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Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends and welcome to episode 1158 of the Juicebox Podcast.

Kelly is 54 years old she was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 25 back in 1994. Right out of college. Today, she's got a great story that includes using a Frezza the inhaled insulin, we're gonna hear all about it. 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. Don't forget to save 40% off of your entire order at cozy earth.com All you have to do is use the offer code juice box at checkout. That's juice box at checkout to save 40% at cozy earth.com. When you place your first order for ag one with my link, you'll get five free travel packs and a free year supply of vitamin D. Drink ag one.com/juice box. If you're a US resident who has type one diabetes, or is the caregiver of someone with type one, go to T one D exchange.org/juicebox. and complete the survey. That's all I need from you. T one D exchange.org/juicebox whole survey 10 minutes start to finish bing bang boom. They won't ask you one question you don't know the answer to. This is a test you're getting 100 on if you know what I mean. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the ever since CGM. Ever since it's gonna let you break away from some of the CGM norms you may be accustomed to no more weekly or bi weekly hassles of sensor changes. Never again will you be able to accidentally bump your sensor off. You won't have to carry around CGM supplies and worrying about your adhesive lasting. Well that's the thing of the past ever since cgm.com/juicebox. Today's episode is sponsored by Medtronic diabetes, a company that's bringing together people who are redefining what it means to live with diabetes. Later in this episode, I'll be speaking with Mark, he was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 28. He's 47. Now he's going to tell you a little bit about his story. And then at the very end of the episode, you can hear my entire mini interview with Mark to hear more stories from the Medtronic champion community or to share your own story. Visit Medtronic diabetes.com/juice box and check out the Medtronic champion hashtag on social media. My

Kelly 2:37
name is Kelly. I'm 54 years old. I was diagnosed with type one diabetes, obviously, when I was 25, which was 1994. Okay,

Scott Benner 2:49
two years before I got married. I don't know why that's important. Well, because there's Kelly. Yeah, yes. It's because your name's Kelly, you were 2125 45? Were you in grad school or out of college or working?

Kelly 3:05
I was out of college. And ironically, when I went to college, I had a degree in nutrition. And it's a long story. I was originally doing engineering. And I decided that I wanted to maybe go into sales. And at that point, I thought, well, it could really be anything that I have a degree in. So nutrition seems interesting. You know, I I'm sure it's something that I can use one day, I really did not want to become a dietician. I did not want to work in a hospital, I did not want to tell people what they could and could not eat.

Scott Benner 3:41
Can I ask you why you got that degree? So I know,

Kelly 3:44
right? Because I was at a school that was very competitive. And when I decided to change my major, frankly, it was one of maybe three things I could change to Okay. And I thought well, you know, it's not the worst thing i I'm sure that I will benefit from this is what I thought. So I graduated from the program and started working. And I was working in the kind of more food service industry side of it was sort of a food science degree. It was food science and nutrition is what it was. And so I did that for a couple of years. And then I moved from the state that I was in to another state. And about a year after I moved, started having classic diabetes symptoms, which of course I had no idea what they were. I lost a lot of weight, I'm guessing about 20 pounds, kind of took about four months from when I started noticing something was up until I was diagnosed. And so during that time, really, really thirsty. Really really hungry eating and drinking like crazy still losing weight and you know, part of you is like awesome and And the other part knows something's wrong. I was married at the time to man who became my ex husband, but he was,

Scott Benner 5:08
how do you do that?

Kelly 5:09
You're gonna understand why in a minute. I was like, something was wrong with me. And he kept telling me I was crazy. You know, there's nothing wrong with you. I don't know, he just he was he was not supportive. Okay. Back in 1994, there was no internet. So I didn't have access to any information, no diabetes, and my family learned a little tiny bit about it in my nutrition degree, which you would think you would know more. But, but I didn't?

Scott Benner 5:38
Well, I wouldn't think you would know more. Because I imagine when you switch that degree, I see your parents just crying at home. While you're explained to them like, well, it's just one of the three options. I can switch to their public. Oh, God, our money. Goes there goes. I would cry be like, Oh, come home. You're confused. And it's costing me money. I need you to get back here. Right. Yeah, exactly.

Kelly 6:01
Okay, so thirsty, hungry? Losing weight, really, really dry mouth. I don't know if that goes along with a thirst. I don't know what that was. But at the time, I was a runner. And I was running. And I would always have to take a candy or a piece of gum or something to chew or while I was running, or else I was like, you know,

Scott Benner 6:25
just like that, that like really dry stuff together. Yeah,

Kelly 6:29
right. really dry. Okay, so I told you, I had just moved to a new state. And you know, I'm a healthy 25 year old or so I think actually, I was 24. At that time. I don't have a doctor, I don't have a primary care doctor. I, you know, frankly, I don't think I need one. So I'm trying to figure out a doctor to go to and symptoms keep getting worse. And what finally put me over the edge is yeast infection. Never had them prior and got one and it was like, Oh, my word what on earth? So that sent me to the doctor. Yeah,

Scott Benner 7:01
I hear that a lot, by the way. From women. Yeah, diagnosis. I

Kelly 7:05
mean, and it's such a bummer because you go through the whole rigmarole of all the stuff you have to use. And it it may be went away for like a day and came right back. Right back the vengeance. So that is what ultimately forced me because I just, that was not fun. I go to a nurse practitioner and I get in there. And I'm like, Okay, this is all the things that are wrong with me. I've lost 20 pounds, I am thirsty all the time. I'm eating like crazy and losing weight. I don't know why I have this recurrent yeast infection, you know, keeps coming back and she sits me down, reaches across the table holds my hand and says you're 25 you're stressed your body is changing. And I was like, No, I think it's I don't think I'm terribly stressed.

Scott Benner 7:56
Had I not had a daughter? I wouldn't realize how dismissively women get treated around their health. Like by by men and women who are doctors. By the way, it doesn't even matter which one it's the prevalent idea that if a girl's having a problem, it'll just pass is like medical folklore. What they want to say is we don't know. But what they go, is it most of the people we see they stopped complaining about that eventually.

Kelly 8:22
Right? Thanks. Yeah, yeah. Well, and to make it even worse, she had taken a urine sample and was testing me for pregnancy. And I said, and so I can't remember now all the details, but I remember being at that meeting and saying something about diabetes, I think I had, I don't know what gone somewhere, read something found, you know, found something. So the urine cup is sitting there, like, right on the counter right next to us. Yeah. And I said, you know, is it possible this could be diabetes? And she said, Oh, no, you don't want and I was like, well, could we test for it? Because I mean, I didn't know what the test was anything like that. So I said, can we test for it? And she said, that is a really expensive test. And you know, here I am. I'm 25 I did not have a job at that time with medical stuff. And I'm thinking oh, my gosh, okay. Yeah. So you know, she thinks I'm crazy too. Clearly. I'm, I'm likely crazy here. No, I knew I wasn't crazy. But when

Scott Benner 9:23
everybody tells you, it's probably not that and then hit you with the money thing when you're younger, too. Yeah, but we can't spend that money. Yeah. How many times have you thought it's time to change my CGM? I just changed it. And then you look and realize, Oh, my God, it's been 14 days already a week, week and a half. Feels like I just did this. Well, you'll never feel like that with the Eversense CGM, because ever since is the only long term CGM with six months of real time glucose readings, giving you more convenience, confidence and flexibility. So if you're one of the Those people who has that thought that I just did this, didn't I why we're gonna have to do this again right now, if you don't like that feeling, give ever sense a try. Because we've ever since you'll replace the sensor just once every six months via a simple in office visit ever since cgm.com/juicebox. To learn more and get started today, would you like to take a break, take a shower you can with ever since without wasting a sensor, don't want anybody to know for your big day, take it off. No one has to know have your sensor has been failing before 10 or 14 days. That won't happen with ever since. Have you ever had a sensor get torn off while you're pulling off your shirt? That won't happen with ever since. So no sensor to get knocked off. It's as discreet as you want it to be. It's incredibly accurate. And you only have to change it once every six months. Ever since cgm.com/juicebox.

Kelly 10:57
Yeah, so it kept going on. I don't know when that was that might have been like the beginning of May. So I continue and it's just this vicious cycle, I started getting really bad leg cramps. So I would wake up in the night and my calves were just like, locked. And it would hurt the whole next day. That was another symptom that I had. But I went home back to where you know, I'm originally from to visit my sister. And she picked me up at the airport. And she took one look at me and she was like, Okay, what is going on with you? Are you you know, having an eating disorder. You know what's happening because you look like a skeleton. So you look

Scott Benner 11:38
like eating disorder or drugs to your sister when she saw you immediately. Yeah.

Kelly 11:42
And I and you know, when you're looking at yourself, I knew I had lost weight, but I didn't see it because it was gradual. And she was like, dude, something is up with you, you know this, this is not okay. And so I told her at that time, everything that had happened. And I mentioned diabetes, again, I don't know, where I was even knowing that I might have this thing. And I obviously didn't know how serious it was where I would have taken myself to the hospital. But so she happened to have a friend that was a diabetes educator and the friend said meet me at my office. I think it was a Saturday or something. So we went she you know, tested my blood sugar with a meter in her office. And I think it was 497 479 something like that. Yeah, right off. So right then in there, we were like, oh, okay, this is what this is. So again, I'm out of town. I so that was the maybe the second day I got there. So it was probably Saturday. I wasn't returning home until Monday. So I call my ex husband

Scott Benner 12:44
still waiting to find out how we accomplish this but really like hysterical

Kelly 12:48
crying upset like I don't know what this means. I don't know if we can have kids. I remember this conversation and he is like on the other line going. Oh, and your sister told you this? Yeah, your your wacko sister told you you have diabetes is basically how he did it. And then he promptly got on a plane and went for a guy's weekend with his friends and was gone. So I fly back home, I arrange for a doctor's appointment with a really great just primary doctor that a friend of mine told me about. I showed up to his office fasting. I'm like, I think I have type one diabetes, can you do the bloodwork? It's sort of like whoa. So I told him the whole story. He believed me. He said, Well, you're gonna have to fast and come back and I'm like, nope, already fasting. Let's do this thing. I had to fasting lab draws done two days consecutively and both were around 250 fasting. Okay, it was an interesting thing for me. You know, I don't know, it seems like when kids are diagnosed, it seems like it's a much quicker, you know, from when symptoms kind of start until it's, yeah, very, very serious. And for me, I think it probably started in February. And then my actual diagnosis was June 3.

