#230 Bri Not Brie
Scott Benner
Lilah's School Aide also has Type 1……
Bri has so many different connections to type 1 diabetes.
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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 and welcome to Episode 230 of the Juicebox Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by Dexcom. makers the G six continuous glucose monitor by Omni pod, the only tubeless insulin pump in the world And who could forget dancing for diabetes. Find out more about all the sponsors at Juicebox podcast.com in the shownotes located in your podcast app, or by going to these links, ready, dancing the number four diabetes.com dexcom.com forward slash juicebox my omnipod.com forward slash juice box. Today's guest has a ton of connections to type one diabetes. I'm not going to spoil all of them here in the intro, but I'll give you a little taste. Remember when Lila's mom couple episodes ago talked about I was an aide at school? That's Breanna. That's right. Bree is our guest. Laila aid, embryos connections to type one diabetes don't end with Laila. Please remember that nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise, always consult a physician before becoming bold with insulin, or making any changes to your medical plan. Hey, did you know you could follow the show on Instagram at Juicebox Podcast on Facebook at bold with insulin. And that podcast app users on iPhone can just scroll to the bottom and rate and review the show right there. That's right. If you wanted to give the show, say a five star review and say something glowing about it, you could do it right in the podcast.
We have to get going sooner quicker, like quickly get started because now there's more story to tell than there was before. So, so before this, I'm going to leave all this and before I asked you to introduce yourself, you told me your name. You started telling me about your diabetes background, but instead just tell me your name. And how old you are then let me go two different directions. So go ahead.
Bri 2:15
My name is Bri and I am 26 years old.
Scott Benner 2:18
Okay. Now, Bri has type one diabetes, I would have let her tell you that. But that's not important anymore. Because what's important is that she and I tried to record this a couple of days ago, had all kinds of technical problems. And she went out and got a headset just to do this. So thank you very much.
Unknown Speaker 2:34
You're welcome.
Scott Benner 2:35
And on top of that, um, I don't know if you can imagine I record this at my house. So like today's Friday, my wife's working from home, my son still home from college. And everyone's just kind of like in a swirl in the house trying to grab food, get their laptops run up to their bedrooms and hide so I can record the podcast. And as that's happening, I get an email from Barry that says, I've locked myself out of my apartment and I'm waiting for a box.
Bri 3:04
Yeah, that happened this morning. That happens to me very often, honestly. Yeah.
Scott Benner 3:09
Put it What? How many times? Have you been locked out of your apartment?
Bri 3:12
This is like the third time in the past couple of months. So hopefully it's the last time Can we unpack
Scott Benner 3:19
this for a second and find out why are you secretly wish you were home living with your parents or
Bri 3:25
my daughter has like multiple locks and they all require different keys. So I only use one deadbolt key. And then I leave the rest of my house. So this morning I went to take my dog and I was like half asleep and I left the one of the door doorknobs locked all over the keys on my keychain, which I should have done a long time should have done at the first time but so
Scott Benner 3:49
you're all set now you've made the adjustments. I am
Bri 3:51
good. I am in my bed with my dog. I'm good. Yeah. Okay.
Scott Benner 3:56
Well, I'm fantastic. I'm glad. I'm glad you're never gonna be locked out again, hopefully. Oh my gosh. Okay, so let's just, it'll be a little clunky. But how old were you when you were diagnosed with type one?
Bri 4:11
I was 24. About to be 25. So I'm so yeah, it's been like a year and a half. Pretty much. Yeah, exactly. A year and a half
Scott Benner 4:18
is this is it? What month were you diagnosed?
Bri 4:22
I was diagnosed in June. June 16. of 2017.
Scott Benner 4:29
Yeah. Yeah. It really is a year and a half. Okay, so um, so expected like everyone in your family has type one and you were just like, this is gonna happen to me eventually. Or I don't
Bri 4:41
know. So yeah, no one in my family has it? Um, yeah, I went into the doctor. I just thought it was like lacking a vitamin or something. And I was like, I just need like, you know, some extra vitamin B in my system. And then they took my sugar they couldn't even read it because it was so high. They came back. They're like you have diabetes. I was like, Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. Like, I'm too young to have this. I must have ate too much cake the past week, like, I'll get rid of this not gonna tell anyway, like, no big deal. And then obviously, like, all the information started coming in, I was like, Oh my god, like, this is just like, totally life changing. Like, this is crazy. I thought only kids could get it right. To super educated as most people are on the subject, but um, yeah. How it happened.
Scott Benner 5:30
So that's interesting. Are you in the doctor by yourself? I assume you are. You're old enough like you.
Bri 5:33
I mean, I was like, literally on my way to work. And I like just walked into the doctor because I felt like crap. I was peeing all the time. You know, I had all the symptoms. And I don't know why I google everything. I'm like a total health freak. And it was like one thing. I didn't really go like all my symptoms. So Otherwise, I would have known
Scott Benner 5:52
that yeah, it was like crazy. So you're really just lacking vitamin insulin. So that Yeah, well, but it's such an interesting like, process through your mind, right? Like, I must just be you're young. So you're like, I must just need a vitamin of some sort. Because when you're young enough, and in your mid 20s counts at this age, you don't imagine anything can go wrong with your health, right? So you're just like, if something's wrong, it's got to be something like minor and weird. And then when you heard the word diabetes, you thought type two right away. And then when someone told you it was type one,
Bri 6:23
yeah, well, I didn't know that there are different types. I thought type. Well, I thought type one was like, the pre pre diabetes that you can, like, get rid of, you know, like, how that happens with type two, like, the doctor will be like, oh, like, you know, your blood sugar's looking a little high. But if you eat well and get your act together, you know, you can be okay. That's what I thought it was. That's what I thought type men.
Scott Benner 6:48
There'll be a moment today when you're staring at your phone, and you desperately don't want to go back to what you're doing. But you've run out of apps to check. That's when you go to dancing the number four diabetes.com and find out all about what that fantastic organization is doing. That's dancing, the number four diabetes.com. No kidding. So So for a couple of moments, as the doctor was telling you, you really were just thinking like, Oh, this is so embarrassing. I've like I've let my health Get away from me.
Bri 7:16
Yes. And I was so confused. Because I'm a total health freak. I work out way too much. So I was like, just totally like, What is going on? You know? Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 7:27
I know.
Scott Benner 7:28
Well, so you're in. You're in grad school right now? Yes. Do you can we say what you're trying to do with your life?
Bri 7:35
Yeah. So I'm in grad school for clinical psychology. So I'm getting my hours right now to become a marriage and family therapists.
Unknown Speaker 7:43
Okay, great. Yeah.
Scott Benner 7:44
And so how did you end up so now? Bree has a really interesting, here's how I'm gonna make sure I understand how you got to me. You work for the woman who contacted me. Is that correct?
Bri 7:57
Yes, Alina.
Scott Benner 7:58
Yeah. And she she was trying to tell me about how great you are because you're helping her to care for her daughter while her daughter's at school. Is that am I getting this? Correct? Okay, yeah. So let's do that first, because because you have another job, too. But but this one, but this one first. So what does that look like day to day? How do you how do you help this little girl?
Bri 8:18
Well, I go in during right before she eats pretty much. So she eats at 1130 i Pre-Bolus at 1115. And then I'm there until 230. So right after snack, that's just like three hours a day.
Scott Benner 8:30
So so but this is at school. This is a school aged child, right?
Bri 8:34
Yeah. So I don't work for the school. I work for the family. This is a first grader, okay.
Scott Benner 8:40
So you just you just roll up in the morning and be like, Hey, what's up everybody at the front office, go find her, give her insulin and then hang out not with her. But behind the scenes.
