#590 Empty Nest
Susan is an adult type 1 and a mother.
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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, and welcome to episode 590 of the Juicebox Podcast.
On today's show, I'll be speaking with Susan. She is a person who emails me a lot. Not a ton, but a fair amount. And I liked her emails and thought, well, I bet I'd like Susan. And I did. And I think you might too. Please remember, 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, or becoming bold with insulin. I don't want to give this all away. So I'll just tell you that Susan was diagnosed at age 14, and she's just recently turned 60 years old. She's had type one diabetes for quite some time. Her experiences are interesting. Her perspective, unique, and her style is delightful. Hello. Hello. Hi.
Susan 1:08
Hi, Scott. Are you like I know you but you don't know me? It's very weird.
Scott Benner 1:14
I feel like you'd think you know me and I definitely don't know you. That's that's the that's the whole point of this right
Susan 1:22
now. So we don't see each other. Is that correct? It's just Yes, yes. Okay,
Scott Benner 1:27
that's fine. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. Find out more at contour next one.com forward slash juicebox. Get the meter that my daughter uses. This episode is also sponsored by Omni pod makers of the Omni pod dash and the Omni pod promise. You'll find out more about the promise later. But right now, let me tell you that if you're interested in finding out if you're eligible for a free 30 day supply of the Omni pod dash, it's just a click away at Omni pod.com forward slash juicebox.
Susan 2:04
Hi, I'm Susan. I live in Jacksonville, Florida, which I never thought I would live in. And I have had type one diabetes. Well, next month will be my 45th diversity. And so that you know, and I got it when I was 14, and had a bad start. Rough many, many years.
Scott Benner 2:27
Before I asked you about that. Do you broadcast your voice for a living? Or have you in the past? You have a very lovely voice?
Susan 2:33
Oh, you're so sweet. No, I was actually thinking about how I probably would hate my voice if I was hearing it today. And you know, but I just have to speak and not think about that. Because otherwise I would hate it. I probably mess something up.
Scott Benner 2:50
Of all the things that I know you're very welcome. But of all the things that I don't expect from people, that's one of them that they're very concerned with what their voice sounds like. And I always say the same thing. Like no one knows what you sound like either even you by the way, you don't know what you sound like,
Susan 3:04
well, we hear our voices through the bones in our heads. So we don't hear our voices the way other people hear though.
Scott Benner 3:11
No, but your your voice is smooth. It's a little creamy, a little smoky. And then you modulate once in a while. It's like you're doing it on purpose. But you're not are you?
Susan 3:21
No, not at all. That's really great, though, I do love the idea of like, reading out loud. I used to do that with you know, when my kids were little I read to them out loud and you know, good. And I listened to podcasts and books on, you know, on audio, so I know that it matter. You know what I was doing it very unconsciously.
Scott Benner 3:44
Well, no, it's so funny that that's what you thought of because the juxtaposition is, I was thinking, you know, back in the 80s when those adult phone lines were open, you probably could have made a lot of money.
Susan 3:57
So you can really still use a you know, like, a little from home occupation. So
Scott Benner 4:02
I don't think that business anymore, though. I mean, I think technology has gone past a lady on the phone being nice, too. So yeah, that's true. It's got to do you remember in back in the day like at midnight on you're watching television, all of a sudden like a stark phone number would pop up in front of you and some girl in what appeared to be a lingerie would start telling you to call her and you're like, why is this happening? And I really hope my parents don't see this.
Susan 4:31
She had real smoky creamy voice. I mean, that was over the top. Yeah, I think we I mean I know the type. I'm not that type but like yes, I remember.
Scott Benner 4:42
Alright, now you're like listen, this is not what I expected from this. Tell me
Susan 4:47
listen to enough of your own
Scott Benner 4:48
you thought this was my
Susan 4:50
baby you you know and and their conversations and that's that's really
Scott Benner 4:53
good. For you said 14 When you're diagnosed. I was How old are you now? Can I ask
Susan 5:00
Well 45th Diversity next month and my birthday is in October. So let's see calculator. So
Scott Benner 5:06
hold on 45 is easy. And then you add 10 to it. That's what I would do. 55 And then you got to get the four that you left behind. That makes you 59
Susan 5:15
That is correct. And I've tried ever since I turned 50 I've trained myself to not be embarrassed to say that because it is a little bit of a mind bender. When inside you feel young, and I do feel young inside in so many ways. I don't feel like what my impression when I was young of what a six year old would be. So, and I have friends of all different ages, which I really love, and I really proud of that. So, um, yeah, I'm gonna be 60 in October. Anyway, so yeah, 14 years old, we change things I would
Scott Benner 5:52
imagine. So do you remember anything about it?
Susan 5:56
About my diagnosis? I remember. So it happened in June when I actually finally got a diagnosis. I do remember. I was in eighth grade. And I remember spending, like probably two semesters of running to the water fountain as soon as class would let out. You know, impeding lot all the classic symptoms. But my mother who was usually a, you know, run them to the doctor at the first sniffle. I think subconsciously, she knew something was really going down. And I think she was I'm surmising here. But I do think she just, she knew that I had a regularly scheduled doctor's appointment in June. So we waited it out. And I do also remember that the last week or two before that doctor's appointment, I was too sick to go to school, like I was home, and I remember orange juice, I remember going to a fair, we would have a memorial day fair in our town, and there would be you know, Slurpees and can be cotton and stuff like that. And I was not like a big sweets person. But I remember like really screwy dietary choices. Because I didn't know what was going on in my body. Anyway, then I got my diagnosis. Um, you know, I was in the hospital, my parents came in, and they were like deer in the headlights. And I kind of sort of said a 14 year old, who didn't know what she was doing loose, you know, to her own devices. And my doctor was not I, you know, if they, if it were my kid now, I would switch them to an endo right away. But they let my primary care physician be you know, do everything. And I remember leaving the hospital after about a week saying, shouldn't I get a special diet or something? And I was told, you can eat what you always eat. Just don't eat too much sugar. I mean, oh my God. Is that bad advice? Or what? So honestly, I don't even know how I stumbled through the last 40 years. I really don't. And I consider myself very, very lucky that I do not have any severe complications.
Scott Benner 8:33
That's I mean, I, I'm a little frozen by it not because not because my experience was so much different, or that things are so much different now. But because of what you just said that you came out the other side. So like, not effortlessly, but well? And how? Like, do you ever think about that, like the randomness of Lacan? Oh, yeah.
Susan 8:58
Because I think some of it was genetics, you know, because I can't account for it any other way. And I just like, I didn't know what I was doing. And it wasn't till. Honestly, there was it was, it's been a life journey that I kind of only embraced in stages. So I met my future husband when we I was in my late 20s. And that was the beginning of kind of wanting to take care of myself better. I mean, no one ever said, Hey, listen, you're really going to have to do this on your own. And because you see your endo like once every three months, like they can't live with you every day. So you're gonna have to do this and you're good. You better study about it too. And I really just ignored all of that. And then I you know, and then I we decided we wanted to get pregnant and you know, I know knew I had to take care of myself on a different level to do that, in preparation for it. And during the pregnancy,
Scott Benner 10:06
did you know that the doctor told you? Or was it a feeling?
