#1851 That's So Bridget

Summary

Juicebox Podcast #1851: "That's So Bridget"

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Bridget, 23, living with Type 1 Diabetes
Date: May 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this insightful and often humorous episode, Scott Benner sits down with Bridget—an energetic and candid 23-year-old from Chicago, living with Type 1 diabetes for five years. They explore the realities of a young adult’s diabetes journey, college experiences under Covid, struggles with thyroid medication adherence, family dynamics, women's health, and how mindset shapes chronic disease management. Bridget’s positivity shines, offering both practical tips and relatable honesty for anyone balancing Type 1 diabetes with life’s many other challenges.

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Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Bridget’s Diagnosis and College Under Covid

• Diagnosis Timeline:
  • Diagnosed spring of senior year, just after high school graduation during Covid lockdowns ([02:30]–[03:47]).
  • Initially thought she had a UTI, but hospitalized for Type 1 diagnosis.
• Impact of Covid:
  • College journey heavily disrupted; remote classes, single occupancy campus housing, regular Covid testing.
  • Isolated college entry brought both focus on studies and social FOMO.
  • Quote: “Honestly, I could focus a lot more on school. I feel like a lot of freshmen... get sidetracked by social things, and I didn’t have that option at all.” ([05:26] – Bridget)

2. Managing Multiple Autoimmune Conditions

• Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:
  • Positive antibodies but borderline lab numbers; fatigue, weight gain, and other typical symptoms ([06:11]–[10:00]).
  • Tends to forget thyroid meds, leading to playful chastising from Scott about young adults and pill routines.
  • Memorable exchange:
    • Scott: “What stops you from taking one tiny little pill once a day?”
      Bridget: “It’s just so small… you don’t notice the effects right away.” ([08:00]–[15:33])
• Medication Strategies and Pill Fatigue:
  • Explores reminders, habits, psychological resistance (“Why can’t you just start on a Wednesday?”).
  • Lighthearted fatherly advice: assign a parent or use a timer ([10:08]–[11:26]).

3. Realities of Medication and Diabetes Adherence

• Insulin Routines:
  • Pen vs. pump: More successful remembering insulin with a pump, but pens often forgotten, especially on-the-go in Chicago ([21:09]–[22:09]).
  • Concerns about injecting in public spaces, especially on Chicago’s Red Line.
  • Quote: “There was always something… I’d realized it one day on a train—my blood sugar was 300… I did, I took some insulin on the Red Line.” ([21:41]–[22:09])
• Family Support and Dynamics:
  • Parents were involved when needed, mom especially so with site changes.
  • Humor about when parents "gave up": “Probably when I was 14… I was all over the place, student body president, tennis, doing research. I don’t think they ever saw me.” ([24:01]–[24:58])

4. Tech, Tools, and Blood Sugar Improvements

• Use of Diabetes Tech:
  • Switched from Omnipod to Tandem for better adherence; always keeps spare insulin pens “stashed” everywhere ([47:28]–[48:23]).
• Trying Manjaro (GLP-1 Agonist):
  • Prescribed for appetite regulation and blood sugars.
  • Immediate improvements: Time-in-range increased from ~50% to 80% ([27:52]–[28:08]).
  • Notable: “Before I went on it, my Dexcom was 50% [time in range], now it’s 80%.” ([28:04]–[28:08])
• Pre-bolusing Struggles:
  • Learns the difference between bolusing and proper pre-bolusing from Scott’s direct coaching ([29:24]–[30:17]).

5. Identity, Mindset, and Growing Up with Diabetes

• Shifts in Perspective:
  • Moved from a “having fun and being young” mindset to a focus on health, future, and fertility ([40:48]–[32:19]).
  • Quote: “I was never angry at the fact that I had diabetes—I was always just angry at… trade offs.” ([41:35]–[41:37])
• Family's Perception:
  • Labeled “That’s so Bridget”—optimistic, independent, and resilient by nature ([56:25]–[57:02]).
  • Embraces being "the happy person," sees it as grounding rather than pressure ([57:32]–[58:09]).
• Therapeutic Experiences:
  • Hiking the Camino de Santiago with her dad post-graduation helped her process and “let go of the anger” towards her diagnosis ([42:11]–[43:29]).

6. Women’s Health: Ovarian Cysts, Birth Control, and the Healthcare Gap

• Chronic Cysts:
  • Suffering from recurring, painful ovarian cysts—hospitalizations, ER visits, but little surgical intervention ([50:03]–[51:02]).
  • Empathy shared with Scott’s daughter Arden, who’s had similar issues.
• Issues with Birth Control:
  • Frustration with both remembering pills and hormonal side effects; IUD didn’t resolve cyst issue, possibly made it worse.
  • Both note the medical profession’s lack of support and research for women’s reproductive health ([54:35]–[55:10]).
  • Bridget: “They don’t really do a lot of research on… girls really do not get treated well with their reproductive stuff.” ([54:56]–[55:10])

7. Psychological and Generational Observations

• ADHD, Anxiety, and Pill-taking:
  • Discusses possible ADHD diagnosis—potential impact on routines/motivation.
  • Addresses the stubbornness and defiance in being asked to do things versus self-initiated action—genetic, generational, or personality?
    • Quote: “I think it’s just because I was planning to do it and because somebody told me to do it, it's just like, frustrating.” ([35:36]–[35:45])
• Role Models for Families and Children with T1D:
  • Bridget babysits a toddler with T1D; her example offers hope to new families ([59:49]–[60:46]).
  • “You just have to be good enough… that’s been my perspective.” ([60:01]–[60:46])

8. Attitude, Acceptance, and Progress

• Acceptance and Forgiveness:
  • “You’re going to have it for so long…it’s not your life, but it’s a major part of your life. You just have to be good enough.” ([60:01]–[60:46])
• Practical Takeaways:
  • Take thyroid meds daily (Scott’s repeated plea).
  • Pre-bolus insulin, specifically 10–15 minutes before eating.
  • Don’t let “missed days” spiral—just restart the next day ([66:00]–[66:33]).
  • Quote: “If you forget one day, take two the next day… Don’t wait till Monday. Just jump back in again. There’s no time like the present.” ([66:35]–[66:59])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pill Adherence:
  • Scott: “Why can’t you just start on a Wednesday?” ([15:45])
  • Bridget: “Maybe it’s a human thing… Maybe it’s an ADHD thing.”
• About Living Independently:
  • “I’m a middle child but an eldest daughter… Once I got my license I was really independent.” ([45:01])
• On Attitude:
  • Bridget: “I definitely approach life, you know, through a lens of ‘It’s never that important.’ … Sometimes you’ll have a bad day with diabetes and just have to say, ‘Geez, that was a bad day… Today is just not a good day.’” ([59:19]–[59:45])
• General Life Wisdom:
  • Scott: “I do think you kind of get what you expect sometimes… if you expect things to go well, they generally seem to go well.” ([58:27]–[58:33])
• On Being a Role Model:
  • “I think them seeing me… she’s happy… it’s provided a lot of hope… my attitude towards diabetes, that’s been really helpful for them.” ([60:01]–[60:46])

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Topic/Highlight | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:30 | Bridget’s diagnosis and college disruption due to Covid | | 06:11 | Beginning of Hashimoto’s/thyroid discussion | | 08:00 | Pill adherence frustration and habit-forming strategies | | 15:20 | Why small things (like a pill) are hard to remember/commit to | | 21:09 | Difference between managing insulin by pen vs. pump | | 27:52 | Manjaro’s impact on time in range and weight | | 35:15 | Gendered differences in compliance and psychology | | 40:48 | How diagnosis shifted Bridget’s life goals and outlook | | 42:11 | Camino de Santiago: transformative travel experience | | 45:01 | Embracing independence post-diagnosis | | 50:03 | Chronic cysts—pain, ER visits, and women’s health system shortfalls | | 59:49 | Bridget as role model for kid with T1D, "good enough" mentality | | 62:19 | A1C check, pre-bolus advice, thyroid-glucose connection | | 66:00 | Scott’s parting advice—just restart, don’t let mistakes snowball |

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Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is refreshingly honest, with lots of self-deprecating humor and warm encouragement. Scott’s “tough love” works well with Bridget’s openness and willingness to reflect on her struggles and progress. The episode is a must-listen for anyone with T1D (or supporting someone who has it) looking for comfort, practical tactics, or just reassurance that adulthood with a chronic illness can still be joyful and full of hope.

