#1766 Scrappy

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Nurse practitioner and mother Danielle discusses managing her six-year-old’s T1D diagnosis while caring for a newborn, emphasizing the critical importance of mental health support for caregivers navigating medical trauma.

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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 (0:0) Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Juice Box podcast.

Danielle (0:12) Hi. (0:13) My name is Danielle. (0:14) I'm a mom of four girls. (0:16) And less than a year ago, I was learning to care for my newborn while learning how to manage my six year old type one diabetes.

Scott Benner (0:24) Alright. (0:24) Let's get down to it. (0:25) You want the management stuff from the podcast. (0:28) You don't care about all this chitting and chatting with other people. (0:31) Juiceboxpodcast.com/lists.

Scott Benner (0:34) They are downloadable, easy to read, every series, every episode. (0:39) They're all numbered. (0:41) Makes it super simple for you to go right into that search feature. (0:44) In your audio app, type juice box one seven nine five to find episode one seven nine five. (0:50) Juiceboxpodcast.com/lists.

Scott Benner (0:55) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the juice box podcast private Facebook group. (1:01) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. (1:04) But everybody is welcome. (1:06) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:10) If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook.

Scott Benner (1:20) Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:24) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. (1:29) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. (1:36) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. (1:41) The podcast is also sponsored today by Omnipod.

Scott Benner (1:44) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? (1:51) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. (1:55) And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. (1:59) You heard that right. (2:00) 0.

Scott Benner (2:01) That's less than your daily coffee for all of the benefits of tubeless, waterproof, automated insulin delivery. (2:07) My daughter has been wearing an Omnipod every day since she was four years old, and she's about to be 21. (2:13) My family relies on Omnipod, and I think you'll love it. (2:16) And you can try it for free right now by requesting your free starter kit today at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:24) Omnipod has been an advertiser for a decade.

Scott Benner (2:27) But even if they weren't, I would tell you proudly, my daughter wears an Omnipod. (2:31) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:34) Terms and conditions apply. (2:35) Eligibility may vary. (2:37) Why don't you get yourself that free starter kit?

Scott Benner (2:39) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox.

Danielle (2:44) Hi. (2:44) My name is Danielle. (2:45) I'm a mom of four girls. (2:47) And less than a year ago, I was learning to care for my newborn while learning how to manage my six year old type one diabetes.

Scott Benner (2:55) Why does that happen like that all the time?

Danielle (2:57) It's both I mean, there's just really no other way to say it.

Scott Benner (3:02) Wait. (3:02) So your fourth was just born?

Danielle (3:05) And you

Scott Benner (3:06) and your what which number got diabetes?

Danielle (3:09) Yeah. (3:09) So my youngest was born in January 2025, so we're coming up on her first birthday soon. (3:17) And then three weeks later, we were in the ER with my oldest daughter, who's now seven, Eloise, with, diabetes.

Scott Benner (3:29) And Yeah. (3:29) Yeah. (3:30) Hold on a second. (3:31) You ran four of those things through there in seven years?

Danielle (3:34) Yeah. (3:35) I did. (3:36) Worked. (3:36) I I wasn't necessarily the plan. (3:40) I always knew I wanted, three or four.

Danielle (3:43) My husband wanted two, and you see how that worked out. (3:48) Yeah. (3:48) Just Daniel, hold

Scott Benner (3:49) on a second. (3:50) If you weren't planning to have four kids in that short of a an amount of time, then is it fair to say you don't have a plan about anything? (3:56) Or did you have a plan and you weren't able to keep up with it?

Danielle (4:00) No. (4:01) I'm a pretty big planner. (4:02) I just I knew I wanted four kids. (4:05) I didn't know that my fertility wasn't gonna be an issue. (4:10) Is that fair?

Danielle (4:11) I mean, I knew I wanted multiple children. (4:13) I just didn't realize that I was not gonna have a problem conceiving.

Scott Benner (4:19) Is your husband a super handsome man?

Danielle (4:21) He is a super handsome man. (4:23) Yeah.

Scott Benner (4:23) That's what I'm that's what I'm thinking. (4:24) Like a George Clooney type or more like Brad Pitt? (4:27) Where does he fall?

Danielle (4:28) More like a a rugged farm guy. (4:32) He's a veterinarian.

Scott Benner (4:33) Is he really?

Danielle (4:34) Yes.

Scott Benner (4:35) Yes. (4:35) Oh, so he's tough and and and tumble, but he's also kind to animals.

Danielle (4:39) Yes.

Scott Benner (4:40) And this and this does it for you?

Danielle (4:42) Yeah. (4:43) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (4:43) Alright. (4:44) Well, definitely makes babies for you. (4:45) That works.

Danielle (4:46) Yeah. (4:46) All girls too. (4:48) We don't have any white chromosomes.

Scott Benner (4:49) There's none. (4:50) Nowhere.

Danielle (4:51) Not zero.

Scott Benner (4:52) So okay. (4:53) Alright. (4:53) Fair enough. (4:54) How long after the birth of your last does the diagnosis story start?

Danielle (4:59) Three weeks.

Scott Benner (5:00) Oh, hell.

Danielle (5:01) Three weeks afterwards. (5:02) Yeah. (5:03) So my daughter's teacher is actually the one that brought all of this to our attention. (5:10) She had noticed that my daughter was going to the bathroom quite frequently at school. (5:15) Eloise is a very responsible six year old, so she knew she's not just going there as a kindergartner to, like, play in the sink and Mhmm.

Danielle (5:23) You know, goof around and things like that. (5:26) And so she had brought it to my attention on a Friday. (5:29) I watched it over the weekend. (5:30) I honestly didn't really notice anything. (5:33) And then when she went back to school the following week, I followed up with her teacher and was like, hey.

Danielle (5:38) Is it any better? (5:38) She said no. (5:40) So I took her to her pediatrician thinking, you know, this is probably a UTI. (5:44) That's what little girls get. (5:46) And I will never forget the look on the pediatrician's face after she had seen her UA results saying, hey.

Danielle (5:57) This is not a UTI. (5:59) She's got glucose and ketones in her urine, and I'm gonna need you to go over to children's hospital. (6:04) And me being a nurse practitioner and knowing just enough, I, you know, just I feel like time just froze. (6:14) Yeah. (6:14) I was like, what do you mean?

Danielle (6:16) What do mean I need to take my healthy six year old to the hospital?

Scott Benner (6:19) Yeah. (6:20) Are you holding a baby while you're having this conversation?

Danielle (6:22) Yes. (6:23) Yes. (6:23) I am.

Scott Benner (6:23) Are you still wearing diapers, or is that over at least?

Danielle (6:28) After four kids, I healed up pretty quickly the fourth time around. (6:31) Like, my body just knew.

Scott Benner (6:32) It just knows what to do. (6:33) You're fine.

Danielle (6:33) It knew what to do. (6:34) It knew how to heal. (6:36) Yeah. (6:36) So I'm holding my three week old, calling my husband, telling him he needs to get home because my mom was watching the other my other two daughters.

Scott Benner (6:45) Mhmm.

Danielle (6:45) Was like, you need to meet me up at the ER. (6:49) Eloise, they're telling me she has diabetes. (6:51) Oh my gosh. (6:53) He's like, what the hell are you talking about? (6:54) I was like, your guess is as good as mine.

Danielle (6:57) I I I really don't know. (6:58) I really don't know. (6:59) And so we're heading up there. (7:01) Her glucose in the ER was four sixty eight. (7:06) As a health care provider, I'm just like, how did I miss this?

Danielle (7:10) How did I not see this? (7:12) She was not in DKA. (7:13) Thank god. (7:14) We spent, two days in the hospital. (7:17) Yeah.

Danielle (7:18) But those two days, I'm sitting there, you know, feeding and nursing my newborn baby while also having to, like, relearn how to feed and care for my six year old. (7:30) It was really

Scott Benner (7:31) Jarring?

Danielle (7:32) A life altering conundrum.

Scott Benner (7:34) Imagine you have a a fair amount of, hormones running around inside you too.

Danielle (7:38) A thousand percent. (7:39) Yeah. (7:40) Yeah. (7:40) Not good. (7:41) Yeah.

Danielle (7:41) It just feels like a perfect storm between postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, which are things that I've dealt with with all my pregnancies, and then medical trauma and the lack of sleep, and it was just like, all hitting at once. (7:57) It was it was something I don't ever wanna relive again. (8:00) No kidding. (8:01) That's for sure.

Scott Benner (8:01) No kidding. (8:02) I I wanted to point out how on top of things and observant the teacher must have been to catch it that early.

Danielle (8:09) Yes. (8:10) Yeah. (8:10) And I sing her praises day in and day out.

Scott Benner (8:15) I imagine.

Danielle (8:16) We have a phenomenal school nurse. (8:22) She is I mean, they're they're on top of it. (8:24) We my daughter goes to a small private school. (8:27) They're of the smaller number of kids that go to that school, there are four there's three other kids with type one there, all girls. (8:35) And our nurse, she is a rock star.

Danielle (8:39) We have a diet buddies group text with me, my husband, my daughter, the teacher, and our nurse, and we are

Scott Benner (8:47) in

Danielle (8:47) constant collaboration throughout the day. (8:51) I've I I I don't know that I could have been able to send her back to school without her teacher and without her, her nurse.

Scott Benner (8:57) Yeah. (8:58) I have to I I'd like to say to you too, like you said, I I don't know how I didn't see it, but it sounds like it was pretty early, and you were a little busy. (9:04) So

Danielle (9:05) Yeah.

Scott Benner (9:06) But she was at school.

Danielle (9:07) Gonna have four kids. (9:08) You it's okay to be busy, but you gotta notice if your kid's peeing constantly. (9:14) Right?

Scott Benner (9:14) What do you what do you feel do you feel badly about that?

Danielle (9:20) Yeah. (9:20) And I think it's because I am a health care professional. (9:23) Now granted, I work in the hospice arena. (9:26) I don't work with children most of the time. (9:28) And type one, embarrassingly enough, I just didn't have a lot of exposure to.

Danielle (9:34) Most of my training came, like, with many others, type two. (9:38) Type one is just kind of a, oh, that happens with kids and, you know, it is what it is. (9:43) I really never saw it. (9:44) Didn't have people in my in my circle. (9:47) Nothing.

Danielle (9:48) Nothing.

Scott Benner (9:48) I will act as the wizard for you, and I will grant you that you do not have to think about this anymore because I I don't think I don't I don't think it's worth giving yourself a little about.

Danielle (9:57) Carry the heavy guilt that I did early on. (10:00) I've I've made it past that. (10:02) But it is kinda you know, if anybody was gonna catch it, why wouldn't it have been me or her father who also has a

Scott Benner (10:09) Is it what's his name? (10:09) A doctor? (10:10) Yeah.

Danielle (10:11) He is. (10:12) He he he prescribes insulin to animals all the time.

Scott Benner (10:15) Tell people that's a good job. (10:16) Pays well. (10:17) Right? (10:17) Yeah.

Danielle (10:18) Ew. (10:18) Really? (10:19) Yes. (10:20) It does. (10:21) It does.

Danielle (10:22) But

Scott Benner (10:24) You got four kids.

Danielle (10:27) Yeah. (10:28) It it pays well enough.

Scott Benner (10:30) Well enough.

Danielle (10:30) But and let in in a perfect world, my husband would do strictly large animal. (10:35) The problem with that is people don't spend their money on their large animal. (10:39) If a cow gets sick, we'll throw this and that at them. (10:42) If it works, great. (10:43) If it doesn't, fine.

Danielle (10:44) The money is with folks and their small animals. (10:47) Oh. (10:48) They'll spend an arm and a leg on their foo foo dog. (10:52) You know? (10:54) Surely, the cat that that needs x, y, and z.

Danielle (10:58) You know? (10:58) People will spend more money on those type of animals. (11:01) So he does both, but I think he in a perfect world, he would he would strictly do large animal.

Scott Benner (11:07) Does he do any exotic animals? (11:09) No. (11:09) Oh, okay. (11:10) I can't use

Danielle (11:10) him now. (11:11) In the rural area that we're in, you we he wouldn't see that.

Scott Benner (11:15) Wouldn't see too much of

Danielle (11:16) often, I don't think.

Scott Benner (11:17) You guys don't keep reptiles in the Midwest?

Danielle (11:20) People have reptiles in the Midwest, but we're about an hour from any big city.

Scott Benner (11:26) Oh, you're rural rural.

Danielle (11:27) Yeah. (11:27) We're rural, rural. (11:30) Gotcha. (11:31) Yes.

Scott Benner (11:31) Someone showed me a house the other day that was, like, outside of the an area. (11:35) Was in a little rural spot. (11:37) It's like a brand new house at a very reasonable price on, like, 25 acres, and I thought, uh-huh. (11:41) Am I moving there?

Danielle (11:43) Yeah. (11:43) Yeah. (11:43) You're you're basically describing our our setup. (11:47) You know? (11:47) Yeah.

Danielle (11:48) A a decent sized house in a little piece of land, and it's quiet, and it's peaceful, and I'd recommend it to anybody.

Scott Benner (11:56) Is the is the Internet okay? (11:57) Can I can I make a podcast from there?

Danielle (11:59) I mean, can you hear me okay?

Scott Benner (12:01) You're making a fair point. (12:02) Okay.

Danielle (12:03) Yeah.

Scott Benner (12:03) I'm on my way. (12:04) Do I have to dodge a tornado, or am I good?

Danielle (12:06) You might. (12:07) You might. (12:08) It it had been weirdly warm here for December, January, and now we're finally getting winter weather. (12:16) But

Scott Benner (12:16) Does weirdly warm smell like tornadoes? (12:18) Is that what that means?

Danielle (12:19) Well, I mean, it could, but, I mean, 75 degrees in the Midwest on Christmas day is kind of

Scott Benner (12:26) Was it really?

Danielle (12:27) Unheard of. (12:28) Yeah.

Scott Benner (12:28) Can I say that I am not a weather scientist nor any other kind of scientist? (12:33) But I did find myself in a conversation recently with with a bunch of people who were like, is the weather pattern moving on the calendar significantly? (12:42) Do you know what I mean? (12:43) Like

Danielle (12:43) I don't know. (12:44) I mean, I always remember as a kid, there was always it was there was always snow on Christmas, and I can't remember the last time we've had a white Christmas here. (12:52) So

Scott Benner (12:52) No. (12:53) I'm telling you. (12:53) Knows. (12:54) I feel like it's gonna snow in June one day, but I won't be alive for it. (12:57) People will be like, oh, yeah.

Scott Benner (12:58) The weather's just circling the calendar. (13:00) Don't worry. (13:00) It's coming back. (13:01) Anyway Yeah. (13:02) I don't know anything about anything.

Scott Benner (13:04) I just wanna be clear. (13:05) That's how I ended up with the podcast. (13:07) Alright. (13:08) So when she's diagnosed Eloise, by the way. (13:11) Lovely name.

Danielle (13:12) Yes. (13:13) Thank you.

Scott Benner (13:13) Yeah. (13:13) Yeah. (13:13) Family name?

Danielle (13:14) No. (13:15) It just was a pretty name, and I feel like a lot of the older generation names have come back. (13:22) It was like we were it was Eloise. (13:24) It was Edith. (13:25) I really liked the name Edith.

Danielle (13:26) I liked the idea of baby Edie. (13:29) My husband was not about it at all. (13:33) He won. (13:34) We we settled on Eloise, and it fits her.

Scott Benner (13:37) It's lovely. (13:37) Fits her. (13:38) At her diagnosis, you have a little bit of a background in, you know, health care not directly with diabetes. (13:44) You're in the situation that you're in. (13:46) How do they treat you?

Scott Benner (13:47) Do they treat you like, oh god, this poor lady just had a baby. (13:50) Go easy on her, or do they treat you like she's in health care? (13:53) She'll understand it. (13:56) Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. (13:59) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy?

Scott Benner (14:05) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. (14:10) And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. (14:13) You heard that right. (14:15) 0. (14:15) That's less than your daily coffee for all of the benefits of tubeless, waterproof, automated insulin delivery.

Scott Benner (14:21) My daughter has been wearing an Omnipod every day since she was four years old, and she's about to be 21. (14:27) My family relies on Omnipod, and I think you'll love it. (14:31) And you can try it for free right now by requesting your free starter kit today at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. (14:39) Omnipod has been an advertiser for a decade. (14:41) But even if they weren't, I would tell you proudly, my daughter wears an Omnipod.

Scott Benner (14:46) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (14:48) Terms and conditions apply. (14:50) Eligibility may vary. (14:51) Why don't you get yourself that free starter kit? (14:54) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (14:59) The Dexcom g seven is sponsoring this episode of the juice box podcast, and it features a lightning fast thirty minute warm up time. (15:07) That's right. (15:07) From the time you put on the Dexcom g seven till the time you're getting readings, thirty minutes. (15:13) That's pretty great. (15:14) It also has a twelve hour grace period, so you can swap your sensor when it's convenient for you.