Susan 10:10
Um, I don't, I'm trying to remember if it was like me reading or the doctor taught parallely both, but there was that image of you want to make your body your incubation incubator, like as, as close to normal as possible. And so as a pregnant mother, you're, you're, you're thinking, Oh, my goodness, like, oh, day 72 My blood sugar's high. What part of the baby is developing today that I could be affecting for its life? So you know that yeah, I was really aware that I had to be really, really careful. And my blood sugar's were great. I was still on multiple daily injections. I had an endo at the time, I was living in New York City at the time, and my endo had said, I had asked him about these newfangled things called pumps, like, and he said to me, I know you, Susan, you it will remind you all the time that you're diabetic, you will not like having one. And that was really bad advice. And I don't know whether he some people have suggested that maybe he just didn't know how to help you, you know, have a patient with a pump? And I don't know, I'm not going to pin that on him. Maybe he really did think he knew me.
Scott Benner 11:33
Um, maybe maybe people should keep the first thought they have inside of their head till they're sure about it. That's a problem that people had like, oh, occurred to me what's
Susan 11:42
happening is when my son became a toddler, I found that I could not you know, I my blood sugar's were all over the map, because I was dealing with him first and dealing with me after. And I just thought, and by then we were living in New Jersey, and I had a different Endo, who had handed me a VCR. Remember, VCRs, she'd handed me a VCR, about about pumps from one of the pump companies. And she said, Just keep it. You know, one of these days, maybe you'll watch it, maybe you'll be interested. And I remember seeing it in my VCR player, when my kid was about two, two and a half. And because I thought I'll never have any more children. If these are my blood sugar's I can't do it right now. And I looked at that video, and I said, Oh, my goodness, I need one yesterday. And we got a pump really fast. I believe it wasn't an sunshine, remember, because we I did stay anonymous for a good long time. Until they
Scott Benner 12:52
I'm amazed that your endo gave you a VCR tape and gave you the instruction like you hear from people when they want you to think about life insurance. Take the packet home, look at it when you have time. Yeah, that's interesting.
Susan 13:06
I guess the older the other end, is, his voice was in my head, maybe? Like this isn't? Yeah, she didn't give me a hard sell, which was probably fine. Because then when it was meant to be then I moved on head. So then oh, and the other thing that first endo had said to me was, I challenge you to show me a person on a pump that has as good blood sugars as you do now, I did get through a twin pregnancy on MDI, and they were good blood sugars. But, you know, of course, I don't know if he was looking at the hemoglobin a one C at the time, because we know that that is not like I knew I was getting highs and lows. Not not necessarily during the pregnancy, that I mean about that all the other times,
Scott Benner 13:55
what's that, like? Cuz you're, you're, you're an adult, right? Like, I don't mean that other people on here on adults. I mean, you've got experience on top of decades. So what is that really like when you know the truth, and yet the person across from you is gone. You're doing great. And when when he says or she says you're doing great, and you're thinking I'm not I almost fell over on the kitchen floor the other day, and then my budget was 400 After I corrected it, like, why not speak up? It feels like going to a mechanic and you know, the car won't stop and the mechanic goes, I This thing's great. You just go okay, and you drive away like why not go no, no, no, the brakes don't work. Help me.
Susan 14:33
Well, I'll tell you exactly why. You know, it took a long time to change a mindset because I you know, I had been in that particular group for a very long time. That's one thing. I didn't have a I didn't have a concept of really, where my blood sugar's should be like what was truly healthy and I will tell you one other thing about my lows. I think I've been enormously fortunate. I've never had a seizure. I know that you had that experience with Arden. I've never had a seizure. I have never passed out. I passed out once in my adult life and had nothing to do with diabetes, believe it or not.
Scott Benner 15:19
Is it when you found out you had to move to Florida? Pardon me? Did I find that I had to move to Florida?
Susan 15:26
Honestly, where Jacksonville isn't like the rest of Florida, and we really love it here isn't
Scott Benner 15:30
people from all over Florida, listen to the podcast be nice.
Susan 15:34
Like we'd like our community very much. Um, but no, I just, um, I think I that was never I haven't been afraid of Lowe's. Or maybe some of that was ignorance. I mean, when after hearing some stories on your podcast, I think, oh, you know, maybe you should be a little bit more concerned. I could feel them even before I had the technology to show me where my blood sugars were heading. I could feel them I never was insulin on or, you know, low unaware. And I would treat them and I never walk out of the house without juice boxes. So you know, I love the name of your podcast is very close to that. Is it like small ones, I found the small with
Scott Benner 16:18
the tiniest ones to fit in your purse, I'm always worried when I give them the art. I'm like they're gonna break open in there and ruin the purse. Like that's what I always think about and never happens. And I'm always by the way, whoever makes juice boxes is an engineering genius, because you can basically throw them around and squeeze them and they won't break anyway, props to that person.
Susan 16:35
I've had like, some be carried around long enough so that they start to lose their shape. And then they will start to leave.
Scott Benner 16:47
You think yourself, I'm going to throw this one out. This one's done its job even though I haven't drank it? Or do you? Or do you follow through and trick?
Susan 16:56
Oh, um, it depends on if it's an emergency. Yeah. I mean, honestly, if it's starting to leak, I'm throwing it. But if you you know, if I've discovered it, say I'm in my bedroom, minutes the morning and I'm refilling my handbag or something, right? You know, if I'm somewhere, you know, it's Yeah, try doing a try doing a juice box with a mask on on an airplane. I didn't do that. I decided that was not going to work because I recently flew to California, like, can't do it. It's a two handed proposition in order to remove the bottom part of your mask. If you're really trying to keep masked, you just can't
Scott Benner 17:36
you imagine a person sitting next to you doesn't know you're that's like this lady's breaking the mask rules to have a juicy juice. Let's
Susan 17:45
see, when my kids were little. I mean, my kids kind of understood that this was mommy's medicine. But I remember a friend of theirs. One day, looking at me we were sitting in, in our synagogue, and he looked at me and it was really young. And he wanted one too. And I'm so sorry, this is like,
Scott Benner 18:08
get away kid. I saw a gentleman at an event one time, who had type one who was a massive person, you know, he was six, four and probably weighed 240 pounds, and he was this huge guy. And he was walking around drinking this juice. And it was it just looked so much tinier in his hand than it does anywhere else. And it, it felt both kind of initially ridiculous. And then the more I looked at him, I thought looking help kind of like effortlessly and without consideration. This grown GIANT PERSON is wandering around and just drinking it felt nice afterwards that he didn't feel automatic, you know what I mean? But yeah, but back to my question, though, like so all that time prior. And the doctor just tells you like hay, whatever you say you have to change your your perspective. And your idea of what good is and you're telling a common story that most people tell I met a person I wanted to be healthier, I want to have children I want to be healthier, like that kind of stuff that seems to be very human that idea of I don't need to better myself until it benefits someone else I've given up on understanding it just seems like that's how it is.
Susan 19:18
I think I connected that actually embrace like I do now, but I know now that the bad, right? Take care of myself that, you know, then then, like I have to pay a lot of attention to diabetes in order to have a better quality of life. And in the past I thought that ignoring the diabetes, which is like good, it was rare, and I had to deal with it when it was too high or too low. But I really like oh my goodness when you're on it. Well, when I first started taking injections, it was Lintian regular and it sets your course for the day. Yeah, you You know, and I balked against that. And honestly, I don't think it was ever Well, I was ever well schooled in it. But I just like, pumps were made for me I needed to be able to live my life in a, you know, where life was coming first, not whatever schedule was set for me and I and as I said, my parents were deer deer in the headlights, so I didn't really, they didn't know what was going on. They didn't really try to educate themselves. You know, I wasn't sent to diabetes camp. I didn't know any other type one diabetics for decades.
