#825 After Dark: California Sober

January 12, 2023Scott Benner

Perry has type 1 diabetes and a lifetime of stories. Warning: Drug related conversation.

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

Scott Benner 0:00
Hello friends, and welcome to episode 825 of the Juicebox Podcast. What's an after dark episode? Oh, it's part, you're gonna love this

when you're hosting a podcast, the most you can hope for from your guests is honesty. And Perry brings the honesty in full force today. It's absolutely a fantastic episode. I can't thank him enough for being so open and vulnerable and honest. So Perry has type one diabetes, but he's only had it for a little while. But his little brother got it a really long time ago, and has since passed away. This conversation is going to twist and turn around personal feelings, drug use, the sale of narcotics, some violence, a lot of stuff in here, all from a guy who's made a pretty big change in his life. I hope you'll listen. It's terrific. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan. Or becoming bold with insulin. Oh, please don't forget, if you're a US resident take this survey AT T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juice box really helps the show and people living with type one. Thank you. This episode of The Juicebox Podcast is brought to you by Dexcom, makers of the Dexcom G six and Dexcom G seven continuous glucose monitors, head over to dexcom.com Ford slash juicebox. To get started today, and find out more Dexcom G seven might not be out quite yet it's been FDA approved, might not be exactly available in the US right now. But go check out the link. It's everything you need to know. I rushed myself a little in the opening. So let me say again, T one D exchange.org. Forward slash juicebox. Take the survey, join the registry, it takes like 10 minutes, you're really helping when you do that. And I'm going to take a second here to remind you all about all the series that are within the podcast. You can find them in your podcast player by searching for them. Like if you wanted the defining diabetes series, you can type in defining diabetes juice box and it will come up you want it the Pro Tip series same thing. But if you want to see all of the series in one place, so you can kind of get a feeling for what episodes there are and what you can be looking for in your podcast player. Or if you want to just listen online, go to juicebox podcast.com. Actually, you can go to diabetes pro tip.com to at the top of those pages, hold on a second Juicebox Podcast sorry, there's a menu at the top of juicebox podcast.com where you'll see after dark this is an after dark episode by the way. Ask Scott and Jenny algorithm pumping bold beginnings to finding diabetes to finding thyroid diabetes, pro tip diabetes variables, mental wellness, click on one of those. I'm just going to pick one like here's mental wellness. When you click on that it tells you a little bit about it gives you a list of all the episodes. And there's actually a player right there where you can see the episode numbers. Listen to them right in the browser if you want, or at least you'll know what to search for in your podcast app. All right, so All right, I've hit record. So you're being recorded now. And all you need to do when you're ready, is just introduce yourself briefly and then we'll start talking.

Perry 3:43
My name is Perry and I'm a type one diabetic.

Scott Benner 3:46
Excellent. Perry. How old are you?

Perry 3:48
3333.

Scott Benner 3:51
When were you diagnosed? How old?

Perry 3:54
32.

Scott Benner 3:55
Oh, no kidding. Recently?

Perry 3:57
Yeah. New, new new.

Scott Benner 4:00
No kidding. Is there. Is there diabetes type one or other autoimmune issues in your family?

Perry 4:08
Yeah, not a lot. But yes, my. I have a cousin. On my father's side. That's the type one. That cousin on my mother saw. That's the type one. And everybody else is tied to this whole ballgame. But um, and then my younger brother, which is he's passed now. He was a type when he was born. He was diagnosed. He had an eight months old but they didn't diagnosed until he's nine months old.

Scott Benner 4:32
Okay. And you said he's passed away? How old was he when he passed? 19. Was that recently or in the past? Nine years

Perry 4:41
ago? These December 10 2013. We're staying on

Scott Benner 4:45
December 10 2013. Okay, so he's type one his whole life basically minus the first nine months. But you just this last year Can I ask you? Well, I guess we have to find out though. First, let's hear about how you were diagnosed. What did you notice? And how did it get you to a doctor?

Perry 5:06
I can't believe that we didn't notice it. We should have noticed that sooner with was my younger brother, you know, and but I don't know why we we couldn't read the writing on the walls, but I was extreme thirst. I remember throughout the night I remember one night I drink six sodas from midnight to 6am. And I was going back and forth to sleep to. And I knew something was right about that, and extreme thirst. And then I was working from home at the time. And upstairs and my mother would come up stairs just to look at me and I'd be on the clock bed asleep. Just just fall over. And finally she said let me check your sugar. And the machine that we had, it would read up to eight or 900 I believe something like and my sugar wouldn't read. It just said hi. So I was probably around 1000 Mark.

Scott Benner 6:02
And then you go to the hospital and you go to a doctor.

Perry 6:06
They tried to get me to go to the ER at the end. I really didn't want to I was going to but like I said I have another type one cousin. So I just called him and said Brian on the insulin because this happened on a Friday. So we couldn't and I didn't want to go to the hospital all weekend. So I got some human log from him one of his pens, and we were just micro dosing me over the weekend getting my sugar down. And now that was not an option. I would have went yeah. route because I was here I was probably in DK every person on this trip and it was. So it was so purple that Barney,

Scott Benner 6:45
I like I like Perry that when you realize you said piss you said, because as a response. You're like, I don't want to say passed down. Like I said, just speak the way you speak. We'll take care of it later. Your ketones are sky high. And you were Did you with any? Were you able to bring your blood sugar down over the weekend? I mean, I'm actually kept testing, right.

Perry 7:11
Oh, of course. Yes. Yeah. Like I said, if I had if that wasn't an option, it wasn't working out with the hospital. Yeah, we got it down. I really don't remember what we got it down to but we just kept micro dosing, you know, we really didn't want to go anything extreme. And we were just doing like two units at a time, you know, not much and we got it down. And then we went to the doctor Monday, and went there and told him what happened. Then he looked at me and he, they would recommend putting me in the hospital as well. But he knows I've been with him for a little while and he knows me. He knows I don't want to go. So they gave me fluids. And I'll sit in the office for like five, six hours. Getting fluids. I got like 15 bags of magnesium.

Scott Benner 7:53
Wow, good doctor. Or a mob? I'm not sure which one.

Perry 7:59
I love him. He's not much older than me. I'm 33 and he I believe he's 3638 Something like that. He's, I love my doctor.

Scott Benner 8:07
Yeah, that's excellent. Okay, so this is just a year ago. So were you sick prior to your diagnosis at all?

Perry 8:15
Not really. I mean, I was growing up. I was healthy as a horse. I was watching my brother watching my brother deal with it. He was a Medtronic patient.

Scott Benner 8:24
And so tell me so he was I'm sorry, your brother? Are we gonna say his name? Matthew. Yeah, no problems. Okay, so Matthew was 19 when he passed, but that's 789 years ago already. He'd be 28 now. Yes, sir. Okay, all right. He'd be 28 You're 33 Can we talk about him for a little bit? What was doing? You have a lot of recollection about our life with diabetes.

Perry 8:53
Oh, absolutely. I'm an open book, man. You can ask me anything. I'm very honest, that don't have problems doing anything.

Scott Benner 8:59
Yeah. Did he struggle with it? Or did he do well?

Perry 9:03
It was always a struggle.

Scott Benner 9:06
Why do you think

Perry 9:09
you hear the term brittle diabetic thrown around and stuff like Yeah, I mean, it's not a I don't know. But the Hey, you could consider him a brutal diabetic. I mean, it would just be extreme highs, extreme lows. Because before he got diagnosed, he was sucking the the he would get the baby wipes and he was sucking the juice out of the baby wipes. He's drinking a gallon of tea a day. He was drinking. He was floating his bed. And that's when mom and knew something went wrong. And they rushed him to the doctor and he actually had my copy of my pediatrician was Dr. Whitmer. Again, he didn't catch it, and then turned out another pediatrician called it and they diagnosed him and I was

Scott Benner 9:54
sucking the liquid out of the wet wipes that that'll stick with me for a while. That's something you To the extreme

Perry 10:00
thirst and I know what he's talking about now. I mean, you just like, you use like you get caught off from smoking weed. That your sugar.

Scott Benner 10:12
Well, that's okay. So, so he's diagnosed obviously very early. And I mean, we're talking about 32 ish years ago too. So in the early 90s, kind of random born in 94, or 94. Okay, so 9495 This happened, then you're, it's you, you're older and him. Is there other are there other kids? Are you the only two?