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Scott Benner (15:56) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com to Dexcom and all of the sponsors. (16:00) When you use my links, you're supporting the production of the podcast and helping to keep it free and plentiful.

Danielle (16:06) That's a good question. (16:07) I think there was a level of pity. (16:09) The diabetic educator, the main endocrinologist, and even the nurse that treated LOEs for a majority of the time were all type ones themselves.

Scott Benner (16:21) Oh.

Danielle (16:22) Yeah. (16:23) Which was really helpful in the sense, like, look at these folks. (16:28) They're living. (16:29) They're doing. (16:29) They're fine.

Danielle (16:30) They're you know, they're they've been able to accomplish so much and do so much. (16:34) But I think there was a level of pity as I'm sitting there breastfeeding this tiny baby with a big whiteboard in front of me of all the different things to to learn and do and know and calculate. (16:45) And I made it perfectly clear too. (16:47) Like, treat me like I know nothing because I really know nothing.

Scott Benner (16:50) Mhmm.

Danielle (16:50) Yes. (16:51) I have, you know, NP next to my name, but all of that goes out the window Yeah. (16:57) When it's your own kid.

Scott Benner (16:59) What about your feelings then? (17:00) Like, I I'd like to maybe stick more in that for a little while. (17:04) What was your response? (17:06) Did you pop up like, I can do anything, or was it more no. (17:10) No?

Danielle (17:11) No. (17:12) You're good. (17:12) I

Scott Benner (17:13) I'm sorry. (17:14) No.

Danielle (17:14) I would love to say that I rose to the occasion and that I was strong and resilient and just took it in stride, but I did not. (17:25) I did not.

Scott Benner (17:26) What happened?

Danielle (17:26) There in the beginning, my husband did most of it. (17:29) He did the Dexcom changes. (17:31) He did the insulin shots. (17:32) I did have to prove that I could do that before I left the hospital, of course, but I kind of fell off a cliff, so to speak. (17:40) I was in a really depressed place.

Danielle (17:44) And like I'd said before, I am somebody who has dealt with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. (17:51) And so to add this other layer in that really vulnerable time was heavy. (17:57) It was really heavy. (17:58) And I will say the fortunate piece for me was that because of my history, I was already set up with a therapist who I know and love. (18:08) Mhmm.

Danielle (18:08) And I had already been seeing a psychiatrist to keep things on track. (18:14) So I already had those resources in place and available, which I think made all the difference. (18:21) I didn't sit in that low place for long.

Scott Benner (18:24) Yeah.

Danielle (18:24) I did come out of it, but it was because I had help already established that I didn't have to go out and seek and ask for.

Scott Benner (18:33) Right. (18:33) It Danielle, and you had that stuff in place because you anticipated problems after the birth and you were ready for that?

Danielle (18:39) Yes.

Scott Benner (18:40) So a preplanner you are?

Danielle (18:42) Yes.

Scott Benner (18:42) Good for you. (18:43) Yes. (18:43) How many postpartum struggles did you have before you realized that you would need that kind of help?

Danielle (18:50) Oh, after Eloise. (18:52) It it happened full throttle with my first.

Scott Benner (18:54) Gotcha. (18:55) And you've been at it since and is it a thing you continue through the year or you just yeah. (18:59) Honestly, four kids in seven years, maybe it's just continued all But

Danielle (19:02) couldn't have been that scared

Scott Benner (19:03) Yeah.

Danielle (19:04) Yeah. (19:04) To have more babies. (19:04) Exactly. (19:05) Continue to have more babies.

Scott Benner (19:06) Do you continue the mental health support in between, or do you just kinda launch back into it at the births?

Danielle (19:13) No. (19:14) No. (19:14) I have kept up with my therapist and intermittently with my psychiatrist to make sure that I am okay. (19:25) Because if we we as parents, if we're not okay, our kids certainly aren't gonna be okay.

Scott Benner (19:30) How do you characterize their value to you and what they provide and and how it helps you?

Danielle (19:35) They're an unbiased opinion. (19:38) They're an un you know, they don't know my child. (19:41) They don't know my husband. (19:42) They just know me. (19:44) And especially now being with these certain providers for a while now, they have been able to get to know me on a visceral level and help me establish tools to appreciate the feelings that I have and acknowledge them and then also let them go.

Scott Benner (20:04) K. (20:05) That's not and that's valuable for you. (20:07) That that really, like, lightens you or gives you better outlooks? (20:11) How does it what how do you feel when it's over?

Danielle (20:13) Yeah. (20:13) Because, I mean, I I get myself into these, like, rumination, these what if situations, these Mhmm. (20:21) Worst case scenario things. (20:22) And and three, four, five, six years ago, I would have sat with those feelings of worry and pain and anxiety. (20:30) And today, while those things still happen, they're more like blips on my radar and not all encompassing anymore.

Scott Benner (20:40) Were you anxious prior to your first baby?

Danielle (20:42) Yes. (20:43) Yeah. (20:44) I I've always been a a nervous person. (20:46) I've always had issues with, like, restlessness and my mood being labile and having this certain temperament of things didn't go my way, and I would immediately feel, like, either a failure or, just not worthy. (21:04) And then in the midst of Eloise's diagnosis and all of these children here as of, like, seven, eight months ago, I was given the diagnosis of ADHD.

Danielle (21:17) And at first I was like, that's a crock of shit. (21:20) That's a hoax. (21:22) You know, I can sit in a chair. (21:24) I don't I'm not somebody who can't have a conversation. (21:27) I'm not, you know, have all this outward energy.

Danielle (21:31) I was never the kid in school that couldn't sit in their chair and things. (21:35) But, apparently, from what I'm told, us millennial women are kind of the lost generation. (21:41) We were of girls who were more inattentive and not hyperactive. (21:48) And so I have since started medication for that, and it has been life changing. (21:55) How?

Danielle (21:56) I can have singular thoughts now. (21:58) I don't have racing thoughts of going over here, doing this, needing this, going there, doing this, whatever. (22:03) It's also helped with Eloise's management. (22:07) There were times early on where I would give her insulin and forget to remind her to come eat because we pretty early on, we got into the prebolising. (22:16) So I would bolus her, and then she would run off to go play because she's a six year old kid, and I would forget to tell her to come back and eat.

Danielle (22:25) And there were a couple funky moments where it got a little scary.

Scott Benner (22:29) Yeah. (22:29) Yeah. (22:29) Tell me something. (22:30) Is it, the racing thoughts is there's a thousand things to do? (22:34) You have to get to every one of them.

Scott Benner (22:35) I did one, do the next one, do the next one, like that feeling?

Danielle (22:38) Yes. (22:39) Yes. (22:39) Or, like, I'm doing the dishes, and then I'll see something on the counter. (22:42) I'm like, oh, I didn't put that away. (22:43) I better pick that up.

Danielle (22:44) And then I pick that up, and I go take it to the other room. (22:46) I'm like, why didn't this get done? (22:48) And so then I don't actually finish that project, and I go on to the next one. (22:53) And then I feel like I've been busy all damn day, and nothing actually got accomplished.

Scott Benner (22:58) Is the water still running three hours later from the dishes? (23:01) Or

Danielle (23:01) Yeah. (23:02) I mean, it truly, truly, that's happened before.

Scott Benner (23:05) Wow. (23:06) And that's been your whole life, but it is it Yeah. (23:08) Has it worsened as you've had kids?

Danielle (23:10) Yes. (23:11) Yeah. (23:11) Yes. (23:12) Oh my. (23:13) Oh, you Oh my.

Danielle (23:15) It's right.

Scott Benner (23:15) There's not a big hole dug out back, is there? (23:17) Because that's for you. (23:18) He's gonna push you right in it. (23:20) And and you go, oh, she fell. (23:21) Kids, new mommy's on her way.

Scott Benner (23:23) Don't worry about it. (23:25) But I'm glad to hear that what you figured out is helping a lot. (23:28) Tell me what that drug is called immediately so I can sprinkle it on my on my wife. (23:32) What's it called?

Danielle (23:35) You really wanna know?

Scott Benner (23:36) I mean, yeah. (23:36) Of course, I do.

Danielle (23:37) Yeah. (23:37) Well, I so it's the generic version of Concerta.

Scott Benner (23:41) Okay.

Danielle (23:41) It's a methylphenidate is the generic version of it.

Scott Benner (23:45) So it speeds you up to slow you down? (23:46) Is that the idea?

Danielle (23:47) Well, I think from what I understand, someone who takes some kind of stimulant like that who does not have ADHD would be sped up and, you know, hyper focused and things like that. (23:58) For me, the first time I took it, I fell asleep. (24:02) It it was like everything got calm. (24:06) Everything slowed down. (24:07) Oh, interesting.

Danielle (24:08) Just felt at ease. (24:11) And to the point where, like, my temperament even towards my kids, I was more patient. (24:16) And you can imagine with four kids running around seven and under, it's loud Yeah. (24:21) Around here. (24:22) There's a lot of external stimulation that can get to you as a parent.

Danielle (24:26) And, yeah, I just felt more I feel more patient and understanding, and I'm not over, like, exerted and overstimulus or just all over the place all the time.

Scott Benner (24:38) What's doctor Doolittle's feedback on that? (24:40) How has he noticed it?

Danielle (24:42) Oh, same thing. (24:43) Yeah. (24:43) I sleep. (24:44) I mean, I wasn't sleeping. (24:46) I there early on, I was I would sit with the Dexcom follow app on my phone and I just my thumb got quite the workout.

Danielle (24:53) Just refresh, refresh, refresh

Scott Benner (24:55) Jeez.

Danielle (24:56) Thinking she's gonna, you know,

Scott Benner (24:58) worst case scenario I die. (24:59) She's gonna die like this, like, over and over again.

Danielle (25:01) Oh my gosh. (25:01) That that rumination, that constant can't pull myself out.

Scott Benner (25:06) Is this a family trait? (25:07) Your mom, your dad, anybody else like that?

Danielle (25:09) No. (25:10) I was blessed with it all on my own.

Scott Benner (25:12) It's all mine, Scott.

Danielle (25:13) Yep. (25:14) It's all mine. (25:14) I wouldn't I mean, I am estranged from my father. (25:17) I haven't seen or heard from him since I was 19 by choice. (25:22) And so who knows what he's up to these days, but Okay.

Danielle (25:26) My mom does not deal with this kind of stuff. (25:28) Okay. (25:28) I think my and I have one brother. (25:31) He's a pretty laid back kinda guy too.

Scott Benner (25:33) So Yeah. (25:34) Who

Danielle (25:34) I don't know.

Scott Benner (25:35) Let me ask the big question here. (25:37) Autoimmune issues throughout your family line, husband's side, your side? (25:40) I'm looking for thyroid, celiac, anything like that. (25:45) Vitilago.

Danielle (25:46) Yeah. (25:47) So, personally, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease in my twenties. (25:53) I ended up in the ER with tremors and uncontrollable vomiting, and they checked my TSH. (26:00) And they're like, so how long have you had thyroid problems? (26:02) It's like, news to me, buddy.

Scott Benner (26:03) Like Ten seconds.

Danielle (26:05) Yeah. (26:05) As a I know as much as you do. (26:08) I hooked up with an endocrinologist, and this was before children and before marriage. (26:13) And so what was brought to me was that in order I was told it was easier to conceive and have children with hypothyroidism than hyperthyroidism. (26:25) The medication regimen was easier and that was what they recommended I do.

Danielle (26:30) So I underwent radioactive iodine treatment.

Scott Benner (26:35) Okay.

Danielle (26:35) Basically killed my overactive thyroid, so I don't really have thyroid function now.

Scott Benner (26:41) How old was this again? (26:42) I'm sorry.

Danielle (26:42) I was 27.

Scott Benner (26:45) Okay. (26:45) You were nervous Seven. (26:46) Prior to that?

Danielle (26:47) Yeah. (26:48) I I I've always been a hypervigilant kind of person.

Scott Benner (26:52) Yeah. (26:52) Because your like, thyroid's got a lot to do with your anxiety.

Danielle (26:55) Sure.

Scott Benner (26:55) Yeah. (26:56) Absolutely. (26:56) Right. (26:57) So

Danielle (26:57) Absolutely. (26:58) I took the radioactive iodine, killed off my thyroid, and have been on Synthroid or Levothyroxine ever since.

Scott Benner (27:05) Mhmm.

Danielle (27:07) Don't have celiac or I wouldn't know because I don't wanna do a colonoscopy right now or an endoscopy to to have the final say so. (27:15) But I have had lab work and stool tests that say that I have a gluten allergy, but the only way to really see if it's celiac is to have more procedures when, in my mind, the treatment is still the same. (27:29) So I don't eat gluten, and I feel better because of it.

Scott Benner (27:32) Oh, awesome. (27:33) Has that helped anything else besides your belly and your pooping?

Danielle (27:36) Yeah. (27:38) It's helped acne. (27:39) I feel like it's made it easier to lose baby weight.

Scott Benner (27:43) Okay. (27:43) Awesome. (27:44) There's a lot to learn here. (27:45) What else is wrong with you, Danielle?

Danielle (27:48) I don't think anything else. (27:50) I don't think so. (27:51) And then as far as autoimmune stuff, other than what I got going on, my mother-in-law has, hypothyroidism. (28:00) Mhmm. (28:01) But that

Scott Benner (28:02) That's about it.

Danielle (28:02) To my knowledge is about it.

Scott Benner (28:04) Alright. (28:04) Let's go past autoimmune. (28:05) You know, are you related to any people with bipolar disorder?

Danielle (28:08) Undiagnosed? (28:09) I would say my dad. (28:13) Okay. (28:13) Maybe he's gotten that diagnosis since I was 19. (28:16) Most

Scott Benner (28:17) people answer that question with, I do know some people with undiagnosed bipolar.

Danielle (28:21) Yeah. (28:21) Yeah. (28:21) I I think I know, yeah, one one person.

Scott Benner (28:25) I'm diagnosing them right now in case you're wondering.

Danielle (28:27) Yes. (28:28) Yes.

Scott Benner (28:29) The last person that said it to me was like, well, I'm not a mental health professional, so I shouldn't say this. (28:33) But I was like, well

Danielle (28:35) Well, I'm a health care professional, so I feel inclined to say it.

Scott Benner (28:39) Okay. (28:40) Alright. (28:41) Let's see. (28:42) Are we gonna have any of the kids tested to see if they have antibodies?

Danielle (28:47) We did do that. (28:48) And as of right now, they are all negative. (28:50) I'm negative for antibodies, and my husband is also negative for antibodies.

Scott Benner (28:55) Awesome. (28:55) Awesome. (28:55) That's good news.

Danielle (28:56) But part of me, I did not realize that that was something that they were gonna have to continue doing. (29:03) I just I I think it gives me a false sense of security. (29:06) Like, they don't have antibodies today, so they're not gonna be type one, but that's not the case. (29:11) It could still happen in the future, and I hate that feeling.

Scott Benner (29:14) Well, try try thinking about the other feeling where they didn't have any, and then just pretend that's how it works and just move on.

Danielle (29:21) So lie to myself.

Scott Benner (29:22) I mean, it does work.

Danielle (29:24) Like, especially Okay. (29:26) Okay.

Scott Benner (29:26) Especially for the uncontrollable stuff. (29:28) Right?

Danielle (29:28) Yeah. (29:29) Yeah. (29:30) You're right. (29:30) You're right. (29:30) Please.

Danielle (29:31) So my kids don't have type one, and my other kiddos don't, and they just probably never will. (29:36) We'll just we'll just go with that.

Scott Benner (29:37) Yeah. (29:38) Exactly. (29:38) There you go. (29:39) Yay.

Danielle (29:39) Let's go with it.

Scott Benner (29:40) Sick your head really far down in the sand. (29:42) Just all the way down. (29:43) Got it. (29:43) But till you just look like an ostriches. (29:46) Oh, what a great title for your episode.

Danielle (29:49) Ostrich?

Scott Benner (29:49) Ostrich.

Danielle (29:50) Love it.

Scott Benner (29:53) Oh, that can't end up being the title, but it could. (29:55) There's no way to know really. (29:57) Or I guess there is a way to know. (29:59) I'm the one that makes up the titles.

Danielle (30:00) I was gonna say, do I have any say in this?

Scott Benner (30:02) Not really. (30:02) No.

Danielle (30:03) Okay. (30:03) Okay. (30:04) Thanks for your honesty.