Bri 8:51
Well, I usually sit with her at lunch because she you know, she needs to eat all of her food. And she's a little chatterbox. So I that's usually my job for the most part is to make sure she's eating everything on her plate. And then after that I'm I'm in the so it's kind of complicated. Actually. The nurse has a phone and iPhone, I have my phone and then the teacher her teacher also has a phone, which stays in her like little diabetes bag. So everyone is kind of in contact with each other. So it takes a village. It's like we are you guys now. You know, give her a tab do this do that. So it's kind of like, you know, we're all able to communicate effectively, which is super helpful.
Scott Benner 9:30
Okay, and so she has she's using a glucose monitor.
Bri 9:34
She knows she has a dex comment Omni pod.
Scott Benner 9:36
She has Dexcom what do you do? Well,
Bri 9:38
I have ducks comment on the pod as well.
Scott Benner 9:40
Cheese. And okay, so there's no ads this week. Just everybody gonna dex commented on the pod. Yeah. There's links in the show notes. No, seriously. So, so she's a first grader do Witkin. I don't know how freely you're allowed to speak. But when was she diagnosed?
Unknown Speaker 9:57
I believe she was two or three
Scott Benner 10:00
And so is this a situation where they were having trouble at school or where they were trying to set something up that would work in the, you know, before trouble could arise? How did you how did you? How did they come to look for you, I guess I
Bri 10:13
started working for this family, when Laila the little girl started kindergarten, so she was like new to the school. And I think that they tried out, just having the nurse, you know, her going to the nurse, but it's like, She's so little. So she wasn't she's like five years old at this point. So like she needed like someone to walk her to the nurse, which is all the way across campus. It's just a total pain in the butt. And she does have a lot of lows. Some days, though, is just like totally complicated. So I think I don't know who suggested maybe it was the nurse who told the mom, maybe you should look into hiring someone you know, to be at school and kind of be her shadow. So that's kind of where I think she reached out to jdrf. And then jdrf, it must have been like a blast email or something to like, you know, people in their 20s or teens or something of you know, this mom needs a babysitter who has type one. So I reached out with like, hey, like, I'm in grad school. Like, that sounds like a good gig for me. So um, so yeah, I reached out. And that's how that
Scott Benner 11:16
you can tell me Is this something that's common at at her school? Like is it you and like, 12 other 26 year old people, like hanging out with like, the kid who needs an inhaler. And the kid is or like, like a ninja in the corner keeping peanuts away from one of the kids.
Bri 11:32
This is like, just you. Yeah, it's just me. Um, and that was the problem is the nurse also has the whole school to take care of. So if God forbid, there was an emergency, and you know, the nurse has like, 10 kids in her room, like she wouldn't be able to give Laila the highest care that she should be having in that moment. Okay, though. All
Scott Benner 11:52
right. So I'm trying to imagine this from everyone's point of view, who's listening, like I'm trying to, like, I'm putting myself in the, in the shoes of like, a 55 year old mom whose kids like 30 now, and she's thinking none of this is necessary. And like, and like somebody who's had trouble with their kid, you know, with Lowe's, and they've been really scared, or they're just general where people have not good nursing or whatever. And I can see, you know, I can see it from all the different angles, I think, if it's needed and valuable, that it's needed and valuable. Right. So how long have you been doing this with her?
Bri 12:24
So last year, I was full time I was there every day. And then this year, I since I have clients now, I'm with my, the counseling center that I work at. I'm only there a couple times a week, and then I switch off with another girl who does the same thing.
Scott Benner 12:40
is the plan for the family. And you might not know, but is there a plan to transition away from this? I mean, the kids not gonna be like 15 hanging out with a 35 year old you, right?
Bri 12:49
Right? No, that's definitely the plan. And I'm really, really, really close with the other shadow. And we're like, super diabesity BFFs outside of our job as well. So we've kind of been working on transitioning Laila to, you know, giving her on boluses. And putting in her own cards, checking her finger, you know, so I'm kind of like, in the, I feel like she's in the training stage right now. Because eventually, she's gonna be like Arden, where, you know, the mom can just text her and say, you know, do this, do that, and she'll just punch it in herself.
Scott Benner 13:20
So that's what so this is, this is a stop gap between. So this is a person trying to kind of do what we talked about in the podcast. But because their child's so young, there's not enough. There's that you can't have you can't feel like Oh, she's gonna just see my text or not forget or not push the buttons wrong or something.
Unknown Speaker 13:41
Yeah, very cool.
Scott Benner 13:42
Now, what is this? I don't know what I want to know about this. It pays well enough for you to do it. Because you live in LA, right? are out in California.
Bri 13:55
Yeah, I live in LA, it's like 10 minutes from my house. Like, it's super easy. I get to do my schoolwork there, which is awesome. So you know, after lunch, and I make sure sheets are food. I kind of just go hang out the teachers lounge, get a lot of work done. If she has a low I text the teacher tell her to give a tab. So does she I mean,
Scott Benner 14:14
does she ever like a cool like, you're not there like you walk in and she ever just like, give you the shoulder like, Oh,
Bri 14:19
she runs away from me. And she thinks, oh, funny when the Omni pod doesn't connect to her.
Unknown Speaker 14:27
She's like, like, the wall and like, she's five.
Scott Benner 14:31
You must seem old to her. Like I just realized, like you I'm talking to you. And you're like, I'm stopping myself from calling you a kid. And, and she she's probably like, Oh, this giant, tall old lady comes and takes care of me.
Bri 14:44
The other day the kids were like, how old are you? Because I sit with all the kids at lunch and I was like, What do you think I am? And Lyla goes, I think maybe 60
Unknown Speaker 14:57
That's excellent.
Scott Benner 15:00
Further, I asked about where you live, because I just was trying to think about like commuting time, but it's close to your house, but commuting time and like, like, how much would I have to pay somebody to make this valuable to them? Because if you said to me, I had to go like, I'm not a grad student, but I have to take three hours of the middle of my day to go hang out with a, like a five year old and have lunch with them. I'd say, Oh, sure, I could do that. It costs a million dollars, you know, because I wouldn't want to do that.
Unknown Speaker 15:25
Yeah, but this
Scott Benner 15:26
is like a good side gig for you. Like it makes a little money.
Bri 15:28
Good. Because I'm just like the kind of person I get so distracted doing work in my own house. So I usually like end up going to a coffee shop or something. So it's just like, it's perfect, because like, I would normally just be somewhere else doing my work as well. So
Scott Benner 15:42
you might you might try spending some of your free time hiding spare keys around the neighborhood.
Unknown Speaker 15:47
Oh my god, I know, right?
Scott Benner 15:52
Yes, let's take a side trip for a second. How many times do you have to lock yourself out before you start thinking, Oh, my there's something wrong with me.
Unknown Speaker 16:03
This morning, I was like,
Bri 16:04
Oh my god, I can't believe
Scott Benner 16:07
I'm sorry. It's the most genuine laugh I've had on the podcast in a while. Know when you close the door when you came back?
Bri 16:17
I knew the moment I closed and I said a curse word. And I was like, oh god, my neighbor public just heard me and
Scott Benner 16:22
had to walk your dog which in by the way your dog appears to be in your picture on Skype. Is it a golden retriever?
Bri 16:28
Yep, I have a golden retriever Sawyer
Scott Benner 16:31
very cute. So you had to walk Sawyer the whole time go into yourself? I'm locked out my
Bri 16:39
I had my car keys with me it's just like that one key I did. I haven't like a my junk drawer because I never lock that.
Scott Benner 16:46
So yeah, you and so you're hung out in the car until the
Unknown Speaker 16:50
tree store
Unknown Speaker 16:51
did you do I'm sorry.
Bri 16:52
We went to the grocery store. I got I was a little productive during that show.
