#1640 Bush League

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1640 – "Bush League"

Host: Scott Benner
Guests: Tammy & her 13-year-old son Devin
Release Date: September 30, 2025

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features a candid and humorous conversation with Tammy and her son Devin (13), who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 18 months ago. They discuss the dual challenges of navigating type 1 diabetes as a family, the unexpected discovery and treatment of Tammy’s thyroid cancer, and the emotional and practical adjustments that come with chronic illness. The conversation ranges from advocacy and medical decision-making to baseball stories, family dynamics, and the lighter side of living with type 1 diabetes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Diagnosing Type 1 Diabetes: Devin’s Story

• Diagnosis & Initial Experience
  • Devin, diagnosed about a year and a half ago, initially had little memory of the specifics:

    "So then she brought me to the doctor’s office. They just did a bunch of tests and then had to go to the hospital, obviously." (09:28)

  • He recalls fear at the initial diagnosis and feeling overwhelmed by the seriousness:

    "I just knew diabetes existed, I just didn’t know what it was. And like, as they started teaching me, I was like, I could die from this." (10:40)

  • Hospital staff communication could have been more sensitive, especially when discussing potential organ failure with a child (11:14).

2. Family Health Connections: Thyroid Cancer Discovery

• How Diabetes Led to Tammy’s Diagnosis:
  • Tammy revisited the podcast’s role in educating her about autoimmune links and self-advocacy:

    "It's 100% because of the podcast that I was able to [catch it early]. If he wasn’t diagnosed [with diabetes], I’d still be full of cancer right now." (07:01–08:05)

  • After her son’s diagnosis, Tammy connected the dots with her own symptoms, pushed for further testing, and ultimately discovered thyroid cancer (39:09–43:58).
  • Her self-advocacy (insisting on seeing an endocrinologist, requesting biopsy despite small nodule size) was pivotal:

    "My doctor, of course, messaged me and said: everything’s normal. And I said, well, I’m not feeling… there’s something going on here. I’d like to explore what my options are." (39:09)

  • Surgery was successful, and early detection made a major difference.

3. Navigating Adolescence & Diabetes

• How T1D Changed Devin

  • Devin describes the emotional and practical maturity that diabetes has prompted:

    "Before I was diagnosed… I was insanely immature. But obviously in the one-and-a-half years, I’ve changed a lot." (18:02)

  • He now recognizes what’s truly important:

    "I think they got like… a cold, and they’re, like, constantly complaining about it. I’m like, that’s really just nothing." (19:31)

  • His insights stress the shift in perspective that chronic illness forces at a young age.

• Record-Keeping & Mental Load:

  • Devin feels the daily pressure and frequency of diabetes decisions:

    "It’s just lots of medical choices over and over again, like maybe a hundred times a day." (17:24)

  • Pre-bolusing is a point of contention; adherence drops at his dad’s house due to time constraints and less parental involvement (23:21).

4. Family Dynamics, Support, and (Friendly) Sarcasm

• The episode is full of playful banter between Scott, Tammy, and Devin, reflecting candid family dynamics:

  • Host jokes about parental favorites and the replacement of lost pets or children, leading to tongue-in-cheek debates about who Tammy loves more (30:55–32:46).

• Living in a Two-Household Family:

  • Devin shares logistical challenges and differences in care and routines between his mom’s and dad’s homes (24:33).

5. Advocacy, Community, and the Podcast’s Impact

• Tammy credits the Juicebox Podcast for the information and mindset that empowered her to pursue her cancer diagnosis:

  "If you weren't doing this, then I never would have dug a little deeper... I wouldn't have advocated for myself as much as I did without the knowledge that you’ve put out there." (75:52)

• Scott emphasizes self-advocacy for everyone facing chronic conditions:

  "Please advocate for yourself... what could have happened by waiting, right?" (76:38)

6. Diabetes Tech, Management, and Wrestling With the Details

• Tech Stack:

  • Devin uses the Omnipod 5 insulin pump; challenges are discussed regarding its auto-mode not keeping up during illness (49:33–51:41).
  • Working through strategies: when to override, switching to manual mode, making basal/bolus adjustments based on temporary needs (51:30).

• Sports, Illness & Blood Sugars

  • Devin describes how being sick impacts blood sugars—running high, needing extra insulin, and adjusting routines while not feeling well (49:07–51:02).
  • Practical discussions about real-world management, not just theory.

7. Youth Sports, Hometown Banter & Life Lessons

• The second half meanders through baseball and football stories, emphasizing the real-life joys and absurdities of little league sports.

• Baseball “Bush League” Anecdote:

  • A comically extended story about a youth baseball “trick play” leads to a coach challenging Tammy’s assistant to a fight in the parking lot (61:02–64:37).
  • Scott’s advice: “Anybody who wants to fight with somebody at a child’s baseball game needs to go to therapy.” (70:24)

• Coaching Challenges:

  • Tammy coaches Devin’s baseball team; they reflect on women coaching boys’ teams and the importance of modeling good sportsmanship (54:30–56:07, 71:06).

• Humor & Relatability:

  • Ongoing teasing about Midwestern culture, food (“Chicago-style hot dogs”), the woes of being a Bears fan, and differences between regional dialects (12:19–14:07, 24:24–27:29).

8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the First Days with Diabetes (fear, learning, and coping):

  “As they started teaching me, I was like, I could die from this.”
  — Devin (10:40)

• On How Chronic Illness Changes Perspective:

  “I think they got… a cold... complaining about it. I’m like, that's really just nothing.”
  — Devin (19:31)

• On Podcast Advocacy Saving Lives:

  “If he wasn’t diagnosed, I’d still be full of cancer right now… it’s 100% because of the podcast…”
  — Tammy (08:05)

• On Family & Sibling Rivalry:

  “Women love their firstborn son more than their other children. And you just jumped ahead of him, so good for you.”
  — Scott (30:12)

• On Dealing with Difficult Youth Coaches:

  “Anybody who wants to fight with somebody at a child’s baseball game needs to go to therapy.”
  — Scott (70:24)

• Mom’s Parting Words:

  “If you weren’t doing this, then I never would have dug a little deeper... If this story resonates with anybody, then great, because honestly, I would still be sitting here with my entire thyroid feeling like crap, not knowing why and who knows when it would have gotten found.”
  — Tammy (75:52)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [03:13] — Reintroduction and recalling previous episode
• [05:27] — Devin shares how his diagnosis unfolded
• [06:00] — Tammy explains the events that led to discussing thyroid issues
• [10:22] — Devin’s emotional response to diagnosis
• [12:16] — Hospital communication & effect on family
• [17:24] — The constant decision-making load of T1D
• [18:02] — How maturity and perspective changed for Devin post-diagnosis
• [22:11] — Devin’s acceptance of new responsibilities
• [23:55] — Differences in diabetes management at mom’s vs. dad’s house
• [39:09–43:58] — In-depth retelling of Tammy’s journey to a thyroid cancer diagnosis and treatment
• [44:05] — Devin’s reaction to his mother’s illness news
• [51:30] — Diabetes tech: adjusting settings, insights on Omnipod 5
• [61:02–64:37] — “Bush league” baseball tale: kid antics, coaches, and adult escalation
• [70:24] — Host’s PSA on adult behavior at youth sports
• [75:52] — Tammy’s closing gratitude for the podcast and advocacy lessons

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Tone & Style

• Conversational, humorous, and playful (host frequently teases guests and himself)
• Candid and relatable about tough moments (diagnosis, parenting, hospital stays)
• Educational on medical self-advocacy and technical management details, woven with real-life stories

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Importance of Self-Advocacy:

  • If you sense something’s wrong, don’t accept “normal” test results—advocate for comprehensive investigations.

• Growing Up Fast:

  • Chronic illness brings rapid maturity—kids like Devin reflect on responsibility and develop a new appreciation for what matters.

• Support Networks Matter:

  • Community, education, and shared experience (including podcasts) can impact both physical and mental health outcomes for entire families.

• Laughter as Medicine:

  • Humor, sarcasm, and being able to “laugh so it won’t kill you” are vital coping tools for families with chronic illness.

• Podcast Host’s Role:

  • Scott’s approach blends empathy with comic relief, modeling how to navigate serious topics without descending into fear or self-pity.

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Episode Title Reference

The phrase "Bush League" is used both as a comedic refrain for youth baseball trick plays and as a metaphor for moments when adults lose perspective. It underscores both the levity and the real friction that can occur in everyday life with chronic conditions.

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For New Listeners

This episode provides a rich mix of practical advice, humor, and real-life family moments for anyone touched by type 1 diabetes (parents, teens, caregivers). The conversational style and willingness to tackle both medical and everyday absurdities are typical of Juicebox Podcast’s accessible approach.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back friends to another episode of the Juice Box Podcast.

[B]

I'm Tammy. I have a 13 year old son who's here, Devin who was diagnosed with Type one a little over a year and a half ago.

[A]

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[B]

I'm Tammy. I have a 13 year old son who's here Devon, who was diagnosed with type one a little over a year and a half ago.

[A]

Devin, how old are you?

[C]

I'm 13.

[A]

Thirteen. She wasn't lying.

[C]

No.

[A]

She's not good with phones, so I wasn't sure if she was bad with numbers too. I thought I would check.

[B]

Here we go.

[A]

Tammy, have you. You've been on the show before, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Do you know what your episode was called? I don't remember.

[B]

No. Devin, do you remember?

[C]

I can check.

[A]

No, don't check. Devin. What? You're not the producer on, like a comedy podcast. I don't need you pulling stuff up while we're chatting.

[B]

It just came out in. In June, I think, so it's been.

[A]

Out two, three months now.

