#970 Call Me Boss

Stephanie has type 1 diabetes and a long story.

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

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 970 of the Juicebox Podcast. My voice has extra timber tonight. Do you hear it? Do you hear it? Yes, sir. Let's go

today I'm speaking with Stephanie who has had type one diabetes for a very long time and her pathway to pumping, the insulin she used and for how long. So really fascinating story. I hope you hope you settle in and listen. 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 healthcare plan, or becoming bold with insulin. For those of you who do not live in the tri state area in the northeast, don't be scared Stephanie's not in the mob. She just lives in New York. Don't let her accent frighten you. If you're looking for community around your diabetes, check out the private Facebook group. It's absolutely free Juicebox Podcast type one diabetes, but you don't have to have type one you could have type two be a caregiver doesn't matter to me. Everybody's welcome. Get yourself five free travel packs, and a year supply of vitamin D with your first order of ag one when you use my link, drink a G one.com forward slash juice box. And you can say 40% off your entire order at cozy earth.com When you use the offer code juice box at checkout them them them them them them them them 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. I had an opportunity overnight to use the contour twice last night. And it holds up. I'm saying like Arden has gone to college and she's coming back now. But boom, boom like riding a bike click like bang, bang, bang bang I got a number. Oh, easy. Contour next one.com forward slash juicebox. You want accuracy. You want a contour meter? Hey, for the first couple of minutes, Stephanie's using a different headset we fixed it started over so there's a cute little conversation with their daughter in there. A couple of quick words and then we start and it sounds better. I'm telling you it sounds better. Make a few the first couple of minutes. I think that's what I'm saying. Hey,

Stephanie 2:36
hello, how are you? I'm good. Let me just make the volume a little louder

Scott Benner 2:42
here. Okay. I don't mean to keep talking. So

Stephanie 2:45
no, it's fine. I can do it. My husband's a programmer. So he's got all fancy things. So I got it right on the keyboard. Very nice. He has fancy headphones too. So give me one second. Okay, there we go. That's the volume button.

Scott Benner 3:04
You feel good about it. Yeah, that's good. Great. Excellent. Thank you.

Stephanie 3:08
I just want to say I just turned around and my eight year old is staring at me right now. What you want to say hi, I'm sure you can say hi here and say hi.

Scott Benner 3:19
Hi. Hey, man. What's your name? Emma. Oh, Emma. Hey, Emma. I didn't know you were a girl. Or I wouldn't have said Hey, man. I would have been like, Hey, how are you? You're How old are you, Emma? Oh, eight. I used to be? It happened to me. Everyone's at a point. Yes. You know what point that is? When you're Yeah, that's exactly right. You're pretty. Okay, like that. Let's just Yeah, I guess let's they leave you back a bunch of times. Yeah. You know, any kids that didn't make it all the way to like, third grade yet? But we what was that? birtley. Is that a person? Yeah, yeah. What happened there? Do you think? I don't know. No. Does he seem Is it a boy? birtley? Yeah. Do you think they left them back? Because his name is birtley? No. Definitely not. Okay. All right. Do you have any things you love that you want to tell me about? Pizza? Pizza. Where do you live? Where do you live? New York. New York. New York. Oh Babylone. New York. Yeah, we're pretty close to each other then. Close. Yeah. Ever get out of New York. Your parents never let you go anywhere. We went to DC. Yeah, Washington DC. That's nice. I was just through there. The other like two weeks ago, I was picking my daughter up in college in Georgia. And we stopped in DC for him and on the way back. You know where Georgia is? No, no, it's because you're right when you're 10 years old now. All right. Do you give your parents a lot of trouble? Are you pretty good kid? You don't know. Does that mean you're a bad? Does that mean you do know? And you don't want to tell me? I don't think you're a good kid. Yeah, that's nice. Mom says that that is definitely true. All right. Well, it was nice meeting you. Okay. Have a good night. Bye. Bye bye. Okay, close the door, please. Sorry about that. They always think they have something to say. I get these notes every once in a while people like you should have more kids. And I'm like, you don't really mean that.

Stephanie 5:44
It might be interesting, though. She's she's very she would play off you very well.

Scott Benner 5:49
That would be every once in a while works out great. It's just that some people are like my kids really talkative. And then you start talking about I'm like, I don't know where you're from that you think this kids talk to the kid can say anything. No one's gonna listen. I have advertisers.

Stephanie 6:05
Like I have to, I have to like, keep this going.

Scott Benner 6:09
This can't be the last time I do it. And you got to hear your kid on the podcast. So exactly. Most of the time. It's the kids. There's like a young girl on my schedule right now. And yeah, I know. It's gonna be good. I've never spoken to her because she reached out to me by herself. Oh, wow. And then I was like, Look, you can come on, but your parents need to know. You know. So yeah. So they like loop their parents in during emails. And like they I really put it on them to handle it. And then you know, you eventually hear from the parents are like, listen, she's like, 40 in our heart, just leave her go.

Stephanie 6:44
It's like, it's fine. Don't worry,

Scott Benner 6:46
absolutely fine. Just let her be on the podcast I don't even want to hear it doesn't even matter. It's interesting. And every once in a while, it turns into like, that episode from Russia with sarcasm with like this 14 year old girl. And it was like stunning. She was diagnosed, got really shaky direction from the hospital, went home recognized the kid right by herself recognized like, this isn't okay. When on the internet, found the podcast, listen to the podcast, went back to her parents with a list of stuff she needed. That she's like, get me one of these. I wanted these and one of these. And then I can't and then put her a one seat in the low sixes

Stephanie 7:28
that I give her credit. I couldn't do that until I was in my 30s

Scott Benner 7:32
all by herself. I'm like, yeah. That's amazing. You know? Damn, no, yeah, that's really impressive. Do you have any questions or concerns before we start? Okay, so I know where we're at. But I'm just gonna have you start over. So all the audio matches up. Just introduce yourself. And I'll say something and we'll keep going. Okay,

Stephanie 7:52
no problem. Hi, this is Stephanie. I've been diabetic for 32 years.

Scott Benner 7:57
Hi, Stephanie. How are you? Thank you for helping me. Who is that? My CGM are yours? Yeah, no, it's

Stephanie 8:02
probably yours. It's not mine.

Scott Benner 8:04
I didn't I didn't mute my phone. Artists. Blood sugar just went up over 120 she's so sick. I can't believe we've kept at this low so far today. Well, that's good. Yeah. She was sick a college and we thought she was okay. We got her home. But when I picked her up a little bit of meatless, like I said, to order the car, I'm like, well, we should take you the doc when you get home. You shouldn't still be like coughing, you know? Yeah. And she's like, No, I'm alright. Okay. So she was all full of herself, because she got through 10 weeks at school, and she was still alive and everything. She's like, I'm doing great. Are you kidding me? And then now she's been home for a couple of weeks. And the other day, she had this great opportunity to go into the city for a fashion she was going to intern in a fashion thing. Oh, nice. And the night before, she's like, I'm really sick. Something's wrong. So that was like Wednesday night this week. By yesterday, by Friday, we were like scrambling to get her a telemedicine visit. And the guy Dr. Like, looked her over and had a long conversation with her and said yes, she has a sinus infection, probably from the illness, you know. So that's what

Stephanie 9:08
I got. I just got over that and my daughter to same thing, and we were still coughing two weeks later, so just keep that in mind. It seems to be it sticks around for a while. Listen,

Scott Benner 9:18
she's the last of us like, it's December 3, and we've cold Kelly and I have been sick to some degree or another since October 6. It's terrible this year. Yeah. Really. I used to say I was so like, full of myself. Like during COVID. I'd record the show. And I'd be like, listen, I mean, I'd like to go out but I haven't been sick in like three years. This is I didn't know. I didn't know we were gonna have to pay it all back. I didn't realize there was a ledger, you know. So,

Stephanie 9:45
I mean, I work in cardiology, I do medical records, nothing like patient facing or anything like that. And it's oh man, like the girls. Some girl was out with the flu and she was like, Oh my God, you had the flu. Like how was it she was it It was worse than COVID this year. Yeah. Well, like,

Scott Benner 10:02
oh, we had COVID. And then it turned into bronchitis. Oh, and then the antibiotics didn't work for Kelly the first time. So she went through an entire, like, 10 day round of something, and then still needed more. Yeah, at one point. I mean, it just, it was like, honestly, like I said to a buddy of mine, he's a doctor. He's like, How's everybody doing? We're gonna talk. And I said two weeks ago, if Kelly would have died, it wouldn't have surprised me. Like, that's where we were at. Like, I mean, I would have been like, don't get me wrong, like, I would have been shocked. But I wouldn't have been like, Oh, I didn't see that coming. Because she was really in trouble. And, and now she's, she's starting to do better. So

Stephanie 10:38
it took a while. I got COVID in July, and it took me I was sick for the full two weeks. And then I went back to work, because luckily enough, my office still offers the you get paid for being out. And I was like, okay, and they, what do you call, I went back and I was I was still, I think a month or two later, I was still like, off. I was coughing I was and they're like, you still I went to pulmonology I went to everything and they're like, it's just long lasting. COVID Welcome to the world.

