Scott Benner 2/5/21 Scott Benner 2/5/21

#437 Breana Bright Eyes

20 year old Breana is in the Dexcom commercial with Nick Jonas

Breana Raquel has had type 1 diabetes for two years. Learn more about Breana here and find out about getting your own Dexcom G6 here.

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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 everyone and welcome to Episode 437 of the Juicebox Podcast on today's show, Brianna Raquel Briana is 20 years old. She's had Type One Diabetes for two years. And just recently, she made a commercial with Nick Jonas for Dexcom

a few days ago, I found out that Nick Jonas had made a commercial for Dexcom that was gonna air on the big game. I don't know why the NFL doesn't let you say the words Boland super together but they don't. Anyway, I found out about this looked into it really cool. I was able to get some images and video which I shared back on Juicebox Podcast calm. And as I was making my way through everything, I found myself thinking, who's this girl with the sparkly eyes. And I asked around and found out that Brianna has type one diabetes. She's a user of Dexcom. And they reached out to her to be in this commercial. So I said, Can I get her on the show? That sounds like fun. And so here she is, and fun it was. Please remember while you're listening that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan, or becoming bold with insulin.

Juicebox Podcast is sponsored proudly by the Contour Next One blood glucose meter, the Omnipod tubeless insulin pump g vo hypo pen touched by type one, the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor. And of course don't forget to check out T one d exchange.org. When you support the sponsors you're supporting the show and keeping it free. If you're looking for that Dexcom g six, head to dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. Would you like the most accurate, easy to use and delightful little blood glucose meter that I've ever seen pardon us? If you do that puts you at Contour Next one.com forward slash juicebox. To get a free no obligation demo of the Omnipod tubeless insulin pump, all you have to do is go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. If you'd like to check out the glucagon that my daughter carries, it's at G Volk glucagon.com forward slash juice box. And of course touched by type one is my favorite diabetes organization. They're on Facebook and Instagram. And it touched by type one.org. There are links to all the sponsors right there in the show notes of your podcast player and at Juicebox podcast.com. I appreciate it when you support the sponsors. Also, before we get started with Breanna Brown, his website is Brianna raquel.com breanaraquel.com. She's also on all the things tick gram ins the stuff, the whole thing.

Breana Raquel 3:17
My name is Breana Raquel, I grew up in a small town in Maryland. I am a singer and an actor. I've been in LA for about five years now and I I also do real estate as like a little side thing, but, ya know, my lifelong dream has been has to be an entertainer. So I don't know, I guess I would just live in the dream working hard and like trying to make it. You know that big break?

Scott Benner 3:44
Yeah, I understand. I have a side hustle too. I take care of what my wife tells me to do. So

Unknown Speaker 3:50
yeah, that is a job. Yeah, sure.

Scott Benner 3:52
It really is today, she's told me that I'm taking my daughter to get her nails done when I'm done with this. Oh, okay. As you can imagine as much important work. Yeah, it's my dream for this afternoon when I was making my, my vision board today, which by the way, I don't have. I definitely said go to the nail salon with Arden. Yeah, so I get you with Maryland and five years. How old are you?

Unknown Speaker 4:17
I'm 20. Wow.

Scott Benner 4:18
Okay, so did you and your whole family move out when you were 15? No, actually,

Breana Raquel 4:23
my parents stayed on the east coast. I moved out with my older sister. Wow.

Scott Benner 4:27
That's crazy. She's still there. Yeah,

Breana Raquel 4:29
she actually leaves in two weeks, though. So sad. But you know, it's time. It's been five years.

Scott Benner 4:36
So how old were you when you're diagnosed with type one?

Unknown Speaker 4:40
I was 18. Okay,

Scott Benner 4:42
I'm doing my math right now. So that was like two years ago. Yeah,

Breana Raquel 4:46
yeah. November 3 is my two year anniversary.

Scott Benner 4:49
Would you mind Tell me a little bit about being diagnosed and how it went?

Unknown Speaker 4:52
Yeah, of course.

Unknown Speaker 4:53
Um,

Breana Raquel 4:54
so I actually thought that nothing was wrong. I'm the type of person that's like, Oh my god, you're amazing. things up, don't go on webcam D, you're gonna just see something you don't want to see. And of course I did. And I was like diabetes Like what? But what? Now I remember that three nights before I was like on Web MD, after I told myself not to. And I was like, there's no way. My mom actually has a thyroid disease. And so when I was losing a bunch of weight, I thought it was that in so I went to go get my bloodwork done. I had a bunch of people telling me I was getting kind of skinny. And it was true. When I weighed myself I was 87 pounds. So my sugar was pretty high. And it was like in a span of one month that I just dropped the weight, like so fast. And I just remember waking up like, three times a night having to use the bathroom and I was drinking everything under the sun. Like I was just so thirsty, nothing could quench my thirst. And all my friends were like, oh, wow, you're hungry, huh? And I was like, Girl, yes. But I didn't realize that that was a symptom. And I was just like, you know, I'm

Unknown Speaker 6:07
a growing girl. I need some food.

Breana Raquel 6:10
But yeah, all of those symptoms. I typed into Web MD and they were like diabetes, and I was like, Okay,

Scott Benner 6:17
well, you know, there's that that magical thought that you're eating whatever you want and losing weight. You found the

Breana Raquel 6:22
exact I was like, This is great. You guys must be jealous. I was eating anything under the sun. And I was like, I don't gain weight.

Scott Benner 6:31
Well, I normally I say stay off the internet and and don't look for stuff there. But once in a while, you know, for stuff like this. It works out. Hey, your mom hypo thyroidism hyper, um,

Unknown Speaker 6:43
she had

Breana Raquel 6:44
hyper and then when she went to the military, they actually I think they either removed it or they gave her some sort of medicine to help levels stuff out. Not sure she was really young. So she was like a military just take care of it.

Scott Benner 6:58
She had the scar

Breana Raquel 7:00
on her. Oh, no, she doesn't. She doesn't. So I'm thinking maybe it was just medicine?

Scott Benner 7:05
Yeah, I think I actually don't know that. There's some radiation thing they do. And oh, by the way, this is in the weeds. But I think that if you're hyper sometimes they're also people who bounce back and forth between hypo and hyper and then they hit it with some radiation to kind of calm it down a little bit. So she takes like Synthroid or some sort of a hormone every day. Yeah. So when you first started having symptoms, that's where your head went.

Breana Raquel 7:28
Yeah, cuz I was just really, really skinny. And that's what she was telling me when she was younger. She was like, 100 pounds and like, five, two, and so just very petite and small and stuff. And I was like, Well, you know what I mean? This could be the same. You have it, maybe I do, too. So

Scott Benner 7:43
So we, when you're 18, and you're living in another town with your sister, and you think you have diabetes, what's your next step?

Unknown Speaker 7:53
Like, is there an answer for that? But what is the next step?

Scott Benner 7:57
What did you do? Did you like did you just run outside and scream? Or did you go to urgent care? did you how did you handle? Actually, my

Breana Raquel 8:04
grandpa was in town and I was on the way to go get some waffles when I got the call from blood lab results. And they were like, I'm your sugar is really high.

Unknown Speaker 8:15
I suggest going to the ER.

Breana Raquel 8:17
I was in such a pissy mood to I was like, Are you kidding me? I want waffles. I'm starving. This is a waste of time. And yeah, it was it was pretty crazy. The nurse she was like, yep, this for the rest of your life. And I was like,

Scott Benner 8:32
so you went to the you went to the emergency room then when you got the phone? And then that is also the time when you found out you did not have a superpower where you could go eat those waffles and not

Breana Raquel 8:43
crush you. And I found out this is gonna be for the rest of my life. Yeah, always remember that nurse said that.

Scott Benner 8:49
And and so you're at the ER, I've talked to a ton of people who are diagnosed. That's not a great setup, right? Would they? Did they give you any insulin? Or did they send you to a general practitioner to go talk to somebody else about it.

Breana Raquel 9:01
So they took me to the ICU informing on an insulin drip, and I was in the hospital for I think, two and a half days, they wouldn't let me eat solid food for like the first night. And then they were putting me on the insulin drip and they would wake me up every four hours to come draw blood. I had bruises all over my arms. And when the veins in my arms wouldn't work anymore, it was my hand. So that was pretty. And then they will call you up every two hours to come prick my finger. So it was a night

Scott Benner 9:35
and you're in LA primarily to be an actress or to sing or what is it you're doing. They're

Breana Raquel 9:40
a little bit of both their their careers that are kind of on and off sometimes. And so when one slows down and pick up the other

Scott Benner 9:47
and vice versa. That's amazing. What what what kind of acting do you do?

Breana Raquel 9:52
theatrical more. theatrical is film and television. Not to be confused with like theater and stuff although I would do musical theater That'd be fun. But mostly film and television.

Scott Benner 10:02
Gotcha. Have I seen you in anything? I mean, not that you know what i watch, but

Unknown Speaker 10:07
I don't know. Do you watch SEAL team? Sure. Like, we're like

Scott Benner 10:11
that big handsome guys are running around and doing like military stuff.

Breana Raquel 10:15
Yeah. David Briana stars in that.

Unknown Speaker 10:19
Yeah, I played

Breana Raquel 10:21
with her name in the show. I'm like thinking of all the different characters. Now. I think her name is Emma in the show, right?

Scott Benner 10:27
That's amazing.

Breana Raquel 10:28
What was her? I was her best friend. Yeah. So yeah, if you see, I don't want to give any spoilers in case no one's seen anything, that's fine. Don't do a few episodes of that. And then I did a guest star role was pretty fun criminal minds. That's cool.

Scott Benner 10:45
I have I have 111 specific and only one experience. So when the iPhone first came out, which I'm gonna guess came out when you were like seven years old. They did this thing where they rounded up a handful of people who had stories about getting an iPhone, and they brought them all out to LA and they filmed these commercials with them. And the day that the iPhone came out, and I had it, I was getting it all set up on my computer. I was amazed. I know, this is gonna sound so silly to you because you're younger. But I was amazed that my pictures were on my phone. Right? Like That was amazing to me. And I stopped my wife as she left the house to go to work. And I was like, Look, you have to see this. And she's like, I have to go. And I'm like, No, you really have to see I have a magic thing in my hand, right? Look at this. And so I'm showing it to her. She pauses for a minute or two and looks goes out, gets in her car drives away. And as she drives away, and gets to the end of our driveway, this giant tree falls across the road, like just down the street from our house. And so I was like I saved you from being crushed by a tree by showing you my iPhone, right? So I told my buddy this story, and I'm sure I did a better job of telling it to him. He's like, you should send that to Apple. So I wrote it down. I sent it to Apple. and a month later, I was in LA like on the soundstage making this commercial. And I had such a heady experience that I have to ask you about. I was thirsty As I stood in front of the camera, and I said, Hey, can I get a bottle of water? And I heard a voice over a radio say the talent needs water. And I was like, Am I the talent. And then it goes through all the the different walkie talkies in the place. And then this harried 18 year old girl ran at me with a bottle of water. And I was like, I feel so special. And this has got to be why Britney Spears is crazy. But like it is just such an odd feeling to like watch everybody brings something to you.

Breana Raquel 12:44
Yeah, I kind of like when you're on a set. I think all the crew members especially like directors and producers and stuff know that like, they don't have a show without the actors performance. So they're like treat them like royalty, because I've had people like what are your food preferences?

Unknown Speaker 13:03
Are you vegetarian? Are

Unknown Speaker 13:05
you vegan?

Unknown Speaker 13:06
Or I'll be like,

Breana Raquel 13:07
I'm kind of thirsty. And then magically water appears.

Unknown Speaker 13:11
It's It's weird. Yeah, for almost

Scott Benner 13:12
a week, I thought I was handsome. I was very confusing. at home. My, my ad never made it to air. And yet I was still paid for it. And I was fascinated by how much money I made to basically do something no one ever saw. It was really crazy. But you now have a you see my ham fisted segue? You? You obviously have made an ad. And it's going to be in a much bigger light than than mine ever would have been. So how do you end up in a Dexcom commercial on? Are we allowed to say the way people I don't know. It's been a while you were filming? The commercial for the big game? Was there bowls of food around?

Breana Raquel 14:04
Okay, so on a set there is a place called crafty. And that's the nickname it's called craft services. It basically you go and they have all kinds of snacks and drinks and with COVID it was very safe. So everything was packaged individually and someone handed it to you behind like a little screen and yeah

Scott Benner 14:27
COVID is ruining my way of getting you to say balls that I get asked if it was a super experience for you. And now we have to say the big game instead. Nevermind, it's fine. COVID ruins everything.

Unknown Speaker 14:38
I was thinking I was like

Unknown Speaker 14:41
I was thinking very literally. Yeah,

Scott Benner 14:43
well, that's fine. So how does this happen for you? So you're a Dexcom user? Is that right? Yeah. And you were trying out to be in a commercials or something or they found you How did this happen?

Breana Raquel 14:56
So I've done a few things in the past. With Dexcom I was I hosted a little like guests who event with Derek feller for children or diabetes like a couple months ago and stuff. So I've done some PR stuff. And I've been familiar with them for a while. And so they reached out, they called me and it's like, we're thinking of doing this, would you be interested? And I was like, 100%? Yes, I would.

Scott Benner 15:22
100% Hey, not to get too far off track, but I've interviewed dark twice. Is he as tall as I think he is.

Breana Raquel 15:29
I actually haven't seen him in person. But I will say he is attractive.

Scott Benner 15:36
He told me that he has to lie about his height and make himself shorter, which he's probably the only person in in California doing that, I would imagine.

Unknown Speaker 15:45
Yeah, I don't have that problem.

Scott Benner 15:47
So okay, so So they said, Dexcom just reached to you. Yeah.

Breana Raquel 15:52
What did they say when they called you? They're like, we know with everything going on, and may not be something you might be up for. But we thought of you. You're in LA, and you're an actor. Would you want to do this Dexcom commercial? And I was like, without knowing a lot of the information. I was like, Yes. Yeah.

Scott Benner 16:13
We have done the same thing. Where does it get filmed that

Breana Raquel 16:17
it was actually at the new stadium? The LA Rams one. Okay,

Scott Benner 16:21
that was that's one thing I kept wondering was like, they're not gonna take them all because the Super Bowls in Florida this year, I believe. So they're not gonna take them all the way there. And then, but you were clearly in a stadium for like the stills and everything. So I

Breana Raquel 16:34
know, it was really cool. That's always the first time I've seen it, too. And I was like, wow, this is what they've been working on.

Scott Benner 16:40
How long is the shoot? How long does it take? Um,

Breana Raquel 16:44
let's see my call time was nine or 10. I left around five, maybe six. I mean, it's some commercials. They vary. I I've had some commercials where they were like, strict 14 hour day. And then some commercials where I left after an hour of doing my scene was like, Alright, bye. But for Dexcom I think it was. I think it was like a normal eight or nine hours a day. Wow.

Scott Benner 17:07
Did you get the COVID test before you went? Yes, we

Unknown Speaker 17:10
all did I go on your nose? Yes.

Unknown Speaker 17:13
I take that as a yes. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 17:15
I know. It makes me shiver.

Scott Benner 17:18
And you get there. Do you meet Nick Jonas?

Breana Raquel 17:22
You know, we made eye contact once. That was enough for me. I saw him walk by and I was like, wow, you have no idea that I watched you on Disney Channel when I was eight years old.

Unknown Speaker 17:36
And I think if you'd have gotten face to face with them, you would have said that?

Breana Raquel 17:41
No, no, I definitely would have like winning actor mode and like, wow, sorry, Nick, right?

Unknown Speaker 17:48
No, I'm kidding. inside my heart would have been like doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Scott Benner 17:52
That's amazing. So you are. So I've seen the ad. And it's interesting. What they What did they do to your eyes, like your eyes look like they're bright, or sunny.

Breana Raquel 18:02
So the art department actually made these like LED strip lash type of things. And they were connected to a battery pack. And so the battery pack was in my hair that you couldn't see and then it was

Unknown Speaker 18:16
sorry about that. You're fine.

Breana Raquel 18:18
So the battery pack was in my hair and then it connected all the way and she had to use regular strip lash glue to glue it on my eye. It was so heavy the first time she put it on I couldn't open it.

Scott Benner 18:30
So basically, you're telling your friends look when you're watching the Super Bowl if you're seeing some blinking eyelashes. This is me. That's me. Are you are you in any of this? like are they gonna do a still campaign behind it or anything like that? Are you Do you know what?

Breana Raquel 18:46
Yeah, they have a few really cool stills that I saw of like me showing off my decks calm and like my numbers and stuff. And they have a really cool behind the scenes like interview. They actually recorded my reaction of them telling me that Nick was going to be in it on a zoom call and so you'll see they put it on their Instagram today. Excellent. Yeah, it was pretty. Pretty cute.

Scott Benner 19:07
I can imagine I but um, I mean, I don't think I'm this type and he's not really mine. But I think I think I'd still get a little fluttery if I saw him he's fluttery handsome boy so so you're there you do your part he does his part. I imagine people don't understand that. Not everybody might understand that you might not even intersect with each other and me doing things off in different places. Is it something that well, I guess Is it is it The kind of day that impacts your blood sugar's like it. Do you have to plan differently or not? Particularly I guess you're accustomed to it. Um,

Breana Raquel 19:44
ya know, I've I've been on set multiple times like with it and stuff and I've never really had to adjust too much. Ya know, and they with Dexcom being Dexcom they had like really good options. That were safe. That was like, Oh, yes, carrots. Thank you. Well,

Scott Benner 20:04
how do you crafty? So how do you handle your insulin? Are you do you use it? injections? Are you in a pen? Do you have a pump?

Breana Raquel 20:10
I actually am using Omnipod. So I know it's my favorite little combo cuz it's wireless. And so if I have to shoot or I'm doing anything like physical, I don't have to worry, I'm a klutz, right? I don't have to worry about pulling it out or hurting or anything like that. So

Scott Benner 20:27
I use, my daughter has been using Omni pod since she was four, and she's six. So for a very long time. So I love your choice. I think that's terrific. So you don't so you just it's your regular life, right? Like it's you. You have your basal rates set up in a way that everything works for you. And are you super active on a set? Or is that a lot of sitting around? What's it like?

Breana Raquel 20:51
So it's yes and no. So they'll give you a call time and it's like, go go, go, go Go your hair, your makeup, your wardrobe, you're figuring it out. For some projects, they might have you come down, and they'll run through whatever you're doing and stuff. And then you sit there until they're actually ready for you. And that could be a couple hours. So it's like Hurry up to sit down a lot of the time. I don't

Scott Benner 21:13
want to switch to I don't want to give you a whiplash by switching gears so hard. But I am really wondering if you're willing to talk about it, like what was it? What was that like trying to figure out diabetes, kind of on your own without like a parent around you.