Scott Benner 14:05
Yeah, a lot of people can have I mean, like a slow onset. Yeah, they'll call it Lada or one and a half or something like that. But it's not uncommon for adults it's it's also not that uncommon for kids to have slower onset to but you probably just don't see them because they're young and you just don't think anything of it then all of a sudden they're gone and then boom, you're at the doctor right? So

Kelly 14:27
and at that time I'm sure that agencies were a thing but I don't remember ever having one done or anyone ever telling me this was your agency it would it would say well your glucose you know on today's test was this but I've looked back and I cuz I have the ones still where I was 250 something Yeah. And there's no a onesie on there. So I never knew

Scott Benner 14:53
what that was. Are you seeing an endo? Are we just seeing a general practitioner with general practitioner might not have fun Even thought to test for it. I mean, it definitely existed. So they just didn't get after it. How long after the boy's weekend? Did you get rid of that guy? I have a number in my head. I think you made it two more years.

Kelly 15:16
Ah, I think it was three.

Scott Benner 15:19
Very close. I appreciate this. Yeah,

Kelly 15:21
I think it was. Yeah, I think it was three. Yeah. And even once, I don't know, even when I know that the very first time I gave myself an injection, I was home alone, because he was still out of town. And the injection didn't happen for several days, because I had to do to, you know, two consecutive days. And then that after the second day, he sent me to an endo to learn you know how to give shots. All they taught me and it was NPH. Only. Okay, no, NPH twice a day. That's how it started for me. 30 years

Scott Benner 16:00
about 30 years ago. Yeah, that makes sense. Hey, I'm gonna get past this. But was the ex husband very handsome, trying to figure out how we got

Kelly 16:10
here's the truth about the ex husband, I had a less than desirable childhood and parents, I gotcha. Okay. Amazing parents, I adored them, absolutely adored them. And I think I tolerated him so that I could have them. That's

Scott Benner 16:26
a episode of New Girl, if you've ever seen it. I really asked because we find ourselves looking at each other today, which I don't always do with people. But you're an attractive woman. I imagine you were an attractive younger person. I'm trying to imagine what like, like, why did you in your early 20s. With options, I'm assuming, like, stick with that is what I was trying to figure out. That's all. That's all?

Kelly 16:51
I think. Yeah. That Well, and that's the best that I can tell you. He was not bad looking. So so there's that, but you were definitely not compatible. And I knew he was really, really selfish, you know, just and maybe it was because he was young guy. I mean, he was a good guy. There was nothing about him that in terms of what I knew about, like, bad guys to be, he was not that person. But he was not. I don't know, he just, he was selfish, you're very, most

Scott Benner 17:23
of us are like that in our 20s. Like, so you have to have something that Bond's you together so that you can wait on us to get into our 30s. So that you can go oh, I can say he's going to turn to a reasonable person eventually. But you didn't have that, like, you don't have kids. And then you had a need, and he wasn't there for it. So that's where you don't get the opportunity to stick to each other, then it's interesting, isn't it?

Kelly 17:47
I know. And back in those days, I really don't remember him being, you know, interested involved in any way, just any of those things. And then we moved, we obviously split up, I got a job and met my current husband at that job. Yeah. And the difference was, and you know, I already I already had diabetes when I met my current husband. And so he knew a little bit about it just from watching me operate at work for a year before we started dating. And but he knew the first thing he wanted to do was learn every single thing he could, right. I remember, you know, letting him do my shots. I remember him wanting to give himself a shot. So I loaded up a syringe with one unit of Lantis. That was like, Here you go. And he gave himself an injection. And he just he wanted to understand it. And he wanted to help me. And he has been just awesome. So awesome.

Scott Benner 18:46
It's great that you found that I listen, I look at my own life. And I tell you, my wife is articulate and smart and pretty. And if we didn't have kids in our 20s, there's no way she wouldn't have left me. I mean, honestly, I think she held on to the beginning because she was like, if I have another kid, I'd like it to look the same as the first one. And he's my option for that. And then I think as I turned into a reasonable person as I got older, she was like, yeah, she had the energy to bail on me at that point anyway. But like, there's that thing where you kind of bond yourself together, everything's and, and just the other day. I was dropping her at the airport. And we were talking about traveling, I just traveled and she was getting ready to travel. And she said, Would you rather fly alone or with somebody? And I said, Oh, obviously alone, unless it was with you. And she's like, why? And I said I don't know because you can't really talk on a plane anyway. And so being with somebody is kind of ridiculous. Like you can't really have a conversation. What am I getting when you're around? I just feel better. Like there's good energy when you're with me. And then she started going through like other people like well, what would you would you like to travel with this person? She's naming people in our lives and I'm like, No, that all sounds really irritating to me. And she goes, Why irritating and I'm like, I don't know. I just I you're irritated when you bring this up. Like she was mentioning women specifically, like, like, and I'm like, she's like, they're not irritating people. And like, I know, I'm like you don't understand. I'm like, I could do it with you. No problem. That's lovely. I don't want to do it with other people. And when we dug into it, I said, it's because you know, everyone's got something like, extra assisity why that word just did not come out, right. But people are eccentric and weird ways. And it's bothersome. And I'm like, You're a pain in the ass too. And I'm pointing at her. And I'm like, as am I, I'm like, but with you. I can picture you in my head when we were 20 and 25, and 30 and 35 and 40. And I know when you've been sick and happy and unwell. Like I know your life, we have a history together. I'm like, There's nothing crazy you can do that I'm bothered by, because I love our time together, as well as you. And she's so Irish. She barely blinked an eye. Like you would think like most women would be like, Oh my God, you're amazing. My wife was just like, hey, I got it. And then I knew it touched her. Because when I got her bag out of the car and gave her a kiss, she said, I love you. And I was like, Oh my God. She was really like, you have no idea how Irish she is, like so. So like, I was like, she was really touched by that thing. And I said in the car, like, I need to do this, or I mean, I was so pissed. She was getting on a plane. No, it was like, because this is gonna wear off by the time she gets to where she is.

Kelly 21:22
Absolutely, yeah, you need to do that when she comes back.

Scott Benner 21:25
When will that opportunity pop up again, for us to have that conversation. That's it. That was my once in like five year chance and three nice days in a row, and now it's gone. But anyway, right now we're going to hear from a member of the Medtronic champion community. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by Medtronic diabetes. And this is Mark.

David 21:45
I use injections for about six months. And then my endocrinologist at a navy recommended a pump. How long

Scott Benner 21:51
had you been in the Navy? Eight years up to that point? I've interviewed a number of people who have been diagnosed during service and most of the time they're discharged. What happened to you?

David 22:00
I was medically discharged. Yeah, six months after my diagnosis. Was

Scott Benner 22:05
it your goal to stay in the Navy for your whole life? Your career was?

David 22:08
Yeah, yeah. In fact, I think a few months before my diagnosis, my wife and I had that discussion about, you know, staying in for the long term. And, you know, we made the decision, despite all the hardships and time away from home, that was what we loved the

Scott Benner 22:22
most. Was the Navy, like a lifetime goal of yours? lifetime goal.

David 22:26
I mean, as my earliest childhood memories, were flying, being a fighter pilot, how

Scott Benner 22:31
did your diagnosis impact your lifelong dream?

David 22:34
It was devastating. Everything I had done in life, everything I'd worked up to up to that point was just taken away in an instant, I was not prepared for that at all. What does your support system look like? friends, your family caregivers, you know, for me to Medtronic, champions, community, you know, all those resources that are out there to help guide away but then help keep abreast on you know, the new things that are coming down the pipe, and to give you hope for eventually, that we can find a cure, stick

Scott Benner 22:59
around at the end of this episode to hear my entire conversation with Mark. And you can hear more stories from Medtronic champions, and share your own story at Medtronic diabetes.com/juicebox. It's very interesting to me, because I hear so many people talk about how concerned they are that they're not going to find somebody who will like care about their diabetes and really understand it and be involved in it and look at you you had to go through some like, hurdles to get to that. But you have that. So that's really great. Yeah, yeah.

Kelly 23:32
Yeah.

Scott Benner 23:33
Well, well, that's excellent. All right. I want to leap ahead a little bit for you. Because do you use a president now? I do. Am I saying it correctly?

Kelly 23:41
You are okay. Okay.

Scott Benner 23:44
So are you like, why don't you tell me about your management, like, where it started, how it progressed through your life and how you got to where you are now.

Kelly 23:51
Okay, try to be quick. So in 94 Put me on mph twice a day, which was a nightmare. I basically walked around with food with a little brown bag of food all the time, because I think NPH spikes every three hours. Does that sound right to you? Oh

Scott Benner 24:08
my gosh, that's it's a little bit. Yeah, not I don't know. I've never used it. Yeah.

Kelly 24:12
So basically, you would get up and you know, you wanted to take your shot, I think every 12 hours. And so I think my dose was 10 units in the morning and five units at night. Okay, now I can't remember if it was bedtime for five units, or if it was dinnertime, I don't remember anyway. So I did that my sister who was like CFO totally not health related at all came across a diabetes article in a newspaper. And they were talking about intensive insulin therapy. And so that was regular using regular with a long acting to sort of count carbs and I don't even know if they really counted carbs at that time, but it was talking about using regular insulin with meals. And I was like, Oh my gosh, yes. So I go back to this window that I had started out with. And I'm like, hey, I want to do this. And the guy goes, Oh, no, no, you don't want to do that. That's intensive. That's harder. No, no, no, no. And I was like, No, you don't understand. I am a 25 year old woman I am, you know, working full time and living life and whatever. And feeding insulin all day long is a job. I don't want this is ridiculous. This is no way to live. So he said no. So I went right on down to the local Rite Aid, or whatever it was, and bought myself a bottle of regular because you did not need a prescription. And I started it myself. Now. I think I was still using NPH. And I think I decreased that dose. I don't remember exactly how I did it. But I did. Got a new window went to him. He's like, your management is amazing. How do you do this? And like, did it by myself, know what it was all figured it out? I don't know. So did that. Then I went to ultra Lin Tei as a background, insulin MDI, then, so I did that forever. In 2003 2002, I, my husband, and I very carefully planned our pregnancy, very carefully had found the perfect Doctor Who knew my management was good, wasn't going to ship me off to a high risk OB group, I was so excited, get halfway through my pregnancy. And she calls me up and says bad news, the group that I work with, or not comfortable having, you know, someone with type one diabetes, and because they kind of, you know, rotate, who's on call, and that kind of thing. They did ship me off to the high risk group, which was, oh my gosh, disastrous, but anyway, disastrous, because they, we had an appointment with them. And it was sort of halfway through my pregnancy. And they sat us down and said, basically told us, we should have never done this, like, your baby is going to have major cardiac defects. Just all kinds of horror stories, stuff that you hear about diabetes, I walked out of there, seriously, the worst medical appointment I've ever, ever had in my life. And my husband and I went home, and it was sort of like, oh, my gosh, what have we done? Like, you know, she told us it was fine. And I think my agency, so I never knew what it was from the very beginning. But it was always in the sixes once I got once I started having it done, I guess. So that was, you know, great at the time. And I think I was even in the fives when I was pregnant with my daughter, but so I get there. We're already halfway through the pregnancy. They tell us all these terrible things are going to happen. And they say, oh, and you're going on the pump. I was like, wait, what? Why? Why do I need to go on a pump? Oh, well, that's how we do it here. And I was like, okay, you know what, I've had just about enough of you people. Okay, guess what? I'm not going on the pump. How about that? You can't I want to have some power at some point. And this is where I'm gonna put my foot down. But you're

Scott Benner 28:02
four or five months into the pregnancy already. And things are things are fine. Yeah. Okay. And I think I understood what you're saying or even though you don't think you were tracking you're a one sees at that point. In the future when you were tracking them managing the same exact way you were then you feel like you had you have a one season the sexes. Well,

Kelly 28:19
just in the maybe first like two or three years of my diabetes. So probably by the time the 2000s rolled around. I definitely had a onesies being drawn. But in the very beginning, I did I got

Scott Benner 28:34
no no, yeah, so you felt like you were doing okay. And you're testing and your blood sugar's aren't crazy and all that stuff.

