#1637 Over Producer

Summary

Juicebox Podcast #1637: “Over Producer”

Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Alex (T1D, nurse, mother of four)

---

Episode Overview

This episode features Alex, a 33-year-old woman living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 22 years, who shares her in-depth journey from childhood diagnosis through turbulent adolescence, challenges with self-management and diabulemia, and her adult experiences balancing motherhood, career, and health. Most notably, Alex discusses a rare medical event—lactation-induced euglycemic ketoacidosis—which occurred due to her low-carb diet while breastfeeding with T1D. Her story is honest, emotionally rich, and loaded with practical insight for people navigating diabetes, especially through pregnancy and postpartum.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Diagnosis and Early Management

• Initial diagnosis (age 11): Alex recalls her mother’s intuition around her symptoms (weight loss, frequent urination, excessive thirst)—all recognized because her mom was in nursing school at the time.
• First hospital stay: Managed as an adult due to the small size of her local hospital. Diabetes education focused on strict regimens suited more for type 2 (diet and exercise-centric), not the flexibility needed by a child and single-parent family (04:45–08:00).
• Early insulin regimens: Started on NPH and Regular; technology such as insulin pumps came later. “A structured life was, like, kind of out of the question…” (07:21 – Alex).

Adolescence, Management Struggles, and Lying About Care

• Hiding poor management: Alex discusses the emotional toll of not meeting targets and resorting to falsifying blood sugar logs (09:03–10:04).
  • Notable quote:
    “I do not like to feel like a failure at all... So I just stopped taking my blood sugar. I’d take my insulin, and I’d tell her like I was doing what I was doing … I just lied and wrote the numbers in the book.” (09:26 – Alex)
• Teen dynamics: As her mom became busier, Alex was given more responsibility than she could truly manage, leading to shame, hiding, and declining care.

Mental Health, Diabulemia, and Body Image

• Development of diabulemia: At 16–17, Alex intentionally limited insulin to lose weight, associating proper dosing/glycemic control with weight gain—an especially risky and under-discussed aspect of diabetes management (17:47–19:18).
  • Notable quote:
    “I associated insulin with being overweight.” (18:31 – Alex)
• Alex discusses the shame and isolation she felt, which kept her out of endocrinology care for years.

Turning Points: Love, Loss, and Motivation for Change

• Impactful career moments: As a labor and delivery nurse, witnessing the negative outcomes for another woman with uncontrolled T1D motivated Alex to change (21:18–22:45).
  • Notable quote:
    “[She] delivered a baby … 32 weeks. Her baby was nine pounds. … I just thought, that’s me.” (21:24 – Alex)
• Personal loss: Alex was left at the altar by her fiancé, who said, “I don’t want to have to take care of you,” further compounding her internal shame (23:44).
• Faith and therapy: Recovery included counseling (with a pastor-therapist), rediscovering faith, and family support (26:26–27:15).

Marriage, Motherhood, and Modern Diabetes Care

• Remarriage: Met her husband on Christian Mingle (10 years ago) and now is a mother of four.

• Transition in care: Engaged with endocrinology, moved to newer insulins (Lantus, Humalog), adopted CGM technology, and found benefit in a low-carb diet for her physical and emotional well-being (29:31–31:10).

  • Notable quote:
    “My A1C was like 11. And I just started crying … [my endo said] ‘this doesn’t have to be where you have to be forever. We can change from here.’” (30:05 – Alex)

Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes

• Pregnancy complications: Retinopathy worsened with rapid glycemic improvement; lost vision in one eye temporarily during her first pregnancy but recovered.
• Birth & NICU: Early deliveries due to preeclampsia and concerns based on her experience as an L&D nurse (36:10–44:23).

Rare Complication: Euglycemic Ketoacidosis from Breastfeeding (Lactation Acidosis)

• Unique postpartum crisis: After her third child, Alex experienced unexplained episodes of near fainting, tachycardia, and malaise, misattributed repeatedly to low blood sugar.

• Ultimate cause: After her fourth child, she developed lactation-induced euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis—dangerously high ketones with normal blood sugar, triggered by aggressive low-carb dieting plus heavy milk production/postpartum metabolic stress (50:00–59:26).

  • Notable quote:
    “It turns out I had what’s called lactation acidosis … because I ate such a low carb diet, I required such little insulin … I went into acidosis because I didn’t have enough insulin for my body requirements, but my blood sugars were totally normal.” (55:41 – Alex)

• Resolution: Hospital admission, correction with glucose, fluids, and dietary modifications—now ensures at least 50 grams of carbs daily.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the emotional side of diabetes:
  • “I didn’t want to have diabetes at all. So it was kind of like I didn’t want to have it. I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing, but I was supposed to know what I was doing.” (11:03 – Alex)
• Impact of support system bandwidth:
  • “People have only so much bandwidth and hers [Alex’s mom] was used up already.” (14:03 – Host)
• Medical system gaps:
  • “Nobody had like… They were all probably ChatGPTing what was wrong with me, you know, over at the doctor’s nurses’ station.” (63:36 – Alex)
  • “I think the problem, like… is when people act as if they know everything and they’re scary. You know, that like, false confidence… that is what scares me.” (68:53 – Alex)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|---------------| | Childhood diagnosis, initial experiences | 00:14–08:00 | | Adolescent management, lying, shame | 08:04–11:26 | | Diabulemia, hiding, mental health | 17:47–20:10 | | Turning point: career, motherhood | 21:00–22:45 | | Faith, therapy, and family healing | 26:26–27:15 | | Marriage/relationships and management | 29:31–31:10 | | Retinopathy and pregnancy complications | 36:10–39:10 | | Breastfeeding and hypoglycemia struggles | 37:32–39:10 | | Postpartum collapse, rare diagnosis | 45:08–58:00 | | Medical system reactions & false confidence | 63:36–68:53 |

---

Practical Lessons & Takeaways

• Diabetes and dietary restriction: Even vigilant low-carb eating can pose risks for T1Ds, especially postpartum/breastfeeding. Too little insulin combined with metabolic stress (intense lactation) may result in euglycemic DKA—not just classic hyperglycemic DKA.
• Importance of carb intake postpartum: Alex’s key advice for nursing mothers with T1D: ensure adequate carbohydrates, even if you normally eat very low carb (59:01).
• Psychosocial support: The emotional/psychological toll of T1D—shame, isolation, the desire to be “normal”—can sabotage care and deserves real attention.
• Finding personal strategies: Low-carb eating, technology (CGM, pumps), and openness to ask for help were pivotal in getting Alex to a place of safe, sustainable self-management.

---

Original Language and Tone

The conversation is warm, vulnerable, and at times light despite heavy themes. There is humor, empathy, sarcasm, and plainspoken honesty throughout, as seen in quips about “just being a cow” when overproducing milk (37:53), or her tongue-in-cheek monologue about healthcare professionals using ChatGPT for rare diagnoses.

---

Final Thoughts

Alex’s story is invaluable for anyone living with T1D, professionals working in postpartum and maternal care, and families supporting someone through diabetes and motherhood. Her experiences highlight the dangers of under-recognized complications, the importance of checking one’s assumptions, and the ongoing need for compassion—in both the professional and personal spheres.

For listeners who are postpartum, breastfeeding, and eating low carb with T1D:
Be mindful that even when your blood sugars are “in range,” you may need more carbs/insulin than you think. Symptoms like unexplained weakness, rapid heart rate, or fainting deserves careful follow-up to rule out metabolic disturbances like euglycemic DKA.

---

Key Quotes Index

• “I didn’t want to have diabetes at all.” (11:03 – Alex)
• “I associated insulin with being overweight.” (18:31 – Alex)
• “I just thought, that’s me.” (21:24 – Alex)
• “This doesn’t have to be where you have to be forever.” (30:14 – Alex’s endo)
• “Nobody had like… They were all probably ChatGPTing what was wrong with me…” (63:36 – Alex)
• “That is what scares me.” (68:53 – Alex, on false medical confidence)

---

For more resource links and stories, visit juiceboxpodcast.com.

