that's an important point to make more talking. Specifically, in the realm of people who have diabetes, the more regular your activity is, especially around medication use, the more likely it is you're going to have a sort of an overlapping effect on a day to day basis. If you get consistent every morning, I get up I take a 20 minute walk Great. That rolls into the next 24 hours and that day rolls into the next day. So we really do want regularity and not just saving it all up and saying Saturday morning that's when I'm gonna get this 150 minutes it

Scott Benner 23:18
well type to see the same benefit that type one see from consistent Okay, not Jenny's

Jennifer Smith, CDE 23:24
Absolutely, yes, I mean muscles, muscles that build and you build muscles by exercise multiple different kinds, right cardio as well as your weight bearing flexibility. those muscle cells are what respond to insulin and allow them the glucose to be shifted into the places that it's supposed to. So exercise is it's like free insulin, essentially, it Prime's, those receptors on your cells to open up. Because when you move your muscles, they need energy. Where's the energy going to come from? It's going to come from the glucose levels in your body, right or some of it. And so then that decreases your blood sugar levels, which is great. Yeah.

Scott Benner 24:08
So I'm going to ask you a question. I might not be right about with a type two. It's not that they're not making insulin, their body's not using it correctly, and doctors are going to call that insulin resistance. Does exercise help with that? Or can exercise help?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 24:23
Yes, absolutely. That's a big reason for adding exercise is decreasing the amount of resistance that's in the picture? Yes.

Scott Benner 24:32
So the exercise works exactly the way it does and type ones and type twos, like exercise helps your insulin be more productive, you'll need I say, yes. My daughter who has type one is at college. And she had she's decided to start driving to class. And I thought, Oh, I wonder if she's gonna need more insulin like that? Because she because she was walking getting on a bus getting off the bus and humping her ass one way and the other and then all of a sudden she wasn't it And then she got and then you know, the the new semester started up. It's a quarter, the new quarter started up. And she got a lot of desk work again. Oh, so this week, she's like, I'm using so much insulin this week. And I was like, yeah, like you're driving to school, and you're sitting at your desk, and still eating that horrible college food. We have one more quarter to go. Arden requested. She used her accommodation. So I know this isn't for type two so much. But she used an accommodation to ask for a dorm room that had a kitchen in it. Because she's like, I have to start cooking for myself. I have to stop eating this food. Good for her. Yeah. So it was really, really kind of cool. But anyway, they gotta move. Do you remember? What was it the Big Blue Test?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 25:46
Remember? Yes, absolutely. That was where during November diabetes Awareness Month, the Big Blue Test was check your blood sugar, get up and move for 15 minutes, right? 10 or 15 minutes, I think it was and then check your blood sugar again. And post it was really the idea of getting people to see that movement, even if you've got only 10 or 15 minutes, really did have a very quick impact on blood sugar.

Scott Benner 26:10
Yeah, I just remember that. That's something that that had to be 15 years ago and the type one community Right? A long time ago. Yes. Yes. I'm gonna say again, I'm all for one of you listening to like, jump on social media and share improvements with your type two diabetes, the way people share improvements with their weight, the way people share improvements with all kinds of other things, exercise improvement, like just show people, Hey, I did this today in my agency, you know, especially if you have a CGM, you'll you'll be able to go into their the clarity app, if you have a Dexcom. And say, Look, my my agency estimated last week was this and this week, it's it looks lower. And, you know, try to be I mean, if you need that to motivate yourself, great. If you think you can help somebody else is terrific as well. Right? Yeah.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 26:58
And, you know, I think the other thing in the realm of adding activity is people stay motivated when they've got somebody else that is working with them to their goal, right? So if you're somebody who says, I've got this 30 minutes after I finish work, and I want to get out and exercise, maybe there's a friend that will walk with you, right? Because now you're also tying in a scheduling, which makes it more it makes it more like an appointment that you've made. Yeah. And you don't want to let your friend down because you've made this appointment. So you guys, you keep your each other sort of on track with this plan of action. And it's kind of nice.

