#1060 Sisterhood

November 10, 2023Scott Benner

Sisters Naomi and Sima both have type 1 diabetes.

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

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 1060 of the Juicebox Podcast

Well, this one's gonna be a little different. Today I am talking to two sisters Naomi, who is 50 and CYMA 45. They both have type one diabetes. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan, or becoming bold with insulin. If you're looking for community around type one, or type two diabetes, check out the Juicebox Podcast private Facebook group. Now I know I just said type one or type two, and now about to tell you that it's called Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes, but we have so many people in there, it just doesn't even matter anymore. 43,000 members strong 125 posts a day. There's something happening in there for you Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes on Facebook and absolutely free and absolutely private diabetes Facebook group. And if you want to look into any of the series within the podcast, you can go into the featured tab of that private group or the menu at the top of juicebox podcast.com.

This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by us med. Us med.com/juicebox. US med is a fantastic supporter of the Juicebox Podcast. And also the place where Arden gets her Omnipod and Dexcom supplies from but you can get those and much more at us med.com/juice box head over there now to get your free benefits check or call 888-721-1514 Get your benefits check it get started today with us met Naomi is 50. She was diagnosed in November of 2020. CYMA is 45 and she was diagnosed in 1986 when I was in high school. So let's talk to Seema first because it came first for her. So are you the younger of the two sisters? Obviously, yes. What was it like? And do you have other siblings?

Simma 2:29
It was terrifying. I had a lot of the symptoms that a lot of people who are guests on this podcast describe I was in fourth grade, I started wetting the bed, which was not normal. I was drinking excessive amounts going to the bathroom very often. I was losing weight, and I was a pretty skinny child to begin with. And my mother said, Something's wrong. I think she probably had a clue because her father had diabetes, even though they thought he had type two. But when we get to know to Niobe, I guess we can say that he probably had type one, as he's added as an adult. And I don't think they knew at that time that adults could get type one. Yeah. So my mother took me to the pediatrician. And they did a urine test and they said I had diabetes. I'm the third of five children. Naomi's the oldest, then we have a brother. That is me. And then two younger sisters.

Scott Benner 3:23
Anybody else have any hypothyroidism? Celiac type one stuff?

Simma 3:27
I have hypothyroidism does it. My mother has hypothyroidism. But she only got that. I think even after I did I got it as an adult.

Scott Benner 3:37
Did you get a baby? Similar? Did you get it if you had a baby by any chance?

Simma 3:42
I had it while I was pregnant with my third child, which the doctor said was unusual because most people get it after they have a baby.

Scott Benner 3:51
You know, this is interesting. I just put up an episode last week with a 70 year old guy named Blue. And he was terrific. But he was diagnosed when he was 36. And early on. I said to him, when they diagnosed you, you know they thought you had type two diabetes? And he said yes. And I said, but now we know you have type one. And he was like, why? I don't know. And I'm just it's so 26 years the man's had diabetes. And he was sharp, like I know. He's 70 So you're maybe like well, maybe just didn't. This guy was razor sharp, really knew what he was doing. understood everything top to bottom. I think under penalty of death. He couldn't have told me for sure which type of diabetes he had. But I contacted assist his daughter in law and He absolutely has type one diabetes. So you think that you had someone in your family who lived the whole life believing that type two?

Simma 4:44
Well, my my we never met my grandfather. He died when he was a few months old. But he got diabetes as an adult and I've seen pictures of him and he was very thin so he's wasn't the classic type two type of build. You know how he met I imagine he might have been type one. And they always said their diabetes and your family. And my mother said, Well, my father, but he's type two. And they said, Well, that's a different thing. But maybe it was the same thing.

Scott Benner 5:09
It's fantastic. Do you know how we managed to do either of you know,

Simma 5:13
think maybe boiling needles, and he was getting his sugar with?

Scott Benner 5:17
He wasn't I mean, this is I'm sorry, I'm running over. But was he he was injecting insulin?

Simma 5:24
I think so. But I'm not sure I'd have to check with my mother. That's

Scott Benner 5:27
her door. Okay, so you're little and skinny and scared. And do you remember? I mean, it's such a long time ago, but do you remember anything about it? Do you remember like the hospital or the leader? Can you tell me a little bit about it?

Simma 5:42
Yes. So my mother, they said go straight to the emergency room. We went to the emergency room. I told my mother I was thirsty because I'm always thirsty. And she bought me a sprite. Remember this very clearly. And I'm drinking the sprite. And they said to me, like, I would think you should be drinking that. And I was like, but I love Sprite. So it was like, that was like what I'm never gonna be able to drink Sprite again. I just remember being so I think they let me finish it. I'm pretty sure my sugar was in the six hundreds when they tested it, which, based on things I've heard is not so terrible. I was in the hospital for about a week. It was very scary.

Scott Benner 6:23
And no, no more. No more. No more Lyman flavor for you ever again. Do we all remember the marketing around sprite when we were kids? They they were like, it's got Lyman. Like, I don't remember. That's cute lemon lime. They were like, it's like I get it. Yeah, I absolutely paid way too close attention to commercials when I was younger. Okay, so do you spend any appreciable amount of time in the hospital?

Simma 6:49
Yes, I think it was a week or close to a week. They taught me how to inject using an orange. I remember that. That was like the fake the fake leg or the fake arm was the orange. We got a meter we got a sliding scale for meals. The meter was an accucheck. The device that lanced my finger kills. It was not what I had today. My mother called it the guillotine. It was like you put your finger in there and it just got chopped. We had to put the blood on the strip, wait a certain amount of time the machine would be wiped off the blood and then you put the strip into the machine. So we've come a long way.

Scott Benner 7:28
Yeah, no kidding, Jen. I don't know if you guys listen to the podcast. But Jenny, who's on a lot of the episodes with me she had the guillotine when she was younger. And yes, yeah, yes. She says

Naomi 7:40
what are your biggest fans?

Scott Benner 7:42
I was just gonna my next question was gonna be similar. Is this the longest Naomi's been quiet your adult life?

Simma 7:50
Well, I have to, I have to just say, I mean, well, jumping ahead, but I didn't learn about the podcast till Naomi got diabetes. So she introduced me. And then I was like, Oh, my God, this is incredible.

Scott Benner 8:02
I'm very happy to hear that. So Naomi, tell me a little bit about your diagnosis.

Naomi 8:08
So I was misdiagnosed, like, I actually heard a very similar story to my diagnosis on the podcast. I had Hashimotos. They called it Hashimotos and Graves disease. I was diagnosed. Actually, right after my honeymoon. I was 21. And I had so I had this horrible thyroid issue. And so I've been taking Synthroid ever since I had radioactive iodine done in 1996. And I was pretty healthy. I have five children never had any issues. My weight fluctuated, and I would go see my endocrinologist every I think every six months. And my Awan See, I would say for like, the three years before I was diagnosed, was inching upwards. It was in the 60s. And he would say to me, oh, it's type two, you have to watch your weight, you have to eat healthy. Meanwhile, I was I mean, my weight fluctuated, but I wasn't extremely heavy. And I worked out every day, like I didn't have the lifestyle issues of type two. So I said, Okay, fine. You know, he just adjusted my Synthroid. And I would just go home and that would be it. Then during COVID, I got some sort of yeast infection that wouldn't go away. And I went to the gynecologist, which was very hard to get into at that time. It was like October 2020. And he tests I guess, as just a standard test. He tested my glucose and he came back and he said, your glucose is well into the two hundreds does that sound weird to you? And the endocrinologist had actually given me a blood glucose meter, but I never used it. But I said, they did mention to me that I might be type two, so that doesn't really sound weird to me. So then I came home and my husband's a paramedic, and I told him what happened. He's like, Oh, my God, we have to test your blood sugar. And when he tested it, it was in the three hundreds, and he's like, Oh, my God, oh my god. And I'm like, calm down. And then And then

Scott Benner 10:02
listen, you'd be nice to that guy. You got sick right after you got married, you're lucky didn't go out for milk. And you'd be like, what happened here?