Transcript

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Welcome back friends. You are listening to the Juice Box Podcast.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

My name's Alex and I have type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 11 and I'm 33 now. So 22 years ago I got diagnosed in like September, October. So around the time that we're recording this, I don't know know the exact date. So almost 22 full years.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

If this is your first time listening to the Juice Box Podcast and you'd like to hear more, download Apple Podcasts or Spotify, really any audio app at all. Look for the Juice Box Podcast and follow or subscribe. We put out new content every day that you'll enjoy. Want to learn more about your diabetes management? Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and look for Bold Beginnings, the the Diabetes Pro Tip series and much more. This podcast is full of collections and series of information that will help you to live better with insulin. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan or becoming bold with insulin.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Foreign.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

The episode you're listening to is sponsored by usmed usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. You can get your diabetes testing supplies the same way we do from US Med. A huge thanks to my longest sponsor, Omnipod. Check out the Omnipod 5 now with my link omnipod.com juicebox you can. You may be eligible for a free starter kit. A free Omnipod 5 starter kit at my link. Go check it out. Omnipod.com Juicebox terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found@.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Omnipod.Com juicebox My name's Alex and I have type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 11 and I'm 33 now. So 22 years ago I got diagnosed in like September, October. So around the time that we're recording this, I don't know the exact date. So almost 22 full years.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

22 full years. Wow.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Let's ask a question. It's a long time ago where you. Do you have any recollection of it or how does it feel to you in your memory? I guess.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. So I was like thinking about this, knowing that I was going to record with you. What did I. What do I remember? I was diagnosed with scoliosis like a year before. So I'd been going to doctor's appointments and stuff for like the tracking of how my scoliosis was going. And my mom had told me she, like, made another doctor's appointment with just my primary care. And it didn't seem like out of the ordinary to me because I'd already been recently, like, having some health issue, so it didn't seem like crazy to go to the doctor. She didn't really let on what she thought I had going on, but she just had said, like, oh, we're gonna go get some things checked out, and I made you an appointment. So I remember her getting me from school and then going to the doctor and then being diagnosed. Like, she had seen. We had gone school shopping, you know, start of school, and I had lost a lot of weight. I was a chubbier kid. So the fact that I was, like, school shopping was, like, easy. I felt like, oh, wow, I'm finally, like, leaning out like they tell you kids are gonna do, you know, like, they'll grow taller and lean out. That obviously I was wasting away not leaning out. So, yeah, we had gone school shopping, and she had noticed that I'd lost a lot of weight. And then we had only one bathroom in our house at the time, and she. And my room was upstairs and it was downstairs. And she had noticed one night that I kept going up and down the stairs and going to the bathroom and then, like. Like, going to the bathroom, going to the kitchen, drinking a ton of water, and then going back to bed and then repeating the cycle, like, every, you know, two to four hours. So she was like, that's not normal. She was in school to be a nurse at the time. I probably prerequisites. And she was actually, like. She told me after the fact, like, not, you know, like, maybe when I was 20 or something, that she was like, yeah, I just thought you had diabetes with how much you were going to the bathroom, and that's just not normal.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Wow. She picked.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

She.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

She picked it up pretty quickly.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, she's really smart and attentive to, like, stuff like that.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Nice. When did she tell you? Like, did she tell you on the ride?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, no, no, no. Not until after. I was like, they're like, oh, you're gonna go home, pack your bag. You're gonna go to the hospital.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Your mom was like, that's what I thought.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

My mom, though, she's smart and attentive. She kind of lives in denial, too, so.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Well, she was probably hopeful that that would. That there might be a different answer. Right?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I'm sure.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

And you have siblings or. No?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, I'm I'm one of four. I have an older brother, an older sister, and then a younger brother.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And so my. We're kind of spread out. My older brother seven years older than me, and then my older sister is five years older than me, and then my younger brother is eight years younger than me.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Sounds like your mom started to raise some kids and then decided she wanted to be a nurse.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, yeah, she did. She. She also, like, my younger brother is my half brother, so. My parents got divorced when I was 2, so. And she was a single mom my whole life until she got remarried when I was 17.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, my gosh. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's interesting. 22 years ago, where does that put you with management? What did they start you off with? How do you recall the first days?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. So this is kind of crazy. I was on NPH and regular. I went to a small hospital, and because it was so small, and I was 11, I was on the adult floor because apparently that's the cutoff for peds, which I'm like. I think that's crazy, personally. So I was on an adult floor, and my mom and I were both educated very heavily on, basically, how to manage type 2 by this older lady. She's like. Our education was like, she'd take us in the basement. And I remember because it smelled so bad in the basement of that hospital. And then you were, like, in this room surrounded by, like, file cabinets with papers everywhere, and it was a weird smell, and you had, like, the fluorescent lighting. Like, I can remember sitting there not knowing anything that she said. But, like, I remember, like, the scene.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Of it, you know, like, you're in the opening act of a horror film.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Yeah. That's what it reminds me of. And I still get that feeling about it, probably because, like, there was so much going on, too.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, no, I mean, obviously, they're gonna, like, slide one of those filing cabinets aside. There's going to be a hole in the wall, and they're gonn you to something.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

That's exactly something. Yeah. Something crazy. So we got really weird. Like, I remember going home from the hospital, my mom being like, oh, we need to. Let's go for a walk before we eat to lower your blood sugar type of thing. So it was, like, very heavily based on, like, diet and exercise along with taking insulin. But a lot of it was like. And they wanted you to have a very structured life, which. I was 11, and my mom was a single mom, and she worked two jobs and was in school. So, like, a structured life was, like, kind of out of the question, you know, and how you manage, like, NPH and regular. I just don't know how we would have ever been successful with that, looking back on it.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

So did your mom know enough at that point to say, like, that's not what we're going to do, or did you start off that way?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, that's. That's how it was.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

That's how we did. For how long?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I probably saw an endocrinologist, like, a year later. My PCP managed, and then when my mom actually became in, like, got into nursing school, she requested a referral for an endocrinologist.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay, so small town, The PCP is running the whole thing.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

They lean heavy on, like, diet and exercise, but you need insulin, too.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Mm.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Are you telling me that that wasn't particularly going well, where your outcome's not great?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, they were okay. I honeymooned originally, and I could say that my A1C in the beginning was probably between 6 and 7. So they were okay with that. Like, that was fine. And my mom wasn't worried about the outcome so much, but just as, like, maybe we want some of the technology stuff, like, let's go see an endo.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. And then how did things change after that?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I became more adolescent. I would say teeny teenager. Ish. And my mom became more busy, and I just. She kind of felt like, oh, she's responsible. She's got it. And I did not have it. I lied a lot about my management and what I was doing.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Do you have hindsight on that? Do you understand what that little girl was doing?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I do. I do not like to feel like a failure at all. And when I would check my blood sugars, like, they were always just, like, not what they were supposed to be, you know? So I just stopped taking my blood sugar. I'd take my insulin, and I'd tell her like, I was doing what I was doing. And I've listened to, like, most, if not all of your episodes. So, like, you know how people say they just, like, wrote the numbers in the book and, like, they just lied? Like, that was me. Like, I just lied and wrote the numbers in the book. And then we'd go to the endo, and they'd be like, well, your A1C is, like, not reflecting what you wrote down.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

That's crazy. Your test must be wrong, because I. My blood Sugar is always 86. Just so you know.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, I mean, I wrote some Heisen. Like, I was kind of smart about it. I was like, well, they're going to know that I'm not always 100. So can I ask you.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I realize that, like, it's asking a lot to pick through the thoughts of a 12 and 13 year old girl, you know, as the woman that you became from her. But if you didn't like being like a failure, how come the next step was to just pretend and quit? How come it wasn't to try to figure out how not to be a failure?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So I did like. So this probably happened around like 15, I'd say from like between the ages of 12 and 15, I really did try to have good blood sugars. But also I think too, I was just wanting to be a kid.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And like do like, I was a cheerleader and stuff like that. Like, I didn't want to have diabetes at all.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Right.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So it was kind of like I didn't want to have it. I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing, but I was supposed to know what I was doing. And then because I checked my blood sugars and they were high, it was just reiterating like, you don't know what you're doing, you're failing. So I kind of had a, like, well, I'm getting good grades, I'm involved in sports. Like, I'm a success here, so I'll just ignore that part.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, it's the one thing, it's not going correctly also, if you started off regular and mph and you know, then you get to an endo and the endo tells you, I mean, are you carb counting by the time you're 15?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, yeah, carb counting. We had Lantus and then for a while I used an insulin pump, but I didn't like it. And it, like, I just used it as if it was like a fancy syringe. I didn't use any of the features. Like, I just gave, like, it just gave me basil. And sometimes I bolus.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Right.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Sometimes I didn't use it appropriately at all.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

