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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 509 of the Juicebox Podcast. On today's show, Ashley, and Ashley says words funny. But that's not why she's on the show. But that is why this episode is called Ruff, ruff, ruff. If you're from Wisconsin, you're dying, laughing right now the rest of you are kind of confused.

You are all in for a treat because I have Ashley for you today. Ashley is an adult living with Type One Diabetes. And I don't really need to tell you much more about this other than really terrific episode. The people who come on the show, just give and give and give when they come on. And Ashley is no exception to that rule. You're going to hear a great conversation with a lovely person who has a freaking terrific sense of humor. It's just a lot of fun talking with Ashley. While you're listening, do me a favor. Okay. Remember this, nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, please always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan, or becoming bold with insulin. Also, if you're listening online, please consider listening and following or subscribing. In a podcast app. There are a lot of great free podcast apps. You can find them all at Juicebox Podcast comm all that you need. Just go there. say oh, I use Apple click. I use Android click and you'll find one. Don't be listening on line. If you are. I mean if you love it, don't let me stop you but get an app subscribe.

This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the diabetes pro tip episodes of the Juicebox Podcast and the defining diabetes episodes. They both can be found at diabetes pro tip.com, or at Juicebox Podcast comm or you can go right into your podcast app and search for them. Juicebox Podcast diabetes pro tip and they'll pop right up. The pro tip series begins at Episode 210. I'm not sure where the defining diabetes episodes start. Again, probably best just to go to diabetes pro tip comm to find them. But these are the management specific episodes that you probably hear people talking about all the time. If you haven't started listening yet. I really hope you give them a try. Thanks so much to the sponsors. sponsor. I'm thinking myself. Alright, let's get started with Ashley.

Ashley 2:47
Yeah, I'm really glad we can make it work. I felt so bad and stupid. Same time. Why first time around? Well, when I got my time zones mixed up.

Scott Benner 2:59
Do you know that happens a lot though, right?

Ashley 3:01
Okay. Okay, hopefully I'm not the only one. Well, I felt so stupid and I was getting so much crap from family and stuff. People in

Scott Benner 3:09
your family. Were giving you problems for getting timezone things wrong. Yeah. Being on a podcast. Yeah, I didn't care. Like, give me a hard time. Why do they care? Do you think? I don't know. Oh, by the way, you're being recorded. So be careful. Not to your mom or something like that.

Ashley 3:25
I know. I don't have the best Mo. So I will say that in advance.

Scott Benner 3:30
We have the best. Or the best mom which

Ashley 3:36
say it again like oh, words, and I don't have the best mouth. Oh, that's clean his mouth. Oh, that's

Scott Benner 3:41
what I thought. I thought you might have said mom and I was like, is she about to dump on her mother? This is gonna be no. No, no, she's saying you might get a little Kersey at some point. Yeah, maybe. Okay. See what happened? Yeah. My eight year old reminds me of that, mom. Yeah. So well, you know, what's so what's your stance on the cursing? Is it just this? I'll tell you what, I'll make this easy on you. I'll give you my stance on cursing. Okay, I don't know an adult who I trust who doesn't curse. So that is a really good point. I make a point of thinking that eventually everyone's going to curse whether they let us hear it or not will be another thing. Right?

Ashley 4:24
I guess I just I don't know. I am how you see it. And I guess I just don't pretend with anything. So I just I try not to be y'all.

Scott Benner 4:35
There are no pretenses with you, Ashley. We are not pretending to be anything. We are not. Alright. I like that. Yeah. Excellent. Okay. Well, that's pretty much now that we've all come to terms to the fact that you're going to say Mother her at some point during the conversation probably. Well, not so much that Oh, really? This is interesting. What will you say? Well, just like the F word probably. You want to say it now to get it off your chest. And I'll just Cuz you have a funny Oh yeah, well, I am sure I will swear at some sound like a Canadian who like jumped on the back of somebody from Chicago or something like that. Yeah, you guys are talking the same mouth right this point. But you're at one in Minnesota. Yeah, southern Minnesota. Yeah. Southern Is it important to say southern Minnesota? Well, Mankato, Mankato, Minnesota. I just heard of it. I know of course I have it. But that's not the point is that, um, is that I wonder like, you were so specific. If you asked me what state I was from, I would say New Jersey. I would never think to say what portion of New Jersey I was in. I was wondering if there's like some relevance. Well,

Ashley 5:43
yeah, I mean, I don't know. I feel like as far as like, you know, like Duluth Wait, northern Minnesota. I feel like it's a little like the dynamics a little bit different.

Scott Benner 5:55
Actually. I feel like if I press you a little bit, I can get you to absolutely trash the central and northern part of Minnesota. Is that correct? Say nothing. I was just wondering. Yeah. Introduce, introduce yourself, I think definitely leave out your last name. And and

Ashley 6:16
I was just gonna ask you, so how much information I mean, cuz I don't care. I really don't give a shit. Like how much info you know, I mean, cuz that's why I'm here to

Scott Benner 6:26
ya know, I think that if you're going to be like, Listen, if you're going to share something that you wish knew no one else knew. By the way, I've been recording the whole time. You know that right? Oh, yes. Very good. Okay. So, yeah, weaving all this? And I'm fascinated. So if, if I'm, seriously, if so, if you're gonna say something, you know, I don't know how to gauge it. Because people have said some rather shocking things to me in the courses of these conversations. So I think if you're going to come out and say that your neighbor runs a meth lab, I would just use your first name. And I know God, no, no, nothing like that. So just go ahead. Tell me your name. And then I'll ask some questions. And you'll make a bunch of noises that sound vaguely Wisconsin in Minnesota. Yeah. And we'll get out of here. Yeah. Okay. Sounds good. Yeah, so my name's Ashley. I'm 36. I have been type one for it'll be 28 years in February. This coming February. And I have three boys. that keep me very busy. I would imagine. Yeah. 885 and three, with two dogs. Wow. And my husband. Wow. Oh, hold on, slow down. So Tony, you threw me off when you said you've had diabetes for 28 years because I started doing the math on when you had your eight year old because they felt like you had an eight year old. So I was like, Oh, she was 28 when she had her oldest. Then you said I've had diabetes for 28 years and I and then my brain fried for a second. And then I felt like you told me that there are three children yourself. A couple of dogs and a man living in your home? Yes, that's correct. Three, I'm counting six that there are seven living things here. I'm given the power keys. Yes. gerbils hamsters? Anything like that?

Ashley 8:14
No, God. No, no, I don't think they would survive in our house with my three crazy voice. No,

Scott Benner 8:21
I think something's too small would just be pummeled by your show. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, definitely. Yeah, excellent. Okay. We're doing well. When you meet your husband? Oh, 2008. See, sorry. 1008. You started talking in years, then you like years ago? And then you went to the Yeah. So 12 years ago, right. Yeah. Yeah. And you've had diabetes for 20 years?

Ashley 8:49
Yeah. Got a house? Oh, nine months later, got married a year later and in house first, it's right after that. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Shocking.

Scott Benner 9:02
It's probably because it's cold there. You can't even go on a date until you you know, yeah, it well.

Ashley 9:07
It's not really bad right now. It's actually pretty decent supposed to be like 55 today, I think. And my five year old one to wear shorts to school. So that was a big dilemma. changing clothes and fighting with him this morning. Know when we got our house. I was like March. And it was it was pretty cool. We were in an apartment at the time. And we were transitioning into our house and updating it and stuff before we actually moved in.

Scott Benner 9:35
Do you mind if I pick into your life a little bit? Oh, that's just fine. Cool. So two questions popped into my mind about getting a house before you get married. It made me feel like either the two of you were a little transient in your lives, or you just knew you were going to get married. Or literally you want to see if this guy could afford to put you in a house before you were willing to marry him. I'm wondering what's going on.

Ashley 9:58
I think it was more like We met, and then everything just kind of moved quickly. We both were on the same page. We're, we're in our life. And, and he's younger than me, too. So I'm Ashley.

Unknown Speaker 10:13
Yeah, yeah.

Ashley 10:14
So I think we were just ready. And and. Yeah,

Scott Benner 10:19
how much younger? A year and a half. That's not that much. Yeah, no, no, actually, I'm wondering if what you're telling me is you met a man. You like the sex and you thought you would just skip ahead to the rest of it? Is this what happened? Or does he have a good job? What is it we're talking about right now? Or do you have a good job? Is he is has he hooked up? What's going on?