Scott Benner 16:58
I might have gone back to sleep in my car. I might have been like, I don't deserve to be inside even. So. Okay, so you have this this one job are you do you basically go in you? You know it's funny. You're I don't even know what to call you're like you're not even a like you are sort of a pancreas. Well, let me ask you that. How? How autonomous? Are you with her? Is it all on you? Or do you and the mother talk?
Bri 17:21
Sugar is dropping, I'll usually get a text from her and she'll say like, I'm paying
Scott Benner 17:26
you don't kill my kid.
Bri 17:28
She'll be like, is this low treated? Or you know, just confirming pretty much or if I see that she's dropping, and I'm like, Oh, you know, Lena might be getting nervous right now let her know that she's eating because I do like try to hold her back on eating before. You know, I try to wait till she's going down and insulin is hit. She's on fiaz.
Unknown Speaker 17:46
Okay, so, um,
Bri 17:47
I guess that's supposed to hit a little faster?
Unknown Speaker 17:50
I don't know. But I say that for sure. Yeah, yeah, I
Bri 17:53
don't know that. But but okay. I was like, 30 minutes before
Scott Benner 17:58
but but on a normal day, if you roll in there and her blood sugar's 120. You give her her Pre-Bolus you decide on what that is based on her meal and everything.
Bri 18:06
Yeah, yeah. And then I kind of am able to also dictate like, what she eats first. So I'll say like, save your food for last because I don't want her I don't want that hitting her at that moment. So
Scott Benner 18:16
that's always I gave up on that with Arden. I was just like, it's like, you know, sometimes you the heavier carbs first. She's like what? I said, the heavier like that. Nevermind. And just eat it. It'll be fine. I'll create. I'll create this big blanket of insulin that nothing can get through. And it's funny because it now to you. Before I tell you why it's funny. Do you listen to this podcast?
Bri 18:41
Yes, I do. I actually like put, I gave this podcast to like aleena. And she was totally into it. And then the other shadow and I told the nurse listen to it. Because I actually messaged you on Facebook. Because when I was first diagnosed, I was like, Oh my god, there's so much to learn. And so I literally like listened to your podcast, like in the hospital bed? And then, yeah, so that was me. And yeah, just like religiously listened. And it's so funny, because I'm the kind of person who never really talks about my diabetes. It's kind of just like, I don't want to be a burden on anyone. And I kind of just like, keep it to myself, because I'm an adult. And, you know, that's how that goes. I realized over the holidays, and I wasn't really listening to the podcasts like my diabetes, like my sugars were going higher. And I think it's because like I wasn't, you know, it wasn't like an active area of my brain being exercise, if that makes sense. It's kind of like, I don't even
Scott Benner 19:38
know it's kind of awesome feedback I've ever gotten like,
Bri 19:41
that's like I have to listen to you in order to keep my numbers.
Scott Benner 19:46
Everyone who's listening. That's a good point. You have to listen to the podcast every week or something horrible will happen to you even have to market it if everyone's scared then that everybody will get up on Tuesday. I have to download that show. Meanwhile, do I always put it out on Tuesday? I feel like I don't. Sometimes it's like later Tuesday or Wednesday, sometimes like, you know, Monday will be fine. I'm really not as well planned out. It's like you might hope. One thing that helps me not worry so much and not have to plan as much as maybe other people do is Dexcom. While some of you are busy, you know, counting your carbs down to the last half carb and figure out your ratios and just wringing your hands making sure that next bolus is going to be exactly right. Sometimes I just put the insulin in and you know if I'm wrong, I adjust. How do I do that? Well, I use the information that comes back from Arden stacks comm g sex continuous glucose monitor, because Dexcom tells me when Arden's blood sugar is on the move. Is it rising or falling? And how fast is it moving? Dexcom knows. And it tells me through its share and follow features. See Arden's at school right now. And her blood sugar is let me turn and look 101 she's actually been eating lunch now for about 25 minutes. But if that bowl is we did together doesn't quite work, and our blood sugar starts going up, we'll know before it's too late, and there's time to do something about it. Same if we kind of got a little aggressive with that bolus and later Oh, falling blood sugar. Don't worry, we'll find out way before it becomes a problem and address it with some fast acting carbs. Now, these are my results, and yours may vary. But I find Dexcom to be an indispensable tool in our day to day life with Type One Diabetes. And I think you would to check them out@dexcom.com forward slash juicebox. Start today with the G six have a completely new experience with your type one diabetes. You can find links in the show notes of your podcast player, or at Juicebox podcast.com. Okay, so that's amazing. So you found the podcast, listen to it, pass it on to Alina, but so she didn't know about it prior to us starting to work with her daughter at school. So Alright, so let's let's kind of like go a couple different ways. And if I've asked you questions about another person that you can't answer, just say, Scott, that's not my business. I can't say that. But so are you so far, you're using an omni pod index calm. And and I want to just say, while Bri has not said specifically she bought them because of the podcast. I do think I deserve more money for the ads, because she did buy them. So but but but no. But so you have you have you have a Dexcom and you have, you know, a pump? Or what was the first thing that you took from the podcast that made a big difference for you?
Bri 22:47
And I think just having the the CGM and was I was like, I need that. You know, why don't I have that? Why don't they give that to you? straight out of the hospital. You know, I understand like getting the pens out first. And you know, knowing how the insulin works and being more hands on. But I mean to CGM, like why would you not, you know, it's like, you're.
Scott Benner 23:14
So you got to you got to CGM. And then you could see what the insulin was doing the kind of apply what you're hearing on the podcast and what you're seeing in your real life. And if I can ask, Where are you at with all that? Like, what, what's, uh, what's the name one see that you're kind of getting kind of comfortably at this point?
Bri 23:31
Yeah, well, when I was first diagnosed, I think it was like 13 something. And then after that three, just three months later, it was already a 6.2. So I was like, on top of it, but I was also honeymooning as well. And also, I just listened to the episode The other day about insurance. And I just turned 26, which means that I got kicked off of my amazing parent's insurance where I didn't pay a penny for any of these things. Sure, I was kind of having some anxiety of not having insulin know of when I'm going to have my next insurance and all that stuff. So I wasn't using my, my pump during over the holidays. So that was really difficult because it's like all the extra food and all that stuff. But um, so I haven't been to the endo, so I don't even know what my wins. Right now.
Scott Benner 24:22
What was your last one that you remember?
Bri 24:24
It was like it was higher than than usual is like a 7.2 or something which I wasn't too happy with.
Scott Benner 24:31
anyone see, but I hear what you're saying. So are you I didn't expect to talk about this. But are you? How long will it take you to find insurance? Like what's your plan?
Bri 24:40
Well, yes, today is actually the last day to apply. So after I get off this, I need to figure that out. Yeah, because I want to stay with all my old doctors and stuff, which is like huge for me. Um, so I just need to find a plan that I can stick with everyone and that, you know, Omni pot Dexcom works with to
Scott Benner 24:58
you so you're still a student. And I guess this isn't we can't out you on the podcast, but I mean, you're not you're not working for a company that offers insurance is what I was gonna say.
Unknown Speaker 25:10
Nope. Yeah.
Scott Benner 25:13
Okay, let's do this by you There is so much about you that I'm going to talk about and yet there's details here. So I'm looking at my clock to make sure we're okay. Okay, so, so the little girl that you help at school, do you find it motivating, like, like, it's not I mean, like, I'm assuming there's a standard that, like, if I had, I have a job, I've had jobs in my life, right. And I show up in the, you know, to my to my work, and there's a standards and expectation, I have to do so many things, put so many things away, whatever it is, I have to do. And if I don't do those things, my employer looks at me and says, You're not cutting it. So I'm kind of guessing it's similar. Whereas if the mother sake, look, we're paying you you're coming to the school, I want my kids blood sugar to be, this is our goal. And if it doesn't, I want you to get it back. Like do you feel like that about it? Or do you feel how does it strike you?