My question there is then, I mean, you wouldn't know because you're too young and you don't have all the facts. But how would anybody expect you to be successful if you didn't have tools beyond like, hey, count your carbs and put this in. And then everyone knows it. I mean, everybody talks about their diabetes. Like, like, you know, oh, I don't know. I do the same thing every day and it never works out the same.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Right.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

So if that's people's expectation of it. This is not specifically about your mom or any mom. I just don't understand how anyone would say, well, you know, this is very unknowable. It seems nebulous. It's hard to like pin down. She's 15, I'm sure she's got it. Why would somebody not say like, so.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

She, I mean, we went. Yeah, I know. I totally get what you mean because I'm a mom now too, so. And I give my mom a lot of grace. And she was like talking like she's gonna listen to this episode. So I'm like, hi, mom. But yeah, I love you so much. Don't be sad by anything that I'm saying because I have 100% grace for you. But being a single mom, like, and going to school and going to work, like, she worked, she became a nurse, she worked night shift, she worked the weekend night so that she'd be home throughout the week for us. And she had so much going on personally herself. You know, she had two older kids. My older brother has had his issues, you know, and then she had my younger brother. So I think that like, I didn't make waves, so I didn't get a lot of.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, you were that one.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Like, I was that one. I was like, that one has good.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Grades and takes a shower. We don't have to worry about it.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, no, I am like a peacemaker. Like, I'm like, I'm going to make everybody feel comfortable. Like I'm a host. Like I'm not loud and.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. You know, that can be an attribute of a child of divorce.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, I was.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

But so I kind of pointed this out and asked the question in your story because your mom clearly is a hard working person trying to succeed and trying to do better for all of you.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

So like you can hear that in the story then. The question that pops into my mind is if a person who's that focused is willing to just go like, oh, it's probably okay on something like this, then that's the answer. The answer is that people have only so much bandwidth and hers was used up already. This episode is brought to you by Omnipod. Would you ever buy a car without test driving it first? That's a big risk to take on a pretty large investment. You wouldn't do that. Right. So why would you do it? When it comes to choosing an insulin pump, most pumps come with a four year lock in period through the DME channel and you don't even get to try it first. But not Omnipod 5. Omnipod 5 is available exclusively through the pharmacy which means it doesn't come with a typical four year DME lock in period. Plus, you can get started with a free 30 day trial to be sure it's the right choice for you or your family. My daughter has been wearing an Omnipod every day for 17 years. Are you ready to give Omnipod5 a try? Request your free starter kit today at my link omnipod.com Juicebox terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com juicebox find my link in the show notes of this podcast player or at juicebox Podcast. Com. You've probably heard me talk about usmed and how simple it is to reorder with US Med using their email system. But did you know that if you don't see the email and you're set up for this, you have to set it up? They don't just randomly call you. But I'm set up to be called if I don't respond to the email because I don't trust myself 100%. So one time I didn't respond to the email and the phone rings the house, it's like, ring. You know how it works? And I picked it up, I was like, hello? And it was just the recording. I was like, you asked Mad doesn't actually sound like that, but you know what I'm saying? It said, hey, you're. I don't remember exactly what it says, but it's basically like, hey, your order's ready. You want us to send it? Push this button if you want us to send it. Or if you'd like to wait. I think it lets you put it off like a couple of weeks or push this button for that. That's pretty much it. I push the button to send it and a few days later, box right at my door. That's it. Usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Get your free benefits checked now and get started with usmed Dexcom Omnipod Tandem Freestyle. They've got all your favorites, even that new eyelet pump. Check them out [e-mail] juicebox or by calling 888-7211514. There are links in the show notes of your podcast player juicebox podcast.com to us med and all the sponsors.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. And I mean, she would try. I mean, obviously we went to the Endo. She got me seen by like a psychologist at the Endo's office to talk about like, why are you doing this, like, what's going on? They wanted to start me on an antidepressant, you know? Cause that's. I feel like a very band aid fix for some things. And, like, none of that. Not for people that are depressed. I wasn't depressed. I. You know what I mean? Like, not that I can call at the time.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, you don't feel like you were clinically depressed. You feel like you were a young kid who didn't want to have diabetes. And his parents were divorced, correct?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. And my dad lived four hours away and was, like, not involved at all. Still not really involved in my life. So it was like, you know, we had a very close family, and it was like, she would make sure I took my insulin and stuff, but I also was hiding a lot. And, like, I then developed diabulemia when I was, like, 16.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

That threw a wrench in, like, everything, because I had poor body image issues from ever since I can remember. I always felt, like, overweight, like, the fat kid. And then once I got diagnosed, I was, like, skinny, you know? And then I would. Yo, yo. With my insulin and whatever, I would retain a lot of water. When I'd start taking insulin correctly again, probably just. Just the whole fluid shift that is associated with taking insulin. And the longer you do it for, I would finally, like, diaries. Like, the excess water would come off eventually, but it was just like, I didn't like to take insulin, and I, Like, I associated insulin with being overweight.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, I gotcha. Were you limiting your. Is that how it started? You started limiting your insulin to manipulate your weight?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. At, like, 16.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

How'd you figure that out?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I went back to. Well, when I didn't have insulin before I had diabetes, I was skinny. So we'll do it again.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Little. Little cause and effect there. Made sense to you? Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

How long did you do that for? Did you get treatment for it? Where is that now?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I never got treatment for it. I did it really extremely after a high school breakup when I was, like, 16. Very classic girl move. So that was, like, 16 to 17. I, like, had the most issue with it. And then after that, I just kind of would only shoot my basal, and every once in a while, I'd bolus.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I can't even tell you what my A1Cs were from the age of, like, 18 to 23. I didn't see an endo because.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Were you off of your peds endo at that point and then on to an adult endo?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. At 18, I kind of was like, I'm an adult now. I did see one endo when I was. After I turned 18, I was just, like, I felt a lot of shame, and I was hiding, too.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

What was the shame for not taking.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Care of my diabetes? Like, I knew that it was bad to not take care of my diabetes, like, and I knew that I was doing something that was harmful, but, like, I didn't have the tools to do it the right way, and I didn't like gaining weight, and so I just kept doing what I had gotten used to.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. And that was more powerful than the shame. So that's the way you leaned.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Every time I felt like I tried to get control of my diabetes, I don't know if I was, like, over basal. I'm sure I was over baseled. I would then meet with. Be met with, like, a lot of lows, you know, so it just felt like no matter what I do, I do it wrong. I just can't deal with this. And your brain is not fully developed until you're 25, so I was definitely not fully developed.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I'm still waiting for mine to fully develop. So.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

So would you describe it as you get beat down, you finally decide to get up again, and then you throw yourself back into the fight and everything goes wrong? So you just figure, like, well, I'll just stay down?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Is that how it works?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. What gets you out of that when you're 23?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Oh, just like all the women that get on here to get married and decide that they're gonna want to have a family. And I actually do want to live and be healthy. And, you know, I'm being mature, too. So I actually became a nurse. I'm a nurse. I became a nurse by the time I was 20.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Which a lot of nursing school, like, when we learned the whole diabetes thing, that was when, again, I would like to try to have, you know, when you're going through the whole diabetes module of, like, what type two is and type one is. And I was like, I tried again, you know, I was like, okay, I can do this if we're educated about it, whatever. So I had a lot of, like, textbook knowledge, I guess, but I didn't, like, put into play. But I felt a lot of shame as a type 1 diabetic that was, like, not taking care of themselves, you know? And I was at work. I worked labor and delivery at the time, and I took care of a patient that came in with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes. She delivered a baby. I can't. I will Remember this forever. She was 32 weeks. Her baby was nine pounds. She had a shoulder dystocia at delivery, and the baby went to the nicu, and she, you know, everyone, like, looked at her and, like, blamed her. And I just thought that me.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay, so not only are you standing there having to tell this person what they're doing wrong, while you're personally doing it wrong, now you're starting to think, like, that's how this is going to go for me. I'm going to be this person. If I'm not already. I'm going to be the day I become pregnant.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. And I just. Sorry, I'm emotional. I just so badly wanted to be a mom that, like, I felt like I can't do that to my babies.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Well, do you need a minute? Are you okay?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, I'll be okay. I'm good.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I want to go back to that thing you said because, I mean, I've identified this a long time ago on the podcast. Now, there's some times I think that maybe the podcast is more about this conversation you and I are having and others like it, than it is just about the diabetes. But you're saying that at some point, fueled with the idea that you wanted to be a mom and you didn't want your kid to be in a bad position, you didn't want your own health to be in a bad position. To put a child's health in a bad position, that fuel then what becomes, like, you find a vehicle to put it into. When you meet somebody who you want to complete that cycle with, like, it's a guy, Right. Like, you meet a guy and you're like, this is the right person. I have this drive. I'll take better care of myself.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, kind. So I was engaged and got left the day that I was supposed to get married. When I was 22, 21.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Somebody left you at the altar.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. For real?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

