#1868 Doomed From the Start

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1868: "Doomed From the Start"
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Jordan, age 25, from Maryland, living with type 1 diabetes for about a year
Date: June 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

This candid and often humorous episode features Jordan, a 25-year-old diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just under a year ago, sharing his gradual journey from “feeling off” to finally discovering his autoimmune diagnosis. Host Scott Benner guides the conversation with signature warmth, realism, and comedic flair, delving into missed warning signs, family health, and the psychology behind why so many young adults ignore serious symptoms. The episode is relatable for anyone who’s felt “doomed from the start” by a tangled health history yet strives to live well with diabetes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Warning Signs and Delayed Diagnosis

• Gradual Onset of Symptoms:

  • Jordan first got sick in December 2024, experiencing variable health—some days feeling “perfectly fine” and others feeling “like death” ([04:00–06:30]).
  • Unusual fatigue led him to sleep much longer than usual, often “waking up at noon” and still feeling unable to move his body ([06:11]).
  • Significant weight loss: “I've lost 40 pounds,” Jordan says offhandedly, underlining a classic diabetes symptom ([17:13]).

• Ignoring the Signs:

  • Rationalized feeling poorly as consequences of an inconsistent diet and new exercise routine—working as a personal trainer and starting rock climbing ([05:01] & [17:46]).
  • Downplayed the extent, often choosing not to tell his parents, to “save them from stressing out because they're both emotional people, and I'm an emotional person” ([11:25]).

• Memorable Moment:

  • “There was one morning, I think I woke up at, like, 9, and I was. I couldn’t move my body... then I woke up at one in the afternoon” – Jordan ([06:38])

The Turning Point: Seeking Medical Help

• Trigger Event:

  • A dentist finds “oral lichen planus,” which can be autoimmune-related, prompting Jordan to finally schedule a physical ([12:35–14:14]).
  • At the physical, basic metrics are normal, but blood work later reveals a fasting glucose of 357 mg/dL and HbA1c of 14.5% ([19:35] & [21:03]).
  • Family history and context begin to make sense retrospectively.

• Reactions to Diagnosis:

  • “I think this podcast is just a look into all of your stupidity and anxiety... I love these. First of all, I'm glad you're alive...” – Scott ([17:13])
  • Jordan admits to still feeling “absolutely nothing’s wrong, even though I'm sleeping until noon, have lesions in my mouth. And yeah, by the way, I've lost 40 pounds.” ([16:59])

• Notable Quote:

  • “I had to wait because the doctor was out for the day... but I got a call at like 9:00 in the morning, and she was like, are you okay? Because it looks like you have diabetes.” – Jordan ([24:27])

Navigating the Health System

• Primary Care Experience:

  • Jordan’s young, proactive doctor ordered GAD65 and other antibody testing immediately, confirming type 1 within a few days—unusually thorough for primary care ([25:30–27:40]).
  • Later, switching to an older male doctor resulted in tone-deaf diet and exercise counseling despite Jordan presenting at 130 lbs on a 5’9” frame ([28:55]).

• Medical Confusion and Patient Self-Advocacy:

  • Jordan was aware enough to specifically ask, “What type is this?” given his age, background in nutrition, and active lifestyle ([25:53–26:22]).
  • Family and medical history reveal strong autoimmune patterns on his mother’s side (RA, hypothyroid, Crohn’s, MS, possible type 1 and severe type 2 diabetes) ([36:35–37:16]).
  • Jordan’s slow progression: Still honeymooning; basal insulin-only, frequent lows due to retained endogenous insulin ([44:14–45:38]).

• Quote:

  • “Good for you. Young lady [doctor]. Which I think had a lot to do with it. She just put all that in right away. Got me on insulin right away.” – Jordan ([27:40])

Family, Genetics, and Emotional Legacy

• Family Health Patterns:

  • Maternal uncle: RA, hypothyroidism; great-uncle: MS; cousin: type 1 daughter.
  • Paternal family: Early-onset Alzheimer’s, multiple cases of type 2 diabetes ([37:33–39:12]).
  • Jordan links personal vigilance and emotional independence to growing up with a complicated parental dynamic (father with Alzheimer’s, need to shield parents from worry) ([32:04–33:20]).

• Intergenerational Reflection:

  • “Do you think about maybe I’ll just put a stop to it and not have kids?” – Scott
    “Oh, yeah. ...I have no plans to have kids because I just—well, like, not just the diabetes, but, like, mental health, all of it.” – Jordan ([40:47])

• Humor Amidst Family Dysfunction:

  • “If they were puppies, no one would have put [my parents] together.” – Scott ([40:03])
  • “He's what they call foolish.” – Jordan about his grandfather ([32:26])

Psychology of Young Adult Self-Care

• Reluctance for Medical Help:

  • Discussion of why young adults normalize feeling awful (“everybody does the same thing... I’m the only one who screams the minute something’s wrong” – Scott [17:13]).
  • Tendency to delay help to preserve a sense of independence and shield family.

• Insightful Exchange:

  • “I know you want to, you know, you're like, look, I'm old enough to take care of this. Also, I'm a healthy person, there's nothing really wrong. You just keep thinking it's going to go away, right?” – Scott ([12:08])
  • “Correct.” – Jordan ([12:16])

Diabetes Management: Real-Life Adaptations

• Ongoing “Honeymoon” Period:

  • “I'm 10 months in, still on just basal, and the numbers crashed from the 300s to the 90s almost overnight, but now I have to reduce even that as I keep going low when I exercise.” – Jordan ([44:14–45:38])

• CGM Introduction:

  • Jordan credits his PCP for fast-tracking the Dexcom G7 after a week of relentless fingersticks ([50:19–51:27]).
  • Discussion of how medical jargon often mystifies new patients, sparking Scott’s “Defining Diabetes” content and interactive website ([51:27–54:16]).

• Memorable Quote:

  • “They started me on basal immediately. It was like seven units. I went from like 300s to 90s in two days just on that.” – Jordan ([43:14–43:41])

• Supplements and Digestive Health:

  • Both discuss experiences with vitamins, autoimmune-related digestive changes, and anxiety about possible celiac disease ([62:06–62:40]).

Community, Resources, and Philosophy

• Peer Support:

  • Jordan found the podcast after diagnosis and resonated with previous young-adult guests (“Dirty Toilet Bowl” episode) sharing bizarre but relatable symptoms like a black ring in the toilet from sugar in urine ([55:14–56:54]).

• Host Perspectives on Living Well:

  • Scott’s pragmatic philosophy: “You’re either going to live or you’re going to die. If you’re going to live, do it as well as you can. If you’re going to die, it doesn’t matter. You’ll be dead.” ([23:10])
  • Emphasis on the psychological separation between generations—how kids and parents both tend to see each other as foolish during transitions to adulthood ([34:17–34:42]).

• Quote:

  • “Taking care of yourself is not that difficult... There are so many little ingredients inside of you that you need to be healthy, and you can take some of them away and not die, but it doesn’t mean you’re optimal.” – Scott ([59:33])

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Memorable Quotes

• On Failing to Notice Serious Symptoms:
  “I used to think that I was super in touch with my health. Truth be told, I just kind of got sick... It was like, I never knew if I was going to wake up in the morning and feel perfectly fine or feel like death.” – Jordan ([03:51])

• On Emotional Shielding:
  “I just took to kind of save [my parents] from stressing out because they're both emotional people, and I'm an emotional person. So I think it also stressed me out when my parents got concerned.” – Jordan ([11:25])

• On Self-Perception and Humor:
  “I got out of the shower one day and was like, damn, dude. Like, you have been doing a great job, you know, killing it in the gym. ...But, you know, cancerous lesions in my mouth and all that stuff—but look how thin I am.” – Jordan ([31:01])

• Scott’s Advice on Health Anxiety:
  “Little bit of bad news, lot of good news afterwards. And sure, some people die... but if that’s me, I also won’t care because I’ll be dead.” – Scott ([22:41])

• On Peer Experiences:
  “My friend [with type 1]...don’t care about it, and, yeah, she doesn’t care. And that’s fine.” – Jordan ([68:28])

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Important Timestamps

• 0:14 – 3:44: Jordan’s introduction, early years, onset of symptoms
• 4:44 – 6:53: Jordan’s approach to ignoring symptoms and initial fatigue
• 12:35 – 14:14: Dentist identifies mouth lesion; provides autoimmune clue
• 16:59 – 21:03: Jordan dismisses symptoms (weight loss, lesions); recalls shock at high blood glucose/A1c
• 27:31 – 32:04: Family health history, emotional independence, grandfather’s attitude
• 39:12 – 44:14: Autoimmune links, decision not to have children
• 43:45 – 47:24: Honeymooning diabetes, insulin adjustments, CGM intro
• 50:19 – 54:16: Learning diabetes jargon, praise for Juicebox Podcast resources
• 55:14 – 56:54: Resonance with peer stories, black ring in toilet anecdote
• 59:33 – 62:40: Vitamin/supplement chat and analogy comparing human health to lizard husbandry
• 68:00 – 69:18: Reflections on how each person’s experience with diabetes is unique

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Tone & Style

• Warm, Direct, and Often Self-Deprecating: Both host and guest use humor and candor to address real fears, mistakes, and absurdities in diabetes diagnosis and management.
• Conversational and Relatable: The episode feels like listening in on two friends swapping stories, making it especially approachable for younger adults newly diagnosed or anyone who recognizes themselves in the “I ignored my symptoms” narrative.
• Practical and Resource-Oriented: The hosts provide actionable advice—like accessing clear diabetes definitions and seeking out support—while never presenting themselves as medical authorities.