Perry 10:38
I have a sister that she was never like, stillborn, you, I guess you would say she never actually made it. So

Scott Benner 10:46
but so my point is your mom was raising two little boys at that point. Oh,

Perry 10:51
yeah. And the part was that she got sent home was a baby that had type one diabetes, and she had no clue how to take care of.

Scott Benner 10:59
Yeah, that's my point. So so she does the best she can with him. And is she your parents together at that point are now

Perry 11:08
not anywhere near divorce now but they were together. They were that

Scott Benner 11:12
okay? So your mom and dad are are trying to help this little baby you're not much older. And it's tough for her she's she's not getting good direction. At some point is your brother trying insulin pump or glucose monitor or anything like that?

Perry 11:27
Well back Matthew was one of the ones he was borderline on the shitty treatment like because the insulin that was available back then was and now getting the finally when he was six years old, they put him on a pump. And we had to go to Charlotte to do that.

Scott Benner 11:46
So he Charlotte North. Yeah, he did regular mph then for five or so years. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So your mom was shooting them a couple times a day feed them on a schedule that kind of stuff. Did your did your life have to follow his diabetes schedule? As far as food went?

Perry 12:03
Horse food? No, not really. Waited? No, not really. I mean, never seem to really bother him. Like if I ate something in front of him because he he'll if he wanted to, he needed to just take a shot for it. So

Scott Benner 12:18
okay. So alright, so when you finally hit the truck, isn't that interesting? How long ago was you had to travel to get on a pump. So he gets on a pump, which means he goes to faster acting insulin. And things don't get much better for him. There's your mom not get like good direction again, around what to do.

Perry 12:38
She had a woman that was helping, I can't remember her name. But she really, really helped me out a lot and really informed mom of how to take care of this baby. And she's done a good job because now I trust my mother's opinion just as much as my endocrinologist. The only reason I go down there is because my wallet can't write prescriptions.

Scott Benner 13:03
And get her doing that. She's gonna make a lot of friends. So

Perry 13:06
she she's very she's very intelligent when it comes to type one diabetes.

Scott Benner 13:10
Okay, so the diabetes part was when he was younger you think was being fairly well taken care of. Are you aware of what his a onesies were back then? By any chance?

Perry 13:19
The highest he's ever had was 14 point something.

Scott Benner 13:23
Do you know where it was generally speaking, like they like after he was

Perry 13:28
when the 14 happened? Yeah. Do

Scott Benner 13:30
you think that 14 was early on? No, the

Perry 13:33
14 like as like teenagers and stuff growing up, you know, especially going through puberty. And so you can stare and you you know how steroids are?

Scott Benner 13:43
Yeah. Was he using steroids?

Perry 13:46
Oh, yeah. Well, see what Yeah, didn't forgot more important part about his diagnosis was that he had some of the worst asthma you could ever imagine. And that really, really, really complicated it because he was on steroids for that. And then that's just destroying and his blood sugar's he lived in the hospital for half the year for the first five years of his life. And he was in the hospital half a year.

Scott Benner 14:14
And that was from the asthma

Perry 14:17
from the asthma and the diabetes, both there just it was like, like it was uncontrollable. We were always going to the emergency room and they were always admitting him in the hospital. I mean, he got to the point to where the three I can go down to that hospital get me to greasy hot dogs, and I go sit on that air conditioner and eat them and look out the window. I've done that so many times. I wish I had $1 for every time I did it. Yeah. feels comfortable.

Scott Benner 14:41
Probably. Yeah. Okay, so he's got asthma and type one on top of that they're giving him steroids for the asthma which is driving up his blood sugar. And back then there's no I mean, even the meter technology shaky but there's no continuous glucose monitors. He can't it's not like you're looking at his blood sugar constantly on a phone or something.

Perry 15:00
They were talking about it. That's that's they were talking about about it back then. But they it never became available to him before. He ended up passing.

Scott Benner 15:11
But okay, so then I'm imagining as he gets older, he's taking over more of the care from your mom. And he's probably not putting in the same effort. She is. And her effort was still she was fighting an uphill battle. And then Oh,

Perry 15:26
absolutely. You know that. I mean, of course, it's a it's a child, you know, how a child is going to control its own. I mean, they wouldn't even take his insulin sometimes, you know?

Scott Benner 15:36
Okay, so he was pretty, he was pretty resistant to doing the thing. No, not resistant, or do you think no, it was just, what do you think it was?

Perry 15:48
Not really, he was pretty good about it. Because my mother she she stayed on top of him from it, because when Atlantis come around, that was a dream. And then every night, I thought I had another little brother because mom would holler out Lantis every single night that we have to remind him to take it and I had another little brother.

Scott Benner 16:07
At the end of the Waltons, can I can I parry? Okay, so All right. So his his care is, is is what it is through his adult years. And he passes away does he pass away from something related to type one? Yeah,

Perry 16:23
he had a heart attack and it was directly related to two of his arteries going to his heart were 100% clogged. And the last one I believe was in like 43% or something like that. The doctor said it was a very extreme heart attack. He said he felt nothing. He just he just went

Scott Benner 16:43
home. Did he have other issues from diabetes before the heart attack? Problems with his eyes or neuropathy? Or was there any other things happening?

Perry 16:53
Not necessarily. He probably was dealing with neuropathy and just didn't really know. But back then they only back then the doctors only thing they did they pushed kidneys and eyes on us. They never said anything about his heart because he didn't he was only weighed 170 bangles. So he wasn't overweight or anything like it. They never one time checked his heart. They never said anything about his heart. They only just pushed kidneys and eyes down our throats.

Scott Benner 17:25
Yeah, it's so I mean, because you have type one. Now I'll share with you that you know, the way anything goes wrong and your body from high blood sugars, whether it's your kidneys, your heart, your eyes or anything. It's that that sugar in the molecular level is it's there's too much of it packed in your bloodstream, and it's actually scraping the insides of your veins and your arteries. Yeah.

Perry 17:51
Can you tell us they told us they told us his arteries crystallized they hardened over completely and crystallized and there was absolutely no flow going through the Yeah,

Scott Benner 18:01
it's terrible. Because what happens is they get scraped, and then they try to repair themselves and they scar, and then that's that scarring makes a blockage. And so

Perry 18:12
yeah, even told us that they even told us that he had a minor heart attack the week before. I don't know if he knew it and didn't tell us or just didn't know or

Scott Benner 18:21
Yeah, so his death is a is a shock then?

Perry 18:26
I absolutely um, he was he worked third shift at the time. And he was at my house. And he was he was complaining that his

Scott Benner 18:40
take your timecard I'm sorry.

Perry 18:43
He was complaining about a headache. And he took some heavy probe. And he said he's starting to feel better. It was 1015. And then at 1030, he left left in the van. And we didn't know and I say this too. I was on house arrest at the time. And it three o'clock in the morning. Greenville County was beaten on the door and I thought they were coming for me so I was hard. And they just asked them questions about Matthew and Mark said, Why are you asking questions about Matthew, he's the one in trouble important to me. And and in this one they they told us and my mother just failed her knees instantly. Because he actually died at the wheel. He he had the heart attack and then crossed three lanes of traffic and went into a parking lot. And his foot was never on the brake. wasn't on the gas either. And he was still in gear, but I guess it had died. He sat there for two hours dead before anyone ever even notice it. Okay, Is it was a rough area where he's at I mean, hailed to be honest reality. They probably just passed out from dope or something. But

Scott Benner 20:10
did he do someone? I'm sorry? I didn't mean to cut you off. No, no, go ahead. Oh, yeah. Was he doing like, other drugs as well?

Perry 20:21
Oh, no, no, he wouldn't do it. He was clean. Yeah, no, he wouldn't do anything. Okay. It's just that's all I'm saying that that area was rough. And he was way he was dead over the wheel. Probably thought he was I

Scott Benner 20:33
don't know, their guy passed out in the car somewhere. And

Perry 20:36
they just don't. Yeah, they just thought no, no, no, he went on his toxicology report come back clean. Okay.

