#436 Eighteen and Honest

February 3, 2021Scott Benner

Type one as a Teen

Meredith is 18 years old and very honest about her type 1 diabetes. Also, Scott chokes on Iced Tea.

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

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, welcome to Episode 436 of the Juicebox Podcast on the show today 18 year old Meredith will tell us what it's like to be diagnosed at 12 years old.

Well, just before I started doing this, I watched a video of Arden unboxing her on the pod as it came in the mail for the very first time in 2009. And now mauled, like, squishy inside, and I can't think so. This is Meredith. She's cool. She's 18 she was diagnosed when she was 12. Please don't forget while you're listening that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. And also, I'd like to suggest not watching videos of your cheese. Look at me. Don't watch videos of your five year old getting excited about an insulin pump, because it'll make you weird inside. Listen, I'm not a fan of giving away something that's going to happen on the episode, but just trust me. Meredith is going to talk about her endocrinologist. And she let's just say young people really are honest. And leave it at that. What else Oh, check the podcast out on Instagram at Juicebox Podcast on Facebook at bold with insulin and the private Facebook group Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes.

This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the dexcom g6 continuous glucose monitor. Learn more right now at dexcom.com/juice box. And guess what? This Sunday, there'll be a football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And at some point during that football game, there's going to be a commercial with a type one you might know his name is Nick Jonas, and he's going to be showing you his Dexcom gs six. It's a pretty cool little spot. I've actually seen it already. And if you'd like to see it, it's available right now at Juicebox Podcast comm you scroll to the top you'll see Dexcom I don't know if I'm allowed to say the SB word. But big game ad. You can watch it now. I also have behind the scenes images and video of the day that they made the commercial. So you know if there's any people out there that want pictures of Nick Jonas, their Juicebox Podcast calm might be a couple of you. And what else? Oh yeah, the Omni pod the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump, you get a free, no obligation demo of the Omni pod to boost insulin pump sent to your home right now. Go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. They'll send you that nonfunctioning pod, you can try it on and wear it and see what you think. And no episode would be complete without mentioning touched by type one. Touched by type one.org is where you're going to go. But right now there's another reason to go there besides the fact that it's just a really great place. That reason is if you go to programs and click on upcoming events, you'll see that on February 26, there's going to be a bowl with insulin live talk hosted by some guy named Scott at 7pm. Eastern time, you can register there, it's absolutely free. I think there's already like 120 people registered but I think it caps out at 300. So get going touched by type one.org. Now that all that's covered, let's hear from Meredith.

Meredith 3:40
My name is Meredith. I have type one diabetes. I was diagnosed a couple weeks before my 12th birthday. And I'm 18 now I've had diabetes for almost seven years. Wow. Okay.

Scott Benner 3:56
Was there any type one in your family?

Meredith 4:00
There was absolutely no type one in my family. My mom's father had type two, I believe, um, but no, um, no history of type one. Okay.

Scott Benner 4:19
How about other endocrine issues, people have hypothyroidism or celiac or anything like that.

Meredith 4:26
Oh, so it's interesting. Actually, my mom and my dad when they got married, they had they always had trouble getting pregnant. They had a they were pregnant before me. And they lost the baby and they could not get pregnant again. So they had an egg donor, which is where I came from. Oh, and so we don't so I can't actually say that. I there's no type one has Cuz you don't know. Yeah, exactly.

Scott Benner 5:02
You're sort of like pseudo adopted almost. Because, yeah, the idea came from somewhere else, right? Yes. Yeah. It's like your dad had a torrid relationship with someone else's egg. And your mom brought you into the world. I love it. That's excellent. Okay. Okay, so we don't know that for certain. And so you're kind of the first of your first of your coming, honestly.

Unknown Speaker 5:25
Yeah.

Scott Benner 5:26
Yeah. Good for you. Alright. 12 years old, probably a great time to get type one diabetes. Right.

Meredith 5:33
You know, I think, you know, listening to the other other people on the show, talk about their experiences, I have felt very, I've come to feel very fortunate for the timing of my diagnosis. Because I was, I was old enough to was old enough to understand what I had to do. I was able to do self injections, and understand that I had to do this. I didn't necessarily understand why, or why this was happening, or what it meant. Um, but, but I knew what I that I had to do it. Well,

Scott Benner 6:20
that's interesting. How much do you remember about that time? Like, if I asked you a question, what do you think you'd have good recollection about it?

Meredith 6:27
I, I don't know. It's pretty. It's kind of, it's kind of fuzzy. So it was a while ago?

Scott Benner 6:36
Well, I'm gonna try and then we'll see what happens. Okay. Okay. So it's, you said something that made me consider that when you're explaining something to a child, there's function and reason, right? And that they can understand the function. But maybe the reason would be difficult to completely grasp. Grasp. So you you're aware, like you understood that your pancreas didn't work right.

Unknown Speaker 7:03
Kind of time.

Scott Benner 7:04
I think this thing is, I'm telling you, I don't think most kids understand exactly what's happening to them, I think. Yeah, I think they get the part where it's, hey, we went to the doctor, right? Yeah. So something was wrong. And then the doctor said, to take the shots when I ate. Because if I don't, my blood, sugar gets high and I don't feel good. Like, I think that ends up being, you know, maybe what happens. I play I'll tell you, it'd be interesting to grab a couple of kids and have them tell everybody like what it is cuz the some of them might just be like, I mean, I don't know. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. The doctor told my mom, my mom cried, and now we do this.

Meredith 7:43
It was funny when I was was it wasn't funny. But when I was diagnosed, it was I had the the common symptoms, I was extremely thirsty. I had lost a little bit of weight. And so I told my parents one night at dinner, and I said, Hey, guys, this is this has been happening. Seems kind of weird. Probably nothing. But my dad went on his computer looked it up. It said, he said, Oh, this looks like it could be juvenile diabetes. We should probably get it checked out. And we're like, I guess Okay, probably nothing but Sure. So that night, we went to the, my pediatrics here. And they took my sugar, and it just said, Hi. So it was like probably over 600 or something. 600 700. And this was, this was, I think it was a Sunday night because it was the night before. We were supposed to go on my sixth grade camping trip. Our school does a whole sixth grade camping trip for a whole week. And I was so pumped to go on this camping trip with all my friends for a week. And we told the doctor and we asked, my mom asked if I could still go and she said the doctor said No. She said, I'm gonna send you home tonight, pack some clothes. And then first thing in the morning, go to the hospital. And I remember at that point, I started crying. Because I don't I don't know. I think it was it was probably mostly because of the campaign. But I remember realizing that this was I knew that it was something that I was always gonna have. Um, I just didn't really know what it was.

