Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1443 - “Tattletale Nurse”
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Chenille
Date: February 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Chenille, a Utah mother of five—two of whose children have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Chenille shares her family’s profound journey with the onset of type 1 diabetes, dealing with the medical system, school nurses, emotional struggles, and building a supportive family structure. Throughout, host Scott Benner brings humor, empathy, and firsthand experience, framing the conversation with encouragement and solidarity for families managing T1D.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Family Background and Autoimmune History

• Chenille introduces herself, sharing details of her family’s diagnosis timeline and her background as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).
  • Timestamps: 02:15–04:17
• There is a strong autoimmune presence in her extended family (Crohn’s, Crest syndrome, Graves disease); Chenille herself has hypothyroidism but hasn't been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.
  • Notable quote:
    “I take a thyroid pill. But there’s nothing, like, diagnosed or anything.” (04:17–04:23, Chenille)
    “Chanel, you want to go out on a limb and say it probably is, because I’m willing to do that.” (04:34–04:38, Scott)

2. Kate’s Diagnosis – Guided by Intuition and a Dream

• Chenille recounts an extraordinary story of dreaming about her daughter’s symptoms the night before any outward indications appeared.
  • Timestamps: 06:36–10:00
  • “In my dream, Kate had diabetes, and I wasn't doing anything about it... just a list of symptoms, I guess. A list of words going through my head all night.” (06:52–07:21, Chenille)
• The next day at Walmart, she notices her daughter displaying the very symptoms from her dream, and a pediatrician facilitates an urgent evaluation that leads to a swift diagnosis.
• Emotional challenges escalate when a nurse at the lab is harsh and unaccommodating during Kate’s blood draw.
  • “The lady grabs her arm, isn’t gentle with her at all... Kate starts crying and the lady just yells at the four-year-old: ‘You need to hold still and shut up and let me do this.’” (17:13–17:44, Chenille)

3. Initial Hospital Experience and Feeling Unprepared

• The hospital provided minimal education and support, focusing on basic carb counting and finger pricking every 2–3 hours.
  • Timestamps: 26:05–27:55
• Chenille describes profound feelings of being lost, overwhelmed, and the sense that the gravity of T1D didn’t register until much later.
  • “I didn’t feel any more prepared leaving the hospital than I did going in.” (27:33, Chenille)

4. Second Diagnosis and Family-Wide Testing

• Inspired by a TrialNet pamphlet, Chenille has all her children and herself/husband tested. Her son Ryan is diagnosed 85 days after Kate; another daughter has markers but has so far tested negative on glucose tolerance tests.
  • Timestamps: 28:46–32:39
• Now living with the anticipation of a third diagnosis, Chenille and her children are learning to mentally and logistically prepare.

5. Daily Management – Fatigue, Guilt, and Learning Advocacy

• Responsibilities fall heavily on Chenille, as her husband works; she describes relentless mental fatigue and a perpetual state of vigilance.
  • Timestamps: 34:24–35:38
  • “My brain never shuts off. I’m always thinking about it. I’m always checking it. Someone always needs something.” (35:10, Chenille)
• Initially, she cried daily; over time, she’s developed more resilience but still feels the constant emotional weight.

6. Support Systems: Family and Sibling Empowerment

• Chenille’s oldest daughter, Kiersley, steps up in remarkable ways—learning carb counting, giving insulin, and even changing insulin pump sites unsupervised at age 10.
  • “I said, you changed it? And she said, well, yeah, it fell off and I knew he needed insulin, so I changed it.” (39:19, Chenille)
• Family, though distant, tries to learn and support as much as possible.