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Quote to Remember:
“You’re going to have it for so long… it’s not your life, but it’s a major part of your life and so you just have to be good enough.” – Bridget ([60:01])

Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

Hi, I'm Bridget, I'm 23, I live in Chicago and I've been living with type 1 diabetes for almost five years now.

[A]

If this is your first time listening to the Juice Box Podcast and you'd like to hear more, download Apple Podcasts or Spotify, really any audio app at all, look for the Juice Box Podcast and follow or subscribe. We put out new content every day that you'll enjoy. Want to learn more about your diabetes management? Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and look for Bold Beginnings, the 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. 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. 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. Today's podcast is sponsored by usmed usmed.com juicebox you can get your diabetes supplies from the same place that we do, and I'm talking about Dexcom Libre, Omnipod, Tandem, and so much more. Usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Today's episode is also sponsored by TandemMobi. The impressively small insulin pump. Tandem Moby features Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ technology. It's designed for greater discretion, more freedom, and improved time and range. Learn more and get started [e-mail] Juicebox the podcast is also sponsored today by the Eversense365. The Eversense365 has exceptional accuracy over one year and is the most accurate CGM in the low range that you can get. Eversensecgm.com Juicebox hi, I'm Bridget.

[B]

I'm 23. I live in Chicago and I've been living with type 1 diabetes for almost five years now. So coming up on five years as

[A]

you're graduating from high school or a little after.

[B]

So it was Covid.

[A]

Wow, look at you.

[B]

I was a senior in high school when Covid hit. It was that March and so I graduated and I decided where I was going to go to college. And I decided I was going to go to Loyola Chicago. And I was really excited. And then a week from move in, they called us or they emailed us and they told us that all of our on campus housing was canceled and the entire semester was going to be online.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I stayed that fall semester at home back in Indiana. And then I was able to go on campus in the spring, but everything was still online. And I went on spring break with my family. My sister's high school spring break. And I was just taking classes online. And then I. I was hospitalized. I went to urgent care because my parents thought I had a uti.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And the rest is history. I stayed in the children's hospital for three days over spring break. And I was 18 at the time, so they let me stay in the children's hospital, which was really nice.

[A]

Is this just as you imagined your freshman year of college to be?

[B]

Pretty much. I mean, I can't. I can't ask for much better.

[A]

It's just fantastic. Well, so you started college off at home. First of all, that must have been a wet blanket, huh?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Nothing good about that. And then. I love that. That was my favorite thing is when they moved them back to campus, but then made them go to school from their dorm room. I was like, that was an interesting one.

[B]

It was crazy.

[A]

Of all the big ideas, we'll bring them all together in one place, but then slightly quarantine them. But they're probably gonna sneak around and drink and have sex. But, ah, maybe not. Maybe they won't drink and have sex.

[B]

And they made. So they made us get coveted, tested. Like, I think it was once a week or every other week really. And so people would just kind of drop like. Like flies. Like you would see them in person. I don't know, you would go and get dinner with somebody and then the next week they were like, oops, I have Covid.

[A]

And they run home.

[B]

I didn't see them. Yeah.

[A]

Did they make them leave campus?

[B]

No, you just had to stay quarantined. So everybody. It was all single occupancy on campus housing, and so nobody could even share bathrooms. Oh, so pretty much everybody. I don't. I mean, you could isolate pretty easily, and it worked out really well. And you just had to wear masks on campus all the time.

[A]

Did you learn a damn thing?

[B]

Actually, yeah. Cause I was in. I was studying biochemistry at the time and that later switched. But honestly, I could focus a lot more on school. I feel like a lot of freshmen in College, they kind of get sidetracked by social things, and I didn't have that option at all.

[A]

You're locked in a concrete box. It turns out eventually. You think, maybe I should read this book.

[B]

So that spring. So I was studying biochemistry. I was in a chemistry class. I thought, gee, this homework is really boring. I don't know why I'm falling asleep in the middle of studying. And it was because I was passing out because my blood Sugar was, like 400 and I didn't know about it.

[A]

Yeah. Is there. Is there anybody in your family that has type 1 diabetes?

[B]

No, I'm the only one.

[A]

Do you have any other autoimmune issues, like hypothyroidism or anything like that?

[B]

Yeah, well, so my. My labs come back normal, but I have all the antibodies for Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

[A]

Do you have any of the symptoms?

[B]

I don't know. I'm tired all the time. But that could.

[A]

That sounds like a yes. Tell me what your labs are. Do you know? Yeah, I know they say normal, but. What's the number?

[B]

Wait, let me see. I can pull them up right now.

[A]

Actually, everyone else can just. This is my public service announcement for. People don't get their thyroids managed.

[B]

Well, I know. Well, they. Okay, one second. I'm putting on speaker.

[A]

Go ahead.

[B]

One second. I just actually got. Have you heard of the function health tests?

[A]

Function health tests?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know. Let's figure out what that is.

[B]

I don't know. It's really popular in the city. Like, a lot of my friends have gotten it, but it tests for, like, 160 biomarkers. I think, like, it's kind of crazy, but they tested my thyroid, and so. Okay. My thyroid peroxidase antibodies were 439, and it's supposed to be like, 9. Less than 9 is, like, in range.

[A]

What's your TSH?

[B]

My TSH was 2.6.

[A]

Yeah, it's getting higher.

[B]

Yeah. And then my T4 was 1.3, and my T3 was 3.3.

[A]

Yeah. And they told you you don't need medication?

[B]

They put me on a really low dose.

[A]

Okay, good.

[B]

So, yeah, so my. My endocrinologist is great. She's very proactive.

[A]

No kidding.

[B]

So I'm on a very low dose of that.

[A]

And she give you, like, 0.25 micrograms or something?

[B]

I think I'm on 0.75.

[A]

Oh, that's not that low. That's okay. Good, good, good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I'm really bad at taking it

[A]

Bridget, Bridget, I can't. I can't deal with two girls your age and not being able to take this thyroid medication every day. You're going to help me for a second. We'll find out about your diabetes. But what stops you from taking one tiny little pill once a day?

[B]

So honestly also. Okay. I guess I don't take a lot of medications. Like, I've.

[A]

Doesn't sound like you're taking any, even the ones you have, but go ahead.

[B]

I've been decently healthy. And so, like, even I'm horrible at taking vitamins. Like, I just forget. But I have the little. Like, I have the pill right next to my coffee, but the problem is you can't drink it with the coffee. And so I'll get ready in the morning and I'll make my cup of coffee as I do every day. And then I look at my medicine and I tell myself I should take that.

[A]

And then yourself doesn't listen.

[B]

And then I'm like. And then I'm like, oh, I have to wait 15 minutes. And then by the time 15 minutes, my memory of a goldfish forgets about it.

[A]

Right. Has your voice always been deeper?

[B]

I think I'm a little sick. Maybe it's also.

[A]

It can be. It can be a symptom of. Of Hashimoto's. Did you know that?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Okay.

[B]

I've noticed it, like, raspier over the

[A]

last few years, so let's go over them very quickly. It's just a simple yes or no. Fatigued?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Weight gain?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Feeling cold easily?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Constipated? Sounds like a. No.

[B]

Not really.

[A]

Dry skin? Not really. You're like. There was a day I didn't go, but that's not. Is your hair getting thin or dry?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you have any puffiness in your face?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Depression or low mood?

[B]

No.

[A]

All right. Slower thinking or brain fog?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Slowed heart rate? You probably wouldn't know.

[B]

No.

[A]

Muscle aches, cramps, or weakness?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Joint pain?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Here's a fun one. Heavy or irregular periods?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, Bridget, listen to me. Do you have a father? Or was he taken tragically by your mom? Okay. All right. Now, he. Does he love you?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. What if you put him in charge of it?

[B]

Yeah, that's true.

[A]

He can make him call you every day at a certain time and then say into the phone, bridget, take that damn pill. And then you can. He can hang up after. This is my advice. After he hears you swallow it. Okay? So I don't even want to tell you the process that we Use for Ardyn, but it's.