Scott Benner 20:44
Well, well, obviously, this is, is completely shocking. So when, when this happens, I guess the the way I want to go with a conversation is it kind of takes diabetes out of your life suddenly, right? Like it just doesn't exist anymore? And do you forget about it? Or is it something that you still kind of hold on to?

dexcom.com forward slash juice box. That's where you're going to go to learn more and get started today with the Dexcom CGM. Why would you do that? Well, if you're using insulin, your blood sugar can and will fluctuate. Being able to see those fluctuations to see the rate and change that's going on in your blood sugar to just be able to see the number like I'm gonna pick up my phone right now Arden's away at college. And I can tell you that her blood sugar is 94. And it's decreasing. Looks like she's drifting down just slightly. Now I happen to know Arden is in our dorm room doing her homework right now. But this drop is a little suspect to me. Looks like she looks like she missed on her lunch a little bit, probably Bolus again to get it down. And now she's dropping a little beyond where she probably wants to be. So I'm gonna watch this. For the next couple of minutes. I'll see her blood sugar in real time. And I'll make a decision as to whether or not it's going to level out or keep falling. If it's going to keep falling. I might send her a little text and be like, Hey, I don't think your blood sugar is gonna stop just to sort of make her aware of it. But if this fall was happening quickly, I would know it too. I'd be looking and thinking, Oh, our budget is falling too fast. I have to call her. This is this is the technology. This is what you want. It's what you need. Go find it dexcom.com forward slash us bucks. I'm seeing my daughter's blood sugar. She's 700 miles from here, seeing it on my phone, just the swipe of my finger. Actually up to 10 people can follow her right now my wife and myself and a couple of her roommates follow her Dexcom they only have her settings. Like they're not bothered with alarms during the day, but they have it set up sort of Arden's blood sugar gets the 55 they get an alarm so they can go check on her. You can set your alarms wherever you want. Mine are at 120 and 70. But you know Dexcom allows you the freedom to do whatever you want to do with it. Seriously, just I mean, I can't say enough good things about it. dexcom.com Ford slash juice box Get started today with the G six G seven is coming any minute now in the US. And it's available in Europe. Go What are you doing? I mean, listen, the power in that go? is probably not amazing. By the way. What do you say there's we're not even a little bit into the story yet.

Perry 23:55
Oh, I've never I'd never let it. I haven't I have a tattoo on my face and it says his name. And then I've got the little universal diabetes and we'll go under I mean, it's that and I know this might sound stupid, but he was my best friend. And putting this tattoo on my face is I feel this way I can still carry on with me.

Scott Benner 24:16
No, it doesn't sound stupid but I just wanted to know if you like once the care of the day to day care of diabetes was out of the house like does it dissipate or do you? I mean do you think of it as what killed Mama

Perry 24:28
Mama Really? Really? Because you know she's always had something to do you know, because there's a child type one diabetes and you can only do so it really affected her more than anything because she didn't really have that to do now know when to take care of.

Scott Benner 24:43
Yeah, and I lost her job almost.

Perry 24:46
Yeah. Now she's she's quite murky and male.

Scott Benner 24:50
Did you find yourself angry about his death? Which said absolutely. Yeah. What did the anger get focused that like was it the diabetes or how did it come out when you were thinking hear about it

Perry 25:04
I just had it I was just mad. And I know this is gonna sound horrible too but I said Why couldn't it be someone else's brother? Why do you have tape? Why Why mine?

Scott Benner 25:16
I understand. I guess I guess I'm I was glad to hear your story obviously and I appreciate your time it was hard to talk about. I asked you about it because I wondered when you get diagnosed last year what is your first thought this is gonna kill me or like I wanted to know how you felt about and how you've kind of approached it.

Perry 25:38
It was really a lot of deja vu because you know I certainly we're right back into it and I'm actually worse off than he was because now I have gastroparesis as well and I keep my sugar under control better than he did so like right now my hair you want to see is 6.6 It was 5.8 last time but

Scott Benner 26:03
guess your presets. Are you pretty quickly are they sure it's gastroparesis?

Perry 26:07
Well yeah, they don't they don't the gastric emptying study and my daughter told me he said it was a 40 minute test and it took two and a half hours. And my daughter said when it takes two hours that's when they consider it gastroparesis and ours. That's a two and a half hour mark and they gave me reglan. They just started me on regular a few days ago and it's been night and day difference this week as far as my stomach i mean i i can do backflips because

Scott Benner 26:38
Tell me a little bit about the symptoms with your stomach like how does it present what got you to the doctor

Perry 26:45
really bloated a lot belching a lot can't eat or then when you do eat I take just two or three bites and I feel full all of a sudden and then I had a bad cancer scare too because my pancreas they removed it as well have it and the more I had a cyst on it. It was eight millimeters it was they said it was decent size and they said it was hard. And you know usually stuff hard. That's when you start worrying and then they send a biopsy off and they remember to come back clean. So there's another and it won't pancreatic cancer.

Scott Benner 27:23
How long ago was the sisters since the diabetes diagnosis right?

Perry 27:28
Oh yeah, the cyst. They removed my pancreas probably about a year ago.

Scott Benner 27:34
So you didn't Did you get diabetes before they took out your pancreas or do you have diabetes because they took out your pancreas.

Perry 27:40
I had diabetes before that took out my pancreas. my pancreas is because also my pancreas. It didn't make enzymes either. Matt Matthews pancreas still made enzymes. I didn't know about that. The enzymes that help you digest your food, because now I had to take I take reglan 30 minutes before I and then I take Kreon directly after I enzymes to help me digest the food because it's not as explosive diarrhea and it's painful.

Scott Benner 28:07
Yeah, I was. So it's funny. I mean, not funny, but I was gonna say that my daughter is the one in my family who has type one and she's 18 and a lot of the things you talked about about the bloating and getting full easily and not digesting food etc. was happening to her We took her to a to a doctor who you know, looked in her stomach and said, hey, you know she's got undigested food in here. And then he just called a gastroparesis. Now, my daughter's had hurry once he's been in the fives or the sexist for like the last 10 years. And so it seemed odd that she would have gastro priestess, it also seems odd that you would have it so quickly after your diagnosis. And so

Perry 28:47
I can go into your route. Now I've gotten neuropathy, I'm already dealing with it, because I just know that's what it is because I've got a test scheduled, they're getting ready to do that. And that'll be another diagnosis. So

Scott Benner 28:58
why do you think it's moving so quickly? I

Perry 29:01
have no idea to be honest, we I really don't. But it is it is escalating quickly. It really is. Yeah.

Scott Benner 29:09
So not that these not that your thing and her thing have to be the same thing. But she started just taking an over the counter digestive enzyme. And, and pairing it up with well, she started with the digestive enzyme, which got the food get getting out of her stomach. And so that helped a lot. And then after that she wasn't still wasn't going to the bathroom. So we added a magnesium oxide that helped her go to the bathroom. And then we put in a really like kind of high quality probiotic to kind of rebuild her, you know, the bacteria in our stomach. And she's doing so much better now from that. Excuse me,

Perry 29:44
he put me on. He tried to put me on the probiotics too. I took all my stuff and then there's something else he gave me for my stomach. I don't know if maybe it was in any heavy on carface was just like a high powered Pepto Bismol and then but I'll tell either so far the Raglin the Kreon those two together is I can get through a day pretty easily with both of them if I don't have them.

Scott Benner 30:09
It's rough. Yeah, we learned what we learned was we tried the probiotics like a year before. But I think what was happening is that her stomach was kind of such a nasty place with undigested food that the probiotics couldn't make a dent in it. It wasn't until we aided the digestion, and then made sure that the elimination part was happening, like the way it was supposed to like so once the body was flowing, you know, in the mouth out or s like, you know, the way it was supposed to. And then adding the probiotics seem to help her like so. I mean, I don't know, man, but that's it's tough. And it just seems like look, I'm not a doctor. But it's crazy that you could develop gastroparesis, and a year after having type one diabetes with a 6681 C that doesn't. That sounds a little weird, because I would more think that you lost your pancreas, and all of the help that it gives with digestion. Like I don't know if so, there's an episode I'm going to find it for you. I'll tell you about a theory. But you're asking

Perry 31:06
a minute ago you said what I thought could lead to help because I'm pretty honest person. I had a pretty good drug addiction for several years and maybe that could have unclean now but

Scott Benner 31:19
yeah, I don't know, man. All I can tell you is that I'm looking for it right now. That the Doctor Who does that kind of work who looks at someone's stomach they call any slow digestion they call it gastroparesis. So there's a difference between gastro precice that you get from uncontrolled diabetes. And the just the idea that you're not digesting food quickly. So that but then you mentioned neuropathy, and that slowed me down from saying that to you. So where are you feeling? neuropathy? Hands, feet.

