Skip the Struggle: A Guide to Type 1 Diabetes
Why the Standard Info Leaves Gaps
When you’re first diagnosed, you’ll hear things like:
“Pre-bolus 15 minutes before eating.”
Pre-bolus timing actually depends on the type of insulin and the meal. For most rapid-acting insulins (aspart/lispro), 10–20 minutes often works well; for ultra-rapid options (faster aspart/Lyumjev), 0–10 minutes may be enough. Shorten or skip if you’re trending low, eating low-GI foods, or don’t know the carbs yet.“Don’t stack your insulin.”
Avoid blind corrections during your insulin’s active window unless you’ve accounted for insulin-on-board (IOB) and have a clear reason — like a rising CGM trend, missed carbs, or a delayed spike from a high-fat meal.“Better to be a little high than risk going low.”
Preventing severe lows is essential, but running high most of the time isn’t the goal. Work with your team on targets that keep you safe and improve time-in-range. Wider targets can be fine while you’re learning.
These are rules — and they’re well-intentioned — but they’re not the whole picture.
Here’s what’s missing:
Why timing matters and how to adjust it for different foods.
When “stacking” is actually the right thing to do — and how to do it safely.
How to read patterns, not just numbers, so you can act early instead of chasing highs and lows.
How to connect all the moving parts — basal rates, meal timing, correction factors, fat/protein impact, exercise, stress.
You’re left with puzzle pieces… and no picture on the box.
What Happens When You Rely Only on the Basics
If you follow only the generic rules, a few things often happen:
You get frustrated because your numbers bounce around despite “doing it right.”
You play it safe by keeping blood sugars higher than they need to be — just to avoid going low.
You feel stuck, unsure how to make adjustments without “breaking” something else.
You may start to think… “Maybe this is just what life with type 1 looks like.”
It’s not.
What You Really Need: Principles, Not Just Rules
Rules are rigid. Principles are flexible.
Principles give you the “why” so you can adapt to any situation.
Examples from real-world, lived experience with type 1:
“It’s not stacking if you need it — that’s bolusing.”
You can safely give more insulin if your body still needs it and you’ve considered IOB.“Timing and amount.”
Every blood sugar result comes down to using the right amount of insulin at the right time. Master these two levers and everything gets easier.“Trust what you know is going to happen.”
Once you’ve seen a pattern several times — a food spike, a post-exercise low — you can act early. Confirm with CGM trends and IOB to avoid being tricked by sensor lag or false lows.
The Power of Learning From Lived Experience
When you combine solid medical knowledge with lived experience, you get:
Context: The difference between theory and how it actually plays out.
Pattern recognition: How to spot what’s really causing that high or low.
Confidence: The ability to make adjustments without fear.
It’s like the difference between being handed a map with a red dot that says “You are here”… and walking alongside someone who’s already made the trip dozens of times, pointing out every shortcut and hidden hazard along the way.
You Can Shorten the Hard Part
You don’t need to spend years reinventing the wheel.
That’s why resources like the Sips with Jenny conversations exist — to give you:
The missing explanations behind common advice.
The real-world scenarios so you can recognize them in your own life.
The mental tools to adapt to any variable.
Type 1 diabetes will never be “easy.” But you can get so practiced at it that it feels easier — much sooner than you think.
If you’ve just been diagnosed, the most important thing you can do is start learning from people who’ve already solved the problems you’re about to face.
It’s not about replacing your doctor. It’s about adding lived experience to your toolbox so you can turn rules into skills.
You’re at the very start of your journey. The sooner you understand the why behind the numbers, the sooner you’ll stop feeling like diabetes is running the show.
🛠 Real-World T1D Quick Tips + Where to Learn More
⏱ Pre-bolus timing
Rapid-acting (aspart/lispro): 10–20 min before eating.
Ultra-rapid (faster aspart/Lyumjev): 0–10 min.
Shorten/skip if trending low, eating low-GI, or unsure of carbs.
➕ Stacking vs. bolusing
Stacking = giving insulin without considering insulin-on-board (IOB).
Bolusing again can be safe if:
CGM shows a rise with arrows,
carbs were missed or underestimated,
a high-fat meal is spiking you hours later.
Use pump/app IOB tracking to avoid overdoing it.
🥓 Fat & protein impact
High-fat/high-protein meals can cause a delayed rise 2–6 hrs later.
Options: split bolus, extended/square wave bolus, or a planned follow-up dose (account for IOB).
🏃 Exercise effects
Easy aerobic → often lowers glucose (may need temp basal/less bolus or carbs).
Sprints/HIIT → can cause a short-term spike (sometimes need correction after, not before).