Scott Benner 20:42
Right. And you were was an island. My math is right. You were diagnosed in the mid 70s. Ish. Yeah,
Susan 20:48
- Everyone was else was celebrating the, you know,
Scott Benner 20:53
the centennial? Well, but my where I was going with that is, do you remember how old your parents were around that time? Ish?
Susan 21:02
I could figure it. Let's see. Yeah, mom would have been about 44 Because she had me when she was 30. So
Scott Benner 21:09
your mom was born in the mid 30s? Then? Pardon me? Your mom was born in the mid 30s. Meaning that she grew up in a world where like, people got sick and died. Like it wasn't she hurt her space wasn't, you know, like, oh, you get sick and then someone figures it out. Or they give you this neat medicine that does something or it was like she was only mean, she grew up in a time where friends died, where people went to the hospital didn't come back for things that today you don't even think of as being dangerous. That's so interesting. I'm sure she's passed now. But that'd be very interesting to hear from somebody. Like I wonder if you were diagnosed and she just thought, Oh, we lost one.
Susan 21:48
Well, here's the irony of irony. Well, first of all, she I was her firstborn. And she had already lost a brother in infancy. Not infancy. But like toddler, a young adulthood like maybe four to leukemia, and then another brother in the Korean War, so No, she wasn't gonna let me go easily, I don't think. But um, where was I going with that? I don't know. I don't remember
Scott Benner 22:22
when you said Korean War. It made me think of mash. So my head just awful. Oh, yeah.
Susan 22:26
I remember the first episode. Like literally, I remember watching it.
Scott Benner 22:30
Yeah, I know. People don't understand that idea anymore. It's like being somewhere on a day to time to watch TV show. But yeah, but But my point just was, I wonder how much control she felt like she had probably none. And maybe she thought you were a better option than she was. Which is ridiculous. I mean, you are a parent of a parent that you know, 14 year olds are not really good at things.
Susan 22:56
Well, I was terrible. I will also say, In her defense. I was a very headstrong kid. And if someone tried I mean, she probably, you know, first of all, she she did trust my intelligence. But, you know, I don't think she had an any clue as to what she was really, you know, leaving me up to here. But I really was very headstrong. So, um, was she
Scott Benner 23:24
aware that you would get dizzy that you would like that the things that would happen to you because, you know, it just occurs to me while we're talking that you've had so much experience with this. I'm not calling you old. I'm just saying it's it's it's a nice thing like you have a depth and length of experience to be able to tell me if living prior to faster acting insulin pumps, the CGM that I did. Did you just feel like you're? I don't know, driving with your eyes closed and just waiting to hit something to turn the other direction?
Susan 23:58
In retrospect, absolutely. And Apple spec completely,
Scott Benner 24:01
how much do you think that impacted your life? I'm gonna start today by speaking about the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump. My daughter who is 17 years old has been wearing it on the pod every day since she was four every day beyond the pod, and it has been nothing but a friend through this entire time on the pod is tubeless. It is wireless. And it is lovely. Just this little pod that you where it holds the insulin right inside of it. And so it doesn't have to be connected back to some controller that's holding your insulin. It's all with you constantly. When you need to make an adjustment or give yourself insulin. You pull out a little handheld device. And you push a couple of buttons. Bada bing, bada boom, it's all done. Back in your bag back in your pocket with the device. And that's that this tubeless thing it's important because you can Shower bave swim with the Omni pod on you don't have to take it off all of the other insulin pumps that are wired like that you have to take them off to enter the water not with Omnipod isn't that convenient? It is. How about when you're playing sports or doing activities where you're worried that your tubing might get caught? You don't have that concern with an omni pod. Now you can go to Omni pod.com forward slash juicebox to find out more about this. But before you go, let me tell you this one brief story. It's crazy. And it's true. A friend of mine recently broke their finger in an insulin pump tubing accident, how I realized that is a something that's not going to happen every day. But as soon as I heard that, I thought, well, that wouldn't happen with Omni pod. No tube. Don't worry, she's okay. Omni pod.com Ford slash juice box head over and find out. If you're eligible for the free 30 day supply of the Omni pod dash insulin pump. You can also ask them to send you a free demo pod. We're just poke around the website. And if you're thinking Well, Scott, I will but maybe not today because I'm waiting for that next big thing from Omni pod. If you're thinking that you don't have to because there's no need to wait for the next big thing because with the Omni pod promise you can upgrade to Omni pods latest technologies for no additional cost as soon as they're available to you and covered by insurance terms and conditions apply. But like I said, they promise you can upgrade. So get started with Dash today. And if something different comes out later that you want Omnipod promises you can upgrade. Alright, now let me tell you about the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. It is small, easy to hold easy to use has a super bright light is incredibly accurate and offers Second Chance test strips. Honestly, that's all I should have to tell you. I should stop right there and go contour next one.com Ford slash juicebox. But I'm going to tell you more, I'm going to give you my opinion, it's super simple when it comes to blood glucose meters. In my opinion, we don't pay enough attention to the quality of the meter, the quality of the number that comes back from the test, is it accurate? It's important, and for some reason, we don't think about it, we just take whatever meter the doctor gives us. You don't have to do that. The Contour Next One blood glucose meter may be cheaper in cash than you're paying right now through your insurance for your meter. It is definitely incredibly accurate. And it offers Second Chance testing means if you touch that strip to blood, but don't get quite enough, you can go back and get more without ruining the test strip or the quality of the results. It's important so just look into it. Contour Next One comm forward slash juicebox take a couple of minutes to upgrade your gear. Do you really want to be making decisions with bad numbers? Of course not.
Susan 28:09
Tell me how much
Scott Benner 28:10
do you think that reality impacted your life?
Susan 28:13
Of not of kind of driving blind?
Scott Benner 28:17
Yeah, of the feeling that you're walking around? Knowing that at any moment, without without any kind of warning, someone might run up behind you and smack in the back of the head like do you mean like your? Is that not how it felt like it feels to me that's what it would be like but I don't
Susan 28:34
I think because you're so schooled in it your daughter was diagnosed and you made it your business because um, because we're able to write we have the internet we've got all this these tools. I you know, I? I've I think I got by by ignoring the reality you're talking about. I really do. I don't think I am. Okay. I think as much as I could, you know, and there were times when I couldn't ignore it like when I was okay, so I've heard of parents who worried that their their diabetic child shouldn't live alone. I was fearless. I moved you know, we I grew up in the suburbs of New York northern suburbs. And, you know, when it was time for me to go to school, I left high school early and you know, graduated early and went straight to New York City. And never for a moment do I remember my parents ever saying they were worried, you know, worried I wouldn't wake up one morning or worried. You know, I'm fearless. I was fearless about it. You know, not only in retrospect does it occur to me that maybe maybe they shouldn't worried or maybe I should worried. Um, so when I was your age mean, I ended up I did end up in DKA. And I ended up in the hospital. I remember the Shah of Iran was in the same hospital at the Time that dates me a bit. Um, and, you know, and then I think after that I kind of went back to how I
Scott Benner 30:08
muddled through where did the K come from? Did you stop giving yourself insulin?