That actually happened to you? Like, you're talking about, like, in a dress and.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, I was, like, getting ready. I got, like. We could. He, like, disappeared. We couldn't find him. It was a whole dramatic, like, whatever type of thing. We finally find out where he goes. He tells me, this is what really hurts so bad. And I hear this voice in my head. Not the voice per se, but that's what he said. I don't want to have to take care of you.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, Jesus.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So that's what he said was the reason why he didn't want to marry me. Because at that time, I was trying to get better control of my diabetes, you know? And I think he saw. I think his dad. I mean, we were so young. We dated all through high school, and then, I mean, he saw me go through diabulemia. He saw me, yo, yo. With, like, the insulin back and forth. I don't know what it's like from his perspective, but at 22, you probably don't want to take care of this girl. She's like, honestly, though, I was pretty put together everywhere outside of diabetes. I was a nurse at 20. I made good money. I paid for our apartment. I paid for our car. Like, I did a lot. Right. So. And he was still in school, so. But for him to say he didn't want to take care of me, really, sometimes when I'm with my husband, I still think, like, nobody wants to take care of me because my dad left when I was, like, two as well.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So you have that whole, you know.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. It's like, it's a cycle, right?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Like, what's wrong with me? Type of thing. But I know there's nothing wrong with me now. Like. Like, I know that. I'm very confident in the fact that.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You'Re kind to make the arguments in his favor because they're not untrue. Right. Like, you. First of all, you guys are too young to get married. I just want to put that out there right now.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Okay.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

My wife was that age when we got married, and we were too young to get married. It was a terrible idea. And he's too young to know how to manage that conversation. Obviously, if he let it get to that point, like. Right. That he. He felt like that for a while.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I would say, yeah. Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

The finality of marriage is what pushed him to just blurt it out.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Right. Yeah. And then just be like, I can't, I can't. I can't.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Might have been cool if he said it two years before, and you could have, like, had time to talk about it. But, like, he. Like, you make the point earlier. Like, nobody's brains formed yet. Nobody knows what they're doing when they're 20. Right.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You can't handle that. Well, does it throw you into. Do you rise triumphant from this, or do you start doing the math in your head going, my dad left. This guy left. Nobody's going to care. I'm so accomplished in the rest of my life, and it's not overcoming this diabetes thing. I can't figure it out. Like, maybe they're right or, like, where does your head go?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I moved back in with my mom and my Stepdad at this time and they just helped me to get some therapy and some counseling and I was still working. I actually changed jobs at that time. I worked like a med surg floor. I finally got. I. Then I went to labor and delivery and I was like, wow, this is amazing. That's what I wanted to do. And I actually became a believer. So like a Christian at that time. And that saved me, like, truly.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. You tried therapy and God?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, yeah. Well, my therapist was. He's the pastor.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Like a pastor?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. I see. Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Were you religious minded prior to that?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, my mom married a man when I was 17. They're still married. He's a believer and like totally transformed our whole family.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I see. Okay, awesome. So you're saying 23. Is that when you met somebody and you decided to get married again?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, yeah. So my husband and I met online dating. We met and then six months later we were engaged. And then like six months after that we were married. So we met and got married within like a year.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Was it online dating, particularly for people with like a certain religious background?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, it was Christian.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I was going to say they should call it ginge. Right? Like Jesus and.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Oh, I don't know now, like, that was 12 years ago. So we've been married for 10 years.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, congratulations, Christian. Mingle, huh? Awesome.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, there are some really weird, like. Okay, there's some really weird people on there too. So I went on some dates that were like. Like this people are not, you know.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Please just tell me the high level overview of the odd date of the oddest one that pops into your head.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I went to a baseball game with the guy and he was flirting with all the girls around me. And then at the end, he tried to take my glasses off to kiss me, which is like so weird, right? Like you're. We're on a date at a baseball game. You're flirting with all these. He was like, oh. Like, he was talking to them, telling them they were so pretty and stuff like that. And I was like, what is going on? And then we get to leave and he, like goes to take my glasses off and I'm like, what is happening? And then he tries to kiss me and I was like, no, no, no, no.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I always wonder how many times in a day a girl is thinking, what is happening? It must be so many times.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, it was a. It was really bizarre.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

He's given me older than you vibes in that.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, probably a few years older.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I feel it. Okay, well, he thought that was smooth.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

The glasses thing no, that's, like, gonna blind me. That's weird.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You're, like, awesome.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Don't touch my face. I don't know you.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I'm gonna get my glasses back. You're gonna back up, and I'm gonna still need a ride home. But then, yeah, we're done. Now that's interesting. Okay. All right. So you meet your guy, and you set on a plan. How do you change your diabetes management so that you're not back in that spot where you're like, well, damn it, I'm gonna take care of myself, but I'm gonna gain weight. And, like, how do you keep that cycle from happening that time?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So I went to an endo, and I found low carb.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So I decided I'm gonna like. Low carb was kind of, like, popular. Then, like, it started to get. Or I guess maybe I just became aware of it. I don't actually know how long it's been popular for, but in my brain, it's been popular for, like, 10 years.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I think it's been popular since cavemen. But, yeah, I gotcha.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

You know what I mean? But, like, I became aware of it at that time. I started to eat low carb. I went to an endo. I was in her office, and they do the A1C, like, right there where they prick your finger and do the automatic A1C.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Sure.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And my A1C was like, 11. And I just started crying because at this point, I had been trying for the last, like, I don't know, four or five weeks.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You know, this is a month or so of you going, I am going to do this. Wait till you see how good I am. Oh, my God. My A1C is 11. That's the vibe?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, that's the vibe. So I start crying, and she was so kind to me. She was the nicest endo. She hugged me, and she goes, this doesn't have to be where you have to be forever. We can change from here. And I was like, you don't know I've done. This is years of bad blood sugar. I don't even know what I've done wrong. And she was like, well, let's start from here and see where we can go.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

What did she start with?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Lantis and Humalog probably is what I was on.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Right.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And then I got a continuous glucose monitor. Mind blown about that. And then I got the animus that you could have your glucose monitor on. What is that called?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Is it the ping?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, maybe the vibe.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay, maybe.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I don't know. It Was a while ago. It was 10 years ago. So I had that. I get a gut punch. Because once you start regulating your blood sugars, what do you think happens to your eyes? I got retinopathy. I probably had retinopathy, but I got retinal edema because all those blood vessels in the back of my eyes that were growing to feed the eyeball from all the damage now became inflamed when my blood sugars came down so quickly. So I saw a retina specialist who was a total jerk and was like, well, you have type 1 diabetes. What did you think was gonna happen? To which my mom was at that appointment, and she was like, we think that we're going to change, and we don't need your help.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

And what are you, 20 to 23 at that point?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I was 23.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. What did I think was going to happen? I don't know what I think about anything.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Right. Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You were 23 at one point, too, and you didn't know anything either. Like. Yeah, but I don't know why people have to be.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

He told me that it wasn't a medical emergency, what I was going through, and I didn't need to be seen as quickly as I thought I did because I was trying to push for a sooner appointment.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. And he said, what did you think was gonna happen?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay, so you made the switch. You found somebody else, and then what's the treatment like for your eyes?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, so I had the. I had Avastin injections, and then once I regulated my blood sugars down for a while, like, so my A1C at that appointment was like, 11. My next A1C was 6.5, and the one after that was below 6.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Wow. And that's just off the doctor going, hey, let's just. We'll just move some things around here. Try this, try that, and that. Just that easy.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, it was really, like, I decided I. Well, I. With the continuous glucose monitor. Knowing your numbers makes a big difference. So once I actually knew what my blood sugars were and I was exercising and I ate low carb, and I just was like, yeah, I have diabetes. This is going to be a thing. Like, I have it. Let's do it.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. I can't ignore it. Were you a person who didn't talk about it prior to that?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Oh, yeah. I hid it. I mean, nobody knew. I didn't tell anybody.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. And did that change when you found your rhythm?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I talk more about it now since I'm a mom, because I don't want like, if my kids get diabetes, I never want them to feel like they have to hide it. So I think it's actually. And yeah, probably just I wasn't ashamed of it anymore. So I'm, I'm definitely, like, way more open to talk about now. It's nothing. I lead with like, oh, hi, my name's Alex. I have diabetes, Alex.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Diabetes. What's going on?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Not how I roll.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. So I'm dying to know, like, you've been married for a decade now. Was the other guy right or are you taking care of yourself? Like, you know what I mean?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, no, I'm totally taking care of myself. He was wrong.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