Bri 26:06
I mean, it's just diabetes is so unpredictable, as you know, so I feel like, that would be so much pressure. If the mom was like, Oh, my God, like, you know, why is this not happening? Or right? You know, Why is her number still at this? I mean, I just, I do what I need to do, like I give corrections when needed. I'm triolo. I mean, that's what I'm there for. I'm not like an endo.
Scott Benner 26:29
Right. So I just wanted to I wanted to understand like for people, like, it's not like you show up and they're like, Look, if the kid's blood sugar goes over 140 we're not paying you for the last hour.
Bri 26:40
No, mom and I are super close. So we, we communicate effectively.
Scott Benner 26:46
Yeah, you're you're a comfort and a safety and a communication. person. Okay. All right. Excellent. And and so when you see her, when you see her blood sugar, and it's like stable and yours isn't? Does that feel weird that you were able to keep one person's but not yours? Like, I'm trying to figure out what that feels like to like be managing it. Let me tell you why. So two weeks ago, I was approached by a mother of a small child about a four year old and they said they just kind of, I forget the word she used, but there was desperation in her note to me. And she said along a CGM graph that went from like, you know, 60 to 400. Over and over again, like that. And I don't know what it was. But there was something about our note that just I couldn't, like, I just couldn't send like, Hey, good luck or anything like that. I just, I want to look, you can call me. And we talked for 45 minutes or so. And, and then I did something I'd never done before, which I almost shudder to say here. But I followed her kid on Dexcom for a little bit to help her, like, kind of adjust things more quickly. And that was a Tuesday. And by Thursday, she sent me back her first six hour period that wasn't under 70 or over 100. Oh my
Unknown Speaker 28:05
gosh, wow.
Scott Benner 28:06
Right. And she's so happy for him. And then I you know, I said look, you don't even you know, let me go away now. But there was a moment during that, where I missed on one of Arden small losses. And Arden's blood sugar was like 200 and a little, a little kids blood sugar was 110. I was like, Whoa, I got that one. Right, but that one wrong? I'm related to that one, you know, like, so. It felt first split second, it felt weird. Like I was like, like, does it feel like a lot when you're sitting there and your D? Is your diabetes on kind of cruise control? or?
Bri 28:39
Yeah, yeah, pretty much on cruise control. I'm really aggressive with my insulin, which I am with her too. But sometimes I'll come in and the nurse has just overtreated Alo by accident or something and she's like, Hi. And that it's like, I'm I have to deal with that. Like she's about to eat, I have to, you know, Pre-Bolus and crank up per Temp Basal. So it's nice because I kind of just get to do my own thing on, you know, what my gut is telling me to do? Because it's like, if anything happens, I'm there. Like, if I give too much insulin, which I'd prefer, then not give enough because it's like a whole battle field that I'm there to treat below. So it's like, I like
Scott Benner 29:17
listen, I think it's great. I think I think it's possible that you know, someone could hear that and be like, Wow, that's a that's a nice to have, you know, like like it really is but but I get it like I I was in that position where Artem was diagnosed when she was two by the time she was for a full year before she started kindergarten. And not with any of the good gear that you know we have today with Dexcom and Alibaba and stuff like that I was in a panic. I was like, I don't understand how I'm gonna send my kid to the school like she was little she weighed like 20 some pounds and she was like this little you know, and um, and it really did panic me and that's I back then. Back then before even like texting was a big thing and all that I just put it in there. 504 plan like every time they tested her blood sugar, and they had to do something, I made them call me.
Unknown Speaker 30:05
Mm hmm.
Scott Benner 30:06
And that was not something they were thrilled about. And it was, it was a small school, so it was reasonably doable. So I get this, especially out there where I'm assuming this is a large school with a lot of kids in it, right?
Bri 30:20
Um, it's a private school. It's not too crazy. Not Yes. Not like overwhelming. Okay. All right.
Scott Benner 30:26
So you do what you do. Now you have a nother job because you are a hard worker. Tell me what your other job is.
Bri 30:33
So my other job is working with a family who they are total workaholics and they travel a lot for their job. So I stay overnight with the girls. Both of them have type one. So that is a lot of a lot of work. One of the older one, they're older too. And the younger one is 11. She has a pump. No CGM, which is terrifying. And I hate that. And the older one is 16 just got her driver's license. And she has a dexcom and no, no pumps, she does MDI, but she hardly ever even wears her Dexcom. So it's so funny. It's not funny, actually, it's interesting, because the family that I work for with the daughter at the school, the first grader, those parents are so on top of their daughter, you know, they care so much about their health. And then the other family, you know, it's just like, totally lenient and laid back, the girls is the girl, the girls, a onesies are always very high, and then nines, 10s. It's, it's crazy. So it's interesting going from that, you know, like, the first dynamic to the second, sometimes the same day where it's like the same disease, but you know, they don't care about it all
Scott Benner 31:52
feels different. And so so this is super interesting. So maybe a we shouldn't use your name in the beginning of this. And but but but so now, I guess what I was gonna say is like, don't care or just so busy that they're, they've kind of left it to the kids and the kids are managing it as best people their age can do. Like, yeah, what do you think? I
Bri 32:18
think the mom cares. It's not that she doesn't care. Maybe the kids don't care. The mom cares, but I don't think that she understands the, you know, the locks. Yeah, but the complexity of it and the future repercussions of it. And
Scott Benner 32:34
so by not understanding so they have to understand on some level so do you think it is it down to like, I just don't imagine that there's anything we can do to affect this? Like it's, it does what it does, and I'm just along for the ride desert? Yeah.
Bri 32:51
Yeah, it's really strange. And it's like something that I don't want to, you know, step into when I'm, when I'm there. I'm on my butt about it, which they hate my text. Because I have it on my phone, the Dexcom and she's wearing it, but she'll just be like, Hi for hours. I'm like, What the hell's going on? And so my text her like given sling given sling given slid. I'm like, Don't make me Shut up to your school and like, step up, and
Scott Benner 33:18
I want to make sure I have my head wrapped around this. The older one has a pump, but no dex calm. The younger one has a dexcom but no pump and I get that backwards. Opposite opposite. Okay. Yeah. The older one has MDI index com, the younger one has on the pod. No. Dexcom. Okay.
Bri 33:36
Now she has a Medtronic.
Scott Benner 33:38
Oh, she's using a Medtronic pump. Yeah, okay. Well, I'm not saying that's the wrong choice. But
Bri 33:45
I it's funny, I used to I tried that pump out for a for a bit. And I did not like I went from the no tubing to the tubing. And it was like, it was not okay. Like, my dog was chewing on the that time I woke up from a nap. I was like, Okay, this is this is gonna work.
Scott Benner 34:03
Well, well. So I have a couple of things that happen to me recently that I'm going to share one of them here I did a talk. I can't You know what, I can't even say that. I'm gonna have to scrub that out and go back. So recently, I spoke to a person who has connections with a hospital. Okay, so they have, you know, can look at me trying to talk around so, so bad at talk. This is how you know, I'm being honest the other times because my words come out so easy. Let's say there's a medical person who sees people with diabetes. And they told me that as much as you would like to hope that parents all are, hey, let's take care of this. You know, I'm here with you. That there are some parents who just really don't want to be bothered and And, and we'll just, they they said that it's kind of sad because what they see them do is they give the kids the big talk, like, you know, this is your disease and you have to own it and everything they said, but if you ask me, what they really mean is I don't want to be bothered with this.
Bri 35:17
Wow, that is so interesting and not
Scott Benner 35:20
like my expectation. Isn't it funny how you, you just sort of everyone imagines that the world is the way that it is for you like, right, like I, like I know how I feel about parenting. And I know that I have made choices in my life to put my kids well before much before me and I sort of just assume that everyone's doing that. And to have to have a medical professional stand in front of you and tell you that is not the case. For me. It was shocking, a little bit, I guess. Yeah. And especially when you try to put it on a kid who then doesn't have good tools, even if they wanted to do it. Well. I mean, how would they accomplish that? You don't I mean, without anybody directing them, or helping them or showing them the way? You're so interesting for you because you have you are sitting, smack dab in the middle of two completely opposite worlds.
