#298 The Good Stuff
Scott Benner
Shelby Shares
Shelby is an adult with type 1 diabetes as well as the mom of a type 1.
+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
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, everyone, welcome to Episode 298 of the Juicebox Podcast. On today's show, you're going to be hearing from Shelby an adult with type one diabetes who also has a child with type one. Please take a moment with me now to remember the sponsors dexcom Omni pod and dancing for diabetes. Now of course, you can get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod sent directly to your door by going to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box, you'll be able to find out more about the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor@dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. And to hear more about dancing for diabetes, where do you go? Ooh, longtime listeners you're thinking I know. But huh? Try touched by type one.org touched by type one.org. And now we will play the music and begin the program.
Alright, I just got back from the dentist. So I'm going to keep this short. Nothing you here on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. We're becoming bold with insulin.
Shelby 1:29
All right, my name is Shelby. I am a parent of a child with Type One Diabetes. And I also have Type One Diabetes myself, and I was diagnosed as an adult.
Scott Benner 1:43
So you were diagnosed when you were in your late 30s?
Shelby 1:46
I was 38. About to turn 39. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:49
Okay. And how long ago was that?
Shelby 1:51
I'm 11 years. Can you do the math? Well, sure I can. But I
Scott Benner 1:55
don't want to show off your 49. You got it. I'm pretty impressed. So Excellent. So okay, so you're diagnosed 11 years ago. And I guess the first thing to dig into is what was your what was the course of action? Like? How is it being diagnosed as an adult? What happened?
Shelby 2:17
All right, so I, um, I was actually trying to get pregnant with Caroline, and so was going through not a whole lot of fertility stuff, but still like really paying attention to the things you need to do to try and get pregnant. And every month, I would not be pregnant. But I would notice the signs that I saw on, like, fertility groups online, like, oh, super thirsty, paying a lot, and so tired. Those are all signs of being newly pregnant, apparently. So I got really excited every time I was really thirsty, or paying a lot or super tired. And it never ended up that I was pregnant, and I just never thought anything about it.
Scott Benner 3:10
So I'm sure we can ask you a question. Yeah. When you were super excited at the signs that you thought you were pregnant, honestly, was it because you didn't have to try to get pregnant anymore?
Unknown Speaker 3:20
Yeah.
Shelby 3:23
Yeah, it's work. You know, how much fun?
Scott Benner 3:30
That's what I was thinking, Oh, my God, this part's over. Excellent.
Shelby 3:35
I'm done for a while.
Scott Benner 3:37
I hope the men listening are really taking this to heart. Because you really are just the person who brings home the food and makes all the babies look the same. So there you go. Okay, so. So you're online, you're looking at the forums, your feet, you're feeling like it might be that but how long before? I mean, month after month, you're not pregnant? Do you start thinking I wonder what else this is?
Shelby 3:59
Yeah. So it was, um, it was July? Well, I had, I was teaching summer school. So I was working eight to 12. I was coming home, completely wiped out taking like three hour naps in the afternoon. And I remember saying to my husband, why am I so tired? He said, Well, you're working. I said, I'm only working a half a day, four days a week, like that shouldn't make me this tired that I kept on, you know, not thinking anything about it was going to bed with two full glasses of water every single night and drinking them both in the middle of the night. And finally, it was about mid August. I'm like, this is not right. There's something wrong. So I googled, you know, thirst, frequent urination tired, and diabetes popped up. And I'm like, well, that's can't be that. Can't be that it's got to be something different. So I remember it was a Saturday, my primary my primary care Dr. Had office hours Saturday at noon. So I said, hey, let's go to the doctor. I think something's going on. It could be diabetes, but it's probably not. I just want to go get checked out. So we go to the doctor, and I happen to know the nurse, she she was a friend of mine. And she was like, Oh, you've lost so much weight. I walked in, I hadn't thought anything about losing weight. She said, Oh, my gosh, you've lost so much weight. I said, Oh, I have. She's Yeah, you look good. She's what's, what's the problem? I said, Well, really thirsty? I'm peeing all the time. And I'm tired because Oh, you know what it is? About? It's like the honeymoon cystitis? I bet you just have a urinary tract infection. And you know, we'll get you straight. So let's pee in this cup. And, and see, you know, and see what it is. So, I'm thinking Great, that's easy. That's an easy fix, and did the urine sample, and she comes in the room, she goes, um, your glucose is very high, we're going to need to check you with a finger stick, like, okay, no clue what any of this even really meant.
Scott Benner 6:10
So you're still not connecting that to what you read online?
Shelby 6:13
No, no. And she's like, did a finger stick? It was 300. And I don't know, 65 something around there. And she said, you have diabetes. And I said, you know, immediately I'm just sobbing in the office just, I'm thinking What in the world? I don't know anything about it. And and the first thing I said was, does this mean, I can't try and get pregnant? And they were like, No, no, you're fine, you can still get pregnant, they just have to monitor you more. It's no big deal. But they diagnosed me right there with type two, of course, because I was 38 years old. So they gave me a shot of insulin and the arm told me to take the Metformin that they were going to prescribe to me and come back in a couple days for a lab work,
Scott Benner 7:08
we should have known not to believe them, because 20 minutes earlier, they told you how to UTI. So you should have been like you might not know what you're talking about.
Shelby 7:15
Right? I know, at the time, I was just like, okay, whatever you say,
Scott Benner 7:19
seriously, you know, to what a whirlwind honestly because you're struggling for months I To me, the one of the saddest little things that we kind of blow right over is, you know, filling purposefully two cups of water to go to bed every night when you know, like this isn't right. I've never done this in my life. And you're walking you know, to your bedroom with these water, wondering what's going on. So you struggle all that time, you finally say to yourself, okay, I'm gonna go to the doctor, you'll wander in, you're uncertain, probably worried about what's going to happen. And the first thing you do is you see somebody who looks at you and goes, Oh, my God, you look terrific. And you're like, Oh, I do look terrific. This is amazing. You know, like, I am killing it. And and I just have a UTI. I'm gonna take a pill once a day for seven days, I'm going to feel better. And I'm going to be thin, like, yeah. And then five seconds later, someone's yelling diabetes at you and type two, they're getting your diagnosis wrong. And that all happens what in 20 minutes?