Ashley 10:39
Well, we had a strong interest in music. That was the that was one of the things. We were both you know how to say we were both like, not angry people. But just like we we had hard times growing up both of us we could relate, you know, as far as like going through gotcha. certain situations, things like that. And we were just kind of done with the ball. And just, you know,

Unknown Speaker 11:08
moving forward

Scott Benner 11:09
Yeah. veterans of the same war. The only Yeah, not only that, yeah. But you've grown up in a way that was similar to each other. You knew what each other had been through. Yeah. Okay. I like this. Alright. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. are you killing something right now? What was that noise?

Ashley 11:25
Oh, my pump. You know, ragging on me. It's Yeah, what kind of pump cuz i don't i didn't recognize the the tandem. Okay, slim.

Scott Benner 11:34
That's an irritating noise it makes there. Yeah, yeah, it beeps and I don't think I can put it on library. Don't worry about it. I just thought it felt literally sounded like you were dragging a metal chair across the stone floor. Oh, no. It was like Ashley sits still we're doing No,

Ashley 11:49
it's just, you know, my morning. I struggled probably the most in the morning.

Scott Benner 11:55
How so? struggle you get like, well, first you listen, you listen to the podcast much.

Ashley 12:01
I do. And I will be honest, I haven't lately cuz I, I did every day when I worked. I was a refill nurse, an RN. So I would sit at my desk, I could have my headphones in and the work I did, I was able to, you know, listen to something and and my doctor, you know, had mentioned you couple years ago, and I started listening and and I would listen to you every day. And then I stopped working when the pandemic happened. And my kids were, you know, then at home for school. And so I yeah, so then I listen to you and I like workout or I'm on the treadmill or something like that. We

Scott Benner 12:39
got to get this pandemic under control so that you can listen to more of my podcast.

Ashley 12:42
Well, that's a I don't know, it's pretty rough here. But you know, as far as like, the, you know, our numbers and just it's spreading like wildfire.

Scott Benner 12:56
Yeah, it's tough. It is really, I'm in that part of the country. Also, you did something that I was really hoping you would do. My brother married a woman from Wisconsin, and I love it when she says ruff. Can you just say it one more time for me? Yeah. Thank you. What is your dog? Yeah. Our dog? Yeah. When your dog makes noise? What is the noise he makes?

Unknown Speaker 13:18
Oh, well, I have a senior dog. You're girlier losing my point. Does he go rough? Oh, yeah. No, no. I was totally not falling there. That's okay. Yeah, yeah. takes me a while to catch on. So we'll start over. What noise does a dog make? rough? rough, rough? Yeah.

Scott Benner 13:38
work when it's difficult is rough. And the thing on top of your house is called a roof. It's fantastic. I love this accent. I'm sorry. We might never get back to the diabetes. Well, it's okay. So seriously. So you had to stop working. When you say because of the pandemic you're saying because work left, you're off like you lost your job? No.

Ashley 14:02
So I Well, I eventually did so. Long story short, I, I was recommended. You know, at that time, everything was like a little more. We didn't know as much as far as the virus and my doctor was just like, you know, with your history with as far as your diabetes, like I'm in good health, but in the past with respiratory illnesses. I've, I've had it like I didn't tolerate it as well, if you want to say and so I guess he just said you know, I think you should pull your kids you should be at home your high risk. And my job was recommending to if you're a high risk employee, you should be you know, a little bit safer and isolating yourself. So I did that and I think I was then on like, like a short term disability thing for you know,

Unknown Speaker 14:57
what is it

Ashley 14:59
FMLA For a while, weeks, and then my daycare had closed as well, during that time, and then I didn't have any care for my kids. And so I just eventually ended up losing my job. But honestly, it was I started school back to college may, I thought, well, if there's any, you know, anything that's good, that's going to come from this pandemic. It'll be you know, just getting further education. And as far as just going further with it, which I've always wanted to do. better time than now to, to do it. And so my bachelor's in nursing that I'm that I'm working on right now.

Scott Benner 15:43
Oh, that's so cool. So you were a refill nurse before which meant you were explain that a little bit to me. So is

Ashley 15:50
it kind of a unique position? I I have been a nurse since 2011. I actually 2010 I was an LPN for a year, I went back to school. During that time for that year, I worked at the clinic, the local clinic here, and I did a variety of things. I floated everywhere. So pediatrics, cardiology, family practice. And then I went back to school, I got my Rn degree. And I, during that time, I was it was like a month, I was looking for a job. And it was at the State Hospital, just town outside of here. And it was more like mental health. So like, you bought the street as far as like being mentally unstable things like that. I had found out I was pregnant a week prior to that. And then so my husband's like, I don't know if I feel comfortable you being out there and doing this line of work. And so I was only out there for a short time, and then ended up being hired through a local clinic here in town, being a refill nurse, and we actually did mail. resupplies So, mailing out medications to patients.

Scott Benner 17:11
I'm wondering, Is your husband just gonna get you're pregnant so many times that you're physically incapable of leaving the house? Because of the pure way?

Ashley 17:17
Yeah. No, no, no, no. Yeah, it was just I think it was, like all the timing of it. And then yeah, that was our first kid. And then I understand it makes sense. It really does.

Scott Benner 17:30
I'm gonna go back now and try to get what degree

Ashley 17:35
Well, my bachelor's in nursing out I should, I should finish by June. That's like my graduation date. But with our situation now, Friday is the last day of school for my kids. And then they're going to be home. So that kind of allows, you know, it'll be it'll be hard, like homeschooling them doing my schoolwork. You know, just trying to stay on top of everything. Trying to set up care. care for my mom to Sorry, my pump. Oh, no, it's okay.

Scott Benner 18:08
The waste is the tanto makes is like a sales pitch for the Omnipod.

Unknown Speaker 18:11
Yeah.

Ashley 18:11
It's got all kinds of you know, I mean, I think every system has their bad.

Scott Benner 18:19
You know, you're 100% right to is that. I don't think any insulin pump is perfect. And no, and they're ones that fit you better. That's for sure. Yeah, for sure. Do you know this episode is gonna be called ruff ruff roof. Because my Minnesota accent Well, yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, it doesn't matter. Why not? I would get some for that. Yeah, yeah, that's fine. It's totally fine. Yeah.

Ashley 18:47
Yeah. So anyhow, it's, it's it'll be interesting. The next I'd say, you know, till this pandemics over when it will be over, but what's kind of up in the year but my, my end goal is to be in endocrinology, diabetes care. You know, that's my main purpose, I guess other than my kids. So other than being a mom, is what i would i would love to do with

Scott Benner 19:12
other people. Yeah. Well, I want to ask you about that. But before I do, my last question remaining from what you just said, is, you stopped working because you felt like you were at a higher risk? Do you still feel like you're at a higher risk? Because you have type one, you know? I don't know. I had a visit with my doctor. I see him every three months. And I don't know it seems like now it's just so up in the air. Like as far as how it affects everybody. It affects everyone differently. You see, perfectly normal, healthy people, you know, getting this and then they they're not Okay, next second. It just none of it makes sense. There's no pattern to it. It's just so reality of everything. I guess I I feel like at times I am just because with any kind of virus that I've had, I am very like, I don't know how to say it sensitive to any kind of illness, I can always tell my blood sugar will go up. And my no demand for insulin is like, super high hit, like doubles. And so I guess that would be my main concern is like the Yeah, the sugars and being all wacky and crazy things now I agree with you. I I know that in my heart that feels the same way. It's like, there's part of you that feels like, you know, okay. I mean, we kind of live our lives pretty. I guess similarly to before, we don't go out as much obviously. There are, you know, there's I haven't been in a restaurant a very long time. You know, there are stores that make you call ahead for appointments now, if you want to come in and shop and things like that. And you know, we've been keeping distance from older family members, right? Thanksgivings. Coming up next week, and we're not really doing anything for Thanksgiving. I know. Which is all you know, okay. You know, that's what needs right. Right? If that's what we need to do, yeah, but we are lacking the history. Because it's such a new problem, we are lacking the history to be able to look at and feel some comfort about, you know what I mean? Because that really, yeah,

Unknown Speaker 21:20
you're saying

Scott Benner 21:21
you just you would love somebody to say to you look, it's probable or improbable or you have this percentage of a chance you're looking for those kind of thing? Yeah, whether they're true or not, they make you comfortable when you hear them. So

Ashley 21:36
right. Like I was at last week, I, you know, I like Facebook groups of, you know, type one, whatever, and Dexcom. And I think your your podcast is on there, too. And so I just I just put a thing out there, just for curiosity, you know, how many people with diabetes have had the virus? How did you? You know, how did you respond to it? How did you handle it? Did you recover? Okay, just just, I guess I was more curious. Yeah. And so it was just a variety of things. But most of them, they were pretty consistent, you know, they got fairly sick. And if you and almost I would say, more than not a higher percentage of them, they ended up like in the hospital. I can't end up in the hospital, because that's probably my biggest worry. Because, like, I have three little people that depend on me. And so, you know,

Scott Benner 22:34
and if you leave, you leave those kids with that guy for six weeks, they'll just be out on an

Ashley 22:39
lol My god, I don't know what would happen. Yeah, shooting. You can get mad at me for saying that. But yeah, it's it's kind of like, I don't know.