He was wrong. But back then, would he have been right?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. All right.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

He was right.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

So it's a big change.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I mean, if he didn't leave, I don't know if I. I mean, if I didn't. If that didn't happen, none of my life now would be where it's at. So I'm thankful for that.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? And that's something like something that you probably in the moment thought of as like the worst thing that ever happened to you. In just a few years of hindsight, you can say that maybe is the thing that saved me.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, no, for sure. I mean, the fact that my husband was living in Australia and found out he had a kid in the United States is what brought him home. And then that's when we met, like he was in a whole different country. So the fact that we even ended up together is like crazy.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

A lot of Christian mingling going on. It sounds like.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, he wasn't a Christian before. Yeah, no, we all have past lives. I love my stepson, so it's all good.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, that's awesome. And how many kids do you have now?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, so I have my 16 year old stepson, I have a 7 year old daughter, a 4 year old son, and my baby just turned 8 months yesterday.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, my gosh. You've made three babies in the last 10 years?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I have made three babies in the last 10years. And we're done.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Did any of them come out like £9 when they were barely in there for a while or. It all went pretty well?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, no, no, no. I mean, no, it didn't go so great.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. How'd it go?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, that's actually. So I originally reached out to you. Okay, great. So my daughter was born. I had. So the crazy thing with her was I lost vision in one of my eyes because of the retinopathy they had me take aspirin to prevent preeclampsia, which they have everybody that has high risk take that. I actually think because of that and the fact that I had had laser done in my eye prior to being pregnant, just any extra pressure, you can have like a retinal, like one of a bleed from a vessel that breaks off. Okay, so my. In my left eye. Yeah, it's my left. I lost vision in my left eye when I was pregnant with her. And they were like, it's okay. It'll come back. Like your eye. Cause it wasn't a retinal detachment. It was just like my eye got filled with floaters to the point where I couldn't see.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, geez.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, it was really scary. I was actually working. Like, I bent over and coughed. So extra pressure. Right. I was bending over and I coughed while I was like. I think I was emptying. I do remember I was emptying a patient's Foley catheter when I was doing it. And then I stood up and then I could just see like. I don't know if any of you have a floater or whatever, but, like, I could just see the darkness happen in my left eye.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Wow.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So that was crazy. I was probably 30 weeks pregnant with her. I developed preeclampsia and had to deliver early at 34 weeks. She went to the NICU. She's fine now. I mean, she's perfectly healthy and everything's great. She had respiratory distress. She was there for two weeks, which was really hard for me. I took a lot of shame on with that. I'm somebody that like, really internalizes everything is my fault type of thing. So. Especially since I was supposed to keep her safe, you know, and grow her to the right way. I didn't grow her the right way. So I felt really guilty about that and probably a little bit of postpartum depression after her. And then I wasn't able to breastfeed well because I became an over producer. So babies usually eat two to three ounces every two to three hours. So that's about 24 ounces a day. I produced like 80 ounces a day.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, my gosh.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. So way more than she could eat. So for the first, like two months of her life, once we were home, it was all about breastfeeding. We were seeing lactation after lactation. I was supposed to pump before, feed her, pump after. But by the time you do that, that's two hours time again. I need to eat again.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, you're just hooked up to the machine 24 hours a day.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

You're just a cow. That's literally. I was like, all I exist for is for my boobs. Like, I can't do this.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

But so many women tell me about, like, how the breastfeeding makes their blood sugar low. Were you having to eat constantly to keep up with it?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, my blood sugars were really low, too. Yeah. Yeah. I finally was like, wow, I can eat, like, because I ate so, like, I was so strict with my diet. My A1C's when I was pregnant with her were like 4.9. I think my highest A1C when I was pregnant with my daughter was 5.3, 5.4.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

What a slap in the face, by the way, that you could finally just kind of eat whatever you want. Your blood sugar stays lower and. But the trade off is you to be basically pumping constantly to keep that going.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. So. So then I decided to just exclusively pump and then just bottle fetal, which was fine. I got to the point where, like, you just pump, like, every six hours, you know, and then you go to, like, you know, during the day when the baby sleeps through the night, you can sleep through the night type of thing. And that all worked fine. And I was still eating low carb. Like, I ate low carb my whole pregnancy. I ate low carb my whole postpartum thing, and that was good. And then I got pregnant with my son. We were trying, and we got pregnant the day everybody locked down. So, like, in March of 2020.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Get a couple of fun months in there. It was just like, on day one.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, we were trying before, so. Yeah, we were trying before, but then. Then Covid happened, and I'm a nurse, and I was like, oh, my gosh, what's gonna happen? Like, I'm going to work taking care of patients with COVID Like, what's going to happen to this baby? You know? So I was, like, all worried about that, but nothing ever happened with him, so that's great. But I did have a normal pregnancy.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Did you ever get Covid while you were pregnant?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Not while I was pregnant, no. I got pregnant. I got Covid in 2021. Like, December of 2021.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Doesn't. Doesn't the. The body, like, kind of super ramp up your immune system while you're pregnant? Like, don't a lot of women report being very. Not getting colds while they're pregnant? Stuff like that?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Right.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Am I right about that?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I don't know.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You've had three babies and you're a nurse. Why am I I'm asking you, and you're like, I don't know.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I still got sick when I was pregnant because I take care of sick people, you know?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, that's.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I don't know.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

That's what I was wondering. Because your face. You're. I mean, you're face to face with sick people. You must be sick all the time. Like, as a nurse.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, I'm not now. Not nearly as much as. I don't think so. I actually think that my nickname when I was growing up was Typhoid Alex because my dad named me that. So kind.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Right before he left.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, no, it was when we'd go see him, but he'd be like, you come in town and you're not sick, and then you leave and everybody gets sick. You're like a carrier for stuff.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Awesome. Thanks, Dad. I love you. Give me a hug, please.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, he's the greatest. A lot of sarcasm there. Anyways, so. No, but I don't know about that. But they were really nice to me at my work. I worked on a labor and delivery. I still do. They were like, okay, anyone pregnant doesn't have to take care of COVID patients. And we swabbed everybody when they got admitted, so. And if you were coming in for an induction or a C section, we could see if you had Covid. You'd have to go get your COVID test prior to being admitted to the hospital. So as a, like, kindness to, like, anyone that was pregnant, they didn't let us take care of anybody that had Covid.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay. So, listen, I'm learning here along with everybody else. Ready? Pregnancy doesn't boost the immune system in a blanket way, but it reshapes it. Immune system shifts in pregnancy. During early pregnancy, which is implantation and first trimester, the immune system is dialed down in some ways so the body doesn't reject the embryo. In the second trimester, the immune system becomes more balanced, letting mom fight off infections better while still protecting the baby. In the third trimester, the immune system ramps back up to prepare for labor, which is basically an inflammatory process. It says that what that means in practice is that pregnant women aren't immune boosted. They're more vulnerable to certain infections, like the flu. COVID 19, Listeria. At the same time, some immune responses are heightened. Conditions like asthma or autoimmune diseases such as RA or multiple sclerosis, often improve temporarily during pregnancy, while others can flare. Vaccinations during pregnancy, like a flu or a tdap, are recommended because mom's antibodies can be passed on to the baby. I'm wrong. Like, I just. That's a thing that I've grown up hearing people say all the time. And it's partially. Seems like it's partially right depending on what trimester you're in and partially, completely wrong depending on what trimester you're in. So now we're all learning something together.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