Scott Benner 11:09
Yeah, it really it's just it's, it's unbelievable. Like, yeah, I've never been sick this long in my life. Yeah, me neither. Yeah. And I got through this. I have not missed a podcast recording a couple of them I was wrecked for and I'm proud. I am proud of how well I hid it while I was doing it. Anyway, Stephanie, you've had diabetes. Since how long? When were you diagnosed?

Stephanie 11:30
I was. APR. 91.

Scott Benner 11:34
APR 91. How old were you? Then? Seven? APR 91? Seven years old? 2001 2011 2021. You've had diabetes for 31 years? Yep. 91 was 31 years ago. Yeah, right.

Stephanie 11:52
Tell me that.

Scott Benner 11:55
That's the worst thing you've said so far. And you're gonna say more bad things as we move forward. And I still think 91 was 31 years ago, it's gonna be the worst part of it. So

Stephanie 12:04
the worst when you work in like the medical field, you look up people's date of birth, and I don't work in pediatrics. So you're like, oh, this person is too young to come in. Wait, this person is 20 years old.

Speaker 1 12:15
When you start scrolling, you know, when you put your your age into a website, and you get to your birth year, and you're like scrolling and scrolling, and you're like, What the hell? Yeah. Yeah, flick your finger a bunch of times before you find the 70s.

Scott Benner 12:30
Anyway, it's not great. You've had diabetes for quite some time. You're married. You have children. How many kids? Do you have?

Stephanie 12:37
One, one.

Scott Benner 12:38
Is there any diabetes in your immediate family besides, you

Stephanie 12:41
know, but my mom had thyroid, which I found out actually through your podcast that that's where my link probably was, was through my mother.

Scott Benner 12:49
She have Hashimotos or did she have

Stephanie 12:52
just I honestly don't know which one but I know she had. She was on thyroid medicine. She she never really told us. I think it was hyper but I could be wrong.

Scott Benner 13:01
Okay. You think she was she had Graves disease? Do you think?

Stephanie 13:05
Maybe maybe like, again, she said enough is my family doesn't talk about their health issues. I know my dad has type two. I found a meter. I was living with him for a little bit. And I found a meter in this house. And I was like, huh, and then I found out like a couple of years later that they told him he pre he was pre diabetic. And I'm like, huh,

Scott Benner 13:26
so your father was told he was pre diabetic? You have type one diabetes? He never mentioned it to you?

Stephanie 13:30
No, no. No.

Scott Benner 13:34
Okay, Italian. What's your back? Yeah.

Stephanie 13:37
He's actually the Greek part of my family. But yeah, Italian Greek, German, French. Fascinating. And I think that's it really is Irish somewhere. Somewhere in there. I'm Irish.

Scott Benner 13:49
Somewhere in there. I don't know I I mean, maybe I just talked too much. But if you came and told me something, I'd come home and I'd be like, Oh my God. Listen, everyone.

Stephanie 14:00
My dad's a very private man. He always has been always been

Scott Benner 14:04
Yeah, well his podcast will be terrible. Yeah. He'd welcome everybody to go on my telling you guys anything. I should try that one day and see if it works. If people would stay tuned in like I'm not going to share anything of substance at all today. That would be hilarious. Okay, so you've had diabetes for a really long time. So you started out regular mph or No, you did

Stephanie 14:30
a regular mph I had the one touch I called it the brick because it was like gray one that you had to put like a huge drop on that one. And that was it. That was pretty much it and you know, sliding scale all that fun jazz.

Scott Benner 14:45
How old were you when you went to like a fast acting and Basal insulin? Probably 12. I mean, you were probably younger still.

Stephanie 14:53
I was I was on the younger side. I didn't get off and then are probably until Well after I met my husband, to be honest, so we've been married over 13 years because he was the one that convinced me to go on an insulin pump.

Scott Benner 15:09
Wait a minute. Yep. You freaking me? No, I

Stephanie 15:13
was on nNr for quite a bit of time. Like, I don't I don't first time I remember going on any quick acting like Humalog or anything was when I went on insulin pump.

Scott Benner 15:24
So you were Wow, you were 18 years on it. Yep. And you're, you were 25 when you when your husband started pushing you towards other stuff.

Stephanie 15:34
Yeah, we got married when we were both I was 25. He's a couple years older than me. And so yeah, about 25 Because it was before we got married, he convinced me. So it was probably two years before then

Scott Benner 15:47
what made him have an interest in an opinion.

Stephanie 15:51
His supervisors son had type one. And I ended up I was at his house one day, and it was sitting there and it was laying on his couch and I go, I feel like crap. I just don't feel good. And he goes, Why don't you look into this pump thing. And I'm like, pump like what's what? And he goes, and he was explaining it to me. So I ended up starting working with him. And I talked to him, you know, his boss, and it was like, it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. You need to do it. I was like, Oh, okay. And then my, I was still at my pediatrician pump therapist, which tells you, my pediatrician endocrinologist was tells you how long I was there. And she turned around, she goes, Well, we'll get you on the Medtronic CGM. She put me on that thing and then put me on the pump. And I never looked back. And I mean, don't get me wrong. I got off the Medtronic version very quickly. But you know, the Medtronic CGM like extremely quickly because it was terrible.

Scott Benner 16:52
I'm sorry, my truck.

Stephanie 16:54
Listen, you know, it didn't work. For me. It works for some people, like I'm all about, hey, do what works for you. But they definitely didn't work and back then it was like a harpoon. So, you know, yeah. It was terrifying to put in.

Scott Benner 17:06
It's a tough it's a tough road to hoe when you develop a thing. And the community developed the fort decides to call it a harpoon. Like that's

Stephanie 17:15
exactly right. Yeah, I was in my 20s. First time I was on in a sump pump. And what was interesting was, I went to diabetic camp, I went from I was, I think eight or nine, my mom found one. And I went and I went for two weeks, and I have a friend that actually lives right by me still, and she was on his pump. So the first time I saw it was in camp, but I never showed interest in it. So my mom never pushed me to go get it. And I just kept doing the nNr for as long as I did.

Scott Benner 17:55
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Right Wow, it's crazy. Okay, so I want to kind of get this part out of the way before we talk about the rest of your story of like when you signed up to come on the podcast. I'm going to read you what you wrote. You said I asked what you there's a question when people sign up it says what are some of the themes you hope to cover? Yeah, your says pregnancy with type one growing up with type one. And he said if you'd like I can have my mom on with us too. She's not up on the new wave to type ones taken care of. But I had, and then you talked about and I also had postpartum anxiety with my daughter. And then. So for context, I don't really, I haven't said this in a while on the podcast. As I'm setting up in the morning to talk to somebody. I look at the note they wrote, like, I don't look at it ahead of time. But the other day, my son said to me, why, why the hell are you recording on Saturday night? Yeah. And I was like, I hate to say this. It's definitely but I said, I don't know. Here's what I can tell you. I do a lot of like, I do everything on the podcast. So like the scheduling, like I what I said was, if I let somebody record on Saturday night, there was a good reason. I just don't remember right now. But because he asked me, I got in bed last night before I got bed. I thought, I wonder why I did say yes to this. And then I started looking at your emails. And right as we were getting ready to do this, your mom passed away? Yes, I'm so I'm so sorry. And I had, I felt bad about the way I said to my son like, I don't know.