Breana Raquel 21:28
My mom actually came out both my parents came out for like the first two weeks ish. It was really hard, especially being the age that I was like kind of a I grew up with my sister. And so it was like, for every one in my family to know what's going on inside my body with the share. feature. It was, it was weird. And he was I know is out of control. Like I didn't know everything there was to know about it. And so it was really hard in the honeymoon phase was just so unpredictable. And I just always felt like it was my fault. And I hear and it's they call it the lonely disease and stuff, which I get. And I have a great support system. But it was I kind of do feel like an outsider. And so emotionally, it was harder than actually learning how to deal with my sugar.

Scott Benner 22:23
Yeah. How long did your honeymoon last for?

Unknown Speaker 22:27
Oh, I'm good. two, maybe

Unknown Speaker 22:32
three months. And

Unknown Speaker 22:33
then after that, I was like, Yeah, no,

Unknown Speaker 22:35
she said she's not coming back. Well, bu is no,

Scott Benner 22:38
it's crazy. Because you can figure something out say like, Alright, well this meals definitely three units and you give yourself a raise and all of a sudden your your pancreas is like, you know what? I'm here today, I'll help out. And then you get super low when you're eating and how long have you had Dexcom

Breana Raquel 22:56
I got Dexcom honestly, like, a month after I was diagnosed because I was like little fingers candlelit. I don't know how these people do it. And Dexcom g six, like, made my life much easier.

Scott Benner 23:11
It makes my life super easy. I mean, I've been able to my daughter and I together have been able to figure out almost all of the foods that she wants to eat because of being able to look the next comment figure out like, Okay, this is when the insulin hits this is when the food hits. You know, like, you know, you have like, sometimes you have protein and later in the day it comes back and gets you and tries

Unknown Speaker 23:31
timing of things.

Scott Benner 23:32
Yeah, it's just it's absolutely, like it's simple to to get lost in the idea that you're here talking about being in the commercial for Dexcom. So it feels like you know, somebody's just saying that but it really did change. It really did change everything about my daughter's life. For the better honestly. That's very cool. Okay, so what's next? Are you like, Do you have something coming up that you can tell people about or is there somewhere somebody could go to find out more about you?

Breana Raquel 23:58
Oh, yeah, you guys can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, tik tok and Ah, I'm in that age group. So yes, tik tok. At Briana Raquel. I'm pretty active on there and stuff. Um, I don't have any like super cool projects. Next in line, but I'm auditioning every day and I was getting in the studio, but with COVID it's making life hard. Still.

Scott Benner 24:24
Can I ask you what it's like? How are you auditioning in a COVID world? is it happening online? Are you doing it in person? Um, so

Breana Raquel 24:32
we have these things called self tapes and you have like a little backdrop you get someone to read with and then you just put it on tape and you send it into casting.

Scott Benner 24:39
Wow. Is it exhausting? It feels a little exhausting when you decide to describe it.

Breana Raquel 24:45
Yeah, kinda because it's like, when you go in the room. It's like you have one opportunity and then then it's done. But there's room to second guess and be like, Oh, I don't know. Maybe just one more. One time, and then it can be like a three hour long taping session. And yeah, so it. It's difficult sometimes I have

Scott Benner 25:08
to listen, I want to give you a lot of credit not that you need me to. But to make a decision like that when you're 15 to go try something like this. It's literally across the country. Yeah, just to give something that's different and exciting a try. Is that is really a laudable It's, um, it's amazing, honestly, that you were able to do that.

Unknown Speaker 25:26
Thank you.

Breana Raquel 25:27
Thank you. Yeah. Well, I honestly could not have done it without my family, like my sister volunteered to come out with me. And my parents have enough faith in me that they were like, okay, that's what you want to do. Go do it.

Scott Benner 25:41
That's really amazing. And seriously, we're not, we're not saying enough about you being diagnosed with type one, you know, a couple of years into that experience. And to learn about it, get it all straight, stick it out and keep doing what you're doing is really cool. It really is. You know, of course, that makes you feel good. No, it really is somebody breaking into your house.

Unknown Speaker 26:02
You know, that would be the trash.

Unknown Speaker 26:05
Yep.

Scott Benner 26:06
I when I sat down, listen, you're lucky when I sat down, I could hear the snow melting off of my roof. And I was like,

Breana Raquel 26:12
Oh, my gosh, snow. Yeah, my parents are getting snow on the East Coast right now. And I'm like, 70 degrees.

Scott Benner 26:18
Okay, that does seem to be the good part about California for sure. I would definitely like it to be warm. Is there anything you want to talk about that I didn't hit?

Unknown Speaker 26:27
Um,

Unknown Speaker 26:27
I think we had

Breana Raquel 26:30
a pretty good conversation. I mean, I'm, I'm super excited for this commercial to come out. Like I told all my family members about it, you better recognize my eyes. But ya know, I'm just super grateful to have the opportunity. And that Dexcom does more than just make my life a little easier. They're really great people. And they work super hard for the diabetic community and stuff. And so I'm just happy to be part,

Scott Benner 26:59
I have to tell you, I tell people all the time that I you need people like this, doing things like this. And it's just you have no idea. Like you've only had diabetes for a couple of years. But I've had people on that have had it for 1020 3040 years in the technology that exists now. Like, you know, it's weird to say, but you got diagnosed with Type One Diabetes at the absolute best time. Ever. Yeah. You know,

Breana Raquel 27:23
yeah, no doubt that I'm like, if I was diagnosed when so many people were dead, I don't. Oh, my God, it's, I can't imagine the hardships. Also, you're

Scott Benner 27:31
incredibly mature. And not for your age, but just in general, because I think I'd be spending every second I had just calling anybody I knew I'd be like, yeah, I'm gonna be in a Super Bowl ad this week.

Breana Raquel 27:43
Yeah, it's it's pretty funny. And when my cousin's found out about Nick Jonas, Mimi, and and they were pretty jealous. I would imagine

Scott Benner 27:51
I listen. I see some, some middle aged moms who seem pretty excited about it to hilarious Yeah, well, seriously Brown. I really appreciate you doing this. I wish you a ton of success. And I will look for your bright eyes on Sunday.

Breana Raquel 28:06
Thank you. Yeah, of course. Thanks for talking to me.

Unknown Speaker 28:09
Of course. Have a great day. You too. Take care. Bye.

Scott Benner 28:27
Huge thanks to Brianna. We did this at the last minute and I really appreciate it. Check her out at Brianna. Raquel, calm, or wherever you get your social medias. Thanks also to all the sponsors. There were no ads in this episode today. But I still like to thank them remind you there they're Dexcom on the pod the Contour Next One blood glucose meter, g Volk hypo pen touched by type one. And of course don't forget to visit T one d exchange.org. forward slash juicebox. Once again, you can find those links in the podcast player. There's a little show notes in there you'll find them and they're at Juicebox Podcast calm. I appreciate it when you click the links. Enjoy the big game. Enjoy cm Brianna's bright eyes. And I know how many of you are interested in seeing that Nick Jonas boy, so if you can't catch the game live, I've got those pictures and video at Juicebox Podcast comm if you're still here, I want to remind you that you can support Type One Diabetes Research and the Juicebox Podcast by supporting the T one D exchange. The T one D exchange is looking for type one adults and caregivers who are us residents to participate in a quick survey that can be completed in just a few minutes from your phone or computer. After you finish the questions which are very simple and only took me a few minutes. You'll be contacted annually to update your information and to be asked further questions if questions exist. This is 100% anonymous, completely HIPAA compliant and does not require that you ever see a doctor or go to a remote site. And yet you're supporting Type One Diabetes Research past participants helped to bring increased coverage for test strips, Medicare coverage for CGM, and they helped to change the ADA guidelines for pediatric a one Siegel's. That stuff is really exciting. And it's the hard work that we don't see that's done behind the scenes to help people with type one diabetes, and this is your chance to help out. T1dexchange.org/juicebox.

Nick Jonas Dexcom G6 Commercial Learn more about the Dexcom G6 at http://bit.ly/DexAdCheck out the Juicebox Podcast at JuiceboxPodcast.com

See a behind the scenes video from the commercial and other images

#436 Eighteen and Honest

Type one as a Teen

Meredith is 18 years old and very honest about her type 1 diabetes. Also, Scott chokes on Iced Tea.

+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, welcome to Episode 436 of the Juicebox Podcast on the show today 18 year old Meredith will tell us what it's like to be diagnosed at 12 years old.

Well, just before I started doing this, I watched a video of Arden unboxing her on the pod as it came in the mail for the very first time in 2009. And now mauled, like, squishy inside, and I can't think so. This is Meredith. She's cool. She's 18 she was diagnosed when she was 12. Please don't forget while you're listening that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. And also, I'd like to suggest not watching videos of your cheese. Look at me. Don't watch videos of your five year old getting excited about an insulin pump, because it'll make you weird inside. Listen, I'm not a fan of giving away something that's going to happen on the episode, but just trust me. Meredith is going to talk about her endocrinologist. And she let's just say young people really are honest. And leave it at that. What else Oh, check the podcast out on Instagram at Juicebox Podcast on Facebook at bold with insulin and the private Facebook group Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes.

This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the dexcom g6 continuous glucose monitor. Learn more right now at dexcom.com/juice box. And guess what? This Sunday, there'll be a football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And at some point during that football game, there's going to be a commercial with a type one you might know his name is Nick Jonas, and he's going to be showing you his Dexcom gs six. It's a pretty cool little spot. I've actually seen it already. And if you'd like to see it, it's available right now at Juicebox Podcast comm you scroll to the top you'll see Dexcom I don't know if I'm allowed to say the SB word. But big game ad. You can watch it now. I also have behind the scenes images and video of the day that they made the commercial. So you know if there's any people out there that want pictures of Nick Jonas, their Juicebox Podcast calm might be a couple of you. And what else? Oh yeah, the Omni pod the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump, you get a free, no obligation demo of the Omni pod to boost insulin pump sent to your home right now. Go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. They'll send you that nonfunctioning pod, you can try it on and wear it and see what you think. And no episode would be complete without mentioning touched by type one. Touched by type one.org is where you're going to go. But right now there's another reason to go there besides the fact that it's just a really great place. That reason is if you go to programs and click on upcoming events, you'll see that on February 26, there's going to be a bowl with insulin live talk hosted by some guy named Scott at 7pm. Eastern time, you can register there, it's absolutely free. I think there's already like 120 people registered but I think it caps out at 300. So get going touched by type one.org. Now that all that's covered, let's hear from Meredith.

Meredith 3:40
My name is Meredith. I have type one diabetes. I was diagnosed a couple weeks before my 12th birthday. And I'm 18 now I've had diabetes for almost seven years. Wow. Okay.

Scott Benner 3:56
Was there any type one in your family?

Meredith 4:00
There was absolutely no type one in my family. My mom's father had type two, I believe, um, but no, um, no history of type one. Okay.

Scott Benner 4:19
How about other endocrine issues, people have hypothyroidism or celiac or anything like that.

Meredith 4:26
Oh, so it's interesting. Actually, my mom and my dad when they got married, they had they always had trouble getting pregnant. They had a they were pregnant before me. And they lost the baby and they could not get pregnant again. So they had an egg donor, which is where I came from. Oh, and so we don't so I can't actually say that. I there's no type one has Cuz you don't know. Yeah, exactly.

Scott Benner 5:02
You're sort of like pseudo adopted almost. Because, yeah, the idea came from somewhere else, right? Yes. Yeah. It's like your dad had a torrid relationship with someone else's egg. And your mom brought you into the world. I love it. That's excellent. Okay. Okay, so we don't know that for certain. And so you're kind of the first of your first of your coming, honestly.

Unknown Speaker 5:25
Yeah.

Scott Benner 5:26
Yeah. Good for you. Alright. 12 years old, probably a great time to get type one diabetes. Right.

Meredith 5:33
You know, I think, you know, listening to the other other people on the show, talk about their experiences, I have felt very, I've come to feel very fortunate for the timing of my diagnosis. Because I was, I was old enough to was old enough to understand what I had to do. I was able to do self injections, and understand that I had to do this. I didn't necessarily understand why, or why this was happening, or what it meant. Um, but, but I knew what I that I had to do it. Well,

Scott Benner 6:20
that's interesting. How much do you remember about that time? Like, if I asked you a question, what do you think you'd have good recollection about it?

Meredith 6:27
I, I don't know. It's pretty. It's kind of, it's kind of fuzzy. So it was a while ago?

Scott Benner 6:36
Well, I'm gonna try and then we'll see what happens. Okay. Okay. So it's, you said something that made me consider that when you're explaining something to a child, there's function and reason, right? And that they can understand the function. But maybe the reason would be difficult to completely grasp. Grasp. So you you're aware, like you understood that your pancreas didn't work right.

Unknown Speaker 7:03
Kind of time.

Scott Benner 7:04
I think this thing is, I'm telling you, I don't think most kids understand exactly what's happening to them, I think. Yeah, I think they get the part where it's, hey, we went to the doctor, right? Yeah. So something was wrong. And then the doctor said, to take the shots when I ate. Because if I don't, my blood, sugar gets high and I don't feel good. Like, I think that ends up being, you know, maybe what happens. I play I'll tell you, it'd be interesting to grab a couple of kids and have them tell everybody like what it is cuz the some of them might just be like, I mean, I don't know. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. The doctor told my mom, my mom cried, and now we do this.

Meredith 7:43
It was funny when I was was it wasn't funny. But when I was diagnosed, it was I had the the common symptoms, I was extremely thirsty. I had lost a little bit of weight. And so I told my parents one night at dinner, and I said, Hey, guys, this is this has been happening. Seems kind of weird. Probably nothing. But my dad went on his computer looked it up. It said, he said, Oh, this looks like it could be juvenile diabetes. We should probably get it checked out. And we're like, I guess Okay, probably nothing but Sure. So that night, we went to the, my pediatrics here. And they took my sugar, and it just said, Hi. So it was like probably over 600 or something. 600 700. And this was, this was, I think it was a Sunday night because it was the night before. We were supposed to go on my sixth grade camping trip. Our school does a whole sixth grade camping trip for a whole week. And I was so pumped to go on this camping trip with all my friends for a week. And we told the doctor and we asked, my mom asked if I could still go and she said the doctor said No. She said, I'm gonna send you home tonight, pack some clothes. And then first thing in the morning, go to the hospital. And I remember at that point, I started crying. Because I don't I don't know. I think it was it was probably mostly because of the campaign. But I remember realizing that this was I knew that it was something that I was always gonna have. Um, I just didn't really know what it was.

Scott Benner 9:49
But it sounds to like that idea of like, Look, you're gonna go home and gather some clothing up and then go back to the hospital. Sounds pretty serious. Yeah, obviously because it But yeah, I'm just trying to imagine being 12 and thinking, I'm going camping with friends, and then you know, my school and then learning that this is what's gonna happen instead. Yeah, that sucks. Did you ever get to go camping?

Meredith 10:14
I'm not, not with my sixth grade class. And still, they went without

Unknown Speaker 10:19
you.

Unknown Speaker 10:20
They did go without me. Well, it was it was the whole school. I mean, the whole

Scott Benner 10:25
they could have waited a couple of days, don't you think? about where in the country? Are you just loosely.

Meredith 10:30
So I'm a I'm near Washington DC. Okay. Yeah. All right. Gotcha.

Scott Benner 10:37
Yeah, they could have waited because went home and waited for Meredith to come back from the hospital. Although you probably were you would you have been in any shape to go away. afterwards. Or so I guess my question really is is that how specifically do you under Did you understand diabetes then versus how you understand it now?

Unknown Speaker 10:57
Oh, gosh, completely different. completely different.

Unknown Speaker 11:00
You said? Yeah. That's

Scott Benner 11:02
very nice. Meredith it You said Oh, gosh. No, seriously, like, you just made this one up. I was like, like it. By the way. You're like, you're like to me, you're like five years old. You understand that? Right? Like, I'm, I'm in this weird space right now. I'm like, Don't say anything stupid. Don't be like inappropriate. mirdif is like basically a child. And then you said, Gosh, and now I feel all like, I don't know. I just made me feel good. I was like, there's some joy in the world. It's coming through Meredith. No. So what was your understanding of type one? Like in the beginning? And

Meredith 11:37
um, well, I guess I just knew that I had to check blood sugar's give insulin, because my body didn't make any myself.

Unknown Speaker 11:50
Talking. Oh, my God.

Unknown Speaker 11:57
Is everything okay?

Unknown Speaker 11:59
Hold on a second. Probably.

Unknown Speaker 12:07
No, I'm laughing and joking. Give me a second. Oh, wow.

Scott Benner 12:12
literally never happened before. Give me just one more minute. Oh, my God. Okay. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 12:20
Wow,

Scott Benner 12:21
my eyes are tearing Hold on a sec. I took a drink. They don't know how to describe my tongue did not do any of the things that was supposed

Unknown Speaker 12:31
liquid just like, crashed into the back of my throat. Oh, for a second. I thought I'm gonna be okay. And then I was.

Scott Benner 12:40
My eyes teared up. And I thought I thought wow, is this how I'm gonna die like with Meredith like trying to figure out where in the country I live calling 911? Like, I'm recording a podcast with a guy and I think he's dying. I don't know. Where is that? Oh my god. I'm so sorry. Hold on one second.

Unknown Speaker 13:01
Wow. Wow. Yeah.

Meredith 13:03
Take your Take your time over there.

Scott Benner 13:05
I'm leaving that all in? That's hilarious. So sorry. Okay. Anyway, you were 12 and you put up your understanding of diabetes. Oh, I'm gonna move that drink a little farther away from me. So don't touch it again.

Unknown Speaker 13:18
Yeah. Wow.

Scott Benner 13:19
Has that ever happened to you?

Meredith 13:22
Um, certainly goes down the wrong pipe every now and then

Scott Benner 13:25
is that Yeah, I

Unknown Speaker 13:25
don't think that's a technical term. But I'm gonna, I'm gonna say that that's what just happened to me. So I think that what might be I see in my lungs, right.

Scott Benner 13:37
Wouldn't it be fun if I drowned?

Unknown Speaker 13:39
Oh,

Scott Benner 13:40
I mean, funny. inject, like, you know, like, not nice. Yeah. Not personally, like, you know, like, my family would be sad and everything and I'm probably

Unknown Speaker 13:49
radically.

Scott Benner 13:50
Yeah, you know what, good point. You think maybe they just be like, well, there's so much more free space in this house. Now that that kind of stuff is gone, you know? Okay, I think I'm okay. So you're 12 years old. They give you needles a pump, which again?

Meredith 14:04
Um, so first off, they we just did we did a injections. They didn't want me to have a pump yet. But it was it was the pens like the human log pens and the Lantus pens. Not a not syringes, which was nice. Um, and yeah, they just said, taught me everything. I had to know in those couple days there at the hospital. And I knew going home okay. I have to

Scott Benner 14:41
I can't believe this. All right, we're gonna get off this question might be making me cough but I need one good cleansing cough. So give me a half a second.

Unknown Speaker 14:48
Yes, yes.

Unknown Speaker 14:51
Wow.

