#1925 Blue Shoes

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1925: Blue Shoes

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Cynthia Robertson
Date: August 10, 2026

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Overview

In this heartfelt and engaging episode, Scott Benner welcomes Cynthia Robertson, a woman diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager in Mexico, to discuss her journey through misdiagnosis, evolving insulin therapies, motherhood, relocation to the U.S., and the lessons she's learned navigating life with T1D across two countries and health systems. Cynthia shares raw and often humorous stories about survival, resilience, the value of education, and embracing technology, making this episode a relatable resource for anyone touched by Type 1 diabetes, especially newly diagnosed teens and their families.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Diagnosis and Early Struggles in Mexico

• Late and Misdiagnosis:
  • Cynthia was diagnosed with T1D at age 18 after months of worsening symptoms, including DKA, and an almost fatal ER visit. Initial suspicions pointed to lifestyle factors, not diabetes.
  • “My mom took me to the hospital… my heart rate was super fast… my uncle tried taking my blood pressure and it couldn't even read me.” — Cynthia (05:32)
• Medical System Differences:
  • Cynthia’s early treatment involved outdated insulins (NPH only), misunderstanding of her type, and minimal patient education. She received a Type 2-style food plan and wasn’t told how to carb count.
  • “They never told me we were using insulin to cover carbs… I was running in the four hundreds for two months.” — Cynthia (18:56)
• Family Support and Survival:
  • Her mother and uncle’s persistence likely saved her life. Her mother never showed tears, aiming to be strong for Cynthia.

Delayed Access to Modern Care (Mexico)

• Outdated Insulin Regimens:
  • Cynthia remained on NPH and regular insulin for over 13 years because her clinical team thought she was doing “well enough.”
  • “Until I was like, okay, this is not— I need to do something else.” — Cynthia (22:07)
• Frequent Hypoglycemia:
  • She endured nightly lows for a year, waiting up until 3am to treat them, before switching to Lantus after advocating for herself.
• Absent Peer Community:
  • Never met another T1D person in Mexico; pumps and modern tech were almost mythical.

Transitioning to Modern Diabetes Technology

• CGM & Pump Revolution:
  • Access to Freestyle Libre in 2018 and later Dexcom and Omnipod transformed her quality-of-life.
  • “I don't need to be pricking my fingers anymore, right? What an upgrade for you, right?” — Scott (23:31)
• Impact on Diabetes Burnout and Outcomes:
  • Time in range and A1C improved drastically with technology.
  • “Right now [my time in range] is 85, 86%... from 75 to 160.” — Cynthia (24:39)
• Openness to Technology:
  • Now tracks updates through social media and Facebook groups, eager to try new innovations but balancing with insurance and cost considerations.

Life in the U.S. and Cultural Shifts

• Relocating for Love:
  • Moved to Nebraska in 2021 to marry her husband, integrating into U.S. healthcare and culture (“college football is huge here!”).
• Healthcare Differences:
  • More modern, empathetic endocrine care. Her current endocrinologist is also T1D, which helps bridge the experience gap.
  • “She really understands… not only what the book states.” — Cynthia (39:36)
• Emergency Experience:
  • Recalls a severe low at a Nebraska college football tailgate; humorously credits a stranger’s Pepsi and quick-acting emergency services for her rescue.
  • “If you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much for giving me your Pepsi… I just drank it." – Cynthia (29:53)

Family, Motherhood, and Advocacy

• Mother to Twins:
  • Despite being told as a teen she “might not be able to have kids,” naturally conceived twin boys, both now healthy teenagers.
  • “Well, guess what? I have twins, actually.” — Cynthia (35:56)
• Parenting with T1D:
  • Open about diabetes management with her kids, training them in basic care and emergency glucagon. They are newly Red Cross–trained lifeguards.
  • “You don't want me to die because you're the only one here with me — you gotta figure it out!” — Cynthia (43:53, joking to her children)
• Biggest Worry:
  • Main anxiety was passing T1D to her children, but relief grows as they age and test negative.
• Advice for Newly Diagnosed Teens:
  • “You will get there. You will learn about life.” Emphasizes that diabetes shouldn’t stop teens from loving, traveling, or dreaming.

The Importance of Patient Education & Self-Advocacy

• Missed Opportunities:
  • Wishes she’d had more education about modern insulins and open dialogue with doctors.
  • “No one told me what the blue shoes did… nobody told me the blue shoes make you fly and they come with a thousand dollar check.” — Scott (38:19)
• Empowering Questions:
  • Encourages listeners to seek information, ask questions, and not stay with what’s merely “good enough.”
• Practice and Problem-Solving:
  • Attributes survival and success to reading, researching, and getting outside her comfort zone.
  • “When you just feel comfortable, you need to get out of that zone.” — Cynthia (37:18)

Navigating Surgery and Physical Health

• Multiple Surgeries:
  • Managed diabetes during wisdom tooth extraction, C-section for twins, appendectomy, and recent hysterectomy.
  • Modern pump tech (Omnipod 5) and activity mode simplified most recent surgery recovery.
  • “The only thing I had to do was to put the activity mode on my Omnipod… It was easy peasy.” — Cynthia (57:02)

Reflections on Cure Hopes and the Burden of Diabetes

• A Cure’s Meaning:
  • The biggest change would be reclaiming attention, energy, and time for family and life outside diabetes.
  • “This is time consuming… not thinking about it all the time.” — Cynthia (42:48)
• Technology’s Future:
  • Optimistic about continued diabetes technology improvements; follows research on beta cell/islet transplantation (Eledon trial).
• Encouragement for Listeners:
  • “Take care of yourself. Keep up with trends, do a good job, and go live your life.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the disconnect in education:

  • “Are you telling me that you got red shoes, then someone said, ‘you could have blue shoes’ but didn’t mention they make you fly?”
    — Scott (38:19)