[B]

What do you guys have to do?

[A]

So first things first. She won't take it in the morning. She doesn't like eating or drinking anything right away when she gets up, so it's not optimal. But she takes it right before bed. It's still that. Her doctor said that's fine. I hope she never hears this. I really. If any of you hear this and tell her I'll come and find you. Every night before bed, I go visit her to say goodnight. I hand her a bottle of water. I take the pills out and I stand there with them and hand them to her.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

If that does not happen, I don't believe she'll take them. I don't think it's through apathy. I don't think it's because she's not a bright person. I don't actually know how to put my finger on what the problem is. But I'm going to guess that whatever happens to you is what happens to her. So can I just suggest a timer on your phone?

[B]

Yes. Yeah.

[A]

And pick a time that you know you haven't eaten in a while and you won't eat for a little while so that doesn't get in front of your situation and mess you up. And then just take it every day. And then imagine fatigue, weight gain, feeling cold, dry skin, all of it just going away. Wouldn't that be lovely?

[B]

It would be so good.

[A]

Imagine this. Let's take a talk about it a different way. Bridget, I'm so sorry I'm the only one that gets to talk to you this way. Because if your parents said this to you, you'd be like out of the room by now. You'd be like, these two, Shut up. I'm an adult. And like, like, oh my God, I can hear it now. If. If I. If you and I sat around right now and we gossiped about somebody on Instagram, you know how you guys do, like you pull up other people's accounts. You're like, oh my God, look at her. Do you remember her from high school? Right? You know what I'm talking about. Okay, Right.

[B]

Not admit to it.

[A]

No, no, no. But okay, let's assume you. You understand what I'm saying? And I said to you, oh. And you said, look at all the stuff about. About her. And I said, yeah, you know, there's a pill that'll make that all go away. She won't take it. You would spend the next 20 minutes talking about that girl. You'd be like, what an idiot. Why won't she just take the pill? So explain to me really co as coherently as you can because you have brain fog. As coherently as you can. Tell me why you can't commit to just that one thing. Why would you settle for changing your CGM every few weeks when you can have 365 days of reliable glucose data? Today's episode is sponsored by the Eversense365. It is the only CGM with a tiny sensor that lasts a full year. Sitting comfortably under your skin with no more frequent sensor changes and essentially no compression lows for one year, you'll get your CGM data in real time on your phone, smartwatch, Android or iOS, even an Apple watch. Predictive high and low alerts let you know where your glucose is headed before it gets there. So there's no surprises, just confidence. And you can instantly share that data with your healthcare provider or your family. You're going to get one year of reliable data without all those sensor changes. That's the Eversense 365. Gentle on your skin, strong for your life. One sensor a year. That gives you one less thing to worry about. Head now to eversensecgm.com juicebox to get started. Diabetes comes with a lot of things to remember, so it's nice when someone takes something off of your plate. Usmed has done that for us. When it's time for ardent supplies to be refreshed and we get an email rolls up and in your inbox says, hi Arden, this is your friendly reorder email from usmed. You open up the email, it's a big button that says click here to reorder and you're done. Finally, somebody taking away a responsibility instead of adding one. Usmed has done that for us. An email arrives, we click on a link and the next thing you know, your products are at the front door. That simple usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. I never have to wonder if Arden has enough supplies. I click on one link, I open up a box, I put this stuff in the drawer and we're done. US Med carries everything from insulin pumps and diabetes testing supplies to the latest CGMs like the Libre 3 and the Dexcom G7. They accept Medicare nationwide, over 800 private insurers, and all you have to do to get started is call 888-721-1514 or go to my link usmed.com juicebox using that number or my link Helps to support the production of the Juice Box podcast.

[B]

I don't. I think it's just something. It's just so small that I guess I just don't. I think it's because it's one of those things that you don't notice the effects right away.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That you're like, oh, I can go maybe one day without it. And then one day turns into three days.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And then you're like, geez, I can't start now because now I have to be consistent with it.

[A]

And then, oh, this is the part I want, Bridget. This is the part I want. This is it right here. Why can't you just start on a Wednesday? How come it turns into, like, well, I'll wait till Monday or, Or. Or. Or after my room is clean, or like, whatever, like, arbitrary thing you set up as. Like, you know, once. You know, once we get the bathroom straightened out, I can start taking this medication again. Like, you have those thoughts, don't you?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, my God. What is wrong with all you people?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right, listen.

[B]

How? I don't know. I think it's a human thing.

[A]

To who?

[B]

I don't know. Maybe it's an ADHD thing. I'm not sure.

[A]

Adhd?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Are you anxious? Do you have anxiety?

[B]

I don't think so. I haven't been. I don't know. I'm supposed to go see a psychologist, person soon to be psychologically evaluated, but apparently it takes four hours.

[A]

Why are you being psychologically evaluated?

[B]

I don't. Well, because my doctor thinks I have ADHD and she wants to put me on the proper medicine.

[A]

I would like to. Well, listen, not for nothing, tell her you're not going to take it anyway, so what's the difference?

[B]

And that's true.

[A]

But now I got two bottles of expensive medication I'm not taking.

[B]

Now I'm in trouble.

[A]

Do you listen to the podcast?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Am I reasonably famous to you?

[B]

Yeah. You're like a celebrity.

[A]

Okay, well, then just listen to me then, okay? Like, do the thing my daughter won't do. Listen, so first. First things first. Is the morning bad for you? Why? You jump up and you have coffee right away?

[B]

Yeah, I just. I'm. I'm a mess in the morning.

[A]

Do you not shower in the morning? Some people don't.

[B]

No, I do.

[A]

Okay. So do you eat before you get in the shower?

[B]

Not all the time.

[A]

Do you drink coffee before the shower?

[B]

No.

[A]

Why don't you put them in the bathroom then? And then just. I don't know. If you know this, but when you're showering, there's water falling from the sky. Like, put the pill in your mouth, tilt your head backwards, fill your mouth up with water, and swallow. And then wash yourself and then get out. By the time you're dry, you can eat.

[B]

I think you're onto something there.

[A]

Well, I mean, what was your major?

[B]

Healthcare administration.

[A]

All right. Are you good at it?

[B]

I think so.

[A]

All right, well, you could administer this.

[B]

I mean, perfect. I'll do it.

[A]

I'll do it. I know you won't, you liar. What are you lying to me for?

[B]

Well, I know my mom's gonna listen to this.

[A]

Don't lie to her. She's used to you lying to her.

[B]

Scott told you. She's gonna say, scott told you to take it.

[A]

Well, do this for me, okay? Just commit to 30 days in a row, because you will feel so much better in 30 days.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

I'm being serious. And if you forget it on the fifth day, wake up the sixth day and take two of them.

[B]

I can do it.

[A]

Okay, I'm gonna tell you a little secret that a doctor told me, and this is not medical advice. Right? Cause I'm an idiot. And please, no one ever listen to me read the disclaimers. But Arden Zendo said, if you're having that much trouble remembering it, just take seven of them on Sunday.

[B]

Oh, and it's fine.

[A]

Well, I mean, look into it. Because, again, look at you. Kids are so smart nowadays. You're like. Are you potentially telling me that possibly that maybe you heard from somewhere? Nothing that we could pin on you. Of course. That's what Arden was told. If you absolutely can't remember them day to day, which is the preferred way to do it. And take them, take them once a week.

[B]

I can do it. I'll commit. I'll commit to it for you.

[A]

Are you going to email me in a month and tell me you did it?

[B]

Please, yes.

[A]

Don't lie to me, Bridget. I can't take another girl your age lying to me about taking pills.

[B]

I'll add it to my calendar.

[A]

What? How's that going to help you? Where's the. All right, parenting is hard. It is easier to parent people who aren't your children, though, because look how you're, like, in a good mood. So you're not mad at me or anything like that? By now, in this conversation, Arden would just be like. She'd look up at me and go, I'm sorry I stopped listening. What are you saying?

[B]

At least she admitted to it.

[A]

Well, I think she enjoys admitting. I think she likes hurting my feelings. I think she, like, goes, what did you just say? I wasn't listening anymore. Okay. How do you remember to take your insulin? Oh, God. Do you remember to take your insulin? Let's talk about the Tandem Moby insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. Their newest algorithm, Control IQ 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. Tandem diabetes.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.

