#197 Working Holiday

Czeching in with Alena….

Alena is from Czech Republic but is going to school in the UK. She lives with type 1 diabetes and is on the podcast to tell us here story. 

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

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello, and welcome to Episode 197 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today we go over the ocean to talk to a lenna. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Dexcom on the pod and dancing for diabetes, you can go to dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. My omnipod.com forward slash juice box, we're dancing, the number for diabetes.com. All these links are in your show notes at Juicebox podcast.com.

Alena 0:31
Hi, I'm Elena. I'm from Czech Republic, but I live in United Kingdom and I'm a type one diabetic from since I was 15.

Scott Benner 0:40
To How old are you now?

Alena 0:41
I'm 22. Now

Scott Benner 0:43

22. So you're, that's easy. How easy is that? And so I'm seven years with type one since you're 15. Now you were How long? We were born in the Czech Republic? How long did you live? Until school? Oh, well, no, like,

Alena 0:59
until I was 21. So I moved to the UK to do uni. Which I'm still doing now. Right?

Scott Benner 1:07
So you've only been the UK for a year going to school?

Alena 1:09
Me is free? Yeah, three years? Oh, no. Oh, well, yeah, let's let's forget the mouse. Oh, I'm in England.

Scott Benner 1:19
We should definitely forget the math. That's a great idea, actually, because diabetes goes much better when you forget the math. Here's one thing you don't want to forget. Nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making changes to your medical plan.

You were in Czechoslovakia when you were diagnosed?

Alena 1:47
Sorry, not Czechoslovakia. It's late. Yes. Just call it check. Cho, I know you're you're from America and probably mainly the people from America. So Czech Republic is a small country in the center of Europe, and it's next to Germany, which you all probably know.

Scott Benner 2:04
You are assuming a lot but I appreciate your confidence. Okay, so you're diagnosed there? What was it like being diagnosed there? Right.

Alena 2:13
So my diagnosis was at the beginning of school. Yeah. And, and because it was like that. It was in September, and I will go into a lot. I'm very thirsty. I definitely lost weight. But I didn't notice I was definitely tired. But I was blaming going to school again. And so me and my mom when she was just a practitioner. So we thought it may be some kind of infection, or something like that. And we went without a breakfast because you know, you should do that if you're getting blood tests done sometimes. So we expected that and the doctor checked my blood sugar. And it was Wait, I've got a table here so I can speak in your unit. It was around 206 7270 and what

Unknown Speaker 3:07
what what is it your measurement? 15

Alena 3:11
Okay. Yeah, let me see, like the point something is not that important around 270. Yeah. 15 plus something

Unknown Speaker 3:17
really high. Oh,

Unknown Speaker 3:19
yeah. Yeah.

Alena 3:19
I mean, it's, it's not that high. But it's high for a healthy person. Sure. And so I was sent to the hospital without the doctor actually telling us what's wrong with me. And yeah, yeah, it's not there are

Scott Benner 3:36
so you go to the doctor feeling pretty horrible. He

Alena 3:41
feel that fat. So I was an MBA. So like, yeah, we associate go to Tata. Okay. Okay. So you've got,

Scott Benner 3:47
you've got all these weird things going on. You can't quite put your finger on. And the doctor tests your blood, gives you a blood test. And then without giving you any other information says, Hey, I think you should go to the hospital now.

Unknown Speaker 3:59
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Unknown Speaker 4:01
Did you drive yourself?

Alena 4:02
No. So I was with my mom. So but we can drive from the age of 18. So my mom was driving. And then I think they took my blood and the doctor. I remember her she wasn't nice or comforting at all. He was like, dude, your daughter has diabetes. And that's it. It's forever. Yeah, and my mom was really upset and sharp. But her so we don't have diabetes in my family, but a dark type two diabetes. So she thought, Oh, no, she'll have to take pills and be on a diet for the rest of her life. She didn't even imagine injections.

Scott Benner 4:45
Yeah, how great would it have been if it was just pills a diet actually right.

Alena 4:49
Um, I have issues to be consistent when taking pills here like some supplements. I mean,

Scott Benner 4:59
I'm so interested in In the car ride from the doctor to the hospital. Did you guys remember that? Let's say it must have, like frazzling. Right? Like, yeah, yeah. Why are they making me go to the hospital? Like that

Alena 5:10
was I mean, I don't think I was questioning, I was just like wanting to know what's going on. Okay. But I'm not sure how it how it goes in America. But for me, I had to be in the hospital for five days. Even though I was in MDK, it was the transition from dorm life to taking injections.

Scott Benner 5:33
So it's sort of like a, it's like, it's like a diabetes, diagnosis vacation, you get to hang around the hospital. While they let you know how everything's gonna work out. So when you leave there at 15 years old, are you what kind of technology or what did they give you do? Oh,

Alena 5:49
so it's not going that? Well. I was given pens. So at that point, it was that you fit change the pencil with insulin. So it's like the one that you can disable two to two bits and just change the pedophile. And basically, because I was, well, it was a month before my 15th birthday. I was actually born. But yes, was close to that. I was, even though my parents about that, for a lot of explaining, I was the one who was going to be managing my diabetes. And my parents actually never gave me an injection.

Scott Benner 6:32
That must have been strange, right? Like, did they just make an announcement? They were like, Okay, this is yours. You're gonna take care of this.

Alena 6:39
condo? Yeah. So in the I remember, it was the syringes of plastic one first, and then we transition in Japan. And then they originally plan that I can't leave hospital without my parents in check to me at least one. Okay. But somehow, that didn't happen. And no, no, it wasn't like they mentioned it, but then no one really cared that much. And then my, so for my mom, it's like injecting the child. So was never keen on that. And she's quite sensitive. And for my dad, he never was interested in injecting me. And I never asked him to, because I feel like, you know, my dad's got big hands. And yeah,

Unknown Speaker 7:29
it's gonna be clumsy with it.

Alena 7:31
Yeah, yeah. So I left with two pens, due dates with insulin and with leukemia. That was there. And so the insulin, I'm still actually on the same insulin levels. And it's, so it's London for the long acting. And and I just forgotten the name of the daily one. Let me

Scott Benner 7:58
absolutely do not worry. The other day I I searched for a word during a conversation, and just could never find it and had to eventually bail on it and just say to people, I'll think of it later and walk away, which was incredibly embarrassing.

Alena 8:10
But so the other one is actually x rapid, which something you've probably never heard of. And it's not the fast acting one, but as a regular one, which I found out about quite recently. So for those who don't know, and it's last up to like, seven to eight hours. And it takes about seven minutes to start working.

Unknown Speaker 8:33
And you're still using? Yeah, Can you spell it for me?