Scott Benner 14:54
This could be Corona. Maybe Hold on a second. I think a little iced tea just came out of my ear. Is that possible? Is everything connected like that? It's not. I guess it is right ears, eyes, nose, throat. Why else would they do that? Alright, hold on a second. I'm literally gonna stop the recording for a second. Yes. I turned the recording back on. Meredith is now like, I'm never getting old if this is what happens because the guy can't seem to drink anything. It's really, really really is the first time I swear to you. I don't know exactly. This might be like my 400th recording. Nothing like that's ever happened before. And every time I sort of take a deep breath, I'm like, oh my god. Am I gonna cough again? I really do think I'm drowning. I probably need CPR. I wish there was like a lifeguard here. Are you okay? Are you ever been a lifeguard?

Unknown Speaker 15:47
I have not. I have not been a lifeguard. Oh, I was

Scott Benner 15:49
thinking maybe you could talk me through my own CPR if that if it came to that at any point?

Meredith 15:54
I do you know, CPR? Seriously? I am. I'm actually I took a nursing class, senior year of high school.

Scott Benner 16:04
Well, alright, if that comes in handy. I let me describe the things I have in the room that I can work with. I have a death scare. And case you need to direct me to one of the things. All right. All right, so you're managing with pens when you're 12, Dexcom CGM, anything like that.

Meredith 16:24
The first so the first six months, no tech, no advanced technology, just just my glucose meter and the pens. But I knew that I wanted to get the Omni pod. But they said you need to wait six months, at least just so you get the hang of things. And I thought, okay, whatever. So we waited six months. Um, and I thought, well, three months in I really had the hang of this, but

Scott Benner 16:56
Okay, I've got it now. Do I need to do it again? Please. And so you just kind of persevered with the six months you didn't press them at all?

Unknown Speaker 17:04
No, we didn't.

Scott Benner 17:06
Okay, um, alright. So six months later, you go right to it to the pump. Was it? Like what was the draw to the pump for you?

Meredith 17:14
I really wanted the Omni pod because I knew. So when I was younger, when I was first diagnosed, I was still I guess I was kind of the sounds bad, but I was kind of ashamed of it. And I felt embarrassed.

Scott Benner 17:31
I guess that doesn't sound bad. I mean, if I understand how you feel, I feel good. I'm sorry. I just don't feel bad, please.

Unknown Speaker 17:40
Well, don't anymore.

Scott Benner 17:42
Did you actually feel bad? Or do you just think it sounds bad? Like at the time, were you like, I'm ashamed? I shouldn't feel ashamed.

Meredith 17:50
Yes. Yeah. I wanted to keep my diabetes as hidden as I could from people. And so with the Omni pod, I could just like, as you know, I could just wear under my clothing and be done with it. But um, I think I think at that point, I also got the the libri glucose monitor.

Unknown Speaker 18:15
Five years ago.

Unknown Speaker 18:18
It was it not around five years ago,

Scott Benner 18:19
trying to wonder like that, but but I my first thought was is isn't it interesting that the Omni pod really is the only pump where it can address a need of or desire, I guess of being private or not? It doesn't matter. Like you could wear it, you know, out there people can see it or hide it. And it really does help you in either way.

Oh, listen, if the Omni pod is gonna get brought up like that, right, as the ads are supposed to go in, where else am I supposed to put the ad for the Omni pod? This place makes sense. So if you want to get a free, no obligation demo of the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump, all you need to do is go to my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box there you'll fill in a tiny bit of information about yourself. And then next thing you know, right there in your mailbox will be an omni pod demo. It's nonfunctioning so you don't have to worry about any of that stuff. But you can just wear it and see what you think. Take your time, take a bath, go for a walk. Do a jumping jack. crawl into your bed get a dust bunny, do all the things you do but do it with the Omni pod on see what you think. If you like it, you get back on the pod and say Yo I'm gonna keep going and they're like Ray right on. And if you don't want to, it's no big deal. No pressure, no obligation. Miami pod.com forward slash juicebox. Check out the insulin pump that Arden has been wearing as we heard at the beginning of the episode since 2009. She's had an omni pod on every day since 2009. It's amazing. Just been such a wonderful addition to Arden's life with type Diabetes, we just switched her pod this afternoon took like, I mean, honestly, I'm pretty good at it. And so is Arden. So I mean three minutes to change the thing, top the bottom, right back to life. While you're out there looking around for ways that improve your diabetes situation, check out the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. If you want to get a look at that Nick Jonas fellow, were in the Dexcom. Don't forget that big football game this Sunday between the chiefs and the Buccaneers, because you're gonna see good old Nicky boy on there, you're actually gonna see a couple of other people in the ad. One of them is a person named Brianna brown as an actress and a singer she was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes 2018 at the age of 18. She's been on television shows like SEAL Team criminal minds and coming up soon, we'll be right here on the Juicebox Podcast. So if you want to see that Dexcom ad, like I said, it's right there at Juicebox. Podcast calm right now you can actually see the ad and click right through and check out more about the Dexcom where you can watch it during that football game this Sunday, one way or the other. Head over to dexcom.com Ford slash juicebox. To learn about the Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor, no more finger sticks, see your blood sugars in real time, share them with up to 10 loved ones. The app works with Android and iPhone, there is very little about this that you shouldn't be excited about. Last but not least, touched by type one.org. Go there, then click programs then go to upcoming events. And you can come see me give my bold with insulin talk February 26th 7pm. Eastern time you have to register now it's 100%. Free. This is you know, the kind of stuff that touched by type one does for people that it supports. And I just thought it would be nice to support them a little more myself. So hopefully I'll see you there. Otherwise, if you're tired of my stuff, you know, and you're like, oh, Scott, I can't take any more you I understand, check out touch by type one on Facebook, Instagram. And of course, at touched by type one. org. There are links to all of the sponsors right there in the show notes of your podcast player, and at Juicebox Podcast comm if you can't remember how to type in all the words that I've just told you.

I'm gonna find out when the libri came out while you're talking. But

Meredith 22:51
maybe I remember. I don't know exactly when I got the lead, right. But I got the Libra and was using it with the Omni pod for a while. Okay. Yeah, yeah. And I love the Omni pod. It was awesome. And I have that for. So then I had the Omni pod for the next six years. And I am so last winter. I thought I would like to I just kind of wanted to switch things up. Okay, I wanted a new poem. And I just finished my senior year of high school. I'm going up to college this fall. And I knew that I wanted a new pump. And I wanted time to learn how to use it and get completely adjusted to it before I go to school. Right. And so about six months ago, seven months ago, I got the Tucson.

Scott Benner 23:54
Now you've changed for a reason, or would you call this just sort of a? I don't want to I'm not I don't want to be reductive about your age. But is it just sort of a youthful? Like, let's try something different now? Or was it like I have a real reason I want to change?

Meredith 24:08
I think I think I was just kind of I was at a point with my diabetes, where I was just getting I was just getting tired of just tired of doing the daily things with it. And I guess I thought maybe I thought a new pump would kind of

Scott Benner 24:33
just refresh the situation.

Meredith 24:35
Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Unknown Speaker 24:37
Did it work? Are you refreshed?

Meredith 24:39
I am very refreshed. I love it.

Unknown Speaker 24:41
I really like it for you. That's excellent.

Meredith 24:44
Yeah, so since I got the T slim I've also been using the the Dexcom g six.

Scott Benner 24:49
Nice. Are you using control iQ?

Unknown Speaker 24:52
Uh huh. Yep. Nice.

Scott Benner 24:53
So it is that's the full algorithm, right? Like it's shutting off basil. If you're getting low and things like that. Yeah. How's it going for you?

Meredith 25:02
It's going pretty, it's going pretty well. I think it's really cool.

Scott Benner 25:07
Where's the keeping your agency?

Meredith 25:10
So before? I've been listening to the podcast for maybe nine months, um, maybe maybe six months ago, maybe not. But um, before the podcast, my blood sugar or my agencies were consistently in the eights consistently, low mid eights, okay. 8.5 or something. And since I've been listening to the podcast, my blood I mean, my agency's been between 5.9 and 6.0. Wow,

Unknown Speaker 25:47
congratulate Yes. Yes, amazing. Can I take credit for that?

Unknown Speaker 25:52
You sure can.

Scott Benner 25:53
I did it. Meet the guy who can't drink iced tea figured out how to make Meredith more healthy through the internet. Excellent. Good for me. There's something I'm good at again. Because really, this has been a low first 20 minutes for me not being able to breathe and drink at the same time. Well, no, I'm really glad. Can you tell me what about the podcast helped you?

Meredith 26:15
Um, so it was a funny story that my endocrinologist actually recommended the podcast to me as it should be good. And I don't she and I, I don't love her.

Unknown Speaker 26:30
Go ahead. Why, why

Meredith 26:33
I just, I just feel like it's, it's, I feel like it's, it's a main problem. But I would prefer my endocrinologist to have type one or know somebody who has like a close family member or a relative that has type one. I just feel like, I want somebody who can relate to me.

Scott Benner 26:56
Okay, so it's not that she smells weird, or says offensive things or just abandoned her job. It's just that you really would like you would you think it would be better if you sat in a room with a person who wasn't philosophizing about it, but understood it.

Meredith 27:11
I also feel like at times she can be very condescending.

Scott Benner 27:14
Oh, it isn't about her a little bit. Gotcha. All right. Yeah.

Meredith 27:17
That's why I'm super excited to go to school and find an adult endocrinologist because I've been sucking pediatrics forever.

Scott Benner 27:28
Interesting. So was the if we can go down this road for a second. The condescending Oh my god, hold on some iced tea came back. The condescending nature of her tone? Is it tone? Or is it real word? Is it words? Is it like this?

Meredith 27:46
It's not words, just tone facial expressions to Mm hmm. Okay, so

Scott Benner 27:53
has that been going on the entire time since you were younger? Or is it more recently?

Meredith 27:59
Um, several, several years? A few years. Gotcha. Gotcha. Okay.

Scott Benner 28:03
So you and her not going to be besties. If this if things get sideways here with this Corona, we have to hand it to the hills. You're not going with her. I understand that now. But so she turns to you. D, she tells you about the podcast out of like, what's your sense? Was it just like, this girl's a one season the eighth? It's never moving? I might as well tell her about this. Like, was this like a last ditch effort thing?

Meredith 28:26
I think that's exactly what she told me. I think she she told me like, Hey, have you considered or you should listen to this podcast? And me not loving her. I just said yeah, okay, whatever, didn't listen to it at all. And then our next meeting, she mentioned it again. And she said, I really think you should listen to it. And I'm like, Okay, fine. Whatever. So I did. And I thought, Wow, this is amazing. I'm glad.

Scott Benner 28:57
And let me say this. You might not like her. I think she's terrific.

Unknown Speaker 29:03
She recommended the podcast.

Scott Benner 29:04
I mean, I only have one thing to judge her on. But I mean, for what I have so far, she really is the best. And she's never been condescending. I wonder. I wonder if she hears this because she's going to hear it. And I wonder, I wonder if she thinks Hmm, I don't think I'm condescending at all order. She thinks. Yeah, I am like that. That's so interesting. And by the way, if she's hearing this and you want to be on the podcast and tell me please reach out I would love to have you on.

Meredith 29:29
I think I think she knows that. I don't love going to see her. Interesting. Yeah,

Scott Benner 29:35
no, it's super interesting. I wonder and listen on a serious note, like personalities and vibes that people give off. You know, it doesn't make her a bad person or you want like, you know, you could probably put her in a room with somebody different and they probably just think she's terrific. And you know, vice versa. You might get into a room with another doctor one day or nurse practitioner, whatever and just be like this is more comfortable for me like who knows why people like each other. Don't you know?

Meredith 29:59
Yeah. I completely respect her and everything that she does for me. She's I think she's a great doctor is just that she and I don't get along that great. Yeah,

Scott Benner 30:10
that kidding? You're not going to arrive together anytime soon I see what's going on, although at a rave, you might get along really well, who knows? I'm not saying anything about how you kids handle yourselves when you're out. But a lot of that stuff makes you happier. So although we don't go out anywhere anymore, so it doesn't really matter. does it know? How, um, has anything about what you and I are going to talk about today changed, because when I got your note, it was really just before COVID-19. And you were like, I have to tell you something. And I like I don't want to ruin it here in the email. And like, and I'm going to school to be a nurse. Right? Is that right? Is that your goal?

Meredith 30:51
Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm going into nursing school.

Scott Benner 30:53
Okay. So what does that mean? As an incoming freshman, are you just sitting at home taking classes online right now?

Meredith 30:59
So I'm actually going, I'm going to school. I'm going to school in Pennsylvania.

Unknown Speaker 31:05
Okay.

Meredith 31:07
They're still having all freshmen come to school if they want to. A lot of kids are choosing to stay home, right? And about half my classes are in person, half are online. So hey, Oh, am I also good?

Scott Benner 31:23
No, I was gonna say my son goes to college in Pennsylvania, and I'll bleep this out for you. But where are you going? Cuz his school is not coming back.

Unknown Speaker 31:30
I'm going to

Scott Benner 31:33
Okay, all right. Interesting. Like I said, I'll bleep that out for you. But I be at his school. They were like, We're going it's coming. You're gonna come back. It was all like exciting. And they were gonna quarantine them for like two weeks in their dorm. I said, No, it's not gonna work. And then, and then they were gonna take two classes virtually from their dorm and two classes in person. And I was like, that seems silly, but okay. And then pretty

Unknown Speaker 31:59
much what we're doing.

Scott Benner 32:00
Yeah. And then all of a sudden, right before that it was time to commit to coming back. They said, Forget it. Just Everybody stay home.

Unknown Speaker 32:08
Well, she had a smaller, lighter school. It's a smaller school.

Scott Benner 32:11
There's probably 25 or 2600 students on campus. Oh, wow. Total? Yeah. So they just, I think they felt like they had restrictions in place for safety. And they couldn't figure out how to implement them all, I think, partly, you know, in a cost effective way. And partly Yeah, just in like they did like they did like an online meeting. And they were describing having to like, tent urinals. And I was like, wait, what are we doing now? I was like, maybe not like, stop if that's the Yeah, I think they were going to the level of, I don't know, just right out to the end. And I guess they decided they just couldn't do it. So I don't know. He's really disappointed. And so he stayed home. He's gonna basically go to colleges bedroom. Yeah. They're, they're not putting the price down, by the way still cost the same. So of course, yay. For us. Price. Yeah. Anyway, they said it's gonna be much better than in the spring when Corona hit. And I was like, yeah, better be.

Unknown Speaker 33:18
Yeah, better. Me. Yeah,

Scott Benner 33:20
no kidding. Are you so what's it like thinking about? Well, I guess no, no, let me go back for a second, before I ask you that. You find the podcast, eight and a half, to where you're at now is a huge difference. How's that impacted your, like, how you feel your health in general?

Meredith 33:39
Um, physically, I, physically I feel not no difference really. Before my before my agency was where it is. Now, when I was back in the 80s. I would feel I would feel low, around 9080. And I thought, Gosh, I don't want to feel I don't I hate feeling low. So. So I would keep my blood sugar above 90 and 80. Right. Um, but then I told my endocrinologist and she said, That's because it's just been high for so long.

Scott Benner 34:18
She said, just Meredith you know why this is?

Unknown Speaker 34:22
Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Benner 34:24
Because you don't listen to me.

Unknown Speaker 34:27
Basically.

Scott Benner 34:31
I'm just teasing her but I'm imagining her listening being like cut me a break here. Meanwhile, no one knows who you are. Chill out. Don't worry about it, take it as constructive criticism or just that. You know, you and Meredith don't vibe for some reason. But but so that's the only difference really like so you don't feel like more energetic or have you made your body was really accustomed to being higher, I guess.

Meredith 34:56
I think it was. I mean, even Though it was getting my agency down was, it was a pretty, pretty quick turnaround, I'd say. Um, I mean, I just didn't, I didn't really notice anything. any significant differences. I do feel mentally I feel. I feel very happy and proud that I was able to do this myself. Yeah, you should keep it here.

Scott Benner 35:25
Well, that's a great accomplishment, especially at your age, and especially because it sounds like you did it. Like through a podcast, which is, you know, feels like it's alone. You don't know alone, you know, it's like, you hear me say something, you still have to go figure out how to put it into practice, if that's what you want to do. Although it's not like it's advice or anything like that. It's just me talking about how we do things here, but you understand? clarity. I hear pride, like mentally like you feel prideful. Do you have any more? Like, is it easier to do homework? Or like, like, I don't know, like, I'm, I'm kind of mesmerized that you don't feel any differently?

Meredith 36:03
Yeah, you know, I just, I honestly, I, I don't, I don't really notice anything I am putting in a lot more. I'm still putting in a lot of effort. And it is, it takes it takes time out of my day. But completely worth it. 100%

Scott Benner 36:29
How long until you didn't feel low at 80 and 90, after you started making the changes.

Meredith 36:34
I say maybe a week or so we're gonna have How bad

Scott Benner 36:40
was it like that, like now correlated to now like that, that feeling comes at what number now?

Meredith 36:46
Now that feeling comes? Maybe once I get down once I go below 70? I'll start to feel sorry, to feel a little low. And that's like shakiness. Right?

Scott Benner 37:04
Yeah, you would have felt like that prior like, 90. Right? That's interesting. Okay, so what are the changes you made? I mean, this is just Pre-Bolus thing. And

Meredith 37:15
what is this? Yeah, well, so it's, it's funny when I was at, at the endocrinologist for years, I had no idea about the concept of Pre-Bolus. Seeing, I just just, I just didn't, didn't know that was a thing until a diabetes educator at the practice that I go to who I love. She's awesome. She told me, the doctor. She said, she suggested Pre-Bolus thing and said, Hey, you should try doing that. She suggested 15 minutes. And this was a couple years ago. Okay. Um, and I thought, okay, I'll try doing 1520 minutes before I eat. So I do that. And it was, it was better. But still not fantastic. Looking back. And then listening to people on the podcast, some people would say, a half hour up to 40 minutes people saying, and so now I always try and Pre-Bolus 3035 minutes. And that's, that's the perfect timing for me. I just just had to practice and try

Scott Benner 38:24
it really can be different for different people. Yes. You know, and, and, and to be clearer to about different for different people. It's also different for different situations, like if you're a person who runs like a heavier basil rate, just as the idea of like, Look, I'm eating all day long. So I keep my basil heavier. And, you know, if you're, if you're that person running a heavy base, all right, and then suddenly don't eat as much one day, you'll see that you're low. And you can't stop it, right? Like it just keep getting low. So if you're a heavier Basal rate person, it's possible that your Pre-Bolus is won't need as much time if you're a person who's running real strictly in the 80s and 90s. It's possible that you might think, Oh, well, that must mean I would need less Pre-Bolus time, it might not necessarily be true. Like you might have just figured out a way with a very minimal amount of basal insulin to keep your blood sugar nice and stable. And maybe you're I don't know, maybe you don't eat as carb heavy meals. So you know, there's just there's so many different perspectives and realities in there and things that could possibly happen that you do just have to figure it out for yourself. And it's really cool that you did that. What is your parents? What are your parents, your parents still together and all that?

Unknown Speaker 39:37
Yeah, yeah. What

Scott Benner 39:38
do they think of all this? And are you being kidnapped right now? I mean, I can't pitch about making noise as I've coughed into the microphone for half an hour. But are you okay?

