#762 Artic Driver
Saxon is a UK based truck driver with type 1 diabetes.
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Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to Episode 762, an episode that was almost called BJ in the bear, who remembers Greg Gaffigan. And that charming chimpanzee
Saxon is an adult living with type one diabetes, and he's a truck driver, which I find compelling. It's a crazy job with a lot of demand. And I thought it'd be interesting to hear about a type one who does such a thing. Hopefully you'll think the same thing. While you're listening to Saxon and I speak. If we should say something about you know, like medical stuff. Try remembering 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. We're becoming bold with insulin is everybody holding their arm up next to them right now and pretending to pull down on the air horn. Remember that when we were kids, the people do that anymore. And I don't have an air horn sound effect. While you're listening today, please consider going to T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox only do this if you're a US resident who has type one diabetes, where is the caregiver of someone with type one. But if you are those things, and you go to that link, all you have to do is fill out the survey and complete it. And you've supported me, yourself and other people living with type one diabetes, T one D exchange.org. Forward slash Juicebox.
Podcast this show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries G voc hypo Penn Find out more at G voc glucagon.com. Forward slash juicebox. today's podcast is also sponsored by Ian pen from Medtronic diabetes, not interested in insulin pump, but you'd like some of the functionality that they offer. You are looking for the in pen, check it out at in pen today.com Do not forget to check out touched by type one.org great organization helping people with type one diabetes, they're doing more than I can tell you to be perfectly honest, it's just they have a lot of what they call irons in the fire. They're doing a lot of great things for people with type one, all they want is for you to know about it. So head over to touched by type one.org and see what they're doing. You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook. These are other places that you could follow touch by type on it. Go ahead and do it. What are you busy, you don't have time, the phones in your hand right now don't act like it isn't touched by type one.org Get going?
Saxon 2:42
When I'm Saxon. And I suppose I applied to get on here when I saw a post on your Facebook group asking if anybody has any crazy jobs or hobbies. And I thought well, I don't know if it's crazy or not. But people seem to think that truck drivings a bit much for them. So
Scott Benner 3:06
you threw yourself?
Saxon 3:08
I suppose so. Yeah.
Scott Benner 3:10
I appreciate it very much. Thank you least I didn't know, you know, imagine if you're taxidermy and field mice or something like that. And you have an army of them. You know, I have a hobby. I have an army of taxidermied field mice and one day and Okay, thank you. I probably would have said yes to that too. But I found truck driving really interesting. As I don't I don't know how anyone does it. I mean, you know, I'm saying like it feels to me, like, Okay, I could, I could go for a ride for an hour, two hours, maybe three and then I'm gonna need to stop walk around, I'm gonna get tired. There's that road noise that kind of lulls you into a coma. And trucks are just everywhere. I mean, I I imagine people know that. Trains, trucks, ships, that's really how we move things around the world. You know, I guess it could feel like you just order something from Amazon and it shows up at your house and a van. But
Saxon 4:11
it's I mean, that stuff doesn't just appear on the shelf. It doesn't
Scott Benner 4:15
just appear there, right? You've like this, this job that basically keeps everything going and seems difficult to me, but I'm gonna find out about it when they ask you some questions. So before we do that, how old were you when you were diagnosed with type one?
Saxon 4:31
So I was just a few months before turning 31
Scott Benner 4:35
Oh, no kidding. How am I now?
Saxon 4:39
Or next week? I'll be 34 Oh, this
Scott Benner 4:41
is pretty recent for you, though. fairly recent. Yeah. Hey, you've been driving your adult life.
Saxon 4:49
11 years now as a truck driver.
Scott Benner 4:51
Okay. Okay. So you were entrenched in your job when when this happened?
Saxon 4:56
Well, yeah, sure. And a few years back I Well, when I first started looking on some forums about training, I was saying even then, so 11 years ago, I would have just lost my right to drive trucks altogether for being on insulin.
Scott Benner 5:14
So 11 years ago, when you were thinking about getting this job, that was a, when did it stop being?
Saxon 5:21
I'm not quite sure when it actually stopped. But it was certainly a concern when I when I got diagnosed. And it was a couple of weeks time and two or three more weeks after diagnosis, when finally I saw one of the specialist doctors we have here and it says no, you can still drive until we tell you that you can't it, you know, it's okay. Now you can live a normal life, so long as you look after yourself. Oh, that's
Scott Benner 5:46
so that's interesting. So after you're diagnosed, you're only remembrance of this rule is from when you first got the job, probably six years prior? And were you concerned that you were going to lose your job as well as get diabetes?
Saxon 6:00
Well, yeah, of course. And I thought, well, this is the only way I really know how to earn an amount that I'm self sufficient on. I'd have to completely retrain, what the hell do I do? I've got a mortgage to cover and all that, you know, it's, it's a little stressful. And in the meantime, I've also been told that same time, they said, I can still do it, that I also then couldn't do it for at least a month until I could show stable sugar readings.
Scott Benner 6:28
Well, that's a motivator, I guess.
Saxon 6:31
Yeah. Well, it gave me time to learn. But it's a bit ridiculous in that you can still drive a car, you can drive a van or whatever, up to three and a half tons. But anything bigger than that you're not allowed to drive until the doctor says that you're stable enough.
Scott Benner 6:49
Do you drive a tandem truck?
Saxon 6:52
Oh, you mean with a
Scott Benner 6:54
trailer? The trailer? Yeah.
Saxon 6:55
Yes, yes. We call them Artix. Here, I think you call them a semi don't you over there.
Scott Benner 7:00
Semi tandem yet? What did you What do you call it? Arctic? A RT?
Saxon 7:06
C? Yeah, because it's articulated, or whatever.
Scott Benner 7:11
Gotcha. I was trying to find the connection to the cold. And I was like, I don't see it. But that makes sense. So over the road, local, how far of distance do you drive in the course of a day?
Saxon 7:29
Ah, I mean, the job that I have now is largely going into central London and back certainly, with a tower crane company. So yeah, it was a lot into London. It's about two and a half hours away from where we're based. Okay. But then the other day. Well, I had a whole weekend driving up to, like, halfway up Scotland and back. So that was probably a 500 mile round trip. Okay. I across the course of three days.
Scott Benner 8:03
And you sleep in the truck?
Saxon 8:05
Yeah, yeah. Lucky me.
Scott Benner 8:08
We, when my son was very young, there was a gentleman that coached his like local sports team. And he was in a what we would call an over the road drivers. He was gone for days at a time. And he would drive up and back from New York to Florida, over and over again.
Saxon 8:27
And yeah, that sounds like a long way.
Scott Benner 8:29
Yeah, it's terrible. I can tell it took a toll on him. Is there? I'm gonna ask you such a crazy Well, is there a lot of drug use in in truck driving? Like, how do people stay awake that long?
Saxon 8:42
Ah, I honestly, I don't know. I mean, where I work. Now we have drugs testing anyway. So it's not too much prom. For us. There probably was a lot before. But we have a lot of regulations. And we've got devices that record all our movements, to try and restrict us getting overworked and therefore not getting so tired. Okay? Although you talk to some of the older drivers and those because it used to be like a wax disk in attacker graph that would just like scratch a graph on to show your movements. And they would always cheat them by putting a magnet on it, stop the needle actually moving or something like that. So they're often cheating because they got to make more money that way. And of course, then work like almost an entire day and say that it was better back in that day. So you
Scott Benner 9:35
could say that you weren't driving when you were and then yes, accomplish your task and skip the safety regulations. Oh,
Saxon 9:43
yeah. And then make more money because you've got another job and which is going against competition law and all that stuff.