Perry 31:54
Those hands feet, I get the sharp I get more than burning sensations and the sharp pains then the cold since some people say cold some people say hot, but I get more real. It sucks. Yeah.

Scott Benner 32:10
Do your blood sugar's bounce. Do you get real high in the real low?

Perry 32:15
Yeah, cuz we're on new. I don't know how to Bolus for food yet. I mean, I'm still learning in it sounds like you would think I would know more because I had a brother for not two years with it. But it's just different when you got to deal with yourself. Sure.

Scott Benner 32:28
Sure. How about you? How are you making out with gear like you're using a pumper? Are you shooting with MDI or what are you doing?

Perry 32:37
I'm a tandem patient. And we're Dexcom as well.

Scott Benner 32:40
Oh, yeah. So do they have you on control? IQ?

Perry 32:44
Yeah, I'm on controlling cute.

Scott Benner 32:46
Are you Pre-Bolus In your meals putting in insulin before you eat?

Perry 32:50
Yes, I'm just not good at it. I'm trying to learn how to count count and you know and

Scott Benner 32:56
the you think counting the carbs is your is your biggest challenge.

Perry 33:02
Currently, yeah.

Scott Benner 33:03
What kind of? Do you mind me asking about this stuff? What kind of diet do you think you keep like what's an average day?

Perry 33:13
Oh, we're the gastro. I don't eat during the day. I can't eat most of the days. It's it's just sucks. And I've gotten used to now I eat one time a day in the evening. And I mean, I pretty much eat what I want. But I don't go crazy. Well, you know, I keep it. Modest with it. But just take it on board.

Scott Benner 33:33
How about is there a lot of deep fried foods? A lot of oils?

Perry 33:38
No, no, the air? No, the airfryer really love that.

Scott Benner 33:42
Good. Good. Okay, I'm just because sometimes fat can also slow down digestion. So I was wondering about

Perry 33:48
Yeah, that was right. I was reading it last night.

Scott Benner 33:51
You're gonna learn a lot of stuff this year you didn't think you'd ever have the care about? But it's good to know. You know, I mean, the better to sit like Just imagine if podcasts and stuff like that, you know, existed for your mom back when she was trying to raise a nine month old with diabetes or any of this ology

Perry 34:10
Haley? If that was true, he could still be alive that oh, you never know.

Scott Benner 34:16
I I hate to say but I think that, you know, I've interviewed a lot of people and people who had type one diabetes for a long time, who were kind of diagnosed back then they'll all tell you the same story that it was a lot of just randomness like you shot the insulin you ate, you didn't really know what you were doing. You know, the doctors,

Perry 34:36
the doctors didn't even know back then hardly because they didn't have because if they would have known they would tell them what to do.

Scott Benner 34:43
Yeah, no, it was just and the technology wasn't great. meters weren't great pumping wasn't great. So you couldn't even test you couldn't even like test enough to really give yourself an idea of what was happening and with those other insolence that are in the mph, for example. And older ones, you know, the poor Can beef and that kind of stuff. It's not like you were shooting insulin for a meal, you were just kind of putting it in. And then just hoping that it was enough to handle the meals that you were having and kind of trying to eat to the insulin, where now you can decide eat something and push a button and get insulin for it. It's a big deal.

Perry 35:18
I can even give myself insulin from my phone. Yeah, right. It's it's Bolus from my phone.

Scott Benner 35:26
It's absolutely amazing. And you're probably getting that six, a one C, at the moment, just because the algorithm is trying so hard to keep you in range. Exactly. Yeah. So

Perry 35:38
that is my biggest challenge. Now I've just got to learn the Pre-Bolus better and to count better how to. Yeah, I'm constantly I'll reach in the trash can look at like, Damn, it wasn't. So

Scott Benner 35:50
you also start to get a feeling for it. After a while because people don't eat. I mean, there's not an endless number of foods you eat. Like, if you really look at your diet, you probably eat the same handful of things over and over again. So you can kind of start to learn, like, alright, I tried, you know, I said this was 30 carbs, and I, you know, my blood sugar went to 180. And then I had to correct it with another unit. Like, maybe I'll try saying it's, I don't know, 33 Next time, or, you know, or putting in a little extra insulin.

Perry 36:16
Also that I'm actually really limited on by what I can eat because they hadn't. I have full dentures, but they removed my teeth about a year ago as well.

Scott Benner 36:26
I thought you were gonna say because they put you on a gastro precice diet, which is limiting, but it's about oh, it's about dentures. And so I gotta ask you before we get too much farther, Perry, how do you end up on house arrest?

Perry 36:41
I liked selling drugs and running from low

Scott Benner 36:45
and getting caught while you're doing those things. I guess more importantly,

Perry 36:49
I was in the wrong car when I was running. Yeah.

Scott Benner 36:51
Okay, good, Tommy. Do it. I'm sorry to cut you off. I didn't mean to. I was just gonna say go ahead and keep going.

Perry 37:01
Oh, I'm sorry. I was just saying I was in the wrong car that day because hail. I ran through all several times. I was just in Rome core. It blew up. I was in my wife I was in I was in my wife's car and it was just Jetta. If it hadn't died, I'd made it.

Scott Benner 37:19
You were gonna make it. And the car the cars the fault.

Perry 37:23
They had to they? You know what a pit maneuver is? I do? They pitted me eight times. All they did they pit me it knocked me around. I drove the other way. They drove back they picked me up, you're out I can go and I said I'm gonna make him work for it. They owe the cops when they when the car finally. They me and Matthew were in the car. They come at gunpoint and drew both of us out. And then that cop punched me in the face. Sorry, I may say but which I hail I deserve that. But uh, and then, uh, they kind of pissed me off though. Because Matthew, you know, diabetics, we carry a bag around at all times, with stuff in it. Matthew had his bag and they were going through it looking at needles, and they said, Oh, who's the dope head? I said, if you buddy I said his. And then when the sheriff showed up, no one told anything to him. He just looked in the car and he said, Who's the diabetic? I

Scott Benner 38:19
said, Thank you. He knows right. Hey, listen, I'm gonna put this out here right now. Volkswagen wants to buy an ad on this episode. I'll put it back together again. 40 Here's what an ad for a Jetta you know what I mean. I think really held up. I don't know why

Perry 38:37
the cop was so mad because when he showed up to court he had a brand new car. Because he was using the car. He was coming off and it's Oh, he got a brand new and

Scott Benner 38:48
I love the way you think this guy should have been happy you got him a new squad car?

Perry 38:52
Or you had a new charger?

Scott Benner 38:55
It really should have a thank you what the hell? Were you guys underage at that point or how old were you?

Perry 39:01
20 or 20

Scott Benner 39:04
and that just that whole thing just put you on house arrest it doesn't get your time

Perry 39:11
the first and then how stressed bisexual actually the first time was for three months that was true the sound sound dope and they wanted to put me in there but thank God for character witnesses you know people standing out to hearing crime. Are you saying being a bad person? Yeah, so it got me out. They got the house arrest and 90 days for that and then second time I got house arrest was for running from the oil.

Scott Benner 39:39
When I got a call when you say dope I think of heroin but you mean weed?

Perry 39:44
It was actually it's fake. That fakes that that incident stuff you remember? You were selling? I can't think of the name of it. Damn it. Okay to spice

Scott Benner 39:54
spice. That's what I was. That's the word I couldn't find. Okay. And but that's still is that Part of the reason why you only got house arrest

Perry 40:03
Hill no actually they took that they that was there they were mad yeah they were mad about that they wouldn't take it for ease only if it was actually just leave. They came in the store I worked that they I'm honest. We sold that spy stuff and then we sold the basketball which is nothing but you know cocaine and they come in looking for that they didn't find it because there's next door we we hit it and they were mad and they illegally got my keys and went to my car and pulled out a bag of that incense he was like 500 grams or something like that. And illegal he had he couldn't go to my car he didn't have work my car so matter that

Scott Benner 40:54
bath salts I guess the the deal was that it was so so much cheaper than like using meth or cocaine. Right so

Perry 41:00
a lot cheaper news better.