Naomi 10:10
Oh, my God. I did get very sick though. But like type one never even. And you know, it never dawned on anyone. You know, he knew my sister had diabetes and it never he retired immediately after he it during COVID he retired and I'm like, Thank God he retired because he can't miss diagnose other people. Because I mean, he,

Scott Benner 10:32
oh, yeah, I was gonna say, I thought that's where you were going like he retired because he's so bad. And this is

Naomi 10:37
so bad. Like, why didn't he tests my C peptide? Why didn't I get the antibody test? So anyway, when I was diagnosed when I was officially diagnosed my agency within the province, so you know, it's just totally preventable. Not preventable, but maybe I could have, you know, I don't know. I didn't have to get to that point. Yeah, that's it, you know, and then I was that I'm type one.

Scott Benner 11:00
Yeah. I have to tell you, I laughed inappropriately. A moment ago, I thought you were joking that your husband stopped being a paramedic because he was bad at that I realized you were talking about.

Naomi 11:13
Yeah, I knew nothing. I mean, I even though my sister had type one, I really knew nothing about it. And they obviously gave me no information. It was just don't drive when you're low. That was like, that was like the nugget I got from the doctor. And so I

Scott Benner 11:27
was gonna say, it is interesting, right? Because cinemas diagnosed right on the cusp of like, when things are changing. Like there's all of a sudden there's meters in people's homes. And you know, other insulins are coming on the market and everything but you are you telling me you guys grew up together. And Naomi, you don't know anything about diabetes. On the day you're diagnosed, I knew

Naomi 11:47
that she felt like I knew that she had to take insulin. I knew that. I knew certain things. I didn't know the day to day management of it. When she was diagnosed. I was 13. I actually said to her, it's funny we were I mean, it's not funny, but I would say like a few months after I got diagnosed, we were sitting were four sisters. And we were at a family function. And I said, I just have to apologize to you that I never realized how hard your life was. And she's like, I think, but I think I was a teenager. And I just wasn't. I just wasn't focused on her. I remember when she was died. It was not very I remember the day she was diagnosed, my mother came home from the hospital and said, Cindy has diabetes, don't talk to me now. Like it was obviously a very traumatic experience for my parents. But I was you know, I was a teenager and we actually went to camp we went to Israel for she was I think you were 15. And I was 19. And my mother wanted me to work in the camp so I can keep an eye on her. And I remember I had to learn how to give her I had to learn how to give a shot and like an orange. So if she ever needed if she ever needed a shot, it would be able to give it to her, but I never had to do anything. I mean, I guess she managed it very well on her own, which is unbelievable. When I hear the stories on the podcasts about kids. I mean, she I think she really did it on her own. I mean, Cindy, maybe you could speak to that.

Scott Benner 13:06
By the way, I want to point out that I'm not mispronouncing someone's name, it's her sister. So because I'm gonna come off, like the schmuck that can hear somebody saying semi, alright. But does it surprise you to know how little they only understood about the diabetes? Or does that make sense to you?

Simma 13:28
I think it makes sense. I mean, I guess like my mother and I were in this little bubble where in the beginning, she did everything for me, she gave me all my shots, but I was already nine. So I'd say probably by a year or two later, I was giving my own shots, even if my mother was still very involved at that point in the care. But it's it's funny that she says like, wow, she did so well as a kid and everything. I mean, my control was terrible. But if you think about the type of technology that's available today, and the type of research that's been done on like, how important it is to keep your sugar's low and stable all the time. I mean, when I first got diagnosed, I think they said like, test in the morning, eat your breakfast and then test before dinner. And there's a whole lot of hours there and eat lunch without taking a shot. You know, it would just be like, Oh, your long acting insulin is going to cover your lunch.

Scott Benner 14:25
Yeah, but and they had no real like outcome goals. But isn't it interesting in a world where there are memes everywhere that say things like you can't see my burden and things like that, that your own sister would say that I thought she did great because you were standing up probably because you weren't crying and yelling. They were probably like, she's okay. Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. Yeah. Be You didn't grow up feeling like you were okay. Is that right? If you have diabetes, you need diabetes supplies. Why not get them in a way that is easy and relaxed without having to worry all the time? No, you know just oh my is my stuff gonna come to I forget the pharmacy do I have to call somebody like, none of that with us, man, you get set up with us med. And it's just as easy as like clicking on an email. That's how we do it at least they will call you if you like or I think even text messages, you have to check me on the text messages thing. But you know, they'll call you or though they'll you know, send you an email and just say, hey, look, your supplies are ready for reorder, you want them I get that email and I click on I go, yes, thank you. And then it just shows up at the house. As a matter of fact, when Arden's at school, if I want the supplies to go there, I just get on the phone, I call them up, I say, hey, this time send this order to her college address. No problem just gets done. fast and free shipping. And by the way, every time you order with us med you get 90 days worth of supplies. So you're not doing this constantly understand I'm saying email comes a couple of times a year, but a bing bada boom, click and you're on your way. Actually, one time, we had a little like backlog of something. And I was able to say you know what, not this time thanks. And they were just like Cool. We'll get back to you the next time was that easy. Us med.com/juice box or call 888721151 for your calling or clicking to get your free benefits check. Finding out if US med takes your insurance, which you got a really good chance of them doing because they accept Medicare nationwide and over 800 private insurers. US med carries everything from insulin pumps, diabetes testing supplies to the latest CGM like the FreeStyle Libre three and the Dexcom G seven. But if you want the G six or the libre two, they have that as well. They also have Omni pod dash and Omni pod five. And the tandem pump though it is at the T slim. They got that one. They got what you want us med.com/juice box. Over 1 million people with diabetes have been served by us med since 1996. And it's their solemn promise to give you better service and better care. You want white glove treatment? You want us med links in the shownotes links at juicebox podcast.com. Us med.com/juicebox. Or did you know I

Simma 17:17
did I felt? I mean I think I kind of like dreaded going to the doctor and getting that high a Wednesday, you know, it was often in the nines. And the doctor would be like, Oh, it's too high. But like, they're also we're not the tools to be elite to do it better. Sure.

Scott Benner 17:35
Yeah, he's probably talking to himself. Yeah, what I'm doing wrong here. Wow. In the 80s. Sorry, yeah. That was at doctors in the 80s. Sorry.

Naomi 17:49
All the way back then.

Simma 17:52
I was first with a male I was first with a male doctor, but he wasn't I ended up switching to a different hospital because my care, you know, was lacking, but it was still lacking at the new hospital. And that was more because of what was available and the way they were managing back then. I can't really blame the doctor, my my mother, my parents, but really my mother took me to Dr. Bernstein at one point that was a whole disaster.

Scott Benner 18:17
For Kids, Dr. Bernstein, the low carb guy. Yes. How did she find him? When she cornered him on the street? What happened?

Simma 18:26
Well, we live in New York and he was in Westchester. So I guess she had she was part of a support group and that she probably heard about him from some of the adults in the support group. And I don't think that helped at all. So after, after Dr. Bernstein, I ended up switching to it to the to the female doctor in a different hospital, they put me back into the hospital for another four or five days to you know, get me back to a baseline or something. And we went to Jocelyn at one point in Boston. So we they tried, we tried, but it was just

Scott Benner 18:57
Yeah, no, I mean, it was just limited. Right. The insolence were limited, the technology was non existent. And your goals were unclear, I would imagine right? And how long until your neck? Yeah, how long until you were doing multiple daily injections? Like when did you start shooting for foods specifically?

Simma 19:16
I don't really remember probably older teens.

Scott Benner 19:19
Okay. And then I have one last question. Before I go back to Naomi, why did you not like the low carb approach?

