#1627 Best of Juicebox: Danger Noodle

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1627: Best of Juicebox — Danger Noodle

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Melissa, Preschool Teacher & T1D Mom
Date: September 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of the Juicebox Podcast, Scott Benner talks with Melissa, a preschool teacher from Wisconsin and mother to Reese, her spirited nine-year-old daughter living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The conversation weaves between lighthearted Midwest banter and deep insights into diagnosis, diabetes management, parenting, and the realities of balancing life with a chronic condition. Melissa shares her family’s diagnosis journey, strategies, the impact of technology (like the Omnipod 5), and stories from her experience as an educator and T1D mom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Melissa’s Background and Family Life

• Location: Small town in Wisconsin, near Lake Superior.
  • “My town has about 27,000 people in it, and we are like, I'm right on the tip of Lake Superior. ...Right across the bridge, which takes about five minutes. I'm in Minnesota.” — Melissa [02:45]
• Family: Married, two kids (Riker, 12; Reese, 9—with T1D), and a golden doodle named Riggs.
  • Names follow an "R" theme, with amusing stories attached to each.

2. On Regional Culture, Weather, and Humor

• Scott pokes fun at Wisconsin accents, lake life, and the confusion between lakes and oceans.
• Humorous exchange about ice fishing, local climate swings, and Midwest sensibilities, culminating in the “danger noodle” (snake) thread—title inspiration.
  • “Oh gosh. Danger Noodles.” — Melissa [18:05]
• Discussion on pet names and dreams, emphasizing Midwest family quirks and humor.

3. Reese’s Diagnosis Story

• Symptoms noted: Chronic bedwetting, lethargy, weight loss, thirst—initially confused with side effects of summer activity or trauma.
• Diagnosis Timeline:
  • Pediatrician quickly recognized symptoms: “Your email literally is like, I could be reading it out of a textbook about juvenile diabetes. ...You need to take her in now.” — Melissa [24:23]
  • Admitted for DKA; memorable ambulance ride.
  • Official dx date: August 1st (with some debate due to late-night ER transfer).
• No family history of autoimmune disease.
• Melissa’s initial reaction: Cried, then quickly shifted to action and learning mode.

4. Transition to Diabetes Tech and Routine

• Rapid adoption of technology:
  • Dexcom G6 within a month of diagnosis.
  • Omnipod Dash by October.
  • First in her area to use Omnipod 5 (OP5).
• Notable early results: Rapid reduction in A1C within months; latest A1C 8.4 down from 14.1 at dx, already trending lower with OP5.
  • “She is the very first patient to be on the Omnipod 5 in our area.” — Melissa [41:47]

5. Parenting, Education, and Coping With T1D

• Balance of vigilance and self-forgiveness: Melissa struggled with “mom guilt” about symptoms she missed, but let go of blame.
  • “When you don't know what to look for, there's nothing that you can do to, you know, feel. Be mad at yourself about it.” — Melissa [30:56]
• Managing school and T1D:
  • Open communication and a responsive school nurse critical.
  • Gradual fostering of Reese’s independence (handling her own boluses, learning carb counting).
• Teacher’s perspective on T1D in school: Emphasizes teamwork, transparency, and child-driven learning.

6. Living in a Small Town

• Everyone knows everyone—examples from her own life and connections: “My husband and I met in 1997...his little sister is my daughter's kindergarten first grade teacher.” — Melissa [61:01]
• Navigating small-town resources and the sometimes-problematic weather.
• Familial support is a major reason for staying in Wisconsin despite the difficult climate.

7. Experiences With Diabetes Management Devices—Omnipod 5

• Key Benefits:
  • Less overnight hypoglycemia, better sleep for the family.
  • More stable mornings—earlier “feet on the floor” spikes now better controlled.
  • “It's crazy. Like, no low alarms. It's very weird. I almost feel it. Like, I wake up in a panic every once in a while. Like, wait a second, I didn't wake up at all.” — Melissa [41:54]
• Ongoing Challenges:
  • Figuring out changing basal needs, meal spikes, and the logistics of real life with a busy career and family.
  • Discussion of how different families define “good” glycemic management, and how technology fits into their expectations.

8. Comparison of Strategies and Expectations

• Scott and Melissa discuss differences between striving for ultra-low A1Cs vs. gradual progress.
  • “It's interesting...some people have an A1C in the fives, and others are just proud to get it from 14 to 8; both are victories in different contexts.” — Scott [46:05]
  • “I know with what I'm seeing and how often she's in range now, compared to what we were seeing prior, it is an improvement. But again, I still know I can do better and we can do better.” — Melissa [71:04]

9. Learning by Doing (and Sometimes Making Mistakes)

• Melissa learned only recently that the Omnipod PDM does not need to stay next to the pod throughout delivery.
  • “For her entire second grade year, you. Were standing there holding her next to it.” — Scott [62:25]
• Value of community knowledge, Facebook groups, and the Juicebox Podcast itself for troubleshooting.

10. Lighthearted Moments and Memorable Quotes

• Absurd Midwest weather science experiments (“cracked an egg on the recycling bin, and in 10 minutes, it froze” [52:07]).
• The “Danger Noodle” episode title comes from a playful exchange on snakes:
  • “My sister calls them nope ropes, and I say, danger noodles.” — Melissa [18:21]
• Recurrent, comical explorations of soccer, curling, and regional rivalries, always with a dose of affectionate teasing.
  • “If the catcher runs off the field during a baseball game, you got to stop playing.” — Scott [33:03]
• Scott marveling at Melissa’s younger husband, “You were like, that kid’s going to be draftable one day. I’m getting him now, before anybody else figures it out.” [87:18]

11. Community, Grief, and Growth

• Melissa shares about returning to work after her father passed, and how this prompted Reese’s increasing independence.
• Emphasizes the philosophy of “do better when you know better,” quoting Maya Angelou [58:17].

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Danger noodles." — Melissa [18:05]
• “Your email literally is like, I could be reading it out of a textbook about juvenile diabetes. ...You need to take her in now.” — Melissa recalling her pediatrician [24:23]
• “I turned and I faced the wall and I cried for about 30 seconds. And then I turned around and I was like, all right, let's do this.” — Melissa [24:23]
• “It's crazy. Like, no low alarms. It's very weird. I almost feel it. Like, I wake up in a panic every once in a while. Like, wait a second, I didn't wake up at all.” — Melissa [41:54]
• “I know with what I'm seeing and how often she's in range now, compared to what we were seeing prior, it is an improvement. But again, I still know I can do better and we can do better.” — Melissa [71:04]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:17] Melissa’s background, family, and Wisconsin living
• [08:35] Reese’s age and diagnosis timeline
• [24:23] Diagnosis story and initial emotions
• [41:47] Being the first in the area on Omnipod 5
• [58:17] On managing T1D as an educator and parent
• [62:25] Learning device tips via the community
• [71:04] Reflections on progress with Omnipod 5 and next goals
• [87:18] Humorous reflections on “drafting” her husband

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Episode Tone and Final Thoughts

This episode strikes a warm, relatable, and often laugh-out-loud funny tone even as it addresses the serious complexities of managing T1D in childhood. Listeners walk away with:

• Attainable strategies and honest reflections from a real T1D parent
• A sense that progress in diabetes management comes in stages, and both small and big victories matter
• The reassurance that community, humor, and ongoing education are vital tools in the journey.

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For New Listeners & T1D Families

If you are new to T1D management or school issues, this episode delivers:

• Realistic expectations (progress, not perfection)
• Importance of communication with school staff and nurses
• Encouragement to leverage modern diabetes technology
• Community wisdom: you don’t have to do it perfectly or alone

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Visit JuiceboxPodcast.com for more episodes and resources.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, friends, and welcome to episode 879 of the Juice Box Podcast. Today I'll be speaking with Melissa, who is a preschool teacher and the mother of a child with type 1 diabetes. We talk about many things. We laugh, we sing. Well, we don't sing, but we laugh and we talk. You're gonna love it. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Please always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan or becoming bold with insulin. If you're a US resident who has type 1 diabetes or is the caregiver of someone with type 1, the T1D exchange is very interested in your answers to simple survey questions. You can take that survey@t1d exchange.org juice box it will not take long. 10 minutes. Ish. And it helps type 1 diabetes research move forward. You can do all that right there from your house. T1D exchange.org juicebox if you'd like to get 35% off of some cozy sheets and joggers and other stuff, check out cozyearth.com and use juice box at checkout to save 35%. Speaking of saving money. Oh, hold on. If you use my link betterhelp.com/jupperbox, you will save 10% off your first month of therapy. This episode of the Juice Box Podcast is sponsored by Omnipod. Omnipod, of course, makes the Omnipod dash and that wonderful Omnipod 5. Check it out@ omnipod.com you too can wear the same tubeless insulin pump that my daughter has been wearing since she was 4 years old. There are links in the show notes of the podcast player you're listening in right now and [e-mail] to Omnipod to better help Cozy Earth, Dexcom. All the sponsors, check them out.

[B]

My name is Melissa. I live in a town in Wisconsin, which. Side note, I've heard you've never been to Wisconsin, Scott, even though your brother lives in this state.

[A]

I knew you lived in Wisconsin because you already pronounced some words very oddly. So I was, oh, no.

[B]

Oh, I was hoping my accent wouldn't come out.

[A]

No, no. I could have said Wisconsin when you started. I was. I was letting. I almost stepped on you and said Wisconsin. I was like, I'll let her get it out.

[B]

So and so my town has about 27,000 people in it, and we are like, I'm right on the tip of Lake Superior. Like, the lake is eight blocks from my house. So. And Right across the bridge, which takes about five minutes. I'm in Minnesota, so that's how close I am. And that's probably why you will hear the Wisconsin slash Minnesota accent come out, especially being just a little nervous. But yeah. So I am a preschool teacher in. And I'm going to be starting my 12th year doing this. So I work with four and five year olds. I have some kids at the beginning of the year that literally were three, a couple of days before I meet them. And I have kids that start with me that are already five because families have chosen to maybe wait a little bit, keep them at home for an extra year, things like that.

[A]

Gotcha. Those are the people who think their kids are going to play football in the NFL one day, right?