Scott Benner 9:51
It's interesting because I mean, time is time, right? You know, like, you can't How fast can you possibly drive But the actual task of keeping the truck on the road? It's is it? How technologically advanced? Are the trucks to this point? Do they have Lane Keeping? Do they did they do anything that helps you or are you constantly keeping that truck in between the lines,
Saxon 10:20
while mostly it is still down to the driver to be in control of the vehicle, keeping it but obviously between the lines itself, but the the vehicle I have does, it looks to make a noise, if anytime you get near the white line, it will just cut out the stereo and your lovely voice that comes through the speaker just disappears. And it's replaced with a rumble, which is very irritating as a lot of the time. It's actually it's wrong. You know, the sun could be reflecting off of a puddle. And it will think that that's the white line you're getting there. So this thing's there to try and help with the attention. They call it Driver Assist. But I think it's more driver annoy. There's other bits about though, which are i I've gotten to like because it's built in the Mercedes truck that I have will adjust speed for corners as well. So there's a lot of a lot of corners going through the country back towards the airfield where we're based. And I can just use the cruise control. And it will speed up slow down for all the corners as we go through. And I just need to just I suppose just pay attention and turn the wheel. But it will do all the speeding up and slowing down the braking. coasting up to the corners and the junctions it's it saves saves a lot on my right foot. And because it's automatic, hopefully will reduce me having one extremely athletic calf. And the other one not looking quite so to find
Scott Benner 12:04
that big, big strong right leg of yours. Yeah. So when you when this going back to when it happened, your diagnosis was there. And they give you this month, what are you learning to do with that time? Are you injecting insulin? Is it a meter? Like what do you do? It's only a few years ago. So what did they give you?
Saxon 12:27
They started off. So I received the meter. And I was given Novem mix 50. So as a 5050 mixture. And I was just told to take so many units at breakfast, so many units at dinner. And just try and follow some guidance as to what to eat, which I later learned was probably more advice for type twos managing on diet without insulin. Because it was very hard to apply to say cereal, and then say a beef stew with dumplings that just did. There's just no flexibility with it. But within a couple of weeks when I was back at the clinic, and I said that, well look, I don't really have a schedule with my job. What am I supposed to do with this mixture? You know, I'm taking it in the morning. But if I start at three and I don't get a chance to actually have any breakfast for some hours, you know, when am I supposed to take it? And should would you be interested in the Basal Bolus system as well? What's that? And that's when I was then given some Lantus and Nova rapid and, and to sit, you know, take so many into Lantis. And here's your rapid we recommend a unit for 10. But just start off with four units for each meal and see how you go. You know, if if you said patients like this, because if you want to have some pudding as well, you can just take a bit more, which you can't really do with the mixture. So yeah, I've been on that. But I found Lantus to be very frustrating in that. It was sort of peak about five or six hours in and then just tail off and I wasn't really quite sure. The best way to adjust for that. And I have recently been given a pump, thankfully about seven months ago now. So kind of learning all over again.
Scott Benner 14:33
Yeah. So you went you went about did you go about three years with Atlantis? Yes, yeah. Yeah. Was it? Was it your finding that it just didn't last 24 hours and it also had times where it worked more aggressively than others?
Saxon 14:49
Ah, yes, pretty much. But it was also I don't know if I'm just very sensitive to it or what it is, but they're just comes a time where suddenly, I just do not need as much as I've been taking. And it but it's in you for the whole day. And all you can do is then eat your way out of multiple lows. So I'm one day diving into a garage to buy, I just bought a four pack of chocolate bars. By the end of the day, I got through the entire packet, I hadn't dosed for a single one, and I'm still struggling to keep my numbers up. You know, and it's just like waiting until the evening work. And then finally, put in a smaller amount of Lantis. And hopefully try to get it right,
Scott Benner 15:38
ya know,
Saxon 15:39
and it's so nice to be on the pump. Now that I'm going oh, it's a bit much at the moment. Let's turn it down. And you see change in a few hours.
Scott Benner 15:46
You said two things that are really interesting. So the one was that, in the beginning, the doctor said to you look, it's one for 10 Unless it's not to start with four units and then adjust. They give you a lot of freedom to make that decision on your own. Right. You felt like that was your job to make that adjustment? Yes, yeah. Not like come back, like not stay low for three months or high for three months and come back and see me again.
Saxon 16:12
Yeah, yeah. In a way. So I think was the specialist nurse who told me about that stuff. Yeah, it was like, yeah, here's some rough guideline Dryden, see what works. But then when you do go in, and they look at your numbers and go, Oh, maybe try a bit less? Plan your meals a bit better? I'm trying I really am. Yeah, I know. You don't like to see the lows? No, they do. I?
Scott Benner 16:41
Did you spend a lot of that time eating those lows away? Or did you figure out to change the Lantis?
Saxon 16:49
Ah, both. I'd say. It took me a while to realize that when I would normally say beyond maybe 21 units of basil for the day, that it would eventually settle in at 14. So it was like a third of what I was taking. So eventually, it took me what I figured out that roughly, that was the ratio, I was on like 14 or 21 units, but it did take me a while to get there.
Scott Benner 17:19
Okay, 14, are you
Saxon 17:22
so you got two basil profiles in the pump? And at the moment, so we've got one on 14.4 and the other one on 19.3? Yeah. And it's the for the day that is so that's how many units for the day.
Scott Benner 17:39
What's the how does that shake out? Like is the 14th while you're driving, and you're sitting still on the 19th? When you're moving around more? Or excuse me, vice versa?
Saxon 17:49
No, it seems to be more perhaps if I'm fighting off a bug or if I've been given you know, a vaccination, sometimes, I can't really quite work out why, okay? It just is one or it's the other
Scott Benner 18:05
day, but you don't notice a significant difference when you're just sitting and driving all day versus when you're up and around.
Saxon 18:12
For that, yeah, I can do. Typically, if I've obviously had a meal, I need to try and remember to maybe not eat quite so much. But that's that's a tricky thing I find particularly with work. If if I'm going to have something to eat on them on the road for say, an hour and a half or two hours, I don't want to take a reduced amount of insulin because I will then get really high. But then when I get to the site, I've then got to be active, taking all the straps off the load running around getting freeing stuff up. And at that point, I'm then being really active. So I don't want too much insulin. And that's quite a hard thing to balance. And I'm trying to work out the right amount to say do a temporary basil, which obviously previously I couldn't do with Lantus, right so that was just scuffle load of biscuits before I get out the cab.
Unknown Speaker 19:08
How many stones sometimes it works?
Saxon 19:12
Stone up. Didn't think Americans did stone we put on my 1112 That's
Scott Benner 19:17
funny. I don't I just was trying to be ready because I thought if I asked you how much you weighed, you'd have no idea and pounds but I noticed about 100 kilos. Oh I see oh, let's see everybody we're you're on 150 pounds 155 What do you
Saxon 19:35
sell? I don't really work in pounds and there's some buying beef mints. Then it's one
Scott Benner 19:43
I'm gonna figure it out. We're gonna figure out together how much you weigh
Saxon 19:48
into metrics quite frustrating. You know, I was working through a recipe earlier and it's it's clearly American recipe because there's cups for this and cups for that and it's our please just deal on weight, not volume.