[B]

September. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, that's like 50 episodes ago. I don't remember either.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's funny though, the first thing I remembered when you jumped on was your voice because, like, I was immediately drawn to go, are you in Wisconsin? Like, that was.

[B]

Well, do you remember that was part of what we talked about. I said you. You wanted to know where I was because you wanted to keep everybody away from the area. Because our doctor was terrible.

[A]

Yes, also.

[B]

And I said, oh, we're. We're around Chicago. And you're like, yeah, I already know that. And I'm like, how do you know that?

[A]

You sound so similar to my sister in law who's like, from Wisconsin. Right? Near Chicago.

[B]

Okay. I was gonna say, because typical Wisconsin is not Chicago. There's a little bit of a difference. Guess what starts getting like, Minnesota, Canada.

[A]

No, not that far. She's more. Yeah, she's more like that the other way. Nevertheless, like, it occurred to me when we were like, trying to get you set up, which people will never know the horror of it, but it's. It's been. It's been 22 minutes. And I still don't love how everything is set up, but we've given up. Just so you all know, the audio quality is where we could get it. I was having an internal monologue with myself. Not about you guys and your inability to use technology, but. But about your voice and how it made me want to say something. And I thought, oh, wow. To think like you, really, when you're making a podcast, you have to be careful about that. Your natural inclinations towards things, you can't just do them over and over again forever and ever. You know what I mean? Like, like. Or you'd be like, oh, no, I heard this one before and you didn't. It's just my dumb first reaction. To things. So it reminded me to like pause for a minute before I say something. So I appreciate this. Devin, you're how old? Thirteen. Did we say 13? Yeah. What happened? You were, I mean, obviously you got the diabetes and all, but do you remember how. Do you remember how it came on and what all occurred?

[C]

Yeah, like a little bit before I was diagnosed. I got COVID 19 and I went to spend the night at my grandparents house, like maybe a few months after. Yeah, I don't remember exactly what happened.

[A]

But you were trying to give old people Covid. Is that what was going on?

[C]

No, no, it was after. It was after.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

It was closer to a year after. It had been. It had been quite a while.

[A]

Kevin, I'm going to stop you for a second because I have a thought in my head. I have to get it out. Tammy, why did I agree to have you back on what happened? Do you remember? Did you email me?

[B]

Yeah, I did. Because when we talked before, I was at the very beginning of some thyroid stuff and we briefly talked about that because that became a thing within the past couple of months before we talked. And you had asked about other autoimmune in the family and stuff. And I mentioned that my older son has hypothyroidism. And I was starting to look into that for myself because I was dealing with a lot of symptoms and stuff. So at that point nothing really had come of it yet. I had seen a bunch of, you know, I'd asked to see an endo, even though my primary only referred me to ent and it was a whole thing. But at that point I was waiting to do more blood work to see if it was. If my numbers were still trending in the same direction that they had been. But since then, turned out it was cancer. I had half my thyroid removed and I'm all good now, so I was. I felt like I wanted to tell you the, the second half of that story since you only got the first half because it's 100. Because of the podcast that I was able to.

[A]

Oh, this is the thing where I'm the good guy. Okay.

[B]

Yes, it is. So if you.

[A]

We're always good with those. But you just said cancer, so I feel so bad following up like this. But then why the hell are we talking to Devin?

[B]

He was really mad at me that I didn't let him come on the first time because he went to school.

[A]

Problem, not mine.

[B]

I know. No, he wanted to talk to you before, so I thought why not, you.

[A]

Know, just send some cash over if you want to be on a little.

[B]

Short story and then he can talk. But I think it's cool when kids come on the podcast and they talk about their experience and so you're.

[A]

Stuff like that, you're producing then? Is that what you're saying? You're. You're making some production decisions?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yes. Okay, so. So here's what I don't know.

[B]

What I want to do is thank Devin for being diagnosed, which sounds ridiculous.

[A]

Oh, now way to make me sound like an Tammy. Great. Good job.

[B]

No, no, not at all. Not at all. If he wasn't diagnosed, I'd still be full of cancer right now. I mean, it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I honestly believe that's the truth.

[A]

Okay, so we'll find out a little bit. See, now you made me. I'm like, why is this kid on my podcast? And no offense, Devin. Do you hear the noise with the microphone? That's Devin. I know it is. He's making me insane. Stop touching that microphone, Devin. I'll cut it.

[B]

He has to blow his nose.

[A]

I will come to Chicago and smack you in the head. Whatever that noise is, it has to stop. Ok. The last time I was in Chicago, Devin, it was to bring my mom, who just beat cancer, to live with my brother. Yeah. So stop touching that microphone, please, if that's what you're doing.

[B]

He's basically saying he'll come find you.

[A]

There's noise. What is that? If I don't know what that noise is, this. I have to. I'm gonna. I, I, I can't.

[C]

I don't. I don't know what. I'm not touching the microphone.

[A]

All right, put your hands up in there. Don't move. I'm just kidding. You don't have to do that. I just wanted to see if you.

[B]

Are you sure it's coming from him? Do I need to lock myself in a tiny closet or something?

[A]

I don't know. You, you were a problem earlier, but it feels like it's Devin. But now maybe it's my hands down. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, Simon. Simon says put your hands down.

[B]

Maybe he's been the problem this whole time and you were just blaming me.

[A]

I wonder if I could play Simon says on a pod. Wouldn't work. Okay, so, Devin, I want to finish hearing you getting diabetes. Then we're going to jump over to your mom, and then we will come back and chat with you. So tell me what you remember the lead up being like. And, you know, how'd you figure out? Like, I'M sorry, when we last left you, you were trying to kill old people with COVID Then what happened?

[C]

Yeah, yeah. So I didn't have Covid at the time. But later I went over to my grandparents house and they had brought something up to my mom. I don't remember exactly what it was. So then she brought me to the doctor's office. They just did a bunch of tests and then had to go to the hospital, obviously.

[A]

Devin, are you telling me. The story here is that your grandparents said a thing that you don't recall, and then you went to a hospital to take a test, you don't recall, and then you had diabetes?

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Awesome.

[C]

That's exactly what I'm saying.

[A]

Devin, do you listen?

[B]

That's such a good storytelling.

[A]

Do you listen to any podcast, Devin, besides yours?

[C]

No.

[A]

Oh, you do listen to mine?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, well then never mind. You're awesome. Okay, so are you. Do you spend days in the hospital or how does it work out?

[C]

I ended up spending like three days in the hospital.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Before they released me.

[A]

Do you recall how the entire process made you feel, like internally? I know it's weird to ask a 13 year old maybe to talk about their feelings. I don't know if you think about your feelings a lot, but I was.

[C]

Just scared, I guess.

[A]

Yeah. Because. Can you put more words to it? Scared because I was scared because it.

[C]

Was something like, I knew diabetes existed, I just didn't know what it was. And like, as they started teaching me, I was like, I could die from this.

[A]

That's one of the things that occurred to you?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. How did they tell you that?

[C]

They said something about, they're constantly talking about me having a high blood sugar because there I was like in the 350s, I believe. And they said that like a bunch of bad, like bad stuff, like organ failure could happen if I was constantly higher.

[A]

I'm sorry, Tammy. They led with, you're gonna have organ failure if you have high blood Sugars with your 12 year old.

[B]

No, I feel like that was in there somewhere. The way they came to us telling us what was going on was like, the pediatrician was great in the office. We obviously, we've been seeing her his entire life. And she said, you know, he's, he's got diabetes. You're gonna have to go to the hospital. And we're like, what? Why do you have to go to the hospital? And she's like, oh, yeah, you'll be there a couple days. And I said, what? Like, you know, we have no knowledge at this point of how these things happen and how it gets diagnosed and what the process is. But it was very vague, though. After we got to the hospital, everybody kept saying diabetes, but they kept saying, we're running more tests. We're running more tests because we don't know if it's type one or type two. And I'm like, how do you not know that? And they're like, oh, we're waiting for more test results to determine that. Of course, at the time, it didn't make any sense to me, and it really doesn't make any sense to me now. But yeah, there was, you know, some talk about long term effects, and I feel like that was completely unnecessary knowing.

[A]

What I know now in the pediatrician's office.

[B]

No, that was. At the hospital was great.

[A]

What a bummer the hospital is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Devin, what's a brat?

[C]

A what?

[A]

A brat. It's food. Right. Do you know what it is?

[C]

Like a bratwurst?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. What is it? Describe it to me.

[C]

It's kind of like a sausage and like a hot dog combined.

[A]

A sausage and a hot dog combined. Is there a need for that, do you think? Like, have you ever had a sausage?

[C]

It's good.

[A]

Yeah. Have you had a hot dog?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And you've had a sausage?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And I put them together and I get a brat.

[C]

Totally.

[A]

All right. Do you put something on it, like an onion or something or.

[C]

No, most of the time I just maybe put a little bit of mustard on it.

[A]

Okay. And you get. And when you say, do you say brought like that or do you. How do you say it?

[B]

Oh, it's a brat.

[A]

Brat? Yeah. Like rot. Like that. Like that. Like all stretched out and weird. I can hear my brother, my brother who grew up in Philly and now lives in that wasteland where you guys are. I said, what are you doing today? Because I'm going to put some brats on the grill. I'm like, the. Are you doing, like. It's not how we speak brat. My God, just eat a hot dog. You know what I mean?

[B]

I love. I love that you're so focused on our voices and our way that we speak.

[A]

My voice is ridiculous.

[C]

There's only one way to eat a hot dog, and that's Chicago style.

[A]

What does that mean?

[C]

My mom can explain it to you. If you worked at. Is it like chili or something?

[A]

Your mom worked at Dave and Buster's?

[B]

No, I worked. I work at. Worked at an A W restaurant. We had Chicago style hot dogs. And I've never forgotten it's mustard, onion relish, pickles, peppers, tomatoes and celery salt.