Meredith 39:49
Yes, my mom's upstairs. She's working from home now. Right. Um, she so my mom has always been very involved. She It's funny, she, she wants to be involved. She cares so much about me and my diabetes. But at the same time, I'm, I'm an only child. So I've always felt like I've had I've always felt very independent, kind of, had this mentality of I can do this, I can do this myself. And so like my mom tries to help. But it's not always the right thing like, like, I'll tell her. If she's making dinner, I'll say, Hey, can you let me know? When there's dinners? Like when there's about a half hour until we're going to eat so I can Pre-Bolus? And she says, Sure, whatever. And then she just forgets. And then I asked her, like, Hey, what do you think dinner's gonna be ready? She's like, Oh, 1015 minutes. I'm like, Okay, thank you.

Scott Benner 41:04
Too late. Do you talk to her in the tone? When I say?

Meredith 41:08
No, I just let it go. Okay. Um, um, and then my dad, on the other hand, he, he. He's never been super involved. Just Just because my mom and I are a lot closer than my dad and I. But I'm, like, I don't think my dad would know how to change a pump at all. Okay, my mom, probably, it would take her a little while, but she she'd be able to do it. Um,

Scott Benner 41:41
well, you know, let me just say for a second, I think this is interesting, because you're describing them as being very interested in wanting to help and everything. And I think there's a difference between wanting to and knowing how to yet and feeling the importance of like, the timing thing is a good example around meals. And you know, if you've lived these first six or seven years, not really thinking about this. And like you said, you didn't, you know, you're a one seevis hire, but other than that, it doesn't seem like your, your life was impacted in ways that made it obvious to you that you should be, you know, doing something differently than your mom, probably just this. I mean, I if I got your mom on here, right before you found the podcast and said, hey, how does mirdif through with their blood sugars and their diabetes? I think she'd say she does great. Everything's fine,

Meredith 42:28
don't ya? Right? She would, she would? Not so much anymore. But when I was at school, she would text me or text me when I got home from school and say, Hey, I was how are your blood sugar's today? And they'd be like, between 150 and 220. And I'd say they're fine. She say, Okay, well, that's it. This is fine. So we go.

Scott Benner 42:54
But it's funny, because when you when when I hear it from, from a different perspective, like to me that sounds like, like she's okay with numbers that are that are higher than you know, she would want them to be but did she even know that? They shouldn't be that high?

Meredith 43:10
No. Yeah, gotcha. We just yeah. Huh. She would also just just take my word, just trust me that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Trying

Scott Benner 43:24
Yeah, you wouldn't like living here, man, if I wouldn't trust you at all. I mean, like, I would trust you in like, the big sense of it. Like, I love you know, if you were my kid, I'd be like, Oh, I love Meredith and I trust her. But on the one though, on the micro, I just be like, Nah, that's a kid right there. That thing's stupid, don't know anything, and it's probably lying. That's what I would think. So I was lying to my parents constantly when I was your age, about everything. Like things that just, there's a story I'm thinking of right now. mirdif I can't tell you but just trust me. I think when that naked girl ran out of my bedroom, my mom was really, really surprised. That is what I'm gonna say. Okay. And so, point is kids, you know, don't see things as as important as they may be, or don't want the interaction like right the the friction with their parents. And maybe two if you have this feeling, and you'll tell me that your mom's happy with how it's going. You don't want to be the one to tell her it's not going well either. Right?

Unknown Speaker 44:22
Yeah,

Scott Benner 44:22
yeah, it sucks. You know, how bad does it suck being in that situation?

Unknown Speaker 44:29
It's,

Meredith 44:31
I mean, I know that she because I know that she cares. And she, she manages all of my medication and supplies, and I'll tell her like, Hey, I'm running low on the cartridge or we need to get more vials of insulin and she'll order them for me in which I really, really appreciate Yeah, but at the same time, I'm I'm looking forward to leaving home and going to school, just so I can do it all myself for you.

Scott Benner 45:07
That's excellent. Well, I think too, it's a good example if I diagnose your mom's situation a little bit to have, like, she's managing and controlling the things that she can control. Yeah. And that makes her feel good. It should, you know, she's, she's involved, and she's helping, I'm sure there are plenty kids whose parents are just like, I don't know, get this stuff. Ask the doctor, you know, lead me out of this. You'd be surprised as you get older, Meredith and you meet more and more people that are there are many, many different levels of parental interest that adults take on some, some people really just are like, Alright, look, you're alive. And I fed you. So you know, yeah, leave me alone, all the way up to people who are just up your butt constantly. And that's not good. Either. There's a middle in there somewhere. It sounds like your mom does a really good job with the things that she understands. And there was stuff that she didn't understand that you didn't understand either that I saved you with with the podcast, I

Unknown Speaker 46:00
see exactly what

Scott Benner 46:02
I'm getting. And by the way, I love having younger people on because you're so freaking honest. While you're talking about this, I can sometimes hear adults think like, they can hear their voice. They're like, I don't want to say that about my husband. I'm like, I wish they would. But I'm not trying to get anybody divorced or anything. But you're, you know, you're just This is great. Your generation is terrific. You're aware that what you said about your doctor is not great. And you don't care, right?

Meredith 46:29
Yeah, look, he listens to it.

Scott Benner 46:31
I know. I love that about you guys. This is the best generation ever. You guys are gonna be probably either the ruination of the world or the saving of it. I can't I don't mean to try to stay alive long enough to find out. One way or the other. I think it's really cool. How you're thinking about this. So Ooh, little light flicker here? Are you're in the path of the storm as well, aren't you?

Meredith 46:54
Oh, yes, it has been pouring here.

Scott Benner 46:56
Yeah, I can't believe my light. If I go away, the power went out just so you know. Oh, I just like save the recording. I was like, ooh, let me double check that this is saved. Yeah, I don't know. That's really cool. I think that attitude is gonna help you with this. Now, keep in mind, too, that attitude that I just sort of described about, you know, younger people in this time, this, you could make a different decision and ignore your diabetes, and that attitude would hurt you. But but it's helping you because you've decided to do something better. I'm interested in what moves you in that direction. Where you like, if you didn't, if you didn't feel poorly? Why are you Why did you want to do better?

Unknown Speaker 47:40
So

Meredith 47:43
I think, I think so. Okay. I have been with I've been dating this boy for about a year and a half. Um, and he has the past six months, he has become incredibly involved with my diabetes. And I was talking with my dad last night, and I said that he I think he knows how to manage it better than my mom does now at this point. Um, and how did

Scott Benner 48:27
he learn that from you? Or did he listen to the podcast?

Meredith 48:30
No, he, he knows I listened to the podcast after I listened to an episode. I'll describe it very vividly to him. Right. We're saying

Scott Benner 48:42
this is a good podcast, by the way. But but I get your point, like you're recounting it really, when you stop and think about it. You're an 18 year old talking to your boyfriend about what a 49 year old guy saying about type one diabetes in a podcast. He's probably like, Oh my god, this is boring. What are we doing? But it sounds like no, it sounds like he's he's interested, huh?

Meredith 49:03
He is interested in murder. Yeah, he we're going to different schools. But we are everything's, everything's great. And I think I think I, at some point, I realized that if, if I want to, if when I'm older if I want to have family and travel and and do things and be healthy. With him, I need to get on top of this. I need to get on top of my diabetes now.

Scott Benner 49:48
So this boy, this boy made you realize that there's a future and inside of that future, you may really want to be actively involved in making it better for everybody, not just yourself. Like, whatever your unit Feels like if it ends up being him, and you or another guy and you or you and kids or whatever, but you just want to do your best, right? Yeah. Wow. Jeez, he must be really cute.

Unknown Speaker 50:13
He's the best.

Scott Benner 50:14
Yeah, that's excellent. Where'd you meet him? Like, you know? Not exactly.

Unknown Speaker 50:18
We met at school. Gotcha. Yeah.

Scott Benner 50:20
How far away? Is he gonna be when he's in college versus you?

Meredith 50:24
So our schools are gonna be about eight and a half hours apart.

Scott Benner 50:28
That's pretty far. That's pretty cool. Yeah. Is that by plane or car?

Meredith 50:33
That is by color? Oh,

Scott Benner 50:36
do you already have some wacky idea of how you're gonna meet up on like, weekends or something like that?

Meredith 50:41
No, I mean, this semester, I don't think we'll even be able to leave campus.

Scott Benner 50:46
Yeah, I don't think so either.

Unknown Speaker 50:47
Yeah, well, the

Scott Benner 50:48
video thing you got. So you know, let's walk down a strange road for a second. Because you are in a different generation. Like, you're comfortable seeing people through a screen, right? Yeah, like, that seems like a relationship. Like you understand to like, somebody my age that doesn't feel like a relationship. Right? Yeah. Right. So you feel like you can keep it alive that way until you see each other in person?

Meredith 51:12
Oh, I have absolutely no doubt that everything's gonna be fine.

Scott Benner 51:16
That's really lovely. Good for you. Huh? There's other questions I have. I'm thinking around them right now. Give me a second. Let's let's go to this for a second. So you're gonna go are you going to be a nursing student?

Meredith 51:32
Yeah, I'm going directly into the School of Nursing.

Scott Benner 51:36
When did you make that decision?

Meredith 51:39
So another story. Um, when I was, I was 1313. Through 14, I had, I had an eating disorder. Okay. And I was diagnosed, I had lost a lot of weight. And so ultimately, I went into a hospital to gain the weight back and just kind of go through rehab and get myself back on the right track. So I was I was in this hospital for seven weeks. And with about, there were about nine other patients there with me. We're on the, on the eating disorder for and I'm obviously surrounded by the same like the same six nurses were there throughout the every day. Okay. And they were like the other, the few other people who were there and the other nurses were the only people that I talked to for those seven weeks. And towards the end of it, and once I got out, I realized, wow, I could not have done this I could not have recovered without the nurses. I really don't think I could have gotcha. And so that's when I thought I I would really, really love to just give back on all of the good that I have received from them.

Scott Benner 53:29
You just try to try to do it for other people what they did for you. Exactly a two things. One is silly, but say okay, to my Instagram requests before my before I fill up, I only have two slots open. I'm allowed to all the ones I've requested, whoever the first two, that request, I'm going to hit my limit again, that I have to wait for more people to get kicked off of Instagram to follow more people. Okay, by the way, a lot of people get kicked off Instagram. I don't understand why exactly. But Mmm hmm. So what precipitates your eating disorder? Were you limiting food so you wouldn't have to take insulin? Or was it something else?

Meredith 54:08
I was, um,

Scott Benner 54:12
are you limiting his weight? What were you doing?

Meredith 54:15
I was I think it was. I don't know what precipitated the eating disorder. I think I honestly think diabetes played a role in it. Just because it's so diabetes is so food centered. Yeah. And food. It certainly doesn't have to be but unfortunately it can be food, regulating and restricting. Like people saying people who don't understand it would say, understand diabetes would say, Oh, you you should not be eating that right or you. You can't have you can't eat this or you should

Scott Benner 54:57
and that kind of get your head a little bit. Yeah, I

Meredith 55:00
think so. Especially at a young age. I was 13. Um, yeah. So unfortunately, it just kind of blew out of proportion. And then at that point I was not, I was not really eating for a while. And so I would, I would take less insulin that I that I needed to, to avoid going low. Because I didn't want to have to eat if I was low.

Scott Benner 55:32
Yeah, not here. So it just steamrolls to you. And then before you know it, it's just a way of life. And you're just doing right. By the way, that boy is very cute. I would fall in love with him. You are in love with him too, aren't you? I can see it in the picture.

Unknown Speaker 55:49
Hey, I am Yeah,

Scott Benner 55:51
he is too. You can tell. Good for you. That's lovely. All right. So you got it all set up you you've is there maintenance for the eating disorder? Like, like, these are things you have to do to avoid slipping back into it or things you look forward to kind of let you know, oh, I'm thinking like this again? Or what? What's it like after you? Yeah.

Meredith 56:15
You know, that was that was for It's been four years now. And I do notice thoughts, unhealthy thoughts pop into my head on occasion. And I just know that I have to whenever that happens, I just kind of pause and I think okay, this is this is a distorted thinking right now. And I just have to step away and just realize, I cannot go back to this. Can

Scott Benner 56:52
you give me an example of a thought that you recognize as not being valuable for you?

Unknown Speaker 56:58
I'm

Meredith 57:00
like, Huh, like, say one night I buy pizza this tonight and I had I ate a lot of pizza. And Saturday morning or the next the next morning. I wake up and I think I ate so much pizza last night. I shouldn't eat today or special need this morning when I think well, that helps. me eating pizza last night has absolutely no. no connection to today. New Day. I need food, obviously. Yeah,

Scott Benner 57:34
I gotcha. Okay. Did you do that by yourself? Or is that something your family gets involved in when it's happening?

Meredith 57:41
Oh, that's myself.

Scott Benner 57:43
Yeah. We'll see. You end up at a center. Were you there for long?

Meredith 57:48
Yeah. So I was I was at the I was in the the hospital. I was in the hospital when I was 1314. For I was in there for seven weeks. It was some people some people were there 24 hours a day. But I would I slept at home. So my parents would drive me there on their way to work. We'd I'd get there at seven in the morning. Stay there and then leave at eight in the evening. So I eat all eat all my meals there with everybody counseling

Scott Benner 58:21
and group work and stuff like Yeah,

Meredith 58:23
yep. And we did. We did group therapies and counseling there as well.

Scott Benner 58:30
Gotcha. Well, congratulations. That sounds like a pretty big hill to climb at a young age. So yeah, good for you. Are you doing all right, aren't you things are going okay. You're gonna you? You think you're gonna be alright with all the sciences and everything?

Meredith 58:46
Oh, yes. You're good. Yeah, I am slowly. I'm leaving this this semester is I have to take chemistry. I have a lab and lecture. I have a four hour chemistry lab. Monday mornings.

Unknown Speaker 59:03
Which seems that? No.

Meredith 59:07
Yeah, not too. I'm not too psyched about that. It will be okay.

Scott Benner 59:10
Good for you. All right. I think you could do it. I mean, I think you could obviously do it. It's just it's, it's well, you don't I mean, it's it's the desire and it sounds like you have all that. What do I want to know? I'll do it. So wait, did you tell me the thing that in the email you said you weren't gonna tell me in the email or if we not gotten to that yet?

Meredith 59:29
Um, I just kind of forget. Yeah, I kind of forget exactly this a long time ago.

Scott Benner 59:36
Let's see if I can figure it out. Hold on.

Unknown Speaker 59:39
Oh, but I feel pretty good about everything we've talked about.

Scott Benner 59:43
Good. Good. Um, give me one second. I I have a new advertiser coming on and they just sent the contract over. That was nice, fun, said Little good news in the morning, hold on a second. The adult stuff about the podcast is my least favorite stuff about having The podcast, it's just I don't know. You said, I'm an 18 year old student entering nursing school next year, and type one diabetic. I've been listening to a podcast for a while now initially resisting it when my endocrinologist recommended, I'd love to speak with you, blah, blah, blah, about how my closest friends my family are helping. I'm trying to keep this concise. I don't want to spill the beans via email. So we got to everything. It's not like there's not like you're not gonna hang up, like in a few minutes and be like, Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't tell him that I was abducted by aliens. And they're the ones that helped me with the diabetes, like nothing like that. Right? Yeah. Excellent. So we're doing Okay, then. Excellent. Very nice. I want to know about you said you were hiding. In the past, you were trying to stay really private about your diabetes? And was that from close friends to?

Meredith 1:00:57
Um, I told when I was first diagnosed, I told my, a few of my closest friends. Um, but that was it. And then when I got back to school in sixth grade, it was, it was weird, because everybody. Nobody had seen me for a weaker or two. And so they were kind of wondering what everybody was wondering what had happened. But I wasn't comfortable at that point, saying that I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, just because I was I was afraid of what people would think.

Scott Benner 1:01:34
Yeah. How about the eating disorder thing? Was that something? Can I mean, it's not it's a long time that you can't hide that from people. Right? The idea that you're gone that long?

Meredith 1:01:44
Yeah. So I, because I was in the hospital for seven weeks. It was it was through it was August through bleeding into the beginning of the school year. So I entered. Oh, and it was freshman year of high school. So I entered High School, about a month and a half late. And so obviously, kids asked me, What the heck was going on. And so at that point, I just, I don't even remember what I said. But I did not tell people that I was in the hospital for an eating disorder, that's for sure.

Scott Benner 1:02:20
You should have told them that your egg donor was a princess and you were in Europe meeting her? That's what I would have said.

Unknown Speaker 1:02:26
Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:02:27
I found out that the lady that donated the egg to me, did people know that about you? By the way?

Meredith 1:02:33
No, just my parents, my boyfriend, my best friend. And then I've asked, my mom and I have talked about it a few times. And I don't think she has told. I don't even know if my mom's sister knows.

Scott Benner 1:02:53
Wow. Yeah. You really shouldn't be on this podcast. I don't think. Yeah, someone's gonna find out. But it's it's really interesting. It's funny because I'm adopted. Right? So I grew up, but and the people in my home, we're not, you know, you're technically related to me. And even today, as my father has been passed for quite some time now in my mom's in her mid 70s. I don't think of them as like adopted parents. They just feel like my parents to me. But I have always wondered if I feel different to them than my brothers do to them? And I don't I don't think that I don't think but I mean, I wonder, you know, and my mom is not the kind of person who I'd think I'd get a straight answer out of, I think she'd be like, No, of course not. I love all the same. And while I don't doubt that, and I don't know that I even care, to be perfectly honest. I just as an adult, like, I wonder, you know, like, it's a very interesting thing that you know, your mom carried you obviously, and she's taking care of you and everything. Like how much does that matter or not matter to people? I bet you It varies from person to person to how much they are impacted by it.

Meredith 1:04:11
And it's it's funny, so my mom and I share no genetic information, but it's funny. How many people tell us that we look so much alike.

Scott Benner 1:04:23
It's funny. It's so amazing. Oh, people will tell me all the time how much I look like my dad. No way. Like look at you guys look exactly the same. Like Yep, exactly the same. You figured it out? Yeah. The spitting image of each other. Now it's just, you know, you do take on? I don't know. There's although I have to say like, there's personality, things about like my fat like my mom and dad that I watched come out of my brothers. It didn't have never come from me. And now do you have more mannerisms? like your dad and your mom or do you not notice?

Meredith 1:04:58
Oh, I think I honestly think I'm more like my mom just because she and I are so close.

Scott Benner 1:05:04
Yeah. I understand. Do you think she tried extra hard?

Unknown Speaker 1:05:10
Um, no, no,

Scott Benner 1:05:12
my dad's mom did my grandmother. I always noticed she was trying to make sure I didn't feel different.