Alena 8:38
Yeah. Oh, hello. So it's AC t. r a p. d. Accurate? Yeah. I'm googling. I'm sorry.

Scott Benner 8:55
So yeah, everyone agrees googling on a podcast is very, very exciting. Okay. So yeah, UK unit solution, human

Alena 9:04
action. So it's more complicated, because you cannot. So I still had the pen. I got seven years ago, I changed the pedophile. I mean, it's quite a good one. Um, and I still get my income from Czech Republic, right. Oh, that I'll get to that later. Okay. Well, let

Scott Benner 9:23
me just jump in for people who are on on the not European side. When Linda says pen fill she means she's talking about the cartridge that goes in. Oh, yeah. Right, which is called Don't worry. I just want to make sure everybody's following along. And, and you get your insulin from the chair from fun. Okay. All right. So do you live by yourself in the UK now? Because

Alena 9:48
I'm listening to them with three girls.

Scott Benner 9:51
Okay, that sounds I don't know how that sounds. Is that any good?

Alena 9:55
All right, because I've got my own room. Okay.

Scott Benner 9:58
That sounds okay. Then. So why do you Why do you? Alright, hold on, let's slow down for a second because my mom was my mind just raced ahead of the story. Okay, so you you've got this insulin, you've got the glucose, you know, the glucose meter. And, and your, your parents are not really getting too involved I would imagine law to count carbs, or were you just oh

Alena 10:19
yeah, so I will say, oh, that we call them exchangeable units, or cops, that one unit is 12 grams of carbs. And so you have this meal plan, for example, that for breakfast, you have four units, which is 48 grams of carbs, and you can theoretically eat whatever as long it's 48. Breakfast.

Scott Benner 10:45
So you shoot the insulin, eat the food, when do you ever check your blood sugar after that?

Alena 10:51
So what also was to check my blood sugar just before main meals, and then before sleeping? So four or five times a day? How did that?

Scott Benner 11:02
How did that how did that end up working out? Like? Do you get your a one c checked on a regular basis?

Alena 11:08
It will look complicated not to.

Unknown Speaker 11:11
Okay.

Scott Benner 11:13
So good. Well, how did you find that process of checking four or five times a day and just shooting and then in then doing the car?

Alena 11:21
I was taking a choir. Right? So I'm quite sensitive to high blood sugar levels. I don't really get any symptoms. Not that I know. And even though I was told to in the Pre-Bolus. I never seen it about we will get to by that time I've never seen it sounds like oh, well, whatever. And and I wouldn't Pre-Bolus really which I understand is not ideal. I was doing it and for and I thought it's working. But my parents didn't have any real input. But there and by the end of when we call them something else up. My endo was. So she was looking in like a paper diary. Well, right, my blood sugar levels. And but so it says I was filling it as I was going. But eventually I would fill it the night before the appointment of

Scott Benner 12:21
making up some numbers, or did you actually get the numbers from your meter?

Alena 12:24
Oh, the plan was to get them from the meter. But there was one more issue. And so but even though my parents were not really involved in like the decisions of how much insulin and so on. And so there was a situation when I was home, and I were getting lunch, and my dad asked me what my blood sugar level is. And sadly often I mean, certainly from my point of view now, it was around 200 to 50. And sometimes it would be my fault that I was like snacking or something like that. But often it wasn't Oh, no that was ever with us. It'd be my fault.

Scott Benner 13:07
You were doing what you expected was working. Your blood sugar's still going.

Alena 13:10
Yeah. And my dad would say, oh, that high with like a very specific reaction. And that was causing me some kind of anxiety. So I went in in such situations, I would be like, No, it's all right. And I wouldn't tell it to him. And then my dad was the one who was driving me to my endo, and was still in the room. Okay, so to avoid the this is reaction, I was lying to my endo about my numbers. And that went for a few years. And so I can't really recall any agency numbers. But I was always so mad. Alright, I like and until recently, I never cared what the number was exactly. But as long as I said, Yeah, it's still good. I was fine with it.

Scott Benner 14:06
The holidays are here. And it's the time of year when you're thinking about other people, but you can't let that get in the way of caring for yourself. So if you've been thinking about taking better care of yourself, thinking about making an upgrade to your diabetes care plan, don't let this holiday season slow you down. It really will only take a moment today to go to dexcom.com forward slash juice box to find out more about the continuous glucose monitor that Arden has been using forever. We talked about it here all the time. But ardens a one C has been between 5.2 and 6.2 for five years with zero food restrictions. Much of how we accomplish that is with the data and the information that comes back from ardens Dexcom g six. Now you're going to love the arrows that tell you what direction your blood sugar is moving and you're gonna love that those arrows tell you how fast your blood sugar is moving. You're gonna love seeing the trends and how insulin and foods affect you. You're going to take all that information, and you're going to make better decisions tomorrow than you made today. Those decisions are going to keep your blood sugar in a more stable range. Before you know it, you're going to have that agency as well. Do yourself a great favor, go to dexcom.com forward slash juice box or click on the links in the show notes or Juicebox podcast.com. Go find that freedom. Go find that confidence. Back comfort, make this a wonderful holiday season. Make it the time you decided to make a change. I know you feel busy right now, but you're never too busy for this dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. Results mentioned are ours. Yours may vary. Those visits for you weren't so much about like figuring things out or fine tuning your health. It was just about going in and having somebody not be completely disappointed. And if they weren't, if they were like hey, right on, it's not so bad, then you'd leave and go, Oh, it's not so bad. I'm good. Right? Okay.

Alena 16:12
Remember the numbers, but I think it was some somewhere around eight, which is like, not so bad, but not what you want.

Scott Benner 16:21
And I hear what you're saying. I do understand that.

Alena 16:24
So that was one point where they started downloading the numbers from the meter. And I had a discussion with one diabetic nurse because she was diabetic too. And she was like, hey, these numbers don't match up. So I had to phase it.

Scott Benner 16:42
Did you go? Did you go? Oh, they don't that's crazy.

Alena 16:45
So So I panicked. And I was like, I want to speak to the nurse in the room without my dad.

Scott Benner 16:53
Okay, so yeah, you can fast you were like, I'm gonna confess. My dad. I gotcha.

Alena 16:58
Yeah, yeah. And then, so and then something else happening. I was low in iron. And so as far as like, my usual blood test, doctor would check for both all the markers that are for the celiac disease. And I was told there are people with celiac disease has like numbers around the hundreds or even thousands and minds were like 30. So she wanted me to go to the thing when you swallow a tube and they look inside. That's one, you know what I mean? Um,

Scott Benner 17:37
Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Alena 17:42
The name is not important. And I was like, I'm not doing it. I'm fine. I don't have any problems. I'll take iron supplements. And then when I turned 18, I change the doctor. And they were like, Hey, you need to get this checked. And I went to that horrible experience. It takes five minutes feels like five years. And they found out I've got celiac disease. And so they also take a biopsy sample off, I feel. But I think it's got a lot show a bit of terminology. Sorry.