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Final Takeaways

• Slow-developing type 1 diabetes in adulthood can be easily missed and mistaken for lifestyle or emotional issues.
• Family history, even if not openly acknowledged, plays a significant role in autoimmune risk.
• Proactive, empathetic medical providers make a crucial difference at diagnosis.
• Living well with diabetes means understanding your body, seeking support, and, occasionally, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

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If you or a loved one are experiencing persistent, unexplained changes in health—don’t wait. Advocate for yourself, seek answers, and remember you’re not alone in your experience. Community, information, and a bit of “healthy paranoia” can make all the difference.

For more resources or to join a supportive community, visit juiceboxpodcast.com, check out the "After Dark" series, or the Defining Diabetes interactive content.

Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

Hello, my name is Jordan, I am from Maryland and I have type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed close to a year ago. I am about to turn 26 years old.

[A]

If you're looking for community around type 1 diabetes, check out the Juicebox Podcast Private Facebook Group Juice box podcast type 1 diabetes but everybody is welcome. Type 1 type 2 gestational loved ones it doesn't matter to me. If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort or community, check out Juice box podcast type 1 diabetes on Facebook. 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. 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 health care plan. This episode of the Juice Box Podcast is brought to you by my favorite diabetes organization, touched by type 1. Please take a moment to learn more about [e-mail] on Facebook and Instagram touchedbytype1.org check out their many programs, their annual conference, awareness campaign, their D Box program, Dancing for Diabetes, they have a dance program for local kids, a golf night and so much more. Touchedbytypeone.org you're looking to help or you want to see people helping people with type 1? You want touchedbytype1.org Today's episode is also 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 are looking for Tandem's newest pump and algorithm. Use my link to Support the podcast tandomdiabetes.com Juicebox check it out. The podcast is also sponsored Today by the Eversense365, the one year wear CGM. That's one insertion a year. That's it. And here's a little bonus for you. How about there's no limit on how many friends and family you can share your data with with the Eversense now app. No limits.

[B]

Ever since hello, my name is Jordan. I am from Maryland and I have type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed close to a year ago. I am about to turn 26 years old.

[A]

No, well, about to be. Happy Birthday. Good for you.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you.

[A]

Maryland, the state that connects easily to Pennsylvania. No one realize.

[B]

That's right. Yeah. Sometimes it. Depending on how far into Pennsylvania, it could be like an hour drive or a four hour drive to get there. Yeah.

[A]

My son went to college in Central pa. Oh, really? Yeah. And he had. He's a friend that lives in Maryland and his parents would show up at baseball games and I'd always be like, how long did it take you to get here? And they were like, oh, 45 minutes. And I'm like, wait long? Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A guy.

[B]

That's kind of bizarre.

[A]

I kind of don't understand the map, Jordan. That's all.

[B]

Yeah, me neither.

[A]

What precipitated this diabetes thing? Was anything going on? Was your health weird or did it come on all at once? What was that process?

[B]

Truthfully, Scott? Do not know. I used to think that I was super in touch with my health. Truth be told, I just kind of got sick December 2024. And then it was like I never knew if I was going to wake up in the morning and feel perfectly fine or feel like death. And it took me a good six months before I went in to the doctor and I just went in for a physical. I wasn't even prepared to, to be like, hey, I've been feeling ill for a little while. I just thought, you know, we'll see how things go.

[A]

Were you like 24, 25 years old at that point?

[B]

Yeah, so I just, I had just turned 25 when I got diagnosed.

[A]

Any health issues throughout your life prior to that?

[B]

Asthma, allergies? That's pretty much it. Just the asthma and allergy.

[A]

Nothing that makes you predisposed to just accept not feeling well randomly for no reason, correct?

[B]

Yeah, nothing like that.

[A]

Why'd you do that then? Think back. I know we've been talking for two minutes, but like, think on that for a second. Like, how come you felt so horrible periodically and we're just like, huh.

[B]

I have never been like perfect in terms of, of, you know, eating well exers. You know, like, I'll. I'll eat a crappy meal with my friends kind of frequently, you know, interspersed with my healthy meals and stuff like that. So I kind of figured like, hey, maybe I'm. I'm just so inconsistent with my health that, you know, I'm just. Some days I wake up feeling crappy and sometimes I feel good.

[A]

This is what it feels like when your body's processing a half a pizza and a bag of Doritos.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And are you living at home or alone by then.

[B]

I live at home.

[A]

Okay, so. So, so you. There's people around. Like, you could turn to your mom and say, I don't feel good, but you just kind of don't do that.

[B]

Yeah. Unless it was, like, really taking a toll on me. Unless, you know, I was staying in bed for five hours longer than I usually did. Then she, you know, it would be obvious to everyone else, but I. I just didn't really mention it and that was happening.

[A]

Sometimes you get up in the morning, you're like, I can't. I can't function.

[B]

That happens more frequently towards the diagnosis. So just for reference, I usually wake up around 7 in the morning. There were a couple mornings that I Woke up at 11 or noon. It just. It didn't make sense to me. And that was worrisome. I was like, what the hell? You know?

[A]

Oh, wow. Like, you'd open your eyes and think, how is it possibly 11:00am Something's wrong.

[B]

Yeah. There was one morning, I think I woke up at, like, 9, and I was. I couldn't move my body. And so I was like, maybe I just need an extra 30 minutes to sleep. And then I woke up at one in the afternoon because you know how

[A]

frequently people wake up and can't move.

[B]

Honestly, though, that had never happened to me.

[A]

Yeah, that's why I should have panicked you. Jordan, what's wrong? Why is everyone not as worried about themselves as I am? I wake up and I have that feeling. I immediately. I'm screaming, what? Everybody here, you know, I need help.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Well, I know. Okay. How long does this go on for, Jordan, before you, like, you speak up or do something?

[B]

I would say probably like two months. Like from my birthday in springtime to I was diagnosed in June. So, yeah, a couple months.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

But I think from the first. Sorry, I don't want to be gross or too specific here, but.

[A]

No, definitely be gross and too specific. Go ahead.

[B]

In December, so I was diagnosed in June 25. In December 24, I went over to a friend's house and we were just hanging out for most of the day. And it was Christmas time, so they had those, like, Godiva snowmen or whatever it is, and I was like. I was housing them, Scott. Like, I ate enough to kill a baby elephant and went home later that night. And I threw up for probably like, five hours. I was going to the bathroom like, every 10 minutes, maybe.

[A]

Jordan. What they call coming out of both ends.

[B]

No, no, no, nothing.

[A]

Oh, you were peeing and throwing up.

[B]

I was just Throwing.

[A]

Oh, going to the bathroom. I thought you meant when you said going to the bathroom.

[B]

I'm so sorry.

[A]

No, don't be sorry. That's me. I thought you meant.

[B]

Yeah, I made it to the bathroom. That's why I added in the story, the vomit. Okay. Yeah.

[A]

People give you a, like, side eye because those things are kind of expensive. Those little chocolates, were they like, what's up with him? You know what I mean?

[B]

Yes. But I have always. I've always been the kind of guy that, like, if I'm hungry, I'm gonna eat all the food, and I don't really care if I.

[A]

Anybody thinks about it.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah.