[A]

Oh my God, that sounds like horrible.

[B]

It does.

[A]

Mustard goes on a hot dog. Yellow. You're done. That's it. It's a hot dog.

[C]

No, no, no. Must be Chicago style.

[A]

Oh, that's ridiculous. Also, your pizza is garbage. But that's neither here nor there.

[C]

No, pizza's amazing. I don't know what you're talking about.

[A]

Devin. Listen, have you been able to bolus for one of those 19 inch deep dough bowls with the cheese on top yet, or have you worked that out?

[C]

I mean, I, I have. It didn't work out well.

[A]

It didn't work out well.

[B]

It requires a walk afterwards.

[C]

I was up at 300 for the next two days, but.

[A]

Your mom's like, don't let people think that. Stop being. Don't be sarcastic with the man.

[B]

Exaggerating.

[C]

I found the which episode it was for the last time.

[A]

My mom was on Devin. I asked you not to do that.

[B]

He doesn't listen very well.

[A]

We'll figure that out later.

[B]

Doesn't follow.

[A]

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[C]

It's just lots of medical choices over and over again, like maybe a hundred times a day. There's just so much to it. So much could go wrong if you do a little bit, like, just a little bit off of what you're supposed to be doing.

[A]

Feel like you're under a lot of pressure or. No.

[C]

Yeah, it is.

[A]

Has that changed how you're existing? Like, did you used to be more. I was gonna say laissez faire, but I don't believe that that's a term that I should be using or that you would know. Did you used to be more casual or. And you're not now, or. Or vice versa. Has it changed anything about your personality?

[C]

Yeah, kind of. Because before I was diagnosed. This is going to sound weird because I'm still immature, but I was insanely immature. But obviously in the one year, one and a half years, it's been. I've changed a lot.

[A]

Really? How?

[C]

Because I have to deal with diabetes. That there's a lot of things that I need to know that the average person would not know, and there's just a Lot to remember.

[A]

And don't let me put words in your mouth, but let me ask you a question. Okay. Do you feel like you see the world differently than you used to?

[C]

Yes, 100%.

[A]

How so? Devin, let me tell you a secret about you. I think you know what you mean. I don't think you're finding the words to say it. So I'm going to lead you around a little bit in our conversation. I hope you don't mind.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

How has your interaction with the world changed?

[C]

It's not, like, really, like, completely different. Trying to think of the words. I just can't.

[A]

I know words are hard. I don't want to lead you too much, but I, I, I think it's in there, and I want to find it. Okay.

[C]

All right.

[A]

Do unimportant things seem unimportant now? That seemed important before? Do people get upset about stuff and you think, like, why is this a problem? Do you now have, like, a different perspective about life is what I'm asking?

[C]

Yeah, a little bit.

[A]

How so? Like, just give me one situation where one of your dumb friends did something and you realized, I don't feel the same way about this that I used to.

[C]

I think they got, like, some random, like, sickness or something or cold, and they're, like, constantly complaining about it. I'm like, that's really just nothing.

[A]

That's it.

[C]

And I used to think, like, that. Having a cold or something. It was a lot.

[A]

Yeah. If somebody granted you a wish. By the way, I bought lottery tickets last night. I could be a billionaire right now, Devin. And if I am, this is for sure the last podcast episode I've ever made in my entire. Well, actually, that's not true. I'd keep making the podcast. Would I? A billion dollars? I don't know. A billion dollars? Like, I would make you, Devin. How would you make me? I could. I could send, like, a hit squad to your house and pay them in, like, out of petty cash. You know what I mean? So. I'm sorry.

[B]

Can you make him blow his nose first?

[A]

Oh, my. Devon, blow your nose for your mother, for God's sakes. Do you have a tissue in the room? You call them Kleenex.

[C]

I wasn't, I wasn't stifling or anything.

[A]

No. Did you say stifling?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, that's amazing. I wish you wouldn't have said immature so early in the episode, because I. I think I would have called the podcast episode something about that, but. Okay, so you. So things are shifting a little bit some of the less important things in life. You can see them a little more clearly now. You know what it's like to have more responsibility. That responsibility carries real consequence in your life. But are you nervous about it? Do you worry about it? Or is it just a thing you understand? This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by Eversense. Thanks. 365. And just as the name says, it lasts for a full year. Imagine for a second a CGM with just one sensor placement and one warm up period every year. Imagine a sensor that has exceptional accuracy over that year and is actually the most accurate CGM in the low range that you can get. What if I told you that this sensor had no risk of falling off or being knocked off? That may seem too good to be true, but I'm not even done telling you about it yet. The Eversense 365 has essentially no compression lows. It features incredibly gentle adhesive for its transmitter. You can take the transmitter off when you don't want to wear your CGM and put it right back on without having to waste the sensor or go through another warmup period. The App works with iOS and Android, even Apple Watch. You can manage your diabetes instead of your CGM with the Eversense 365. Learn more and get started today at Eversensecgm.com Juicebox. One year, one CGM.

[C]

I don't like, really worry about it. It's just. I understand a lot more now.

[A]

Okay. Do you wish you didn't understand or do you like that?

[C]

You know, it's kind of both because, like, it's hard to know it and it's hard to remember. But also it's just a good thing to just know.

[A]

What's the thing that around your diabetes that you never remember that your mom's constantly bugging you about?

[C]

Let's see. Pre bull sync, pre bolusing.

[A]

Yeah, that's the one, huh? That's the tough one.

[B]

No, I don't. I don't know about that. He knows to do it. He understands how to figure out what kind of time frame. Like he knows all of these things.

[A]

He just doesn't do it.

[B]

Yeah, no, he does.

[C]

At my dad's house. I don't.

[A]

Yeah, Tammy, that. Yeah. Makes me feel like. Makes me feel like I know why there's a dad's house and a mom's house, but.

[B]

Well, it's also because he ate his Sour Patch Kids after he was diagnosed. Remember? That's what. That's one thing we talked about that.

[A]

Was that was your dad. That's awesome. Yeah, I remember that. Wow. I remembered something D me and, like.

[C]

It'S also because the only time I pre bolus at my dad's house is if I'm at 271, like I am right now.

[A]

Why do you not pre bolus at your dad's house?

[C]

Well, most of the time, I just don't have enough time to do that because in the morning, I'm pretty pressed to just do as much things as I can.

[A]

Is your dad not helping you as much with other stuff so you don't have as much time?

[C]

No, it's just because with school and everything, I have, like, maybe half an hour to get things done.

[A]

How was that different when you're with your mom?

[C]

Well, when I'm with my mom that she helps out with, like, she, like, makes my breakfast and stuff.

[A]

Ah. Your dad's like, if you want to eat the foods in the kitchen.

[C]

Yeah. He. He comes down. Like, I ring the doorbell, he comes downstairs, opens the door, then he goes back upstairs.

[A]

Yeah. That's the attitude that got him out of your mom's house. I don't know if you noticed that or not so sure. He's lovely, by the way. Okay, all right, all right, all right. When I said, what's different at your dad's house? Tammy was like, please don't say the strippers are hiding my phone. Please don't say something weird like that. You know, I mean. Okay, so is it hard going back and forth between different parents house with the diabetes?

[C]

Sometimes, yeah. Because, like, how so If I'm, like, going somewhere where both my parents are going to be there, then, like, which, like, bag with all my stuff I have in it? Which one should I take? Like, should I take one? The one at my dad's house? Because, like, I'm there and he's gonna be taking me there and something can happen on the way. Or should I just leave that one there and have my mom bring the other one, which has more stuff in it?

[A]

Yeah. Hey, real quick. This is for the editor. About 40 seconds ago, I cracked my toe, and it was really loud. If the microphone picked it up, can you please leave it in? Cause I was so impressed with how loud it was.

[B]

What?

[A]

This is not for you, Devin. It's for the editor. Rob. Do you know Rob?

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

Rob.

[A]

Rob went to it.

[B]

That's a little bit for me, too, because everything on me cracks, and there's always somebody that says, what was that?

[A]

I just. I can't Believe how audible that was. Rob went to a diabetes event recently. He was local famous for being the editor of the Juice Box Podcast. Isn't that crazy?

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Devin, you will not be famous from this.

[C]

Oh, come on.

[A]

I'm sorry. Is that a thing kids think about? Like, when you think about what you want to do when you grow up is one of the things you're like, maybe I could be an influencer.

[C]

I. I never really wanted to be an influencer or anything.

[A]

What would you like to do?

[C]

Well, ideally, I'd like to play a professional sport, but I would also want to get. Get an engineering degree, just in case.

[A]

Yeah. Be an engineer who plays football and has a model wife. Is that what you're looking for?

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That sounds perfect.

[A]

Would you like a Bugatti?

[C]

Oh, no, not. Not a Bugatti.

[A]

No, no. What do you. Oh, you're in Chicago. What do you want? You want a big pickup truck? What are you looking for?

[C]

No, I want a Lamborghini. What are you talking about?

[A]

Lamborghini? Where are you gonna drive that there?

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

Go very fast from one traffic light to the next one, and for only.

[B]

About three months out of the year because the rest of the year is cold and snowy.

[A]

Yeah. Terrible. Devin, what's it like to your entire life, the football team that you cheer for sucks? What does that feel like?

[C]

They're not gonna suck this season.

[A]

Hold on a second. Did they keep that Caleb Williams boy or did they ship him off?

[C]

No, they kept. He's. He. He.

[A]

He's just Devin struggling. He's struggling because he's not good. He is good. Stop. Stop. Listen. I'm gonna give you the best advice anyone's ever gonna give you. When they don't look good, they're not good. When they're winning, they're good winning. You know how you win in the NFL? You spend a lot of money to buy players. You don't see that happening. You're not winning, okay? And there's two teams in the league that always spend a ton of money and always get the wrong people.