• On surviving a college football tailgate low:

  • “Thank you so much for giving me your Pepsi. I just drank it and started throwing up.”
    — Cynthia (30:43)

• On sharing her experience for teens and young women:

  • “You’ll get there. You can do it. …I have twins, actually.”
    — Cynthia (35:40; 35:56)

• On family reactions and support:

  • “She never… I never saw her crying. She was always so strong.”
    — Cynthia (17:16)

• On technological upgrades:

  • “I don’t need to be pricking my fingers anymore, right? What an upgrade.”
    — Scott (23:31)

• On hope for the future:

  • “The idea would be, hey, we don’t need the technology anymore because there’s a cure.”
    — Cynthia (67:40)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Diagnosis and near-death experience in Mexico: 02:32 – 15:29
• Delayed access to modern insulin, frequent lows, and transition to Lantus: 18:07 – 22:07
• First experiences with Freestyle Libre (CGM): 22:58 – 24:03
• Impact of Omnipod and improved A1C/time in range: 24:03 – 25:04
• Moving to the U.S., healthcare transition, and cultural notes: 27:32 – 29:49
• Football tailgate severe low and hospital visit: 29:49 – 33:44
• Becoming a mom, advice for teens/girls about diabetes and pregnancy: 35:40 – 36:28
• Patient education, questions, and the “blue shoes” metaphor: 38:06 – 38:54
• Diabetes care differences: Mexico vs. U.S.: 39:01 – 39:36
• Parenting, children’s awareness of diabetes, and lifeguard training: 43:34 – 44:41
• Managing surgery with diabetes: 55:48 – 57:02
• Pregnancy and diabetes management: 57:14 – 63:56
• Reflections on technology, cure hopes, and offering encouragement: 66:46 – 68:01

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Final Thoughts

This episode beautifully weaves Cynthia’s diverse experiences into an inspiring story of resilience, adaptation, and hope. Her candor about the challenges of T1D, particularly in less-resourced environments, highlights the critical need for global, accessible diabetes education and the life-changing potential of modern management tools. The episode ends on a forward-looking note: embrace technology, keep learning, and trust that the journey, while often difficult, does lead to a full and vibrant life.

Transcript

[Scott]

Hello friends. Welcome back to the Juicebox Podcast,

Guys. Head over to the T1D exchange for me and take their survey T1D exchange.org Juicebox Doing so will help to support type 1 diabetes research. It's easy for you to do and there may be even a little bit of something you get out of it. Go check it out. If you are over 18, have type

1 diabetes and a US resident, head to t1dexchange.org juicebox and complete the survey. 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 or or becoming bold with insulin. Today's episode is sponsored by Tandem diabetes care, the Eversense 365 and Touched by Type 1. There are links in the show notes [e-mail] to all the sponsors.

When you use those links, you are

supporting the Juice Box Podcast and helping

to keep it free.

The Eversense 365 is a one year wear CGM. That's one insertion a year. That's it. And here's a little bonus for you. How about that? There's no limit on how many friends and family you can share your data with with the Eversense now app. Eversensecgm.com Juicebox now let's talk about Tandem Mobi, the impressively small insulin pump. TandemMobi 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 Touched by Type 1 is my favorite diabetes organization and they're sponsoring this episode of the Juice Box Podcast. Please take a moment to learn more about [e-mail] also follow them on Facebook or Instagram. When you get to touchbytype1.org, check out their many programs. Their annual conference, the D Box Dancing for Diabetes. They have a golf night. Gosh. They have a dance program for local kids. Go check them out at touchedbytype1.org and see what they're up to.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I'm Cynthia Robertson. I been living with type 1 diabetes for the last 21 years. I was diagnosed in 2006 and yeah, I was diagnosed in Mexico, so I guess the story could be interesting.

[Scott]

Awesome. How. How old were you at diagnosis?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I was 18 years old.

[Scott]

Okay. Wait, did you say 21 years?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

So you're 39?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I'm in the 40s right now.

[Scott]

No, you're 39, right?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's how you say it. I'm 39. Are you married or kids, anything like that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, I'm married. I have twins. They are 15 years old, and I have been testing them with the trial net. Thankfully, they've been negative. No. No marks on their.

[Scott]

Okay. No auto. They're not showing any antibodies or anything.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Okay, well, that's good news. That's good news. Do you have any other autoimmune issues or do your kids or anybody in your family have Hashimoto's or celiac or anything like that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, well, my grandma. My mom's mom, she used to have the skin patches. The name is, like, Vitiligo. I don't know the name.

[Scott]

Yeah, Vitilago. Yep.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yep. That's what she had. And, well, when I. When I knew this was an autoimmune disease, I understood better where it came from.

[Scott]

Yeah.

Start figuring it out. Right? I mean, so no, but no type 1 diabetes in your life? Other than you?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, just me. And I hope I'm the only black sheep.

[Scott]

Well, that doesn't make you the black sheep, does it? No, no, of course not. No. No. But I hear what you're saying. You don't want anybody else going through this if they don't have to. Right? Right? Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right.

[Scott]

What. What precipitated your diagnosis? What. What did you notice? You know, how did you handle it?

[Cynthia Robertson]

How do I handle it right now?

[Scott]

No, no, no. Back when you were diagnosed, how. What was the first thing that made you think, like, oh, I'm. Something's wrong.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So I was losing a lot of weight. You know, all the DKA symptoms. I was actually in decay. When they. They diagnosed me, I was feeling so bad. I had. My heart rate was super fast, and I had, like, hypothermia. And my mom took me to the hospital. Well, she first took me with my uncle. So my uncle, he's a doctor, just like a family doctor, and he tried. And he tried taking my blood pressure, and he couldn't. Like, he had this electric blood pressure thing, machine, and it didn't work, so he thought it was the battery, and he changed the battery, and it was not working at all.

