#903 Season of the Witch
Nico has type 1 diabetes and she lives in Scott's head.
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Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 903 of the Juicebox Podcast.
Today we'll be speaking with Nico. She is a type one and a group expert in my private Facebook group. Nico is here today to tell her story, but most importantly so that I can find out why she seems to always know what I'm thinking. While you're listening, please remember 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. Alright everybody, listen, I need you on this last month we did not do well on our T one D exchange survey we're completions. I was not happy with the number t one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. Join the registry, complete the survey 10 minutes. All you have to be is a type one who is a US resident or a US resident who is the caregiver of a type one. These questions are simple. You can do it from your phone while you're seated on a stool perhaps 10 minutes to help people with type one diabetes and to move diabetes research forward. That's all I'm asking. T one D exchange.org forward slash juicebox please in your mind, say I'm gonna do that and then do it. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the contour next gen blood glucose meter. Learn more and get started today at contour next one.com forward slash juicebox contour next gen. Actually all the contour meters are amazingly easy to use. They fit well in your hand have bright lights, easy to read screens and they're super super duper super duper Hooper accurate contour next one.com forward slash Juicebox Podcast is also sponsored by touched by type one beautiful organization helping people with type one diabetes. All they want is for you to follow them on Facebook Instagram and check out their webpage touched by type one.org. I will be at their local event I'm not supposed to say when yet but it's this year. Gonna do a lot of speaking there that day. Nice event they actually nice event is an understatement. They put on a beautiful event. You should check it out touched by type one.org.
Nico 2:39
I'm Nico. I am a type one diabetic. But I only found that out maybe in the last six months for sure. And I have two giant dogs who may bark once while we're recording. And I am not an open book but I probably am if you ask the right question in the right way.
Scott Benner 2:56
Okay, well then that puts the pressure on me. It's fine. Miko, how old are you? Oh, gosh. Oh, so it's time for some Scott. I think I'm 4546 this year. You think you're 45? Uh huh.
Nico 3:13
So this year ends in three and the year I was born ends in seven, but I didn't have my birthday yet this year. So I'm 45
Scott Benner 3:20
Oh, okay, you're 45. That's perfect. And you were just diagnosed in the last six months with type one. But you were having what were you misdiagnosed as a two prior something.
Nico 3:31
So thanks to the podcast, I tried to sign up for the radiant study. And they found my antibodies. And so I am officially a type one now. But prior to that, so I went six years, 14 years ago, as a type two, I was on oral meds and extremely strict diet. We could we could talk about my diagnosis story for about an hour and a half at least. But it's really not that interesting. And then, after six years, my agencies were creeping up, and my plate was getting smaller and smaller with only green things and meat on it. And finally, they looked at me and said, You're not making enough insulin. And I said, Thank you. I'm gonna go to him or her now. So that will be eight years this march that I've been on insulin, okay. At that time, they just said I was treated as a type one, but I wasn't diagnosed type one.
Scott Benner 4:26
Okay. Can you move the microphone about a half an inch away from your mouth? I don't know. Is it is it on a headset? The mic?
Nico 4:34
Yeah, I can move it up. I had moved it away from my nose but I'll move it closer to
Scott Benner 4:37
it. Yeah, I think you're, you're when you're breathing out with your mouth. It's it's, it's hitting it. That's all.
Nico 4:42
Are you calling me a mouth breather?
Scott Benner 4:44
No, not at all. I mean, maybe an hour from now. I will be I have no idea. I haven't met you yet. So perhaps okay. So okay, so you live for six years as type two. And then do you? Were you getting insulin at that time or no?
Nico 5:00
No, I was initially on Metformin. And when the Metformin wasn't cutting it, they add, added Januvia. So then I was on Janumet. And then I didn't even remember, but near the end, I was also on something called Prenton. And I wasn't treated like other type twos ever on the podcast, I actually had great education. It just didn't apply to me, obviously. And they kept telling me, you know, do all these things, right? And you'll avoid insulin, you know, the big, bad, scary thing. And oh, my gosh, I wish I had been on insulin so much sooner, because we just kept reducing. I tried everything they said, and took away essentially every carb, every grain, and I literally was eating leafy greens and meat, and couldn't stay under 200. Because my body wasn't making it.
Scott Benner 5:41
Yeah, did you lose a lot of weight during that time.
Nico 5:44
So initially, I did. And that was really the the other piece of my story that may be a little different than others, I weighed 97 pounds when it first started. And you wouldn't think that they would have assumed type two, but I live in a community where everyone is type two. And it's an underserved community. I drive two hours now to an endo. And I had no idea that, you know, juvenile diabetes, of course, so I just believed them. And I went to the classes and I tried harder and harder and harder. And obviously felt like I was failing. And it was actually the complications that developed even though I my agencies weren't terrible. And I you know, you've asked in the group, anyone, this dark group, in your practice, I was a star pupil. For all of my doctors, they loved my agencies, I've had three in the 7.1 to 7.4 range in my entire career as a diabetic and the others were mostly in the sixes with a few in the fives prior to the podcast,
Scott Benner 6:39
but how much weight did you lose off? 97 pounds.
Nico 6:43
So initially, let's so now I'm pretty close to 120. I've gained a little recently we've been working on that, because of my gastroparesis. They kind of want me to keep a little on, but I probably should sit around 114. So 17 pounds, probably. And my family was really concerned they had me weighing in with a psychiatrist. I mean, I was what did we ever figure that out about 30 ish? When this started, and I went a really interesting path. I thought I was crazy. And so I did see a psychiatrist. And that's where we started my my journey was with psychiatry, because mentally I just didn't feel like myself. But I couldn't figure out what's wrong. I was short tempered and moody, and, you know, anyway, but we, I asked the doctors for help. And they started seeing elevated agencies and we followed that path, but it just took a long, long time to get to the right path.
Scott Benner 7:35
Is that disappointing to you?
Nico 7:38
Extremely. Gosh, insulin is not that scary anymore. I mean, even when I first got it, I probably didn't know enough to be that scared. I was just so relieved. I was so hungry. I did put on weight on the oral meds and the diet that I was on. And I almost feel like the gastroparesis may have contributed to that over time, because we don't know why I have gastroparesis. Obviously, I'm diabetic, so they're gonna say that's what it's from. But it developed around the same time that the diabetic diabetes came. And with the food just sitting in my stomach all the time, and I'm telling me eat more high fiber foods because they digest more slowly, and they have lower impact. I kept trying really, really hard plates and plates full of vegetables, and it hurts so much and just sat in my stomach for so long that I think my body just kind of, I don't know, I did get up to about 135 for a while. And so when I finally met an endocrinologist for her to look at me and say, Okay, I have a type two, I'd been treated for probably four years before I met her. And she really, I guess, had no reason to question my diagnosis at that point, because I did weigh significantly more. And I had been treated by other professionals for a long time. But eventually, there was a really cool person in her office her her her Jenny sat down with me and she always loved my food logs and always wanted to know, recipes and loved the things I was eating and wish all of her pain patients ate like me, and then just looked at how frustrated I was that I wasn't succeeding. And first she said, You need insulin. And then one day she listened to me say, you know, food hurts me. And she said, Oh my gosh, you have gastroparesis, and I had never found anyone else who had I started I had an idea but what I always would tell my husband at night is that it felt like I ate rocks. And I actually got to them through physical therapy, which referred me to podiatry and that referred me to endocrinology. So it really was the gastroparesis that eventually got me on insulin. Wow that's crazy. Yeah. Yeah, I did try it No, not at
Scott Benner 9:46
all. Don't worry. I'll talk once in a while. I bet I can. I can see why you were confused by it.
Nico 9:52
Yeah, it was tough. But you know then they gave me the gastroparesis diet when you know and I looked at that is it but you guys have told me to eat you know High fiber foods and colorful things and, you know, whatever anyway. And so I looked at that list and said, I can't do this this. There's nothing on this list that I'm allowed to eat. But I hadn't on the podcast yet. And I didn't really know how to use insulin very well yet, and that was probably still honeymooning, I seem to have had a an excessively long honeymoon. It wasn't like a scary honeymoon, like, like some of the children have no random inputs, but my body did seem to help with hormonal impacts and slower impacts they fat and protein for a really long time. And then it became more real. And now it's it's extra fun with the gastroparesis and trying to be bold, and now I appear to be in perimenopause. And so this is getting really entertaining.
Scott Benner 10:49
Did you try any of the B, digestive enzymes when I talked about that?
Nico 10:56
So I tried them before. And I did try them again. After talking to you and I, I was I so I don't live near a health food store. Because I live in the middle of nowhere, literally. But I got the ones off of Amazon that are being used in another person in the group as a substitute for Korean, the prescription ones. And I did actually prior to starting them get my enzymes tested. And I do make enzymes because we were wondering I had and I've always wondered, I had my gallbladder out around the time that I developed diabetes. I didn't ever have stones, it wasn't inflamed or infected, it just stopped squeezing. And it really hurt to eat food. And so something caused a lot of this, I would imagine, we just never found a doctor curious enough or informed enough to find another patient like me to say, we know what this is. So I'm not sure that knowing any of that would really change anything in my future. Enzymes gonna do anything at all didn't help. Did I've tried a variety.
Scott Benner 12:02
I'm glad you tried something does food still hurt when you eat?
Nico 12:06
If I stick to, I have some safe foods, I have quite a few safe foods these days. foods that are healthy and colorful foods that Jenny eats don't exist in my diet anymore. They did. And I really enjoyed that part of the beginning of my journey, I learned a lot more variety of food. And I really ended up liking a lot of vegetables that I had never eaten before. I just learned that vegetables out of a can are just not good. And that if I actually grow them and cook them, they're actually really good. Yeah, but they're just not safe for me.
Scott Benner 12:42
Your body just can't digest them.
Nico 12:44
Yeah, it's just not squeezing. And I did have a little bit of a trick for a while where I added acidic beverages with my food. And that seemed to really help but it destroyed my esophagus. And so I kind of have a management issue now of but I've figured out a few tricks along the way. And I've have added more and more say foods over time, a lot of them are just really much harder to Bolus for. As you would imagine, you know, I can eat pumpkin bread pretty well. But there's a lot of sugar in there and it goes fast. But I need calories. And if the calories I can get are high glycemic index spoons, baby food, basically, just just one step below baby food because it does really help if I chew, right? If I chew that helps a lot. If I don't chew, if I drink smoothies and things it just I don't know, feels like it's just plugging the bottom of my stomach and not going to ever go anywhere. But if it starts with something that it could be made into baby food, and I chew it, that usually works pretty well. Okay, so there are a few, a few vegetables on that list. Potatoes work just fine. As long as they're soft, you know if I could match them with my fork, pretty much anything that if I can mash it with my fork and feed it to a baby. I can eat it, but I need to chew it before we imagine it and then it usually digests pretty well. So but I still skip fiber. I skip skins, I skip seeds. I haven't really found many fruits that are safe about animal protein. do great with animal protein, as long as it's kind of like Instant Pot crock pot style, roasted really soft. So those tougher yucky cuts that people don't like that are cheaper. They actually work really great for me because I can just cook them until they're like I said, you're really close to be made into baby food and I chopped them up a little bit to chew him up and that stuff works great. The meat that doesn't work well is ground meat. Because I just can't get each little bitty rock chewed well enough right to digest it.
Scott Benner 14:43
So you may have just talked me into making a stew this weekend too. That was interesting.
Nico 14:51
We do I do use the Instant Pot in the crock pot frequently when I don't know but I do live really far from ingredients.
Scott Benner 14:59
Well, I'm I
Nico 15:01
learned to care about ingredients a lot in those first six years because we were trying anything and everything, the level of care that you went through with art and to try to troubleshoot some of the thyroid issues and some of the ovary issues and some of those other issues that she was having in high school. We went to that level for me trying to figure out what was wrong neurology, all kinds of people, we saw everyone. And even the GI doctor just said, Yeah, this isn't a GI issue. And it was, but you know, I don't know if they're just
Scott Benner 15:35
little failures, and they're like, your gallbladder is gone. Your pancreas was is sputtering. Oh, no, there's Yeah.