Scott Benner 41:03
Gotcha. That's like back when the the news stories of like guys like losing their like eating people in the street and stuff like that. Those were bath salts, right? That's those trips.

Perry 41:16
I don't believe that. I want to know what I want to know what else they were own. They were just they were blaming it all on bass all the time, because that was the hot topic. I want to know what else I want to know what else he was on. Gotcha, you know, to bid to make you do that because I would have done more bass out new shakes thicket, and I'd never eat nobody space. So

Scott Benner 41:37
what's the high from Bath Salts like is it

Perry 41:41
it's like a methamphetamine.

Scott Benner 41:44
Do Is that why you lost your teeth by any chance?

Perry 41:48
Oh, yeah. Cuz after that, after the vast assault and all that stuff, and I never really done any hard drugs until Matthew died. And I mean, I'm not really using it as an excuse. But I was. I was. I was going crazy after he dies. I didn't know what to do.

Scott Benner 42:06
Anyone else? Sorry. Prior to him, you'd sold it, but you weren't using it.

Perry 42:12
Now Yeah, no, I was using it while selling. And then. No, yeah. Your time at drug dealers, though. But uh, and then after that, after you die, that's when I tried miss. And then I got hooked on that for a couple of years. And that sucks that more than morphine.

Scott Benner 42:33
What got you off of that?

Perry 42:35
I got I just when you get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and you make that I was I was done with us. I said, I'm just I'm just taking this and my mother had moved to Kentucky after my parents divorced. And then I just went up there and went to her house. And I went in the room for three weeks. I come out to be that was it and get something to drink. I didn't eat nothing. I didn't talk to nobody. But I just set her and sweated it out for three weeks. And I was done with

Scott Benner 43:06
Perry, you you you kicked it on your own. Just in the house.

Perry 43:09
Yeah. My dad tried to run dad tried to get me go to rehab, but I wouldn't end. And then you know, of course any true any real Dopey and I'll be an address my life, you know, technically. So I've relapsed a couple of times over those years. But you know, I'm playing out do you think any more of it?

Scott Benner 43:29
So while you were talking, I Googled this. And there's an NIH article. It's 2011. But it's about neurological manifestations of chronic meth abuse. And one of the things I found in here was neuropathy.

Perry 43:48
I can tell you right now, I have Restless Leg Syndrome from that I the day I quit doing math. And then there's three weeks after I was doing as developed restless leg syndrome. And I still to this day had Yeah, okay.

Scott Benner 44:04
Well, I think just when you're talking to your doctor about this, I think you have to be honest with them. Not that you probably aren't, but I think you have to tell them that you think that might be from the math not from the

Perry 44:14
I know, I was thinking honestly I was talking to my girlfriend about that earlier because he's putting me on different medicines and stuff. I just need to be honest with him letting him know that kind of what my history is so because he's any kind of any kind of dose they give me I need a double of it because I'm very I'm very very tolerant to things and I build a tolerance extremely quick. Yeah.

Scott Benner 44:41
Yeah, you in that jet are tough.

Perry 44:44
That's like the other day when I went up there they put me on depression medicine, I'm gonna Wellbutrin now and it's like I can tell it I can tell the difference is actually helped me put me in a little better mood but I need to I need to double dose. I mean, because well, what let's wait like Ain't anybody that goes into the hospital say like you'd get hurt like if you're a bad dope head was that normal dose they give you ain't gonna do

Scott Benner 45:07
doesn't touch you the way it touches other people. Yeah. What? How long do you think you were depressed for?

Perry 45:15
The Hill I'm still in prison now because I lost my I lost my house in the flood back in July I lost three cars and

Scott Benner 45:23
part of what I put on. There was a flood you lost your home.

Perry 45:28
You remember back in July. Do you hear anything about the big rains in eastern Kentucky?

Scott Benner 45:34
I think I did actually have a friend who lives in Kentucky. So I did hear about that. And that

Perry 45:39
was it. I was I was a victim. My house was under 10 foot of water.

Scott Benner 45:43
Oh my god. Were you there? How do you get away from something like that?

Perry 45:48
I was actually trapped upstairs because the water started coming in so fast that it started running in the house. It was probably a foot deep in the house and I have three three dogs. So I grabbed my German my first German Shepherd and I put I picked her up like just like a baby and she knew what I was doing. She wrapped her legs around my neck and hailed on the top. And I carried her to safety. Come back and I had my other German Shepherd he's standing on the coffee table because the waters rise and I grabbed him put him around my shoulders and carry him to safety. Then I come back and get my other little manager aussiedoodle and get him to safety and then come back get mama and then I went into the kitchen to kill them because by this time there's four for the water my pump Thank God this waterproof because I was walking through water and it was under

Scott Benner 46:40
way to go tandem to nicely done. Yeah, yeah. Hey, you got the dogs before your mom.

Perry 46:47
She was actually getting we had two puppies out back so that's what No, that's it. Yeah, there's two puppies that wreck she was asking you will get two puppies. I'll get these and then and then I got mom to her next door. And then I'm like I said I went into the kitchen to go kill because at least for put water in there. I went to the kitchen go kill the main power. And I took a step and took a stick and killed the main power. And by that point, there's probably five or six. I couldn't get out. I had to go upstairs and I was trapped. I was trapped upstairs. Stratton upstairs for 12 hours.

Scott Benner 47:22
Okay, okay. Wow. And then the water recedes. But then the house is just ruined after

Perry 47:26
that. Yeah, they've already tore it down. Sorry, going. What are you going to do? Move in Australia.

Scott Benner 47:34
You're going to go to a trailer. Is that what your mom's doing as well?

Perry 47:37
Yeah, moving mobile home. Okay.

Scott Benner 47:38
Okay. Did you get any? Did you have any kind of insurance coverage for the house? No, or just the dead loss? Because I mean, no, you wouldn't expect a flood there like that. Right?

Perry 47:51
It's never happened. There was actually a first time thing and they called it where my area exactly. I live in Letcher County in Whitesburg and the next little town over hazard. Kentucky and maybe Harlem was as well. But we got hit the absolute hardest. They said ours was 1000 year flood. What they call it?

Scott Benner 48:13
Oh, lucky. You know, Jesus that sucks.

Perry 48:18
It was it was the water was so strong. It was it was picking houses up off the foundation and moving on.

Scott Benner 48:25
Okay, well, that's cool. Well, because the houses are not built for that. Right now that nobody thinks.

Perry 48:31
I think. I think the final count is there's about 50 people that died.

Scott Benner 48:35
Wow. Wow, jeez, that's terrible. Oh, my God. Okay, so are you at the moment? Do you have the mobile home yet? Or are you are you staying somewhere else until then?

Perry 48:49
I'm in South Carolina right now family, but um, they're actually getting ready to move it in. Like next week.

Scott Benner 48:55
Okay. And you'll go back and then that you're going back to Kentucky then.

Perry 49:00
What do ya okay.

Scott Benner 49:03
All right. Well, your girlfriend is she where you are now or is she back in Kentucky? Now she's Yeah, she's she's in South Carolina with you. Okay, so you guys would be going together? I imagine if you went back Yeah, yeah. Okay. All right. Well, I like

Perry 49:18
like, like to try and help you and I hope it

Scott Benner 49:21
works out for you. I mean, just it's absolutely insane. Do you think that your brother's like the anniversary of your brother's passing hit you harder this year because more things are going on or because the reason you let me just say for people listening. The reason you're talking to me today is because I think somebody directed you to the Facebook group for the podcast. And you put up a really like touching post about your brother. And then I think Willie sent you to me, to be honest, you don't know this about the show but the show books out like a year in advance. So you and I are recording today in December because I had like an I don't get a lot of cancellations but I just had a cancellation like If we didn't do this today, right now, I wouldn't be able to do this till like September 2023. So the timing was just really crazy. Like you were there. And I thought I was gonna, I was going to do some editing that day, but I thought all record with Perry, you know, as well. And so you're very new to the podcast and you're but but my question is, does it Does it strike you every year at his anniversary the way it did this year? Or do you think you're a little more emotional this year?

Perry 50:31
You know, he sees me for your heart and his his birthdays Valentine's Day and history pretty hard to?