Meredith 1:05:19
Oh, wow. And then did that did that make you feel different than I think

Scott Benner 1:05:23
it made everyone else? Like, why is Graham so much nicer to Scott than she is to everybody else? And not nicer. But she was just she was so focused on me not feeling like an outsider, which was beautiful, by the way in which a lovely thing to do. Yeah. And I liked it. But I don't I don't know that my cousin's didn't feel a little like, Oh, that's interesting. Like, we found him somewhere, and she's nicer to him than us. Like, I don't know if that ever happened. And by found I mean, it was in hospital, but still technically found. And so I just wonder, like, I don't care enough to ask anybody, but it's interesting. I've watched it happen. Over the years. It sounds like you guys have really great relationships. That's who you know, you did say you didn't feel as close with your dad, as you do with your mom. Is that is that an indication that you're not close with your dad? Or that you're just super close with your mom?

Meredith 1:06:14
No, my dad and I are still. We still have a great relationship. Um, but my mom, I think, I think it's just because I'm my mom's only child. Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:06:29
Your dad just sort of a classic boy is he just sort of like, goes to work? Does boys stop

Unknown Speaker 1:06:34
Dad? Yeah, he's

Scott Benner 1:06:36
that guy with the makes the money and brings it home, drops in the middle of the table cries a little bit and goes to bed, that kind of thing. And then I hear you, I. It's interesting. All right. So all right. So is there anything we haven't talked about that you want to talk about?

Unknown Speaker 1:06:53
I think we have covered a lot.

Scott Benner 1:06:55
I do too. I think it's possible. You're gonna call me like three weeks and be like, please don't ever let anyone hear this. But

Meredith 1:07:02
no, I knew I wanted to be I wanted to be 100% honest and super clear.

Scott Benner 1:07:07
I think you took care of that you really did. I am going to say goodbye and thank you very much for doing this. I don't usually find myself doing this. But first, I'd like to thank Meredith endocrinologist wherever she is for suggesting the Juicebox Podcast and I hope that this was valuable for you. I really didn't know this was gonna go this way. I'd like to thank also the Omni pod tubeless insulin pump get your free no obligation demo of the Omni pod at my Omni pod.com forward slash juice box. The Dexcom g six continuous glucose monitor you should learn more and you can@dexcom.com forward slash juicebox Don't forget that commercial coming up on the big game. And of course, I'll be supporting touched by type one.org on February 26. But you can support them every day at touchedbytype1.org

#435 Josh has all the Feels

An emotional type 1 story

Josh and his daughter have type 1 diabetes, he shares their story and his emotions.

+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Episode 435 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's show is with a type one named Josh. Josh has married has two children. One of them has type one diabetes, and he's concerned that another diagnosis may be on its way. This show is sponsored today by the glucagon that my daughter carries. g evoke hypo Penn Find out more at G Vogue glucagon.com forward slash juice box. This episode is also sponsored by the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. Arden's been carrying the Contour Next One for a couple of years now. And it is the most accurate, easiest to carry and easiest to use blood glucose meter that she has ever had. Find out more at Contour Next one.com forward slash juice box.

I think this episode is exceptionally emotional. Josh is going to be incredibly honest about a number of things going on in his life. And that's going to lead to a very real conversation. As a matter of fact, he's reached out since we've recorded just last week, and sent me an update which I'll put at the end, so it doesn't mess up the timeline of the story. Please remember while you're listening, that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. or becoming bold with insulin. With this tiny little bit of time that I have left before the music runs out, I'd like to remind you to find the podcast on Instagram. It's at Juicebox Podcast on Facebook at bold with insulin, and the private Facebook group, which now has nearly 9000 members we're talking about all kinds of stuff with Type One Diabetes, that one's Juicebox Podcast, type one diabetes, check it out.

Josh 2:19
My name is Josh Toby and I am a type one diabetic. I live here in Texas. I have some signal loss in my Dexcom we actually just changed the Dexcom for my daughter who is also a type one diabetic. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 2:36
How old is she?

Josh 2:37
She is six years old.

Scott Benner 2:40
Okay, how old were you when you were diagnosed?

Josh 2:43
Six years old.

Scott Benner 2:44
When she just diagnosed this year,

Josh 2:46
she was diagnosed one week shy of her six year birthday. She was diagnosed when she was five. Okay, middle of November.

Scott Benner 2:53
I feel like for the purposes of good story, we should just say she was six.

Josh 2:57
Okay. Yeah. So she you know, it's it's just strange that she had a lot of the same symptoms when she was diagnosed that, that at least the stories that I heard about myself, were that were both, you know, six years old. And but she took it, you know, a lot better than I did when I was six, back in 1991.

Scott Benner 3:24
Is that your recollection of how you took it? Or is that from the stories people tell you about how you took it?

Josh 3:30
I think it's more my recollection. I don't know if I know. I don't think my mom has really told me many stories about how I how I took it rather than just how things were okay. You know, and just maybe a little bit memory of you know, this this first year or two of adjusting to, to everything.

Scott Benner 3:53
Yeah, well, so, I mean, you're 32 six. So while ago What are we talking about the 90s 9191 Okay. So what was your recollection of it? Since you have some I'm always fascinated when people remember anything from their early life. So

Josh 4:10
you know, I remember going to the hospital and getting the blood sugar. I don't remember stain and, and I I wish I had asked my mom if we did stay overnight, but I don't. I don't remember any of that. I just remember really high blood sugar. It was actually on Mother's Day weekend. My mom did tell me that we I had a baseball game that morning. And Previous to that baseball game she had talked to like our pediatrician and and with the symptoms. And she was like, yeah, I'm pretty sure it's diabetes, so take him in. But she didn't want to interrupt my baseball game. So we went up after the baseball game, and after lunch after the baseball game. My mom's a nurse by the way. So she of course recognized a lot of the symptoms that were happening, but at the same time Just like, you know, they say you only get a paragraph and a half about Type One Diabetes when you're in nursing school so she had a lot to learn of. I think it's a interesting, my main symptom was the was just pain everywhere, just constantly paying and, and drinking so much milk before bed that that morning at the baseball game, apparently I had to go so bad. I was in the outfield. And so I just walked back into the trees peed came back, you

Scott Benner 5:33
know what I was just gonna say, and this is I'm gonna I'll let out a little bit of truth here right now I was on a baseball field last night watching my son play and peeing in the trees at a baseball field is about as American as apple pie pickup trucks than anything else that you can possibly think of. It is. It is, it just is how it's done.

Josh 5:56
When you're, and when you're six years old, you get put in the outfield, maybe because you're not the fastest or something like that. And maybe I don't want to insult anybody that's in the outfield at age six. But that's why I was out there. Okay. And, and we, I just felt like, also at age six, not a lot of balls went out to the outfield. So I had a lot of time on my hands right

Scott Benner 6:20
out there thinking about life and bug and the flowers. I saw a boy one time get entranced by a moth in a night game, you know, like sometimes they let the little kids play at night under the lights once or twice to give them the feeling of it and he just wandered after it like he was so just absolutely enchanted by it. And he couldn't and everybody just let him be it like you said that age. Nobody's hit the ball out there anyway. But it's it's uh, it's not uncommon. I don't think did you keep up with with baseball as you got older?

Josh 6:56
No, I went from a car. It was soccer before baseball, then it was baseball, then it was basketball. And but I would probably count baseball is one of my more watched sports. You're not much of a sports person. But yeah, baseball is something calming about it.

Scott Benner 7:12
Well, I'll tell you, you know, made me think and I know there's no real way to do this, because it's always gonna be so long ago for people. But I find myself thinking there is an episode in talking to someone's parent. Only about the time from when they realized the kid had diabetes. Until they took them to the hospital and what they fought and tried to accomplish like how much life they tried to get into that space in between those two moments. I imagine your mom just thinking like, let him finish the game. And then I'll take him to lunch, we'll do something normal and then I'll break his heart and drag him to the hospital. Right. You know,

Josh 7:51
yeah, the the embarrassing story about that is that my mom wanted to go to the hospital right after the game, but my dad was very insistent on going out to a steak house and getting a big a big lunch. Which, you know, she of course was worried about me and my blood sugar after a big lunch. So

Scott Benner 8:10
was he just worried about being hungry at the hospital? Maybe?

Josh 8:13
I don't know. I don't know. I didn't ask my dad. always remembers this is me pain on the on the Legos in in our in our game room. So that was the other domain.

Unknown Speaker 8:25
No kidding. Yeah.

Scott Benner 8:27
You feel like you have to aim at something. Right? Like on the floor would be ridiculous. But the Legos on the floor seems reasonable.

Josh 8:36
I of course, I don't remember any of that. That's the sleepwalking out of it. And then just the just getting constant pain. So yeah, it's crazy.

Scott Benner 8:44
So okay, so you're diagnosed? How do you from your recollection to your experience with your daughter? Do you see any similarities or differences?

Unknown Speaker 8:56
Oh, man.

Josh 9:00
The similarities would be, at least in her personal experience. The only similarity I would think would be you know, the nurses still wear scrubs, and they take your blood sugar with a ridiculously sized meter. Other than

Scott Benner 9:18
that, it's all new, right?

Josh 9:19
Pretty much I mean, I mean, I don't know what was in my mom's head. I can, you know, I can imagine. She's a very emotional person and she'll be listening to this but she knows she is. And so I can just I can imagine there because there was so much unknown for me. And there still was, you know, 10 years after I was diagnosed. But when, when. So what happened, my daughter started they would have the normal but not very much. You know, maybe pee in the, in the, in the bed when they were younger. But at five, you know, she had she had a couple years of not doing that. But every time she would, my mind would start racing. So then she started getting up one night and was, you know, wandering around, and I took her to the restroom. Okay, that's one night. And then it happened again the next night. And my, my heart was starting to break. And I said, Okay, after the second night, if this happens a third night, I'm going to test your blood sugar in the morning. And, sure enough, she went, she did the same thing the next night and tested the blood sugar in the morning. And she was 456. And, you know, of course, not everybody has those sorts of abilities to do that. I hadn't, I had, I had 20 meters probably in my house. You know, I could have given her insulin right there. But you know, not not really what you're supposed to do. And, and because of that, you know, we didn't really know what to do. We're like, okay, I don't feel like she needs to go to the ER, she's not. She was complaining a little bit of stomach issues. Like she didn't want to eat stomach issues. But wasn't really, it wasn't really much anything else. And so, we could be called around to the primary and of course, the primaries doing the CIA and saying go to the ER, everybody's saying go to the ER, finally. So finally, after probably a few more blood sugar tests, just to make sure, you know, basically dose here and alcohol swabs and make sure that it is time we did that. So the experience the experience, I was saying about the unknown My my, for my mom, it was all this unknown. And for me, it was a flood of known who knew

Scott Benner 11:59
exactly what was coming. Yeah,

Josh 12:01
I yeah. And and so did my wife. My mom's a nurse, I married a nurse, I always have to keep a nurse nearby. And, and so she knew what was going on, because she'd been married to me too. And but she didn't. Like, you know, no one kind of knew what was in my head because I was reliving my childhood. Yeah. But like you asked, there's what was different? It turns out everything was different, right?

Scott Benner 12:30
Your childhood is gonna be completely different come in many ways, but specifically about diabetes than yours was. And that's it. Did that become comforting at some point? or How long did it take for that comfort to creep in?

Josh 12:45
It became comforting at some point, let's see.

Unknown Speaker 12:50
It probably took

Josh 12:52
maybe two, two weeks, two to four weeks after everybody under the sun telling me about how I did a good job catching it early. How isn't it good that you already know what to do? All this stuff? I'm I'm really thick. So I just it takes time to get through to me?

Scott Benner 13:15
Well, no, I would say Josh in fairness to you. It's not that simple, right? Like it is. It's it's academically that simple. Those things are all true. And they are definitely things you can lean on. And it's but it's emotional, first of all. And secondly, it's not fair. It's not what you hoped for. It's not what you planned for. It's, it's all of those things. And it's hard. You're young guy, right? I mean, if she's six and you're 32 What are you? What are you? 2026? When when the 30 fat? Excuse me? 3434 excuse me, so I was 28 years old. Couldn't get married that long, right? Yeah, no,

Josh 13:51
actually. Let's see. We got married when I was 19. No, 19 I think so. Okay.

Scott Benner 14:02
It was legal. You didn't steal or something like that? No,

Josh 14:04
we've been married for 13 years. I math. I don't know. We don't worry. We've been married for 13 years,

Scott Benner 14:09
you're married. You're building a family. You're dealing with your own health stuff because you have diabetes. You know, you get a house you think I'm gonna make a baby, this is gonna be a thing. Here's what's gonna happen you plan it out in your life at no point when you're planning out in your life. Do you think you know she's gonna get type one even though you had it? I don't. I don't think you plan for it. You know what I mean?

Josh 14:28
Right. And, and and in some ways, we sort of kind of you know, did I have heard people talk to you about like, you know, and you talk to you know, I listen to podcasts all the time. And what's the basis basically by Sam, you know about talking about Okay, you still gonna have kids yada yada yada if? And, and I mean, the answer was always Yes. But we went to we went to a when we got pregnant with I have three kids. So I I have a nine year old. This isn't we're talking about my middle one, which is six and my two year old. We went to a genetic console to talk about this and and something else. But they said, because I have nobody else in my family. I don't know anybody. Right? That's a tough one. I mean, up until, you know, like this listening to this podcast, I still don't really know anybody, you know, but now it's more of a community. And that was me growing up to just, you know, throw that in there. It's so it's I forgotten where I was going with this. Okay, you're

Scott Benner 15:41
you're upset at the moment, which is, yeah, understandable. And I don't want to push it too far.

Josh 15:47
As sensitive. I'm a sensitive boy. Well,

Scott Benner 15:49
I have to say, Josh, I am too. This could turn into two guys crying on a podcast. I'm trying to keep that from happening.

Josh 15:57
But I was saying about looking for the diet. Like, we were gonna have a baby, we were gonna, we were gonna do that I wasn't, you know, there was no. To me, but to me, they gave me enough assurances that it is not likely. Because I and I feel like, I don't know this for certain, but I feel like at that time, they didn't, maybe they weren't quite sure of the links, that they are pretty sure of now, you know, that the genetic modifier that gives you a an autoimmune disease, though it's a spin of the wheel. Which one? Right? So if they had known that they would have known, you know, my, I had, I have hypo thyroidism, my mom does, you know, and all these other things that, you know, you know, everybody gets to spin the wheel. Yeah. And I also have something called alpha one antitrypsin deficiency. Have you heard of that?

Scott Benner 16:50
No, but let's take a tour and find out what that is. Please,

Josh 16:54
alpha one. Okay, so I'm gonna do my best here, because I don't really know it either. I feel like I'm single. So go ahead, go for it. Yeah, Google, Google. And the probably the best thing is to image search it because it needs the images. My understanding is trypsin is one of those body juices that helps almost kind of keep your organs oiled and working and protected. And so trypsin is made in the liver. And I believe, and then it's supposed to also help the lungs. So it's supposed to go up to the lungs and help with that. And so with alpha one antitrypsin when you're young, they are checking your liver and your lungs to make sure that it's, it's helpful. Okay, and that are that you have that you don't have any deficiencies or anything like that. I always thought it was a really good excuse for my mom to say you can't smoke and you can't drink. But,

Scott Benner 17:53
you know, so she knew does she have this to

Josh 17:56
know she does not have this? Okay. So this is

Scott Benner 17:58
her to condition. So if somebody has it, right,

Josh 18:01
it is a inherited condition. Both of my parents are carriers. So that's the positive are my capital are negative. What is it? Well, do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, dominant, recessive, dominant and recessive. Okay, so then they made they made my brother he is. I don't know what he is. He might be a carrier. Then I so here's the sad part. I should have a sister that is two years older than me. But she died from alpha one antitrypsin deficiency, or she died from needing a kidney or liver transplant, okay. My mom's gonna hate me for not knowing that. liver is

Scott Benner 18:46
what I think is a liver transplant. Like your mom's gonna help you but but I know

Josh 18:50
that. But um, they couldn't find one. And as you guys I want to use when she died when she was about one.

Unknown Speaker 18:59
Oh, my goodness.

Josh 19:00
And so then, for some reason, my parents decided to, to have me and and of course, when I'm born, they ice is gonna get trippy. When I when I was born, they they tested me and my brother, you know, for the for the deficiency. And when they drew the blood, they accidentally drew from my brother's vial both times.

Unknown Speaker 19:28
Okay.

Josh 19:29
So I was negative.

Scott Benner 19:31
He was negative. So they thought you were negative? No. Is there a care that you missed out on for not knowing?

Josh 19:38
Not any preventative care? I don't believe so. Yeah, but I started getting a little bit sick when I was a baby. And so my mom who actually remember she's a nurse, so she she wrote some sort of journal article about it about f1 way back in the day and stuff and and so she she recognized it and they went back and they retested and I am positive You know, and so then they eventually figured out that that must have been what happened. My mom, then, you know, and and I, you know, there's there's a higher power, or something out there that made that happen because my mom said that, if she knew that I was positive detachment, I mean, how can I mean, she would have felt like, she's already been to death of a child, you know? And so. So yeah, I had, I don't think I got a little bit sick, but nothing that, you know, obviously happened to my sister and but what we have come to find out now 30 years later, is trips in their league linking the amount of that, that a lot of type one diabetics have a lower amount of trypsin in their body, I guess, okay, remember, I'm, I'm not really a sciency guy,

Scott Benner 21:02
don't worry, I'm hanging with you good.

Josh 21:05
So that trypsin isn't is you know, not just lungs and liver, it's helping oil, all of the organs and protect all the organs and making, you know, making maybe those white blood cells work better, which actually, I guess would be a bad thing. But, you know, just making things work better. And. And so we found this out probably shoot four or five months ago, five or six months ago, right around the time that I saw you at, in Dallas, J jdrf. And that just blows my mind. So my alpha one antitrypsin that I've had for all my life, interacted with whatever virus caused that, that gene to finally you know, pop and start my auto immune attack on my pancreas, right, that causes in my diabetes, and new diabetes, of course, causes a whole bunch of other stuff. Wow,

Scott Benner 22:13
did you? Wow, I'm gonna soak that in for a second. Did you have hypothyroidism prior to diabetes or after?

Josh 22:21
After after? I mean, I might have, they didn't. They didn't? Well, they didn't give me any meds on it for it until like, when I was 22, or something like that.

Scott Benner 22:33
You started noticing? Like, what was it? Like? What got you for the hypo? Was it. Energy sleep?

Josh 22:41
No, actually, I didn't. I didn't know anything. Oh, it was my my. I mean, I was I was tired. You know, 20 year old, you know, call master student at that point.

Unknown Speaker 22:55
Tired, right?

Josh 22:56
Yeah. Right. No, it was just my I've been presented with these things with that. Cholesterol stuff. I guess not that one, but the cholesterol and, and heart medicine as a preventative. As a Hey, your body's being taxed by diabetes, you should take this to help to help those those out. Right.

Scott Benner 23:18
And so that a lot, actually, the people take cholesterol medications, like things that that you would normally take, if you were approaching or having a problem. Sometimes they think it is preventative, right?

Josh 23:28
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And that's what I've been told. I know, sometimes my cholesterol can be a little bit off, but I have chickens, and I eat a lot of eggs. So I'm not going to stop that.

