Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Host: Scott Benner
Episode: #1721 "Runny Eggs"
Guests: Stephanie (ER Nurse & mom of three, including Trey) and Trey (13, diagnosed with T1D in 2023)
Date: December 27, 2025

Overview

This episode welcomes Stephanie and her middle child, Trey, for a lively, candid, and often humorous family conversation about the two-year journey of managing Trey's type 1 diabetes. Beyond practical strategies, the interview explores diagnosis, family dynamics, sports, daily management routines, memorable mishaps, and the ongoing learning process. The episode’s tone is warm, honest, and loaded with genuine banter, keeping it both informative and entertaining for listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introductions and Family Background

(02:54–04:50)

• Stephanie introduces herself as the mother of three: Ellie (eldest), Trey (middle), and Sullivan (“Sully,” named after Sully Erna from Godsmack).
  • "We call him Sully most of the time." – Stephanie [04:06]
• Trey chimes in as a 13-year-old lacrosse goalie, diagnosed with T1D summer 2023.
• Family candidly discusses naming origins, age dynamics, and parental music preferences.

2. Diagnosis Story and Recognition of Symptoms

(04:55–08:53)

• Trey recalls a traumatic but memorable diagnosis: extremely high blood sugar (640), vomiting during a Florida lacrosse tournament, sudden weight loss (~20 lbs in about a week).
  • “I lost like 20 or 30 pounds... in like a week or two.” – Trey [07:15]
  • “That was really what finally caught my attention.” – Stephanie [07:22]
• Stephanie details how typical summer busyness and explanations from coaches (hydration, tiredness from late gaming and practices) masked classic symptoms.
• Key diagnostic clues: sudden thinness, bedwetting, and multiple overnight accidents.

3. The Adjustment Period and Management Learning Curve

(12:33–15:24)

• Stephanie’s medical background (ER nurse) made her aware of possible autoimmune risks (family history of T1D, rheumatoid arthritis, possible thyroid).
• Ongoing sleuthing for additional family autoimmune issues; currently investigating daughter’s (Ellie’s) thyroid due to similar symptoms.

4. School, Social Life, and Self-Management

(15:38–17:27)

• Trey's school experience: alarms going off can be embarrassing during quiet times. He mostly handles diabetes independently, especially for school lunch carbs, sometimes with nurse support for lows during PE.
  • “Sometimes my alarm goes off during school... it's kind of embarrassing.” – Trey [15:51]
• Stephanie is proud of Trey’s independence, only wishing for better pre-bolusing at times.
  • “He is fairly independent... I’m really proud.” – Stephanie [16:47]
• Trey’s understated response to praise: “Yay.” [17:33]

5. Family Humor and The Great Egg Debate

(18:06–21:08)

• Entertaining family banter about Stephanie’s inability to cook eggs “runny” enough for Trey’s taste, despite multiple tutorials and attempts.
  • “He likes his scrambled eggs runny.” – Stephanie [18:27]
  • “Because I don't like them that way, and I don't make them that way.” – Stephanie [18:39]
• Trey and host Scott debate runny vs. overcooked, with poached eggs as a suggested alternative.
• Trey taught himself to make eggs and poach them (sometimes disastrously) via YouTube.

6. ADHD, Focus, and Sibling Dynamics

(20:17–25:16)

• Discussion of focus issues; ADHD in the family. Trey admits, “If I don't like the thing, I can't focus on it.” [20:47]
• Sibling rivalry and close ages fuel noisy household antics, playful shoe-throwing, and lacrosse trash talk.

7. Stephanie’s Career Shift and the Impact of Diabetes

(24:03–26:20)

• Stephanie’s path: from teaching to swim school manager to ER nurse. Originally aspired to be a midwife/doula but pursued ER after Trey's diagnosis to engage with a broader spectrum of patient needs.
  • “It is amazing to watch... renewal and a new opportunity.” – Stephanie, on working as a doula [25:41]
• She’s now on track for nurse practitioner/endocrinology.