Unknown Speaker 36:14
Yeah. Wow.
Scott Benner 36:15
I didn't even realize that when we were talking. When we were talking about getting together and doing this. This is amazing. You're You're like the Oracle you can see all over. And so. Okay, so let me let me ask you a couple questions. Kids who weren't that interested? Or don't have the direction? Do you feel like it's not your job to help them because, you know, you know how to handle this better than they are? So do you think it's not your job? Have they rebuked you and you've tried like, what's that setup? Like?
Bri 36:45
No, I am. Like I said, I am like, totally on their bite, which I feel like sometimes they dread when their parents are journaling, because they're like, Oh, God, Bree is gonna be here. Like, I'm gonna have to get my act together, just because like, we'll sit down to eat and I'm like, oh, did you give insulin? And then they'll just look at me. And they're like, oh, oops, nope. And yeah, this was like, the first week that I was stayed with them since since last year. I guess I'm a new year. And I was like, oh, like, do you guys not have diabetes? Like in the new year, which is that your resolution? I'll kind of like mess with them joke. You know, I joke around with them a lot. But it's like, dude, if you're insane, like what is going on?
Scott Benner 37:24
And so it's just an apathy? No. Can I ask you? Are they apathetic about other aspects of life? Or is it specifically the diabetes?
Bri 37:31
No, it's just the diabetes. The older one is very embarrassed about it. None of her friends know that she has it actually. So that's, that's me. Yeah. How
Scott Benner 37:39
long has she had diabetes?
Bri 37:42
She's had it for I think, two or three years. So she was like, at that weird, you know, adolescent transitionary. teenager phase when she was diagnosed?
Scott Benner 37:53
She the first diagnosis the family the second?
Bri 37:55
No, the second.
Scott Benner 37:56
She was probably thinking she got away with it for a while, right? Like, you're like, you don't mean like, Oh, hey, got her, not me. like a like a bad horror movie. You're like, Oh, my friends dead. But I'm leaving. And so no, I well, and so you feel terrible, right off the bat? Because it's so like, have you ever tried to? And I don't know if you don't think this is your place? where maybe just flatly isn't your place? Like, have you ever said to them? Look, if you listen to if I told you tomorrow, we were going to eat at six? Could I get you to you know, start thinking about your blood sugar an hour before dinner just for a minute. Like you tell him like that's like that's a tool that would would keep your blood sugar down. And like, he hit him with the like, you know, highs and lows, lows. And once you're high, it's hard to get down and like you, and you just kind of bounces off.
Bri 38:43
I mean, I feel like they just don't care enough to even absorb that information. Like it's so irrelevant to them.
Scott Benner 38:49
Hmm. Just does one have a better grasp of it than the other? No, no, they're pretty much in the same boat.
Bri 38:57
Yeah, yeah. And it's interesting what you're saying about what the doctor said, because I feel like parents lay the foundation of the kid's relationship to diabetes, or, you know, or just any topic. It's like, you know, you need to care for yourself. And it's, it's a team effort. You know, it's like the family I work for at the school. Like I said, Everyone has a phone. And everyone makes an effort to take care of this little girl's health. And it's like, the other kids don't even understand anything about it.
Scott Benner 39:30
So it's a willful misunderstanding, because it's not that they don't have the, I mean, these aren't. I mean, their parents travel a lot for work, and they're paying you to watch them. I'm assuming there's a couple of dollars rolling around the house where they could, you know, go find things out if they wanted to, they can afford to go to the doctor and that sort of thing. So yeah,
Bri 39:49
yeah. It's so funny. These those families have the same doctor.
Unknown Speaker 39:53
The same stuff. Interesting.
Unknown Speaker 39:57
I thought that was crazy.
Scott Benner 39:58
Oh, and not uncommon. Good in an area I there's people around me who are like gay have the same doctor. So, huh? Wow, okay, hold on, I got a little like I got thrown there by that a little bit I did not expect you. I mean, in fairness, I never expect anything from anybody because I do no work before we sit down and talk, which is on purpose for anybody who's new to the podcast, I like the conversation to be organic. I just did not expect you to tell me what you told me. So it's, it's weird to imagine I'm imagining the situation that you're in with them. Because, again, you by the way, you've only had diabetes for a year and a half, these kids are probably longer than you could probably like, Listen, you don't know what you're talking about. You know, there's probably part of the things where you get to where I'm at. You'll you'll see how hard this is. And then there's this other part of my head who thinks I'm thinking back to the person I talked about earlier met him on a Tuesday, blood sugar's all over the place, Thursday, blood sugars, not over like, a 45 minute phone call and a couple of follow ups, and the more they got, and it makes me feel like, Oh, I could do that with that kid to where somebody, somebody could do that with those children. And, and you know, but it does take, listen, I'm gonna say something that will sound like I'm speaking for myself first. I can, but I'm not I think if I'm good at one thing. It's not, I guess I have the information. Having the information is one thing, I think I'm good at explaining the information. And so I don't think I don't think I'm the only person that can do it. And I don't think that it works every time. But I do think that it's uncommon for me to tell you that I can talk to somebody for 45 minutes and help them understand their insulin better. But I've I've done it enough times now that I'm comfortable saying that it is true more often than not. But if you but how does one doctor, get it through? So So I guess it's the parent, right? Like, I guess it's the fact that, right? You have a child who's too young to make its own decision. So the parent gets to decide, we're going to be proactive and take good care of this. And I'm going to figure out how to do that. And put time and effort into that. And it's working for that little kid in that little kindergartner. And then you have the other side where the family is not saying that they're saying, Hey, here's your stuff, go take care of it. And the kids don't have success, which if my interviews in the past, have taught me anything. Those girls don't want to be in the situation they're in that they don't know what to do about it. And like because there's plenty of interviews with people in their 30s who had diabetes through those formative like teen years, and they'll tell you, I just needed someone to help me. I wanted my mom to tell me Hey, I'll help you with us. We'll figure it out together. Something like that.
Bri 42:45
Yeah, I think everyone wants that. Anyone? Yeah. When I was first diagnosed, I had a boyfriend. And he was just like, not very supportive of my diabetes. We were together for five years broke up over this past summer. And there would be times where I'd be like sitting on the couch so low. He had my dex comment with literally say, like, blow arrow down. I'd be like, I can't move. Can you get me a juice? And he'd be like, you can get your own juice. So it's like
Scott Benner 43:13
tough love a seizure.
Unknown Speaker 43:16
Gotta love it.
Scott Benner 43:19
Five years, Marie, come on. There is no one better than Kim. Is he really handsome?
Unknown Speaker 43:25
I'm not really.
Unknown Speaker 43:29
Oh god, I'm
Scott Benner 43:31
wrong to name this episode. Brees, ugly ex boyfriend was a jerk. But see, interestingly enough, again, what you're describing is a person who doesn't understand and isn't willing to take the time to understand.
Unknown Speaker 43:48
Exactly, exactly.
Scott Benner 43:49
Can I ask you this? This one's going all over the place. And I'm gonna lead you a little bit with this question, because I can't imagine your answers otherwise, but fairly heartbreaking to find out a person you'd been with for five years didn't care enough about you to figure it out?
