#1673 This Is Happening

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: "This Is Happening" (Episode #1673)

Date: November 7, 2025 | Host: Scott Benner | Guest: Sydney (T1D Mom)
Theme: Navigating a Young Child’s Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis—Learning, Managing, and Finding Balance

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Overview

In this candid conversation, Scott Benner welcomes Sydney, a mother just 10 months into her son's Type 1 diabetes journey. The episode dives deep into the raw realities, steep learning curve, emotional adjustments, and practical solutions faced by families of newly diagnosed T1D toddlers. Sydney shares her personal experiences—from recognizing her son’s symptoms to the steps taken for diagnosis, and how the “This Is Happening” mindset shaped her approach. The discussion covers emotional transitions, parental roles, technology adoption, and hopes for the future—all anchored by Sydney's blend of medical know-how, faith, and honest reflection.

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Key Discussion Points & Timelines

1. Diagnosis Story: From First Suspicions to Hospitalization

• Recognition of Symptoms
  • Sydney noticed her 16-month-old son's excessive thirst, urination, and lethargy after a cold. Her ER background raised red flags, especially after detecting fruity breath.
  • “His breath stunk, too. Smelled like ketones to me or smelled fruity to me, which I knew was a sign of type one from being in the er.” — Sydney [05:22]
• The Glucometer Moment
  • A mistaken initial reading (94 instead of 594) at her grandfather's home led to immediate action.
  • “I was reading the glucometer upside down… and grandpa like turns it around and shows me it was 594. I had missed the five.” — Sydney [07:19]
• Hospital Admission & Early DKA
  • They drove directly to a children’s hospital; her son was in mild DKA but reversed quickly, thanks to their swift response.
  • Scott contextualizes with cautionary stories about late diagnosis and outcomes. [08:59–09:58]

2. Coping and the “This Is Happening” Mindset

• Putting Emotions Aside and Taking Action
  • Sydney describes how her ER experience and personality let her “compartmentalize” and act decisively in crisis, although the emotional toll was significant.
  • Scott shares a volunteer firefighter story to draw parallels with “stepwise problem solving” under pressure.
  • “It’s not like I wasn’t emotional during this process… but it was just like, okay, we have to get this done.” — Sydney [11:21]

3. Parental Identity Shift: Function vs. Nurture

• Struggling to Stay “Mom” While Being the Pancreas
  • Sydney opens up about missing the nurturing aspect of motherhood, feeling like a nurse or technician rather than a mom.
  • “I have to save his life every single day. I have to be his pancreas… I wasn’t ‘mom’ right there. I was just, oh, this is just a patient.” — Sydney [13:41]
  • Scott discusses how this can become “transactional” and “dehumanizing” if not checked. [14:45–15:41]

4. Early Management: Adapting Tools and Routine

• CGMs, Pumps, and Technology
  • The early days involved manual injections (MDI), then a rapid move to Dexcom CGM and an Omnipod insulin pump—a crucial improvement for fine-tuning small doses.
  • “Our MDI month was scary. Our time and range was we were just surviving. But once we got a pump, we were able to just dial him in…” — Sydney [18:09]

5. Learning and Flexibility: Carb Counting & Individualization

• “I’m horrible at carb counting… but I now start with a base number for his plate and then adjust for life and what’s going on.” — Sydney [18:09]
• Emphasis on learning how glycemic index, time of day, and other life factors change insulin needs.

6. Sibling and Family Risk—To Test or Not Test?

• Debating Antibody Checks for Siblings
  • Sydney candidly explores her ambivalence: she sometimes fingersticks her 4-year-old daughter, but hasn't pursued antibody testing due to anxiety about “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
  • Scott guides her through her mixed feelings: “Is it possible you’re not all the way to your answer on this question yet?” — Scott [25:30]

7. Marital Dynamics and Teamwork

• Division of Labor & Support
  • Sydney recognizes her husband’s growth from squeamishness to full participation in T1D care—a source of pride and gratitude.
  • “He is great. He does pod changes and finger sticks and… sometimes he does it better than I do.” — Sydney [28:13]
• Generational Reflections on Spousal Recognition
  • Scott humorously laments generational differences in spousal appreciation, leading to lighthearted banter about marriage expectations. [30:44–36:08]

8. Adjusting Care Plans as Kids Grow

• Dealing with Change: Growth Spurts, Settings, and Endo Relationships
  • Sydney struggles with plateauing numbers and pump settings as her son gains weight, highlighting the need for continual adjustment.
  • Scott’s practical tip: fully resetting the pump algorithm after significant changes in body mass or insulin needs.
  • “Sometimes you just need to leap forward, not slowly matriculate… sometimes a reset is needed.” — Scott [43:35]

9. Faith, Family Culture, and Building Resilience

• Faith as a Support System
  • Sydney shares how faith provides structure, mantras, and hope for her son’s future as both a coping strategy and life lesson.
  • “I just pray… that the Lord would just cure him from this… but I don’t want him growing up thinking, like, okay, that’s the goal… we also will just trust God every single day that this is who God created him to be…” — Sydney [45:23]
• Giving Her Son Agency
  • Even at 2, her son is asked where his devices go, and the family makes blood sugar checks a group activity to reduce stigma.

10. Homeschooling and Life Beyond Diabetes

• Why Homeschool?
  • Motivated by wanting intentional control over educational content, flexibility, and family time—Sydney shares how her own background informs her approach.
• Preparation and State Requirements
  • Navigates plans for reporting, testing, and graduation while schooling at home. [56:32–59:24]

11. End Reflections: Progress, Perspective, and Growth

• Letting Go of Perfection
  • Scott assures Sydney that with experience comes skill, and encourages her to focus on the “bigger picture,” balancing numbers and well-being.
  • “Where you are now is nowhere near where you’re going to end up… the bigger picture stuff ends up being just as important as the numbers.” — Scott [63:04]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I was reading the glucometer upside down… and grandpa like turns it around and shows me it was 594. I had missed the five.” — Sydney [07:19]
• “It’s not like I wasn’t emotional during this process… but it was just like, okay, we have to get this done.” — Sydney [11:21]
• “I have to save his life every single day. I have to be his pancreas… I wasn’t ‘mom’ right there. I was just, oh, this is just a patient.” — Sydney [13:41]
• On husband’s teamwork: “He is great. He does pod changes and finger sticks and… sometimes he does it better than I do.” — Sydney [28:13]
• “Sometimes you just need to leap forward, not slowly matriculate… sometimes a reset is needed.” — Scott [43:35]
• “I just pray… that the Lord would just cure him from this… but I don’t want him growing up thinking, like, okay, that’s the goal…” — Sydney [45:23]
• “Where you are now is nowhere near where you’re going to end up… the bigger picture stuff ends up being just as important as the numbers.” — Scott [63:04]

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Sectional Timestamps

• Diagnosis & First Steps: [02:30–10:56]
• Managing Emotional, Functional Roles: [13:09–16:00]
• Technology, Pump, and CGM Transition: [18:09–21:06]
• Fear for Siblings, Family Discussions: [21:06–27:18]
• Teamwork and Marital Dynamics: [28:00–36:08]
• Adapting to Change—Tech and Growth: [36:50–43:58]
• Faith and Child’s Resilience: [43:58–48:44]
• Homeschooling and Future Planning: [55:57–59:24]
• Summing Up—Advice and Encouragement: [63:04–63:18]

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Summary

This heartfelt episode offers newly diagnosed T1D families practical strategies and emotional validation through Sydney’s story—highlighting the importance of acting swiftly, adapting continuously, sharing the load, and nurturing both the person with diabetes and their family as a whole. Technology is framed as a tool, not a panacea, and faith—alongside self-compassion and continuous learning—anchors daily life.

Listen to the episode for rich, relatable discussion, tactical diabetes management tips, and a compassionate look at the journey of loving a child with T1D.

Transcript

[Scott]

Here we are back together again, friends, for another episode of the Juice Box Podcast.

[Sydney]

My name is Sydney. I am a mom of a 2 year old type 1 diabetic and we're 10 months into our diabetes journey.