Kelly 28:40
I mean, you know, you have crazy blood sugars, but generally speaking, you know, I was I was testing a ton, I was really, really on it. You know, I was doing the best I could do with the tools I had at the time. Okay. I wasn't ninja by any stretch of the imagination. But you know, I was having a one season the low sixes and it wasn't because I was 400. And then 30. And then you know, right.

Scott Benner 29:04
So they're trying to push you on a pump, which would have put you on a faster acting insulin got you off of what you were doing. You resist it. Did you stay with what you were doing? I did. Did you have to leave the practice for that? No, no. Oh, they just gave up that easy.

Kelly 29:17
Yeah. They were like, okay, Kelly, this

Scott Benner 29:20
endlessly fascinates me. When people say this has to happen, and then you go, No, and they go, okay. I swear to every time someone tells me that sort of like, what is happening that's actually having to happen, like, are we just just people's if this is what we do, and you go, I don't do that. And they go, Oh, all right. Well, that's not important. How the hell was it important? And now it's not important. Five seconds later. I don't understand that. It's either is or it isn't. So, yeah, I think that's just an important lesson for people to hear for when they get pushed in certain directions. Like ask why, you know, I'm sorry, but go ahead. You push back. Okay. Well, what

Kelly 29:56
I was gonna say is, you know, as an adult getting diagnosed with type When so I was never hospitalized, you know, they said, Oh, yeah, you've got type one, we're gonna send you for education. And you know, that's going to be that I think I had two days of education, then. And then nothing. I mean, literally, you just you go to the doctor, they look at your numbers. Okay, you know, here's your prescription, what I mean, it was just, there was nothing, I, it was a really lonely feeling, honestly, because I knew no one with diabetes. And you know, when kids get it, it's like, oh, my gosh, there's JDRF. And there's, you know, hospital stay for four or five days, whatever the whole family is involved. I mean, my friends and family were, it was, it was as if nothing had happened to me, really. And you're just kind of out there. You're like this little island. And you know, you don't really know, by the way, I can't remember now what it was. But you and Jenny, were going through diabetes myths. And I'm the one who my mom said I must have gotten diabetes, because I ate too much sugar as that

Scott Benner 30:58
was you the chant that in me, I appreciate that. We had a lot of fun making that series. Actually, I know, it's not completely up yet. There's still more to post, but we're done recording it. It was sometimes really frustrating. Like, Jenny so sweet that it might sound put on, but when she's upset, like she's really, like, mortified when things like that happen, you know, but Oh, that's nice. You just send something in and nice of your mom to say.

Kelly 31:25
I mean, I have two amazing sisters. And they we traveled together at least once a year. And so you know, we stay in the same room overnight, and they get it as best someone can that doesn't live with it stuff. But but not my mom. She has no, she just doesn't understand. And I honestly I'm like, I'm so thankful that I got this as an adult and not as a child, because I'm not sure she could have handled it. Oh,

Scott Benner 31:49
I see. Maybe you'd have been okay, but Oh, yeah. husband's parents.

Kelly 31:56
Very fortunate to have gotten this as a 25 year old, let me feel

Scott Benner 31:59
like you're, you're a classy person, and you're not going to trash your parents. But I feel like there's a whole story there about your parents. So we don't need to go that way. But I understand what you're saying. Yeah. So once you have your daughter, how many kids do you have? By the way?

Kelly 32:12
I have two. Okay.

Scott Benner 32:13
So once you have your daughter, she came out there was a foot in her head, I imagine like growing out of her.

Kelly 32:17
Absolutely perfect. Oh, how about that? Yeah. I thought and so part of the part of the story. So when I was pregnant, and they said, okay, so sorry, let me back up. As an adult, no one cares. No one cares what you're eating, you know what you're doing whatever. Well, all of a sudden, I'm pregnant. And this new OB group is like, Oh, we are going to dictate every second of every day for you. And so I think part of that, for me was like, why no one has ever cared before. Why in the world? Do I need your help? Now you think, because I'm pregnant, my brain shut down? Or why are we? Why are we having this conversation? So that was hard for me. Because I was not used to anyone trying to help trying to give me information, you know, certainly trying to tell me what to do. So I really, really resisted. And so anyway, the pregnancy was fine. She was eight pounds, five ounces. i All of my siblings, and I were eight pound baby. So it seemed, you know, that was? Yeah, that would be expected. And then when I got pregnant, the second time with my son, both pregnancies, super planned, and you know, trying to be in best management possible. I got approached again with Hey, would you like to go on a pump. And by that point in my life, I had a toddler, I was pregnant again, I was starting to not remember, you know, when you have diabetes, your diabetes is really priority one until you have a baby. Right? And then it's priority two, or three lucky. You know, and I would never, ever, ever, ever tell a person with diabetes, you know, you shouldn't have kids or don't have kids. I would never say that. But the reality of the situation is your diabetes takes a backseat to your baby. Period. It just does. And if someone else tells you it doesn't, I'd like to talk to him because I don't think that's true. But anyway, so they said, you know, how would you like to find a pump? And I was like, You know what, I think that is a great idea. Because I couldn't tell you if I did my shot this morning or not. You know, it was like, Yeah, I did it because I needed the history. I needed the memory. Oh, I

Scott Benner 34:27
see. Yeah, it wasn't about the automation or anything. You just were looking for something to remember what you had done. So you could go back and look.

Kelly 34:34
Yes, yeah. make my life easier. So I did it. And I have to tell you that gosh, within two or three hours of wearing that thing, I was like, Why didn't I? So that was 2005. So because because 11 years MDA

Scott Benner 34:50
Yeah, but switching in the middle of a pregnancy because some new doctor who just were forced onto tells you to it's not that wasn't gonna work one way or the other. Yeah, so But yeah, it is something I actually aren't. And I mentioned it last time I interviewed art. And I said to her, Do you know how like, much these algorithms take off your back? You know, and she's like, Hey, I know she goes, but it's still my reality, like, um, you know, it's fine. But I watch her some days. Like, I look at our 24 hour graph, people ask me all the time, like, when's the last time you like, how often do you look at Arden's blood sugar? And I have to be honest, I looked at it this morning. And it was like the first time I looked at it in two days, so she's away at college. But I mean, this is a 24 hour graph. I don't know if you see that. Yeah, those last those lines are between 70 and 120. Yeah. And she's in college. And so, you know, the amount of effort she put in yesterday into her diabetes was probably minimal. At best. It's so small, that just a slight change, sometimes makes her go like, Oh, I can't believe I have to do this. You know, not now. I'm busy. And I'm like, like, I sent her a text. And I'm like, Arden, you know, I just need you to like, do this. Now. It's, it's getting away from you. I can't, I'm too busy. And I'm like, imagine if, like, she's 19. She's a college. What if it was on her to inject? Every single time she did something, you'd miss things, you'd be too busy, and you'd miss them. And it's exactly what you're explaining. So what was your first pump?

Kelly 36:30
Medtronic? Yeah. And what kind of insulin is I was pregnant, it was the biggest one that holds the most insulin at that time. And I can't remember what that was like a seven or something. Okay. And then, and then my second pump four years later was another Medtronic, but it was the five. I'm saying Fine. It was like 510 or,

Scott Benner 36:50
but that was actually you going from regular and mph to best acting for the first time?

Kelly 36:55
No. So I did mph just for a little while. And then I did Ultra Lin Tae

Scott Benner 37:02
I'm sorry. Right. So you went from that to a pump?

Kelly 37:06
And then Lantis. Okay, I think yeah. And then Lantis. And then I went to a pump.

Scott Benner 37:12
Okay, in the pump. What were you using? Do

Kelly 37:13
you remember? Probably human log.

Scott Benner 37:16
Okay, that makes sense. And now, you go along, pumping for a long time. It sounds like you're doing well. What makes you switch to a president? How, yeah, and how does it work into your life? Okay.

Kelly 37:29
I did Medtronic pumps for eight years. And then a friend of mine was diagnosed with diabetes, and she used Omni pod. And so then I switched to Omni pod. Loved on the pod. Oh, my goodness, after wearing a tube pump and then having that pump. It was like, oh, never. Never, ever, ever do a tube pump again. But never say never. Because there's more to that story. So I was on Dexcom. And you know, when the original inhaled insulin came out, I think I don't remember what it was called. But it looks like a big huge flashlight.

Scott Benner 38:04
I don't remember that one. Okay, it was gigantic,

Kelly 38:07
like picture pulling out a flashlight that you shove, you know, two D batteries into, you know, like you're going camping. And that was how that one delivered. So you pulled out this big huge, you know, Bong looking thing. Oh, yeah. And had to inhale that. And I was like, Oh, my goodness, what are we doing million years, but I do that

Scott Benner 38:28
you have this big, like LTO of your fit? Yeah, that's probably not a great look. Right? Right.

Kelly 38:34
Good luck for anyone at a restaurant, or at all. So that was never an option. But I have I'm a part of a local group where I am now and about monthly, they would kind of have get togethers and this one in particular was the Frezza sales rep was coming with a type one diabetic person that used a Frezza. And I was like, Oh my gosh, I have to go see this all the time. I didn't really. I didn't even really know what a Frezza was entirely what the mechanism looked like. I knew nothing but I get there. I meet this guy. His name is Anthony. He's fabulous. You should absolutely have him on the podcast one day he pulls out his XCOM and he shows me this graph and it looks better than Arden's and I'm like, Okay, this is a joke. You do not have type one diabetes. This is not your graph. Who is wearing?