[B]

Yeah. Usually that is the case. They could only hope. Right. I have a 12 year old son named Riker and I have a 9 year old daughter named Reese. And Reese is our type one warrior.

[A]

You're now making me wonder what Rikers island is named after.

[B]

I know. I didn't even know. The only correlation I had before we named him was I can't even. It wasn't Rikers island, it was something else. Oh. We were on vacation in Mexico and there was this kid and he was like super brave and jumping in the water and you know, like 2 years old and no, not a fear in the world. And we were like, what's his name? And it's the first time my husband and I had ever heard that name. So we're like, oh, we like that. And it went. It flowed well with our last name. So that's why we went with that.

[A]

Are you German? Do you have a German?

[B]

My husband has some German, but it had nothing to do with that. I didn't even know that was a German name.

[A]

Well, listen, I'm not. I don't want to put it out there, but nobody Google it because.

[B]

Right. I do know what Rikers island is afterwards.

[A]

Yeah. Anyway.

[B]

And we do have a golden doodle named Riggs, which also was not named after Mel Gibson's character in that movie, so.

[A]

Well, where, Where? Because that's what I thought when you said it. So where. Where's that name from then?

[B]

Ironically, we knew we were getting. You're talking about the dog, right?

[A]

Yeah. I don't care about your kid anymore, Rigs.

[B]

Yeah, okay, that's fine. Yes. Sometimes I don't care about the kids either. The dog is my priority. He's the only one that listens really well. So he. We knew we were getting a puppy and we knew we wanted to be an R to go along with our kids names. And my husband actually had a dream the night before we went to get the dog that our son went up to him and said, dad, I think his name should be Riggs. And my husband woke me up to tell me that. And I was like, well, there you have it. So that's where we went with. With that.

[A]

Good enough. Yeah, I. I dreamt last night about Subway. So the sandwich.

[B]

You gotta go to Subway.

[A]

No, I don't want to go. My. My daughter's friend is going away to college. This kid lives off of Subway and she likes it as if it was good. I don't know how to explain it to you. Like she thinks it's like cuisine, right?

[B]

And not fast food.

[A]

Right. And then she goes, she's going to college in England.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

And I said, what? You know, you have everything worked out. And she's like, she just doesn't even skip a beat. She's like, Mr. Benner, there's a subway five minute walk from where my dorm is going to be. And then she goes, I mean my flat. And I went, okay, so.

[B]

Oh, that was the deciding factor.

[A]

I think it might have been all she cared about, if I'm being perfectly honest.

[B]

So, yeah, my son loves Subway and it's all he gets is turkey, pickles, red onions and ranch. And that's it.

[A]

I don't want to say something that I'm wrong about, but I think all of Subway's meats are the same. Like the same conglomeration and they just. Like, this one's turkey, this one's chicken, but it all starts the same. I know you'd have to look that up. I could be wrong.

[B]

So let's hope, because I feed my kid that every once in a while.

[A]

Put the turkey flavoring in that one and the ham flavoring in that one and let's get. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's the thing I heard on the Internet. The Internet's not right. I reserved the right to not know anything.

[B]

Which is why the Internet. The Internet's not always right? Is that what you're saying?

[A]

I listen, I hear things, you know.

[B]

All right, so.

[A]

Okay, so I'm sorry. So your kid that has diabetes is.

[B]

How old she is? Nine. Nine. She turned. Well, nine and a half now.

[A]

And it was, you know, I find myself just randomly wanting to guess a name that starts with R. Did you say Riley?

[B]

No, Reese.

[A]

Reese. Okay. Was that after the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie or. No.

[B]

No.

[A]

All right. Because I don't know what you people are doing over there. You know, it gets. It gets cold there. People get confused.

[B]

Very, very. Yes. It's a beautiful day out today, though, thankfully.

[A]

Is it. It's not, like, sweltering hot the way it gets there in the summertime for no reason?

[B]

No, it's. There's a nice breeze. It's probably about 65 or so right now.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

My son came up to me the other day, and he goes, hey, seriously, people in Wisconsin, they go ice fishing. And I was like, yeah. And he goes, like, really? Like, it's not just the thing that happened one time. Like, people do it. I was like, yeah. And he looked really confused and walked away from me. I was like, all right.

[B]

He needed a moment to process.

[A]

He's just like. So they go out onto the. And I. We talked about it for a second, and I said, this is what. He goes. They have to be incredibly bored.

[B]

So boring.

[A]

Just waiting for the packers to play. Leave. Leave them alone. They're bus. They're trying to pass the time. All right, so Reese is how old? I'm sorry?

[B]

She's nine and a half.

[A]

Okay, nine and a half. And how far. How long ago was she diagnosed?

[B]

Actually, sun. Well, she has two different diagnosis days, which I can explain that later, but it'll be three years on. On Sunday, slash Monday.

[A]

Three years. Okay, so six and a half years old. She was just in first grade when it happened.

[B]

She. We were going into first grade. Yes. Well, we as in her. Well, kind of we, because we. I work in the same building as the school that she goes to, so. Yep. So she was. And then we did seven months of first grade, and then this thing called Covid happened, and we were back at home. So we had seven months of management and getting ready to go into first grade, trying to get all of our ducks in a row with this new diagnosis.

[A]

So it's education week here on the podcast, so.

[B]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[A]

Well, I just had a teacher on who was also the child of a student that goes to the same school. I'm.

[B]

Yeah, I listened yesterday. It was a good one.

[A]

So that was. That one's up. What you don't know is that in between there, I recorded with a principal for. From Alaska whose child has type 1 diabetes. Today I'm recording with you. If tomorrow is another teacher, I'm gonna lose because I don't plan any of this. Like, so it's. I know. I'm assuming people aren't like, people aren't, like, surprised anymore when they hear I don't plan things, but, like, I didn't do this on purpose.

[B]

Oh, that. Just things happen for a reason.

[A]

I don't know. We'll find out. I can tell you one thing that after I was done recording with the principal, she told me a story that I can't repeat that was amazing. It was so good. It was so good and interesting and bizarre and all the things that you want out of a story that I. I cursed at her afterwards. I said, I was like, damn you for not. For not telling this on the podcast. She's like, I can't tell this in the podcast. I said, well, no, obviously you can't. But I was like, it's amazing. So. Oh, you can all wonder forever what she told me. But I. I can't tell you. Terrific, though. And you'll never guess. So don't bother, Melissa. Don't bother conjuring something up in your head. You're not even going to be close.

[B]

So I already got my brain gears going here. So, like. So you're telling me that I'm never going to know the story? I can't guess the story, but it's an awesome story.

[A]

And you will. And you. Yeah, that's 100% right. There's no if I. If you. And I just spent the rest of this hour and you said to me, I'm just going to guess broad themes of the story. I don't think you come close to it. So anyway, Damn her.

[B]

Principles, huh?

[A]

She could have just come on and honestly and told the story. Would have been amazing. But no, it's okay. It's still a very good episode. Nonetheless. You are. So you teach. So you teach preschool?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Do you teach it in a public system or you teach it at a private facility?

[B]

It's a public system, yes. So, like, my elementary. All the elementary schools in my city, we have six of them are all pre K through five.

[A]

Oh, okay. So you're like a. Like a certified teacher?

[B]

Oh, yes. I have a bachelor's in elementary education with a minor in early childhood, and I'm nationally board certified as of December of 2019. And I actually just finished and got my master's of education through a university in Wisconsin, and I finished that in November.

[A]

So when you say preschool around here, my expectation is babysitting with letters and numbers.

[B]

Oh, if only.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, that's so. But this is like a structured. Like, I know they pretend that they're look at me badmouthing people. I Love everyone. No one get upset. Okay. But I, but I felt like preschool in my area was like parking your kid like it was a kennel. I thought it was just a kennel.

[B]

Right. Doggy drop off.

[A]

Yeah. You're like, where, where can I leave this living thing where when I come back it'll still be alive? That that's like how I looked at it. And then whatever happens to it while it's there, like, let's just hope the cops don't have to come. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[B]

Yes. Cross your fingers.

[A]

That is not your job.

[B]

Not at all, actually. No. I would say like you're describing kind of like a child care facility. But even our child care facilities in our city have some structure and, you know, guidelines and things that they have to adhere to. And then recently started a 3K program in my school district. So those are like, you know, three year olds that it is primarily to support families with childcare, but it's also in a school building, structured, licensed teachers, that kind of thing. And then when we get to my position, which it's also called a community preschool. And then, but we call it 4K for short, it's like 4 year old kindergarten. But yep, I'm in the school building. You know, my kiddos get to see the building that they're going to be in kindergarten. And it's so exciting. And my kids come for just a half day, but so I have a group of 18 kids that come in the morning, then I have my lunch and my prep time and then I have a different group of 18 kids that come in the afternoon. And then I do the same thing with those kids that I did with the morning kids.

[A]

Oh, wow. You should just record yourself in the morning, then play it for the kids in the afternoon.

[B]

Wouldn't that be amazing? I could just sit back and drink some coffee. No, but that's the thing. You can plan the best you can, but different kids have different needs. And so, you know, thing happens and right there you have to adjust.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I would imagine that two halves of the same day, even with the same plan, very infrequently go the same.

[B]

I agree. Yes.

[A]

Interesting. So did you teach your own children?

[B]

I did not. When my son was at. When he was in 4K, when he was age eligible for that, I did my first 5 years I actually taught 4k at our local YMCA. It was this. I had to do the exact same thing that the district teachers had to do. I was just working in our YMCA building and then he was past 4K. I believe it was his kindergarten year, actually, is when I applied for the district. And then. And then Reese came along. And when she came along, it was like her and I are like, nope, she cannot be in my classroom. We would fight all the time.

[A]

You're painting a lovely picture of motherhood.

[B]

You know, there has to be the line that you draw, though, you know, But I just. It. I don't. I just don't think it would have been what's best for me professionally or her personally for her growth. How is that better?

[A]

Sure, you would have gotten fired and she would have ended up with a broken arm. I understand. So, all right, before we ask about Reese's diagnosis and get into that, I. I need you to explain to me why people from your part of the country talk about those lakes as if they're an ocean and they're the same thing when they're clearly not. And I don't know what you're talking about. Why does that happen? Is it because it's all you have is the lake? Is that why? Do you see what I'm saying?