Stephanie 21:07
Don't worry that listen, you can't remember anything other than a podcast you put out. I'm surprised you remember what day it is?

Scott Benner 21:15
Honestly, the, we just put up a post on the Facebook group, because we're trying to get passages from the podcasts that are memorable for people are particularly impactful for them. And I want to use them for like social media posts and stuff like that. Yeah. So I had to put up a post and say, Look, you know, if I ever said anything, or Jenny or guests said something that really helped you or stuck with you, or whatever, can you listed here? And someone put up something and said, I don't remember what episode that was Scott, do you remember? And I responded, I was like, Look, I'm really the wrong person to ask, you know, because I'm recorded six months in advance. I just realized this morning, while I was I was taking the dogs out. I was I was writing a US med add my head while I was outside with my dogs. And even that struck me as strange. And then I realized I have about 70 episodes ready to go. Like, like six months of the podcast is recorded already the next month. And I was like Jesus. So anyway, they asked me where they thought I said that it's a weird thing to have somebody say, Hey, you said this. Do you remember saying and I say oh, I do remember saying that? When I go I have no idea. Like, I couldn't begin to tell you anyway. I feel terrible. Was your mom's passing a surprise? I imagine. Yes.

Stephanie 22:34
Yeah, it wasn't. It was definitely she was pretty healthy. I mean, she she suffered with a lot of things in the sense of like, when she was 21, she got hit by a drunk driver. So she was on a good amount of pain medications and stuff. And I think we had a kind of tough year, wasn't it? We had three deaths in the last year and a half. So and one of them was her boyfriend. And he was like her lifeline and wonderful man. Like I loved him to death. And when he passed, I think it hit her harder than anyone kind of knew. And I think she was just lonely. I think she just she was done. You know, and I think she just kind of she they said they when they found her she was you know, she looked peaceful. And it was no, they figured it was natural. So it was just her time to go. I mean, it sucks to be honest. But, you know, you try to think you know, she's at peace now, you know, with whatever she was dealing with, you know, but it was very sudden. How old was she? 70? Yeah, she just turned send 70 In April, her her birthday. I was diagnosed on her birthday. Oh my god. Yeah. So we always we always made a joke. Every year when I was newly diagnosed, I would do something new on her birthday, like give a shot of my own or, or do something as a birthday gift. thar. So. You know?

Scott Benner 23:57
Well, I am very sorry for your loss. Can I ask you what you thought her addition to the podcast was? Why did you want her to come on?

Stephanie 24:05
Just it was amazing. Like one of the reasons why I went to like a JDRF event before COVID. And I brought her there and my like Dexcom goes off and she goes oh, what's that? You know, she knew what it was. But she's like, what does that mean? And I go well, it's I'm like 80 and she freaked out. Like she literally almost had a panic attack looking for a juice and I'm like, Mom, I'm okay. I'm 80 and stable. We can go in a little bit and get some fruit or something, I'll be fine. And she it's amazing. The differences because she was like well, are you're gonna I'm like, Mom, it's not like when I was a kid where I would hit 8085 and you'd have to rush somewhere because we know where I am. I'm not dropping, I'm not anything and she was oh, and it was amazing to see how disconnected from where the care was compared to the years ago. Oh, where and I mean, this was one of those women when I got diagnosed, she went to the library, and to get every single book that was diabetic and everything, and did research and was like, I mean, she I told her about the podcast a couple of years ago, I don't know if she ever picked it up to listen, because I mean, it wasn't she wasn't take, she wasn't my caretaker at the time. So I don't know if she decided to not listen to it or whatever. But she, she was all about researching it. And she was OCD about it and making sure I got the care I needed. And she had a binder, she, you know, the differences between now and give you an example. And I always love telling this story. So when I first got the Medtronic pump, and you could download it to the computer and send it to your doctor. I did that. And I called her and I go, I'm gonna send you an email. They sent it to her. She looks at and she goes, she goes, What is this? I don't know. I told my blood sugar's and she goes, Did you type these on? Because she used to do an Excel and make all the graphs and stuff through Excel. And she looks at it. And she goes, these have all the graphs. You just plugged your pump in and I go Yeah, like you plug it in, and it downloads. She goes, Sure bitch. died. I was like, What do you just, you know, hard to listen, I'm showing it to you because I want you to see, this is less of a burden on me that it was a kid she goes, I know, but I'm still gonna call you.

Scott Benner 26:28
But But this doesn't help me or the time I lost the doing this.

Stephanie 26:32
Exactly. That was the day. I mean, she would have had stories for you. like you wouldn't believe what I went through when I was a kid. Because she took care of all of it. I didn't never felt like I was a diabetic when I was a kid. And that's a lot coming from those days. Like, you know, I never I don't remember ever being told I couldn't do something.

Scott Benner 26:52
You know, what were your your goals, like health goals back then?

Stephanie 26:57
Honestly, I think my mom kept those all in her head. I think mine was just to stay alive. You know, I don't think I ever thought I never thought of diabetes, as you know, oh, I can't do this. I mean, I used to ride my bike all over the place. And it'd be I'd be at school when I ride my bike all the way to the bowling alley, which was miles away and she wouldn't chew and bat an eyelash. So it's like, it was the normal See, I think my mom wanted me to have because my sister also growing up had growth hormone problems. So she was seeing an endo prior to me. So I think there was some like, oh, well, I know what I have to do. I have to take care of her. So we're ready. Have you know an idea of Oh, you have to give because she was on shot. So my mom's like, Oh, I gotta give another kid shots. You know, but she is my my goals were just to stay healthy. And I mean, I think I'm trying to think and I never found when I was looking through the house. I was curious to see if she kept the book, which I don't think she did. But the binder had like all my A onesies and everything like that. And I don't think I ever I mean, now that I look at it a onesie of what I had back then was insane. But like I had a 7.3 on nNr which was insane. Yeah, like, so. You know, back then it was like unheard of

Scott Benner 28:20
you feel like you were low a lot or no?

Stephanie 28:23
Oh, no, I don't. I don't. I don't remember being like where I always had to had juice with me. I mean, my mom always did carry juice with her. But I don't remember, I did have when I was first diagnosed. Actually, it was like three instances. I remember having like, what I consider blackout lows, where I didn't remember anything or anything like that. And that was when I was first diagnosed. I was in the honeymoon period. And I went to school, and I got off the bus and I fell. And the principal there was like a long concrete walkway ran up and grabbed my head before I hit the concrete. And I woke up looking at my dad trying to give me juice because he had come to the school to take care of it. And I was like the they said that the vice principal saved me from cracking my head open because I would have fallen on the concrete. The lows I don't remember when I was a kid. I don't remember a lot of them.

Scott Benner 29:15
Do you remember what your imperatives were like, What? What day to day? What were you looking for and trying to make happen or trying to avoid?

Stephanie 29:22
I mean, I wasn't allowed to eat a lot of sugar back then. I mean nowadays is a lot different like growing up. I had an endo that was third in the nation. So he was very ahead of his time. And like when the thing is like I hear like stories from people that have had, oh, well you couldn't have cake on your your birthday at that age. God forbid you have like any sweets, right? And this doctor would say listen, let her have a cupcake. Just don't give her the icing. So what would happen was like we get a cake and I would eat the cake in the middle and my mom loved icing. She was an addict for icing. She would eat the icing So I would eat the cake and she would eat the icing. It was an always thing for us growing up, but that was the thing, like, I never had a non normal. And I don't know how she did it. I don't know how, especially with the technology that we didn't have back then now it's feasible, like if I want a cookie, or if I want this, you know, this, I definitely don't eat healthy now, which I should?

Scott Benner 30:22
Well, you know, I think as, as people talk about living through that time with diabetes, it seems to me that you just either got lucky either the doctor gave you some reasonably good settings, and you ate, reasonably speaking the way the doctor said you should. And those things worked. Or the opposite would happen is that people weren't taking enough insulin, and they were the food they ate wasn't covered. And they had high blood sugars, or some people but but also the lows. You just don't hear a lot of people from that time say I was constantly low, I think you probably learned how to eat to the insulin if you had to. Yes, right. Does that make sense?