[A]

I mean, dka, right? No, no. Okay, go on. What happened?

[B]

This was. This was six months before I went to the doctor.

[A]

Oh, okay. Keep going.

[B]

So I was like, oh, God. Dying. Called out of work for the next two days. But honestly, I was fine. That little bout finished up. I woke up the next morning, fine. It was so weird. I think I went on being okay for another few months before that, like, terrible fatigue set in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then I was like, okay, let's. Let's schedule

[A]

a doctor.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hey, you call out of work, do you say, hey, I ate a bunch of Santa Claus chocolates and threw up. I can't come in? Or you just make something.

[B]

Oh, my God, Scott. I'm a master at making up excuses for getting out of work. I don't remember what I said, but they were like, oh, my God. You know, Please take care of yourself. Yeah.

[A]

I don't know how many people are gonna have context for this, but the comedian Artie Lang used to be on the Howard Stern show. And there'd be. There's calls of him, like, calling and saying he couldn't come in to do the show that day. And he was like, hey, I'm not feeling great. He was on heroin. He was on heroin, by the way. It was why he would do a little cough.

[B]

Yeah. Who knows what they thought of me? But again, didn't care.

[A]

Don't make me sit back, Jordan, and think about the arty days on. And so they were perfect.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

But you have no idea what I'm talking about. It's okay.

[B]

I don't.

[A]

You should Google Artie Lang's nose at some point in your life now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Just to see what. Just to see what the cocaine could do to you.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Jordan, are your parents not involved at all? How are you just. What do you mean? You set up a physical?

[B]

I've been like this since I was younger. I always just kind of took care of business before it could get to my parents. And then when they found out things were going okay, they were like, oh, good job, Jordan.

[A]

You know, a lot of kids. A lot of brothers and sisters.

[B]

Nope, just me and one older brother. Huh.

[A]

What are you protecting them from?

[B]

Oh, God, I don't know.

[A]

Come on. Seem like she can't take it. She get upset easily. What? It's simple psychology. Figure it out. Jordan, why do you keep it from them?

[B]

Yes. What you said is. Is pretty spot on.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All right. I just took to kind of save them from stressing out because they're both emotional people, and I'm an emotional person. So I think it also stressed me out when my parents got concerned.

[A]

Makes sense.

[B]

So I was just like, let me take care of this. And especially at 25, I was like, you know, I can. I can schedule my own doctor's appointment.

[A]

Well, you feel like an adult, first of all. And secondly, you're not, by the way, but you feel like an adult. And by the way, I think I had a kid when I was 27. I wasn't an adult then either. But also, you want to. Yeah, I know. Younger people now are like, when did you have children? That's not happening.

[B]

Hard to imagine.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. But you.

[B]

You.

[A]

You know, you're like, look, I'm old enough to take care of this also. I'm a healthy person. There's nothing really wrong. You just keep thinking it's going to go away. Right, Right.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Yeah. I got you. Okay, so you head off to the doctor. Do they pick it up at the physical?

[B]

Well, you know, the. In the. The office. My visit with the doctor was fine. Blood pressure was good. Heart, lung, blah, blah, blah. All that crap. But I. Oh, I forgot to mention this. I am going to backtrack. Sorry. But it.

[A]

Go ahead. Don't be sorry.

[B]

Fills in the story nicely. I had gone to the dentist a couple months earlier, and she found. She used the word lesions, which creeped me out. Some lesions in my mouth, and said, this looks like oral lichen planus. I don't know if you've ever heard of that.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But she said it can often be triggered by an autoimmune issue. And I was like, I don't have any autoimmune issues. And the hygienist was like, have you been to the doctor recently? Got your labs look good? And I was like, well, yeah, they look fine. Three years ago.

[A]

Three years ago, they were perfect.

[B]

That was the last time I had been to the doctor. So I was like, you know, I was just. I was panicking a little bit and just trying to still cover it up at that point.

[A]

If. Can I just say, for Dennis, who are listening, the reason we don't trust you and we should. Dentists are a good first line of defense for bigger issues. But we don't know if you're trying to upsell us some peroxide trays or if there's really a problem. You understand?

[B]

Seriously?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Seem like a charlton once in a while. Dentists try not to. Don't be so thirsty with the money all the time. And maybe we listened to you when you said there was a problem.

[B]

I don't trust.

[A]

I know, I know. Go ahead.

[B]

So, yeah, because at first she was like, oh, this could be pre cancerous, and blah, blah, blah. And then she came up with the autoimmune thing, which also didn't make sense to me because I'm like, why would I have mouth cancer or an autoimmune issue?

[A]

Do you have any context for what autoimmune means when she's saying that?

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Not. None whatsoever. And so I figured this was in about April, I think, so two months before my diagnosis. And that's when I set up my physical because I was like, okay, it's, you know, probably best to see. So I mentioned this. Yeah, why not? What the hell?

[A]

Just in case my lesion is mouth cancer, why don't I maybe take a Looky Lou and see what happens? Right. What's your expectation going to that doctor? Are you thinking like there's nothing wrong or are you worried something's really up? 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 Moby 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. Tandemoby 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 autobolus. This episode of the Juicebox podcast is Sponsored by the Eversense365. Get 365 days of comfortable wear without having to change a sensor. When you think of a continuous glucose monitor, you think of a CGM that lasts 10 or 14 days. But the Eversense 365, it lives up to its name, lasting 365 days. That's one year without having to change your CGM. With the Eversense 365, you can count on comfort and consistency 365 days a year. Because the Eversense silicone based adhesive is designed for your skin to be gentle and to allow you to take the transmitter on and off to enjoy your shower, a trip to the pool, or an activity where you don't want your CGM on your body. If you're looking for comfort, accuracy and a one year wear, you are looking for Eversense365. Go to eversensecgm.com juicebox to learn more.

[B]

Oh, I'm absolutely thinking nothing's wrong, even though I'm sleeping until noon, have lesions in my mouth. And yeah, yes. And by the way, I've lost 40 pounds.

[A]

And yeah, I think this podcast is just a look into all of your stupidity and anxiety. Not you, Jordan. Everybody. Everybody listening. I love, I love these. First of all, I'm glad you're alive. But like, but you know, like listening back in con, like, you know, with some context, in hindsight really like I, everyone's listening, going like oh my God, what a dumbass. Why didn't he go to the doctor? But you all do the same thing. So yeah, I'm the only one who screams the minute something's wrong.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, yeah.

[B]

And so I, well, I had lost all that weight but I also began, began working as a personal trainer shortly before that point. And I started rock climbing like pretty intensely. So I was doing all this crap and I figured, hey, maybe, maybe all of this is because I'm over training a little bit anyway.

[A]

Can I interject one more time? I'm sorry, I know I'm choppy up here but, but like I want everyone to listen to what just got said there. Jordan, 25 years old, has turned into a personal trainer. You're out there giving him your money. He can't figure out what's how to

[B]

take care of myself.

[A]

He can't Take care of himself. And you're paying him to help you take care. Just open up ChatGPT and ask it for a workout plan. OK, I'm sorry. Jordan's out of business now, but, like, stop thinking everybody knows something you shouldn't. Trust me, I don't know what you're doing right now. Like, go. Go ahead. Sorry.

[B]

Oh, but, yeah, that was. That was pretty shameful moment for me. So I'm in the doctor, I got the blood drawn, and I walked out. It's springtime. It's beautiful outside, Scott. And I left the doctor. I was like, I am so healthy. You know, I'm feeling great. I just. Just went to the doctor. I'm a big boy now, doing that by myself. And so the lab results start coming in later that afternoon, and it's like, oh, that looks good. Electrolytes were a little bit off, but nothing crazy. And then the. Whatever it's called, metabolic panel comes in, and it's like, good, good, good, good. And then glucose is 357. And I was like, oh, well, that's, you know, that's a bit high.

[A]

Seems wrong. Could be feeding those lesions, maybe all that sugar.

[B]

I was like, maybe I came up with everything, every excuse. And I was in the car with two friends at the time, and one of them is. Is very smart. Still love her. But at this point in time, I was. I was ready to jump back and strangle her, but she was like, oh, you know, like, if you're. If you eat late at night, you know, maybe your food wasn't. Didn't have time to digest and so you have. And I was like, yeah, but it's 3:57. That's pretty.

[A]

Shut up, Patty. You don't know what you're talking about.