Unknown Speaker 8:15
Yeah,
Scott Benner 8:16
pretty much. Yeah, it is. It's it really is like somebody just grabbed me by the head and shaking. It's horrible. What now? So do you come back in a week? Having, by the way, I guess after the Metformin, you lost a little more weight, huh?
Shelby 8:30
Um, I think I wouldn't know what happened after that is of course I'm, I'm like, Google queen. And I do a lot of research when I need to know something. I just research and research like a crazy person. And so immediately I went home, I found the ADA forums, and I jumped on there. And I'm so glad I did. Because those people are they people at that time, were super knowledgeable about, like, what you should eat in order to kind of manage type two, which of course, I thought I still had, you know, because at the doctor, they gave me the crappy diet, you know, plan, which was toast and fruit and orange juice for breakfast.
Unknown Speaker 9:16
Which for the rest of your life,
Shelby 9:17
yeah. And I'm like, this isn't this, this can't be good. So those people were like, you know, you've got to test your blood sugar every time you know, two hours after you eat. They were like super competent with more so than any of the information I got from the doctor's office. So so it was after a while, though, that I went to I took the Metformin for a while and I think they gave me something called active plus, something met Oh, that's what it was. It was best what they gave me access plus met which then I read, I googled and research that and that like, hold on to your fat cells. Like I don't want to take something that hold onto your fat cells, inflames your fat cells or whatever it does.
Scott Benner 10:04
Shelby let me cut you off your voices. Your voices? Yeah, we have a connection. You hear me? Are you on Wi Fi? All right. Yes. All right, hold on one second. Because Can you hear me now? Nice. I still have the poor connection.
Unknown Speaker 10:25
All right. So I your your broken up.
Scott Benner 10:28
Okay, I'm going to disconnect. I'm going to disconnect and call you right back. Okay. Nowhere else you'll never find a connection between your Omni pod and some controller because the Omni pod is tubeless. It's not connected to anything. You guys really got to give me some credit for being able to tie in what's happening in the podcast, these ads. I mean, it's not easy. Anyway, you know what is easy. Watch this, wearing it on the pod tubeless insulin pump because there's me tubes. Think about what that really means. So every other pump on the market has an infusion set right. And that goes in to your body. And then that's connected by plastic tubing that runs all through your clothing. And every which way to the controller where the insulin is stored and where you make all the decisions you push the buttons. But on the pod doesn't have any of that on the pod is this small, self contained device that speaks wirelessly to its controller. So there's no tubes, no tethering, not stuck to anything. Now this may be hard for some of you to x. Now this may be hard for some of you to picture in your mind's eye. I get that mainly because of my poor description. But luckily for you, you don't need my description to understand the Omni pod better because Omni pod would be thrilled to send you an absolutely free, no obligation demo of the pod directly to you right to your house. Wherever you are, wherever you receive the mailings. You could get it right there. Just go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box fill out the tiniest bit of information about yourself. And Omni pod will get you the demo right to your door ASAP. And don't worry if you can't remember the link, it's at Juicebox podcast.com. Or right there in your podcast player shownotes. Miami pod.com forward slash juice box get your free no obligation pod experience kit sent to you right now today. Last thing Don't forget that dancing for diabetes.com is now touched by type one.org check out touched by type one.org they gave you a medication called
Shelby 12:42
aptos plus met and it was something that works alongside Metformin I guess to lower your your glucose levels. But when I researched it, it there were some part of the way it works is to like increase your fat cells or blow up your fat cells or do something and I thought I don't want to be on this for you.
Unknown Speaker 13:08
So I just
Shelby 13:11
say, right, I don't I don't need it anymore fat cells.
But they you know, the doctor they did they scheduled me for the lab work, my agency came back it was like 9.9 I think. And then they scheduled me for an appointment at the dietician and the certified diabetes educator. And they were great. In fact, it was the certified diabetes educator that after a month of me being very meticulous logging every food I ate and every form of exercise I did and every blood sugar I checked, she looked at my my information and said you you may want to get checked for type one you are not presenting as a type two, you should not be spiking to 300 after you eat a rice cake. And so I did some research I I looked into the the latent autoimmune diabetes, which you know, there's no like medical code for that. So they either call you type one or type two, like my endocrinologist doesn't even recognize that as a as a thing. He's just like, nope, you're type one. But I do think it was more of the latent autoimmune just because because of some of the other stuff. But yeah, so I have I have a friend that's a doctor and I said, Hey, this is what I think is going on. And she said, come into the office tomorrow we'll do blood work and see. So they ran the Gad 64 the antibody test and C peptide. And after about a week she called me at home and said look I just wanted to You that your antibodies came back? And it looks like you have type one. She said, I'm going to refer you to the endocrinologist.
Scott Benner 15:08
How did you feel at that point? Was there a relief for an answer?
Shelby 15:10
Oh, absolutely. I was so relieved, because I was struggling with my blood sugar. And I couldn't figure out why. That anytime I ate a single gram of carbohydrates, I was shooting through the roof. And so I was Yeah, it was a huge relief. And I guess. So they scheduled me with an appoint within the chronologist and sent my files over there. And it was like a week away, you know, because I don't think regular medical professionals understand type one very well. And the endocrinologist called me it was a Friday, he said, Can you come in today at 430? I know they were getting ready to close and he he got me in that day, and put me on insulin.
Scott Benner 15:51
Somebody understood Finally, and you were you were finally talking to somebody who had a plan and an idea. That's excellent. And yeah, and you're happy 11 years later? Are you still with them?
Shelby 16:01
Yeah, I am. He's, um, he's a funny guy. He, he listens to me. He like, I'm very proactive with my own care. And I, I kind of have a reputation for telling doctors what we're going to do, instead of asking them what we're gonna do. And so, I mean, he's always, he always listens, he always does whatever I want to do. So I like him pretty well. Without giving
Scott Benner 16:25
away too much, I guess here to people about your location. I guess your scene at the hospital where my daughter was diagnosed while we were on vacation. I'm thinking
Shelby 16:35
that's where my daughter is. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 16:36
daughter was okay.