Stephanie 31:02
And I do that sometimes. Now still. Yeah. Because that's the thing, like, especially when I was pregnant, I was like, Oh, well, she wants me to eat this amount. I'm gonna, okay, I'm not hungry. But I have to eat this amount of carbs during because when you have to eat more food when you're pregnant stuff, I would, okay, I'm taking 35 carbs. I want to make sure I eat that 35 carbs. And I would eat more. So I wouldn't go low. Right? Because I would always have a habit of going low, like, during my pregnancy no matter what time it was. But you know it. That was the thing, I think because too, if you think about it, we didn't have the Dexcom we didn't have that technology that was like, Oh, well, she's going low. Or I see that low. I mean, times did she do my test? I don't know. Like if she did it rigidly religiously, like the two hours after a meal. Like they said, maybe she would have saw a low or something like that. But I don't know. I don't remember ever suffering from terrible lows. And that was the thing. I mean, I know I ran higher because it 7.3. You know, you definitely can tell that it was my sugars that were higher than than normal.

Scott Benner 32:13
Yeah. When did you get different technology? Like when did you get us? I'm assuming you use this Dexcom next,

Stephanie 32:21
yes, I use the Dexcom. Next I went, so I left my pediatrician because I was talking about getting pregnant with my daughter. And I

Scott Benner 32:29
well, your pediatrician said, I don't have any experience with this whatsoever. Yeah, my

Stephanie 32:33
endo pediatrician was like, listen, he was fine seeing me the pomp therapist said absolutely not. She was like, No, she's like, I can't and I'm like, Okay. And I was 20. We actually it was when I got married before I got married, because I don't but I know like I was talking about it. So they said you should look for a new no then. And he was like, I really don't want to lose you. Because I mean, I knew that guy from pretty much my whole childhood. And he was like, okay, he's like, No, he goes, you know, just, you got to find one. So I found one. And I went in the pump therapists educator was wonderful. And I go to her and she goes, Oh, well, she you know, your old file says you have a Medtronic CGM. Why are you not wearing and I'm like, because it hurts and it's terrible. And she goes, Okay, she goes, we're gonna put you on index calm. But I'm like, What's the Dexcom. And then she showed me the Dexcom. And I would like it was night and day. It was, to me totally different with the technology and how it was applied. And everything like this is this is perfect. And that was before the automatic insert or it was when you have to insert yourself so but I was still I was like, Okay, let's, let's try this out. And we did that. And then eventually, I went from Medtronic to animus and I was on the Animus with her. She changed me. But the endo I got was terrible. I walked in. She looked at me said Are you okay? Get your way. A wincy lower and she walked out the

Scott Benner 34:05
room. And I was like, What? Are you in a rural area?

Stephanie 34:09
No, I'm in I'm in pretty. I'm in Long Island. So I you got stonybrook you got you got all the big hospitals, all the big doctors over here. I have like, I think in a matter of five miles. I have like six endos like, so it's not the object. I didn't have a choice. So I found another one. But this one was just she didn't. She was like, Oh, well, you haven't anyone see of pipe. So I think at that time, it was like 6.5 or seven. And she was like, Oh, you're good. Don't worry. I was like, okay, and you know, like we you've said numerous times you just kind of go like Oh, okay, I guess I'm okay.

Scott Benner 34:47
Right. Yeah, well, if they say so then why why not believe it? Well, I judge it. Yeah, so Okay, so you had a CGM they got you. You did you eventually you move to a pump. So you got a pump going now, when you get paid But right around that same time,

Stephanie 35:01
I got pregnant when I was in my 30s that when I turned 30 When Emma's eight, so that's, I'm 39. So I was like, so you

Scott Benner 35:13
pumped for a few years like that with Dexcom and other stuff before you got pregnant? Yes, yeah. Okay. Do When do you find the podcast?

Stephanie 35:22
I found the podcast right after I had my daughter. Oh, wow. I found probably around or right after I had her. And the reason was I said, Well, I got a one C of 6.0. Why can't I get it lower? And I forget, I probably was just searching for podcasts because I have a habit of just randomly doing searches. I'm like, Oh, let me see. And I saw it. And I was like, Let me listen to it. And then that's all I've been doing. And that's how I found the podcast was just searching. Yeah. And

Scott Benner 35:56
I guess I'd want to know, like, after this whole life of, you know, using regular and then trying different stuff and getting through and you're pretty old. By the time you, you know, figure out I could probably keep my onesie lower like this was the information in the podcast like new to you? What did

Stephanie 36:14
you one thing, the one thing that I thought was interesting, that was no and this this, I mean, not that this will come maybe to a shocker to anyone. The first time I heard about Pre-Bolus thing was from you. And then when I brought it up to my pump therapist, I'm like, Pre-Bolus. And she goes, you're not doing that yet. They said, No. She was no wonder you having the spikes. Thanks. Like, thanks. So then I was like, okay, so this guy knows what he's talking about. So I'm not like,

Scott Benner 36:43
well, isn't it interesting, though, that you could have, I mean, that you had diabetes for that long? heard me say Pre-Bolus Your meals. And you thought I don't even know if this is real or not. Like it's a it's a really, I don't know what the I don't know what the apples to apples thing is here. But it feels like you're watching football for 30 years. And then you're like, Who are these packers? That everyone? Yeah, you know, it's a strange thing to, to believe is can be true, but I think it's overwhelmingly true.

Stephanie 37:14
It is. Yeah, it's extremely overwhelming. And it's like, Wait, there's all this information that oh, wait, like, I mean, don't get me wrong, I never ate great. Like, I genuinely eat whatever I want to a point. But like, I never had great blood sugar. So I was like, Well, I was able to get a 6.0 How do I keep this Do I still have to eat the diet of being a pregnant woman and like, you know, eating, I had everyday peanut half a peanut butter, jelly sandwich, cucumbers, and something else are probably broccoli or something that was like, what they consider putting quotations up free foods, you know, and that's what I ate for nine months for lunch every day, because it didn't, it didn't do anything to my blood sugars. It didn't do anything. And that's what I was advised to eat. So I ate

Scott Benner 38:01
it right. So basically, even all that time into diabetes, you still don't really know what you're doing. But you get you get to be pregnant, and people say to you look, you have to keep your agency lowered, it's gonna hurt the baby. So instead of, there wasn't even a thought in your head, that there's a way to use this insulin where my agency will be lower. It's all about it was all about the food to you.

Stephanie 38:24
Yes, it was. And then I realized it wasn't like, it's,

Scott Benner 38:28
it's interesting. It's really interesting. I find it fascinating, honestly. So okay, so you start Pre-Bolus In your meals, and you know, doing things like that. And then you started expanding what you were eating and starting to learn that different foods needed different amounts of insulin. Yeah, didn't just mean the carbs. And you just grew from there. And you really you found the podcast, the very beginning to

Stephanie 38:49
Yeah, and I listened to I think, majority, I found it. And I was like, I'm gonna listen to it. And like, I think I listened from when I went. And then I went back and listened to the older ones. And it was like, because I think I take it from my mom. I'm like, I want research. I want information. I want to know, okay, this is something because health changes constantly. Like the health care little well, this is good for you. This is bad for you. And I'm like, You know what, let's let's try this, you know, and see what happens

Scott Benner 39:18
in my lifetime. I've heard news stories that completely contradict each other. Oh, yeah. Well, thanks. Like if you have to do this, and then like, 10 years later, they're like, Well, you know, half two was probably pretty strong. And then, you know, five years after that, they're like, you don't do that.

Stephanie 39:35
Like, wait, did you just tell me to do that?

Scott Benner 39:38
And but still, I believe it. Listen, as I'm listening to your story, a little bit has to be blamed on staying with a pediatric endo for so long.