[C]

What, you're cheering for your tush? Push.

[A]

Whoa. Devin. Easy. Easy, my friend. Easy. Won the Super Bowl. Blew out the Chiefs. Okay, listen, I'm happy.

[C]

I'm happy they won over the Chiefs.

[A]

Of course, everyone's happy about that. There's three people that like the Chiefs. They all live in Kansas City. That's.

[C]

That's Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and the owner of the Chiefs.

[A]

This Taylor Swift is going to make Me like her if she keeps being human on these podcasts. I don't want to talk about football, Devin, because it sounds like you're going to be pejorative about my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. This is the chance I get to tell you that in seven days, I'm going to meet. I'm going to the Eagles Stadium, and I'm going to get to meet Brandon Graham. He's the reason, I believe, why we won the first super bowl that we won.

[C]

Wait, who?

[A]

It's not important. He's a linebacker. I don't know. You were probably eight when this happened. But the first time the Eagles won the Super Bowl, I'm 100% sure Tom Brady was about to drive down the field and just beat us, and Brandon Graham came in and just hit him and knocked the ball out. And that was it. My life had meaning again. My brother has an event he's going to. He had a plus one. He invited me to it. I'm going to get to see the trophy, the super bowl trophy, and meet Brandon Grimm. And Even though I'm 54 years old, I'm going to get him to sign his rookie card for me.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

Yeah. Because I feel like he is the reason why we won the Super Bowl. There's a statue outside of Nick Foles and the coach. The coach, by the way, what a lud. This guy wins the super bowl after being a coach for a few years, Devin. Right. And you know what he does in the offseason? He. He writes a book about how to be a winner. And I was like, I could have coached that team then. He's never been a winner since then. And now I got to look at a. Yeah, now there's a statue of him outside of the stadium when it should have been Brandon Graham, is all I'm saying. This is not the point, Devin. The point is that the Bears are terrible.

[C]

They're not. They're gonna be good this season. They went undefeated. They beat the Chief.

[A]

You'd be better off if you got the Blackhawks spikes and tried to teach them to play football. Do you understand what I'm.

[B]

He's a true Bears fan. Let's be honest.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He's endlessly optimistic. For no reason.

[A]

The Bears were. Listen, the Bears. Last time, the Bears were awesome. We took your defensive coordinator in the 80s, and you haven't been good since then. I'm sorry about that. Do you know about Jim McMahon and the. The Refrigerator Perry and all these people?

[C]

No, because I'm not 5,000 years old.

[A]

Devin, that's harsh, man. They used to put a giant defensive tackle in at running back, and he would just wander forward and fall into the end zone. And then. You made fun of me. When my quarterback takes the ball into the end zone, you step to bring in a defensive lineman to go that one last yard. Why don't you look it up, Devin, before you cast aspersions? Okay.

[B]

I'm going to put the Super Bowl Shuffle on repeat.

[A]

Oh, my God. That was horrible.

[B]

Oh, it was the best thing ever. The video was amazing.

[A]

So, Devon, it sounds like your mom thinks you saved your life. Are you the oldest son?

[C]

No.

[A]

No. Who? You have a brother that's older?

[C]

Yeah, he's turning 16 this year.

[A]

This thyroid thing really rebalances the scales. Devin. What you don't realize is that women love their firstborn son more than their other children. And you just jumped ahead of him, so good for you. Congratulations.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Tammy.

[B]

Yes?

[A]

Tell him what happens. I don't know what happens to you girls. You make a baby, it comes out. The first one's a boy, and then that's it. Then that's Jesus, right?

[B]

No, I don't. I. I'm not saying that's not a thing. I'm. I'm saying that's not a thing here.

[C]

Wait, so who's your favorite, then?

[A]

No, no. Tammy, let's dig in for a second. Which one of your children is your favorite?

[C]

We need this on recording.

[A]

How many kids do you have?

[B]

I. I have two. The two boys, seven is almost 14. And the other one's like, you said, 16.

[A]

And one of them you like a little better than the other one. Which one is it?

[B]

No, you know, and it's.

[C]

It's.

[B]

I'm really not gonna pick one because it's not a thing. But this is something I thought about. It was relatively recent. Somebody said the same thing and asked me, like, there's got. You gotta have one that you like better than the other. And I. I legitimately thought about that, and it became in my head like apples and oranges. There's a lot of good things about this one, and then there's a lot of good things about this one, and they're very different things. And there's things that are not so good with this one and not so good with that one. And again, they're very different things, so it's hard to compare. Devin and I have a lot more in common as far as the things that we like. We're both sports people, so it's like, okay, well, he and I could do more things together, but then the other one. There's other things that he and I. There's connections that he and I have that are different than what I have with Devin. Do you know what I mean? That's not an even comparison, and I don't think it ever can be. And when I was thinking about this, I started thinking about my dogs that I've had over the years, because everybody says that when you lose a dog, you know, this one doesn't compare to that one.

[A]

Devin, get ready to find out that she likes the dogs better than you and your brother. Hold on a second.

[B]

They already know this. They already know this. But that's. You know, I. I started to think about that, and I. I think that's easier for people to understand if you don't have kids. I. But you've had dogs. I think it's easier to understand it that way. Like, you get a new dog, and no, it's not replacing the dog. It's that you lost. It's. And it's not that they're better or worse. It's. They're different. That's really what it comes down to, is they're different. You're not going to love anything more or anything less. You're just going to love it differently.

[A]

Are you saying to me that if you lost Devin, like, he just disappeared.

[B]

At the mall, I'd go get a new one?

[A]

Go get another kid, and eventually you would love that one, too?

[B]

I would go around and do another type one.

[A]

Yeah, you're completely replaceable, Devin, is what I heard. No, Tammy, listen, be serious. I have two kids. I completely understand. I think every parent in the world would tell you the same thing. I really don't have a favorite child, and there are obviously things about one that are different than the other, but my kids tease us all the time. Which one of us do you like better? There really is no answer. There just really isn't. That's all you get. Devon. I was just.

[B]

It's funny that you asked me that when somebody just asked me that last week. And I. I legitimately thought about it. Like, how do people choose this? Do people actually have a favorite? Because I'm like, I don't know. It's like, I want to make a list and see which list is longer if I had to choose.

[A]

It's not that odd, though, because everybody who listens. I have a listening device in your phone, so I can hear everything that's happening in your house.

[C]

What?

[A]

Yeah, that's right. Devin. I know everything now. One person who listens, who's schizophrenic is definitely going to think I'm listening to them. But I'm not listening to you, I promise.

[B]

I've. At a conference I was at for work. There was a workshop that was teaching you what it's like to be schizophrenic. And so you had to wear headphones that were constantly people talking, like in each ear, different people talking over each other. And you were given this list of tasks to complete and trying to be able to focus on what you were supposed to be doing. It was simple things like find this object in this room. And so you would have to go into this room and look for this object. All the while you've got these earphones in and people are talking and screaming and yelling and making noises and stuff like that. And it was very interesting.

[A]

Oh my gosh, that's horrifying. Is that. And they. They made you do that at the A and W restaurant.

[B]

Don't currently work for A and W.

[A]

I was just kidding. I realized all that. All right, Devin, is it fun busting your mom's balls? It is, right? Yeah, you do it. Do you guys do it at home?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Tammy's. Be serious. Two boys and you. It's hard, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Do you wish there was a girl there to like?

[B]

No, I don't. Not even a little bit. I'm not gonna lie. I'm happy with what I have. But you know, we give it to each other though. It's not. It's definitely not a one way street.

[A]

Yeah, I hear you. Devon, what do you think is going to be the most difficult part of the next couple of years of diabetes? What is it that you are worried that you're not going to be able to figure out? What is it that you feel like is going well?

[C]

Honestly, I'm not sure what the most difficult part about whether it's your brother.

[A]

I heard him bark.

[B]

That's a sister.

[A]

That's why you don't need another girl. She's already got the dog, so, you know, there's nothing you're worried about. What is it that. Give me the rest of it then. How do you think this is going to. She's like, they love me the most. I knew it. Dog is celebrating. It's so. It's mocking. Devin, it's barking. She hates you. Devin, your mom loves you. You know that, right?

[C]

No, she doesn't.

[A]

Devin, why do you say that? Hold on. Forget about your diabetes. Why did you Say that.

[C]

Oh, forget about that. Do you want to know what episode it was where my mom was in last?

[A]

Go ahead. Go ahead. Devin, it seems like you have something to say. Go ahead, buddy.

[B]

He's busting my balls.

[A]

Why? What did she do in that episode that. That makes you want to bring it up so people can go here?

[C]

I just want to promote it.

[A]

You're trying to get her Instagram up. What are you doing?

[C]

Yeah, It's. It's number 1,480. Ergo. You probably have hypothyroidism.

[A]

Is that what it's called?

[C]

Ergo, yes.

[A]

Did I say that during the episode?

[B]

Probably. I say that, too sometimes.

[A]

Somebody called me pompous online recently. Maybe they heard me say, ergo, that would have. That lady was so mad at me. Oh, my God. Where was. I think it was in the Facebook group, and somebody was just being very unkind, and I, like, kind of stopped, and I was like, hey, like, you know, make your point, but, like, try to be, like, nice about it if you can. Like, that'd be awesome. Like, I think you're making a good point here. You didn't have to really be. So, you know. And then they kind of came, like.

[B]

You'Ve been saying that in the group quite a bit more lately than you were before, Tammy.

[A]

That's your imagination. This.

[B]

The.