7. Medical Professionals: Frustration with Doctors

• A major chunk of the episode is dedicated to Chenille’s exasperation with endocrinologists, especially regarding arbitrary A1C targets and dismissive, even gaslighting, behavior from providers.
  • Timestamps: 41:38–54:00
  • Notable confrontation:
    • “She came in and lectured me and told me it was unrealistic to expect A1Cs under 7… she wanted me to change what I was doing and aim to get their A1Cs up into the 7 to 8 range.”
    • “Why would I change what I’m doing if it’s working and if it’s lowering their A1C, why would I try to keep them in the 7?” (42:58–43:45, Chenille)
  • The provider then suggests a social worker visit, implying that Chenille’s striving for better outcomes is to her own detriment—a point that infuriates both her and Scott.
  • “If she hears something and she thinks that I’m in the other room… She’ll check in with them, she’ll be like: I think you should probably have four Skittles.” (40:28–40:45, Chenille about her oldest daughter)

8. Learning & Community Resources

• Chenille credits the podcast and community resources for proving more useful and dependable than her medical team, and highlights the power of parental intuition.
  • “I have learned so much from listening to the podcast … made such a difference for us and for my kids.” (54:56–55:10, Chenille)

9. Dreams and Intuition in Day-to-Day Management

• A second “intuitive” incident occurs when, after hearing her daughter’s voice in a dream saying she was low, Chenille checks and discovers an actual hypoglycemic incident.
  • Timestamps: 59:08–61:32
  • “I heard her voice saying, ‘Mommy, I’m low. I need a finger poke.’ … I went in, did a finger poke, and she was in the 30s.” (60:10–61:32, Chenille)
• Scott and Chenille discuss the potential subconscious processing that parents of T1D children develop.

10. School Nurses and Barriers to Student Independence

• Chenille narrates exasperating encounters with school nurses—nicknamed the "Tattletale Nurse"—who failed to give corrections, kept her child out of class unnecessarily, and “tattled” when her children managed their own care.
  • Timestamps: 69:21–75:54
  • “The nurse would just keep her in her office all day. She wouldn’t give her corrections … she kept her in there for six hours one day, just monitoring her number, but refusing to give her insulin.” (69:24–69:56, Chenille)
  • “Kate was caught eating a Skittle in class… and she felt like she needed a little bump. That’s what I’m trying to teach her to do… It was a total tattle. And I said, great, that’s what I want her to do.” (74:41–75:54, Chenille)
• The episode closes on the value of empowering kids to self-manage.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mother’s Intuition:
  • “If a mom thinks something’s up, something usually is.” (15:22, Chenille’s pediatrician/Chenille relaying)
• On Parenting Fatigue:
  • “Someone’s always beeping... Someone needs a correction. Someone needs a juice box.” (34:35–34:50, Chenille)
• On Medical Gaslighting:
  • “I’m gonna send a social worker in to talk to you because I can tell that this is just too much for you.” (47:02–47:19, Doctor via Chenille)
• On Sibling Help:
  • “She had never done it, she’d only watched me… she said, I handled it, Mom, because I knew he needed that.” (39:05–39:46, Chenille about her oldest daughter)
• On School Staff Understanding:
  • “Kate was caught eating a Skittle in class… That’s what I want her to do... And another day, Ryan was caught giving himself insulin, and I was like, perfect. He noticed he needed a correction and he was doing it.” (75:28–75:54, Chenille)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment Theme | Speaker(s) | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------|--------------------|--------------| | Family introductions & background | Chenille, Scott | 02:15–05:53 | | Kate’s diagnosis & “the dream” | Chenille, Scott | 06:36–10:19 | | Hospital & education failings | Chenille, Scott | 26:05–27:55 | | Second diagnosis & anticipation | Chenille, Scott | 28:46–32:07 | | Coping and resilience | Chenille, Scott | 34:24–35:38 | | Sibling support/empowerment | Chenille, Scott | 36:25–40:45 | | Doctor conflict & A1C debate | Chenille, Scott | 41:38–54:00 | | Trusting parental intuition | Chenille, Scott | 59:08–61:32 | | School nurse (“Tattletale Nurse”) | Chenille, Scott | 69:21–75:54 |

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, warm, and often punctuated by Scott’s characteristic humor and empathy. Chenille’s resilience, humility, and openness about both her struggles and triumphs create a relatable and emotionally resonant narrative.

Conclusion

This episode powerfully illustrates the unpredictability and challenges of parenting children with T1D. It highlights the importance of parental intuition, peer and sibling support, advocating for your child’s best interests in the medical and school systems, and the role of trusted community resources. Both the heartbreaks and small victories of family life with diabetes are laid bare, making this episode essential listening for caregivers, educators, or anyone hoping to better understand the lived realities of T1D families.