Simma 19:26
I think it was too hard for me as a kid. It was just so it was so restrictive. Okay, you know, it was like you eat these three things a day, and you're done. And I think it was just too hard.

Scott Benner 19:38
In hindsight, do you see it as good advice?

Simma 19:41
If you can do it? If you're an adult and you buy in, you know, I think low carb Yeah, it's much you need a lot less insulin. So it's probably easier to keep your sugar stable if you go low carb but I personally am not low carb and I don't know that I ever would do it. But if you're an adult and you could buy in and and do it willingly, then yes, I could definitely see it working.

Scott Benner 20:05
No me. How did it make you feel when you realize you didn't really know much about someone's life?

Naomi 20:12
Oh, I wanted to ask her now because like I'm, you know I have I happen to have very bad long term memory like I don't remember a lot of things that like my friends remember from childhood I think I only remember the bad things. But you know, I don't remember like our lives changing that much like I don't remember having special foods or my mother like we still had cake. We still had cereal we had like all the food that we normally had sent me, we have soda.

Simma 20:38
This is going to be like a therapy session. We live we live two different lives. You guys all resented me so much. He used to say the city got diabetes, and now everything needs to change. We can't have what we used to have we this we really don't remember.

Naomi 20:54
I don't remember, you know, I was a teenager, I think I was just, you know, literally was right when I became a teenager. So

Scott Benner 21:03
what I'm hearing is that cinema gets like thrust into a more adult role over her health. And so the way she sees the outside world changes, whereas Naomi, you and the others are just like, you know, nothing means anything. You go to school, you mess around with your friends, you do your homework, there's cartoons on the weekend, like, that's, that's it really, like you're not thinking about life the way she is all the sudden, you know what I mean? Like semi you got level, like 50 levels, I don't know where,

Simma 21:32
first of all, they noticed that I was getting a lot of attention. They didn't like that. No more more than my fair share. They resented it. Every three months, you know, once we switched to the new doctor, Manhattan, every three months, we'd go for an appointment, my mother would take off the day from work. After we went to the doctor, we'd go shopping. You know, these things like, kids notice that, you know, my sister gets to go shopping with my mom alone four times a year Manhattan, we don't get to do that. There were I think the cake became more limited. Like maybe only on weekends, there were definite food, things that changed in the house. Even though Naomi doesn't remember it, it happens. The only advantage they got was that soda went from being only on the weekends to we were allowed to have it during the week because I guess my my mother felt like it's too limiting to say like, oh, you can only drink water. So she used to let me have soda as the meal so everyone else could also have soda them.

Naomi 22:27
See diet soda. Yeah, I guess that's when I started drinking diet. You I think you're right that I remember we weren't allowed to have soda. And then we were allowed to have diet soda.

Scott Benner 22:37
What an ingrained somehow she got soda that she's like, but it was diet. Do you think that people who are younger, can like believe or understand how we grew up with soda? Like it was a like a refreshing treat? Like no one thought about the health implications of it at all? Like it was it was like magic to get soda. Do you mean? Correct? Yeah, yeah. And now I look at it. I think what like, why would you drink this? Like, just right? This is such a strange decision. But anyway, okay. So this is really interesting, because I understand Naomi's point of view. Like somebody was like, she has diabetes, and you're like, ah, that sucks. But it's not like you have like a ton of empathy when you're a teenager. You're not putting yourself in her shoes. And then you see the changes that are happening for you. And they are impressed upon you more sincerely. So you just remember how it happened to you. And that's it. Like what happened to you? And Simone was diagnosed with type one diabetes was, this happened, this happened, this happened and my mom took her shopping. And by the way, took a day off from work, which I bet your mom never did. So that probably seem pretty special. To the outsider, some of you see that right? Yeah, yeah, but you didn't give a shit back then

Simma 24:00
I still like today's show. I still like to go get myself a treat after I go to the doctor.

Scott Benner 24:06
Your mom was setting up an expensive grayned in Me Yeah, expensive little thing, or did I go out? Well, I don't know if Arne and I will ever go to an endo appointment together again or not. But we usually go for lunch afterwards. And eat something that's really hard to Bolus for just to like stick our thumb in the eye of what has happened. So it's a proof to prove we can do it. So do you have any, like long term health issues from diabetes?

Simma 24:31
Thank god no.

Scott Benner 24:33
That's really cool. Because it doesn't sound like in the beginning, you were doing anything purposely so you're just doing that old timey shoot neat thing.

Simma 24:43
Right, I would say in my 20s was when my control got really good and that we were only shooting for seven. So by today's standards, seven is still if I was seven now I'd be really disappointed in myself. So I got a pump in my early 20s Because I got married and I wanted to have a baby and my doctor said I had to have an agency of seven in order to have a baby and that maybe a pump would help me with that. I have four children. Thank God well healthy. And yeah, so far, so good. The eyes are good. So far, everything's good.

Scott Benner 25:16
It's amazing. Good for you. That's really excellent. And now how do you manage now like what technology do you have?

Simma 25:21
I have panda with control IQ and Dexcom G six.

Scott Benner 25:26
Nice. And how about you, Naomi, what are you using?

Naomi 25:29
So I was MDI from November 2020, until end of June 2022. And now I'm on Omnipod, five,

Scott Benner 25:37
and you're doing Omnipod? Five. This is interesting. And

Naomi 25:40
you know, the first the first doctor I went to didn't offer me the Dexcom I have I changed doctors, because I was actually whole food plant based at that point when I was diagnosed. So I wanted to find a doctor that supported that and wasn't, you know, wasn't telling me to eat low carb. And I found a doctor and she's like, Oh, we gotta get you a Dexcom. And I'm like, What's the Dexcom? Like, I didn't even I knew nothing about the technology. And that's, you know, that's,

Scott Benner 26:05
that's him. I have. No, don't be sorry. Did some I have one when you were getting diagnosed? Yeah. Yeah. You had everything. Do you guys talk ever sorry.

Naomi 26:15
To get it. This actually brought us closer. That was it all sounded so weird to me to put something on your body and it was just, you know, now it's like,

Scott Benner 26:25
Girls, Girls, I just call Hold on one second. I'm so sorry. I'll let you listen in. Okay, hello. Yes, how are you? What do you have something this afternoon for me? What time you got? Consider me there Plainsboro tomorrow morning. Yes, we can do the second one. Pulling up my calendar. We can do the second one. The 20 I mean, the 27th. I'm going to be pretty wrecked. But how about after this 1/8. The 29th will be perfect in the afternoon. My schedule is really packed that week. On the 29th You're a gem? Thank you. I'll be there. Bye. Hey, I'm sorry for derailing this, but my ferritin is seven right now. And I'm getting an iron infusion this afternoon. So I that was the most important thing that's happened to me in quite some time that phone call. I apologize. Thank you so much. I'm in the middle of working with an endocrinologist to try to figure out why this keeps happening. But we were doing the one you had on the podcast, Addy. Yes. And we Yes. For the thyroid stuff.

Naomi 27:52
That was that was one of our favorite episodes. Oh,

Scott Benner 27:54
isn't she terrific? Yeah. Yeah, she's really, really terrific. She's pretty local. I mean, are you guys still in Manhattan?

Simma 28:02
But when I'm not in Manhattan, I'm in Queens and Naomi's far away.

Scott Benner 28:06
Oh, she ran away. Far away. I moved away. Well, Naomi, I see your last name. Did you leave that? Did you leave the tribe or what did you do?

Naomi 28:17
What do you mean? Did I leave the tribe? I don't know. I haven't. I haven't Jewish last name.

Scott Benner 28:24
Okay. I wasn't sure.

Naomi 28:26
I didn't. I didn't leave the tribe. We, you know, we were like one of the COVID migrants that we we moved out of the tri state area.

Scott Benner 28:33
Oh, yeah. Everyone thought to do that. Everyone here was like, should we go?