[Scott]

Is it because. Was your pressure so low it was. Having trouble reading it, yes. Oh, wow.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. And I was throwing up that day so bad, I couldn't stop. I couldn't eat anything. Like I say, my heart rate was super high. Like, it was pumping so fast, I felt that I couldn't breathe. And then I had the hypothermia I was so, so cold. Like, I was in front of the. Of the heater, and I could not get hot. Like, my body was not warm. How long had you literally dying?

[Scott]

Yeah, yeah, no, no, I was gonna say, you know what it's like to try to die. So what's the. How long was that going on for? Like, when you look back, how long do you think you were not making your own insulin at that point?

[Cynthia Robertson]

So losing weight, that was for a couple of months, but that was. I kind of had, like, a cold before, and I did. My mom took me to the doctor, and I told him that I was having, like, my nose was bleeding for a couple of days. So he was like, okay, we're gonna send you some lab work and we'll see. You probably are. You probably are losing weight because you. You know, when you hit puberty, you. Right now, you're in, you know, the teenage years, and some people get fat, some people, you know, lose weight. And I was like, okay, okay.

[Scott]

You're like, what about the. My nose has been bleeding for four days. What about that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. So he sent the. The blood work, but they didn't take the. The. The. The blood that day.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So I had to schedule that. And that was going to be like a week after. And before that came up, I ended up in the hospital with the pa So I had all those symptoms. My mom took me with my uncle. My uncle was like, you know what? This is not good. He told my mom to rush me to the er. We went there. So in Mexico, you have private insurance or you have kind of like the universal or public insurance from the government, which at that time, I didn't have private insurance. So they took me there, and the hospital was, like, full. The emergency room was full. The doctor who was assigned to me kind of told my mom, like, is she being. Going out? Like, has she been with her friends and drinking and stuff like that? And my mom was like, no, she's not been going out. She's been sick for the last couple of weeks.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And he was like, kind of like telling my mom, like, if I was using drugs.

[Scott]

Oh, she's probably hungover. That's what that. Yeah, okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Exactly. So my mom was like, no, I don't think so. Anyways, he connect me, and they gave me oxygen. They put some oxygen.

[Scott]

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[Cynthia Robertson]

He put on IB which you know, the regular IV has glucose and I don't remember the rest of that day. Everything that I'm going to say is the story that my mom told me. Wow.

[Scott]

Everything after the IV is retold to you because you have no recollection of it at all. Wow.

[Cynthia Robertson]

That's great.

[Scott]

I want to hear what did your mom say happened.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So they sent me back home. She was like she will be fine. Take her home. They took me back home. I went to sleep. I peed my pants. I was, I was in the closet. So I have my, you know, the walking closet in my room.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And I was trying to go to the bathroom, but I was making noises like. Like. I was like, not feeling good. So my mom heard that she went to. To look for me, and she found me in the closet peeing my pants.

[Scott]

Your mom was probably like, this kid. Is she probably like, this kid is on drugs.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. This is not good. She was like, why are you doing? And I was like, mom, close the door. I'm in the bathroom.

[Scott]

Oh, I say, my gosh.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So she was like, no, this is. This is bad. This is not good. So she called my uncle again, and she was like, hey, this is going on. They sent her back. He was like, come, come pick me up. I'll go with you guys.

[Scott]

So can I ask you a question real quick? How do you say. How do you say zinnia pissed in the closet in Spanish? I guarantee that's what she said to your uncle.

[Cynthia Robertson]

She's like, listen, she doesn't know what is going on.

[Scott]

Shit's upside down over here. Okay. Oh, my God. I'm sorry. What did you.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I do not remember.

[Scott]

Well, thank God. Thank God you don't remember, honestly.

Okay.

Who needs to carry that with them,

[Cynthia Robertson]

right?

[Scott]

Nobody. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So your uncle. Go ahead.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. He was like, pick me up. We will go there together. So we went back there, all the ER beds were full. My uncle took someone from the bed and put me there because I could not walk at that point. I could not walk.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So thankfully, it was kind of like the shift change for the doctors. So there was a new doctor getting in the er. So this was a young doctor. He only. What he did was he smelled me.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And he asked my mom, is she diabetic? And my mom was like, what? Yeah, is she diabetic? And she say, how is that she's diabetic? And he was like, yeah, is. She's being diagnosed as a diabetic. And my mom was like, no, no, no, she's. She's not diabetic. And he was like, well, she is. And they put the IVs and everything. They were. I do remember they were. How can I say it? They were like, ripping off my clothes with scissors. And I was so worried because I was wearing one of my best friends hoodies. And I was like, no, in my mind, right. I was like, saying to myself, oh, my gosh, she gonna get mad. This is not mine.

[Scott]

You can. You couldn't speak out loud that you remember. Remember that from this?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I remember. Yeah. Yeah. I do remember looking at my arm and the scissors, they were Couldn't. Ripping off my hoodie. And I was like, this is not mine.

[Scott]

Not my top. It's not my top.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. I. I couldn't not say anything.

[Scott]

Sure.

[Cynthia Robertson]

You know.

[Scott]

Well, yeah. You were trying really hard to die, it sounds like. What was your blood sugar? What was your blood sugar?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I. I never knew. I never knew. I don't even know if they did peptide, like the C peptide test. So I don't know. I really don't know. So when the labs came back, they told my mom, she's diabetic for sure, and they started using insulin. And the insulin they started using was nph insulin at that time. So I spent three days there. The first night, they told my mom that she should call all my friends and family because they were thinking that I was not going to make it.

[Scott]

No kidding.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Tell me again, you were 18.

[Cynthia Robertson]

19. 18.