Scott Benner 23:41
Well, what are the chickens gonna do with the eggs? If you don't eat them? They would turn into more chickens. Now what would you do

Josh 23:46
now? Well, we don't have we don't have a rooster. We don't have a rooster. Yeah. So maybe they would start they would try to make them into into little chickens, but they would fail. And yeah, I tried

Scott Benner 24:00
to get you to say something. So we could call the episode cockadoodledoo. But I guess we're not gonna get there. So that's fine. Don't worry. Oh, no, no, you can even say, let's not force the issue. So I have to be honest with you. And since I guess, you know, it's not you know, the, the alpha one antitrypsin deficiency does not seem like a fun thing to have. Are you feeling the effects of it? or How is it? I

Josh 24:25
don't think so. No, I really don't think so. I am and I am. I have I have offered myself to a lot of different studies done by pharmaceuticals or whoever, right for that. But because I have never been symptomatic. They don't ever take me I saw one that they were actually looking for. No one was looking for someone with no symptoms. They wouldn't take me because I have diabetes. So I think I'm thinking like in three or four years that they're going to have something where they're actually looking for diabetics. But I could be wrong. Okay. Yeah, I don't know. I don't really know what besides you know, death of my my sister. I don't really know what happens with trypsin Alpha one.

Scott Benner 25:13
It's fascinating. I mean, it's I'm on the NIH website here people with alpha one antitrypsin deficiency, we usually develop our signs and symptoms of Did you step on that dog have lung disease between ages of 20 and 50. By the way, let's just digress for a second, I bet you cannot find another podcast while during the reading of a serious disease. Someone jokes about stepping on a dog the earliest symptoms are shortness of breath following mild activity, reduced ability to exercise wheezing. Other signs and symptoms can include unintentional weight loss, recurring respiratory infections fatigue, rapid heartbeat upon standing. affected individuals often develop emphysema, which is a lung disease caused by damage to the small air sacs in the lungs the halophila characteristics features excuse me characteristic features of emphysema. By hacking we know emphysema. About 10% of infants with alpha type one develop liver disease, which often causes what jaundice apparently, approximately 15% of adults with alpha one, develop liver damage cirrhosis due to the formation of scar tissue in the liver signs of cirrhosis both on rare cases people with alpha one develop a skin condition which is characterized by hardening skin and painful lumps or patches. Well, holy crap. That I

Unknown Speaker 26:36
don't think I've

Scott Benner 26:38
I mean, I'm glad you don't have it. But I mean, I'm the you don't have symptoms of it.

Josh 26:42
Yeah, I mean, I'm now I'm like wondering like, okay, so when my firstborn was jaundiced a little bit he didn't have to stay any any. But it was jaundice did my mom properly It was like, you know, that's, you know, triggering and your poor mother.

Scott Benner 27:00
And I looked at trypsin, too, because you specifically talked about, it's a serum, this doesn't make any sense. I could read these words and understand them. But you're saying Who told you that people would type one can have less trypsin?

Josh 27:17
It's some sort of study, I could probably my wife is the smart one of us. And so she's and so she found it and read it, and I can I can send it to you after this. I will put

Scott Benner 27:28
it in the show notes if you send it and I know she's the smart one because you stepped on the dog sitting down. So that's, um, so I would I'd like to add that to it. And, you know, just so people can can follow along if they want to. Okay, so, holy Hannah. So how old were you when you realized you had this? Because one, yeah.

Josh 27:50
I mean, I was probably one or two. Okay, maybe three when I'm when? When my mom took me in or whenever I got sick.

Scott Benner 27:57
From around there. Okay, so it was a birthday check. No, obviously, yes. And then a little while later, okay. Okay. Why don't we go back to something more upbeat like Type One Diabetes first?

Unknown Speaker 28:12
Yeah, there we go. Yeah.

Josh 28:14
So yeah, we I mean, well, back to that genetics appointment. You know, they they tested? My wife. Yeah, it doesn't actually this was after my brother, my son was born, but they tested my wife. And they found out that she is recessive recessive. So none of my children are going to have alpha one. But they're all going to be carriers. Okay. Well, listen

Scott Benner 28:36
at this point in history, Josh, we're all carriers, apparently.

Josh 28:40
Right. Yeah. Oh, so you know, you know, we're talking about current event history COVID attacks your lungs. You don't see them? You know, talking about all those people with alpha one antitrypsin that, that the COVID is going to be even worse for you. When then on top of the type one diabetes. Yeah, that's because like, nobody has off went on trips, and it's very rare. My understanding. So all my kids will be carriers. And they there's, I guess there's research, I don't know if it's the same research that my wife read that even as a carrier, sometimes you will have lower levels than not like, you know, out of the abdomen or out of the normal but just lower right.

Unknown Speaker 29:23
Okay, so,

Josh 29:24
hey, maybe maybe that's what happened. You know, and, and I think during those first two to four weeks of my daughter's diagnosis, I kept on going back of like, why, you know, of course, it's, you know, I still I still battle with the idea that it's my fault because I'm pretty sure I mean, come on.

Scott Benner 29:54
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Why don't we ever wonder what blood glucose meter we have? We just take the one that doctor gives us the one the insurance company says is okay, but we never think is it the most accurate? Does affordability and accuracy? Do they have to be competing? Can I get an affordable, accurate meter. If I never thought to look into these things? Well, luckily for you, I have looked into them. And that's why I'm here today telling you about the Contour Next One blood glucose meter. And it is at least worth your time to look into Contour Next one.com forward slash juicebox. They have test trip programs, it's possible that you could be eligible for a free meter, it's possible that your insurance company will cover it, it's possible that the meter will be less expensive if you pay out of pocket with cash than it would be for another meter through your insurance company. These are a lot of possibilities. And all of them can be looked into further at Contour Next one.com forward slash juicebox. The Contour Next One meter is easy to use, easy to hold. It has a bright light for nighttime viewing. And darn it, it has Second Chance test strips, which means you can go in touch the blood not getting off and go back again, without without decreasing the accuracy of your blood glucose test. Check them out. There are links to all the sponsors at Juicebox Podcast comm or right there in the show notes of the podcast player that you're listening in. And if you're not listening in a podcast player, please do. And if you are and you haven't subscribed, hit subscribe. Thanks so much. I appreciate your time. Let's get you back to Josh.

Josh 32:36
I still battle with the idea that it's my fault, because I'm pretty sure I mean, come on.

Scott Benner 32:42
You think the diabetes came through your bloodline? But that's not fun. All right, Josh, let's take it let's take a detour for a second cuz I watched my wife do this for years. And everyone knows who's married. You can't? You can't listen, you're not allowed to tell your wife thinks. I don't know why. It's just the rule of like, you know the universe. So here's how I'll put it. I got a message last night, from a mother of a child with type one who's doing a terrific job with their kid. And she's come a really long way in a short time. But her messages are panicky. And so I said to her, can we talk like friends for a second? She said, Sure. And I said, Good. You gotta calm down. Like, just relax. I said, you're doing terrific. I know you want to be doing better. And but you're doing terrific. You have to calm down. And she said, Oh, my husband keeps saying that. I was like, why are you not listening to him? When he tells you you need to calm down and she goes, I don't like it when he tells me that I was like, yeah, I'm not allowed to tell my wife to calm down either said, but I love that I was able to tell it to you. It's very freeing, because I need to be told to calm down. Sometimes I'm not saying it like a gender way like, you know, lady with vapers. I'm just saying that sometimes people get an idea caught in their head, and they just can't let go of it. And I wish I could have found a way in that moment with my wife while she was blaming herself because there are autoimmune issues on her side of the family. I just kept saying it's not your fault. It's no one's fault. It's random. It's you know, how could you be at fault here and she would never listen to me. And I wish I could have just told her. You know, like I was a person outside of her because I think if someone could have just told her instead of me, she would have accepted it better. So this is my chance, Josh to make the world a better place. You got to calm down, man and ain't your fault. Okay. You didn't do it? You know,

Josh 34:33
it's, uh, it's one of those things where you can point at all the science and it's, it's, it's something it doesn't affect me day to day but it Yeah, it's something that I feel. I know. And that, you know, talking about like, okay, alpha one maybe maybe causing or helping to cause type one diabetes, and then type one diabetes and all those side effects that come from that and that's one of those is major depression. I was doing diagnosed with major depression. Okay, this summer, June I think it was before she was diagnosed. So last June. So I'm,

Unknown Speaker 35:09
when did we meet?

Josh 35:11
We met after she was diagnosed, and this year, January, February, whenever that was fine. I

Scott Benner 35:17
don't want to be blamed for this depression is what I'm saying, like is meeting me can throw people into a into a tailspin. So, okay, well, we'll pick this apart a little bit. So you were your daughter hadn't been diagnosed yet. You've been living with diabetes for a long time. So my first question is, Do you find it difficult to live with type one?

Josh 35:41
I find it difficult to, um, I find it difficult to live with the effects of type one. Okay.

Scott Benner 35:51
Which one's

Josh 35:52
picking? You know, picking that apart? Because when I was growing up, I was not a good diabetic. And I just you know, when you're at that time, it was NPH. And are you had to give the AR 30 minutes before you had to wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. And then Okay, this is my plate, I get to have bell pepper because there's always bell pepper because there's no carbs in it, and just need something. And I can have 45 carbs for lunch, and I can have 60 cards and so everything is regimented. And remember, my mom's a nurse, I'm gonna keep saying that probably my mom's a nurse. So she follows the rules, you know. And so I say that I want to step back and say my mom was great, because like for Halloween, she would go to, like 10 of the nearby houses that knew me and give them packs of baseball cards to give me instead of candy. So

Scott Benner 36:58
yes, I'm on my mom's you know, that was a setup even as a kid Really? Like this isn't nobody else's leaving here with baseball cards, or?

Josh 37:06
I think I mean, I figured it out after the first house. Whenever like they have a bowl of candy. Oh, oh, Josh. Let me let me There you go.

Scott Benner 37:15
Mrs. Johnson's like Josh is here, everyone. To your places. Yes. The baseball cards. Don't

Josh 37:21
get mad. Don't read on them.

Unknown Speaker 37:23
Don't let them see the Reese's peanut butter.

Josh 37:26
Oh man with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Oh, that's the best one. So, you know, and just school. You know, there's there's a certain kid that uh, would would say, why don't you go die? diabetes? Oh, you know, it's just like that. I mean, not very creative. But it certainly hits you because every single day you're leaving to go to the nurse. And and Yeah, you've heard all these stories. You don't

Scott Benner 37:55
know whether to be upset because of the absolute meanness of the statement or the lack of creativity. Really, you know, which way do you go and when you're young? This all is? I mean, I'm assuming every ounce of it hits you with the full force, right? It's just terrible. I I can't imagine otherwise. Wow. Now you get a second on the go die diabetes thing your Fried my mind there? Jesus.

Josh 38:22
I don't think that would be a good, good episode time. I

Unknown Speaker 38:24
don't think we're gonna do it tomorrow.

Josh 38:26
It would turn people away. I'm pretty sure. Yeah. You know, it's just one of those things like that you can't get away from it'd be the first thing I would say to any new teacher. Like, after, you know, probably after second grade, my mom would do everything up until second grade. But you know, I would tell them, hey, just so you know, I'm a type one diabetic, you know, look for these signs, bla bla bla bla bla, or maybe give them a note that my mom had written? Right, you know? So it was

Scott Benner 38:54
just colored everything right?

Josh 38:56
It called a colored everything. It changed. It changed everything. Not to say that I didn't use it to my advantage is sometimes, you know, there was community pools that we would go to. And I would go to the lifeguard and say my my blood sugar's low, my blood sugar's low. So they would give me 50 cents so I can get a coke. So that was nice. Hey, you're taking

Unknown Speaker 39:21
finally, finally a winning all of this? Yeah.

Josh 39:26
Oh, my question. I have to drink a coke. But um, oh, I'm more of a I'm more of a Diet Coke.

Scott Benner 39:31
You didn't really want the coke, but you did like the idea of getting the freebie I gotta be on. I see the attraction of that. I really do.

Josh 39:41
You know, taking naps in the nurse's office. Stuff like that right now. going in for for feeling low, but it just colored it colored my whole life. Yeah. It it made me think that um, you know, into the teenage and and going off to college years that I, I probably won't get married, because I'm going to pass this disease on and or I'm going to, to die young. You know, all this stuff because it I mean, I don't know if it was for everybody, it doesn't sound like it's everybody's experienced, but there was a certain amount of a fear based boundaries treatment, I don't know what to call it always reminding you of, of your feet of you know of everything you know. So that's, that's that's the, as soon as my daughter was diagnosed, that all flooded, I'm like she's This is going to be horrible and this is my child that loves candy and all this stuff. It just just came on me and it took me too long to figure out Oh, wait, she's gonna start where I'm at now. Yeah, you know, we had a Dexcom for her? Honestly, no, actually, she got we were able to get a Libra really quickly because they're just in the pharmacy. So I switched to the Libra for a little bit and gave her my decks calm, she had a decks calm in a week, you know. And, and then, you know, of course now has her own. Well, and it hasn't affected her Go ahead,

Scott Benner 41:26
I was just gonna say, I mean, because I feel like we're gonna move forward here in a second. And I just want to remind you, and everybody that's listening, that what you just said is just 1,000,000% true, you had a very common experience having type one diabetes, you know, a couple of decades ago, it just is what it was. And it doesn't it like, I don't want to be reductive. There are people who don't have great insurance or don't have great doctors who, for whom diabetes might be very similar sell just with some better insulin, right? There's still a lot of people who just are like, you're given insulin and a meter. And they're like, Here you go, this is it. And that's, that's unfortunate and sad. But for everyone who's not in that situation. This is night and day, like your this is, you know, space travel compared to walking at this point. Absolutely. You know, and, and your daughter will have a completely different experience. And I think that hopefully, there'll be a way for you to feel the, the joy in that. And, and move forward. So how did you handle the depression? diagnosis? Did you? Are you doing something about it? Is it did it help? Or were you out with that?

Josh 42:41
Um, yeah, I, I am a counselor, a therapist by trade. And so it took took me Of course, it took me a little bit longer than it should have to go see my own therapist. And so I started seeing somebody and then eventually got on some medication. And it's taken from like, June, when out from like, August or September to a couple months ago, to find the right mix that has been relatively helpful. You

Scott Benner 43:12
know, it's interesting, because it occurs to me that you are the exact kind of soul I would want as a therapist, and you're the exact wrong kind of a person to have to go home at the end of the day, having been a therapist all day. How do you do? Because you've seemed very empathetic, and you're making me happy. I mean, you're like, like, like, not by being like, I came out wrong, like I feel comfortable talking to you. And you're only one of a handful of men who have ever been on the show who have been able to reach inside themselves and talk, you know, from a, from a place of how they feel, which I appreciate. But after a day of people dumping their stuff in your lap. How do you walk away from that? Or can you not

Josh 44:00
it's a it's a trait or it's a it's something you have to either learn. You either have it or you have to learn it, or you're gonna be in burnout land, and you probably won't last as a therapist. So at some point I've learned it, I guess, you know,

Scott Benner 44:24
when people are talking, you listen for words, ideas, know that. No, it's not. No,

Josh 44:28
it's not. Okay. It's I am 100%. I mean, I, my wife calls me a super empath, which I think is something like, again, she's the smart one she's the reader and and maybe it's just empath where it really affects me way too much, right. And so like you know, I grew up with my parents got a divorce and my, like I said, it's, there's just so many feelings and so many everything that Somehow I got all the feelings and my brother got all the things, the brain stuff, you know, he he's able to, to deal with the feelings by just not feeling. And he and I can't get through stuff.

Scott Benner 45:16
Yeah, yeah, there have been times on this show where people have come on and surprised me with the things that they've said. And I've handled it by trying to be more academic about it. And then there have been times where it catches you by surprise. And you feel like your heart opens up and just wants to hug love, man, you feel like your chest is gonna explode. It's very, very interesting. It just, it just struck me as you were talking, it's like, oh, this poor guy like he must. He must leave work some days just been like, Oh my gosh, But to your point, how you you'd have to learn how to deal with it or are you probably couldn't do it very long. Well, people, the people who seek you out, I imagine are lucky to have you. So that's, that's lovely. For you to give yourself like that. For you, alright. Okay, so diabetes sucked when you were younger, kind of thought that's how your daughter was going to be moving forward. It's not you know, that now fighting with feeling like this is your fault. You get diagnosed with clinical depression, is that the diagnosis that's that gets medicated, right? Did that help?

Josh 46:25
Eventually, there's like, the first meds that I took, turn and turn me into, I was just completely numb. I couldn't, I couldn't feel anything. There was no happiness or sadness, which, if that's how you want to be then then you can be like that, but I couldn't enjoy things. So I didn't much like that. And the next one, you know, turned me into a zombie. I couldn't, I couldn't. I couldn't focus on anything. Right. Like, yeah. You know, maybe the next one didn't really work and then eventually found one that worked well,

Scott Benner 46:58
that's persistent, a good fit healthy, you know, for people to hear that they should understand to what's the time like so the day you decide this? Is it? You try one medication? How long does that go? before you try this?

Josh 47:10
That's the hard one, that's a hard one. Because between every med change, it's about a month, right? They want because with antidepressants, it takes at least a good two weeks for it to build up in your system to be effective. You're not gonna pop a pill and be like, oh, oh, shiny. You know, you have it's a buildup, and then you find

Scott Benner 47:34
out doesn't work. We're different. Yeah. And,

Josh 47:38
and so then it's, you don't always have to, like, you know, titrate down, some of them, you do have to titrate down, but sometimes you can just kind of switch over or just add something, you know, try to boost it. Okay, what about, you know, this much Prozac? And then if it doesn't, if it's not working, it's not working? And then, you know, okay, then you just do like a quick titration. And then, you know, adding this thing and see what happens there. But so it was multiple month after month after month, right to defined eventually effects or works. So

Scott Benner 48:16
that's, I've heard, I've heard people say that one before two, it's a

Josh 48:21
it's a dual, dual activator. So it's a little bit more hardcore than some of the other ones. At least that's how I describe it to people.

Scott Benner 48:31
So you've got your there's, you have highs and lows again, but you don't feel overwhelming sadness. Is that it? Well, that's a triumph. Congratulations. Seriously, that's a big deal. Do you think it's something that was brought on by a trauma? And maybe, where do you think you'll it'll be with you for a long time, the need for the medication? And how do you figure that out? Right? Because if you go off it, right, that's the only way to figure it out.

Josh 49:01
I hope I don't need it for forever. I'm not against the idea. I mean, I can't be because I take insulin. And

Unknown Speaker 49:12
I

Josh 49:15
I don't know. I mean, I know I know. It wasn't like an immediate trauma. It's a it was built from my parents divorced and type one diabetes 100%. And just built up from that. And, you know, if I probably could have been diagnosed when I was in, in middle school, when I was telling my parents I hate life, I hate life. Like Like a moody teenager. So well.

Scott Benner 49:42
Let's do this and let's let's dip into your skills and and put ourselves in a time machine. What should young Josh have done different to not end up here? Do you have thoughts about that?