Scott Benner 50:38
Yeah, I imagined it does. What do you get out of the sharing? You just are you trying to let people know how you feel? Or you're trying to let them know about him trying to keep his memory alive? Like, what is that? What's that desire to tell people about it?

Perry 50:52
Just like sick keep his memory alive. So I've tried to hold on to the good ones. And just the industrious part about grief is sometimes you'll laugh and cry over the same memory.

Scott Benner 51:04
Really? Really? That's terrible. I mean, you almost made me cry earlier, to be honest with you. People make me cry sometimes, but I don't know why. I didn't think it would happen with a guy. I know that sounds odd. But like when you started talking, I thought I'll be okay. But then when it chokes you up and I was like, dammit, I'm gonna get upset too. But but you be just you just miss them. That's what you're about to say.

Perry 51:29
Yeah, yes, it is. It's rough to talk about it's doing even after nine years. I don't expect is ever getting better.

Scott Benner 51:37
Doesn't doesn't mess with your sobriety though. You're able to kind of keep those things separate.

Perry 51:44
Well, California sober will say that

Scott Benner 51:49
means we can drink and smoke weed stuff. Yeah, yeah,

Perry 51:52
I log into no alcohol whatsoever. No drinking. Oh, I can't. That's that's like taking a shot of insulin. It just bothers me out so bad.

Scott Benner 52:02
Oh, no kidding. Okay. All right.

Perry 52:06
I shouldn't drink at all, like heart now. mixed drinks and stuff like it. Yeah, raise your sugar but like hard liquor just taking shots. You can't do that.

Scott Benner 52:12
Okay. And you don't

Perry 52:15
I know a lot of type ones that I've in another group as well. You can't wait hard liquor, you will you better eat a big meal. And they need another meal too. If you're gonna drink some liquor. That's

Scott Benner 52:25
how it hits you. Okay, and beer. You're not a fan of.

Perry 52:29
I used to like it, but I skate no more.

Scott Benner 52:31
Yeah. It's interesting. It really is interesting how things change. If we could like just kind of change direction for half a second. Not that anything anybody's going to say is going to stop anybody in their tracks. But if you could get in a time machine and go back, would you ever have touched the drugs?

Perry 52:53
If I could go back, hell no. I go back and slap me right in the face.

Scott Benner 52:59
Can you? Can you think back to that point? Why it was attractive to you back then. And what you know now? Like what's like, what would you? Like if you knew like, if you know how that kid felt? So what would you say to him to try to help them with that? Like a hill. Like if you could go find yourself as a child. Like you you know how that kid felt like so? Can you? Well,

Perry 53:26
I didn't only thing I've ever done growing up to smoke weed. I mean, most kids do that growing up and then I'd never done anything else. I didn't really know what it would actually I didn't know it's gonna ruin your year about it, but it's gonna ruin your life. And you did.

Scott Benner 53:48
It's almost so is it almost like I don't know, you're you're smoking weed and you're just looking for something different. Right? And so you try other things. You don't know the severity of how it'll grab a hold of you. And then once it's got you it's hard to just you just can't walk away from it at that point.

Perry 54:05
It's it's a revolving door man. It's so it's more mental than physical To be honest, we now heroin withdrawals are all they're really physical, like your pain sucks. And the meth withdrawals is more mental than anything. You just drive yourself crazy mentally. And that is that first because I never smoked it. I only snorted it. First time I ever sniffed it. I fell in love. I feel on top of the world. I felt like I was a king. That was the best thing. It was handier than a pocket or shirt.

Scott Benner 54:47
I love just just a physical feeling. And like because you know when people talk about it, they talked about people are in pain and they're struggling and they want to relieve that pain. That's what drinking is. That's what drugs are I think

Perry 55:00
it's the most extreme dopamine release you've ever experienced.

Scott Benner 55:04
Okay. And then And then, is it diminishing returns? Like every time you need more to get to the same place?

Perry 55:11
Oh, yeah. Now it depends on how good the quality was. And if he has a good, you know, you do a little more, but you'd be gone for 12 hours and then come back get a little more. But sometimes we wouldn't always like good.

Scott Benner 55:21
And you're not functioning for those 12 hours, right? You're just sort of like, in actually sorry about my mom was calling. Beeping in Russia, would you? I asked if you were functional during that 12 hour period? Oh, yeah. We call mom and dad. This is why we got her last during the flood No, I was functional. Actually, I was a functional method. For the most part, yeah. Made it to work. They're like are good what you do you can do during the day, that kind of stuff.

Perry 56:07
I know. I know, plain math is you know, it don't turn everybody into a zombie drugs do to you what the what you allow them to do to you? I was functional. We, you know, we went everywhere. I did everything I need to do. And you could you could tell if you really look but you know, most people couldn't even do. I gotcha. But those are the sounds were there though.

Scott Benner 56:31
Okay. All right. As I mean, we're almost an hour into this. I want to make sure. Am I missing anything from your story or anything you want to talk about that I haven't thought to bring up or direct us towards?

Perry 56:45
Oh, thanks. So that's pretty much it still an ongoing thing? And last thing, and and at the end of the year, we're chopping up to around the middle of all this.

Scott Benner 56:58
Do you think you're going to do you think you're going to be able to? I mean, it's that hard question. But do you think you're going to be able to handle the diabetes?

Perry 57:05
Oh, yeah, I got this. No, no, I do. I have to. I mean, it's like, posted on Facebook. I seen the other day, you don't know how strong your orangey hat.

Scott Benner 57:16
Yeah, it's interesting how many people you meet that have type one who who are more aware of their health now than they ever have been in their whole life. And, and how it kind of changes your focus and the way you think about things from eating to exercise and, and kind of everything in between?

Perry 57:34
Yeah, technically, now I'm actually live in the plane is live, you know, as far as you know, no alcohol, nothing like. And I try to watch what I eat and stuff like that and be moderate. And don't go crazy on sweets. And yeah, I'm trying,

Scott Benner 57:50
would you be interested in there's a whole series of episodes in the podcast with me and this woman named Jenny, who is type one for 34 years, and she's also a CTE. She teaches people how to take care of their diabetes. It's this whole series about kind of how to use insulin and, and how to manage food and everything. If you want. I'll send you a link to it. You can take a look, I think it would be helpful. Might help.

Perry 58:13
Absolutely. Yeah. Any any resource?

Scott Benner 58:17
Per you know. I don't know if you know, like, are you aware? I guess is my question. That you're, you're an interesting paradox, because your story from earlier in your life is it's insane. And then like, but you here in this moment, you're a reasonable, intelligent, thoughtful person. But you the stories you tell her about a person out of control. Like is that? Is that something you're aware of? Like as you're talking?

Perry 58:44
Oh, a different man. Now. This is the Perry that show this is the period that should have been here. This is the Perry that

Scott Benner 59:00
it feels that simple. Right, like a bad decision. And then last time, yeah, yeah. So what do you think would have helped you back then? I mean, honestly, like, you've been incredibly honest. Is this is this a function of? It doesn't sound like parenting. It sounds like your mom was concerned. Is it money? Is that is that access to things? Is it? Is it that kind of stuff, is it? I mean, I don't know how you grew up. Was there poverty involved?

Perry 59:27
Well, no, not really. It's I guess, down in South Carolina. That's why I moved to Kentucky because everything I wanted was five minutes away. I knew where to get it. I knew who to get it from, you know, I mean, it's just too accessible. And then when you move somewhere and you don't know nobody makes a lot harder.

Scott Benner 59:47
Oh, the Kentucky move was literally for for drug use and things like that. Yeah, yeah. Okay. So you move to where the where the action was. I say this So now just getting clean, and then looking back on your life was enough to was enough to, to to keep you going and that I mean, it's great. How long has it been? Like? That's a good question since like, math or something like that, like, what's the last drug like that you?

Perry 1:00:16
What I think February be six years.

Scott Benner 1:00:19
Wow, that's impressive. Wow, that's

Perry 1:00:24
Buller grit to

Scott Benner 1:00:26
Yeah. And but the regret doesn't push you back to using?