Scott Benner 39:24
We are being scammed. The Grad Dex comes on a lady outside the room. She does not have diabetes. She does not even know why she's here. She paid $20 to sit there with the CGM. Yeah,

Kelly 39:34
I am not kidding. That's exactly what I thought. And he's like, no, no, I've had diabetes, you know, my whole life. But here's this stuff. And here's how this works. And it's fantastic. So I was pretty sold on it after hearing him being at the event seen it so the next day, ironically, I'm heading towards to go visit my sister's for one of our trips and he is on the same airplane as me. So we have more time to sit and talk and I'm like Uh, oh my God, I want to do this, I absolutely want to do this. Now I started Dex calm. In 2016, I was just kind of a late bloomer to everything, I didn't want one. And I didn't think I needed one. And then all of a sudden, I was having, you know, lows that wouldn't really feel them coming on until I was, you know, in the 40s, kind of two arrows down, and then it was troublesome. So I got Dexcom in 2016. And it was so frustrating to me, because I wasn't Pre-Bolus Saying no one ever told me to Pre-Bolus ever, in my whole life, never, ever, ever, and it just didn't occur to me to do it. I just thought that, you know, you take your insulin, you eat, you go up to 250, and you come back down. And that's, you know, probably what I did most of the time. So when I got the Dexcom and saw that I was like, Oh my gosh, this, you know, I don't think I even want to know this, I think I want to not wear this and not see this. So I thought, okay, you know, this other thing looks so much better. So came back from my trip, got in touch with my doctor, got the Frezza ordered. And then Anthony and my doctor had never, never prescribed it before. So I was the first person knew nothing about it. So she's like, here you go, you know, good luck, let me know. Yeah,

Scott Benner 41:14
if you don't die, I'd love to hear how this goes.

Kelly 41:19
So he, oh, I mean, he, I just I love Anthony. And it's funny, because I feel like he just changed my life in this just way that, you know, it's like, you just don't know what you did for me, you know, opening the door to this, you know, reality of insulin for me. So anyway, he he and I spent probably a month and I'm not exaggerating, on the phone texting multiple times a day, every day for a month because a Frezza is different than the injected insulin. And if you just start taking it, like you take your insulin, it doesn't work. It doesn't work the same way. So you have to learn how to use it. And you have to forget how you used to do it, right. So a Frezza is like, I'm going to eat right now. And depending on what I'm going to eat, I either need to take some right now, or I need to wait a little bit because as soon as I take it, it's going to work right now. And so I wouldn't do that.

Scott Benner 42:24
So your Pre-Bolus in your A Frezza. At first Well,

Kelly 42:27
I mean, I would Pre-Bolus at first and then you know, it's very quickly in and out. So you take it and I mean, it depends on and for me, it's very activity driven. So if I'm moving around, if I'm exercising, it doubles up its effectiveness, just like the other insolence do. But if I'm not moving around much, it doesn't do a whole lot. So you have to there's just a lot of things that you have to learn about it. Okay, whenever I'm talking to people about a Frezza, I feel like if they had been given the option from day one, okay, there's two different, you know, methods of managing insulin, you can use this stuff that you have to inject, you need to take it before you eat, you know, yada yadi these are all the things that you have to do with it. And this is how it works. You can do that. Or you can inhale the insulin, and it works real time. It works right now. And you take one shot a day of a very stable long acting insulin, and then you just take the Frezza as you're watching your blood sugar, okay, and it's like, I can't imagine that anyone would choose, like, the liquid insolence.

Scott Benner 43:40
So you're like shooting like, like a Joseba? Something like that. Yeah. Okay.

Kelly 43:43
Yes. So I use Joseba. And one of the things that was just so kind of life changing for me when I started this management was one of my biggest issues was exercise. So I'm pretty sensitive to insulin. I don't use a whole lot I never have except when I was pregnant, but I take 12 units of to receive every day and that's kind of the dose that works for me that you know, keeps me stable. And then when I exercise so I think what a lot of people don't understand is Basil. True basil insulins Don't peek. So there's never a activity component there. You know what I mean? Like if you do your 12 units of true Seba and go run three miles, it's not going to double up on you and act like 24 units of trustee but these new

Scott Benner 44:32
modern Basal insulins are much more stable they cover like get better Lantis love Amir that stuff would like kind of burn hot at some points and and then go away. Yeah,

Kelly 44:43
right but your Siva doesn't so for me, you know a person who I tend to not like I'm a fitness fanatic or anything but I like to walk I like to do things and it isn't typically pre planned. So I would always find myself like okay, I want to go for a walk now or better. We're gonna do Spock's with me, or I better bring blah, blah with me. Because, you know, sure enough, as soon as I start walking, my blood sugar is gonna drop from this fast acting Basal insulin in my pump. Yeah. And it was always a fight like that. And it was just so frustrating to have to always worry about that have to Oh, you know what I mean? And so we use a Frezza I don't have that issue,

Scott Benner 45:22
even being a person who watches somebody use an algorithm now. Even that's starting to seem foreign to me, the idea of being on a pump that is just delivering a Basal insulin constantly, like, like, dumb pump, I guess you would call it but, but even that's starting to feel very old school to me. You know, like, seriously, like the idea of like, wow, like, it doesn't know that you're getting lower and take away your basil or like, what is wrong? Why would it not do that? Yeah. I mean, to me, that seems like, I mean, looking at control like you on the pod five, Medtronic is putting out a new one coming up soon, like all that stuff, like looking at those things. My expectation is that in the next couple of years, if you go on a pump, that's what you're getting, like, no one's gonna put you on a pump anymore. That doesn't make decisions like that. I can't see that happening, like much longer, you know, unless your insurance isn't going to cover a CGM. I guess that that would be the caveat there. But just the way they work is astonishing. And then and what you're describing here is you're putting in baselines, it's not enough to make you low. So you're not going to get low from your basil ever. So basically, let me see if I understand this. Okay, you go to eat. And if you're going to have something like maybe that's like simple sugary, like you're going to have, I don't know, like chicken with like some sauce on it, you might need to put the president pretty quickly because you the sugar from the sauce is going to hit you pretty quick. But if it was a very low carb thing, and you were going to catch a rise later, maybe from protein or fat, you might sit on it till you start seeing the rise and then put it in. Is that right? So what do you have like a very low threshold set on your CGM. And when it beeps? It's time to go. Exactly.

Kelly 47:07
Yeah, so I'll keep my CGM set at 70 and 130. And so and you know, most of the time, I probably ride higher than you would, then you would like,

Scott Benner 47:18
I don't care. Yeah.

Kelly 47:22
I've heard you say a million times, like, if you can be stable at 130. You can be stable at 120. You can be stable at 175, whatever. And you can and I don't disagree with that. But for whatever reason, I think I rent tend to run around 120 Most of the time, okay. And it just, I don't know why. And when I see 120, I don't think Oh, I better lower that. I look at it and go okay, that's fine. I also look at 90 and go okay, that's fine. Can

Scott Benner 47:51
I say that? When I see a 120? That's super stable. My first thought is not like, oh, my gosh, health. My first thought is, oh, the site's not working. Right? Yeah. Because the way I have the settings set stability should happen lower than this. So that's what my first thought is now is more about the delivery of the insulin like oh, 120 super stable, something's going on, like this site, on its way out, or this pumps old or something like that. If I see that higher 141 50 I'm like, change the pump, like get it off and change it. But I think people would be surprised that I don't look at a 120 and think, oh my god, she's dying. Like I don't, that doesn't strike me that way. So well, I

Kelly 48:33
look at it. And I'm like, oh, Scott would be so upset right now. But I'm fine with it.

Scott Benner 48:39
It's interesting to hear you say my words back to me is interesting, because I hear what you feel. But I know what I meant. And they're not exactly the same. So when I say like, if you can be stable at 150, you can be saved about 120 you can be saved 120 You could be stable at 80. That's to me, I'm trying to share the idea of optimism. And that that's a possibility for you. I don't have any thoughts about where people want to keep their blood sugar. Like I just if your blood sugar is always 150 and you wish it was always 120 I don't want you to just think like, well, that's not possible. And so like that statement for me, like from my heart, like I know what I mean. I don't know, like, I can't control how people hear me, I guess. But what I mean by that is, hey, you know, if your settings are right, and you know how to use insulin, you can create that stability anywhere you want. Like, that's all I'm trying to say. I don't know. But anyway, it sounds like generally speaking, you told me the way I met. But yeah, but I wouldn't be upset if your blood sugar was.

Kelly 49:46
Well, so I keep it at 7130 and I if it is kind of a complicated meal that I'm not entirely sure how it's going to work. I will. I will wait and I'll kind of keep an eye I on it. And I mean, maybe that's a little labor intensive. I don't know, I have it on my watch. It's just a quick glance down, you know, am I moving yet? And once it starts moving, I might even whip up on my phone and take a look at the graph and see how quickly it appears to be moving and make my decisions based on that. Yeah, so you there's definitely learning, you know, the insulin to carb ratio. And, you know, there's a learning curve to it for sure. But it is insulin that works. Amazingly, you know, it's so good at doing what it does. But you know, a complex meal like a Mexican food, oh, my goodness, you know, if you sit there and eat half of the chit bowl, which I desperately try not to, but sometimes it happens. Yeah, they're very salty. That is five hours got that is, you are asleep in bed, and your blood sugar is skyrocketing five hours later, and there's nothing a president can do about that. So you do have to be careful with dinner. If you're a big dinner eater,

Scott Benner 51:02
what do you mean by I can't do anything about that? Like what? Well, we put a real number a number to it and tell me what what would happen?

Kelly 51:08
Well, I'm just saying so I keep my you know, things set 70 to 130. Sometimes at night, I don't hear my alarm. Not gonna happen. I mean, I try to but sometimes you don't. And so you know, let's say I don't know, you've had dinner at seven, you're going to bed. It's 10. Everything's looking great. You've got your number where you want it to be. And 12 o'clock rolls around and blood sugar is skyrocketing from the fat and the protein and whatever else and you're asleep. Yeah. And the FISA is not active in your system, because it only lasts about an hour.

Scott Benner 51:43
So if you're in that situation, and your blood sugar's out to 85 hours after these chips, you have this stuff and it goes right down or if it I mean, that's what you're doing right. You're after. So

Kelly 51:54
you Yeah, yeah. So

Scott Benner 51:57
I mean, but it goes right down. You

Kelly 51:59
wait, yes. And it I mean, the drops are really cool to see on the graph, like you can go from 400 to 100 in an hour. Does it

Scott Benner 52:09
feel bad like it does when you're dropping on liquid insulin? No, you know what I mean by that, like, you can get heavy and feel the fall like Does that ever happen? I

Kelly 52:18
cannot say that I experienced that.