Stephanie 39:47
I kind of agree with that, that I look back because I know they were very heavy on diet. Like, you can't be eating this. You can't be eating that like they were very heavy on making sure I didn't go out and have three cookies in a setting or you know, everything like that. But my endocrinologist wasn't like that. So my, like my pump therapist and the nutritionist, because I remember going to the pump therapist and her saying, because I was when I got the Medtronic, and I was like, I forget how much insulin I was taking. And it was higher than she felt was normal. And I said, she goes, you're gonna end up 300 pounds if you keep eating like this. And it was like, Well, is it the food? Or is it the object of the amount of insulin I'm taking? Because again, then you get in your head, old insulin is making me gain.

Scott Benner 40:38
That's fascinating how that perpetuates over and over and over again. Yep. But the idea that insulin makes you gain weight. It's just, it's silly. And Insulin helps you store what you've eaten. Right? You still have to eat it. So yeah, it's, it's just, it's fascinating to think that that perpetuates still. And to this day, I have to, on the Facebook group, I have to three times a month, jump, jump into a post and say, hi, insulin doesn't make you gain weight, calories, make you gain weight, I'm not comfortable with what you just said here. Like don't give people the idea that this is how you start eating disorders. Because people get into that idea of like, Why can't use insulin. So they start, they start modeling their, their intake around trying not to take any insulin law because they get confused, because then when the insulin number goes up, they go see more insulin, and I gained weight, well, no more food, more carbs, more calories, and then you had to use more insulin, then you gained weight, just like everybody else would have who ate, you know, five gallons of ice cream a day. So yeah, well,

Stephanie 41:43
exactly. That's the thing. I dated a gentleman for a while he struggled with his weight for a while. And he thought a diet was get fat free ice cream, but eat the whole thing. But it's fat free. It's but it's fat frightened. No, it doesn't work that you know, and I tried, my profession originally was going to be in colder. I went to culinary school, certificate course whatever. And then I came out of it. And I wanted to become a diabetic educator, because it was something I was interested in. So I went to school because you have to do this and that like all the different schooling. So I decided to be a dietetic tech first. So I went into nutrition. And it is so much in the nutrition background that you learn that it's insane. Not that I ever finished it because I had my daughter and I never went back until maybe when I'm older and she's able to care for herself. Yeah. But I learned so much in the sense of because this, I think was one of the reasons I found your podcast more quickly to is I was in the room. And I said we have to present one day. And I said to the teacher said, Hey, we're learning about diabetes, can I present my stuff? And she goes, What do you mean your stuff? And I go my pump my like, I'll bring in supplies. And I'll present it and answer questions to anyone. And they're like, Yeah, sure, like, whatever. So it was amazing. How many people didn't know anything.

Scott Benner 43:12
Not that amazing, Stephanie, because you've just described it for decades. You didn't know what you were doing? Yes, exactly. You know what I should do? I should be a diabetes educator. But you didn't even know what you were doing for yourself half the time.

Stephanie 43:27
Yeah, that's the thing. I thought I knew my point. And that's the difference. I thought I knew crap. And I knew

Scott Benner 43:35
everybody listening is gonna look at their next time they go to their CD, they're going to look in they're going to be like, Hmm, did you not know what you were talking about? Decided to become my CD. But now that's fascinating. Like, it really is. I mean, that's just something else. You don't I mean, like, like, you literally, you describe, like, look, I didn't really know what I was doing. And I was managing everything with food. I didn't understand how insulin work really at all. And that and then you know what I thought to do? I'll be a diabetes educator. Like holy.

Stephanie 44:04
Yeah, exactly. Because food foods, everything would literally be

Scott Benner 44:08
like, if right now. It was like I could probably build a rocket. I can't, by the way. Yeah. And I know. So. Oh, wow. That's really something else. Honestly, I find that story. Fascinating. Yeah, I'm kidding. So. So you find the podcast and you pull things together. Like were you able to accomplish the things you were hoping for?

Stephanie 44:29
I mean, I'm still definitely struggling with Lowe's, which I've noticed and I think it's just because now that I have the insulin and I'm like, Well, I don't need to be afraid of this. I think I jumped too quickly. So my thing just went off and I'm at 150 but I ate an hour ago. So I'm like, it was high fat. Do I cover Do I not like I but instead of just putting one unit in, I'm putting like three or four. I have to I think dial it back that I'm not so aggressive with it. Because I've had the and with everything going on with my mom, and this year and everything. I think the stress is starting to weigh on me because I've had at least three bed low episodes

Scott Benner 45:16
is because I actually eating and then using a lot of insulin.

Stephanie 45:20
Yeah, yeah, that's definitely I think what the issue is I'm like, Oh well, I'm eating all this these carbs and the sugars and these everything and I'm like I'll just cover for it. And then four hours later I'm dropping to the point where like it happened this afternoon, which I was like, Oh, great, what a day to have this happen. I had to because my daughter, I'm a big believer in her understanding what I have because it is genetic. So if she gets it, I want her to see that you will be okay. So there was a book I got it was why mommy beats. That's literally the name of the book. And it's about a woman that has an insulin pump and why it goes off. And this is why and it's very, it's for a very young audience. And so one of the parts is if, if Mommy needs to sit, sit and drink juice, you have to let her basically. And so when I was having this episode earlier, I turned her because my husband goes Stephanie, go downstairs and get a juice because I was getting to the point where he's like, you're getting crazy. Go Go get a juice. And I told her I said Emma, can you go get me a juice and she knows she goes runs gets me my juice. And you know, she doesn't get scared. She just brings it over. And he's here mommy drink it for me. So like, that's, that's the thing is like, one of the big things for me is that I have to learn that. If I'm 150 I'm not going to die. Because there's been a couple episodes recently that you did that you taught that, oh, if you go up to 141 50, you're okay, as long as you come back down. And that's the thing like in my head, I'm like, Well, I'm 150 Oh my God, I need to take six units to get my blood sugar down. But that's not always the case. And I

Scott Benner 47:05
share something with you. Yeah. This is the eighth like, I'm a few weeks away from the eighth full year of the podcast being over and also at the ninth year of the podcast. So in 2015 I didn't know what I was doing. I was just trying to make a podcast and I'm the one thing that was consistent has been consistent throughout the entire time as I named the podcast episodes very like it's not haphazardly, but I listened through the episode if I hear something that was funny, or that makes sense, or it has something to do with this. I'll make this episode title chicken thighs. You know, and then I know that

Stephanie 47:39
that was a good episode, by the way.

Scott Benner 47:42
Yes. And so I'm listening back to this episode in the beginning back when I did a lot of like single mic stuff where I would just talk about diabetes stuff. And I will listen through this one. And while I was talking, I said I guess I just learned how to be more bold with insulin. And I called the episode Bolus with insulin. And then I've told this story before, but years later, I started seeing people online say, Oh, I'm trying to be more bold with insulin. And I was like, That can't be like a coincidence, right? And then I started realizing it was a phrase that people kind of clung to, and they liked and they were sharing. But the problem is, is that I never got to say, you know, when I said I was trying to find a way to be more bold with insulin, I didn't mean like unsafe or not thoughtful with insulin. Yeah, I didn't mean just like willy nilly just throw a whole bunch in and see what happens. I do think that people understand that from listening. But at the same time when you're trying to find a way to be more aggressive because you think you're not using enough insulin. A lot of times people don't have context for how much more and they can just be more aggressive and they can start having that feeling that you that I think you're describing, which is that any any kind of arise after a meal, I must have done something wrong, but that's not that's not always the case either. You know, so,

Stephanie 49:00
because I know I had a high fat meal so I'm like, You know what, that's probably why it's hitting me now. And give myself two units instead of the the six or seven you know,

Scott Benner 49:11
we bump it down a little bit don't don't like you shouldn't be running at it like you're in a Hobbit movie with a hatchet or something like that, like just screaming and swinging a blade I'll get it like just be a little more bold, be a little bold, I don't know to people I know a bold means. Anyway, so you're figuring that part out so you're in a weird situation you're stressed out. You're eating just like you're eating does sound like you're having celery and then and you're being more aggressive you're seeing a spike being aggressive again, probably because the spikes making you feel like I don't want this to happen. And then you're getting low afterwards, which is gonna cause you to eat more food, which is going to Yeah, you're gonna have to figure that out. Yeah,

Stephanie 49:54
yeah. Well, that's that's that's always that's even before the podcast that was always an issue that I had When I first got on a CGM was and I mean, people I've heard on the podcast and other people that I've heard in diabetic groups that I'm a part of, have always said at first, when you get the technology, you're looking at these numbers and seeing a crap and going up to something and you're panicking. And I think in my head because of highs to me, scare me more than lows. And I don't know why. Like, I can deal with it. Okay, here's the juice box. Like literally, I have a juice box on the decks desk right now. So if I went slightly low, I could drink the juice box while I was on the podcast, I am very conscious of keeping things around me. But when you're high, it takes another two three hours to bring it down from a 200 You know, so I think that's where my problem is that I have to realize if I'm 151 60 Let's see what happens let it if it doesn't level out after the 160 then give yourself a couple units like don't let it but if it's two hours up that's Don't even get me started. I rage Bolus constantly.