Susan 30:13
No, I just must have really been out of whack. No, no, I never, you know, I never did any of those like, Oh, don't give your you know, manipulate your insulin, so you'll lose weight? I, I don't think I understood that one could even do
Scott Benner 30:29
I feel like that back then. There are some people who would just stop taking their insulin in silent protest. I never did that. Yeah. And I think it's interesting, because it is a personal protest it and if anybody, anyone listening has ever done that, who wants to come on and talk about specifically, I'd be thrilled about that. But just the idea of like, I don't want to have diabetes anymore. Let me see how long I can go without paying attention to it. That wouldn't work very well, no, no. It doesn't work well. But I don't think that it was uncommon. Or maybe it's still common for people.
Susan 31:01
I will tell you a couple of things that I think are, in retrospect, surprising. One is that I never felt sorry for myself. And I still don't, I think between my parents like I couldn't, I knew the minute I was diagnosed, I knew intrinsically that I was stuck with this for life. And so that and somehow feeling sorry for myself, didn't seem like it was gonna get me anywhere. I'm not that I didn't have depressions about other things at different parts of my life. But I've never said I it's interesting, isn't it that I've never sat around feeling sorry for myself about the diabetes. And in fact, now with some of that wisdom, and everything, I look at some of the things that diabetes has brought me in terms of my relationship with my body as blessings, like I talked about the blood, oh, that's one of the blessings of like, the fact that I'm so I did become Oh, and here's another Okay, I did become very aware of my body. As much as I wasn't like maybe in terms of diabetes, in terms of other things. What was going into my body diet wise, I became, you know, pretty, I have a baseline knowledge of nutrition. So I think one of the other things, not just the luck, and the genetics, but also the fact that I have mostly been vegetarian, or a fish eating that, you know, a pescatarian.
Scott Benner 32:32
Specifically, one of my questions, yes. What, like
Susan 32:35
- So I do think that's helped a lot. And in fact, I used to, it used to annoy me when I used to get diabetes forecast years ago in the mail, which I did only sporadically and probably hardly ever really looked at one of the things that annoyed me about it was that I felt like they should be shouting from the rooftops that everyone should be vegetarian, like, it seemed to make so much sense to me. But you know, they didn't do that.
Scott Benner 33:01
I was in that magazine. Once. That's all I wanted to say about that.
Susan 33:05
You were in it. Oh, now I have to go look, I don't
Scott Benner 33:07
know where I just remember having somebody send me a copy and say, Look, they're talking about you in this thing. And I was like, Oh, I didn't know how to feel about that. It was, it was fun. At the time. I don't know where the magazine is now. But so you got to something on your own that I've been wondering the whole time you were talking. Because it wasn't just luck. It was you were kind of for many years, just putting in insulin eating on a schedule, but not eating really high carb or high sugar items. So the insulin was probably having a good go of it against the food, even though you're pretty blind to it, because you're just really testing that a one C every once in a while. And so your health was able to stay there. Like isn't that strange that if you would have been like a different eater, you'd have a different outcome right now.
Susan 33:59
I think that's true, but I will I can remember vividly in high school. thinking, Oh, could my blood sugar slow I can have some Haagen Dazs No, I mean, I wouldn't do that. No, in fact, it really has taken me a so long it's been such a journey. But i i In fact, I'm my mantra these days is treat your Lowe's with with you know with some juice that you can titrate because food even if you know what's on the package with then we love nutrition labels right? It doesn't it doesn't treat it the same way and it you know it can throw me off so like don't forget just have the juice don't look at it as an opportunity to have this blueberries or that you know, whatever. Whatever the name, you know, filling your own food. I'm still learning still learning so much.
Scott Benner 34:55
It's hard. It's hard. Must be hard. I should say not to have that feeling because I've seen that happen to all and where she's like, wait, I'm getting low, and she lights up. She's like, this is my shot, you know, and then she'll roll into the kitchen and just grab something that she normally wouldn't eat. I think
Susan 35:11
she's so lucky to have you to catch it on the other end. I mean, because you you're, when I first started listening to this podcast and listen to the way you in fact, when I first started listening, it confused me a little about whether it was you you had diabetes, or your daughter because you would speak about it like it was yours. But which is kind of beautiful. I never had a parent that did or anyone who did that, right. Well, I mean,
Scott Benner 35:41
it's very nice of you to say it that way. Because that's not usually how I hear back from adults with type one about it. They're like, you talk about like, you have it, you don't have it, they're mad. And I'm like, I don't think I have diabetes. And I certainly am not trying to sound like I do. Oh, you know,
Susan 35:55
people are too critical Yeah, I went I went cold turkey from Facebook a while a couple of years ago, and yeah, I don't miss it. And and I just like it's it's just a wash with people who take, you know, feel safe being critical of each other.
Scott Benner 36:13
I think all those people should try recording their conversations for five hours every week and see if they don't once or twice, speak it in a way that they don't mean. You know what I mean? Like if I yeah,
Susan 36:25
like, I try not to be too judgy
Scott Benner 36:26
you're very nice. Well, okay, so, a lots happened so far. Let's figure out what to do next you so you've kept up this eating style your whole life. Alright, and
Susan 36:40
how much except when I went to Europe at one point where I didn't want any dietary restrictions, so I ate you know, everything that everything and anything that was put in front of me not I don't remember desserts so much what I remember is eating like sausages, which I you know, I am Jewish, I did not grow up in a kosher home. I'm quite kosher now. But I had a squid, I mean, I like everything. And I do remember going to bed with bottles of Perrier, like just taking him up to bed with me. And I knew how to say I am diabetic in like three languages at the time, just so I could get, you know, get through what
Scott Benner 37:26
you needed. So your idea was just you're going to culturally experience what exists where you are?
Susan 37:32
Yeah, I just wanted to I dropped the vegetarianism for a period of time and then and then picked it up again. Later, a few years later, it really kind of it took a few years to get back to
Scott Benner 37:45
it. I'm the only one in the house that really likes fish. And then, which means I don't get fish. Do you don't mean? So I wish I lived with more people who enjoyed the same food I did.
Susan 37:56
But yeah, you should come to my house, I met Craig fish.
Scott Benner 38:00
Thank you, I would like
Susan 38:04
Jacksonville, I just
Scott Benner 38:05
you know, you find yourself in a situation where you're cooking for other people. And you're think, Oh, this isn't what I would make if I was cooking for myself. But okay, here we go.
Susan 38:14
Yeah, I I've been two of my three just moved out of the house across the country. And already the load is so much lighter. And I don't have to, you know, I've only got three different taste buds to cater to instead of five.
Scott Benner 38:30
So it's kind of nice. What's that like to have adult children move far away? That's one of my big fears.