[Scott]

18. And your mom's got a call around the family, say, come see Cynthia. She might die.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. It was my second semester in college, so I didn't go for like a month. Some of the teachers were really nice and understood what was going on, but some others didn't care and just had to take that class again, you know, the test.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

As a second chance and. Yeah.

[Scott]

Wow.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Anyways. Yeah, I spent three days there in the icu. And then

[Scott]

when did you kind of become in those three days? Were you with it again or did it take you. How much time did it take you to kind of get your faculties and your wits about you?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, I, like, I don't. I really don't know. I. I do remember. I think it was the next day or on the second day that my best friend went to see me and she told me was a shock because they were, you know, they were pricking my fingers, the nurses, to check on my blood sugar, but they leave me, like, my finger was still bleeding a little bit, so I was scratching my face. And my best friend said that when she got inside of the room, she saw, like, blood on my face because it was from my fingers, but I was just scratching my face with my fingers.

[Scott]

Yeah. Let's say that you weren't. You weren't with it by then. Let's say.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes, exactly.

[Scott]

Okay.

And.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And so she was like. It was a shock. I was. She was to say she was scared. But

[Scott]

young girls, too, you know, I mean, think about that. Really put yourself in that position. You're going to the hospital to visit your friend who might be dying, and there's blood all over their face, and she's Incoherent.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right. Because my mom had to tell them, like, hey, I need you to come see her because we don't know if she's gonna make it.

[Scott]

Boy, is that something else.

That's scary.

How'd your mom. How did that impact your mom?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I'm going to be very honest. She never. She never. I never saw her crying.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

She was always so strong.

[Scott]

Did it make her extra protective of you, do you think, after that a little bit.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Not in the bad way. I mean, they were always, like, very protective family with me and my. My siblings. But I don't remember. And this is a funny story. We went to Las Vegas two years after my diagnosis, and you know, the stratosphere, they have these roller coaster stuff. And my mom was like, no, don't do it, don't do it, because your blood sugar is going to go high and stuff. And I was like, calm down. I'm going to be fine. So I did it. And just for her peace of mind, I checked my blood sugar after, and I was like, I'm 120. I'm fine. I can do it again.

[Scott]

I can do it again.

[Cynthia Robertson]

She was like, those were the kind of things she was worried about.

[Scott]

Yeah. Like, hey, you said when they gave. When you were diagnosed, they gave you mph. How long did you use, like, MPH and regular for

[Cynthia Robertson]

me.

[Scott]

I'm sorry, what was your faster acting insulin, do you remember?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I did not have one until. Until they sent me to a specialist.

[Scott]

Oh, wait a minute. Are you gonna tell me they thought you were a type 2?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I think so, because they also gave me a. Like, a eating plan that was based on 2,000 calories.

[Scott]

Oh, I. Oh, oh.

[Cynthia Robertson]

They never told me we were using insulin to cover carbs.

[Scott]

Okay, how long did that go on for?

[Cynthia Robertson]

That was like two months.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And then they sent me to the specialist and I was like, okay, this is not enough. I was running in the four hundreds for two months. Yeah. Not all day, you know, I hear. You know, so they sent me to the specialist, and then she was like, well, you need to use fast acting insulin. And she gave me, at that time was a Humalog. Lispro.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And she was like, and you can even combine the NPH with the. With the. To mix it. I could mix the MPH with the Humalog in the morning and at night when I was taking dinner.

[Scott]

That's what you were doing.

[Cynthia Robertson]

But nobody told me about Pre. Prevolus. You know, like, nobody told me about it.

[Scott]

I mean, that's a weird. That's a Kind of a weird setup. How long did you do that for the. The humalog and the MPH?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Until 2019.

[Scott]

Wait, did you say 2019?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Correct.

[Scott]

Well, hold on a second. It's 2026 now. That's seven years ago, right?

[Cynthia Robertson]

It took so long. I mean, I was just doing good with it. I. I always stay under, you know, my A1C was around 6, 7. Okay, 7.

[Scott]

Were you low much

[Cynthia Robertson]

at night? Yes. I actually kind of like had a period of time and that was when I went to another specialist because I was like, okay, this insulin is not. It's not good for me. Like, I knew at 3am I was awake until 3am Because I knew I was going to have a load. Oh, gosh.

[Scott]

Every. Every night. Every night you sit up and you. Every night?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, for. And that lasts like a complete year.

[Scott]

Oh, my God.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Like, yeah. So I went with the new specialist and he was like, yeah, we need to change you. I don't know why you are taking this insulin. Like, this is the oldest thing in earth. And he changed me to Lantus and that was awesome. That started working great. Obviously I could not mix it anymore.

[Scott]

Yeah, but you did that for how many years did you do that? How many years did you do that for

[Cynthia Robertson]

the NPH? And the humilo was for 13 years.

[Scott]

Oh, my God. How does no one mention. Are you in Mexico the whole time?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Okay. Nobody ever says to you, hey, we have a more modern insulin. It's called Atlantis. Would you like to try it?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I knew about it, but you know what? I was like, yeah, whatever. I mean, this is working. And I was still going to the public health system, hospitals and doctors and stuff, and they were like, oh, you're doing really good. Because I was really. I was doing good. Thankfully, I. I can say right now that I don't have any other complication. Knock on wood.

[Scott]

But I'll knock on it for you.

[Cynthia Robertson]

There you go.

[Scott]

So it was working. And somebody did mention Lantus, but you thought, well, this is working. It's. I'm not going to change.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. Until I was like, okay, this is not. I need. I need to, you know, do something else. What pushed you also start using the. Because I was, you know, MDI and I was not using any sensor.

[Scott]

No, no. I gotta be honest with you. If you were on mph, but you had a cgm, I would have been like, I don't know how that happened. So, so you're. Without. How. How many times a day do you think you tested for that time?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, I was testing like Every. Every time I Cool. I was spending a lot on test trips.