[B]

I think I get what you're asking. Just like, it's just something that is like, literally in my backyard. And a lot of things that happen to us are depicted sometimes by this big body of water. And when you stand and look at it, it's looks as though it's as far as an ocean, because I'm near the largest of the. Of the Great Lakes, so. But, you know, it's. People joke and call it, oh, the. The giant air conditioner turned on, because we could have an 85 degree day, and within a second the wind switches and then it drops to like 55. And you're like, well, we're not going to the beach now. So kind of like one of those.

[A]

One of those redneck air conditioners with the cooler in it, where you just fill it with ice and then blow air, so.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

So the wind blows over top of the. Of the lake. It just cools everything.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

I mean, that's nice, but.

[B]

Well, it depends on the day and it depends. How many days in a row.

[A]

Have you ever been to the ocean?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay, so you have context, because sometimes I hear people have never seen an ocean. They're like, it's just like the ocean. I'm like, you never saw an ocean? But okay, so you have contact. Is it just like the ocean?

[B]

I don't think so at all. I was actually just in Mexico in March, and it's not even close. I Know, being on vacation without my children made me probably appreciate the ocean a lot more. But. But no, like, the feel is different, the swimming's different, the fear of sharks, totally different.

[A]

So, yeah, they ought to put, like, a big. Like, a fish in that lake that doesn't belong there. We'll see what happens.

[B]

Oh, that would be fun.

[A]

Like, in 50 years, if they'll just take over. I don't think. Like, by the way, no one do that. That's a bad idea. But it. It ruined Florida. There's snakes everywhere, and, you know, just people buying these little, like, boa constrictors. Like, oh, they're so cute. And then one day they're like, I don't know what to do with this. They just throw it in the ground. And then they're everywhere.

[B]

Oh, gosh. Danger Noodles.

[A]

You try to name the podcast? You know.

[B]

I didn't even try, because.

[A]

If you're trying to name the episode, you're winning so far. I don't care.

[B]

My. My sister and I. My sister calls them nope, Ropes, and I say, danger Noodles.

[A]

Are you talking about penises or snakes? What are you doing right now?

[B]

Snakes for sure.

[A]

That's. When you said your sister said no probes. I was like, oh, her sister's gay. I get it.

[B]

She is not. But, you know, she's very afraid of snakes, though.

[A]

I don't like a snake either. And I mean the kind that they crawl on the ground. I mean, I guess I mean the other kind, too, but I wasn't talking about that. Just for clarity. But not that that matters one way or the other. My, my. Yeah, you wouldn't care. Most of you wouldn't care about this podcast if I was gay, right? Like, it'd be fine still.

[B]

No, not at all.

[A]

Yeah. I don't think that I'm accepting.

[B]

Of all people. I love all people.

[A]

And you're from the middle of the country, and you pulled that off, so it's pretty amazing because.

[B]

Yeah, right.

[A]

Because you've never been to a museum. That's the only thing. All right, so it was one of, you know, one of the things when my wife and I were thinking about where to live. I can't believe, as young people, like, in our 20s, we thought, well, one of the reasons we want to stay here is because of the culture and that it's so readily available and accessible and. And varied. And then you start raising a kid, and I don't care how hard you try. Like, you can't. I think I got my kids to a museum, like, Twice when they were little. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah. And same.

[A]

That's it. Like, Monet paintings came through, and we're like, all right, well, let's go see these. They walked around, and a half an hour into it, they're like, can we.

[B]

Go totally over it.

[A]

I'm like, we bought a house here so that you'd have access to the never. Yeah, let's go. A bunch of stuff we thought was gonna be important, it wasn't.

[B]

That didn't work out very well.

[A]

No, no, no.

[B]

At least you tried, though. You made the effort. That's good.

[A]

I do have an amazing Monet cutting board, though. From that. From that day. See?

[B]

Totally worth it, right?

[A]

Do you think if Claude Monet knew his. His art was put on cutting boards, do you think he'd be like, wow, that's cool. They remember me all these years later. Or do you think he'd be like, this is sacrilege. Like, what are you doing?

[B]

I think he would be like, let's put it on everything. Mouse pads. Like, let's just roll with it.

[A]

He'd just be a big pimp. He'd be like, yeah. Can we get these on? Flip flops? All right. Okay. All right, that's enough. I. You've got me. You're catching me. I just had an iron infusion. My iron's coming back up again. So I'm in a weird spot between tired and energized.

[B]

Oh, no, that's uncomfortable.

[A]

Where I don't make sense. Which is fantastic. Probably great for the podcast, but for me personally, it's.

[B]

Hey, I teach preschool. I hear lots of nonsense stories that are fun.

[A]

Are you comparing me to a. To a 4 year old?

[B]

Not at all.

[A]

Yeah, you probably should. All right, so how old? So Reese is six and a half when she's diagnosed? Correct. How does it present. My daughter, Arden began wearing the Omnipod tubeless insulin pump on February 4, 2009. That was 5,093 days ago. Or another way to think of it, 1697 pods ago. At that time, she was four years old. Hang out with me for a moment while I tell you more about the Omnipod. Omnipod.com//juicebox. Today, Arden is 18 and still wearing Omnipod. Back then, there was one choice, just one pod. But today, you have a decision to make. Do you want the Omnipod 5, the first and only tubeless automated insulin delivery system to integrate with the Dexcom G6? Because if you do, it's available right now for people with type 1 diabetes ages 2 years and older. The Omnipod 5 is an algorithm based pump that features smart adjust technology. That means that the Omnipod 5 is adjusting insulin delivery based on your customized target glucose. That's helping you to protect against high and low blood sugars both day and night automatically. Both the Omnipod 5 and the Omnipod Dash are waterproof. You can wear them while you're playing sports, swimming in the shower, the bathtub, anywhere really. That kind of freedom coupled with tubeless. A tubeless pump, you understand it's not connected to anything. The controller is not connected to the pod, the pod is not connected to anything. You're wearing it on the body tubelessly. No tubing to get caught on doorknobs or anywhere else that tubing with those other insulin pumps can get caught. Omnipod.com forward/juicebox that's where you go to find out more. You may be eligible for a free 30 day trial of the Omnipod Dash. You should check that out too when you get to my link. Omnipod.com juicebox so if you're looking for an insulin pump that is tubeless, waterproof and automated, you're looking for the Omnipod 5. If you want to do it on your own and you're not looking for the automation Omnipod Dash. For full safety risk information and free trial terms and conditions, please also visit omnipod.com forward/juicebox don't forget to go to cozyearth.com use the offer code juicebox at checkout to save 35% sitewide and of course betterhelp.com juicebox to save 10% off your first month of therapy.

[B]

So she, it was summertime, we were really busy. We she loves water. I wouldn't, I still can't say that. Oh she was drinking excessively. The biggest thing for us was the bedwetting which she was potty trained, you know during obviously she's six and a half over during the day but consistently like she still needed a pull up at night and then it got to the point that she was soaking through it and sheets and you know and it was actually I had two days of staff development training and I dropped my kids off with my mom for the first day. Didn't see them in between and then they went with my sister the second day. So then fast forward it's a Wednesday and my mom, my mother in law and I were painting my bedroom and you know, they said, you know, Reese is just not her usual bright and wonderful self. She was a little lethargic, you know, and like, we love her. She's a very free spirit. We. We lovingly call her our little gypsy girl. Like, she's just happy. Go lucky. So it was very clear that something was off. And so I remember sitting down with her and being like, what's going on? And she really, she was six and a half. She couldn't really articulate her feeling. And she didn't say specifically like, oh, I feel really crummy. And she had just gone to Hayward with my in laws. They do that every summer. And, you know, I'm a teacher and I know these warning signs that you look for when something traumatic has happened. So that crossed my mind. I was like, you know, did anything happen in that you were uncomfortable when you went camping? And she said, no, not at all. And so it was time for their, well child checks. So I emailed their pediatrician and kind of said the same things I just said to you. And her response was, your email literally is like, I could be reading it out of a textbook about juvenile diabetes. And she said, you need to take her in now. And I was like, oh, okay. I remember getting the or. I got the email from her, went to Menards because I was. Had to pick out curtains for my new walls in my bedroom. And she called me and said the same thing. She goes, you need to go in. And this is this part of the story why she has a little kind of two different diagnosis days because I went home, got her. Got her to the local hospital that's in my. My town, and they did some blood work and, you know, everything came back that that's what it was. And I remember taking the moment that every parent needs when you're presented with something like this. And I turned and I faced the wall and I cried for about 30 seconds. And then I turned around and I was like, all right, let's do this. And so, you know, me knowing nothing about the disease we have, we neither side of the family have anything. No autoimmune, no Hashimoto's, nothing on either side. So I'm like, I don't know, what do I do now? And they're like, well, we have to call an ambulance. And I'm like, well, wait, what? And she loved it, by the way. She had the blast. She had a blast on her hospital stay. She loved the ambulance ride. She reminisces about it quite often.

[A]

If only I could be diagnosed with something else and get back to that hospital. Mom.

[B]

Yeah, seriously, she's like, I got food. I got to watch TV and lay around all day. So it's kind of like we were at my town's hospital, and the ambulance came and got us, you know, somewhere around 11:45 at night. So by the time we got over to the Minnesota hospital that's across the bridge, five minutes away, and got, you know, her admitted and everything like that in the picu, she. It had crossed to the next day. So to me taking her to our hospital in our city, it was July 31st. But, like, when we go to her endocrinologist in the other city, they always say August 1st was her diagnosis day.

[A]

I say, well, I figured out what Menards is while you were talking.

[B]

Oh, save big money.

[A]

Everything's 11% off for the next three days, actually.

[B]

Oh, if I had a nickel every time I did a rebate, I wouldn't need the rebate, but it's pretty nice.

[A]

So it's like a home store, like.

[B]

Yeah. Yep. Paint and lumber and build, like, pretty much anything that you ever could want for your house, you just go to Menards.

[A]

Do you have a home. Do you have Home Depot near you.