Susan 38:38
Well, I'm, I'm very excited for them. And they've been wanting to go to LA for quite a while the only thing that stopped them was when LH locked down. And we were finally able to talk sense into them. And then of course, I made sure that they were both vaccinated before I would let them go. Other than that, you know, I raised my kids to be independent, and they neither, neither of them wanted to go to college. There's still money sitting there waiting for them. If they ever decide the booth, I have a house full of creatives. And they are both musicians. And you know, so I finally said, okay, then since I don't understand how you think you're going to land there, you know, by just looking up apartments online. Maybe one of you should come out with me and we'll try to find you an apartment so at least then I'll know where you're going to be right, right. And that's what we did. And now Now they and then they rented a Penske Truck and they drove across country.
Scott Benner 39:44
Wow. See, all of that sounds amazing. But what about the part where you don't get to talk to them or see them as frequently?
Susan 39:51
Well, I'm not to say not not gonna say I'm not going to miss them because I will. And I have my own agenda. because I've put my life on hold for many, many years to raise them. So I'm looking forward to I'm an artist that doesn't get to really do much art. And I'm really looking forward to getting back to my studio. And we are planning a trip to LA in July, so we will get to see them. And you know, and there's technology and FaceTime. And I think I think they will be calling quite a bit because they're really it's the first time on their own. Even my 22 year old he was home all this time. Yeah, since high school graduation. And so it's really the first time navigating life right, you know, in a big city in Los Angeles, and I think they'll be calling, I
Scott Benner 40:48
have to tell you the whole thing sounds right. And that's what I hope to I done the same thing I want my kids to be, you know, artists already talking about where to go, and she's still in high school. And my son makes you know, a lot of comments like, Well, when I moved to wherever I move to, but I feel like means, you know, I think sometimes you bring your kids up in a nice suburb, because you want it to be like cozy and safe and nice. And what it ends up feeling to them is boring. You know, and then they're like, Oh, let me roll out of here. And I'm excited for all that, that they would consider it that they would do it that they're not scared at all that makes me happy. I just don't want to not see them. But I'm wondering if I would get to a point like you were I'm just like, Yeah, I did my time. Like, I'm good. You know, like, I'll see him when I say him, that that kind of seems beautiful to me.
Susan 41:34
So, my lovely mother that we've talked about a couple of times already, um, she really, there was a I mean, she was she was a really good mother. And I as I get older, I feel how much of her is in me and she was a very kind person. The the part where there was a mismatch is that she just wanted you to kind of she wanted me to be demonstrative demonstratively close and loving to her. And because she didn't give me the space to come to her, she always made the all the first moves. That the headstrong kid that I was I kind of backed away. And I have never done that to my own kids because of my own experience. I've always and because also their boys, you know, there comes a time where, oh, gosh, we can't have public displays of affection. Right? So I you know, I would ask them, you know, can I have a hug? i My boys are extremely affectionate. And I think I'm so lucky. I'm so I, you know, I think it even in this moving out part, I think letting them call when they have the time and when they need to. For me, that's the way to go. Now my husband's a little different. He's the one who's who's going to have his, you know, way harder empty nest syndrome, because he's also the one who went to work every day in his not nine to five job and miss, you know, a lot of day to day interaction with them.
Scott Benner 43:19
Oh, so when they were older and decided not to go to college, that's probably the most time he got to spend with them.
Susan 43:25
Yeah, and all three of them have made that same decision. And we're talking about, you know, coming from a mother who, you know, I only got my Bachelor's, but I went to college, my husband, you know, he's, he went on and got ordination. I mean, he's, he, he's, my kids are lifelong learners, though. They're very, very, they're very, they're like, one of them's actually an autodidact. I would call him he's such a, you know, an independent learner. So, I mean, I don't worry about them, but they know that it's there as an option. The thing about college, and I think it'll help you to think about this is that it is like a halfway house to life. It's like the safe halfway house, they can be independent, they're in a safer environment than if you just let them out loose in LA, but that's what my kids want to do, and I can't live my life for them. So I hope you know your listeners don't last you for this guest but I really you know, I think they're gonna be fine.
Scott Benner 44:37
No, no, I appreciate your message. I also think that you know, everyone listening to as little kids you know, you guys can't wrap your head around it, you know that you're just one day gonna be like, Alright, go ahead, leave goodbye. But it's gonna happen. So, you know, it's not going to not happen. And
Susan 44:54
this is what we raised them for me. We raised them to be independent stand on their own two feet. Think your life out, you know, this is how I raised them anyway,
Scott Benner 45:03
oh, I've thought of my life very, you know, very simply, I just, I want to do a really good job with my kids. And then I want to hopefully have enough time to do something fun at the end. Like it just seemed to me, like, pretty basic.
Susan 45:21
I know. And I had my kids later. And I mean, I had my, I had the last two who were 18 Now, you know, I was 40 When I gave birth to them. So, I've been waiting a long time to, you know, take this maturity that I've gained, and this time on, they'll have and, like now live my life again. And I just always prayed that I will live long enough to you know, to create things that I'm proud of and feel like I'm leaving, you know, something behind and you know, all the all the art that's in my head that I'm hoping to create that it that I may I have enough time to get it out.
Scott Benner 46:02
I know how you feel. I always think that whenever whoever leaves last will leave I'll close the door backup trip, quick. bang my head on the table and Trump dead? Don't be like No, as I'm falling over, I think no, no, just no need to get a little more lucky at the end. Hey, do you have any other autoimmune issues?
Susan 46:23
Yes, I have a thyroid deficiency. I actually did recently get tested to see if it was Hashimotos or not, and it is not. And I've had that since I was 15. So it was about a year after I was diagnosed and yes, there are in my family to my both my grandmother and my mother ended up with type two diabetes after I you know, I kind of I always joked that I was ahead of the trend like everyone everyone's getting diabetes. Now I you know, I was ahead of the curve even in my own family. Um, and yeah, I think it all comes on my mom's side my my grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis. My mother ended up with something called myelofibrosis which, you know, ended up killing her but she she definitely lasted beyond what the doctors predicted. I think that's pretty much it for me
Scott Benner 47:28
and the kids are, don't have anything going on.
Susan 47:31
Um, one of my kids has GERD you know, he has reflux, but I don't think that is I don't know if that's considered autoimmune. No, they're pretty there's some allergies and we Yeah, no, they're they're pretty. Pretty good. Thank God. Yeah.
Scott Benner 47:53
Huh. esophagus itis is often caused by stomach fluid that flows back into the food pipe. The fluid contains acid which irritates the tissue. The problem is called. Wow, I'm not going to try to say that but it's GERD. An autoimmune disorder called ISO philic. Asafa giantess is also causes this condition. So guards not. But there is a condition. That's all I mean, they can cause it apparently.
Susan 48:20
Interesting. I'll have to look that up. No, I mean, there definitely runs in my family on my dad's side. My dad died of esophageal cancer and his older brother did and that doesn't run in families, but GERD can. And that's a precursor. It can cause esophageal cancer. How
Scott Benner 48:42
old was your father?
Susan 48:44
My dad was around 70. A
Scott Benner 48:48
little older I am. They found that I had a little bit of that too. So when I, when they couldn't figure out my iron thing at first, and I got you know, I don't know what they call it. But I got scoped from both sides. Right. They find lots of fun, right? Yeah, there's like, I know, it's not really it's not precancerous, but there's some sort of cells that they find on the wrong side of like your stomach in your esophagus, like so there's like some stomachs. I guess, if I'm wrong about this, I apologize. But I guess something that belongs to my stomach is in my esophagus. And then they just go back every couple years and check and the guy's like, Oh, if we find it, we'll just like, clean it out. And he's like, you know, if you pay attention to it should never cause you a problem. But it is one of those things that could lead to what what not your father apparently.