[B]

Yeah, I was like, I don't know. I was like shivering, I swear. And my friends were just kind of like, what's wrong with you? And then I went home and told my mom, and she just looked at me like. Because my mom is. She spent a lot of time working in the center for biologics, and, you know, she's. She's familiar with, like, islet cell transfers, so she knew all about diabetes and all that stuff before I did. I guess she. Her face was not very comforting, just to say the least.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I was like, okay, it's fine. You know, we'll wait for more. And then the A1C came in, and I almost passed out because it was 14.5.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And I was just kind of like, okay.

[A]

So I Guess I have diabetes.

[B]

That's.

[A]

Do you connect it there? Do you say I have diabetes when you see the A1C?

[B]

I think I knew, but verbally I was not acknowledging it. I knew, but I was still trying to. I think it goes back to like not wanting to, you know, have everyone be concerned and stuff.

[A]

You all think backwards. Can I just say, can, if you put me in this exact situation, here's what happens to me. I have something, I, I get a little bit of what they call information. And then if it's enough to actually be concerned about, which is where you were, then I deep dive it and I make sure I understand all the possibilities, whether they're uncomfortable or not. And then I wait to get the rest of the information so that when the rest of the information comes, I can apply what I've learned to the new information I have and come to a reasonable conclusion. Then whatever that conclusion is, we move forward.

[B]

Well, listen, Scott, congrats on being level headed, but some of us when we do a deep dive, get even more crazy and anxious and paranoid.

[A]

That doesn't happen to me. I just got. Because I think I've been through so much. I'm just like, I expect something terrible to happen. I'm okay. I just wanna, I just wanna know, like, what am I supposed to do when that occurs?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then if it doesn't occur, it's like winning the lottery.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Like, everybody's like, oh, I found a lump. I didn't want to get. I didn't want to get it looked at. Get it looked at. It's probably nothing. And you're gonna feel like you won't like. And if it, and if it is something, maybe it saves your life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Little bit of bad news, a little bit of bad news, lot of good news afterwards. And sure, some people die, but like, if that's me, I also, I also won't care because I'll be dead. Do you understand how it's so simple. I can't explain the world to you people every day. Okay? This is very, very simple. That's all. You're either gonna live or you're gonna

[B]

say something like this to me when I told you.

[A]

Oh, Jordan, you're a listener. That's nice. I appreciate.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, okay.

[A]

Yeah, it's very simple. You're either going to live or you're going to die. If you're going to live, do it as well as you can. And if you're going to die, it doesn't matter. Do you understand? You'll Be dead. You know who's not worried about how they feel right now? Benjamin Franklin. People dead.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

He couldn't possibly care less. Nor would he be able to if he could. Do you understand? He's gone.

[B]

Very true.

[A]

I can't anymore, Jordan. That's it. This is the last. It's the last episode. I can't do it anymore. Okay. It's all so simple.

[B]

One that ended the podcast.

[A]

No, Jordan, it's everybody together.

[B]

It just.

[A]

It came together cumulatively, and this is where it exploded. I just can't. All right, I find. I'll stop. Let me relax. Hold on a second. Let's put an ad here.

[B]

Let's do it. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. What do you think it'll be? Us Med, Omnipod. Who knows? We'll find out in a second. Okay, go ahead. I'm sorry, Continue on. I'm going to stop. I. No, no. I felt like I pulled a soapbox out. I didn't mean to do that. Go ahead.

[B]

Not at all. So got. Yeah, A1C came back and it was ridiculous. And so I just had to wait because the doctor was out for the day. It was, you know, after 5:00'. Clock. that point, she'd gone home, so I wasn't expecting it. But I got a call at like 9:00 in the morning, and she was like, are you okay? Like the.

[A]

Are you okay? Yeah.

[B]

Are you feeling okay? Because it looks like you have diabetes. And she asked. She then asked me all of the like, have you been eating a lot more sugar in the last three months? Have you been well? And I was like, yes. I don't know. At that point, I'm like, yeah, my God, I gave myself diabetes because I have.

[A]

With the chocolate Santa Clauses.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I said yes, even though it wasn't really true. I mean, I. I eat really well. I asked her, like, what type is this? And she was like, I. I have no clue. We're going to do some more testing and see this. I've listened to, you know, a million episodes of the podcast and have heard about how people's doctors have treated them. You know, especially, like, young adults being diagnosed and initially misdiagnosed. Yeah, but that man, this woman, she put in the gadget 65 right away, immediately.

[A]

Good for you.

[B]

So I went in that, after that phone call the next morning, got another blood draw. And my. I think I was at like, 275 fasting. And I had probably been not eating, you know, ever since seeing those numbers. And so 275 was high.

[A]

Two questions. How did you know to ask what type it was?

[B]

Because something just didn't seem right. I mean, I, you know, I went to, to school for nutrition science, you know, I took anatomy, physio, blah, blah, blah. And I was just kind of like, I'm 25 years old, I am at a normal weight, I eat pretty well, and I'm, I'm ridiculously active.

[A]

So, like, it would be odd if I had type 2 diabetes.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Even, even though I'm not perfect with my diet.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I have two friends with type one.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

So I was like, I, I, I'm, I'm aware of type 1, even though I, I, I didn't know too much about it.

[A]

You all don't live on the same street next to a toxic waste dump or something like that, do you?

[B]

Hey, we live pretty damn close, so there might be something there.

[A]

No kidding. Okay, keep going.

[B]

Yeah, so she, she told me we would do some testing, and the gad, it came back. I think the reference value was like, normal is less than five international units or something. And mine was like 15. So I was like, oh, so that's positive. They said it's kind of like on the low end of positive, but still, you know. And then they tested C peptide, which was also like just under normal, the low end of normal. And that was after eating. And then they did the zinc transporter antibody. And that one was also positive, but on the low end. So that kind of all made sense with the fact that I was not in DKA yet.

[A]

Yeah. The slower, the slower diagnosis that was happening to you.

[B]

Yes. Let me just say again, I want to give a lot of credit to. This was my primary care.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Wow. Yeah. Young lady. Which I think had a lot to do with it. She just put all that in right away, Got me on insulin right away.

[A]

You think because she was young, she's motivated to do a good job, she's still interested in her work, that kind of thing. Is that what you're saying?

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because she left. Actually, I was very upset because I got an email saying that she was no longer with Kaiser. And I don't know, it doesn't matter if I say that out. But anyway, so I had to choose a new one and I chose an older man who we talked about the fact that it was type 1. Yes, antibody positive. But I looked back at the clinical notes after my appointment and I was so pissed off because he had written down that I needed. Here I am sitting in his office 130 pounds like five nine. And he writes down that I need exercise counseling and diet counseling. And like he's, he's talking to me as if. Oh yeah, I bet you're doing all that exercise to try to, you know, like, lower your blood sugar and keep your weight in check. And I was like, not really. I, I lost 40 pounds without trying.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. 130 on a 59 frame. You must have looked like a 12 year old girl.

[B]

Oh my God. Yeah, yeah. So this was one. One of the things that really made me upset, concerned, before I made the doctor's appointment was I went to a baseball game with my friends and we took a group picture and I was on like the side, so I had to like lean in. And my neck, oh, it looks so gross. It was like so skinny and long and my face, my cheekbones were sunken in.

[A]

I'm five nine, Jordan. And the last time I weighed myself, I was 176. And I look then like, like.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You know, pictures of you since you've, since you've lost weight. And I'm like, wow, that guy's, that guy's thin.

[A]

I don't photograph well. But like, I'm telling you in person, like, I look like, I look thinner, like, and I can't imagine if you took 40 more pounds off of me. I'm trying to imagine what that would be like.

[B]

Yeah. I go to this brewery with my friends. We play like trivia and stuff. There's. And they have these terribly uncomfortable wooden chairs.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And I started to have to get up like every few minutes to quote, go to the bathroom, but. Well, I was doing that because I was peeing all the time.

[A]

But your ass hurt.

[B]

Yeah, my hurt. And I could see my hip bones. I could see my shoulder points were just.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have trouble on a plane. Some of the airline seats are really uncomfortable now because I, my is gone. Like, it just. Yeah, I'm not even getting cushion. Yeah, yeah. No kidding.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's, it's no joke. Your bones are pushing on your skin.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, Jesus.

[B]

And look at you and that. Yeah. But you know the funny thing that I just, I got to be honest, I got to mention it, I got out of the shower one day and was like, damn, dude. Like, you have been doing a great job, you know, killing it in the gym.