Scott Benner 19:59
How many kilos Did you say you were
Saxon 20:01
about 7575? So
Scott Benner 20:03
you're about you're about 168 pounds somewhere in there. Okay, just so everybody can have context because your basil is it's a little light for your weight, which is great. You know what I mean? Like, it's it's good. Actually doesn't matter much. It just surprised me a little. It was a little it was a little light for your weight. I don't know why it's hit greatest. What do I care how much basil you use. But I was just trying to get that straight in my mind. So because at 19 a day, you're not quite one an hour at fortnight, and you know what, 14, you're more like, what, like point six an hour or something like that?
Saxon 20:44
It's currently on? Yeah, point six, two at the moment. Okay. I do prefer it when I need more, though, because it doesn't seem to my numbers don't jump around as much when I'm less sensitive.
Scott Benner 20:58
Okay, so when you're when your Basal is a little higher, you see more stability? I think so. Yeah. When your Basal is lowered? Do you adjust your meal ratio and make it a little heavier or no? Ah, I
Saxon 21:11
mean, that's another tricky one. So I've heard you say before, you've heard from other people that it's that they either need so much, or they need another amount, until they don't. And in between, it's just chaos. And that sometimes is how it feels like sometimes I feel like I need to lower the Basal because I can see on the graph that I'm just drifting on, like, trending down. So then you try and have maybe a little less of a Bolus. And you just go screaming up straight up. So is that what what do I need? Do I need more or less than clearly, I need less Basal but more Bolus, right. And there's always a few days of it settling in. And then when you finally figure it out? Yeah. And maybe sometimes I'll see I'll get a day, maybe two days where I'm 100% in range, and it's about to change.
Scott Benner 22:03
Like, this can't last forever.
Saxon 22:05
It doesn't know. Yeah, like I'm, I'm really looking forward to getting the pump integrated with Dexcom. They can't bring that quick enough, I don't think.
Scott Benner 22:19
Yeah. And you guys are usually Ha, you guys are usually a couple of years behind when it comes here. Right? Is that how it?
Saxon 22:29
I guess so? I guess so. I went when I went through the pump process, and they showed like several pumps. I think they had a an Accu check. And Donna and those are under Medtronic. And and then they said they're having an IP. So med one come along, which I don't think you have over there. No. So what about the what about the T slim as our we don't currently have access to that within within the trust here? Okay, that's a shame because that's the one I'd really like. And I found out at my six month review that they now offer it I really. So I'm on the IPS omega, which they bought the bought access to the tandem algorithm, but they haven't got it approved yet.
Scott Benner 23:24
Okay. And if so mad is it's not quite I'm trying to remember it. It's not quite tubeless. Right. It's like a short tube on it. Ah, what am I?
Saxon 23:39
I'm not sure. I mean, the tube I've got I think is 60 centimeters.
Scott Benner 23:44
Okay. Yeah, I'm lucky.
Saxon 23:46
So a couple of feet.
Scott Benner 23:48
So yeah, so you do you do have like a pump with a with with tubing on it and then into an infusion set? That's the estimate.
Saxon 23:56
Yes, I got it. Yeah. It's a very, very small pump. It's like half the size of an iPhone.
Scott Benner 24:02
You guys have Omnipod there, right?
Saxon 24:05
Yeah, but my trust seem to think that that's only for children.
Scott Benner 24:09
Really? That's interesting. I mean, do you use more than 200 units of insulin and three days?
Saxon 24:15
She said, No, I don't. Right.
Scott Benner 24:17
Right. Yeah, well, then it's for you, too. And they're gonna have their algorithm too. I mean, it just got it cleared by the FDA here in America a few weeks ago. They're doing a limited release at the moment, and then it's gonna go wider soon. So I don't know when that puts it in Europe, to be perfectly honest. But I mean, I think you're right. I think that algorithms that talk to your CGM and your pomp are a big deal, you know, because all this stuff you've been talking about for the last half an hour. A lot of it isn't going to exist in your life day to day when this algorithms making that decision. It's it's gonna, it's gonna lift a real burden for a lot of people. But
Saxon 25:01
yeah, I'm really looking forward to it just to just free up some headspace not just focus on other stuff. Not that I have to think about too much while I'm fumbling along the road.
Scott Benner 25:13
Well, what is it like, though? I mean, does it add an extra level of, I don't know, like, concern that you're constantly driving. I mean, when people have type one diabetes, they usually put a lot of effort into making sure that their drives are well protected. You know, they know what their blood sugar is, before they start, they check while they're driving. They have stuff with them all the time. But when you're driving all day long, how do you manage that? Do you ever have to pull over to to help yourself? Or is it something you can keep going? Pretty well.
Saxon 25:46
Um, so we can only drive here within two hours of performing a blood glucose check. I think they recently did approve CGM for driving but not a large vehicle. So even though I do have a Dexcom, I still have to pull over and prick my finger for say, every two hours of driving.
Scott Benner 26:11
And that's a vehicle to.
Saxon 26:15
So I could drive my car on just the Dexcom as long as I wear it in an approved place, okay. But then I get better results with it on my pec than I actually do on my stomach or the back of the arm. So yeah, I might as well just prick my finger anyway. But yeah, I have the rules that are given to me by the driving agency that we have here. And so if your glucose is less than five, which I think is 90 over there, isn't it, you know, have a snack, and it's less than four, then you have to retest or correct with some sugar and test again. And once you've been back in range for more than 45 minutes, then you can get going again. 40, which is incredibly frustrating when you get to 3.9.
Scott Benner 27:09
And then you have to wait 45 minutes?
Saxon 27:12
Well, it's an hour really, because you've got a correct test again, and then 45 minutes after, after that you can go again. And that's yeah, it's very frustrating. How on time how strict
Scott Benner 27:22
are the rules? Like if you got caught? Not following them? Would you get a ticket? Would you lose your license? How would that work? Do you know?
Saxon 27:33
Um, potentially I could lose my license, you know, being control of a 44 ton vehicle with? Well, it would be classed as being not fully in control of the vehicle, I suppose. It's they were set out as a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. And yeah, they're worried about if you're low, it's affecting your concentration. And let's say that it takes at least 45 minutes for your brain to recover from a low which I imagine if you're prior to being able to keep yourself in range with CGM that anytime you got below five, he probably did feel absolutely rubbish. And therefore we enter a proper hypo. Yes, you did need to probably stop because I do try to keep myself as in range as possible. I actually feel okay when I'm around the for just a little bit less, you know, just just a tiny bit less. But obviously the clinics will tell you that they're worried about you losing hyper awareness. But I thought I can function just fine. I've only had one occasion where I did think yeah, I really do definitely need to stop. I'd just helped another driver who's loaded. All his straps came loose, loose when his loads shifted. So I just helped him strap it up, got back in the truck and start to drive down the road again. And I felt like the entire cab was shrinking around me. And I just looked at my watch to see the see the number like oh, okay, yeah, that's dropping fast. Now this is what it means when they say you might act drunk or feel drunk with it. And so I just scuffed a load of jelly babies and orange juice and I'm pulled over tested and was like Oh 2.2 Yeah, that that felt low. Wow, it didn't enjoy that.
Scott Benner 29:40
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Saxon 33:04
Yeah, yeah. No, I didn't enjoy that.
Scott Benner 33:07
So that just activity of jumping around that truck and pulling those straps and re sensing that load made you low.
Saxon 33:15
Yes, it did. And then I was struggling with lows for the entire day. So it's just one of those moments where my body's decided that it doesn't need as much insulin but it never tells you that it's going to have that kind of day you just have to work it out for yourself. Well
Scott Benner 33:28
yeah, you don't know the kind of day you're going to have but Saxon I would bet that it's the activity and the you probably kind of activated the insulin that was already in you so I'm I'd be surprised if it if it isn't true that when you're sedentary and not moving that you need more insulin to keep your blood sugar stable at a certain number than you do when you're active.