Josh 50:01
It's hard I mean, you know, your one thing that you do with therapy is all you can do is remind people what they have control of and don't have control of. Right? I don't, I did not have control of my parents divorcing, and I did not have control of getting type one diabetes, or the effects of type one diabetes. If my personality was more like my daughters, I might have been able to own diabetes a little bit better.

Unknown Speaker 50:34
If

Josh 50:41
If I had if I had sought out, you know, a therapy, like I'm, I had been doing pre COVID. To try to, to recognize where this stuff is coming from, and that it's not in my control. And sometimes we just have to deal with that. It's not in your control. earlier. That might have been it. But it's one of those things. I don't know if I would ever because there's a certain amount of just genetic, you know, blood makeup, you know, I'm just I'm that maybe I have a little bit less dopamine, or whatever it is, in there, that I'm just more susceptible to it. Yeah. I don't think there was anything that young Josh or even, you know, college, Josh, could have really done

Scott Benner 51:35
that. I don't know. Just that maybe just having someone to talk to to it mean, is it fair to call it like, letting the steam off? Like sometimes like, to keep you from getting to critical mass? Do you? Is that what the conversation does? For people sometimes?

Josh 51:53
Yeah, yeah. That's and we oftentimes we call that being a sounding board, you know, if you know, and, and sometimes, you know, that. That is all people need just to be heard, maybe they don't have someone at home to be heard. Or they have a topic that they can't bring up with their mom, or brother or sister or you know, loved one. And they just need to be heard. But then, you know, it's always that question of, okay. You can come in week to week and be heard, but what are we going to do about it? You know, can we do anything about it? Right? And if so, what are we going to do about it?

Scott Benner 52:32
Yeah, and for you, obviously, if diabetes was one of your stressors, I mean, the only thing you can really do about it didn't exist back then for you, right. And like just finding management ideas that didn't take up as much of your time didn't cause you to bounce around as much and feel that way and to be scared all the time. So you listened to the podcast is your management, like completely different than it was when you were younger? Have you had that?

Josh 52:58
Okay, yeah. So when my daughter, the one that was diagnosed, was about two, one or two.

Unknown Speaker 53:09
I

Josh 53:11
I had a seizure in the middle of night. Up until that point, I had never had an I never been hospitalized for being too high. I've never been hospitalized for being too low. I've never had any of those sorts of issues. And that, that hit me. I don't know what I honestly don't know what happened. And it was very, very scary. I was preparing myself for this. I was talking to my wife this past week. And I realized that what hurt the most I mean, it hurts to have a seizure. Especially if you bite your tongue and stuff like that. But what hurt the most, I just remember laying in the hospital bed in the ER, and just feeling a tremendous amount of shame that I didn't I didn't take care of my diabetes well enough that you know, it's this. I know, I know. We don't curse here, but it's that that Oh, moment where you you realize, okay, the the Reapers coming? And that's what hit me. I don't think I developed a sleeping issue after that. But I had trouble going to sleep. Sleep a long time after that go to sleep, right? Yeah. And lo and behold, out of that, out of that muck of crap. Comes the idea. Oh, what's this? What's a Dexcom g4 and this is where I'm going to really lay it all on my endocrinologist I'm not putting my endocrinologist on on your on your your Doc's list won't be

Scott Benner 54:55
on there won't be on the juicebox Doc's dot com page.

Josh 55:00
Is your your promo? Yeah, everybody go do that. I will I will mention some names of good people but my, my, my endocrinologist is not, but she's an adult endocrinologist I have asked her, she said that, no more than 5% of her caseload is type one diabetics. So she How is she supposed to know? Right? She never introduced the idea of a continuous glucose monitor to me, until I had this, you know, some other doctor, or my wife? Remember? She's the smart one. Yeah. And, and oh, crap, you know, so I got that. And I immediately went probably from I don't know, I don't know where I was at. I'm pretty sure it was like an eight or nine, down to under seven, and then kept on going. And since since that date, I haven't been like over 6.3. Well, and I was still doing MDI, by just with the Dexcom. Right. We have been being aggressive. And so the seizure changed my life in good and bad ways. I couldn't sleep, I was more anxious, I was more depressed. But I was also getting better. Yeah, I'm getting better care. And that happened again, with my daughter, that it tore my heart out. It broke my heart. And I realized that I hated diabetes. I knew I hated diabetes. But I wasn't I couldn't, I couldn't hate diabetes anymore. I can't go around. You know, and not that I did, you know, throwing my, you know, shots and saying shots or stupid or something like that. But I can't have that about diabetes anymore. Because I have to, I have to take care of her. And I have to let her be free. Which meant I had to be free of have that feeling.

Scott Benner 56:56
of loving, like, Oh, yeah, take her out of it. It's It feels like the diabetes and you are the same thing. Is that right?

Josh 57:06
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I am a diabetic. You know, there's, there's been a trend lately. Not lately, the past probably like 10 years of trying to push people to not be the diagnosis. So you're not a narcissist, you are a person that suffers from narcissism sort of thing. I chose that one specifically for you. I felt like that

Scott Benner 57:27
was aimed at me. But thank you.

Josh 57:31
I listened to a lot of your podcast and I have the power of diagnosing I don't believe you meet the diagnosis criteria,

Scott Benner 57:37
or Oh my god, finally. That's it. I'm using that that's um, that's going on the website. Not a narcissist. Please leave your credentials at the end of the episode.

Josh 57:49
But, uh, but yeah, that, you know, it's it's a you're not a schizophrenic. You're suffering from schizophrenia. I understand. Yeah. Yeah, that sort of thing. And so, but I'm 100%. I was, I will and not only was I a diabetic, I have been a bad diabetic.

Scott Benner 58:05
See, it's been it's been horrible. Go ahead. You said that at the beginning. And I thought, Boy, that's an older idea in diabetes, like I never hear parents have younger kids who are more newly diagnosed say, we're bad diabetics. It's always, it's always adults, who are of a certain age, who at some point, grew up with the idea that doing it right, whatever that meant, you know, with a needle and insulin and nothing else in no direction. And doing it wrong, man, I'm a good diabetic or a bad diabetic. And I hear some people say it with, like, real low thing. Like they screwed up. I hear some people say it with a lilt that tells me they know, it's ridiculous. And it's just something people say, but it really is prevalent in people with diabetes of a certain age to feel like they either did it good, or did it bad. And that's such a shame, you know?

Josh 59:03
Yeah, that hit me. Again, this past week, I've been listening along to the podcast longer this past week, but I've been going nonstop this past weekend. I had I had slowed down. But um, you had said to somebody, that it's just that age that between 30 and 40, just that age bracket something, something in there and the care for diabetes just was was

Unknown Speaker 59:30
what

Josh 59:30
I mean, but at the same time, you know, for the generation that boiled their pee. I don't know if you're hearing that. You know, when you had Dr. ponder on your he didn't say that, you know, maybe he's maybe he's a great diabetic, we all know he is. But

Scott Benner 59:47
no, just if you're if you're it's that there's a middle ground like you're saying if you're older than that, like whatever that range ends up being. I've never done a study. I don't exactly know where it is. But if you go into that generation prior, right, who was had nothing, then, you know, regular an MPH and like 30 minutes before probably seemed like a dream to them. And so their perspectives just different. Yours is, you know, listen, I mean, obviously you can't make people feel any way, if you could everybody be happy because somebody with better perspective than you could just point out, you know what's up and you'd be like, Oh, great, that's perfect, I'll just start feeling like that. Now, obviously it doesn't work like that. But if I step back from your story here for a second, what I hear is, for all the, you know, miles, the crap that you use slog through, what you end up on the other side with is the exact right education to make sure that nothing like that ever happens to your daughter. And I feel like that's what parenting sort of is anyway, except, you know, except we don't see it as much, you know, here's another way to think of it, a person grows up with terrible parents. And it either overwhelms them, right? Or they learn from it, it usually ends up being what it is, even the people who learn from it, are still kind of, you know, messed up in their own special way. But they have a perspective that tells them, I don't want to do those things. That's how we, that's how society continues to gradually get better, you know, and it happens so slowly, you can't even see it in your lifetime. Sometimes. It's just, it's happening, it feels like autopilot. And if it wasn't diabetes, it would be something else. Like if you didn't have diabetes, and your daughter didn't have diabetes, there'd still be something from your past that you've learned from it just wouldn't be so front and center in your mind. And she'd come through the room and say something and you'd say, Oh, no, no, no, and kind of, you know, course corrector. Based on this knowledge you have from the past, that would be burned into you, but not, you know, not on the tip of your tongue constantly, just with diabetes, it's always on the tip of your tongue because you keep living it. It's it's Groundhog Day, right? Like it just won't stop happening. So it's more out in the front. I don't think it's any different though. So somewhere in there is your ability or inability to not wallow in it. And I don't mean wallow in pity, but that's the only word that pops into my head.

Josh 1:02:15
Well, while is a really good word, because I was gonna say, you know, in that age bracket, we're talking about, you know, 90s kids, and we all listen to Nirvana. So it's Nirvana's fault. You know, that would that were wallowing? But when, when, okay, so when my daughter was diagnosed, from that point, in the next, you know, two to four weeks, I learned so much more about diabetes than I ever knew. In the previous 25 years. It's insane. I, we went to, so this is where the good endos come in to our children's hospital. And not that I knew the name yet at that point, But lo and behold, it's Dr. ponders team. And so our, our endocrinologist, Dr. Stevens is amazing. And one of the nurses there, his name is Brandt is amazing. She's absolutely amazing. To the point of like, I, you know, I gave her a couple of shots in the hospital, you know, for her and stuff like that. No, I guess is maybe the day after, but it was hurting her a little bit. Not that she didn't, you know, I mean, your shots and she's six. Yeah. So when, when we went to him, you know, his, his attitude is just so positive. He was able to teach, teach on us, but also teach mainly just teach her that look, I can do a painless shot. And he did it and she didn't feel a thing. And hey, it can be painless. She taught us never to call this a good blood sugar or a bad blood sugar. It doesn't have a moral standing in life. It's just that high blood sugar, low blood sugar. And, and all those things weren't there. I don't feel like you know, when I when I was going to Texas Children's and because my hemoglobin agency was a certain height I had to stay and talk to the dietician, and yada yada yada. So it's, it's been amazingly different in getting and being and being able to let her have the freedom. Like with that Dexcom my wife and I, based on what you talked about with Arden and not restricting food, we don't restrict any food. Now we're not letting her just have Skittles every single meal, right? Because we weren't doing that anyway. But there's no there's no food restrictions. Yeah,

Scott Benner 1:04:59
not I think that's a big deal. I just looked at ardens a one C for the last 90 days. Because I wanted to echo what you said, when I let go of the idea. Not good or bad blood sugars, I don't think I ever felt about them that way. I think I felt about them like, you know, okay, we need insulin, she doesn't need insulin, like that kind of feeling. It's high, it's low, it needs carbs. Like I always thought of it as reactive like that. But still, when I let go of the idea that Arden's blood sugar was going to be 85 all the time was a big deal for me. And it didn't lead to her a one c being any higher, or, or, you know, any better or worse. It was it was just my, my crap in my head, right? Like the jumble that would pop up into my head when I saw it. Like the difference between being like, Oh, she's 160, she started to head up, we probably didn't Pre-Bolus in time, or this wasn't enough insert or whatever it ends up being, we'll just do the thing that makes sense to do now and move on. I'm not saying I want to be clear that I'm not saying that, you know, I see Arden's blood sugar at 300, and disco, whatever, you know, like, I'm not talking about that, I'm just talking about the like, not beating yourself up over it part. Like that part. That was very freeing for me. And I did, I did it for a number of years. Before you guys knew me, but it was, um, it was not beneficial. And it wasn't helping anything. Like I think it feels like it's helpful. Like, like, I'll punish myself over this maybe so that it doesn't happen again. But that's not how it works. So you know, you can't tie a blood sugar to personal punishment, it just doesn't. They're not connected to each other, it doesn't make any sense, you know.

Josh 1:06:47
And that's something that I had to learn,

Unknown Speaker 1:06:50
you know, worse.

Josh 1:06:52
And I don't I still don't know if I, if I've learned 100% like not tying my like, if I'm having a rollercoaster day. And it's because I'm, you know, doing something wrong. I'm, I'm usually bringing that out myself. But luckily, I feel like we haven't had any of that sort of stuff with with my daughter. At the very beginning. My wife looked to me to be some sort of expert on diabetes. I'm like, I don't know anything.

Scott Benner 1:07:28
Paying attention. Barely,

Josh 1:07:29
I could barely take care of myself. I don't I don't care. Yeah, like, so we, you know, we've we've learned together how to take care of her. And I mean, and, and honestly, now it's I think it's it's probably more her. I know that I at one point, I remember you saying that. It's it seems like it's better when it had when there's one person in charge of the care of a child. But really, it's, it's probably like, 55% 45%. me. And and we she was a she was 7.6 when she was diagnosed with diabetes, which I don't think is that bad? No, in the grand scheme of diagnosis. And then she is her last one, which would have been, you know, November to July was 5.0 G. So we I say we, I caught it. I caught it really early. Right? And we've been I've been amazingly thankful. They kept us overnight one night. Technically, they said she went into DK but she wasn't ever that bad. When we got out and went over to the windows office, they said, Oh, man, you should have just come You should have just called us and come in, we could have gotten that blood sugar under control and wouldn't have to do any of that hospital stuff. Right? Like, we didn't know that we didn't know who you were, you know, so I'm pretty, I'm pretty thankful for for my ability to to catch that. That was that was something that I you know, I when I when I'm crafting something for the house, or whatever, I see all the flaws that I did, but that I have been able to to get that. That joy out of being able to catch that before you

Scott Benner 1:09:27
know, I made a big deal. And you've obviously helped her and her launch and Oh, this is so much better because of it. plus all the things that dangerously could have happened if it would have just gone unseen too long. I genuinely believe Arden was just a couple of maybe a day or two away from going into a coma. We didn't like we just kept staring at her like idiots, you know, just Wow, she looks really sick. You know?

Josh 1:09:49
Yeah. And and see I don't really I don't think I would have. She was too Right. Yeah. I don't think I would have been able to. I mean, I wouldn't have known what symptoms look like for them. You know, where, you know, same age, right? And same symptoms, at least similar symptoms. So

Scott Benner 1:10:07
I just don't, I just don't hold on to things like that the way other people do. And it really this conversation has made me think that, not that I don't think I didn't realize this before, I just never kind of put it into words in my own mind. But the amalgam of who you are, how you grow up, what your brain chemistry is, the things that have happened to you or not happened to you, you know, they all are going to inform your reaction to something later. And me feeling like, I did my best. And I don't hold any weird feelings about not figuring it out sooner, is probably a lot less about me, like the conscious person you're talking to, and a lot more about however, I got built over the years. And just the same as I think your reaction is probably as much to do about that, as it is about anything else to the things that happened to you, and how they intersected with, you know, your physical, your physiology and, and everything else. It's just, you know, I think that anybody who would look, I think anybody would look at somebody who's having anxiety or depression or worse, and think I'm better than they are. You don't realize that's you don't realize it's just you're just lucky, just dumb luck that that didn't happen to you. You're not. You're not broken. And I'm not. You know what I mean, there's something that could happen to me tomorrow, that would run me over that you'd probably skip right through, we just haven't found that thing yet. I don't know. I just think it's important not to feel that way about other people. And I know it's crazy to say it like this, but like I saw Kanye West say something yesterday. And your first thought is, there's something wrong with that guy. You know what I mean? Like, but I don't feel like I don't, I would never say like, He's nuts. Ignore him, I would say, I think there's something he needs that he doesn't have, you know, and, to me, that seems it's horrible, you know, that somebody can't help him, or that he, I don't know, I don't know what it is. But I would never look at him and just judge him as somehow inferior to other people. He's, you know, he's been through stuff that I haven't been through. And, you know, and so on, and so forth. I just think, like, I when I'm talking today, I just feel like, you never know, man, like if there could have been four other different terms in your life. And you might feel differently, and who's to say that those terms aren't going to get made better moving forward, and you're not going to get to feel differently in the future. Because you've been, I mean, we've been talking for over an hour, you've been upset for 15 minutes of it at the very least, like like, once it hits you like it hasn't gone away, you know. And, and that's a tough way to, that's a tough way to have to live day to day, especially because, and, gosh, Josh, I am so sorry. But we said we were gonna say this, but your youngest has markers for type one as well, right? Now my oldest your oldest does. So the nine year old looks like it's about to happen for them as well.

Josh 1:13:13
So a couple weeks after my middle was diagnosed, we were around the dinner table. Just having fun with you know, a blood sugar meter as you do. And, and he wanted to test his blood sugar to see how it fell. And so he tested blood sugar and I I looked at it, and I turned it and showed my wife, you know, with my bug eyes and and, and he was 264. Yeah, we just had dinner is 264. And she just looks at me, and

Unknown Speaker 1:13:47
that

Josh 1:13:50
I had not experienced the feeling of hope. Just dividing itself for myself. Hmm, that didn't make sense. Hope Jessie leaving me. Oh, as much as I did

Scott Benner 1:14:02
it, Josh. That happened to me that day. Yeah, yeah, I've had that.

Josh 1:14:07
And, and it leaves me speechless at the moment. And so we we dipped him in alcohol, and made sure it was all

Scott Benner 1:14:20
stuck to him anywhere. Yeah,

Josh 1:14:22
we because he was actually squeezing strawberries. for some weird reason. You're

Scott Benner 1:14:28
like, maybe that's it? Yeah,

Josh 1:14:29
maybe that's it. And so we tested it again. And he was still high.

Unknown Speaker 1:14:36
What did you tell him?

Josh 1:14:40
I don't know. I don't know if we really said anything. At that point. We may have said, Well, your blood sugar's a little high. But then we left the room and started bawling.

Unknown Speaker 1:14:49
Yeah.

Josh 1:14:50
So you know, it's one of those things where like, I knew I knew a little bit of what to do with my middle but I This point I was, I was beyond action. I could not. I was just I was I was a puddle. And luckily my wife, she. I think at this point, we were at a messaging basis. No, wait, no. We called we called the the windows office. And they said, Okay, we'll bring him bring him in tomorrow morning, we'll do a hemoglobin agency and check his blood sugar then. So we did. There wasn't much sleep that night. I wanted, I wanted to check his blood sugar and other six times while he was asleep, but I didn't. And I remember there, the moment we were in the waiting room, and the nurse Brandt came out, he looked at me. And because unlike this with, with with everybody, so he knows I'm like, Oh, just at this moment of just about to cry, and he looks at me like, he feels my pain. And he just but he was what he says was why the heck did you check his blood sugar? You know, that's gonna lead to trouble. But like we heard, we were playing around now. So we we checked his blood sugar there and did his hemoglobin a one C. And he had his blood sugar was like 100. And I think is a once he was like 5.2 or something. It wasn't, it wasn't bad. So we were like, okay, we took one of her the doctor, we took one of the lead rays extra lead rays that we had, and put it on them. No, they gave us one of the professional ones so that it just came out of all the data. So that we didn't have to fret for two weeks. gave it to them. They went over the results, we saw the results. Okay, this, I mean, I was looking at this doesn't look that bad. But Dr. Stevens was like, man, I just, there's just something about these numbers that I'm not 100% comfortable with. So he ordered the antibody test, got the antibody test back, and he was positive for three or four of the five antibodies.