Nico 15:42
And you may have seen probably around the time, we scheduled me to be on the podcast, I also don't have a uterus. So that makes me really fun. Because the random inputs from my ovaries, my ovaries are still there. They've been there. But my uterus came out before I was diabetic. And so I don't actually have the one clue that says exactly what the uterus is doing.
Scott Benner 16:04
I have to say, I just stopped myself from laughing because you said I don't have a uterus, which makes me fun. And I thought that's not what she means. Scott. Don't laugh.
Nico 16:15
Yeah, it wasn't married yet, either. So yeah, it doesn't make me fun.
Scott Benner 16:18
But how did what why did you lose? So
Nico 16:22
if I had I don't mess at all, like in a whatever year that was, gosh, almost 20 years ago now, then maybe I would be. I would be telling a different story. But I couldn't stop bleeding.
Scott Benner 16:35
Dmitri osis, or PCOS? Or did they not say
Nico 16:38
never found anything wrong? They took the uterus out and never found anything wrong. And I tried the so the only thing that finally stopped the bleeding was, I think it's called Depo Provera. It's used in prostate cancer treatment. And that basically puts a person into chemical menopause. And that finally stopped the bleeding. Wow, I was so severely anemic. And they did the same thing they did to you, when you rename it. They made me go to oncology, like him oncology stuff. And they just they're like, you're making blood. You're just obviously losing it as like, yeah, we've proven that part. Like I know, I know. I'm losing it. I just need to figure out how to get my body to retain it. And it kind of the similar was like origins knows me. I never had nosebleeds but it seemed like the morning like I got, the more my body malfunctioned and
Scott Benner 17:24
lost more blood. Sure. Now that I believe, yeah, sure. Yeah.
Nico 17:28
It doesn't make any sense. I actually
Scott Benner 17:29
have on my short list to take art into an en t. Because often I want to I want to somebody to look at our nose and see what that if they can see where the bleeding is coming from right there.
Nico 17:41
Or thing. Yeah. But then we tried but you know, pre internet, pre all that stuff. And again, doctors two hours away. And so a lot of bleeding in the car to get to the doctors and a lot of bleeding while having blood drawn lots and lots and lots of vials of blood. And a lot of different birth control pills with the same things went through. Wait. Three weeks, three months. Wait, however long you have to wait for us to prove that you failed this one. Yeah. And eventually I just said, you know, this organ you guys are trying to predict like, I don't think I need it. I don't think I'm gonna live without it. I think I think it needs to go. So after a year of bleeding, they finally took it out.
Scott Benner 18:22
Wow. You live like basically where they film tremors right? Yeah, like that kind of vibe. Like, are you so yeah, desert.
Nico 18:30
I'm in the high desert. Currently snowing. So I've been shoveling snow this morning. I've been shoveling snow every morning this week. Except yesterday. You're not going anywhere.
Scott Benner 18:40
Here. Why are you shoveling snow you're not leaving or you know, we
Nico 18:44
walk our dogs every morning. And we have a nice north facing driveway. So if we walk the dogs on the driveway, we will never get the snow off of it. It'll pack down and we have vehicles worked every day this week. I just took this today off to record.
Scott Benner 18:58
Well, thank you as well I'd find job
Nico 19:01
I didn't. I don't have a full time job I have. Well, it's becoming a little more I can tell you that part too. But anyway, I didn't have a job when we scheduled this. And so all I needed to do that. I thought was walk the dogs. And so I sent my mommy to work for me today.
Scott Benner 19:17
Well, let me um, I mean, I have to. I have a lot of questions for you. And I feel like you're not gonna let me like talk. So I have to get them in. Don't be sorry. So how do you find the podcasts? I want to get you to that so I can ask you my questions.
Nico 19:34
So I found the podcast. It could be a longer story if you wanted it to be but it sounds like you have some talking to do so. I found the podcast because I was bored with the Facebook group I was involved in that was not related to diabetes. Okay, and because the pockets that I used to listen to left my podcast player and I needed to find something else.
Scott Benner 19:53
You just needed something else. Yeah, I
Nico 19:57
wasn't working. I've been practically home bound for what a decade now. And I like to give back. And so if the doctors are going to tell me I need rest, I'm going to try to find something I can do with that rest. And for a long time, what I did was teach people gardening. And then the gardening group that I was an admin in, and that I had participated in, you know, for years, became heavily moderated. I really wish that she understood what you understand about Facebook groups that newcomers need to be able to ask questions, and that we need to have those same seasonal conversations over and over again, in order for the group to actually stay relevant.
Scott Benner 20:34
Yeah, when you get frustrated with new people that to me says you're tired of having a Facebook group.
Nico 20:39
It says to me, you should have a a website that they can just visit if you don't want them to actually have conversations about things. And I was really there to help them all. And you know, I, you've probably seen that I'm really willing to answer newbies questions because I have knowledge that I feel can you know, improve their lives? So why not
Scott Benner 20:56
know Nika? Euro, Euro? Euro, which I think like or something like because the whole first person who said that? Well, because so so. Okay, so you found how long ago? Was this when you found the podcast?
Nico 21:08
I think it was at the end of last January.
Scott Benner 21:11
Okay, so about a year. About a year. Have you heard every episode of the podcast?
Nico 21:16
I have heard every episode of the podcast.
Scott Benner 21:19
So okay, so let's go into this first. I guess we could
Nico 21:23
have scheduled this a little bit sooner, but I hadn't heard every episode.
Scott Benner 21:27
That doesn't matter. Here's what matters. No, no, I
Nico 21:29
it was it mattered to me. Oh,
Scott Benner 21:32
are you wanting to get to it? So you could say that you heard the whole thing?
Nico 21:36
Well, I just wanted to be done. Well, you know,
Scott Benner 21:39
I don't know. Because I don't have that in my head. But like I had to finish first before we did this, and I'm like, I don't know what that means. But I understand how you feel. Oh, I know.
Nico 21:49
There are hundreds of episodes I haven't heard. So I didn't really finish yet. But I had to be caught up.
Scott Benner 21:56
Wait, so you haven't heard them
Nico 21:57
all? The ones you haven't released
Scott Benner 21:59
yet? Oh, the ones that haven't? Oh, yeah. Oh, no, I have plenty that haven't been released yet. Plus this one, which now I'm gonna, I'm gonna stop myself on putting out as soon as we get done recording it. But so here's
Nico 22:10
what I tell you about having anxiety. Does that mean I don't have to wait as long?
Scott Benner 22:14
Anxious people don't say that on here. Don't tell too many people. Well see. That's what I'm talking about. Hold on a second. I'm gonna I'm gonna go back to that. I'm writing it down. Anxiety statement from Nico Hold on a second. Okay. So are you. Okay, let me start blessing. Don't Don't just let me let me let me get this out. So I started. How don't even watch this. How long is my Facebook group and going?
Nico 22:38
Oh, about six years? No, I don't know. I don't know. Okay.
Scott Benner 22:42
So good. You don't know everything. That's good. So the private,
Nico 22:45
everything I could tell you pretty quickly.
Scott Benner 22:49
Yeah, I know. You can. I don't know how. It's not that, like two years old, maybe? Right?
Nico 22:54
Oh, well, because that was what I've been listening to recently been mentioning that they thought they were older than that.
Scott Benner 23:00
So so I might have been pushing people to like a public page at one point. Yeah. But I started a private group a couple of years ago.
Nico 23:10
Well, it's been four years. It hasn't really, three and a half, three and a half,
Scott Benner 23:14
three and a half, four years ago. See how I don't know. That's part of that's part of why I'm absolutely fascinated by you. So I started that group. And I've told this before, so I'll say it very quickly. I didn't want to start it. I was prompted by people listening to the podcast, I am not the person who wants to my back then I was like, I do not want to moderate a Facebook group. That sounded horrible. But they really wanted it. I started it. And they were right. I was wrong. There's like 33,000 people in it now. It gets between 70 and 110 new posts every day. And I used to be the only one answering questions. And I would I would just be like, that's this this is that, you know, and I would answer them out long form sometimes, like do this. Try this look here, you know, had to go through the whole thing. I'm not a doctor, like that thing. And then eventually the podcast. I was like, What am I? Why am I not? Like I used to find myself thinking, Oh, this is covered in this episode. And one day, I'm like, I'm going to start answering people with episodes. And that way, hold on one second. And that way I won't. Because I can't type this all out. Like I just can't like I couldn't keep up with everybody. When it was a couple 1000 people and they were all podcast listeners. It was like easy. And then it got to be more and more and then there's this one day. Hold on one second. Okay, I'll tell you why in a minute. Okay.
I'm sorry, my my sister in law is texting me that she's taking my mom to the ER so I Just want to find out why. I think I know I think she's dehydrated my mom.
Nico 25:05
Oh, but I know that too.
Scott Benner 25:09
I'm so sorry. No, don't be sorry. We've been working on this for a week or so. It was just the other day, I have to make a note to myself to get back to this story. Once this happens. I was I texted my son, my mom was now near my middle brother. And my, my younger brother and I are closer into geography. And I texted him the other day. And I said, Yo, man, have you heard from mom? And he goes, No. And I said, I haven't heard from mom in a couple days. Like, that doesn't make sense. Like my mom and I talk like every 48 hours, usually. And I'm like, that seems wrong. So I called my brother who lives near my mom now. And I said, Hey, is Mom Okay? And he goes, I've been working all week. He's like, my brother works like shift work and everything. And I was like, and I said, he goes, why? And I was like, I haven't heard from her. And when I call her she's not answering. And now she lives in an assisted living place. So she's not alone, you know? And oh, yeah. And I'm just like, and I'm just like, it's just very strange for mom not to call me. So we started doing basically, what you did with your health and what, you know, what I did with his health. And I just started like, asking him questions and going through ideas. And it was interesting how they who they haven't been around, or for very long, they were like, oh, you know, like her personalities changing? Like, I don't know, she's just getting crotchety and I'm like, yeah, that didn't seem right. You know what I mean? Like, so did you say UTI? Yeah, that's what that so that's what we got to eventually. And so last night, I got my brother back on the phone. And I'm like, Look, Mom didn't just go from being who she is to telling a nurse to golf. Like, like, that's like, that's a big leap for three weeks. You know what I mean? Like, I just, you know, the last really long conversation I had with her was two weeks ago, and she was fine. And now you guys are saying she doesn't have any energy. She's falling asleep everywhere, like all this stuff is going on. And I'm like, that doesn't make sense. And so you have to stop looking at her. I said, this is gonna sound strange, but you have to stop looking at mom like a like a person, your age, and start thinking of her as an older person. And moreover, as a science experiment, sometimes, like sometimes you just have to look at her and think why is this happening? He you don't I mean, like, what could be taken at face value just can't. And I said anything she says to you is going to be a lie. I don't go down to dinner because I don't like the people means I can't make the walk. Right? I don't want to go out on this on this excursion because it's too cold means I'm afraid I can't get to the bathroom. If I'm gone. Like you have to assume that she's protecting you and her dignity Every time she's speaking to you from an understanding how she's, how she's struggling, and her dignity because she doesn't want to get caught in a bad position. I was like, you have to have to like think about it that way. So I just texted my sister in law back and she didn't answer. So if you don't mind, can we take a break for one second? I'm just gonna push stop. Sure I'll,
Nico 28:09
I'll grab a sweater. Okay,
Scott Benner 28:10
I'm gonna call her real quick just to see what's going on.
Well, before I begin with the ad, I guess I should tell you that my mom is okay. Sorry for that if it made you nervous. Just to kind of happen in the moment. She did have a urinary tract infection. She did have to go into the hospital. She was there for a week. She had to go to rehab after that. It was a holy mess. But she's doing great today. I will put this caveat in here. If you have a parent in a in assisted facility, you have to pay very close attention to make sure the staff is doing what they are supposed to do. All right now from that bummer to bomb anyway. Alright, I'm just gonna do a contour ad I guess. The Contour Next One, and the contour next gen blood glucose meters are legit. Insane, terrific. Contour next one.com forward slash juicebox. Why do you need that link? All right. It's a fair question. At that link, you can learn all about the meters. You can see everything else they have. You can find out about the test strip program. You can buy these things online or in a brick and mortar store. And you perhaps will pay less money in cash than you do right now through your insurance. That's a possibility like a genuine possibility. Check into it. Contour next one.com forward slash use box but Scott, you say it's just a meter. I don't buy meter. What's it matter? I got a meter. Well, it matters. Good meter, accurate meter. Big difference from junky meter don't work meter. You deserve a good meter. You need a accurate test results. I don't care if you use the CGM, or you don't. There's no excuse to be wandering around with a busted up janky meter. Just 2023 people. Contour next one.com forward slash juicebox. Stop living like it's 1800 with your blood glucose meter. Is somebody out there? I think it's right. Okay, let's get a good one, huh?