Naomi 28:38
Yeah, I'm in a tax. I'm in a tax free state.

Scott Benner 28:43
That sounds better. Yeah. As the person who has to pay taxes on a small business that has no overhead whatsoever. Every year, my accountant knows you have no overhead. What am I gonna write off? And I'm like,

Naomi 28:57
I don't. I lived in New Jersey. I lived in New Jersey for 20 years.

Scott Benner 29:01
Yeah, that's where I'm at. It's a tax on the crap out of me here. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is, is that I'm gonna get an iron infusion. And that's amazing. Because I feel terrible. I'm so rundown. I'm going to use up my entire day's energy talking to you guys. No lie. Okay, so I want to recap a little bit because the phone call obviously threw things off. You guys grow up together? Simmons got diabetes. It's a clear it's a clear divide between her perspective and yours. Then you said something earlier you you stopped to apologize to her Naomi after you were diagnosed like how like was that one of your first thoughts after you started having type one is oh my god, this is what my sister has been doing. Um,

Naomi 29:45
I mean, we definitely brought us closer. We talked about diabetes a lot because I had nobody else to talk about it with. She gave me a lot of good advice. Because literally, I had I mean, they tell you nothing as an adult. They literally tell you nothing. So you I'm the type of person that I want to know as much as I can, and I definitely want to stay healthy. I'm very into my health and I want to stay healthy to see my children. They're mostly grown out, but I want to, I want to be here a long time. So we got closer and I just realized that I didn't know a lot about her day to day because there is a lot of day to day when you have type one diabetes. I mean, something I will say about growing up is that I mean, there were times my mother would say, oh, Sidney gets similar get to this because she has diabetes, and I was jealous when she met Dorothy Hamill. That's me. I don't remember that. You went she

Simma 30:37
was she? She's the Jay Z.

Naomi 30:38
She was the JDRF. spokeswoman right? Where she was very involved with them.

Scott Benner 30:42
Dorothy Hamill, like the ice skater.

Naomi 30:45
I thought you met her. I don't meet you. You met someone famous.

Scott Benner 30:50
Wait a minute. I love I don't remember. Like, I don't know what you're talking about? No.

Simma 30:59
You have to get our mother.

Naomi 31:00
To get her on, she would have all the information.

Scott Benner 31:05
Again, how interesting is this? You don't remember that. And it's a salient memory for her. She's like, remember when I got out of meeting Dorothy Hamill. And it's possible that you've ever

Naomi 31:20
resented me? We probably did. We probably did. I mean, I really. I don't. I mean, I'm sure we resented them.

Scott Benner 31:30
Oh, so I was just fascinating. Like, you're like you. You just see it really is like just the simple thing. I mean, you guys have kids now, though. So you've seen this in your own children, right? They they are very self centered and focused and on themselves and their experiences, which I think we all pretty much appreciate. Plus, you're in this additional situation where diabetes isn't an easy thing to manage in the 80s. And your mom is probably just like, I mean, I love the quote, like, someone has diabetes. Don't talk to me. That was like, I thought that was very telling. Like that's your mom incredibly overwhelmed. You know? Yeah, yeah. Super.

Naomi 32:11
I'm sure she I'm sure she was very tired. I think it was like, right when they came back from the hospital. Yeah. And she she needs her sleep. So yeah, but it was, you know, I mean, there was a lot going on in our house. We were at that point. CYMA who was born. I mean, I thought it was a baby was high a baby.

Simma 32:27
Yeah. For about four of us were born as a baby. And

Scott Benner 32:31
there was a lot going on. You just said something really interesting. It was an off the cuff thing. I'm assuming it's like an inside joke, or a known thing between two of your mom needs her sleep. But mom had undiagnosed thyroid issues.

Simma 32:43
I don't know if at that point, because she could she. Her thyroid issues were diagnosed maybe 25 years after that. So she might not have at that point.

Scott Benner 32:55
I don't know. I think people live with it a long time and don't realize it. They just they're like, Oh, I'm always tired. Or, you know, I

Naomi 33:03
could be cheated everything. My mother, my father was always at work. I mean, she did everything. So and she would get up very early in the morning. She still does. And you know, being in the hospital is just exhausting. And I think that literally it was when they walked in from the hospital. And we were like, what's going on? You know, we probably like attack them at the door. And she said cine, Sama has Cindy has diabetes. Don't talk to me right now. You know, I'm sure it was.

Scott Benner 33:26
It was a lot. Ya know, she was probably like, I can't believe I had five kids. And one of them's got diabetes. And this guy's working all the time. That's probably what she was thinking, what would you be thinking about? But you don't I mean? Yeah, so Okay, so you're both using an algorithm now, but a different one. So, how did you make the decision? Like, similarly, what made you choose a tandem pump?

Simma 33:51
Okay, so I have a great story actually, about this. So my I was on Medtronic, from when I was in my early 20s. I was on mini med pumps. And I did not like the mini med sensor. I just it hurt and it wasn't accurate. And it constantly went offline. I really didn't like it. And my pump went out of warranty and my doctor said, you should consider getting the T slim. I've heard great things about it. And it has an algo you know, it has control IQ and whatever. And I was like, Okay, maybe but also as much as I did not love mini med at that point. I hate change. So it was a Sunday during COVID. And we went to the beach because he got to get out of the house during COVID hour on the beach and I'm like, oh, I should start researching the the tandem pump. I have to decide this week. And I look up and about 15 feet away is a man wearing a tandem pump and a Dexcom sensor. And how like, thank you

Naomi 34:49
God, this is perfect.

Scott Benner 34:51
I'll go I'll go with this.

Simma 34:54
No, so I was like, I'm gonna go speak to him. So I walked over and he's like, whoa, stop because you didn't want me to come close because of COVID. And I'm like, okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm like, you know, pardon me, but I noticed you're wearing an insulin pump and a sensor. And do you mind telling me about them because I have a mini med pump. And I'm considering changing. Not only did he wear a tandem pump and a Dexcom sensor, but he was a nurse in a diabetes program in one of the local hospitals. So he really knew about it. Yeah. So he told me it was great. And then I was like, Okay, I'm not gonna do any research. I'm just gonna get it. So I've been really happy with that combination. Oh, good.

Scott Benner 35:32
That's excellent. And isn't it interesting to like, you just needed someone with some confidence to be like, This is good. And, and then you can kind of trust it a little bit. And then, so then it's interesting to me when you get type one, why do you not gravitate towards what Simmons doing?

Naomi 35:48
I mean, I don't know. Cuz I remember I. But

Simma 35:54
I remember because I said to you, why don't you get a pump? And you said, and your control was very good. At that point. You were probably still honeymooning and you said, Oh, I don't need one. I'm doing really well on MDI. We discussed it a few times.

Naomi 36:06
Yeah, I was I did very, very well, I brought my agency down until like, I think it was in a very low five, it's very quickly. Um, I was very careful with what I ate, then. So then I started listening a lot to the podcast. And I'm like, You know what, I'll wait for Omnipod five, I didn't want to, I didn't want to go on a pump, and then have to change when the the next big thing was coming out. And I didn't want to. So I waited for Omnipod five. And then actually, the appointment they gave me was right after my son got married in June 2022. And the appointment was like, right after his wedding. And I was you know, I was apprehensive about changing. So I called up the doctor, I'm like, is there any way I can move my appointment to a few weeks later? And they're like, No, the next appointment is in December, you know, you know, the way that these doctors are, they can't fit you in. That's it. Okay, I'll keep my appointment. And it really wasn't me changing from MDI to Omnipod. Five, it really wasn't a big deal. I was just apprehensive about the change. I did go a little crazy. Once I was able to pump I ate a lot more than I should have. Because it was just, it was just so easy not to give myself a shot. So I've kind of dialed back on that. But I love it. I mean, my agency has 5.2 so good for

Scott Benner 37:14
you. That's amazing. Do you have a certain feeling style you use or how do you eat?