Scott Benner 27:45
It's a great idea. It really, it really is like a gym buddy, but a walking buddy, or

Jennifer Smith, CDE 27:49
Yes, exactly. Right. Or a pickle, buddy. I mean, I don't know how many people have like, we've got a park right across the street with tennis courts. And last summer, they actually because so many people were playing pickle, or pickleball, or whatever it's called, right? They drew the cord for the pickleball lines, right? All on the tennis courts. Because people were playing it anyway. Right. So you know, maybe somebody has said to you, hey, you know, come play pickleball with me or whatever. And add that in. That's a fun form of exercise.

Scott Benner 28:22
Right? I think back to when I was in my early 20s. I was working with this bunch of guys. And they were playing, I forget what they call it. But it was a it was a game you played with a ball, but it was in a racquetball court. And there was a net, some people on either side, and we would get together and do it like once a week. And that was probably the best time of my life as far as being in shape. And I didn't even think of it that way. It was just moving. It's just fun. Yeah, right. And it was fun. And like, it wasn't difficult either. Meaning it was after work. I used to have a terrible job. So I worked very hard all day, like we were beat up at the end of the day. And we still all showed up and did it. You know,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 29:01
and it was probably that type of activity, you bring in a good point, maybe there's an activity that you can get into that is a it's a release of everything that you've put into your day, that's not been the greatest or that has been really difficult to maybe you can find an activity that's just like a, maybe you go in you box, oh, you take a kickboxing like something or

Scott Benner 29:27
I visited my son recently, and he just, you know, in the last year, graduated from college and stopped playing baseball. And he just one day, he said to me, he's like, I can't talk. I'm gonna go play basketball. And I was like, where he goes, I'm going to the park. There's got to be a game there. Right? He's in a city by himself right now. And he's like, I cannot sit still like this, but it's he's got the mind of an athlete. Like, like, I can't just sit here. And so he went to play basketball. And he's like, Oh, I met some guys like Applying now this is terrific. And then he said to me, I might try to find a boxing gym. Even like he's like that looks like good exercise. And it's just interesting the difference between. And I made this point in another episode, and I hope people are tying this all together. We all drag our five, six year olds to some sport, and they're all able to do it. And some kids keep doing it. And they're not all like, don't get me wrong, right? They're not all like pros, but they can get up and they can go and they can do it. And they're, they're healthy and they're moving. And then some people make a decision to stop moving, and some people make a decision to keep moving. There's no reason you can't make a decision to go back to moving like that correct? You know, there's just no reason you can't do that. So

Jennifer Smith, CDE 30:44
and I think the more that you do that, especially if you have children at home, the more that you do that, the more likely it is that you're by show teaching them that, just because mom and dad are adults, and they're doing all these other things. They're still taking care of themselves, right. I mean, my kids see me exercise all the time, especially now that I have actually gotten nice outside, like temperature. And when I take my kids to take one dough Now, there's another mom I've been talking to. And last week, I got to class I dropped my kids off, I was like, you have fun in class, I'm gonna go take a walk. Because of right I just otherwise sit there and watch them and what's the purpose for me, then I could be doing something for myself. So she looks at me. She's like, I didn't touch that. Can I walk with you? It's like, great. Come on. There was

Scott Benner 31:38
a father on Arden softball team, and we'd get to a practice. And the kids would get settled. And he'd put on different shoes and just take off and run. Yeah, and that's it. He did it every time he used the practice as his time to exercise time, exactly home, and I'm not doing other things. I'm not just gonna sit here and stare these kids practice and softball. So I'm gonna go through this now.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 32:04
Right? I mean it unless you have to be an interactive part of your child's participation in a sport or whatnot. Obviously, it's important for them to see you there and paying attention and cheering them on and all of that kind of stuff. But if there are points at which, clearly they don't even care until you pick them up. Go be busy yourself.