Shelby 16:38
Yep. And her story is a whole completely separate, crazy story, too. But my endocrinologist is actually local. And we're about an hour, an hour and a half from that hospital. And we live in a really, really pretty rural small town. So we're lucky that we even have an endocrinologist in town.
Scott Benner 16:58
Yeah, I see. Oh, so Okay, so you're lucky to have your own endo close by. And you don't have too bad of a ride to get to what I understand is a very good Diabetes Center at a children's hospital. Yeah, right. I was told back then that we were lucky to have been diagnosed there. Yep. is Dr. satin Smith still there? Do you know?
Shelby 17:17
He is that is not who we see. But I do. We'd go to a diabetes, or where we went to a diabetes camp family camp last year. And she was one of the endocrinologist there. And we're going this coming weekend. I'm sure she'll be there as well. Well, you tell
Scott Benner 17:32
her I said hello, please. That poor woman took a phone call from me. The first night we took garden home from the doctor, I'm from the hospital, I must have called her at 430 in the morning to say Is it okay if I give her this insulin? And I tell you, I mean, you none of you know me personally, but for me to call you in the middle of the night was a I sat there it was it was turmoil for me like deciding do you call a person at this time of the of the night and wake them up and I couldn't bring myself to give her the insulin, I couldn't bring myself to ignore that I thought she needed the insulin. And I had no idea how to make the decision on my own. And it was the first night we were out of the hospital. So she was very sweet because she did not call me names or yell at me when I called her at her home. She was she was really great. Honestly.
Shelby 18:19
Yeah. I've heard good things about her. She said she's a well respected endocrinologist in that practice.
Scott Benner 18:25
Okay, so you're going along pretty well, I'm assuming, let me get a feeling for what you do to manage. Are you pumping give a glucose monitor? How do you handle it?
Shelby 18:34
Um, I right now, I've been pumping since about, since really three months after I was diagnosed with type one. At first. I was like, Oh, I don't want to pump that's weird, like to have a thing attached to me. But the more I you know, the more I thought about it, the more I was like, you know, that's actually pretty cool that you can, you know, does all the math for you. I don't have to worry about counting how many units for per carbon all this? You know, I'm not very good at math. So. So that really was what appealed to me, I guess at first. So I started with the Omni pod. It was pretty new at the time.
Scott Benner 19:13
Yeah, that's about when Arden started with it actually, about 11. Yeah.
Shelby 19:18
I did that for about five years. And then I was on the T slim for another five years. And now I'm using the 670 G. I was gonna say now you're on Medtronic, because there's only three
Scott Benner 19:31
insulin pump companies left.
Shelby 19:33
I know I had to try them all out.
Scott Benner 19:36
It just wasn't any other option. Unless you were like and I went overseas and got this.
Shelby 19:41
Dana or whatever. Yeah.
Scott Benner 19:43
So you're so you're using the they're closed loop, but do you find it working for you?
Shelby 19:48
Yes, I
I love it. And Caroline's been on it since she was newly diagnosed and I just transitioned to it back in January. So it's been great for me. So you got to see her on it. So you could decide before you got to see somebody use it in your home and then decide if you want to use it. Exactly. And I was, I was basically an expert by the time I got mine, so I was like, I don't need training. Thanks. I'm good.
Scott Benner 20:16
We I know how to do this and just give me the box. So I'm gonna work backwards with your daughter's diagnosis because we're gonna just trust me for a second I guess. So. So. How long ago was your daughter diagnosed?
Shelby 20:31
She was diagnosed.
Thanksgiving Day. 2017. Okay.
Scott Benner 20:38
Wow. Happy Thanksgiving. Yeah. Which, and
Shelby 20:42
guess what? We were on vacation at the beach.
Scott Benner 20:48
It just happens like that. Yeah. Well, you want to see, man, I just sidestep for a second. I try to talk my family into going away on the big holidays all the time. Like, imagine how much fun it would be to be on a beach on Christmas or something. I always say stuff like that. And everyone stares back at me blankly. I'm like, No, trust me. No one's it's never gonna happen in my lifetime. But I applaud you're going away for Thanksgiving. I like that a lot.
Shelby 21:11
Yeah, we went away for Christmas. This past Christmas. We were We were in the mountains. See, no one listens to me.
Scott Benner 21:19
So you're away you're on vacation where everyone gets diagnosed. And, and, and, and she's diagnosed so but so you're I guess at your your near the Children's Hospital that we talked about?
Shelby 21:32
And no, we are actually we are actually down an hour and a half south of that Children's Hospital about the same distance away from where my home is, but still
Scott Benner 21:43
away, maybe around the Outer Banks or something like that. If I'm guessing we certainly were Yes. Okay. And okay, so you figure it out on vacation? Do you bail on the vacation and go to the go to a hospital? How do you handle that you just start giving your insulin. The dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor features a slim water resistant sensor that is discreet and easy to insert. The sensor accurately measures glucose levels just beneath the surface of the skin, and sends data wirelessly every five minutes to compatible smart device or right to your dexcom receiver. The dexcom g six also has customizable alerts and alarms. So say you'd like to know when your blood sugar gets to 140 you can set that up. For us. We have Arden set at 120. So it's customizable, like you could be different than me that nice. Now, here's the big deal about the G six, in my opinion, zero finger sticks. The dexcom g six is FDA permitted to make diabetes treatment decisions without confirmation from a fingerstick or calibration. That's pretty darn exciting. So let's really wrap our heads around what we're talking about right now, a device that is small and discreet and waterproof. That tells you the direction and speed that your blood sugar is moving in. This information can be shared with up to 10 followers. So you could be following your child as well as their school nurse. And I don't know, their dad and the Seven Dwarves, maybe not dopey, so you'd have an extra one. But really, if you don't know what the Dexcom gs six is, it is really something you should try to find out more about. I hope I've got you interested, head to dexcom.com forward slash juice box and take a real hard luck. You were talking about being able to see your blood sugar in real time and make decisions to stop high blood sugars and treat lows before they ever happen. Every decision we make about ardens care begins with the dexcom g six.