Saxon 33:49
Oh, I wouldn't disagree with that. Yeah, yeah. So
Scott Benner 33:51
I think you just jumped out started moving around that other truck and you got you caught alo your prompt did you have active Do you remember that moment? Did you have active insulin had you eaten in the hours prior to that?
Saxon 34:03
About Yeah, probably about an hour and a half before so yes, admittedly the rapid would have been peaking at that point. Right you know, initially I was just thinking of trying to keep the other guys safe because he had to his straps are dragging on the road so I had to just try and keep them safe whilst whilst that was happening. But as I say later on in the day, you know, just driving around and like oh creeping down again and again and again.
Scott Benner 34:30
It just stopped then after that.
Saxon 34:33
Yeah, I'm for a few days that I was on a lower amount of lattice again.
Scott Benner 34:40
But but now the moves around Yeah, but now the pump has made all that easier for you. Yeah, easier. Yeah. Not that easy, just easier. Well, I'll tell you,
Saxon 34:51
I knew wouldn't be a fixed and the doctor did say to me when when I was approved for it that he that I would not get better. results than what I was already achieving with pens. Just that I was less likely to burn out from the effort, which they seem to think I'm putting into it. The very wide I get stressed with the effort and it's like, no, it's there is a number, correct it move on.
Scott Benner 35:17
Yeah. Well, so you said something much earlier in the conversation that I related to a lot. The idea when you're injecting a slow acting insulin like Lantus, you know, lever meritocracy, but whatever you're using, that it's in there, and now it's in there, and you can't do anything about it. I used to have that feel at least you're an adult, right? Like, we used to inject that into my daughter when she was two and three and four years old. And it was the I thought that was almost the worst part of it is that you had to put it in, but you weren't sure if you were going to need it. And then you had to work backwards from it. And you know, at least you can, you know, tell yourself, I have to eat this and you can do it like you should try tell him like a three year old that's not hungry that they need to eat something because they they look right through you. But But it's the that you just brought back a memory when you said that that really sticks with me that I felt that way at the time. Like every day, you're like, I'm gonna put this in. And I hope we need Yeah, you know?
Saxon 36:18
Yeah, well, I mean, watching my mom trying to feed my brother and sister all those years ago was that look like hard enough work without the extra complication of managing diabetes for your daughter as well?
Scott Benner 36:30
No kidding. So are there other autoimmune issues in your family line? Or does anybody else have diabetes?
Saxon 36:39
There is no diabetes that we are aware of at all in neither my mom's or my dad sides. I've heard you mentioned possibly that bipolar might be a thing that linked with it. We suspect that my grandma might have had it. But I mean, she died in 91. So I think back then they just call it hysteria. But that's about all that I'm aware of in terms of anything autoimmune in the family.
Scott Benner 37:10
You know, I have to admit, when I start having bad days, I'm going to start saying I have hysteria because that sounds like a nice way to describe a day that's gone wrong. What's wrong with you? I'm a little hysterical.
Saxon 37:25
Sounds like good plan. Not today.
Scott Benner 37:27
Any thyroid stuff?
Saxon 37:29
Not that I've heard of.
Scott Benner 37:30
Okay. So it's fair to say that you were completely shocked to have diabetes?
Saxon 37:37
Yes, absolutely. I think we've, well, the only thing that makes sense to it was earlier on that year I had flu. That's, that's the only thing I can really see as being a trigger for it. Because for about three months, I just had absolutely no strength. And then come the summer, I start seeing a few other symptoms, which I can now relate to it. Dealing with a little bit of thrush, and then later on, started losing weight. And then I was like, Oh, I'm in the thick of that. I went out for a run. I thought start running. And that night, I had to wake up five times to go pee in the light. Well, obviously, it's not actually related. I don't think but, you know, that kind of put me off running a little bit. And then it's like, okay, every hour, I'm driving on the road, I have to pull over what's going on? And yeah, it was it was quite a shock. For me. Even in the hospital. The doctor was asking me like, Do you have any pain in your stomach? If you've been throwing up at all? No. Are you? Are you tired? A lot? Yeah. Sometimes I'm up at 1am to start my job. Okay, you pick it up? Yeah. I like coffee. You can write so many of these things off. Sure. But when you when you really have all the symptoms, they're like, oh, yeah, they're all there, aren't they? Yeah, this makes sense.
Scott Benner 38:57
The thrush is like a yeast infection in your mouth. Right?
Saxon 39:01
I actually I had it more in other sensitive areas. Yeah. And so there was a few a couple of like conversations I suppose with well, my now ex wife but so that I don't know what's going on here. You know? Yeah, maybe not tonight if you don't want to catch us, I don't know where it's coming from. You know, and I was seeing the doctor. I went to the local doctor a couple of times and I was getting some creams and then one day I went and so it's still not going away but I now feel like I'm also pulling away my weight and I'm ah, that sounds like diabetes. Let me go get the meter like scuze me
Scott Benner 39:37
Wow. So the thrush alone didn't get him but you mentioned the urination. He went right to diabetes. Yeah, because he saw the high blood sugar because the yeast infection Yeah.
Saxon 39:49
Why well as the weight loss as well in the
Scott Benner 39:51
weight loss, how long did it take you to think to diagnose it a couple of months.
Saxon 39:57
Ah, I suppose from actually seeing Dr for that yeah, probably was a month or two. But I think I can trace symptoms back about five or six months.
Scott Benner 40:09
Wow. That's a long time. It's not just not something you expect as an adult, especially if you don't have in your family. And it sounds like you're onset might have been a little slow. Do you remember what your blood sugar was? When? When he got that meter?
Saxon 40:25
Well, they when they tested me in the hospital, it was 29. Okay, no, I've quite got the conversion for you. There.
Scott Benner 40:34
I got it. It's about 522. For hear okay. Yeah. Which is high, but not the highest number I've ever heard.
Saxon 40:42
How did you feel? I've heard some high numbers on your show. Yeah, some
Scott Benner 40:45
sometimes you're like, wow. But how did you feel at that point? The tiredness was it? Was it getting worse? Or was it just that you were Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I
Saxon 40:57
suppose say. I mean, I was quite happy to get myself into bed at eight o'clock some nights. And then once I started taking the incident was like, oh, yeah, yeah, I've got the energy back. But it's you do get used to feeling rubbish. And you, you just get on with it. You adapt.
Scott Benner 41:13
I'm gonna ask you a question. It's none of my business acts. And so you can tell me to go ahead, screw off. But did the diabetes have anything to do with the end of your marriage?
Saxon 41:23
Um, some people would think it like that. But no, I think I can honestly see patterns in her behavior long before that, which led up to us getting divorced. Okay, was it but maybe it was a little bit the end? Well, when we split, she told me not to change. Nope, don't change who I am.
Scott Benner 41:47
Okay. Well, that's good. Yeah. Don't just not for me, but I gotta go. How long? Yeah. How long had you been married?
Saxon 42:01
About five years at that point. We've been married. We've been together about 10.
Scott Benner 42:06
Okay. All right. Well, I'm sorry, that happened. I was just I felt like I felt like I should ask.
Saxon 42:12
No, no, no, that's, that's absolutely fair enough. But you know, I'm here to be honest. But it's, I'd say it really worked out for the best in the end. Obviously, we weren't for each other. And I then met somebody. I'd say as far fire lovelier pretty quickly afterwards.
Scott Benner 42:29
How do you meet a girl when you drive a truck all day?