Naomi 37:20
So I try to eat whole food plant base. It's it's hard sometimes because I'm cooking for my whole family and nobody else's. But I'm definitely on the High Court. I'm I'm on the high carb side I have between 203 100 carbs a day,

Scott Benner 37:34
but specifically plant based carbs.

Naomi 37:36
Yeah, I tried to stay plant based. Am I 100%? No, I'm probably like 80%.

Scott Benner 37:42
It's pretty impressive. How about you Santa? How do you eat?

Simma 37:45
I eat? I try to stick. I've heard a couple of people on the podcast, say this. Also, I tried to kind of stick to the same breakfast and lunch because I figured out how to cover them without spikes and what works and then dinner it varies, but there's no specific. It's not necessarily low carb, but it's probably lower carb. Because I'm conscious of it. Just regular.

Scott Benner 38:10
Yeah. Is it interesting, similar to watch someone be diagnosed in a modern time? Like, do you watch what's happening to me and be like, Wow, this was like this for me that would have this would have been amazing.

Simma 38:24
Well, I'll tell you, about 10 years ago, my friends, it was probably like 13 or 14 years ago, my friend's son was diagnosed. And he was put on what I was put on 36 years ago a sliding scale and and I said you get him out of that hospital right now. There's so much more available now. And she did and she moved to a different hospital but yeah, but Naomi I mean, I'm happy for I'm happy for people who are diagnosed now I'm sad for them that they're diagnosed but I'm happy for them because there's just so much out there. I mean, I don't prick my finger anymore. Really. I'm not a big calibrator I don't really calibrate my G seven, my G six I find that it works. So it's it's just it's a whole different lifestyle. And even the way you talk about Arden's control the way you can monitor her and and reach out to her and you know we were we were just flying blind. Yeah, back then.

Scott Benner 39:20
You know Arden so I'm happy. I'm glad that and Arden's This is Arden's last day of her quarter in college. And she slept in a little bit this morning that she had to go to class and drop off her last project and she's not feeling well like you know she's got that like last week rundown cold they all have other running around trying to get their stuff done. And while she was sleeping this morning, I saw her blood sugar rising and I remotely pushed up her Basal with loop and stop it while Paul shoes Wow Yeah, I know that's loop it's not it's not a you know, a commercially available product but I think stuff like that like phone control and remote control and stuff like that. I think all that's gonna keep moving forward. This is really I mean, this stuff's amazing. But it's sort of tip of the iceberg. So it's really,

Simma 40:12
I mean, the day the day I got the tandem Bolus from the phone installs, I was like, let's make a party. I mean, it was just, you know, every every little move forward, like you're saying, maybe it's tip of the iceberg. And hopefully, there's a lot more to come. But every move forward is just incredible. When I was about 12, my parents took me to do a trial for like an infrared glucose sensor, it was going to look it was going to be able to read your blood sugar by shining a light on your finger.

Scott Benner 40:40
I remember this. Yeah,

Simma 40:41
that was so exciting. But guess what, it never happened? Well, now maybe I have to wear something. But I don't have to prick my finger.

Scott Benner 40:47
You know what I the one that gets me right now is that Apple Watch is trying to add like blood glucose. But it's so obviously not going to be for therapeutic use. But everybody gets so excited. Anytime a new story comes about one day, I won't need to CGM, like, I'll just my watch will tell me like if you think in your lifetime, and infer like a watch sensor, through your skin is going to be as accurate as something under your skin reading interstitial fluid. Like, if that happens, I'll eat my hat. But like, I don't see that coming anytime soon. It is just it's interesting to see people's excitement when they don't really understand the technology as much as they just want it to work. And they know it's possible. So I even like that, that it feels possible that people could actually believe like, Oh, my watch, you know, maybe one day I'll be able to do since on from my watch, like just from what it tells me I liked it. That's hopeful. Because I think that in the years prior to, I'm gonna say prior to Dexcom coming out maybe their second or third generation when it became clear, they were going to like iterate and keep going, they weren't just going to give you something go here it is This is it. Because up until then that was the world. I mean, the Medtronic pump story tells it, Medtronic has a huge market share of insulin pumps. And you can't find three people to tell you that they enjoy the experience. And yet they don't really change it that quickly. Whereas so when Dexcom came out, and it was like the first one was I would say you use the first x calm for the arrow, like the direction that's mostly what you cared about, like, Oh, my blood sugar's moving, because the number wasn't great in the beginning. And so we use it for direction. And then you thought, well, this is going to be what this is, and then boom, here's another version of it. And here's another version of it, and we improve the filament wire, and we improve the software. And I was like, oh, man, these people are on it. Like they're gonna keep, you know, they're gonna keep going. And it's just super. And you can see how that translates to the population who now just a handful of years later, it's like, oh, my watch will probably tell me my blood sugar one day, like people are actually hopeful. And that's a it's really something because I imagined when you were growing up some of there was no hope that anything was happening like that. That meter you got was what you had for 15 years, right?

Simma 43:02
Yeah, well, well, my dad to the female doctor, the second or third, the doctor we went to after Dr. Bernstein, she used to tell my mother like, oh, in like 20 years, there'll be a cure. But then, you know, there wasn't, didn't really seem to be progress towards a cure. And then I kind of went into like, oh, they'll never be a cure. You know, but now I feel like even if this is, as far as it gets, and I don't think this will be as far as it gets, like you're saying I think it's tip of the iceberg. And you see with every new, you know, year or two, something new is coming out, you know if this is as good as it gets, this is pretty good.

Scott Benner 43:36
Yeah, boy, it's not bad. I'll tell you. But Naomi, what's the other side of that? Like, because people who are newly diagnosed are very impatient. I find aren't because they they expect they expect cell phone progress. Like you don't I mean, like every year somebody goes here, it's a new phone, the cameras better It's this. It's this. It's this, we made this improvement. Like, that's how people want things. Do you see that? Like, do you see like the what's the question? Like, you know, when you're online, and there's like a Dexcom server outage. And so people lose their CGM for a little while. And the newer diagnose people are just like their Scarlett O'Hara, they've got their, their forearm to their head, and they're like, they've got the vapors and everything's going wrong. And this is it. We're all gonna die. And the older people are like, Yo, just chill out. It's okay, like test a couple of times. Like, do you see that difference? Yeah,

Naomi 44:33
I mean, maybe because I'm older, I don't get to, you know, it works fine for me. And if something happens, or it's out or my sensor, or my sensors a little wonky, so I just report the issue to Dexcom I don't like I don't go crazy. I also I'm not managing a child's diabetes, which sure let me I mean, I have a friend. Her son was diagnosed when he was a baby and he's nine now we have me and me and this kid happens at the same birthday. So it's just you know, we became close me and the mom And it's hard. He's on Omnipod. Five, she doesn't know what he's eating and when. And she has a totally different experience managing his diabetes than I have managing my own, you know, using Omnipod? Five? Sure. I don't think Omnipod five works that well, when you're you're not Bolus and correctly.

Scott Benner 45:16
So nothing does. But I think yeah.

Naomi 45:20
Sorry, I lost my

Scott Benner 45:21
note, oh, while you're getting, I'll just say that. That's an interesting take, too, is that, oh, I'll use an automated system. And I'll just slap it on and it's going to work. It's still all settings, understanding how insulin works, understanding the impacts of your food, like that has not changed about diabetes, whether it's an algorithm or not an algorithm. And, and but there's a whole new generation of people who are gonna think, like magic, like this is this is magic. I'll put this on. And that's it. I won't need to know anything, but we're not there. We're not there to that point yet.