Unknown Speaker 22:47
I mean, I definitely have a

Ashley 22:49
more patience. And he would agree with me, you know, with that with with the boys. I use just because there's so much energy, and then they fight. And then they're loving each other. I mean, it's a love hate relationship. So it's like this swinging of emotions, you know? Yeah, but yeah, it's I to most of it all. But it can get overwhelming. So

Scott Benner 23:11
I just stare through them, Scott. That's all. They're not. They're the little pills that I put them in imaginary little bottles, and I mail them away.

Unknown Speaker 23:20
Yeah, no, yeah.

Unknown Speaker 23:23
Well, yeah, pretty much. Tell

Scott Benner 23:24
me a little bit about being diagnosed with type one when you are.

Ashley 23:28
So it was kind of interesting. I was eight. So then, you know, my oldest is eight. So I try not to sit and like obsess about all my guys peeing a lot, you know, all those things that a parent worries about, I guess, with having kids and so yeah, I was eight years old. I I got a virus of some kind. I got sick, like the flu. And I just kind of declined after that. I lost weight, very ill at the time, when the youngest of four kids, my mom was a single parent.

Unknown Speaker 24:11
And so I

Ashley 24:13
think a lot of it was just overlooked, like my symptoms and how I was presenting at that time. Okay. And, you know, back then I feel like it wasn't as common either type one and so I feel like a lot of us overlooked and then as far as hirving distracted with being a single mom and having a lot on her plate. I the school Finally, you know, had said something and I I think I fell asleep at my desk is what happened and I just remember having this horrible headache. I could hardly I was very, barely coherent. And I want to say it was like 38 pounds, 3840 pounds, and I was eight years old. Pretty Little. And, and I remember that they're like you have to take her in otherwise, basically we'll call someone because she needs to go in to be seen. Because I would fight it every time I was such I was a bread. That'd be like, I don't want to go and I get my way and my mom would,

Unknown Speaker 25:17
you know,

Unknown Speaker 25:18
not take me because I'll throw a big fat or something.

Scott Benner 25:21
I was like, I have three other kids. If this one dies, it'll be fine. Well, oh, yeah.

Ashley 25:30
Yeah, pretty much pretty much eating. Yeah. So, you know, um, but yeah, during this time. So it's kind of interesting, because I knew what was like going on. I didn't know what was happening to me. But I learned about diabetes, while I was actually becoming diagnosed with it, how?

Unknown Speaker 25:51
Because

Ashley 25:53
our teacher, my teacher was reading a book called sugar isn't everything. And it's by Willow Davis Roberts. It's an older book in, in, it's about a girl who gets type one diabetes, and going about the story about how she has to, you know, adapt to this new lifestyle and, and so it was just very interesting. During this whole time reading this book, I, I'm diagnosed with it. So when the doctor had told me after they drew a blood sugar, you know, and told me it was almost 700 that, you know, she has type one diabetes, I remember sitting there my mom's lap, and it was just like, I just started bawling, because I knew I knew at that moment, you know, this was a forever thing. I knew what it meant. And my mom was kind of more like, I she, you know, like, she didn't really know what it was. And so it's just interesting that I knew more than she did at that time. And how it all kind of worked out that waves is very weird. You were being read a book in class?

Scott Benner 27:02
Yeah. Now, it says a detailed description of juvenile onset diabetes using a fictional form in which 11 year old Amy discovers that she has the disease, learns to treat it, and deal with her anger and finally accepts that she can live with it. And you're being read that in school when you're diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. Yep. Wow. And that's how you knew sitting in the doctor's office. That's incredible. Yeah, it was,

Ashley 27:27
it was bizarre. It was. It was like you got You're kidding. Right? You know what I mean? I was just like, Really? I don't know. It was just it was really strange how that worked out. But

Scott Benner 27:39
I wonder what would have happened if your teacher was reading your book about like winning the lottery and becoming a millionaire? Do you think that would have happened to you? Like, no, but that would have been? I think there was this magic thing that was happening in the room. And that's the you got because she was? Yeah. It's too bad. It Wasn't that nice if she was reading spider man. I mean, come on. You're way better. I think powers Yeah, you think although, you'd have to leave Minnesota. too cold to be in that underwear outside? I think

Ashley 28:12
I know, it's you know, it's, it's not too bad when we have the days where like, we have the nice snowfall. And which we had was a couple weeks ago. It's just really random. This weather. Were like a blizzard. And then it was like 70 degrees and super weird. Yeah, but you know, it's nice with the boys. They love it. He can sledding and next I want to, you know, I take him skiing. I used to ski and my husband he he's never won either. So it'd be all there. You know, first time going, right? So yeah, I, I don't know. It's it gets long. If it wasn't as long or winters. It wouldn't be so bad. But

Scott Benner 28:53
I feel like because you live online, but you don't realize how terrible it is. Like if you were to go somewhere warm. You'd be like, Oh, I'm never going back there. By the way. interesting side note about algorithms online and how amazing they are. I just recently finished watching a television show called long Meijer on Netflix, which is basically like a modern Western TV show. In that television show. They reference the book Lonesome Dove a couple of times. And when I went to Amazon and searched for sugar isn't anything it said hey, books you might also like, and Lonesome Dove was one of them. Oh, really? I feel like that's that you know when it gives you that feeling? Like someone was in the room while you were watching a TV show? like sending notes that Amazon This was one of those moments It has nothing to do with you Minnesota diabetes, rough roof rough, but it is Yeah. Like oh my god, that's creepy. All right. Yeah. I have never thought about reading the book alone some stuff in my entire life. Yeah. It's interesting. So that makes me wonder. Since we are so impressionable, or computers are, I wonder how much of your early experience with diabetes? Did any of it mimic the girls experience in the book? Like Did you take up any of that as your own without realizing it?

I know it's a good question, right? You're happy to think about like, wow, Scott, really thoughtful question. I can't wait to hear the answer to it. Well, you're gonna find that answer in just a moment. As soon as I tell you about the diabetes pro tip series from the Juicebox Podcast. First thing I'm going to do is really the last review I got for the pro tip series. It says this, this show meaning the Juicebox Podcast This shows pro tip series has literally changed my life. My son was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes five months ago, a few weeks before he turned to, I knew nothing about type one. In the past five months have been a struggle. My son's honeymoon period lasted a few days. And then every day was a battle of highs and lows even with an insulin pump, and a CGM. I had instincts on what I needed to do for him, but felt scared because the endo shut down all of my ideas and suggestions. I truly felt hopeless and out of control and scared for my son's health. Then I had this podcast recommended to me by another mom. And it was life changing. All of my instincts were validated. And most of my fears eased. It shifted my perspective on type one diabetes and medical devices. within two days of listening to the podcast, my son's average glucose levels went from 150 to 119. His spikes past 200 disappeared or became a rarity. Most importantly, after listening to the pro tip series, I feel so much more in control and less fearful about his diabetes, I feel empowered to make decisions that I know are right for him. And I trust that what I think is going to happen will happen. I know every day won't be perfect. But after this pie hast I feel up to the challenge for the first time since he was diagnosed, I finally feel like a good mom again. Thank you. That's from March 3 2021. Please check out the diabetes pro tip episodes, and the defining diabetes episodes and the defining diabetes episodes. Again, they're right there in your podcast player. Or you can go to diabetes protip.com. To get them listed out for you, you can actually listen there online, which I don't think is really handy for most people. But at least they're an order, you can see what episode numbers they are, then you can go back into your player and listen through. That's just one person's review. I could read you a lot more. But I'd like to get you back to Ashley. So I will. If you have type one diabetes, type two diabetes, I mean, if you're using insulin, whether you're MDI, on a pump, the caregiver of someone with type one, or an adult who has been living with it forever, check out the diabetes pro tip episodes from the Juicebox Podcast. Make sure you know the terms that you're using with diabetes, check out the defining diabetes episodes for the podcast. That's all I got for you guys, I want you to get back to Ashley and find out the answer to that question, a great question that the interviewer asked. It's really insightful. Alright, here we go. Looking back,

Ashley 33:31
you know, I think so because I don't know if it was the book. Or I don't know if it was just my take on it. Or maybe how I saw my mom at the time, because I knew it was affecting her pretty badly. And like, we she just went through a divorce with my dad. And he was, you know, not a good person not good to us or my mom or anything. So I think during that time, I was just kind of like, well, this is a lot and it's a lot for her to take on. And this I mean, it's just kind of funny to I mean, it's funny now but so I get this weird thing with, with blood sometimes which everybody's like Ashley er, nurse, you're a type one diabetic and you faint, you know, but it's only when people is a control thing. So like, if I have my blood drawn, I have to lay down every time my anyone sees it's really kind of silly, but, um, so at that time, they're just like, how are you going to give yourself a shot, you're not gonna be able to do that, you know, you're gonna pass out. So it was more what drove me is like my siblings and family be like, not she's not gonna be able to do it. You know, it's like had this whole whole impression that I just don't think she's gonna be able to do it. And that kind of drove me more to be like, I am going to show every one of you that I'm going to do this and I did and I was doing shots myself before I left that house. But all well, and I continue to do that.