So the recording, just so you know, okay. Alright, so I talked to my brother. And she's my mom is just kind of out of it. And like having trouble holding herself up and not answering questions. So they're taking her to the emergency room. But I imagine what we're going to learn is either just dehydration from medication that they switched her to. They also my mom asks for sleeping pill. And I'm wondering if she's not a little loopy from the sleeping pill. And then the third thing is, if she has a UTI, then a lot of this makes sense. So yeah, so anyway, we're gonna, they're on their way. And I'll find out a little bit. Oh, good. So to prove that I'm a professional, this, I will now go right back into our conversation. And keep going on
Nico 31:23
in a moment when the podcast group became its own entity of people who aren't all familiar with the podcast. Yes.
Scott Benner 31:29
And that was the moment the first time somebody said, I saw somebody in a post say, What's this podcast people are talking about? And you have to imagine it. From my perspective, I was like, What the hell? I'm like this thing. This isn't the thing. The podcast is the thing. This is a supporting piece for the podcast. And I got, I really had to think through that, as I recognize that the Facebook group had become its own thing. And that it wasn't, it wasn't contingent on the podcast anymore. But there were enough core people in there who listened that the answers that started coming as the questions picked up and got more frequent. So did the answers. And overall like in stunning fashion, the answers were solid. from other people. They weren't like newbies, you know, what happens in Facebook, like new people don't realize they're talking to other new people. And then they start giving each other their their bad information
Nico 32:27
like back, Joe. And that is why you'll see me sometimes answer relatively quickly, and sometimes not with as much detail but with an episode that says, Hey, I've seen a lot of newcomers this week. And I think I see a lot of those little hand waving guys happening. And I see a lot of the outside of the juice box, diabetic community answers coming quickly this week. So this is the week we want to get more podcast answers out, because some of these people are going to believe that oh, well, my doctor says this answers and
Scott Benner 32:59
that's just is how it goes. So to walk you through this more, I kept up with it for as long as I could. Like, I would just and I'm not smart. Like you would think I'd have a document somewhere with links that were like it. Right? Because I but that's not me, like so I every time I'm like, oh, you know what, that's this episode. I'll go online and find it and put the link there. And, and then one day, gosh, it's over a year ago now. Isn't though. What's that? You got Isabel? Yes, I got Isabel. That's exactly right. I get this note from this lady who's like I and she basically is is offering to help me. And Nika. The thing you don't know is it in the past I've had people offered to help me before and it's often not gone well, or it's very short lived. And so I've gotten to that point where I was like, Look, I can't go through explaining all this to somebody for three weeks from now they go I'm sorry, I got really busy. I can't do this anymore. And because everybody has a lot of energy and they think they want to do it. But then it's it's more work than you think. But Isabelle hurt something about her note was so persuasive, that I actually I got on the phone with her. Because I was like, I'm not getting involved with this or she's a crackpot. Like, I'm just not, you know, and she was so lovely and intelligent, and, and moreover, felt like she was in my head that she knows what I'm doing. But even when I do little things, she's she'll send me a text. Did you do that because of this? And I'll be like, yes. How did you know that? She was I just thought you might have and I was like, Okay, I'm like, Wow, that's fascinating. Like, she knows what I'm doing. So then she gets involved. And she's helping me in all these little ways. She's putting up links and she's making lists of pots. She's like, you have all these seriously. She's the one who told me. She goes you know, you have like a compendium of different series in the podcast and I'm like, No, it's just like no, no, she's like they're, they should be put together somewhere in a collection. Shouldn't I'm like, really? Like, okay, like I gave them all the same title. Is that not enough? So they all say bold beginnings. What is so hard? No. So hard to give them all the same time you can write it was, did it I act I can form because
Nico 35:18
one of those could have been called Jenny's. But and it is not. And it should have been
Scott Benner 35:25
about the other moment when Jenny wouldn't tell her what bra size you are in the middle of defining diabetes episode, which should have been not the point.
Nico 35:33
I heard that was that yesterday, and I thought, you know, I don't think I'd really want to be, you know, anyway. Oh,
Scott Benner 35:40
listen, here's the thing. You don't I didn't expect her to share that. I just said it. Well, I'm sure you didn't expect
Nico 35:44
her to. And I know there are some of us who would, like I said, if you ask the right questions, I'll just back myself into a corner and be telling you
Scott Benner 35:52
just start saying things. Well, I have no interest in
Nico 35:55
Jenny. Jenny does a great job. Yeah. She has the restraint that I don't have. Yeah.
Scott Benner 36:00
So So anyway, so she's a professional. That's why Isabelle really helps pull the group into focus. And then one day, I mean, I don't I can't pay her. You know what I mean? Like, so I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, Look, I sent her a note. That was basically like, it basically said, Listen, if you don't want to date me anymore, you can leave like I don't even like, I don't want to be the I don't want to. I don't want you to feel like your feet are bound and I've got you in the bed. What What movie is that? Oh, Kathy Bates puts Oh, yeah. 50 Shades of Grey? No, Kathy Bates.
Nico 36:37
Oh, I don't know Kathy Bates and James Bond, but I haven't seen that.
Scott Benner 36:41
James Caan not James Bond. Oh, James.
Nico 36:46
Usually, you'll say, you know, nobody knows what that is. And I'm like, Oh, I'm old enough to know what that is. But now Now you've lost. This is fast. Now. I'm too young.
Scott Benner 36:56
Yeah, this is fascinating. Because you are. You're like the Dewey Decimal System for the podcast for the podcast.
Nico 37:03
Yeah, I can do that with pretty much anything but not not movies.
Scott Benner 37:08
Isn't that interesting? Because I just thought you would just it's misery. It's a Stephen King book. Movie.
Nico 37:13
Obviously, and yeah, definitely, definitely not Stephen King. I mean, I have stayed at the hotel in Estes Park, the Stanley Hotel, Stephen King. I don't know, Stephen King. But yeah, I don't do horror.
Scott Benner 37:26
It's a thriller. More of a psychological thriller. Rob Reiner
Nico 37:29
doesn't do any of that stuff. Like Dexcom keeps me awake at night. And now that Dexcom is not keeping me awake at night as often my dogs keep me awake at night, and I don't need any any other help. Not sleeping.
Scott Benner 37:39
Gotcha. So anyway, okay. Anyway, so normally use and so anyway, Isabelle says to me a podcast. Yes. Isabel doesn't break up with me. She just says, No, I want to help. And I'm like, okay, great. So she gives anytime she can, it's way more than than you would expect. And one day, I said, I gotta get you some help. Because I started feeling badly about everything. She was doing. Good. She and she's telling me I want to free you up to make the podcast, which she's done. But then I feel like I'm abandoning her doing this other thing. And, and, and I said, we have got to get you some help. Somehow. I said, is there anyone in the group who can do this? Who would be interested, who'd be good at it? And she said, A Nico would be. And I said, anybody else? And she, she made a short list for me. And obvious that I was available. No, I don't think so. That's not it. I know, you probably feel that it
Nico 38:34
was No, I was available. Like I said, I left another group looking for somewhere else to contribute. Yeah,
Scott Benner 38:40
well, I'll tell you. So we just basically made like a, like a little offer to a few people and said, Look, we'd like to make you a group expert, you do a great job of helping people. And you know, we love the way you drop in links to the podcast and how you talk. And if you're interested, I'm gonna give you this this group expert label, but I didn't give you any expectations or really asked you to do anything. I just
Nico 39:02
how that happened on my end was I logged into Facebook one day, and I had a notification that said, you've been invited to be a group expert in Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes, and I said, Oh, that's interesting. Okay. And I have been a group expert in a couple of other groups, and I might still be one in a few groups. I don't know. So I didn't receive any personal communication. Until I heard from Krista who said, Hey, I missed this thing that happened because I wasn't here for a week and is it Oh, yeah, I don't know. I just accepted. But in the interim, I had been sharing links. I don't want to be the voice in the crowd. That doesn't explain where I'm coming from. i Why would you believe me, you haven't been in my doctor's appointments. You haven't seen my graphs? You don't know my variability. You don't know if what I'm saying has any credence. But if I tell you where I learned it from, then you can decide for yourself if you want to follow that same path or not. Yeah. And so when I'm in a sea of Facebook comments, If I learned it somewhere, I'm going to tell you where. And I was doing that and other groups. And I knew to be cautious because I had heard on the podcast that you could get kicked out of other groups if you do that. And eventually, I stopped going to other groups, because I found the group I wanted to hang out in. And I have a little bit less time to hang out in groups. And so I'm happy where I am. But right around that time I, you made one of your posts, you know, they're infrequent. And they're kind of fun, and often happen when I'm not logged in. And by the time I get there, I'm like, Well, I got to really read this guy in this. This is a little book I need to spend some time with. But it said, I thank you for sharing the links to the episodes when there are episodes that and I said, Wow, okay, now I really have his permission to be sharing the links to the episodes. So I'll definitely do that. Yeah. And if I don't have time to write an answer, I'll say, you know, you're gonna tell me you don't have time for this. But go listen to this episode, because it'll help you.
Scott Benner 40:51
Okay? No, I mean, you're fantastic. Like you are. You are as if someone reached into my heart and mind and made you and put you in that Facebook group. I swear. Like the way you handle yourself in there is exactly right. For my tastes like exactly right. Yeah, no. And but but here's the thing. You appear to know my life better than I do. And that I don't understand. Oh, sorry. No, no, no, no, I love it. I just don't understand that. And that's why you're on I want to understand it. Because like
Nico 41:23
you said, Send chocolate and I said, but the cake pop thing freaked you out. So are you sure you want me to send chocolate? And so I didn't send chocolate. But I mean, I would I don't know, like,
Scott Benner 41:34
little references about the show. I know. Like I listened to a podcast that I like, I don't know that many details about it. And and like you did a thing earlier, right? Yeah,
Nico 41:47
I know. And I'm not trying to give anyone I just I actually am a really like, My husband used to call one of his co workers are nervous Chihuahua. And then I said, But don't you realize you're married to a nervous Chihuahua. And so I do have anxiety. I wasn't trying to give anyone any hints. But I do know that Yeah.
Scott Benner 42:01
No, no, you're misunderstanding me. Like,
Nico 42:04
I know, the anxiety piece that I said, Yeah. You know, I didn't say it to trick you. I said it's because it's true. But I wasn't trying to teach anyone any tricks. No, it's just true.
Speaker 1 42:15
But see, you're talking about it right now. I'm going to explain it. You made. You said if I tell you I have anxiety, well, my episode come out sooner. That's literally a statement or referring to a sentence I spoke in one episode.
Nico 42:30
How do I also know that now we talked about your mom. And so I may not get up for a while because that story may not be one that needs to be out in public yet. So I don't know. I guess we'll see who wins here
Scott Benner 42:42
with how do you know that one thing listeners when
Nico 42:45
and I hope they're gonna you know, I hope there's something and the people in the podcast I? I do, they do need to listen, and maybe not all of it because it's gotten big.
Scott Benner 42:55
No need. They need all of it. I
Nico 43:01
say, download them all. And they can play them all.
Scott Benner 43:04
No, yeah. Even when you're sleeping. You can listen if you want to put the podcast on for your pets while you're gone during the day. I love that. But but no. But so But back to the thing,
Nico 43:14
maybe not the early episodes, because it's crackers. We don't need any help from basil.