Susan 49:36
Right, right. No, you definitely have to take care of it. And scoping as fun as that is. That's I guess that's the best way and you've got a doctor who's on it. So, you know, that's, that's it. I mean, EMRs gotten scoped. And my sister's got Barrett's esophagus. My uncle, my dad's younger brother has Barrett's so I, to the best I've been scoped to, to the best of my knowledge. I Do not have the issue. But God knows. I've got enough others. So, yeah, our meeting I have, like I've taken up a lot of time here
Scott Benner 50:10
Barrett's is what? Like, I heard in the conversation, but it's like precursor to I don't remember, I maybe I should have paid closer attention. You can look it up. So it turns out in the moment, when, uh, when it was when I was going through it, my iron was so low, I couldn't pay attention. So it's much better. Yeah, well, this is, um, you know, I have to tell you that I get a lot of notes from people thanking me for having on you know, they say older people who have type one. But I just, I guess it's just sort of a, because of the way social media works, and where the sweet spot is, for the ages of people who are most commonly on social media people over 50 Get a little ignored. You know, just because they're not as common online, but I think they are common, I just don't think you hear from them as much.
Susan 51:01
I used to be, but I'm just not anymore. Um, because I want to live my life and not, you know, not through a screen so much. But I will tell you, it was social media that first made me feel less of an island. I was I was feeling so alone, one night, many years ago. And I thought to myself, someone out there's got to be, you know, writing about type one diabetes or something. And I found six until me carry sparlings. Blog. And that was like, I read it regularly for a while, because it made me feel less alone when someone else is getting their tubing stuck on, you know, on handles in the bathroom. And it was just, like, just the little things about having to live with this. I just loved it. And I felt less alone.
Scott Benner 51:55
I think her I think her blog is closed up now. I don't think she
Susan 51:59
Yeah, I know. I went back to it recently and saw that it was closed. And other things.
Scott Benner 52:05
I guess you can only write about your tubing getting caught not and she I'm joking. She heard a lot that a lot more than that. But I guess at some point, you just run your course with things. You know, I don't know her.
Susan 52:18
She also I mean, sounds like she also turned to other things. Like she's wrote poetry and wrote a book. And that's really, our blog was enormously useful. It was, you know, I didn't immerse myself in every single person writing about diabetes, like I, you know, I don't have that kind of time anyway. So I found hers. I liked it. You know, in terms of podcasts, I've done yours. And I liked it. Like, I don't listen to other ones. So there's no reason you should know Exactly exactly. Because yours is the best we know. Well, that I
Scott Benner 52:51
mean, not just that, but because how much are you gonna listen to before you're just like, Okay, there's not a lot of extra things to say, You know what? I mean? It's somebody in the end, you have to like the person who's saying it and the perspective they have and stuff like that.
Susan 53:07
Well, the pro tips are amazing, too, that just, you know, I've my primary care physicians son got diagnosed. Recently, we think they think it's type two right now, but I was like, listen to these this is what can you, like, make sure he listens to them? So
Scott Benner 53:25
yeah, I have to be honest, like that was, um, you know, making the Pro Tip series was good for me. Like, it was a growth thing. I just knew a second. The spring here and I'm hours are not pleasant. For me. It was a it was a it was a human growth thing for me. Because I, I thought, okay, the podcast is doing well. And it has these ideas. And I do think that even though I've been having conversations and things come up inside of conversations, you know, I'm seeing people have enough success with these ideas, I should put them all in one place. And, and segment them a little better, you know, be an adult, you know, and so, I was getting ready to do it. And I could have done it. And then I just thought, no, I should add Jenny to this, like, Jenny will bring a different perspective. She'll keep me, like, focused, you know, she'll be able to talk about things that I can't speak about it. So it'll be more it'll be medical and personal, like together, you know, and, you know, it's funny, like, there are people who can listen to this podcast and think that Jenny, you know, like, is Jenny's involved in the in the episode She's involved at all I mean, to say is that like, if you think of the podcast as a candy store, I own the candy store. You know, but Jenny, we're
Susan 54:55
going for your CDE cuz I just saw I always have been You know, it would be such a great fit one would think, although I know you love podcasting, but
Scott Benner 55:04
you know, so a lot of people say it to me, just like there's something in one of your emails that you said that a lot of people said to me, but I'm gonna get to that before we end. I thought of it. I'm not a book learning person. I'd be terrible at it. I don't even know if I'd pass it to be perfectly honest.
Susan 55:22
But it's so interesting that what all that you've come to is completely then been seat of your pants life. You know, it's it's been that's, that's interesting. But that's self knowledge to
Scott Benner 55:32
it all comes from what I said earlier, which I have a very deep desire to be a good parent. And this is what happened to my daughter. So yeah, this is what it needed. Like, if she would have not gotten diabetes, but decided she wanted to ride a horse. I'd know a lot about horseback riding now. Right? You know, it really is just what happened. I just if I tell you, I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it. So when I said to my wife, I want to have kids. I didn't mean like, I'd be super interested in it for a while. So this is just what happened. And then you mentioned earlier, like people have the internet, but I didn't have the internet. And it's so funny. You brought Carrie Sparling up, because back when I started a blog, I believe that it was her. Another guy named Scott and a guy named George, those were the only three diabetes bugs that I was aware of at that time. And I wasn't really aware of them. I didn't become aware of them until later, when someone said to me, because I really had like, when I was doing it, I thought Oh, my God, this is genius. Why is no one else ever done this before. But the internet was very new. And then somebody said, oh, there are other people doing it. But it wasn't 1000 people, it wasn't what it turned into eventually, which was over 4000 blogs, it was like three other people. And then mine came on and some others came on. But I was so bad at Search Engine Optimization, meaning I didn't know that it existed when I was writing. But no, you couldn't google me. So my blog grew completely word of mouth. And that ended up being why it grew slower than the other ones did. So mine was never big. Nobody ever thought anything until suddenly, one day it was. And then I learned about SEO and how to, you know, come up in a Google search. And that that broadened it. But at the same time, it only lasted a couple of years. I think of them as seasons. Isn't that funny now, a couple of years, and then people stop reading. But people were just like, I'm not gonna read your 600 word blog posts. Like, I'm not doing that, you know. And then the podcast came from that. But everything that I learned about diabetes in there, I figured out like living in it, because I didn't have anybody else to ask. And I wasn't opening up that stupid book with the Panther on the front of it. So I just, and by the way, it might be a great book, I have no idea. There's a pink panther book they used to give you and you were diagnosed. And maybe it's a terrific book. But my brain doesn't work that way. I didn't ask questions at the doctor's office, I didn't read anything, the Internet didn't really exist. So I just kept intently watching what was happening, and tried to figure out how to make it happen better or worse, or sooner or later by manipulating the insulin, and then wrote about it and brought some ideas together. And
Susan 58:38
well, you've been part of my sea change, I would say, you and the getting a, you know, because animals went out of business, I had to get a new pump. And I really looked at what was on the market. And I looked at the Omnipod. But I really felt like it was big, it felt big.