Scott Benner 35:03
So mainly because people thought you couldn't you felt like you had to prove that you could.

Ashley 35:08
Yeah, like proving them wrong type of thing. I guess I've always kind of been

Scott Benner 35:11
give like an adversarial, like, vibe about you in general. Yeah, I mean, I don't mean that in a bad way, I guess. Yes. There's also, you know, a way to be impacted by that, where you just like, you absorb it, you just think oh, okay, well, they don't think I can. So I can't, uh, you know, like, obviously, yeah,

Ashley 35:31
I don't want to be like, Oh, I can't and then play like the victim role and be like, poor me. You know what I mean? Like, I just feel like this, this isn't cancer. So I'm grateful that it's something I can control. And I am gonna, I'm gonna do this, you know, I mean, then they had me in the hospital, I think it was like eight days. And because I was in DK, and so I had, like, you know, nutritionist come in and back then, you know, it's all different, how you had to eat and all this stuff.

Unknown Speaker 36:03
And so,

Ashley 36:05
you know, a lot of information, obviously, for an eight year old to take in, but I felt like I just already was prepped for it, maybe because it was listening to the book. Yeah, I wanted to about like, had something to do with it.

Scott Benner 36:17
Because there's some heady things you're talking about as an eight year old. I'm drawn to ask. Were you a little on your own to begin with? I'm not trying to?

Ashley 36:26
Well, no, maybe. I mean, my siblings were pretty good. I mean, my oldest sister, she's 10 years older than me. And so what 18 so seniors, so she's, you know, preoccupied with school stuff and whatnot. Um, my brothers two years older than me. So we were pretty close growing up, but I don't know, I kind of, I guess during that time, I felt maybe a little bit more. I'm just gonna have to figure this out on my own type of thing, but I had support, not like I didn't have a support, but the same sense, is like, well, really the only one who's gonna do this is gonna be me. You know, I mean, my siblings are giving me shots. You know, to think my 10 year old brother was giving me a shot and back my arm. It's just crazy. Me. But you know, it was scary, too. They had to come in and they had to learn on an orange.

Scott Benner 37:24
And you and your mom. Yeah. Wow. And all my siblings. Yeah, they had to take like classes fun for them. They must. Yeah, no. They've been like, Yeah, what is going on? The whole thing is, is kind of crazy. It's only and it's only I shouldn't say only 20 years long time ago. So yeah. And so what was your How would How did your care go? like would you wear Do you remember? Like your a onesies being because they were measuring those back then? Right?

Ashley 37:55
Yeah. Oh, yeah. So I, when I, you know, signed up to have this interview with you.

Unknown Speaker 38:00
I

Ashley 38:03
you know, one at all my records. So my mom didn't really remember. You know, what my agencies were, I knew they weren't the bus. Okay, I knew them. You know, doctors were like, Oh, yeah, just keep her above 250. And she won't die on you and, you know, type of thing. And, you know, a little my mom, no, I think it was just the resources of, or lack of resources, I should say, that she had, and knowledge so nothing, nothing. That's her fault. Um, but I did run. Not in a healthy range. I mean, I was 13 when I was diagnosed that a one C of 13.2, I think. And then they finally got it down to like, 11. And then it was like, a few years after that. It was like 797 point nine. But yeah, I always I never ran like in the six five or sixes until now to last, you know, eight years.

Scott Benner 39:04
Okay, what changed eight years ago. I'm a pump.

Ashley 39:11
I finally convinced myself and the phobia of getting low blood sugar. I always I struggled with that since I think high school I had a really bad hypoglycemic episode and I think it was like in the 20s and I just remember being not in control of myself. And I hated that feeling. And more like a panic impending doom feeling I get I still when I when I'm trending down. It's kind of weird. That's my first symptom is I won't get sweaty or shaky. I'll send I'll just have this thought. Like a bad thought. Die super horrible, just like just like an anxiety, headache. Be anything random. They're just come to my mind. And then I'll look at my pump like, Yeah, sure. I'm coming down. You know,

Scott Benner 40:07
where's that number happen at? Like, where does that feeling come in at?

Ashley 40:11
Any time I starts trending down, like like below 100

Scott Benner 40:17
like the fall Arden you have a softball, you know art and art I would say she felt the fall. Yeah,

Ashley 40:23
yeah, it's you feel the fall. It's almost like if you were, I compare it, it's just if you were to, you're on a roller coaster, you know, you're going up. You're you're there you feel okay, it's not moving, and then all sudden, you start going down. And you can feel the you know, the gravity and everything, just the weight. pole. And it's kind of the same concept.

Unknown Speaker 40:45
Yeah, I feel like

Scott Benner 40:45
your insides just feel weird and pulled on. Yeah, yeah, just a literal feeling of you literally feel like you're falling. It's like a change of pressure on your head or?

Ashley 40:57
Yeah, well, no, it's just like a, like more like, I don't know, just like a little, I'd say a little dizzy, a little dizzy, and just like anxiety.

Scott Benner 41:09
And then my heart rate will go up. And you know, what can happen if you keep going? Right? Okay. All right.

Ashley 41:16
And I try not to be because I've tried to be more aggressive with with insulin, you know, obviously, I just I want to be in better control. Now. Not for my own sake, but for my children, mostly. And that's probably what has changed. You know, I've always had Try, try to a good control. adolescent years are the hardest, I would say. Um, but as far as like, being a mom, you know, there's, I'm just gonna do everything possible that I can to have it in good control. And not only one sugar control, but like, cholesterol and blood pressure, and all those other factors that play a big role.

Scott Benner 41:56
So being a mom made you feel like you need to be healthier.

Ashley 42:00
Yeah, yeah, healthier than what I, you know, used to be or I tried to be, I've always been very active person into fitness. And I was a personal trainer before, you know, doing massage therapy. And then before I was a nurse, so I have all kinds of different random roles that I've that I've done as far as jobs and stuff. But, you know, then fitness has always been a big, big thing. You know,

Scott Benner 42:25
so many people have come on the show and said that they had type one diabetes, they've had it their whole life. And it's normally women. And they say that once they either meet someone they want to marry or have a child, that's the first time they become, like, serious, I guess about a lower more stable blood sugar. I think that's and I find that to be fascinating. The, because I don't think it's uncommon that you write that it's hard to write something for yourself, but but for some reason, yeah, for sure. Do it for someone else. For sure. Yeah.

Ashley 43:02
I mean, I've always wanted to have good control, because I felt like, you know, at that time being diagnosed, that this was something I can control. I saw other people who, you know, died from cancer, you know, I just things that can't control or manage, I should say. And

Unknown Speaker 43:25
it's,

Ashley 43:26
I don't know, to me, I'm not going to complain about that. And I want other people to not think the biggest thing in school when I was in elementary school, you know, people would be looking at me, and, you know, a few kids have told me the AIDS girl, and I would let you know, laugh because I'd be like, okay, just don't know anything and you're stupid and whatever. But, um, you know, I wanted to really educate other people about it, because at that time, I was like, the only diabetic in the school. And so, I did a blood sugar check on my meter in front of the classroom, because then, you know, you could bring the needles out and won't matter. I had a few kids pass out on me, but you know, from seeing needles, they would get woozy. Yeah, the blood I think, you know, I was doing a demonstration festival.