Scott Benner 43:18
I know that might confuse him if he heard himself snoring. So early on, I shared with somebody, it takes about six months for your episode to come out. And then I said unless you have anxiety, because then I feel bad about it not coming out while you're anxious about it. And you reference that. So it's such a giveaway, like 20 minutes ago, you were like, Oh, maybe I should say I have anxiety. And then well, I know you do. But your reference you were referencing that statement, though?
Nico 43:49
I know. I was Yeah.
Scott Benner 43:51
You're Miko you. I feel like you're fighting me and you're not at the same time. This is Is this fun?
Nico 44:00
Oh, yeah. So many of you
Scott Benner 44:03
respond to people so swiftly with exactly the right episode. I don't know how you do it.
Nico 44:13
And yet, I still can't find one of the ones that I'm looking for. But that's okay.
Scott Benner 44:17
But how do you do that? Like, what's the whole process? You see a post somebody asks a question, you think, oh, that's this
Nico 44:24
is why I was here. And honestly, it's really not that interesting. You know, how you tell people like that doesn't make an episode. This doesn't make an emphasis. Don't
Scott Benner 44:31
want to know, tell him Okay, so
Nico 44:32
I, the other group I was in I was learning but I didn't really feel like I had the authority to give back to that group the way that I had benefited from it and then didn't feel like my comments really had any credence. So I decided to take the Master Gardener class. And in the Master Gardener class, they taught us how to do research because it's, I don't know, maybe a 10 week class one day a week and it's kind of a college level course but they just can't teach you everything that everyone will ever asked you about gardening, so they teach you how to find information. And so I know how to find information. And for a while I've been well, you almost made it easier for me this week, and then kind of maybe didn't perfectly pick that. And now I know why Stephens episode came out this week is because you followed through with a couple of things that the two of you discussed, and now people should be visiting the website to try out the new search engine, which is much improved, but I liked the one that was there a couple of days ago, more than I liked the one that's there now.
Scott Benner 45:28
I see. But it stopped.
Nico 45:30
I see how things are going. Yeah, I see. I understand. It's reality of life. So if I really, really want to take the time, I can actually just type it into Google and say, whatever I'm looking for what site colon WWW dot juicebox podcast.com. But a lot of times, I just happen to remember, you know, that was covered in a Scott and Jenny and I have the list of Scotland.
Scott Benner 45:55
Understand eco right there. How do you remember that? I don't remember. And I had the conversation.
Nico 46:01
You had the conversation and you had to listen through it again to edit it, but you weren't. You're having the content, you're producing the conversation. But I can't remember it. Like, you know, listening to the conversation, and I'm retaining it because I'm listening. As the patient
Scott Benner 46:16
woman you have my memories. That's what I'm that's what?
Nico 46:20
Well, maybe that's why you don't? I'm sorry.
Scott Benner 46:23
I know. Maybe that is I don't know, like, Is it like the other day?
Nico 46:27
I do live in this like, like, vortex II area if I understood any of that better, you know, like, I mean, if you take Sedona, and I don't know, whatever, all the different mountains around me, maybe maybe I have your memories
Scott Benner 46:38
userland mushrooms. Nico, what are you doing up in those mountains? No, I'm nothing. Because like the other day, somebody asks a question. I I'm gonna get a little wrong. But she basically is like, is there as there ever been an episode with somebody who rides a motorcycle? Oh, yeah. And I read that. And I thought, no, there hasn't been. And then I went, No, wait. Yes, there has been I remember talking to this really deep voice gravelly guy. So now I'm sitting at my desk. I'm editing on this computer, and I'm sitting looking at this computer. And I'm thinking there was there was there was How would I know where that is? And I was like, Oh, I know what I'll do. Hey, Nico. Do we have any episodes with motorcycles? And you respond back and you're like, Yeah, here it is. This one right here. And
Nico 47:26
I responded, you ignored my actual response. Well, no, you're
Scott Benner 47:29
but I didn't like your actual response referenced me to a point that I couldn't understand. That's how deep you are into my mind. And then, and then you were like, you put up another episode. And you're like, Scott talked about riding a motorcycle here. And I'm like, I did. Like, I didn't know I ever brought that up. Except I assume I would have mentioned it in the episode where the guy was riding. But I didn't remember that. And then you found an extra episode where I talked about it and I thought, Oh, my God, I had no idea.
Nico 48:03
Well, your soldier injury came from a motorcycle accident. Motorcycle Accident. Yeah, but you also you talked more in depth about actual motorcycle. And there is another one that I didn't share with him where you talked about why that you know, it was cheaper to ride a motorcycle. So did I really? Yeah, you did your
Scott Benner 48:20
freaking freaking me out, Nico. Are we oh my god, you're freaking me out. Like so you. So I mean, I know that. I don't know if this sounds strange.
Nico 48:33
Retaining that memory and then tracking it down. And the Internet helps me tremendously track down those things. But you still you
Scott Benner 48:40
have enough to go after. I knew I didn't have enough to go after when she just said had someone been on talking about riding a motorcycle. I was like, no, no, not.
Nico 48:51
The other day my counselor from like, LM no middle school, came in and saw me sweeping cookie crumbs off the floor and said, Didn't you go to college? As a matter of fact, I did. And I like selling cookies. So you can What's your degree? My degree so um, my undergrad was psychology and political science. undergrad, you have a master's? I went to graduate school and I got bored around the end of my thesis. Sorry,
Scott Benner 49:21
interesting. You're fantastic. Hey, listen, I'm gonna just ask this in a lovely way. Do you have any mental illnesses? You're not disclosing? I don't think so. Okay, you just like you just have
Nico 49:33
treated. I was treated for mental illness while we were trying to figure out what's wrong with me. Right. But all of that treatment ceased once I got into it. Yeah. Because
Scott Benner 49:43
you were you were looking at all of your, your personality, because I
Nico 49:47
was a psych major. And so what did I know? Calling down? Yeah. And so when my brain was not working, I went to my family doctor and said, I think I have bipolar disorder. And she said You're too kind and too nice to have bipolar. are disorganized and yeah, but like my brain like this is I'm not right. And so you're not with bipolar disorder. What you did? I did. Yeah, I did. I even got myself into a psych ward for a while. And obviously meds weren't helping. And I didn't improve.
Scott Benner 50:18
But do you don't think you're bipolar? Like you're not mad? So no, you are.
Nico 50:23
This is how I am. Yeah. I have energy. Yeah. I mean, this is a little nervous energy. No, I just, I, yeah, I don't get out. Well, I haven't gotten that much in a while. Not everyone did. Well, when COVID hit. Everyone was complaining about being stuck at home. I was like, Yeah, welcome to my world. But I do get out more now. We live in a smaller town now so I can drive a little bit. I just, I don't feed myself nutrients. And so we chase my house for a really long time trying to figure what's wrong with me. And really, I think it just comes down to the fact that I don't eat food. Yeah, I eat. I eat simple carbs. And I don't know, I'm on like a teenager diet.
Scott Benner 51:00
Because I just say I love you know, that's
Nico 51:03
what you're mentioned in the podcast that I've been wanting to ask, you know, okay, go ahead. So, in Arden's lunches in like early high school, she often had pretzels, and I wondered if you made them or if they were store bought in New Jersey,
Scott Benner 51:17
they were store bought. I'm sorry.
Nico 51:20
I just I imagine a world where you can buy put sells in the grocery store.
Scott Benner 51:24
Yeah, that exists here is that you don't have that where you are?
Nico 51:27
No, I have to go to my pantry and get the Potomac or down off of the top shelf. And I gosh, I spent the entire month of December looking for NS and couldn't find it anywhere. So anyway. Yeah. Oh,
Scott Benner 51:38
don't tell me that those exist because there's a world where all by a maker and I don't want that to happen to me. The recipe I'm making art and got me a ninja creamy for Christmas. And I'm making my own sorbet right now. It's so
Nico 51:55
I went through a sorbet phase. Oh, it's gonna be the lotto gelato and sorbet. Yeah, both I had fun.
Scott Benner 52:01
Yeah, I haven't done gelato yet in the machine. So far. I just I made a lemon raspberry sorbet. And I have to tell you, it's fantastic. So
Nico 52:10
I believe I have not yet tried your pizza crust. But I do see periodically people say and I'm like, oh, that's here in the group dog waiting for you.
Scott Benner 52:18
Yeah, I'm thinking about a pizza this weekend, actually. Well, it's like Thursday, right? Is it? No, is it Friday? I'm literally thinking of making a pizza crust when I when I'm done here with you. Okay, cuz that's gonna say you're running late. Yeah. And then I'll make the pizza on Sunday afternoon. Probably. Okay, so. Okay, so back. Well,
Nico 52:38
maybe I will do. Okay, I have the afternoon off my mom's working for me. Why not? How cute is that?
Scott Benner 52:44
That's lovely. And she's selling cookies somewhere for you? Yes. Are the cookies you made?
Nico 52:50
No, I could but honestly. I mean, I do love baking. I don't love cleaning.
Scott Benner 52:56
Are you buying cookies and then reselling them? No, no,
Nico 52:59
no, I have. So my boss will probably hear this. And I don't Yeah, she just joined the group yesterday. Okay. I don't know who that her. And I don't know how, who handles the membership requests. But she her son was just diagnosed over Christmas. And so anyway, but she started storefront for her bakery in November, and she hired me to help run the store. That's wonderful. I have now picked up extra shifts because she is now caring for a type one diabetic.
Scott Benner 53:28
I made some sugar cookies the other day were fantastic. But you'll hear me talk about that on an episode. It was very depressing. I made them I love cooking for my, my family. And right now you make cookies for the kids throughout the year here and there. And then they're both gone right now. And I made them and I'm like halfway through making them and my wife's like, are you okay? And I said I responded. I said it doesn't feel the same. And I was so upset. And she goes what doesn't feel the same? Because she's Irish. She doesn't know. She doesn't know about like feelings and stuff. So I was like,
Nico 54:04
seems like a lovely person. I'm sure
Scott Benner 54:06
she does to other people. No, I'm just kidding. But, but I just I was like, I'm not getting whatever I get out of baking for the kids. I'm not getting it while they're not here.
Nico 54:18
I get that. Yeah, our family had COVID over Christmas. Oh, not us. We had COVID Right after you had COVID. And I joked with you in the group that you were the only person I knew who had COVID at that time. And so I must have gotten it from you through my headphones. But no, we probably got it at a funeral or at an endo visit. I don't know. But we can get my family.
Scott Benner 54:38
You didn't get that I had I had French COVID. So
Nico 54:42
Oh, well. How do I know? Well, I just did an at home test. I don't know what kind of had
Scott Benner 54:46
you don't have an international airport at your house there. Well,
Nico 54:52
a lot of international visitors. Well and like I said funerals so we had a lot of people come from out of from from faraway places, but I don't know if we got friends I have no idea what I got. It wasn't that big of a deal. I did not sound nearly as rough as you sounded. And I am a type one diabetic who takes other meds that don't, you know, aren't kind of my immune system. But yeah, it wasn't too bad. But about a month later, the rest of our family got it. And so we didn't get to see them at Christmas. And so it was a very sad, quiet moment just cooking, baking by myself, and then delivering the cookies to people. It just, it just wasn't the same. I understand.
Scott Benner 55:27
Do you know I just did something on purpose. That's going to be mean. But I'll say that I derailed you on purpose a minute ago to see if you'd get back to the cookies. And you did. That was fascinating to me.
Nico 55:39
Sometimes I will. Sometimes I won't,
Scott Benner 55:41
I pulled you out of the conversation about the cookies and took you towards the COVID. To see if you get back to the cookies.
Nico 55:47
I'll get back to the cookie. And you did love cookies. But I like cake more.