Saxon 42:31
Well, that's a tricky thing, I suppose. Luckily, I do four days on four days off. So I'm only working half the time so I can actually meet people. But you know, in this day and age, it is. Tinder, I suppose, isn't it?
Scott Benner 42:46
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Swiping around. I gotcha. Well, that makes sense. Yeah. Well,
Saxon 42:49
yeah. I just said I'm not in the I'm not in the right place for relationship having just come out of the long term one. So you know, I'm just looking to meet people. And, and Natalie said to me, that she was about to go to America. So perfect. And two and a half years later, she's still here with me.
Scott Benner 43:08
Oh, you changed her plans? Yeah, look at you. That's, I see. You're, you're flexing a little bit there. Saxon. I see what's going on.
Saxon 43:22
Being honest, and nice, actually was something she wasn't used to. So there was a reason to stay.
Scott Benner 43:28
That's excellent. Oh, good. I'm glad for you. Is she is she very involved in your diabetes? How much of it? Do you let her see?
Saxon 43:36
Oh, let's see the whole lot. But she's not. She's not supposed like involved in terms of having to take any care. But she's a she's a nurse and she has found it very interesting. And has given a lot of confidence, seeing what I do. In terms of actually then treating the patients that she has. Okay, so she's, she's not scared of the of the insulin
Scott Benner 44:06
anymore. Wow. She works in a hospital.
Saxon 44:09
Yes, yeah. So when I met her, she was a critical care nurse. So she should manage people with DKA newly diagnosed or having other problems, various other types of insulin needs. So I think somebody would say, due to a brain injury, the body was or the brain wasn't telling them to release the insulin. So yeah, so it's things like that.
Scott Benner 44:39
Okay. You know, I will tell you that I had a fair amount of stress just now when I said she works in a hospital because I couldn't decide if I should put the in front of the in front of hospital or if I because you guys guys just say hospital, and I didn't know what to do and I panicked.
Saxon 45:02
Yeah, I'm not too sure what the right answer actually is here. Do we say go to a hospital or go to the hospital? You know, sometimes the the north of England, don't use the word there. You know, do you want a cup of tea?
Scott Benner 45:16
I'm just telling you, it's shot me into a panic, I could. So if you're me, I have this weird, like, skill or life thing that happens to me, where I'm a little aware, when I'm recording this podcast, I'm a little aware of my next like, eight words before they come out of my mouth. And so you're talking and I'm asked, I know, I want to ask if she works in a hospital. And I can just I can hear voices in my head fighting going. Don't say the US say it. Don't say.
Saxon 45:47
That sounds a little tiring at times.
Scott Benner 45:49
I was just like, I don't want to like I don't know, I, you know, it's stupid. Doesn't matter. But I've just interviewed enough people from, you know, from England, where I'm just very aware of it. And, and I still can't get it right. So I knew I whatever. Cannot we know what you mean? Thank you. Can I ask you a question that there's no way prior to two weeks ago, I would never would have asked you. How close do you feel to Ukraine right now?
Saxon 46:18
Oh, ah. Well, I don't know. I mean, I'm in a country where half more than half of them decided to get away from anything to do with Europe. So I'm not really too sure. But I doesn't sound nice. What's happening over there.
Scott Benner 46:34
But but your own personal safety? Do you feel close to it?
Saxon 46:40
Are there I mean, I suppose, like the far east of Europe to us, but who knows how far Putin might decide to reach? But we don't seem to be doing much to, to aid them for some reason. So maybe we'll be okay. I'm wondering if our politicians are a bit too scared to really provide proper assistance. Now, I think we're arming the Ukraine, but we're not sending troops. So I don't
Scott Benner 47:12
know, that seems to be how they're all handling it. I just wondered if because you're attached. And you're there. You know, like if it felt like a regional conflict that you have no real concern about reaching you? Or if it feels different? Because it's closer. That's all I you know, I mean, from here. It you know, it's horrifying. And concerning, obviously. But I don't feel like it's going to be here anytime soon. I just didn't know if like the distance made it different for you. But it sounds like you are having a fairly similar experience to the one I'm having.
Saxon 47:49
Yeah, I don't really know what to feel about it. I'll be honest. You know, I have a friend from Estonia. And at some point, I'll find out what what she thinks about it, because they're only they are another country or to a long from from Ukraine.
Unknown Speaker 48:04
Yeah, that shows more
Saxon 48:05
concerning for her and the family that she has back over there, having previously been a part of the Soviet Union.
Scott Benner 48:12
Wow, it just all seems you got that little tiny bit of water, but then I gotta help you.
Saxon 48:19
I mean, it's helped us but before if, you know, for those people who can't let go, the Second World War,
Scott Benner 48:23
slows them down a little bit having to get on a boat and something like that. Oh, my gosh, do you see the world? Like, very does the internet? What am I? What's my question? Like? Does the internet make everything seemed local at this point? Like, do you have more understanding of the United States, for instance, in places that are far away? In your 30s that you didn't your teens and your 20s?
Saxon 48:52
Um, possibly, I try. I try and stay off social media, because it's just, it's just saturated with rubbish. And I don't like going on there. And the news is just too damn depressing. Right. So I have to admit a lot of what I pick up about the world these days, I actually get from here and your guests, for wherever they are. Because at least getting somebody's own personal story with it. But you turn on the news, and it's like, oh, like for a couple of years. It was Brexit, more Brexit, you know? And it's like, Oh, can we have something else? Oh, we're talking about COVID. Okay, now that's getting boring now. Can we talk about Brexit again? No, that's still bad. Yeah, there's just been very little to make me feel like I want to tune into the news. I wonder I thought I'll just find out what's actually going on in the world. Again, after like months of not listening to the radio. And, oh, Stephen Hawking died. Oh, that was tuned in now.
Scott Benner 49:55
I'm sad. I was just depressing. Yeah, I know. We were on a car trip. The other day, and my wife said, Put the news on, I want to hear about Ukraine. And we listened for, you know, 10 or 15 minutes. And I don't know, a couple hours went by, and she's like, put it back on again. And we put it back on again. And I realized they were just saying the same thing. And then I start paying attention at the top of every hour, they were just making the same statement, and then having the same conversations off of it over and over again, I said to her, I was like, There's no new news here. Like they're just, they're just re saying the same thing over and over, you know, so we,
Saxon 50:30
yes, 24 hours of news, but it's no longer new.
Scott Benner 50:34
No, and he said it. My favorite part is that every time they say something, they go, this is breaking news. I'm like, Everything can't be breaking. It's like something I don't know, I just I agree with you, I I do my best to stay away from just medic mass market media news. And even like you said, like Brexit is a good example. You start getting involved in these like political discussions, you realize that you have almost no say in how this goes. And it's going to do what it's going to do anyway. And, and being twisted up in the, in the moment to moment of it really has no value to you. It doesn't make you better informed. It just sort of makes you you know, I think it makes you just kind of more nervous and anxious, honestly, about something. Yeah, no effect on.
Saxon 51:23
Yeah, I think I spent spent a day listening to like COVID updates and getting a whole bunch of stuff. And by the end of the day, I felt awful. And I'm gonna go back to audio books, podcasts, whatever, you know, let's get some music going on. Let's just stay away from the radio.
Scott Benner 51:38
How was that driving a truck during COVID? Like because you you travel a distance, then you have contact with people, I imagined that that change what happens when you get to a destination or do a pickup?