Naomi 45:53
Yeah, it's still it still takes effort. But yeah, I mean, I'm not you know, I'm not one of those who gets excited when I didn't watch the movie about pancreas transplant, or, I mean, it's working for me now. It does take effort. I am a little envious of people who can eat anything whenever they want. You know, but

Scott Benner 46:14
yeah, it is what it is. Right? But and that's, that's, uh, did you suffer that? Or are you just kind of, I'm gonna call this is funny. I just realized if I was alone with Naomi, I'd say, Well, you sound level headed. And then I realized her sisters here who might just like start laughing if I say something like that. But, but it's just a more mature, like, seasoned response.

Naomi 46:34
Yeah. And someone said to me, when I was diagnosed, he's like, You should be very thankful you were diagnosed now and not, you know, in the 1980s. And I am. I mean, I don't want to be diagnosed, I don't want to have type one. You know, like, like the war in the Ukraine. Like I stocked up my army pods I stocked up I make sure to refill my prescriptions immediately. I mean, I'm totally reliant on medication now, which is a little scary for someone who wasn't, I mean, all I took was Synthroid, which even that my husband's like StyleCop stuff up.

Scott Benner 47:01
So there's a war in the Ukraine it made you get extra insulin pumps?

Naomi 47:05
Well, no, I just made sure to refill my prescription is like, I don't let it lapse. Because yeah, because that was one of the things that people couldn't get their insulin. Naomi, I'm married, I'm married to like a prepper.

Scott Benner 47:18
This paranoia is why there's a run on banks right now. That's everybody. We don't do any. Because everybody can't just be like, oh, yeah, I'm sure the banking system is gonna collapse in 20 to

Naomi 47:29
49 years. I didn't need insulin to live and now I do.

Scott Benner 47:33
So it becomes very important. No, I understand. Listen, I think anyone who's had diabetes has daydreamed, what they'll do, when the zombies come, like what pharmacy will like go to and steal all the insulin from immediately. How am I going to keep things cold? Like Arden, I had a conversation once we were watching Walking Dead back when it was cool. And she's like, Oh, I guess I'd be dead pretty quick, huh? And I was like, I was like, I mean, yeah. I didn't even know what else to say. You know, it was like, I'm sure we could scavenge some stuff. But you know, there wouldn't be refrigeration. And I mean, the insulin would probably still work, even though it was unrefrigerated, not the way it's intended to, but maybe we could stretch it out a little bit. And she's like, so a couple of months. And I was like, yeah, that's like, well, we could find like running water to keep it cold. I was like, that's an idea. Like a like a, like a stream, and we're having this conversation that you should have seen how like, matter of factly she was just like, Oh, okay. All right. She wasn't upset by it. She was just like, oh, I don't make it through the apocalypse. Got it. So it was interesting.

Simma 48:40
Well, we, I mean, it's, I totally relate to what Naomi saying, and we are four grandparents were Holocaust survivors. So I think that some of it comes from there. I mean, I always say like, if there was another holocaust, I would be one of the people who didn't make it. Because, you know, I, I'm too reliant. You know, I'm too reliant on on the medication. So and I also used to be a soccer rapper until my insurance started costing an arm and a leg for everything. And now I don't stack up as much because it's just unaffordable.

Scott Benner 49:18
I had a thought where to go? Dammit. I started thinking something stupid. And then I was pushing this stupid thought out of my head and I lost my real Listen, me plus low iron. You know what I mean? So that's all I got. I'm gonna jump over my question and come to a different one. And then I'll I'll circle back if I think of it again. So I'm interested Naomi, you reach out into the world and find the podcast. So I'm gonna ask them a quick question that go back to you. So semi Did you have any contact or community around diabetes? So I knew

Simma 49:54
here and there, I knew individuals with diabetes who I was is not necessarily close to and did not necessarily speak to all the time. And I'd say my control was good to really good, but maybe not rates. And I was kind of just going along. Okay, you know, I, you know, I've been told for my whole life that seven was the gold standard. So if I was like, 6.5 I'm like, This is great, you know. And it actually took the perspective of someone newly diagnosed to be, you know, I wasn't really I thought, like, Oh, I know everything. You know, I could have found out about the tandem probably like two years before I did if I actually was connected the way she ended up being connected. Yeah. So she found the podcast, and she told me about it. And I was like, oh, okay, maybe I'll listen, you know what I don't I don't need I don't need to know anything. And it really helped. I mean, I would say like you didn't say anything that I didn't know or didn't think about already, but just kind of hearing it being reminded. I was I was not a big Pre-Bolus, sir, at all. Yeah. Sorry about that. And since I listened to the podcast, I'm much more careful that people thing and that has made a huge difference. Huge.

Scott Benner 51:09
I've heard this before. I'm glad. I've heard this before people have had diabetes for a long time, we'll say, Yeah, listen to the podcast. And I mean, you didn't say a ton of things I didn't know. And I and I always think when people say that I was thinking like he had diabetes for 20 years. Like he must have figured some of this out. Right. But But then the second part of what you said, is there a big takeaway, if the podcast is really valuable to them, they say it's it's just a reminder, and they listen to people's conversations. And that's what kind of keeps them, I guess, connected with what they need to do. And I think that's terrific. It was certainly not something I envisioned. But I've heard about it so many times now that I'm just completely sure of it. Like, like, some people are like, Why do you have so many episodes, and I was like, because I don't think of this as the diabetes podcast, I think of it as a podcast, first of all, and I think that, if I put up three conversations with three different people a week, you know, I don't expect that you're going to listen to all three of them. But I like you to have choice. And I like you to be engaged. And and then of course, we'd like to walk, you know, and then bring in some management talk every week, so that people can kind of like just refreshed a little bit and keep going. Like, I'm trying to have a long term view of it. And what you just said, makes me feel really, really good about that. So thank you. So Naomi, how do you find the pot?

Simma 52:30
Yeah, and I am sorry?

Scott Benner 52:31
No, sorry, can

Simma 52:33
I just say one more thing, you'll be happy, you'll be happy. Let me say this, you always say that you're not such a smart guy. And you're, you know, if you could figure it out anyone can, I have to say you really have a gift. I mean, I'm an editor and a writer. So I'm very into words, and you really do have a gift for the way you explain things the whole way you go over the tug of war of the insulin and the food like that is a great visual. And again, even though that was something I knew to hear it but like that, it just, it gives you a different perspective to be able to visualize it like that. So I have to disagree with your assessment that you're not so smart.