Bri 44:03
Yeah, um, yeah, I mean, that's an aspect with a lot of my friendships too. I've kind of realized like with since I've been diagnosed, like who came to the hospital to be with me, who, you know, my, one of my best friends is on my dexcom share, like she's, she cares. And she's important. So it's kind of like, allowed me to like filter out people in my life in a way. Just because, you know,
Unknown Speaker 44:28
luckily,
Scott Benner 44:30
I met a person recently who experienced the gap in their insurance coverage. They had medical insurance, they had decks comment on the pod, and then they lost that happy to report they have it back now, but they also have a perspective that they lacked previously. I want you to know how impactful it was to me to stand in front of someone who is literally crying tears of joy. To get their insulin pump back again. This person was just standing there holding their PDM and just grateful to have it. And I thought here is someone who really understands what the Omni pod brought to their life and knew what it felt like to have it taken away. Now for those of you who don't have an omni pod right now, you have nothing to compare it to. But if you would have been there with me, and seeing the just absolute gratification on this person's face to have this back in their life, I think he would know what it meant to them, is incredibly powerful. And so you know, we stand here and talk about Temp, Basal rates and tubeless nature and you can swim with it. You don't have to disconnect for sports, but it's more than that. So take a minute, go to my on the pod.com. Get yourself a free, no obligation demo the only pod today, and find out what that person knows what I know, life with Type One Diabetes really is better when you have on the pod. I know this seems like a fairly melodramatic story, and you might have trouble believing it, but it is 100% true. Just in case you still can't believe me. Just know that that demo that you can get from Omni pod is free, it has absolutely no obligation and allows you the opportunity to wear a pod and try it for yourself. Miami pod.com forward slash juicebox. Listen, I want to tell you this. years ago, I I interviewed some people, and and i they're married. And they told me a little bit about their courtship and when they met and how one of them found out the other one had diabetes. And, and I can't remember if it was the woman, I think it was realized the guy was just such a good guy. And she had been through so many guys prior to that, who were not supportive of her diabetes and what she needed to do. And she realized, I think pretty immediately she was going to marry the guy. And I thought that the the tone of that episode really the takeaway of it should be the when you find the right person, you'll know and then you'll be great. You'll be grateful for not having been with the others. You know,
Unknown Speaker 47:01
that's
Bri 47:03
Yeah, dealing with diabetes, like at my age is like so weird, too. Because it's like, some people will say the stupidest things like I was on a date with this guy. And he's like, do you have the good kind of the bad kind? It's like, Oh, my God, like, this is so annoying. So it's just like another component of like, being added on to the burden of having diabetes and having to work with it every day. But like having to introduce that to a new person is like, kind of scary, you know?
Scott Benner 47:30
Because how are they going to take it?
Unknown Speaker 47:32
Wow,
Scott Benner 47:33
are they gonna understand? But do you ever put yourself back in that spot you were in in that doctor's office where you were like once like pre diabetes, and I'm away with a setup, like so. But I guess at some point, it gets tiresome right to explain it.
Unknown Speaker 47:47
Yeah.
Scott Benner 47:48
Okay. What are you gonna do there, you're gonna start a dating app for people would type
Unknown Speaker 47:53
out. That's really, that's a good idea.
Scott Benner 47:59
So that they know what they're, you know, like, it's no different than if you like, like, let's say you had a fetish where you love the bridges. You wouldn't want to spend time with people who didn't also love bridges. Because that would just be a waste of your time because a person who didn't love bridges would look at you at dinner and go, Wait, did you want to go after this? And say No, thank you. But no, I mean, I wonder if there's a way to, I guess there's not really like dating such an odd thing to begin with. Right? Like there's this whole this whole, like, just blanket of humanity around you and who of them are someone you'd be attracted to visually, someone you'd be attracted to emotionally intellectually, like all these things that whittled down whittle it down whittle down that start from this big pile of people moving around? You're getting down to the few that fit these categories? And then you got to find one who doesn't hear? Oh, you have diabetes? Is it the good kind are the bad? Can you imagine if you would, Did this happen to you? Was this a guy you thought was like a good a good choice?
Bri 48:58
Did I mean obviously, I explained it to him after that. But yeah, and then there's just been like, other people are like really interested in it and like, want to learn all about it. And going back to like, what you're saying about how parents kind of like, build the foundation of the relationship with it. Same with me, like, I feel like my ex boyfriend made me feel like any partner will feel like it's a burden and like, I shouldn't talk about it with other people. And I should just like, keep it to myself. Really. Right. Exactly. So it's been like interesting like meeting other people and like learning Oh, it's like people actually are interested about it and like, want to help me and it's okay. And come out of my shell about it.
Scott Benner 49:39
So as someone who is, I guess, I'll just barking out noise fine as someone who is probably pretty close enough to being old enough to be your parent. Right? But probably not. I mean, it would be creepy. I would have been like 17 or something like that one. But you know, it would have been, you would have been on my little mistake in high school, but just the point. The point is, I still am old enough to tell You can't build a personal relationship where you feel like you need to hide stuff. Right? It will, it will encumber you in a way that I don't even think you'll understand until it's too late. You can't hide you don't I mean, please, I don't want to find out everybody. Listen, this podcast got divorced next month, because they all ran home. And they were like, hey, there's something I haven't said. So, but so if you've been hiding something long enough, just keep hiding it you're doing fine. But I mean, you don't want to is what I'm saying. You would prefer
Bri 50:31
for the other person?
Scott Benner 50:32
Yeah, no, you don't need that you're you have enough you have diabetes. You're a grad student, your your you multiple jobs, you're working hard. You're gonna start hearing other people's problems as a part of your, you know, your your life as I already
Bri 50:45
do. I got my whole clientele. Exactly. Well, the story is he was just uneducated about all of it, and didn't care enough to do any research
Scott Benner 50:53
or come to you and just say, look, we've been together a really long time. And I think I'd like to ask you to marry but I'm really concerned that you can't have a healthy baby, is that true?
Unknown Speaker 51:06
About thing?
Unknown Speaker 51:07
And also could have googled it? You know, like, which? You did? Well, to get rid of that one. You're so good. Absolutely. Oh,
Scott Benner 51:17
my gosh, that's exhausting to hear. And, and so for people who are listening who have younger children, who think oh, my God, is this what my kid has to look forward to in dating, there are also plenty of gaps. There are plenty of episodes that don't go this way with people who find great people. And so don't worry, plus, there are plenty of people without diabetes dating jerks to
Unknown Speaker 51:38
everywhere.
Scott Benner 51:42
Okay, let's take a breath for a second. Okay, you know what, I'm gonna put an ad here. I just got back from Orlando where I attended dancing for diabetes touched by type one event, I was able to meet a lot of you. And I really appreciate you making the trip to come out and talk to me about what the podcast has meant to you. And I also got to speak with new people who had never heard about the podcast. This is all thanks to dancing for diabetes, and what they're trying to do for people living with type one, take a minute to check them out. Dancing, the number for diabetes.com. We're also on Facebook, and Instagram. I don't know where I want to go with our last 10 minutes because I don't want to pick too far into other people's private stuff. I don't want to put you in a position to talk about other people. And at the same time, you've only had diabetes for a year and a half, which is both a lot a long time and a short time. Yep. Are you excited? Will you you have next comment on the product? Will you move on to horizon artificial pancreas when it's available in a year or so? Or what's your thought about artificial pancreas in the future? Oh,
Unknown Speaker 52:54
oh, yeah. Yeah,
Bri 52:56
I should. Like I said, I had the Medtronic and like that. I was like, what was it that a goal thing is like 140 MB of blood sugar. Yeah, I hated that. Yeah. So is it is it I was listening to that podcast episode last night actually with the guy from Omni pod. He did say it is user definable. Right. And
Scott Benner 53:15
they said that's their goal. They say that every time that I tell them, I mean, I guess it's still going through the FDA review process. I guess it comes down to what they can prove they can make work and work safely and make, you know, yeah, so. But it sounds like that is their goal. I think that any pump company who's trying to make a closed loop system, who doesn't see that as a shortcoming of the first ones that are on the market is not paying attention? I think the pods paying attention. So yeah, because right, what's the point? If you're keeping your budget, like if you have an A one C with it's an average blood sugar of 110? Why would you want to switch to something?