[B]

Yeah, no, actually, well, okay, I have a pump, so it makes it better. Honestly, when I was on a pen, it was a lot worse.

[A]

Were you forgetting?

[B]

Yeah. And then I would just be like, I live in Chicago. I take public transit all the time. I'm always going to and from something. I like to keep myself pretty busy. And so most of my downtime, like, normally when I would remember to, like, take some insulin or do something is on the train or on a bus or when I'm walking.

[A]

You're telling me it's cold, you're covered up?

[B]

Yeah, well, they were like, I don't know. There's always. There was always something. And I realized it one day on a train. I think my blood sugar was 300. I had just like come back from lunch with a friend and I forgot to take my insulin. And I'm sitting here and I'm like, it's going to be 40 minutes until I get home. I have to do something. And so that one day I did. I did. I took some insulin on the red line.

[A]

Yeah, well, because your blood sugar was redlining, you had to do something.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And so that was a big step for me because normally I don't like doing it in public.

[A]

Okay. I'm Fine.

[B]

If it's, like, at a restaurant, I'm kind of like, you know.

[A]

Yeah, but why?

[B]

People do other weird things on the Red Line. And so I just.

[A]

What else do you see them doing? The Red Line?

[B]

I can't even heard about the Red Line in Chicago.

[A]

I don't know about it. My wife took New Jersey transit in Manhattan for 14 years, and I can't even tell you her stories. You're too young. And it would make me uncomfortable. So, like. Like, seriously, like, it's. The train is crazy. I get you. We need you. Taking your insulin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. But now you're saying you're on a pump. And why is that better?

[B]

It's so much better because I can just, you know, pop it out. It looks. You're not. Like, people don't know you're doing yourself. Yeah. And it's so much better.

[A]

Tell me why you wouldn't want somebody to, like, forget the pen part of it. If you had to pull out some weird device that looked like, I don't know, that said, like, insulin pump on the side of it, would that stop you from pulling it out and using it?

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

No. Okay. It was more about using the pen.

[B]

Yeah. And, like, I don't know, being out and about in, like, public places and germs and thinking about, like, injecting myself.

[A]

I hear you.

[B]

Amidst those things, that part of your

[A]

health you're worried about.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But not your thyroid.

[B]

Not the thyroid. No. I try.

[A]

No, I know. Listen, first of all, you don't think I'm coming down on you, right? It doesn't feel like.

[B]

No, this is good.

[A]

No, no, you're good. You're like, no, someone should be talking to me like this. Scott. My parents gave up. When did your parents give up exactly? Do you remember how old you are? When they were like, this girl's not listening to us.

[B]

Probably when I was, oh, I don't know, 14. I tried to convince them. I tried to convince them to send me to, like, a completely different high school. I was very fortunate. I went to Catholic school all my life. But for some reason, I think I watched too many episodes of Gossip Girl. I wanted to go to one where they wore, like, skirts. And so I tried to. I tried to get them to send me to a military academy.

[A]

Really? Okay.

[B]

And it did not. And I made a whole presentation. I thought it was very persuasive.

[A]

They were like, you have no idea what this cost. We're not sending it there.

[B]

Yeah. And then I was just a mess in high school, so what do you mean? I was just all over the place. Like, literally running from place to place. I was student body president. I was doing research at the local university. I was playing tennis. Like, I was so active. I was so busy. I don't think they ever saw me.

[A]

Yeah. Hey.

[B]

Yeah, I'm sorry.

[A]

No, no. Good. And then what?

[B]

And then Covid hit.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then I was just pouting in my room. I think the entire time.

[A]

You were so, like, you doing so many things and suddenly couldn't do anything.

[B]

Yeah, it was horrible.

[A]

All right. Any other autoimmune in your family? Your mom have thyroid, too, or somebody have celiac or anything like that?

[B]

Yeah, my mom and my brother both have Hashimoto's.

[A]

Oh, you guys are English or Irish.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I could smell it through the phone, probably. No, I mean, it's. It's. Well, because.

[B]

It's.

[A]

Well because, isn't. It isn't St. Patrick's Day.

[B]

Patrick's Day. Yes.

[A]

See? How come you're not drunk? What's going on, Bridget? Is that after this.

[B]

That was this weekend.

[A]

Take your thyroid medicine first, Right. Hey, how many days has it been since you took your thyroid meds?

[B]

Actually, I took it this morning.

[A]

Good for you. But prior to that, did you take it the day before?

[B]

No, prior to that, I probably hadn't taken it since, like, last Thursday, maybe.

[A]

Oh, Bridget. Okay, we'll take another. Take a couple. Not a doctor, not advice. Bridget, I wouldn't listen to me if I was you.

[B]

Okay, well, I started Manjaro.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Two Fridays ago.

[A]

Oh. I took my Manjaro on Sunday. Yeah, well, I mean, mine's called Zepbound, but you know what I mean. Same business, right?

[B]

Same thing.

[A]

You're taking it for weight or. Or for blood sugar.

[B]

Blood sugar. My. My endocrinologist prescribed it to me because I was having issues where I would, I guess, binge at night. And I was just explaining I don't really feel hungry. I think it's the. I don't know. I'm on type 1 diabetes. Tick tock. I don't know if you've seen it,

[A]

but did you fall down the. The Amolin rabbit hole? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So I've convinced myself that I have no ability to.

[A]

Stop yourself. You're eating. So TikTok told me I was hungry,

[B]

but then I have realized that, oh, maybe I am going to bed and my blood sugar is a little high. And also, I've gained some weight over the last few weeks. I was. I was running a lot, and Then the winter hit, and Chicago winters are brutal.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I just kind of stopped working out. I hear you eating healthy.

[A]

I figured if I'm not gonna work out, I might as well eat the drywall.

[B]

It's a lost cause.

[A]

At that point, tumbling down like, he's like, this is it. I'll be dead in a week. So. So you have all. So is what you're telling me, you have all the tools for success, and all it is left is for you to put that pill in your mouth every day and shoot that stuff in your ass once a week.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Or wherever you're shooting it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you have any weight you want to lose?

[B]

Like, I don't know, ten pounds?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I have lost a few pounds since being on it, but my. Before I went on it, my time and range, according to my Dexcom, was, I think, like 50%.

[A]

And now it's. What. What's it like, 80 now?

[B]

Yeah. Now it's 80%.

[A]

Yeah. Did I get that number right?

[B]

Yeah. Which is crazy.

[A]

I also thought you were going to say 14. I didn't say it fast enough. It pissed me off. Just because I don't know if everybody knows when you're younger, you don't think this. It's. It's really. Generalizations are for a reason. Like, it's easy to figure things out. Like. So, yeah, I mean, your time range is. I. I imagine you're having fewer lo. Because you're using less insulin. Right. And you're fighting with less peaks after meals.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Fewer peaks. Yeah. And what dose did they give you?

[B]

I think I'm on 2.5.

[A]

Okay. And it started working right away, I think.

[B]

So it could have just been the placebo.

[A]

Well, see, what the. No, your blood sugar doesn't have a placebo effect. That's. I'm saying. Did your insulin needs drop in the first couple days after you shot it the first time?

[B]

Yeah. Well, my. So my endo, she. As soon as I started it, she told me to switch my basil. And so she lowered my basil. And then pretty much immediately. At least the next morning, I think I took it at night. And then the next morning, I did realize that I wasn't as hungry, and so I think I reached for a banana. Normally, a banana would bring me up to 300.

[A]

And are you pre bolusing the banana?

[B]

Most of the time, yeah.

[A]

How long. How long you pre bolus in a banana?

[B]

Like, right before I eat.

[A]

That's not a pre bolus. That's.

[B]

That's just a bolus.

[A]

No, that's bolusing. I'm talking about 10, 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes, maybe. All that sugar.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. But. But go ahead. But it's slowing down your digestion. You didn't spike from the banana. How far did you go up from the banana? 300, I think.

[B]

It was only. I mean, I. Since I've been a little bit more cautious of what I'm eating. I don't know if that's directly associated with the Manjaro, but at least, like, I'm pulling myself together.

[A]

No, you're doing. You don't listen. I haven't been hungry in three years.