[Scott]

Like. Yeah, you think you were testing 10

[Cynthia Robertson]

times a day easy, easily more. Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

Wow. My gosh. So, but when you changed, were you in Mexico still when they said Lantus and cgms or had you moved by then?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Okay, so in Mexico they released the. The freestyle in I think 2018, 2019. And that's when I switch it to it. But it was a 14 days and it was not. It was like the flash one where you had to hold the. Scan it with your phone.

[Scott]

Yeah, yeah. You had to scan it.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. That was fun, huh? Well, I guess it was better than nothing. You were probably thrilled you could stop testing your blood sugar all that time.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, it was fantastic.

[Scott]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I was like, I don't need to be pricking my fingers anymore, right?

[Scott]

Like, what a. What an upgrade for you, right?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Okay. All right. Well, I mean, thank God it you don't have any, you know, long term complications and you. And you get modernized. You're moving along. Is there a big change for you of a serious, I don't know, upgrade having moved to the Lantus and I'm assuming you're Atlantis and Humalog and then a cgm or is it just like, oh, I still do a good job but it's easier. Like what's the, what's the viewpoint?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, no, no, definitely it's been a huge change. You know, I stay well right now I'm using the omnipotent and the com7.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

But yeah, it definitely improved when I started using the Freestyle and then when I moved to the pants and then I moved to the Omnipod. So it's been great.

[Scott]

A1C go down or just the amount of times you have to touch diabetes got better?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Both. Both my time on range and also my A1C went down a lot.

[Scott]

What's your time and range? Do you know?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right now it's 85, 86%.

[Scott]

That's awesome. What range are you measuring?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I go from 75 to 160.

[Scott]

75 to 160. 85% of the time.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Good for you. And that's omnipod five or dash the five five. Wow. Awesome. Did you get the update for the new 100 target?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, yes, I did and I immediately change it.

[Scott]

Good for you. I. People are enjoying it a lot. I hope it, I hope it shows something. I mean, I guess maybe you're a good person to ask, but you've had it for a few days a Week?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, it's been a couple of days. What I'm having trouble right now is with my Dexcom 7 is the 15 days. And it was crazy. Like last week. Last weekend? Yeah, I think it was last weekend. Like a week. Like a week ago.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

We went out and we went to eat sushi and I was feeling fine, and we went to a bar next to the restaurant, and I was like, okay, I'm going to, you know, I'm going to prepare for it. Because I knew I was a little. A little high, but I was like, okay, I'm going to take a couple of. Of units and I'll wait for my drink because I know my drink was going to have a little bit of sugar. And I was like, you know, it doesn't match what he's saying. So my sensor said I was hitting the three hundreds, and I was like, no, no, no, no, no. So thankfully I had my. My glucose meter with me and I check on my finger, and I was actually 210.

[Scott]

And you had taken a lot of insulin.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. And I was like, oh. So my friend went to the. To the bar and she was like, can you give me a Dr. Pepper? I was like, Dr. Pepper. Yes. I like that one.

[Scott]

I'll take that one. You didn't get low, though. You were able to figure it out. But you're saying that your Sensor was saying 300 when you were more like 210?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. Which is huge.

[Scott]

Is that a thing you didn't experience with the G7 10 day? No, no.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Neither with the G6 when I was using the G6. So.

[Scott]

Okay. Arden is using her. Arden's using her first 15 day right now. So. I mean, so far. So far, so good. It's been. It's been okay. I think we're like four or five days into it maybe, but we didn't mean to switch. We had some of the other G7s still, but I think she sent her boyfriend to the drawer to get something and he grabbed one of the new ones by mistake and she just popped it on. So I guess we're. I get. I guess we're gonna ride it out and see and then probably go back to the others, use them up, and then switch over for the rest of the way.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right?

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Time to try it.

[Scott]

Yeah. What made you move to the US and where'd you move about? Where'd you move to?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, well, I moved here in 2021 because I got married and my husband is from here. So. Yeah, I'm. I'm now here And. And it was a fun experience, actually, the first time I came here to visit his family and meet them all, because here, Nebraska, you know, it's a big thing, the college football, and you're in Nebraska.

[Scott]

You're in Nebraska now. That's hilarious. It's kind of hilarious, isn't it?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. Yeah. So he was so excited. He was like, okay, for my birthday, we're going to have the tailgate and it's going to be the kickoff

[Scott]

city. I gotta tell you, you're. You're. You're kind of fair complected. You must. You must confuse the hell out of those people, huh?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I know, yeah. Yeah. I'm sorry, guys, but it is what it is, and I'm here now.

[Scott]

They must. They must hear your accent and be like, I don't know what's happening.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right? Yeah, they are like, what?

[Scott]

I'm sorry, What. What about the guy? I got confused. What about the college football? What were you saying?

[Cynthia Robertson]

So the first time I came visit, my husband, when we were still in our relationship, he was so excited. It was his birthday, the kickoff of the college football, and we had tickets for that game. And so it was going to be a long day. I had everything with me. I had a couple of juices and snacks and everything if I have a low. But at that time, I was still MDI and using my finger to check my blood sugar. So we went there. We were tailgating and obviously, I mean, we were drinking not a whole lot. I was always very, you know, like, trying to not be. Not be, like, over drinking, because it scares me. It actually gives me a little bit of anxiety that. That point where you are fine and where you are not, and then you don't have control of yourself. And I don't know if I'm gonna go low. So that's. I try. I try not to cross that point because of that. And it was time to go to the stadium. So we start walking and I was like, I'm having a terrible low. I told my husband, I can't keep walking anymore. I can't. I'm gonna die right now. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die here. He was like, no, no, no, I'm gon something. He runs to get me something. You know, it was so packed. All the people was walking to get into the stadium and he had to call 911 and the ambulance. And so the ambulance got there and I don't know this lady, if she's listening to this podcast. Thank you so much for giving me your Pepsi. I think it was a Pepsi or a Coke. I don't know her. I just drink it.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And I start throwing up. I. When I go low very fast, I throw up. So I don't know if there's more people who have that and happen to them the same way happens to me. But it's just something that I.