Scott Benner 52:21
Had you experienced that on Humalog ever? Not?

Kelly 52:25
No, no, I don't think so. I mean, I think that way when I'm low, but not if it's just coming down.

Scott Benner 52:31
Yes. Some people can feel the fall. Okay. Yeah. So they're higher. Yeah. And they can feel it. They're like, they feel like, Whoa, it's something's happening. It's interesting. Yeah. So I was just wondering, okay, so, I mean, what is the right word?

Kelly 52:44
What would it looks like?

Scott Benner 52:45
I didn't know what it looks like. Yeah. Okay.

Kelly 52:47
And you just go. And that's it. Right? Yeah.

Scott Benner 52:53
You're vaping. Your kids are no, no, you're all set? Yeah,

Kelly 52:58
I had to tell all the kids that have substitute teaching the last couple of years. And I'm like, Okay, I need to talk with all of you guys about this. I have diabetes, I inhaled insulin. This is insulin and is not a vape pen. When you see me taking this.

Scott Benner 53:13
Yo, Kelly getting high in here. That's what they're sure. It's just the it's just the it's just the CBD. I understand. No, but you know what it made me think when I just saw it. I don't obviously, I'm not an engineer, or a doctor, or honestly, probably somebody should even be listening to it. But that's not the point. But why couldn't they put that in a pen and give you a bigger cartridge that and meter it off? Like, like, like, that thing has how many? They measure by units? Right? But like what that one has four? There's a there's like that it goes like that, right? So why couldn't you have like a bigger device that had like 100 in it and you could just like dial it to four and then hit it. And then you wouldn't have to throw it away? And that you could look like a proper stoner while you were taking care of your blood sugar's and, yeah, yeah, but you don't I mean, like, that's got to be that. Why would they do that? If they could? Maybe because they're not selling it? They don't have any money. But I'm so sorry. I really wish more people would use it. Like there's I do, too. Yeah. Yeah. Because as you're describing it, I think I could see Arden doing this. Mm hmm. You know,

Kelly 54:25
I and I've tried to talk to you about it before, but oh, yeah, she would argue

Scott Benner 54:29
immensely. I tried to get her to make a setting in our app the other day, I'm six days into waiting for it. I'm like, can you make the 1.3 1.35 And she goes when I have time.

Kelly 54:42
So Well, the problem honestly, I don't know why it hasn't taken off better because as I said, if someone was diagnosed today, and the doctor said you can do this or you can do this. I don't know anyone that would say give me the needles, give me the pump. Give me the tubing give me all that stuff. No. I don't want to carry this around. You know, I've

Scott Benner 55:03
honestly never heard anybody talking about it, who likes it to said anything different than what you've said? Like, really? I do think like, being genuine, like, people are gonna be like, Oh, here he goes. But taking something into your lungs thing. I think that scares me. I just think that scares people that that I think is one of the biggest problems with it. Like, is that is that whether or not it's going to harm you in a different way or not? I mean, anything that you take that says, Hey, by the way, if you have bronchial problems, stop taking it immediately. Makes me go, Well, why don't I just not do that at all, then? Like, you know, it's like, you know, if Scott, I don't want to say a drug name, because I'm just gonna make something up afterwards. But if this drug makes your penis fall off, you should stop like, Okay, I'm just not going to do that, that if you don't mind, like, you know, like, it's, it's okay, cuz everything's still stuck to me. And I'm not taking it. I think that's part of it. I don't think it's the visual aspect. I don't think people would diabetes, kind of give a crap because they're already injecting things and pulling out stuff and pushing buttons. I don't imagine people would care too much about that. But I'm only going on, like, how it strikes me and how it struck me originally, when somebody came to me, it feels like 10 years ago to talk about this. And I was just like, I don't know, like, how am I supposed to ask my nine year old to inhale? Something? Like that? Seemed like, what if that isn't? Okay, five years from now? Like, what am I going to do, then? You know, is my concern. But anyway?

Kelly 56:23
No, and I have the same concern. I mean, I think everybody probably does. And I've been on it now, just for I started in 2017. So I've been on it six years. Yeah. I also see a allergy and asthma doctor. And when I started taking it, I did not talk to her first, I was a little scared about that. And I just wanted to try it. And so when I did go back to her, I told her all about it, her partner in her practice has type one. And she it was amazing her response to me because I was like, oh, so I'm taking this, you know, drugs, I'm using my lungs. And she was like, Do you know, like, every single drug I prescribe all day long to every patient, they take through their lungs, and let me tell you why it's such a good idea. Your lungs, you know, the the insulin goes into the lungs and the lungs? Well, I'm probably not getting all this biology, right. But it just shoots into the bloodstream. So it is in your lungs for like, I don't know, a split second. It's not really it's not really, the lungs kind of act like the syringe and it's, it's already in your body, and then it's instantly in your bloodstream. And that's why it works. So well. I've had people say, you know, if you've ever smoked anything before, that's why smoking is so popular. It's instant. Yeah, whether it's, you know, marijuana cigarettes, whatever it is, you take that drag, you inhale that in, and you're like, Whoa, and that's what a Frezza does. So that's kind of the beauty of it. But what she said to me at the time, and it's just, it's given me comfort. She said, Listen, you may not know if this drug, you know, could be harmful to you, like, let's be real, we don't know that. We don't know that it is, we do know what poorly controlled diabetes will do to your body. Absolutely. 100% been proven over and over again. So why not take the chance, you know what I mean? If you are going to control yourself better with this thing, then that's what I would do. That's what

Scott Benner 58:32
I'm imagining a setup where you do this along with like a GLP drug to, and probably need even less of it. Like there's so I can only speak, just, you know, from what people tell me. But there are people listening to the podcast now. One I'm thinking of specifically, whose kid went on a GLP medication. And that kid as type one, and their insulin needs are going down significantly. Like not only did the kid like lose weight, but like, boom, like, their needs go went way down. Like I'm trying to imagine if I honestly think that if the research keeps going in the way it's going, you might see people with type one put on a low level GLP to keep their insulin needs down. And so now if you're on that, and you're shooting the true Siba and and huffing your fries at your meals, like I wonder if that wouldn't like be even like a smaller need for the Joseba and for the A Frezza. And if you could eliminate, you know that I don't know that that's crazy. You know, so I don't know if you know anybody using a GLP medication, but I don't have diabetes. And I've worn a CGM while on a GLP and my blood sugar is astonishingly low unstable, like not too low, but like just it just doesn't move around a lot anymore. And that, you know, that alone is a big deal. Also, I've lost 36 You've never like met me in person before but a handful of months ago I was 35 pounds heavier than I am right now.

Kelly 1:00:06
Are you sure you don't have type one? No, I

Scott Benner 1:00:09
don't I just I'm taking GLP medicate, I just shot it this morning. It's still in the trashcan, actually. But that's just like, I haven't changed how I eat drastically. Like my wife and I were sitting in a restaurant before she left for the maybe day before she flew this week. And it was like Saturday. And I think we felt young for a minute, like the kids are gone. And we were like, who had to go shop. He felt young, she needed a bra. Like we were like, gonna go out and go shopping and everything. Oh, wow. We're like fancy. And we're gonna leave the house, except in our car. We're showered. It was all really exciting. And you won't understand when you get older if you're listening. And like, she's like, let's stop and get lunch. I'm like, oh my god, we're gonna go to lunch too. I was like, this is such a big day. I didn't know we sit in this restaurant. And it's just like a, it's I don't know, it's just a, it's just a place near the bra store. Like it wasn't anything special, you know? And I was like, I'm gonna get a burger. I haven't had a burger. And like, ever. And I was like, I got a burger. And it came with some fries. And she got, I forget, like some sort of a wrap or something. And 20 minutes later, we're both looking at the food. Like, why did we order all this like we could have just like, we could have got one thing and split it. I took a picture of my food, because it looks like it's a week. Ovie burger, it has two bites out of it. And I had three French fries. And I was like, dear Lord, what are we doing here? I can't eat anymore. Yeah. And, and the waitress comes up and she goes, you want a box for that? And I looked at her and I went, you really think that's going to reheat well? And she goes, yeah, it's not going to and I was like, Yeah, I don't want to waste the box. No, thank you. She goes, were you guys not hungry. And I was just like, I know, my wife and I are on that like stuff, you know, but you've probably heard of, and she's like, telling me about that. And as she's telling, as we're explaining it to her, my wife said something that really like I'd never heard somebody say out loud before she goes, it really is very low effort. Like, I'm not doing much. And it's I mean, I think my wife's lost, like 45 pounds. Like it's incredible, right? And she's like, the truth is, it's not hard. It's just happening. And is some of it just that you can't overeat? But yes, but I don't think that most people would consider what I had on my plate, even if they finished all over eating. But now I'm starting to see, I think it is. So like, you know, when people talk about portions and stuff like that, like it's the first time that I was like, I would have probably eaten this burger. Like, you know, without the weego V, right, I eat a little less of it than I would hope to win on it. Like, I wish I could have got half of it. And that might have been nice. But I just think that calories and portion and everything like our brains are like, flummoxed at this point about what actually makes sense. I gained two pounds in the last two days for eating dry rubbed chicken wings. So just adding extra salt to my diet for a couple of days. Had me like retained to pop two pounds worth of water, it'll go away in a couple of, but that's not a thing you think about when you're like living your normal life. And now I can kind of see it more clearly. Anyway, that's a long way away from the idea that I think GLP medications will get prescribed to type ones in the next handful of years. And I think you're gonna see an astonishing drop in their insulin needs from it. That's pretty much it.

Kelly 1:03:23
It's funny when I was first diagnosed, I used to get just furious furious furious with the researchers and the pharmaceutical companies coming out with new insulin new insulin new insulin. I was like, we don't need new insulin. We need a cure stop spending money on this new stuff. And now I'm so grateful. You're like damn right? Like oh, maybe they were onto something there me

Scott Benner 1:03:49
inhaling my insulin like a fancy lady although the little plastic thing is a little ridiculous looking like it would be nice if it came in on like a nice case or something you

Kelly 1:03:58
know. So and then the other thing with with a Frezza. So it does come in these prefilled cartridges. And the consistency of it is like powdered sugar. It's very very soft. Fine. I don't know if I can show you I'm sure I can't that's beyond

Scott Benner 1:04:18
my imagination. Then it just air it. The little Oh, I see. Okay.