Scott Benner 51:08
So what ends up happening are you miscalculating how much insulin you need for the meal? Are you not like covering it the way you should be? Is it a Pre-Bolus issue?

Stephanie 51:16
I probably am not covering it the way I should be because of the Hi Fi because I'm still the extended but because I'm on a T slim. So it's has that control IQ. Which when I first went on the control IQ I lost this last year on my my pump therapist, I felt so bad. Because I just lost it. I'm like I have an agency of 5.4 This thing is screwing me up. And she's like, What do you mean? And I'm like, It's making my sugar's high. And she's like, let me look at you know, we had to change a bunch of stuff when I changed over the control IQ. Because everything my levels weren't right, you know, my Basal and Bolus, all that it was all off. So no, it just it the highs. That's what scares me the most I can deal with a low. And I think what happens is when I had these hot, high fat meals, especially recently, it's usually eating out, which I mean, the the when the podcast you were talking about your daughter going to college and eating the food there. And it's similar. It's like eating out all the time. And that's what I've been doing, because I don't feel like cooking. You know?

Scott Benner 52:26
Well, it sounds like you know what's happening? You just have this kind of Yeah, you know, figure it out. Yeah. I think you figured it out. I think you have to do it. Yeah. Well, that's that's the problem. It's like, well, well, it's it's I'm glad you know, at the very least I'm glad you see it you understand what's happening and how you could make adjustments to it. So it's tough. You said earlier you choked. But you have ADHD.

Stephanie 52:53
Yes, I have ADHD and anxiety. How does

Scott Benner 52:56
that play into your diabetes?

Stephanie 52:58
I don't think the ADHD I think growing up was more an issue. I think I have a little bit more control over it. Now. The issues that I find with it is if I'm doing something else, so if I'm making dinner, and I'm like, Okay, it's 15 minutes before, I have to take my insulin. But if I'm cooking, I totally forgot. Like I literally set it a timer sometimes because I have to make sure that if I'm cooking that I take my insulin the 15 minutes before dinner's ready. Because if I don't, then I have the high blood sugars. So that's the biggest factor. I think the ADHD en memory, the remembering to do things like oh, did I take my insulin and then I mean, luckily now with the pump, you can kind of look okay, I have I have stuff on board. And it's the amount I should have taken. But it's just remembering to Pre-Bolus That's the biggest issue and my endo gave me I forget which it which quicker acting quick acting insulin he gave me recently to try and the pump can't remember it for the life of me now.

Scott Benner 54:04
I should start a line of trivets or potholders that say it smells good, have you Pre-Bolus

Unknown Speaker 54:13
I would totally buy that.

Scott Benner 54:14
I joked around around the other day. And I have a place where it's a company that makes the merchandise that I sell for the podcast. And they they bring out new stuff once in a while. One of the things was a candle and I just put the word Pre-Bolus on a candle and I just did it to put it in the group to be like, Hey, everybody, don't forget to Pre-Bolus and so many people were like, I would buy that candle and I was like,

Stephanie 54:37
what would it smell like? What does Pre-Bolus thing smell like?

Scott Benner 54:40
It was a it was just a wax candle like but it was just the idea of like big people like I would I could use to sign for my refrigerator. I could. Yeah, and I take their point. Like it's I don't know that that's even ADHD to be perfectly honest with you.

Stephanie 54:56
Probably not it's you know, I mean and to there's been There's so much research into ADHD, and factors on like, people hear ADHD, and they think about a kid that's running around like a crazy person. But now they've sucked it into different. I'll email I can't remember the woman's name that I've listened to, I'll have to email it, you can put it in the link if you want or something. But she, she's ADHD herself. And there's so much more to it, that people don't realize. Because I mean, you could be extremely intelligent with it. But you're just, it's just your focus. It's not even your focus. It's, I don't know how to explain it. Like my, my issues are getting distracted in the sense of like, I'll drop my clothes on the floor, even if the hamper is next to me. And that kind of thing. Like, there's a disconnect from that into the hamper. So that's so my stuff. I think because I grew up with the diabetes, it doesn't the ADHD and the diabetes don't really affect each other too much. I don't usually have too many issues to the point

Scott Benner 56:04
where every time somebody tells me about ADHD, it sounds I started thinking like, that just sounds like being a person to me. Yeah,

Stephanie 56:11
well, this, I'll have to send you the link. Because that's what a lot of people are saying. But there's more to it than most people realize. Because it's not because people people forget things. And the difference is is it affecting your daily life? Is it affecting your every day, like where you're losing your keys every day or you're losing? You know,

Scott Benner 56:33
my glass window right now I haven't known for four days. So Well, there you go. Here's the here's the thing. I'm sick. Kelly sick. Arden sick, cold sick, right? There's four sick people in our house. There's, I have a job. Kelly has a job called looking for a job Arden's home from college just think she's trying to get done. And I obviously took my glasses off and put them down somewhere and can't find them anymore. Is it possible we're all just trying to do too much? Like, you know what he means? Like, I'm not saying at all. I'm just saying that at this at this point. Now, ADHD is like, it's like hair, everybody. I mean, it's like I have

Stephanie 57:11
that. That's very common. It's extremely common. Now. I'm

Scott Benner 57:15
wondering like, are we just diagnosing everybody that can't find their glasses? Or? Or? Or is there something we didn't know that we know now? Or? I mean, I don't know. I? It's just interesting to me.

Stephanie 57:26
Yeah, this this woman that I listen to on YouTube, she talks about it, and I wish I can. This is part of my ADHD brain. Short term memories are really terrible with remembering names. Like, it has to be a name. So I started a new job a year ago. There's four people at my job that I know their name Fair enough. And the only reason I know they're in and this is like, hospital setting, like there's hundreds of people I see daily. There's like four or five people that I know their name. And I know like, you know, whatever, and I deal with them daily. But the difference is their names I've heard before they absorb quicker. If I have a person that has an uncommon name for a year, I won't memorize your name. I'll be like, Hey, you.

Scott Benner 58:14
I don't know if this is a real thing. I feel I'm googling something. Yeah, I feel like I heard something one time. Yes. Okay. So there's something called Dunbar's number. Dunbar's number, is a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people from whom one can maintain stable social relationships, relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to another person. This number was first proposed in 19 in the 1990s by a British anther, Robin Dunbar that shouldn't have been surprising to me, who found the correlation between primate brain size the average social group size by using the average human brain size and extrapolating from the results of primates. He proposed that humans can comfortably maintain about 150 stable relationships. There is some evidence that the brain structure predicts the number of friends one has, though causality remains to be seen Dunbar expanded it informally as the number of people, you would not feel embarrassed about joining uninvited for a drink if you happen to bump into the middle bar. I don't know. I'm just saying. Maybe you took that maybe you already know. 150 people and you're like, oh, like I'm done. No way. I'm remembering your mother. Like no. happening. Sorry. Well, I mean, I don't know. Like, again, like I said, I have no idea and yeah, I'm all for people being okay. I just, I just had a private conversation with somebody the other day, and they said, well, the number of people who come on your show that say they have ADHD is staggering. And I was like, Is it a like I said, is it a thing? Or is it like a social contagion almost, you know? And by the way, if you have ADHD Don't get mad at me. I'm Not saying you don't have it. Calm down. But it's like, okay, I'm not saying you don't have ADHD, I'm saying it's interesting. I grew up. I didn't know anybody that ADHD. And now I can't turn one way or the other without somebody saying to me like, oh, I have anxiety or I have ADHD or I have this. Is it possible? We all have? Like, I don't know. Are we calling something? We already had something new? I have no idea. Yeah. So anyway. Yeah. Who knows? Me knows.