[B]

In that other city that's right across the bridge? Yes, we have a Home Depot.

[A]

So those are similar kinds of businesses.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Gotcha.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Do you think people right now are like, wow, she told that really amazing story about her child's diagnosis, and he asked about Home Depot and Menards as a followup. You think they're just like, what now? Just listen. Trust me. Okay. You need a second. It's a sad story. And. And. And it's. I mean, it's nice that the kid was upbeat, but really, it's a bummer. Like, you know, it's crazy that she even remembers it. I mean, I'm glad she doesn't have a bad memory about it, but it's interesting that. That at how she recalls it. So was she not. I guess not in dk, obviously, when you guys.

[B]

Yeah, no, she was.

[A]

She was.

[B]

She was.

[A]

And just still loved it every minute. Love it.

[B]

Yeah. She was like, that's. I told you. She's my free spirit, gypsy, happy, go lucky kind of gal. Except when she wants to argue with me and then, like, there's a little switch that flips, but that's okay.

[A]

I. I was really fascinated when you said that the way she looked made you ask her if she had been assaulted.

[B]

Yeah. And. Yes. Or, you know, like, just something uncomfortable that could have happened to her, because, you know, as a teacher, you are trained to look for those types of things. And regression of toileting is actually a sign of something traumatic that has happened, you know, And I. You know, there's probably hundreds of people at the campground that she was with. And, you know, and when you're with somebody 24 7, like, I have that mom guilt every once in a while. Especially right now when all these pictures come up on time, hop from that time, and I'm just like, what? How did I not see? See?

[A]

Right.

[B]

You know, I've forgiven myself for that very quickly. I forgave myself. Because when you don't know about something and even if it's right in your backyard, it's. If you don't know what to look for, there's nothing that you can do to, you know, feel. Be mad at yourself about it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, she was really thin. I remember her playing soccer that year, and she would get so tired, and she would. I laugh because it's something she would do normally. Like, she would. In the middle of a soccer game, she would run over to me at the. On the sidelines and be like, mom, I'm thirsty. But she was doing that so much. And there was one that she. She actually threw up during her soccer game. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, what are we. I was like, mortified. And looking back, I'm like, that poor little honey. Like, what was actually going on with her little body at the time? But she was so positive all the time and didn't complain about anything that I had no idea.

[A]

No. Well, it's. I think it's great that you were able to just say, look, how would I. You can't hold myself accountable for something I didn't know about.

[B]

So, yeah. Yeah, I. And I. I had. I had to make myself do that. You know, I'm like. I said. I look at those pictures and I'm like. Because she was. She was very thin, but also she was growing. She's really tall for her age. Like, I wrote down her stats. She's actually 4 foot 6 and a half. She's in, like, like, 94th percentile for height and stuff like that. So I was like, oh, growth spurt. She's thirsty because it's been a hot summer. That kind of thing.

[A]

So, hey, you know what I just heard? For people who write me still and complain that I make fun of soccer, A child can leave a soccer game to get a drink while it's happening, and it doesn't impact the game at all. So, yeah, I'm just saying, yes, I.

[B]

Am a Witness of that multiple times.

[A]

Literally take a player off the field.

[B]

And it doesn't even matter, especially at age six. Yes.

[A]

Yeah. So you keep defending. Keep defending your soccer. It's okay.

[B]

Yes, I did play soccer in high school.

[A]

Hey, listen, I love Ted Lasso, but, you know, it doesn't. It doesn't change the story you just told. I'm telling you, if the catcher runs off the field during a baseball game, you got to stop playing.

[B]

Yeah. There's things that won't happen if the catcher is gone for sure.

[A]

All right. Anyway, so I'm sure soccer is terrific.

[B]

She was.

[A]

Melissa. Melissa, Give me one second for a disclaimer. I really. Please don't write me about soccer. Are being great. Please, please, please. I just don't care. I mean, it's. You just. It's. Listen, I'm. If you love it, I love it. My. My nephew plays in college. He seems very happy. Good for you. Just.

[B]

People actually get mad at you.

[A]

Oh, my God. Nobody likes it when you make fun of soccer. I've tried. I sat and watched it. I've gone to live games. I see. It looks like pinball with people running after the pinball to me.

[B]

Yeah. Giant tea parties.

[A]

It just. I don't. They're just like. There's the ball, and they run over there, and then nothing happens. And they run over there and then nothing happens. And then they kick the ball, and I. Listen. I've never kicked the soccer ball with the intention of putting it somewhere. I imagine it's incredibly difficult, but the goal is so big.

[B]

It's harder than you think. So.

[A]

I believe all that, Melissa. But as an onlooker, it looks like you're trying to drive a truck through a bridge and you ran into a tree. How did you miss that? It's so big. And. Anyway, I don't, like.

[B]

Did you get in. I have to ask you. Did you get into trouble making fun of curling in that one episode?

[A]

Listen, I secretly love curling. I hope that came through.

[B]

Oh, it did. It did. But. Well, I have to tell you, the captain of the. The USA team is like an acquaintance of mine. He's really. Yeah. His son and Reese actually have been in class together every year since kindergarten, except for this last year. So I'm.

[A]

I'm fascinated by anything where some of the participants look like they're, you know, they're in CrossFit all day long, and some of them look like they have hypertension, and it's.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

And it's still just like they're all Just equally good at it. And I don't know. I want them. I want a version of curling where you have to, like, balance a kitten on the thing while it slides. Like, I want to see something try to, like, ride it like a surfboard. You know what I mean? Maybe not a kid.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Who knows? An iguana. That might work, right? Because they don't.

[B]

Yes, that would work.

[A]

No, not. They're too fast. What's the one that goes really slow? Chameleon.

[B]

Oh, yes.

[A]

They wouldn't be good with a cold, though. All right.

[B]

Or like a bearded dragon.

[A]

We're going to. Again, I think you're just making penis references, but we're gonna. We're gonna. I'm gonna workshop this. I think there's a way to spruce up curling.

[B]

Well, let me know and I can.

[A]

I can let pass that on. Yeah.

[B]

Yes, absolutely.

[A]

I don't know. They should just put some. What if a hologram was on the stone? It would just be. There's something there. I don't know. We don't have time right now. But no, I've not gotten crap about, like, even as you say it, like, I don't remember making fun of. Listen, it might be hard for you to believe, Melissa, but I don't remember anything said on these podcasts.

[B]

Nothing whatsoever. Huh?

[A]

I get. I'll get, like, people come online and ask a question and like, thank God for Isabelle helping me now with the Facebook group so much, because I'll send her a text and I'll be like, did I. Did I say that? Like, did you know. And she. She said, well, you know, you don't remember that? And I was like, I. I don't. I was like, I record like four of these a week, and then I don't hear them for six months. And then I, you know, I put an edit on them and I put them up again. I was like, I just. I'm like, while you're listening to the podcast, I'm six months ahead of you. And so I just. I don't. And then you see what happened because you. We weren't recording it when you brought it up, were you? Like this got messed up episode where. Where I re edited a really traumatic after dark episode. Like, it got messed up in my filing system. So I had. I had had this incredible conversation with this woman. It was really. She went through a lot of trauma. I mean, stuff that, like, stuck with me really sincerely. And then I put it up and then, I don't know, five months went by and somehow the Unedited Raw file ended up in the queue still. And when it. And when I got to it, I just sat down and re edited it. And as I was listening to it, I was like, oh, my God, this story is incredible.

[B]

Even when you listen to it a second time, it didn't spark that, like, you had already done it.

[A]

Melissa. My iron was very low when it happened, so I'm gonna a little blame that. But, yeah, no, I mean, I remember I had all the same beats and all the same feelings listening to it. And then I got it all done, I put it up, and it was up for maybe two hours. And I got a note, I think, from Isabelle. She's like, I'm pretty sure you ran this episode already.

[B]

Well, I. You can't be expected to remember everything you talk about with everybody, so.

[A]

But most. I take your point, but that's why I'm using this as an example, because this. This was a grown woman who had been sexually assaulted by her own parents.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's how much content I hear is what I'm trying to say to you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I'm like, I could retell her story right now if you needed me to. It just. It stuck with me so much. And yet when I was in the. I was head down working. Like, you guys don't know. Like, there are some days I'll get up in the morning and I look at everybody and I go, I will see you at midnight. And I edit like four or five episodes in a row. And so I just. I'm head down powering through them. And I just got caught in a day like that. And I don't know if I got tired or what happened. Maybe I was just in one of those real weird worlds where I was just listening for noises and clicks and stuff that didn't make sense and I wasn't really hearing it. I don't know.

[B]

But you never know, though, in that situation. I always like to think that, what if somebody listened to it in those two hours, you accidentally had it up and you changed their life and helped them in some way.

[A]

I did get a couple of notes, nice notes about it. So hopefully, yeah, hopefully something like that happened. But anyway, my point is just that I don't know what the hell I say on this podcast. So when you're at home, like, hammering away on your keyboard and you're like, dear Scott, soccer is a. Like, I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't even know if. I mean, I don't like soccer. I can't tell anymore.

[B]

Oh man, the hate mail from the trolls.

[A]

Listen, it doesn't make sense to me and I'm sure they feel the same way about things I like. And it's fine. Go live your life. Just don't email me, please. I don't care. I don't care. I'm gonna read your email, I'm gonna laugh, then I'm gonna delete it. So.

[B]

Anyway, so you did sound surprised that you didn't think Reese was in DKA when she was diag.

[A]

She was so like upbeat and like, this is amazing. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah. Well. And I almost, almost don't want to tell you her stats, but the one. The one blood sugar I remember is 786 and she. Her A1C was 14.1.

[A]

Wow. Wow.