Scott Benner 18:19
Take something inside of you.

Alena 18:24
And then it takes two weeks. So I was like, Okay, cool. I'll go two weeks to have pizza, pasta, whatever I want to say goodbye. Okay. If

Scott Benner 18:35
you want to break up tour with food.

Alena 18:39
I didn't get that though. My parents are meaner. And we were walking back to the car and we got called back from the office. They're like you have to come back. And they because there is a camera and they seen that it's definitely a celiac disease and they were like you have to start eating gluten free immediately. even make it to the parking lot. Okay. So for about six months, maybe longer than that. I was eating gluten free and I will pain India and sorry, but

Scott Benner 19:18
with your accent nobody will hear it. It's fine. I completely understood you actually once in a while you sound like Adele to me. Isn't that interesting? Cool. Yeah, I think No, no, I've seen a demo Live in Concert and once in a while there's a couple of words where it sounds like that to me but I have a fairly I don't my ears not great for accent but it is it I can understand. I can absolutely understand you don't work? Yeah, I'm just saying we can we can like later I could lie and say she didn't say

Alena 19:52
okay, okay, so, um, so yeah, it was really annoying and there was nothing changed. I didn't feel worse either. through there. And I was like, I can't deal with this. And so then this is why, one of the reasons why I want to come to the podcast because I wouldn't tell people not to do it.

Scott Benner 20:13
I am proud to be sponsored today by dancing for diabetes, until a cure is found dancing for diabetes will be there for all of us good at dancing, the number for diabetes.com.

Alena 20:25
And if they get diagnosed with celiac disease, please eat gluten free. And so after about six months or so, for pizza, I didn't die. Sounds like yeah, let's let's not do this animal. Eating normally again, she just gave you just gave up

Scott Benner 20:43
and went right back to and what also what happens? What happens when you eat using pizza as an example, when you eat pizza, and you have to see like, what what happens? What, but

Alena 20:52
me personally, I've got the type of celiac disease that I don't have any symptoms other than lower iron. But basically no. So in your gut, you're it's autoimmune disease. And basically, your body is reacting to the gluten in inflammatory response. So not only it's bad for your body that you are in it, but it's inflamed all the time. But so in your gut, it sat inside, it's wrinkled, I don't know if you know that I didn't know that inside, it's wrinkled. So the surface is bigger, and you absorb more nutrition. However, if you have celiac disease, and you eat gluten, and how is your body fighting with it, that it gets moved, and you don't absorb nutrition and nutrients?

Scott Benner 21:49
So So what's happening to you is while you're eating and not having any symptoms, like like, say like, you know, stomach, and other people do have, you're still not absorbing the correct amount of nutrition. So when you eat foods your body can deal with, you're hurting yourself in other ways.

Alena 22:04
Yeah, yeah. So I don't know about it. And it's, and it takes a lot of time for it to heal. So it's not like weed without gluten will help. Okay. And so for a couple of years, I was normally eating gluten until last summer. So I went to the I went to Greece for this thing, body and stuff. Details Allah important power sake. And I will throw it up and diarrhea. I was like, I'm not letting anything ruin this. However, I've got quite strong stomach. So I was like, wait, I'm throwing up. This is. This is not like what my body does, whenever I'm sick. And here I would also like to say that I was naive, and I saw the decay is only for newly diagnosed people. So I didn't really care about DK. That's interesting. Okay. Yeah, yes. Yeah. No, no.

Scott Benner 23:08
So you're at a, an extra let's call it a party in Greece.

Alena 23:15
Working Holiday. Yeah.

Scott Benner 23:17
Working Holiday, right, which might be the name of this episode. So you're, you're on a working holiday and and things are ingested. And you and so you get very sick. You're now sick in a way that you're not accustomed to with your celiac.

Alena 23:36
Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah, definitely.

Scott Benner 23:38
But because of the trip, I want to make sure I understand and the fun that was trying to be had. And you're feeling that you have like a strong stomach. You were going to persist and just keep doing what you were doing.

Alena 23:49
No, no, you gave up. I like generally have a strong stomach. So it was suspicious down throw it up. I see. Yeah. So I was meant to be there for four weeks. And after like two and a half star was that it started getting sick. But in Greece on the islands, you are not allowed to drink the water because I don't know. It's just not drinkable. Okay, so I thought maybe in the tricks I was getting, they made the eyes from the top water to save money. I see. So it could be that yes. So when I was that I went to like two doctors there. I was on a trip for like two hours because I was obviously dehydrated. And I did it so it's just that water bug or whatever it is. And I was like, I don't see well. I've got antibiotics from her which I can't be on somewhere. And I was recommended to eat just plain food potatoes, pasta, bread, and he and I was like I can't have this here. There is no point so Aaron just like to go home and I was already feeling weak. So I would get slightly dizzy or I would have to like, slow down. And I got home and my mom told me I looked terrible. And never like, do you want to go to the doctor? I was like, No, that's all right. Today, we'll go tomorrow to just do practitioner. And so I spent one night at home. And I went to my practitioner, she sent me to the hospital again, she was like, This is not looking good. And they kept me at ICU for two weeks.

Scott Benner 25:29
So what had happened? Were you just was your situation, just grading because you weren't taking nutrients?

Alena 25:36
No. So I was in the UK. And because I was eating gluten, even though I knew I shouldn't be. My body was holding up for a long time, but still wasn't getting the nutritions. It needed. It was holding up, hold it up. And then I went to Greece, and the change of conditions was like the last thing. And it all went down very quickly. And I was very, very lucky that I didn't end up with any consequences out of that.

Scott Benner 26:09
Yeah. Yes. Because you're away from home and out of the country. And but yeah,

Alena 26:14
you're like, I got to the hospital, and they took my blood and addicted. Look was looking at the paper and he was like, I'm surprised that kidneys heaven. St. Louis. Oh,

Scott Benner 26:24
that's fun to hear. What were you were you testing your blood sugar during this time on your own?

Alena 26:30
Yeah, but like, until last summer, my approach to diabetes was like test, inject whatever. And I didn't really care much. I was like, yeah, this is working. I mean, yeah, I'm high. By working.

Scott Benner 26:42
You meant I haven't fallen over yet.