[A]

Yeah, I am ripped. Look at me.

[B]

So at the, on the one hand, you know, cancerous lesions in my mouth and all that stuff, but look how thin I am. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Usually, by the way, A number of people have said that to me over the years. It's usually women, I just want you to know, but like, it's today. It's you. I like that. I like. You're like, oh, look at me.

[B]

Well, I. I've always been healthy, but always had my. It's funny, my grandfather always said I had baby fat, and that always pissed me off.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But. So I was like, damn. Finally, it took me until 25, but I lost my baby fat.

[A]

Is he still alive? Did you go show it off to him?

[B]

He is still alive. And you know, this kind of off topic. Off topic. But he was one person I thought that I would really be able to talk to about the diabetes, but he doesn't even understand why.

[A]

Do you think you'd be able to talk to him about it?

[B]

I don't know, considering he was making, you know, asinine comments about my weight and body composition when I was a child.

[A]

But great generation. The greatest generation. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah. Seriously, He's a. A guy who fancies himself to be wise. If I can. I'm trying to put it as nicely as I can.

[A]

So when you were younger, you're like, I think this guy knows something. He tells me he knows something. Then you went to him and you're like, you don't know anything about this.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He's what they call foolish.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Some might say. Yeah.

[A]

That's awesome. Your dad's mom or your mom's mom?

[B]

My dad's mom.

[A]

That's okay. Okay. Is your dad the same way or is your dad like.

[B]

Sorry, my dad's dad.

[A]

Your dad's dad. Sorry. Yeah. And that was me. I led you wrong there. Is your father similar. Did he go different path from your grandfather?

[B]

Actually took a worse path. So. My dad. My dad has early onset Alzheimer's.

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

Yeah. Thank you. That's. He was diagnosed about three years ago, but the whole process has been probably about a decade long.

[A]

No kidding. How old is he now?

[B]

He is 50, about to turn 57.

[A]

Oh, that's harsh. I'm sorry.

[B]

Yeah. But no, my dad was not any

[A]

more learned in his time.

[B]

No correct turns.

[A]

Like, listen, we're on our own. Okay.

[B]

Yeah. You know, going back to it. That's another reason I. I, like, I have tried to take care of stuff myself is because I'm just like, I. I can't.

[A]

Do you think that's because. Do you think everybody feels like that about their parents to some degree?

[B]

Probably. But I also know a lot of People whose parents. Like, I. I mean, I listened to you talking about how you still, you know, if. If Arden needs help, you know, you're there to help. Not that you're there all the time or your son, but it's just. I don't know, I guess everyone's a

[A]

little different, but, you know, they don't see it that way. Right. You listen to me, and you think, if my father had half on the ball, this guy does, I'd be better off. But my kids think I'm an idiot, too.

[B]

Sure. Yeah. Yeah. But that's. That's because they grew up with you that way. They're not used to it being the. I wonder if they would feel differently now that they've, like, been to college, been out. I mean, I'm sure they.

[A]

Yeah, well, listen, I'm sure at some point, but I think it's part of the. The natural, like, separation process that at some point you have to feel like, because I'm going to go make my way in the world, and I know things, and if you. If you keep thinking, like, well, they're smarter than me, I'll just sit here. It's. What's. Infantilizing? Is that the word? I think it's a natural part of, like, leaving the nest to think that the. The nest you're leaving is not as good of a situation as you could create for yourself.

[B]

Sure, I. There is. There's some truth to that, because I, you know, parents always say, like, I want you to have a better life than I did. And I think that to some extent, that's. That's usually the case. Right?

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I tell my kids, good luck creating his life. As good as I've created for you, I don't think you have to get out there and work your ass off, because I've been working 19 hours a day my whole life, so good luck.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

That's one thing that. Actually, my mom. My mom is super supportive, and, I mean, I've learned pretty much everything from her.

[A]

That's awesome.

[B]

She definitely supports me in that. Kind of, like, go out there and try to. Try to do better, you know, where you can. And I think it's a lot more pertaining to, like, emotions and, like, just, well, being. Not, like, go out there and figure out how your career is gonna. Blah, blah, blah, this and that. It's generally more like, how can you create, like, a fulfilling life for yourself? Take care of yourself.

[A]

That's thoughtful. I bet you her perspective is probably growing significantly since your dad's issues, too?

[B]

Absolutely. Because, I mean, I'll be blunt. He's not an easy man and never has been to be around.

[A]

And now it's hard.

[B]

It's worse now.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's funny because my mom's told me some people say that, like, they're, you know, their parent or grandparent, whatever, was a nightmare, and then the disease hit and they became so sweet and blah, blah, blah. And I'm just like, he doubled down for you?

[A]

My dad doubled down when he got it. Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, hey, are there other autoimmune issues in your family?

[B]

See, I knew this was coming, and I was really excited.

[A]

Go ahead, go ahead.

[B]

My mom's brother has RA and hypothyroidism, and their uncle, my mom's uncle, passed away from Ms. They had another uncle who had diabetes that was so severe, he lost. Now, this was supposedly type 2, but I have some speculation about it. He lost both feet and died at, like, you know, way too early. And since my diagnosis, my mom had lunch with a cousin, and her cousin was like, oh, yeah, I have Crohn's and my daughter has type one. So I was like, oh, okay. So this goes, like.

[A]

Yeah, it's a lot. Have you considered getting the hell out of Maryland? What's going on?

[B]

Seriously? Oh, yes, Absolutely.

[A]

Could be the marshes. There are marshes there?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The nasty soggy here.

[A]

And what is your. What's your dad's diagnosis?

[B]

Early onset Alzheimer's?

[A]

Just that. That's it. Okay.

[B]

Yeah. So no autoimmune from that side of the family. A lot of type 2, but of course, everyone these days has type 2

[A]

diabetes, so it's just the thing to do. Do you think? Well, that's in your city. Do you think. You know, there are plenty of people who would listen to this and go, I don't. Type 2 diabetes, I think.

[B]

You think? Yeah, yeah. I've always been. Maybe it's a cultural thing. My dad is black, and we come from, like, a. I would say a Southern family. So, you know, all of those kind of comorbidities, I guess, as they say, you know, got the high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all that kind of stuff. So type two is. I mean, it wouldn't make sense to not have it.

[A]

Yeah, no. I was talking to a guy in his, like, late 30s yesterday, of Spanish descent. He was talking about how much type twos in his family. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's. Yeah.

[A]

Something I. I did a little. Just a quick Google here. Alzheimer's not classified as an autoimmune disease, it is generally considered a neurodegenerative disease marked by brain changes such as beta amyloid plaques and TAL tangles. What is true is that immune systems seem to play a role in Alzheimer's. The National Institute on Aging notes that inflammation and immune system problems have been linked to development of Alzheimer's and related dementias. And newer research is looking closely at immune dysfunction in the disease. So, you know, there's a connection. Just, you know, Alzheimer's isn't considered an autoimmune issue.

[B]

Right. I mean, I think you mention it a lot. Systemic inflammation, just bad news. I mean, it may not. Something may not be autoimmune in nature, but, you know, I can't take.

[A]

Obviously you can't take Advil every day. Okay. As an example. But there are days, if I take it, I just do feel better a little bit. And.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Like, I. And I. I just do wonder if I don't have, like, inflammation related issues that I. That maybe aren't autoimmune specifically. But you take that with me and my wife having, you know, thyroid, and you mix it together and you get Arden, you know.

[B]

Yeah. She was doomed from doomed from the start. That's what I think sometimes. Like, did you two not, like, look at each other's breeding papers before your

[A]

mom and your dad?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I'll tell you right now, if they were puppies, no one would have put them together.

[B]

Seriously. Seriously. But I. I think a lot of that has also come to light later. You know, my uncle is 12 years younger than my mom, so I think. I don't remember him having those issues when I was younger. Maybe he did, but I know that it's kicking his ass now, like.

[A]

Yeah, I'm sorry. It's a lot of health issues. It overwhelms. Overwhelms a family and a life, you know?

[B]

Yeah. But, you know, he's. If you saw my uncle, this guy's like the healthiest looking person. Positive. He's a gym teacher.

[A]

Yeah. You know, do you think about that? Do you think about maybe I'll just put a stop to it and not have kids?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

You do think about it.

[B]

I have no plans to have kids because I just. Well, like, not just the diabetes, but, like, mental health, all of it.