[B]

Yep. So that was July 31st and then like I said, we hit the ground running and when she had her 11-11-A1, she was 6 8, so.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah, we brought her down. She's fluctuated quite a bit for various reasons. But one thing I am extremely pumped about is. So sorry. So she diagnosed, you know, August 1st of 19. We had the Dexcom G6 on her by September 14th of 2019. Omnipod Dash went on October 1st of 2019. And we actually just started on the OP5 and June 8th, actually the day after she finished school, we were done with school. And I'm like, that's it. Okay. We've been on the dash. I did the online training just myself. I didn't need to meet with anybody. It was really easy, really simple. Got her on. We're on pod probably 13 right now. And so June 8th is when we put the first Omnipod 5 pod on. She had her next endo appointment was June 13th. And they were like, how's it going? And I'm like, well, it's been about a hot minute, so I don't know yet. But she is the very first in our. It's. We have an area of. Because our. Our town in that Minnesota town are so close together that it's kind. We're kind of like a. You know how they call the Twin Cities? We're something similar to that. And so she's the very first patient to be on the Omnipod 5 in our area.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's why they're so interested. They're trying to figure out what's going on.

[B]

How are you exactly.

[A]

How are you finding it to be?

[B]

I absolutely love it. Like, I can't. It's I get it that, like, it might not work for everybody. Some people are seeing these wonderful numbers already with the dash. But even when it was almost coming out, her endo is like, she is a great candidate for this. And it's because she had so many unexplainable rises, like early morning rises, that dawn phenomenon stuff. And it's like, I've slept through the night. It's crazy. Like, no low alarms. It's very weird. I almost feel it. Like, I wake up in a panic every once in a while. Like, wait a second, I didn't wake up at all. What's going on? But yeah, her A1C at that appointment was actually 8 4. And I looked at how. How, you know how sugar mate gives you, like an estimated at the same time that estimated that Same day said 8 5. But now the sugar mate estimation, she's down to 77 in just over a month.

[A]

Okay, so were you guys. Would you can consider yourself struggling over the first couple of years or would you just. How do you. How would you. How would you quantify how it's been going?

[B]

I don't. I would say we would have struggling days, struggling situations. You know, there's just. There's so many variables and things to figure out. And I feel her endo's very cautious with where her ratios were at. You know, we run into the problem sometimes that she'll eat breakfast and we pre bolus. We have been since, you know, I would say maybe even three months in. We were like, okay, pre bolus time. And like, she'll eat her breakfast even if she wakes up at. Sorry, I'm skipping around for you. But let's say the end of the school year, she wakes up and she is floating really nicely right around 110, 120, somewhere around that area, getting up. By the time we are walking out the door for school, she's like 196. I'm like, without eating anything. That's that feet on the floor thing. And then we get to school and we pre bolus for what she's gonna have for her breakfast, which she eats at school for breakfast. And then. So we correct that 196 where she's sitting at plus eat. Then she starts climbing up. Then she doesn't have enough time to come down before her 11:40. Lunch or. Yeah, lunch. So. So then it's like, oh, good, she's starting to come down from breakfast here, but now lunch is making her go right back up. So that's the struggle that we had had maybe the last three, four months of school. And since the Omnipod 5, like, I, we're having some of the meal spikes and. But she's not going above like 250, 270 somewhere around there after eating. And then I just hit her with a correction and try to teach the system, like, nope, no, no, no, we don't like her there. Get her down, please.

[A]

So it's just, it's so interesting to hear different people's definitions of good. Just as a basic example, like, you know, if you. I, I'm not even talking about Omnipod 5 at this point. Like, like, it's just, it's interesting. Like you said, you know, she's got an A1C in the sevens. You're really happy with that. I think that's terrific. And I think there are people who would hear that and think, wow, seven. How did you do that? I can't get out of the nines and I can't get out of the eights. And there are people who have a five and a six and are like, seven. Why is it you're not getting it lower? Like, I think, I think it would be heard by people in different situations differently. And, and that's why I asked, like, so is your expectation meeting your results right now, or do you have more? Like, do you feel like you want more and you're getting to it, or are you happy with where you are? I guess.

[B]

No, my mentality is if I can get her from an 85 to a 77 in a month, that I will be able to get her down in the fives.

[A]

Okay. Okay. Excellent. It's just really. I mean, the whole thing's. I mean, diabetes is just a. It's a giant pain in the ass. I don't know.

[B]

It really is.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know. I don't know if I've ever just said that out loud or not before, but it's not great. And I just assumed everyone knew, but at the same time, it's. So she gets out of bed and she sees 190 before food.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And does that happen every day? Like clockwork.

[B]

It was. And.

[A]

A.

[B]

That's one of the reasons why our endo was like this. When this Omnipod 5 rolls out, it's going to be great for that situation along with many others. But then. And there was some adjustments to Basel too. But then when the Basel adjusted, like, you know, it's always like, turn this, turn this little dial this way, but then bump this switch up and, you know, all those little tweaks and things that you have to do and then test out. And I was one that let them make the decisions. And I change all of the information in her pdm and we have to write it out and see if it works because some days with the specific settings, it wouldn't happen. But it was getting to the point the majority of the time it was happening, where when I emailed and I said, we need to adjust her morning basil. And I can't remember offhand if we actually tried it to see if it would work. And then she kept crashing, so we just, just, we weren't winning that battle. But now, now it's, now it's great.

[A]

Well, so what is when she wakes up in the morning now and her blood sugar tries to go up on Omnipod 5, where is it making it to?

[B]

For instance, this morning I woke up, it was my husband got up for work and it was about quarter after five and I looked at her number and I was like, oh, I think she was like 165. And I went in and did a correction. And even like I was doing some corrections where it was like 1.8 units, but this was a 0.15. And sometimes it'll say like, nope, you're not doing a correction. And I'm like, but she's not where I want her to be. So I'll put one in manually too.

[A]

Okay. I, I just heard you say getting out of bed at 5 o', clock, and I thought, you guys gotta get a podcast. That's terrible. Like, getting up that.

[B]

I just, oh, I went right back to bed. Don't worry. Like, my husband, my husband is, he has insomnia and, like, little thing will wake him up. That's why I had to get a smartwatch, so that if her alarms go off, my watch buzzes to wake me up. And so I, I'm the primary caregiver, which is probably a good thing. My husband's a brilliant man. He's like, he's like, I will do it. Anytime you need help, you need to just ask me. But you know that you're going to be like, you do it. But not like that. I'm like, yeah, you're probably right.

[A]

I just, I don't under. I, I, oh my God, I'm baffled by getting up at five o' clock in the morning for work. I would, I would change my entire life to make that stop.

[B]

Oh, yeah, same.

[A]

What does he do?

[B]

He sells craft beer.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. Huh.

[A]

Beer drinkers are up that early Making business.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Well, because he. He. His accounts consist of liquor stores and bars, and I see our town and some surrounding areas as well. Yeah. But I always joke that we're. Our jobs are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

[A]

That's really.

[B]

Craft beer. Preschool teacher.

[A]

I just. My. My brother was saying something the other day about his job. I was like, you got to get a podcast. I was like, that's horrible. And everyone knows I'm kidding. He's laughing, and he's like, yeah, that's what I'll do. He's like, I'll get a podcast. And I was like, and that'll pay my bills. And I was like, it's working for me. And he's like, yeah, sure. He goes, it works for you and a handful of other people. He's like, if I start a podcast, no one's going to listen to it. I was like, I'm just kidding. You shouldn't start a podcast.

[B]

You should do it.

[A]

Being a dick, really. It's all I was really doing, because he's running this printing press and, you know, Wisconsin. And I'm like, you know, if your back hurts.

[B]

Have you thought of podcasting about running a printing press? People would be interested.

[A]

I can't. The only thing he. Listen, my brother told me a story, well, once about a guy he worked with that ended with two drunk men drunk driving an RV that didn't have a seat for the driver. So they were sitting on stacks of beer, of cases of beer as a seat, and then they crashed into a restaurant.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Then the cops came, and one of them got shot in the leg. And my brother's like, so this guy's telling me this story at work yesterday. And all I could think was, like, where did I move to? Like, what happened?

[B]

That's a great episode of a podcast right there.

[A]

Oh, I. If I thought that guy could tell that story, I'd find him. Tell him. Look, I know you don't have diabetes, but I just need you for a half an hour, please. It's just. And then my brother's like. I just think the whole time he's telling me the story, I'm thinking, like, this guy's just full of it, you know? And he's like. And then, sure enough, in the paper, like, two days later, the whole story was in the paper.

[B]

I was like, oh, my goodness.

[A]

Amazing. Anyway, that's why you have time to ice fish, is what I'm thinking.

[B]

I don't. We don't hunt or fish, and we actually. We're We're Minnesota Viking fans and not Packer fans.

[A]

Oh. Are you even allowed to say that? I don't think. No.

[B]

I don't know. Maybe not.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Maybe you can edit that part out, though.

[A]

People will find you and they'll be like, listen, a lot of stupid stuff was said in that podcast, but then you said the Vikings and we have to come burn your garage down. At the very least.

[B]

I hope not.

[A]

How bad is the cold? Are you born there?

[B]

Yes, born and raised. Same town.

[A]

In the middle of winter when it really hits. Do you think, I gotta get out of here?

[B]

I don't. My husband says it every year. Every year he's like, why? Why do we live here? And I say, well, because. I don't know, it's negative 50 degrees right now with the wind chill. And I just cracked an egg on our recycling bin, and in 10 minutes, it froze. And that's a great science project for my preschoolers to see. So that. No, but a big thing is like, our entire family is here. Like, you know, my dad actually passed away March 19th. Here. Thank you. But, you know, we have both sets of grandparents are here, both of our sisters are here. You know, our entire family's here. And I was like, we moved to Florida, and we'd love the weather, but then we'd be like, we have nobody to watch our kids for us. So.

[A]

Yeah. I'm not saying Florida, I don't think. I actually don't know where I'm staying anymore because it was 115 degrees in Texas the other day, so I don't know that there's anywhere to run to all of a sudden.

[B]

Yeah, that's. That's no fun either.

[A]

No, but it gets oddly hot where you are, too.

[B]

It does. Like, for one day a year. No. Yeah. Like, I always say that our summer should be like July, August, September, or even, you know, even August. September, October. Because we sometimes will have days in October where it's still 80 degrees.

[A]

Yeah, it's really something. It really is.

[B]

And then. And then June, we jokingly call it January, because sometimes it's that cold out that you think it's actually January, but it's January.

[A]

I. I don't understand what you're doing. My brother's still like, are you ever gonna come here? And I'm like, I, yeah, I don't think so. No.