[B]

And so I, like, I only spiked to 170, I think, which was a crazy improvement.

[A]

You ate a banana without pre bolusing and went to 170?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's pretty great. Yeah, but that's not a reason not to pre bolus. I know, but look at. You're not gonna have to do it as far in the future, Right? Imagine if you would have given yourself insulin, walked into the kitchen, decided on a banana, and then said, I should wash my hands or get a glass of water or maybe I have to pee. Do something else to busy yourself for a second, and then came back and ate that banana. No bolus. No. No. No jump at all. It would have been beautiful.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

First of all, I think I should be interviewing more people your age. I feel like, intellectually I'm right about in my 20s, so this is really perfect for me. I feel like this is going really well. I don't know about you, but when you think about your health, big picture, or maybe you don't, you'll tell me if you don't. Right? But I'm not talking about just today or next week or something like that, or I feel like I gained weight or like, you know, that kind of. I'm talking about, like, when Bridget steps back and looks at her life and says, I've been alive for 50 years now, and my body, my health is in what position? Like, where do you see yourself? And how much of your own effort and focus do you think is going to be responsible for getting you to the place where you are? Does that make sense?

[B]

Yeah. So, funny enough, that function health test. This is not an ad. I promise. That functional test that I took put me at age 30.

[A]

Oh, geez. Sorry. Yeah, yeah. And you were like, like, crap.

[B]

So considering that I do like. And I think right now at 23, I'm definitely taking my health a lot more seriously than I was at 21, I'm glad I've pretty much stopped drinking. I focus more on, like, walking and strength training, so I'll have muscle when I'm old. But mostly I think about my fertility and my ability to have kids, because I would love to have kids.

[A]

Really? Even after the pain in the ass you've been for your parents, you think?

[B]

Exactly. Karma.

[A]

You still think it would be a good idea. Can you imagine? Try to imagine a little kid, somebody who you're paying for, who, by the way, because of what they cost, is the reason you're not in Turks and Caicos this summer. Okay. Like, right, like, imagine that kid says to you, I can't remember to take my vitamin every day. You'd be like, you little son of a bitch, I have been killing myself for you, and you're not going to take that vitamin. It's the only thing I ask you to do. You can't do right, can you? Can you write the script in your own head?

[B]

Yeah, it would be an interesting.

[A]

Has your mom yelled these things at you ever or not? Yeah. Yeah. Why don't you listen to her? She takes her thyroid med every day, doesn't she?

[B]

No, she's actually an angel on this planet. Yeah, she takes her thyroid medicine every single day. And my brother still lives at home, and so they're kind of like, they're in it together, and they have, like. I think they're vitamin A. It's like a thyroid. I don't know, a little drop thing that they take. And.

[A]

Oh, I love those two people. My son listens to me about this, by the way, every day. Every vitamin I hand him, everything for his thyroid takes it. When he sees Arden, like, messing about about it, he goes, just take the stupid pill. She's like, listen, last night, that girl asked for the vacuum cleaner, okay? Dad, could you bring the vacuum cleaner upstairs for me? So I brought it up. I'm a decent person, and I brought it upstairs and I put it down. I said, hey, while you're vacuuming, because she's going to vacuum her room. I said, there's a little, like, a couple dust bunnies out here in the hallway. Would you just hit those for me? While you were going. She goes, I was going to, but now that you told me to, I don't want to. And I said, well, that's a mental illness. Just vacuum up the dust from. She's like, if I said to Cole, like, hey, like, there's some, like, dust out here. He just vacuumed the whole hallway. Why are boys easier about Stuff like this than girls. What is it? Like what? What is it? Can you help me? Do you know?

[B]

So I actually just did the same thing.

[A]

Tell me your story. Go ahead.

[B]

So, well, so I live with my boyfriend. We've been together for almost three years. He's perfect. He remembers to take his vitamins. He's clean.

[A]

And is that the bar we're setting for boys now? Scotty doesn't smell. I'm gonna marry him. Go ahead. He's clean. What else?

[B]

We were cleaning for St. Patrick's Day because I have a balcony, and, like, I live downtown. And so we were having a bunch of my friends over, and he was, like, steam mopping the floor. And then I was vacuuming before him, and he, like, pointed out, I think, a dust bunny. It was like a clump of dog hair. We have a little Australian shepherd. And he was like, could you vacuum that up? And I said, I'm going to, but now that you asked me to, I'm angry.

[A]

Yeah. So explain that to me. What is wrong with you? Like, do you know or do you. Do you have any way to explain it to me? Does. Can anyone come on the podcast and explain it to me? Because it's a baffling part. I was staring at Arden the other day. She goes, stop looking at me like that. I'm like, I can't. I'm like, I want to choke you to death. I'm like, why are you not just doing. Where do you think that reaction comes from?

[B]

I think it's just because I was planning to do it and because somebody told me to do it. It's just, like, frustrating.

[A]

No, I mean, I understand what happened, but what's in. When you go see that psychological. Psychological exam. Ask him about that.

[B]

I will, because I think it's. It's also probably just being stubborn. It's definitely being stubborn. And it probably also stems from, like, when my mom would, like, ask me to clean the bathroom, and I had already done it, and then I would feel like, geez, I shouldn't have cleaned it, because she asked me. So funny. I don't know. It's definitely, like, a little. It's. It's definitely an immature reaction, and I recognize that.

[A]

Yeah, well, it's not gonna go, by the way. It's not gonna go away. My wife still says to me, sometimes you're not my father. I'm like, your dad's dead, and I'm in my 50s. I don't think I'm your father. But my wife has a story, though. Like, in the way she was treated. Like. Like. And it stuck to her. Like, she. My wife will tell you a story of the day. Her father was, like, changing a light switch, and it was time to put the COVID back on the switch. And, you know, I mean, I don't know what you know, Bridget, but, like, it's two screws. You can't do it wrong, right? Like, if the screws go in, you've accomplished it. There's no. You didn't do it incorrectly. She asks to help, and she takes the COVID she puts it on, she puts the two screws in. And then she said her dad pulled both the screws out, took the COVID off, put it back on, put the screws back in again. They're Irish and. And English, too, in case you're wondering where your crazy might come from. All of you. Yeah. Also, why. Why can't I just tell you that Jesus will put you in a pit of fire if you don't take your thyroid meds? Can't you just. Won't that work on you, or.

[B]

No, I don't know. The pit of fire. Yeah, that might do it.

[A]

I mean, seriously, you went to Catholic school. Can't I just tell you God would be disappointed if you didn't? Pre bolus is not that. Is it not that easy, or.

[B]

No, no, it should be that easy because that's what they told us.

[A]

They indoctrinated you pretty good. Why can't that. Oh, my God.

[B]

I think you're onto something.

[A]

You're onto something there saying that, but nothing's happening. Also, you have no idea how difficult it is to talk to you. You sound exactly like my daughter's friend Olivia.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

Like, speech patterns. Every. Like, you're not all this. I don't think you're all the same. That's what I'm saying. But you have. Your voice is so similar to hers. I have to stop my. I'm this close to writing a sticker on my face that says, it's not. I'm not talking to Liv, so. And she's from, like. Like, I think her family's, like, from Indiana, too, so I think they have a little bit of that. Like, I mean, that's close to Chicago, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

I know geography a little bit.

[B]

Well, so northern Indiana claims Chicago, but southern Indiana or central Indiana wouldn't.

[A]

No.

[B]

And the central Indiana accent is crazy. I don't know if you've heard it.

[A]

Well, I mean, I've probably heard it, but I don't know it. Off topic, why is it crazy. Can you do it?

[B]

My. Well, so my nana has a very thick, like, central Indiana accent, and she says, like, warsh.

[A]

Oh, like, gonna wash the clothes.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And my grandmother would have said that.

[B]

I'm trying to think what else? But, yeah, Northern Indiana. Like, we root for the Bears. We basically live in Michigan.

[A]

The Bears were so bad for so long that a quarterback showed up with nail polish on, and you guys were like, that's fine. We're not even going to worry about that. Yep.

[B]

But he's good. I don't. I don't do sports like that, but I heard he's great.