Saxon 51:51
Yeah, for a while that was that was definitely a different experience. You know, arriving at the site not being allowed inside though. In not allowed in a warehouse, they'd come out and meet you. As long as you've already masked up even though you're outside. Take your keys off you still but they go in a bag. You know, that hiring portaloos to be in the yard so that you don't go inside to use their toilets? That's yeah, that was That's strange. You know, not everyone is completely relaxed yet either. I yeah, in some ways, it was kind of nice, because you know, other places where they normally would take your keys and then sit you in a different room. You weren't allowed to stay in your vehicle. They stopped all that. So it was like finally I can take where I'm already comfortable with my own stuff and my food. Yeah. I don't really have to deal with that too much now. Because when I first got got in touch with you, I was part of the general haulage company and we were moving a lot of just various goods. And now I'm part of a crane company. It's we've just gotten a building sites. You know, just take take the crane, drop that off, leave. You know, it's not too bad. Now.
Scott Benner 53:11
Can you explain to people step by step how to pee in a bottle while you're driving?
Saxon 53:16
Um, I would imagine, you'd imagine, well, there's got a big enough spout. I personally haven't tried it because I don't want to get it wrong. And I have all over my seat. But I know, I remember one man saying he, he met up with a couple of where he met a couple of Irish drivers in Liverpool had a had a couple of pints with beginners of Guinness with them. And then they set off towards Dover to get on the other channel tunnel. And he said after 10 hours, he just had to stop and pee. And they just kept going. So obviously they've masked Yeah, yeah, I'll just pull over. I mean, now I have to anyway. Yeah, I won't do that.
Scott Benner 54:11
I imagine the wide mouth bottle is pretty much the it's the key to the whole thing. Honestly, right.
Saxon 54:17
I mean, there's times we okay, like you park up in a service station for the night and takes like three or four minutes to walk inside to the facilities. And it's chucking down with rain. You're like now I'm just gonna pee in a bowl tonight.
Scott Benner 54:33
Are there places that when you stop, like have shower facilities and things like that for you?
Saxon 54:39
Yeah, yeah. There are a few of those arounds. Not necessarily good, but they are available.
Scott Benner 54:46
Okay. Not something you would want to use on purpose, just more of a necessity.
Saxon 54:50
Yes, some of them aren't too bad, some of them but there's a couple of places where they're really nice. A lot of them are just about adequate One of the one of the private truck stops that we have, I don't think it's particularly good for the we have a payment system. So that you can just give you registration, the company is billed, the driver doesn't have to pay over money and wait for any expenses to come back. But because this company then takes a percentage, the truckstop has decided that to get that money back, they'll then not include a shower token with the parking. So we then three pounds to have a shower. But then you also have a ticket to put into the machine to give you so many minutes of water. And then when you press the button that I know, it's like at the swimming pools, you press a button, you've got so many seconds of water, and then you've got press it again. Well, the buttons and these showers pop out again within two seconds. And half of that water is coming out of the back of the showerhead and running down the wall. And it's it's no wonder a lot of people kind of get disenfranchised with I suppose this lifestyle is is a bit more of a lifestyle than a job. When that's the kind of treatment or care that you get for almost dedicating your life to
Scott Benner 56:20
Yeah, it's hard. It's hard work to I mean, it takes a lot out of you. I imagine there's you say you work for the f4 off but the first day must be recovery. Right?
Saxon 56:30
Hey can be yes. ticked off to say that a 15 hour day. Yeah, I tried to have the first day is just take it slow, man get some chores in the, you know, the day after. But yeah, it can be like that, you know, I've had times where I've had to be at work for three o'clock in the morning, on the first day, and then I've not got home till 11 o'clock on the fourth day. And yeah, that's kind of takes away a little bit of your weekend as well. But you know, both at both sides of
Scott Benner 57:00
that in a in a 15 hour workday. How many of those hours do you think you're actually driving?
Saxon 57:07
Ah, well, we're limited to nine hours of driving in a day. Twice a week that can be increased to 10. But usually it might be say seven, eight hours of driving.
Scott Benner 57:21
And I recognize that you're happy in your relationship. But I have a question you might have information about is the idea of Lot lizards. Is that something that translates to you a
Saxon 57:32
lot lizard?
Scott Benner 57:33
Do you do not know the phrase?
Saxon 57:36
I'm gonna assume from lat You mean like a parking area? Is this going to be do with like ladies of the night? Yes,
Scott Benner 57:42
it is. Is that a real thing in this world? From my movies,
Saxon 57:47
I've heard of it. I haven't experienced it. Okay.
Scott Benner 57:51
It's not it's not like, it's not like I made to believe in a movie where you pull into your parking spot and just you're swarmed by prostitution.
Saxon 58:01
No one one man did tell me that happened at a particular service station. It was just like, every 10 minutes, there's somebody knocking on the door, anything just go away. I'm desperate for sleep.
Scott Benner 58:11
Yeah, I can't imagine how exhausted you must be at the end of a of nine hours of driving. We. So we just drove to take art and to visit a school college she's considering going to, which I guess is a university in your mind. And it was crossed the country. So we kind of took it a little slow and easy. But by the time we got there, we had been in the car about 14 or 15 hours. And you know, with a couple of stops here and there for you know, restrooms and food and things. And we stopped at a hotel. And we were waiting at the front desk to check in. And my wife goes, Are you okay? And I said, is the room moving? Or is it me? Like you have that weird feeling like you're swaying but you're not moving? And if that makes any sense to you, maybe it does. But yeah, yeah, I found it very disconcerting. I don't normally drive that far in, you know, in a shot, so I don't know what that is. It just felt like exhaustion, but um, I'm not certain. A probably
Saxon 59:13
is if you're not used to concentrating for that long.
Scott Benner 59:17
Yeah, that's the hardest part. Isn't it? Just the paying attention?
Saxon 59:22
Yeah, fun. It can be like most days, it's, it's not too bad. You know, usually lasts like, Don't you get bored, but I just consider it more that I'm absorbing my choice of entertainment whilst I'm driving. The days when it's heavy rain, if it's really, if there's heavy fog, then I find it very tiring. Because then I'm really having to focus and try and peer through the weather conditions. That's a struggle,
Scott Benner 59:51
and you're moving heavy equipment. That's not that isn't that not like cases or boxes that can get stacked up and the distribution of weight is probably a little different for the stuff you're pulling to, right? Because the I'm kind of guessing about moving cranes around. But it sounds like it's not as stable as far as the the load goes.
Saxon 1:00:14
So it's not too bad. To be honest. If it is a heavy load, it's usually because of the ballast weights, which then just go on the deck. So that's kind of at least giving you a reasonable center of gravity. Stack a few bits on top, but you just, if you're not sure, if it's quite secure enough, put another strap over it, just get it down really tight. Yeah, sometimes they don't quite put stuff in the right place for you. And that more is has an effect on your, on the traction of your your drive axle.
Scott Benner 1:00:49
Do you learn a little bit Do you load and unload? No, I don't know. There's people there that handle the basically the packaging of the crane onto your truck. And then you drive it away?
Saxon 1:01:00
Yeah, yeah, in our yards. Yeah, we have the yard men operate the cranes, and they'll lift, lift the stuff on. And then we secure we take it to the site, where we then have the directors there who then do sort all the lifting off when they're erecting the crane or when the dismantling they're the ones who are putting it all on. And again, then we just secure it. But we're not actually allowed to participate in the loading or unloading of the vehicle. Just securing it and getting it there.