Scott Benner 9:49
But it sounds to like that idea of like, Look, you're gonna go home and gather some clothing up and then go back to the hospital. Sounds pretty serious. Yeah, obviously because it But yeah, I'm just trying to imagine being 12 and thinking, I'm going camping with friends, and then you know, my school and then learning that this is what's gonna happen instead. Yeah, that sucks. Did you ever get to go camping?

Meredith 10:14
I'm not, not with my sixth grade class. And still, they went without

Unknown Speaker 10:19
you.

Unknown Speaker 10:20
They did go without me. Well, it was it was the whole school. I mean, the whole

Scott Benner 10:25
they could have waited a couple of days, don't you think? about where in the country? Are you just loosely.

Meredith 10:30
So I'm a I'm near Washington DC. Okay. Yeah. All right. Gotcha.

Scott Benner 10:37
Yeah, they could have waited because went home and waited for Meredith to come back from the hospital. Although you probably were you would you have been in any shape to go away. afterwards. Or so I guess my question really is is that how specifically do you under Did you understand diabetes then versus how you understand it now?

Unknown Speaker 10:57
Oh, gosh, completely different. completely different.

Unknown Speaker 11:00
You said? Yeah. That's

Scott Benner 11:02
very nice. Meredith it You said Oh, gosh. No, seriously, like, you just made this one up. I was like, like it. By the way. You're like, you're like to me, you're like five years old. You understand that? Right? Like, I'm, I'm in this weird space right now. I'm like, Don't say anything stupid. Don't be like inappropriate. mirdif is like basically a child. And then you said, Gosh, and now I feel all like, I don't know. I just made me feel good. I was like, there's some joy in the world. It's coming through Meredith. No. So what was your understanding of type one? Like in the beginning? And

Meredith 11:37
um, well, I guess I just knew that I had to check blood sugar's give insulin, because my body didn't make any myself.

Unknown Speaker 11:50
Talking. Oh, my God.

Unknown Speaker 11:57
Is everything okay?

Unknown Speaker 11:59
Hold on a second. Probably.

Unknown Speaker 12:07
No, I'm laughing and joking. Give me a second. Oh, wow.

Scott Benner 12:12
literally never happened before. Give me just one more minute. Oh, my God. Okay. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 12:20
Wow,

Scott Benner 12:21
my eyes are tearing Hold on a sec. I took a drink. They don't know how to describe my tongue did not do any of the things that was supposed

Unknown Speaker 12:31
liquid just like, crashed into the back of my throat. Oh, for a second. I thought I'm gonna be okay. And then I was.

Scott Benner 12:40
My eyes teared up. And I thought I thought wow, is this how I'm gonna die like with Meredith like trying to figure out where in the country I live calling 911? Like, I'm recording a podcast with a guy and I think he's dying. I don't know. Where is that? Oh my god. I'm so sorry. Hold on one second.

Unknown Speaker 13:01
Wow. Wow. Yeah.

Meredith 13:03
Take your Take your time over there.

Scott Benner 13:05
I'm leaving that all in? That's hilarious. So sorry. Okay. Anyway, you were 12 and you put up your understanding of diabetes. Oh, I'm gonna move that drink a little farther away from me. So don't touch it again.

Unknown Speaker 13:18
Yeah. Wow.

Scott Benner 13:19
Has that ever happened to you?

Meredith 13:22
Um, certainly goes down the wrong pipe every now and then

Scott Benner 13:25
is that Yeah, I

Unknown Speaker 13:25
don't think that's a technical term. But I'm gonna, I'm gonna say that that's what just happened to me. So I think that what might be I see in my lungs, right.

Scott Benner 13:37
Wouldn't it be fun if I drowned?

Unknown Speaker 13:39
Oh,

Scott Benner 13:40
I mean, funny. inject, like, you know, like, not nice. Yeah. Not personally, like, you know, like, my family would be sad and everything and I'm probably

Unknown Speaker 13:49
radically.

Scott Benner 13:50
Yeah, you know what, good point. You think maybe they just be like, well, there's so much more free space in this house. Now that that kind of stuff is gone, you know? Okay, I think I'm okay. So you're 12 years old. They give you needles a pump, which again?

Meredith 14:04
Um, so first off, they we just did we did a injections. They didn't want me to have a pump yet. But it was it was the pens like the human log pens and the Lantus pens. Not a not syringes, which was nice. Um, and yeah, they just said, taught me everything. I had to know in those couple days there at the hospital. And I knew going home okay. I have to

Scott Benner 14:41
I can't believe this. All right, we're gonna get off this question might be making me cough but I need one good cleansing cough. So give me a half a second.

Unknown Speaker 14:48
Yes, yes.

Unknown Speaker 14:51
Wow.

Scott Benner 14:54
This could be Corona. Maybe Hold on a second. I think a little iced tea just came out of my ear. Is that possible? Is everything connected like that? It's not. I guess it is right ears, eyes, nose, throat. Why else would they do that? Alright, hold on a second. I'm literally gonna stop the recording for a second. Yes. I turned the recording back on. Meredith is now like, I'm never getting old if this is what happens because the guy can't seem to drink anything. It's really, really really is the first time I swear to you. I don't know exactly. This might be like my 400th recording. Nothing like that's ever happened before. And every time I sort of take a deep breath, I'm like, oh my god. Am I gonna cough again? I really do think I'm drowning. I probably need CPR. I wish there was like a lifeguard here. Are you okay? Are you ever been a lifeguard?

Unknown Speaker 15:47
I have not. I have not been a lifeguard. Oh, I was

Scott Benner 15:49
thinking maybe you could talk me through my own CPR if that if it came to that at any point?

Meredith 15:54
I do you know, CPR? Seriously? I am. I'm actually I took a nursing class, senior year of high school.

Scott Benner 16:04
Well, alright, if that comes in handy. I let me describe the things I have in the room that I can work with. I have a death scare. And case you need to direct me to one of the things. All right. All right, so you're managing with pens when you're 12, Dexcom CGM, anything like that.

Meredith 16:24
The first so the first six months, no tech, no advanced technology, just just my glucose meter and the pens. But I knew that I wanted to get the Omni pod. But they said you need to wait six months, at least just so you get the hang of things. And I thought, okay, whatever. So we waited six months. Um, and I thought, well, three months in I really had the hang of this, but

Scott Benner 16:56
Okay, I've got it now. Do I need to do it again? Please. And so you just kind of persevered with the six months you didn't press them at all?

Unknown Speaker 17:04
No, we didn't.