[Scott]

If you or a loved one is newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and you're seeking a clear, practical perspective, check out the Bold Beginnings series on the Juice Box Podcast. It's hosted by myself and Jenny Smith, an experienced diabetes educator with over 35 years of personal insight into type 1. Our series cuts through the medical jargon and delivers straightforward answers to your most pressing questions. You'll gain insight from real patients and caregivers and find practical advice to help you confidently navigate Life with Type 1. You can start your journey informed and empowered with the Juice Box Podcast. The Bold Beginning series and all of the collections in the Juice Box Podcast are available in your audio app [e-mail] in the menu. 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. The episode you're about to listen to was sponsored by touched by type 1. Go check them out right now on Facebook, Instagram and of [e-mail] check out that programs tab when you get to the website to see all the great things that they're doing for people living with type 1 diabetes. Touched by type1.org Today's episode is sponsored by the Tandem MOBI system with Control IQ technology. If you are looking for the only system with auto bolus, multiple wear options and full control from your personal iPhone, you're looking for Tandem's newest pump and algorithm. Use my link to support the podcast. Tandom diabetes.com juicebox Check it out. The show you're about to listen to is sponsored by the Eversense365. The Eversense 365 has exceptional accuracy over one year and is the most accurate CGM in the low range that you can get. Eversensecgm.com juicebox My name is Sydney.

[Sydney]

I am a mom of a 2 year old type 1 diabetic and we're 10 months into our diabetes journey.

[Scott]

10 months? I'm sorry, your son or your daughter?

[Sydney]

Son. Yeah.

[Scott]

He's 2.

[Sydney]

Yes, he's 2.

[Scott]

How old was he when he was diagnosed?

[Sydney]

So he was 16 months. We were diagnosed last November.

[Scott]

Wow. My goodness, that must have been shocking.

[Sydney]

It was, yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. How many other children do you have? Or no.

[Sydney]

I have one daughter who's four.

[Scott]

Four year old and a two year old. Two year old's had type one since they were 16 months old.

[Sydney]

Yep.

[Scott]

And you're here to tell me that you figured the whole thing out and it's super simple and you just want to tell everybody what the secret was, Right? Good.

[Sydney]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, that's me.

[Scott]

Yep. Now, what made you want to come on the podcast?

[Sydney]

Well, I've been listening to you since we were diagnosed. Actually, my diabetes educator in the hospital gave me your podcast. Just listen to Scott, and he's got some really great things to say and I've definitely been a faithful listener to you and I definitely saw a difference once I started implementing some of the things, the Bold Beginnings series and your Intro to Diabetes series. So, yeah, I actually. We were a couple months in and I had started listening to you, like religiously, and I got on the phone with my diabetes educator and she was like, something's changed. Like, his numbers are crazy compared to what they've been like. I was like, yeah. Well, I started listening to Juice Box podcast and she was like, oh, yes, I can tell. So.

[Scott]

Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, very cool.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

What's her name?

[Sydney]

Her name is Kristen. Yeah, she's from. We live up in New York.

[Scott]

Can I just say hi, Kristen. Thank you so much.

[Sydney]

Yeah, that's awesome.

[Scott]

I'm very happy. Thank you. Oh, wow. Tell me a little bit about how you figured out the diabetes was upon you.

[Sydney]

Yeah. So no history anywhere in the family of type one. My grandfather is a type two, but I actually worked in the emergency room as a tech. Not a nurse or anything, just as a patient assistant care tech for five years before I had kids. So I have a little bit of medical experience. And my son had just like, he had had a cold. And then after the cold, he started drinking a lot. And I thought his throat was just kind of sore. You know, the typical like the signs that you ignore and try to justify. And he was drinking a lot of water. It had gone on for about a week. And he for a few days had started peeing through his diapers at night. And then one day during his nap, he peed through his diaper. And I'm like, this is super weird. Like, I know he's drinking a lot of water, but super weird. So one night I had gotten up with him and he also was sleeping a lot too. He would sleep till nine in the morning, which is not normal for him. One night, it was a Thursday night, he woke up in the middle of the night, had soaked through his diaper, and so I changed him, and he was just water, water. Like, crying for water. So I gave him a cup of water, and he drank the whole thing. And I was like, red flag. That's not normal for sure. Something's up. So I. In the back of my mind, his breath stunk, too. Smelled like ketones to me or smelled fruity to me, which I knew was a sign of type one from being in the er. So it flashed in my mind, but I was like, no, that can't be it, and there's no history of it in my family. So I went back to bed after I had gotten him settled, and I Googled, what else could this be? Give me something else.

[Scott]

Dear Google, I'm pretty sure my kid has type 1 diabetes, but I would love for you to tell me that it's a hangnail that I can't see, please. Quickly.

[Sydney]

Yeah, so, of course, the Google searches. Oh. Signs of type 1 diabetes in toddlers. Excessive thirst, excessive urination. And so I woke my husb. It was like two in the morning. And I'm known to kind of be one of these alarmists sometimes. And I was like, he has diabetes. And my husband's like, no, he doesn't. You need to just go back to sleep in the morning. Why don't we just call his primary? And so I just had to pray that night. I was like, lord, just please help me just go to sleep right now. There's nothing I can do about this right now. Let me just deal with this in the morning and just get a peaceful night's sleep. And hindsight. Maybe I should have woken everybody up, but we.

[Scott]

Sydney, I'm picturing your husband rolling over thinking, I remember when her crazy was fun, but.

[Sydney]

Exactly.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Sydney]

So I got up the next morning, I called our primary and told them that he was just excessively thirsty. And I decided that they were like, oh, let me see if we can get him in today. We'll call you back. I decided that I was gonna pack him up and bring him down to my grandfather because I knew he had a glucometer, and he's only 10 minutes down the road from me. And I was just gonna check his blood sugar just to rule it out. Cause I knew that wasn't what was going on. So I brought him down to my grandfather' who has type 2 and just said, hey, can we use your glucometer? I just want to make sure that Cody's blood sugar is normal so he does the finger sick. And I was on the other side of him. So I was reading the glucometer upside down and it read and it said 94. And I was like, oh, thank you lord. And I was like, oh, 94. And grandpa like turns it around and shows me it was 594. I had missed the five.

[Scott]

Oh my.

[Sydney]

And my heart just sank. And I was like, okay, this is happening, this is happening. So I called my husband, I'm like, we need to go to the emergency room right now. And I called my mother in law to get my 4 year old and we packed him up, we skipped our local hospital and went straight to our children's hospital, which is like an hour and a half away because I knew that he needed a line. And I was like, I don't want to mess with our emergency room trying to get an IV in him. He needs to just go right to the children's hospital. So we got there and got into triage and he was 428 in triage. And I remember on the car ride down, I couldn't keep him awake. It was like nap time, but I couldn't keep him awake. And I was like, oh my goodness, what have I done? Have I waited too long? So we get to the er, I get to the registration desk, I'm like, my son's blood sugar is high. We need a, this is a new onset. So everybody comes running into triage and yep, he's critically high. It's just a whirlwind as we're like just getting in. We need an IV, we need to figure out if he's in DKA. So they got an IV, figured he was in DKA. Just like kind of looking back, his A1C diagnosis was 8.9. And everybody like, it was, of course, you know, just how emotional it is just hearing all this. But everybody like told me like, this is early. Like you caught this early. Usually when a 16 month old comes in with type 1, their A1Cs are much higher and they're unresponsive, like, and he reversed out of DKA within 6 hours. So thankful for that.

[Scott]

I wonder if you heard John's story on the podcast last week.

[Sydney]

No, no, I didn't.

[Scott]

His daughter passed away obviously very tragically before they could even diagnose her. And I think that's probably contextually what the people in the hospital are trying to say when you say, oh no, you did good, you found it early because they told us the same thing.

[Sydney]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

Meanwhile, a day later they said oh, Arden probably would have slipped into a coma in another 24 hours. Ye were still giving us the, like, wait. Great job getting here.

[Sydney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Scott]

You struggle for context in that moment. Like, wait, so you're telling me she's 24 hours away from something terrible, and yet we did a good job. It. It didn't make sense, but it makes sense after you hear about all the people who, you know, come in in a coma or aren't even lucky enough to come in in a coma.

[Sydney]

Yeah, for sure.

[Scott]

Well, so good job. I mean, I was impressed as you're telling the story. Like, you picked up on a lot of stuff really quickly.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah, I think. I'm not 100% sure you're talking so quickly, Sydney. Sorry. Go back to it. I apologize.