That music should play right here. The more, you know, Right?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. Anyway, I don't know, really, the song, but I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Okay. So had my son, and after him, he also went to the NICU for respiratory distress because they induced. They. Well, they and myself, I don't mind being induced at 37 weeks because I've seen bad outcomes, you know, so, like, the minute I hit 37 weeks, I'm like, baby's term, let's go. You know, like, it's better out of me than in me. I don't like, let's get the baby. Let's have the baby. So he did go to the. Some people would think that that's like, I don't know. There's a lot of, like, birth is natural, whatever. But, like, I have seen so many terrible outcomes at, like, term, post dates, like, when you're past 40 weeks, like, I just want my baby out and healthy.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Can I get a couple examples of outcomes that you've seen that you didn't want?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Like people that come in and their baby's just dad, like, passed away. It's called an iufd. Intrauterial. Intrauterine fetal demise at, like, term. And they don't know why.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, gosh. I guess if you see that a couple of times, it sticks with you, huh?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. I wouldn't say I have anxiety outside of being pregnant, but when I'm pregnant, I'm, like, worried about the baby the whole time. Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

And do you think that is somewhat to do with your job?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yes, I don't think my job helps at all. And. Well, yeah, I do. I think, because I've seen all the things that I've seen. It's my job. And then also knowing that I have type 1 diabetes.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So I had him, and he went to the NICU for, like, a few days because he had respiratory distress and he was fine. He had no issues. He was only there for a couple of days. And then postpartum with him, tried to breastfeed him. Didn't go. Great. Again, because I'm an over producer. So I just decided, whatever, we're skipping this. Two months of trying. We're just Going to exclusively pump my husband can feed bottles. It'll be great. So that's what we did. And that worked really well. And then I was probably, like, six or seven weeks postpartum. And I remember. I remember this because it was a big deal. I, like, stood up. I put my son down, and I stood up. We have a split level. And I walked up, like, five stairs to go meet my husband and give him a hug because he had just got home from work. When he let go of me, I passed out.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

So, like, I lost consciousness. And I was only, like, six or seven weeks postpartum because I hadn't gone back to work yet. My blood sugar was completely normal. Wouldn't you think that I would know that with a continuous glucose monitor, everything was fine. But that is what the emergency room decided. I had a low blood sugar. I was like, well, you can look at my dexcom graph. My blood sugar was normal because my mom is an ER nurse at this time. She's like, you lost consciousness. You could have hit your head. Because my husband let go of me, and I fell. He didn't catch me.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

He's like, oh, gosh, she's heavy. I don't want to hurt myself.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I don't know. Like, my daughter had come upstairs, too, and she was 2, so maybe she was giving him a hug. Okay. I don't know. I lost consciousness.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

He just wasn't there. I'm gone now.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I don't know what happened. All I know is I, like, was on the floor when I woke up, and I was. He said I was, like, jerking. Like, he's like, I don't think you had a seizure, but you're, like, shaking. And he checked my blood sugar with my Dexcom. Like, he looked at my app, and he was like, no, your blood sugar is fine. Like, I.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You know, but it wasn't.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, it was. It was actually fine. Like, my blood sugar was fine. The ER was, at that time, was convinced that that was the problem.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, the CGM was reading wrong.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Wrong. Yeah. I don't know. Like, you had a low blood sugar. And I was like, but I didn't. So my mom made me go to the er. I went to the er. They ran tests, and they found out nothing. They just were like, well, it could be your blood sugar. Could be your heart. Like, let's go see cardiology. And then I listened to your podcast. I was like, it could be my thyroid. You know, like, maybe it's my thyroid causing my heart rate to go up. Because I noticed, because we had moved into a split level right before we had my son that whenever I go upstairs, I get really tachycardic. So I was like, it would be my thyroid, could be pots, like, whatever. So I wore a halter monitor. The cardiologist said nothing was abnormal. Time went on. I did start taking iodine and selenium to help my thyroid, because my endocrinologist was like, no, your thyroid's fine. And my levels were normal. They were under two, so it was. They were fine.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Is it possible? I mean, it really does feel to me like the most reasonable explanation is that the CGM just wasn't caught up to the low blood sugar yet.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, I didn't have a seizure. Like, all it was was it's jerking from lack of oxygen to brain activity. I'll get to what it actually was.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, you have. You have an answer to this? You have an an.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I have an answer, but I didn't find it out until after I've had my last babies because I kind of just felt like crap on and off after I had my son. And I was like. And everyone's just like, well, that's postpartum.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You know, I have to tell you, you've been so well trained by listening to the podcast so much. You don't need me here. Like, I should just leave you alone because you're doing such a good job of telling your story. So I'm sorry, go ahead. Look at me jumping in, and you're just like, shut up. I'm getting to it.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I have it kind of written out.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Oh, no kidding.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

In front of me. Little bullet points of, like, which. What came next?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Well, you're great. Go ahead. You should be.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, okay, great. A year of feeling like crap, and then I finally stopped, you know, pumping for my son. He got to a year. I always try to give him at least a year of breast milk. And because I'm an overproducer, I have, like, a deep freezer full of extra breast milk, so they. They get plenty. So then I stopped pumping, and I finally felt like a normal human. But between in that year, I was, like, trying to, like, figure out what's wrong with me. Is it my thyroid? Is it pots? I don't have pots. I got tested. It wasn't my thyroid. I actually made an appointment with integrative diabetes, and I wanted to talk to Jenny because, like, I've heard Jenny on the podcast, but I couldn't get an appointment with her because she's, like, so busy and booked. I did talk to somebody and they gave me, like, they suggested getting certain labs drawn, which I did, but it didn't lead to anything, you know. And then once I was done breastfeeding, I felt fine. So I was like, wow, I feel like this. It must have just been, you know, must just be this postpartum period that everybody talks about, Talks about.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And then I had my ba. My youngest daughter, she's eight months old, so I had her in December. And that pregnancy was fine. All of my pregnancies, I've been able to be really active through. I exercise every day. Like, I run, I row, I bike, I lift weights. Like, I like to exercise. It's great. And I work. I work part time. I didn't really have any issues at all. Blood pressures were normal. Everything was fine. And I had her, had a great delivery. I'm like five weeks postpartum. My husband wakes up. This is the story that made me reach out to you. My husband wakes up and he goes. He's like, I gotta go on a business trip. I have a meeting. He owns his own business, so he was going out of town to try and get a job and leaving for somewhere on a plane. So I was like, okay. I have all four kids. I wake up to get my oldest up for high school. So I go up the stairs and I pass out, going up the stairs, but I can feel it about to happen. So I laid down so I didn't actually lose consciousness. And then I basically just stand up slowly and go to his room and still wake him up. Which now, hindsight, I don't know why I let him go to school, but I was like, okay, hey, you gotta go to school. So then I went back to my room. So split level, it's like five steps down, another five steps down. So I go back to my. My room and I lay down and my heart just is like pounding. And I'm like, something's wrong. I don't know what's wrong, but something's wrong with me. So I text my husband, you know, not to alarm him, but I'm like, hey, I'm not feeling well. And he goes, getting on the plane. I hope you feel better.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Good luck.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Love you. And, you know, that's. That's what he says. So that was great. So then I called my mom because I'm like, well, he's not, you know, he's not helping. He's on a plane, like, great. And my mom's an ER nurse, so I text her, and she works nights at the time, so I text her and I was like, are you awake? Are you at work? And she calls me and she's like, what's going on? You know, it's like six in the morning. Why do you, you know, so whatever. So she calls me and I'm like, mom something. I don't feel good. And she's like, what's going on? I was like, I just feel like I can't catch my breath and my heart's beating so hard. Like I just do not feel well at all. And she was like, okay, what do you need? And I was like, I passed out when I went to go get my stepson up for school. And she was like, okay, I'm not at work, but I'll just come to your house. So she was about 45 minutes away. So I'm like, okay, I can do this. I have like, I got like teary eyed on the phone because I just was like, I can't get the baby up. If I'm gonna like try and go up the stairs with the baby, she's in my room, like, I'm gonna drop her. What do I do? You know what I mean? Like, I had all these like, oh my gosh. These little people are dependent on me. Something's wrong and I don't know what'. Like, what do I do? So I somehow get my baby upstairs. It's really crazy. I actually just scooted on my butt and went up my butt, holding the baby up the stairs backwards like a kid because I didn't want to like pass out when I held her. But she needed to eat. And all of my stuff to feed her is upstairs and like in our main level in the kitchen. So then my oldest daughter wakes up and she has school. She's waking up and my kids are so great. Like they're like ready. Like we lay out everything the night before. We're routine oriented. So both of them are getting dressed, both of them are getting ready for the day. And my son thinks it's funny that I'm crawling around on the floor. He like jumps on my back.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