Scott Benner 53:07
Maybe I'm just being folksy when I say that. How about on the last episode of the podcast, I'll tell everybody my IQ. You want to do that? Because I happen to know it because they tested it a lot when I was a kid, which by the way is not the first time kindergarten, knock knock knock on the kindergarten door. I can picture myself standing on the door next to Mrs. Moon, who was my kindergarten teacher. And Naomi, I have no long term memory. So that I know that is this is a real memory. The the gentleman from the guidance office was outside she went outside chatted with him quietly walked back in brought me in the hall. Now I was fairly certain that they'd caught me doing something terrible. And I was going down even though I was five years old. I was like, Oh, this is it. They got me. So I get out there and she bends down. And she's in one of those like, like, it's just a classic 70s thing. Like she had horn rimmed glasses and a long dress. And you know, and she says, this is the guidance counselor, she introduces him by name and says, He wants you to go take a test. And I was like, for what? And he goes, this is this was the explanation. And trust me, this is not what you should say to children because it's still with me, all these years later, and it wasn't good. She said they think you're smarter than the other kids. And I was like, and there it is right there. That's probably my ego right there probably started when I was five. I was like, I am smarter than these little idiots. I look around, I see that Dobby looks on their faces. I'm taking this whole thing over. But no, they sent me I got my first IQ test. And then my score remained exactly the same every time they gave it to me for years, and they would pull me in there constantly and make me take it over and over again. But I never did well in school. I was actually a poor student, like a C plus As I was like walking around, like I had 105, I was like I did it. I'm like, over the sea. And I wouldn't have gotten my first real adult job, where I wasn't working my ass off if the if part of the hiring process wasn't an IQ test, like I sat down to get a job. And they said, We want you to take this test. I was like, whatever. So I start filling it out. And I looked up at the person and I said, Hey, this is an IQ test. And she goes, How do you know that? And I said, this is like the 30th one I've ever taken. This is an IQ test. So I rolled through it, gave it to her. And like 10 minutes later, they came out, they're like, you're hired. I was like, Okay. And then the lady behind her goes, by has a good score you on that task. And I was like, Cool. Thanks. And I didn't, I was so like, blue collar and poor, that I was just like, lost, someone's gonna give me a job where there are chairs and air conditioning that's like this amazing. Like, this is really, but But I swear to you, I don't understand algebra. I don't really know where commas go. I don't understand any of the things that classically you're supposed to understand coming out of high school. My brain just works a weird way. That's all. So anyway, after this is over, I'll tell you guys my IQ, but not on. Okay, but I appreciate you saying that. What I have found and I don't know if I've ever said this in the podcast before. But I think the thing you're giving me credit for is happenstance. Because I grew up in a very blue collar home because I was adopted by people who were not related to. And so they were just lovely, decent, like, hard working, you know, people, they didn't have extra money, they didn't go on a vacation. And I think that what you're hearing is a blend of how my brain works, and how I was raised mixed together. I think that's why it occurs to me to tell people about a Bolus, like it's a tug of war, instead of saying something that sounds like I learned it in college. And I actually think that's why the podcast is helpful to people, because I'm a blend of like two different cultures. But Naomi, I wanted to ask you, like, how did you find the podcast? And what did it do for you?

Naomi 57:10
Oh, I mean, as I said, I knew nothing. And nobody was helping me. My sister was helping me but you know, I mean, I guess, for her, she, you know, she's had it for so many years. I think I read things like a pancreas. But books are not like super dynamic. You know, a lot of the information was a little older. I think just one night, I Googled type one diabetes podcasts. And I listened to a different one. And I was like, okay, and then I started listening to yours. And I guess I found the Jenny episodes and things like that. And I was like, wow, this is what I need to know. Yeah, you know, nobody told me a thing about Pre-Bolus thing. Nobody told me anything. And I just started listening. And, you know, one thing that you say that really I have your voice in my head a lot is if you know it's going to happen, it's going to happen, you know, don't keep doing the same thing every day. Because I have the same breakfast every day. And it literally if I, if I tweak it differently, sometimes I'll go up very high. And sometimes I'll be very flat. So like, today, I did the thing that keeps it very flat, I Pre-Bolus for a little longer. So just just things like that they you know, and, you know, now when I go to the doctor, like I hate going to the doctor, because I just feel it's just such a waste of my time. I feel like if you know how to if you know how to manage your type one diabetes, well, day in and day out. You shouldn't have to go to a doctor.

Scott Benner 58:34
That why do you think that? Because they're

Naomi 58:36
they're literally sitting there. They weigh me they take my blood pressure. They ask them some questions. They're billing my insurance. They're not giving me any information that I need. Yeah, nothing. I get nothing from my doctor, other than my prescription. I mean, as an adult, it's a disease that you're living with Daly and other than my labs, I mean, any my lab, they're not telling me anything. Yeah.

Scott Benner 58:59
I did a survey, right. I don't know if you saw it. Give me a second SIM. I'll come right back to you. I did a survey recently. I got over, I don't know, like 1100 listeners to the podcast to take a survey. Listen, I'm not a professional survey writer. So I'm sure there are people who will read it and be like, You didn't ask the right questions. But here's what I got out of the survey two to one people trust the podcast over their physician. And that was really that threw me off. Like I just I know, we talked about it. And you know, people tell the same story. Like you know, that's the nice guy with the prescription pad that I go see every once in a while. But I was like, I just didn't think it would be that stark, like the numbers are so stark. I don't even know if I'm gonna share them with people. It looks like they're made up. And

Naomi 59:44
I mean, I will say if it was a functional doctor, like the doctor you interviewed, but you can't even see a functional doctor on insurance. So I mean, a functional doctor I think would help me because she'd be looking at me as a whole as opposed to just my labs. Yeah, but um, With the doctors I'm seeing now. I mean, so my doctor was away on vacation. They're like, do you want to see the nurse practitioner? I'm like, Sure, I'll see anyone. I don't owe the PA, I don't care who I see. They're all they're all basically doing the same thing. They're checking my numbers for a few minutes. And then they're writing me that and they're refilling my prescriptions. Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:00:17
Your point about that it's not last like I saw Addy, like I told you, I don't know if I said on the recording or not, but she's trying to help me with my iron and everything. And my first sit down appointment with her was 90 minutes long. Like, we sat for an hour, like it included, like a physical inspection of my carcass. But we also like, you know, like we were in there talking about, like, she's like, start at the beginning. And like, as a child, and I went through my whole life, and everything I could remember about my health, my digestion, like all the things that I thought were pertinent to why it was there. And she did such a comprehensive blood draw. And but you're not wrong, like I have to pay or in cash. Now I can turn it into my insurance, and they will probably cover like 60% of it. But it's still like, if you want somebody to sit and Doctor House with you, it's not going to happen inside of the system, the system just doesn't allow for that. And a lot of us have issues that that need more than just like, oh, I ran a lab and this is it. And like, we're all good now. Right? Yeah, it's really something. Now, some of you were gonna jump in and say something. Do you remember what it was?

Simma 1:01:27
I think that what Naomi saying? And what your two to one podcast, listeners are saying are accurate for people like us who take charge of their health and correct, you know, I'm not afraid to change to I just adjusted my Basal rate last night, I'm not one of those who says, well, in two and a half months, when I go into my endocrinologist, I'll ask her, if I can raise my basil by point one from 10pm. to midnight, you know? So some people maybe do need to go to the doctor, what can I say?

Scott Benner 1:01:57
Yeah, but I think what happens with what you're saying is, is that some people need to be reminded or pushed, or, you know, just, or sometimes they don't see the forest for the trees, like, like, all the things are in front of them. And they go, I don't know, like, I see two plus two, but I don't know what that equals. And so that's what a doctor ends up doing. They ask you how you are you tell them a little story, and they try to infer from your story what what's going on with you. And then they make some suggestions. If you're lucky, and you have a decent doctor, and there are people who then can use these conversations in the podcast to do that for themselves, like a sounding board that doesn't talk back to them. That guy Oh, I heard that. I maybe should look at my whatever. Pre-Bolus my basil, my carb ratio. And I think it's just it's the conversation, it's the conversation you need that you don't get at most doctors unless you're gonna pay them. I mean, honestly, two $300 for a visit, because cash doctors are, you know, they're cash doctors. And also they're not all good. We took Arden to somebody wants for her issues, and nothing came of it. It was just it was like a hippie lady sitting in a room like, you know, pontificating about what could be and what could be, but she wasn't good at really figuring things out. And he's terrific. Like, she's really something actually, I want to mention here. And I hope this has been appreciated. Some of the I've gotten your sister to say your name correctly. She's now saying CYMA, have you heard it's very hard, very, very hard. I'm not going to get the right credit for this, although I think she's going to flip back as soon as we get off this record. Is there anything we haven't talked about that you guys wanted to? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Naomi 1:03:43
I mean, I just want to say that, you know, whatever you're doing, keep doing because you're really helping people. So many people will be. I mean, so many people are having better results because of the podcast. I mean, I'm sure I'm just one of many, many people.