Scott Benner (30:05) Yeah. (30:05) Yeah. (30:05) The other day, I said something, and a woman just went, please don't call it that. (30:09) And I just giggled at her. (30:11) Was like

Danielle (30:12) Yeah. (30:12) You'll find out

Scott Benner (30:13) soon. (30:14) But we didn't. (30:15) I didn't. (30:15) It was I in fairness to her, I I felt the same way when I said it. (30:21) How have you found I mean, we're this is a year.

Scott Benner (30:24) Right? (30:24) You're just

Danielle (30:24) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:25) A year into this.

Danielle (30:25) It'll be a year February 5.

Scott Benner (30:27) You're not even a year yet. (30:28) Okay. (30:29) So do you leave the hospital with CGM? (30:32) Does it take or do you have to get it? (30:34) Does she use a pump?

Danielle (30:36) So How do you manage? (30:36) So, initially, we were leaving the hospital with a prescription for a CGM, and I think our lovely nurse educator could just see in my eyes the fear of, like, not having knowing that that technology existed and not having it right then and there as I go home with all these other things going on in my life

Scott Benner (30:57) Yeah.

Danielle (30:58) That she happened to, quote, find an extra one in a storage closet somewhere.

Scott Benner (31:06) She's like, these four kids are gonna end up in the river if we don't give her a CGM.

Danielle (31:10) I don't

Scott Benner (31:10) help this woman out.

Danielle (31:12) So she ended up finding one in a random place, so to speak, and helped us hook it up, put it on her for the first time, get us set up with the Follow app, got us set up to be transferring all of her information to our now endocrinology team, and got all of that squared away before we left.

Scott Benner (31:34) No. (31:34) That's wonderful.

Danielle (31:35) And I am eternally grateful because from what I've heard and listened to, that is generally not the case.

Scott Benner (31:41) It can be tough depending on the institution and insurance and a lot of things, but I would prefer to

Danielle (31:47) We're about an hour away from, like, a a a top 20 endocrinology

Scott Benner (31:52) Yeah.

Danielle (31:53) Program, and so I think that that makes a difference too.

Scott Benner (31:57) So as overwhelming as all this has been, like, how well did you pick it up? (32:02) And because it's funny because I feel like you're trying to say you didn't do a great job with it. (32:07) You put it on your husband at first. (32:08) Maybe you checked out a little bit. (32:10) But at the same time, you're listening to podcasts.

Scott Benner (32:12) It's a year later, you're already talking about it. (32:14) And this is a little bit of a an inside thing that other people listening won't know. (32:18) But before you and I started recording, I asked everybody the same thing. (32:22) I like, is there any questions you wanna ask me now that, you know, you don't want recorded? (32:26) And some people have a question.

Scott Benner (32:28) Some people say no. (32:30) Some people have a little nervousness about how the process works. (32:33) And you you were kind of like, well, you'll prompt me along. (32:36) Right? (32:36) Like, I won't have to carry this conversation.

Scott Benner (32:38) But, Danielle, do you realize that if I just went, what's your name? (32:41) And then came back an hour from now, you'd still be talking? (32:45) Like, I don't need you you didn't need me at all.

Danielle (32:48) Well, that's that's reassuring. (32:50) I

Scott Benner (32:52) But wait. (32:52) Let me finish my thought. (32:53) No. (32:54) Yeah. (32:54) Yeah.

Scott Benner (32:54) But let me finish my thought. (32:55) So I'm wondering if that idea translates over to the diagnosis. (33:00) Did you start with, oh, gosh. (33:01) I don't know what I'm doing. (33:03) Help me along.

Scott Benner (33:04) But then you just, like, jumped in and took over and figured it out. (33:07) Is that what happened?

Danielle (33:07) Yeah. (33:08) Because as diabetic parents, I mean, you don't really have a choice. (33:12) You can't sit there.

Scott Benner (33:14) But, Danielle, it's your personality. (33:15) How do you not know that about yourself? (33:16) And I figured it out in thirty one minutes and four seconds.

Danielle (33:21) I I don't I don't know. (33:23) I I know I'm a resilient person.

Scott Benner (33:25) Mhmm.

Danielle (33:26) I know I'm a I'm definitely a plan ber. (33:30) If the things don't work out initially, I'll find a way to make it to to accomplish it.

Scott Benner (33:36) Oh, I was gonna say you're definitely not a plan b person because you have four kids. (33:40) But you meant a different

Danielle (33:41) out. (33:42) I I'll find plan b, c, d, e, f.

Scott Benner (33:44) You are a 100% not following you are a 100% not following my joke about that that day after pill. (33:49) But but but no. (33:53) No. (33:53) No. (33:53) So okay.

Scott Benner (33:54) So if first you don't succeed, Danielle tries again?

Danielle (33:58) Yeah. (33:59) Okay. (33:59) Yeah. (33:59) I mean and and looking at my daughter, she's doing it, so I can do it.

Scott Benner (34:04) Okay. (34:05) But why didn't you know that's how you were gonna be when it happened?

Danielle (34:08) I think hormones play a lot into that. (34:11) You know? (34:12) You're you're a different person postpartum than you are, you know, a few months out or a few few weeks further out than then. (34:20) Mhmm. (34:20) And it you're still just in a state of shock.

Danielle (34:22) Like, I didn't wanna believe it. (34:24) Like, if I didn't start doing things, maybe it would just not be true of living in this kind of, like, fantasy time. (34:31) Oh. (34:32) Oh, couldn't be true. (34:33) This is no way my healthy six year old who's active and smart and the kindest person in the world.

Danielle (34:41) There's no way this is actually happening.

Scott Benner (34:43) So if I don't dive into it, it's not real.

Danielle (34:45) Yeah. (34:46) Yeah. (34:46) See. (34:46) I think so.

Scott Benner (34:47) Other things in your life, you dive in, conquer, move on?

Danielle (34:51) Yeah. (34:52) Pretty much.

Scott Benner (34:53) Yeah. (34:53) Yeah. (34:54) Yeah.

Danielle (34:54) Yeah. (34:54) I I try that is the whole reason for me doing the podcast or wanting to be a guest on here is to get out of my comfort zone. (35:01) This isn't necessarily something I would normally do, but I wanna face a fear, try something new. (35:08) I think us in our thirties and forties and fifties, we don't do that as often as we get older, do things we're not comfortable with, do things that are not in our wheelhouse. (35:18) And I I think

Scott Benner (35:19) I didn't know being on the podcast was a bucket list thing for people.

Danielle (35:22) That's cool. (35:23) Kind of.

Scott Benner (35:23) I do it every day, so I don't, like it doesn't strike me that way. (35:27) Like, the idea of, like, saying I mean, you've probably heard some recent episodes where I've said stuff about my own, like, health, and it just doesn't even, like almost doesn't occur to me to be I don't even really think about the fact that other people are listening to it to me.

Danielle (35:40) Yeah. (35:41) She's at it for a long time. (35:42) Kinda surreal when this comes out and I hear my own voice coming across Spotify.

Scott Benner (35:47) Yeah.

Danielle (35:47) It's gonna be a really bizarre feeling, I'm sure.

Scott Benner (35:50) By the way, you are my first recording of my twelfth year of doing this.

Danielle (35:54) Fantastic. (35:55) I feel special.

Scott Benner (35:56) Thank you. (35:56) I you you certainly are. (35:57) I can't believe it's still happening. (35:59) The people who do business with me or work with me, I constantly are laughing at me because every time we're on a call, I say, listen. (36:06) Obviously, this is almost over.

Scott Benner (36:10) Crumble and fall apart any day now. (36:12) You know? (36:13) I'm doing my best to keep it going, blah blah blah. (36:15) And they're just like, yeah. (36:16) Every year, Scott.

Scott Benner (36:17) Every year you say this to me. (36:18) And I'm like, I I know, but and I wonder if that's not how I keep myself moving and motivated by feeling like someone's about to take it from me. (36:26) You know?

Danielle (36:26) Yeah. (36:27) For sure. (36:27) Yeah. (36:28) I we were fortunately, I mean, we got the same advice from endocrinology that I think most people get where the first idea was have her eat and dose her insulin within thirty minutes. (36:43) You know?

Danielle (36:44) And then you'd see that big rise to three hundreds, and sometimes it would come down, and sometimes it wouldn't. (36:49) That brought about anxiety. (36:52) And I think that too was a motivator. (36:54) Like, there's gotta be a better way. (36:55) There's no way that I'm gonna allow my kid to live with these 300 blood sugars and watch her mood change and think about all the the negativity that could come from this long term.

Danielle (37:10) And so I was talking to another first grade mom or kindergarten mom at the time, and she got me in contact with a basically, friend of a friend who had been listening to your podcast. (37:23) So I was exposed to Juice Box probably three weeks in three or four weeks into diagnosis.

Scott Benner (37:28) Quickly.

Danielle (37:29) It started with bold beginnings and hearing the the contradiction between what we were getting from endocrinology and what other folks were doing. (37:41) And so then I was like, hey, husband. (37:43) Listen to this. (37:44) What do you think? (37:45) We were still MDI then, doing our best.

Danielle (37:49) She got on, tandem Moby in April. (37:53) So she was in February diagnosed, and by April, we were on a pump.

Scott Benner (37:57) Okay.

Danielle (37:57) And that was that was a a crucial helping point too.

Scott Benner (38:03) Where'd you get the confidence to listen to a podcast and take it seriously? (38:07) Was it by giving it to your husband and having him fact check it?

Danielle (38:10) Yeah. (38:11) Or or or just hearing all these other people find so much wins. (38:18) I mean, they were they were seeing that other people could bring a one c's down from the highest of highs down to sixes and fives. (38:25) I mean, I want that for my daughter too.

Scott Benner (38:27) Right.

Danielle (38:28) There's gotta be there's gotta be some truth to this if if multiple people are finding success with it.

Scott Benner (38:35) Good. (38:35) Did you find the Facebook group, or did you not?

Danielle (38:38) Like many people, I lurk on there. (38:41) I don't personally have Facebook because of my profession. (38:45) I used to work in family medicine, and I was having I was having patients try to add me on Facebook and ask for scripts via DM. (38:58) So unprofessional. (38:59) And then I got to thinking, you know, I don't want these people to know what my children look like.

Scott Benner (39:05) Oh, oh, I see.

Danielle (39:06) Just this is this is this is not okay. (39:09) So I don't have social media.

Scott Benner (39:12) I gotcha.

Danielle (39:12) My husband does. (39:13) And so I had him get in on groups

Scott Benner (39:15) and stuff. (39:16) So go in through his account?

Danielle (39:18) Yeah. (39:18) We lurk together the time where we posted about insulin. (39:24) Our daughter had to change from Humalog to NovoLog, and it has been really crazy because we've had to use less insulin and less pre bolus with NovoLog. (39:34) It's been a real game changer for her, and I was just curious if other people had found that to be true as well. (39:41) Trying a different insulin, they react better or worse to them.

Danielle (39:45) Mhmm. (39:46) So that was kind of our big question. (39:48) But

Scott Benner (39:48) Very nice.

Danielle (39:49) Other than that, I just lurk and listen and

Scott Benner (39:51) I like that you're coupled you're coupled up lurking.

Danielle (39:54) Yeah. (39:55) Exactly. (39:55) Very nice.

Scott Benner (39:57) So does he listen as well, or do you? (40:00) Just you?

Danielle (40:01) At this point, after we had listened to, like, the tips and tricks and bold beginnings and all the things about pre bolusing and fat and protein and kinda got a grasp on that Mhmm. (40:14) That's kinda where he has stopped. (40:16) I still listen to people's experiences. (40:21) It's been helpful to listen to the ones where you talk about how you would look in bolus for certain foods.

Scott Benner (40:29) Oh, good. (40:29) Good. (40:30) Yeah. (40:30) I'm getting a lot of good feedback about those.

Danielle (40:32) I do enjoy that. (40:33) Good. (40:33) I do enjoy that because as Eloise grows, there's gonna be more and more variables to think about. (40:40) I mean, she's she's very active, and so we're still learning how to like soccer. (40:46) She's a soccer superstar.

Danielle (40:48) But with soccer, she'll drop low, she'll go high, and we're trying to find a way to keep her in the games longer. (40:56) You know?

Scott Benner (40:57) My idea with the bolus four episodes, if talking about diabetes, the big picture about it, slowly helped people understand it and got them to a point where they were just like, oh, you know, I kinda know what I'm doing now. (41:08) Everything feels comfortable when stuff happens. (41:10) You know, I I tend to make good decisions and my outcomes are, you know, are are matching up. (41:16) I thought, what if we had like, what if we did that about bolusing? (41:19) Like, just had conversations just about bolusing.

Scott Benner (41:22) I wonder if that would rub off on people and then eventually, they just bump into the different foods and be, you know, just kind of not not thinking about the the steps and the and, you know Yeah. (41:32) The the complexity of it.

Danielle (41:34) In the beginning, I mean, it's like, I'll never forget. (41:37) We're driving home from the hospital after her diagnosis, and she wanted a bag of Teddy Grahams. (41:41) And I've are poison. (41:43) Well, I've been told how many ways in the last two days don't restrict. (41:49) Right?

Danielle (41:49) Let them eat what they wanna eat. (41:51) Don't I'm like, okay. (41:52) Yeah. (41:53) Eat these teddygrams. (41:54) So what do I do?

Danielle (41:55) I give her the half unit that was required for the amount of carbs for these tenigrams, and I watch her blood sugar go up to 400. (42:05) And I'm like, well, hey now, Toles. (42:08) You just told me

Scott Benner (42:10) I know.

Danielle (42:10) That if I do the insulin and count the carbs, that this kind of crap's not gonna happen. (42:16) Just the the naivety of it all.

Scott Benner (42:18) Yeah. (42:18) Here here's a message for all your hospital staff. (42:21) Why do you give people graham crackers? (42:23) What is wrong with you?

Danielle (42:25) Right.

Scott Benner (42:26) And and by the way, JDRF, formerly JDRF whatever in Philadelphia, why do you fresh soft pretzels at the wok? (42:33) Like, is it just to be cruel? (42:35) Are you like, hey. (42:36) Here's a bunch of newly diagnosed people. (42:37) Let's give them a fucking soft pretzel.

Scott Benner (42:41) Look at them.

Danielle (42:42) Wow. (42:43) Wow. (42:44) Now go walk off that Yeah.

Scott Benner (42:46) Excess of

Danielle (42:47) that blood sugar.

Scott Benner (42:47) Go for a walk and see if you don't end up with a 400 blood sugar anyway because you don't know what you're doing and you're in a panic exercising. (42:53) I mean, seriously, there's a couple of graham crackers at hospitals and soft pretzels at walks. (42:59) Like, what is I mean, there ought to be a table that says, do you know what you're doing? (43:04) If so, look behind the curtain, and behind the curtain is a pretzel. (43:07) Right?

Scott Benner (43:08) Because every if you're not from around here, you don't know. (43:11) Those soft pretzels are they're perfect. (43:13) I mean, they hit they hit you right in the core of your whatever the part of your brain is that makes you feel like you're having an orgasm while you're eating. (43:19) A hot soft pretzel with a little salt on top, little yellow mustard. (43:24) Are you kidding me?

Scott Benner (43:25) And now the places around here, do you know they sell cinnamon sugar to dip them in?

Danielle (43:30) Good. (43:30) Awesome.

Scott Benner (43:31) And cream. (43:32) I don't get any of that, by the way. (43:34) Even I don't understand a chocolate pretzel if I'm being honest. (43:37) Nah. (43:37) Yeah.

Scott Benner (43:38) Pretzel needs not it needs mustard. (43:39) It doesn't need anything else. (43:41) Yellow. (43:41) You have

Danielle (43:42) a cheese dip even?

Scott Benner (43:43) No. (43:43) What am I? (43:44) A monster? (43:44) It's a pretzel. (43:45) It's already perfect.

Scott Benner (43:47) Okay? (43:47) As a matter of fact, if I talk about it for three more seconds, I'm gonna end up with one today. (43:51) So we have to stop right now because I'm going out. (43:54) I'll be driving past the place. (43:55) You guys should move here.

Danielle (43:57) You can eat a pretzel and get a massage at the same time.

Scott Benner (44:00) These people don't know I'm getting a massage today, Danielle, but you just, like, told them.

Danielle (44:05) I forgot I wasn't recording If

Scott Benner (44:07) I ate a pretzel while being massaged, you don't think the person doing it would call the police? (44:13) They'd be like, there's a lunatic in here eating a he's asking for mustard. (44:17) Please come help me. (44:19) And not brown mustard. (44:21) He said that's disgusting.

Scott Benner (44:22) Oh. (44:23) Oh my god.

Danielle (44:24) Sorry about that.

Scott Benner (44:25) No. (44:25) Alright. (44:25) Hey, everybody. (44:26) Guess what? (44:27) I'm getting a massage today.

Scott Benner (44:28) Okay? (44:28) I got it as a

Danielle (44:29) treating himself.