[B]

Just come for that 180 degrees day. You'll have a great time.

[A]

My mom wants to go live there, and we're talking about it now. And just because Brian moved so long ago and she's older, so she's like, let me like, let me ride this out where I see Brian more often. And I was like, yeah, that's fine, Mom. So we're talking about how to get her there. Right now we're somewhere between. Here's our ideas. Because my mom's 80, she just beat cancer and we don't think she could, can sit too long. We, we don't think putting her on a plane's a great idea. Like we're trying to figure out what to do. So we're down to pulling her in a trailer, just laying her on some hay. That seems like a reasonable idea. And, and we wanted, you know, part of us were like, well, we'll drive because then we're at least a little more in control. But still, if my 80 year old mom's like, I need the bathroom. Like, we still might have to drive miles to get to it it and you know, then she's gonna have to get out and walk. And I'm like, I still don't think it's like, I don't think it's a great thing. And you just think, wow, like how hard is it to move an older person? Like a great distance? I never thought about this before. So as we were joking about putting her on a trailer full of hay, I said, what if we rented like a small rv?

[B]

Oh yeah.

[A]

And I was like, then we'd have a bathroom with us and a place where she could lay down and that's it. And I'm like, I think that's the answer.

[B]

Oh, that's a great idea.

[A]

Right?

[B]

And you could stop and you know, see anything along the way that might spark your interest.

[A]

And I've never slept in a Walmart parking lot. I would love to do that one time, you know, just to give it a roll.

[B]

Absolutely. It's fun. No, I've never done it either, so.

[A]

Well, apparently if you have an rv, you're allowed to. So they allow RV parking overnight. I'm like, so I'm totally going to sleep in a, in a Walmart parking lot at least one time during this.

[B]

Just bucket list check.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Just so I can say I did it. And because my bar is raised obviously really high, as you can tell, and.

[B]

Oh yeah.

[A]

But I, I really think that might be the answer. And then my brother's like, we gotta drive it back then, because my other brother lives out here. And I was like, nah man, let's find a place where we can rent it one way and Then we'll just fly back when it's over. Like, he's like, all right, I think I could do that.

[B]

Yeah. Like the U Haul. Like the U Haul. You drive it there and you leave it there.

[A]

So gotta be something like that for rv.

[B]

But there are other cities in Wisconsin that aren't, that are farther away from the lake that are beautiful. A lot of the time, my husband even, like, he drives an hour out of town on a few days for his job, and he'll be, he'll be like, it was 90 where I was. And I come into town and I watch it go to 70 and then to 55. And that's when he says the why do we live here? Kind of thing.

[A]

Yeah, I agree with him. Tell him I agree. I would get the hell out of there very quickly. And I'd tell your family, look, you come if you want, but that's it. I'm gone.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

I can't do this anymore. I'm not putting on a one of those rabbit lined hats ever again. My wife got me one for Christmas once as a joke.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

I put it on in the living room like on Christmas morning, and in 10 minutes, my body was so hot, I thought it was going to pass out.

[B]

And I was like, so it does its job.

[A]

Oh, my God. I was like, what is? Those rabbits must be so warm.

[B]

Yes, they are.

[A]

So. So now I, you know, this thing that I looked at and I was like, well, who do I give this to? As I was taking it out of the box, now I keep it. And if I'm working outside in the cold, I don't care how stupid I look. And I look very stupid in it. I. I put. It keeps my whole body warm. It's amazing. Yes.

[B]

Oh, that's awesome.

[A]

Like putting a heater on your head. All right, listen, let's, let's, let's. So let's tell the people, let's let them in on it, right? You panicked a little bit the other day because you were supposed to come on and talk about being a teacher at a place where your kid works or kid goes to school. And then you turn on the podcast and there's a woman on talking about it, and you were just like, I should probably not even come in.

[B]

Well, I was like, oh, crap. It was like the first thing I saw and I was like, oh, no. And to be honest, I didn't know like, what your turnaround time was or anything like that. So I was like, ah, let's just check in to make sure.

[A]

So the tone of your email was like, I thought, oh, Melissa's backing out. That's what I thought when I saw it first. Then I was like, no, she's just worried.

[B]

So I was just looking for reassurance that it was all going to be okay.

[A]

So is there anything that, that you really want people to know that you've learned by being in that situation where your kid is in an education sense, but you're there, like, I guess you get to see more is my expectation.

[B]

Well. And yes. So, like, the overarching thing I think of is the quote from Maya Angelou, which is, do the best you can until you know better than when you know better, do better. And that kind of has encompassed the last three years. You know, with initial diagnosis, I'm like, I need to be there. I need to make sure everything is going the way it needs to be. We had a brand new school nurse coming in. And when you live in a small town, you know, you're connected to everybody. And our nurse that had just retired was actually the wife of my. I'm going to say soccer again, sorry, My soccer coach from high school, it was his wife and they have a type one daughter who was in her 30s at the time. So before I found out she was retiring, I was like, oh, that puts my mind so much at ease. She knows probably more than I do about the care, even though maybe not the technology piece, but. And then I find out she's retiring. And I was like, oh, no. So that just added to, okay, what is this new nurse going to look like? And let's. I'll be honest, I feel very lucky in how everything works out with my job. I know I've read and heard horror stories about school nurses that make decisions without asking and things like that. And that is absolutely not the case with our nurse. She, she texts me like the littlest thing and, and I'm gonna be honest, like, you know, you know, I don't think you waited long enough to see if, if that little bump like, gets her going in the right direction, you know, let's do it different this time. And she, like, I've the box that stays in the nurse's office at the end of the year. And I find notes that she takes because she's wanting to learn more and do better as well with her care. So, you know, those first seven months after diagnosis, it was all hands on deck. My principal was whatever you need. Her kindergarten and first grade teacher. We, we have something, it's called looping. So kids get the same teacher for kindergarten and first grade. Studies have shown that it's like six weeks extra of. You know, you don't lose six weeks of learning time because you already know your kids and where they're at right. When you jump into first grade, so. But her kindergarten teacher is awesome. And ironically, my first date with my husband was in her childhood home. That's like.

[A]

Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. What?

[B]

Hold on. Yeah. So my husband and I met in 1997.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And his buddy was on the basketball team with him, and his little sister is my daughter's kindergarten first grade teacher.

[A]

Oh, I see.

[B]

Yeah. This first time that my husband and I hung out was at their house. So, like, that's just my point of how. How everybody knows everybody in my town.

[A]

Melissa, you've been felt up at the home of your child's teacher. Is that right?

[B]

I said we hung out, Scott. We hung out.

[A]

Okay, you're married now.

[B]

So he was 15 and I was 17.

[A]

Melissa, you took advantage of a young boy in your kid's teacher's house.

[B]

No. Come on, Scott. But so, again, like, everybody at our school is like, you just let us know what you need from us, you know? And with the help of the podcast and the Facebook group and support in our community, it's just. I learned more. I learned, like, almost hate to admit this, but it was just last year that I learned that once you hit the button on the pdm, you can walk away. For her entire second grade year, you.

[A]

Were standing there holding her next to it.

[B]

Yes. Yes. And I was like, wait, hold on a minute. Like, so once I give the instructions.

[A]

What did you think the controller was doing? Did you think it was secretly talking to the pod? Going. Keep going, keep going. A little farther, a little more.

[B]

Exactly. With each tick of the bar, I was like. I was like, all right, we got to make sure everything goes in. Everything goes.

[A]

So you said your husband is smart. Now, I don't know if I can even believe your interpretation.

[B]

He's. He's brilliant. He's brilliant. But. And. And then, you know, we all agreed in her 504 that we would make kind of like, game time decisions. Like, with what's going on, is this a nurse visit or is this a mom visit? And her kindergarten classroom, literally 20ft from my classroom, if her door's open and my door's open, I could see her in her classroom.

[A]

I see.

[B]

Then her second grade one was one over. So 20ft, but a little bit more diagonal from my room. And there was a moment in Second grade, when she walked in my door and she goes, mom, do you have a hairbrush? And I'm like, this is not diabetes related. You are missing instruction time. Go back to class.

[A]

I need a stick of gum and a brush. Don't ask me why.

[B]

And so I was noticing, you know, not that she was taking advantage, but again, that free spirit, happy go. Lucky gal would maybe manipulate the system every once in a while and come over. And she was like, but we're having a cupcake. And I'm like, you know what to do. So the biggest change when she went into third grade was she was now upstairs. At first I was like, oh, I don't want her upstairs. But I'm like, no. Now I'm. After the hairbrush incident, I was like, you're upstairs, it's fine. And just, you know, in the reality, after these next two years, she's going to be at the middle school in a whole different building than I'm at. And we have to get her prepared and ready. And the more independent she becomes with her career, you know, I think the better both of us are going to feel. So when my dad passed, I had two weeks where I was home. And as a family, we discussed that it was best for the kids to get back after just a couple of days. And so she was at school, I was at home. And I'm like, well, I'm not in any shape right now to go into that building. And, you know, I wasn't ready for that, to get all those condolences and things from colleagues. So we came up with a system that I would put what her carb count was for her lunch in with her pdm and my alarm would go off. I would text her teacher and they would just. She would watch her put just to make sure she doesn't transpose any numbers, you know, like 28 carbs and 82 carbs is a big difference. So. And then, so she started doing more of that independent care. And once I went back to work, I said, do you want to keep doing that? And she was like, yeah, I do. So she's got to feel comfortable. The more we know, really great communication between everybody involved is so important and really being open and honest with when something is going wrong or you can do better, then the conversations need to happen then.

[A]

Okay, well, I mean, I think that a plan is the best thing to have. So. Yeah, I think that's amazing. Do you, Can I, can I talk to you about numbers for a second?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Because I. And I, I'm Going to ask your opinion too. So I've recorded. You haven't heard them yet, but you will. And by the time this comes out, they will have been up for months. But I recorded three part series about Omnipod 5 in conjunction with Omnipod, the company, and they provided a CDE for me to speak with.

[B]

Oh, that's so exciting.