[A]

What about the mental health part?

[B]

I don't want to have to have my own children that see me in that state or. I mean, my. My dad's parents are alive.

[A]

Wait, what about your mental health? Don't I understand?

[B]

Oh, the mental Health. Sorry, Just meaning like the Alzheimer's and

[A]

stuff like that kind of stuff. Okay.

[B]

Like, that stuff does. It does seem to run in the family. He's the first, I think, with early onset, you know, everyone else has been old.

[A]

This is also something you're worried about for yourself then.

[B]

Yeah. Not like, I'm not going crazy about it.

[A]

Good.

[B]

I, you know, you take care of yourself. You do what you can. You know, there's a lot of information out there. See, I've changed my tune now. I'm like, let's, let's not play around.

[A]

Two years later, Jordan's a different person. You, you wake up five hours late. You're calling 91 1. You're like, something's wrong with me.

[B]

Come.

[A]

Yeah, get over here right now.

[B]

I need a helicopter.

[A]

Yeah, Medevac me out of here.

[B]

Yeah, so I, I have kind of taken some of the lifestyle changes to heart that, you know, may lead to me a healthier life and preventing those issues. But, but to what you were saying about kids, I don't, I wouldn't want them to have to take care of me. I wouldn't. And I was saying, like, my dad's parents are alive and it is really tough for them. Like, I, I, that would kind of break my heart too. And.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And on top of that, I don't, I haven't even, we haven't gotten there yet, but I haven't progressed to full on type one yet. You know, I'm honeymooning.

[A]

Oh, you are still in the honeymoon.

[B]

So I can only imagine, like, having to deal with myself and someone else's diabetes.

[A]

Jordan, you're having a very, very slow onset then.

[B]

I am, yeah.

[A]

How long has it been going? A couple years. Almost a year and a half.

[B]

So I was diagnosed in June, So it's been 10 months.

[A]

I would also, I would also argue the six months prior to that.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Basically six months prior to that.

[A]

Yeah. Something's going on there too, obviously. Oh. So what's it look like? Are you, are you using a pump? Are you mdi? What are you doing?

[B]

I just do one shot. They started me on basil immediately. It was like seven units.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And so I went from, I was testing, like all the time initially, and I was, I went from like 3 hundreds to 100 to in the 90s, like in two days.

[A]

Just with seven units of basil a day?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So that, and I was still confused about like, type one, type two, but, like, from what I understand that's, it's, it's A characteristic of maybe. Even though it went on for a long time, we kind of caught it early. I have some. Some remaining beta cell function there.

[A]

You have. You have a lot of. Probably that's what they're calling it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And I. I asked my endo about that and she was like, I don't care what you call it. Just.

[A]

Just, you know, you have type one on a train that's taken forever to get in the station.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Did they mention glp, like, low level GLP to help?

[B]

She was convinced that I would disappear if I started on a GLP and lost any weight, even if it was a microdose, I guess.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I don't know. But I. I asked about. God, can I say it correctly? Topliza mob or whatever it is.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tz.

[B]

Yeah. The. The drugs that prolong the honeymoon. And she was just. I don't know, maybe it was the. The A1C of 14.5 that she was just kind of like, I think you're maybe a little. A little too far gone.

[A]

Like, the train is going slow, but it's pretty far out of the station.

[B]

It's here. Yeah. So she said, just continue with that. And so I was actually having a lot of lows because I exercise like crazy as well. Yeah. So I was just always, always low. And back in February, couple months. Wait. Yeah. Basically last month, I was like, I can't keep doing this. I'm at. Like, I just had food. I shouldn't be at 55. And, you know, arrow down on days

[A]

when you're exercising hard. Even those seven units of basil are too much.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Hmm. Yeah. It's interesting.

[B]

Yeah. It's confusing to me.

[A]

I would be so. I have to tell you, not a doctor, not advice. I would be super interested to see what microdosing GLP is that for you?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

2.5 is the smallest pen. I'm talking about way less than that. And like, just to see what would. Like, if. If there's a. If there's a tipping point in there where it could affect your blood sugar without affecting your hunger, I would like

[B]

to see that too, because I don't know, it just doesn't. I tried to stop taking insulin, which I know you're not supposed to do, but I was really desperate here because I was. I was getting scared because of how

[A]

low you were getting.

[B]

Yeah. Like, it was every day at the same time. 55 double arrow down, like. And I didn't believe it. I was like, I need to finger prick because. And sure.

[A]

Enough.

[B]

This is probably wrong. And I was in the 40s every time.

[A]

Yeah, you probably have the basil running, and all of a sudden your pancreas is like, hey, I can help now.

[B]

Yeah, I'm here, too. I'm still going.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which also, I. My C peptide rebounded after three months.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

It went from being low to being normal. They said, that's. Yeah, you're honeymooning. And I was like, okay. So I stopped taking the insulin. Yeah. It was February because I went to a Super bowl party, and I had fun eating, let's just say. And I left the party at, like. My blood sugar was at, like, 275. And I was like, oh, yeah, that's pretty high. But, you know, the basil always kicks in, and whatever beta cell function I have left kicks in usually, and brings me back down. And then I woke up the next morning, and I was still at 275. Oh.

[A]

And that did not work. You didn't get that one. Maybe it was because the super bowl sucked that your body didn't want to help.

[B]

Right. It was just so upset.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, I was like, okay, not

[A]

like that beautiful super bowl that my Eagles put on the year before.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Where they trounced the Chiefs and made everybody in the country happy except for Kansas City.

[B]

See, I am not an Eagles fan, but I'm with you on that one.

[A]

It's okay.

[B]

I enjoyed that.

[A]

I understand how you.

[B]

That was a great game.

[A]

I understand how you people feel down there. I know what's going on. Don't worry.

[B]

I hate the Chiefs even more. So.

[A]

Everyone does. And it's. It's. It's because of. What's his name?

[B]

Oh, yeah. What's his name is just. Yeah. We got to get him off all the commercials.

[A]

I've never seen such a good quarterback get hurt and everybody go, okay, I'm all right with it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

He's. He's done. He's done a thing. He's. He's made people not like him somehow. It's interesting.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. For sure.

[A]

A talented guy, but nevertheless. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's the crybaby stuff.

[B]

Don't you think it is. That's. The. People don't want to hear that. After you've gotten everything, you could ask.

[A]

Yeah. What did you see in those. The betting scandals, especially around basketball. They're talking to the referees that have been involved in it, and a lot of them are saying, like, look, nobody directly comes and tells you, we want the Lakers to win, for example. You know, we want we want. We want this team to win. We want that team to win. But he's like, you understand what's good for the league, and you make those calls and then the league assigns you to more games. He's like, so nobody ever asks, but it kind of gets done like that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm telling you that the year before, like, like three Super Bowls ago, I think. One, two, three Super Bowls ago. You watch that AFC Championship game, it feels like the ref is like, I am going to throw this flag until the Chiefs win. And like. And it was really. It really does. I mean, from an outside perspective, I had no skin in the game. Like, I'm just watching it. I'm like, man, it just feels like that guy's like, look, if I got to throw this flag on the ground one more time to make sure the Chiefs go to the super bowl, then that's what I'm going to do. Damn it.

[B]

Doing it.

[A]

Because Taylor Swift's boyfriend has got to be successful.

[B]

And that's right. Yeah. Maybe everyone's just like, hey, my daughters are really big Taylor Swift fans.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, I would love this. Yeah. No, right at the Chiefs. Make it the Super Bowl. Taylor Swift to come. I'll bring my daughter. It'll be. I don't think it's maybe conscious or not. Like, I'm just saying trust no one. And.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I'm a huge conspiracy theorist.

[A]

I'm not at all. I don't think that's a conspiracy. I don't think that's a conspiracy to think that.

[B]

Like, it's just right in front of our faces.

[A]

You feel like you understand what is expected. You have sway over it. You make sway people. Then, like, you. You get more things. Like, I, you know, it just feels like. Feels like that's kind of how the brain works. There's a pleasure center. You're. You're feeding a little bit. You wear cgm.