Scott Benner 17:06
Okay, um, alright. So six months later, you go right to it to the pump. Was it? Like what was the draw to the pump for you?

Meredith 17:14
I really wanted the Omni pod because I knew. So when I was younger, when I was first diagnosed, I was still I guess I was kind of the sounds bad, but I was kind of ashamed of it. And I felt embarrassed.

Scott Benner 17:31
I guess that doesn't sound bad. I mean, if I understand how you feel, I feel good. I'm sorry. I just don't feel bad, please.

Unknown Speaker 17:40
Well, don't anymore.

Scott Benner 17:42
Did you actually feel bad? Or do you just think it sounds bad? Like at the time, were you like, I'm ashamed? I shouldn't feel ashamed.

Meredith 17:50
Yes. Yeah. I wanted to keep my diabetes as hidden as I could from people. And so with the Omni pod, I could just like, as you know, I could just wear under my clothing and be done with it. But um, I think I think at that point, I also got the the libri glucose monitor.

Unknown Speaker 18:15
Five years ago.

Unknown Speaker 18:18
It was it not around five years ago,

Scott Benner 18:19
trying to wonder like that, but but I my first thought was is isn't it interesting that the Omni pod really is the only pump where it can address a need of or desire, I guess of being private or not? It doesn't matter. Like you could wear it, you know, out there people can see it or hide it. And it really does help you in either way.

Oh, listen, if the Omni pod is gonna get brought up like that, right, as the ads are supposed to go in, where else am I supposed to put the ad for the Omni pod? This place makes sense. So if you want to get a free, no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump, all you need to do is go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box there you'll fill in a tiny bit of information about yourself. And then next thing you know, right there in your mailbox will be an omni pod demo. It's nonfunctioning so you don't have to worry about any of that stuff. But you can just wear it and see what you think. Take your time, take a bath, go for a walk. Do a jumping jack. crawl into your bed get a dust bunny, do all the things you do but do it with the Omni pod on see what you think. If you like it, you get back on the pod and say Yo I'm gonna keep going and they're like Ray right on. And if you don't want to, it's no big deal. No pressure, no obligation. Miami pod.com forward slash juicebox. Check out the insulin pump that Arden has been wearing as we heard at the beginning of the episode since 2009. She's had an omni pod on every day since 2009. It's amazing. Just been such a wonderful addition to Arden's life with type Diabetes, we just switched her pod this afternoon took like, I mean, honestly, I'm pretty good at it. And so is Arden. So I mean three minutes to change the thing, top the bottom, right back to life. While you're out there looking around for ways that improve your diabetes situation, check out the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. If you want to get a look at that Nick Jonas fellow, were in the Dexcom. Don't forget that big football game this Sunday between the chiefs and the Buccaneers, because you're gonna see good old Nicky boy on there, you're actually gonna see a couple of other people in the ad. One of them is a person named Brianna brown as an actress and a singer she was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes 2018 at the age of 18. She's been on television shows like SEAL Team criminal minds and coming up soon, we'll be right here on the Juicebox Podcast. So if you want to see that Dexcom ad, like I said, it's right there at Juicebox. Podcast calm right now you can actually see the ad and click right through and check out more about the Dexcom where you can watch it during that football game this Sunday, one way or the other. Head over to dexcom.com Ford slash juicebox. To learn about the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor, no more finger sticks, see your blood sugars in real time, share them with up to 10 loved ones. The app works with Android and iPhone, there is very little about this that you shouldn't be excited about. Last but not least, touched by type one.org. Go there, then click programs then go to upcoming events. And you can come see me give my bold with insulin talk February 26th 7pm. Eastern time you have to register now it's 100%. Free. This is you know, the kind of stuff that touched by type one does for people that it supports. And I just thought it would be nice to support them a little more myself. So hopefully I'll see you there. Otherwise, if you're tired of my stuff, you know, and you're like, oh, Scott, I can't take any more you I understand, check out touch by type one on Facebook, Instagram. And of course, at touched by type one. org. There are links to all of the sponsors right there in the show notes of your podcast player, and at Juicebox Podcast comm if you can't remember how to type in all the words that I've just told you.

I'm gonna find out when the libri came out while you're talking. But

Meredith 22:51
maybe I remember. I don't know exactly when I got the lead, right. But I got the Libra and was using it with the Omni pod for a while. Okay. Yeah, yeah. And I love the Omni pod. It was awesome. And I have that for. So then I had the Omni pod for the next six years. And I am so last winter. I thought I would like to I just kind of wanted to switch things up. Okay, I wanted a new poem. And I just finished my senior year of high school. I'm going up to college this fall. And I knew that I wanted a new pump. And I wanted time to learn how to use it and get completely adjusted to it before I go to school. Right. And so about six months ago, seven months ago, I got the Tucson.

Scott Benner 23:54
Now you've changed for a reason, or would you call this just sort of a? I don't want to I'm not I don't want to be reductive about your age. But is it just sort of a youthful? Like, let's try something different now? Or was it like I have a real reason I want to change?

Meredith 24:08
I think I think I was just kind of I was at a point with my diabetes, where I was just getting I was just getting tired of just tired of doing the daily things with it. And I guess I thought maybe I thought a new pump would kind of

Scott Benner 24:33
just refresh the situation.

Meredith 24:35
Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Unknown Speaker 24:37
Did it work? Are you refreshed?

Meredith 24:39
I am very refreshed. I love it.

Unknown Speaker 24:41
I really like it for you. That's excellent.

Meredith 24:44
Yeah, so since I got the T slim I've also been using the the Dexcom g six.

Scott Benner 24:49
Nice. Are you using control iQ?

Unknown Speaker 24:52
Uh huh. Yep. Nice.

Scott Benner 24:53
So it is that's the full algorithm, right? Like it's shutting off basil. If you're getting low and things like that. Yeah. How's it going for you?

Meredith 25:02
It's going pretty, it's going pretty well. I think it's really cool.

Scott Benner 25:07
Where's the keeping your agency?

Meredith 25:10
So before? I've been listening to the podcast for maybe nine months, um, maybe maybe six months ago, maybe not. But um, before the podcast, my blood sugar or my agencies were consistently in the eights consistently, low mid eights, okay. 8.5 or something. And since I've been listening to the podcast, my blood I mean, my agency's been between 5.9 and 6.0. Wow,

Unknown Speaker 25:47
congratulate Yes. Yes, amazing. Can I take credit for that?

Unknown Speaker 25:52
You sure can.