[A]

And she was from the Barbara Davis center and really terrific. And I got to know her, you know, in the lead up to this. So this was, this was my idea. I've been floating this idea to Omnipod for two years. I'm like, when Omnipod 5 comes out, like, let's do a short series that explains, explains it to people. And they were like, yeah, that's a great idea. So it actually kind of happened, which was amazing. And, and this, this woman, Kari. Carrie. Carrie is how she's pronounced her name. I think it's my fault. Like, I hear, probably, I don't. Yeah, I mispronounced her Carrie Burgett. Really lovely girl and, and, and great at what she does. But what I, I noticed as I was getting to know her in a couple of meetings we had leading up to it, that she was very knowledgeable and easy to talk to and could explain things well. But her greater focus was kind of the masses. Like, she wants everybody to do good. She's not looking to drill down people's A1Cs into the fives, right? Like, that's not her focus. Her focus is, you know, let's not have people running around with 8 and 9 and 10 and 11, 12, 8 on seas. Like, let's get everybody, you know, into a reasonable place, you know. And I was thinking about her one night and I was thinking about Jenny and I was like, like, what's the difference between these two people? And the difference between them is like, Jenny's professional life is focused at really helping you dial in, like get it really into, into the fives, right? And Carrie's focus isn't like that. And I thought, well, I wonder if I shouldn't do a series with Carrie about management when you're not shooting for a 5.2 and if that wouldn't be valuable for people. And I wonder what you thought of it. Like, you're the first person I'm asking, so don't tell anybody, please.

[B]

I'll take it to the grave.

[A]

So you hold on to it just till it comes out if we do it. But, you know, I appreciate it.

[B]

So my. So from what I'm understanding, you're saying Is. Is carry more in tuned with making sure people don't feel so defeated all of the time and being discouraged and things like that.

[A]

So it's interesting that you hear it that way. So I think that's telling about you. But no, that wasn't my real. My thought is, is that some people have your, your, your kind of feeling about this. Like for right now, a seven point whatever you said is, is great rate, which I don't disagree with. But you're not, you don't feel pressured to me to get it down. Like, like, let me just say, like, if Arden's A1C this last three weeks was 7.5, I would, I'd be like, oh my God, what have I done? Like, like that. Like, I'd be, I would be like, I have to get this together. And I. And that's because my perspective is an A1C in the fives and yours is. So you're not panicked by it, but you do. You know it exists and you do think I can get to this.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

But you don't. But you're not pressured by it.

[B]

I'm not pressured by it because I do understand that it's going to take some time and you know, three years sounds like a really long time.

[A]

It doesn't, but to me. But go ahead.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, but, but when, when you say it in that way of like, like, yes, I, I guess I don't have the urgency to get her down to a five. But like, like, I know we will get there with what I am seeing with her numbers, with the Omnipod 5. And it's been like it. I don't know, I feel some days that it's some sort of sorcery or something. Like, because there are things that I have done the same for the last three years on the dash and it kind of became like, well, this is what happens. She goes up after a meal, then she comes down and then floats kind of fine. We got to watch for the dips and the lows. But I bet you I maybe have had to treat like an unexplainable low maybe twice, twice or three times in the last month and a half, you know, when she wasn't bouncing on the trampoline or swimming or something like that. And. But I know with what I'm seeing and how often she's in range now, compared to what we were seeing prior, it is an improvement. But again, I still know I can do better and we can do better.

[A]

Let me ask you something. Have you listened to the pro Tip series.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. And so. But you still slipped into that like, well, this is just diabetes thing. Like you, you. You're accepting of the idea that like blood sugars are going to spike after meals.

[B]

And I know that there's a way that they won't, but I just, I haven't figured it out. Tweaked it to figure it out yet.

[A]

Yeah, because the problem is. Please, go ahead. I'm sorry.

[B]

No, I was saying it depends on what she eats too. She's a very picky eater, so you'd think I'd be able to dial it in and figure it out, but.

[A]

Well, you're also working. You have a full time job, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. And you're keeping that story quiet about the way you took advantage of a 15 year old you when you're 17. That's probably a lot of work.

[B]

And you know, like, hey, he's happy about it. He's happy.

[A]

Hey, listen, I'm not questioning you. I think you were out there doing the Lord's work. What do you think of that? So, but, but I just think, you know, men die before women. You're like, let me get a younger one. And maybe I can get him to help me in my later years with more stuff.

[B]

Oh, boy, I hope so. With his stress level.

[A]

Oh, wait, he. He's got stress selling craft beer to people.

[B]

I know. Isn't that the most ironic thing you've ever said in your life?

[A]

Yeah. I don't want to get away from my original thought too much, but that took me by surprise more than anything so far.

[B]

Oh yeah. Well, when you have 90 accounts that are very demanding and you're the kind of guy that never tells them no, and you know, his name's Clint, so I always say, like, oh, well, Clint will do it. Clint will do it. As that's what I envision all of his accounts saying, because he does. He's. He just bends over backwards and works really, really hard and he doesn't sleep well because he'll wake up in the middle of the night being like, okay, wait, I have to do this, this, this, this. And then his brain gets going and then he's one of those people that like, when he can't sleep well, he'll go for a run.

[A]

I'm like, you've mattered a mental patient. That's all I can tell you. That's ridiculous.

[B]

Like four miles in the morning at like five in the morning. And I'm proud of him. Like, hey, I'll, I'll just, I'll Wave at you while you. While you go down the driveway, babe. Good job.

[A]

I'd rather have hypertension. But, but like, it's. I'm kidding. I would not. But, but, but. So it's where. Where was my thought? How did you get me off on that? Oh, by saying that it was stressful. Selling beard.

[B]

Selling craft. Yes.

[A]

I mean, if that's not an easy job, then nobody has any hope just really to.

[B]

Oh, it is far, far from an easy job.

[A]

No, listen, I don't know that there are many easy jobs. This one's stressful. And I mean, I was joking a half an hour ago about, like, just get a podcast if you want to take it easy, but it's really hard and there's a lot of stuff that goes into.

[B]

To it.

[A]

But. Yeah, but nevertheless. So, okay, so you have, so you really, you have though, like, you, you got into that thing where you were like, listen, this is going to happen and I don't know how to stop it, but I. But you believe that you will one day.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So what do you. So my point is, I guess, is the reason you're probably enjoying Omnipod 5 is because as her blood sugar is going up, it's trying to stop it where you weren't doing that. Is that right?

[B]

And to an extent, yes. Like, I, I didn't. If she was, if she was trending up, I'm like, okay, we're doing something I would like near this. Before the switch, I bet you I was doing like a temp. Temp basil increase three times a day.

[A]

Well, then did you ever think that maybe her basil wasn't strong enough?

[B]

Oh, yeah. Yes. But again, like I said before, I was the one that trusted and still do trust what my. Her endo has told us to do. And you know, like, days would go by and I'd be like, oh, I should send an email so they can look at the Gluco reports so that this can happen and we can figure out how to switch and change. And then we'd go on Christmas vacation for two weeks where she would be sleeping until 10 and not eat. So then like, certain ratios were off and then summertime, you know, so they sound like excuses. Yes, but. But I was absolutely correcting and doing everything I could to get her. I was being very aggressive, actually, in my opinion, at the end.

[A]

Yeah, they don't sound like excuses to me. They sound like life. And it's why I was asking you, so that you could kind of articulate it. And I wouldn't be. I wouldn't be the one making the point. Which is that it's. It's all well and good, right, to say, like, well, you just have to do this, you just have to do that. But when. When are you supposed to find the time to do that? Exactly, Exactly. You know what I mean? Like, I know it's of the utmost importance, but at the same time, like, you. You still have to be at work on time, and you still have to say a certain amount of time. Your husband's got to get up and be crazy and go for his run and go sell his beer and come home and you have another child. Right. And so, yes, you know, that. That just what you said there a minute ago about, like, I know I should contact the doctor, but, you know, but I didn't right away. And I think that's the part.

[B]

Part.

[A]

I think that's the part that's. That's the hardest to fix in all this is, is how do you help people be. To feel autonomous enough, I guess, to. To make those changes on their own without having to reach to somebody to do it on the fly. Like, I don't sit down and, like, pour over Arden's numbers for an hour before I change something.

[B]

I'm just sort of like, there's no time for that.

[A]

Yeah, let me just try this and see what happens, happens. And so I think that's what people need more than anything, is that. And then you went into Omnipod 5 with settings that were really only giving you an A1C of what?

[B]

Well, she was at 8. 8 4, I think, at her last appointment. And we did change some things. Like he. He dropped her. What's it called, the insulin sensitivity factor. She was at, I think, 190, and we dropped that to 70. Explained to me. Okay, that means that when you do a correction, she might come down real fast, so you gotta watch.

[A]

But did that happen?

[B]

No, it hasn't.

[A]

Because. Listen, may I spend the last couple minutes helping a little bit here, please? I would love that. What does she weigh?

[B]

She is 76 pounds.

[A]

What was your basal rate when you left Dash?

[B]

Hold on. I had a feeling you're gonna ask me that, so I have to go into her stuff. So her. Oh, you know what? I think I took pictures on my phone. Just a minute, please.

[A]

You're fine.

[B]

Hold, please.

[A]

I'm trying to figure out a way to call your episode Snakes Look Like Penises without. Without it.

[B]

Not. Not Danger Noodle.

[A]

Well, Danger Noodle is really good, though.

[B]

There's no butthole adjacent, but you know?

[A]

Yeah. Nothing's gonna beat that for a while.

[B]

I know.

[A]

What did your sister say? No.

[B]

No. Probe?

[A]

Nope. Rope. Well, that's pretty good.

[B]

I know. All right, so, yeah, we kept most of her settings the same. So she was. Well, let's see, she was. She's a 0.3 from 12:00am to 7:00am, then 7 to 1, she's 0.45. 1 to 5, she's 0.65. And then 5 to midnight, she's also 0.65.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, your problem is that I don't understand where zero point threes are coming from.

[B]

Yeah. And that it was down and he changed that it was a 0.35 and he changed that at the last appointment because. And I. I feel like his reasoning was she was. She would dip low earlier in the night, but I wasn't treating. And then she would just slowly climb those last few hours.

[A]

So these lower Basils were for overnights?