Scott Benner 44:15
And I'm sorry, I want to make sure I heard you. Right. They called you aids girl. Yeah. And a few kids that did that as you were sick. And they thought you were they felt like you were sick. And that I think they thought they can

Ashley 44:26
get it from me or something. Like I was contagious. Oh, like, yeah, I think they would get

Unknown Speaker 44:32
that's terrible diabetes from me. Yeah,

Ashley 44:34
I know, isn't it? I just, I didn't care because I would just kind of laugh and because I'd be like, well, you're you need obviously, you don't know anything. You know? You just look silly saying that's all. But yeah, I think throughout my whole I mean, adolescent years, even though I didn't have like the best control. I think it wasn't because I didn't want to I knew it was important and I knew knew all the complications that could happen. I knew, you know, I was very informed about it, and I understood it. I think it was more of more of a, I had that phobia so badly of the low blood sugar and like being out and about and being a friends or like a party, you know, wasn't the best kid. So I was very, you know, like, as far as drinking and stuff, you know, I did a lot of that throughout my high school years and and I was very smart about it, obviously, it I was like, check my sugars and stuff, but But yeah, it was just like the those years of then I switched doctors is what really changed things too. And he's like, we really have to get, you know, tighter control for you.

Scott Benner 45:54
No kidding. Well, let's act you. So when you the first time you're pregnant, do you get pregnant on purpose? Like do you say yeah, so yeah, the lead up to it. Did you do anything about your blood sugar prior to becoming pregnant? Or how did you handle Yeah,

Ashley 46:07
so I didn't see my ob doctor. Once, it was like the fall before that. I was like, February, March, or whatever, I found I was pregnant with my son, and, you know, he did all like, want to make sure your kidneys are fine. And we're gonna check everything. Just make sure you're good and healthy. And you know, he did everything. It was fine. He's like one thing, just got to try to get your my agency at that time was like 7.2 or something. Like, I really want it down, like six, five or six to six, five. And so I did I was I was, you know, I had the pump then. It was a Medtronic pump. And then I was doing I don't think the sensor at that time. I think it No, I think I was the very first one. Which was awful, by the way. Oh, my God. I have so much scar tissue. It's terrible. Which one? It was the to the n light with n light. Yeah, who made that? But that's what Medtronic yeah. Oh, yeah. I

Scott Benner 47:12
said you live in Minnesota. You're not even allowed to say anything bad about Medtronic, they'll kick you right out of the state. Well, I'm not I'm I am meant to say a few words. And I'm not a fan of Medtronic. I will just say that. All I'm gonna say I'm not gonna bash I'm just going to keep my mouth shut. When I had my experience with it, but yeah, not only technology, in fairness to them very early technology. Yeah. Well, not great stuff.

Ashley 47:39
Yeah. And they were, I think one of the first who came out with it. I just did one of my papers on healthcare technology, and I chose to do it, you know, on sensors, why not? So I, I did all research on that. It was very interesting. Yeah. Like, you know, as far as when, what's the came out and, and just advances to for the future? As far as

Scott Benner 48:03
Yeah, listen, whenever you can move on from something that people used to refer to as a harpoon to something better, I think is it is a definite Right, right. Yeah, for sure. Well, um, well, hold on. Let me let me kind of poke around a little bit here for a second. Okay, so your media guy. How long until you have the baby after you're married?

Ashley 48:29
Oh, we got married 2010 and then 2012 February,

Unknown Speaker 48:38
March of 2012. A couple years that's pregnant

Scott Benner 48:41
Yeah, so yeah, those years a one see more in the sevens kind of Yeah, yep. Six Seven. Yeah. Still reasonably wild or life or are you kind of settling in by then I was doing schoolwork. Okay, life consisted of nursing school at that time. Gotcha. Yeah. And then when sort of kind of kind of intersects that having the baby and the getting on a pump all that sort of intersects time wise together. Then what about having a pump helped you?

Ashley 49:19
Well, I think well first, I was hesitant to go on it just because I technology and I just trusting It was my biggest thing. But then once I got on it, I'm like, why didn't I do this before? You know I mean, I think a lot of people feel that way. Um, I don't know it's just the the flexibility I can go run and then I don't have the you know what I mean? It's just a lot more. It it's just yeah, flexible, like compared to the lantis. And the novolog. are in Better yet, but NPH and regular, which old school but that's how they sold it

Scott Benner 49:57
back then though, right. Like, oh, you'll take less Shots will be fewer shots. And you only have to take one insulin and this thing's gonna make all your decisions. You'll just tell it how many carbs you're having like that was the sales pitch for a pump? All right. Right. Yeah. Right. And so yeah. And so what it basically allows you to do was, I mean, what were you doing prior on MDI, that wasn't happening on pumps? Were you skipping injections or not? Pre-Bolus thing? Or? What gets these work? Yeah, I

Ashley 50:26
think, I think a lot of it was not as I would say, closely monitored, my blood sugar, I would tend to just run higher, so then I knew I was safe, safer, and then I could go, you know, work out for two hours. And then I would be, you know, something crazy, because I was very active, and you know, and then I wouldn't crash. I mean, I wouldn't have that anxiety or that feeling of being low.

Unknown Speaker 51:01
Some people

Ashley 51:02
I don't, some people can tolerate it just fine. And they don't feel crappy when they're low. But

Scott Benner 51:06
well, back then your blood sugar was higher, more free. Great.

Ashley 51:09
So then your body, it's like a shock. When you're not used to, you know, even on blood sugar, like people who run high all the time, then they're like, 120. And they feel like they're low. Yeah.

Scott Benner 51:21
How about now? Is it different for you now?

Ashley 51:25
Yeah, it's, I mean, it's way better? Like, I'll be sometimes I'll I mean, it's actually, right. Don't feel it. I mean, if I don't have the swinging, like, my deviation is huge. You know, like, if it's not swinging so much, it's a lot better, and I won't feel hurt. I won't have hardly any symptoms. Okay. Like, I could be 55. And I won't have any or 15 I won't have symptoms, which can be a bad thing. Yeah. But, you know, if I don't have a ton of insulin on board, I know, I'm not going to die. I have glucose, you know, I'm not, there's things to intervene. Yeah, I guess I don't know why i've i've had just those few times that I had a really bad experience. And then I actually had to have like, not like therapy, but kind of a little bit to like, work through some of that.

Scott Benner 52:17
Oh, so you were really freaked out by it?

Ashley 52:19
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like it, it. It affected me for a while. And then. And then I was able to kind of overcome some of that, you know, and not be so afraid of it. Yeah. So it's just kind of getting that under control. Getting on a better system. You know, I had the Medtronic, the closed loop system. I felt like it would, when it worked. It worked great. But, you know, it was just like a couple day thing here and there and then calibrating. And it was just like, No, I can't I can't do that. So then my doctor I was recommended another system and gave it a shot. And but I did because I think I had two Medtronic pumps that they failed on me, unfortunately, like over the weekend. And so that really sucked. Because I was doing manual injections every two hours.

Scott Benner 53:12
I don't know where it's and the more people get on technology sooner and sooner and their diagnosis, the less they know how to do. I got a note from somebody in their day that was just in a panic because their pump broke. And they're like, I don't know how to do this other thing at all. Right? just completely lost, you know, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well, okay. So, when you asked to come on the show, what are you hoping to talk about? Like, are we getting to I guess,

Ashley 53:40
Well, okay, well, there's a few other things I would like to bring out. Tell me about it. Um, so obviously, like, I don't know, like you said, with hole lake. Fingers, like, less needle pokes. And then you feel like, at least for me, people like, Oh, you got to give yourself shots. You know, like, that's got to be the worst thing ever. And that's not the worst thing at all. Like, that's probably the easiest thing out of out of all of it. It's just, you know, like maintaining that window, and like balancing that teeter totter and making sure it's not tipping too far to the left or too far to the right. And, and I think it's just important for people to, to understand that and understand a difference of how it affects people differently. Like as far as diabetes goes,

Scott Benner 54:29
do you feel Do you feel like the people around you just don't get it? And there's

Ashley 54:34
so many people around here that don't get it. It's unbelievable. And like, I had a really bad experience. Two weeks ago. I had to go in. I had to go get checked out. Because I was not feeling good. My husband had come home. I went into the ER, we were exposed. Prior to that I had a babysitter here and she she texted me Hey, I'm sorry, I have a positive result. And so I thought, Okay, well, whatever we're just gonna get it waited out. And I, my sugars were higher that weekend. And then come Monday. I, I just did not feel right. And here I was like dehydrated. And I think it was just the busy what the void is not drinking enough. And my electrolytes were like all wacky. So anyways, I get into the ER, the ER doctors like, well, in order to check your blood sugar. And obviously I was like stressed at the time. So like my sugars, like I'm very sensitive that I get adrenaline, you know, just like shoots me way up, right? And so right away, he's like, Hey, you need to take your pump off more certain insulin drip, and look at him. And I'm like, the hell if you are like you're not starting an insulin drip on me. I said you can call my doctor and my doctor and I have that relationship, right? Have a cell phone number, don't call him up, you know? Because this doc was very adamant. Well, no, I have a 12 year old, you know, down the hallway. I know a DK is none. And when he said that, I go DK

Scott Benner 56:09
What? How high blood sugar.