[Sydney]

No, that's. Yeah. And so we were in the ER overnight. We were. Originally they put in for a picu bed for us, but then we got downgraded to just a normal peds floor, which I was thankful for. So we got to go up, and we were in on a weekend. So they didn't have any diabetes education in the hospital over the weekend. So on Monday morning, we got our diabetes education, and I got to do his injections and his checking his blood sugar over the weekend. Just get familiar with all that. And of course, it was, like, really, really scary, but I felt comfortable with it because I had. I was a phlebotomist in the er. Like, I'm comfortable with needles and that kind of stuff, but it's definitely different doing it to your own son, for sure.

[Scott]

Well, do you think. I mean, is your professional life what allowed you to. I mean, you said the title. I don't know if you know this or you've already said the title of the episod.

[Sydney]

Oh, what's my title?

[Scott]

This Is Happening.

[Sydney]

This Is Happening.

[Scott]

I thought that was really kind of, like, interesting how you were hit in the face with this, and you were like, okay, well, this is happening, and then let's keep going and do the next thing that needs to be done. Is that from your professional life, or do you think that's just how you are?

[Sydney]

Oh, I think, like, I think my. That's part of my personality, which bled into, like, my professional life in the emergency room. And I think, like, just being in the ER kind of, like, kicked that fully into gear. So, yeah, I think my ability to just kind of put my emotions aside, which isn't. It's not like I wasn't emotional during this process, for sure. But, yeah, I think it Was just like, okay, we have to get this done. Like, we have to get to the er. We're gonna skip our closest hospital because I know he needs an iv and they're not gonna be able to get one there. So we'll have to go to Albany Med. Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah, I remember this. I don't know if I've ever told this story before, but I had been a volunteer fireman when I was a kid. Like, from time. I was, like, 16 till I was, like, 20. And we went to this car accident one time, and I was told, you know, there was an older woman, an elderly woman, in the front seat, passenger side, and we had to extract her. And I walked to the car to look in, to try to assess what we were going to do. And I looked in, and there was no one there. So I walked back, and I was like, there's no one in the car. And the person said, you know, the guy running the scene said, no, she wasn't wearing a seatbelt. She came forward. She's folded up under the dashboard. Right? And I was like, okay. And he said, we're going to pull the door. I think we pulled the door. Cut the. I forget what they're called, the supports that go up the side of the windshield. We're going to. We're going to peel it back, pop up the dashboard, try to get her out that way. And there was something about the way he said it to me always stuck with me. Like, I mean, it was horrifying, you know, and he was just like, no, it's okay. Like, we're going to do this and then this and then this. And I was like, okay. Like, some people just have that. Like, have that. It's cool to hear you talk about that way. So this is happening. How have you applied that moving forward?

[Sydney]

Yeah. I'd like to say that the first month was easy because of that personality, but obviously it wasn't. It was a huge life change. It was very emotional. But just like, I think one thing that I almost struggled with in the beginning was I didn't really feel like a mom. Like, I didn't feel like nurturing and loving and a comforter. Because right now, I have to save his life every single day. I have to be his pancreas. That's number one. I need to give him the injections. I need to count his carbs. I need to check his blood sugar. I need to wake him up in the middle of the night. Those are the things that have to happen so that he can live. And so unfortunately, when I'm giving him an injection, I'm holding him down because he's 16 months old, and I can't comfort him right now because he needs this. And, like, I remember doing it the first time in the hospital, and I, like, I know that sometimes it's, like, hard for moms to, like, when they're, you know, when they're doing their first injection on their toddler. Like, you can't do this. And, like, I could do it. I, like, had no problem doing it, but I did it. And then I sat back and I was like, man, did I just shut off Mom. Like, I wasn't mom right there. I was just, oh, this is just a patient. And so I struggled with that balance for a while. And I'd like to say I have it mastered, but sometimes I'm like, where I need to just tap into that mother. I am his mom still. I'm not just his nurse. I'm not just his pancreas. Yes, these things need to be done, but I can do them in a loving way, for sure.

[Scott]

I don't think a lot of people talk about that, but I have felt touched by that over the years, pretty deeply. What is it? It's a simple feeling that you're involved in the thing that needs to be done at the expense of the thing that you want to be doing. Right. And then. Yeah. And you put it a different way. Like, you're shutting off being a mom so that you can do this functional thing that's necessary. I'm with you on that. I think that's incredibly difficult, actually. And I think it, unchecked, can kind of run wild. Meaning, like, your interactions can start turning into. I don't know, like, they're. They're more transactional all of a sudden. And, you know, like, yeah, it's time to do the thing. Let's do the thing. I don't want to do the thing while you're doing the thing. Like, that whole thing, that whole process there. It's a little dehumanizing for you, right, and for your relationship A little bit.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm glad you're aware of it, though.

[Sydney]

Yeah. Yeah. Something to just work on every day, for sure.

[Scott]

Something else to worry about. The functional stuff you're good at. You're good at the sticks and the pokes and etc. Were you good at the measuring and the counting and the other stuff? When you think of a CGM and all the good that it brings in your life is the first thing you think about I love that I have to change it all the time. I love the warmup period every time I have to change it. I love that when I bump into a door frame sometimes it gets ripped off. I love that the adhesive kind of gets mushy sometimes when I sweat and falls off. No, these are not the things that you love about a cgm. Today's episode of the Juicebox podcast is sponsored by the Eversense365, the only CGM that you only have to put on once a year and the only CGM that won't give you any of those problems. The Eversense 365 is the only one year CGM designed to minimize device frustration. It has exceptional accuracy for one year with almost no false alarms from compression lows while you're sleeping. You can manage your diabetes instead of your CGM with the Eversense365. Learn more and get started today at eversensecgm.com Juicebox One year, one CGM let's talk about the Tandem Moby Insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. Their newest algorithm, ControlIQ technology, and the new Tandem Mobi pump offer you unique opportunities to have better control. It's the only system with autobolus that helps with missed meals and preventing hyperglycemia, the only system with a dedicated sleep setting, and the only system with off or on body wear options. Tandem Mobi gives you more discretion, freedom and options for how to manage your diabetes. This is their best algorithm ever and they'd like you to check it [e-mail] juicebox when you get to my link, you're going to see integrations with dexcom sensors and a ton of other information that's going to help you learn about Tandem's tiny pump that's big on control. Tandemdiabetes.com juicebox the Tandem mobi system is available for people ages 2 and up who want an automated delivery system to help them sleep better, wake up in range and address high blood sugars with auto bolus.

[Sydney]

No, I don't count carbs. I'm horrible. So no. Our first we like our numbers came up very quickly. Our endo was like we want you to see 60% in range, which I know is on the low end, but that's what we want to see and we got there quickly. We didn't get a CGM right away. We actually went home from the hospital with a glucometer and didn't get our dexcom until a week later, looking back, I'm like, how the heck did I do that without a Dexcom for a whole week? And then we got a pump. We didn't get a pump till I think it was one month. So we did MDI for a month. So our MDI month was scary. Our time and range was we were just surviving. But once we got a pump, we were able to just dial him in because he needs such small doses like.05. Once we got on the pump, our numbers came up fairly quickly. The carb counting, obviously, I did it for a long time and I still will look at a package, but just kind of also learning from you, just the glycemic index of things and just the way that some things affect him differently than others in the time of day and all this thing. I definitely start with a base number for his plate that I give him, like, oh, this is how many carbs are on his plate. But this is what's going on in our life. So this is how much insulin I'm going to give him.

[Scott]

Good for you. Well, that's awesome. Yeah. 0.05. Is. Is that. Are you telling me you got an Omnipod?

[Sydney]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

And did you go with Automation or using Omnipod 5 or Dash?

[Sydney]

We couldn't do auto for a little bit because he needed under 5 units for total daily Insulin, so he didn't qualify for auto mode. But eventually the. Our team, like, worked it so that we could use auto mode. So that's what we've been rolling with now, which I, like, we've hit the last couple months have been difficult for us. I don't know if we're dealing with the growth spurt. We're coming up on an endo appointment, so I'm hoping in that we're going to be able to really move some numbers around because I think that's what we're needing right now. But for a while, he was doing pretty well in the 70 to 80% range on Omnipod and auto mode.

[Scott]

Okay. Oh, that's awesome. Listen, I remember the drawing up the insulin and drops and then eventually somebody coming along and saying, some of these syringes come in half units. And I was like, no one? Why would no one tell me that?

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Thank you. And that still, it still was most of the time too much. But a lot of Arden's meal bowls were a half a unit for a long time. And some. Some of her corrections were like a couple of drops.