Perry 1:00:30
No, now I'm past that part. I mean, what's done is done. I can't change that. So I don't focus on

Scott Benner 1:00:36
it. Dude. That's a great attitude. I was just, I was just editing an episode last night with this young girl. She's like, 21, she's got a kid, she's already been divorced. She did, she grew up really poorly. And she just took her life over, like a young girl, like just she figured out what which way was up and what the right thing to do was, and she just grabbed it by the balls, and she's doing it. And it's really, I was stunned when she was talking is a long conversation she and I had, and as I'm listening to her, I'm like, how did this girl just figure this out on her own and put herself in the right direction? She just stays the course. You know, but now you're saying the same thing. You know, it's, um, I think it's interesting for people to hear because it'd be easy to write you off. You know, it'd be easy to go back six, seven years and look at you and go, This guy's not gonna make it. But But you did. You know, and for no real reason other than you just decided to do it. Right.

Perry 1:01:33
Eventually, you get sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Scott Benner 1:01:37
Just had enough. You were like, that's enough. No kidding. Dude, it's

Perry 1:01:41
I want the last year that I was doing it. I wanted out. I didn't want to do it. I didn't know how to quit because I was mixing it with morphine and heroin and

Scott Benner 1:01:53
like, like, like hospital grade morphine.

Perry 1:01:56
Where Yeah, but my buddy had cancer. So he had he had the script. Oh, my

Scott Benner 1:02:03
God. Look at that. Listen, you're you're definitely have a lot of annuity.

Perry 1:02:08
He had he had to he had the teens. He had the Barney's but we got to Barney's the 30s. He had the gray goes what we call the 60s.

Scott Benner 1:02:16
He had has he passed since then. Yeah, he's gone. I'm sorry. No. Wow, it didn't even

Perry 1:02:25
last that last lost all my friends. I lost my little brother. And then just a couple years later, that guy with the cancer. He was one of my best friends lost him. Then the other guy, one of my friends. He killed his co just losing friends later. Ended up really being on my own. Because I was the only people

Scott Benner 1:02:43
that I talk to. Yeah, man, you're surviving.

Perry 1:02:47
Because Caleb, Caleb, that's his name. The boys cancer heat comes spent. He spent more time in my house than he did it his own.

Scott Benner 1:02:53
How old was he when he had cancer?

Perry 1:02:57
I mean, how old was he there was none with cable had that. Name was nine when they diagnosed and he even went to Mexico with him and stuff. And he beat it for a few years, you know, went to remission then he just come back with a vengeance and

Scott Benner 1:03:14
a lot of bad luck for a small group of people. That's for sure. That's terrible. Well, I'm sorry to hear about that as well. But but I'm telling you like, as far as ingenuity goes, if you said to me right now, Scott, you gotta go find morphine. If you find morphine, I'll give you a million. I wouldn't know where to get morphine from. Like, that's, that's amazing. Like it?

Perry 1:03:33
Oh, I can get the hill I can eat so right. I know where it's going.

Scott Benner 1:03:40
That's really something very impressive. Like do you spend any time thinking about what you've accomplished?

Perry 1:03:47
Sometimes Yeah, that's what I've tried to think about because I've granted a lot of things I've tried to think of the positives and not the negatives the things that I can't change that are over with.

Scott Benner 1:04:01
Yeah, I mean, I hope you're able to keep doing that because I mean, honestly, what you've described is it's a huge effort that you got to this spot I think it's incredibly unlikely to and here you are, I mean, six years is a long time to just decide I'm not doing that anymore and then honestly not do it anymore. It's really something it's I'm really It's oddly I'm oddly find myself very impressive what you did.

Perry 1:04:27
No, I didn't go to I didn't go to rehab. I locked myself in a room for three weeks.

Scott Benner 1:04:30
Yeah, I mean, you've dug a hell of a hole for yourself to climb out of and you found your way out of it. That's

Perry 1:04:36
my mom. My mom and dad both over there. You know, they're they're really good parents. They always have been but I was at the point to where they couldn't do that for me. I had to make the decision. was all me in there still, my mother and father both do a real good support system but my mother more than anything because just her knowledge Diabetes. Because when something goes wrong, I can't hurt. She knows. She know just as much as my daughter does, and she might know more. But she's very intelligent when it comes to type one.

Scott Benner 1:05:15
Okay. Wow. You know, I mean, I hear you're talking to your dad off and on right, but like, do you think they ever even privately then didn't say to you do you think they ever gave up on the idea that you're gonna be okay? Or do you think they always believed in you that you would like, I'm trying to put myself in that position,

Perry 1:05:35
then they never get they never gave up on me. They always loved me. And they just they knew, though, but it's a decision I had to make. But deep down, I'm sure they thought, you know, of course, he's going to come through this. And they I mean, they. They're really good. My parents are great. I mean, I grew up in a we're in a wonderful home. Y'all had a great childhood, good parents and stuff. So that's not where it was. Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:05:59
You never felt unloved or anything like that? No, Lord, no. That you guys were just selling in views and as kids and trying to make money and, and keep it going, right?

Perry 1:06:11
Yeah. Must be honest. That was like 20. Yeah, about 25 or 24 to 27 mission. Right? Is the heart of the hard hard stuff.

Scott Benner 1:06:24
Let me ask you a question. Like selling drugs where you grew up? Is it like somebody else saying, Oh, I always knew I was gonna go to college. Or I always knew I was gonna get a job at the place down the street. Like, did you did you grow up? That was that just seemed like a viable business? endeavor for you?

Perry 1:06:42
Oh, no, that's nothing I really thought about this is something I kind of fell into how I got started with the instance I was looking for, I was looking for a job I was on Craigslist. And I seen an ad for a smoke shop. And they needed a just need someone to help manage it and run it, you know, like sell pipes and bombs knowledge, you know, I mean, and I contacted him and went down there. And he said he was just asking questions, I've asked him and he had a few things in his store already. I said I'd go out there and tell you exactly what to do with it or single one of these. He said, Okay, show me so I went out there I said you do this or this do this or this. And he almost got us in trouble one time because we sold crack pipes because we'd sell we sell at crack pipes a day. Or more. But sometimes you do your chore boy years. Know that stuff. The that's that mate that stainless steel stuff you washed dishes with?

Scott Benner 1:07:47
Oh, no, I do know. Yeah. It's got like a scouring pad.

Perry 1:07:52
You know, the one that's just the one that's just metal,

Scott Benner 1:07:55
right? No, no, it's like there's just no like, soap or anything like that on it.

Perry 1:08:00
Yeah, no, no fabric, no sofas, just a straight piece of like balled up metal. They'll take that and wrap their crack rock around it and stick it in the pipe. And because it helps to vaporize it faster, get hotter. Well, he had both of them. He had the pipes in the tour boys sitting right side by side on the shelf. I said you hate this, this suggestive selling what they call it right? I said you can't do that. I said we can sell both of these. But you got to put them in different places.

Scott Benner 1:08:28
You knew the ins and outs of the rules already. That's interesting.

Perry 1:08:33
Yeah, his store was big enough that we all we did, we kind of just sectioned it off and made another store next door and got a business license. We did it legit and everything and that's amazing. I was making. I was making a lot of money.

Scott Benner 1:08:48
And the cops know, but they don't do anything.

Perry 1:08:52
Well, at the time, it was legal. And you know, then they started banning chemicals in it. Well, then they start changing it and they change this chemical make it a different one. And then they started banning another chemical where they change it what ventually they ended up banning it completely and that's how they the legality become the way it was. Become a scheduled drug at that point.

Scott Benner 1:09:16
How worried should people be about fentanyl in their drugs? Is it everywhere but

Perry 1:09:25
honestly, the fentanyl hikers more they're hyping it up more than more than he is because now I don't condone anybody using fentanyl out side of a medical place. But as far as medically, fentanyl is the best medicine they got I dislocated my knee they gave me fentanyl right in the hotel and the floor. Is they in this not only is the only drug that is measured in micrograms it's not measured in milligrams.

Scott Benner 1:09:56
So use correctly it's a really it's a valuable drug.

Perry 1:10:00
I absolutely hate when they when they took my bankers out after I found out I was in pain they gave me some fentanyl in Britain was a great drug it used correctly. The reason it's so dangerous is because like I said, it's measured in micrograms, it takes 1000 micrograms to make a milligram. So you can see how potent that is. Yeah.

Scott Benner 1:10:26
Well listen that well enough, you should be able to count carbs.

Perry 1:10:32
I just kind of learned how much is in each thing.