Shelby 24:13
Well, I could have but here's here's what happened. This is the crazy story. So she wasn't really she wasn't sick. She wasn't. She wasn't really symptomatic. There was a couple look in hindsight, looking back the couple of weeks prior to diagnosis. I remember she told me one time her legs felt shaky. And so I checked her blood sugar because it's not unusual for me to check my kids blood sugar. I've been doing it ever since I've been diagnosed anytime they ask for more than one glass of water. I'm like let me check your blood sugar.
Unknown Speaker 24:48
Here's your water.
Shelby 24:52
So she told me her legs were shaky and I checked her blood sugar and it was pretty low. It was like I can't remember maybe low 60s, maybe Upper 50s. It was like it was lower than I had seen on any of my kids. And throughout the years and I thought, well, that's interesting. And she feels low, huh? Well, that's weird. And I remember telling my husband and he's like, Well, what do you think we should do? I'm like, Oh, I guess we'll just keep an eye on it. And I remember saying, I feel like if she wets the bed, then that will be the sign. I need to check her blood sugar and be concerned and buy a mattress. And sure enough, and this is the crazy part. This is like how your brain really goes into denial. It wasn't maybe three nights later, I woke her up one morning, and her bed was soaking wet. And I was like, Oh my god, you wet the bed. And she's like, Oh, my God, but I happen and she's not a bad wetter. But then I thought, seven, seven year olds sometimes drink too much and all night and sleep really hard and don't get up. I just you know, I explained it away, even though I had said, that will be the sign I need. And even my husband said Did you check her blood sugar? And I said, No. She's not really super thirsty. She's not like paying a lot. I just I just ignored it. And then do you have any insight into that moment? Now looking back? Did you just not want her to have diabetes? Or I think I didn't want to know. I mean, I really think I knew deep down that something was going on. And I just didn't. I wasn't ready to know it
Unknown Speaker 26:33
yet. I can understand that.
Shelby 26:36
Yeah. So yeah. And I thought, there's nothing else going on. Like she doesn't look sick. She hadn't lost weight. She's, you know, she's fine. But so when we are at the beach, we were it was the night before Thanksgiving, and she was had had dinner and dessert. And she was I don't remember, she was playing the iPad or something. We were watching TV. And we've had a couple glasses of wine. And I was checking my blood sugar because my husband and I eat late and we're getting ready to eat our dinner. And Caroline came over and said, Hey, can you check my blood sugar? And I'm like, sure. Haha, you know, this is not this is something we do. Like it's not a big deal.
Scott Benner 27:19
What's mommy has just enough wine in or not to be worried.
Shelby 27:24
Exactly. And so I checked her blood sugar, and it was like 325
Scott Benner 27:34
that's overdue right up. I bet.
Shelby 27:36
I was like, Well, you know, have just enough wine to not panic. I said, hey, go wash your hands for me. And so she goes in washes her hands, and I check it again. And it's like 295. And I'm like, Go wash your hands with a different soap.
Scott Benner 27:55
Can you scrub all the sugar off your hands, please and get back here. I need to get on at least 180.
Shelby 28:04
And so she does that. And so I check it again. And it's still in the upper two hundreds. And I'm like, well, this is interesting. And I've just got this fake smile plastered on my face because I don't want her to freak out. And I'm like, Okay, well go on to bed now. You're fine. So, um, you know, my husband and I are talking. We're in the Outer Banks. The hospital care there is not stellar. And um, he's like, should we take her to the emergency room? I'm like, Well, number one. We've been drinking wine we don't really need to be driving. Number two, if we take her to the Outer Banks hospital, they're not going to know what to do with her. They're gonna they're gonna send us right to ch Katie. Oops, I just gave away where we were, but that's the case. And, you know, it's not super dangerously high that she's worried about her. She's not vomiting. She's not you know, she's not showing signs that she's going into DK a. I said, I think we should just get up first thing in the morning and go and so that's what we did. We we went to I checked her again before bed. She was down you know, she was coming down on her own. And, and we got up in the morning and driver straight to the hospital. And they they were funny, you know, it's Thanksgiving Day. So they didn't have anyone there that the endocrinologist was a phone consult. But they did blood work, per se was only like 6.5 I think, and she did not have any ketones. There was no signs of decay and we just caught it super early. Super, super early. They didn't send us with any insulin nice they sent us with a meter and some strips and said check her blood sugar. Keep her low carb and come back Monday after the holidays. They actually they did offer to admit her to the hospital. I'm like, No, I don't think we need that. Let's just we're gonna go finish our vacation and have our last weekend without being, you know, having diabetes. And
Scott Benner 30:12
yeah, well, you probably went to that hospital and said the same thing we did at that front desk. She's like, why are you here? And we said, Our daughter has diabetes. And they said, and what's going on? I'm like, Oh, no, you don't understand. We're diagnosing her. My daughter has diabetes. Now we need your help. And, and they were just like, How do you know? And of course, she's like, well, we tested her blood sugar and the internet and they laughed, because it was, you know, so long ago, the internet was, you know, now you're like, I figured things out on the internet. People like that makes sense. And back then you were crazy person if you you know, medical on the internet, so, okay, so how that so Caroline's, she's 2017, November, it's about a year and a half ago. It's not too much more than that. I guess I'm assuming you've got her on a pump.
Shelby 30:58
Right? Yes. Okay. I did well, about three weeks in with, with at the time she was diagnosed, I had taken a pump break. So I was on MDI, for like a year, had put my T slim in the closet, I was just doing shots, because I was kind of over it. And I just didn't feel like worrying about I mean, I was really kind of in a, in a burnout mode myself. So she was diagnosed is basically as soon as she was diagnosed, I pulled out my pump and started pumping again, because I was like, she needs to see how much easier this is with a pump. And three weeks later, I remember trying to correct her in the night, a high blood sugar and the night with a pin. And she was like rolling away from me and struggling. And I was like, This is the pits she needs to get on the pump. And I called the endocrinologist the next day and said, she needs to get on the pump. We don't want to do a sailing trial. I don't want to talk to any pump reps. I know and I want and you just need to write the prescription. And she's like, All righty, I'll do it.