Ashley 56:12
I think it was like 260. And I was just like, I don't know, I was just like, one 100 a 130. All that morning. And this was like at 1230. And I explained the situation I explained that, you know, I was not feeling the boss, I think I am just dehydrated. And sure enough, you know, when they drew metabolic panel on me and they you know, all my, my sodium was off potassium. And my bicarb was a little bit lower, too. And so because of that I wasn't NDK. But he basically said, you're going to be in DK starting you on a drip and you're taking the pump off. Like he wasn't a fan of the insulin pump.

Scott Benner 57:02
Well on so that's weird, because you would think that if you just got hydrated with, you know, through wine, your blood sugar probably would have fallen pretty quickly.

Ashley 57:11
Oh, yeah. And it did. I said you just wait a little bit. I said, once I get fluids, I will be fine. I will I guarantee it. I said I've had this for 28 years. And know myself. No, trying to tell the doctor this and just having them tell me is like probably the worst thing to do. Like I when it comes to that. You know what I mean? Like something you've had

Scott Benner 57:35
you just pick up for yourself? Yeah. Sounds like

Ashley 57:39
I get I get very like, like, protective, weird thing to say but like, just more like defensive a little bit when someone's going to tell me that they don't really have a lot of knowledge about I mean, some Yeah, he's a doctor. But, you know, my, thankfully when he did call my doctor then cuz he agreed to call before they did anything, because he wanted to give me 10 units of insulin right there your IV

Scott Benner 58:05
for 260. Yeah, that seems excessive. And I don't know what are your ratios? And that seems Oh,

Ashley 58:12
my sensitivity level like one unit will drop me 50 points. I said. I said you're not giving me that. And I was kinda like, not a panic, because I was getting I was getting a little bit angry. Not gonna lie. And so there's like two other people that came in, I kind of was like, Really? I mean, what you strap me down, you're gonna give me this? Like, I don't know, it was pretty crazy. And I don't know if it's just like the stress of pandemic right now. And everybody else was stressed. But it's just like, hey, you're just you're not doing that. You're gonna call him first and then you're, then we're gonna reevaluate the situation.

Scott Benner 58:48
Sounds like you handled it really well.

Ashley 58:50
I tried. I tried to just keep my cool, I don't get upset. It takes a lot get me upset. Yeah. And that is one thing that will get me upset.

Scott Benner 58:57
Well, you know, as far as I know, I get a note the other day from a mom who's a child is newly diagnosed. And her husband is a doctor. And so she's going through the diagnosis thing, more recently, doctors and hospitals not recognizing what's going on, had they not something and said something, you know, who knows what kind of care the kid would have gotten? leads the mother to say to me, you know, newly again, she's newly diagnosed family. And and she's like, you know, there should be more awareness around this, which obviously, people have been around diabetes for a while know that there's, you know, a constant push for there to be awareness around testing when people aren't feeling well, and generally speaking, explaining Type One Diabetes better to physicians. But I think the truth is that you can't really do that. No magic thing that any of us are going to do that is just going to blanket the country in the world with knowledge that everyone's going to soak up and have forever and never forget again the next time they see somebody with diabetes or showing signs or symptoms. It's just the the world's a continuing process. And yeah, oh yeah, you just have to keep educating, keep educating keep going. Right,

Ashley 1:00:07
right. Yeah. And that's, that's why I wasn't trying to get too upset. But in the same sense, like, I was, though, because you're gonna do this to me, and this is my body, and you're gonna bother me. Oh, wait, I have had bad experience in the past. And that has happened to me.

Scott Benner 1:00:24
No, I don't want to ignore, like the very visceral feeling you have, because I think it's obvious to have. But it that intention of people need to know, like, that sounds that I've heard spoken to me. Type to me said to me a million times over the last 15 years with well, meaning people have had bad experiences, who are like people need to know. And I'm like, Yes, they do. How are you gonna do that? I don't know. So there's not much you can do. Like, you know, like, as far as much awareness if this as this podcast spreads to people about type one in general, and how to manage insulin and things like that. If I went up on the internet right now, and deleted all these episodes, three weeks from now, everybody who learned something from this podcast would dissipate back into the world. And they that would be it, it would all start over again. And and i'm not i'm not reaching nearly everybody with diabetes. You know what I mean? Like, so it's just very difficult to, to quell that. That thirst for I wish everybody know that there's no bright, right? Yeah, I appreciate you adding your voice to the podcast, so that hopefully more people will know it, and this will help somebody. But

Ashley 1:01:37
well, I hope so. Cuz I mean, it's not like I'm trying to be like, okay, you know, get down on somebody, but just to be like, hey, like, I mean, they're obviously there's, there is like stereotyping with this disease. Yeah. I mean, wouldn't you say? I mean, as far as like, people, people just be like, oh, sugar, and that you can't eat that, you know, old school stuff. Right? Or aids girl. But yeah, right. Like, I yeah. And, and so I feel like, awareness needs to be more out there. And just the fact that diabetes isn't just, you know, just the shots. And it's, it's not, it's about just a constant balancing act. You don't I mean, it's just like, everything you do, you know, you sleep, it never goes away. I mean, for me, I mean, cuz I like to be in good control and get up go to the bathroom at night, I check where I'm at, you know, just because I like to be at a good number. I sleep the bus that a good number. I mean, and you feel the best.

Scott Benner 1:02:39
You want to wake up? Well, the whole thing, right? Listen, right? in absolute honesty, the way I think about diabetes, is that it just doesn't stop. And, and it does, I don't think about it. I don't think of that in like, necessarily a bad way. I mean, what I mean by it is, is that people segmented into Oh, my mornings are a problem or my overnights or I struggle at lunch, I just don't think about it that way. I think about it, like driving a car, like my car's in between the lines. And it's my goal to keep the car in between the lines, we don't want to swerve too far one way or too far the other way. Because when we do you know, when we go too far off the road, now we're in the weeds, we're bouncing rocks, and it's a lot harder to get back on the road and get stable again. So right in my opinion, much simpler to act, be an active participant in driving and just make the little adjustments the bumps in the notches and hold yourself in the lane, right? And then you never get high, you don't get high and then you don't get in that fight and then you don't crash down later. It's to me it's about small efforts throughout the day. That being proactive, basically. Yes, big things needed to be done. To I, I don't know, it just it makes sense to me that way. And it works that way. Like this morning, this morning at 6am. When I did not have to be up until seven at 6am. I got a text message from Arden that said, My pod is out of insulin. So she just we, you know, we thought we were gonna make it till the morning and we missed by an hour. So, you know, six o'clock comes, she texts me my pods out of insulin and I'm like, Alright, I'm gonna get up and I'll grab another pot. I'll fill it. I'll just take it up to a room. We'll slap it on. I'm gonna see if I can go back and get like another half an hour's worth of sleep and I knew she's still asleep. But keep in mind she didn't pop out of bed going while there's something to take care of. Now she told me when I said okay, she was like, okay, and she went right back to sleep again. So Phil, I let the dogs out. I'll be honest, yeah. Okay, the dogs. I grabbed a little insulin, put it in a pump went upstairs, we cleaned off a spot, put the pot on and buy in that free in that little amount of time. Her blood sugar went from 108 to 127 diagonal up so it was rising and I put that we put the pump on, I gave her what I felt like was a healthy Bolus, like she got like two units. You know, and trust me, it doesn't take two units to move Arden from 128 to, you know, to 95 or 85. Right. But I just figured why she hasn't had basil for the last 20 minutes or so. And, you know, right. I don't know how this is all going. And we never experienced a spike after that, like 111 now, and she's only been wearing the new pod for a few hours. And I would like to make a small adjustment. And I probably will, after I get done talking to you, I'll talk to her about being a little more aggressive right here with a 111. But I think that's just a great example of, of just not getting too far off course, ever. Right? You know, right? Yep. And, by the way, going back a second, I wish that I could think of a better way to spread awareness about type one. Because, you know, I don't talk about it much. But that was my whole goal when I started my blog. Yeah,

Ashley 1:06:03
I think I mean, through, through everyone's, like, listening to you. I learned a lot. I mean, I didn't. I would Pre-Bolus but not as often as I do. Now, I mean, just hearing, hearing other people's stories to that you have on there. It's It's all I think you learn from other people's experiences, too. Well, I agree. So you are, you know, spreading awareness. Yeah, you know, what you doing is like, really great thing.