[Scott]

If you drop. If you drop.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Nice. When I'm having.

[Scott]

When you're having trouble. So you tell me. If you drop quickly, you vomit.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

You get nauseous.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah.

Okay. All right. And that. So, you know, if you start having recognized lows. Yeah. You start having that feeling. You think, oh, I'm getting low.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Okay. Okay. So he's got a call. But are you just dating at that point?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. It was the first time I came to Nebraska.

[Scott]

You're like, he's gonna take me back to Mexico and leave me there.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. Well, he was so worried. Like the next day, after everything this happened, he was. Oh, my gosh, I was so scared, but I was going to tell your parents and like. Yeah, your. Your daughter came to visit me and now, you know, she's dead. You know, he was so worried.

[Scott]

Sorry. I told your daughter at the Nebraska game.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Exactly. Well, the good thing is that there was a storm. So the Nebraska game never happened. So it was fine. We didn't, you know.

[Scott]

Wait a minute. I know this is apropos of nothing, but there was a storm so strong it ended. It made a college football game get postponed.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

That's crazy.

[Cynthia Robertson]

It was the first. The first game of the season and the first game for Scott Frost. Frost is his last name.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

It was the head coach.

[Scott]

Yeah, yeah. And they can't. They. They rescheduled a college football. Football doesn't get rescheduled for weather very often.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, it did that day.

[Scott]

That day, Mel. That's good. Did you get to go to the game then?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

See, it all worked out. Maybe they post agent for you. They're like, you know, zinnia's out there. She's throwing up and dizzy and everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's make sure she sees her first game. Well, what did. Did they treat you on the scene and then leave you there? You. Did you go to the hospital?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, I. I went to the hospital and they put some IV and everything, and I was fine. Actually, they treat me on the ambulance. They gave me a couple of, you know, those gel packages with glucose.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And when I got to the hospital, I was fine, but they still wanted to make sure that I Was.

[Scott]

Okay, so, yeah, they got you on the hook now for the bill. They want to finish up. They want to get all the money. Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Well, does this stuff happen to you often? The passing out?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, no, no. Like I say, it was totally an accident because we ate very early, and I just. I didn't have in my mind how much of walking it was.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And, you know, I was just sitting there talking with people. Everybody was so happy to meet me, you know, like, oh, this girl. My best friend's girlfriend from Mexico.

[Scott]

Yeah, right. That was exciting.

[Cynthia Robertson]

We were talking and talking. I sat down, I started feeling bad. And then my. My now husband, he was like, hey, we need to go to the. To the stadium. And I was like, okay, I start walking. And I was like, I can. I can keep walking. Like, I'm dropping so fast. And. Yeah, that's what happened.

[Scott]

How long ago? How long ago is that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

That was 2018.

[Scott]

2018, right before you get a pump?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, well, I. I think I got my pump. The first time I use it was in 2022.

[Scott]

Oh, wow. Okay. Wow. Geez. You've had a whole little life here around this. What made you. What made you want to come on the podcast? Like, what. What got you to reach out? Because it's a big deal. People don't. Like you said before we started recording, I've never done this before. I'm a little nervous. Like, what makes you follow through and actually do it?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I think just sharing the experience, you know, especially when you are like. I think I would like more teenagers to listen to this, because it was hard for me being diagnosed when I was a teenager in Mexico. You know, the diabetes education there is. I hope it is better now, but at the time was very different. And I never met someone with diabetes in Mexico.

[Scott]

Never.

[Cynthia Robertson]

No. I do remember one of my friends told me, like, hey, my neighbor has that thing that you have, and he wears a pump. And I was like, well, that's very far from what I can get right now. And I think he was getting a pump in the United States or I don't know where. Like, he has to travel to get it or something like that.

[Scott]

Had it worked out somehow?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I was like, oh, okay.

[Scott]

So not a person you even met, Just a person down the street that somebody knows about, and that's it. And so. So if a teen heard this, what would you hope that they took from your story?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, you know, you will get there. You will learn about life. And I know they get so worried about, especially Women. Because one of the things they told me is like, oh, you're probably not gonna be able to have kids. Well, guess what? I have. I have twins, actually.

[Scott]

Made them both at the same time. What do you think of that? Yes. So do you think girls get told maybe you won't be able to have a baby? And it's scary, that kind of stuff?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, that's scary. You know, like, they tell you all the complications about being pregnant and having diabetes and. And then they tell you about, you know, you want to start your life, you start becoming an adult, and you want to start drinking or just enjoying a drink, you know, like. Or traveling. You know, it was so scary for me. Like, how am I going to travel with all this? What if I don't have enough supplies?

[Scott]

Well, where did you find the.

[Cynthia Robertson]

You'll get there. You can do it.

[Scott]

How do you. How do you think you.

[Cynthia Robertson]

This is scary.

[Scott]

How do you think you gained all that knowledge to do those things? Because you traveled out of the country, you dated a guy, you know, not from where you're from, you had babies. Like, you got married. Like, where do you think the. Is it Just practice or how do you. How do you wrap your head around how you're able to get this done?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Definitely practice. But also, I like to read. I like to read. I like to investigate, you know, like, figure. Figure things out. Like, if this is not working, well, what else? You know, like, I need to fear and find, you know, problem solving. So I think. And, you know, when you just feel comfortable, you need to get out of that zone.

[Scott]

Okay. Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. There might be other things that are better.