Scott Benner 32:06
No, I really want everyone to listen to what Shelby just said, because so many of you write me and say, my doctor says that we just have to wait, or the ones that make me the most mental, by the way are when you guys get the pump mailed to your house, and you wait a month to go to the class. I mean, I know you're supposed to. But if you know what you're doing, you know what you're doing. And there's, there's no reason when you know what you're doing. There's no reason if you don't know what you're doing, then get good direction, obviously. But I know you imagine you're going to go to some pump training class and some magical deity of diabetes is gonna come down from a pie and explain it all to you. But it really is just a person who comes to the room it goes, Alright, here's what I've been told to tell you about this insulin pump. So, you know, you can do more than Shelby just told you. She just told her doctor, this is what we're doing. And the doctor was like, all right, like, Don't hurt me. And then that was
Shelby 33:02
it really was And so yeah, the pump came. We actually had a follow up appointment, like a week later, just because it was six weeks after her diagnosis. And so I'm like, we'll just do the training there. And they were so accommodating. I mean, they they are they have been wonderful and accommodating us whenever, whenever we need it
Scott Benner 33:23
getting getting a good practice or good hospital is, is lucky and exciting, actually, because the people who get the bad ones have terrible stories. Exactly. Okay, so two questions I have that are kind of disjointed. But you've said stuff that I like you're doing such a good job. I don't want to stop you when you're talking. But you are alluding to more children. How many kids do you have exactly how many times you've gone through that horrible process?
Shelby 33:48
Oh, just Well, I mean, just one. Caroline was the only No, no. I have three kids total. The first two were not a process.
Scott Benner 33:58
I meant the having the babies part when you made them.
Shelby 34:01
Oh, yeah. Three times.
Scott Benner 34:05
Okay. So you've put up with that three times. And now you're three. What are their ages? Just I was wondering.
Shelby 34:11
I have a just turned 18 year old who's headed to college in the fall graduations. My daughter, my oldest. And then I have a son who is 16. And then Caroline is nine.
Scott Benner 34:25
Wow, that's nice that they're well spread out. You'll be able to afford to send them all to school.
Shelby 34:30
Oh my gosh. I mean, that's a whole nother story is the whole college expense thing. That was eye opening.
Scott Benner 34:37
Yeah, yeah. Oh, please. I'm dizzy standing here talking to you right now. But thinking about the payment starting up again. Anyway, so Okay, so three kids spread out pretty well. And the other thing that I have to ask because you said you were teaching but that you're bad at math. You weren't teaching math, right?
Shelby 34:53
No, actually, that when I taught math, I was really good at teaching it because I was kind of learning it along with the kids. So then it started making sense to me. So I could explain it like really well, because it all of a sudden, it was like, Oh, now I get fat. And then I could explain it really well. You just
Scott Benner 35:10
said something that is so disconcerting to people who don't teachers. They're like, wait, they learn it while they're teaching it to the game.
Shelby 35:19
Absolutely, like, so much of the time, I'm learning it right along with them.
Scott Benner 35:24
So anyway, those of you who again, who were sending your kids off to school thinking, oh, there's a grand deity that comes down for a pie, and it's none of this works. We're all just people. So gotcha. That's hilarious. So how did you? How did your daughter handle being diagnosed? And do your other children seem wary that it's going to happen to them?
Shelby 35:44
Um, okay, so Caroline, it was kind of weird. Like her diagnosis. They never ever said she had diabetes until our follow up visit that Monday. Like they were just calling it hypoglycemia, I think, because we didn't want to be admitted to the hospital. And if they had called it diabetes, and then they hadn't admitted us, maybe it would look like
Scott Benner 36:11
I'm so sorry. Hold on one second. somebody's calling me. Just not not handy. But it's something ready. This is crazy, but we're gonna call them back. So, my dogs, this is embarrassing. Hold on a second. My dogs are in a kennel. today. I'm picking them up after I'm done talking to you. And I just want to check to make sure they're okay. So I'm just going to take my headphones away from my ear for a second.
Unknown Speaker 36:39
All right, hold on.
Scott Benner 36:43
Call them back. We should put on speaker
Unknown Speaker 36:50
Hey, Scott.
Scott Benner 36:50
Hi. How are you? Hey, so listen, I'm recording my podcast right now. So you're gonna be live or you're gonna be on the recording when this happens. I just wanted to make sure they were okay. You're just telling me what time to pick them up because of the grooming right?
Unknown Speaker 37:02
Well, that was what I was calling about. I have written down Monday, but in the computer, it says Wednesday. So is it today? Yes, we're picking off today.
Scott Benner 37:09
Okay, we'll have them ready for 12 1230 you want me to be a little late? Just a little bit. Okay. Thank you so much. Hey, everybody. Great. Kendall in New Jersey. Windy hell's going on. There we go. All right. Bye. Bye. You're welcome.
Unknown Speaker 37:25
Well, that was weird.
Unknown Speaker 37:26
Okay. Well, good news.
Scott Benner 37:28
I get a little extra time on myself. I'm so sorry. Where were we when that happened?
Shelby 37:34
Gosh, I'm the last person you need to ask that. I can never remember what I'm talking about. Oh, maybe how Caroline handled it. Oh, yeah, I know now. So they never called it diabetes in the emergency room. They just said hypoglycemia, and call us back Monday. And I knew or I figured they were doing that because they didn't admit us. And it would look maybe unprofessional. Or
Scott Benner 38:01
they know how to talk to the insurance company so they don't get in trouble and you don't get in trouble.
Shelby 38:05
Exactly. So I don't think they wanted to say Oh, she has type one diabetes, but we just let her go after a couple hours. So. So when we when we did the follow up at so we didn't really explain it to Caroline, I guess I was kind of waiting to make sure for for 100% sure that this is what we were dealing with. We got to the appointment on Tuesday, we called Monday and they got us right in. And the you know, the nurse is checking her blood sugar and saying, so how's your diabetes going? And I'm like you we don't call it that. Yes, please don't. Don't scare my child. My
Scott Benner 38:45
mind. You weren't going to be the one to tell her. Do you think that? I mean, have you spoken to her since then? Did she know at that point, or? I mean, she's only nine. So I'm just along for the ride, right? I mean,
Shelby 38:56
she she kind of knew she she wasn't really sure what it all meant for her. But that same day, we were trained on how to do the pins, which I was like, I know how to do the pins, but train my husband because I don't feel like having to do that.