[A]

The. The group runs exactly the way it always runs. She. She said something back and. And, like, about it being my opinion, and I was like, no, hold on. I, like, I took it out to, like, 17 different AIs, and I was like, read this and tell me how it reads to you. And every one of them was like, no. Is she being. So. I just. I think I said to it. I was like, well, to keep me out of it, like, can you give me an example of how this response could have gotten the point across but been kinder? And then I, like, copied it, and I said, hey, look. I asked AI, like, this isn't me. And here's what it said. She called me pompous. She yelled at me, made. Made a bunch of unpleasant words. You know, the curses.

[B]

She called you pompous because you used AI?

[A]

No, I think she called me pompous for correcting her.

[B]

How dare you.

[A]

Yeah, it's okay, then. She was very mean to me, Devin. She used a lot of bad words.

[B]

Natural human reaction, unfortunately.

[A]

Devin, what's the worst curse you can think of? It's okay if you say it in front of your mom right now. Go ahead.

[C]

I don't think I should say that.

[A]

Oh, good boy. Good job, Devin. Which one do you think he was thinking of?

[B]

Tommy, Like, I like you. Don't say it when I'm not around.

[A]

Devin, do you curse a lot when your mom's not around? It's okay, you can say.

[B]

You can say you do, because I did, too, when I was a kid.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. And your favorite curse. You know what it is? You don't have to tell. You don't have to tell me, but you have, like, a go to. No, no, no. No kidding. Huh? I don't know what my favorite one is. As I get older, I curse less. It's disappointing, honestly, when you're doing it wrong. Yeah, yeah. You think I'm breaking myself. All right, Devin, let's find out what you did for your mom here. So, because you have type 1 diabetes. Good. Finish that thought, Tommy. Because Devin has type one, you. Where does the journey start? How does it end? With you figuring out about your thyroid.

[B]

Because he is type one. I found the podcast, and the podcast helps me learn a little bit more about autoimmune and hypothyroidism and. And those kinds of things again. My son. My older son has hypothyroidism, but we found it so early, it's been perfectly controlled, so learning anything about it wasn't necessary. Honestly, it sounds ridiculous, but I think he was 4, and we were doing blood work for allergy reasons, and that came up and somewhere, you know, so, I mean, you've talked about, you know, hypothyroidism and, you know, if you have symptoms and even if your numbers are normal, there's something else wrong, obviously. Push, you know, advocate, you know, figure out what's going on if you're not feeling well. And that's common sense, obviously. But I remembered something when my son was diagnosed that they said because he had so many allergy issues, they said, well, now that we found this thyroid situation, once we get that controlled, his allergy symptoms might get better. That's they're linked in some way. And it dawned on me that my allergy symptoms had gotten worse in the previous year, year and a half, maybe. And I thought, oh, crap, maybe that's what's going on. Started looking up what, you know, the typical symptoms are and stuff like that. And I was like, okay, this sounds like me. So I already had blood work in, like, ordered. And I thought, I'm going to go get this done. I'm going to see what it is. And I did that, and it was higher than it had ever Been. I looked back at trends because I'm like, I don't know what a 3.5 means overall. I can see that it's within normal range, But I looked back at trends, and I was always around a 2. And this was like, what just happened? Why is it going up? That started me thinking, okay, well, that matches up with what seems like what's going on with me as far as symptoms. And there's. There's something not right here. And my doctor, of course, messaged me and said, everything's normal. And I said, well, I'm not feeling. I messaged back and I said, I'm not feeling well. I feel like there's something going on here. I'd like to explore what my options are. And so I got an appointment with him, went in, and he felt around on my neck and said it felt a little enlarged. So he sent me to ultrasound. Ultrasound came back showing some nodules and things like that, but none of them were large enough to warrant a biopsy. And so they referred me to ENT just to have them take a look and see what they think. And I said, well, why ENT and not endo? At this point, I'm convinced that I have hypothyroidism, and that's who I want to go see.

[A]

Right?

[B]

And so I said, can you send a referral for that as well? I'm happy to see ent. I already had one, you know, established with this doctor for many years. So I'm happy to go see him and get all of the information and see what everybody thinks. At this point, I want as much information as possible, and I want as much help as possible because I'm not feeling well. Did give me the referral to Endo as well. I managed to squeeze in with her relatively quickly within a couple of weeks. And she said, I don't like the way that one looks. I want you to get it biopsied. She said, I realize it's not big enough, you know, because they have that threshold. And I. I said, okay. Saw ENT shortly thereafter. And he said, I wouldn't have sent you to biopsy. I would have just had you go back for another ultrasound in six months and see where you're at. But he's like, but, you know, it doesn't hurt to do it if you want peace of mind. 90% of the time, this stuff isn't cancer, but if, you know, if you want to go and do it, go do. Well, it took three months to even get in to get the biopsy done. And in the meantime, they were going to my endo, said she wanted to do more blood work to see if the numbers were continuing the way that they were going. I never got a chance to do that because I had had a ear infection and a sinus infection and all this other stuff. And she said, hold off until you're done with medication and you're done with the illness, because that can really throw off the numbers. It's not going to be accurate as far as what's really happening. So I never got to do that. But shortly after I was sick is when I went and got the biopsy done. That was a Tuesday. On Thursday, the doctor called me, and I knew immediately when it was her on the phone and not a nurse. And she said, yeah, it's cancer. We're go in, we're going to take the whole thing out. We're going to just go hard in the paint with this and do all of this. And I was like, okay, that's terrifying. But all right. So I saw the surgeon the next day, actually, and she calmed me down quite a bit. She said this. If I had to pick a cancer to give myself, this is the one I'd want. So I was like, okay, that makes me feel a little bit better. And three weeks later, I had surgery that she ended up only taking out half that everything looked good. Said the nodules that they removed, you know, whatever part actually had cancer. And she said it was a lot smaller than they actually thought it was in the first place. And it's great that we caught it this early and, you know, all of those things that they tell you, and that's pretty much where we're at. I went for an ultrasound a couple months later just for the other half. Other half still looks good. Everything's all good at this point.

[A]

Well, can I ask Devon real quick? I'm going to stop you for a second. Devon, what's it like to hear your mom talk about being sick?

[C]

What do you mean?

[A]

I mean, does it make you worried? Does it make you feel compassionate for her? Did you just worry that, oh, my God, I'd have to live with my dad if she died and make my own breakfast every day? Or, like, what comes into your head? Exactly.

[B]

That does sound like what a 13 year old would say.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, that's what I would think. I'd be like, oh, my God, that guy's not gonna make me breakfast. This lady's gonna be gone. I'm gonna be eating cereal for the rest of my goddamn life. Good. What do you got so, like, in.

[C]

The moment when, like, she, like, I'm pretty sure, yeah. She texted me saying that she had can't, like me, and no, I didn't. Or something. I don't know. I don't remember. That was, like, five years ago.

[A]

This is making me laugh. This is making me laugh because I have three. Two brothers. And I just think back now and think, my mom must have just been every day. She must have been. I'm like, I can't believe I'm stuck in the house with these idiots.

[B]

First of all, this was eight months ago. Devin.

[A]

Yeah, Devin. I'm going to say. Devin, I'm going to say a couple of things. If your mom texted you, hey, I have cancer, LOL or whatever, I got to think the state would come and take you from her. So I don't think she did that. I think she's smarter than that. So you don't really. So what I'm learning is you don't have a real recollection of this. Like, it didn't make you feel a certain way?

[C]

Oh, no. My memory is more trash than a dumpster.

[A]

Okay, how about now as she's talking about it? Were you even listening to her or were you, like, looking at, like, your phone?

[C]

I mean, I. I was listening.

[A]

When you listen to the pot, you listen to the podcast, Evan?

[C]

Yeah, I do.

[A]

Do you feel more connected to the people who you're listening to than you do to your own mom when you're listening to her talk?

[C]

Honestly? Yeah, sometimes.

[A]

Why do you think that is? I know why it is, Devin. I'm wondering if, you know, because they.

[C]

Have diabetes and she doesn't, and she's my mom.

[A]

Yeah, she's. Your mom's the answer. People take their parents for granted. You know what I mean? It's not until you're much older that you think about it. Like, you'll look back on this moment one day. You'll be like, 25 or 30 or something. You'll be like, I was on a podcast when I was 13, and this guy asked me how did I feel about my mom having cancer. And I was like, yolo. You know what I mean, baby? I think she texted me. Or maybe she made smoke signals. I don't remember how she told us anymore. And you're gonna think, like, oh, what a little dick I was. But you're just 13, and, like, I remember now.

[C]

I'm pretty sure she told us to come up to her room. Is that right?

[B]

Keep going. Let's see if. Let's See if you were so.

[A]

So interesting. Go ahead.

[C]

I'm pretty sure you said. You said it. Not. It shouldn't be like, something that. Like, if we should really be scared or worried about.

[B]

And then you're getting there.

[C]

Am I somewhat close?

[A]

When you were standing there, were you like, yo, my game's on pause. Let's hurry up? Okay.

[B]

Well, that was. That was your brother. He was. He was annoying me. He was playing with the dog and not really paying attention to what I was saying. Stop messing with the dog for four seconds so I can say something to you.

[A]

Tammy, do you think they don't care, or do you just think that it's a function of their age?

[B]

No, no. It's not at all that they don't care. That they care in their own separate ways. Devin had questions. My older son is kind of like, internally processes things more, whereas Devin's more outspoken. And that is exactly what happened. I told him to come sit down, and I started with, I'm not worried about this, so you don't need to be worried about this.

[A]

Okay?