Kelly 1:04:23
Have you seen it in person or No, I

Scott Benner 1:04:26
have held one. Yeah, like so it goes into the cartridge and then the cartridge kind of like, Aaron I'm using the wrong word. Like, what's the word I'm looking for? It's an O one at the top. There's a hole in the top. Now it takes the powder and

Kelly 1:04:39
you see the little hole right there. My fingernail. Yes. Okay. So when when you slide it in to the thing this little basket goes from this position to the center. Oh,

Scott Benner 1:04:51
you don't have to do it. So it slides over to the hole and makes it available to the hole then.

Kelly 1:04:55
Exactly. Then you use slurp it up with this thing. A lot of people I think it's nasal spray for some reason, or like, then you stick it in your nose like, yeah, no. Yeah, so when this thing opens, oops, I had one in there, oh, I see, oops, there's a little, that's how it sets in there, you close it up, it's snaps into place. And that snap causes this thing to move to the center. And then you take it, and that's it. So

Scott Benner 1:05:21
it's not propelling it at all, it's just you something that's making that happen. Right and that interesting. So it

Kelly 1:05:27
comes in four unit cartridges, and then an eight unit cartridge that one is green, instead of blue. And a 12 unit cartridge is yellow. I because as I told you, I'm pretty sensitive to insulin. Most meals for me are maybe eight units, and it's more like I need to take it at two separate times. So I need a four when I'm first taking it, and then maybe an hour later, maybe a little bit longer, I might need another four. So I only order for this is all I get. And if I need less than this, I open this little baby up very easy to open up. And this is off label splitting your insulin cartridge. So then you grab another one that you just used and you lips and you just dump it out. Oh, you poor you eyeball it total eyeball.

Scott Benner 1:06:18
So you are looking like a pothead dividing up your weed on the countertop. And

Kelly 1:06:24
I first did it. I was using magazines and credit cards and my husband's like honey, syrup syringes to white lines. But anyway, so then I mark it like that. Okay, a little black. Know what you did. I know that this is one that split. So this is basically one unit of insulin of of human log like the equivalent of one unit of a fast acting insulin. This one is equivalent to about two, I see. Now I've even gone so far as to split this, the one that I already split, make to make it more like a half the equivalent of a half of the unit. So a phrase that comes in the four, eight and 12 unit doses, but a four unit cartridge of a Frezza is equivalent to two to two and a half of like the Asper homologue or Novolog, or any of those. So it's not a one to one comparison. So what

Scott Benner 1:07:20
if there was a meal that literally was like 100 carbs? Let's say you went that you had the chips and the salsa? Yeah, how much of that you end up using that?

Kelly 1:07:31
Oh my gosh, a lot. So I would say if I was going to eat something that I knew was just trouble. One of the things I love is also evals. And those can be very troublesome. I try to get protein added. I tried to you know, add stuff, that's protein II, but if they've got bananas on top and bananas inside, and banana, banana, banana, it's a lot of carbs. So I would definitely take two fours to start with. And then I would probably need to fours in about an hour. And then I would probably need another for about an hour after that. And maybe even another for an hour after that. So probably, I would say that my insulin to carb ratio is maybe like one to 12 Probably.

Scott Benner 1:08:24
Did that change for you when you went from liquid to this? Your carb ratio? No, I don't think

Kelly 1:08:29
so. Really. Okay. So anyway, it but it did take a long time to get used to this. And the other thing that I feel like I'm jumping around right now. But the other thing that messed me up when I was first learning how to use it is I would wait two hours to take another dose because that whole don't stack your insulin right thing was so strong in me. And so Anthony, I would call him and he'd be like, Hey, I see you're too 20. Like, what's up? And I'm like, well, it's only been an hour and a half. And he's like, yeah, go ahead and take it

Scott Benner 1:09:03
because it's so fast in and out. It's gone already. It's gone. How long do you think it lasts inside

Kelly 1:09:08
you? For me, and it kind of lasts longer the bigger dose you take. So if you get their pamphlet, you know the paperwork and read it. It'll tell you I think it tells you up to 90 minutes for four units for the four unit cartridge. It does not last that long in me. I would give it 45 minutes tops. And pretty much by about 30 minutes. It's mostly done and that's

Scott Benner 1:09:32
your with food act of venue is how it feels like what if you what if you were 150 it had been six hours situate you put four units in do you think it would it would hit you longer than or do you still think 45 minutes and it would be done for you know

Kelly 1:09:46
45 minutes and it would be okay. Yeah, you know for correction purposes at night when I'm asleep and I wake up and I'm high. A four unit cartridge will lower me by about 40 to 50. That's it During the day, a four unit cartridge probably drops me you know if I'm just moderately active walking around the house doing stuff not exercising, right? It'll drop me probably 70 ish, maybe 80. If I'm exercising and I take a for holy goodness, just look out I hope you brought some glucose, because it blasts through your pretty quickly. It will absolutely double whatever it is at its best. So no, I mean, I could drop 150 from a four unit cartridge for sure.

Scott Benner 1:10:35
We should probably get a type on who smokes crack to really explain to us how how it works when you inhale something, right? Yeah, no, it's just a different, like the delivery system is just different. So people's understanding is different. Like you don't have any understanding of injecting insulin till you have to do it. And then you slowly figure it out as you have examples of it. But you just did the same thing you just started over and figured it out. Now you have it down to how long have you been doing it?

Kelly 1:10:59
Since 2017? So it's 23. Now, so six years?

Scott Benner 1:11:04
A long time? Yeah. And what's your what is your one say now.

Kelly 1:11:06
So the last one I just had was 6.2. But we just moved and really being in a big huge house after 12 years of living, there is no joke. So I had a big struggle on my hands when we were moving because you know, there was just always too much activity going on. So anyway, I blame it on that. But when I started, I think I was 6.5 when I started a Frezza. And I the next agency I got was 6.0. The next one I got was 5.7. So I'm usually between 5.7 and 6.2. That's is is typically what I am. And it's and the reason you know that it's just so nice is because there's no effort. I mean, yes, I keep track of my CGM. But that's it like I don't have to order. I don't have to worry about you know, ordering a pump and pump supplies and stuff to keep my pump on. And you know what I'm saying? It's like, yeah, I have to see, but I have a Frezza. And I have my Dexcom also something about a Frezza that, you know, again, all off label stuff. But I have a Frezza that expired in 2019 in my drawer in my bedside drawer, and every now and then I pull one out. No problem. I don't think it expires. It can be in any temperature hot or cold. Where I live, it is extremely hot in the summer and very, very cold in the winter like snow. And I keep a Frezza in my car year round just in the glove box if I ever need it. And in fact, the 2019 stuff that I have on my bedside drawer I had in my car for probably two years before I brought it inside. No problem works great. Your insurance covers it no trouble. It does. They gave me a bit of a fight in the beginning and I loved it so much. I was like I don't care. I'm gonna pay for this stuff. Anyway, very glad that I didn't have to because if you think normal insulin is expensive, a Frezza is very expensive. Like I think it's a lot more than the liquid insulins are, however they do. The company has you know, savings cards and all that stuff and and will work with you. But my husband has a wonderful job with a big big company and I pretty much get whatever I want whenever I want it with insurance. Yeah, I find oil and I'm so I mean I'm so thankful for that. I know joking about it. But I'm so good thing though. I

Scott Benner 1:13:36
feel the same way. Like when when we went to the doctor and they were like, you know, we could put you on we go reefer Wait, I was like, great. She's like, well, a lot of insurance doesn't cover it. So we'll see. But our insurance was like, Yeah, sure. And then I've heard other people who are like, you know, they get fought like tooth and nail over. I have a family member who was told you can use it. After you become pre diabetic, we'll give it to like she was like on the verge of prediabetes but not there. And so they would not give her like we go V or something like that to get her to keep that from ever happening. But they said don't worry, once you're pre diabetic, we'd be happy to give it to you that and she was like, so if I just get a little sicker, then you'll pay for it. And they were like, yeah, that's pretty much it. She went through a different couple processes and couldn't get them to budge on it. That's exactly what they're waiting for to get sicker so they can make her better again. I was like, wow, it's fascinating. So, I mean, listen, I feel grateful to I can also tell you that from a very young age, I was very focused on having good health care, and good credit like that stuff was in my head when I was in my early 20s. I worked towards that like it's I didn't lock my way into having decent insurance like we kind of broke arms together, to be perfectly honest. So anyway, it's very cool. Is there anything I'm not asking about that? We should be talking about?

Kelly 1:14:56
I know I'm so trying to think of all the things with a Frezza Because I, you know, people ask me a lot. And I've kind of given given back a little bit with, you know, friends, family, strangers, whatever, in terms of trying to help people get started on a Frezza. Because part of the issue and it's a huge part of the issue is most endos do not understand how it works or how to educate people on it. Yeah, that's everything. And so they just give it to them. And then people take it and they go, Oh, this stuff doesn't work. I gave myself a four. You know, normally, I take four units of human log with this meal. And that's all I need to do. I took before and nothing happened.

Scott Benner 1:15:38
Well, if you're listening to this, welcome to the problem, because everyone has the same problem. Pump companies have that problem. CGM manufacturers have that problem. Everyone has that problem, they put this thing out, they need somebody to teach them how to do it. FDA doesn't let the company teach it. So then they're stuck with, hopefully your doctor understands it. But most of the time, what ends up happening is this people end up going this thing doesn't work. Right, whatever this thing is. And

Kelly 1:16:05
so you know, with a Frezza, again, it's not a one to one ratio. So if you used to take four units of, you know, human log with your meal, you take four units of a Frezza. It's really two units of SEMA log that you're taking. And it's going to be out of your system in 45 minutes. So depending on what you ate, that may not be it's well, it already isn't enough. If you thought you were taking four, you really only got two, it just goes on and on. So a lot of people, you know, go online, and they're like, I did this and nothing happened. Like, well, something did happen. I promise you would have gone a little higher, had you not taken it. But it all it did was tried to hold that blood sugar as best it could for 45 minutes.

Scott Benner 1:16:49
That's that's all it does do. Yeah, the education part is, is endless. I mean, there's a reason why the podcast is so popular. Like it just, it talks about a thing that nobody understands. And nobody talks about, like you said earlier, like no one ever taught, told me to Pre-Bolus Like, I just got the chance. I've had a couple opportunities to speak in public recently. And when you say this out loud, and talk about, you know, just Pre-Bolus Singh and the idea of lining up the action of your insulin with the impact of the carbs. I can see people's faces. Go, oh my God, that's the Oh, holy hell. Yeah, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And you just think like, the same thing. Like you said, you just never would have thought to do it on your own. Like somebody said, Do it like this, and you skip past that part. You never go back again. You think, Oh, this must be diabetes, my blood sugar goes up, it comes back down. Like, you know that I get low I eat it goes up like this is this is the game. And it's fascinating to watch people like, like, they think all this experience that they've had, and all these moments when they thought something must not be right here. But the doctor told me so they let that part go to watch. It hit them as fascinating. Like it really is.