Unknown Speaker 39:15
Oh, that's so funny.
Scott Benner 39:18
I don't need you to help me with this. But here's a list of things. I don't want to have to tell that guy.
Shelby 39:24
So really, it was training for him. And my daughter. So yeah, we we did that and that she was fine. I mean, she's been through her moments of I hate diabetes, because it's really only when we're doing like a sensor change. And she doesn't like that particular aspect of it. But other than that she doesn't care like she swears or pump around and says how many carbs is this? How much should I put in my pump? And
Scott Benner 39:52
you know, we just go on? It's just been watching you do it for a very long time too. So, yeah, I you know, I also think that children Especially in a certain age, they don't want to do anything that they don't want to do at a certain time. And they're switching your sensor out is obviously not as much fun as putting your clothes away or something like that. But, you know, in that moment, if you said your daughter, look upstairs and put your laundry away, she'd be like, I don't want to do that, you know, like, it's they don't want to do what they don't i don't want to do it. I don't want to do so. It sucks. It does. But it sounds like she's going along really well. So now,
Shelby 40:26
you asked about my other
Scott Benner 40:28
pair, I want to know about do your other kids ever come up to you privately? And are they like, Hey, is this gonna happen to me?
Shelby 40:34
Um, no, it's more like me saying that to them. Like y'all need to watch out. You might get it too. And I still check their blood sugar. So I have here here's something interesting when I was when Caroline was one, and that's as old as you can. That's the first time you can be checked with a trial net study. I signed them all up for trial net and had the blood draw, but their blood drawn and they all came back negative for antibodies.
Unknown Speaker 41:04
So he didn't have any at that time.
Shelby 41:06
Not at the time. And then once she was diagnosed, I called trauma back and said, Hey, I want to, I want to check my other two. Again, they sent me the kit to take to lab core and it's just been sitting on my desk, I just am looking at it right now. Because it's a pain to get a lab courts up. It's an hour and a half away from where we live and trying to take two kids that are on completely different schedules and get them all together to go to Virginia to get a blood draws. Right? It's pretty impossible. So is your daughter.
Scott Benner 41:38
Your daughter is starting college in the fall. Is that Yeah, timeline, right. Yeah, I pulled my son aside when he left last fall. I was like, Look, I'm really sorry to have to say this to me. You're trying to leave and we're trying to be upbeat and everything, like then you probably never gonna get diabetes. But here's a couple of things. If they happen to you, you absolutely cannot ignore them. And you know, you need to tell us right away if you know, and I went through the, you know, the signs and symptoms with them. Not that we hadn't talked about it prior, but I just all of a sudden felt this anxiety about him being somewhere else where he might just ignore it. Yeah, exactly. So anyway,
Shelby 42:13
yeah. So they're, they're aware. But the good thing is they they are children, the older two are children from my first marriage. So I mean,
Scott Benner 42:24
I don't know not the same. It's not the same stew that made Yeah, that made Carlin I hear you. Yep. That's the good thing. You were like, how many other times your life have you thought that probably never right?
Unknown Speaker 42:41
Exactly.
Scott Benner 42:42
At least I didn't make them with what's his name? So you know? Exactly. I was trying to figure out what I could say there's so many times I remember that kids listened with their parents. And I'm like, I don't just not even cursing. I don't even want to allude to things. Obviously, the other the other guy's got better stuff. So as far as that goes.
Shelby 43:04
So we know I mean, if we assume we don't know, I was an adult when I was diagnosed.
Scott Benner 43:09
So Exactly. So how about that in your, in your bloodline and the other type one or endo issues?
Shelby 43:16
Well, I am, I was adopted as an infant. So I have no medical graduate to
Scott Benner 43:23
so I that we're in the same boat. I was at a doctor's office the other day. And he starts asking me a bunch of questions, just put my hands up, because I didn't want to like talk over him. And he looked at me and he's like, what? No, and I'm adopted, you can skip over that whole part.
Shelby 43:35
Yeah. I kind of love that part. Because it like takes a whole segment away from that appointment. Like, I don't know, I'm adopted.
Scott Benner 43:42
Yeah, he just goes, Oh, okay. And then they just get by it like nothing happened, which makes you think, well, how important was this part anyway? Because you don't seem concerned at all that you don't have the answers to these questions. Right? I gotcha. Okay, so you guys are managing along, I'd like to in the last kind of like 15 minutes here talk a little bit about day to day stuff. So my first thought is, do do you manage the same Now personally, that you did prior to Caroline's diagnosis, or did her diagnosis make you turn you into I want to be a role model situation like what situation Did you find yourself in?
Shelby 44:18
Absolutely, like I turned me into I want to be a role model. And I want to I want to start taking better care of my myself diabetes wise because I need her to see that that's important. So I definitely like I said, I put my pump back on I started checking my blood sugar more regularly. And but it's it's hard because I'm so caught up in her diagnosis and her diabetes and wanted to make sure that she's like as perfectly taken care of as she can be, that I do. I sometimes forget about myself, you know,
Scott Benner 44:54
well, you can't leave her with that husband by himself. So you're gonna do better for yourself, but so it's Tell me a little bit if you don't mind, and I feel like you're pretty open. So prior to you know, prior to Caroline, let's let's go back a little bit in time when when you when you're pumping t slim so now you're five years into your diabetes. What do you know? 10 years because I did Omni pod for five years before that. I meant when around when you started t slim you were Oh yeah, you're right. Yeah. And so what what do you back then calling like, when What? What a one CD you hear at the end? Oh god, that's good. And you know, and how do you handle like insulin where you are Pre-Bolus? Or like, how did you how did you live your life? Like sort of back then in the middle of your 10 years? Um,
Shelby 45:43
let me think about that. I, I, I don't really remember, I think I was pretty you know, what I would I do remember, I was always very conscientious about checking my blood sugar and, and trying to keep it, you know, within range as much as possible. And I knew that, you know, I was not satisfied with an eight, one c above seven. And when it went above seven, one time, I was horrified. And my endocrinologist was kind of shocked, I think, because there's never been that high. And he was like, Do you need a lesson? Another lesson on carb counting like, What is your problem? But I got myself back together and, and and got it back down. So
Scott Benner 46:29
it's so interesting. The carb counting is what popped up into their head like you must have forgotten how to count called. Like you really, you don't have diabetes, doctor. Okay, so So, you under seven, you were which by the way under seven, it's terrific. And you're you know, you're you're happy there. Where you are Pre-Bolus? Sir, were you? Were you accountant needed? Or how did you handle then?