8. Sports & Diabetes: Strategy and Resilience

(39:09–40:27)

• Trey outlines how he prepares for lacrosse as a goalie:
  • Targets blood sugar ~130–150 mg/dL pre-game for buffer against lows.
  • Uses Omnipod 5 in activity mode to adjust targets.
  • “If I have insulin on board, it activates when I'm... exercising, it activates quicker and my blood sugar goes down quicker.” – Trey [39:52]
  • Understands the effect of hydration and insulin kinetics.
• Trey credits learning such strategies to this podcast:
  • “You…We started listening... tried out pre-bolusing, and it worked really well. I didn’t go to 250 after food… I stayed at 200 max.” – Trey [32:13]

9. Balancing Independence, Lows, and Team Support

(35:08–37:28)

• Trey has managed severe lows (down to 28), with support from his mom, reflective of ongoing risks and the need for careful self-assessment.
• Multiple types of glucagon (Gvoke, Baqsimi) are kept at home, school, and in his kit for emergencies.
• Stephanie approaches lows with a measured, non-panicked response, drawing on nursing experience.

10. Parental Roles, Division of Labor, and Dad’s Knowledge

(53:44–54:42)

• Trey acknowledges mom as his primary diabetes “expert” due to her nursing background, but wishes his dad had the same confidence for moments when Stephanie's unavailable.
  • “I wish he knew more about it... then my mom wouldn’t have to call him if my blood sugar goes high and I’m handling it.” – Trey [54:42]

11. Offbeat Family Details and Memorable Moments

(21:02–66:56)

• Squeaky interludes include the egg debate, shoe-throwing at siblings, owning backyard chickens (with “better than store” eggs), and dog stories (including a black lab–chihuahua mix with a “scream” louder than a neutron bomb).
• Stephanie’s Thanksgiving planning and turkey logistics provide more lighthearted family texture.
• Near the episode’s end, Trey casually reveals he eats tin foil sometimes—leading to a discussion of pica, possible nutrient deficiencies, ADHD, and family honesty.
  • “I eat tin foil.” – Trey [63:55]
  • “That’s going to stick with me as one of the more out of left field answers somebody’s ever given me…” – Scott [66:50]

12. What Drives Them: Why Do the Podcast?

(30:32–32:13)

• Trey initiated being on the podcast to help other preteens/kids and to talk about athletic management.
  • “I wanted my own episode... I thought it would be fun... talk about dealing day to day with it as a preteen and a kid, and then how he manages athletically.” – Stephanie [30:55]
• Stephanie admits to supervision: “She wouldn’t let me do the podcast alone because I didn’t think she trusted me yet.” – Trey [31:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "When I was diagnosed, my blood sugar was, like, 640." – Trey [04:55]
• "He likes his scrambled eggs runny." – Stephanie [18:27]
• "If I don't like the thing, I can't focus on it." – Trey [20:47]
• "I've been to, like, low 30s... upper 20s. I have, like, the lows... just give me Sunny D. Just juice." – Trey [35:36]
• "It is amazing to watch. It's just every time a baby is born, I cry." – Stephanie (on being a doula) [25:41]
• "My dad has less knowledge about [diabetes]... he refers to her a lot." – Trey [54:03]
• "I eat tin foil." – Trey [63:55]
• “That’s going to stick with me as one of the more out of left field answers somebody’s ever given me...” – Scott [66:50]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Family History: [04:55–12:33]
• Discussion of School, Social, and Sports Life: [15:38–40:27]
• Eggs, ADHD, and Family Banter: [18:06–25:16, 43:35–47:45]
• Diabetes Strategy and Podcast Learning: [32:13–34:11]
• Low Blood Sugar Experiences & Emergency Planning: [35:08–38:30]
• Parental Roles & Family Dynamics: [53:44–54:42, 60:18–61:02]
• Offbeat Family & Dog Stories: [61:04–62:53]
• Tin Foil Revelation & Pica Discussion: [63:55–66:56]

Tone & Style

The episode is filled with laughter, light teasing, and honest moments. Scott maintains a relaxed pace, blending humor with insight. Trey is an earnest, witty, and mostly unfiltered preteen, while Stephanie brings both compassionate and practical perspectives as a mom and ER nurse.

Summary

This episode offers a relatable, down-to-earth look at how one family navigates the realities of type 1 diabetes—balancing medical vigilance, school, sports, family quirks, and even breakfast egg preferences. Listeners will find both valuable diabetes management tips and the reassurance that “normal” family chaos and humor persist, even (or especially) with a chronic health condition.