Kelly 1:18:01
And for me, I can't remember what it was. But regular, they did tell you to Pre-Bolus with regular. And it was either 30 minutes or an hour. I can't remember which. And I did that with regular. And then when homologue or whatever the next fastest, you know, acting insulin came out. It was like, Oh, this one works fast. Never said yeah, it was never said. And by the way, you need to take this before

Scott Benner 1:18:30
it wasn't fast. It was faster than the last thing. And even the new stuff isn't fast. It's just faster. The thing before this, that's all Yeah, and you know, when they tried to make them quicker, it you know, V ASP and those things, it works for some people and then doesn't work for other people. Or like my daughter can't use them. It makes her skin burned. Like not not this top but like she gets a like a burning sensation under her. I think it's the vitamin B they put in it or something that speeds it up. I'm not sure. Again, you probably shouldn't be listening to me for the fine D hills of science, but but she can't even use it. So it's still not instantaneous. It's not like wow, it's working. You know what I mean? Like it's just quicker. So yeah, yeah, I don't know if they're ever gonna get anywhere with that. It would be nice if they did, or, you know, if they could find a balance with people. I mean, inhaled like any mankind makes. Makes a Frezzer. Right. That's the company. Yeah. Their stocks not exactly going crazy. Which makes me think that it's not catching on. Yeah, as fast as they could.

Kelly 1:19:34
I mean, it is, but it's literally catching on by word of mouth. And a lot of countries don't have it yet. Sure. And you know it and then it really, especially if you are, you know, if you've had diabetes, and you've used the other types of insulin, it really really takes someone to hold your hand and I have probably worked with 25 people over the course. Over the past six years, who have started using a Frezza? Yeah, there have been a couple who decided that it, you know, for whatever reason, it just wasn't for them. But I truly believe without me. And it's not just me, it's someone that understands it, holding their hand and walking them through how to use it, when to use it, why to use it, what it does, you're not good. Everyone would fail. Yeah. And so it's a pretty, it's like using any other insulin and really learning how to use it properly. It doesn't happen in one day, it doesn't happen in one hour. And that piece of it just isn't there. And, you know, it's really frustrating. So I told you, I had a degree in nutrition. And based on my experience being diagnosed and stuff, I decided, man, I just have to go into diabetes education, this is just, you know, this is my jam. This is something I'm passionate about, this is what I want to do. And so I either needed to go back to my nutrition roots and do an internship, which is an unpaid year long internship, or get another degree that would give me a different route. So I went back to school and became an RN, with the sole purpose of wanting to do diabetes education. That's all I want to do. I don't want to be, you know, a nurse that works in the hospital. I don't want to do those things. I want to be

Scott Benner 1:21:18
an Instagram health coach. No, no. I'm sure there are very nice Instagram health coaches, it's just become a thing at this point. So

Kelly 1:21:27
yeah, it definitely yeah, that's always you know, that's just always been my passion. So anyway, I have actually stayed at home with my kids, my youngest is a senior in high school this year. So I'm feeling like once he's left the house, it's maybe time for me to get a job. But you know, I really do want to go into diabetes education, however I do. And I don't, I would love, love, love to go work for mankind and go out there and spread the word, but half of the stuff that I do, I can't tell anyone I do if I work for them. You know, it's just like you and your podcast. I mean, the things that you share with people and that people, you know, that this community shares is like, hey, there's a hack for everything. And if you work for one of those companies, your hands are tied, and you can't tell people about those hacks. So I don't know what I'm going to do. Because I don't want to do that.

Scott Benner 1:22:21
Somebody asked me one time, you should be a diabetes educators like, do you want me not to help people with diabetes anymore? Because that will be the quick way to that happening. So

Kelly 1:22:29
exactly. Yeah, that's, I feel like I would start every day with I'm not supposed to tell you this. But

Scott Benner 1:22:35
well, I think it's just the one on one, like, even Jenny will tell you like, she's like, she was like, I come on the podcast, because I reach a lot of people. And, you know, like, in my regular life, she said this out loud on the podcast, I see one person at a time for an hour, you know, and it's, it's really incredibly, like fulfilling and valuable for me and that person. But, you know, you're saying things that if 1000 people could hear it, you'd help 1000 people at a time. And that's how I think of the podcast is, you know, it's a podcast, it's doing like over a half a million downloads a month right now. So you know, you're not like, you know, it's not a half a million people, but it's still, it's a lot of people and you, it's your opportunity, like the technology finally allows you to reach people like I don't want to under I'm not saying that there aren't like diabetes educators aren't important thing. But it's a lot of effort and a lot of work to learn something that you're learning years ago while you're training. And then you get here into present day, and the thing you already know might be not as valuable anymore. And now you're stuck telling people one at a time about it, when you know, I mean, and it's not as just as easy as making a podcast, either, by the way, like there are plenty of diabetes podcasts that have completely failed, and they, they don't go anywhere. So it's not you can't just say, Well, I'm gonna put the information out there. And that's how you'll reach people. It is a fine line, it's quite the dance to make something that is entertaining enough that people will come back to and listen through and still put information and at the same time, we have to joke about your ex husband, to get them to the Frezza like I know, people don't know that about themselves. But you should know that about yourself. Like, yeah, yeah, people don't want to sit and just be lectured to. Like it's not fun. So, and then you actually have to be entertaining, which is me taking credit for being a little entertaining. But I mean, me aside, like, there are plenty of people out there that have good information, who are hard to listen to. Yeah, they don't know that about themselves. So it's very difficult to make it happen. And I can't even take credit for it. i If you asked me about this privately, I would tell you I don't know how I made this work. Yeah, so

Kelly 1:24:47
I know you do a really good job. And it's you know, I was I was leading up to this because I think I scheduled this a year ago. That's how bad your your calendar was. And I was like, Okay, I need to have a timeline. I You know, I need to come up with all this stuff. And I thought no, because, yeah, that's exactly what you just said. And you're just so good at asking the right questions. And I think you have a really funny sense of humor. I have been told by people before, whenever I just, you know, I don't know what started acting stupid, not that you're stupid. I don't mean, plenty stupid, don't

Unknown Speaker 1:25:21
worry, they will say you

Kelly 1:25:22
are a 12 year old boy. And I, sometimes when I hear you say certain things, I'm like, he is just like me, he is a 12 year old boy.

Scott Benner 1:25:30
No, we obviously have a sensibility. We put cameras on and I asked you to tilt your lid down on your laptop a little bit to make the sound better. And you sort of like it started to go down your shirt. And we both had the same exact thought at the same I watched it happen on our faces. We were like, Oh, geez. So I know you're thinking, like all broken up in like a child like I am. So I'm like, go knock down your shirt. And you're like, and then you just said I probably shouldn't wear this shirt. I didn't say that. By the way. We're almost there. Kelly can almost hear you know what I can see on your face like you immediately and in a joking, light hearted way. You were like, Oh, I shouldn't wear this shirt. And I was like, Well, I don't mean for that. It is it is very, I get your point. It were at the end of the podcast. So I'm going to tell you this now leave. There was this video that came on YouTube. And it was this very respectable person in the diabetes space. And they say like, you know, there's two problems with diabetes education. Oh my god. Okay, let me hear this.

Kelly 1:26:35
There's at least two Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:26:37
This this person had to one of them was that the information is never interesting. It's never entertaining outside. While they were right about that. Let's see where this goes. And the other is this thing I'm going to tell you later on, like always building suspense. I'll listen. And they've got a moderator moderating it. Like they plucked like a pretty big name out of the diabetes space to be a moderator. And I was like, I don't know that this is any more entertaining, but whatever I'm buying in, like, Let me listen. Well, anyway, this person goes on for what seemed like my entire life, it felt like an eternity, about talking about how things aren't entertaining. But while they were talking about I was not being entertained. I was only there now, like, for the shot and Freud. Yeah, I was like, this is gonna go way wrong. He's boxed himself into a corner. And sure enough, he was incredibly boring. And then he made the second announcement about what is going to fix diabetes education. He's figured it out. He's done research research, Kelly. There's been research done. He's been on this for years. He's got it. Here it is. He is gonna lay it out for you right now. CGM are helpful. And I went, Oh, we figured it out. I, oh, my God, that I stopped. And I closed my iPad, and left like a small child in my bed for many minutes. And Mike to the point where my wife goes, Why are you laughing? And I then told her, and then she laughed, and then we went to sleep. Anyway, that really important video has maybe almost 50 views now. So it was just fascinating to watch this person who, you know, if you just sat them down, and we're like, let's just chit chat about diabetes. they spew out so much good information for people. But instead, they spent the last two years of their life doing research to tell me something, I figured out the 16th minute I saw a Dexcom for the first time, I did not need more research to let you know how valuable this information was to your decision making. And I was just like, This is why nothing ever gets anywhere. Yeah, this right here. He's not entertaining, and he thinks he is. And he's having big ideas that I had seven years ago after five minutes. And it took him like he had to get a research study to figure it out. I was like, Yeah, we're in trouble if this is what we're waiting for. Anyway, if the person who did this heard this, no offense. I still think you're great. Oh, my God, I appreciate it. So anyway, I'm here by myself because my wife went to jolly old England for a meeting, and my dog is downstairs barking he is old. And this means he will pee on the floor and the next five minutes if I don't go, so. Okay, you were delightful. Thank you very much. I'm sorry. I'm cutting out on you quickly. But thank you very much.

Kelly 1:29:19
Thank you, Scott. Yep.

Scott Benner 1:29:26
Mark is an incredible example of what so many experience living with diabetes. You show up for yourself and others every day, never letting diabetes define you. And that is what the Medtronic champion community is all about. Each of us is strong, and together, we're even stronger. To hear more stories from the Medtronic champion community where to share your own story. Visit Medtronic diabetes.com/juice box. Don't forget we still have marks conversation at the very end. It's a terrific kind of mini episode about 10 minutes long, that goes deeper. into some of the things that you heard Mark talking about earlier in the show. I want to thank the ever since CGM for sponsoring this episode of The Juicebox Podcast. Learn more about its implantable sensor, smart transmitter and terrific mobile application at ever since cgm.com/juicebox. Get the only implantable sensor for long term wear. Get ever since. If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juicebox Podcast, private Facebook group Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes, but everybody is welcome. Type one type two gestational loved ones. It doesn't matter to me. If you're impacted by diabetes, and you're looking for support, comfort or community, check out Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes on Facebook. And now my full conversation with Medtronic champion, Mark. Mark. How old were you when you were diagnosed with type one diabetes? I was 2828. How old are you now? 4747. So just about 20 years?