💡 Trust patterns — with proof
Act early on a pattern you’ve seen repeatedly and confirmed with CGM + IOB.
Watch for CGM lag or compression lows before treating.
🎯 Learn Faster, Skip the Guesswork
The Bold Beginnings, Pro Tip, and Small Sips series on the Juicebox Podcast walk you through these principles — and many more — with clear explanations and real-life examples.
📌 Start here: JuiceboxPodcast.com/lists
MISSING PERSON
I have difficult news to share about a member of the private Juicebox group - Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes
Lucien Vink, age 51, has been missing since Sunday, July 6, 2025. He was last seen in the Rancho Mission Viejo area of San Clemente, California, near Camino Forestal and Calle Precipicio, wearing a dark short-sleeve T-shirt, dark shorts, and carrying a black backpack.
Lucien is a type 1 who left home without his diabetes supplies. He has not contacted family or friends since that date, and authorities are deeply concerned for his safety.
Local residents have been asked to review surveillance footage from July 6, including doorbell or security cameras, for any potential clues.
Authorities encourage anyone with potential sightings or helpful information to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714‑647‑7000 or to call 911 directly in urgent cases. Even seemingly minor details can be incredibly important.
Here’s a post Lucien shared in the Juicebox community, highlighting his strength and optimism in managing his diabetes:
"Joined the group in Feb this year, after my DX in July 22. After DX I tried, got on Dex and OP5 pretty quickly, but had 1 scary low event and kinda rode around a ‘comfortable’ 160-200 for a while. When I found this page, read many posts and listened to a bunch of podcasts, I decided to make a change with an eye on long-term effects, and be more bold and less scared of insulin. HA1c was upper 12’s at DX (had all the signs for months, ignored them, but saw the doc after realized I had lost 25lbs on a frame that had no lbs to lose in the first place), HA1c was 6.7 in Oct, and now came back today at 5.3!! Thank you Bold With Insulin and everyone here, you’ve been a humongous help and support!
PS, did not even make huge changes in lifestyle, we eat moderately healthy, still eat out quite frequently, drink here and there, but are more responsible in choices of food and drinks. Tweaked some OP settings, have been running mostly in manual for last 3 months, taking advantage of extended boluses and temp basal rates, and generally being more bold; nudge&bump, and crush&catch if needed. Once you have your brain wrapped around that it’s easier to catch a low, than bring down a high, it becomes pretty natural."
Please hold Lucien and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Dateline Article can be found here - https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/lucien-vink-california-missing-person-rcna221559
Insulet Announces Official Collaboration with Marvel
Dyasonic: Sound of Strength—Marvel & Omnipod Give Diabetes a Super-Hero Moment
What happens when cutting-edge diabetes tech meets the Marvel Universe? You get Dyasonic: Sound of Strength, a brand-new comic created by Marvel in partnership with Insulet, makers of the Omnipod 5 insulin pump. The story introduces Omnya—a science-loving teenager recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—who battles the sinister villain D’Spayre while learning to manage her condition with an insulin pump.
Representation in pop culture isn’t just a nice-to-have; it shapes how millions of people see themselves. Insulet’s own survey showed that 94 % of people with type 1 diabetes want accurate media portrayals, yet barely half recall seeing any over the past year. By casting Omnya front and center—and letting her diabetes tech fuel her transformation into Dyasonic—the comic chips away at stigma and invites readers to see strength where they might have felt vulnerability.
From Pump to Power
Omnya’s journey echoes a real-world truth: getting glucose levels in range can feel downright heroic. After her endocrinologist prescribes the tubeless Omnipod 5 system, she gains the confidence (and steady blood sugars) to unleash high-frequency sonic gloves of her own design. Her message is clear: with the right tools, you can “take on anything—and anyone.”
A New Kind of Origin Story
Dyasonic’s foe, D’Spayre, feeds on hopelessness—making him the perfect metaphor for the burnout and isolation many with diabetes face. Watching Omnya out-smart (and out-sound-wave) him serves as a rallying cry for readers of any age: diabetes may be part of your story, but it doesn’t get to be the author.
Ready to Read?
You can dive into Dyasonic: Sound of Strength for free on Omnipod’s website and see how Omnya turns her “sound of strength” into a beacon for the entire diabetes community. Consider sharing it with a friend, a kid newly diagnosed, or anyone who could use a reminder that superheroes come in all glucose ranges. >> READ THE COMIC
If you want to try Omnipod 5 today you can get a free trial with my link >> FREE TRIAL HERE
Here’s to more pages—comic or otherwise—where every person with diabetes gets to be the hero of their own story.