Scott Benner 32:28
There's a list here I found that I'm going to run through real quickly just because I can imagine people are like, I don't want to go for a walk. So ride a bike, walk your dog, which I thought we should like, you know, maybe your dogs like the guy never takes me anywhere. Skipping rope. Please don't do that. If you're on a high floor and an apartment building Frisbee. The gym swimming this hokey hosted dance party. If you do that, please let me know. You This is akin to what Jenny was talking about earlier, use the stairs instead of using an elevator, carry out household chores things need to get done anyway. Just even moving around the house and bending over and reaching around the back of the toilet. And like at least you're moving right? Yoga is brought up here. Again, that's something you could do through YouTube. This is a temporary rock climbing. I'm not doing that. Go for a hike, hula hoop. Join a sport. There are some parks have circuits already set up? Yes. Like if you don't know what they do, you can

Jennifer Smith, CDE 33:31
they're typically like called Vita courses. Essentially, they have you walk a little bit and then you do like a pull up. They have you walk a little bit. And you might do a couple sit ups on like a park bench or something like that. But they've got a visual of how to do the exercise, how many reps to maybe do. And then hey, proceed on down the path from here.

Scott Benner 33:49
This one's interesting. If you bowl three games, you'll walk an average of a half a mile. Now, who would know? I'll say one i i used to love like photography. And then that love of photography. I kind of pointed at my children and now I have way too many pictures of my kids. But when you go out to take pictures, you wander around looking for things to take pictures of it's another good way to keep your mind busy. And not tell yourself oh, I'm out here moving around because I gotta get moving and you know, and spin class at the end. But that sounds horrible.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 34:31
I used to love my spin class. I don't belong to a gym anymore. But I I really loved my spin classes. They were a lot of fun.

Scott Benner 34:38
So what are we looking for out of exercise? Like because this I mean, obviously we're not talking about, you know, we're not talking about lifting weights. We're not talking about doing anything really intense. So what's the feedback I'm looking for from my body to tell me this is worthwhile and valuable for me.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 34:57
Right So one big thing as I would recommend And for anybody starting something they haven't been doing is make sure that you are okay to start it right, your doctor visit, make sure everything's fine. As long as that's the case, then out of exercise you're looking for an increase in your heart rate above sitting down. And right. So you mentioned dog walking before. dog walking is fantastic. But if you take your dog for a half mile walk, and every three steps is a sniff and pee and grab and chew on the stick. You're probably getting a little more movement than you might have been sitting at home, but you're really not getting like, like, walk the dog

Scott Benner 35:47
sense of wandering around the kitchen with trees.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 35:50
Yes, exactly. So you're looking at us an increase in your heart rate. You don't have to be out of breath. In fact, some of the most beneficial for weight loss type of movement is honestly being able to carry on an easy conversation, not like we're having now. But you should be a little out of breath, but not terribly out of breath that you can't actually get words out, right. So thus, the reason bring a friend along, you can have a nice conversation about something but Yes, a bit of an increase in heart rate. A warm if you're moving and we're talking about cardiovascular exercise here. You are going to warm up if you're getting enough movement in.

Scott Benner 36:36
I'm going to bring up something from the podcast. Let me see if I can find it. Oh, there was a guy on episode 713. His name's Adam, he had type one diabetes, the episodes called a rage rocking, because I thought that was funny because I thought that was funny not because that's because not because it has a lot to do with anything. But he he lost weight rocking, which is walking with a backpack that's weighted. And apparently, Jennifer apparently this is Inc reasonably popular. So if you're if you're a person who wants to go on a hike, or you know, just go for a walk and add a little more to it, apparently rucking is a terrific way it's worth googling or looking at or listening to Adam story in the episode because his experience was, I remember being pretty like blown away by what he was able to accomplish.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 37:34
I wonder if rucking came? You know rucksack is actually the term for a military attack.