[Scott]

Have experiences to me.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. Well, I mean, I. I guess whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That kind of an idea. But also, you don't want to be in terrible situations. Do you wish that you would have changed insulin sooner? Do you wish that you would have had access to technology sooner? Or are you happy for how your path was?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, absolutely. I will have liked switch sooner.

[Scott]

What do you think, having been a person who's somebody, you know, said lantus to you, but then you didn't change, what is it you should have been more open to hearing when somebody was making suggestions?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I would have liked to hear more like, hey, this will act this way. Just not like, oh, there's another insulin, this one. But how it works, you know, and maybe I should have done more questions. I think so.

[Scott]

Are you telling me that, you know, I don't know you. Somebody gave you a. A red pair of shoes and then they said, there's blue shoes too. And you said, no, thanks, I like my red shoes. But they forgot to tell you that the blue shoes make you fly and they come with a thousand dollar check. And like, so nobody told you what the were the thing they were offering you. They just said, would you like blue shoes? And you said, no, I'm good with my red ones. Exactly like that. Okay. All right, so don't just turn to, if you're a doctor, don't just turn to somebody and say, hey, do you want to try this? Tell them why. Maybe they would want to give them some background so they can understand.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Exactly.

[Scott]

Have you, have you found the care in America any different than in Mexico?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes, it is different. Like I say, I never went to the. I did, I did go to some private appointments, but I never stick to it, you know, like never keep going with those doctors, maybe because I was just doing good. But here, my endocrinologist, she's also type one. So I love that because she really understand, you know, how I can feel in all the ups and downs, not only like what the book states.

[Scott]

So having a doctor who understands better is helpful, but at the same time, you need to take a little responsibility too and ask more questions if, if the information is not being offered.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Scott]

That's one of the things you've learned over time. How do you think that's going to change you moving forward? I mean, obviously have on the Pod 5 now, but if, you know, Omnipod 5 comes out with another version or another company says something that you're like, oh, that's interesting. How are you staying? Are you. Maybe, maybe you're not, but how are you staying up on what's going on and making decisions about whether or not where you are is good or if you need to change?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, definitely following the page in Facebook helps to keep updated because sometimes I don't even open my emails. Like, I just get so many emails. We work and then I have the teen, the boys, they are teenagers right now. So life is busy. Right. But you know, following people who can bring more information, I think now with the social media, you can get that information right away kind of keep up a little better. So being open to try new things as well, you know, and if it doesn't work, you can just go back to what it was working for you. So, yeah, definitely, if, if Omnipod comes with something new, I will definitely try it. I also, I've been looking on other palms like, am I willing to try something with you know, that is not tubeless or. Yeah, right now I'm good. I also, the other thing is like insurance, you know, that part of the insurance, like if I switch, how it will be, if it's, if I switch, am I going to do it? Do I want to do it? Do I want to spend that money on that? You know, if I'm, if I'm doing good right now, it's like, you know, there's a lot of factors that you have to take on to take a decision.

[Scott]

Is there something that you're hopeful about, like things you've heard about that you think, well, I can't wait for that to actually happen.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. I'm very excited about the Eledon trial that they are doing right now. It seems promising. And yeah, I wish they, they could, you know, work on that, isolate, act faster and get it set and more people can get the trial and see where it goes. Very, very, very close. You know, they say five years and it's been 21, so for me at least there's people waiting for longer. Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah.

I don't usually ask questions like this, but what would it mean to you if that. I don't know. Let's say that procedure just becomes the way things are done. You get type 1 diabetes, you go see somebody, they put some eyelid cells in your liver and give you an anti rejection medication that doesn't cause cancer, hopefully. And then you aren't using insulin anymore. Like, what do you think that. How do you think that fundamentally changes your life?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, I think that the first thing will impact is the time. You know, this is time consuming, but I don't know.

[Scott]

I mean, just time's a pretty good answer.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Taking decisions.

[Scott]

Yeah. Not thinking about it all the time.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So many. This is exactly. Yeah. It's like my kids also ask me things like, hey, mom, when is my driver's license appointment? And I'm like, I cannot keep all of that in my mind. I have enough. But I do have the calendar, so you can check in there.

[Scott]

When is my driver's license appointment? I have diabetes. This. Leave me alone.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Let me alone. I'm. I'm pretty good about it, but there's sometimes that I forget about things too. And I'm like, I don't know. Please just go to your calendar. I have enough things, you know, in my.

[Scott]

No, I hear you. Hey.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

How does it impact being a mom other than that, or does it not? And how much of this do you share with your kids? Like how aware they of your health and and how it is and what you do.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, they are. They are amazing. I. Sometimes I'm like, hey, I know you would like to take some of Sour Patch, but I'm not going to share with you because I'm far from home and if I need them, you don't want me to die because you are the only one here with me, and you gotta figure it out. He's like, no, mom is fine.

[Scott]

You're the lady. You're the lady. Turning Sour Patch Kids into medicine, that's no fun.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, so do they. No, they're doing good. If I ask them, like, hey, can you bring me a juice from the fridge? They will do it, right?

[Scott]

They know.

[Cynthia Robertson]

They understand.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Could they help you if you had a seizure?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes, I know they will be able to help me. They actually. They just got the American Red Cross CPR certification and all of that.

[Scott]

They are like that as well. Oh, they're. They're lifeguards.

[Cynthia Robertson]

They don't freak out.

[Scott]

There's a. All I heard. All I heard was there's a pool in Nebraska that I didn't expect at all. But that.

[Cynthia Robertson]

That. That is here.

[Scott]

Their life. Are they identical or fraternal twins?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Identical.

[Scott]

Okay, what. What. What's the one thing that helps you tell them apart when you see. I mean, I imagine at this point you just know them, but what's the thing about them that is obvious to you?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, right now, one of them is using braces and has short hair. That will be the fastest.