[B]

I do. So that's another thing. Praise Kaiser or praise this doctor. You know how they used the language that. The medical language that no one understands and they don't mean anything by it, but everyone was like, humalog, Basil, cg. And I'm just like, yeah, right, whatever. Fine. And so after finger sticking, like 50 times a day for a week, I talked to my. This was when the. The GAD results came back. And she was like, yeah, it looks like you have type one. And she was like, have you gotten the CGM yet? And I was like, you mean the finger stick thing? Like, yeah, I have that. I'M testing. And she was like, no, a cgm, you know, goes on your arm and stuff. And I was like, oh, that, that might be nice to have. So I don't know. Yeah, this was weird because I got diagnosed over the phone, went to the pharmacy, picked up my, you know, it wasn't a whole thing. So a lot got lost in, a lot of information got lost on its way to me, I guess. But she got me on the G7, the Dexcom G7 right away.

[A]

Because you brought this up. May I just plug the website for a second? Juiceboxpodcast.com interactive-dd it's also in the menu. You can just click on the menu in the top right. It's interactive. Defining Diabetes. It's like all the episodes from Defining Diabetes but like broken down like just very simply. Okay, English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, a bunch of different languages if you want to go look at it that way. So basically like I'm looking top left a 1C or 90 day big picture report card. Though it doesn't show the daily roller coaster of highs and lows. You click on says a blood test measuring average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months via glyco hemoglobin. And then you can, if you want to click off of it or click listen to episode, it'll take you to the Defining diabetes episode that defines a 1C and, and at the top there's a little button that says challenge. And if you click on challenge and then you hit start, it starts asking you questions. An early morning increase in blood glucose caused by natural counter regulatory hormones. Dawn phenomenon, Algorithm C, Peptide. I say dawn phenomenon.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then it goes next one and there's this little bar that runs down, I think it takes like 10 seconds. It gives you time to answer to get to the next one. So you can play like a quiz to learn the definitions around diabetes.

[B]

Wow, Scott, you're a digital creator if I've ever seen one.

[A]

I am on it. You should see. I just basically, I just basically sit here now recording the podcast and working on the website, trying to turn the website into this great thing, which I think it is. But now I'm about to start, starting now to try to get the word out about it. And I'm going to start with you. So interactive dash DD if you want, take the Defining Diabetes challenge or check out some terms that you might not know the definitions to. Thank you.

[B]

That's perfect.

[A]

Look at me.

[B]

Yeah, I, I, I used my own craziness to kind of learn everything I

[A]

could you know, I tell this story constantly, but, like, the first time somebody on the podcast said, like, I don't. I. Somebody said basil to me, and I didn't know what the hell that was. Like, you know, like, I didn't even know I was using Basil insulin, but I was, apparently. And yeah, if you don't have context for these words, it all be. It's more difficult.

[B]

So I kept hearing the word bolus, and I was like, you mean like a bolus of food that, like, you swallow? You know, bolus.

[A]

Is my bolus dirty? No, no, no, honey, it's in the sink. We already cleaned it. I, People run out all the time. Hungry all the time. Since I got diabetes, I'm hungry all the time. Hungry all the time. Go figure out what Amylon is. There you go. Like, now, now you have more context. You can build bigger stories for yourself and, and maybe change your pathway and understanding and get yourself to something better. I don't want to sound like that.

[B]

Said, I had no clue that, I think you and Jenny were talking about it, that, like, the diabetes effect on your pancreas also extends to, like, hunger hormones and signaling. And I was like, oh, my God, that makes so much sense.

[A]

Yeah, because you are, you're a hungry little monkey sometimes, aren't you?

[B]

Oh, yeah, man. I'm thinking about food all day long.

[A]

Oh, my God. Let's call your episode Hungry Little Monkey. Can we do that? No, I don't, I don't know. We'll figure it out. I, I, the other one was good too. What was the other title? I said?

[B]

Oh, shoot. Something about lungs.

[A]

Oh, no, that's because I know your last name and no one else knows it, and we're not going to, we're not going to share your last name, so I can't use it. It, because it would, it's, it's, it literally is without context. So I'll figure something out. Don't you worry. Everything's going to be fine.

[B]

Yeah, I gotta find some more interesting stuff to talk about.

[A]

What, what else? What, what made you want to come on the podcast?

[B]

The shock and the very sudden change in my lifestyle that was forced upon me just kind of, I was like, I have to, like, I can't be the only one, so I gotta find somebody. And I, I found the podcast because my mom was like, I'm sure you could find a podcast that. Yeah, so I looked up type 1 diabetes, and the first episode I found was the, the Dirty Toilet Bowl. I don't know if you remember that. 1. But the. The guy was, like, 25 and diagnosed around the same age, and, like, seemed like he noticed a lot of the same signs. And I was like, I don't know. As time has gone on, I have kept, like, putting pieces of the puzzle together, listening to the podcast and, you know, that's helping me piece things together even more. So I really wanted to just kind of come on and tell myself, I'm glad you did.

[A]

And you're talking about. Yeah, he had an. There was an overgrowth in his toilet bowl because of all the sugar he was dumping. Yes, yes.

[B]

And I actually had a friend. See, we have this mutual friend who has type one, and they've known each other since they were, like, really little. And I think because she mentioned the black ring in the toilet bowl to me, and I was like, yeah, whatever. I think, sorry, I didn't clean the bathroom. You know, now, hindsight. She was like, yeah, I was actually wondering, like, if someone in the house had diabetes, because I know that. And I was like, God damn.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Yeah. But, yeah, just funny stuff like that that I heard when I first started listening to the podcast, and I was like, no way. There's someone who had the same thing that I thought was so bizarre happened into that.

[A]

Yeah, it happens to people all the time. So. And. And where else are you going to hear about that? No one's going to tell you about that. That's not a. It's not. That's not a thing you're going to read in a book or even.

[B]

No, we don't sit around the dinner table talking about our.

[A]

Have you all noticed the black ring in the toilet bowl? Seems like. It seems like something's growing in there, doesn't it? It's something you guys. Okay, everybody. All right.

[B]

I was, you know, having. Doing my own little science experiment.

[A]

Can I tell you something I was thinking about the other day? I think this kind of. I think it'll dovetail nicely into this. So while you were talking earlier, I watched a. Here's a lot of words nobody's going to care about. Tachydermis smerdinus. It's a small Japanese grass lizard with a long tail. I have a. I have a colony of them living in a tank over here. And one of them was trying to get up on this big leaf, like, running but slipping. It looked like it was on a treadmill for a while. It was absolutely, absolutely delightful. This is not why I bring them up. But I. I was looking at them the other day, and there's females in there, and they're going to start laying eggs pretty soon. And lizards are pretty simple animals, right? Like, they need calcium, and for some reason in captivity, they cannot get calcium the way they live in captivity, the way they get it out in the world. So when you give them food, you dust their food with just calcium, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if you don't do that, they don't die right away. They don't die in a week or a month or like. But their bodies slowly are lacking the nutrients, the building blocks, the necessities to keep them healthy. And then if the females lay eggs, that uses up most of their calcium stores to create the eggs. And then they'll sometimes pass after that if they don't have enough calcium or they can get bone, like something called metabolic bone disease. There's all these things that can happen that will lead to their death, and it's just about calcium. Removing yourself from the. I can't believe I said it correctly. Tachydromus smeridinus. I never can say it out loud, and I got it right this time. Thank you. Putting them aside, there are so many little ingredients inside of you that you need to be healthy, and you can take some of them away and not die, but it doesn't mean you're optimal. And, you know.

[B]

Right. And you might not notice it for a long time.

[A]

The lizard doesn't die the first day it doesn't have the calcium, but the day that it rears its head, it's too late then. And you seem okay every day between we stopped giving the lizard calcium and it died. It seems. I swear to God, they seem fine right up until they fall over dead. And I think. I don't know. I was thinking about that the other day, and I don't know that people associate simple things like vitamin D, you know, your insulin. These are things that are additive to your body that you need to add in, in the right amounts to put yourself in an optimal situation. And I. It's hard to think about it that way, but keeping the lizards simplifies it for me. And.

[B]

And you understand it better just for having watched one of them implementing it on a small.

[A]

For watching one of them have lived well with it and healthily. And, you know, I've had animals die, too, and you don't know why exactly, but I don't know. I just. I wish everybody. Arden's friend called the other day. They're on the phone.

[B]

She's.

[A]

She's of Indian descent. She's a brown person. She just moved to, like, somewhere really cold. And she started talking about. She's on the FaceTime. Talking the FaceTime. Look at me. A thousand years old. Bring the box on so I can see. I could see the Merv Griffin show. So I'm talking to her and she's feeling a little run down. I said, are you taking vitamin D? And she goes, no. I'm like, you're a brown person living where there's no sun. Please take vitamin D. What are you doing?