This lady's a crack up. We're having a party.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, he is like, he, he jumps on my back. I'm like, hey, no. Like, this is not okay. I don't feel good. You know, like, I'm like, I don't feel good.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Mommy's dying. Just stop.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Essentially, yeah. Like, I'm like, something's really wrong.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Wrong. Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And then almost puke. I'm not a puker. I've never puked in any of my pregnancies. Puking. If I puke, then the world is ending to me. I don't do it well. I don't know how to do it. I just don't puke. So I felt that. Oh, my gosh, I'm going to puke. What's happening? So the kids help me feed the baby. My oldest daughter warms up a bottle because she knows how to do that because she's great. Six years old. She's amazing. And then my mom come is at my house, and she's like, well, let's. What do you want to do? And I was like, let's get the kids to school. And she's like, okay, okay. She doesn't know how to drive my.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Wait, she doesn't know how to drive your Mini. Was it a stick?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

You know how some people, like, if they're not familiar with. I don't like to drive other people's cars if I'm not familiar with it, you know?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

All right, all right, listen. Now your mom's gonna get made fun of. She can't pivot to a minivan.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, she could, but there's, like. So on the Honda Odyssey, to reverse, you, like, have to push down on the R. Like, push the button. She probably could have done it. Fine. But I just get in the driver's seat and I drive. We drop my daughter off at one school, and we dropped my son off at the other school, and we're, like, in the van, and she's like, what's your heart rate? And I was like, it's 160. And she was like, oh, well, that's. We're going to the hospital. And I was like, no, I'm going to be fine. Because, like, all I have in my head is, like, the last ER visit after I had my son, everything was fine. And they said, like, it was no big deal. Right?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. So my mom's like, no, your respirators are really high, too. And I was like, what? And she's like, you, like, can't catch your breath? Like, when you talk, you're, like, pausing so much in between talking. And I was like, she. And she had asked me already what was your blood sugar? And my blood sugars were normal, actually, they were on the lower end. Right. So we go to the hospital. They make me walk back after I almost passed up, just standing out, and I, like, grabbed the wall, and I was like, I'm about to pass out. I need a wheelchair. Like, I'm gonna need you to help me. Because my mom had taken my Baby to go warm up more breast milk because babies eat all the time, you know, so she here, she needs to eat. Thankfully, we had packed everything up in the. Getting the kids in the car. I'd brought bottles and breast milk and stuff. It's amazing how you. You can just do things automatically, even though you're like kind of dying at the same time.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Like, it's amazing. So. So we're in the hospital and this doctor comes in and he was like, I don't know what's wrong. They wanted to rule out a PE because that's common after pregnancy. And they asked me some more questions and I'm like, I don't know what's wrong with me. I just woke up and I started feeling this way. It turns out I had what's called lactation acidosis.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

What?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yes. That's what I want. Nobody knows. There's like hardly any cases. You should ask Chatgpt about it. I can't wait to hear what Chatgpt said. But lactation acidosis, because I eat an extremely low carb diet, and by like extremely low carb, I mean, like, I kind of eat what's called ketovore. So like, it's like some vegetables and mainly just like animal products. Like, that's how I feel the best.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And because I ate such a low carb diet, I required such little insulin because of my basal metabolic needs increased with breastfeeding. I was probably only getting about 10 units a day. I went into acidosis because I didn't have enough insulin for my body requirements, but my blood sugars were totally normal.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Lactic acidosis is a thing. You had it. That's crazy.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Lactation acidosis.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

It told me that that is not what it is. They say people sometimes call it lactation acidosis, but it's lactic acidosis. Who knows?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Oh, sorry.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Don't be sorry. This could also be wrong. A dangerous buildup of lactic acid in the blood leading to an acidic ph. It happens when the body either overproduces lactate from low oxygen or extreme stress or can't clear lactate efficiently from liver or kidney dysfunction. Low oxygen shock, severe anemia, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure could all cause this.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, so I think that is something different. So what I had was like euglycemic DKA from breastfeeding.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You had U. Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Eu Glycemic, G, L, Y. I'm not going to spell anymore because I can't spell.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

No, hold on. It's good. I'm there. Oh, I see where this Is going. You're asking if breastfeeding can cause low blood sugar, glycemic changes. Lactation, ketoacidosis. Extremely rare condition seen in breastfeeding women. Usually when dietary carbohydrate intake is very low. The body burns fat for energy, gives you ketone buildup, Metabolic acidosis symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, rapid breathing, weakness, Labs, normal or low blood sugar, high ketones, metabolic acidosis treated with IV glucose fluids and stopping the cat bolic state. Hmm. Glycemic issues from breastfeeding often mean lower. Wow, that's what happened to you.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. So that's why I felt like crap after I had my son. I was eating that same way. Nobody caught it. And I was probably going in and out of that continuously.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I just needed a piece of bread.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. I just needed to eat more carbs about that.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

So you never had that trouble again.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I imagine after I got diagnosed with it. No, they admitted me. I was in the hospital because, like, all my labs were off.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Also because I think the third baby, I was just eating less in general. Like, I didn't have time in the morning. I have two people to get to school, another one to feed. So I wasn't. I was intermittent fasting without really trying. I was eating at like 11, and then I wasn't. And I ate so low carb. So I'd eat one meal and then I'd eat dinner, and then I was tired. So as soon as the baby went to bed, my husband and I did shifts with the baby. Yeah, I stayed up late with her, and then he woke up in the middle of the night with her. But I didn't eat after a certain time because I was so tired.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. So you weren't eating to begin with, but when you were eating, you were eating very low carb.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

How do you eat nowadays?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I still eat low carb, but I make sure I get at least 50 grams of carbs in a day.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Okay, that's interesting. And. Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

But.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. And you're doing well with that. Right. Like, your body composition, even after three kids is you're good. I think I know who you are from online, is what I'm saying.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, I'm. Yeah, I'm. Good. I. I mean, I weigh more than I probably. I weigh more, but I have a lot of muscle to me, if that makes sense.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, sure.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I lost all the baby weight pretty much. I don't. And all of it, but. So their solution, everyone didn't know what I had, but my ph was off. My anion g Off. My electrolytes were off, so they admitted me. They treated me, but they couldn't. They didn't want me to take insulin because my blood sugars were so low. And they're like, but you can't eat anything, so what are we gonna do? Like, they were so confused about what they were gonna do to raise my blood sugar, so they left the room, and I ate, like, three packs of gummies. And I was like, well, I don't get it up. They'll be able to give me insulin.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I'll fix this. Hold on a second.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And my mom was like, they said not to eat. I'm like, I. I should be eating if they want me to get insulin.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Did you hear them talking? They don't know what to do.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, they don't know what to do. Yeah. So I took more insulin. I got fluids. My husband came back home.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I'm back. I'm off the plane, right?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, he landed. And I was. I was like, mom took me to. My mom took me to the er. And he was like, what's going on? And I was like, oh. And at the same time, my son. So it could have been a combination of things. My son got a stomach bug while he's at school. After we drop him off, they call for us to go pick him up because he puked everywhere. So I don't know if, like, I was somewhat sick on top of that. Like, and that could have triggered it.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Too, you know, like, come pick him up. I'd be like, I'm in the hospital. I can't come pick anybody up.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, that's what I said. I was like, I'm in the hospital. And they're like, well, your mom dropped him off. Can she pick him up? Because we. It's a. It's a small preschool that he went to.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And I was like, no, she's with me taking care of the baby. Like, I'm like, hold on. I'll figure it out.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Release him into the. He'll find his way home. He's fine. He's like a homing kid. It'll be okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

My family went and picked him up. He's fine. He still remembers it, though. Like, today, actually. He's like, I want to watch the Lion King so he can do something while I'm talking to you. And I was like, oh. And he was like, remember that time I puked and you couldn't get me? Aunt Bridget let me watch the Lion King. And I was like, oh, like, that's so funny.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. What they remember When Artem is diagnosed, we had one of those little portable DVD players. I don't even know if people realize that that was a thing.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Ardyn watched Sky High over and over and over again in the hospital. And Kelly can't watch it now. If it comes on, it makes her upset. Yeah, I get that it's interesting, but Ardyn loves it. So what are you getting? Yeah, yeah.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

He doesn't have any negative associations?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

No, no, not at all. Yeah. So. Well, the Lion King. Very nice. By the way. We made a Lion King reference the other day. And Ardyn goes, I've never seen that it.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