Scott Benner 55:52
There you go. You're trying to change directions. I'm not gonna let you hear. But
Nico 55:57
I mean, there are lots of directions to go. That's what I you know, I did have all the nerves. I really did this. I had no idea what you wanted. I knew what you wanted. I knew that I didn't see how that was an episode. And then, after listening to all the episodes, I wasn't really sure what I had left, that could be an episode. I don't think I'm really like a Nico, you
Scott Benner 56:14
think you help this podcast so much. And you help that Facebook group so much. And people should know that there are other people doing things like that, and you don't like you're not paid for it, you're not an employee of it, you have no responsibility towards it. And you, you take this thing that I made, and it got too big. Like, I can't, I can't wield it by myself anymore, right? It's just, it's too much. And you are helping me to reach so many people on Facebook. And in turn, some of those people are making it back to this podcast, which is growing the podcast and allowing the podcast to continue on. And you're helping all those people. Like when when someone comes on and says, like, you know, somebody will put up a post and be like, I got my agency today. And this is what it is. And thank you, Scott, and the podcast in this group. I get the like, most of the glow goes towards me. And that's not fair. Like it really isn't like, like that person ended up in that group and found the podcast because of the group. And the group is you said it earlier. It's its own entity at this point, like it lives and breathes on its own. It doesn't even need me. The only thing like Isabel will tell me privately, she's like they want you. She'll tell me that I do. Like she'll put a post up. And she'll be like, No one looked at my posts, she puts these amazing posts up, they're so detailed, and they are great for people, and no one looks at them. And then I'll go on and say something completely stupid. And an hour and a half later, it's got 10,000 imprints on Facebook. It's frustrating. You don't I mean,
Nico 57:51
I love for posts, I do. I you know, I know that I know a little a little bit about how the algorithms work. And so I tried to interact with all of her posts, even if I don't always have something incredible to say, I still try to at least interact with them. Because those posts they deserve to be seen by that are wonderful,
Scott Benner 58:07
though, everyone should see them. And I and I feel bad when she puts them up if if they don't get any interactions. And yet there are times that the group is so fast. I don't even see them sometimes. You know what I mean? Like that. That's the one thing about the group, like you have to if you're in the group, and you see something valuable, you have to interact with it. Because if the algorithm thinks no one cares. It just shoves it away. It just disappears. Yeah. And it's gone. Absolutely. And so you have to you have to really and I try my you probably see me at the end of the night, early in the morning, like I tried to interact with as many posts as I can. But the truth is, is that that that would be a 48 hour a day job for me if I was going to do absolutely, yeah. Yeah. Like there's no way
Nico 58:54
there would be no new no new content for us
Scott Benner 58:56
to be wouldn't get a podcast and there just be a Facebook group. And so So tell me some other things like you said something earlier that I really appreciate it coming from another perspective, you like the way I think about managing the group. So tell me why you think that group is successful.
Nico 59:13
That group is successful, because you let it live and breathe. You have you have the podcast if people want something? Well, the podcast isn't stagnant because it's it's evolving in a new episodes every week, but the old episodes are there if people want them, and you have a website if you want them to do that. But that group needs to have new blood that can have old conversations over and over again. And I already do miss the people that were there a year ago when I joined all of the names of the people that I learned to recognize as the voices of reason and the voices of authority. The people who didn't know the podcast and who had been with it a while. I do miss a lot of them and there are a few that I still see. But the newcomers are the reason the group is still relevant, and letting them keep having those same conversations over and over again multiple times throughout the same day. And the group would just stall, if you didn't allow that to happen. And that was what was happening. It was kind of funny, admin assistant was deleting things I was posting, and it was quite hilarious. And I finally said, I'm sorry, but I can't help you with your group anymore. Because the rules have become way too convoluted.
Scott Benner 1:00:24
Like this is your, when your gardening group. Yeah, and my gardening
Nico 1:00:27
group, and I just said, I gotta go find something else to do. And like I said, my podcasts that I like, left my app, and so it just all converged at once with me having some free time. And I do still, my energy is still low. I know it doesn't sound that way right now. That's just my anxious energy that's coming out. But I do. With better glycemic control, I do have more energy, but I still don't get the right calories in at the right time. I'm still pretty malnourished. And so we wandered for a long time, I went through all kinds of different diagnoses. And some of them may be accurate, but I'm just not sure that any of that matters. In reality, I'm not as hydrated as I should be. And I'm not as nervous as I could be. And so I don't have a ton of energy and all the doctors, the one thing they've always told me is that I need to rest. And so when I do need to rest, I can sit down and answer questions online. And I can still feel like I'm giving back. I can still feel like I'm not completely, you know, no, you very
Scott Benner 1:01:27
much. You there's no ego about you. Like that's one thing. One of the reasons when when I we talked about like maybe giving some people like a group expert badge, I was like, Oh, God, like one of them's gonna lose their mind. And I'm, you know, and we pick you and Stephanie, and Krista, and they've been terrific, like really, really, really terrific. And but you specifically, like, I'm not lying, like there are times that
Nico 1:01:55
I joke i She always she says the same things you say about me? And she, we mostly just communicate in the group, but it's the same stuff. And I'm like, Yeah, I'm not a witch. And there's nothing special about me. I just listened and remembered. Yeah, and that's what I do. I just listen, when I'm upright. When I'm washing dishes. When I'm gardening. When I'm baking. When I'm in between customers at work, I listen to the episodes and then I retain that information to relate to others. It's just I practice it
Scott Benner 1:02:21
Miko, it's a special skill there are times I think you're standing behind me. How does she know that? Like? Isabella tends to text me as I'm getting in the shower. Which, by the way, is something my mom does? And I'm like, Oh, I'm getting in the shower right now. Like, how do you how do you how do you know to interrupt me the only 10 minutes for myself, I'm gonna take today in the shower. And, you know, now we laugh about it, but didn't know your, your addition and what you do for? I can't, I can't say enough good about it. Like you're a good person. So
Nico 1:02:57
you've had practice with this. I know how many episodes now of having practice with people talking to you this way. And this part I was not prepared for. And I have not had practice with this. So I'll just sit here blushing at my husband's desk.
Scott Benner 1:03:13
Here's what I can tell you. I've learned a little bit to just say thank you. That's all you got.
Nico 1:03:19
am so happy to help. It is it is. I don't know, the least I could do. I don't I don't have the knowledge. A year ago, I couldn't have created the podcast. But I just can't imagine that if someone does want that information that I could hold it and not let them know where I got it from.
Scott Benner 1:03:37
That's where the motivation comes from. So you feel like I feel like how do I tell that person this I had to? I saw a post the other day, and I didn't have time to respond to it. And that's the feeling I as I left it, I was like, Oh God, I'm gonna let this person down. Like, I know what I could tell them. And so to
Nico 1:03:57
me a lot of times I'm thinking, if it doesn't get answered by not, you know by by someone, me Scott, Isabel Christo, Stephanie, or many of the other people in the group who who have been with you forever and who have listened. It's gonna get answered by one of the other newcomers first. And sometimes those just build momentum so quickly. I just feel terrible when that happens. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:04:19
they can go there. So it's interesting, isn't it? Like so? How do I do when things get out of hand? Do you think I handled them well?
Nico 1:04:27
So I am not in you know, the admin panel seeing
Scott Benner 1:04:32
Oh, there's nothing to say I do everything publicly.
Nico 1:04:35
Okay, yeah, well, so. Okay. I did see some stuff the other day that seemed like it was weird. And then when Isabel went to look at it later, it was gone. So anyway, but I think those public floggings they're perfect. They're exactly. Think of them. No, no, not at all. But occasionally, occasionally someone deserves one thing. It's one it's really rare, but I saw someone a couple days ago, poking you. And you answered very politely and somewhat succinctly. And then they poked you harder and you're like, Yeah, okay, so, you know, you're poking the bear now, and I'm gonna give you my, my real answer. And here it is. And I totally deserved, you know, and it totally belongs. And the group, the group tone is better for it. You know, it's rare, and people do behave most of the time. There have been a few few people that just feel like just acting up and it just the internet goes in seasons like that. Oh, my
Scott Benner 1:05:35
God, it's so does right as Christmas approaches, everybody loses their minds. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's insane.
Nico 1:05:43
And I saw that in the other group that I mean, I probably was there about six years, and you just have to just know that that's what season we're in, like, I'm expecting, we're gonna have static season right around now, you know, like, it's gonna be pods failing. And people don't realize that that's why as I sit here in a fuzzy blanket, because I don't want my heater to run,
Scott Benner 1:06:02
I have these conversations. Where I, I'll say to Isabel, or my wife, if I'm saying talking about I'll say, there are like five or six people. If I just banned them right now. In the short term, the group would be better off. But I don't want to do that.
Nico 1:06:19
Because that conversation with my husband, too. I was telling him about it on the walk a couple days ago, I said, but if he knows that, if he kicks them out, that they lose, they lose the opportunity to learn, right? And I've seen it and then a few months from now that Yeah, exactly a few months from now. There's one. I'm hoping we'll come back around soon. Yeah, about six months ago, there was one that I've been watching for her to come back. And I hope she does. So anyway. Yeah. What best we could do is just put the information out there and hope, right, I had not banned them all.
Scott Benner 1:06:51
So it's so interesting to hear you talk about like that, to like, that is exactly how I feel because I've seen somebody while I've gotten an email, like a long, like you suck email. Uh huh. And then, like six months later, long, I'm sorry, email. Oh, I was in a bad headspace and blah, blah. Now my agency is this. So what I do is the way I explain to my wife and my wife's like, how do you make these decisions? I'm like, I know what the podcast is. And I know what it does. And if somebody disagrees with it at its basic core, I know they're wrong. And, and but other than that, I listened to people's input. And I tried to think like, am I wrong about this? Or am I not seeing the whole picture? I'm constantly doing that. But at its core, I know that podcasts helps people live healthier. And so if you tell me it doesn't, you have another reason why you're saying that. And I got attacked recently by somebody privately. And then they tried to come at me through the survey, as well, where they and they listened to the podcast intently. And and I guess I said something where I was trying to be flippant about ads. And, and I was I said something like, you know, you got to click on this link. If you don't, I'm gonna end up working at Walmart or something like that, like you I need your support. Right? Yeah. And I am, as I mean, you would tell me if you thought differently, but I am in pletely, transparent about what makes money for this podcast. Like, like, the ads, if I put something online, I'm like, Look, if you click on this, it supports the show, like I'm very, very clear about it. And this person had been a fan for a while, and then all of a sudden, they're like, this is about your ego and money. And I'm like, Look, what am I gonna do? I said to my wife, am I gonna argue with her? I'm like, It's not about that. And I can't. It's about helping people. Does the podcast create a revenue stream that supports my family? It absolutely does. And if you want me to feel bad about that, you're barking up the wrong tree, because I spent my whole life making this podcast. So I'm going to, I'm going to get paid for it. Because if I didn't, I couldn't make it, I still have bills, I'd have to go to something else. And so I don't feel badly about that. I know how many people it helps. I know how it's brought the, the diabetes space forward, I just had a long conversation yesterday with a major institution in diabetes that's going to ask me to come out and speak about something about how I talk to people, they're gonna want me to tell clinicians how to talk to people about diabetes, so I know what it's doing. And, and so you pick through this moment with this person, and you're like, well, there's something happening on their end. It's not about me, this isn't about me. And so I have to let that go. I've become the focus of something. I'm gonna let that go right. And then I'm like, do I block them? Are they going to just like so? Like, because the one thing that people do on Facebook that if you don't know is they they DM behind the scenes, each other like little kids in school? And not everybody but some people do? Yeah, as I wish and I think it's funny. Like for anybody listening who's ever done that, if you think I don't know, you're kidding yourself, because you're telling Somebody you think agrees with you, and that person doesn't agree with you, and then they send me screenshots of your conversations. So it's true, don't type anything, you don't want someone to know. It's so and so. And I've seen it like, I've seen the gamut run. I have, I've only ever kept one of them, because it's so
Nico 1:10:22
a lot of it, you'll see again,
Scott Benner 1:10:25
everything old is new again, in this again, and again, you have to be okay with that, too. But I have one here, I'll never get rid of where the person tells like somebody says, Hey, I don't understand why you deleted my comment about the Juicebox Podcast that started the conversation. And then that that admin lied and said, they knew me personally. And oh, yeah, you mentioned this, and then made up significant lies about me to try to paint the reason why you wouldn't want to go to the pockets. Like, I know, he does this. And I know he does that. And everything they wrote, I'm like, I don't do that. Like, I don't like I don't make money that way. I don't do this. I don't do that. I don't she told them that I counsel people privately and take large sums of money from them for it. I've never done that in my life. But it was fascinating to have. But you didn't listen, I just got to. I just got an email from the Middle East the other day about helping, I think, a fairly wealthy family. And I was like, I don't accept money to help people with diabetes, but I can send you to some episodes, like, like, fly to Dubai and help somebody with their Basal What are you doing? But But anyway, I don't do those things. And then to have somebody come at me and tell me I do. Then you're back into the fate in the internet world, like arguing with them is
Nico 1:11:44
so hard, because I would love to participate more and more of those groups. And I was doing an okay job of giving enough of my own comments, and then periodically throwing in a podcast episode, knowing that if I did too much of what I do in your group, I would shut down other groups. But at some point, it was just
Scott Benner 1:12:03
exhausting. No, it's too much. And from watching them
Nico 1:12:05
suffer and watching them, choose that path. But then really, like I'm actually just busier now. And I would rather make sure I don't miss any of the Yeah, just box group posts that need answers, and then go back about my life. You're wonderful.