[B]

This is what's going on. And by this point in time, I had processed. It had been several days. I had processed everything. I had spoken to the surgeon. We had a plan. We had a date. We had all of the information. I didn't want to talk to them about it until I had all of the information and had processed it myself first. So I did lead with that. And he did ask some questions. And the one thing that always stands out for me is that I asked him, or I told him, I said, I might need your help. I might need you to help me laugh at this sometimes, because that's something that we did when he was diagnosed with type one. We laughed at it a lot so that it wouldn't kill us, you know, that kind of thing. And I said, I might need you to, you know, help me out here and there and. And laugh at it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he did that, and I really appreciate that.

[A]

That's awesome. Devin, can I give you some advice?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Empathetically, impact and listen to people when they're talking and genuinely be concerned about them and what they feel like, or one day you'll have an apartment while some lady's living in your house, too. Okay. Okay. All right. Yeah. You got to care about what people are saying. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Be connected.

[B]

That's funny that you said that, because literally yesterday when we were on a walk, he said I was annoying him. And I said, if I'm not annoying you then? I'm not doing it right.

[A]

Why was she annoying you though? And what was she doing?

[C]

I'm pretty sure it's because I said I wanted to join football and she kept saying a bunch of like, oh, you can't do this, or this. I want you to really think about it. It's also partially because my blood sugar is at like 3:21, so.

[A]

Oh, are you having trouble with your blood sugars right now?

[C]

Kinda. I'm at 250.

[A]

What's going on? Tell me what you think's happening.

[C]

I'm sick.

[A]

Oh, you're not feeling well?

[B]

No.

[A]

That's why you were snotting earlier. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What? What, what? What kind of sickness do you have?

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

Oh, just a cold probably. Yeah. Yeah. And that's impacting your blood sugars now, what are you doing about that? What kind of pump? You got a pump or are you MDI?

[C]

Yeah, I'm on Omnipod.

[A]

Okay. Omnipod 5 or Omnipod Dash?

[C]

What's Omnipod Dash?

[B]

It's the old version.

[A]

You're on five.

[C]

Wait, what's Omnipod Dash though?

[B]

It's the old version. It doesn't have the algorithm.

[A]

Oh, so it's not keeping up with your illness right now?

[C]

Not really.

[A]

Have you tried bolusing? Yeah, yeah. Are you sure?

[C]

During the process of you're recording this, I've given myself two units insulin.

[A]

Very nice. While you're bolusing, it's probably taking away your basil because it thinks you don't need the insulin you just gave yourself, right?

[C]

Maybe.

[A]

Maybe. How about definitely?

[B]

What did you do in order to stop that from happening? Devin, you know the answer to this. Did you override?

[C]

Oh, wait, no, sorry, sorry. I meant I overrided three times and gave myself one unit every time.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Can I suggest something? How long has he been on what they call the Omnipod 5? How long you been using that?

[C]

It was only like a few months after I've been. I was diagnosed.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's going on a year and a half that he's been using up.

[A]

How does it normally work for him? How do you like the settings?

[B]

It works really well.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

We've been very happy. What I'm thinking is I might have him change it before he goes to school today because it'll learn from the last one that he needs more and that might help with the illness and the high sugar.

[A]

I was going to ask you, do you think his insulin needs have changed since he's on Omnipod 5. Meaning?

[C]

I can answer that. And that's a definite yes?

[A]

Yes. So then the initial settings you use to set the Omnipod 5Up are probably, like, if you switch into manual, they probably wouldn't do well.

[C]

I mean, I'm pretty sure the basal head for manual is higher than it's giving me right now. I'm not 100% sure about that, though.

[B]

Yeah. You have changed the settings in manual.

[A]

A few times to better reflect what's happening.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I would switch it over into manual for a couple of hours and see if you can't get your blood sugar to come down that way.

[B]

Yeah, he's tried that before. Not. Not this time around, but he's done that in the past.

[A]

Does that work for you?

[C]

Yeah, sometimes it does.

[A]

Yeah. Because then the basil stays on, and then your. Your bolus has a better chance of working, and then you just kind of got to get out of it before you get low, you know?

[C]

Yeah. It says that if I switch it to manual, It'll give me 0.5 an hour, and that seems great.

[A]

So is 0.5 an hour about. About what you think your basal is?

[C]

Well, yeah.

[A]

Yeah. How much do you weigh, Devin?

[C]

124.

[A]

124. What kind of football you want to. What position you want to play in football?

[C]

Insanely skinny, so I'd probably have to do wide receiver.

[A]

Can you catch?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Are you fast?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. Well, there you go. You're all set. That and, mom, you don't want to.

[C]

Play football fast enough that I don't have to sprint to. In baseball.

[A]

Be a.

[C]

To be fast, so.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

If this means anything, he was. He's a catcher in baseball and he was my number two hitter, so.

[A]

Are you coaching the team, Tammy?

[B]

I coach the baseball team. Yeah.

[A]

Nice. Your mom's the coach. How does that go over with the boys? Is that okay?

[C]

It's fine.

[A]

Yeah. Do they ever look at her? Creepy. You know what I mean?

[C]

No, they don't.

[A]

Good. Good. We don't want that. Okay. Your catch, huh?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Can you make the throw just second easily? All right. You're skinny, but you're tall. Are you tall?

[C]

Yeah, I'm five five.

[A]

I didn't know you were so tall. Five five. How tall do you think you'll be one day? Are your parents tall?

[C]

No.

[A]

They're holding you back. They're holding you back. Devin, did your brother have any height?

[C]

Oh, definitely no.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[C]

He's like 4 10.

[B]

He is 5 foot. Thank you. Point of contention here in the house. Way to. Thanks, Scott.

[A]

Devin, how are you gonna. How are you gonna play professional sports if you're five, seven one day? What's going on here?

[C]

I mean, I'm hoping I'm gonna get tall because my. My one my uncles is tall, so.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Which one. How tall is he? Was he 5 11?

[C]

I'm pretty sure he's like, what, sits two?

[A]

That's hot.

[B]

Yep. Yeah, that's 61 or 6 2.

[A]

Which of these sports do you prefer the most, Evan? You like baseball or football? Better to play baseball.

[C]

100.

[A]

Yeah, baseball's a good game.

[B]

You haven't played football yet.

[C]

Other than I haven't. I really haven't.

[A]

Yeah. Wait till somebody hits you so hard that you can't breathe for a couple of seconds. That'll change your mind real fast.

[C]

Oh, no, that happened to me in baseball.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. He's a catcher.

[A]

Oh, you got. You got jacked up at home.

[C]

I get. I get blown over all the time, but I keep pulling the ball so nice.

[A]

Would they still let them do that Tommy Running? They can't even do that in the pros anymore.

[B]

Yeah, Little League's a little different depending on who the ump is. It's a different answer, so.

[A]

Well, you're 13. Like, are you on a 50, 70 field now or you're not playing?

[C]

I don't know what that means.

[A]

You're not on a Little League field anymore, right? The field got bigger.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, it's. It's. I think it's one step down from 60, 90.

[A]

Yeah. So, Devin, listen, when you're playing Little League, it's 4,660, 46ft from the pitching rubber to home plate, 60ft from home to first, and then there's a. A jump up 50, 70, 50 to home plate, 70 to first, and then usually, I don't know when kids, like, make the next transfer, but then it's 60, 90. 60ft. The home. 90ft. The first place. That's when you find out if people can play or not.

[C]

Sits the 90s, the major league, right?

[A]

Yeah. Like your high school field or major league or something like that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. All those kids.

[C]

I think. I think the. It's like 82ft to each base.

[A]

You made that?

[B]

No.

[A]

Up 50, 70, 69.

[B]

No, that's not 82ft.

[C]

I feel like it is.

[A]

Are you counting your steps? Maybe you're taking 82 steps to go that far. Who knows? Definitely no, because you're so short, your steps are small. You know what I mean.

[C]

I mean, if it was my brother.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Wait, Gavin, keep playing. Because there's no more fun than when the big, strong kids get to the big field and find out all they can do is fly out to right field. It's awesome. And they don't know how to play other than that. They just. They just used to hitting the ball and it was like it would go over people's heads. And now they're like, why isn't it happening anymore? Yeah, that's. That's fun. Watching the slow kids try to run the bases on the full size field. And then they can see it come. They get back in the dugout, and you can see it on their face like, I don't think I can do this anymore. There are so many. I watched a kid, I'm not kidding you. I watched a kid in the outfield when the field got all the way bigger. I think the kids were like 15, 14 or 15 at that point. And a ball went up in the air, and the run to get to the ball was so far, and it was just so frustrating for him. Like, he couldn't track it. He couldn't get to it. Like the guy. It took him way too long. And as he was walking off the field, I think he was in right field. He was walking down the first baseline after the inning was over, and he got to the part of the fence where his dad was, and he looked at him and he said, I'm not doing this anymore. And I never saw him again after that. That kid had been playing baseball his whole life.

[C]

I mean, the few seasons before, like, before I moved up to the bigger field, I was insanely slow.

[A]

You're quicker now.

[B]

He figured out how to not run flat footed.

[A]

Oh, look at you. You're figuring it out. That's awesome. I'm just telling you, this kid, back then, I would have thought, like, that's crazy. He's like one of the best kids on this team. And as soon as the field got bigger, he was overmatched. And he just was like. He literally looked at his dad. He's like, I'm done.

[B]

So strange. Yeah, it's definitely. We've moved. I think he started playing when he was nine. And I think we've been on three different sized fields, and it's always a challenge.

[A]

Yeah, that really is interesting.

[C]

The time I was supposed to be like, the older group, like the older age, we had to combine with the. So it was like when I was What, I think 11? Yeah.

[B]

No, it was when you were 12. Cause we were moving up to that size the following year. They combined 12U and 14U for a fall season because they couldn't get enough kids to sign up. So we moved to the bigger field. And you were going to be on that field the following summer anyway.