Scott Benner 1:01:33
Gotcha. Is it weird to stand there and watch other people work? Ever feel like you can like help a little bit like, oh, here, I'll get that like, just so they don't look at you like
Saxon 1:01:47
I mean, there's times like that, but there'll be loading stuff on. And whilst they're doing that I'm just throwing the straps over. So I'm still usually doing something. But yeah, there are other times if they're really struggling with taking the crane apart. You know, I can't get involved in that. And so I just sit there and I think I had one day in central London. I was there for 10 hours, and they still hadn't put anything on me. And it turned out Yeah, they were struggling to bash the pins out of the crane because they bent and flight USA after about 10 hours, they finally put a couple of bits on me. And then I just had to get out of London before my before my hours ran out for the day. But yeah, for a day like that. So I guess I'll watch another movie. I'll I'll go asleep. And I'll take some some Warhammer miniatures with me. I can just paint up in the cab while I'm waiting for them. Yeah, my job now involves quite often a lot of sitting around.
Scott Benner 1:02:42
No kidding. Wow. So you, you bring your hobbies with you even because you know you have downtime.
Saxon 1:02:48
Yeah, yeah. That's cool. Yeah, it's not bad. Some of the other guys say like, they knew that when they're on their third movie of the day that they really weren't gonna go anywhere.
Scott Benner 1:02:58
You start binge watching shows, and you're halfway through three seasons you like what is what is happening, right? Well, listen, does it pay? Well? Is it a good job?
Saxon 1:03:09
Where I am now? Actually, I would say yes, it is. It's maybe not paying quite so well, during the winter months because of the wind. You can't really lift much when you know when the storms are coming in. But yeah, I think I think where I am now is fairly good pay. And a lot of other haulage companies are coming up to meet that pay because they're they've been desperate to hold on to drivers lately,
Scott Benner 1:03:34
right? Yeah, there's the craziest thing I've seen here during COVID. Is that jobs that you used to think of as like, jobs that like teenagers would keep or you know, like high school students, stuff that was for after school is suddenly paying like, you know, $20 an hour. And I just feel like they can't they can't keep anybody so they just keep jacking up the pay trying to hold on to, you know, two workers. Yeah, you know,
Saxon 1:04:01
it's Yeah, yeah, no, I've seen a lot of that. But the last company I was in, they lost a load of people with a dangerous goods license. So they up to the bonus for that. And then the local drivers a whole load of them left. So they upped their pay. And then the national trampers they said, they're the ones who sleep in the cab for the week. Like five of them left in two weeks. So again, their pay went up. And the four of us that we're doing four days on four days off there we went, what about us? And I said, oh, there's a queue of people waiting to get in your trucks. We don't need to have your money. So I then heard about this other job with a crane company. I'll see you
Scott Benner 1:04:46
that's not true. Goodbye. Yeah. How long does it take to to train like if I if I showed up there in my mind, and I was like, I'm gonna drive these trucks. I'm gonna go do what's x and does I have noticed I'd like no training at all, how long would it take me to, to get the license.
Saxon 1:05:06
Um, I think it took me three or four months before in turn. So applying for the provisional category on your license, getting in the medicals doing the theory, having the first test was for just driving a rigid truck. So you know, like just one without, without a trailer. So then you can just go and drive one of those once you get your license to get the test back from that. And that was, I did a three day course followed by a test. Because you already know how to drive, they're just adjusting your driving style to a bigger vehicle for the size. Yeah, so that was just wait for the license to come back. And then get booked in to do the next category, which is to have the trailer on the back as well. So that was about three or four months, at the moment, because of COVID. Getting licenses back from the DVLA is as taking so long, I think like, because I have to have my license is on a one year restriction, because I'm on insulin. So every year, I have to submit renewal for medical grounds, see a couple of doctors in the meantime, I can continue to drive until I'm told otherwise. But I am having to say keep renewing the license. And last year that took nine months to get the license back. My my brother who is I think it's gonna be 19 this year. He he's applied for his provisional license to confer to start driving. And he he sent that off, I'm sure in September, he is still waiting to get his provisional license back. So at the moment, he is just stuck in the town that we've come from. You can't go anywhere yet. Yeah, I don't know if he wants to. But he doesn't have the option.
Scott Benner 1:06:58
He just can't. Wow.
Saxon 1:07:00
They're just taking so long to do anything. Right. And you can't get on the phone to them. It just says there's no one available. Thanks. I just sat through a five minute message to get to this point.
Scott Benner 1:07:10
So it's a nine minute wait to reset a one year. A nine month, nine month wait to reset a one year cycle. Yeah, that's, that's not working.
Saxon 1:07:21
Yeah, no, it seems like that. And there's I have another colleague as well. There was also type one, and you were submitted maybe a couple of weeks apart for our licenses. And they said right, okay, well, I'll do a bet with you. Whoever gets a license back first has to give the other one a packet of jelly babies.
Scott Benner 1:07:38
diabetes bedding, less fun than the other? Yeah, yeah.
Saxon 1:07:43
Do you usually get some a lot less trouble?
Scott Benner 1:07:46
No kidding, right. Do you when you submit that for reinstatement basically does that? Is that something you have to get from your doctor? Do you have to write down logs? Do you have to send them numbers? Like how does that work?
Saxon 1:07:59
Ah, so yeah, so I just let the DVLA know that I wish to continue driving, I wish to keep a category on my license. And then they say they send out a questionnaire and then there's stuff in there. Like, you know, ion insulin, have you had any severe episodes? And you're allowed one a year with help? You know, that's okay, any more than that? And then they really going to question your ability, you know, how many hypose Would you say you have, on average, you know, like so many a week or so many a month or hardly any? Have you lost any limbs, you know, all that kind of stuff. And then they say, oh, we'd like to get some more information. So we've arranged an appointment for you with a doctor. And so then the doctor looks through your, your meter to just see the last three months of sugars, just to show that you're not having too many hypose. And if you are that you're correcting them. And you think, well, you're here, aren't you, you're still alive. And after another like month or so of that form being sent off, they say we want some more information. So we've now arranged an appointment for you with an independent doctor. So I then have to drive another hour up the road friend of mine who got perfectly good hospital within 10 minutes. So I have to go to another hospital and see somebody there. Who does exactly the same thing. Yeah, looks through the last three months of readings, says yeah, okay. I asked you, I asked you a couple of questions about you know, do keep carbs within easy reach. If you do have a low, you know, what do you do then when do you feel a low coming on? Just write all that down and sends that off, and then you get your license back for another year. And then you've got to repeat the process. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:09:56
that sounds
Saxon 1:09:57
thankfully. Yeah. Oh, We have already done it a couple of times so far, but I'm sure it will get tiring.
Scott Benner 1:10:04
Sucks. And I appreciate you doing this. I have one last question that has absolutely nothing to do with any of this. And if you think it's silly, tell me but in your mind, how do you think of the Beatles? Like when you think of Paul McCartney, do you think he's a genius? Who just like, do I think differently of him? Because he doesn't come from here. Does that make sense?
Saxon 1:10:24
Oh, ah, I would say I prefer the Rolling Stones.
Scott Benner 1:10:28
Okay. All right. You're younger too. So like, it's interesting that it's interesting that like, it's not music, that like you didn't grow up with it the first time. Obviously, I didn't either. But I'm just interested, though. Like, like when something comes from the place you are? Is it like, is there lore around it here that doesn't exist? They're like, I don't not love the Rolling Stones. I'm just interested. Like, do you think Paul McCartney is a genius?
Saxon 1:11:00
I know, I don't know. Like, I think the song Hey, dude, certainly ruins any oppression, I have any appreciation that I have for him. Because it just goes on for far too long. I won't deny that the Beatles have clearly had an influence on music. You know, I respect them for what they've done. And for the, I suppose the ability they had to play like when they went over to America to be able to play through the screaming crowds in the stadium with the tiny little speakers behind them, and they couldn't hear each other and be able to do that when they got there. But no, they're not really for me. A bit soft. I have to say for me, though. That's the thing. You know, I like the Rolling Stones because they they rock a lot more. I like it heavy, heavy.