Omnipod 5 + Dexcom G7: iPhone Control Goes Nationwide
If you’ve been waiting to ditch the dedicated Omnipod 5 controller and run your entire automated insulin-delivery (AID) system from an iPhone and Dexcom G7, today’s the day. Insulet just flipped the switch: every U.S. Podder can now download the Omnipod 5 App for iPhone with full G7 compatibility. finance.yahoo.com
Why this drop matters
One-device freedom. Until now, iPhone users who loved the tiny, faster-warm-up G7 sensor had to juggle an extra controller. Pairing G7 straight to Omnipod 5 on your phone means one less gadget to keep charged and in reach.
Five-minute, always-on adjustments. Omnipod 5 still checks your CGM data every five minutes, micro-doses insulin when you’re trending high, and eases back when you’re heading low—even while you sleep.
Same Pods, more choice. The newest Pods talk to both G6 and G7, so you can swap sensors or mix households without a prescription rewrite. dexcom.com
What Insulet’s saying
“With the addition of the Dexcom G7 sensor to the Omnipod 5 App for iPhone, our U.S. customers have more choice with fewer devices to keep track of, making it easier than ever to manage their diabetes.”
— Eric Benjamin, EVP & Chief Product and Customer Experience Officer, Insulet
The company frames the release as a “major milestone” in its smartphone-first roadmap. finance.yahoo.com
Real-world first impressions
Long-time Podder and radio personality Garrett Vogel has been testing the new setup:
“The Omnipod 5 App on my iPhone makes bolusing even easier—and I feel like I lost a few pounds since I’m not lugging a controller!”
For anyone glued to their phone (hello, nearly everyone), that’s the sort of everyday friction this update aims to erase.
How to upgrade or start fresh
Update to the latest Omnipod 5 App in the Apple App Store (search “Omnipod 5”).
Verify Pods. Look for packaging marked “Compatible with Dexcom G6 & G7.” If your pharmacy doesn’t have them yet, ask when stock is expected. dexcom.com
Pair your sensor. The app walks you through scanning the G7’s QR code or entering the pairing code—no separate receiver required.
Keep your settings. All basal profiles, targets, and adaptive learning stay intact when you swap from G6 to G7, so there’s no re-training period.
Bigger picture
This iPhone + G7 rollout is part of a broader trend: AID companies are collapsing separate handhelds into the phones we already carry, while expanding sensor compatibility so users can pick the CGM that fits their lifestyle and insurance. With Abbott’s Libre 2 Plus integrations already live overseas and hinted for the U.S. next, expect even more mix-and-match flexibility soon. businesswire.com
Final thought
Between fewer devices, shorter warm-ups, and app-driven insights, diabetes tech is inching closer to “set-it-and-mostly-forget-it.” If you’re a current Podder eyeing the sleek, tiny G7—or a G7 fan curious about tubeless pumping—today’s update removes the last barrier. Grab the app, pop on a new Pod, and let the automation handle the grind so you can handle… well, life.
Have questions or experiences to share? Drop a comment—or, better yet, tune in to the Juicebox Podcast where we’ll break down tips for making the switch and chat with early adopters.
If you want to learn more about Omnipod or Dexcom please use my links.
Revisiting Episode #1521, Fueled By Anxiety
Lexi’s son Hayes was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four days before his second birthday. Within three weeks she had him wearing a Dexcom and an Omnipod because she didn’t want daycare staff handling syringes.
To keep every caregiver calm, Lexi wrote a postcard-size “low card” that lives in Hayes’s supply bag. It says:
“Under 85, give one Smartie. Under 70, give two Smarties. Anything else, call me.” She made different versions for school, church, and grandparents, each trimmed to the exact numbers and actions that group needs.
The same year Hayes was diagnosed, Lexi and her husband welcomed four-year-old twin foster children who arrived with unknown medication patches on their backs. Handling those unknowns reminded Lexi that every family carries hard things; diabetes is just one of theirs.
Lexi also wanted teachers and babysitters to feel confident when insulin had to be given from her phone. She practiced remote dosing while Hayes was upstairs so she could run up if something felt off, then chose an easy-going friend for the first real test. The friend watched a quick glucagon demo, shrugged, and said, “Got it.”
Quick checklist you can copy:
Stop low-blood-sugar panic: use a postcard “low card.” First step: write one card for the next playdate.
Free up caregivers: enable remote overrides. First step: practice a remote bolus while your child is nearby.
Keep family plans big: build Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. First step: list your top three worries and a simple fix for each.
Takeaway: Break diabetes care into small, clear steps and more people will feel ready to help—freeing your family to do everything you want to do.