Unknown Speaker 1:06:33
You're very nice. I wanted to be on here. Oh, thank

Scott Benner 1:06:35
you. Get you sweet talking me trying to get title change, but it's not gonna work. It's not gonna work. Well, but first of all, thank you. That was very nice. And secondly, what I meant was, I don't I believe that I'm spreading awareness. And I think there's valuable information in the podcast like, Yeah, but I mean, like that one blanket magic wand. Everyone knows and we can start from a new reality that doesn't agree. You know? You can't Yeah, mandate, that kind of understanding. Alright, sure. Yeah, I very much enjoyed this. I just want to go over it again very quickly. When life is difficult. That is what what's the word? rough. Right. A dog says, and not a wolf. Right. But what's the rough right and the thing on the topic? rough and rough. But what's the thing on the top of your house? What was that? What's the thing on the top of your house that keeps you dry? Oh, rough. Let's see. You said roof the first time and I change it. trying too hard the first time and you said there's no way she says roof in general. Like just when she's talking? It's rough. Right? It's It's rough. Alright, so I knew I get for the Minnesota accent. Hey, listen, I was already anticipating it was three different words. That mean three completely different things. Yeah, you do what you're saying? Exactly the same way? Yeah. Pretty much. You're too landlocked. I need to get you to an ocean. When's the last time you saw on ocean?

Ashley 1:08:20
Oh, my God. Right before it was 2012. We went to Mexico. I know we haven't we were supposed to go on a trip. My husband and I tell your story. It was through his work. And it was right at the pandemic though. And it was a free trip. Yeah, losing my trip is the worst thing ever. Super bummer. I know. And so he was really looking forward to it, which I don't blame him at all. And first time leaving the kids too. So it's just

Unknown Speaker 1:08:51
like, well,

Ashley 1:08:52
let's just do it. It'll be good for us and for them. And you know, yeah. And then I got canceled because of everything. And so it's been I think it's just been a really rough year for a hard year.

Unknown Speaker 1:09:06
I should say.

Scott Benner 1:09:06
No, no, you should say a rough year.

Ashley 1:09:08
I know. I probably say that. We're way too much. There's other words I say way too much to my husband always reminds me

my kids say it too. I mean they're like little you know everything I do I hear what they say and like, Oh my god, I

Unknown Speaker 1:09:23
say that way too much.

Scott Benner 1:09:24
Well, generally speaking, what kind of work does your husband do? I'm like hydraulic builds elevators. Wow. And that was gonna get you a trip somewhere. Nice.

Ashley 1:09:37
Yeah, he works for a company that they are. They're really generous and they they you can like when trips places. I mean it wasn't the ocean.

Scott Benner 1:09:46
But it was not home wherever those kids are. Right which way just need

Ashley 1:09:51
a little break because we haven't, you know had just us time in a while but that should get me a lot

Scott Benner 1:09:56
which which closet were you going to lock the children in when you left Are we gonna leave them aside? We the

Ashley 1:10:01
downstairs room a little bit of light, but it can hear on them? Yeah. We have really good friends that would have taken them. We had it all planned out. And then, you know, plans change.

Scott Benner 1:10:14
But well, I think that when you especially when you live in the middle of the country, it's hard to get to the ocean. Now I'm not I got my brother married his wife in St. JOHN, the Virgin Islands, which I always very grateful because he's like, you know, we're trying to decide if we should have he said, we're trying to decide if we should have a bigger wedding here in Wisconsin are a much smaller wedding in St. JOHN. And I said, Well, I'm voting, much smaller wedding in St. JOHN, mainly because I don't want to come to Wisconsin. But But. But mostly because I'd like to go to a beach. And as he went back and forth, I actually sent him a note once and I said, I'm willing to make the gift larger, because we're going to give the money. I was like, I'm willing to make the gift larger if we can go to do this on an island. And so my brother got married on the on the beach, which was really lovely. Except it was very interesting to see his wife who had pretty much like, never seen the ocean before. See it for the first time in St. JOHN, you know? Yeah, yeah. Just the I feel for you guys. And at the same time, I'm jealous. I would. When I dream about running away and retiring somewhere in my mind. It's like Wyoming or Utah or something like that, you know?

Ashley 1:11:27
Yeah, it's beautiful out there. Like Idaho. Yeah, I've been out there a few times. It's a whole different country.

Scott Benner 1:11:32
Yeah. I'll end up dying in New Jersey. But I understand what you're saying. I felt lymph node right now. I just reached her on my neck the other day at a bump on my neck. And I said to Kelly, I'm like, feel this. What is this? What does this she? He goes, Well, that's not good. And I said, why would you lead with that? I said, I might have a little bit. Like I said, My nose is a little stuffy. And she goes, do you have COVID? I'm like, No, no, I'm like, but this is definitely a lymph node. Right. You know, when they get kind of like, yeah. Oh, yeah. We're fighting something swelled up. It's a No, I'm just touching it. Like I'm positive. I have neck cancer. You don't mean like she is Yeah. Yeah, but I'm just like, Oh, this right here. I'm never gonna make it the Wyoming. I want to see. I mean, don't you want to see a bison? Do you guys have moose or elk there or something? Don't you?

Ashley 1:12:22
Yeah. So we have there is like a state park over here. And we can drive through and see the bison over there. And we have like a Yeah, we have a lot of state parks around here. Which is nice. Because then we can go you know, actually do something because you can't really do anything else. Or then stuff that's outside. So you know, COVID

Scott Benner 1:12:43
I'm down with that. I really am. I was selling it to Kelly the other day. I was selling not telling I was like, I just need a good internet connection and a microphone. I can do my job. And I was like so where can you do yours from cuz it's I hate this place. Not New Jersey. Like I like the people. I think it's a guy living runner. It's just I wish it's gonna get cold and dark and gloomy. And stay that way for way too long. While

Ashley 1:13:09
Yeah, I've never been on East about last winter California. Texas xcO. Idaho, Wyoming, but I've never been out. Oh, so I think the most we were in South Carolina for a honeymoon. Hilton Head Island.

Scott Benner 1:13:25
Yeah. The banner. Yeah. All right. We still we have. I've been to the Outer Banks of North Carolina a couple of times. And that's a nice trip. But I've enjoyed I enjoyed it. When I was in Texas. I wish people would I wish a COVID would go away and people would invite me back to Texas. I'd like to I'd like to see Austin and yeah, yeah, it's Yeah, it's fun. But anyway, all right. Well, listen, we've done a good thing here today. I don't know what we did. But I enjoyed it. Yeah, yeah. Thanks. I probably could have rambled on a little bit more. But no, you're cool. You got something else. I'm not gonna cut you off if you have something else.

Ashley 1:14:00
Well, I mean, I think that the other thing too, like during the time I scheduled this with you. And then and then I think you told you about my stepdad passed away, like two, almost three months ago. I'm sorry, it was the end of August. And so he was type one. So not what related. But the other family member I know other family members. My cousin is actually but

Scott Benner 1:14:24
your cousin. So yeah,

Ashley 1:14:25
yeah. So we're a Yeah, he so that is I would say there's one on my mom's side. But as far as him my stepdad, you know, he, he, we got like an autopsy. And how because I thought he was wearing a pump. That was it was weird because I had the recall letter in the mail about it. And about some other reservoir, you know, infusing the entire thing or something like that, okay. And he was wearing that pump and so I was just like, Well, you know, it was very unexpected. A mom found him. I mean, really unfortunate that it happened we did. But, um, but yeah, I my first thought in my head was I want to see his pump. And so I got ahold of it. And I saw, like all the history on it. And everything and I got maybe he gave too much, or the pump gave too much. And he just he woke up, he was not coherent. And that was that. And so they're still actually looking into it right now. But they did find other things. I mean, as far as like, you know, what I talked about, it's important to have a good agency, but it's also important to have good cholesterol, and good blood pressure, I remember an episode you were talking about, you know, if you were to look at or to think about diabetes, from a physical standpoint, like if you would actually see inside your vessels in your veins, and you have too much sugar in them, it's like sandblasting your veins, I think you were talking about that one episode, right? And basically, that's he, he didn't keep the bus care, you know, manage his diabetes the bus, but he was was trying, I think that like the end. And so he did have like, arterial sclerosis of his arteries of his heart, which they did fine. And so I think with just being type one, I think it's just important to take all those preventative health measures, you know, like getting the cholesterol checked, and all of the things you should be doing. Other than having a good agency. Yes. I guess my other thing I wanted to bring up for people take care of your overall health

Scott Benner 1:16:41
is a is a big deal for everybody. Not just people with diabetes, that's for certain.