[B]

Your body's not too happy with you.

[A]

So I said, what are you doing? And so I'm texting her a link. I'm like, you buy this right now. Take one every day. Don't make me come up there and yell at you. There's simple thing, you just don't realize until you know it's too late. Or, by the way, it's never deficient enough to actually hurt you significantly, but you have a lessening of what your health could look like throughout your entire life. You know what I mean? And just for what, Eat an egg once in a while. Have a little bit of red meat, have some chicken. Do the thing. Take a vitamin, Jordan, please. Are you taking vitamins?

[B]

Yeah. Good job.

[A]

Thank you. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Every day. It's not hard. They're right in front of me. Right. I keep them on my desk.

[B]

It's funny, I actually listened to the supplement episode recently and. And started being a little more regular with them and taking digestive enzymes and all that.

[A]

You feel better?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Good.

[B]

I do. Yeah. I was having a. Not quite sure if I might be having my second of the. The autoimmune trifecta flare up now, but I feel like I don't digest food anymore.

[A]

Well. Yeah. Do you think it's celiac? Do you think it's just you having. Losing some of that functionality from your pancreas with digestion?

[B]

The latter, because celiac, from what I understand is. Would be a little more obvious after eating stuff like that. Gluten in it. And. And I don't necessarily have those.

[A]

Taking care of yourself is not that difficult. Look, it really looks. I'm Take out my vitamins right now. I'll put them on my desk so that when you and I are done, I can take them. I can. I tell you the. A funny vitamin story because we are. We're getting into it now.

[B]

Yeah, do it.

[A]

So I'm driving. I don't know. I think I was driving home from Georgia when Arden was in school there. And I bring my vitamins with me. I'm One of those old people that just throws a pill in their pocket. I have no problem with it. I'm driving home and I think, oh, I haven't taken my vitamins. I just ate something. I'll take my vitamins now. And I take them, but I must not have drank enough with them and didn't realize it. So it's half an hour later. This is such a weird. This is one of the weirdest experiences of my life. I burped and this powder cloud came out of my mouth, and I thought,

[B]

I've had the metamisolines.

[A]

And I thought, oh, my God, I'm gonna die. This is it, like, right here. Oh, like, maybe I should pull over so I don't crash my car when obvious imminent death happens to me next. And I panicked for a second, and I was like, what the hell just happened? And then it took me a minute, and I put two and two together, and I'm like, I don't think I drank enough with the vitamin. The capsule opened up in my way. I don't know where. Like, I'm not good enough with, like, with how the body is designed to

[B]

actually, like, yeah, like, in your esophagus.

[A]

Must have. Right. Like, it's insane. But I was like puff the magic dragon there for a second.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Look at this. It's really great. Nevertheless, drink a lot of water with your. With your pills. That's what I wanted to say.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Good note, good note, good note. I'm older than you by, like. I'm, like, twice as old as you. So do you like the information from the podcast enough to put up with listening to an old man's podcast, or does it not feel that way to you?

[B]

For sure, I think. Well, my. My style, like, communication is a little different, I think, from a lot of the younger people I'm around. So I. I feel like I. I do kind of click with, like, your sense of humor and stuff a little bit more. So I. I don't have a problem listening to it. And I like the messages. You know, every now and then I. I'm like, oh, Scott, you know, here we go. But. But, no, I really enjoy it. I think the way that you. Because the way people talk online, it's like, oh, this guy telling everyone to, you know, just take a bunch of insulin and blah, blah, blah. But you've repeated, you know, over and over about how, like, that's not what you're telling.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Do you encourage people not to just take your word as law and that's. That's exactly how I think. Like, I'm not just going to settle for. For one opinion, but I'll absolutely take good sounding advice and try to still

[A]

people on me online. I don't. Look, is that happening still?

[B]

Actually, you know what, what I saw might have been from a couple years.

[A]

There was a couple of years ago where like that. I think people like misunderstood the idea of like that bold with insulin message and like.

[B]

Yeah, it was. Seemed like it was around like heavy co. Yeah.

[A]

But yeah, extra crazy during COVID Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Well, I mean.

[A]

Yeah, well, no, listen. A lot of. Listen, you don't realize how much of the crazy gets focused on like day to day life stuff. And then when you take away the day to day life stuff, they got extra crazy and you got to point it somewhere.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, well. And what do they call those people that are supposedly so pissed off with you, but they probably listen to every single episode and I'll take it. Yeah.

[A]

I don't care. I don't.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Possibly. Couldn't mean less than me. I need the downloads.

[B]

We're good. All right.

[A]

It's a pretty, it's a pretty simple system. You know what I mean? You listen. I sell ads. I get to keep making my podcast. So.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, keep listening. Thank you. Have you ever seen the Lion King?

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

You know, Arden's never seen the Lion King. Yeah.

[B]

No way. What is.

[A]

How old are you? She'll be 22 in a couple months.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Yeah, we try, we try so hard to get her. She's like, I don't care. I'm like, okay. So she really.

[B]

I mean, she'll feel differently after. She. It's inevitable.

[A]

It's inevitable. I don't think so.

[B]

She'll be like, what's wrong with me?

[A]

Very stubborn. Very, very stubborn.

[B]

I love hearing the way that you guys, you guys talk to each other. It's hilarious.

[A]

I wish she'd come on the podcast more. She's busy. I was like, going to college.

[B]

I was surprised to hear it, how she spoke about diabetes in the podcast, but I understand it and I think. Think it's really funny.

[A]

Yeah, she really is. She's got a different way of thinking about it, that's for sure. It's her own way. So I, I think it's a good, I think it's a good lesson, though, to hear that, you know, whether you're an adult or a person who's, you know, taking care of a child with diabetes, your expectation of how people are going to deal with things or think about them or even feel about them. Your expectation has probably very little to do with how they're actually going to respond, so.

[B]

Oh, for sure.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I thought my one close friend with type 1 when I was diagnosed was like, oh my God, I'm so excited to have, you know, someone else. But then. But I really like talking about it, honestly. And maybe that's because I'm so new and, and she's been in it for a decade, but it's just I, I'm not met with the same energy. You know, she don't care about it and. Yeah, she doesn't care. Yeah. And. And that's fine.

[A]

Yeah. No, I just think it's. I think it's valuable because I think a lot of times either people can judge themselves against others. Like, I guess this is how I should feel about it or this shy should think about it, or parents, I think, put their feelings about it onto their kids. They're like, well, this is how they're going to deal with it. Or I know they're going to grow up fine. Like, you don't know how anybody's going to grow up with this. Like, this is not, this is not a pre planned thing. Just because it's the way you handle doesn't mean it's the way they're going to handle it. You might be better or worse at it than they are or will be and there's not a lot you can do about that, you know?

[B]

No, not at all. Because, I mean. Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, I just saw. It's a long time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Been talking for a long time. I'm sorry.

[A]

No, don't be sorry. What are you sorry about? But we will wrap up though. This was lovely. I do really appreciate it. All right, man. Hold on one second for me. You were terrific. Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it.

[B]

Thank you, Scott. Yeah.

[A]

Today's episode of the Juice Box podcast was sponsored by the new Tandem MOBI system and control IQ+ technology. Learn more and get started today at tandomdiabetes.com Juicebox check it out. This episode was sponsored by Touched by Type one. I want you to go find, find them on Facebook, Instagram and give them a follow and then head to touchedbytype1.org where you're going to learn all about their programs and resources for people with type 1 diabetes. Today's episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Eversense365. You can experience the Eversense365CGM system for as low as $199 for a full year. Visit Eversensecgm.com juicebox for more details and eligibility. 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 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. Check out my Algorithm Pumping series to help you make sense of automated insulin delivery systems like Omnipod, Five Loop, Medtronic 780G, Twist, Tandem Control IQ, and much more. Each episode we'll dive into the setup, features and real world usage tips that can transform your daily type 1 diabetes management. We cut through the jargon, share personal experiences, and show you how these algorithms can simplify and streamline your care. If you're curious about automated insulin pumping, go find the Algorithm Pumping series in the juice box. Podcast easiest way juiceboxpodcast.com and go up into the menu. Click on series and it'll be right there. Hey, what's up everybody? If you've noticed that the podcast sounds better 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 wrongway recording.com you got a podcast, you want somebody to edit it. You want Rob.