And I'm like.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I'm like, you haven't? She goes, no. I'm like, we've seen it on Broadway. She goes, I've never seen the movie. And I was like, oh, okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, it's on Disney plus, you should watch it.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I was like, well, I told her, try it one time. She's like, eh, Yeah. I was like, okay, this is my.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Favorite movie growing up.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I think it might have missed her. It's going to end up being one of those movies she's just never going to say till one of her, like, you know, some little kid in her life throws it on one day.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Well, Alex, this was awesome. I can't thank you enough for listening to the almost every episode of the podcast, then coming on and just doing a fantastic job of telling your story. You guys should all go listen to all 1600 episodes, then come on and be great guests. Yeah, like, Alex, that was really fantastic. I am going to need to say goodbye in a minute because I have to record again in a little bit.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, I know. I pushed back. I do want to say I wanted to come on because the. It's so rare. And I was trying to like, have normal blood sugars by eating low carb, you know, because that's kind of how I manage with the diabulemia. Like, it helps me manage my insulin levels, I guess you could say, you know, sure. Still take insulin, but not take. Like when I take a lot, it still makes me think like, oh, I'm gonna gain weight. And I just don't like that those negative thoughts. So I like eating low carb. I still take my insulin. I'm good to be normal. A1Cs and all that. So I felt like, oh, I'm doing such a good job, like, whatever. And then that happened and I was like, that's so crazy. And nobody had like. They were all like, probably chat gpting what was wrong with me, you know, over at the doctor's nurses station.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Let us go Google this, and we'll come back and let you know what we think you should do.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Yeah. So I just. I don't know that that's, like, a thing. People know that your low carb diet with breastfeeding and type 1 diabetes, you can have totally normal blood sug actually go into a form of dka.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

How about that? Well, yeah. I mean, these are the kind of stories we need. We've been doing this for 11 years now. Like, sometimes the more rare stories are incredibly interesting. This. This one certainly isn't. I don't know if it'll intersect anybody that'll. That'll ever be like, oh, this is, you know, I can stop myself from this happening, or, you know, oh, is that what's happening to me? But it's still really interesting to hear you tell it and, you know, just to know that different things happen to different people. And, I mean, you had to be pregnant twice to figure it out.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Right? You know, I know I did. I had to feel terrible for, like, a year.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. Just to, like, have this, like, moment where you kind of put enough of it together and the circumstances came together enough that you were like, oh, we have an answer now. Crazy.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. It had to get bad enough. Yeah. Because prior. When I was like, after I had my son, I probably. I never. I probably ate more frequently or didn't eat as stress or whatever, because, you know.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

And it didn't happen.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. Hey, you're still a nurse now.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, I work in an obstetrical emergency department on a labor and delivery, so it's obed, but, yeah, I'm a nurse.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You just made a comment. You said, like, they were probably out of the room chatgpting it. Does that happen a lot?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, I don't. It doesn't happen where I work, but I know that it does happen.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah. Interesting. Okay.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, I know that a lot of doctors, like, we. In pregnancy, I don't know, it's like, well, everybody's different. Like, that's like, a very common answer that you give people.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

You know, Arden had her first class yesterday of the semester, and she said the teacher asked a bunch of questions, and one of the questions the teacher just outrightly asked was, hey, you know, can you guys tell me. Gave him some sort of a scale. I never often, frequently, whatever, and said, you know, how many of you guys cheat to get through school? And Arden was like, I really don't. She's like, but some of the Kids really did. And then they started talking about it, and she's like, I think I realized that when Covid happened, I was almost like a senior. I didn't get to develop that muscle of, like, hey, nobody's looking. I can just look it up. And, you know, she's like, but the kids who lived through that time in Covid, when they were younger, her, she's like, everybody cheated. I know a kid who got into a college they did not belong in just by cheating in high school during COVID like, was actually able to, like, advance their GPA enough that got them into that school. Then they got to the school, found themselves overwhelmed, obviously. Right. Because they weren't really legitimately. Didn't really legitimately belong there academically and then just kept doing it. It and made their way right through their degree, like, just like that. Just, you know, graduated with really high honors, great gpa. You find that person right now and ask them if they'd be honest with you. They'd be like, I don't understand anything of what happened to me in that school. So.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

But that's so scary because, like, that's like doctors and nurses.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

That's my point is it's gonna be. It's gonna be a lot of different people mixed into society or just like, well, I didn't know. So I looked booked. I mean, like, for this, it's fine. Like, I'm making a podcast. Like, I don't know about this lactic thing. Like, I don't know. Like, so I'll do my best to look it up real quickly and. And hopefully people can dig into it more if they're interested. Right. But I'm not then gonna go out into the world and become, like, a. A lactation nurse. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's not like I'm gonna be out there pretending that I know because I looked it up and then, you know, try to, you know, I don't know, go tell somebody else about it. Like, I bring it up, you guys can go check on it and see what you think, you know? Know. Yeah. Anyway, I don't know. Like, it's a. It's an interesting issue.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

It's sad. I mean, I think it's that. I think that it. I'm scared to get older. That's. Honestly, I was like, I'm so glad my third baby is a girl. I have two chances that someone will take care of me. My old. My daughter.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Like, maybe they'll have enough pressure to, like, not let you fall too far. They're like, we gotta go get mom. You don't think the boys are gonna do it?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No, not really. I mean, it's not like historically that that's what happens. Typically.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I'm getting on a plane. Good luck, right?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah. Nobody has. My husband will take care of me, but, like, only till a point, you know, like, he's gonna grow old with me too. We need somebody to, like, you know, want to take care of.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Gotta get another set of hands in here.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I need a younger generation, so I gotta be real nice to my, my kid.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

It's funny because I'm vexed. I'm vexed here on the subject of, you know, people looking things up when they don't know, because what do we say over and over again? Like, you can only learn so much in nursing school. You can only learn so much in, in medical school, going over high level about things. You're expecting a doctor to keep all that in their head forever and ever. It would be great if they had something to go to.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

No?

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Yeah, but it would be great if somebody took their education really seriously and then supplemented it with this thing that can pull up information for them very quickly. I don't want somebody pretending their way through, through medical school or through nursing school like that. Yeah, that's scary.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

I think the problem, like, what? I. I don't think it's a problem to look stuff up. And I don't have a problem telling patients like, hey, I don't know. I've never seen that before. Let me look that up. I have a problem when people act as if they know everything and they're scary. You know that, like, false confidence from, like, let me just, like, I'll fake it till I make it. That is what scares me.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Don't fake it while I'm in the, in the bed here. And I need your help, Hope.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Like, yeah, yeah, I'm just faking it my whole life. It's going fine for me and you're like, maybe fine for everybody else.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

All right, well, that's some good insight from you. Thank you very much. I really, I genuinely appreciate you doing this and that. You listen to the podcast so much and, you know, I just can't say thank you enough. I. All this was terrific and you were great on the show today.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Well, thank you. I tell everyone that's type one that I meet about it.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

Thank you. That's awesome.

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

You're welcome.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

I really appreciate that. Hold on one second for me, okay?

[Alex (guest with type 1 diabetes)]

Okay.

[Host (likely a diabetes educator or podcaster)]

A huge thanks to my longest sponsor, Omnipod. Check out the Omnipod 5 now with my link omnipod.com juicebox you may be eligible for a free starter kit. A free Omnipod 5 starter kit at my link. Go check it out omnipod.com juice juicebox terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com juicebox this episode of the Juice Box Podcast was sponsored by US MED usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Get started today with US MED links in the show notes links@juicebox podcast.com hey, thanks for listening all the way to the end. I really appreciate your loyalty and listenership. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box Podcast. If you're looking for community around type 1 diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast Private Facebook Group juice box podcast type 1 diabetes but everybody is welcome. Type 1 type 2 gestational loved ones it doesn't matter to me if you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort or community, check out Juicebox podcast type 1 diabetes on Facebook. Check out my Algorithm Pumping series to help you make sense of automated insulin delivery systems like Omnipod 5, Loop, Medtronic 780G Twist, Tandem Control IQ and much more. Each episode we'll dive into the setup, features and real world usage tips that can transform your daily type 1 diabetes management. We cut through the jargon, share personal experiences and show you how these algorithms can simplify and streamline your care. If you're curious about automated insulin pumping, go find the Algorithm Pumping series in the Juice Box podcast. Easiest way juiceboxpodcast.com and go up into the menu. Click on series and it'll be right there. The episode you just heard was professionally edited by wrongway recording wrongwayrecording.com.