Unknown Speaker 53:51
I'd rather just put in extra work,
Scott Benner 53:53
but at the same time, those girls that you're talking about that you that you work with, they would really benefit from something like they will. Right, right, right. So there's a lot of value in it for everyone. It just depends. It just depends on what your what your definition is, I guess, and how much work you're willing to put in otherwise, because I have to agree with you. If you told me that it was going to keep Arden's blood sugar at 140, I'd say well, I guess I'm not interested that, you know, I mean, I would love the overnight. Now, if you told me you could throw into auto mode overnight. And I don't know, maybe that would tease me enough to try it and then like do it manually otherwise, but I don't know if it's gonna have manual modes and auto modes. We don't know enough about it yet to make that decision. But I'm excited. Like I think it's
Unknown Speaker 54:38
Yeah, me too. Yeah. Yeah. I
Scott Benner 54:40
think that I think the future is, is now for the lack of a better Yeah, unless cheesy phrase, but but i think i think it really is. And it's only going to go and get better from here. Should you live you live by yourself right now? I do. What's that like? Because you said you're pretty aggressive with your insulin but you live by yourself. How do you? How do you do that? Like, how do you keep yourself from worrying?
Bri 55:04
I'm dexcom share. I mean, I have my mom on there. I have my friend who lives down the street from me. And every time I go low, I mean, my phone is blowing up. I
Scott Benner 55:15
can't avoid it.
Bri 55:17
Like I just ate like they don't understand either. Like, it takes a few minutes to kick in, right? Like Jesus, like I just had a juice like give it some time
Scott Benner 55:24
happened to us last night Arden's blood sugar went to like, it got to 70 so it alarmed, it's like four in the morning. And, and I was like, I got up, and I'm pulling myself together. And I'm like, What am I gonna do about this? Like, am I gonna do some, so I looked at the trend line. And I thought, Okay, I think this is going to continue down. So I gave her a little bit of juice, and I didn't want to shut her bazel off, because I know she's getting up in two hours. And you know, four o'clock getting close enough to, you know, her kind of witching hour where her blood sugar starts to kind of creep back up again. So I didn't want to cut bazel. So I just gave her some juice. And I got back in bed. Same thing, like I figured three revolutions, the Dexcom, maybe 15 minutes or so. And I'd be i'd feel comfortable going to bed. Every time it'd be between that and we'll ended up being 20 minutes later, when I was comfortable going back to sleep. My wife barely came out of her sleep. And she'd go, she was like, three minutes, just three minutes. I was like, what she's okay. And I'm like, she's okay. It's okay. I've got it. Okay. And now, you know, now I'm like, I'm online. I'm trying to read the news or just keep myself awake for 10 minutes, you know? Five minutes later, BP? Hey, there's three. There's three. Like she didn't say like, Oh my god, I'm like, go back to sleep every time for four times. And finally it rose up over 70 and I don't know if I was more relieved that Arden's blood sugar was going up or that my wife is going to stop half popping out asleep, like talking about how many times she could hear beeping. Yeah, I was just like, but but so that's really interesting. When so when people text you or call you, you respond, you hear it? Yeah. Okay. And some people don't. So what what number? What number do people start calling you at with your jet low? Only? Under 55? Yeah, okay. That's cool. Look, I it's a great support system to have.
Bri 57:15
Just, they just want to make sure I'm awake. cuz sometimes it's happened. Like if I'm taking a nap or something. So
Scott Benner 57:20
yeah. And how frequently do you get under 55? Do you think it happens?
Bri 57:25
Often I usually just like turn off my, my bazel if I'm at like, 60. So it'll like start creeping back up.
Scott Benner 57:32
Yeah, I like the way you're doing this. I can't see. And so you pick that stuff up from this podcast?
Bri 57:38
Oh, my God. Yes. And you know, like, no one, I wouldn't if it worked for you. Like, I wouldn't have even known any of this. You know, like the endos in the hospital, like, Oh, you give you give a shot when you like before you eat? And it's like, don't you don't do that like that. That screws you up?
Scott Benner 57:53
Wow, that's so cool. I'm so happy to hear that. Like, I really don't. I have enough contact with people that, you know, I get emails. And by the way, you guys have been writing a lot more lately, even then you had been in the past, which I really appreciate. If I don't get back to you right away. It's just because I'm like a one man operation over here. But I get back to everybody at some point. But to hear someone say it is it's nice. Like I don't know, another way to put it to hear you say that is really just I feel good about that. So it's really cool for you to share that with me. And yeah, and everything you're doing really I mean, like look it in one way or another you're helping three other people with diabetes besides yourself. Do you ever feel with the the two older girls that you that you work with? Does it ever bother you? Do you ever feel badly about it? Like I sometimes take on guilt from other people? So if I if I try to help somebody out and they can't figure it out, it makes me feel bad? And I don't know if that's me? Or like, Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever wish you could impose yourself on them? or teach them faster? Or better? Or like, are you pretty good at keeping it separate?
Bri 59:04
Yeah, I feel like I'm pretty good at keeping it separate. Just because like with my therapists job, like I seem with that, like I have to keep like the, you know, the slaves like here and they're separate from my home life as well. So it's kind of like seeing what that job like I have to keep that separate. I can't carry that burden with me. But um, yeah, it's it's tough when the kid does not have a CGM. And you know, it's on me like I am the caretaker. So it's like, I'm setting my alarm, you know, every two hours to go check her sugar because I'm so paranoid about it. I don't like that. I don't like I can't see where she's going. So I would love for her to get a dexcom at some point.
Scott Benner 59:43
Do you give her insulin when she's sleeping without her knowing?
Unknown Speaker 59:47
Yeah, through her pump. Yeah. Okay.
Scott Benner 59:49
So there's that kind of comfort level between Yeah, sure. They're not looking to be that involved anyway, so anybody that's helping is probably Oh yeah,
Bri 59:56
they would love if I could just follow them around everywhere. And Do it.
Scott Benner 1:00:01
Well, I'll follow them on the next common I get them going. I figured out it takes me takes you out three days to teach somebody how to do it, but they still look. But they have to listen though they can't say why. And they have to wrap their head around the ideas. And so I it's interesting too, because there's a boy named William that was on this past year. And he was 15. At the time I talked
Unknown Speaker 1:00:26
that listen to that light, but
Scott Benner 1:00:28
he is just it's funny how it sounds like he heard the information. I'll try this right? I'm going to try it. Yeah. Oh, my gosh, do you ever try to? Could you get the older one to like, just listen to the podcast to see if they would connect with it or not? Or do you think
Bri 1:00:48
I can talk to her about it? And I just don't? Yeah, I think she just had such a weird age right now. And I hope that she'll care more as she gets older. And maybe, and I tell her, you know, maybe it might take a health scare of something happening for you to realize how important it is for your numbers to be more consistent and more study,
Scott Benner 1:01:08
it's so hard now to talk. It's really difficult to know what to say to somebody like, do they need to do they need? You know, some people need a kick in the butt. Some people need a pat on the back, like that whole thing like and how do you know who is who and, you know, back then when you go back and listen to somebody who's 36 tell you that when I was 15, if my mom just would have done this, that would have meant the world or that or you know, been there. I've talked to people who want to help their kids it is to some degree, you know, not to some degree, it's completely about how available the child is to the information like right, like how much are they resistant or want to listen. And I always tell them the same thing. Like you have to, you have to like sit down and just say, look, obviously we haven't done really well at this so far. But I've got some new information and I need a month to put it into practice and to to get a cut me a break for a month, like for a month I'm going to say Bolus and I need you to do it when when we say because yeah, and you'll learn what's happening so that we can make because that's that really, to me, that's the heartbreaking thing is that if they understood the things that we talked about here, that diabetes really would be less of their day, if they they just knew what to do, and and kind of did it in a timely fashion. And they're being overwhelmed with it. It's probably constantly on their mind, you know, even though they act like it's not.