Scott Benner (44:29) I got it as a gift two Christmases ago and waited so long to do it that it was expired when I called the place, and they were nice enough to settle up for me anyway. (44:38) My wife wanted am I sharing this part? (44:42) Whatever. (44:43) My wife was like, I got this massage at this place specifically because there's a person there who does a great deep tissue massage, and I know that's what you want. (44:51) I said, awesome.

Scott Benner (44:52) Thank you. (44:53) She read reviews, blah blah blah. (44:55) I go I call. (44:56) I set the whole thing up. (44:57) They offer me one of two people to do the massage, and I just very casually just chose the female name when it was thrown at me.

Scott Benner (45:05) And I didn't think anything of it. (45:07) I get downstairs. (45:08) My wife's like, did you get it set up? (45:10) And I was like, yeah. (45:11) Yeah.

Scott Benner (45:11) It's great. (45:11) I'm I'm gonna go. (45:12) And she goes I said, thank you again. (45:14) Sorry. (45:14) It took me so long to do it.

Scott Benner (45:15) I was very, very cordial. (45:17) And then she said, you did it with this person? (45:21) And I went, oh, no. (45:22) I did it with the other one. (45:23) And she goes, why?

Scott Benner (45:24) And I said, I was faced with a male name and a female name, and I picked the female name. (45:29) And she goes, but that's not the person that does the great deep tissue. (45:32) I said the lady on the phone said she did a great deep tissue massage. (45:35) And my wife's like, but I I read the reviews and the guy, and I was like, ah, I ain't looking for that. (45:40) So and by the way, for no real reason, I don't even care.

Scott Benner (45:46) I wouldn't care. (45:47) I really wouldn't. (45:49) But I was like but when you when you asked me, and I was like, no. (45:52) Lady name. (45:52) I'll take lady name.

Scott Benner (45:53) Thank you. (45:54) So, anyway, judge me if you will. (45:56) I don't care.

Danielle (45:56) I'm not judging you.

Scott Benner (45:57) I'm just getting a massage. (45:59) Alright. (45:59) So how are things going a year later?

Danielle (46:02) I feel I definitely feel steadier. (46:05) I feel more empowered. (46:08) I feel less guilt, less need for perfection. (46:14) Mhmm. (46:15) I think so her so her a one c was 10.8 on diagnosis, and her first follow-up a one c was 6.1.

Scott Benner (46:26) Okay.

Danielle (46:27) And so putting that in perspective, I knew that she still had highs through that, and we were still able to achieve a really good solid a one c first go around.

Scott Benner (46:40) Right.

Danielle (46:40) And so then it was like, okay. (46:43) She doesn't have it doesn't have to be perfect to see better results.

Scott Benner (46:47) Okay.

Danielle (46:47) And so, yes, we still pre bolus, and, yes, we you know, she had pancakes for breakfast this morning. (46:54) And, yes, technically, they were only 40 carbs. (46:56) She got way more insulin than just 40 carbs because now we know.

Scott Benner (47:01) Mhmm.

Danielle (47:01) And and that's empowering to feel like we we have a better grasp on it. (47:06) And don't get me wrong. (47:07) There's still you think you do everything right, and you still see those double arrows up. (47:12) It's been a while since we've had them, but they still happen.

Scott Benner (47:15) Sure. (47:15) Sure.

Danielle (47:15) I don't beat myself up anymore about it because what do I do? (47:21) Just give more insulin and it's going to come down.

Scott Benner (47:23) Where on that timeline does the, what was the medication you said you were taking?

Danielle (47:29) I started that medication just about two months ago because I was leery about it.

Scott Benner (47:34) Okay. (47:35) So you you started it two months ago. (47:37) Has your outlook on the diabetes changed as well?

Danielle (47:41) Yeah. (47:41) I'm just I'm just a calmer individual in general.

Scott Benner (47:46) Alright. (47:46) Well, I'm not usually for all this, but for all you people out there who when you hear me tell somebody to calm down, you think, oh, I should probably calm down too. (47:55) Tell them again the name of the medication.

Danielle (47:58) Methylphenidate. (48:00) Yeah.

Scott Benner (48:00) I mean, listen, kids. (48:02) Give up.

Danielle (48:02) If you truly if you truly have ADHD and and a licensed professionals telling you that you tick the the correct boxes, I wouldn't be afraid to try a medication.

Scott Benner (48:14) Right. (48:14) I mean, otherwise, you're a meth head. (48:15) Right? (48:16) Because

Danielle (48:17) the Yeah. (48:17) Otherwise otherwise, yeah, you are a stimulant junkie. (48:21) Yeah. (48:21) And yeah. (48:22) If it's hard for you to remember to take your medicine, it's like you know, for me, if I remember to take it, that's the problem too.

Danielle (48:30) You take your thyroid medicine. (48:32) You have to wait so many minutes before, and by then, the day has started. (48:36) So then you're coming back, oh, yeah. (48:38) I forgot to take my medicine. (48:39) I could tell because I'm bouncing off the walls and not staying on task.

Danielle (48:45) So if you're forgetting to take the medication, you likely have ADHD. (48:49) If you're striving to want to take it, you probably don't.

Scott Benner (48:53) You probably have a habit. (48:54) Danielle's like, listen. (48:55) You can get, like, checked over by a doctor and they check you out, but here's the criteria, really. (48:59) If you want it, you don't need it. (49:01) If you can't remember it, it's definitely for you.

Danielle (49:03) It's probably necessary. (49:05) Yes.

Scott Benner (49:06) That's some homespun wisdom right there. (49:08) That's awesome. (49:09) That's funny. (49:10) Oh my god. (49:12) Can we call this episode missus Doolittle?

Scott Benner (49:14) It's still yeah. (49:15) That you'd be okay with.

Danielle (49:16) I don't I don't I honestly, I don't care.

Scott Benner (49:19) I don't care.

Danielle (49:20) My methylphenidate today. (49:22) You call it whatever you wanna call it.

Scott Benner (49:23) I love it. (49:24) You're like, hey, baby. (49:25) Everything's good. (49:26) Wait. (49:26) Did you try weed?

Scott Benner (49:27) Did weed not work?

Danielle (49:29) I have in the past. (49:31) Mhmm. (49:32) It's been a long time, and I know I don't like that feeling of, like, loosey goosey sort of lost control kinda feeling. (49:41) And I know there's different strains and different different ones do different things, but I just it wasn't for me, I don't think.

Scott Benner (49:49) Did you, what was my question there? (49:53) Did you have a a lessening of anxiety with the weed?

Danielle (49:56) Not no.

Scott Benner (49:57) Not like this?

Danielle (49:58) I was I was more kind of the opposite. (50:01) I couldn't sit still and I was like, why am I feeling like this? (50:04) Time's slowing down. (50:05) Oh my god. (50:05) What is happening?

Danielle (50:06) What is happening?

Scott Benner (50:08) Have you ever tried pulling mushrooms out of the cow patties? (50:10) That might help.

Danielle (50:11) No. (50:12) No. (50:13) I did experience dabble in college with some extra nonprescription things.

Scott Benner (50:20) Mhmm.

Danielle (50:20) Yeah. (50:21) That wasn't good for me either. (50:23) That was more reckless than anything.

Scott Benner (50:24) I wanna say with air quotes, there's a doctor that's been emailing me like crazy to come on the podcast to talk about their ketamine facility. (50:33) And I'm like

Danielle (50:34) Interesting. (50:35) Are you gonna do it?

Scott Benner (50:35) I mean, the website looks like it was made by a nine year old. (50:38) It's throwing me off. (50:39) You know?

Danielle (50:41) So when this doctor hears this episode

Scott Benner (50:44) Yeah. (50:44) I mean, listen. (50:45) Do a better job with your website and email me back Maybe

Danielle (50:47) you can come on here. (50:48) Yeah.

Scott Benner (50:49) Stop making it feel like three hippie friends, starting a business together. (50:53) Yeah. (50:54) And and I'll I'll look a little closer at it. (50:58) I don't know. (50:58) Also, you know what throws me off is that comedian, Whitney Cummings.

Danielle (51:02) Uh-huh.

Scott Benner (51:02) She was, like, a few years ago pretty heavy into the into the ketamine, and it looked like it was making her crazy. (51:07) So I don't know if maybe that was being

Danielle (51:08) If she's the poster child for it, then I didn't know if that was I'll go a different direction.

Scott Benner (51:13) Done incorrectly maybe or whatnot. (51:15) But I I'll tell you, like, what I would do is anybody who's in those trials for psilocybin and that therapy that they're doing, I would I would love to talk to anybody who's done that. (51:28) I think that would be great.

Danielle (51:29) Yeah.

Scott Benner (51:30) Because there's Wouldn't

Danielle (51:31) be me.

Scott Benner (51:31) Wouldn't be you? (51:32) Would you do if that was legal let me ask a question. (51:35) If it was legal to go into a a center right now and they give you a little bit of a I don't know the technicalities around. (51:41) They give you a little, little psilocybin, a little trip, and then they do that therapy through because it's like a guided therapeutic thing.

Danielle (51:47) Yeah. (51:48) Where you take, like, the psychedelics and

Scott Benner (51:50) Yeah. (51:50) I I mean, I think they're listen. (51:52) There's studies going on at Hopkins and a a number of other places right now about it. (51:56) Right? (51:56) Like, so if that were if that was the thing and they said, you look, we're gonna dig out your trauma.

Scott Benner (52:01) We'll get rid of this anxiety. (52:02) Would you try something like that?

Danielle (52:04) Maybe. (52:08) Maybe.

Scott Benner (52:09) I think I would. (52:13) I think I would. (52:14) And I and I've never done that.

Danielle (52:15) Maybe if it were a sure thing.

Scott Benner (52:17) Sure. (52:18) Well, listen. (52:18) You want a sure thing.

Danielle (52:19) Thing in life is a sure thing, but but that would be helpful.

Scott Benner (52:24) Yeah. (52:24) The only thing I'm

Danielle (52:24) sure about that, like, there's no chance you could get any worse.

Scott Benner (52:32) What a lovely way to put that. (52:35) You're like, listen. (52:36) If I'm

Danielle (52:36) gonna sit Maybe it won't get like, you don't have to reassure me that I will be cured of all of these mental health woes.

Scott Benner (52:43) But don't wanna be out of your mind when it's done.

Danielle (52:45) Can it also can you guarantee that it won't make it worse?

Scott Benner (52:48) I believe this is a very low dose. (52:50) Now having said that, I don't know that you I I have no idea. (52:53) I'm sure it's I'm certainly not telling you to go do it. (52:55) Nothing you hear in the Juice Box podcast should be considered by medical or otherwise. (52:58) Always consult a physician before making any change to your health care plan or using mushrooms.

Danielle (53:02) So Good call.

Scott Benner (53:02) Yeah. (53:03) Thank you. (53:03) Thank you. (53:04) I think I would do it though. (53:05) And I don't even know what my I mean, I I'm aware of what my trauma is.

Scott Benner (53:08) I don't I feel like I've done a good job with it. (53:10) I feel like I can exist pretty well the rest of my life, but I would like to know what it would be like if it just didn't exist anymore.

Danielle (53:16) That's I I think that's a fair point. (53:18) Yeah. (53:19) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (53:19) I think I think if somebody could dig into my into my head and take out that the person who gave birth to me and the person that adopted me abandoned me, I think that'd be good for me if I could get rid of that. (53:30) Yeah. (53:30) You know what I mean? (53:31) I'd like to keep a little bit of that fear of being having my ass kicked as a kid. (53:35) I think that keeps me

Danielle (53:36) Oh. (53:36) That

Scott Benner (53:36) keeps me motivated a little bit.

Danielle (53:38) I am I am this is all resonating.

Scott Benner (53:41) Oh, is that is that how they told Danielle to be quiet? (53:43) Yeah. (53:44) Wait. (53:44) How old are you?

Danielle (53:45) I am 35.

Scott Benner (53:47) Well, I didn't know we were allowed to hit kids in the nineties. (53:49) I thought I was in the seventies.

Danielle (53:51) Oh, I still got good old fashioned spankings.

Scott Benner (53:54) Did you get a belt?

Danielle (53:55) No. (53:56) I didn't get a belt. (53:57) No. (53:57) It was it was more it was more hands.

Scott Benner (53:59) From the dad?

Danielle (54:00) Than anything. (54:01) Yeah. (54:01) Yeah. (54:02) Uh-huh. (54:02) Well, an emotional trauma from my dad.

Danielle (54:04) He was one of those people that from the outside looking in, he was dad of the year. (54:11) Mhmm. (54:12) Right? (54:12) He coached me in basketball and was at all my games and felt like a really present father. (54:19) And then behind closed doors, he was hateful, manipulative, and just a really sour person.

Scott Benner (54:27) Oh, I'm sorry. (54:28) I'm sorry.

Danielle (54:28) Yeah. (54:28) You know?

Scott Benner (54:29) After a baseball practice one day, I watched one of Cole's teammates, like, get run into like, in the car by their dad. (54:38) And you even though you couldn't hear it, like, you could see it.

Danielle (54:42) You know exactly what's going on in there.

Scott Benner (54:43) Like, the face and the screaming and the pointing and the kid shrinking and everything. (54:47) And the kid grew up to be a shrunk person too. (54:50) Then and and got out of it eventually, which I was always happy to see. (54:53) But my god. (54:54) Like, I I don't know what that guy thought he was I don't know what he thought they were they were 12.

Scott Benner (55:00) Yeah. (55:00) You know what I mean? (55:00) Like

Danielle (55:01) I mean, work I mean, because like I said before, therapy is I'm not I've been in and out of therapy, and I'm a huge advocate for it.

Scott Benner (55:09) Mhmm.

Danielle (55:09) I've worked through that. (55:11) I mean, can you imagine? (55:13) That man coached me in basketball from second grade through high school.

Scott Benner (55:20) Yeah.

Danielle (55:20) It is so hard to be the coach's kid

Scott Benner (55:24) Yeah.

Danielle (55:24) Yeah. (55:24) Especially with somebody who had a personality like him

Scott Benner (55:29) Yeah.

Danielle (55:30) That, you know, nothing was good enough. (55:32) I was supposed to be this I mean, he was living I mean, in hindsight, he was living vicariously through me.

Scott Benner (55:37) Yeah.

Danielle (55:37) I was a reflection of what he never did as, you know, a teenager or an athlete, and he wanted me to fulfill those prophecies, those those dreams of his.

Scott Benner (55:48) How tall are you?

Danielle (55:49) I mean, I'm five seven.

Scott Benner (55:51) Oh my god. (55:51) Stop.

Danielle (55:52) I'm not I'm not tall, but I'm scrappy. (55:54) Scrappy. (55:55) Scrappy, and I have a three point shot that would knock your socks off. (55:59) I've broken some records. (56:00) I was all state in Illinois.

Danielle (56:02) I mean, I wasn't I mean, I was I was decent. (56:05) Yeah. (56:05) But he kinda ruined it for me. (56:08) And I I didn't play in college just to be an asshole.

Scott Benner (56:11) Oh, really? (56:12) You could have, and you were like

Danielle (56:13) I could have played in college, not d one, but d two, d three, and I purposely didn't.

Scott Benner (56:20) Yeah. (56:20) I don't wanna because you don't wanna be involved with him anymore. (56:22) Just the fuck. (56:23) Listen. (56:24) I've made, some good decisions in my life and some really bad ones, but one of them was at one point, my wife said, maybe you should be a coach on one of these baseball teams because I think it would be Cole would get a more fair shake.

Scott Benner (56:37) And I said, I think that's a bad idea. (56:40) Mhmm. (56:40) Yeah. (56:40) I don't think that I'm looking at these other guys, and they're ruining their relationships with their kids.

Danielle (56:46) A 100%. (56:47) I will never coach my kids. (56:48) I will always be their cheerleader. (56:50) If they decide to play basketball, for instance, and they want tips, tricks, they you know, I'm here if you want it, and otherwise, I'm rah rah sis boom bah on the sidelines Yeah. (57:00) Just Yeah.

Danielle (57:02) Being your biggest fan.

Scott Benner (57:03) Anyway, I'm never gonna forget watching that guy yell at that kid. (57:05) So Mm-mm. (57:06) I don't know. (57:06) I I swear I'd I would have loved to have said to him, like, what do you think is about to happen? (57:10) Like, are you gonna yell it in?

Scott Benner (57:11) You're gonna yell it into him? (57:12) He doesn't the kid doesn't have whatever it is you want him to have, he does currently does not possess it.

Danielle (57:20) No. (57:20) And you're you're basically just stealing the joy and the fun of it from that child and the the yeah. (57:27) Yeah. (57:27) Exactly.

Scott Benner (57:28) And it's it's there's no shade on the kid either, by the way. (57:30) It just wasn't really his thing. (57:32) You you know? (57:33) And they and I think it was because his body style fit it that they were trying to force it into happening. (57:37) That makes sense.