Scott Benner 1:12:21
You're wonderful. If my kids weren't grown, I'd make you their godmother. So Oh, my trust me you don't responsibility. But do you think, um, you've heard me talk about in the past about the other groups? Like, it's all about, like, keeping their they want to keep their audience? It's not really
Nico 1:12:40
you have seen so many of them are doing exactly what you said. They're, they're there to make the money.
Scott Benner 1:12:46
And they're siloing everybody, and they don't want them to leave?
Nico 1:12:49
Yeah, and they want the numbers. And it really isn't. If it were about helping people, then it wouldn't matter what information the people were getting, as long as it was just fair and balanced. You know, like, hey, this information is there, you can get this. And then I you know, there are there's so much to it, I'm sure. And I didn't spend very much time there. I joined a couple of groups. I don't even I have no idea. diabetes did get a little bit harder about a year ago, I think my honeymoon probably ended then. And so I didn't know I was looking. But I was looking a little. And then I realized where I could get help. And I didn't need to be there anymore, either. And where do I want to get back? The help is where I got the help from not. But I mean, I still do I go to read it. And and same thing. I answer with my own information enough times that I can then also answer with podcast episodes sometimes, so that they don't look completely crazy. And I don't get kicked out. Yeah, so see, but I don't have to do that in your group. If there's an episode that will help someone. And I don't have the personal knowledge about it, I can just share the episode. And I would rather put a few words with it. But lately, I've been a little busier because I'm working more hours than I anticipated. And I am thrilled to be doing it. I would really love to help this family more. I've I've never had a person in my life who actually had diabetes. And so I mean, I'm not thrilled that he was diagnosed, but I am more than happy to share the information that I have. And so she has looked at my graphs, she was looking at my data the other day, so we had to do that. And it was like it's the podcast was like we should be playing non stop here. I have been Don't you see my headphones.
Scott Benner 1:14:31
Thank you so much. I listened. I'm obviously thrilled that it's helped you but you've now helped more. And it's just I'm the only one stop. I appreciate that very much. I didn't want to say please don't leave me. But
Nico 1:14:50
I don't I am busier. But I don't plan for that to be forever and I you know I do still have some free time and I do still have to sit sometimes. And so if I'm sitting and answer people's questions if I can.
Scott Benner 1:15:01
Do you appreciate the hands off way I deal with you and Stephanie and Krista or do you wish I was more involved? Like you? And you guys have a chat? Right? You and Isabel and the girls will have a chat, right?
Nico 1:15:13
We do. Yeah. And I, I think I treat my Facebook Messenger, like chat section, the way you treat your inbox, and probably less less. So like I really do need to set aside one day a month and go answer messages over there. But I, let's see, we don't write to each other very frequently. And I do appreciate it. Now, when I when I first became an admin in another group I had assumed all along not having ever been one that where there were multiple people on the team. They were all communicating behind the scenes, like you said, Yeah. And then I learned that we weren't once I was doing it myself, I realized that we were just all in our own little space doing our own thing. And the only time we wrote to each other's if we felt like complaining about someone or you know, whatever, having one of those private conversations or just really just felt like having a private conversation. Oh, God,
Scott Benner 1:16:01
never. It never occurred to me. Do you complain about me? No, no, no, I'm
Nico 1:16:06
just assuming people probably think that, that we actually do all interact, and we don't know you have something that needs to be done? And if there's nothing that needs to be done,
Scott Benner 1:16:17
is there a need how everybody's would probably? Yeah, I
Nico 1:16:20
think the group members would appreciate knowing that we're still being our own individuals that we weren't giving any marching orders. We're just people that you trust to help relay your information. Yeah, people with with experience people, you know, with knowledge, and that we're not being told by you what you want us to do at all. We're just helping.
Scott Benner 1:16:42
I'm as hands off with you guys as I am with the whole thing. Like, did you see the note the other day that somebody sent me? And they were like, You need to moderate this group differently?
Nico 1:16:50
Yeah, I saw. No, he doesn't.
Scott Benner 1:16:53
Like oh, that's, that's the wrong tree times tend to bark up with me. I'd prefer to moderate the group less. I really liked the group better when it had one rule. And the rule was, don't be a dead girl shut this whole thing down.
Nico 1:17:05
Yeah. And that was basically how the other group that I was in was it was like, we just talked about gardening stuff. That's fine. Just, you know, don't don't make it political. Don't Don't be a jerk about it. And we'll just all hang out. And then one day, it was like, Yeah, way more specific. And if you ever told us well, I see it both directions. I do sometimes want to share something from a different source, like Integrated diabetes, especially, or somewhere else where I maybe learn something. But I definitely would rather share a podcast episode in the podcast group. If there is one that applies, because listen to us, you gave them to us. And so why would we not give them back to one another? Right?
Scott Benner 1:17:44
It's funny, because I go back and forth with that. Because there are times that like, somebody will be like, hey, I want to know about basil testing, and somebody will like will use this link. And I'm like, that's not the link for the basil testing and the podcast. That's the link for basil testing somewhere else, which I don't care about. If it helps other people. That's the thing I had to get over. Yeah, but it helps people that it's good. But it does make you worry on a micro level, did you just drive someone out of the podcast who now won't make their way back to it? And it's easy to think that Well, there are 33,000 people in there. They all listened to the podcast. But that's not the truth. If everyone in that Facebook group started, started listening to this podcast today. This would be the biggest podcast ever. Like like it would be it would be not just in the diabetes, amazing
Nico 1:18:29
how many podcast listeners that are that aren't in the group? And how many members that are that have no idea that there's a podcast,
Scott Benner 1:18:38
and vice versa and don't care. Yeah, both ways. Yeah. Yeah.
Nico 1:18:42
I do have there's a few times though, that there are people that are just like, No, I don't listen. And I have my, you know, 8.7 ATSC. And I don't listen, and these are the problems that I have. But I've been a member of this group a long time, and I don't listen. And I just I still wonder, like, why not? Is
Scott Benner 1:19:01
that with me, too? She's like, why don't they just listen if they see everybody else, like succeeding? Yes. Like, why would you? Well, I
Nico 1:19:07
mean, because they have Jimmy diabetes, I guess. But I mean, even I have Jimmy diabetes. You know, I have Castro freezes. And I still, I'm not I'm still gonna be bold. I mean, not every single time because occasionally, I'm not digesting that well, and I just have to remember it. And I have hormones that are doing like absolutely ridiculous things to me. Some nights, I use two units of insulin overnight, and sometimes I use six units of insulin overnight. And it's just I have no idea when that's gonna happen. And you know what, I'm still. I'm not gonna give up on tight control.
Scott Benner 1:19:40
You referenced the podcast episode from 28. Yeah, it's one of the best. Is it really?
Nico 1:19:47
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, it was I'm pretty sure I put it on the list the other day when you asked and now you guys are asking me again, both in the group and as well as privately and Jimmy diabetes is is definitely definitely one And people should listen to. Because a couple of days ago, you guys were talking about the B word. You talked about that probably eight months ago, but you aired it a couple days ago. And so you rehearsed it a couple of days ago, probably. And I think that's what they're saying. I mean, to me, that's what Jimmy diabetes is about. It's about people thinking that their diabetes is more difficult than other people's diabetes. And for some of us, it is like, I don't digest food productively. So getting my my prediction curve to match what my insulin is going to do is not easy. And that doesn't mean that I have to have a really hate anyone see, I do have more variability than I'd like. Because I am going to sometimes get swings, and I, I'm just going to keep trying, I'm going to reach out. And if there's an episode that maybe when I listened to it, the first time, I wasn't in the place I am now I'll just go listen again. But I have a couple of people in the group are gonna hate me my loop and I are not entirely friends yet. So that's kind of funny. But I do have a new toy. And I'm really excited about it. So I live at elevation, we talked about that a bit. And you've had some elevation episodes. So I am not Jenny, I am your other people. I don't use very much insulin, but I've always live to elevation. So that's all I know, right. And so I finally got my doctor to let me try a Frezza. And the first patient she's ever prescribed it to and it wasn't easy, but I'm really excited about it. The only problem is it comes in four unit cartridges. And a lot of times I don't use four units for anything, but it comes to be good to practice with your own diabetes and figure out how that four units works. And for me, it's really close to three units of Novolog. But faster, okay, so it's fun. But you know, I can't use it for a meal that has meat in it. Because a lot of my meal Bolus does include my fat and protein. And that's going to be gone by the time the fat and protein are there. So I can use it for well, like yesterday, I missed on my mom's birthday cake. And so the Frezza like, fix that problem real fast. is awesome. I'm in love.
Scott Benner 1:22:05
That's excellent. I do want to, it's tough, because I want to talk to more people who use it, but a not many people use it and be the people who use it are sometimes evangelical about it.
Nico 1:22:17
And so that's why I thought I would at least mentioned that I am using it. Because it's kind of cool. And it doesn't have to be completely terrifying. But I definitely couldn't manage strictly with that. It's just not going to be precise enough. I don't really know how people do that honestly. And they do. But I kind of feel like I'm going back to to whole unit pens again. And having like a magic marker when I really want to pencil
Scott Benner 1:22:44
I want I want so badly to I don't think I don't think Arden would try it. But if she would like to me it feels like for sticky highs.
Nico 1:22:52
Like Exactly. It'd be like a pump site failure. Yeah, get that thing right back down, right or Yeah, sticky high or, you know, don't have a lot of time to Pre-Bolus. But don't really want to deal with an over Bolus like but I know, I can use loop to deal with the pizza part of this meal. But I want to fun drink with this meal. That's gonna hit me a lot faster. Let's just don't even tell the loop about the about the drink. Just tell the loop about the pizza. And the Frizzle take care of that. First, like quick impact. Yeah, that's really fun. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:23:20
I definitely want to hear more about it. I just can't be from somebody who's like, the hidden he means like they're probably Yeah, yeah. Oh, my God, because they get online sometimes. And they're just sort of like, like, gets the closest thing to a low carb conversation that I've ever seen. Like,
Nico 1:23:36
explicitly, there's no way. I mean, maybe people want to hire insulin needs, but really like, you know, I rely on the point oh, five, like, bumps and nudges. And, and yeah, you can do that, though. Anyway,
Scott Benner 1:23:50
what's your opinion on how I handle the low carb thing? Oh, do you think about it? Do you think about how, like, there
Nico 1:24:00
is, I can't imagine you're handling it any other way.
Scott Benner 1:24:03
That is what I do. I do the same exact thing with it. But it's tough because they try some some very few. But some, like low carb proponents are very much alike. You're doing this wrong. And you shouldn't be doing this.
Nico 1:24:17
But they haven't listened to all of the episodes if they're saying that. Yeah, probably.
Scott Benner 1:24:21
But But I don't want them not to be there. So I'm, like, Isn't
Nico 1:24:27
one that's been missing a little bit lately, and I've been sad about that. Yeah, no, she's got and I would, I was low carb. I did low carb. I had to. And I would do it again. It is easier. I just can't digest that food. So I don't anymore.
Scott Benner 1:24:41
Yeah, no, I just it's interesting that you don't see so you just see any, like waves that are handled as being handled all the same, because I feel that way. But it's tough because people take it personally if it's their wave. Yeah, that's true. It's hard.