Scott Benner 37:40
Yeah, somebody, somebody, somebody looked at a bunch of guys who were, you know, overseas, they're like, those guys are all in great shape. Yeah,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 37:47
well, and that's I mean, that's essentially what they do is they go out, and they, they hike with a lot of all of their stuff in their backpack, and it's training,

Scott Benner 37:56
they're carrying their life with them, and they have to carry it. And apparently, it's apparently it's an insanely beneficial. So a thing that from his description, and when I remember looking into it is something that does have easy entry for you. Like, it's, you know, you just grab a backpack at home and put 10 pounds in and go for a walk. And then when it gets easy, add more, you know,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 38:20
and what comes up to me as a another good suggestion for a parent who has a child that is of the size that you can put in one of those carrying or the right, carry your child, if you're gonna go out and take a walk, while pushing a stroller is also something to be said of extra. Carrying that child on your person and walking adds more just like this idea of a weighted backpack. Yeah,

Scott Benner 38:48
yeah. You know, it's funny, it just made me think of something. I went to high school with a guy who's like a land management personnel. And he's one of those guys. he's outside all the time. He carries his gear with him. I stop and think about that guy. He's absolutely chiseled. Yeah, he's just he's got little Ripley muscles on top, a little Ripley muscles. He's outside. He's moving. He's carrying things. I don't think he's setting up a gourmet meal that has cheesecake at the end, probably, you know what I mean, outfield so he's living that lifestyle he's getting and I think that really is what we're talking about. Right? Like there's, there's a lifestyle that leads to an end, just like, just like sitting around leads to an end. Moving around, leads to an end. Yes, I did. Really. I loved your idea of like, including someone else too. I mean, going all the way back to my story of when we were kids. It's my aunt grabbed her daughter. And I want to be clear, like I did not grow up in a family full of people like exercising. Right. There were two exercises I saw done in front of me in that time. It was those walks. And my cousin doing something that involved her going I must I must I must increase my and these are the only the only exercises I was ever witnessed. Oh, that's so fine. Second one did not work for her. If you're wondering,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 40:11
no, it won't work, although it's funny that we're both in the same category of having I totally remember that as well. Yeah.

Scott Benner 40:18
There was this thing with a spring, right? It was Yeah. And you were trying to make your I don't want to be in delicate. You're trying to make your boobs bigger. But that's not how that works.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 40:26
That's not how that works.

Scott Benner 40:30
out, you could have just had a little more milk as you were growing up and that might have done it. Yeah.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 40:36
No, but But yeah, definitely in involving someone else in your plan. keeps you motivated. Because again, you may be even checking in with them. Right. And if you wanted to go a little bit deeper, there are there even, you know, some some tracking apps, things like many of the tracking devices, the tracking watches and those kinds of things. They've got motivational things on them that will even tell you, hey, you know, like my watch, it tells me Hey, get up, you've got 250 steps to get in yet this hour, like you've clearly been sitting on your bottom. So get up and move some

Scott Benner 41:14
right say to like, for a lot of you. I mean, you might have a little natural anxiety to begin with pointed at something valuable. You know, like, if that's a great point, if that app is like, look, walk this many steps, or a lot of you whose personalities you're gonna go, Okay, well, I need to do this now. So sometimes just asking it of yourself is going to make it happen, because it's kind of how you're wired. You could be doing that with, with things that are not beneficial in your life and not realizing it. Like, it's interesting how we can turn things into tasks. Yeah, do you know the mean, and some of them are not always good, but they become repetitive and you do them anyway. Right? Okay. Well, I love the way you just said it now, like involve someone else in your plan. And I thought, if you're robbing a bank don't involve any exercising, tell people tell people? That's exactly right. I say that more than two people can't keep a secret. So eventually, someone's gonna snitch. In this situation, that'd be a great thing.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 42:15
That would be a good thing.