Stephanie 1:00:27
No, that's not my job. That's my

Scott Benner 1:00:32
question. I have absolutely no idea. No opinion. I seriously don't. By the way, there's sometimes or sometimes you listen to a podcast and like the personal say, like, Listen, I don't care about this one way or the other. But I think this like, Well, it seems like you do care.

Stephanie 1:00:45
It's like you have a

Scott Benner 1:00:47
quietly, I really don't have an opinion. I just, it's just interesting to me, you know. So anyway, it makes sense. It makes sense. You don't know you thought you'd be a good time? To take you seriously at all.

Stephanie 1:01:05
I didn't think that one. Oh, you know, I probably would have been shocked because I used to also say to like the professors would like because you have to take, you have to spend X amount of hours with diabetics before you can even sit for the test to be a diabetic educator. And then I said, I probably can sit for that test and pass it. And now I look back and I'm like, they were all sitting there and saying she's a moron.

Scott Benner 1:01:29
Okay, Stephanie. That's fine. Yeah, it's

Stephanie 1:01:32
like whatever pat you on the head. Listen,

Scott Benner 1:01:35
I'm imagining right now people are listening who are in college, or their kids are in college and thinking like, what did they major in? Like? Was it something they wanted to be good at, or something they were actually good at? And, you know, I think that's where you felt like you were obviously profoundly impacted, and really wanted to help people. You know, and you skipped over the part where, where you might not be able to, I don't know, like if LeBron James said he wanted to be an f1 driver. I don't make those cars big enough for you. I'm sorry, you can't do that.

Stephanie 1:02:07
It's like your you can't fit your cars. I'm sorry.

Scott Benner 1:02:11
It's super interesting. All right. What else did you want to talk about? I'm sorry.

Stephanie 1:02:14
One of the things. And I listen, like I said, the memory is terrible. And it got worse after I had my daughter. One of the things I was interested to see. And I don't know how many if there's episode, I know you had a couple episodes where there was couples. That would be something that's very interesting, because now that so one of my my really extreme lows. My mom was in the car, it was actually the last time she was down here. My husband didn't know what to do. We've been married 13 years, he just kept yelling at me, what do you need, and my mom turns around and goes, you need to stop at that 711 And get her another juice. That's what you because I happen to go through all my juices were out for the day. And she had to tell him because she I mean, how many years had he and it's not his first time I was with him for about a year and I had a major blackout. And I was at my mom's house. That was before I was on the insulin pump. That's what made him suggested more. And he didn't really know what to do. Like he was very confused, like, well, I'm telling her what does she need from me? And I said to him, like, you can't, you can't, you have to physically take something, put it in my hand and then I will drink it. Like you physically like and it's amazing. Because not that I'm secretive about my diabetes, I talked to everyone about because I like to, I don't care. Like if you know I have it. I never realized I never educated him along with myself on what to do you know what I mean?

Scott Benner 1:03:50
I have an episode right now that I don't think is out yet. And, okay. The woman has a seizure. And, and the and the and the fascinating, the uneducated way that her husband handles it is something like, like, as she was talking about the whole probably the whole scenario. I'm like, How's it possible that somebody you've been with that long has this little understanding about what they're doing? And I mean, I'm having the same thought. Now, while you're talking like you. I mean, you said this just happened? You've been with this guy for a pretty long time. And he's doing the equivalent of me being I don't know, passing a guy on the sidewalk who's having a heart attack, clasping that grass in her chest. And I'm saying to him, like, Hey, do you have any idea what I should do for you? Like, you mean like, it's, um, it is really, but to your point, I wonder if that's not the norm as well.

Stephanie 1:04:44
It's not, it's not it's been even my mother like after because we ended up going to dinner after I came, like, came up because I was conscious. Like, I wasn't like I understand. I was there but I wasn't there, you know? So she, she said I haven't seen knew that bad in years stuff. And I said No, I haven't been this bad in years. And I said to him, Well, Mike, I said to my mom, I said, You know what worries me the most. I said, Ken didn't know what to do. And she goes, Steph, how many have you had in front of him? I'd like to maybe. Because do you really expect when was the last one that you had like this? And I said, Well, not that bad. But, and I because he got up one morning, years ago, he got up he went to work. And he broke his MO was still in daycare because he brought her to school. He got up and I hadn't gotten out of bed yet. And he said stuff, get out of bed and I got out of bed. And he's like you were going really slow. And I ended up unconsciously because I was blacking in and out going to the fridge and getting myself a juice. He didn't have he didn't recognize it. And that was the thing like that was Emma was No, not even she was like less than a year old. Because we are we moved when Emma was your mom's?

Scott Benner 1:06:04
I think your mom's point was is that he didn't grow up with you with this. He's also not your parents. He doesn't care about you the way I do. Yes. And you know, and you haven't told him?

Stephanie 1:06:15
Yeah, yeah. So that's the thing. It's, it's the last couple of ones he's been around for. And this time, he was like stuff, something's wrong. You need to go get a juice. He's like, what's your sugars? And I'm like, and I just looked at me, he goes, go get a juice. And so then we walked downstairs. And that's when I said, I'm gonna get me juice, and she got me a juice, but he's getting better at least recognizing my signs. So I mean, not that I want it to keep happening, you know, at least at least,

Scott Benner 1:06:43
stopped and sat down and said to him, Hey, this is, you know, could end up being a problem one day, the maybe I should just explain this to

Stephanie 1:06:51
I did the one the last one. When my mom was here. I said, Listen, I need to talk to you. I say what happened today? Can't happen again. I said, if I am like that, you need to just get me juice. Or if I ended up collapsing, because I got one of those. The emergency kit because I hadn't carried one would with me in years. And then I heard the one your ads for the one that's like an

Scott Benner 1:07:18
Evoque hypo Pan.

Stephanie 1:07:19
Thank you. There you go.

Scott Benner 1:07:20
Thank you.com No, no, hold on, hold on. Calm. No. How do I not know this? Oh, my gosh, this isn't this is embarrassing.

Stephanie 1:07:35
Okay, I can't remember the name. No,

Scott Benner 1:07:37
I say these things, constantly. And then, but I say them in a specific time. And I guess that out of out of rhythm. I don't even know. I'm incredibly sorry. I'm sorry. If you vote glucagon.com forward slash juicebox. You have to say it that voice. Over voice changes. Voice for you keep talking. I just put out an episode about like when to use G voc because I had that conversation with the other person I was talking to. And I went back to G voc. And I said to them, like, Hey, are you interested in like, getting together with me and doing like a real informative half hour like me, Jenny? Because I really don't think people know what the hell they're doing. And I'm, and I'm wondering, you know

Stephanie 1:08:28
what, that was the thing like I got when the inhaled one came out. I got that one. Because my doctor is always big on me carrying one but I haven't for a while and he's like, listen, he was like the this inhaled one came out. Why don't you get it? And I said, Okay, so if I'm like, unconscious, you just sprained my nose. And he goes, No, this one's actually for if you're having one year a little blackouts, you can use it then for your nose right? Back. Yes. I mean, yeah. And then I never used it. Like, thank god knock on wood. Then I got these. And I have three of them. Because my insurance paid for three, so why not get three? And so I'm gonna throw one in my purse. Because as a doctor in my office that always she has a husband, that's type one and knows even totally less than, like, like, it's insane. And I'm like, try the Juicebox Podcast and she goes, what? I don't listen to podcasts and like, Just do it. I'm like, if you want give me your cell phone number, I'll send you like, please, you're making

Scott Benner 1:09:27
me feel like I'm the only one that cares about all of you. Well, you do you worried about themselves? Am I the only one

Stephanie 1:09:38
but this one was hilarious. She said something the other day. And I was like, because he's he's trying to get Omni pod. And I'm like, Well, I don't have that. I have the the tube one. But you know, then I explained to your daughter has she's like, Oh, yeah. And I'm like, Yeah, seriously, please just listen to it. And then I said to her that I got I got that and she's a Whatsapp. Like, well, it's like an epi pen. And she's like, What do you mean? I go, you know how like the emergency kits come in the red thing? She goes, yeah, she goes, I have no clue how to use it. I'm like, I'll get this one because it does everything for you, basically.