Nico 1:24:56
I am not making very many waves and so um, not taking it personally. So I'm just seeing it as an outsider saying, Yeah, you know, you're allowed to talk that way, as long as you're not being nasty about it, then you can bring this up. And if you're being too much of, you know, if you're being a jerk about it, then he's going to ask you to stop it. Otherwise, feel free. It works for you. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:25:18
it does work. And I find it, I find it very, I actually, I'm super interested by watching people online, because I know if you can step out of the argument, you're like, Oh, well, they're upset about this, or they're trying to make a point about this. Or sometimes they're trying to sell something. And right, and they're trying not to act like they are. And then they'll like, they'll kind of push back harder. I had that recently with a with somebody from a company who was like, you know, I'm just trying to be part of the group. I'm like, Yeah, that's not what you're doing. No, you're driving, you're trying to drive something to a thing you make money with. And, and that is something I feel very strongly about, too. Like, I've collected all these people together. They're not fish in a barrel. You don't just get the market to them. I get tomorrow, I get to tell them about my ads, because the ads don't get supported. You have no idea the pressure it is to, like have advertisers like and they're not mean about it.
Nico 1:26:10
But that's that's why I don't bake for our bakery. It's the cleaning company level cleaning every day for for the baking. I'm not going to do that. No. But yeah,
Scott Benner 1:26:18
yeah, I can't. You have no idea like you've spoken. I
Nico 1:26:22
have no responsibility. I just share the information. And you have all that pressure behind the scenes.
Scott Benner 1:26:27
Nico, you're perfect. I'll just keep eating up the pressure and you keep doing what you're doing. Can I ask
Nico 1:26:32
you, if you want to have a have a conversation with my husband? I'll have a conversation with your wife. Because yeah, he definitely doesn't think I'm perfect.
Scott Benner 1:26:40
Well, you are for me. So I he's
Nico 1:26:43
been really helpful. It's really cute to see him. You know, he doesn't know diabetes, and he is not on Facebook. But he's really excited to contribute a little here and there. Well, he made kind of looking he made. He did make the shortcut.
Scott Benner 1:26:57
Yeah. So you share, like a fat calculator.
Nico 1:27:02
Yeah. And he's working on another one right now that was to do it in Excel for people who don't have iPhones?
Scott Benner 1:27:09
No kidding. I haven't added your shortcut. And I want to and I have to admit, like, I'm so inept at it. Like, I don't even know how to do it. Yeah.
Nico 1:27:16
I wish we knew how but we're that's one thing. Web Design is not something we do for you.
Scott Benner 1:27:21
Yeah, well, it's still very, I see a lot of people get a lot of great use out of it. And
Nico 1:27:25
yeah, and it's been hilarious to see it evolve. It's really funny. There's been some funny uses of it. Like it was being used for brain poop as a meal the other day,
Scott Benner 1:27:36
you know, I've considered having a developer make a podcast app that also has like, Bolus calculators in it and like everything you would need for diabetes all in one place along with the podcast. But I know the problem is, like, just it's so hard to get people to adopt things that I know in my heart, it would fail at the end. So I don't put too much effort. But that's also by the way, that's also an important skill to have if you're in this, which is to know where, yeah, where to point, your energy, when to go. That's a great idea. But it doesn't matter what a good idea is, if people aren't going to adopt it. And experience
Nico 1:28:11
has helped you with that a little bit. I'm sure. Yeah, no, I know. I know. Fortunately,
Scott Benner 1:28:16
I've I've had a couple of good ideas that aren't actually good ideas. Oh, like, because they would be if you could, like depends on how you define good idea. Well, I defined everything by mass appeal. Yeah. Right. By helping if it helps stainability. Yes, if it helps, good, but then it has to be sustainable. And it has to reach a lot of people. Because I can't. Well, I don't mean to say that helping 5g is not important. But but you know, to what you said earlier, like, if it's going to help those people will help more people, and then we need to get it to them and helping people. Yeah, if I can't figure a way to deliver it to them, then it's not a good idea.
Nico 1:28:54
And not every one of them is going to go sharing it once they've benefited from it. Like you said, most of them move on. Yeah, this this is I just I'm not like that. I just can't do that. I can't walk away from something that has given so much to me. Well, I
Scott Benner 1:29:07
think that's perfect about you, and I'm not gonna change change you about that at all. Like you're you're one of the people, I don't want to go anywhere.
Nico 1:29:13
As long as you keep us being just just perfectly moderated. I'll stick around. And when when it gets to the point that I can't share a podcast episode without it getting deleted. i Oh, that
Scott Benner 1:29:24
wouldn't happen at mine.
Nico 1:29:26
I know. But that's what was so weird about it. It was Yeah. So anyway,
Scott Benner 1:29:29
what else can you but when you tried to do it in other groups, they wouldn't let you
Nico 1:29:33
know when I was No, in my gardening group that I was an admin of yeah, there were comments that were perfectly in line with the conversation we were supposed to be having. And random keywords would trigger because
Scott Benner 1:29:43
the moderator didn't want to actually moderate. That's what happens when they get into pressure from other people. When people are like, You shouldn't let people talk like that. I'm like, you're gonna be the one to leave if that's how you feel about this. Because I I, to be clear, those people are adults. They can do whatever they want. If I'm not in charge them, I don't care, the only thing, the only thing you're going to hear from me on is if you're doing something that's hurting the group, then then you're going to hear from me, if you're doing something that's leading someone down a dangerous path, you're going to hear from me about that. If you're being mean to people, if your food shaming people, if you're insinuating that if you eat carbs, you're going to die. Like things like that. That's, that's not gonna fly. And I'll put a stop to that very quickly. But the rest of it,
Nico 1:30:29
like it's very balanced. I feel as though you would also protect a low carb post as much as you would protect a high carb post. Because I mean, if anyone has any questions about that, there's a whole series where you gave everyone a forum to talk about how they eat. Yeah. The people who are they just looking for something to be upset about? You know, or there's that thing that you're moderating the way that other groups are moderating and not really paying attention? That that's not what you're doing at all
Scott Benner 1:30:57
right. Now. I appreciate you guys. I
Nico 1:30:59
think sometimes you just have to look at all the different ways of well, you know, I didn't find that reference. But once you you mentioned, I think, did you say that? You have to pretend like the person in the car, like has a really urgent bathroom need? I think that's what you said that that's like the benefit of the doubt you get the driver that's being a jerk. I tell my husband, you have to pretend like they have eggs or whatever. But I just have to sometimes look and say, what, what is this really about? Because this isn't about Scott, this isn't about this particular post. This is this is something else, right?
Scott Benner 1:31:24
I let I let everything go until it becomes obvious that you have like sinister motivations. Yeah. And then we're done. And that you're not going to get me past I add somebody? And then you're done. Yeah. Oh, then you're done. It's done. Yeah, I had to. And by the way, that's a, a college commencement address from a famous author who's passed away.
Nico 1:31:45
Okay, so there's an episode for that guy. And it's called this as water.
Scott Benner 1:31:49
But in that he decided he describes that, you know, you can see someone speeding down the road and weaving in traffic and choose to think that they're an asset. Or you could choose to think that, you know, they have a really good reason for doing this. And that you're never really going to know why. But it's better for you, if you choose to believe that they have a good reason. It because in that, in that I do that in the moderation of it. But at the end, when people are being absolutely, like, obviously pimping a business, or something like that I'm not okay with like, when, like everyone uses, there are people who use some version of, here's a picture of a T shirt, I just got this t shirt for my type one all the time, and then three, and then like three, you know, statements down, someone goes, oh my god, it's so cute. Where'd you get it? And they're working together to get out there, I'd see link or something like that, you know, like, I'm like, Alright, we're not doing this. But people do that with low carb websites, too. They they infer something to get someone to ask a question. And then once they ask a question, they go, Oh, it's because I don't eat carbohydrates that I'm so healthy. And then it's and then you they're pushing that's proselytizing. That's not okay. And so I stopped the person from doing that the other day, and they're like, I didn't know I was doing that. And I said, privately to Jenny, or Yeah, I was talking to Jenny about it. And I said, like, I don't care if they know they're doing it, or they don't know they're doing it. It's still happening. It's it's not important to me whether they're sinister, or they're just silly. Like, it's what's happening. You know what I mean? And then I have one other question about a Facebook thing for you, you know, the young girl that comes in and drops a horror bomb and then doesn't respond while everybody runs.
Nico 1:33:41
To save her. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:33:43
I banned that account. The
Nico 1:33:45
uncle has the same name as you. Seriously. Yes. First name?
Scott Benner 1:33:50
Yes, yes. I banned that account. Oh, okay. It hurt me to do it. But oh, you tried. I saw you try. I tried. Well, I sent a private email. And I said, I don't know you. You don't know me. I'm not a doctor. But I will do anything to try to help you. And but you, you can't just keep coming into the group saying something horrifying, and then ghosting the thread. Like, it's like it's not okay.
Nico 1:34:20
And so I'm sure a lot of people will be happy to know what happened there. Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:34:24
I just find it. So I had a back. I tried to have a back and forth. And then they were like everyone says they want to help me. And I was like, Well, I'm actually trying to help you. So just respond to this. And we'll and then they wouldn't then
Nico 1:34:37
there are so many people who would have jumped at the offer that you gave, you know, so yeah, and they wouldn't respond. So if it's not the right moment, and it's not the right moment.
Scott Benner 1:34:45
I just I said okay, I did my best here, but because because I don't because it this was an extreme case, but I couldn't let that keep happening.
Nico 1:34:55
And there was a misconception in the group and all over or Facebook that that person was a minor? And that person is not a minor. So no, no, that does make a difference. Yeah, most people know that this person is an adult. And like you said, that's where you're catering to adults who have the right to choose.
Scott Benner 1:35:14
After about 20 people that choice was made, and did really helpful things like down to like contacting sending food, or will come get you send food offering to help them. I was like, they're not taking any of this help. So this is just either self flagellation, or it's or it's all bullshit. One or the other.
Nico 1:35:32
Well, I'm in the beginning, it was like, okay, is this person now hospitalized? And we'll hear back in a few days. And, and at some point, you know, because I did periodically go check the agency, did, did that person come back and update any of those threads or reply to any of those offers? And, yeah, nothing just always, like you said, ghosting all of us. So there's something
Scott Benner 1:35:50
wrong with it. And in the end, you just can't, you can't keep running into the room and farting and running out again before I'm gonna lock the door. And it basically it started feeling like that. Yeah. Anyway, now the door's locked. But that one, I don't ban people easily. And that wasn't really like, it bothered me. When I pushed the button. I was like, Oh, I hope I'm doing the wrong thing here. But yeah,
Nico 1:36:13
well, you couldn't really do much more, I don't think tried. It was a
Scott Benner 1:36:18
it was a I mean, it was a significantly to one side situation. It was it was off the charts. So
Nico 1:36:28
and it was exactly like you said, I mean, you offered everyone offered. So yeah, I mean, if he had just been the person without actually trying to help, then maybe we could question the decision. But yeah, you have to question you tried,
Scott Benner 1:36:40
you have to have the bigger picture in mind to like that group is there to capture people give them hope, and lead them in the right direction? And if I always think about like, what if this is someone's first post? Like that? They see.
Nico 1:36:53
Yeah, the first thing they see I try the only one they see that it because they only go to their group feed and not to the actual group itself,
Scott Benner 1:36:59
right? Yeah. No, I know. Yeah. You have to go into the group. But anyway,
Nico 1:37:02
so what Wait, you tried to derail me here. So anyone who wants to actually hear you talk about this as water? You talk about it in swimming, Skittles, which is number 451. So
Scott Benner 1:37:13
that was amazing. Thank you. I loved watching it happen in real time.
Nico 1:37:20
Because we had to go to another really serious topic, but yeah, people should hear that episode.
Scott Benner 1:37:25
How can we have it so you walk behind me when I say something? You go? What Scott's referring to is?
Nico 1:37:31
Oh my gosh. So that's like, um, so I can do a little pop culture reference. There was a little short lived TV show with Ted Danson. It he had a little computer a little robot. Well, not a robot. Well, she was a robot, right?