Scott Benner 42:15
What are we? Are we not saying anything that we should be here?

Jennifer Smith, CDE 42:19
Oh, I know, I'm trying to think. Well, I think it goes along with involve someone else, if you are the type of person who really needs some direction. And if you have the means, it may not be a bad idea, with motivation in the picture to just call a gym and see what it would be like to get a month's worth of a trainer. Right? Somebody who can give you a starting place where you are, and give you an idea of how to progress out of that. Even if you're not going to stick with them longer than a month, you've got an idea. Now you've got a base to continue to build on. And it may very well be money well spent.

Scott Benner 43:04
Yeah. Also, if you're looking for another reason to do that, it's a great place to meet people too. It is, you know, in a world where it's hard to meet other people, we were talking about this somewhere the other day. It's hard to date. It's hard to like it's hard to even, it's hard to meet people you're working. You know, some of us are working in our homes. There are days I just go out to go out, because I'm like, I gotta leave here. Now, you know, middle of the day yesterday, my mom was asking for something. I was like, I'll go to the store and see and my brother's like you don't live here. I'm like, I'll mail it to her. I just gotta get out of the house.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 43:39
So you need to see other people in real person

Scott Benner 43:43
fresh air. I got my car I drove I walked around a little bit. I was like, Thank You know, I needed to get away and you don't, it just becomes I don't know, like, the whole COVID locked down. It really shone a light on that for me that if I'm not careful. I could do this forever and ever and ever and ever and ever again and never break this cycle whatsoever. It's you know, it's there's always work to do. There's always something to do around the house like I could, you know, can easily become a shut in no problem. Right, you know, don't be a hermit. Yeah, Herman's Hermits, it's okay, but not like a regular hermit.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 44:21
Find your dog and you've got a dog. Yeah, find your dog. Take the dog to the dog park. You will see people there.

Scott Benner 44:27
I got a great walk the other day because my dog just wandered away. I'm trying to talk to my wife at the back door and we're having this conversation about something and I turned around I was like, where Where's where's the dog? So now I'm like, Oh, I know which way he likes to go and walk in that direction. Also, I stopped to get a sweatshirt because I'm delicate and it was chilly. So

Jennifer Smith, CDE 44:50
you can see your delicate Scott. You're not delicate. Got a

Scott Benner 44:54
little distance on me because I was like, I'm not going out with that sweatshirt. And then he's just five doors down standing in someone's backyard. And he's like, He's so old. And I was like, Andy, what are you doing buddy? And he looked up, he goes, Oh, hey, he looked at me like, I'm lost.

Jennifer Smith, CDE 45:11
I don't smell right anymore. So I don't know exactly which way to sniff back to where I'm really supposed to be. He looked

Scott Benner 45:17
at me like I was standing here waiting for you to come find me. And he's looked at me. He's like, and then he starts like, he forgets he's old. He starts to run. And then he's like, Oh, can we walk? And he looks at me like, let's let's not go too fast. I'm like,

Jennifer Smith, CDE 45:30
Can you pick me up? In fact,

Scott Benner 45:31
he's too big for that. But I hope that doesn't come to that. Oh, gosh. Anyway, Jennifer, I really appreciate you doing this very much course. Yes, thank you. I'll talk to you soon. Hi.

If you're enjoying the type two Pro Tip series, please share it with someone else who you think might also enjoy it. Let me thank better help for sponsoring this episode of the podcast and remind you that if you go to better help.com forward slash juice box you will save 10% off your first month of therapy. And don't forget that full line of contour meters at contour next.com forward slash juice box they are really accurate and very worth checking out. Contour next one.com forward slash juice box. Hey guys, if you're looking for community around your diabetes, check out the private Facebook group for the Juicebox Podcast. There's links in the show notes of your audio player. And if you'd like to hire Jenny, she works at integrated diabetes.com. Just head over there and ask for Jenny

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