Alena 26:44
So I didn't feel bad. Yeah. Because I don't know. Maybe it's because I was, I often I lose my symptoms for symptoms for being high. And by high I mean, like, around 200. And I was like, yeah, this is fine. I mean, I didn't see it as an issue. And then, yeah, it wasn't really bad. But I thought it's working. But something changed in hospital, and I can't say what, but I thought I'd been interested in diabetes. And then I joined some Facebook groups. And then I found your podcast. And yeah, so my main message is, please if you got diagnosed with celiac disease, and even free even though it's horrible, and some of the tape is, is tasteless, it's it's important, really, I mean, I was really lucky. And I was also in the UK so you know, if I would test it so what and no one told me that one time if

Scott Benner 27:48
you are not a good salesperson for gluten free, you're like, free even though it's horrible. That's not a good sales, I would not look

Alena 27:59
that many more options. And it Czech Republic and Czech Republic. A lot of that food is in boxes, make. Make your own bread, make your own muffins, which is something I'm really not interested in. Is it 22 year old person?

Scott Benner 28:14
Yeah, looking to be baking while you're at school.

Alena 28:19
But yeah, I mean, it's totally doable. All right with it. Now I'd pet some kind of like rebellion

Scott Benner 28:25
block. No, no, Tommy, let's look. Let's look back for a second though. You're in the hospital after Greece. And you said you don't really know what happened. You just started being more interested? Can you dig deeper into yourself for that? Like you You really don't know what about that situation that just made you say, two weeks from now on the pod is going to be back on the show. And we're going to be interviewing them about what's coming up with their new dash, PDM horizon, artificial pancreas and everything that's coming in the near future. Two weeks should be enough time for you to get a free no obligation demo pod from Omni pod right now. So you can have that experience tucked away in your hip pocket. When you hear them talking about what's coming up. By then you'll know how simple and easy it is to put on and on the pod and how while you're wearing it, you don't even notice that it's there, you'll start to really think, wow, I can get an insulin delivery without injections. And I don't have to be connected to any tubing. I don't have to have a thing clipped to my belt or stuffed in my pocket jammed in my bra. This controller is connected by this long piece of tubing that goes into infusion set like every other insulin pump. I don't need to do that with on the pod because it is absolutely tubeless you're going to understand all of that and they're going to come in they're going to tell you what's coming up really soon. Your excitement level is going to go boom through the roof. And you're very quickly very quickly going to be like Bobby but hurry up Get me out the enemy pots. I gotta get involved, baby. This is my time. That's what you'll say. I mean or something like that in your own voice. Maybe you'll just go hey, you know what I really like this and sometimes I'm gonna get it. Maybe it won't be all fireworks and flowers, but I'll tell you what it will be. It'll be tubeless. And you'll have the ability to change your basal rates have extended boluses go swimming, and shower while you're getting your insulin, play all kinds of sports, and never have to disconnect my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box with the links in your show notes. Do it right now. Get long before they come back on the show.

Alena 30:30
So I was told by the doctors I could have died, which is something I have processed completely yet. I said when when the doctors were getting my button. Hold on. I was seriously seriously malnourished. The word? Nurse Yeah, yes. Yes, Mother, we're sorry. That was a thing. So for the first few days there, I wasn't even getting food. All the food was coming to me through through drip. And I'm also listening to your podcast and talking about hospitals. And like after after that I was doing a podcast and looking back, they don't know what they are doing with diabetes either. They wouldn't Pre-Bolus they wouldn't check between meals. Um, but yes, something really change. And I'm grateful for it. Because some Facebook groups are browsing, it's just coming up to America. No. Monitor.

Scott Benner 31:37
Give me a second. You broke up there for a minute and I'm gonna I'm gonna disconnect the Skype and call you right back. You're in the hospital and you found something that I couldn't hear what you said.

Unknown Speaker 31:47
Like, oh,

Alena 31:48
yeah, I'll say I'll follow found. flaws. People monitor a freestyle Libra freestyle Libra.

Scott Benner 31:53
Okay, so you like a glucose ma?

Unknown Speaker 31:58
flash glucose monitor.

Scott Benner 31:59
Okay. Okay. And so is this a finger stick one or the one you hold up and get a reading from?

Alena 32:07
But it doesn't have a lot. You have to swipe it.

Scott Benner 32:10
Okay. Okay. So it's, I guess they we call a dexcom, a continuous glucose monitor. Then this one is a glucose monitor. Yeah, you have to hold something up to it. And then it gets a reading from it. But you don't have to do finger stick. So you found that it's not what do they call it the? Is it Libra Libra or something.

Unknown Speaker 32:30
I don't know what they call Libra. Okay,

Alena 32:32
I'm not sure. Yeah.

Scott Benner 32:34
So it's a glucose monitor. But it's not continuous. You have to take, like you said, swipe something past the install, and then it gives you the number so you get a hold of that. And how does that change things for you?

Alena 32:46
I think it's life changing. So I'm from listening for you. I would love to have Dexcom. But we are already both my parents are helping me with money because some final year and I don't have time to work right now. So, um, but we are paying for it ourselves. And so Dexcom is more expensive. So I mean, I would welcome the alarm. But this is already life changing enough.

Scott Benner 33:11
It's It's It's a good step up. It's it's Yeah, it's not the whole thing, but it's a lot more than you had before.

Alena 33:18
In insane. It's incomparable because like, when I when I got it, I think I had like a flu or something or holes. So my blood sugar was all over the place. And my insulin sensitivity was very low that needed more insulin. Okay, yeah. And so that will start but when I first got that, like bright line, overnight, I was over the moon. And it somehow motivates me more, because I see the number when before I checked my just finger steak. I'll see the number put it in my back in my back. But now I see all the time.

Scott Benner 34:02
So you being able to see the your blood sugar in in more real time situations. You feel like hey, it's going good. And it motivates you to keep continue and then when it's when it's not going the way you want. It doesn't it doesn't get you down. It just motivates you to get back to the other space.

Alena 34:21
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, like I just my, my approach to my blood sugar levels changed because I want to see that bright line four. I wanted to see it in in my range. I've got set that and also so I had a couple of things a day or two without live with a last like five months. And I was like yes, I want to be late. I'll pull up my tables with with your numbers are about to be at about 70 to 90 at least overnight. But I can't do that. Finger sticks because what I'm 70 to 85 I don't know where it's heading. And I can't be hanging out around that when I when I don't know where it's heading right

Scott Benner 35:11
if you don't see the information coming back to you. Yeah. 85 could be 85 and falling. You can't just walk away and go.

Alena 35:17
Exactly.

Scott Benner 35:18
It's funny you say that I just look, you made me look up. Arden's blood sugar's 84 right now.

Alena 35:23
Yeah. It's amazing. And I'm happy with that when I when I see what's going on.