[Sydney]

Yep.

[Scott]

Yeah, it was a lot. I was trying to find, you know, some Sort of an adjective to put to it, but it just, it was just a lot and it was constant and exhausting and I love that you were able to get a pump fast enough that you didn't have to deal with that. That's really great.

[Sydney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Scott]

I think it probably ruined two years of my life. Yeah. That whole thing. And I don't think it was great for her either.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Being honest. Have you dug any deeper in the family? Is there other autoimmune stuff going on?

[Sydney]

Not. Nope. Not in our immediate family. We do like extended family has like, I'm talking. My mother in law's second cousin has type 1 diabetes, but there's. Yeah. No, nobody in our immediate family has autoimmune, so we haven't done any testing. They recommended we test our 4 year old and my husband and I, but we haven't done that. And I don't think that that's something that we will do. But yeah, haven't really done any digging in that area.

[Scott]

Will you take me through your thinking on not testing the four year old?

[Sydney]

Yeah, I go back and forth. I'm not set in stone and my husband isn't either. But we. I was very anxious, like 6 months. I still am about my 4 year old, like that this would happen. And I also keep hearing, even now, keep hearing about, oh, it was a year and then the second sibling was diagnosed. And I probably check your blood sugar at least once a month, if not more. Just when she's. Oh no, she asked for a second cup of water. She must be starting. But I know that if I were to test her and she came back positive for antibodies that I would just every single moment I'd be waiting. I know it might not be the wisest thing, but like.

[Scott]

Let me stop you, Cynthia. I'm not judging it. I'm just trying to understand how you're thinking about it. I don't know if it's not a wise thing or not. Sure, yeah, it very well may be for you. Yeah.

[Sydney]

I just think like we have a glucometer in the house and if she were to ever show and she's older, which is nice, or so I think maybe older kids sometimes are easier to recognize because they're able to tell you when they're not feeling good and stuff. And so I don't know. I think that if I were to test her and she were to come back positive that I would just be very anxious all the time and just always looking and I just don't want her to like live Like, I have a son who's a diabetic and I don't want to have to have a daughter who's positive for antibodies and might be a diabetic someday. You know, I just want her to be my four year old, you know.

[Scott]

And it's not the same that you're testing her monthly. It's not the same thing.

[Sydney]

Yes. Yeah, I, Yeah, I don't know. I think like, yeah, I don't really know.

[Scott]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to point out an inconsistency in what you said. I just wanted to. I, I just wanted to make sure.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

If you were going to be like, hey, listen, out of sight, out of mind, I'm throwing it up to God, I'll wait and see what happens. I'm never going to think about it again. I would understand your. But you're like, hey, I don't want to know for sure, but I am going to constantly look.

[Sydney]

Yeah, that's a good point, Scott.

[Scott]

No, no, no, no. I don't know.

[Sydney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think. Yeah. Huh. I just like, don't. I. It's like a fun thing when we check her finger.

[Scott]

Sure.

[Sydney]

You know, she gets to do it. I do it. Like she'll check me and it's just kind of like, oh yeah, what's my blood sugar? What's dad's blood sugar? What's your blood sugar? And like we'll make it a fun thing. And like, listen.

[Scott]

Yeah, I like that. I think that's even. And I think it's normalizing. And it probably is also like nice for your son to see everybody checking their blood sugar once. Uh huh. Yep. Is that changing how you feel or what you're worried about? No.

[Sydney]

I mean, yeah, it's usually when I'm. When I'm a little bit anxious and like sometimes it's like you need to just verify. Yeah. Like, she was really thirsty today. I took her to the, to the bathroom a couple extra times today. So let's just check your blood sugar. Just make sure your blood sugar's okay. And who knows, maybe down the road we will do the testing. But I just think like if I were to know for sure, then that glucometer would be coming out once a week every single time. Like I would just need to know we would be taking her to appointments. Like, okay, is, is she positive for anymore? I don't really know exactly how all that works. Like, what do we need to do? Like, are we going to need to just set up with an endo and just wait for this shoe to drop instead of it just being like, oh, let me just rule this out really quickly with my glucometer at home, you know?

[Scott]

Okay. But you know that one blood sugar test once a month isn't telling you for sure that she doesn't have, like, an onset. Right. Because you could just be catching her.

[Sydney]

Yeah, I do know that.

[Scott]

Yeah, I know. Listen, I'm not breaking your balls. I just. I just. It's an interesting conversation also for people who are thinking of starting their own podcast. Here's a tip. When you hear somebody answer no, but. Yeah, ask another question because. Because they're not sure and it's fun to talk through. You've done that, I'm going to say, six times in the last five minutes.

[Sydney]

Perfect. That's perfect.

[Scott]

I've asked the question. You've been like, absolutely not. But, you know, maybe. But that's just an indication that you're not settled on it yet in my mind. Is it possible that you're not all the way to your answer on this question yet?

[Sydney]

Y. Yes.

[Scott]

Maybe you're not in the headspace right now to deal with this.

[Sydney]

Yeah, I think that's for sure a reasonable draw from that. Like, I'm still. We're not even a year in with my son, and so for now, like, since my 4 year old doesn't have diabetes, like, I am just going to. Yeah, I'm just going to check her finger when I need to, when I think she needs it, and make sure she's not in dka. And maybe in four years or five years, we'll do some testing and rule out that she won't ever get this. Or if she does, like, and I haven't even. Like, I've heard sibling stories and I haven't, like, I don't even know enough yet to be like, okay, so what would happen if she was just positive for one. Like, what do we do next?

[Scott]

Yeah. Let me share this with you. Yeah. A lot of people, multiple children, and one of them has diabetes and the other ones never get it.

[Sydney]

Yep.

[Scott]

That happens too.

[Sydney]

Yep.

[Scott]

I feel like you're looking at it from the perspective of it's going to happen.

[Sydney]

Going to happen. Yeah.

[Scott]

I would encourage you to look at it from the perspective of it's still much less likely to happen than it is likely to happen. And I'm surrounded by people with type 1 diabetes online and this podcast I'm listening to. And I keep hearing stories of multiples, but maybe those are just the people who think to Reach out to be on the podcast, right?

[Sydney]

Yep.

[Scott]

I don't know that there's some like cute saying about causation and something, but I don't know. I don't really know the saying. I would suggest you to like, I would chill out about it if I was.

[Sydney]

Yeah, I'll chill out. Thanks.

[Scott]

Scott, what your husband hasn't had the nerve to say to you since he was wrong about the diabetes thing. That probably shut him up for a while, huh?

[Sydney]

Oh yeah. It's funny though, because every time I check my daughter's fingers, he's like, stop. Like she doesn't have it. Like, yeah, it did stop him for a little bit, but he's right back to keeping me in check, which is what I need, so.

[Scott]

Oh, but no, but I don't you love though. I mean it's just such the wrong situation because you can't really gloat. But like he was like, just go back to sleep, go back to sleep. You don't know what you're talking about. And Meanwhile, you were 100% right. Right. Yeah, yeah.

[Sydney]

The first time and probably the only time. But.

[Scott]

Oh no, it's not. But it's hard to. It's hard to use this one.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

In a get even.

[Sydney]

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Scott]

Yank it out six months later and go, oh, you don't think I'm right about the lawnmower. But do you remember when I was right about the diabetes? You said no. Oh my gosh. How involved have you let him be with the diabetes?

[Sydney]

So he is very involved. He is. I could not be more proud of him. Like my husband was a very squeamish person when we got married and does not do anything medical. I remember going to one of his first physicals when we had gotten married and he needed a vaccine and almost passed out on the table. Like very squeamish. Could not while we were having our babies, had to be holding onto something so he didn't pass out type of thing. But he jumped right in and like it has such been a team effort between the two of us. He works full time, I'm home with our kids. So I'm naturally just the one that kind of does the day to day management. But I can walk out the door any time of day and he. I know he has it and a lot of times sometimes he does it better than I do. I'm like, what in the world? How did you keep him in range for this meal? Like, I could never keep him in range for that.

[Scott]

What's he say?

[Sydney]

What does he say?

[Scott]

Yeah. How does he doing it differently? He just.

[Sydney]

Oh, I just gave him more. Like, sometimes it's just. And who knows what the situation is? But yeah, he pulls his emotion out of it, which I had talked about. Sometimes I do too. But he can do that better than I can because he's a man. And so, yeah, he is great. He does pad changes and finger sticks and the whole nine. And like, also, anytime we leave the house, because I'm tend to be a forgetful person, always just double checks that we have. Oh, do we have diabetes? Stuff for code. Do we have juice? Do we have this?