Scott Benner 25:53
I did it. Meet the guy who can't drink iced tea figured out how to make Meredith more healthy through the internet. Excellent. Good for me. There's something I'm good at again. Because really, this has been a low first 20 minutes for me not being able to breathe and drink at the same time. Well, no, I'm really glad. Can you tell me what about the podcast helped you?

Meredith 26:15
Um, so it was a funny story that my endocrinologist actually recommended the podcast to me as it should be good. And I don't she and I, I don't love her.

Unknown Speaker 26:30
Go ahead. Why, why

Meredith 26:33
I just, I just feel like it's, it's, I feel like it's, it's a main problem. But I would prefer my endocrinologist to have type one or know somebody who has like a close family member or a relative that has type one. I just feel like, I want somebody who can relate to me.

Scott Benner 26:56
Okay, so it's not that she smells weird, or says offensive things or just abandoned her job. It's just that you really would like you would you think it would be better if you sat in a room with a person who wasn't philosophizing about it, but understood it.

Meredith 27:11
I also feel like at times she can be very condescending.

Scott Benner 27:14
Oh, it isn't about her a little bit. Gotcha. All right. Yeah.

Meredith 27:17
That's why I'm super excited to go to school and find an adult endocrinologist because I've been sucking pediatrics forever.

Scott Benner 27:28
Interesting. So was the if we can go down this road for a second. The condescending Oh my god, hold on some iced tea came back. The condescending nature of her tone? Is it tone? Or is it real word? Is it words? Is it like this?

Meredith 27:46
It's not words, just tone facial expressions to Mm hmm. Okay, so

Scott Benner 27:53
has that been going on the entire time since you were younger? Or is it more recently?

Meredith 27:59
Um, several, several years? A few years. Gotcha. Gotcha. Okay.

Scott Benner 28:03
So you and her not going to be besties. If this if things get sideways here with this Corona, we have to hand it to the hills. You're not going with her. I understand that now. But so she turns to you. D, she tells you about the podcast out of like, what's your sense? Was it just like, this girl's a one season the eighth? It's never moving? I might as well tell her about this. Like, was this like a last ditch effort thing?

Meredith 28:26
I think that's exactly what she told me. I think she she told me like, Hey, have you considered or you should listen to this podcast? And me not loving her. I just said yeah, okay, whatever, didn't listen to it at all. And then our next meeting, she mentioned it again. And she said, I really think you should listen to it. And I'm like, Okay, fine. Whatever. So I did. And I thought, Wow, this is amazing. I'm glad.

Scott Benner 28:57
And let me say this. You might not like her. I think she's terrific.

Unknown Speaker 29:03
She recommended the podcast.

Scott Benner 29:04
I mean, I only have one thing to judge her on. But I mean, for what I have so far, she really is the best. And she's never been condescending. I wonder. I wonder if she hears this because she's going to hear it. And I wonder, I wonder if she thinks Hmm, I don't think I'm condescending at all order. She thinks. Yeah, I am like that. That's so interesting. And by the way, if she's hearing this and you want to be on the podcast and tell me please reach out I would love to have you on.

Meredith 29:29
I think I think she knows that. I don't love going to see her. Interesting. Yeah,

Scott Benner 29:35
no, it's super interesting. I wonder and listen on a serious note, like personalities and vibes that people give off. You know, it doesn't make her a bad person or you want like, you know, you could probably put her in a room with somebody different and they probably just think she's terrific. And you know, vice versa. You might get into a room with another doctor one day or nurse practitioner, whatever and just be like this is more comfortable for me like who knows why people like each other. Don't you know?

Meredith 29:59
Yeah. I completely respect her and everything that she does for me. She's I think she's a great doctor is just that she and I don't get along that great. Yeah,

Scott Benner 30:10
that kidding? You're not going to arrive together anytime soon I see what's going on, although at a rave, you might get along really well, who knows? I'm not saying anything about how you kids handle yourselves when you're out. But a lot of that stuff makes you happier. So although we don't go out anywhere anymore, so it doesn't really matter. does it know? How, um, has anything about what you and I are going to talk about today changed, because when I got your note, it was really just before COVID-19. And you were like, I have to tell you something. And I like I don't want to ruin it here in the email. And like, and I'm going to school to be a nurse. Right? Is that right? Is that your goal?

Meredith 30:51
Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm going into nursing school.

Scott Benner 30:53
Okay. So what does that mean? As an incoming freshman, are you just sitting at home taking classes online right now?

Meredith 30:59
So I'm actually going, I'm going to school. I'm going to school in Pennsylvania.

Unknown Speaker 31:05
Okay.

Meredith 31:07
They're still having all freshmen come to school if they want to. A lot of kids are choosing to stay home, right? And about half my classes are in person, half are online. So hey, Oh, am I also good?

Scott Benner 31:23
No, I was gonna say my son goes to college in Pennsylvania, and I'll bleep this out for you. But where are you going? Cuz his school is not coming back.

Unknown Speaker 31:30
I'm going to

Scott Benner 31:33
Okay, all right. Interesting. Like I said, I'll bleep that out for you. But I be at his school. They were like, We're going it's coming. You're gonna come back. It was all like exciting. And they were gonna quarantine them for like two weeks in their dorm. I said, No, it's not gonna work. And then, and then they were gonna take two classes virtually from their dorm and two classes in person. And I was like, that seems silly, but okay. And then pretty

Unknown Speaker 31:59
much what we're doing.

Scott Benner 32:00
Yeah. And then all of a sudden, right before that it was time to commit to coming back. They said, Forget it. Just Everybody stay home.

Unknown Speaker 32:08
Well, she had a smaller, lighter school. It's a smaller school.

Scott Benner 32:11
There's probably 25 or 2600 students on campus. Oh, wow. Total? Yeah. So they just, I think they felt like they had restrictions in place for safety. And they couldn't figure out how to implement them all, I think, partly, you know, in a cost effective way. And partly Yeah, just in like they did like they did like an online meeting. And they were describing having to like, tent urinals. And I was like, wait, what are we doing now? I was like, maybe not like, stop if that's the Yeah, I think they were going to the level of, I don't know, just right out to the end. And I guess they decided they just couldn't do it. So I don't know. He's really disappointed. And so he stayed home. He's gonna basically go to colleges bedroom. Yeah. They're, they're not putting the price down, by the way still cost the same. So of course, yay. For us. Price. Yeah. Anyway, they said it's gonna be much better than in the spring when Corona hit. And I was like, yeah, better be.

Unknown Speaker 33:18
Yeah, better. Me. Yeah,

Scott Benner 33:20
no kidding. Are you so what's it like thinking about? Well, I guess no, no, let me go back for a second, before I ask you that. You find the podcast, eight and a half, to where you're at now is a huge difference. How's that impacted your, like, how you feel your health in general?