[A]

I mean, I'm a little disappointed about something about your story. I didn't hear the part where I was really the hero. What happened there? How did that get left out?

[B]

Baseball. Talk about me again.

[A]

How did that get left out? What happened?

[B]

No, it didn't. It didn't get left out. Say it differently.

[A]

Use more podcast. Yeah, it's not as good.

[B]

Like, I not found the podcast.

[A]

Keep going.

[B]

I. I mentioned the things that you talked about on the podcast that made me start thinking and make me start wondering and I started digging into things, and that's the reason. But I. I mean, I'm really thinking Devin. Because he was diagnosed in the first place.

[A]

No, I didn't like how Devin jumped ahead of me in that story. And also, also, the baseball thing was getting boring, so I had to pivot quickly. Just now.

[B]

There's nothing. There's nothing about.

[C]

Do you want to talk about the one time where a kid crashed out because my mom high fived him after the game?

[A]

Your mom punched a kid?

[B]

No, no, no.

[A]

What happened?

[B]

Do you want to tell your version or do you want me to tell my.

[A]

Hold on, Devin. Listen, Devin, let me say something here. I want you to take this to heart, okay? I like you. I hate the way you tell a story. And so I want you to, like. I think this should be a focus of the next. I'm gonna say, 24 months of your life. Okay? I like you. I like you getting better at storytelling because I get you got a nice personality here, but I need to. It needs to come out a little quicker. You know what I'm saying?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

All right, so tell me the story. I really focus on. Listen to me. Brevity. I want you to think short, to the point, funny, accurate, honest. Tell me about your mom and the kid. Go.

[C]

So after the game, I want to stop you.

[A]

Please don't start with so. You make me want to punch you in the mouth.

[C]

Okay, that's illegal.

[A]

Go right to the story. Go. Try again.

[C]

So.

[A]

Oh, my gosh, Devin, you cannot say so why did you do that? No, no, no, no. Listen or focus and start the sentence without saying so just after.

[C]

After a baseball game, we always line up at home, played high five the other kids, and say, good game. And there's this one kid who just walked by and pulled it back for me, like his hand out for me and my mom. He like pulled away and then my mom grabbed his arm and high fived him and he started like yelling at her and did not touch him because he. Apparently he just doesn't like being touched by people he doesn't like.

[A]

Is this story about how your mom assaulted a child? What is happening?

[C]

It's not a soul.

[A]

Where the cops called?

[C]

No.

[A]

Was he. Did he have some. Wait, wait. Oh, what good. Oh, what?

[C]

I want to talk about the one time where.

[A]

No, no, don't talk to her. Talk to me. I'm talking to you.

[C]

To fight another coach, There's a lot of good stories.

[A]

There's a lot people fist fighting almost. My God. The middle of the country is just. It's feral, you know what I mean? I guess you have to be to live in that cold, you know?

[B]

I mean, that coach called one of my kids bush league and then he.

[C]

Called me bush league.

[B]

No, he called. He called the. The coach's kid. My, My assistant coach's kid. He called him bushling.

[A]

How old are these?

[C]

No, he, no, he called. He called me bush league because I ran.

[B]

That was later.

[A]

Wait, wait, how long?

[B]

He said, I'll meet you in the parking lot. And I'm like, what is happening here? These are 11 and 12 year old kids at this point, like, what do we.

[A]

You were going to have to fist fight a man because of an 11 year old baseball game?

[B]

He said this to my assistant coach.

[A]

Be over.

[B]

What was it?

[A]

Please, please tell me.

[B]

Over.

[A]

What was this?

[B]

Over.

[C]

Oh, so that means. Because he called me and I'm pretty sure one of the.

[A]

If you say bush again, Devin, I'm. I am going to come to Chicago and smack you. I just want you to say, okay, kid. Yeah, but why, Devin? Why. Why did he call you that?

[C]

So he called. He called me that because. So I was like, I was on.

[A]

Devin, if you say so again, I'm gonna come to Chicago and smack you in the head.

[B]

I cannot say it.

[A]

Why did he call you bush league?

[C]

I was on. I was on third base. I was like halfway to home when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher. I stole and got.

[B]

The answer is trick play. Yeah.

[A]

Devin, let me say this. Did you run to home when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Could you have just said that for me?

[B]

Brevity could have just said trick play.

[A]

You could watch this. Devin, ask me what happened. Say, why did the guy call you Bush league?

[C]

Why did the guy call you bush league?

[A]

I was halfway home, and when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, I ran home.

[C]

Oh, I understand it now.

[A]

See what I just did there? I cut out a lot of the extra words. Okay, now. And I didn't say so or bush leak. Devin, you're going to be okay. I don't want you to worry, all right? But we got some things to work on here. I know you're young, but I want a little more focus on this. And did you find it to be like, did you think you were doing something when you stole home?

[C]

No, because that's just part of the game.

[A]

Do you steal signs, Devin?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

You do? Do you relay them to the batter?

[C]

Oh, not. Not in that way.

[B]

I.

[C]

Like, there's this one team, they. They. They had a bunch of signs, and that if I saw it, I would tell the pitcher to step off and get the runner out.

[A]

Okay. All right. I don't think there's much wrong with that. All right. Okay, I'm good. Now, Tammy, after this happened, there's a grown man, ostensibly a father of another child, like somebody who's in charge of another human being, who then looked at your. By the way, wouldn't he wanted to fight you because you're the coach. But I guess he's like, well, I guess I can't hit a girl, so I'm going to go with the other guy. And he said. He basically. I don't. I hate to sound like it's 1986, but he offers him out, tells him to come to the parking lot where we will later fight about this. Is that correct?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And he was serious.

[B]

He was dead serious. This. This guy had been a problem in the league for. For quite some time and ended up leading to him not being allowed to coach anymore. But the really obnoxious part is that my assistant coach is very soft spoken, very quiet, very nice guy. Whatever was going on got him fired up, and he actually walked out and started talking to him, not yelling, you know, he. But he was talking to him calmly, like, hey, maybe we don't need to do these types of things. These are kids. Let's. You know, we've got kids crying because of how you're yelling at them. And, you know, this isn't appropriate. And, you know, it takes a lot for him to get fired up. And he was pretty fired up.

[A]

Devin, did you cry?

[B]

No.

[A]

Kevin, never cry while you're playing baseball, please. I mean, listen, you can cry, and there's nothing wrong with crying. But not at a baseball game. Hey, listen, Tammy, if they would have went out to the parking lot, who do you think would have won?

[B]

A good question.

[A]

It was the guy who's juiced up on Old Milwaukee and heroin. Is that the guy that would have been doing.

[B]

I think that might have been the way that it went. But I also know that we have, on that team, we had several parents that coached football and some other things.

[A]

I just want to make a general announcement. I want to make a general announce to everybody listening, please. Calm down. Everybody just calm down. Yeah, just relax.

[C]

Can we refer to the opposing coach as Bob?

[A]

What? Why? Oh, God. You know what? I hate myself for asking this, but why Devin?

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

Oh, Devin. Devin. Listen, I can be in Chicago in about 4, 14 hours, okay? If you can meet me at a rest stop, I'm just gonna whop you in the head one time, then I'm gonna leave, okay? And your mom, she doesn't want to.

[C]

Look getting to my school.

[A]

I'll find you. Don't you worry, kid. Okay?

[B]

Oh, I'll tell him.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Your mom will give you up in three seconds. She likes the dog better than you. She's barely feeding you. What are you paying attention to that you don't understand? This woman is.

[C]

She's definitely not barely feeding me. I. I eat everything.

[A]

All right, well, I'm glad you're being fed. This is nice. I've had a nice time here. Now, listen, here's what I know, and I'm being serious. Devin, you seem like a nice kid. I'm excited for you and your pathway through life. I think it's going to be awesome. I think you're going to be an engineer who's married to a model and the first 57 quarterback in NFL history. Okay? And I'll tell you one thing I know for sure, if you make it to the NFL at that height, the Bears are going to draft you because they are terrible at drafting quarterbacks. I'm super happy for your mom. Your mom's doing well and she's healthy. If this podcast had anything to do with her being well, that really is touching to me. I'm super happy. I hope you get over your illness more. I'd like to see you do a little more basil and get that blood sugar down. You can get it down. You just need a little more insulin right now. And the aid system might be getting in your way instead of helping you. So maybe moving to manual while your mom is helping you could be valuable also. I feel like, you have not had to go to school today to make this podcast. Is that true?

[C]

Yeah, for the first time.

[A]

Why is it I have not been thanked yet? Why has there not been a thank you, Scott? I really appreciate you having me on this podcast. By the way, bamboozled. Do you know the word bamboozled? Devin, let me look at something here for you. I'm looking at the setup for today, says Tammy, and then it says, what are the themes you hope to cover? Self advocacy, teenage type 1 issues, thyroid cancer. Nowhere did I hear. I'm gonna slip my little kid into this. Okay, you understand? But you are. And I let you be here. And you don't have to go to.

[B]

School, typically ask, you talk to Devon.

[A]

Tammy, I don't remember any of that. You think I'm paying attention?

[B]

And so just like, Devin, oh, my God.

[A]

I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told my neighbor yesterday. Okay, Devon, watch me tell this story about a door and make it interesting. I'm gonna teach you something. Devon. This is like a TED Talk for you now.

[C]

Okay, well, first off, guy, I postpone this. The computer is dying.

[A]

Devin, you're gonna be okay.

[B]

Hang in.

[A]

Hang in, Hang in.

[C]

You gave me the wrong charger.