[A]

Hey, I. I saw him play this year. He didn't do bad. Okay, so this diabetes thing. Let's talk about being young and having diabetes. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, obviously, start of college, they. They whisk you away, you're sitting in the children's hospital. Can you go back to that time for me and tell me what was going through your head? And if it was like, were you sitting there just going like, diabetes? Like, what the hell? Or did you accept it pretty easily? Did you fight against it?

[B]

Yeah, I think. I think I accepted it pretty easy. Like, I don't. I didn't really know a lot of people with diabetes. And again, like, luckily I was at a children's hospital and I received great care and great training, which isn't the experience for a lot of other 18 year olds or older people diagnosed with diabetes. So really fortunate with my diagnosis in general and I guess transitioning, like, from being a person who was relatively healthy to suddenly having a chronic disease that I'm likely gonna have the rest of my life, you know, knock on wood. Like, that part was tricky. I. I went from. I don't know, like, I have a lot of friends from high school that I still don't really know, like, how to talk about it with them, really.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I don't know. The time before diabetes just feels so fuzzy to me. And I was also just down a completely different path. Like, I was studying biochemistry. I thought I was going to get a PhD and like, work in research for the rest of my life. And then I switched because I wanted to make a better impact for people living with chronic diseases. And so I switched to healthcare administration so I can maybe, you know, fix the US healthcare system, which is a whole issue within itself.

[A]

Yeah. Good luck. Go get them.

[B]

Right. And luckily, Loyola did have a healthcare administration program. And so, like, my mindset just completely shifted from, I'm going to be young, I'm going to have fun. I'm going to. I don't know, I'm going to do everything a young person can do to. I want to live life like the best way possible. And I think for a while I was a little angry, but I was never angry at the fact that I had diabetes. I was always just angry at, like, oh, I have to put on a new Dexcom. And like, I can't do this because I have to do this. And there were just a lot of takeaway, like. Or what's that called? Like, trade offs.

[A]

Yeah. A lot of new responsibilities.

[B]

Yeah. And that was kind of hard to adapt to. And, you know, everything happened while I was in college. And so also graduating college was. I was a completely different person coming out of college than I was entering college. And so that was really interesting. I ended up. As soon as I graduated, I flew out, like, literally the next day. I flew out to Spain with my dad and we backpacked El Camino de Santiago. Have you heard of it?

[A]

No, tell me.

[B]

So it's like a 500 mile trail from the south of France to the northwest corner of Spain. And it's beautiful. It's a Catholic pilgrimage, but so many people do it for so many different reasons. You stay in hostels the whole way. I was gonna do it alone, but my dad was like, heck to the no, you're a woman and you could have a low and fall on the trail or something. So he came with me and we actually had a great time. And I think that was really therapeutic for me because I just kind of let a lot go on that it was a month long trip in Spain.

[A]

How did it help you let go of some of it?

[B]

I just think I needed some time to, like, look back and just relax and 30 days in Spain. I'll do that for you. So.

[A]

So nothing to do. And you took care of your diabetes. Okay. You had some support from your father. You came to the realization, like, this is going to be okay.

[B]

Yeah. And I think, like, at that point I, like, let all my anger go.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

About being diagnosed. And so that was really. Yeah, I guess, therapeutic.

[A]

Yeah. Did you at the time, or do you now, in hindsight, like, feel like the support from your dad, like, coming along with you like that, or did you feel like he was, like, lording over you, it wouldn't let you go do something by yourself?

[B]

No, no. He. I think. I think he understood, like, how I need support, because even, like before, like, he was never super involved in my diabetes, but mostly just because I never asked him to Be. And, like, same with my mom. My mom was a little bit more involved. Sometimes you just need help changing a site or you're like, oh, my gosh, if I look at one more piece of candy, I think I'm gonna throw up. So just, like, having somebody there to, like, see you and, like, see what you're going through, I think that was helpful. Yeah, it was really helpful.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So support doesn't have to look like somebody doing something for you all the time. Sometimes it could just be the knowledge that they're there if you need them. Right, Right. But also, I mean, with five years of hindsight, should 18 year old you have been put in charge of all this? How'd you do with it? Like, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you were like, yes, God, I was ready for that and I took it over and it's fine. Or do you look back now and go, like, I probably could have used more help.

[B]

Honestly, I've been really independent my whole life. I'm a middle child, but I'm an eldest daughter, so.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I don't know. I did. I did, like, solo travel at that point. I was going to all my, like, all my own doctor's appointments pretty much as soon as I got my license. I was really independent. And so I think it was just something that I knew I had to step up to and step up to the plate and really take care of myself. And luckily, I had friends who I lived with in college, like, right after I was diagnosed. And Loyola is a great place because almost everybody's studying to be a nurse or a doctor. And so I had a lot of, like, support on that end, too.

[A]

What were your outcomes? Like, like, so you were. You're taking care of yourself. It's on you, and you're handling it and everything. But are you, like, where's your A1C? You see, your time and range is like 50%. Like, so it's not like that part of it isn't paying off, but at least you feel like, personally, I don't know, confident.

[B]

Yeah. When I was first diagnosed, my A1C was pretty low. I think it was. Oh, it might have been in the sixes, like, right when I was diagnosed.

[A]

Caught it pretty early.

[B]

Yeah. Well, no, no, no. My A1C was 14 when I was diagnosed. Yeah. And I wasn't in DK. Like, I wasn't about to, like, you know, fall into a coma. But they caught it at the perfect time, luckily.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

By the time, I think it was like, the next June or July does that even make sense? Three months after I got it way down. But it was because I was having so many lows.

[A]

Oh. Oh, I see. So. So your A1C wasn't actually good. It was just showing. Well, because you were getting low a lot and staying low a lot.

[B]

Yeah. And that was when I was on pens. I was on pens from April of 2021 until August of 2021. And then I went on Omnipod, and the Omnipod made it a lot better. And then I, like, realized I was hitting it off, and I would leave the controller, like, back at my apartment on accident, and so I'd be kind of in trouble there. So I decided that tubing might just be better for me. So that's why I'm on tandem.

[A]

So you switched from the pump that you were enjoying to a different pump because it had a tube on it, and you thought, well, maybe I'll stop forgetting this thing.

[B]

Yeah. Sometimes I do still forget it, but for the most part, don't worry.

[A]

I can still forget it. Scott. I'm good.

[B]

But for the most part, I'm like, really? It works a lot better for me.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, no, I understand. I. I actually. I understand what you're saying. So, I mean, it's connected. I mean, does the term she'd forget her head if it wasn't attached apply to you?

[B]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

Okay, well, then there you go, then. It's attached now.

[B]

And I have, like, different insulin pens, like, stashed in case I do forget it. Like, I have one in at work. I have one in the car. I have one pretty much everywhere. Like, just in case it might not be, you know, full strength at this point, because it's kind of been stashed there for a while, but it does the job if I'm in a pinch.

[A]

Yeah, I hear you. So you started off. I don't think you started off any differently than I would expect for your age, for your situation, for the fact that you were kind of on your own a little bit doing it. Right. So there's some time to figure things out. You've got some lows that you don't like. You make some adjustments, things get a little better, you make another adjustment. You know, you get hit with the thyroid diagnosis in there somewhere. Right. That's still a thing you're working through. But now you added another tool with the Manjaro, and you're taking your health seriously at, I think, a really young age, which is terrific, by the way, and about where I would expect it to happen. As far as, you know, maturity goes. Like, this is my. Like, I always kind of joke with Arden. I was like, I only have to help you with these pills for like, two more years. Then your brain will form all the way and you'll do it yourself. Not that she's not awesome. Like, it's not my intention to say. My question would be, is, what pushed you towards that health testing? What was the thing that got you like, oh, God, I gotta do something.

[B]

First of all, my grandma is really, really into functional medicine.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

She listens to this guy's podcast who created the whole thing, the whole testing, okay. It is backed by medical professionals. I've checked it out. But she offered to pay for it for Thanksgiving or for Christmas. On Thanksgiving.

[A]

Because I just, I. I was like, oh, my God, your parents, your family, just Thanksgiving gifts.

[B]

We love Thanksgiving.

[A]

Yeah, we love it so much. It's a gift giving holiday. No, but I understand on Thanksgiving you were talking about. She offered to pay for it for you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Got it done.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I thought, where does that come from? Where does the offer come from? Does she look over at you and go, oh, Bridget, honey, what's happening?