Meredith 33:39
Um, physically, I, physically I feel not no difference really. Before my before my agency was where it is. Now, when I was back in the 80s. I would feel I would feel low, around 9080. And I thought, Gosh, I don't want to feel I don't I hate feeling low. So. So I would keep my blood sugar above 90 and 80. Right. Um, but then I told my endocrinologist and she said, That's because it's just been high for so long.

Scott Benner 34:18
She said, just Meredith you know why this is?

Unknown Speaker 34:22
Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Benner 34:24
Because you don't listen to me.

Unknown Speaker 34:27
Basically.

Scott Benner 34:31
I'm just teasing her but I'm imagining her listening being like cut me a break here. Meanwhile, no one knows who you are. Chill out. Don't worry about it, take it as constructive criticism or just that. You know, you and Meredith don't vibe for some reason. But but so that's the only difference really like so you don't feel like more energetic or have you made your body was really accustomed to being higher, I guess.

Meredith 34:56
I think it was. I mean, even Though it was getting my agency down was, it was a pretty, pretty quick turnaround, I'd say. Um, I mean, I just didn't, I didn't really notice anything. any significant differences. I do feel mentally I feel. I feel very happy and proud that I was able to do this myself. Yeah, you should keep it here.

Scott Benner 35:25
Well, that's a great accomplishment, especially at your age, and especially because it sounds like you did it. Like through a podcast, which is, you know, feels like it's alone. You don't know alone, you know, it's like, you hear me say something, you still have to go figure out how to put it into practice, if that's what you want to do. Although it's not like it's advice or anything like that. It's just me talking about how we do things here, but you understand? clarity. I hear pride, like mentally like you feel prideful. Do you have any more? Like, is it easier to do homework? Or like, like, I don't know, like, I'm, I'm kind of mesmerized that you don't feel any differently?

Meredith 36:03
Yeah, you know, I just, I honestly, I, I don't, I don't really notice anything I am putting in a lot more. I'm still putting in a lot of effort. And it is, it takes it takes time out of my day. But completely worth it. 100%

Scott Benner 36:29
How long until you didn't feel low at 80 and 90, after you started making the changes.

Meredith 36:34
I say maybe a week or so we're gonna have How bad

Scott Benner 36:40
was it like that, like now correlated to now like that, that feeling comes at what number now?

Meredith 36:46
Now that feeling comes? Maybe once I get down once I go below 70? I'll start to feel sorry, to feel a little low. And that's like shakiness. Right?

Scott Benner 37:04
Yeah, you would have felt like that prior like, 90. Right? That's interesting. Okay, so what are the changes you made? I mean, this is just Pre-Bolus thing. And

Meredith 37:15
what is this? Yeah, well, so it's, it's funny when I was at, at the endocrinologist for years, I had no idea about the concept of Pre-Bolus. Seeing, I just just, I just didn't, didn't know that was a thing until a diabetes educator at the practice that I go to who I love. She's awesome. She told me, the doctor. She said, she suggested Pre-Bolus thing and said, Hey, you should try doing that. She suggested 15 minutes. And this was a couple years ago. Okay. Um, and I thought, okay, I'll try doing 1520 minutes before I eat. So I do that. And it was, it was better. But still not fantastic. Looking back. And then listening to people on the podcast, some people would say, a half hour up to 40 minutes people saying, and so now I always try and Pre-Bolus 3035 minutes. And that's, that's the perfect timing for me. I just just had to practice and try

Scott Benner 38:24
it really can be different for different people. Yes. You know, and, and, and to be clearer to about different for different people. It's also different for different situations, like if you're a person who runs like a heavier basil rate, just as the idea of like, Look, I'm eating all day long. So I keep my basil heavier. And, you know, if you're, if you're that person running a heavy base, all right, and then suddenly don't eat as much one day, you'll see that you're low. And you can't stop it, right? Like it just keep getting low. So if you're a heavier Basal rate person, it's possible that your Pre-Bolus is won't need as much time if you're a person who's running real strictly in the 80s and 90s. It's possible that you might think, Oh, well, that must mean I would need less Pre-Bolus time, it might not necessarily be true. Like you might have just figured out a way with a very minimal amount of basal insulin to keep your blood sugar nice and stable. And maybe you're I don't know, maybe you don't eat as carb heavy meals. So you know, there's just there's so many different perspectives and realities in there and things that could possibly happen that you do just have to figure it out for yourself. And it's really cool that you did that. What is your parents? What are your parents, your parents still together and all that?

Unknown Speaker 39:37
Yeah, yeah. What

Scott Benner 39:38
do they think of all this? And are you being kidnapped right now? I mean, I can't pitch about making noise as I've coughed into the microphone for half an hour. But are you okay?

Meredith 39:49
Yes, my mom's upstairs. She's working from home now. Right. Um, she so my mom has always been very involved. She It's funny, she, she wants to be involved. She cares so much about me and my diabetes. But at the same time, I'm, I'm an only child. So I've always felt like I've had I've always felt very independent, kind of, had this mentality of I can do this, I can do this myself. And so like my mom tries to help. But it's not always the right thing like, like, I'll tell her. If she's making dinner, I'll say, Hey, can you let me know? When there's dinners? Like when there's about a half hour until we're going to eat so I can Pre-Bolus? And she says, Sure, whatever. And then she just forgets. And then I asked her, like, Hey, what do you think dinner's gonna be ready? She's like, Oh, 1015 minutes. I'm like, Okay, thank you.

Scott Benner 41:04
Too late. Do you talk to her in the tone? When I say?

Meredith 41:08
No, I just let it go. Okay. Um, um, and then my dad, on the other hand, he, he. He's never been super involved. Just Just because my mom and I are a lot closer than my dad and I. But I'm, like, I don't think my dad would know how to change a pump at all. Okay, my mom, probably, it would take her a little while, but she she'd be able to do it. Um,

Scott Benner 41:41
well, you know, let me just say for a second, I think this is interesting, because you're describing them as being very interested in wanting to help and everything. And I think there's a difference between wanting to and knowing how to yet and feeling the importance of like, the timing thing is a good example around meals. And you know, if you've lived these first six or seven years, not really thinking about this. And like you said, you didn't, you know, you're a one seevis hire, but other than that, it doesn't seem like your, your life was impacted in ways that made it obvious to you that you should be, you know, doing something differently than your mom, probably just this. I mean, I if I got your mom on here, right before you found the podcast and said, hey, how does mirdif through with their blood sugars and their diabetes? I think she'd say she does great. Everything's fine,

Meredith 42:28
don't ya? Right? She would, she would? Not so much anymore. But when I was at school, she would text me or text me when I got home from school and say, Hey, I was how are your blood sugar's today? And they'd be like, between 150 and 220. And I'd say they're fine. She say, Okay, well, that's it. This is fine. So we go.