Unknown Speaker 1:37:48
Because life wait. Yeah.
Nico 1:37:52
With Kristen? Yes.
Scott Benner 1:37:55
Yeah. Cable. Yeah, it's good. It's called The Good Place.
Nico 1:37:59
A good place a good place. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Scott Benner 1:38:01
I love that show. It was it was short. It was only four seasons, but it did very well to like wrap itself up in four seasons. Yeah,
Nico 1:38:08
I can get a little robot.
Scott Benner 1:38:09
i There's part of me that thinks Kristen Bell is not a real person, by the way. She wants to think that seems so delightful. I'm like, I can't be wrong.
Nico 1:38:21
Oh, she seems so very real.
Scott Benner 1:38:24
But yeah, yeah, that's what I need. I need I need you to pop out of like thin air and just go Hey, Scott. Can we make that? Well, I'll tell you what. Artificial Intelligence is leaping right now. So we may get to the point soon where you can go to your AI generator and just say, like, literally tell you? Like, what's that episode of The Juicebox Podcast? Where and it'll come? It's Have you seen it? It's fascinating. You're making me obsolete? No, I'm not making you obsolete. I don't have I still have to type it. So we can't do that. I need you. But um, but Okay, so my last question, I'm gonna let you go. Okay. Was it inappropriate that I sent everyone a Christmas present this year? Or was that okay?
Nico 1:39:10
Well, I appreciate it.
Scott Benner 1:39:12
I was so worried.
Nico 1:39:13
That is still I mean, I would send chocolate I promise.
Scott Benner 1:39:17
No, no, no, no, I don't mean that. Like I wanted to send something that you could just use. And I think
Nico 1:39:22
and I am my confession though solution. I really appreciate it. So yeah, I now have a nice foam mattress topper so you bought a chair. I bought a foam mattress topper and it has greatly improved our sleep. Not because we really needed a more comfy bed but oh my gosh. Dexcom and I just aren't great friends. And so I deeply appreciative you have no idea. Yeah, but there's no well that's there are no words. I think I sent some words. You said most honest words I could send I said Honey I don't know what to do it like I this Here's what I want to say. And he said, Well, yeah, I think that's probably what you should say then and so yeah, like, overwhelmed. And honestly, I just, I have to sit sometimes. So when I said I still want to be contributing,
Scott Benner 1:40:13
but you're very nice I just so I sent a gift card, but I I, I labored over. Not too much. Not too little. Too little insulting too much is insulting. It's also an number I can't afford. Like, you know what I mean? Thank
Nico 1:40:29
you. We're headed towards too much. Okay, away then from too little. But you know why they think I was too little back. Don't get me wrong. I didn't know you were you were far far from too little. And I, but I live in the middle of nowhere.
Scott Benner 1:40:44
So Oh, no, I just do you know what I mean, by that, though, like if you
Nico 1:40:47
know, I do know and gifting is difficult. And I always choose to actually buy a gift because I that that world of gift cards. I don't know how to navigate it. I mean, I know how to spend them. days, and I did so I appreciate these
Scott Benner 1:41:01
talking to my wife texting. Isabel, Is this too much is too I don't want to insult anybody I don't want I also don't want it to be uncomfortable. Like you'd want to send an amount of money where you go, God, I can't accept this.
Nico 1:41:11
I can't. I can't speak for the others. So I but I, you are comfortably deeply grateful. So yeah, just Yeah, it really, really, really brightened our holidays. You can you can Yeah, if you I really hope that would convey that because we were shocked. And we were ecstatic. And we were we were really grateful.
Scott Benner 1:41:33
Yeah, no, I'm i I'm thrilled. I'm glad. And you deserve that. And way more I just to be sure that I got what
Nico 1:41:42
I got. I you know, you paid us in advance. You gave us the podcast. So yeah, I have better health. No, I have I have lower variability. I have better timing range. I had no idea. These things were possible. And so why would I? Yeah. Why would I not want that for anyone else who has any interest in having it? Right?
Scott Benner 1:42:06
Well, I'll tell you, I, I'm going to do my best to keep it going. I think I'm doing alright, so far.
Nico 1:42:12
I like the direction you're headed. I made a few posts recently. Just kind of in that same vein, I really, I mean, just in general, but we're working on my husband's glycemic control. Now. The same path I was on early. This is a type two path he's not diabetic, but he is obviously not managing a CGM, as you know, is line does not look like yours. Looks like I missed it, obviously. But I've heard right, how hard you had to work to get numbers that Yeah. Right. So I do appreciate and I do have a lot of type two people in my life. And I love sharing those episodes with them. So I'm really excited that you're here. There's
Scott Benner 1:42:50
gonna be more Jenny and I are gonna put together a whole series of type two stuff. Yeah, I
Nico 1:42:54
had a few ideas that Yeah, I do need to send you and you had you had told me the email, you
Scott Benner 1:42:59
put them in, I want to know I one word, you told me email you one word, and
Nico 1:43:03
I was like, one word zadina for an email. So I have a few more words now that I can add to that email. And so send an email now I
Scott Benner 1:43:11
appreciate it. We're gonna get it done this year. And, and I'm gonna I'm gonna put it in with the podcast. And I'm also if I if the series turns out the way, I hope I might launch a second podcast for type two. And it won't be updated very frequently. But it'll just be a way where the information sits out there and its own place. I don't know. Yeah.
Nico 1:43:33
Terrible that it's intimidating to come to the type one world as a type two, it's sad to me that we have that division. And I see I see why it's there. But I get really, really touched when I guess maybe just because I was there and I would much rather be on insulin be then be on that other path. And those conversations have really, really enriched the podcasts already. So
Scott Benner 1:43:57
I agree. Well, yeah, and I'm not gonna let like one or two people are like, there, they have type two, don't let them in. They're like, Oh, you don't understand. Like, it's if you use insulin you belong, you know, and that's it.
Nico 1:44:07
So and I don't know how many people don't realize that maybe insulin would improve their outcomes. It's, it's seen as such a such a scary place to go. It's seen as like in a defeat like influenza, the last line of defense, and I feel terrible for those people who don't get on it sooner. I have no idea. I wasn't on a CGM until a few years after I was on insulin. So I don't know what my variability was. But I know I didn't go low very often, because I just didn't have a tool that can get me lower safely. And so they just told me not to use the tool, basically. Yeah. But I do know that I did have complications before I had insulin. And I think my best chance at not having them in the future is using the insulin wisely. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:44:50
No, I agree with that. Thank you. Well, no, it's my pleasure. I I'm thrilled you found the podcast obviously for yourself, but for everyone else, too. Like I know a joke and I was like, it helps To me, it helps me you're helping everybody. And it frees me up to make the show. So I'm willing to try. No, yeah, I'm willing to try. There's nothing you need to change, you're fine.
Nico 1:45:12
Well, you know that one conversation like, Oh, I'll regret that we couldn't succeed. Until I hopefully hear that maybe we did even even that, that, you know, so that's why I know you have that same thing in you that you said that while you were describing the story. And so I still feel like I'm trying because I can't help everyone. But I can try. So.
Scott Benner 1:45:33
And that's, that's what we're doing. So yeah, you
Nico 1:45:35
gave you gave me the tool. So I'll just keep using it as best I can. as I can. You are so delightful. Thank
Scott Benner 1:45:43
you, Nico. I know you didn't want to do this. So thank you very much.
Nico 1:45:50
I do not want to I just didn't really know. I like us. Yeah. So
Scott Benner 1:45:54
you weren't with the wrong thing. You did what everybody else did you thought, Well, I'm not gonna make a good podcast episode.
Nico 1:46:00
Well, no. Well, I mean, I worried about everything. Because I do like, really, really do. I am a nervous Chihuahua. And I was just kind of wondering like, which, which piece of this did you want to talk about? And was it really the boring piece of like, I can press Ctrl F, or was it?
Scott Benner 1:46:16
Presidential love? It's, well, that that is a minimization of what you do, and you shouldn't do
Nico 1:46:23
it. It's funny, because I was talking to my husband about that last night. And I said, Honey, like, I don't know, I think he really just wants to, like, I'm thinking about all these different pieces of my story in which one? Do we want the world to know? Which one do we want to fit in an hour, which we didn't accomplish at all. But then I told him, I said, I think it's really just that he wants to know how, how I'm helpful in the group. And isn't it? That's just not a very, that's not an episode. And he's, he said, Yeah, cuz all you do is just press Ctrl F. So it's funny. Yeah. You should talk to him. I don't know.
Scott Benner 1:46:57
That's funny. You can tell him. It doesn't matter to me. As far as I'm concerned. You're, you're a Nobel Laureate. So?
Nico 1:47:05
Yeah, yeah, I have my well, you
Scott Benner 1:47:09
fit perfectly into the need that that you're that you're handling. I mean, honestly, I am happy to help. No, you for a second. Listen to me for a second. You couldn't be more perfect for this. I wish there were 10 of you.
Nico 1:47:29
Oh, well, I mean, I talk enough for at least a couple of
Scott Benner 1:47:33
the online stuff. I wish there were if there were 10 of you. I know I would, I would I'd start a moderating business. And we, and we'd fix countless Facebook pages, wouldn't we? Yeah,
Nico 1:47:49
I would. Countless Facebook pages. I don't know. Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:47:53
Oh, by the way, it's so soon. It's so easy. All you have to do is it's a little bit parenting. It's a little bit you have to have like no ego about it. You can't like you can't think anything is about you. And you have to believe that everybody is intrinsically good. They're either having a bad day, or a bad reaction, but that my son said to me something the other day he goes, generally speaking, everybody has good intentions. And I'm like, Yes. 600%. Right. And so everybody just wants to be happy all the time. Yeah. When people want to fight. That's when I'm like, no, no, like, or sometimes I just let them fight. So I'm just like, wear themselves out. Let them go. It's hilarious. That's the other thing too, when I like when people think they're being deep, and they don't realize it. Everyone else looking is like, Oh, God, You're such an idiot. It's my favorite part. That's the part that gives me the biggest smile, like everybody thinks they're being like, like, you know, like, they're, they're a great orator, and everyone else is like, is this person okay? And I'm like that. I also think, by the way, you if you're running a Facebook group, here's another tip don't undervalue that people drunk right on Facebook in the evenings. Oh, for sure. Yeah. And that you you have to work around that a little and in the mornings. Yes. And don't don't also like there are some mental illness in the world to where you have to give people some some grace because they're doing the best they can and they're not coming off the way they mean to and and and some
Nico 1:49:26
people are just not that skilled with a keyboard.
Scott Benner 1:49:29
Oh, just bad bad communicators. There are so many times gonna be just like you people. If you were just slightly better at communicating with each other this would have caught so much wouldn't be
Nico 1:49:37
having this conversation because that's not what that was about. And that's not what that replacement either. Yeah, no 100 guys are not having the same conversation,
Scott Benner 1:49:45
or you're, or they're both saying the same thing differently. And I'm like, how do you not Yeah, but you're both saying the same thing. Exactly. Yeah. It's a great social experiment. It really is. Great. Not great. It's interesting, Scott. All right. All righty guy. Hope you have a great day. Hold on a second for me. Okay. Thank you, Scott. Thank you
I'd like to take a moment to thank the contour next gen blood glucose meter and the entire line of contour meters for sponsoring this episode of The Juicebox Podcast. Contour next one.com forward slash juice box head over there now please hit the buy now button if you want to just pick something up online. Super easy. I guess while I'm at it, let me thank the doctors at the emergency room my mom went to and you of course for listening to this episode of The Juicebox Podcast. I can't thank Nico enough and the other people who help her Stephanie, Krista and Isabel they truly hold the Facebook group together and help it to be a more direct and valuable tool for people who listen to the podcast. That group of course is called Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes is a private group with nearly 40,000 members. It's for people with type one, type two, Lada any kind of diabetes, you gotta diabetes. You're welcome in my group. links in the show notes, links at juicebox podcast.com. Please support the sponsors. Of course tell somebody you know about the show. And if you're listening in an audio app, please follow or subscribe
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