[B]

Well, okay, so I have. I've had these ovarian cysts for, like, a little over a year now. They put me in the ER the day after Christmas this year.

[A]

God, this is so sick. This happens to Arden, too.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's not PCOS, but they, like, I just have two. I have one. One cyst on either side, but they're like 5cm big. Like, if you imagine a hair tie, that's the size of both of my cysts on either ovary.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I was like, oh, my God, I need to figure out a way to get these out because they won't operate on them because they're not greater than, like, I think 6 centimeters.

[A]

Arden had one removed and. And truth is, is, like, others came back. Like, so, like, because they went in laparoscopically and took it off her like it was right by her fallopian tube.

[B]

Yeah. And so I was kind of asking them to just do surgery on me. I was like, I want them out. But then they kind of said that they typically come back.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And right now, I'm not on any birth control. I'm just trying to, like, you know, deal with my body. Trying to get my body into control.

[A]

Yeah. You girls would have a lot to talk about if you were. Because she's in the same. She's like, I don't want to take birth Control do you find? I'm wondering if after time, you'll find the. Any impact from the Manjaro or even just losing weight or if it changes your. Your. Your periods, even, like, lessening your. Your menstrual cycle might be helpful. There's another good reason to take your thyroid meds and. Yeah, you know, all that stuff. Oh, I'm sorry. I've been in the. I've been in the emergency room twice with Arden with that pain.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just like. It just feels like someone's just stabbing me.

[B]

Oh, my God. And thank goodness I was still home for Christmas because we were, like, gonna drive to my grandparents the next day, and thank God I was, like, in my childhood bathroom, like, on the verge of passing out, like, laying on the tile floor, like, throwing up. I was like, okay, this is not normal. So I called my mom, and she, like, saved me.

[A]

Yeah. They give you.

[B]

They've never seen me in, like, that much pain. I've never felt that much pain.

[A]

Yeah, it's really upsetting.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did they give you Toradol?

[B]

Yeah, they gave. Well, first of all, they gave me morphine, and then they gave me Toradol

[A]

to go home with. That does help.

[B]

Yeah. And then I didn't have any pain, like, the rest of my menstrual cycle.

[A]

So you got rid of it. How long did it take to get through from the sharp pain to getting

[B]

rid of was like, oh, maybe three hours.

[A]

Felt better after the pain meds. And the pain didn't come back.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And they. So I went back to my gynecologist, and she said that she thinks it twisted and then maybe twisted back.

[A]

Oh, he might have got lucky. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

So they did think it was appendicitis because of where the pain was coming from. And. Yeah, my right cyst is bigger, and so there was just a lot of pain over there.

[A]

Yeah. Arden's had it present like, classic appendicitis. She's had it present, like, classic gallbladder, too.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But it's neither. It's that. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. And so they gave me anti nausea meds, and they gave me some morphine, and that did help. And then they put me through, I think, like, a CT scan, and then I got another ultrasound, and the doctor came back, and he was like, it's just your period.

[A]

Yay.

[B]

I was like, okay, awesome.

[A]

Hey, this is going to happen next month too, right? The period, like, that's going to keep happening. What stops you from wanting to take the birth control pill?

[B]

I don't know. I was on it during high school, and I don't know, it was fine. But again, I have problems, like, remembering to take medicine.

[A]

So you're like, it's not gonna work.

[B]

It just. It just wasn't a good idea. And then.

[A]

Does it make you crazy?

[B]

I thought it did.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I was also just a high schooler.

[A]

Like, I wonder, too, because Arden tried it in high school, and she's like, I don't want to do it again. It made me crazy. And I was like, okay.

[B]

Right. And so I'm just. I don't know. I'm. I'm open to it. I ended up getting an iud, but then they found the cyst, and so they took out the iud.

[A]

And would that not have helped, though?

[B]

They said that the IUD might have caused it.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah, because apparently it. The excess estrogen, like, oh, I don't know, something like, you get some sort of hormone that stops cyst prevention.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

There's like a whole. A whole thing to it. But it. Again, they don't really do a lot of research on.

[A]

No, they don't care. They're like, you're fine. You're a girl. We have other ones. If you're. If you break, we'll have. We'll have more. Yeah. Girls really do not get treated well with their reproductive stuff.

[B]

Right. And so I just don't think. I don't think they know a lot, unfortunately.

[A]

Yeah, no one knows a lot. I don't want to break your. I'm sure you're still young and hopeful, Bridget, but you're going to meet a lot of people. I started coming to the conclusion yesterday that maybe one in every five people I bump into seems to have it together somehow.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. And God knows that we all think we're that one person. So that's why it gets sideways so easily.

[B]

God knows I am not one of those five people, but I try. I try.

[A]

I'm 100% sure I am, and I'm probably not. Wow. It's a lot. Do you ever feel like. Do you ever have those moments where you're like, why me? Or just a lot to deal with?

[B]

I don't know. Supposedly, when I was diagnosed, you know, my whole family was there. They were all on spring break. And my brother told my dad, like, thank God it wasn't me.

[A]

What a guy.

[B]

But I think he was. He was coming from a good spot. Like, I'm glad it was Bridget and not like him or my younger sister, I think just because they knew that, like, if anybody could take it positively, it would be me.

[A]

You think your attitude leans more towards forgiveness on this?

[B]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

They would have been pissed.

[B]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

What about you Puts you, like. Have you always been like that?

[B]

Yeah, I'm just. My family has a thing, and they say, that's so Bridget. And it's like, I don't know. When I was first diagnosed, we had all my senior pictures. You know how you, like, put your senior picture in the front yard and. Yeah, yeah, like, yeah, this person graduated. My uncle sent me a picture, and it's like, me smiling. It's, you know, my senior picture, and I look so happy. And he goes like, that's so Bridget living with diabetes. And it's. Do you, like, kind of happy? Go lucky.

[A]

Yeah. Do you like that? Or is that pressure to you?

[B]

No, I don't mind it. It's. I think it's. It definitely gives me. I don't know. Recently, I'm taking. I'm also getting my MBA right now, and we talk a lot about, like, identity and so, like, saying I'm a happy person versus saying I'm happy. Like, you associate yourself with permanently, like, being happy versus, like, just a verb or an adjective. Just saying you're happy.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And so I think, like. And maybe this is crazy, but, like, other people saying, like, oh, she's such a happy person. If Bridget's so positive versus, like, oh, she was very positive on this one day. I think that, like, helps me to an extent. And, like, people at work do it, too. Like, oh, she's the happiest person, or she's so positive. And I'm like, you know, I am pretty happy, but it doesn't make you

[A]

feel like, oh, I now I'm the happy person. If I don't act happy, these people are going to be disappointed in me. You don't have that pressure?

[B]

No, definitely not.

[A]

It helps you that way. Listen, I think, you know, I mean, it's an oversimplification. Obviously, it doesn't work for everybody, but I do think a lot of how things go or really does kind of stem from your attitude about it. I do think you kind of get what you expect sometimes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, if you expect things to go well, then you generally seem to feel like they go well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if you're always running around going, this sucks, and why me? And it's not fair, then I think things are going to feel that way. I mean, obviously. Obviously it's not fair. The thing. I mean, with the cysts and the diabetes and the I'm making funny about the pills, but like, having to take a pill every day sucks. You know what I mean? Like, there's nothing great about that. Yeah. You know, you can argue it either way. Yeah. You're lucky to have the medication, have access to it and everything. You know, I could easily hit you with like, there's plenty of people in the world who need that med. They'd be happy to take it, Bridget. But like, I don't think, I just don't think that's how things work, you know? So I don't think you're not taking it because you're, you know, don't want to be healthy or because you're not a good person or whatever somebody might think from the outside. I think it's hard to remember to take a pill every day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know.

[B]

Yeah. I definitely like approach life, you know, through a lens of it's never that important. And like some things are very important. And so I don't want to like, yeah, you know, discard that. But definitely, like, sometimes you'll have a bad day with diabetes and you just have to say like, geez, that was, you know, a bad day. And I'm like, today is just not a good day.