Scott Benner 42:54
But it's funny, because when you when when I hear it from, from a different perspective, like to me that sounds like, like she's okay with numbers that are that are higher than you know, she would want them to be but did she even know that? They shouldn't be that high?

Meredith 43:10
No. Yeah, gotcha. We just yeah. Huh. She would also just just take my word, just trust me that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Trying

Scott Benner 43:24
Yeah, you wouldn't like living here, man, if I wouldn't trust you at all. I mean, like, I would trust you in like, the big sense of it. Like, I love you know, if you were my kid, I'd be like, Oh, I love Meredith and I trust her. But on the one though, on the micro, I just be like, Nah, that's a kid right there. That thing's stupid, don't know anything, and it's probably lying. That's what I would think. So I was lying to my parents constantly when I was your age, about everything. Like things that just, there's a story I'm thinking of right now. mirdif I can't tell you but just trust me. I think when that naked girl ran out of my bedroom, my mom was really, really surprised. That is what I'm gonna say. Okay. And so, point is kids, you know, don't see things as as important as they may be, or don't want the interaction like right the the friction with their parents. And maybe two if you have this feeling, and you'll tell me that your mom's happy with how it's going. You don't want to be the one to tell her it's not going well either. Right?

Unknown Speaker 44:22
Yeah,

Scott Benner 44:22
yeah, it sucks. You know, how bad does it suck being in that situation?

Unknown Speaker 44:29
It's,

Meredith 44:31
I mean, I know that she because I know that she cares. And she, she manages all of my medication and supplies, and I'll tell her like, Hey, I'm running low on the cartridge or we need to get more vials of insulin and she'll order them for me in which I really, really appreciate Yeah, but at the same time, I'm I'm looking forward to leaving home and going to school, just so I can do it all myself for you.

Scott Benner 45:07
That's excellent. Well, I think too, it's a good example if I diagnose your mom's situation a little bit to have, like, she's managing and controlling the things that she can control. Yeah. And that makes her feel good. It should, you know, she's, she's involved, and she's helping, I'm sure there are plenty kids whose parents are just like, I don't know, get this stuff. Ask the doctor, you know, lead me out of this. You'd be surprised as you get older, Meredith and you meet more and more people that are there are many, many different levels of parental interest that adults take on some, some people really just are like, Alright, look, you're alive. And I fed you. So you know, yeah, leave me alone, all the way up to people who are just up your butt constantly. And that's not good. Either. There's a middle in there somewhere. It sounds like your mom does a really good job with the things that she understands. And there was stuff that she didn't understand that you didn't understand either that I saved you with with the podcast, I

Unknown Speaker 46:00
see exactly what

Scott Benner 46:02
I'm getting. And by the way, I love having younger people on because you're so freaking honest. While you're talking about this, I can sometimes hear adults think like, they can hear their voice. They're like, I don't want to say that about my husband. I'm like, I wish they would. But I'm not trying to get anybody divorced or anything. But you're, you know, you're just This is great. Your generation is terrific. You're aware that what you said about your doctor is not great. And you don't care, right?

Meredith 46:29
Yeah, look, he listens to it.

Scott Benner 46:31
I know. I love that about you guys. This is the best generation ever. You guys are gonna be probably either the ruination of the world or the saving of it. I can't I don't mean to try to stay alive long enough to find out. One way or the other. I think it's really cool. How you're thinking about this. So Ooh, little light flicker here? Are you're in the path of the storm as well, aren't you?

Meredith 46:54
Oh, yes, it has been pouring here.

Scott Benner 46:56
Yeah, I can't believe my light. If I go away, the power went out just so you know. Oh, I just like save the recording. I was like, ooh, let me double check that this is saved. Yeah, I don't know. That's really cool. I think that attitude is gonna help you with this. Now, keep in mind, too, that attitude that I just sort of described about, you know, younger people in this time, this, you could make a different decision and ignore your diabetes, and that attitude would hurt you. But but it's helping you because you've decided to do something better. I'm interested in what moves you in that direction. Where you like, if you didn't, if you didn't feel poorly? Why are you Why did you want to do better?

Unknown Speaker 47:40
So

Meredith 47:43
I think, I think so. Okay. I have been with I've been dating this boy for about a year and a half. Um, and he has the past six months, he has become incredibly involved with my diabetes. And I was talking with my dad last night, and I said that he I think he knows how to manage it better than my mom does now at this point. Um, and how did

Scott Benner 48:27
he learn that from you? Or did he listen to the podcast?

Meredith 48:30
No, he, he knows I listened to the podcast after I listened to an episode. I'll describe it very vividly to him. Right. We're saying

Scott Benner 48:42
this is a good podcast, by the way. But but I get your point, like you're recounting it really, when you stop and think about it. You're an 18 year old talking to your boyfriend about what a 49 year old guy saying about type one diabetes in a podcast. He's probably like, Oh my god, this is boring. What are we doing? But it sounds like no, it sounds like he's he's interested, huh?

Meredith 49:03
He is interested in murder. Yeah, he we're going to different schools. But we are everything's, everything's great. And I think I think I, at some point, I realized that if, if I want to, if when I'm older if I want to have family and travel and and do things and be healthy. With him, I need to get on top of this. I need to get on top of my diabetes now.

Scott Benner 49:48
So this boy, this boy made you realize that there's a future and inside of that future, you may really want to be actively involved in making it better for everybody, not just yourself. Like, whatever your unit Feels like if it ends up being him, and you or another guy and you or you and kids or whatever, but you just want to do your best, right? Yeah. Wow. Jeez, he must be really cute.

Unknown Speaker 50:13
He's the best.

Scott Benner 50:14
Yeah, that's excellent. Where'd you meet him? Like, you know? Not exactly.

Unknown Speaker 50:18
We met at school. Gotcha. Yeah.

Scott Benner 50:20
How far away? Is he gonna be when he's in college versus you?

Meredith 50:24
So our schools are gonna be about eight and a half hours apart.

Scott Benner 50:28
That's pretty far. That's pretty cool. Yeah. Is that by plane or car?

Meredith 50:33
That is by color? Oh,

Scott Benner 50:36
do you already have some wacky idea of how you're gonna meet up on like, weekends or something like that?