Scott Benner 35:29
Yeah, it is a cool, I You're making me look now. So I'm looking at Arden's last three hours on her Dexcom. And she's been, she's been right at 84 between 90 and 84 for like, three hours now. It's just it is it is really comforting in a way that's hard to put into words really get you know, because then you feel like you can be more aggressive or, you know, sit at a lower number, because you feel like, well, if it falls, I'll you know, I mean, you don't have alarms with yours. But so how do you handle not having alarms? You just kind of swipe it more frequently?

Alena 36:03
Yeah, so I think I might be around 50 times a day, it was, it was hundred when I got it, okay. Because I Pre-Bolus. And if I have time to wait as I swipe it until I see the number changing number i'd heading down or heading down and until it's where I want it to be. So as you are describing the arrows for Dexcom. We've got just diagnosed dogma up dogma down, right? Or right up straight down.

Scott Benner 36:38
I see. It's, so is it if Okay, so if you were in a different financial situation, you you would want to see it be able to say constantly without the swiping.

Alena 36:49
So this my thing is not that. I don't mind swiping, but I would prefer alone. Because sometimes when my blood sugar like goes up overnight, and I, I see it at the morning, and I'm like, Oh, wow. But I wish I could rap to it faster.

Scott Benner 37:06
Okay, so so I've always kind of contended the LIBOR for me is like testing your blood sugar with a finger stick without the finger stick. Because you can say to yourself, I want to know what my blood sugar is and pick something up and No. And but you don't have to poke your finger bleed or anything like that, which is an amazing. It's an amazing leap from from finger sticks for certain. Do you still use finger sticks, though?

Alena 37:33
Well, if I don't feel so in UK, I think you are allowed to doze off of Libra, which I would do, even if it wasn't allowed to be honest. But it's accurate. It's accurate enough, because you know, as you discussed already many times, there is still some allowed error in both monitoring and fingerstick. So I think I think only when I feel different than the number sir. And that's about it. I didn't. Yeah, I didn't put my finger for a couple days now.

Scott Benner 38:11
So well, no kidding. I would say that I'm pretty much right there with you. I was I've been dosing off of Dexcom. Before the FDA, you know, before the government said it was okay. So, you know, once it's once I trusted I you know, you can trust it that you know, it's interesting. And then like you said, when you're not sure, or you don't feel right, then test and figure it out. Well, that's all so how many months? Have you been into this new way of thinking? It's not long, right?

Alena 38:38
Oh, yeah, it seems like last August, I started looking around and, and I've got a Libra in November. And I don't want to be without it anymore. It Yeah,

Scott Benner 38:50
it was interesting. You were all those years with just sort of like, Okay, I'm you know, I feel okay, and whatever the numbers are, I don't really mind. Then you have this one moment. Do you think it's a little bit about maturity? Or do you think like, you don't even like because the age where you hit you? I always wonder about that. Like, is it just do you think about life differently now that you're older than you did when you were younger?

Alena 39:16
Yeah, I think it was because diabetes got into my life. When you are like rebellious. I feel that play the path that I had to find my own way to thing. And now I'm finding that more and more what my mom told me to do. And I was like, No, I'm doing it my way and then now coming to the five that was right.

Scott Benner 39:42
There's not many stories in the world is their children, children not listening to their parents is definitely one of them. It is a you do I find myself all the time looking at my children thinking that one of the only things I have for you that is a very real value is the benefit of my experience. You know, it's hard to find a way to in just regular life, to say something to your kids in a way that they'll pick up and accept and find important. But when it comes to this medical stuff, and it's so constant and annoying and irritating like diabetes is, I don't know, it isn't. It just seems like a really difficult thing. There are times that I think, I wish Arden wasn't diagnosed when she was so young. Because, you know, it's more time for her to live without hopefully getting complications later. But at the same time, there's part of me that thinks it is really great that she doesn't remember not having diabetes, because then some of the things we do that are really irritating. They don't strike her the same as they would if she if she was diagnosed when she was Yeah, Yeah,

Alena 40:47
Yeah, I agree. Yeah. And then I would like to get to why I'm getting my insulin from Czech Republic,

Scott Benner 40:53
I would love to know why you're getting an amazon.com there, that works better. Oh,

Alena 40:58
no, no. So because I've got here for my unit. And then the first time I went home was after three months, which was just about right. And I went to my check, and I got insulin. And so but in Czech Republic, insulin is fully covered by the insurance. However, it's different with stripe. So once you turn 18, you get only 1000 stripes per year from from the insurance and rest you have to paypal. Okay.

Scott Benner 41:33
I don't understand the free stripes. But is that Oh, no, like fingerstick fingers. Okay. Okay, so you get like 1000, you get 1000 test strips. That's good. Yeah. Right. And then over the overtop of that you'd have to pay cash. Are they expensive?

Alena 41:48
Um, bye. Sorry. I think it's about $20 or 50. Okay. Ah,

Scott Benner 42:01
that's under the cost here, I would say. But it's still it's still a lot if you're using a lot. But you're not really using many fingers. At this point.

Alena 42:10
No, well, yeah. But before that, I was still using just five a day. So it wasn't that expensive. So unless they she was allowed to prescribe me insulin for like a longer period of time. And so yeah, I mean, I pick up with insulin, return from home, basically. But so recently, because you were talking about insolence, and I was thinking about which insulin I'm using, I found out that no one's using the engine. And I am and I was like, wait a minute. So I will want to change that soon. Because what's annoying about this one is not only the load stuff, like half an hour until it starts working. But also, there is like a second, a second, like a lot of detail, I think about two or three hours in it. Like it catches a second breath and came swaying again. Yeah. So. So that's, I feel like that's why my diet will set around that around the unit. So that was like I was like compulsory snack. I think that was like, up until now, I feel my endo asked me how many units I'm taking for like my meals. And I'm like, I don't know exactly, because it changes by the meal, right? Like, I'm okay. You're

Scott Benner 43:37
starting to move towards that idea. But you are going to get slowed down by the way your insulin works. Like if you want to continue kind of trying to embrace the stuff I guess that we talked about here on the podcast, you are going to need insulin to doing that.

Unknown Speaker 43:51
Yeah, right.

Scott Benner 43:52
Yeah. Be different insulin.

Alena 43:55
Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I'll be looking into that. And when it comes to pumps, so what, on my last endo appointment? It was midsommer he brought it up. Oh, have you been thinking about it? Um, but I was like, I was actually Bob not to be entitled by the insurance. And he was like, Yeah, yeah, it's just a matter of sending a letter somewhere. And I would definitely and but it takes three days in house. I think she needs to, like adjust your, um, they they keep you in the hospital to uh, to make adjustments to like your insulin to carb ratios, your basal rates and all that stuff. They don't just give it they know what carb ratios are. They're asking me how much

Scott Benner 44:46
Oh, no. Yeah, I guess so. Right. Well, listen, I I'll tell you right now, if they would give you a pump. I think you could figure it out on your own pretty easily.