Scott Benner 1:11:51
It's amazing. Those guys still play. It's crazy. Like Mick Jagger still puts on shows. Paul McCartney pulls himself out once in a while and sings it's like, it's ridiculous. Yeah,
Saxon 1:12:01
you know? Yeah. I mean, I'll see the Rolling Stones drummer died last year didn't make recently. Yeah. Yeah. And then Keith Richards just needs an eye and when he goes on stage, but otherwise, that's yeah, I don't know. But I mean, what I'm looking forward to seeing later this year is Ramstein. So that's more my, you know, my tastes.
Scott Benner 1:12:26
So when you go out to is that going to be a festival? Or will you just see
Saxon 1:12:30
this? This is a concert in in a stadium? Okay. I'll have to go to Wales for that one. But I've been waiting two years to get there.
Scott Benner 1:12:38
Yeah, and nobody's I haven't seen a live show and quite some time considering going and seeing some comedy soon. Which seems like that seems like it's okay to do. So. Yeah. But there's been a long pause.
Saxon 1:12:50
Well, you vaccinated now.
Scott Benner 1:12:51
I am I have a, what do I do, we did j&j That I did j&j the first time. And then I did Maderna. The second time to give myself a little, a little flavor from a and a little flavor from be just the case that
Saxon 1:13:07
well, you've done what you can now You're about as protected as you gonna be. You might as well get on with it.
Scott Benner 1:13:13
Yeah, no, I agree. Well, oh, I didn't know you were listening to metal music that might have changed our whole conversation about that.
Saxon 1:13:20
Oh, yeah, I think I have heard you mentioned Metallica a couple of times. Well, when
Scott Benner 1:13:23
when I was younger, we listened to a lot of Pantera. And, and stuff, stuff along those lines. I have to admit, now that I'm older, I don't know that I have the like, I don't know that my taste for it is the same anymore. But I still enjoy it periodically. But oh
Saxon 1:13:42
no, I understand that. I think I'm listening to a lot more podcasts and audiobooks than I am music these days. But every now and then I just do need a reset and just put on something good and heavy. Yeah. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:13:56
I often think that needs to be done. As an adult. I've achieved a level of stereo in my car that my 19 year old self would have appreciated a lot more than I do.
Saxon 1:14:08
Yeah, fair enough. I mean, I think I've heard you as well having to try and listen to rap music so you can still relate to your son. That's, I don't know if I'm particularly looking forward to that when I finally have some children. Like
Scott Benner 1:14:22
I can't even begin to wonder if you made a baby right now. 15 years from now what I don't even know what music would be and what you would have to try to, to learn to enjoy.
Saxon 1:14:33
Oh, yeah, I don't know. But I'm sure Natalie will be able to cope with that. Because I've talked to other people about music is that well, I like heavy metal. She likes everything else.
Scott Benner 1:14:43
Do you think she'll be at cope? Do you think I don't want to put you on the spot. Do you think you're gonna get married?
Saxon 1:14:50
Oh, that's booked for May next year.
Scott Benner 1:14:53
Oh, okay. Congratulations. That's lovely. Yeah,
Saxon 1:14:57
yeah, I suppose some might say was a bit maybe A bit quick, but it really did feel right. And I actually proposed probably about a month or two before I got divorced.
Scott Benner 1:15:07
There you go, stack up, stack them up, stack them in line.
Saxon 1:15:11
I know, I know, it sounds a bit crazy. But then, at the time I've had other aside, this is actually how will things I think should have felt. And in the marriage I had before. Okay, well, that's excellent. Yeah. You move on to you learn.
Scott Benner 1:15:26
That's excellent. All right. Hey, man, I really appreciate you doing this. I, I, I found your job to be fascinating. And I hope more people reach out to do things that, you know, maybe the rest of us don't know about. I was really, at one point stunned when you said that you learn about things around the world from this podcast. So hopefully, you will have taught somebody else something today.
Saxon 1:15:48
Well, maybe I mean, I think I mean, going back through your older episodes, and hearing the woman who had her daughter went to went up Everest, and then there was an avalanche and stuff like that. It's there just conversations that you would never otherwise get to listen into. Yeah, you know, it's brilliant. I will say, when I first found your podcast, I looked back to see if there was anything to apply to say the job I'm doing. And I was very disappointed when I listened through the episode just keep on trucking, and that it had absolutely nothing to do with trucking. And then, obviously, over the over the time, I've learned that your titles don't seem to have anything to do with what's happening. Apart from obviously, that the after dark episodes, I have to say, are fantastic that they give me an insight into a lot of things that I would otherwise have no contact with, or insight. So I think they're brilliant. And you should definitely keep doing those for people.
Scott Benner 1:16:43
I very, I enjoyed doing them very much actually. And I've had actually, just last night on social media, the girl who came on and talked about being diagnosed during a heroin Bender, like was like, she was just right in front of me on social media. And I thought she looks so good. And I just made me happy. You know, she looked like she was doing so well. And I agree. Like there are stories where you're just like, I don't know anything about this world. And it's it's fascinating to hear more about it. I actually think this I mean, yours is not an after dark, but it's a very similar situation like we don't think about, you know, truck drivers. It's a tough job. It's, it's incredibly important. And I don't think you know, I don't think anybody even like they look right through it, they don't even see it. So, I mean, between that and the girl that was a stripper from a few episodes ago. I find that all really fascinating. And I'm sorry about the titles of the show. I don't know what to do like today's today's Today's episode is called Chile, Chacho. And I believe that I don't even believe those two words actually go together. I didn't even care. Okay. It's just at some point in the conversation. The woman I was talking to was like, I think her cat's name is Chacho. And she, and she was from Chile. And she's just like, you know, explain to me what the word means and everything. And I was just gonna call the episode, Chacho. And I was putting it up and I thought, huh, what if I put Chile with it? So that's fine. I'm doing that. So it's a, you know, woman's got a cat. What do you want for me? And by the way, the cat has nothing to do with the story section. Not at all.
Saxon 1:18:27
Like, I've listened to enough of your episodes to believe you.
Scott Benner 1:18:30
Thank you. I think she mentioned the cat for eight seconds and an hour and 15 minute conversation. But I don't know what yeah, what am I gonna call it? You know what I mean? Like, I really do believe that if you give the titles, too much specificity, that it's unfair to the episode The episodes not about this one thing and then I get fearful that someone will come along and say, Oh, I don't need this and they'll gonna miss out on the other 15 You know, discussions that happened inside of the hour just because they thought oh, this is about
Saxon 1:19:04
I don't know. Oh, you know, Yeah, cuz otherwise would be every episode would be cool. diabetes wouldn't.
Scott Benner 1:19:08
Yeah, what Yeah, I What would I do? You don't I mean, that's. Anyway, I appreciate that. You appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Saxon 1:19:16
That's all good. Yeah, thank you, of course.
Scott Benner 1:19:29
A huge thank you to one of today's sponsors, G voc glucagon. Find out more about Chivo Capo pen at G Vogue glucagon.com forward slash juicebox. you spell that GVOKEGLUC AG o n.com. Forward slash juice box. And I'd also like to thank Ian pen from Medtronic diabetes and remind you to go to in pen today.com I'm to get started right now with the ink pen I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Saxon I'll be back very soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast
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