Meredith 50:41
No, I mean, this semester, I don't think we'll even be able to leave campus.

Scott Benner 50:46
Yeah, I don't think so either.

Unknown Speaker 50:47
Yeah, well, the

Scott Benner 50:48
video thing you got. So you know, let's walk down a strange road for a second. Because you are in a different generation. Like, you're comfortable seeing people through a screen, right? Yeah, like, that seems like a relationship. Like you understand to like, somebody my age that doesn't feel like a relationship. Right? Yeah. Right. So you feel like you can keep it alive that way until you see each other in person?

Meredith 51:12
Oh, I have absolutely no doubt that everything's gonna be fine.

Scott Benner 51:16
That's really lovely. Good for you. Huh? There's other questions I have. I'm thinking around them right now. Give me a second. Let's let's go to this for a second. So you're gonna go are you going to be a nursing student?

Meredith 51:32
Yeah, I'm going directly into the School of Nursing.

Scott Benner 51:36
When did you make that decision?

Meredith 51:39
So another story. Um, when I was, I was 1313. Through 14, I had, I had an eating disorder. Okay. And I was diagnosed, I had lost a lot of weight. And so ultimately, I went into a hospital to gain the weight back and just kind of go through rehab and get myself back on the right track. So I was I was in this hospital for seven weeks. And with about, there were about nine other patients there with me. We're on the, on the eating disorder for and I'm obviously surrounded by the same like the same six nurses were there throughout the every day. Okay. And they were like the other, the few other people who were there and the other nurses were the only people that I talked to for those seven weeks. And towards the end of it, and once I got out, I realized, wow, I could not have done this I could not have recovered without the nurses. I really don't think I could have gotcha. And so that's when I thought I I would really, really love to just give back on all of the good that I have received from them.

Scott Benner 53:29
You just try to try to do it for other people what they did for you. Exactly a two things. One is silly, but say okay, to my Instagram requests before my before I fill up, I only have two slots open. I'm allowed to all the ones I've requested, whoever the first two, that request, I'm going to hit my limit again, that I have to wait for more people to get kicked off of Instagram to follow more people. Okay, by the way, a lot of people get kicked off Instagram. I don't understand why exactly. But Mmm hmm. So what precipitates your eating disorder? Were you limiting food so you wouldn't have to take insulin? Or was it something else?

Meredith 54:08
I was, um,

Scott Benner 54:12
are you limiting his weight? What were you doing?

Meredith 54:15
I was I think it was. I don't know what precipitated the eating disorder. I think I honestly think diabetes played a role in it. Just because it's so diabetes is so food centered. Yeah. And food. It certainly doesn't have to be but unfortunately it can be food, regulating and restricting. Like people saying people who don't understand it would say, understand diabetes would say, Oh, you you should not be eating that right or you. You can't have you can't eat this or you should

Scott Benner 54:57
and that kind of get your head a little bit. Yeah, I

Meredith 55:00
think so. Especially at a young age. I was 13. Um, yeah. So unfortunately, it just kind of blew out of proportion. And then at that point I was not, I was not really eating for a while. And so I would, I would take less insulin that I that I needed to, to avoid going low. Because I didn't want to have to eat if I was low.

Scott Benner 55:32
Yeah, not here. So it just steamrolls to you. And then before you know it, it's just a way of life. And you're just doing right. By the way, that boy is very cute. I would fall in love with him. You are in love with him too, aren't you? I can see it in the picture.

Unknown Speaker 55:49
Hey, I am Yeah,

Scott Benner 55:51
he is too. You can tell. Good for you. That's lovely. All right. So you got it all set up you you've is there maintenance for the eating disorder? Like, like, these are things you have to do to avoid slipping back into it or things you look forward to kind of let you know, oh, I'm thinking like this again? Or what? What's it like after you? Yeah.

Meredith 56:15
You know, that was that was for It's been four years now. And I do notice thoughts, unhealthy thoughts pop into my head on occasion. And I just know that I have to whenever that happens, I just kind of pause and I think okay, this is this is a distorted thinking right now. And I just have to step away and just realize, I cannot go back to this. Can

Scott Benner 56:52
you give me an example of a thought that you recognize as not being valuable for you?

Unknown Speaker 56:58
I'm

Meredith 57:00
like, Huh, like, say one night I buy pizza this tonight and I had I ate a lot of pizza. And Saturday morning or the next the next morning. I wake up and I think I ate so much pizza last night. I shouldn't eat today or special need this morning when I think well, that helps. me eating pizza last night has absolutely no. no connection to today. New Day. I need food, obviously. Yeah,

Scott Benner 57:34
I gotcha. Okay. Did you do that by yourself? Or is that something your family gets involved in when it's happening?

Meredith 57:41
Oh, that's myself.

Scott Benner 57:43
Yeah. We'll see. You end up at a center. Were you there for long?

Meredith 57:48
Yeah. So I was I was at the I was in the the hospital. I was in the hospital when I was 1314. For I was in there for seven weeks. It was some people some people were there 24 hours a day. But I would I slept at home. So my parents would drive me there on their way to work. We'd I'd get there at seven in the morning. Stay there and then leave at eight in the evening. So I eat all eat all my meals there with everybody counseling

Scott Benner 58:21
and group work and stuff like Yeah,

Meredith 58:23
yep. And we did. We did group therapies and counseling there as well.

Scott Benner 58:30
Gotcha. Well, congratulations. That sounds like a pretty big hill to climb at a young age. So yeah, good for you. Are you doing all right, aren't you things are going okay. You're gonna you? You think you're gonna be alright with all the sciences and everything?

Meredith 58:46
Oh, yes. You're good. Yeah, I am slowly. I'm leaving this this semester is I have to take chemistry. I have a lab and lecture. I have a four hour chemistry lab. Monday mornings.

Unknown Speaker 59:03
Which seems that? No.

Meredith 59:07
Yeah, not too. I'm not too psyched about that. It will be okay.

Scott Benner 59:10
Good for you. All right. I think you could do it. I mean, I think you could obviously do it. It's just it's, it's well, you don't I mean, it's it's the desire and it sounds like you have all that. What do I want to know? I'll do it. So wait, did you tell me the thing that in the email you said you weren't gonna tell me in the email or if we not gotten to that yet?

Meredith 59:29
Um, I just kind of forget. Yeah, I kind of forget exactly this a long time ago.

Scott Benner 59:36
Let's see if I can figure it out. Hold on.

Unknown Speaker 59:39
Oh, but I feel pretty good about everything we've talked about.