Unknown Speaker 44:55
Oh, sure about it. Yeah.

Scott Benner 45:02
Don't forget to go to dancing for diabetes.com dancing the number four diabetes.com. Just type it into your browser, you type in dancing, then the number four, then diabetes, and then dot, which is a period, and then calm. Is it a funny we call a period a dot? But it's a period, why isn't it dancing for diabetes period calm? I guess because that sounds stupid. Okay, so just calm that the doctor mentioned a pump. And you were like, yeah, right on. I'm thinking about a pump, too. But what are the impediments?

Alena 45:38
Last December I went, I went back to UK and I've been that allow for four months. And so I want to stay in England and work here. Which would mean I would lose it, like automatic insurance in Czech Republic. So there is an option, I will have paid out of my own pocket the insurance. And then the pump will come with that. And then I'll have to be flying there for my supplies. Literally flying.

Scott Benner 46:07
Wow. So if you stay so if you stay in the UK, you're not a citizen there.

Alena 46:12
Oh, no. So because it's in the European Union still, I mean, Dad leaving boss that's still in progress. Oh,

Unknown Speaker 46:19
I see.

Alena 46:21
So I'll get coverage, like my insolent and probably even test. Drive. Right. So I they are different requirements for pumps. And as

Unknown Speaker 46:35
much as I get it,

Scott Benner 46:39
I feel like I'm remembering back to an episode I did a while ago, for somebody who lives in the UK and that their stuff is free. If you're

Alena 46:48
well, yeah, that's free. But you have to comply within some requirements to get palm. So maybe you. So sometimes your agency has to be certain thing. Like, yeah, there are some requirements for it.

Scott Benner 47:04
Yeah, that's interesting. So you are interested in getting a pump?

Alena 47:08
Yeah. And then actually, even before I started listening to your podcast, from the Facebook quiz, I came across your insulin pump and I can't remember the name though. I thought, yeah. And I was like, excited. Like, there's a tubeless insulin pump on the market. I can't believe it. But it's not in Czech Republic yet. Because the thing with it's not like we are behind. But when these devices come from, like English speaking countries, they have to go through like check pan of FDA, and they need to comply with the rules. And they have to be translated. So that's, that's the main thing. It's not like, yes, it works for your face.

Scott Benner 47:56
One of the people I know it on the pod, probably. Gosh, it's got to be six or nine months ago. Now he moved from from America to the UK because they're doing more work there. So you should you guys should see that stuff coming around, I would think sooner than later they are working on on making things available more completely around the globe.

Alena 48:21
I mean, I hope one day I get a full time job that I'll be able to pay for it myself.

Scott Benner 48:28
How long till I mean, how much more University do you have left till you graduate?

Alena 48:32
Is it worth two months ahead?

Unknown Speaker 48:36
Just two months? Yeah, I've

Alena 48:38
got my dissertation deadline. Next month. No, this one, the one after that. So fingers crossed.

Scott Benner 48:45
What are you hoping to do? Are you hoping to work in a pharma company or?

Alena 48:48
Yeah, yeah, so I'm doing biopharmaceutical science degree. So I will. I have experience in law and I hope to be working in love in like quality control and chemistry and stuff like that.

Scott Benner 49:00
You gotta get a job with somebody who makes insulin, then it will be free through your job.

Alena 49:06
I don't think it will.

Scott Benner 49:08
Because here, that's how it works. If you work for a pharmaceutical company that makes the drug. When your doctor prescribes that drug, you just get it for free.

Alena 49:18
Okay, oh, have a look into that. I'm not interested in another biologic stuff. I may have a look into that but

Scott Benner 49:27
maybe maybe on the pod has something over there. You can work with them to get your pumps for free instead, that would be cool.

Alena 49:32
Well, I'm not you know, I'm not an engineer. I feel like it engineers who are looking into

Scott Benner 49:40
what got you interested, like, how did you make the decision that this is what you would study?

Alena 49:45
So I wanted to do pharmacy at first, because I was interested in biology and chemistry. I mean, I enjoy that. Yeah. For me, I don't enjoy it right now. And trust me. So that's why For fun, let's see, I know I didn't get the marks for it and my final. So the idea was to stop this and do either one term or just the full first year to get high marks and then transfer to pharmacy. I liked it.

Scott Benner 50:14
But you just found something you liked. That's really good. Yeah, it's

Alena 50:17
different. Yeah,

Scott Benner 50:18
that's excellent is an RNN text real quick. I was like, I'm going to ask you to turn her bazel off for a half hour. She's been more on the low side the last couple of days. I don't think she would mind me saying but she started getting your period a few months ago. And I'm still figuring out those days. Yeah, I'm still figuring I'm still figuring those out. Last night was one of the nights I was like, I think I could have taken her pump off for six hours, it felt like and she just she didn't seem to need insulin for a while. So we were we returning it way down and stuff like that. But it, it's going fine. It's just an adjustment, you know, it's not too bad.

Unknown Speaker 51:04
Well,

Scott Benner 51:04
how are you finding? How are you finding the change in your approach to diabetes? Is it working for you in a way that's comfortable? Or do you struggle with it sometimes? Are you still figuring No,

Alena 51:18
I'm arriving? I've talked about it a lot to people around me feel like they might be bothered. Um, but yeah, I'm kind of surprised by it. Because I was never like interested in diabetes, and I am now I am. And it's, like, unusual to me. But um, yeah, I'm happy with it. And I inject myself a lot. Like, I don't, I should actually call him one day, but I do a lot of smaller color corrections. And so I think I could do with the pump because of that. But, yeah, I feel like it's going really well. And I'm so glad to finish came in and didn't have any consequences for my decisions about about my diet, because that could have ended up badly as I was, I was really lucky. And I hope someone that is like, they like me. Yeah, it doesn't do anything to me at all. Dude. I'll be just one day in pain. I'll be bloated, but then I'll be fine. It's fallen.

Scott Benner 52:25
Yeah. No kidding. And so you really are just using, you're just being more aggressive with your insulin. Really?

Alena 52:33
Yeah, definitely. And then just caring about my sugar blood sugar levels. I'm way more

Scott Benner 52:40
right. And so you're reacting to elevated blood sugars get insulin from you much sooner than it ever did in the past?

Alena 52:47
Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely.

Scott Benner 52:50
Oh, and this is just from having an experience getting a little scared going out and finding community and then seeing that there's another way to handle things and, and giving it a try.

Alena 53:02
Yeah, I don't think it's good. Like, I don't know, what was the 10 you probably

Scott Benner 53:07
saw I said you you could you're lucky you didn't like because I think that some point they said, like you could have had some really serious complications from what Yeah, so it didn't that's interesting. So you didn't get you weren't afraid. You were just like, I'm gonna do this differently now.