Scott Benner 58:57
First one. Yeah. But,
Susan 59:00
um, and I chose the tandem and, and getting the G six Dexcom at the same time, which I had tried in earlier iteration, but and I just felt like at the time, it was so expensive for me to do and I was still pricking my fingers all the time. So I decided I would just wait until they came out with one where I didn't have to prick my fingers. And boy howdy they did it was and it's been well, actually, I'm one of those people that it will very often quit before it's 10 days, which I wish it didn't do that but I call Dexcom all the time, but they're they're a wonderful company with really good customer service. And you know, they always replace them
Scott Benner 59:46
on enough times and describe to me that like look, this is a thing that goes on to a human being like we make the thing then your body chemistry comes in. So if it was less days or fewer days for you, my wife would be so proud of me that I didn't say less days and I caught myself fewer days for you than it does for Arden. Who by the way, where's her Dexcom? I would say 99.5% of the time, right out to the last minute stays on. Yeah. And it works great. But
Susan 1:00:12
I know I've asked them. I mean, I went one day, they actually even got me on with a nurse that's on their staff. And I said to you, it Okay. Could it be that I'm hitting scar tissue? Because I've been diabetic for so long. And so many things have gone in my abdomen? Could it be, you know, all these like we, I said, Look, if you ever decide you're going to do research on the people, you know, the chemistry of the people who it doesn't work the full 10 days for like, oh, Sign me up? I would love to do that. But yeah, they didn't have a good answer. And so I just live with it. Because it is really good technology while it's working. And it's you know, I always just hope that it doesn't poop out at a point where I really need it. Like, there have been some really bad times where I'm like, this is like, I'm walking for, you know, for the next hour, and I don't have my next call
Scott Benner 1:01:06
just goes away. Yeah. And also the,
Susan 1:01:10
I have two other pieces that have made a big difference. One is I my insurance company said I could have a, a coach through something called Vita health. And that's been really wonderful. I really campaigned to make sure that coach was a CDE. And the person I have right now knows a lot about tandem and she's she's been trained specifically in tandem. So we are working to tighten up my settings. And you know, because I know that it can be better. And then the last piece and she's just been amazing. The last piece is that I finally decided to get an Apple Watch. And having my blood sugar's on my wrist has been instead of you know, having to pull out a palm or find my phone has been really great.
Scott Benner 1:02:04
I'm really hopeful that the Dexcom g7 will go directly to Apple Watch. If that happens. Don't
Susan 1:02:10
wait. Because yeah, that was what was holding me back in one day, I just said, you know, it's not even worth it. I'll just let me just get one and they had a really good deal. So I did it.
Scott Benner 1:02:21
That's excellent. So the last thing I wanted to talk to you about was in one of your emails, Susan emails me, not frequently, but reasonably frequently more than other people. Use you asked a question that a lot of adults with type one asked me? Do you remember the one it's it's about Arden? How are you going to give this to this knowledge? Yeah.
Susan 1:02:42
How are you going to hand it off? Because you're you're very hands on? And I think you've actually answered in in a couple of your interviews.
Scott Benner 1:02:51
Yeah, I but I wondered what the if you could help me more with what the question is? Was it a physical? How are you going to put thoughts into somebody else's person? Or how are you going to let go of something you're so involved in? Which part of it? Did you mean more?
Susan 1:03:06
I don't think it was. I guess it was more about somewhere in between all of that. Like, if I know, I've heard I've since heard you speak about the two of you making decisions together? Or you'd say how many carbs do you think this is? So you actually have been trainer all along. But I think when I wrote that I thought you were maybe doing all of it, or most of it. And she was probably younger at that point, at least when I you know of the interviews I had listened to at that point. So I guess, and also knowing that I had well, I had bad training, but I had had to handle mine from a young age. I also believe I kind of think it is important for young people like I don't like when schools say you have to do it this way you have you know, and I know you don't like that either. So I think it had to do with how are you? How are you? How were you going to transition between you know, you have a holding most of the knowledge and most of the most of the control but I'm not saying control like because you're controlling. But you know, being the parent, and her starting to do that herself. And it sounds like you're already doing that.
Scott Benner 1:04:35
I'm just interested because because you have the time and the experience. And so do most people who asked the question, and so I'm always I'm interested in what it is they're concerned about or what happened to you, that makes that be your concern when you hear our dynamic? Well, I
Susan 1:04:54
did feel as I thought you know, also thinking about that later Leaving home aspect, there will come a time in the not too distant future because she's What 16 or 17 right now? Yeah. Where she, you know, she'll go off to college, presumably, but maybe not necessarily my kids sure didn't. And, but when she does, she, you know, I mean, you can still follow her, of course, but, you know, you could do a lot still, but you know, and has she ever wanted to say, you know, Dad, I got this now. I don't know. Well,
Scott Benner 1:05:32
the other night, she went out to dinner with my son and their cousins. And they all just went by themselves. And as she left, I was like, Do you need anything? And she's like, I'm good. And I say, okay, and she went out had a, you know, bar food type meal. That was I, you know, pretty high in fat. She did a good job with it. She came home, she mentioned, she's like, just see how good my Bolus was. And I was like, I did, I was great. And I said, good. I said, you know, you know that we're going to be getting hit with the fat soon. And she's like, I know, but I don't know how much to Bolus for that. I was like, Okay, well, I would do this much. And then she did. And, and, you know, it went the way it went. But I think that, in my mind, like the idea of her getting older or not being here, whichever it ends up being, it's kind of the same problem, that this is what's gonna have to happen next, like, she's gonna have to have the experiences so she can see it happen. And then I have the tools to give her. So I don't think that I expect to just download my thoughts into her. Right, I expect that she's going to learn to have diabetes the same way everybody listening learns. And except, you know, she can text the guy from the podcast, given her pretty much indifference rates
Susan 1:06:59
start and kept her so healthy for so many years. What What's it gonna feel like for you? It presuming your share your that you're still sharing, and you see what she's doing when she leaves? Like, if you see her one day, you know, not doing so well? What's that going to be like for you,
Scott Benner 1:07:22
I hope that what it'll be like is that I look at it and go, This is what I've been telling people, like, I hope I have the courage of my convictions and that point, like, then I can say, this is an experience that people need to see. And then the hope is that she'll be one of the people who doesn't want it to happen. And not one of the people just because I have this is fine, I'll let this go.
Susan 1:07:42
Well, she also knows how good it feels to, you know, to feel good to feel kind of normal, because your blood sugars are in a good range. Right? So she's not gonna like the feeling, and she'll feel it at a much lower blood sugar than some of us. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:07:58
I mean, and then in the end, right, like, like you mentioned with your son's at the very end, if she doesn't do the right thing, I will sit her down and explain it to her until she agrees. That's my job, right? I'm not, I'm not here to be friendly. I got to make sure everybody's okay.
Susan 1:08:17
I know, that is the hardest part about parenting, right? That like, you're not the friend, you're the parent that there are times when it's rough.
Scott Benner 1:08:25
I am not going to do well, living the end of my life, see my children in any kind of like, massive failure, like, like personal like, I'm gonna think like that will make me feel like I did something wrong. And so they can, their lives can fall apart just as long as it happens after I'm dead. That's all I just
Susan 1:08:45
think you know that they Well, hopefully, it'll be small failures and the ones that they because you really do learn from the failures, of course, more than the successes. Oh, no, no, yeah, true. Isn't that it's true.