Danielle (57:38) Yeah. (57:39) That's terrible.

Scott Benner (57:40) He just didn't have a love for it. (57:42) So I don't know. (57:43) And the and the kid's vomiting all the time, like, upset. (57:46) And, I mean, look what you're doing. (57:47) And then they'd say that there's something wrong with the kid.

Scott Benner (57:49) I'm like, there's it's just here. (57:50) You're yelling at him all the time.

Danielle (57:51) I I yeah. (57:53) Yeah. (57:54) That's asinine.

Scott Benner (57:55) Yeah. (57:55) Everybody's an idiot. (57:56) Not me, though. (57:57) Trigger. (57:57) Not me and you, Danielle.

Scott Benner (57:58) We're smart. (57:59) We know.

Danielle (58:00) Yes. (58:00) Uh-huh. (58:01) Uh-huh. (58:02) Take it from me.

Scott Benner (58:02) Yeah. (58:03) Well, listen, you lived through it. (58:05) I did. (58:05) Yeah. (58:05) Nobody expected anything out of me.

Scott Benner (58:07) I just got my ass kicked for being a smart ass. (58:10) You know, I I think it is maybe appropriate to mention the first recording of my twelfth year, not twelfth season, twelfth year of making a podcast. (58:17) By the way, I don't wanna brag, Danielle, but did you know that fewer than 200 of the four and a half million podcasts that exist have as many episodes as mine?

Danielle (58:25) I saw your post about

Scott Benner (58:27) that Nice.

Danielle (58:28) All the statistics.

Scott Benner (58:29) If you say it there, I made a post about it, then it seems like I do wanna brag. (58:33) So just just say, oh, no. (58:34) That's crazy.

Danielle (58:35) Well, no. (58:35) It's it's educational.

Scott Benner (58:38) Yeah. (58:39) I'm very proud

Danielle (58:40) of Continue to support so he yeah. (58:42) I can continue to do this.

Scott Benner (58:43) Thank you. (58:43) No. (58:43) No.

Danielle (58:43) Look at how many people failed, you know, or weren't able to to produce with me or prior to me.

Scott Benner (58:50) And I don't even mean just, like, in diabetes or, like, in the space in general. (58:54) Like, there's four and a half million podcasts. (58:57) Only fewer than 200 of them have produced 1,700 episodes. (59:01) That alone is crazy. (59:03) The the show is entering its ninth year of being in the top 20, top 30 of The US medicine category, which is, like, unheard.

Scott Benner (59:10) If you go look at that category, it's a lot of podcasts made by companies and corporations and, like, little old me with my independent podcast, which is which is pretty great and also, I think, speaks volumes about the support that I get from people listening.

Danielle (59:26) Sure.

Scott Benner (59:27) But yeah.

Danielle (59:27) But I'm

Scott Benner (59:27) not I'm excited about that.

Danielle (59:29) Full disclosure. (59:30) Before coming on here, I had gone on to chat GPT, and I was like, hey. (59:37) I'm gonna be a guest on the juice box podcast. (59:40) Any tips or ideas or information that I need to know going into this? (59:45) And and Chad GPT, knew who you were, knew the your style of interviewing.

Danielle (59:52) It it was actually pretty helpful. (59:53) I have to send you what my response was.

Scott Benner (59:56) Oh, would you show that to me? (59:57) That's awesome.

Danielle (59:58) Yeah. (59:58) I can email it to you.

Scott Benner (59:59) Hey. (59:59) What's up, OpenAI? (1:00:00) I see you.

Danielle (1:00:01) Yeah. (1:00:01) Yay. (1:00:02) They did. (1:00:02) They were like, he will carry the conversation. (1:00:04) He will lead you along.

Danielle (1:00:06) He likes to talk about different personal experiences, not just about diagnosis, but digging deeper into different aspects and and what have you. (1:00:16) So yeah. (1:00:18) I mean, it was spot on.

Scott Benner (1:00:19) I swear to you, I find that invigorating and a little violating all at the same time.

Danielle (1:00:23) Yeah. (1:00:23) True. (1:00:23) Yeah. (1:00:24) True. (1:00:24) I I can imagine.

Scott Benner (1:00:25) Well, I mean, it's it's my fault. (1:00:26) I'm I'm the one having the conversations. (1:00:29) Boy, isn't that something? (1:00:30) Yeah. (1:00:31) Yeah.

Scott Benner (1:00:31) I'll I'll I'll tell you you can I tell you one thing I did with with an an AI model recently?

Danielle (1:00:37) Please.

Scott Benner (1:00:38) Beyond stuff for the podcast, which is I'm putting a bunch of stuff together that I think you guys are gonna like. (1:00:43) I am, I'm not good at figuring out social media. (1:00:46) So I I don't understand the Facebook algorithm the way I'm, I don't know, made. (1:00:54) I'm not the target audience for a Facebook post that's popular. (1:00:58) But I wrote one recently, and I was like and it really was popular.

Scott Benner (1:01:02) And I was like, oh. (1:01:03) I'm like, I must I don't know how to do it again. (1:01:06) So, like, I read it and I thought, okay. (1:01:08) Like, I'm just trying to get people to the content. (1:01:11) Right?

Scott Benner (1:01:11) I don't know what to do. (1:01:12) So I took the content. (1:01:14) I said, look. (1:01:14) I wrote this Facebook post. (1:01:16) It was really popular.

Scott Benner (1:01:17) Can you please break down why it might have been popular and help me to, like, mimic that in my future writings because I don't understand how to engage people on Facebook. (1:01:29) And that's a it's frustrating because I do a great job of engaging people in audio. (1:01:35) Right? (1:01:35) Like, if you hear me and and you don't hate me, you're gonna really like this.

Danielle (1:01:39) What kind of feedback did you get?

Scott Benner (1:01:41) It actually gave me back, a report on it, and I haven't read it yet. (1:01:46) It gave me a report. (1:01:47) It gave me an AI model to in case it said in case I don't wanna write them, I could just drop the the text from the episodes into a into a prompt, and it could help me write them. (1:01:57) And it's given me a five a six minute audio overview where it's gonna explain to me what it learned. (1:02:02) So I haven't listened to that yet.

Danielle (1:02:04) Interesting.

Scott Benner (1:02:05) But that's, I mean, that's the thing I mean, that's just a a tiny look at how people are are using AI in ways that you wouldn't expect. (1:02:13) I just don't know how to I can sit and wonder, but I can't keep up with it. (1:02:18) And I'm too busy to, like, make it my job. (1:02:20) I can't afford to hire somebody to tell me, like, how do I and I also don't wanna be a person who's like, you just write something engaging. (1:02:27) I don't I don't wanna do that.

Scott Benner (1:02:28) Like, I wanna understand why people were engaged by it. (1:02:32) What is it about because I did write it. (1:02:34) Like, so what about that post made it interesting to people? (1:02:37) Because I I'm writing to you. (1:02:39) I'm not writing to me.

Scott Benner (1:02:41) Sure. (1:02:41) Like, if I was the audience, my posts would be like, hey. (1:02:45) This episode's about Danielle. (1:02:47) Here's what happened to her. (1:02:48) Go listen to it.

Scott Benner (1:02:49) And I would hear that and go, goddamn right. (1:02:51) Let me go listen. (1:02:51) But that's not how most people work. (1:02:53) Like, so and maybe that'll help me get other people to management stuff. (1:02:57) Like, maybe this is gonna lead it to because that's one of the bigger problems that we have with the podcast is that it's difficult to get people out of the Facebook group into the series like bold beginnings and stuff that.

Scott Benner (1:03:10) So I wonder how I could maybe like, hearing your success and other people's success with it, I wonder how I could entice people out of that red written world into an audio world and give them the experience that you had. (1:03:22) That's what

Danielle (1:03:22) I'm So you're saying that there are people that get into the private Juice Box podcast group, but then don't actually listen to the podcast itself?

Scott Benner (1:03:33) Oh, Danielle. (1:03:33) There are people who, like, comment on things and go, what's this podcast you're all talking about? (1:03:39) So so the Facebook group has become

Danielle (1:03:43) Like a support group, but they don't know why it's called Juice Box?

Scott Benner (1:03:47) Yes. (1:03:48) It's its own entity. (1:03:49) It's so valuable for people that it attracts people outside of people who listen. (1:03:54) It started as a place for listeners to talk about the podcast, but I build it up to a thing that just it's just not that anymore.

Danielle (1:04:02) Gotcha.

Scott Benner (1:04:02) Yeah. (1:04:03) And there are probably plenty of people listening to this who are like, I wouldn't log on to Facebook if you paid me money. (1:04:08) But I'll tell you what, that's a great support group. (1:04:10) Yeah. (1:04:11) If you got Facebook just to be in that group and you had diabetes in your life, I think it would be valuable for you.

Scott Benner (1:04:16) Yep. (1:04:17) So, anyway, what have we missed? (1:04:19) What have we not talked about anything at all?

Danielle (1:04:22) No. (1:04:22) I think my big takeaway for people was just I wanted to advocate for parents to take their own mental health seriously when having a child with diabetes because there are as we know, there's no days off. (1:04:41) I just think that everybody in this this vicinity can benefit from some kind of mental health rejuvenation, so to speak. (1:04:52) Because, you know, I hope I'm not alone in this that it didn't just affect my relationship with myself. (1:04:59) You know?

Danielle (1:05:00) It affects your relationship with your spouse. (1:05:02) You know, never feeling like we get a day off, having resentment grow between us sometimes. (1:05:08) Like, we're not fighting each other necessarily. (1:05:11) We're fighting because we're never off duty. (1:05:13) Right?

Scott Benner (1:05:13) Mhmm.

Danielle (1:05:14) And I just I just wanted to give other type one parents permission to prioritize themselves a little more because we do. (1:05:23) We prioritize the health and safety of our kids well that we don't do the same for ourselves.

Scott Benner (1:05:29) Yeah. (1:05:29) No. (1:05:30) That's a great message.

Danielle (1:05:31) I would I just wanna empower more parents to take care of themselves too.

Scott Benner (1:05:36) Awesome. (1:05:36) That's a that's a great message. (1:05:37) Everybody should take her seriously. (1:05:38) You don't have to get medicated. (1:05:40) But

Danielle (1:05:40) No. (1:05:41) It doesn't have to start with medication. (1:05:43) It has to start with just owning your own and and wanting to do better for yourself so you can do better for your kids.

Scott Benner (1:05:50) I would also say if medication is the answer, you're not gonna get any shade from me about it. (1:05:53) Like, whatever Or

Danielle (1:05:54) me either. (1:05:55) I am medicated. (1:05:56) No big deal.

Scott Benner (1:05:57) Arden looked me right in the face last night and she goes, do you remember the time we went to Atlanta to visit Cole? (1:06:02) And I was like, And she goes, and we went to the to the aquarium? (1:06:05) And I was like, yeah. (1:06:06) She goes, I saw a picture of that the other day. (1:06:07) And I was like, yeah.

Scott Benner (1:06:08) And she goes, wow. (1:06:09) You were really fat. (1:06:10) And I went, oh, awesome. (1:06:13) And and when she said it, I wasn't insulted. (1:06:15) Like, she was, you know, joking, and I was I was happy to joke with her.

Scott Benner (1:06:19) But my my quiet thought in my head was, I am so glad I tried that GLP medication. (1:06:24) It really has changed my life. (1:06:26) I wonder yeah. (1:06:27) I just think life's too short to fight with something over and over again and lose the same battle. (1:06:33) You know?

Danielle (1:06:33) Exactly.

Scott Benner (1:06:34) So, yeah, in mental health, I think of the same way. (1:06:36) Like, if you if there's a way around it, I don't know why you're trying to go through it all the time. (1:06:41) You know?

Danielle (1:06:42) And you're not and and as much as we feel like we're masking it, we're not.

Scott Benner (1:06:47) Of course not.

Danielle (1:06:49) I think for for type one parents, good diabetes control is masking anxiety. (1:06:57) Right? (1:06:58) Hypervigilance for a lot of people. (1:07:00) You know, you think these parents are fine and their kids are doing so great and they're actually just suffering in silence.

Scott Benner (1:07:06) Mhmm. (1:07:07) Yeah.

Danielle (1:07:07) So

Scott Benner (1:07:07) No. (1:07:08) I hear you. (1:07:08) It is anyway, I think whatever works works, and you should try to lessen your load and act and not just mask it, but to actually, like, do something to alleviate the stress because it is not your fault that your father screamed at you about basketball or that you got kicked under a coffee table like I did or you were sitting in a car being screamed at on a baseball field or, you know, or whatever else happened to you. (1:07:33) Yeah. (1:07:34) You know, like, it's it it doesn't mean you need to live like that forever.

Scott Benner (1:07:37) It's not it's not a Mhmm. (1:07:38) Self fulfilling prophecy. (1:07:39) If there's a way out, take it.

Danielle (1:07:41) Yep. (1:07:41) That's all. (1:07:42) 100%.

Scott Benner (1:07:42) Yeah. (1:07:43) Awesome. (1:07:43) You are awesome. (1:07:44) This is a great first episode of my twelfth season of the Juice Box podcast. (1:07:49) 12.

Scott Benner (1:07:50) Ding. (1:07:51) Woo hoo. (1:07:51) Puts me in some pretty limited categories about how long the podcast has been going, about how many downloads it has, about how many episodes it has. (1:08:00) I feel really I feel a little prolific, actually.

Danielle (1:08:03) Yeah. (1:08:03) I'm proud of you, Scott.

Scott Benner (1:08:05) Hey. (1:08:06) Danielle, thank you so

Danielle (1:08:07) much. (1:08:07) I'm proud of you.

Scott Benner (1:08:09) Oh my god. (1:08:09) That's awesome. (1:08:10) How many times have you seen a cow give birth?

Danielle (1:08:12) Personally, I choose not to see cows.

Scott Benner (1:08:14) But you could, though. (1:08:15) Right?

Danielle (1:08:16) I could. (1:08:17) I could.

Scott Benner (1:08:17) Does the husband go

Danielle (1:08:18) help? (1:08:18) Along for some out calls.

Scott Benner (1:08:20) Yeah.

Danielle (1:08:21) But then that would mean who's watching our children. (1:08:24) Our village is rather small. (1:08:28) Actually, my husband and I are going on our first date night in a year, basically. (1:08:36) We have finally found the courage to let somebody else watch our kiddos while we step out for the night. (1:08:42) So slow and steady, steady and slow.

Scott Benner (1:08:45) I hope that night doesn't end with you in the car and your husband shoulder deep in a cow.

Danielle (1:08:49) So Or pregnant.

Scott Benner (1:08:51) Oh. (1:08:52) Oh, no. (1:08:52) I

Danielle (1:08:52) Absolutely. (1:08:53) I'm kidding. (1:08:53) I'm kidding. (1:08:54) Our family is so complete. (1:08:56) We have four beautiful children, and that is where it ends.

Scott Benner (1:08:59) Oh, Danielle. (1:08:59) I just assumed you sewed your vagina shut. (1:09:01) Is there, like

Danielle (1:09:03) There wasn't

Scott Benner (1:09:04) That could still happen?

Danielle (1:09:06) I mean, it's it's on my husband to do the old snip a roony.

Scott Benner (1:09:10) Oh, sweetheart. (1:09:11) No. (1:09:11) No. (1:09:11) Don't no. (1:09:12) No.

Scott Benner (1:09:12) This is you're gonna have five kids. (1:09:13) You gotta be very careful.

Danielle (1:09:14) I I have never been one to handle birth control very well. (1:09:19) I've tried multiple different types, and they've all made me, cuckoo for Coco Puffs. (1:09:27) And so so it is on my husband to make this permanent.

Scott Benner (1:09:34) I would say that when he starts making that face, you yell how much money's in the checking account, and that should stop him. (1:09:39) Okay?

Danielle (1:09:39) Right. (1:09:40) Right.

Scott Benner (1:09:40) You tell him how much college costs during sex. (1:09:43) Think

Danielle (1:09:43) that'll everything else. (1:09:44) Diabetes supplies.

Scott Benner (1:09:46) When you're making love yell, college cost the blah blah blah blah blah. (1:09:52) We have four

Danielle (1:09:52) That's sexy.

Scott Benner (1:09:53) Start taking the numbers, times it get by four, talking about, you know, inflation.

Danielle (1:10:01) Hot and bothered. (1:10:02) Let me tell you.

Scott Benner (1:10:03) That'll slow the whole thing right down. (1:10:04) It would stop me, I'll tell you, right in my tracks. (1:10:06) Anyway, alright. (1:10:07) Hold on one second.

Danielle (1:10:08) Okay.