Ashley 1:16:46
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Sure. So yeah, I think there's just some other factors that go into it that that play a huge role, and just overall health and and, you know, and women who are type one, two, that was the other stigma I wanted just shortly touch on was just like the you know, your type once you're having a big baby, you know, that's, that's why your babies are huge, because your blood sugar is out of control, because my last son was almost 12 pounds. And he wants he was six, two. Okay. And so I just had these ginormous children. Like I was carrying

Scott Benner 1:17:28
triplets. You get hate mail from your vagina ever? Well, I mean, I'd see sections. Oh, okay. I don't think I don't think that was even possible. I would have zipper installed. You know, just in case I'm not like the biggest person so I carrying these boys. Let's take it up to the statue right here in my side. If you don't mind, that'd be great.

Ashley 1:17:51
Yeah, I mean, I would walk around, I would get the craziest looks from people and, you know, but it just how tall are you? I five, six.

Scott Benner 1:18:01
Okay, with this giant baby in front of you. Yeah, yeah. So I

Ashley 1:18:07
yeah. So I have my my first son was very preterm. He was like, he was airlifted and stuff, but he was six pounds. My middle son was full term. And then my youngest son was a big boy. It was 23 inches long, just big in early. Oh,

Scott Benner 1:18:25
I just held my hands out in front of me. 24 inches apart. And now I'm making it 12 pounds in my mind. And I'm thinking,

Unknown Speaker 1:18:31
wow, big baby.

Scott Benner 1:18:34
You had your three year old dog is what Yeah,

Ashley 1:18:36
yeah. Yeah, pretty much, right. Like, I mean, my cousin has, you know, twin girls, and I don't think they've even reached like, nine pounds yet. You know, they're like Kibana, you're four months old. But like, my mom had big children. And so it's not that she's not diabetic or anything. I think it's I just think there's more things that play into it that why people have big babies, but that was my biggest thing. Oh, you're diabetic? Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:19:05
You're no one's ever said that to me before that, because I have diabetes. So my babies are bigger. I'm gonna bring that up to Jenny. Next time I talked to Johnny. That's it.

Ashley 1:19:12
Yeah, they I always got that there was just like, Oh, well, you're like, No, I won't see it with my middle son was like in the 5%. The whole time. He was 10 pounds, 12 ounces.

Scott Benner 1:19:25
I just think people know what they're talking about. And they just get you don't

Ashley 1:19:29
they do? They do. And I think that's my, my biggest reason why I'm to come on here is just obviously sharing my experience with this disease and how it really does affect everybody differently and just not pass judgment right away, I guess. I mean, I think we've all done that at some point in our life. I'm guilty of it. And but I think it's just the fact that it's becoming so much more common is the right word to use

Scott Benner 1:19:59
for people. Just Just Yeah, yeah, they don't. They don't really know to be true. They'll just willing to say out loud.

Ashley 1:20:06
Yeah, we're just, you know, just on educated. You know, yeah, they're just saying thank you saying,

Scott Benner 1:20:12
Yeah, people just like to blurt out the first thing that comes to their mind. And then a lot of anecdotal evidence and what people say, Yeah, for sure, sure. I'm a fan of that, of knowing that that's true. And so that you can avoid it. I just last night, had a person telling me like, I'm trying to get a pump for my kid and the doctor won't give it to me. And I was like, why should they wouldn't say, I was like, well just tell them you want to pump it be persistent. Tell them I don't care just I'm getting a pump for my kid. And I like the kids basil could support the pump. The kids basil needs could support the pumps. So there's no reason that they can't have it if they want it. And you know, just why some arbitrary idea of, you know, this is how we do it. Or, you know, wait, we don't give pumps out till you had diabetes for a year because that's how we

Ashley 1:21:00
that's how it is around here is like, you know, if you're, I mean, I'm thinking in my head, okay. One of my boys get it. They they're going on a pump. They're old enough. Where they are going up. There's no way in hell I'm doing. You know? Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 1:21:15
yeah, there.

Scott Benner 1:21:16
Yeah, there wrote the pot roast story. Really, it's the the little girl and her mom are making a pot roast and the mom pulls the meat out, cuts both ends off, it puts it the pan sticks in the oven. daughter's inquisitive and asks why she got the ends off the pot roast. The mom says she doesn't know that's how my mom always made it. So they go find the grandmother and ask her why. And the grandmother said, I don't know. Like, that's just how my mom made it. So they went to the old folks home and found the great grandmother and said, Great Grandma, Mom, mom and grandma mom say that. You cut the ends off the pot roast and learning how to cook. And I'd like to know why do we cut the ends off the pot roast? The old lady thinks and thinks and thinks she goes oh yeah, I used to have a really short pan. And you know, that's just how people's minds work. They start doing things for reasons. They don't know why they're doing them. And at some point, they start believing there's a really good important has to be reason why the ends get cut off the pot roast or why you can't have an insulin pump for 12 months or whatever other stupid thing that you get lulled into believing as a rule, because it's just been happening for so long. You forgot to ask why. Right? You know? Right, right. Yeah, so sure. I hear you. Well,

Unknown Speaker 1:22:25
yeah, actually, thank

Scott Benner 1:22:26
you very much for doing this. I really appreciate it.

Ashley 1:22:28
Yeah, thanks. Thanks for having me. I was really looking forward to this. Oh, my God, I gotta make sure I make it work this time. I just that first time around. And then I made sure like, as you know, someone needs anything for my kids. And like, Don't call me during this time. Usually, I'm a busy person. So I'm really

Scott Benner 1:22:47
appreciate you taking that seriously. For clarity, what you're talking about is that you're you're an hour behind me. And so I basically sat in front of my microphone for 15 minutes going, this girl is not coming.

Ashley 1:22:58
It's I know when I felt horrible, like God, he probably thinks I'm totally ditching him. And I just I felt terrible. And then my husband's like, Ashley, I'm like, I know. I'm like, I

Unknown Speaker 1:23:07
didn't think about the time.

Scott Benner 1:23:10
So I think my sister, but I don't think people I just think it's a comment like you. You hear nine o'clock or 10 o'clock and you think your time you don't think somebody else's time, right? It took me years. Makes me feel better than other people. But I'm not the only one. Yeah, that's the first one. That's for sure. And I know how I can pivot away from it very quickly. I'm like, okay, seems like a timezone problem. We can redo this Goodbye, and then I go back to my life. So yeah, you didn't hold me up or anything. I really appreciate this. Good. Good.

Ashley 1:23:37
Yeah, me too. I'm glad we can make it work. And I was a pleasure being on here.

Scott Benner 1:23:43
I'm glad you had fun. Yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure. Well, I want to wish you luck with with school. And yeah,

Ashley 1:23:51
thank you. Yeah, it'll be it'll be a little challenging. I think we're having them all home, but we'll develop some kind of some kind of system.

Scott Benner 1:24:00
Now. You've got that closet downstairs. They could always just say that, right? Yes, there'll be fine. desk in there. Shut the door. And here you go. Good work. They really sound like some kids. You could just put them on like a I don't know like a 20 to 30 foot lead maybe and stake them to so they could get outside inside reach a bathroom go to school. I think they'll be fine. These kids sound tough to me, sir. I just have a water dish there and some sea snacks. Yeah. All right. Thanks so much. Yeah, thanks, Scott. I appreciate it. Of course.

Did I not tell you Ashley was terrific. And did I lie? I did not. Thank you so much, Ashley for coming on and being so honest and open and such a great conversationalist. Thank you to the diabetes pro tip episodes of the Juicebox Podcast and the defining diabetes episodes of the Juicebox Podcast are sponsoring this episode of the Juicebox Podcast. I'm just kidding. Head over to diabetes pro tip calm and get started today. Before the music ends, let me thank all of you for your support of the show. seriously amazing. Whether it's people in the private Facebook group helping each other great reviews that are being left, how you're sharing the show with each other, subscribing and podcast apps Your support is seen and really appreciate it.