David 1:31:04
Yeah, 19 years?

Scott Benner 1:31:05
What was your management style when you were diagnosed?

David 1:31:07
I use injections for about six months. And then my endocrinologist and a navy recommended pump.

Scott Benner 1:31:14
How long had you been in the Navy? See

David 1:31:15
eight years up to that point?

Scott Benner 1:31:17
Eight years? Yeah. I've interviewed a number of people who have been diagnosed during service and most of the time they're discharged. What happened to you?

David 1:31:26
I was medically discharged. Yeah, six months after my diagnosis.

Scott Benner 1:31:29
I don't understand the whole system. Is that like honorable? Yeah. I mean, essentially,

David 1:31:33
if you get a medical discharge, you get a commensurate honorable discharge. I guess there could be cases where something other than that, but that's that's really how it happens. So it's an honorably discharged with but because of medical reasons,

Scott Benner 1:31:44
and that still gives you access to the VA for the rest of your life. Right?

David 1:31:47
Correct. Yeah, exactly.

Scott Benner 1:31:49
Do you use the VA for your management? Yeah, I

David 1:31:51
used to up until a few years ago, when we moved to North Carolina, it just became untenable, just rigmarole and process to kind of get all the things I needed. You know, for diabetes management, it was far easier just to go through a private practice.

Scott Benner 1:32:04
Was it your goal to stay in the Navy for your whole life, your career?

David 1:32:07
It was? Yeah, yeah. In fact, I think a few months before my diagnosis, my wife and I had that discussion about, you know, staying in for the long term. And, you know, we made the decision despite all the hardships and time away from home, that was what we love the most. So that's what made it that much more difficult

Scott Benner 1:32:24
was the Navy a, like a lifetime goal of yours or something you came to as an adult,

David 1:32:28
lifetime goal. I mean, as my earliest childhood memories were flying, being a fighter pilot and specifically being, you know, flying on and off aircraft carriers. So, you know, watching Top Gun in the 80s certainly was a catalyst

Scott Benner 1:32:42
for that you've taken off and landed a jet on an aircraft carrier 100 times. Is there anything in life as exhilarating as that? No, but

David 1:32:51
there there's a roller coaster I rode at. I think it was at Cedar Rapids up in Cleveland Sandusky, and they've got this roller coaster rotation from zero to like, it's like 80 or something, you go up a big hill and you come right back down. So the acceleration is pretty similar. I would say to catapult shot. I'm

Scott Benner 1:33:08
gonna guess you own a Tesla.

David 1:33:11
I don't I I'm a boring guy. I got a hybrid rav4 I get made fun of I get called. You know, my, my wife says I drive like a grandpa. I'm a five miles per hour over the speed limit person. No more than that. So yeah, in the car. I'm boring Scott. So

Scott Benner 1:33:26
you've never felt the need to try to replace that with something else.

David 1:33:29
You can't replace it. It's you're replaceable. That's what I thought. So up until the point where someone you know, buys me an F 18 or allows me to get inside a two seater and fly it you can't replace it.

Scott Benner 1:33:40
How did it make you feel when you saw or maybe you haven't seen? gentleman named Pietro has his large aircraft license. He's flying for a major carrier. Now he has type one diabetes. Does that feel hopeful to you?

David 1:33:50
Yeah, it does. You know, when I when I was diagnosed, that wasn't a possibility. The FAA prohibited commercial pilots who had type one diabetes, but I think it was 2017 when they changed their rules to allow type one diabetics to be commercial pilots. And part of the reason I did that was because of the technology advancements, specifically in pump therapy, and pump management. So I don't have any aspirations of going to the commercial airlines, but one of my sons who has type one diabetes very much wants to be a commercial pilot. So you know, in that respect, I'm very hopeful and thankful. Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:34:23
Do you fly privately now for pleasure?

David 1:34:26
I do. Yeah. One of my favorite things to do is fly my kids to the different soccer tournaments they have all over the southeast us so last week, my wife and I and two of our boys flipped to Richmond for their soccer tournaments up there and Charlie who's my middle child has type one diabetes so you know if I can combine flying family and football and one weekend to me that's I think I've just achieved Valhalla

Scott Benner 1:34:49
so then it sounds to me like this diagnosis was a significant course correction for you. Can you tell me how it affected your dream?

David 1:34:56
Well, I you know, if I guess three words come to mind first It was devastating. Everything I had done in life, everything I'd worked up to up to that point was just taken away in an instant. And I was not prepared for that at all. The second emotion was, it was scary. I hadn't thought much about life outside the Navy, certainly not life as anything else, but a fighter pilot. And Heather and I were getting ready to move to France, I was going to do an exchange tour with with the French naval air force. So we're taking French classes. So pretty quickly, I had to reinvent myself. And then probably the most important thing at the same time that all that was going on, I had to learn how to deal with type one diabetes and how to manage it effectively. The third thing that pops into my mind, I guess, is challenging. You know, new daily routines I had to establish first was injections, and then eventually, you know, through pump management, and then learning how to count carbs and recognize highs and lows, how my body reacts to blood sugar trends based on exercise and stress and those types of things. And my goal at that time, and it still is today is to leverage technology and make sure my habit patterns are effective so that I take diabetes management from the forefront to the background.

Scott Benner 1:36:03
Have you had success with that? Do you feel like you've made the transition? Well,

David 1:36:07
I have I mean, I believe in continuous improvement. So there's always more to do. I will say the technology since I was diagnosed specifically with pump management, it's just, it's just incredible. It takes less of me intervening. And it's really done by the pump itself and by the algorithms through the CGM EMS. And to me again, that that should be the goal for everybody is to not have to focus so much on the daily aspects of type one, diabetes management, you know, we should let technology do that for us.

Scott Benner 1:36:36
What else have you found valuable? I've spoken to 1000s of people with type one diabetes, the one thing that took me by surprise, because I don't have type one, myself, and my daughter was very young when she was diagnosed. I didn't really understand until I launched this podcast, and then it grew into this kind of big Facebook presence. I heard people say, I don't know anybody else who has type one diabetes, I wish I knew more people. But until I saw them come together, I didn't recognize how important it was. Yeah,

David 1:37:06
I think similarly, I didn't know anyone with type one diabetes growing up as an adult up until when I was diagnosed. And then all of a sudden, people just came out of the woodwork, and when CGM first hit the market, certainly within the last five years. It's amazing to me and my family, how many people we've noticed with type one diabetes simply because you can see the CGM on their arm. I mean, I would say, a month does not go by where we don't run into someone at a restaurant or an amusement park or a sporting event or somewhere where we see somebody else with type one diabetes. And the other surprising aspect of that is just how quickly you make friends. And I'll give you an example. We're at a soccer tournament up in Raleigh, this past Saturday and Sunday. And the referee came over to my son Charlie at the end of the game and said, Hey, I noticed you're wearing a pump. And he lifted up a shirt and showed his pomp as well and said, I've had type one diabetes since I was nine years old. I played soccer in college, I'm sure that's your aspiration. And I just want to tell you don't let type one diabetes ever stop you from achieving your dreams of what you want to do. And this gentleman was probably in his late 50s, or 60s. So just having that connection and seeing, you know, the outreach and people's willingness to share their experiences. It just means the world to us and just makes us feel like we're part of a strong community.

Scott Benner 1:38:25
So would you say that the most important things are strong technology tools, understanding how to manage yourself and a connection to others. Yeah,

David 1:38:35
technology for sure. And knowing how to leverage it, and then the community and that community is your friends, your family, caregivers, you know, for me to Medtronic champions, community, you know, all those resources that are out there to, you know, help guide away, but then help help you keep abreast on you know, the new things that are coming down the pike. And to give you hope for eventually, you know, that we can find a cure. You

Scott Benner 1:38:56
mentioned that your son wanted to be a pilot. He also has type one diabetes, how old was he when he was diagnosed?

David 1:39:02
So Henry was diagnosed when he was 12 years old. That was just at the start of COVID. We are actually visiting my in laws in Tennessee, we woke up in the morning and he had made his bed. And several years before that we had all four of our boys tested for trial net. So you know, predictor of whether or not they're going to develop type one diabetes and whether or Henry and one of his brothers tested positive for a lot of the indicators. So we always kind of had an inclination that there was a high degree of possibility he would develop it, but we always had at the back of our mind as well. And so when that event happened, at the beginning of COVID, we had him take his blood sugar on my glucometer and it was over 400 And so right away, we knew that without even being diagnosed properly by endocrinologist that he was a type one diabetic, so we hurried home to get him properly diagnosed in Charlottesville, and then we just started the process first grieving, but then acceptance And, you know, his eventual becoming part of the team that nobody wants to join? How old is he now? He's 15 years old. Now,

Scott Benner 1:40:08
when's the first time he came to you? And said, Is this going to stop me from flying? Almost

David 1:40:15
immediately. So like me, he's he always had aspirations of flying. In fact, he out of all four boys wanted to be in the military, that was a difficult part of the conversation, and maybe something that we don't talk about as a community. But there are some things you cannot do as a type one diabetic, and that's a hard fact of life. And unfortunately, joining the military is one of those hard and fast things you cannot be, you cannot join the military as a type one diabetic. So it was very difficult for him and for me and my wife to get over. Then we also started talking about being a commercial pilot. And so I saw that same excitement in his eyes because like me, you know, he can be an NFA teen or a 737 or a Cirrus SR 20 That I fly and be just as happy. So he still has that passion today and still very much plans to eventually become a commercial pilot.

Scott Benner 1:41:00
I appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you. You have four children, do any others have type one?

David 1:41:05
They do? My oldest twin Henry has type one diabetes, and my middle son Charlie has type one diabetes as well. The boys are twins. The oldest two are twins. One has type one diabetes. My middle son, who is not a twin has type one diabetes. I see. Is there any other autoimmune in your family? There isn't I'm really the only person in my family or my wife's family that we know of with any sort of autoimmune disease, certainly type one diabetes. So unfortunately, I was the first to strike it rich and unfortunately, pass it along to to my sons, but celiac thyroid, anything like that. Not about nothing. We're really a pretty healthy family. So this came out of nowhere for myself and for my two sons. That's really

Scott Benner 1:41:46
something. I appreciate your time very much. I appreciate you sharing this with me. Thank you very much.

David 1:41:51
Anytime Scott.

Scott Benner 1:41:52
Learn more about the Medtronic champion community at Medtronic diabetes.com/juice box or by searching the hashtag Medtronic champion on your favorite social media platform. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast. The episode you just heard was professionally edited by wrong way recording. Wrong way. recording.com