Scott Benner (1:10:17) Dexcom sponsored this episode of the Juice Box podcast. (1:10:20) Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. (1:10:29) Today's episode is also sponsored by Omnipod. (1:10:32) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? (1:10:39) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery.

Scott Benner (1:10:43) And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. (1:10:47) You heard that right. (1:10:48) 0. (1:10:49) That's less than your daily coffee for all of the benefits of tubeless, waterproof, automated insulin delivery. (1:10:54) My daughter has been wearing an Omnipod every day since she was four years old, and she's about to be 21.

Scott Benner (1:11:01) My family relies on Omnipod, and I think you'll love it. (1:11:04) And you can try it for free right now by requesting your free starter kit today at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. (1:11:12) Omnipod has been an advertiser for a decade. (1:11:15) But even if they weren't, I would tell you proudly, my daughter wears an Omnipod. (1:11:19) Omnipod.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (1:11:22) Terms and conditions apply. (1:11:23) Eligibility may vary. (1:11:24) Why don't you get yourself that free starter kit? (1:11:27) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (1:11:40) Thank you so much for listening.

Scott Benner (1:11:42) I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box podcast. (1:11:45) If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, please do that now. (1:11:53) Seriously, just to hit follow or subscribe will really help the show. (1:11:57) If you go a little further in Apple Podcasts and set it up so that it downloads all new episodes, I'll be your best friend. (1:12:04) And if you leave a five star review, oh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card.

Scott Benner (1:12:08) Would you like a Christmas card? (1:12:11) Hey. (1:12:12) I'm dropping in to tell you about a small change being made to the Juice Cruise 2026 schedule. (1:12:17) This adjustment was made by Celebrity Cruise Lines, not by me. (1:12:20) Anyway, we're still going out on the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship, which is awesome.

Scott Benner (1:12:24) Check out the walkthrough video at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (1:12:29) The ship is awesome. (1:12:31) Still a seven night cruise. (1:12:33) It still leaves out of Miami on June 21. (1:12:36) Actually, most of this is the same.

Scott Benner (1:12:37) We leave Miami June 21, head to Coco Cay in The Bahamas, but then we're going to San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Saint Thomas. (1:12:45) After that, Bastille, I think I'm saying that wrong, Saint Kitts And Nevis. (1:12:49) This place is gorgeous. (1:12:51) Google it. (1:12:52) I mean, you're probably gonna have to go to my link to get the correct spelling because my pronunciation is so bad.

Scott Benner (1:12:55) But once you get the Saint Kitts and you Google it, you're gonna look and see a photo that says to you, oh, I wanna go there. (1:13:02) Come meet other people living with type one diabetes from caregivers to children to adults. (1:13:09) Last year, we had a 100 people on our cruise and it was fabulous. (1:13:14) You can see pictures to get at my link juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (1:13:19) You can see those pictures from last year there.

Scott Benner (1:13:21) The link also gives you an opportunity to register for the cruise or to contact Suzanne from Cruise Planners. (1:13:27) She takes care of all the logistics. (1:13:29) I'm just excited that I might see you there. (1:13:31) It's a beautiful event for families, for singles, a wonderful opportunity to meet people, swap stories, make friendships, and learn. (1:13:41) If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording.

Scott Benner (1:13:47) Listen. (1:13:48) Truth be told, I'm, like, 20 smarter when Rob edits me. (1:13:51) He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. (1:13:56) And it just I don't know, man. (1:13:58) Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter?

Scott Benner (1:14:01) And then I remember because I did one smart thing. (1:14:04) I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.

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#1765 Tandem Kids: Riley

You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon Music - Google Play/Android - iHeart Radio -  Radio Public, Amazon Alexa or wherever they get audio.

Riley, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 12 years ago, discusses the unique experience of having her brother and father both diagnosed with the condition within the last year.

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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) I attended my first ever Friends for Life conference in July 2025. (0:05) And while I was there, I interviewed eight children of various ages, all who wear a Tandem pump. (0:10) I wanna thank Tandem Diabetes for sponsoring this short episode of the Juice Box podcast. (0:16) Check them out at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. (0:22) Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise.

Scott Benner (0:28) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. (0:35) The episode you're about to listen to is sponsored by Tandem Moby, the impressively small insulin pump. (0:41) Tandem Mobi features Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ Plus technology. (0:46) It's designed for greater discretion, more freedom, and improved time and range. (0:50) Learn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (1:05) Hi. (1:05) How are you?

Riley (1:06) Good. (1:06) How are you?

Scott Benner (1:07) I'm excellent. (1:07) Thank you. (1:08) What's your name?

Riley (1:09) Riley.

Scott Benner (1:09) Riley. (1:10) How old are you?

Riley (1:10) 15.

Scott Benner (1:11) And where are you from?

Riley (1:12) Marysville, Ohio.

Scott Benner (1:13) Awesome. (1:13) Do have type one diabetes? (1:15) Yes. (1:15) How long ago were you diagnosed?

Riley (1:17) Twelve years.

Scott Benner (1:18) Twelve years ago when you were three?

Riley (1:20) Yes.

Scott Benner (1:20) Do you remember anything about that?

Riley (1:23) It was on my brother's birthday, So

Scott Benner (1:26) Go ahead.

Riley (1:27) We were at, like, Chuck E. (1:28) Cheese or something and I just no. (1:32) We were not Chuck E. (1:33) Cheese, that's where we went after I got released from the hospital. (1:36) We my mom, she was like, I need to take my daughter to the doc to the doctors because she's, like, wetting the bed and she's always thirsty and she's just, like, she's just, like, sleeping all the time.

Riley (1:49) Mhmm. (1:50) So she took me to the doctor and he's like, you need to take her to the ER right now.

Scott Benner (1:56) Right.

Riley (1:56) So but I was really hungry, so we stopped for Burger King. (1:59) So when we got to the hospital and I remember, like, we were in this big room, but there were, like, like, bunch of toys in there. (2:08) So they gave me, like, a coloring book because I was just, like, sitting there and I was, like, crying because I didn't wanna be there. (2:13) Right. (2:14) And and I remember I was, like there was one time I was sitting in the room, I had Band Aids all over, like, all 10 of my fingers.

Riley (2:21) Mhmm. (2:22) And I was eating, like, the American, like, Kraft singles and baby carrots. (2:28) And I was just sitting there.

Scott Benner (2:29) Eating cheese slices and baby carrots? (2:31) Yes. (2:31) What were the Band Aids on your fingers for?

Riley (2:33) From all the times I had to poke my fingers check my blood sugar.

Scott Benner (2:35) Oh my gosh. (2:36) Yeah.

Riley (2:36) Because this was 2013, so Yeah. (2:39) They didn't, like, have Dexcoms or insulin So pumps I had, like, Band Aids all over me from where they had to give injections and stuff. (2:47) Right. (2:48) So and then after that, since it was my brother's second birthday, we went to Chuck E Cheese and I remember crying because everyone was getting like the triangle slices of cake, but I had to get the two by two square.

Scott Benner (3:03) They don't the different carbs?

Riley (3:04) Yeah. (3:05) Oh. (3:05) So I could actually count the carbs to make sure I got enough insulin.

Scott Benner (3:07) So you've grown up with type one Have there been moments where you've, like, felt like you've overcome something? (3:14) Have there been moments where it's been hard?

Riley (3:16) Yes. (3:17) There are like so I play lacrosse for my school, and there are many times where I've had to, like, sit out because I'm too low or I have ketones, so I can't do anything, but I still have to be there.

Scott Benner (3:30) Yeah.

Riley (3:30) So I'm just watching everyone play or practice or something.

Scott Benner (3:34) How does that make you feel?

Riley (3:35) I I feel like people are like judging me because I'm sitting out, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Scott Benner (3:40) Okay. (3:40) So do you feel supported by some friends and others so not you have a, like a good Yes, circle of I

Riley (3:45) amazing friends.

Scott Benner (3:46) How did you make that happen? (3:48) Did you, like, tell them about your diabetes? (3:50) Did you

Riley (3:51) Well, they kinda already knew

Scott Benner (3:52) Okay.

Riley (3:52) Because, like, I went to, like, a smaller elementary school, you're the kid with diabetes, so everyone knows.

Scott Benner (3:58) Oh, I see. (3:59) There's no other kids. (4:00) It was you.

Riley (4:00) It was me until third grade.

Scott Benner (4:02) And then somebody else showed up?

Riley (4:04) Yeah. (4:04) Well, she was already there, but she

Scott Benner (4:05) She was diagnosed. (4:06) Yeah. (4:07) Crazy question, but did it make you feel better when somebody else was there with type one? (4:11) Yes. (4:11) It did.

Riley (4:12) Because we were, like, best friends. (4:13) Like, we shared, like, the stories and Yeah. (4:17) We're just there.

Scott Benner (4:18) You know her still today? (4:18) Yes. (4:19) Oh, that's awesome. (4:20) So you're here today at Friends four Life? (4:22) Yes.

Scott Benner (4:22) There's a ton of kids here with type one. (4:24) What does it feel like to be around so many people who are in CGMs, Moby pumps, stuff like that?

Riley (4:29) I I think it I feel more like since most people here have type one that we're, like, not such a smaller group, it's like the majority of people here have it. (4:40) Yeah. (4:40) So it's like

Scott Benner (4:41) Is it like I don't know. (4:43) Does it make you feel lighter?

Riley (4:45) Yeah. (4:45) Like, if I I say something and someone's like, oh, yeah. (4:48) I have that too. (4:49) So It's

Scott Benner (4:50) just easy. (4:51) Yeah. (4:51) Other people beep, nobody acts like it's crazy. (4:53) Right? (4:53) And you're just like and it makes you feel like normal is the wrong word, but, like, there's what what is it?

Scott Benner (4:59) Like, there's a thing that's happening when you're around other people who don't have type one.

Riley (5:02) Like, there's a stigma. (5:03) There is, like, you have to be like, you're always high or you're, like, always beeping and they're, can I catch it?

Scott Benner (5:10) Yeah.

Riley (5:11) And then but everyone here is like just like it's normalized here, so they, like, know what's going on.

Scott Benner (5:16) Yeah. (5:16) So when you say the things you say all day long, nobody thinks, hey. (5:19) I'm high or your mom's yelling do something. (5:21) You're high or that kind of thing.

Riley (5:22) Yeah.

Scott Benner (5:23) Yeah. (5:23) I understand. (5:24) Okay. (5:25) So you told me about the day you were diagnosed. (5:28) That's crazy.

Scott Benner (5:28) Is that from stories that you were told from your parents or do

Riley (5:32) you actually But I remember some of

Scott Benner (5:33) them. (5:34) You have a mix of

Riley (5:34) it. (5:34) Yeah.

Scott Benner (5:35) Okay. (5:35) And then growing up, you've got friends, they're supporting you. (5:38) What has been tell me about a moment, I guess, where you thought, like, I can't believe I accomplished this, and you had, like, a big accomplishment despite diabetes.

Riley (5:50) I don't know.

Scott Benner (5:51) Is it tough? (5:52) Do you have a lot of things that you feel like you're working against that are

Riley (5:55) Yes.

Scott Benner (5:56) Yeah. (5:56) And you are you still working your way through those things? (5:58) What are they?

Riley (6:00) So I have a bunch of, like, scars all over my stomach and my legs. (6:04) Yeah. (6:04) So I can't really go out and, like, wear, like, a swimsuit because everyone's gonna be like, what's on your stomach?

Scott Benner (6:10) You're worried about that right And it makes you feel self conscious. (6:13) Yes. (6:13) Yeah. (6:14) I bet you that gets better as you get older. (6:16) I hope it does for you.

Scott Benner (6:16) I've watched it with my daughter. (6:18) Like, she's, like do you hide your devices? (6:21) Sometimes. (6:22) What insulin pump do you wear?

Riley (6:23) I'm currently on injections.

Scott Benner (6:25) You're doing injections right Are you getting a pump?

Riley (6:28) Eventually. (6:29) Well, I'm gonna try the Mobi here.

Scott Benner (6:31) Oh, okay. (6:32) So you're gonna do a what what are they calling it? (6:34) A try on? (6:35) Or

Riley (6:35) A trial or something like that.

Scott Benner (6:37) So you're gonna check out the Mobi here. (6:38) You're thinking about trying that? (6:39) Yeah. (6:40) Okay. (6:40) And do you think that would make a change for you?

Riley (6:42) I hope so.

Scott Benner (6:43) Yeah. (6:43) What is it about injections that I mean, you've you've been injecting for how long? (6:48) Because it sounds like you've worn pumps in the past.

Riley (6:50) I have. (6:51) So I did injections for about two years when I was first diagnosed, and then I started an Omnipod. (6:57) And then a few years after that, I started a Tandem. (7:00) Mhmm. (7:00) Like, I was on the t slim, and I did that for, like, two or three years.

Riley (7:05) Yeah. (7:05) So then now I'm on injections.

Scott Benner (7:07) What makes you switch?

Riley (7:09) It's just, like, sometimes I just need, like, the reset so I can, like

Scott Benner (7:14) Feel like you need a break? (7:15) Yeah. (7:15) So you just go back to injections for a while. (7:17) How long have you been doing them now?

Riley (7:19) Two or three months.

Scott Benner (7:20) Okay. (7:20) Yeah. (7:21) What pump was prior to that?

Riley (7:22) T slim.

Scott Benner (7:23) T slim. (7:23) And you're thinking about going back to and using the Movian? (7:25) Yes. (7:26) Is that a decision you're making or something your family decided together?

Riley (7:30) We I I decide when I wanna go back on the pump, but I talk with my parents about which one I wanna go back on.

Scott Benner (7:36) Okay. (7:36) And Moby is the one you're thinking about? (7:38) Yeah. (7:38) Tell me the difference between wearing a pump and injecting, like, what do you gain by having a pump on?

Riley (7:43) It's just, like, easier sometimes.

Scott Benner (7:46) How?

Riley (7:46) So instead of, like, having to go to, like, the nurse's office at school to do the injection because most most teachers won't let you do that in class.

Scott Benner (7:53) Okay.

Riley (7:54) But if I'm in class with, like, an insulin pump, I can just press a few buttons and no one would know.

Scott Benner (8:00) Yeah. (8:00) Okay. (8:01) So keeping that kind of anonymity that you want, like, you wanna be a little private Yeah. (8:07) The pump helps you stay private.

Riley (8:08) Yes.

Scott Benner (8:09) Alright. (8:09) And so because you don't mind the injections, it doesn't sound like. (8:12) Right? (8:12) So it's more about, can I keep this hidden? (8:16) Oh, is that why you're interested in the Mobi now?

Scott Benner (8:18) Because it's more

Riley (8:20) Yeah.

Scott Benner (8:20) Concealable? (8:21) Yeah. (8:22) That's why it's attractive to you. (8:23) Okay. (8:25) Tell me how, I guess, when you make that decision to go back and use the pump again, what what do you think like, what do you think is gonna happen?

Scott Benner (8:34) Like, do you know what I mean? (8:35) Like, you have in your mind, like, I'm gonna get a pump and then this is going to change?

Riley (8:39) Sometimes, like, when sometimes at the, like, the end of when I decide to go off the pump, my blood sugars are a little higher.

Scott Benner (8:47) Mhmm.

Riley (8:47) So then I go on the injections, and then when the injections are, like, keeping my blood sugar a little higher, that's when I go back on the pump. (8:55) So I'm hoping that'll keep them lower.

Scott Benner (8:56) You see more stable a one c's when you're pumping? (8:59) Yeah. (9:00) Do you like the Control IQ?

Riley (9:01) Yes.

Scott Benner (9:02) Yeah. (9:02) How come? (9:03) What does it do for you?

Riley (9:04) I it's easier to, like, understand from, like, other insulin pumps. (9:08) Mhmm. (9:08) It's I I like how sometimes I don't have to put in carbs and or not carbs, like, a correction because it, like, it's already, like

Scott Benner (9:17) Correcting for you. (9:17) Yeah. (9:18) Yeah. (9:18) So if you maybe miss on a meal and you start rising up, you have that comfort that it's gonna jump in and and do it for you. (9:25) Yes.

Scott Benner (9:25) That is relieving or

Riley (9:27) Yes. (9:27) It is.

Scott Benner (9:27) Just makes your day easier?

Riley (9:28) Yeah.

Scott Benner (9:29) Yeah. (9:29) How much of the day do you think you think about diabetes, like, normally, and how much less do you think about it when you're pumping with Control IQ?

Riley (9:40) I feel like it's, like, fifty fifty right now. (9:42) So, like, sometimes I'm thinking about it and other times I'm not. (9:45) Yeah. (9:46) But with Control IQ, it's way less.

Scott Benner (9:49) Awesome. (9:50) Okay. (9:50) Do have any heroes, people who have type one that you look up to or you follow in their careers or anything?