Scott Benner 59:43
Good. Good. Um, give me one second. I I have a new advertiser coming on and they just sent the contract over. That was nice, fun, said Little good news in the morning, hold on a second. The adult stuff about the podcast is my least favorite stuff about having The podcast, it's just I don't know. You said, I'm an 18 year old student entering nursing school next year, and type one diabetic. I've been listening to a podcast for a while now initially resisting it when my endocrinologist recommended, I'd love to speak with you, blah, blah, blah, about how my closest friends my family are helping. I'm trying to keep this concise. I don't want to spill the beans via email. So we got to everything. It's not like there's not like you're not gonna hang up, like in a few minutes and be like, Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't tell him that I was abducted by aliens. And they're the ones that helped me with the diabetes, like nothing like that. Right? Yeah. Excellent. So we're doing Okay, then. Excellent. Very nice. I want to know about you said you were hiding. In the past, you were trying to stay really private about your diabetes? And was that from close friends to?

Meredith 1:00:57
Um, I told when I was first diagnosed, I told my, a few of my closest friends. Um, but that was it. And then when I got back to school in sixth grade, it was, it was weird, because everybody. Nobody had seen me for a weaker or two. And so they were kind of wondering what everybody was wondering what had happened. But I wasn't comfortable at that point, saying that I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, just because I was I was afraid of what people would think.

Scott Benner 1:01:34
Yeah. How about the eating disorder thing? Was that something? Can I mean, it's not it's a long time that you can't hide that from people. Right? The idea that you're gone that long?

Meredith 1:01:44
Yeah. So I, because I was in the hospital for seven weeks. It was it was through it was August through bleeding into the beginning of the school year. So I entered. Oh, and it was freshman year of high school. So I entered High School, about a month and a half late. And so obviously, kids asked me, What the heck was going on. And so at that point, I just, I don't even remember what I said. But I did not tell people that I was in the hospital for an eating disorder, that's for sure.

Scott Benner 1:02:20
You should have told them that your egg donor was a princess and you were in Europe meeting her? That's what I would have said.

Unknown Speaker 1:02:26
Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:02:27
I found out that the lady that donated the egg to me, did people know that about you? By the way?

Meredith 1:02:33
No, just my parents, my boyfriend, my best friend. And then I've asked, my mom and I have talked about it a few times. And I don't think she has told. I don't even know if my mom's sister knows.

Scott Benner 1:02:53
Wow. Yeah. You really shouldn't be on this podcast. I don't think. Yeah, someone's gonna find out. But it's it's really interesting. It's funny because I'm adopted. Right? So I grew up, but and the people in my home, we're not, you know, you're technically related to me. And even today, as my father has been passed for quite some time now in my mom's in her mid 70s. I don't think of them as like adopted parents. They just feel like my parents to me. But I have always wondered if I feel different to them than my brothers do to them? And I don't I don't think that I don't think but I mean, I wonder, you know, and my mom is not the kind of person who I'd think I'd get a straight answer out of, I think she'd be like, No, of course not. I love all the same. And while I don't doubt that, and I don't know that I even care, to be perfectly honest. I just as an adult, like, I wonder, you know, like, it's a very interesting thing that you know, your mom carried you obviously, and she's taking care of you and everything. Like how much does that matter or not matter to people? I bet you It varies from person to person to how much they are impacted by it.

Meredith 1:04:11
And it's it's funny, so my mom and I share no genetic information, but it's funny. How many people tell us that we look so much alike.

Scott Benner 1:04:23
It's funny. It's so amazing. Oh, people will tell me all the time how much I look like my dad. No way. Like look at you guys look exactly the same. Like Yep, exactly the same. You figured it out? Yeah. The spitting image of each other. Now it's just, you know, you do take on? I don't know. There's although I have to say like, there's personality, things about like my fat like my mom and dad that I watched come out of my brothers. It didn't have never come from me. And now do you have more mannerisms? like your dad and your mom or do you not notice?

Meredith 1:04:58
Oh, I think I honestly think I'm more like my mom just because she and I are so close.

Scott Benner 1:05:04
Yeah. I understand. Do you think she tried extra hard?

Unknown Speaker 1:05:10
Um, no, no,

Scott Benner 1:05:12
my dad's mom did my grandmother. I always noticed she was trying to make sure I didn't feel different.

Meredith 1:05:19
Oh, wow. And then did that did that make you feel different than I think

Scott Benner 1:05:23
it made everyone else? Like, why is Graham so much nicer to Scott than she is to everybody else? And not nicer. But she was just she was so focused on me not feeling like an outsider, which was beautiful, by the way in which a lovely thing to do. Yeah. And I liked it. But I don't I don't know that my cousin's didn't feel a little like, Oh, that's interesting. Like, we found him somewhere, and she's nicer to him than us. Like, I don't know if that ever happened. And by found I mean, it was in hospital, but still technically found. And so I just wonder, like, I don't care enough to ask anybody, but it's interesting. I've watched it happen. Over the years. It sounds like you guys have really great relationships. That's who you know, you did say you didn't feel as close with your dad, as you do with your mom. Is that is that an indication that you're not close with your dad? Or that you're just super close with your mom?

Meredith 1:06:14
No, my dad and I are still. We still have a great relationship. Um, but my mom, I think, I think it's just because I'm my mom's only child. Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:06:29
Your dad just sort of a classic boy is he just sort of like, goes to work? Does boys stop

Unknown Speaker 1:06:34
Dad? Yeah, he's

Scott Benner 1:06:36
that guy with the makes the money and brings it home, drops in the middle of the table cries a little bit and goes to bed, that kind of thing. And then I hear you, I. It's interesting. All right. So all right. So is there anything we haven't talked about that you want to talk about?

Unknown Speaker 1:06:53
I think we have covered a lot.

Scott Benner 1:06:55
I do too. I think it's possible. You're gonna call me like three weeks and be like, please don't ever let anyone hear this. But

Meredith 1:07:02
no, I knew I wanted to be I wanted to be 100% honest and super clear.

Scott Benner 1:07:07
I think you took care of that you really did. I am going to say goodbye and thank you very much for doing this. I don't usually find myself doing this. But first, I'd like to thank Meredith endocrinologist wherever she is for suggesting the Juicebox Podcast and I hope that this was valuable for you. I really didn't know this was gonna go this way. I'd like to thank also the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump get your free no obligation demo of the Omni pod at my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. The Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor you should learn more and you can@dexcom.com forward slash juicebox Don't forget that commercial coming up on the big game. And of course, I'll be supporting touched by type one.org on February 26. But you can support them every day at touchedbytype1.org