[Scott]

I think you shouldn't underestimate the power of a boy's willingness to just push hard, harder, you know, like, I don't know, hit it. Let's see what happens then. So he's just using more insulin and having more success while you're. Oh, that's interesting.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

You ever try that? You ever try, like, oh, let me just. I'll sprinkle a little more on here and see what happens.

[Sydney]

I usually. It depends on the day for sure. I usually tend to be the one who uses more insulin. I use. I usually am, like, more aggressive with corrections than he is, but I don't know. He's. He's can be aggressive too. So I think I just recognize patterns a little bit better than my husband does because I'm with him more. Yesterday he gave him boxed Mac and cheese, which I hesitate to keep in the house because I have no idea how to keep my son in range for boxed Mac and cheese. It's just one we haven't figured out yet. And he gave it to him. And I got home and he was in the 300. So I'm like, okay, let's like, bolus him. Let's give him some more insulin for this. So. But, like, he really. He is. He is great. And he does handle, like, his typical foods. He nails them every time. So.

[Scott]

Can I ask how old you are?

[Sydney]

I'm 28.

[Scott]

Can I give some voice to my jealousy for a second?

[Sydney]

Oh, boy. Sure.

[Scott]

I wish I was born later because to hear you and not just you, but other women talk about their younger women, talk about their husbands and how, like, I'm so proud of him and, like, he really does. Like, you're giving him credit for things that my wife just expects from me because she's from a different generation. Like, you are saying. I think this is awesome, by the way. And I'm. I'm advocating for it. And I would like somebody One of you who knows my wife to somehow trick her into doing what you just heard Sidney doing. And by that, I mean being kind to her husband. The way you just said it, I thought, oh, I was born in the wrong generation. Like, my wife's just like, just do the thing, Jack. You know what you're supposed to do. Don't come over here looking for a pat on the back for. For taking care of the kid. I let you have sex with me because I assumed you were going to take care of that kid. Don't make me give you credit for doing it now. Head. Go do something else. That's how I live. But nicely. By the way, she's lovely. And. But. But she actually is lovely. That's not what I'm saying. Yes, but it's generational. Like, there's an expectation. There's no reward for it. Sure, yeah, but you guys are so in touch with being kind to each other in a different. In this. In a newer generation. I just found myself thinking, like. Like, that would be nice. Do you think maybe behind my back, my wife says stuff like that about me?

[Sydney]

I'm sure.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Sydney]

It's something that I had to train myself to do. Just. I remember when I first got married, just like, I would just be with my girlfriends and, oh, yeah, my husband did this. Oh, mine does this. And just remember, like, this isn't actually building my husband up at all. And we're a team. And I would hope that he would speak highly of me to his friends. And so, yeah, anytime I can, like, well, one, it's not hard because he's a wonderful man, and he is, like, my absolute best friend. And so, yeah, anytime I can, I'm gonna pat him on the back because he for sure works hard for us.

[Scott]

My son tried to tease my wife the other day, and she goes, what, Mom? You've never made a mistake. And she pauses. My wife, who has no sense of humor, when my wife is funny, it's by mistake. Okay? She pauses, looks at me and goes, but talking to him. She's looking at me, but talking to him and says, no, I've made mistakes.

[Sydney]

I'm like, hey, thanks, hon.

[Scott]

It didn't come naturally. You actually. You saw a group of people and you were like, I don't think we should all be talking to each other like this. Yeah.

[Sydney]

And that's. I still struggle with it, but I.

[Scott]

Just noticed that, like, when I say it. Sydney.

[Sydney]

No, he really isn't like. And I just noticed that. That when I was, like, talking poorly about my Husband. Like, I would start to, like, just see that. Like, see the things that annoy me. Like, the pet peeves about him. Like, I just see him all the time. Cause that's what I'm talking about all the time.

[Scott]

So, yeah, oh, I'm talking to all of you. Not just Kelly, but Kelly. Listen, I've said it to her to her face. I've said it to her in front of her mom. I'm willing to say it here, too. I feel like I'm in middle school. Did you get checks and minuses in middle school? They give you, like, little. You do something good. They're like, oh, you get a plus. And then you, like, you. You know, you scream and they're like, minus. And like, at the end of the year, you can trade that. I feel like my wife sheet only has minuses on it. The other day we were. Sorry. Sorry. I think I'm apologizing to Kelly. The other day we were cleaning up because we just had some, like, painting done in the house, right? And so we were putting things away, and it was the weekend, and it sucks. Like, you gotta, like, put everything back and everything. And I did a million things that day. I want to tell you that I was the kind of person that you, Sidney, would have gone on a podcast and been like, I'm married to a really great guy, and this Scott. And let me tell you what he did. This is what you would have said. My wife said to me, why did you do that now? And I went, what? She goes, that doesn't need to be done now. This needs to be done now. Now. That's not going to get done today. And I was like, did you not see? And I'm pausing and I'm thinking about, like, all the shit I did that day. And I was telling me I'm doing it in the wrong order. It's like, if you got her in here right now, she would tell you, like, look, it's funny. She'd say, I didn't want to eat late. And because you did this here, dinner's going to be later. But you would say, I can't believe my husband's making dinner. He's awesome. And I didn't make. I didn't make a box. No shade on your husband. But I didn't make a box Mac and cheese. I made a meatloaf from scratch. I made mashed potatoes from scratch. I made carrots and broccoli broil in the broiler. Like, that's what I made for dinner. And what she knows Is I hung the TV back up at the wrong time in my day and messed up the time at dinner. And what I'm telling you is it's not her. I think it's generational.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. Because my wife is really a lovely person. This is a long way of saying I wish I was born later, because I think I would. I think I'd be one of those husbands that you people would be like, oh, my guy's great. Like, I think there'd be tiktoks about me. But instead there's not. That's all. And that ends the portion of Scott talks about himself in the podcast.

[Sydney]

So it's your podcast.

[Scott]

Hey, look, you're even doing it for me. Oh, Sydney, thank you. That was lovely. Is that what this feels like?

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Oh, gosh. Could we do what I want to do this weekend? Yeah, right. Sydney, leave that man. Come with me. I'll take care of that kid with diabetes for you. All you have to do is be nice to me. Okay. Oh, my gosh. What is the pathway here? Like, you know, your initial diagnosis is done. You're into this part now. You're still learning, you know, but you're doing better. Things are getting better. How do you think about this? Is it a day to day thing? I'm just trying to stay alive? Or do you have goals that you're shooting for?

[Sydney]

Three months ago. So we're coming up on a quarterly endo appointment here in a couple weeks. So our endo appointment. So this is only our third endo appointment because we haven't even been doing this for a year. So our second endo appointment, we hit 6.8% with his A1C and our team was, like, super excited, obviously. I know I could be better than that. I was super excited with that only being six months in and we were averaging around 70% in range. And I was like, we've got this. We're just gonna get better and better. And to hit 80%, we're going to hit 90%. We're going to get his A1C into the fives. Like, that's what we're going to do. We're just going to get better at this. And the last three months, he had a birthday. We. It's been summer. We have gone backwards. And I just don't know why. Like, I don't know. I'm thinking we need to just move some numbers around, which I do every so often, but I'm just not sure, like, what it is. We haven't regressed all the way. I'm sure his A1C at our next appointment is going to be up a little bit.

[Scott]

Has he gained weight? Has he put weight on?

[Sydney]

Yeah, yep, he's been. Yeah, he's gained weight. Yeah.

[Scott]

Okay. Are you making changes in the settings that aren't affecting the automation?

[Sydney]

Well, I've just adjusted his carb ratios and the thing that I like would like to talk to is Endo about is his basil. Like I'm wondering if his basal just needs to be increased. His basil is pretty much maxed out in the settings. I almost think that. Does Endo need to unlock it for me? Because I can't make it any more than it is right now. It's at like his max basal rate is 0.2 an hour and sometimes he uses, but sometimes he doesn't. So I don't know if that's what I should move. So I'm like waiting for this next Endo appointment to just chat with her because she is really great and just kind of see, like. Do you think that this is just a timing issue? We've also been dealing with a bunch of behavior things that came with him being two years old where he just refuses to eat and like I'll pre bolus him for a meal and he just straight up won't eat it. I feel like that kid, all he eats are pouches because I'm having to correct him after bolusing because he won't eat the dinner that I Bolst him for. So we actually have been dealing with some low iron too.