[A]

Evan, listen to me. My thing's only gonna take 30 seconds. I'm a pro. I'm outside working in my yard yesterday. My neighbor comes over to me, asked me to bring up his trash cans. Cause he's going away on vacation. I said, no problem at all. And I said to him, hey, I was driving past your house the other day with my wife. My wife says, has Mike's door always been red? And I said, how should I know? And she goes, we've been living here for 20 some years. I said, I don't know what color the guy's door is. And he looks at me weird. He goes, scott, my door used to be blue. You made fun of me about it three years ago. And I was like, mike, I don't remember that. And he goes, what? I was like, mike, I was at the store today. My wife asked me to get deodorant for her. And I want to be clear, Devin, that I've known my wife for 30 some years. I've been married for 29 years. That. That woman believes that I know what deodorant she's using is insane. Okay? Like, all I know is that her deodorant is blue. I do not know which one she uses. I could not possibly tell you that. I do not recall what color my neighbor's door is, even though I've apparently talked to him about it in the. And why is that, Devin? I don't know, but that's who I am, okay? I'm not going to remember stuff like that. What I explained to him was, that's not what you want from me in this life. What you want from me is the talking. That I'm good at. Remembering things, not so much. And do you see how that was fun? Even though it's got nothing to do with anything. And if I told you that story, like, disconnected from anything else, you'd be like, why is this guy telling me this? But somehow you're oddly compelled while I'm telling you. Do you hear that?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

This is what I want from you, Devin. This is where our storytelling needs to get at some point. And I'm not the best at it, but, Devin, I'm much better at it than you are, okay? And so I want you to get.

[C]

A lot older than I.

[A]

What does that have to do with anything? I was this chatty the fourth time.

[B]

You'Ve told us we're old.

[A]

Devin, do not bicker with your mother while I'm yelling at you. I was this chatty when I was 13, okay? I want you. The dog's barking. My dog just figured out, too, what's going on. He's like, these other are not feeding me what's happening. And Devin, don't curse in front of your mom, okay? Although I've cursed in front of you while your mom is here, but I saved her from cancer, so really, I can do it. Yeah, I.

[B]

May I make it a very, like, normal thing so that they don't feel like it's not normal.

[A]

All right, Devin. And here's the last thing I'm going to tell you. Anybody who wants to fight with somebody at a child's baseball game needs to go to therapy. You understand that there's something insanely wrong with them. Okay. All right. And for those of you who have almost gotten to a fight at a baseball game and now you're feeling insulted by me. I wasn't talking about you, okay? You're fine. Everything you do is awesome. Okay, Devin, when we're done here, you go tell your mom you love her. Give her a nice hug. Okay?

[C]

That's not gonna happen.

[A]

No, I want that. And I don't want you making fun of your short brother, okay? And Tammy, stop assaulting children at a baseball fields or whatever it is you did.

[B]

Hey, I'm just trying to teach sportsmanship, whether you like me or not. Or you like the other team or not. You still need to tell them good.

[A]

Game and give them a high five to God. And that stuff's not pizza, and the Bears suck. Devin, you remember all this, okay?

[B]

All of our teams suck.

[A]

Devin, have you ever been to the East Coast? New York, Philadelphia? Have you ever been over here in the Northeast?

[B]

Come get over here. His computer died, now he's over here. He asked you if you've ever been to the east coast before? No.

[A]

All right. Let's maybe get a trip together. Okay.

[B]

All right. I don't think I have either.

[A]

Go see civilization. See how things are done. Okay. You're out there with your lakes. You guys got a lake or something?

[B]

We do have a lake.

[A]

Okay. Come see the ocean, Devin. It's awesome.

[B]

You've seen the ocean?

[C]

No, I haven't.

[B]

You haven't? You've been to Florida? You did not.

[C]

I haven't seen it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Your mom took you to Florida and didn't let you see the ocean?

[B]

I didn't take him.

[A]

Oh, this is a baseball thing. Baseball.

[B]

No, no. They. His grandmother on his dad's side lives in Florida, so they've been there to visit a few times and apparently never made it to the ocean. I think she's middle of the state, though. I think she's, like, near Orlando.

[A]

Yeah, that's like. That's like the Everglades or something, right?

[B]

I mean, he also ate his Sour Patch Kids, so it wouldn't surprise me. He didn't take him to the beach.

[A]

I think the Everglades are south. What'd you go to the Disney. Go to the park? Yeah. Yeah. How was that?

[C]

It was good. It was fun.

[A]

I hear what you're saying. I'm going to be down there in a couple weeks and giving a talk in Orlando. Devin, this will probably come out after that happened. When am I going? One, two.

[B]

Touched by type one.

[A]

Touched by type one. I got to leave in, like, 17 days. I got to fly down there. All right, well, whatever. The flying part I don't love, but the rest of it's good. Devin, do you think anybody would ever ask you to come and speak at an event?

[B]

No.

[A]

That's right. Good job.

[B]

You know what this is?

[A]

Let him be honest. What's this?

[B]

No, he's my twin. He is going to get there. I can. He's. He's got the wit. He's got the, you know, like, the quick remarks and stuff like that. Maybe that didn't come out so much today, but he has that potential. In the future for sure.

[A]

Devin, I love you. I just want to say that. Okay? I know your mom doesn't, but I do. Okay.

[B]

And if.

[A]

If it was between you and that dog, I'd throw that dog right out of the house and keep you. I want you to know that. Okay.

[B]

I could see him doing a podcast someday.

[A]

All right, well, listen, it's not as easy you think.

[B]

Well, he's getting all these traits for me. You talk to strangers and get them to tell you their life story, and that's not all that different from what I do every day. And I feel like he's gonna get that piece of. Piece of me.

[A]

Honestly, Devin, I'm gonna tell you, man, keep listening to podcasts. Doesn't have to be mine, but keep listening to people who know how conversations and like, you'll. You'll pick it up along the way. Also, Tammy, you don't want him to play football, right? Is that you're afraid he's gonna get hurt?

[B]

No, no, that wasn't what that conversation was about. The conversation was, he. He is a golfer and has been golfing for a long time and he wants to be in the marching band. He's been in band for three years. And all of those things happen at the same time. They're all full for high school next year. It's all fall sports and fall activities and stuff. And I said, well, you need to really think about which of these things is your priority. And, and don't just jump into football because your friends invited you to and said you should do it. Let's think about all of the pieces and what you enjoy the most, what you think you're the best at, and what your priority is and what's important to you. I said that for apparently far too many minutes and then it got annoying. So. No, it's not that I don't want him to play. I don't think any parent loves the idea of a kid playing football.

[A]

I don't think that's true, but go ahead.

[B]

But yeah, I mean, it's some. Some do, I guess, but I. I just want him to make the decision, be. Be a very thought out.

[A]

He's really got to pick something because he's. Yeah. Gonna start a new thing or he's gonna have to stay with something. Band. What. What do you play in the band? Cymbals. What do you do there, Devin?

[B]

Baritone.

[A]

Baritone and baritone.

[B]

Baritone and trombone.

[A]

Oh, you can play the trombone?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

No kidding. Well, you're self taught.

[B]

Yeah, the trombone is. That's a recent Addition, he's going to be playing that in. In the jazz band this year.

[A]

Trombonist in the dress in the jazz band. If I made that the title of this episode, people would be confused the entire time they were listening.

[B]

I think people are going to be confused the entire time they're listening anyway.

[A]

Yeah, no, I'm pretty sure that's true. This is very.

[B]

I'm not sure what the point of any of this was.

[A]

I don't know. It's very bush league. All right, guys, thank you. I really appreciate it. I just sincerely appreciate doing. I hope we had fun. I really do appreciate that you came on. And, Tammy, seriously, I'm glad you're doing well.

[B]

Well, and. And thank you for existing. I mean, that's really what it comes down to. You know, if you weren't doing this, then I never would have dug a little deeper. I wouldn't have advocated for myself as much as I did without the knowledge that you. You've put out there. I know that everybody talks about this constantly on. On the page and on other podcasts, you know, on other episodes and stuff. You know, advocate, advocate. It's been such an awful, awful journey as far as interactions with our medical staff and things like that. It's something that needs to just keep being said. And if this story resonates with anybody, then great, because honestly, I would still be sitting here with my entire thyroid feeling like crap, not knowing why and who knows when it would have gotten found.

[A]

Yeah. What could have happened by waiting, right? Well, I agree. Yeah. Everybody, please advocate for yourself. And, Devin, listen, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to send an email and I'll get back to you in four to six weeks, okay? All right, man. Thanks for coming on, brother. I appreciate it. Seriously, a huge thanks to US Med for sponsoring this episode of the Juice box podcast. Don't forget usmed.com this is where we get our diabetes supplies from. You can as well use the Link or call 888-721-1514. Use the link or call the number, get your free benefits check so that you can start getting your diabetes supplies the way we do from US Med. Are you tired of getting a rash from your CGM adhesive? Give the Eversense365 a try eversensecgm.com fresh juice box. Beautiful silicone that they use. It changes every day. It keeps it fresh. Not only that, you only have to change the sensor once a year. So, I mean, that's better. The podcast you just enjoyed was sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. Learn more about Tandem's newest automated insulin delivery system, Tandem Mobi with Control IQ [e-mail] juicebox there are links in the show notes and [e-mail] thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box podcast. If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, please do that now. Seriously, just to hit follow or subscribe will really help the show. If you go a little further in Apple Podcasts and set it up so that it downloads all new episodes, I'll be your best friend. And if you leave a five star review, ooh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card. Would you like a Christmas card? I created the Diabetes Variables series because I know that in type 1 diabetes management, the little things aren't that little and they really add up. In this series, we'll break down everyday factors like stress, sleep, exercise and those other variables that impact your day more than you might think. Jenny Smith and I are going to get straight to the point with practical advice that you can trust, so check out the Diabetes Variable series in your podcast player [e-mail] the episode you just heard was professionally edited by wrong way recording wrongwayrecording.com.