Riley (9:55) My dad.

Scott Benner (9:55) Oh, Your dad has type one? (9:57) Mhmm. (9:57) Do you know, when he was diagnosed?

Riley (9:59) He was diagnosed last year.

Scott Benner (10:01) No kidding. (10:01) So you've had type one for, what did we say, thirteen years? (10:04) Twelve. (10:05) Twelve years, sorry. (10:05) And your dad was just diagnosed.

Scott Benner (10:08) How old is he?

Riley (10:08) He's 43.

Scott Benner (10:11) Is there is there any other type one in your family, like aunts, uncles, cousins?

Riley (10:14) My brother.

Scott Benner (10:15) Your brother? (10:16) How old is your

Riley (10:16) brother? (10:17) He's 14.

Scott Benner (10:18) How when was he diagnosed?

Riley (10:19) Also last year.

Scott Benner (10:20) Wow.

Riley (10:21) Yeah. (10:21) So it went me, then my brother, and then my dad.

Scott Benner (10:24) What makes it, I don't know. (10:27) That's the wrong question. (10:28) I guess my question should be is how does it feel to not be alone in your family anymore? (10:32) I've interviewed other people. (10:33) I'm super interested to hear what you say, but was it nice that they got type one?

Scott Benner (10:38) I know that's such a weird way of saying it.

Riley (10:40) Kinda because, I'm not the only one who's, like, doing this stuff. (10:46) Yeah. (10:46) So they're kind of there with me.

Scott Benner (10:49) You don't you feel less alone? (10:50) Yeah. (10:50) Do know I interviewed, a person one time and everybody in the family had diabetes except for this one kid, like the one that, you know, I think it was, like, the youngest boy, if I'm remembering correctly. (11:01) And I inter I interviewed him and he told me do you know what he told me? (11:06) No.

Scott Benner (11:06) He wished he had type one diabetes so he could be like the rest of his family. (11:09) And he was real sincere about it too. (11:12) So I just kind of reverse engineering that figured when they got diagnosed, you probably felt less alone. (11:17) Yeah. (11:17) Do you think your mom feels like on the outside now or do you have other brothers and sisters?

Riley (11:20) I have one other sister.

Scott Benner (11:22) Oh, is she like, oh, I hope I don't get diabetes?

Riley (11:24) Yeah. (11:24) She's she did the trial on that stuff a couple years ago, so that's how I found out my brother had it. (11:29) Oh. (11:30) So she's doing it again this year just to make sure.

Scott Benner (11:32) Do have other autoimmune issues? (11:34) Yeah. (11:35) Hypothyroidism? (11:36) Yeah. (11:36) Do other people in your family have it too?

Riley (11:39) I don't think so. (11:40) Celiac? (11:41) My aunt has celiacs. (11:42) Both of them do.

Scott Benner (11:42) People have eczema in your family?

Riley (11:45) I don't think so.

Scott Benner (11:46) No? (11:46) It's just different. (11:47) That's not actually autoimmune, but it's a thing I see when I talk to people. (11:51) Anxiety?

Riley (11:52) Yeah.

Scott Benner (11:52) Yeah. (11:53) A lot of people have anxiety? (11:54) Yeah. (11:55) That's the other, I don't know, connector I see a lot when I'm talking to people. (12:00) Do are you anxious?

Scott Benner (12:01) No. (12:01) No. (12:02) But other people in your family are. (12:03) Yeah. (12:04) Okay.

Scott Benner (12:04) So your hero is your dad.

Riley (12:05) Yes.

Scott Benner (12:06) How come though? (12:06) What makes him your hero?

Riley (12:08) Because he's always standing up for me and when, like, insurance wouldn't cover something, he was, like, on the phone with them twenty four seven trying to get them to, like, approve the stuff.

Scott Benner (12:18) Right. (12:19) That's great. (12:19) Yeah. (12:19) So he's got your back. (12:21) Mhmm.

Scott Benner (12:21) And that feels what? (12:22) Like, what is it like, what does that give you when you

Riley (12:24) It's, know like, relieving because sometimes I don't wanna do it, but he said he'll always be there and do it for me.

Scott Benner (12:30) Yeah. (12:31) No. (12:31) I see that too with my daughter. (12:32) I think it's really valuable. (12:34) Let me see what else I got here for you.

Scott Benner (12:35) So you had type one diabetes for a long time before your dad was diagnosed and then your brother.

Riley (12:40) Yeah.

Scott Benner (12:41) Do you think they knew how to take care of themselves already from helping you? (12:46) Was it different for your dad? (12:47) Was your brother like, you know what I mean? (12:49) Like, did he go, oh, I've seen this before? (12:51) Do you think that made them more comfortable having watched you grow up with it?

Riley (12:54) I feel like my dad, he knew how to do it pretty good because he was taking care of me for so long, but there are some things that I had to teach my brother.

Scott Benner (13:01) Okay. (13:01) Like what?

Riley (13:03) He had, like, he has some trouble sometimes about, like, putting his, like, Dexcom into his insulin pump. (13:08) So Mhmm. (13:08) I had to remind him how to do that.

Scott Benner (13:10) What pump is he using?

Riley (13:11) He's on Omnipod five.

Scott Benner (13:12) Okay. (13:13) And he uses Dexcom?

Riley (13:14) Yes.

Scott Benner (13:15) G seven. (13:15) What about you?

Riley (13:16) I'm on g seven.

Scott Benner (13:17) G seven too. (13:17) Do you like it? (13:18) Yes. (13:18) Awesome. (13:19) Good.

Scott Benner (13:19) That's cool. (13:22) You count your own carbs, take care of your own meals? (13:24) Yes. (13:24) Yeah? (13:25) Do does your brother?

Riley (13:26) Yes.

Scott Benner (13:27) Yeah. (13:27) Who taught him that, do you think?

Riley (13:29) I think just from watching me and my parents do it, I think he, like, knew how to already. (13:35) Yeah. (13:35) But there are some things where I'm like he's like, I don't know about how much this is.

Scott Benner (13:39) Right.

Riley (13:40) Because, like, sometimes we go out and he doesn't know.

Scott Benner (13:42) Okay. (13:42) And your dad is your mom like, would you call your mom your primary diabetes caregiver or is it your dad?

Riley (13:48) It's both.

Scott Benner (13:49) Yeah. (13:49) So it's been split pretty Yeah. (13:50) The whole time. (13:51) So they both knew how to handle things.

Riley (13:52) Yes.

Scott Benner (13:53) What's your a one c right now? (13:54) Do you know?

Riley (13:56) Eight point something.

Scott Benner (13:57) Okay. (13:58) Yeah. (13:58) And does it change when you're on a pump?

Riley (14:00) Yes.

Scott Benner (14:01) Does it goes down?

Riley (14:02) Sometimes.

Scott Benner (14:03) You think because of the correcting? (14:04) Yeah. (14:05) Okay. (14:06) I had a question. (14:07) I just lost it.

Scott Benner (14:08) So I know that it was, like I know that you said that it was kind of nice when other people had type one, but initially when your dad and your brother were diagnosed, what was your reaction?

Riley (14:18) I kind of didn't want them to have it because it's like a little bit extra steps. (14:23) Yeah. (14:24) Like, we can still do everything else that everyone else can, but it's just extra steps and I didn't want them to have to do that.

Scott Benner (14:29) Yeah. (14:29) So it wasn't like a sadness about the diabetes, it was about the work. (14:32) Yeah. (14:33) Oh, that's interesting. (14:34) Okay.

Scott Benner (14:35) And when you're deciding between different pumps, what made you think about the Mobi?

Riley (14:40) I just wanted to try something else. (14:42) So because I was on Omnipod for so long. (14:44) It was just, like, something new, so I thought it would work better.

Scott Benner (14:47) Okay. (14:48) Alright. (14:48) Well, you're try it on today. (14:49) Hope you love it.

Riley (14:50) Thank you.

Scott Benner (14:50) Excellent. (14:51) Was really great talking to you.

Riley (14:52) You too.

Scott Benner (14:52) Thank you. (14:53) The podcast you just enjoyed was sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. (14:58) Learn more about Tandem's newest automated insulin delivery system, Tandem Mobi with Control IQ plus technology at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. (15:08) There are links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (15:12) If you'd like to hear about diabetes management in easy to take in bits, check out the small sips.

Scott Benner (15:18) That's the series on the juice box podcast that listeners are talking about like it's a cheat code. (15:23) These are perfect little bursts of clarity, one person said. (15:27) I finally understood things I've heard a 100 times. (15:30) Short, simple, and somehow exactly what I needed. (15:33) People say small sips feels like someone pulling up a chair, sliding a cup across the table, and giving you one clean idea at a time.

Scott Benner (15:41) Nothing overwhelming. (15:42) No fire hose of information. (15:44) Just steady helpful nudges that actually stick. (15:47) People listen in their car, on walks, or rather actually bolus ing anytime that they need a quick shot of perspective. (15:53) And the reviews, they all say the same thing.

Scott Benner (15:56) Small sips makes diabetes make sense. (15:59) Search for the Juice Box podcast, small sips, wherever you get audio.

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#1764 Tandem Kids: Leah

You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon Music - Google Play/Android - iHeart Radio -  Radio Public, Amazon Alexa or wherever they get audio.

Scott interviews 8-year-old Leah at the Friends for Life conference. Leah was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in August 2024 and shares her perspective on transitioning to life with a pump and CGM.

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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) I attended my first ever Friends for Life conference in July 2025. (0:05) And while I was there, I interviewed eight children of various ages, all who wear a Tandem pump. (0:10) I wanna thank Tandem Diabetes for sponsoring this short episode of the Juice Box podcast. (0:16) Check them out at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. (0:22) Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise.

Scott Benner (0:28) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. (0:35) The episode you're about to listen to is sponsored by Tandem Moby, the impressively small insulin pump. (0:41) Tandem Mobi features Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ Plus technology. (0:46) It's designed for greater discretion, more freedom, and improved time and range. (0:50) Learn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox.

Scott Benner (1:06) Are you nervous?

Leah (1:07) A little bit.

Scott Benner (1:08) Yeah. (1:08) I'm a little nervous, though. (1:09) Don't worry about it. (1:10) It's okay. (1:10) You ready?

Scott Benner (1:11) Okay. (1:12) Hi. (1:13) Hello. (1:14) What's your name?

Leah (1:15) My name is Leah.

Scott Benner (1:16) Leah. (1:17) I'm Scott. (1:18) It's nice to meet you.

Leah (1:20) Nice to meet you too.

Scott Benner (1:21) Thank you. (1:22) How old are you?

Leah (1:23) I'm eight years old.

Scott Benner (1:24) Eight. (1:25) And you have type one diabetes?

Leah (1:27) Yes.

Scott Benner (1:28) For how long?

Leah (1:30) I've had it since 08/26/2024.

Scott Benner (1:35) Oh, wait. (1:36) Not even a whole year yet? (1:37) No. (1:38) Wow. (1:38) That's pretty new then.

Leah (1:40) How are you doing? (1:41) Good.

Scott Benner (1:42) Yeah? (1:43) You you're just okay? (1:44) It's no big deal? (1:45) Do you check your blood sugar or do

Leah (1:47) you Yeah. (1:47) I check my blood sugar by myself. (1:51) Sometimes I dose by myself Yeah. (1:53) When I'm home alone with my sister.

Scott Benner (1:56) Oh, wow. (1:56) That's awesome. (1:57) So do you remember anything about getting type one? (1:59) Do you remember about being diagnosed or what it was like?

Leah (2:02) I remember laying I remember waiting what felt like forever in in the emergency room waiting place. (2:13) And then

Scott Benner (2:15) I just get called in, and we just go into the small room and take some tests. (2:20) And then I have to go into this big room with this large bed, and they tell

Leah (2:25) me to just pop on the bed.

Scott Benner (2:26) Right.

Leah (2:27) And then they take a finger prick, and it hurt it and it hurt so much.

Scott Benner (2:33) Yeah.

Leah (2:34) And then it it was already past lunchtime, so I was pretty hungry. (2:40) And so I was just waiting there Yeah. (2:43) While watching TV on a big hospital bed. (2:49) And eventually they put an IV in.

Scott Benner (2:51) Yep.

Leah (2:53) But before they did that, they put on numbing cream and told me to wait there for thirty minutes.

Scott Benner (3:00) And then they They

Leah (3:00) kept me there for an hour.

Scott Benner (3:02) Did they how how many days did you spend at the hospital?

Leah (3:04) I didn't spend any days. (3:06) I spent hours.

Scott Benner (3:07) Wait. (3:07) So you went into the hospital, got diagnosed, and then you left the same day?

Leah (3:11) I left the same day except I was there for so long.

Scott Benner (3:15) Wow. (3:16) I know it is.

Leah (3:17) I was there for maybe four hours.

Scott Benner (3:18) Gotcha. (3:19) Wow. (3:19) That's pretty short for most people. (3:21) I know some people were in the hospital for five days after they were diagnosed. (3:23) Wow.

Scott Benner (3:24) Right? (3:24) They had to be they had to live there. (3:26) So when you left, what was your understanding of what your new situation was?

Leah (3:30) I had no clue what was happening. (3:33) My mom and my dad didn't tell me I had type one diabetes. (3:37) They just they just took me to my Gigi and Papa's house, and so and it's helpful because my papa's a doctor Mhmm. (3:48) And my DD used to be a nurse.

Scott Benner (3:50) Okay.

Leah (3:51) So

Scott Benner (3:51) Did they help explain it?

Leah (3:54) I didn't really get explained to it

Scott Benner (3:57) Yeah.

Leah (3:57) By the next day.

Scott Benner (3:59) Okay.

Leah (3:59) And so I just ate mostly just, like, carb free foods for dinner and breakfast. (4:08) And then we just drove to UVM. (4:12) Mhmm. (4:13) And they just kept me there for most of the day.

Scott Benner (4:19) And This is your biggest problem with diabetes, the time it takes,

Leah (4:22) Yep.

Scott Benner (4:23) Yeah. (4:23) I see this.

Leah (4:24) It just takes time.

Scott Benner (4:25) It takes time. (4:26) It does take time. (4:27) So what do they give you to manage with it first? (4:29) Is it like pens? (4:31) Do you get needles and vials?

Scott Benner (4:32) Do you remember how you got insulin in the beginning?

Leah (4:36) They didn't give me insulin at the hospital

Scott Benner (4:38) No.

Leah (4:38) The day when I got diagnosed, which why didn't they give me insulin

Scott Benner (4:43) I don't know.

Leah (4:44) If I needed it?

Scott Benner (4:44) I think they probably wanted you to get training before they gave you insulin maybe. (4:48) You think?

Leah (4:49) Yeah. (4:50) I think so. (4:52) But the but at the day of Nuvian, I learned I had to take shots. (4:58) I had to take my blood sugar, and they even gave me this little eel meal for breakfast to eat.

Scott Benner (5:03) Yeah. (5:03) So that you could bolus for it?

Leah (5:05) No. (5:06) I didn't have the pump.

Scott Benner (5:07) Oh, but did you

Leah (5:08) So I had been I

Scott Benner (5:10) I said bolus. (5:11) I should have said inject. (5:12) You had to inject for it. (5:13) Right?

Leah (5:14) Yes.

Scott Benner (5:14) Yeah. (5:14) Okay. (5:15) And that was your first time?

Leah (5:16) Mom and dad how to do it. (5:18) And, eventually, I got to go down there. (5:22) And and then I got I got to go down there with mom and dad, like, to the Bottom Floor. (5:29) And we went to we went to this little, like, shop, and I got this little Barbie diary. (5:37) I still have it in my room.

Scott Benner (5:39) Yeah.

Leah (5:40) And on one end on some of the first pages, I wrote down stuff, but I couldn't really understand it when I read it the next time.

Scott Benner (5:49) Come because you couldn't read your writing?

Leah (5:51) No. (5:51) I could read it. (5:52) Oh. (5:53) It was just like a lot of, like, nutrition words.

Scott Benner (5:55) New words.

Leah (5:55) One of the words I really understood when I read it again one time was carbs.

Scott Benner (6:01) Carbs. (6:02) Because you count your carbs all the time now. (6:04) Right?

Leah (6:04) Yep.

Scott Benner (6:04) Yeah. (6:05) And you take you said sometimes you bolus for yourself now? (6:07) Yeah. (6:08) But how did you get from injecting to bolusing? (6:10) What did you do?

Leah (6:11) Okay. (6:11) So first, I had so I spent a couple maybe a month or a couple weeks with injecting and finger pricking.

Scott Benner (6:23) Right.

Leah (6:24) And then I got told I didn't have to do the finger pricking anymore. (6:28) I could just get a Dexcom.

Scott Benner (6:30) So you have a Dexcom now, but you're still doing injections? (6:33) No. (6:34) No. (6:34) You moved to a pump?