Scott Benner 1:08:56
It's 100% True. And I'm not saying they don't have things go wrong. I'm not I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that, you know, if Arden's held up in a, in an apartment somewhere, and or a one sees 15 And she's like, I don't care. I'm going down and hard and fast. Like, I don't want to know about that.
Susan 1:09:13
No, of course. No one wants to see that. Right. Um, have you ever heard of the book The blessings of a skinny?
Scott Benner 1:09:21
No, but I believe in it. It's, uh, yeah, it's
Susan 1:09:24
really, uh, I guess I want to say, predated the whole free range parenting thing, but it really is about like life's consequences. Let it you know, parents need to, you know, need to not be helicopter parents and let life's consequences teach
Scott Benner 1:09:41
you. You can't take away the learning experiences that that you're being given every day, naturally. Because then when something goes wrong, nobody's prepared for it at all. And that and that can happen. Yeah, and that can go that can happen in ways that you can't help you know, I mean, somebody gets have, I mean if something went wrong with your life in the middle of the pandemic, for example, that'd be a difficult thing. Like even with some good calluses on your on your soul, like that still might be something harder to get through. But you gotta have a little callus. You know what I mean? You got to be a little tough, and you can't be tough when your mom's picking you up off. She's running out of the stands and picking you up off a basketball court when you're eight years old, like you got to be like, just get up. You know, I remember saying to my wife, Oh, interesting
Susan 1:10:28
about having my children move across the country, because I will not be there to pick them up. You know, short of a phone call, but I won't be there. And as they drove up, drove off in this Penske Truck as an 18 year old and a 22 year old, and I'm thinking Penske will rent to it. And he's the better draw, he's the driver with more experience than my 22 year old. And, and he, you know, and I thought to myself, here's where I just have to trust me, I just have to trust it.
Scott Benner 1:11:08
But then I am gonna bang out an email dealer, dear hurts, your business practices are horrible. And let me tell you why I just watched my son driveway with one of your products. And that kid shouldn't be given a truck.
Susan 1:11:21
Well, it's funny, and they got all the way across the country. And he really, really was enjoying the driving experience. And then we got a call yesterday, they reached LA. So that's great. And they're near the place they'll be renting. He said that we had an accident i that the map had steered me through a construction site and I needed to get out of it. And I backed up and I kind of deemed another car. They got so far, so
Scott Benner 1:11:51
close, so close. Hey, that, listen to that one, one step at a time until the young kids listening. Those math programs are ruining you. You don't even know where you're at. Okay, maybe look up, drive in a direction. See what happens if it goes wrong driving a different direction, you'll be fine. My son never knows where he's at. He's like, I don't follow the thing
Susan 1:12:12
between being like taking a drive. Like if you're easy. Do you like going out for a drive with your family or your wife just just to go for a pretty drive? Have you ever done that?
Scott Benner 1:12:23
Yeah, no, of course. Okay,
Susan 1:12:25
so you, if you're in a nice area, and it's pretty, then you're going for a drive if suddenly, the area starts looking sketchy, then your loss that's
Scott Benner 1:12:35
when you're scared, you're lost. When you're not scared, you're going for a lesson one of the things I hope to do towards the end here, I know I'm saying the end I'm about to be 50. I'm hoping to make it longer. But I'd like to get like an electric car. And Evie. And I would like to drive around and go on some road trips and see some things that I want to see and and to wait
Susan 1:12:53
for Biden to install lots of chargers. Because the problem with the Evie is that and they're wonderful. And I want one too, I've decided no more gas vehicles at all in our household. But the problem is that their range is only what the range is. So you know, I have a friend who drives one. And she said and the reason we decided to get it is that when we do go on long drives, we'll just rent the car.
Scott Benner 1:13:23
I'm counting on the Tesla network. That's what I have my fingers crossed for. That's a pretty like, like country wide network. I think you can make it almost anywhere.
Susan 1:13:32
Actually, I do know you can make it across the country on a Tesla. We have friends who did do that they moved from Jacksonville to LA and they made it across in their Tesla. I just mapped it all out. Right?
Scott Benner 1:13:45
See, and I just want to get in the car and see if we can get somewhere without killing are strangling each other. That's my goal.
Susan 1:13:53
I can't afford a Tesla. But good luck, Scott. Oh, great.
Scott Benner 1:13:56
I didn't say I don't know that. I can't either. I'm just saying like, that's what I'm what I'm leaning on here is the idea that maybe that's the way to do it. Or that maybe that they did it. Other companies will do it as well. You know what I mean? Like, like, maybe, like, I see that one of the selling points of Tesla's seems to be that they have that network. So maybe maybe other like car manufacturers or I don't know, companies will say yeah, we should build a network like that as well. Like, that's my hope is that that that that idea? Will will bear out and more people will try it and create networks like that. I would like to try an electric car. It just from a technology standpoint before I die, like it seems like the future you know,
Susan 1:14:36
oh, it's amazing technology. I'm my friend drives a Chevy Bolt. And it you know, it's she's two years in she's never had a repair and my I guess my mechanic was saying, Well, you know, there's nothing there's no belts. There's like all the things we have to repair on traditional engines. I It's just not even the it's a
Scott Benner 1:15:01
giant slot car. It's two turning wheels on an axle and these little, these electric motors, and other than that nothing and some companies are starting to talk about, and I have to go, I'm sorry, I have to jump on to something else. But some companies are starting to talk to and I talked about an idea of, I think what they call like, steer by wire, meaning that at some point in the future, your steering wheel won't even have to be connected to the front axle. It'll be like a joystick, like, you turn it, and then the computer will turn the wheels commiserate to how you're turning the wheel.
Susan 1:15:34
So interesting. I had a I have a friend who we went to the movies, this was pre pandemic, with, I don't know, one or two of my kids. And at the we walked out the movie theater, and he said and watch this a hugh is already enjoying, like showing us his new Tesla. And he said, watch this. And he had the Tesla come pick us up no driver. And that was terrifying. I mean, I just feel like if I'm standing on a street and I see a car walk go by with no driver that does that's like,
Scott Benner 1:16:05
that's the future. I just want to see the future was I was I had a computer when I was 13, which is a long time ago was one of the first computers you could buy in your home. And I want to drive an electric car before I go. And by the way, before I get so old that it feels so fast. And I'm like, I can't do this. I'm old. Like I just you know, I want to get in one time and try it before that.
Susan 1:16:23
So you'll be able to I mean, they're gonna they're gonna come way down in price and Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:16:29
Fingers crossed. All right. This was delightful. I'm sorry, I have to rush away. But I really appreciate you doing this.
Susan 1:16:35
It was really delightful. And listen to I'm so glad. Sometimes you take care. Have a great
Scott Benner 1:16:41
day. You must be thinking right now. It's Scott ever going to run out of amazing guests to have on the Juicebox Podcast? No, I'm not. I'm not going to. This was another one. Susan Ching, paying us back with good talking. I want to thank the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. For being a sponsor on today's episode, go to contour next one.com forward slash juice box. Get yourself a good meter, not just any meter. And I'd also like to thank the pod makers of the Omni pod dash and the Omni pod promise go to Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. Find out if you're eligible for a free 30 day supply of the Omni pod dash tubeless insulin pump
thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast.
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