[Scott]

Low iron?

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Huh, huh.

[Sydney]

So he's on an iron supplement. Yeah. So we're just. We kind of regressed a little bit in the last couple months. So right now I'm just trying to get back to where we were.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Sydney]

And then from there get better. Like just every day, just trying to get better. Okay.

[Scott]

Well, I have a couple of ideas based on what you just said.

[Sydney]

Yes, please. I love. That's why I said to talk to.

[Scott]

You guys if you'd like to hear them.

[Sydney]

Yes.

[Scott]

First thing, simple thing. You set the Omnipod 5 up and when you change a number of the settings on Omnipod 5, if you go in and change them, they're changing your manual settings. They're not changing the automation.

[Sydney]

Yep. Okay.

[Scott]

Right. So you might need to take your total daily insulin because I assume you're adding more insulin.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

If you've been making extra boluses but still seeing higher blood sugars that result in a higher A1C, then I think That's a pretty basic indication that you're not using enough insulin in general. Right? So you might need to just find a. Out what that total daily is and go back and reset the system and start over again.

[Sydney]

So if his total daily insulin average, like I look at what it's been giving him, so let's say it's seven units that he uses, like average on a day. So go back into the auto mode and set whatever his TDI to seven. Is that what you're saying?

[Scott]

What I'm saying is that when he went on the system, at first he weighed a certain amount and he had a certain daily insulin that he needed. Needed.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

And now that's changed.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

He weighs more and he needs more insulin. And you're. I mean, I guess the way people are thinking about it is the Omnipod 5 is just going to keep up and keep changing and changing and changing. But it's possible that his variables changed faster than the algorithm's gonna adjust. So maybe you just, like, I'm talking about like a clean reset.

[Sydney]

Okay?

[Scott]

Just reset the system, start over again with your new needs.

[Sydney]

Okay?

[Scott]

You might be right back where you. Where you need.

[Sydney]

That's crazy. Yeah, that's a great idea.

[Scott]

I would talk to the doctor about that.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

Because I think there's a. I mean, there's a misnomer. I hear people all the time like, well, it learns. And I'm like, that's not. First of all, they don't say that. That's a very futuristic way of thinking about it. That is not accurate for the moment. It is not like looking and going like, oh, you know, it's saying, gosh, how do, how do they talk about this? You know, in the last 24 hours, you needed a little more insulin. Like, so we're gonna do a little more here, but more, it's not saying, hey, you used to, you know, you used to have five total units a day, and now we're using 15 a day. And I'm just gonna, like, massively change all your settings over. Yeah, it's not doing that. You can do that. And the doctor, I also heard you say that right now his max basil is set at something and I have to wait for the doctor to unlock it. Yeah. I'm going to give you two thoughts on that.

[Sydney]

Okay?

[Scott]

First one is you like your doctor, your doctor sent you to me. They must be reasonably forward thinking. I like you talking to your doctor about that. But in the future, moving forward, when you get more and more comfortable, I don't want you waiting for stuff. Like, one of the hallmarks of people's success is their ability to change their settings.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

I'm going to tell you that that is one of the things that people who are successful long term with diabetes have. It's the autonomy to change their settings.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

That's going to be incredibly important moving forward.

[Sydney]

Yep. I'm. Yeah. Thankful for all those things you said one. Yeah. I didn't realize that, like, resetting the whole system might give us that kickback.

[Scott]

Oh, Sidney. That's my thought. Because while I don't have a list of them off the top of my head, I think people can believe that. Oh, I'll go into the Omnipod and I'll tell it like, my basal used to be this, but I need it to be this now. And that that changes it. That does not change the basal rate. The algorithm doesn't go, oh, she just said was 0.2, but now 0.5. I'll start magically giving 0.3 more an hour. That's not what the algorithm's gonna do, but what it is doing is changing the settings. So if you ever flip back into manual mode, that's what it'll be. That's where it'll be. So what I like is just start over again. And especially with a little growing kid like that, I'm gonna say to anybody who's using Omnipod 5 who's experienced a big change in body mass or how sedentary or active they are, things that impact your insulin needs. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing a reset on that system once a while. I don't think they'd love that I said that, honestly. But, like, I think that's just the case. And I. I've interviewed enough people who have done it and had, like, really good success with it. Like, sometimes you just need to leap forward, not slowly matriculate.

[Sydney]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Scott]

That's what you gotta do.

[Sydney]

Okay.

[Scott]

I'm not a doctor. This is not advice. I don't know, you know, et cetera and so on. I find that this is always an interesting question. I don't know there's a good answer to it. But at the age your child is now, what do you think his understanding is of his situation and what is it you're trying to teach him about his life?

[Sydney]

He obviously is only two. He's a very young two. Two.

[Scott]

I don't know.

[Sydney]

He's much different than my daughter. He talks quite a bit, but I think she at this age would probably have more of a grip of what's going on. Obviously, he does not enjoy pod changes or Dexcom changes, But a couple times that he's just absolutely broken my heart is like, when I ask him, like, okay, bud, do you want your pot on your leg or your belly today? And he looked at me and he said, how about mama's arm? I'm like, I wish I could wear this for you, bud. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could put this on mom's arm. But it's gotta go on you. And so I don't know. He knows we've done the whole. What do you have? Type 1 diabetes? So he knows he has diabetes, and he knows that sis doesn't. Sometimes he gets juice and sis doesn't. And sis isn't really a big fan of those times. But, yeah, we just. Honestly, our faith is a really big part of our life. So when I put him to bed every single night, I just pray with him that the Lord would just cure him from this, because I know that I serve a big God, and I know that he's capable of doing that. And whether that comes through medical breakthrough or just through a miracle, like, I just am going to continue to pray in faith every single day that he would somehow be cured from this. Whether it that he wouldn't need to wear an omnipod and he wouldn't need to wear a Dexcom. But I don't want him growing up thinking like, okay, that's the goal, because we also will just trust God every single day that this is who God created him to be as a person with diabetes. And through his strength, he can get through this every single day. Actually, I wanted to just share this, too. Ever since the kids have been brushing their teeth at night, that's been a part of their bedtime routine. I just have a little verse that they say in the mirror. And so my daughter will just say every night at bed, she'll say, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And my son says, my help comes from the Lord. And we've been doing this since before he was diagnosed. And I just remember when we were diagnosed, getting in the car and I had a chance to just go take a shower while we were still in the hospital. And it was my first time just being alone and crying and praying. And I turned on the radio, and there's actually a song that is that verse. Just. I know where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord. And so that's just something that's been a mantra in our journey, and it's something I just continue to repeat to him. Like, we know where our help comes from. Our help comes from the Lord, and that's just how we're going to get through every single day. A chronic diagnosis is a chance to just rely on the Lord every day when we're counting cards, doing pod changes. And so that's just what I want to instill in him as he grows, that his strength would come from the Lord and that we would just have faith that if it was God's will, he could cure him from this for sure.

[Scott]

So you give him an accurate and a realistic idea of his situation and then give him hope and support to kind of like, buoy the emotional side of it. Is that the feeling? Yeah. Yep.

[Sydney]

For sure.

[Scott]

That's wonderful. Careful. Yeah, that's really lovely.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

I mean, I've seen people do that, like, thing online where they're. They're teaching their kids really young, like, I have diabetes and all that stuff, and I think that's really cool, like, just to give them, like, you know, that feeling. But again, you know, the. The reality of it is, like, you know, when you're like, hey, where should we put this pump? He's like, how about on your lady? Like. Like, let me. Leave me out of this.

[Sydney]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

But he doesn't fight too much. It's just sort of like that to you is his indication. Like, I would prefer this not be on.

[Sydney]

Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Sydney]

Yep. Yeah. He does not like pod changes. Like, he'll. He doesn't fight it too badly. We actually have a tractor. It's his pod change tractor that he only gets during pod changes. He's a tractor boy. So he gets to hold his pod change tractor. So that makes pod changes much easier. But, yeah, he doesn't like it. He actually loves to have his finger poked. He loves to have his blood sugar checked.

[Scott]

Does he?

[Sydney]

Yeah, he's always like, check your. Like, sure, bud. We can check your shirt.