Leah (6:36) I moved to the Tandem pump. (6:39) I go onto my phone, open up, and then I type in my passcode, open up the Mobi thing, and then there's this little, like, thing of, like, words down at the bottom. (6:51) And so the words are dashboard, which I'm usually at to see my blood sugar Mhmm. (6:58) And and and some stuff. (7:00) And there's then there's bolus, which I just press, put, and then there's two and these three boxes.

Leah (7:08) The top shows you the insulin. (7:11) The bottom right one shows you your blood sugar.

Scott Benner (7:16) K.

Leah (7:16) And then the bottom left one, you can just type it. (7:24) You just push it and then type in the carbs. (7:28) So say I'm eating Pringles and I want 15 chips.

Scott Benner (7:32) Real quick. (7:33) What kind of Pringles? (7:34) The sour cream? (7:34) Original. (7:35) Original?

Scott Benner (7:36) Red ones? (7:36) Okay.

Leah (7:37) Because I did this just yesterday. (7:39) Mhmm. (7:39) I I took the Pringles, looked at the nutrition facts. (7:42) It said 15 crisps, and then it said 16 carbs. (7:48) So I just went into my phone, put in 16 carbs, and it took showed me the amount of insulin I needed to get.

Leah (7:58) And then I just press next, confirm, and then you drop this little, like, droplet. (8:05) You push that little droplet, and then it uses face ID, and it just

Scott Benner (8:10) Makes your bolus. (8:11) Yeah. (8:11) It's awesome. (8:12) Is it easy?

Leah (8:14) Pretty easy.

Scott Benner (8:15) Do you like it differently or better or worse than injections?

Leah (8:18) I like it a lot better than injections.

Scott Benner (8:20) How come?

Leah (8:22) I can't really feel it.

Scott Benner (8:23) You don't feel it? (8:24) No. (8:25) That's awesome. (8:25) That's right. (8:26) I think you're gonna grow up to be a technical writer, by the way, because when you explain something, it is very thorough and I understand everything while you're talking.

Scott Benner (8:33) So thank you very much. (8:34) I appreciate that. (8:35) Do people find that they understand you when you're talking, do you think?

Leah (8:40) Pretty sure.

Scott Benner (8:41) Pretty sure?

Leah (8:41) But I know some I know a lot of non diabetics.

Scott Benner (8:46) Okay.

Leah (8:46) And they are all like, so how's your diabetes going? (8:50) Like, it's my pet. (8:52) And I'm like

Scott Benner (8:53) Wait. (8:53) They treat your diabetes like it's a pet?

Leah (8:55) Like, how's

Scott Benner (8:56) how's Fido?

Leah (8:57) They're like, how's your diabetes going? (8:59) And I'm like, it's going good.

Scott Benner (9:01) It's going good.

Leah (9:02) I'm just trying to hold back my anger.

Scott Benner (9:05) Why? (9:05) You don't like do

Leah (9:06) you not? (9:06) Doesn't understand at all.

Scott Benner (9:08) So you would like it if she understood it better? (9:09) Yeah. (9:10) Do you

Leah (9:10) I want people to understand it better.

Scott Benner (9:12) Yeah. (9:12) Do you explain it to them or do you find that they're not interested?

Leah (9:15) I just I just know that, people are, like, trying their best, so I don't say, hey. (9:24) You're wrong. (9:25) It's actually, how have you been since you've been die how have you been with your diabetes?

Scott Benner (9:34) Mhmm.

Leah (9:34) And I could just say, I've been pretty good handling my diabetes.

Scott Benner (9:42) Yeah. (9:42) You're doing well? (9:43) Do you know what your a one c is?

Leah (9:45) No. (9:45) I can't remember.

Scott Benner (9:46) No. (9:47) That's okay.

Leah (9:47) I don't pay attention to all that stuff.

Scott Benner (9:49) All the numbers.

Leah (9:50) Mom and dad do.

Scott Benner (9:51) They do that stuff? (9:52) Yeah.

Leah (9:52) What do you what

Scott Benner (9:53) do you do at the doctor's office when you have an appointment though? (9:55) Do just sit there and hang out?

Leah (9:57) I just sit there, and a lot of times I bring my sister. (10:00) She's the only entertainment I've got when I go there.

Scott Benner (10:03) How many brothers and sisters do you have?

Leah (10:05) I have one brother, Joey, who is six years old, and then I have an older sister, Juliana, who's 11 years old.

Scott Benner (10:15) Does anybody else have type one diabetes in your family?

Leah (10:19) Not type one.

Scott Benner (10:21) Okay.

Leah (10:21) There is someone in my family with type two, though.

Scott Benner (10:24) Okay. (10:25) And how about you you have friends at school, but do any of them have diabetes?

Leah (10:31) My principal and school nurse have diabetes. (10:35) Oh, wow. (10:36) Type two, though.

Scott Benner (10:36) Type two, not type one. (10:38) Gotcha. (10:38) So you are you the only have you ever met another person with type one? (10:42) I mean, you're gonna meet a lot of them here, but where where did you meet that person?

Leah (10:47) At dance class. (10:48) Dance class. (10:49) Yeah.

Scott Benner (10:49) So is that something you like doing, dancing?

Leah (10:51) I like dancing. (10:53) Dancing and theater are my hobbies.

Scott Benner (10:55) They're your hobbies. (10:55) You don't play sports. (10:56) You do dancing in theater?

Leah (10:57) I do do sports. (10:59) I play, like, soccer

Scott Benner (11:01) Mhmm.

Leah (11:02) And dance and theater. (11:06) Those are my three main hobbies.

Scott Benner (11:08) How do you manage your diabetes with soccer and dance? (11:13) Is there stuff you have to do that's special or

Leah (11:16) anything? (11:16) Parents are always there every time I go to soccer.

Scott Benner (11:23) Yeah.

Leah (11:23) But with dance, they just drop me off and say goodbye.

Scott Benner (11:26) Story out of car.

Leah (11:27) We'll call

Scott Benner (11:28) Did they

Leah (11:29) Heather we'll call either you or miss Heather if we need it.

Scott Benner (11:32) Yeah.

Leah (11:33) But I usually have my watch on me. (11:35) Mhmm. (11:35) So I can just be like like this.

Scott Benner (11:38) That's where you see your blood pressure.

Leah (11:39) Open up my watch, just go down, and then I go into sweet dreams. (11:46) Fetching my readings or things for And then looking 64 right now.

Scott Benner (11:50) That's a nice steady line you have there.

Leah (11:51) Yeah. (11:52) That's awesome.

Scott Benner (11:53) So you don't have to do any special settings to go dancing

Leah (11:55) or to I do. (11:57) They, the pump has exercise mode, which actually lowers my insulin that I get while I'm doing that.

Scott Benner (12:07) Yep.

Leah (12:07) And they and the people at UVM actually decided to make me a profile for exercise.

Scott Benner (12:14) Okay.

Leah (12:15) And we call it dance profile because whenever I'm exercising, it's usually dance.

Scott Benner (12:22) Yeah. (12:23) And your buncher tries to go down so they put in a different profile and it doesn't happen like that.

Leah (12:27) Well, it goes down, but

Scott Benner (12:30) Not the same way.

Leah (12:31) Not the same way. (12:32) What if I didn't have that stuff?

Scott Benner (12:33) If you get low, what's your favorite, food to make your blood sugar go back?

Leah (12:37) Sour Skittles.

Scott Benner (12:38) Sour Skittles?

Leah (12:40) Yeah. (12:40) Sour Skittles are delicious.

Scott Benner (12:42) How often do you have sour Skittles? (12:44) Is it a daily thing? (12:46) No. (12:46) No. (12:46) Not every day.

Leah (12:47) It's not daily. (12:47) Oh. (12:48) Don't get many loads.

Scott Benner (12:50) Mhmm.

Leah (12:51) But if I do, I usually have gummy clusters.

Scott Benner (12:55) Okay. (12:55) Nerds gummy clusters. (12:57) That's the squishy in the middle and then the Nerds stuck to the outside. (13:00) Yeah. (13:01) They're not bad.

Scott Benner (13:02) They're not bad at all, but sour Skittles. (13:05) What do you do when you're sleeping and you're low? (13:07) Like in the middle of the night when your mom or dad comes up?

Leah (13:09) My mom my mom probably either put some Nerds gummy clusters in my mouth Mhmm. (13:17) And doesn't wake me up.

Scott Benner (13:18) You chew them up in your sink?

Leah (13:19) Or she just wakes me up, and she's like, hey. (13:23) Can you take some she and she's like, hey. (13:26) And then she just keeps, like, giving me nerds, going to question, and I'm like, what's my blood sugar?

Scott Benner (13:32) You ask? (13:32) Do you ask? (13:32) You wanna know

Leah (13:33) what's I ask what's my blood sugar.

Scott Benner (13:35) Right.

Leah (13:36) And then they just tell me a a number that it's either not low, but drops, like, a lot of points Mhmm. (13:44) Or it's just low.

Scott Benner (13:47) Just low, and you have to take care of it.

Leah (13:48) Yeah.

Scott Benner (13:49) Yeah. (13:49) How does it how does it feel to know that your parents are helping you all the time? (13:55) Do you like

Leah (13:55) Feels great because then I don't then I don't have to do all the work.

Scott Benner (13:59) Yeah. (14:00) What's the part of the diabetes that you don't like the most?

Leah (14:02) Sometimes I I just I'm like, hey, mom. (14:06) Here's my phone. (14:07) Can you polish me, please?

Scott Benner (14:09) Oh, my daughter does that sometimes, but

Leah (14:10) Even even if my dad told me the carbs, not my mom, I'm like, can you bully me, please?

Scott Benner (14:17) Do you like it when somebody takes care of it?

Leah (14:19) Yeah. (14:19) I don't wanna I don't wanna bully myself.

Scott Benner (14:21) What do you think the biggest change in your life has been since you got diabetes? (14:25) Has anything changed?

Leah (14:27) A lot of things have changed. (14:29) Sometimes I have to sit out because I'm low. (14:32) Yeah. (14:34) And then sometimes eventually my dad's like, hey. (14:40) You have to sit down because you're low, and then he just gives me stuff.

Leah (14:46) And, also, kids say that they're, like, jealous of me because they're like, I wanna have diabetes.

Scott Benner (14:54) To get the Skittles?

Leah (14:56) Just for the candy.

Scott Benner (14:57) Just for the candy. (14:58) Yeah.

Leah (14:58) And I'm like, you don't wanna be, like, shoveling candy in your mouth.

Scott Benner (15:05) It's not fun. (15:06) Right?

Leah (15:06) Wait. (15:06) I could just tell him.

Scott Benner (15:07) You yeah.

Leah (15:08) You're not always gonna have to eat it. (15:10) Sometimes you're gonna have to take the stinky stuff, and it's really, really stinky.

Scott Benner (15:16) What is stinky? (15:17) Wait. (15:18) What's that?

Leah (15:18) The the insulin.

Scott Benner (15:20) Oh, really?

Leah (15:20) I think the insulin's stinky.

Scott Benner (15:22) You don't like the way it smells?

Leah (15:23) I don't like the

Scott Benner (15:24) way People say they think it smells like Band Aids. (15:26) Do you think that?

Leah (15:27) No. (15:27) That's not true.

Scott Benner (15:28) That's not what it tastes like smells like to you? (15:30) What's it smell like?

Leah (15:31) It smells like something that'd be in a scientific project.

Scott Benner (15:34) Yeah. (15:35) Like a hospital? (15:36) Does it smell like the hospital? (15:37) Yeah. (15:38) I've heard people say that too.

Leah (15:39) Well, the hospital more smells like alcohol pads.

Scott Benner (15:42) Yeah. (15:43) How did you decide to get a tandem pump? (15:45) Did you see a bunch of pumps and pick? (15:47) Did your mom tell I

Leah (15:48) didn't get to pick. (15:50) My mom and dad were just like, my no one told me I'd get a tandem. (15:55) I just found out the name and I'm like, okay. (15:57) I have this pump now.

Scott Benner (15:58) Yeah. (15:59) And you like it? (16:00) Yeah. (16:00) I like it. (16:01) Awesome.

Scott Benner (16:01) That's a good review.

Leah (16:03) I like it.

Scott Benner (16:04) Yeah. (16:04) You like it? (16:04) You like not giving yourself shots. (16:06) Right?

Leah (16:07) Oh, I hate giving myself shots.

Scott Benner (16:09) You didn't like that?

Leah (16:10) But sometimes even when my brother or sister are like, I don't wanna get my shots. (16:15) I don't wanna get my shots. (16:16) I'm like, I'll I'll get your shots for you.

Scott Benner (16:18) Yeah.

Leah (16:19) So that way they don't have to take the shots.

Scott Benner (16:21) What do

Leah (16:22) you I like

Scott Benner (16:23) Can you tell me one thing you really love about the pump?

Leah (16:27) I got a choice. (16:29) Push in or pop in.

Scott Benner (16:30) Pushing or pop in. (16:31) So you like the choice of how it goes in? (16:33) Yes. (16:34) Awesome. (16:34) That's right.

Leah (16:35) I like knowing that I get to decide what I want.

Scott Benner (16:39) Yeah. (16:39) I like that too. (16:40) I've been married a long time, so I haven't made a decision in a while, but I remember it and it is fun. (16:44) Do you have any heroes that have diabetes? (16:46) Anybody?

Leah (16:47) Who? (16:48) Stacy McGill.

Scott Benner (16:49) Stacy McGill? (16:50) Who is she?

Leah (16:50) From the babysitter's club.

Scott Benner (16:52) Oh, from the babysitter's club. (16:54) That's your that's your hero? (16:55) That's awesome. (16:55) How many times do think you've read that book?

Leah (16:58) A lot.

Scott Benner (16:59) Yeah. (17:00) Do you read it yourself? (17:01) Does your dad read it to you?

Leah (17:02) I don't like my dad reading to me. (17:04) Oh, tell me what super tired, I'm like, I'm about to fall asleep. (17:09) I like my dad reading to me if that happens.

Scott Benner (17:12) Do you ever do sleepovers or go to your friend's house? (17:14) And how do you handle your diabetes with that?

Leah (17:17) My mom usually calls me when I'm at a friend's house.

Scott Benner (17:20) Mhmm.

Leah (17:21) Except I haven't had my first sleepover.

Scott Benner (17:24) No? (17:25) No. (17:26) Are you so is that a thing you used to do that you don't do anymore or just just haven't had a chance?

Leah (17:30) I just haven't ever had a chance.

Scott Benner (17:33) Okay. (17:33) Would you like to do that?

Leah (17:36) Yeah.

Scott Benner (17:36) Who are you more like when it comes to

Leah (17:39) I feel like daddy.

Scott Benner (17:41) Really? (17:41) Interesting.

Leah (17:42) Yeah. (17:43) Because daddy's always in control.

Scott Benner (17:44) He's in control?

Leah (17:45) He's always telling you, like, what to do.

Scott Benner (17:51) Well

Leah (17:52) He's always like, you have to make your bed.

Scott Benner (17:54) Oh my gosh. (17:55) Make your bed? (17:57) Yeah. (17:57) Does he make you pick up your dirty clothes too? (18:00) Yeah.

Scott Benner (18:01) This is ridiculous. (18:02) You don't have time for that. (18:03) What what do you wanna be doing?

Leah (18:05) Watching TV.

Scott Benner (18:05) Leah, this was really nice of you to do with me. (18:07) Thank you very much. (18:08) I appreciate this. (18:09) Thank you. (18:10) Did you have a good time?

Leah (18:10) Yeah.

Scott Benner (18:11) Me too. (18:11) Awesome. (18:12) Good job. (18:13) Thank you. (18:14) The podcast you just enjoyed was sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care.

Scott Benner (18:18) Learn more about Tandem's newest automated insulin delivery system, Tandem Mobi with Control IQ plus technology at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. (18:28) There are links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (18:33) If you'd like to hear about diabetes management in easy to take in bits, check out the small sips. (18:39) That's the series on the juice box podcast that listeners are talking about like it's a cheat code. (18:44) These are perfect little bursts of clarity, one person said.

Scott Benner (18:47) I finally understood things I've heard a 100 times. (18:50) Short, simple, and somehow exactly what I needed. (18:53) People say small sips feels like someone pulling up a chair, sliding a cup across the table, and giving you one clean idea at a time. (19:02) Nothing overwhelming. (19:03) No fire hose of information.

Scott Benner (19:04) Just steady helpful nudges that actually stick. (19:07) People listen in their car, on walks, or rather actually bolus ing anytime that they need a quick shot of perspective. (19:14) And the reviews, they all say the same thing. (19:17) Small sips makes diabetes make sense. (19:20) Search for the Juice Box podcast, small sips, wherever you get audio.

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