Scott Benner 1:17:11
So it's a matter of time, possibly, before it happens.

Josh 1:17:17
I'm pretty sure that because they've all said that. It's not impossible, it's a win, because his antibodies are attacking his insulin, like the insulin that's in there. And one of the other ones that like just in a combination, it's it's gonna happen. I remember that phone conversation, we were outside. And I'm just listening, because my wife is the one doing the talking. And, you know, it's just another just, I, I could not understand what was going on and, and why my wife stayed with me and married me in the first place when I mean,

Scott Benner 1:18:04
I I think that there are a lot of people who think they know how that feels. And and it's I know, I feel like I understand what you're talking about. And it's a it's me numbs the wrong word, it feels like there's nothing positive that exists in the universe. And it's all gone. And it feels like it disappears in a split second, it's very powerful. But I think the good news is that, you know, if that's not really the truth, it's not what this ends up being is not what you were hoping for. But not, I mean, you hear people on here, right? All the time, we're living terrific lives, and they're not going to be any different than your kids and they don't have to be any different than you honestly. So it's a it's, I often wonder about, I sometimes think I'm gonna have a grief counselor on the show one day to talk about the connection between being diagnosed with something that's incurable and how how people respond to death yet, because I think they, they appear to just match up to me, you know what I mean? And so, I mean, man, listen, it appears to me that you were fighting with something for a very long time that you've just started to address for yourself, and then you have this diagnosis, and then another diagnosis or, you know, upcoming diagnosis, it feels like I can't tell that's worse. If he would just have it today. Or if you get to think about it, I'm not sure what's worse that your psyche that

Josh 1:19:36
goes back that goes back to that argument of should you have like your kids tested? Yeah. Or you know, and do those antibody tests.

Scott Benner 1:19:45
Do you want to know the day you die? If I could tell you the day you were gonna want to know right, and the answers gotta be, I think No,

Josh 1:19:53
I think well, with the dying one. Definitely. Yeah,

Scott Benner 1:19:55
it was like next week and then I wouldn't some some really stupid things I'd like to do for a couple of days. Because I've been pretty, I've been pretty good to this world. So I'd like to

Unknown Speaker 1:20:07
I'd like to Louie got to get

Josh 1:20:08
on those podcast files set up for

Scott Benner 1:20:10
my hosting, I'd have to get all the editing, I'd spent the last week of my life editing, show editing, getting them ready to go out for you guys.

Josh 1:20:17
But you would have a lot of a lot of people in there you know, for your for your funeral listening, all the other listeners would come in and

Scott Benner 1:20:25
the show would finally be as big as I want it to be because people like you, you're not the guy that died. But first he set up six months of his podcast to go online. Great, this

Josh 1:20:35
is it. This is a grim grim

Scott Benner 1:20:38
we just went right down into my head room is like all that. I wouldn't know.

Josh 1:20:42
That's what most of the time things are. It's not like so Dolly Parton. She has a she has years and years of music that she has recorded.

Scott Benner 1:20:53
Huge boobs. I did not know where that was going to say about Dolly Parton. She has

Josh 1:21:03
saved up okay. I can't even go with that. But yeah. So yes. And so she's gonna probably get even more popular in my Korean moratorium, whatever it is.

Scott Benner 1:21:20
Well, you use the wrong word. But now you used it. Sadly. I can't think of the word. That's right. I will think of it later. that'll probably be the name of the podcast. Speak boobs. Yeah, no, no, I was gonna say something else. But nevermind. phones. We got it. Listen, man, I, I have to say that I can envision an absolutely delightful future for you that I think is already beginning to happen. But I don't know if I can talk you into believing it exists or not.

Josh 1:21:57
I have to. I've never been a good. Like just sitting in a classroom listening learner. I need to try it out. I need to do with my hands. I am I'm trying to build a bass guitar. And so I'm practicing on another piece of wood to try and make sure I figure out how I can do what I want to do. You know? I have to I have to experience and learn. And I think I think that process has started. I think I thank you and the podcast for helping me with that. Because a lot of it like I had said before is the community. I there was a time I went for a work conference e learning thing to Dallas, and the hotel clerk. I recognized a Dexcom or something that Oh, you're a type one diabetic. At that point. I want to say that was probably the first type one diabetic. I had talked to him maybe five years

Scott Benner 1:23:03
knowingly right? Yeah. Yeah.

Josh 1:23:06
I to me, we were always, you know, silent. And there was, you know, there was nobody, but then, you know, the podcast, you're bringing people on? I'm hearing their stories, which I absolutely love, you know, because I'm a counselor. I'm getting on. I don't do Facebook, but I look at you know, your group, and then the loop group, so I loop and, and all that sort of stuff. And yeah, that community has really made me realize that okay, there's more, and, and though my son's personality is probably not going to be as good as my daughter's personality about it. He will.

Scott Benner 1:23:48
He'll, he'll be all right. Well, he's got every opportunity, I think and that's kind of all you can hope for at this point is that, you know, that the options are all positive. And that the idea of will be vetted by you. And then by somebody smarter your wife, and then and then

Josh 1:24:07
it and more beautiful. Well, I didn't

Scott Benner 1:24:09
want to say but it but it um it's all right there. Now if and, and he he's not going to be well, he shouldn't be burdened with the experiences that you are right like he doesn't have a sibling who passed he That's tough. Like whether you think of that or not if that had to have been very hard on you growing up had to be hard on your mom in ways that probably rebounded around the house you wouldn't even be able to see as a child. And then you know, everything else that comes with having Type One Diabetes at that time, having someone say to you, why don't you go die diabetes, cuz, you know, let's hope that kid stubs his toe as an adult. You know that that kind of stuff isn't going to happen in your house. And so you just have to traverse the other 5000 things about having diabetes that everybody else has to get through. But I had a list of all ology that's ever existed in the world, you know,

Josh 1:25:12
a list of all this stuff of like, Oh, yeah, like, and you've talked about endocrinologist and how that's been and I can I can talk about, you know, our school experience. And and how that's been. But, yeah, you're right, that, you know, at least my personal journey, I have to not equate their experience with my experience. Yeah, it's gonna be it's going to be different. And with my son, specifically, you know, he has not watched my daughter suffer at all. In fact, my daughter probably gets, you know, three times as much candy as she used to. We're not a juicebox family. We're a Skittles. Skittles have a couple. So let's see. Let's see. I don't know what the not the generic name for Skittles would be but you know, that's, that's what we are.

Scott Benner 1:26:01
You have generic Skittles?

Josh 1:26:03
No, I'm just thinking like, if you wanted to, if you wanted to name the podcast that

Unknown Speaker 1:26:07
oh, you know,

Josh 1:26:08
rather, rather than getting in a trademark or copyright thing, you know?

Scott Benner 1:26:13
Maybe I'll just call this one taste the rainbow. Who knows? Taste

Josh 1:26:15
the rainbow. So yeah, we love Skittles in this house.

Scott Benner 1:26:19
I was leaning towards Josh has all the fields. But we'll see.

Josh 1:26:25
That's very. Um, yeah. So yeah, it's I I have never not had insurance. That's one of those things like it's it's has put a lot of responsibility on me in good ways. Yeah. And currently, I have excellent insurance that will cover us will help us. Yeah. You're right. The future is in front of us in. Yeah, sure. All

Scott Benner 1:27:00
you got to do is calm down. You'll be okay.

Josh 1:27:02
Yeah. And that is the dog that I did not step on. Well, please. We actually, yeah, we actually we got through the help of, of donors and a GoFundMe. She's a diabetic alert dog. Wow. And, like, we're just trying to cover all of our bases. So I started with the Omni pod after listening to you guys and also that nurse Brandt. Because I thought okay, maybe my daughter would like to have the Omni pod. We would like her to have the Omni pod. So I'm going to start doing it. And so as soon as I decided, Okay, I'm gonna start doing the Omni pod. My, my, my wife, the smart one. She looked up and saw this thing called loop. I'm like, Okay, so, yeah, I jumped. I mean, I think I did the Omni pod, you know, normal experience for like, two weeks. And then I started looping. Okay. And then here comes your podcast again, to be able to kind of help me with that non advice way of course, but how was that? And and then Ginny, you know, I signed up for integrated diabetes service and, and went and I did not ever get to meet Jenny. Because COVID happened and moving happened and my my subscription ran out, but I got help setting up the loop and getting that going. And it just keeps moving forward. And

Unknown Speaker 1:28:40
this

Josh 1:28:42
I remember recently that you had someone on just talking about how the all the medical things with with diabetes that are happening. Like there's no it doesn't feel like there's any other field that is moving so fast.

Scott Benner 1:28:54
I agree. I think and I think that it's um, it's building on itself to it just feels like it's it's gaining a momentum that I just never thought would happen like I say all the time. And I really do mean this there was a long period of time while Arden had type one as a younger person, obviously for people who have had it longer than her were just you know, accompany coming out and being like, Look, we made a new meter. Is it any better? No, but it's new like that wasn't advancement like look, we changed it aren't that look, the numbers are easier to read, like like that kind of stuff was was a leap at points and now we all stand around going well, when's the Dexcom g7 coming out? Like you know, yeah, and the middle that comes out you're gonna be like, Is there gonna be a ga like you'll say it immediately you know, and then you'll say no, Russia got kicked out of the g8 is g7 now, which will be a bad joke that I will tell at some point. But it just it is it's, it's moving at the fastest it ever has. And and I really do I agree with you that algorithm pumping for Those who can get it and want it is going to be a it's gonna be a big deal your son may never know, diabetes, even even a sliver of the way you knew it as a kid, you know? So it's really good. It's excellent. You're you're in a good spot. You just don't know it yet.

Josh 1:30:17
Yeah, I was put on this earth to, to raise diabetics.

Scott Benner 1:30:23
I wish I knew I was here.

Unknown Speaker 1:30:27
But you were

Josh 1:30:28
here, you were here to disseminate information, and in comfort to those that can find the podcast. Oh,

Scott Benner 1:30:40
Jesus, as soon as I said that, Josh, I was like, it's gonna seem like I was fishing for a compliment. But I really don't, I really meant I don't feel like, Man, that real purpose,

Josh 1:30:48
let me check the DSM within narcissism.

Scott Benner 1:30:53
As soon as I said it, there was a voice in my head. That went, don't say that, because it's gonna feel like you said that it will say something nice. But I didn't just pop that in my head. I just I don't know how other people feel like during during their days, but I I genuinely, almost always feel like I should be doing more than I am. It just it's, I don't I don't know what, you know, what broke in my life, coupled with how I'm wired, that leads me to that feeling. Because I think if I step back, and look, I think I'm doing a lot for people who I don't even know, which is already, I think more than what a lot of people are able to accomplish. And so that should feel good. My kids are healthy and doing well and keeping it home for them. And all those other things. I feel like I I feel like if I quantified myself on paper, I'd think oh, that guy is doing okay, you know, but there are still times when I'm standing somewhere thinking like I could get another episode of that show out. Or I really do want to have a doctor on to talk about intermittent fasting. And I if I there was more time I could I could nail this one guy down that I want to have on and get him on. But I just I can't do everything, obviously. And the podcasts can't just be on constantly. And so I don't know, I don't know if that feeling of I'm not doing enough really just means I feel like there's more to do. And then maybe I'm making it about myself, instead of making it about what's left to do. I'm not sure but you know,

Josh 1:32:26
well, if I was If I was your therapist, I would say that a lot of times people base their their worth on their productivity, okay. And sometimes, if we're not that, it seems like you're feeling down or anything like that. But we always are wanting to push our productivity so that we can push feeling better. You know, and so being able to just step back for a second and look, you know, at what you've created or what you've done, practicing that mindfulness is always a good thing. You know, it's not going to take away that feeling of, I want to do more, I want to do more, because that's it's good that you want to do more. But I'm realizing No, well, I have done I have done a lot.

Scott Benner 1:33:14
Yeah. I'll tell you where you see it, where I see it the most of that idea of like, it's not where it's not enough, is with. So you know, you measure a podcast by downloads its streams or downloads or whatever you want to call it. It's people's ears hearing episodes, right? And then you measure it by how far into that episode, they listen. But those are pretty much the two ways, you know if you're doing okay, and there was my wife was joking with me the other day. And she said, Do you remember when you told me? If you can just get the podcast to 15,000 downloads, you'll know it's moving in the right direction? And I said yes, I do remember saying that. And she's like she was how many downloads Did you have this month? And I said 115,000. Like I at one point was talking about the entirety of the show, like just making it to 15,000. And now this is the reality. And I look up and I see that it's about to hit 2 million total downloads. And I my first thought is

Josh 1:34:17
he just hit 1 million.

Scott Benner 1:34:19
Yeah, yeah, I got the 2 million pretty quick after one. Yeah. So So I see the 2 million in what you what and what I should think is what you just thought like, wow, I hit a million. And I got to 2 million, much more quickly than I got the 1 million This is going in the right direction. And it is and I know that academically but when I see the 2 million number approaching, I think I wonder how much more quickly I could get the 3 million that I got the 2 million for one, like it's just that weird feeling of like, how do I do this better, stronger, faster, quicker, like go go go and and I am a little competitive to

Josh 1:34:53
not say we are competitive. We're a competitive race. Generally. We're always trying to be Push and, and do better than our than the people that are copying you.

Scott Benner 1:35:05
There. There are times when I'm Loki astonished that I'm able to keep my concern for people living with diabetes in second place, or in first place, excuse me in front of my feeling of wanting to win it because they feel like two things that they feel in congruence completely like the idea like, I want to have a great podcast. And I want it to be listened to by as many people as possible. And I and and that kind of thing. And I just really would like people to feel better. Like and just be healthier and meet people, like you said, You never met anybody without the diabetes for it does that for some people. And so I really do feel that way. I love what the podcast is all the good parts about it. But they also have debt, it also has downloads and I'm like more more more. Like it's weird to try to keep those two things. Separate, I do see them as separate. But I don't ever want them to bleed on to each other. Like I don't ever want the idea of making the podcast popular to be more important than the podcast actually being popular for a good reason. I guess.

Josh 1:36:10
It's like a few minutes ago, you had said, I really want to get on Dr. Oz to talk about intermittent fasting. I can't think of a popular doctor and I hate dr. oz. So yeah,

Scott Benner 1:36:23
if I said that I know there's something wrong with me.

Josh 1:36:25
Right. But if you had said I can't get it, I want to really, I really want to get this famous person because they have type one diabetes. Rather, you said, I want to get the information about intermittent fasting out to people, right? Yeah, that's a difference.

Scott Benner 1:36:40
My whole marketing plan around this podcast is that somebody listens to it and gets enough out of it to tell somebody else about it. That's the entirety of my plan for getting bigger. So I just think that trying to plan for anything else is silly, because that it's not it's false, right? Because even if you can drag people in, they're not going to stay. Like if it was boring, or banal, or just any in any way not listenable. Then you'd get them there. You'd go to all this work to drag them in, and then they'd listen and go, I don't want to listen to this, and then they'd be gone. You know. So, to me, if it helps people it's self sustains. That's how I think of it. So anyway,

Josh 1:37:21
does that make you feel

Scott Benner 1:37:24
a little hungry? Actually, because we've eat we've talked into the first hour of my intermittent fasting schedule today. And somebody downstairs is cooking, and all I can smell is food. And then my brain goes, you only have seven hours left. And this is a good conversation with Josh, so don't stop talking to him. So there we go. Yeah, we're gonna have to stop Josh so I can eat.

Josh 1:37:45
Okay. Happy Birthday Arden.

Scott Benner 1:37:47
Oh, I will tell her thank you and listen on a complete off note, I just have to ask you before you go. And thanks so much for coming on and doing this. You were incredibly honest and open. And I really appreciate that. But what kind of headset is that? Because it sounds terrific.

Josh 1:38:03
It? Well, it's one that the VA gave me It's from work. It's a Jabra.

Scott Benner 1:38:09
I see that. Okay, so

Josh 1:38:10
Java is a band, a brand that's out there, I can tell you it's bi z biz. 2400. And then there's like a, like a 202. Roman numeral two, almost. Okay. And it just it plugs into the USB. It's like it's plug and play. Yeah, it has this that I can you know, mute and whatnot. And

Scott Benner 1:38:33
yeah, Jenny, you were about to get a new headset in the male sounds terrific. So it was so good.

Josh 1:38:41
I was thinking I because I have you know, like earbuds or you know, to plug in a mic. Okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna get this thing working on my personal computer, because it was working. So

Scott Benner 1:38:51
it's terrific. It really is good. Yeah, sometimes I send Jenny technical gifts and she then calls me and says how do I hook this up? Because she's delightful.

Josh 1:39:01
This one should be easy.

Scott Benner 1:39:02
So kidding. All right. Well, listen man, the best to you and your kids and your family and that poor dog which obviously can't live much longer the way it's being stepped on. And, and just I really do appreciate you doing this and Oh, look, that's a beautiful animal. Look at that.

Unknown Speaker 1:39:18
Oh, time to stretch. Lovely.

Unknown Speaker 1:39:20
What kind of dog is that?

Josh 1:39:21
She is a burner doodle half. Well, actually a quarter bernese Mountain dog and three quarters poodle?

Scott Benner 1:39:28
Yeah, I burned snickerdoodles once. But I just I think I'd the oven too hot to be perfectly honest. Learn to doodle I've never heard of before. I'll check that out, too. All right, Josh. I'm gonna go downstairs and eat something before my stomach attacks my brain. All right. I thank you so much for doing this. I really do appreciate it.

Unknown Speaker 1:39:45
Have a good day.

Scott Benner 1:39:51
A huge thank you to one of today's sponsors. g Vogue glucagon. Find out more about chivo Kibo pen at G Vogue glucagon.com forward slash juicebox you spell that GVOKEGL Uc ag o n.com. forward slash juicebox. And to learn more about the Contour Next One blood glucose meter, please go to Contour Next one.com forward slash juicebox. There are links in your show notes and links at Juicebox Podcast COMM And as soon as this music stops, I'll fill you in on what's been happening with Josh.

Okay, Josh wrote me just the other day. I'm sorry, I'm not on the microphone. Josh wrote me just the other day, and said, since we spoken in July, a few things have happened. In November, his daughter hit a one year anniversary with type one. And on December 7, they officially diagnosed his son with Type One Diabetes. He says now there are three of us in the house. He did not have to be hospitalized, which was great. And he was quickly put on tresiba. And then in a few days, they allowed them to start using novolog to get him off the roller coaster, but that he's adapted very differently than his daughter has. And I've sent Josh an email back and invited him to come back on the show in six months or so. And tell me about that. I just like to say Josh, that my thoughts and my family's thoughts are with you and your family. And I'm sure everybody listening has you on their mind in their heart today.