Scott Benner 1:10:36
So when you're thinking when they cut, so when they cut drugs, illegal drugs with fentanyl, it's it's more of a the bigger problem is that they're using too much of it. And that's what people are doing on?

Perry 1:10:47
Yeah, they're using it the correct way because that's about the cheapest thing is coming out in Mexico. It's coming from China too. It is, it is a problem but they're hyping it up more validity is okay. Because I Okay, for example, I still see drugs from time to time, you know, I don't do but I still see them from time to time. I mean, some would be annoying it interesting.

Scott Benner 1:11:17
No, I couldn't be like I got placed the place

Perry 1:11:20
I gotta I gotta I gotta buddy. He he has some coconut. Oh, go in. They would they wouldn't know family. I mean, I haven't experienced that yet. So it's not as much of a wave as they're saying it is it is that out there. But interesting.

Scott Benner 1:11:36
Wow. What do you think of the people who talk about doing drugs safely? Like testing your drugs? First? Make sure it's what it says it is? Do you think that's a good idea?

Perry 1:11:47
Well, you mean, is it because library loads, they

Scott Benner 1:11:49
actually make test kits, like you can test your care cane. You can test your heroin. So like people who are going to use those drugs anyway. But they're getting them from places they don't know they

Perry 1:11:57
Oh, that's what you're asking. Yeah, he'll know why test and nothing.

Scott Benner 1:12:04
I had a girl on it said that they have

Perry 1:12:07
you know that that test is going to cost money? Oh, hell no. I could put that money towards something else. You know, I'm saying

Scott Benner 1:12:14
that this? These are fancy. Kids use what you're telling me? Is that using these?

Perry 1:12:19
Yes, kids and silver? Daddies purpose is

Scott Benner 1:12:24
interesting. It's interesting to hear different perspectives on on the same topic. So I appreciate you talking about like this. Okay, I mean, if you don't have anything else, I don't think I have any other questions. But I really appreciate you doing this.

Perry 1:12:40
No, I mean, I had a good time. Good. Oh, I'm gonna appreciate you getting on show.

Scott Benner 1:12:44
No, you kidding me. I, first of all, the, you know, the person that directed you to me, I'm a big fan of him. And so I was excited. To do that I'm still looking for like we do these episodes called after dark, which yours easily qualifies for? Just because, you know, people need to know that we're going to pretty much talk for an hour about drugs and doing illegal things. But, but I still am looking for someone who's been in prison for a long time with diabetes. I have found five people over five years. I haven't gotten one of them to follow through and record yet. And it usually ends up being a probation issue. Like they very they don't want to get in more trouble. So they kind of say no at the end. But anyway, that's one of the things I'm looking for. I figured I'd put it in this episode, in case anybody listening has a no somebody

Perry 1:13:36
I had, I can name you 10 TMO friends that are in prison right now. I still check from time to time. Everything's public knowledge.

Scott Benner 1:13:45
I need them to have type one though, Barry. Oh, I

Perry 1:13:48
know that. I can. I can find you when are you? That's what I'm saying. I'm not gonna find you. Let's go

Scott Benner 1:13:55
see if you can find that morphine. I think you could find that. It's partly why I brought it up. Like he might be able to do this.

Perry 1:14:01
Well, I'll get I'll text him here in a minute. He's got a phone. They all got phones in there. They'll find it take it, they'll get another one. They will never beat it.

Scott Benner 1:14:10
Yeah, just they just keep cycling like burner phones through this through the guards.

Perry 1:14:15
The guards. The guards are bringing it in because there's too many of them. There's too many palms being brought in. There's too many around. There's no way to that many phones are coming and people's assays. So

Scott Benner 1:14:27
see you do you think you think the guards do it? Because it's a moneymaker? Do you think they do it because

Perry 1:14:35
I just go and tell you I know for a fact one of the guys I used to run with Hang on, say his name don't like it, but they would make what they call bombs. It was a cell phone or prepaid card, some tobacco, some rolling papers, maybe couple of little things. And they wrapped it up tighten these little balls and they call them bombs. And they take about 25 or 30 of them and I'm To the guard that he gave them to.

Scott Benner 1:15:02
Okay, that's it. Yeah, it's everything so damn interesting. I found I found this. I found this conversation. Absolutely fascinating. I appreciate it very much donate it. While we're done talking, I'll point you towards there's there's

Perry 1:15:16
there's a lot there's a lot it's grimy and then a lot of people don't talk about that. Well, people don't even know because they don't live that life like I mean, I was I was in the trenches for two years.

Scott Benner 1:15:27
Ever see anybody killed?

Perry 1:15:30
Ever seen by killed? No, I've been held at gunpoint.

Scott Benner 1:15:33
You've been held at gunpoint. Yeah. Have You Ever Have you ever did you use the gun as part as what you were doing?

Perry 1:15:40
I was actually on my way to go. I was actually on my way to go kill him. Because I was so mad. He held me at gunpoint. He robbed me. And then I went back because I was able, I was in a place that I'm pretty rough area. But I was allowed to be in a rough area because I knew enough people. And he's just living young kid. He was only 16 years old and scared. That's what scared me because he was shaking. While he was holding his gun. I said, Oh my God, he's gonna shoot me. Because he's scared because he was scared, right? And then he ended up letting me go. And then I went to my friend and told him exactly what happened. And he told him who it was. And I was actually gonna go kill him. And then ended up somebody GreenBook he tried to rob somebody else in Greenville County seen him and then Graham kind of picked him up. So they probably saved me a prison sentence.

Scott Benner 1:16:30
Wow, you were saved. And he was saved by Him getting arrested. Yeah, that was gonna kill him. No kidding. By the way out of revenge, or because you didn't want him coming back and doing it again and killing you by mistake.

Perry 1:16:42
Just mad because I was allowed to be in there. And he's just lovely young kid didn't know who I was. Gotcha.

Scott Benner 1:16:48
I say. So a bit of a respect thing.

Perry 1:16:51
Yeah, he pays me off. Because Oh, he got in a lot of trouble. Because most of the people that I knew in there once they found out

Scott Benner 1:17:01
yeah, they got in trouble. He found that on the other end. Do you looking back on this? Do you recognize that person who would have gone and kill that kid? Me? Yeah. You still recognize where that all came from? But do you think you could do it now? Do you think of it happened again? Right now? Do you think you'd have the same reaction? Dropping right now? Yeah. So there's there's a line you're not you're not want to let somebody cross?

Perry 1:17:27
Now it may like says May in the respect thing, because that's something like it or spit in my face. Oh, my God.

Scott Benner 1:17:35
It'd be a different level. I understand. Yeah, probably. I can't thank you enough. Man. I really appreciate you doing this.

Perry 1:17:41
Thank you. No problem. He'll bring me back. Sometimes you need me.

Scott Benner 1:17:44
I think I might. I'd like to thank Perry for coming on the show, sharing his remembrances of his brother and all of his stories. Absolutely amazing. Thank you very much, Perry. I want to thank Dexcom, makers of the Dexcom G six and Dexcom G seven continuous glucose monitors, and remind you to go to dexcom.com forward slash fuse box to get started today. Also those diapers sorry, also those diabetes pro tips, and all the other series at juicebox podcast.com. Or by searching your player. Go find them. There. I listened. I can sit here all day and read you listen to reviews about the protests and the other series that would blow you away. But just go check them out for yourself. They're free. Go take advantage of them, please. And if you're just new to the podcast, please subscribe or follow in a podcast app like Spotify, Apple podcasts, Amazon music, audible anything really anywhere. You can get audio you can get the Juicebox Podcast when you find it. Subscribe and follow please. I don't think there's anything else. Oh, there's a survey. Sorry. Survey for podcast listeners is at some funky link. Oh, did you know when you click off the page dexcom.com forward slash juice box. It offers a free 10 day trial of the GS six. See to see if you're eligible for it. Anyway, there's a little tip. Anyway, this survey, right? I said anyway, a lot. I'm gonna just put the link in the show notes. There's a link to a survey. I'm trying to find out if the podcast is valuable for you around your health and well being. I appreciate if you took it. It's just for me. Nobody else will say it. We might share some broad results on social media and stuff like that, but nobody's going to know it with you. It would be really valuable for me if you could take the time. Thank you so much. I will be back soon with another episode of The Juicebox Podcast.