Shelby 46:54
I mean, I was not not really a Pre-Bolus or because I just, I forget, like I'm terrible with I still struggle with that. And that Pre-Bolus thing is really good when you're on the Medtronic 670 G. And I still forget, like I'm good at Pre-Bolus and Caroline, but I always forget to Pre-Bolus myself, so I'm not so good at that. I just, I've always never been afraid of insulin. So taking too much insulin does not freak me out.
Scott Benner 47:23
Okay, so you've been aggressive most of your time. And that translated to Caroline when you started with her? Or did that? Did you get scared then?
Shelby 47:31
It first I was a little scared. And now I'm you know, then I actually started listening to your podcast. And it you know, kind of calmed my fears. I'm like, Oh, you know, it's not a big deal. She has to have a juice box because I gave her a little too much insulin it And typically, that doesn't happen typically giving a little more insulin is what keeps her in range. I yeah, I
Scott Benner 47:52
find that it's usually more than you think almost every time Yeah. Yeah. Right. So and I you have to, you get caught in such a loop. When you under you underestimate, you know, and that loop could go on for hours that could roll into days rolls into weeks, that rolls the months and years, where you just always end just you know, think about it going back with a little kid, you know, nine years old, another half and other three quarters another unit could have made, you know, all the difference in the world. And for adults to I know, it's you know, it's tougher for adults I hear them talking with it's like, you know, you want me to be more aggressive, it's a lot more insulin, it's not an unitar to you know, I'm a 200 pound human being it's 30 more units, you know, or something like that. But still, I think I think being more aggressive is the way to to get your answers about what you need and what you don't need
Shelby 48:43
and and not overcorrecting Alo. I you know, that is the worst. I see on these Facebook groups that I'm members of and the people are posting their Dexcom rollercoasters and they're like, 440 and then 440 I'm like, stop correcting with, you know, 500 grams of carbs a brisket and
Scott Benner 49:08
try gummy bears to try for gummy bear see what happens. Why does it have to be the whole package of gummy bears, you know, like, and I get that they get hungry in that you know when you're getting low. But But to your point again, like how many times does that have to happen to you before you say alright, I ate all the gummy bears. Maybe next time I'll try eating half of them and see what happens and some people will tell you it's fear. But I you know, sometimes I wonder when people share those graphs, right? Like I think there are some people who share them who are really genuine like, Look, I don't know how to stop this one of you needs to I need I need a stranger on the internet to help me please. And I get that right. And there are some people I think that just sort of enjoy the drama of it.
Shelby 49:49
I so agree. I think that is a huge part of it. And then they follow up with I just hate this disease. And I'm just like, it's just not like If not, no, no, no,
Scott Benner 50:02
yeah, let's do something helpful. That's what I'm about. Seriously, that's whole podcast is about I'm like, let's just do something positive and, and try to get to a better situation like let's stop looking at the same thing over and over again and just yelling Oh, well, that's just diabetes. There's nothing I can do about it. And there is, you know, so it's so you have been aggressive and she's doing well. How are you? Would you share Carlin's a one say like her latest one? How she don't?
Shelby 50:27
Yeah, she, um, she was 6.3 at her last visit. Well say she was 6.5 when she was diagnosed, and I think she went up to like, seven, you know, when we're still kind of honeymooning and yeah, figuring it out. And then she came back down to 6.7. When she got when she first got on the pump, and I was really excited. Then she was 6.2. And then she was 6.3. So great. That's statistically not that, that different. But that, you know, what's crazy is that there is this like pa or nurse practitioner or somebody that works for that hospital that we go to. And she had the nerve, when we went to see her one time to tell us that 6.7 with too low that they like to see a more around 7.5. And I said, I'm not gonna run her higher, just to satisfy your arbitrary, like requirement of a one. See, that is crazy.
Scott Benner 51:27
Thank you for for seeing what the ADA said 10 years ago and trying to hit that number for my daughter. I don't that that that number is set out when they're trying to they're trying to help people who have much higher a one sees, say to them, Look, hey, wouldn't 7.5 be way better? In what world? Does it make sense? The poll, you are, by the way, anyone else aside, and your story of that is echoed so many times in my inbox, people who go in they're like, Look, we did it. We figured it out. No crazy variability, no, no, no lows, no highs, and and we've got a six, five, and then they get yelled at. It's crazy. Yep. It's another it's just another example of them not understanding. That's all.
Shelby 52:12
But you know, the recommendation says lower than 7.5. It doesn't say keep them right at 7.5 for optimal results. Actually, it's not a target. You're not like shooting for it. So you have a hero dog. And it's like somebody's trying to get to you. Do you have something to do? Do you have to go? No, my son was coming in the door. So I ran upstairs because I can do that. Since I'm on the phones.
Scott Benner 52:38
I just thought oh, maybe like she's got to do something and I don't want to hold her up. So you go in with your six, five. Now, how did you respond to that, like face to face? Or did you just ignore them and leave?
Shelby 52:49
I literally said that to her. I said I am not going to run her higher to meet your arbitrary requirements.
Scott Benner 52:56
And how was that NASA? This is the important part. How does what's the response back from your assertion?
Shelby 53:03
I said she said it's not her a Wednesday is low because she had lots of lows. I know that was her assumption is that the run you know, running on low or having so many lows is going to lower your average. I said she is in range most of the time. And so she goes Oh, oh, let me look again. And she looked at her actual pump reports and then said, Well, you're right. She doesn't. She isn't having that many low but she loves but she's still having some
Scott Benner 53:31
suggests she has diabetes unit we use insulin made by like a person. It's not perfect. Yeah. It's got to be frustrating. It really I'm in a different situation at our endo where I don't get a lot of, I don't get a lot of pushback. So not too many infuriating things get said to me over the years.