Scott Benner 1:03:57
Thank you. That's very nice. I don't know how many people listen, because oddly, that's not information Apple shares with people. But I see the downloads. And I can tell you that we're talking in March. We're It's mid March right now it's 2023. This year, this calendar year, got to a million downloads in like 57 days. And I went from 10 million to 11 million in less than two months. As far as that's download streams. Like however, somebody listens to the show. And this week, in the first three days of this week, the podcast had twice as many downloads as it did in 2015. Which is insane. So it reaches people because I think because people have like Naomi like she had an experience. And she looked up and said, Oh, I know a person with diabetes. I'll tell them about it. And then you know, you know a kid who has it and I'm sure you've told them and similar Have you told people about the podcast? Definitely. Oh, yeah, and see, that's just what happens. So the truth of it is, is it's, it's easy to digest good information. And it does a lot of other things that I don't talk about as much. But we spoke about earlier today, like, just supporting the idea of keeping you motivated, which I think is what most of these motivation podcasts aren't like, you know, ex Marines who are screaming at you to get up at 4am and go for a run on their podcast or whatever, like anywhere in between. It's just somebody reminding you like, Hey, do a thing, hey, do a thing. Hey, do a thing. And anyway,

Simma 1:05:32
I don't think so that Can I can I disagree? I don't think you're just reminding people, I think that you're showing them that it's possible based on your care of art, and you're showing them that it's possible. Okay. Yeah, I think that that's very powerful.

Scott Benner 1:05:47
Right? I appreciate that. And it is, it's funny, too, because the, the show has become such a thing. This is gonna sound like a brag, but the show like, regularly charts in the top 15 of its category, right. And if you look at the shows that are above it, they're all run by like, corporations, or groups of people. And like, I'm going away tomorrow to see my kids. And so I'm going to be gone for like 10 days. So I did do three work weeks worth of work in the last like eight days, so that I can go away. And because the podcast is just me, the reason I bring that up is because I get lost in what it is sometimes, because the thing you just said, is something that I used to say all the time, which is early on, when I made this podcast, the the vibe in the diabetes community was that you never shared any good news you had, because it would make other people feel bad if they were struggling. And I heard that, and I always rubbed up against that. I always thought that that's not right. Like if So you're telling me that there are people out there who know how to do these things. And they're off somewhere not thinking about diabetes very often with some a one C and the fives and a great prognosis for their life and everything. And they're not going to say anything, because it might hurt someone's feelings. I was like, I don't I don't buy into that. Like, I think that's aspirational. And I think if we set it up as aspirational, instead of setting it up through a victim mentality, which is kind of how it was set up in the past, if you can't say what is good for you, because it makes me sad. Like, alright, we'll get over that. Because the things that I know are going to help you if you stop wanting to have your feelings hurt and start wanting to have, like some of these experiences for yourself. Like it's right there. So I agree with you. I think it's, I think the aspirational nature of it is really important. I just forget to talk about it. Because I've been doing this for so long. And often what you hear from me, it's just what's ever, like more top of my mind or more, I guess prevalent in my life at the moment when I'm talking. But I appreciate you saying that because I believe I well, I

Simma 1:07:59
went back, I went back to some older episodes when my sister told me about it. I mean, I'm still on the 400. So I've listened to some newer ones, like when you have the Dexcom people on or certain ones I listened to right away, but mostly I've kind of been working through them.

Scott Benner 1:08:14
For such a treat, I get so much better at this, like 2000 19,020. And my microphone gets better. Your interest, your interest.

Simma 1:08:25
I think I passed that one already where you said you had the new microphone.

Scott Benner 1:08:29
I'm still I'm still if you brought it up right now we were sitting around having coffee, which I wouldn't be drinking because I've never had coffee, but I just meant sitting around drinking something. I'm so mad about that first microphone. Still, I could have bought this mic. And I didn't know. And I tried to save a little money. It still makes me upset anyway. All right. So what are we going over? You guys didn't know each other growing up that what was going on with diabetes? You obviously have a very close relationship now over it. I'm terrific. What else? Have we missed anything? This is it right?

Simma 1:08:59
Like Well, I just have one funny, you know, slightly funny story to share. So I'm like you we actually were very good students, while all 505 of us were very good students. And recently we were at an event and I actually gave my brother in law, Naomi's husband, my phone because I wasn't going to really be able to have access to my phone and I said, please watch my phone and let me know if I'm going high or going low. We need to make any adjustments or whatever. And he also had, he was following her numbers on the follow up. So I think either he said it or one of her kids said it they're like this was the first time that one of the wants to have the lower number.

Scott Benner 1:09:39
Grades. That's fantastic. It was really funny. I did not have that problem. I needed two classes to get 100 points. I would have had to like add English to math and then I could add an egg. Yeah, I don't know. It's really strange. And I'm not a proponent of it. By the way. I really like when my kids were in school. I was like you do good. And they did, by the way, but I just didn't. I mean, if I had to, if I had to guess I didn't grow up with people whose minds work the way mine did. And their expectation was I'd get a job in my uncle's sheetmetal shop, and that I just had to live through these first 18 years that I was allowed to work. Like it was it was kind of more like that. Anyway, all right, you guys were absolutely terrific. I have to go because I'm gonna get my iron infusion, I need to get ready for that. And I'm very excited. Like, you know, when you when you hear parents go like black, the things you're excited about, when you're a parent, this is the best thing that's happened to me all year. I appreciate there's no luck, I will sit there, they'll put an IV in 45 minutes later, I will leave. And just like that, I will have the correct amount of ferritin and iron and iron binding capacity and all the things that I do not have at the moment. And hopefully Addy and I can figure out why that is and put a stop to it. My bet is this is completely conjecture. But my bet is, this might be a thyroid thing for me. So we're gonna find out when all the bloodwork comes back,

Naomi 1:11:06
bring it back. We want a new episode. I tell

Scott Benner 1:11:09
her all the time when I speak to her I'm like, you know, I tell her how many like downloads her episode has. And she's just like, that's amazing. She talks about I should let her talk about it. But we talked in my appointment just real quickly about. She wants to she's starting to have that pressure about. I'm not reaching enough people. And she's starting to think about just making videos and putting them online and stuff like that. So alright, yeah, she's got a ton of information. Right. Okay, guys, I do have to jump. Thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate it. Thank you for that. Oh, it's my pleasure. Really. It was nice. Thank you. Both of you. Hold on one second, okay.

I want to thank Seema and Naomi for coming on the show today and sharing their rather interesting story with us. I also want to thank us Med, U. S. med.com/juice box are called 888-721-1514. Actually, that number is specifically special for Juicebox Podcast listeners. Get started today with us med. You're going to love it. Having your supplies just show up at the house is. It's really fantastic takes a weight off your shoulders. I want to thank you for listening and remind you about the private Facebook group Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes, head over there. Now go to the feature tab. Look into all the different series within the podcast or check it out at juicebox podcast.com. Once there was a time when I just told people if you want a low and stable a one C just listen to the Juicebox Podcast. But as the years went on, and the podcast episodes grew, it became more and more difficult for people to listen to everyone. So I made the diabetes Pro Tip series. This series is with me and Jenny Smith. Jenny is a Certified diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She's also a registered and licensed dietitian and a type one herself for over 30 years and I of course, am the father of a child who was diagnosed at age two in 2006. The Pro Tip series begins at episode 210 with an episode called newly diagnosed are starting over and from there all about MDI Pre-Bolus Singh insulin pumping, pumping and nudging variables exercise illness, injury surgeries glucagon long term health bumping and nudging how to explain type one to your family. Postpartum honeymoon transitioning all about insulin Temp Basal. These are all different episodes, setting your Basal insulin, fat and protein pregnancy, the glycemic index and load and so much more like female hormones and weight loss. Head now to juicebox podcast.com. Go up in the menu at the top and click on diabetes pro tip. Or if you're in the private Facebook group, there's a list of these episodes right in the feature tab. Find out how I helped keep my daughter's a one C between five two and six two for the last 10 years without diet restrictions juicebox podcast.com Start listening today. It's absolutely free.