[A]

Just wake up tomorrow and start over again.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I like that. That's a good idea. I think that's a great idea.

[B]

I babysit for a family with a daughter with type one. She's like two.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

And she was diagnosed at one. And so they're like, they're very new to it and they're like kind of freaking out.

[A]

Yeah, I bet.

[B]

And I met them through like a type 1 diabetes, like, network kind of thing. And they, you know, they try to, they try to be perfect. You just have to, I don't know. With diabetes you're gonna have it for so long. It's not your life, but you know, it's a major part of your life and so you just have to be good enough. And that's kind of been my perspective. And so I think them seeing me, a 23 year old girl who like decently has, she has a job, she's living in Chicago, like she's happy. And so seeing that, I think it's provided a lot of hope and like my attitude towards diabetes, like, that's been really helpful for them.

[A]

But I love it. I think. I know. I think you sound like you're doing great. Actually. I would, I would want to make sure to leave you with that idea that it sounds like you are really doing well. I I'm sure things are just going to continue to morph and change over time as you get older and. But already, like, I see you, like, you know, you want to be healthy for yourself, you want to have kids, you're going to want to be healthy for kids. Like, you're going to keep making good decisions as you go. And like you said, every day is not going to be perfect and every hour is not going to be perfect. And it's hard to, hard to swallow that when you're two year olds running around with diabetes and every number feels like the end of the world. And you certainly don't want your blood sugar to be 200, you don't want it to be 250, you don't want it to Be 300, you don't want it to BE 4. You don't want those things. But there's a balance between knowing that they're not optimal, working towards keeping them from happening, and not beating yourself up when they do happen, if they happen. There are two different schools of, like, consideration in there. Like, yes, I don't want your blood sugar to be high. I don't want your blood sugar to be low. I also don't want you to spend a week or a day or a month like, feeling badly about it if it happens, because it's probably going to happen. And, you know, I think the key is to address it as quickly as possible, stop it without causing a different problem, and look at ways to hopefully help from, you know, it happening again for you. It sounds like we know what you should be doing. Right? You should be pre bull a little better and probably. I mean, what's your A1C right now?

[B]

I just got it back. I think it was seven. Six.

[A]

Yeah. You pre bolus your meals, it'll be six, six, just like that. Just take your insulin 15 minutes before you eat, it'll go down a full point. I bet.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Take your thought. By the way, you're. It's also harder to control your insulin with an unregulated thyroid problem, too.

[B]

Oh, that makes sense.

[A]

It's all gonna help. And so don't, don't let the. I'm a fan of the Manjaro and I, I'm, I like that you're doing it, but don't let it mask the other things and make you ignore them. Right, that makes sense.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Take the damn pill. Pre. Bullish your meal. Shoot the Manjaro once a week. You'd be, you, you'd probably be. You probably live to be 200, right? You know what I mean?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Hey, any of those nodules on your thyroid, they say they have to come off or. They didn't mention that.

[B]

I don't think. I. At least I haven't noticed any. Like, it's definitely larger, but I haven't noticed any nodules.

[A]

You know the meds will help with that, too, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did they palpitate it, like, with their hands, or did they give you, like, a. Like, did they scan you?

[B]

They just. They always just feel it.

[A]

Feel it. Okay. And they're not feeling nodules.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Take them so far. Take. Just take the med, please.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. Can you check in with me in a month? Will you send me an email? No one ever does. You know that, right? Whenever I do it, when I say, just email me in a month, tell me how it's going. No one. Well, some people get back to me, but not as many as I want.

[B]

Right.

[A]

All right. Bridget, is there anything that we haven't talked about that we should have? Anything we skipped over or anything you want to yell at me about or if you want to say wonderful things about me, now would be the time.

[B]

I just want to say, like, I've listened to your podcast since 2021. You know, you have instilled so many, you know, very solid piece of. Pieces of advice in my life. Like, I think one time, I don't know when you said this, but you said, like, always stay low. Like, you'd always rather have Arden go low than go high.

[A]

The saying is, I would rather fight with a lower falling blood sugar. I would rather stop a lower falling blood sugar than fight with a high one. Yeah, it's just kind of a mindset more than anything else. I don't want her to be low. That's not what I'm saying. Don't misrepresent me.

[B]

I'm sorry.

[A]

Go ahead.

[B]

But you. You've instilled so many great, like, foundational pieces of advice that you really have made such a difference. And even, like, when I first emailed you back in, I think, October, I was training for the Chicago Marathon, and I finished. I ran.

[A]

Oh, good for you.

[B]

But you were interviewing another runner, and he just talked about, like, pausing his insulin or, you know, making sure there's no insulin on board when you start running. And honestly, that made such a difference in my running journey.

[A]

Good for you.

[B]

Like, I was able to achieve my goals and run a marathon, and I felt like a, you know, like a normal person, I think, on marathon day.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so that made such a Difference. But I just want to say thank you. You're a celebrity in my house.

[A]

First of all, I'm very happy that any of this helped you, and I appreciate your kind words. I would take this moment to tell you that if the thing I said about the running helped, maybe the other stuff will help, too.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

Right?

[B]

You're always right. You should know that.

[A]

Hey, listen, that's true. I do. I do want that to be. That should be a saying or a T shirt or something like that. Scott's always right. And I will wear it around the house, and they'll throw rotten food at me. The laughing that would happen. I could hear Arden now. You don't know yourself, she would say. My wife might say, you don't know yourself, Arden would say, those people don't know you. So, nevertheless, take the pill every day. Even if you. Even. Even if it. If you forget it, take it at night. If you want to take it at night instead of the morning, just do that. Just do it every day. If you forget it one day, take two the next day. Like that. That's easy. Do not. Whatever that thing is. I'm gonna get a therapist on here to figure this out. But whatever that thing is that people go like, oh, I didn't do it. I'll have to wait till Monday. My God, please, all of you, don't do that. That's ridiculous. You know, there's no. No time like the present. Just jump back in again. You were really lovely, seriously.

[B]

Yeah, you were lovely, too.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

When I told my mom I was going to come on the podcast, she was like, what are you going to talk about? Don't say anything in a. She's a lawyer.

[A]

Don't say anything inappropriate.

[B]

Don't say anything crazy. And I said, I'll be good, Mom.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You were terrific.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

And also, I mean, your mom and your brother on this health journey with their thyroids, they could include you. How come we don't have a text chain?

[B]

That's true, right? Everybody take their medicine today.

[A]

This is doable. Oh, my God. You would yell in three seconds if your mom texted you every day. You'd be like, that is enough, lady. I don't understand the human psychology, but it's pretty funny. All right, hold on one second. I'm gonna say goodbye when nobody's listening. Okay?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

The podcast you just enjoyed was sponsored. Sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. Learn more about Tandem's newest automated insulin delivery system. Tandem Moby with Control IQ [e-mail] Juicebox There are links in the show notes and [e-mail] the podcast episode that you just enjoyed was sponsored by Eversense CGM. They make the Eversense 365. That thing lasts a whole year. One insertion every year. Come on. You probably feel like I'm messing with you, but I'm not. Eversensecgm.com Juicebox this episode of the Juice Box podcast was sponsored by us med usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Get started today with us Med. Links in the show notes links@juicebox podcast.com okay, well, here we are at the end of the episode. You're still with me. Thank you. I really do appreciate that. What else could you do for me? Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribed in your podcast app. Go to YouTube and follow me. Or Instagram TikTok. Oh gosh, here's one. Make sure you're following the podcast app in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. You don't want to miss, please. Do you not know about the private group? You have to join the private group. As of this recording, it has 74,000 members. They're active. Talking about diabetes. Whatever you need to know. There's a conversation happening in there right now and I'm there all the time. Tag me. I'll say hi. If you're living with type 1 diabetes, the after Dark collection from the Juice Box podcast is the only place to hear the stories that no one else talks about. From drugs to depression, self harm, trauma, addiction, and so much more. Go to juiceboxpodcast.com up in the menu and click on After Dark. There you'll see a full list of all of the After Dark episodes. If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. Listen, truth be told, I'm like 20% smarter when Rob edits me. He takes out all the like gaps of time. And when I go and stuff like that. And it just, I don't know, man. Like I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? And then I remember because I did one smart thing. I hired [e-mail].