Shelby 53:50
Well, and her regular endocrinologist would have never said that. In fact, when I went to her, you know, and she saw 6.2 she's like, this is great. You're doing you know, she's doing great, blah, blah, blah. So it's just this one in P and we have to see her next time. And I'm already like, geared up to fight
Scott Benner 54:09
to go in there with your gloves on already. Before you start, lady, listen, I'm going to tell you right now what you're gonna find out or anyone see to be when you run that blood value. And then why don't you just not even mention it? Because we're all happy over here.
Shelby 54:24
I mean, I think I might have to practice it.
Scott Benner 54:27
Just keep her keep her spot. That's all just just get the prescription pad out so we can get out of here.
Shelby 54:33
Exactly. Don't ask me any questions. We've got that
Scott Benner 54:37
I need stuff. I need stuff. Oh, that's so amazing. It really is this year. How involved is your husband with care?
Shelby 54:45
Um, you know, when I'm home I typically just do it because I do all the stuff because it's easier I it's second nature, or I don't have to think about it and he really has to think about it. But I you know, I'm not always here and he just, he just does what he does. He's He's learning he's figuring it out. He used to call me a lot when, when I was if I was gone, like how many carbs do I give her, you know. But now he's pretty much got it. I did had to go out of town to take my daughter to visit a college last weekend. And it was sensor change and site change weekend.
Unknown Speaker 55:23
Okay, chum got the full show.
Shelby 55:27
So I did YouTube videos, and posted them so he could watch the video to help him along.
Scott Benner 55:33
That's very good. That's it's a great idea. Just seeing it is I mean, honestly, you know, no matter which pump you're using, it's just not that difficult, you know, so anyone could figure it out after a while the trepidation is, is from that feeling like you don't want to mess it up? Mainly because that's exactly it's about to poke a hole in you. And you don't want to do that more than once if you don't have to. And the second thing is, is that it's expensive. And you don't want to you don't want to ruin it, you know, so I definitely get that. All right. Well, this was really fantastic. Thank you very much, you were perfect for the show.
Shelby 56:08
Thank you. I'm so glad I suggested that I
Scott Benner 56:11
said I come on. Listen, if you think that everyone isn't doing this, that's how I get most people, most people reach out. And they're just like, I really think I could be valuable here. And I'm like, That's excellent. And because how would I find you? And you know, it really is great. There are some people I hear about, and I reach too, but honestly, I'd rather have a conversation with you shall be a person who doesn't have a voice in the diabetes community already. Because you're going to tell your story in a really unique way. You have not been telling it to people for 100 years, you know, at conferences or something like that, which there's nothing wrong with that. But, you know, I like I like hearing a real conversation, not something that you knew you were gonna say 20 minutes before you said it, you know, so I really appreciate this. Now, the one problem you have, I would imagine, is Steel Magnolias. Right? Because your name, right? Because your name is Shelby. And yeah, right there, your husband, cuz I'm thinking about it for myself. You get a little agitated. And I want to say drink your juice shall be but I can't because at the end of the movie, they kill Shelby. Right. So like, if they just want to let Shelby live at the end of the movie, this would be a perfect joke for your husband to use for the rest of his life. But
Shelby 57:23
right. She died. Yeah, they
Scott Benner 57:26
ruined they ruined your husband's job. By the way. They were that movie? And that's what I'm saying. Has he ever said it to you once?
Shelby 57:33
Never, never, ever, ever. I don't even know if he's seen that movie. I would probably he probably freaked out if he saw the movie. And then the Shelby with Type One Diabetes Dies at the End. And he'd be like, Oh my God, that's what's gonna happen.
Scott Benner 57:46
Do you think movies dictate how your husband thinks the world goes? not worried about the Avengers not stopping fantasy?
Shelby 57:55
I don't know. He hasn't seen that either.
Unknown Speaker 57:58
Do you let him out of the house?
Unknown Speaker 58:01
Sometimes just working
Scott Benner 58:02
to pay for that college? I guess. So.
Unknown Speaker 58:05
Get out there your money, buddy.
Scott Benner 58:08
I'd let me say goodbye. And then take one second. I would say goodbye to you personally. Okay, thanks. Thank you. I want to thank Shelby for coming on the show talking about her type one diabetes, for her willingness to tell us that her husband is not really allowed to make many decisions and how our ex has the good stuff. One day someone's gonna get divorced from coming on this podcast.
Unknown Speaker 58:37
Alright.
Scott Benner 58:39
Okay, let's go slower. I'm ready. I want to thank the podcast sponsors Dexcom Omni pod and dancing for diabetes. Don't forget dancing for diabetes is now at touched by type one.org. Same great place, slightly different URL. You can get yourself a dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor@dexcom.com Ford slash juice box
Unknown Speaker 59:03
or
Scott Benner 59:05
to get a free no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump sent directly to you. But am I on the pod.com forward slash juicebox. Two things before I let you go, it's still pretty early in January 2020. But this month is on track to be the most downloaded in the history of the podcast. So huge. Thanks. I'm out there telling you all the time, please share the show with somebody else. I think you might actually be doing it. Thank you very much. Last thing, I just got a really great review from one of you and I want to thank you directly for it. So whoever elemental is, please know that your review that you left on Apple podcasts really just made me feel terrific. It really made me feel like what I'm trying to do is happening. I won't read the whole thing to you. Because it would seem like I was just tooting my own horn, which I am not I'm putting pointing out that she said, I'm assuming Ellie is a woman that the podcast is challenging to the status quo. That was just heartwarming to me. There was other nice stuff in there too. But that part really made me feel good. So elemental, you made my day. And I want to thank you for leaving the review. And thanks to all of you who've just left a ton of great reviews. I've seen a lot of new ones recently, and they all are very meaningful to me, please don't think otherwise. That one just really just got me right there. I really enjoyed it. Okay, I will see you on Friday with a new show. Sound right? Right. It's a date.
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