Alena 53:24
Actually, no, it wasn't like that. So in the hospital, because our that was the fact Okay, I'm not feeling well. And I feel weak, which is something that I never experienced before. So these are new things for me. And they were like, yeah, it's really serious and unneeded, I was close to needing and transfusion because of how low my error levels last. And so it was very serious. But to me it didn't feel fear it serious. I didn't feel like dying. So it and it's quite hard to process that so I think it started when I was looking for like some gluten free food or something that would be edible. Because my first experience gluten free diet wasn't wasn't really amazing. I mean, it's good now it's doable and and because of the hits the fans we are in and people going gluten free even though they help don't have to. There is a lot of options now and coming more and more so looking good.

Scott Benner 54:31
So So is the food is it something you get accustomed to the flavor or do you just not bother either doesn't take

Alena 54:41
and then my issue was bread because I found this really really tasting bread. That was a nice and in UK you can buy like so much sleep loaf of toast bread. And if you can't tell the difference. So what's bothering me now, the most is I have to prepare the meal mainly myself, I

Scott Benner 55:03
don't want to cook.

Alena 55:06
I never wanted to cook. And here I am.

Scott Benner 55:08
I do believe that that's I as watching my son, as he turns 18 preparing food seems to be one of the the horrors of his life if he ever has to do it. So I get you plus you're in school, right? It's not it's not real conducive to you making food on your own, I guess.

Alena 55:26
And this is in September, I lifted minutes from from uni. So my lunch break, I just go home and made something quick or hit me up because

Scott Benner 55:38
I gotcha. Yeah, no, I understand. All right. Well, I feel like I got to the bottom of most of what I was interested in, like I am super interested in in the, the transfer that happened to you. It's, it's but it's, I guess it's really interesting to hear you say that you're not 100% sure what happened, just it just happened. And you changed, because maybe it would help people to hear that it doesn't have to be a thing, or there doesn't have to be this understanding or this, you know, wow moment that you would see in a movie. It was just you just one day, you were like, I'm just gonna do this differently. And, and I think that's kind of as I was kind of struggling to understand it. Now. I'm looking back and I think maybe it's not important to understand maybe it's just happy to know that it can happen, you know,

Unknown Speaker 56:25
well, yes.

Scott Benner 56:26
Please, for you that it did happen, obviously. Oh, yeah. No kidding. I guess I have one last question. Cuz you said something that I just threw me off for a second. But you you actually have to get on the airplane to go get your diabetes supplies.

Alena 56:40
I mean, I get to come here as well.

Scott Benner 56:43
Okay. But you get them there for you get them Czech Republic for free?

Alena 56:47
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I would, I would get them here for free as well. But, I mean, I just got used to it that way. It was. Yeah, it's not. It's not a big deal.

Scott Benner 56:59
And you'd go home once in a while you imagine to see your parents and things like that, right?

Alena 57:02
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if I if I'm going to work here, and that will, I'll have to make some kind of transition. And I don't want to change my insulin, at least even even saying with injections. And I need to change that. So but I'm really busy. So that will have to come after me. Because they're gonna make you sit in the hospital to change your insulin. Well, I would have to fly home and be home and then out of that time planet in the hospital. Yes. A lot of planning. And I'm applying for jobs right now. And so they're like, yeah, you could start at the beginning of June and I'm like, okay, so I can't plan anything What if I get it all?

Scott Benner 57:44
I do think you're right though. And I don't know how obviously I don't know your schedule or in your life is different than mine is but I think you're 100% correct about looking for a faster acting insulin. I think that

Alena 57:57
goes you know, you and a lot of people who are using similar into like you do the fast acting ones are looking to the super fast acting well, like, Yes. Is he caught pronounced via fax? Oh,

Scott Benner 58:11
yeah. I think

Alena 58:12
Yeah. But I'm like, behind. So in this one group, someone was asking about who is using this insulin and in the comments, I was like, is anyone using mine? And there was a lady who said, I got taken off the insulin 1995 Yeah, I was born. Like, a need to make changes. This is

Scott Benner 58:35
we definitely want to get you off of that insulin that I think so. Yeah, let's go with that. Let's cuz I just googled like diabetes, UK insulin, and you can get Arden's insulin, they're a piece of pizza, you can get there, and novo rapid, which is you know, novalogic but, you know, under a slightly different name and human logs there. Yeah, it's there. Uh, you're, you'll, I think you should do it. I'm just I wanted, I would encourage you to do it. That's all.

Unknown Speaker 59:03
Yeah. Well, I'm

Alena 59:04
definitely it's funny that I think I got offered two changes in the land like, oh, years ago, five years ago. But I was not interested in diabetes. And also what I'm doing is working. If it's, if it's working, why fix it? If it's not broken? I was like, so I don't need it now. So maybe I had the chance to change an insulin and then I missed it.

Scott Benner 59:31
I got you by now. And now you look back and you think, oh, it wasn't working at all. I really wish I would have done that. That's, that's interesting.

Alena 59:38
I don't think so. I'm here right now with the experience I had. Um, so because I was lucky and I don't have any consequences, out of my decisions. I will do it again. Not like I'm going to repeat it. But I wouldn't take it back. Okay, because eating a normal diet, not gluten free was allowed me to move to England because maybe that would be would be putting me back like, not only have to take care of myself my diabetes, but I also have a special dietary requirements that will complicate everything more, or I couldn't go so I always do this work and holiday and that there was no gluten free food that was available to us as I can remember right now,

Scott Benner 1:00:33
you have an incredibly good attitude. I don't know if anybody's ever mentioned that to you before, but you really do like you see the high side of of everything. It's it's really nice like like you, you definitely you're definitely I don't know, I don't know what I guess I'm not as hopeful as you are. But you are incredibly hope like you're I love how hopeful you are, I guess is what I like I really do. Like because everything that happened to you like to see a silver lining in that one thing that you just said is really kind of magical. Like you were like, Look, had I adopted my gluten free lifestyle earlier than I wouldn't have done this and this wouldn't have happened and this wouldn't have happened. Like that's really, you are young, that is a joy in being young that I may have left me.