[Scott]

Why not? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Isn't that interesting? So what do you think it is about the device changes? Like, does he have the same problem with his cgm? Is it about ripping off the adhesive? Is it. What do you think?

[Sydney]

It's the actual insertion, like, when the pod's counting down? I think, honestly, the anticipation is probably the worst part. Like, the injection, obviously, I've never had it injected, so I don't know. I'm sure it does hurt. But, like, I think the worst part, he's just so guarded during that Five seconds where it's like, click, click, click. That's the worst part. So I just always count with him and hold it for him. But, yeah, I think once it goes, then he's fine. It's just like he kind of gets all like. And then it goes, and he's like, yay.

[Scott]

Tighten up like a spring. Right. Like, as it's coming. You're like, actually, the irony there is. I believe that's what the clicking is. I think it's the spring inside the omnipod loading up the shoot. The knee needle.

[Sydney]

Yep.

[Scott]

And you're loading up the stage. I'm like, oh, oh, oh, it's coming, it's coming.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

I will say this, and I know that there's no way to change this, but it doesn't help that there's a different amount of clicks almost every time.

[Sydney]

I know. I'm like, is it five seconds today, six seconds or four? Yeah.

[Scott]

I've seen Arden get to eight and she's like, oh, come on. And then it clicks on. It's very fun. Yeah. I mean, it's. I mean, I'd love to say to you that. That he'll get used to it or it'll just become normal to him. And I think for some people it does. And I think some people maybe will never feel okay with it completely. Like I had experienced the other day. I was telling somebody, like, I didn't give myself my glp. It's just. It's like a. It's a quick injector, right. And. And I was, like, running around the house doing something. I'm like. And it was sitting on the island, like, looking at me, and I'm like, you know what? I got to do this. I got to do it. And I grabbed it and just found a spot to do it. And I held up and it hit me for a second. I was like, oh, I hope this doesn't hurt. Hurt. Because sometimes it does. Like, sometimes it'll hit something or whatnot, or, you know, and I'm just like. And then you just take a deep breath and you're like, I mean, it's gonna hurt or it's not. I can think through that. But a two year old is like, hey, mommy, why don't you put it on?

[Sydney]

You put it on your arm.

[Scott]

Gosh. Do you have any guilt about that at all? That it's not you?

[Sydney]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yes. Like, I. I wish it was me. Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Sydney]

I like, why does it have to be my 2 year old? And like, I also said in the Beginning. He's so tough compared to my 4 year old who's a girl. I don't know if it's just a boy and he's a girl and she's a girl, but he's been the tough kid. He wouldn't cry at the things my 4 year old would have cried at. And he just seems to have higher pain tolerance and just a tough kid. And so I was like, I mean, I'm thankful that he's tough because this is something you gotta be tough for. But it's also like, I hope that's not. Not like, I don't know, you know, just. I hope. Oh, is that why he got it?

[Scott]

Yeah. I want to share something with you.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

I've been married for 30 years. My son is 25, my daughter's 21, and I just heard you say he's always been my tough kid. And I thought, oh, he's only two years old. That's so lovely. It's so. It's so lovely that you're like, you know, for the entire time we've all been alive these past 24 months.

[Sydney]

Yes. Like this tiny blip on. Yes.

[Scott]

My son. I'll tell you what, I'll tell you who he is. I don't know what I was taking from. It was. I mean, that is who he is. Right. Because that's the entirety of his experience. But I would suggest to you that you try not to look at them as this thing that they are and more as this thing that they're becoming, because he's not gonna. Like, a year from now, you won't remember this year.

[Sydney]

Yep, that's true.

[Scott]

They keep growing, like, just keep growing with them.

[Sydney]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Scott]

I see people do sometimes where they're. They're like, oh, you know how you like that? And the kids are like, I haven't liked that in 10 years. I don't know what you're talking about.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

So sometimes you can get. Not that that's what you're doing now, but.

[Sydney]

No, but, yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. Anyway, I just thought that was delightful. You're like, you know, forever and always. How long have you even been married?

[Sydney]

We've been married six years.

[Scott]

Oh, that's adorable.

[Sydney]

So cute, right? Oh, it's.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Sydney]

This is still the honeymoon phase. No wonder you just build your husb. Been done by all the time.

[Scott]

Oh, yeah. No, no, no. Yeah. Oh, I. Now I wanna. I'm gonna keep this podcast going for 10 more years so I can come back on while Sydney goes. Let me tell you about this prick That I got married to?

[Sydney]

Yes.

[Scott]

22. Military. How. How'd you get married to.

[Sydney]

No, no, we're just. Yeah. What, you mean young? 21, actually, he was 20. Was he 20?

[Scott]

Are you a. Are you a cr. What do they call that?

[Sydney]

I am, yes. I'm a cradle robber.

[Scott]

You're a cradle robber? Wait, so where did you guys meet?

[Sydney]

We were in high school.

[Scott]

Oh, no kidding? Oh, that's.

[Sydney]

We're high school sweethearts. Went to college, and then when we were done with college, got married, so.

[Scott]

Wow. What do you guys do for a living? Like, just vaguely. Don't tell me where you live, like, where you work.

[Sydney]

Sure. So, actually, I didn't finish college. My husband finished college, and he actually owns a business now, and he kind of does, like, welding and fixes, like, heavy equipment. And then I worked in the ER for five years, and then once I had the kids, I stayed home. So I kind of. I clean airbnbs now here and there, but it's just kind of like a side hustle.

[Scott]

That's nice. So what's he got, like a. Is like a rope? Does he have a truck? He goes out, like a service truck? Yeah. And does. Oh, does he like it?

[Sydney]

Loves it. Oh, yeah, it's sweet. He's very flexible and. Which is nice because he can, like, if I have something I have to do, like, he can kind of move things around, and that's really great.

[Scott]

That's really cool. Did you not finish college because you weren't interested or. Cause you were pregnant?

[Sydney]

Yeah, I wasn't interested. I, like, started hindsight. Like, I actually started a nursing program and was, like, going to be a nurse, but just decided, I don't know, I just felt like this wasn't what the Lord wanted for me. So I just worked in the er, and then when I had the kids, I was like, oh, I want to stay home. I want to homeschool and be at home. And now that my son has diabetes, I'm thankful that I didn't go get a nursing degree, because I probably would just be working full time right now, and we'd have to deal with childcare, and who knows? Obviously, that might not be in this situation, but I'm just thankful that I'm home. But I also have a medical background.

[Scott]

Right. And.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

I'll tell you, Arden had a phlebotomist when she was younger at her children's hospital. And he was. He was amazing. I wish I remembered his name. I would tell you all his name, but he. If you watched him, I Videoed it one time so that I could slow it down because I was watching one day and I was like, is he throwing the needle into her? Like, like, do you know what I'm talking about?

[Sydney]

Which is like, like a dart.

[Scott]

It's like a flick or something. I, I don't hard pressed to explain it to you, but like, whereas some of them would like, you know, hold the needle up to the skin, get to the vein and then push it through. It almost felt like he was throwing it. I swear to you, I don't know what I'm saying right now, but like a flick of his fingers and I one day I said, can I video this? And I videoed it and I was like, are you like propelling it like any. And he had this whole theory about it. I was like, you are so good at this. And he's like, thank you, blah, blah. And then like one day you walk in and he's going to. And I'm like, where's the guy? And they said he went to Florida to be a sheriff. I'm like, are you kidding me?

[Sydney]

He's so good at this.

[Scott]

He had a real skill. And so anyway, wherever he is, man, you were awesome. Really cool. Did you like that job? Like the.

[Sydney]

Loved it. I loved it.

[Scott]

And you did it in the hospital?

[Sydney]

Yep, in the, in the emergency room. Yeah.

[Scott]

I like the, the ladies to do it in the lab center. Yeah, like where you like quest or something where you go to get your blood draws for doctor's appointments, stuff like that. I like how like I don't know how they are all over the country, but around here they are like such no bs People like you just like, you know what I mean? Like you're like, get in here, sit down, wrap your thing, bang, here's your. Get out of here. I'm like, I love that. Yeah, I love how they do all that. So you're okay, so you're home. How do you homeschool before? They're like, how do you decide when it's time to start? Like teaching them stuff or is it just constant?

