#1784 Someone Peed in My Bed
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Britney discusses her son’s T1D diagnosis, the importance of flexible insulin management, and using Trio. Plus, Scott unveils new calculators for baseline insulin settings and the Warsaw method.
Key Takeaways
- Diagnosis Clues: Britney shares the unique story of how she first suspected Henry had Type 1 diabetes after mistaking his bedwetting for their cat peeing on the floor.
- Breaking the "10% Rule": As a nurse, Britney realized standard medical advice was insufficient during Henry's first illness and learned to meet the insulin need rather than following rigid increase percentages.
- The Power of Flexibility: By being "flexible" and willing to try different bolusing strategies after failed outcomes, the family achieved an A1C between 5.6 and 5.9.
- Transition to Trio: Britney discusses moving from Omnipod 5 to the DIY looping system, Trio, and how it has revolutionized Henry’s management and her own peace of mind.
- Vibe Coding Preview: Scott previews a new weight-based settings calculator designed to give T1D families a realistic starting point for their basal rates and carb ratios.
Resources Mentioned
- • Dexcom G7: Learn More and Get Started
- • Omnipod 5: Request a Free Starter Kit
- • Cozy Earth: Use Code JUICEBOX for 20% Off
- • Juice Cruise 2026: Book Your Getaway
- • Bold Beginnings: A must-listen series for those new to Type 1 diabetes.
Welcome back, friends. You are listening to the Juice Box podcast.
Britney (0:11)Hi. My name is Britney. I am the mom of an eight year old who has type one diabetes.
Scott Benner (0:17)How would you like to share a type one diabetes getaway like no other? Join me on Juice Cruise twenty twenty six. It's a week long cruise designed specifically for people and families living with type one diabetes. It's not just a vacation. It's a chance to relax, connect, and feel understood in a way that is hard to find elsewhere.
Scott Benner (1:43)Nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. The episode you're about to enjoy was brought to you by Dexcom, the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. You can learn more and get started today at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox.
The "Cat Crime Scene" and Diagnosis
Britney (3:06)Hi. My name is Britney. I am the mom of an eight year old who has type one diabetes.
Scott Benner (3:12)Good morning, Britney. How are you?
Britney (3:14)I'm doing well. How are you?
Scott Benner (4:07)Britney, why why you wanna come on a podcast and make the chitchat? What's going on?
Britney (4:42)I really love the podcast, and I would say it's probably the most helpful thing that I've encountered since my son's diagnosis. My son—he's eight year olds now, and he was diagnosed when he was seven and a half, so November 2024. Very fresh.
Britney (9:45)I guess we started noticing things a month prior to his diagnosis. The first thing was my husband wanted to get rid of our cat because he thought that the cat was peeing on the floor in my son's room. It was happening a few times throughout a couple different weeks, and we finally came to realize that although he still wanted to get rid of the cat, it wasn't the cat's fault, and my son was waking up in the middle of the night thinking he was going to the bathroom and peeing on the new carpet in his room.
Britney (11:07)One night, Henry, my son, came down into our bed, and he's like, "Somebody peed on my bed while I was sleeping." We went down to Boston for a Bruins game, and he was drinking tons of water. My husband said, "I think maybe he has diabetes." And I said, like, you. He doesn't have diabetes. And he's like, "Well, you feed him so many sweets." And I was just really offended.
Britney (12:36)We went to the doctor's office because I'm like, okay. We'll, you know, bring him in, and they'll probably give him meds for a UTI. And the first thing they did was a blood sugar. The tech didn't say anything. I said, oh, well, what was it? He said, oh, 538. And that's when I knew, like, okay. This is diabetes.
Breaking Medical Rules with Flexibility
Scott Benner (18:58)Does that help you in the beginning? You said you got pretty good direction, but how do you figure out that the direction is not everything you need?
Britney (19:08)I would say I wasn't really set up for managing type one diabetes. I didn't even know it was autoimmune until we were diagnosed, which maybe that's embarrassing to say because I'm a nurse, but that's me being honest. I was an ICU nurse, and my experience was doing finger sticks and sliding scale insulin. We left the hospital without a CGM but got one the next day.
Britney (31:33)I think that I've been successful in diabetes because I'm flexible. People see, like, oh, when we have ice cream, we go to 500, and so ice cream is off the table. And I'm of the mindset like, okay, one time we went to 500, so clearly we need to do more insulin and time it better, and we'll try again. I think that trying again and saying like, Okay, well my carb ratio is this, but I anticipate this food is going to hit a lot harder so I'm going to give a lot more insulin and have a good outcome.
Britney (32:48)It was the February after his diagnosis when he had the flu, and I called the educators and I said, you know, I feel like this insulin has gone bad. His blood sugar is staying sky high. And the feedback I got was like, "Okay, we can increase by 10% every week." And if I had listened to that, he would have been in DKA, I feel like. I decided to not listen to them and just meet the need. I got that from the podcast. Like, I just have to meet the need of what his blood sugar is telling me he needs for insulin.
[Image of balanced forces diagram] Britney views insulin and food as two opposing forces that must be balanced to keep blood sugars level.
Scott Benner (51:56)The core idea is to meet resistance with an equal resistance to keep things from moving away from where you want them to be. It’s not stacking if you need it. That was foundational for you.
Transitioning to Trio and DIY Looping
Scott Benner (48:40)How long has your son been using Trio?
Britney (48:43)Just three months. It's been the most amazing thing that we've ever encountered with diabetes next to your podcast. Our A1C is between five six and five nine since diagnosis.
Britney (50:08)We were MDI for two months and then Omnipod five for nine months. While I really liked Omnipod five, I was putting a lot of work into it. I was overriding the pump constantly. I was seeing the suggested bolus and kinda laughing at it being like, "No. Thank you. I'll do a little bit more." And I think just being flexible was what allowed us to get these really good results.
Scott’s Weight-Based Settings Calculator
Scott Benner (57:22)I made a calculator where you put your weight in the top, and it's going to give you starting spots for total daily dose, for basal rate, for insulin to carb ratio, and for sensitivity factor. It isn't telling you that's exactly how much insulin you're gonna use. It's telling you that based on your weight, this is what we can maybe expect.
Britney (59:54)They're a starting point for people and, like, a visual for people to see and understand. I think there's a lot of value to people who think they have their settings pretty good to use a calculator like that to see what's the next dial I might wanna turn.
Scott Benner (1:02:26)If you had your settings somewhere close to right and you understood—I'm gonna tell you that I think if you had that calculator and at the minimum, the small sip series from the podcast, I think you'd be off on a good way.
Scott Benner (1:13:59)A huge thanks to Cozy Earth. Use the offer code juice box at checkout to save 20 percent off of your entire order. This episode of the juice box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free Omnipod five starter kit. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box podcast.
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