Alena 1:01:16
So thank you. So I think I apply it to rest of my life as well. So I'll go by I'm not regretting anything. And when it comes to you like relationships, and dating and stuff like that, because Okay, maybe I was foolish when I like that guy. And I don't know why No, but I am not ashamed of it. I don't regret it. It was an experience. And it made me who I am now. And

Scott Benner 1:01:48
yeah, it's just excellent. Elena really, that was really excellent. That's amazing. Your story is incredible. Like it really, I mean, from Czech Republic to go into the UK and your parents not you know, that your parents being like, Hey, here's these needles, good luck, kiddo. And, you know, like from and like, from everything in between. I'm really glad we talked it's Oh, I really appreciate you reaching out and, and wanting to do this and taking time out in what sounds like the the last two very busy months of your of your education. So

Alena 1:02:20
I actually didn't realize that. But when I was looking cold at you today, I was like, Okay, well, yeah, sometimes in April, that's fine by me. And then I have 10 days to finish my dissertation out. I mean, this one hour is fine. Don't worry about

Scott Benner 1:02:35
that. Thank you. What time is it? There? Were you right now?

Alena 1:02:38
Oh, so it's gonna be going to be 4pm now.

Scott Benner 1:02:43
Alright. See ya. You're, you're about 505 hours ahead of me then. Wow, I seriously, thank you. Is there anything we didn't cover that you wanted to get out?

Alena 1:02:55
No, not really. I just, I mean, I'm glad I with you. Because I don't have practically any diabetics around me even though you're not diabetic yourself. So it's so nice to share with someone who can relate.

Scott Benner 1:03:11
It's so true, right? Like you can't have like, Can you imagine trying to have a conversation even a little like this with anybody who didn't understand diabetes?

Alena 1:03:19
Yeah, now I have to repeat like, yeah, follow? You don't inject me within, like 10

Scott Benner 1:03:26
times. They're either they either be just bored out of their mind or confused or, you know, or whatever. It's, they would just pick out this is stupid. Like, I can't listen to this. And I don't understand you wouldn't? You wouldn't blame them honestly. Like, how can you understand something that that's so far into? You know, it really is? It really is interesting. Well, maybe? Listen, I have five downloads in the Czech Republic. This week. Maybe your mom and dad will listen.

Alena 1:03:53
My mom doesn't speak English. But, you know, they know I'm going to going to be speaking with you today. So

Scott Benner 1:04:00
okay, and so they they're not they're not good with English.

Alena 1:04:03
My mom doesn't speak my dad, though. So my dad will listen to this. And today.

Unknown Speaker 1:04:07
Wow, that's really interesting.

Alena 1:04:08
Well, but one more thing I wanted to mention. So I know you are like that people shouldn't be fixed on the cure for that, like, yeah, how to make the life better with. Yeah. So from my point of view, where I have different view of the pharmaceutical industry, and you are very right, and even though this is just my assumption, I'm pretty sure no one is looking for a cure for diabetes. Not only it's like incredibly complicated, it's like super hard, but also we are cash flow. And so yeah, they are trying to make our lives better with you know, CGM insulin parlons. artificial pancreas soon hopefully, but I don't think that They are not interested in cure, even though even though if they want to help us, because Tesla would stop.

Scott Benner 1:05:09
And I just said, you were such a hopeful person. And then you switch gears, I mean, went the other way, you know,

Unknown Speaker 1:05:14
like, we're, like the

Scott Benner 1:05:16
fans keeping us down to make our money. You're trying to get our paper, like you're about to break into like a rap song or something.

Alena 1:05:25
Just it's still a business, even though I feel well,

Scott Benner 1:05:32
let me try to make you feel a little better. I know, I know, for certain that there are people whose entire life is working on a cure for disease and diabetes being one of them. I don't when I say I don't live like I expected, I think it's just, it's a distance of time. That's, I think, maybe bigger than my lifespan. Like I don't know that it won't happen at some point. But I don't have a ton of hope that it's going to happen anytime soon. And if it does, it might be something that people just stumble upon more, more so because it's just so much I'm now having said like that a company like Dexcom is an example. You just said like they're working on glucose monitoring technology, that company is not trying to cure diabetes. And so right there, that's not even their shots. But I don't want you to feel like there's a conspiracy, because I don't I don't believe that there is I don't think that people are sitting somewhere in a room with the cure for type one diabetes. And

Alena 1:06:29
I don't think that's all. I think that the resources, the money they have for research, going into research of something like cancer, because cancer is super complex and fast and important to be treated. But diabetes with things we've got now like great insulin, and then I feel like there was a development in the treatment, but not cure.

Scott Benner 1:06:58
I understand. All right. Well, I am going to, I'm going to take the other side and say that I am very hopeful that people are looking for a cure. I'm just not incredibly hopeful that's going to happen tomorrow. And my point is, is that you can't sit back and not take good care of yourself thinking Oh, it doesn't matter, because they'll fix this soon anyway, and it won't matter. You need to treat your diabetes, like a cure is never coming. But I still I am hopeful about it, though. I'll be I will be hopeful for you to. You're very welcome. And will be helpful for me for all the other stuff. I really did enjoy talking to you. I really can't thank you enough for taking the time in this busy part of your life and talking. I really appreciate it.

Alena 1:07:43
Well, I enjoyed it too. I mean, I would do it even without the podcast.

Scott Benner 1:07:49
Thank you so much. I need more friends. So we'll talk.

Alena 1:07:53
I'm not for that, you know, like check up if I got a pump or not.

Scott Benner 1:07:57
Absolutely. Absolutely keep in touch. I would love to know how things are going.

Alena 1:08:01
Right. Okay, thank you very much.

Scott Benner 1:08:05
It really was Thank you Have a great day.

Alena 1:08:07
Okay, by

Scott Benner 1:08:09
the Juicebox Podcast is available everywhere all over the globe, but you get to listen to it in the comfort of your home. Thanks to Omni pod Dexcom and dancing for diabetes, go to dancing for diabetes.com my omnipod.com forward slash juice box, or dexcom.com forward slash juice box to find out more about the sponsors. Thank you very much for doing that. Thank you very much for all the great reviews that you guys left recently on iTunes. I much appreciate that. December is going to finish up strong. We're gonna be talking about exercise and insulin and how weight is gained because of insulin. How to avoid it with Chris Rutan. We're gonna be talking with Brett from Omni pod. And of course, Anthony Anderson from ABC blackish. We're going to finish up 2018 strong and jump right into 2019 even stronger. So you have not been listening to the podcast for very long have you?

Alena 1:09:09
Oh, not really. So I think I messaged you sometime in January. Um, and I've been pinched it everything from 50 always said no, he added the episodes and all of them on Spotify. Yes, I started with 50. And then, as you already mentioned, you kind of developed as we were recording it. were more confident and so I got used to you being more confident. So

Scott Benner 1:09:39
I went back and I was less confident.

Alena 1:09:42
Yeah, it sounds like weird. You're listening it to it like in the opposite order. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 1:09:50
that's a thing. I

Scott Benner 1:09:50
never really considered that but that's very interesting. Yeah, I, you when you start something like this, you don't really know what you're doing and then feel your way through it. And then it's does get better so oh that's that is really cool.

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