[Sydney]

My 4 year old loves to learn, so she's just been learning since she was 2. I've tried to do like a little bit of formal table work the last couple years. Like, oh, like when she was three, let's sit down and do table work. And it's like, oh, this is not realistic for a three year old. So we actually, she's four this year and I was like, okay, we're going to just do a simple English Language arts program, a little bit of Bible. And that'll be our homeschool day. So we do that a couple times a week. But it's nothing too. It's nothing where I'm like rigid about it. Like, she's only four, so. But she is. Yeah, she loves to learn, so she's usually asking me if we can do it.

[Scott]

Yeah. How do you imagine that? Do you imagine that straight through graduation or do you imagine it like, until they go off the heist? Like, is there a point where you think about.

[Sydney]

Yeah, I think that we'll, I mean, obviously we'll see what, what they want, but yeah, at this point, home is where we want them, where we want them learning. So. And we have a lot of. We have a good community around us where there's a lot of kids that are homeschooled. So it'll probably be something that we do with other people. Like, oh, you guys are gonna go over to this house today. My sister in law is going to be homeschooling, so. Oh, you can go school with your cousins today. So they're not. It's not like an anti social thing. Yeah.

[Scott]

Oh, that's a nice idea. Yeah. What if she comes to you and goes, I want to go to high school? You go, all right.

[Sydney]

Yeah, well, that's something we can talk about. Yeah.

[Scott]

Okay, nice. How do you make that decision? Like, because you went through school like you childhood sweethearts, you didn't meet your husband at your aunt's house. So like, when that wasn't your situation growing up, what makes you think about.

[Sydney]

I was homeschooled or part of school? Yep, I did. I went to high school in like 10th grade and then graduated. I think our faith has a big part of it. We just want to be really intentional about what our children are learning. And just the public school vibe isn't really what our family needs right now. And obviously, you know, there's a lot going on in the world that. Yeah. So just kind of just controlling what our children learn and just being involved also. I just really believe that, like, if I'm able to be home with them and teaching them, I think that's the best spot for me to be and for them to be like, just learning from their mom. And obviously I'll learn with them as we go. And obviously we'll do standardized testing to make sure that they're like learning at the right level and just getting all the things they need. I enjoyed being homeschooled. I enjoyed being flexible. We like going on vacations and being spontaneous. So I think that's just an easier route for us. Yeah.

[Scott]

So explain the last bit of it to me that I don't understand. Like, how do you. At the end, when your kids get a diploma after being homeschooled, like, how is that. That moderated. What's the word I'm looking for? Like, how do. How do I. How do I know that you actually did the thing you're supposed to do?

[Sydney]

It's a great question. I actually don't. I've been thinking that I'm like. I wonder with, like, the actual diploma part, how that goes in. I know people that have graduated, like, in our district, like, they would. They walked with people. Like, at our public school or my private school. I had a homeschooler walk down with us. So I don't know exactly how the recording goes into play with that, but I know, like. Like, once she starts next year when she's 5, our state requires us to start reporting. So every single quarter, we just have to submit a summary of the things that she's learned. And sometimes they kick it back and like, oh, that's not good enough. You need to be a little bit more detailed. And then I believe every state's different. We're in a pretty strict state, so I don't know. Like I said, we haven't really even started, so I don't know everything about it, but I think there are testing that she will have to do when she gets to high school to graduate. Like a standardized test maybe once a year. I'm not. I could be wrong about that, though.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Sydney]

But, yes, it is. It's regulated by the state.

[Scott]

You're learning about it still as well.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. And they're young enough. You have time to do that.

[Sydney]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Very, very cool. All right. Is there anything that we haven't talked about that we should have? Anything I forgot to bring up or that I missed?

[Sydney]

No, I don't think so.

[Scott]

I did okay?

[Sydney]

Yeah, you did great.

[Scott]

Oh, thank you. See? You did it again. That was very nice. I appreciate that. It makes me uncomfortable when you say nice things to me. I'm gonna run downstairs and tell my wife about this immediately. I'm gonna be like, there was a lady, and she was very nice to me. And you know what she'll say? She doesn't know that you hung the TV before making dinner. And I'll say, no, I told her that. And she'll be like, oh, well, then she just doesn't know what it's like to live with You. And I'm like, okay. I just really think maybe I'm wrong since Sydney, but I really think that in this day and age, I'd be a real catch. I'm being serious. You're laughing, but I'm being. But I'm being very serious.

[Sydney]

Never know.

[Scott]

Well, I never will know. You know what I mean? Because, like, it's. You can't. What am I gonna do, push her in a river? I can't get. Like, she's here. You know what I mean? And I love her and all that stuff, so, I mean, it would be weird if I just, like, left.

[Sydney]

Have you tried talking nicely about her?

[Scott]

I talk nicely about her all the time.

[Sydney]

Oh, okay.

[Scott]

If I do, she'll say, I don't. I think that's because she's Irish or Catholic. I'm not sure exactly. I'm not sure exactly what happened to her when she was younger, because I wasn't there. But something happened. There's something in there. Like, she's very good. I know she speaks very well of me behind my back. I actually should say that because sometimes I'll hear her. She'll be like, oh, I saw this person at work. We were talking about this, and I was talking about what you were doing this and this. And I'm like, wait, you were talking about me? She's like, yeah. I'm like, oh, I've never heard you say that before. Like, so that's interesting. And then she'll say, well, don't push your lock up. And I'm like, okay.

[Sydney]

And there it goes.

[Scott]

Seriously, I. I guess maybe you made a good point earlier. A long time ago now. I wrote. I wrote a book, right? And I ended up on this television show. Like, I was. I was pimping my book is what I was doing. And I was on a panel with other stay at home dads, and they were younger guys. And the one guy down. Down there, there's like four of us. I think we were like, on, like, kind of high. Like, high chairs and. And in a line in front of a big studio. It's like 600 people in that studio. It's crazy. And this one guy starts talking about, like, well, I think my wife really appreciates me because I do this and blah, blah, blah. And. And he's just being so, like, an effusive about, like, how wonderful everything was. And I. I guess, like, I laughed and not on purpose, and I laughed. And the person interviewing us was Katie Couric. And she turned to me and she goes something like, Is that funny or like, what? And I said, I mean, that guy's been married for like, two years. He doesn't even know what he's talking about. I was like, he hasn't even gotten yelled at yet. I was like, two years in, nobody had yelled at me.

[Sydney]

You're still floating, right?

[Scott]

Wait till she figures out that the fun part's over and then that she picked that boy. I was like, he's gonna get yelled. Wish I knew where he was right now. I'd love to talk to him. Nevertheless, he's not a stay at home dad anymore, I'll tell you that much. Yeah, I still am. I'm not a quitter, you understand? My gosh. All right, Sydney, you were terrific for doing this. I really do appreciate your time. I wish you a ton of success. I want to tell you this. Over the years, you're going to get better and better and better at this diabetes thing. And where you are now is nowhere near where you're going to end up. So I want. I want you to keep focusing on what you're doing and learning, because that's important. But try hard not to worry about this stuff and keep seeing that bigger picture stuff that you're talking about, about how your son feels. And, you know, like, I think that stuff ends up being just as important as the numbers.

[Sydney]

Yep. You know, for sure.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Sydney]

Thank you.

[Scott]

You're welcome. Just keep doing your best to strike a balance and I'm sure you guys will be fine.

[Sydney]

Awesome. Well, thank you, Scott, so much.

[Scott]

No, it's my pleasure. I hope you had a good time. Time.

[Sydney]

Yeah, I did.

[Scott]

Excellent. Hold on one second.

[Sydney]

All right.

[Scott]

The conversation you just heard was sponsored by Touched by Type 1. Check them out, please, at touchedbytype1.org on Instagram and Facebook. You're going to love them. I love them. They're helping so many [e-mail] head now to tandomdiabetes.com juicebox and check out today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. I think you're going to find exactly what you're looking for at that link, including a way to sign up and get started with the Tandem Mobi system. The podcast episode that you just enjoyed was sponsored by Eversense CGM. They make the Eversense 365. That thing lasts a whole year. Year one insertion every year. Come on. You probably feel like I'm messing with you, but I'm not. Eversensecgm.com Juicebox 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 juicebox 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 Juice Box podcast type 1 diabetes on Facebook. 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. 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 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. Hey, what's up everybody? If you've noticed that the podcast sounds better, letter and you're thinking like, how does that happen? What you're hearing is Rob at Wrong Way Recording doing his magic to these files. So if you want him to do his magic to you, wrongwayrecording. Com. You got a podcast, you want somebody to edit it, you want Rob.