[B]

Yes. 12am to 7am, 12am to 7am but.

[A]

Then she'd wake up in the morning. So you're probably just at a basal deficit. Five, six o' clock in the morning, and then she wakes up, feet on the floor, whatever else happens to her, adrenaline, etc. Etc. And it overwhelms her blood sugar because she doesn't have enough Basil to help it. Because what she needs when she's awake is more like 0.65, like you're talking about, right?

[B]

Yeah, because, like, already all the way from 1pm to midnight, she's at 0.65 for a basil.

[A]

Then why not just jack her? It's too late now because you're using something else. But, I mean, in that situation, I would think if you see those early rises in the morning, then just start bringing her basil up earlier than when she wakes up up.

[B]

Yeah, but she's still like, these are still the settings that I did put into the OP5.

[A]

Yeah, no, I know, but trust me, five minutes after you put in those Basil settings into Omnipod 5, it's making decisions on its own. It's never going to think about that number you put in ever again.

[B]

So that's true. Yeah, that's true.

[A]

But it's interesting. I mean, anyway, it's so. I can't. I mean, I can't wait to see what happens for people. I'm watching online, people having, I think, two very distinct experiences with the algorithm so far. And, yeah, it feels like people are either like, my God, look how great this works. And it's just. It just does. Or they're like, no, we're struggling around this time or this time. And I'm wondering, based on. I don't know, based on a lot, like, how much of it is bad settings. When you started on the day you started, like, just like, because people oftentimes have low basal rates, then make up for it with big boluses.

[B]

Yeah, right. And then that'd be interesting to collect that data.

[A]

Yeah, it's just. It's so. You know, Omnipod says that the kind of, the farther off your settings are when you start, the longer it might take the algorithm to figure you out. Out. So. And how. So how long have you been doing it now?

[B]

June 8th was our first pod.

[A]

You're like seven weeks, maybe?

[B]

Yeah. I think we're on like, our 13th pod somewhere around there.

[A]

Do you still see it improving or has it plateaued for you?

[B]

The last couple of days actually has been that. That early morning rise that I was like, wait, why are we seeing this again? But I still am. I'm happy so far with the results, and it's given me the confidence to not be so afraid of the lows is really what it had done. And. And maybe it's just a mental thing of, I think that, oh, she's going too low. It's gonna suspend the insulin and not give her her basil, and then I'll. We'll be able to. To catch it or. Or, you know, and I just listened to your 15:15 episode where, like, I figured that out maybe a year ago, and I'm like, no, she doesn't need that much. You know, how about we'll give her three fruit snacks and see if that just bumps her up like, just a little bit enough and doesn't have a rebound low. So.

[A]

But for two and a half years, you followed that rule.

[B]

I did, yeah.

[A]

And you didn't need it.

[B]

No. And there were days where it worked well. But again, it's like, well, but then did she go to gym class, you know, like. Or was she going outside for recess after she treated a low? Or was it, you know, she. We pre bolus too far in advance of lunch and she hasn't started eating yet. You know, all those questions that you're like, all right. But there's simply not enough time or energy to record and remember everything.

[A]

Right.

[B]

In order to make it so it doesn't happen again. Because even if you change it and remember it, it's probably not going to happen the same way anyway. Way.

[A]

It's interesting. I enjoy your perspective. Thank you very much for sharing it with me. I really do. Yeah, it's.

[B]

I do. I have to tell you a cute story, though, the other day.

[A]

Is this about you, like, dating little boys?

[B]

I. Scott, I'm a preschool teacher. Well, I'm just saying I do not date little boys.

[A]

I am fat. I am trying to imagine when I was 15, 15, if a 17 year old girl would have went out with me, how amazing that would have been.

[B]

Oh, it was. No, it was like every scene you imagine from like an 80s movie where, like, I was crouched at my locker and he walked by and smiled at me and like the monster ballad song started playing and. And I remember saying to myself, like, I am going to marry that guy.

[A]

Really?

[B]

We dated actually for 10 years.

[A]

Well, yeah. You had to wait for him to come of age.

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, we dated for. Well, we dated for six years, broke up for a year, got back together, and then we had been kind of, you know, 10 years. We got married 7707. That's why I actually was. I was like, oh, maybe my podcast number would be 777, but I don't know how it's gonna fly.

[A]

Yeah, don't worry. I'm not. I'm not putting any effort into that. Just so you know. No, I. Dr. Perez's episode went up on his birthday. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, that's crazy.

[A]

He sent me a note. He's like, I'm. He's like, I was really thrilled to see my episode go up and goes. You know, coincidentally, yesterday was my birthday and I was like. And I took credit for it. I went, oh, I did that on purpose.

[B]

Well, that was very kind of you.

[A]

I don't know what his birthday is. I'm stalking you on Facebook now.

[B]

Oh, that's fine.

[A]

Yeah. Look at this.

[B]

Yeah. Because I think we're friends anyway, so. So.

[A]

All right. Don't tell people. I. I sometimes say yes to friend requests on Facebook. You're killing.

[B]

Oh, it was. It was a very long time ago. I think you answered a question for me, and it had to happen.

[A]

I haven't done that in a long time. Look at this. This is something. Yeah. This doesn't look illegal. Everything seems fine. You're fine. You're family.

[B]

Because of my husband, we are family. Yes.

[A]

How old are you now?

[B]

42. Well, I'll be. Yeah. Oh, I'll be 42 in August.

[A]

Oh. Oh. And he just turned 40. Or is about to.

[B]

He turned 40 in January.

[A]

No kidding. Boy, this is a sexy story. All right.

[B]

But no, my story is not sexy. It's super cute, actually.

[A]

Go ahead, go ahead, let me hear.

[B]

So I was trying to figure out one of these morning rises out of nowhere, you know, and she's really good at not sneaking food. She has done it. And we always tell her, like, you're not going to get in trouble for diabetes stuff. I'm like, if you want 10 pieces of candy, just bolus for it. I don't care. You know, you're a kid. We, we always like, safe and happy and healthy is like our goal. We, we, we try to adhere to that as best we can, but. So I asked her when she had this crazy climb up out of nowhere in the morning, and she's like, I didn't, I didn't eat anything, mom. She goes, but I did have a dream that it was a kid in my class's birthday and he brought cupcakes, cakes and cookies and donuts. So maybe that's why my, my number went up.

[A]

She thinks it's possible that her dream made her blood sugar. It could have, by the way, been adrenaline from the dream.

[B]

That true, true. But nope, she thought it was because she got all the snacks, all the sweets for her friend's birthday in her dream. And that's probably what made her blood sugar.

[A]

That is really sweet. And she's got that. It seriously is now 11 years from now. I don't know what she's gonna do when she's 17, but right now she's seems adorable, so.

[B]

Oh, sure.

[A]

Did your friends make fun of you?

[B]

Wait, do my friends make fun of me? Like in general?

[A]

No. When you were 17. You're not sticking on what I'm concerned most about. When you were 17 and you dated a 15 year old boy, did your friends mock you or did they.

[B]

No, he was a stud. Still is.

[A]

Oh, oh, I see. Oh, I see what you did. Oh, I'm seeing it now. He is a handsome man.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, you got him before he knew. I see what you did.

[B]

And he's sweet as pie. He, like, kept him away from girls. Well, I kept him away, but not always kept them away.

[A]

I'm seeing that. That could be possible too. He is. I would let this man hold my hand. I see what's going on here. All right, all right. Okay, all right. I got the vibe here, Melissa. I know what's happening now. I figured the whole thing out. I'm good.

[B]

Wonderful.

[A]

I was like, yeah, you, you, you. Basically you were like, that kid's going to be draftable one day. I'm getting him now, before Anybody else figures it out. I see.

[B]

See, I am smart, Scott.

[A]

Now I'm figured out. Now they figured out what happened. I just, at first the reason I had to go stalky, I was like, was this like some sad girl that could only get a 15 year old boy when she was 17. And now I'm seeing what you did. You're like, I'm just going to get this one before you rip.

[B]

Not just a hat rack.

[A]

All right, Melissa, this was good. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

[B]

Absolutely. I appreciate yours as well.

[A]

Cool, thanks. Hold on one second. Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Hit record again.

[B]

Okay. Oh, crap. Okay.

[A]

Okay. Can you tell that story on. Are you comfortable with that?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. So it doesn't have to be very specific, but we were just talking about how my daughter had hand, foot, mouth before she was diagnosed. And then you told me. What about your daughter?

[B]

So my daughter had a couple of different sicknesses. When you always try to pinpoint what. Where this started, especially if there's no hereditary. And my daughter did have hand, foot and mouth, but she was like four, I think.

[A]

So there's a couple of years between the hand, foot and mouth and her diagnosis.

[B]

Yes. Or maybe she was even three at the time, I would think. And then she did have straight strep in 2018, which was closer to her diagnosis. And you know, I always think like, does it really matter? Do I really need to know that kind of thing? But the, the curveball that was just thrown is that my daughter? It was, it was that summer when she had hand, foot and mouth. We had gone to a friend's house and we were playing with like they had a big blow up, like water slide type of thing. And a couple days later, both. There's three families total, and kids from all three families had hand, foot and mouth. And I, I would have to double check with the mom, to be honest with you, if her child had it specifically, but her son actually was diagnosed yesterday morning with type one.

[A]

And this is. Hold on. Five and a half years after the time the kids had it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Boy. Yeah. I have no idea if those would be connected, but that is. I thought that was so interesting when you were saying that.

[B]

Yeah, it's very weird. Very, very odd. But again, it's like, does it really matter? Do I really need to know that?

[A]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. Yeah. For your purposes, she's got it. And you know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Knowing Hal's not exactly gonna change anything.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Okay. All right. I appreciate you jumping back on to say that. So thanks.

[B]

No problem. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

First, let's thank Melissa for sharing her story. And then we're going to thank Omnipod, makers of the Omnipod- and Omnipod 5. Omnipod.com forward/juicebox Check it out. Get started today. Betterhelp.com if you're looking for talk therapy, betterhelp.com forward/juicebox will get you 10% off your first month of therapy. Use my offer code [e-mail] to save 35% off site wide. That's pretty much it. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box podcast.