Bri 1:02:31
Yeah, and I actually went to um, was it connected in motion? The diabetes camp?
Unknown Speaker 1:02:36
Yeah. Yeah, my
Bri 1:02:38
my friend that I was telling you about her, and I went, and there is a diabetes psychologists there. And he kind of made a good point. He's like, if you're in denial about your diabetes, like you're thinking about it more, and it's being more of a burden in your life, or is it just like, you give insulin for your food, that's like a routine thing. It's just like an added step that we have to do. I was
Unknown Speaker 1:02:58
like, Oh, my God, like, I
Bri 1:02:59
don't want my CGM to show or like, I don't want, you know, anyone to see me pulling out my PDF, because it's so bulky and embarrassing. Like, that's how the older one thinks, like, she has that mindset. And that must be like, so hindering to her. Yeah. And, you know, a huge weight on her shoulders versus, like, open about it.
Scott Benner 1:03:18
Yeah, always heartbreaking like to hear about them is, is really kind of crushing. And I think that's a, it's what we say it's what I tell people all the time. Like, I know, I say to them, like, Look, you have to Pre-Bolus a little bit that, hey, if he tries to go up, you can nudge it back down, like and people are like, Oh my god, you must be involved with this all the time, like no, barely, ever, you know, like, like, once you get on a roll with it, you understand how to do it, it really requires much less of your time, effort and your attention, which then can drift off and think about other things. And not worry about anything. And like I just said to somebody the other day, I'm like, the first thing I need you to do here is move the high alarm down in your next calm. And then people always say something, it's gonna beep all the time. I'm like, No, it won't. It's like if you if you and I talk about this a couple times, it will not be bought the time, I promise you. And so yeah, okay, well, obviously, it's difficult to know, you know, how much you can impose yourself into another person's life. And it's, I'm not telling you you need to be doing it or that you know, that you're, you're certainly not letting them down. You're doing them a huge, you know, a huge thing already by being there for them the way you are. I was just I was more just wondering how, like, how you found their availability to ideas and to help.
Unknown Speaker 1:04:32
Yeah,
Bri 1:04:33
I mean, I tell them, you know, like, instant doesn't hate you for a while you have to Pre-Bolus you have to give insulin before your meals. And it's just like, what, it just goes in one ear out the other like the 11 year old is in her own little world of like
Unknown Speaker 1:04:46
slime. Like,
Bri 1:04:49
like doing her own thing. She doesn't care. She doesn't understand the older one though, like she would be able to understand if she actually, you know, was open to the idea.
Scott Benner 1:04:58
So here's my thoughts. Like if I was in your spot, and I was with them, based on what I know, and based on what you know about your other job with the kindergarten aged child, what if you What if you approach it with them as Hey, listen, you guys are about that the greatest weekend of your life, because I'm going to take care of your diabetes for 48 hours in a row, and you're not involved, you're not going to be it'll be hard on you, you'll be devastated. You know, like, you'll be crushed, like, at the end of the two days. But I wonder if two days would be enough for you to get them into a better range, so they could start to feel better. And say to him, Look, this is what this took. Now, you know, why don't we do it together? and get you to a point where you can do this on your own? Like, I wonder if it's something you could show them? Because, yeah, you don't mean because trying to get them involved in it is going to be nearly impossible, because first of all, their blood sugar is crazy high, they're probably aggravated to begin with. And and they already don't understand it's already probably a sense of shame for them. And so like, what if you came in and just reset them? Like just hit Control, Alt Delete, which I think by now is our old reference, right? You don't even like said, Look, let's start over. I'm gonna take care of for a couple days, I'm going to show you what I think you could do pretty easily. I don't know, like, and they might tell you to go to hell, like I have no idea. You know, but I just it just, it runs through my head. And it seems like such a, I don't know, it's hard.
Bri 1:06:29
The hard part is is that they go to their dad's house over the weekend. So I watched them during the school week. So when that school, you know, they're not giving then they're gone. If they say they do they say they give insulin but especially with the older one who has MTI is like how am I supposed to tell? If she is
Unknown Speaker 1:06:47
Yeah, cuz she's, you know, yeah,
Scott Benner 1:06:48
cuz she didn't have a pen, right, that measures that or tells you what she's used or,
Unknown Speaker 1:06:53
hey, yeah, it's
Bri 1:06:53
like, I have no idea. Yeah, right. Yeah. So I don't know. That's, I can do that when they're at home, though. Like, and show them. Because also like what you were saying on some of their podcasts, I was listening to the other day, like, totally Enjoy your day. But you're saying like you want Arden to like be her most authentic self? Because it's like, like you said, like you're moody and irritable when your blood sugars are high, and you're not being your normal self. So that's like a component of it as well.
Scott Benner 1:07:22
Yeah, you just, I mean, it's so crazy to think that somebody could be having reactions and feelings that aren't really the ones they'd be having if their blood sugar was lower or higher. You know, that's just such an odd, there's a ton about life, I don't find fair. But the one thing that I don't find fair, that kind of really makes me angry is the idea of wasted time, like wasted time really makes me upset. And to think that you might, that those kids might be living a day or a week, where it just, it's not who they would be at. And it's also, by the way, unfair to put you in a position at your age, when you're not related to them to feel in any way responsible for that. But I was just, I'm just wondering, like, if you could just kind of take it from them. Let them just relax, not think about it, but have good outcomes, and then say, look, now let me like all together, we can we can do this together?
Unknown Speaker 1:08:16
You know, that's a good idea.
Scott Benner 1:08:18
I don't know that. If you did that. You could, you know, you could definitely ask for a raise after that. You'd be like, hey, fix your kids blood sugars. And nobody broke into the house. So I'm gonna need some, you know, an update to the pay.
Unknown Speaker 1:08:33
Yeah.
Scott Benner 1:08:35
Really delightful. I appreciate you so much coming on. We're over an hour. So let me just ask you if there's anything that we didn't cover that you wanted to that I might have missed?
Unknown Speaker 1:08:46
Not that I know of. No, we covered a lot.
Scott Benner 1:08:48
I know. There was so much there. Just think you have there are three things that we spoke of. We could have just talked about you the whole time, which would have been reasonable. We could have talked about you in the kindergarten. I just was trying to hit on everything because
Unknown Speaker 1:09:01
what a perfect Yeah,
Scott Benner 1:09:02
super interesting. So okay. Well, thank you so much. And I appreciate that you that you put so much effort into being on I'm glad you got rid of the boyfriend who doesn't care about you. dog is adorable. Please keep in touch. I'd love to know how things are going.
Bri 1:09:16
Yeah, thank you so much. It's great talking to
Scott Benner 1:09:19
you as well. Have a great day. You too.
Unknown Speaker 1:09:21
Bye bye.
Scott Benner 1:09:23
I believe we can all agree that Brianna was very open and honest and a lot of fun to talk to. And I think we could agree to that. We want to find out more about Dexcom on the pod and dancing for diabetes, bring good into the show notes. We're going to click on the links. We're going to go to their web pages dancing for diabetes.com dexcom.com forward slash juicebox in Miami pod comm forward slash juice box. Let me take a moment to thank you for all the great ratings and reviews have been popping up on Instagram for your emails and social media notes. And in general for sharing the show with other people. This again will be the most common Popular month in the history of the podcast. That's because everyone out there is sharing. So thank you for that and get yourself excited because next week Jenny Smith will be back. We're going to talk about the variables that come up in life with diabetes, and how those variables may change your management decisions.
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