Scott Benner 1:10:11
Thank you. May I just say something right now, if the advertisers are listening, this is an example of where Stephanie's friend is gonna end up buying in this situation and on the pod and I'm not gonna get credit for it. Sorry. On the pod, okay. Yeah. All right. Take that into account. Next time I tell you, the price is going up all you not just I'm not just talking. I'm talking to all of you. Yeah. There are a few advertisers who really understand something that in advertising they call the halo effect. And then there are some who fight me on it. And I'm like, listen, okay, when someone's in their doctor's office, and they go, Hey, give me one of those in pens. That was me. But they didn't use my clicky Clicky. And then you're all like, I don't know. Like, I don't know. Anyway, that's all.

Stephanie 1:11:01
Yeah, no, that's, that's, that's the thing like now, now that I got this new toy, I like to call it, I have to show my husband and I have to be like, Listen, this is what you do. If I'm unconscious, but I'm gonna listen to that podcast episode.

Scott Benner 1:11:14
You let him listen to it? Like, yeah, that's

Stephanie 1:11:20
what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna send him a link. Because every once awhile if there's an episode that I find educating to me that he should listen to I send it to him. I don't know if he listens to it.

Scott Benner 1:11:29
But I mean, I'm not even making this up. For me. Everyone listening should send episode 789 to loved ones and be like, listen, whether I use this glucagon, or I use a different glucagon, everything about this is basically Apples to Apples except the, the actual tration of it. But no kidding, like, your conversation is making me so upset tonight. Because

Speaker 1 1:11:54
it's because I'm like, how, how are so many people wandering around don't know how to use their glucagon? Or how are there so many people wandering around married to people with diabetes, they don't even know how to handle a simple situation. Like, it's not just you're not just your guy. You mean like,

Stephanie 1:12:09
and I think what it is to is, in some cases, not mine, like you don't want to be a burden to that person. You don't want to be like, Oh, well, now it's your turn to take this burden on my theory with the whole thing. Why? And again, I guess I'm not giving him enough burden, because he has no clue how to take care of that. But he's gotten better the last couple of times. So I have to remember I have to talk to him about it. And I have to be like, Hey, listen, this is if I'm, this is what you have to do. If I'm low, you know, whatever. I think what the problem is, like, people get married, and it's not like, Oh, it's my parents, because like, I would have bad lows. And I would call my mom. And I'd be like, Hey, Mom, I had a bit low last night. And and, you know, she goes, Well, what did you do? And we would go down the list to figure out why I had low like, conversation. He's not involved in that conversation, because it's easy to talk to someone that understands it. And now that said enough that she's not around. He has to be educated in this because God forbid, and I've said this to him before. I said, What would happen if I got, I don't know, God forbid, hit by a car, or fell down the stairs and was paralyzed and couldn't change my own insulin pump? What would you do? Yeah, he doesn't know he has no clue what to do. And that's like, my pump therapist said like, a while ago, I am going to send this to my dad. But I do have to tell the story. When I first got the insulin pump. When I was in the pediatrician, endocrinologist, they said you need to bring the family members that you live with or you are with constantly. So I brought my husband, which was my boyfriend at the time. And my dad, and I was living with my dad. My dad turned to the pump therapist and asked if my blood sugar. So if blood sugar changes, I think he put it as would affect my mood. And I was like, we both looked at him. He's known as mono me my whole life and the pump divers like Yes. Like, yeah, she she'll be moody when she's high or when she's low, depending on how her body reacts. And like it was just, it's amazing. Someone even being in your life entirely. They're not involved in it. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. That's as simple as you know that and it's not a judgment on him. It's just my mom took, I think 90.9% of the care was on her. Because she was a stay at home mom, she was able to if I needed anything, but that's the thing.

Scott Benner 1:14:46
You just have to tell people that's like you have to and you have to find a way to impress upon them, that what you're talking about is not frivolous, that it's very serious that it could be life or death and that you know, just please commit Just a memory. You know, I mean, I have that episode in the Pro Tip series. I think it's, I can find it real quick. It's called explaining type one, it's Episode 371, that you can send it to somebody who doesn't have diabetes. And it's Jenny and I just kind of telling a person like, look, this is what it's like to have diabetes. And you know, I think that can be helpful. But again, like you said, you send things to people, you don't have to listen to them or not. It's all very Exactly. And

Stephanie 1:15:25
I think, you know, honestly, I think eventually he does listen to him. But does he say he listens to it? No. But you know, that's something I think that that as even anyone that's in a relationship, whether it be boyfriend, girlfriend, or whatever, any committed relationship, if you're spending more than a couple of days with this person a week, you need to let them know, Hey, this is what I have. And I know it's not easy. I know people have this stipulation on, you're a diabetic, and people are not going to want to be with you. But that person, I think you've said it before, if that person doesn't want to be with you, as a diabetic, they're not right for you. Because years down the road, they're not going to be a

Scott Benner 1:16:07
class, if you had red hair, and somebody didn't like redheads. That's not the right person for you. Exactly. It's just that easy.

Stephanie 1:16:13
Exactly. You know, and he, my husband is a wonderful man. He's a wonderful father to my daughter. I mean, during the postpartum depression, he helped me extremely with that. And I wouldn't give him up for life. But I need to myself my error was not educating him enough. Through the years that I've been with him, and that's where I think one of my issues was, okay,

Scott Benner 1:16:39
well, I appreciate you very much sharing this with me and for taking the time and for doing Saturday night and all that stuff. I actually found this really, like thought provoking. And, and I think it's important for people to think about what you're what you're explaining today. You can't just walk around being the only person who understands what's happening to you. So,

Stephanie 1:16:59
exactly, because you end up being unconscious on the street. Because as much as we live in a world that you have people in your life if they don't know how to handle it. Calling 911 Yes, will help but 911 will not be there. quick enough. If you are that gone.

Scott Benner 1:17:16
I I listened. This was perfect. Thank you very much. I were done. This was perfect. Leave it right here. Yeah, the tactic, just tell somebody, explain it to them. Make them understand if they don't want to understand, find somebody that does want understand, but don't just walk around, hoping that the guy or the girl or whoever standing next to you is going to like, magically pull some, you know, pull something out of their ass when you need it. You know what I mean? Like, be sure they know what it is, where it is and how to use it. Alright, great. All right, Stephanie. Thanks so much. Can you hold on for one second for me? Thanks, of course.

Hey, how about Stephanie coming through with a hell of a story. Thank you. Thank you much, much. I was gonna say Thank you much. What am I? My 12 Thank you so much. Definitely. Appreciate you. It wasn't gonna say what was I about to do? Thanks so much, definitely for telling your story. gotten off track here. I also want to thank the contour next gen blood glucose meter and remind you to go to contour next one.com forward slash juicebox. Get yourself an accurate meter, you deserve it. A diabetes diagnosis comes with a lot of new terminology. And that's why I've created the defining diabetes series. These are short episodes, where Jenny Smith and I go over all of the terms that you're going to hear living with diabetes, and some of them that you might not hear every day, from the very simple Bolus up to feed on the floor. Don't know the difference between hypo and hyper will explain it to you. These are short episodes, they are not boring. They're fun, and they're informative. It's not just us reading to you out of the dictionary, we take the time to chat about all of these different words. Maybe you don't know what a qu small respiration is, you will when you're done. Ever heard of glycemic index and load? Haven't doesn't matter, you will know after you listen to the defining diabetes series. Now, how do you find it, you go to juicebox podcast.com up top to the menu and click on defining diabetes. You'll be able to listen right there in your browser. Or you'll see the full list of the episodes and be able to go into an audio app like Apple podcasts or Spotify and listen to them at your pace. Download them into your phone and listen when you can. The defining diabetes series is made up of 51 short episodes that will fast forward your knowledge of diabetes terminology. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast.

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