[Scott]

That's helpful. Do they have any, like. Are there any, like. What do you see, though, as your. As their mom? Is that their eyes? Where do you see it when you look at them? How do you know it's them?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Definitely their eyes. And their voice is different.

[Scott]

Their voice is different.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Like, if they call me, I know for sure who is it, even if I don't see who's calling.

[Scott]

They look more like you or your husband?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Me? Yeah. They are totally my. My dad and my brother.

[Scott]

That's so cool. Isn't that nice? How about your husband now, does he have a lot of inner working knowledge about the diabetes?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. Yeah. No, he's on top of it. He. When I was in my mdi, I told him, like, you need to learn to put insulin. So he was not scared of the syringes and anything. He was. I was like, okay, do seven units and I'll put it on my arm. And, yeah, I trained him. He's really good. I actually, I sent him a video of the glucagon the Paxini.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. And he was like, oh, now I know how it is. And I was like, yeah, you need to know just in case I have a couple on my counter.

[Scott]

Okay, pay attention.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Pay attention. Yeah.

[Scott]

Did he ever talk to you about that incident when you were dating? Did it scare him, make him think twice about dating someone with type one, anything like that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Not at all. I actually told him. I was like, I can't believe you keep dating me. Like, he was like, no, I mean, I got scared for you, but other than that, that was like, yeah, whatever.

[Scott]

Didn't frighten him away.

[Cynthia Robertson]

It's not. No, no, not at all.

[Scott]

How about you? Did you have concerns? Like, did you think, oh, maybe I'm gonna be like, maybe that'll be the end of it for me here? Like, will he be embarrassed or worried or anything like that? Or did you have a relationship where that didn't come into your mind?

[Cynthia Robertson]

You know what? It didn't come to my mind.

[Scott]

How long had you been dating at that point?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Like, three months.

[Scott]

Are you serious?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, yeah.

[Scott]

Well, he likes you, that's for sure.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Definitely.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

Is it a big.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. I don't know.

[Scott]

I mean, yeah. You mentioned that the kids did trial net more than once, it sounds like. Is that a big worry for you?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes, I think that's. That's a. That's the biggest. My biggest worrying, like, now that they are 15, that kind of, like, decrease. It doesn't worry me that much anymore because, you know, they are becoming adults. So I know it will be easier if that happens than if they were a toddler. So still, it will be super scary. Whatever. I don't. I. You know, nobody wants their kids to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, but.

[Scott]

Right.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I think it wouldn't be, for me, as bad as I thought or as. As bad as it was when I was. When they were younger.

[Scott]

You think that's because of technology or because you understand it?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Because I understand it.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I mean, technology is great. I know it also helps a lot, but I know it is because I understand it better now.

[Scott]

All right, hold on a second. Sorry about that. I just. Something caught my eye and it messed me up for a second. Anything that we haven't talked about that we should have. Like, I want to know if I'm missing anything in your. In your story, because you told me before we started. Like, you're like, I have a lot of good stories, but, like. Like, maybe I'm not getting to them as much as you would want. So is there like one in your head. You're like, people need to hear this one.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, I think the big one was when I came visit my, my husband the first time.

[Scott]

That's a good one. Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, that was totally a good one. Yeah.

[Scott]

What about when you, how often do you get back to Mexico?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Well, we are planning on going probably during the winter. We don't go very often because we are not like too close from where I used to live in Mexico. Not too far, but not too close. So it's not like it's not the place where we will go driving because it will take at least two days.

[Scott]

Right, right.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And so if we are going, you know, flights are not cheap right now, so.

[Scott]

No, I know. I saw, I had to fly somewhere recently. I was like, what are they? This is, I mean, I guess it's the cost of gasoline, I imagine, but. But it was crazy. How do you make a plan to, to travel for a long. Because if you go, you're going to stay for a while. So you bring a ton of supplies. But is there any other thoughts you have around traveling, Any concerns that you have and ways that you figured out around them?

[Cynthia Robertson]

You know the good thing for me is like I know how pharmacy and doctors and everything works in Mexico. So it's not very scary. Like I know I will be able to figure like, okay, I forgot my insulin. I don't have insulin anymore. I would just walk to the closest pharmacy and get the insulin.

[Scott]

So you don't need a prescription, you can walk in and just get it?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. Oh, well, at least that was five years ago when I was still living there.

[Scott]

Gotcha.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So yeah, I don't think that have changed. And if that's the case, like I say, my uncle is a doctor and he pretty knows like that I am diabetic. So he will make a prescription for me for sure. I wouldn't have a problem about it.

[Scott]

Yeah, I was going to say do you have still have family there? How about brothers and sisters? Do you have brothers, sisters?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, I have one sister, she's three years older than me and I have a brother, he's six years older than

[Scott]

me back when you were diagnosed. So they were they still in the house at that point or were they not living at home?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, my sister was there. She was actually. She was very scared because she say that when they took me to the hospital and then they sent me back home before I peed my pants, I was sleeping and we used to have kind of like not like the bunker bed, but the one that you pull out of the. It was like a twin bed and

[Scott]

you pull out one and there's one underneath of it. There's a name for that. That it's escaping me at the moment.

[Cynthia Robertson]

But, yeah, I don't remember the name. So I used to be on that one that. The one that you pull out. And she was higher so she could see me. And she said that my eyes were. Were rolled back. Like my eyes were completely white. Like she could not see my pupils. And she was super scared because it was hard for me to breathe because of the. My heart rate. So I was like. And she said that for a moment I stopped breathing.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Just went quiet. And she was like, cynthia, Cynthia. She starts shaking me. She was like, are you okay? And when I woke up. Woke up that I didn't. Woke up. She said that my eyes were, you know, black. Not black, white. Like, rolled it back.

[Scott]

Oh. Oh, yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And I look at her and I say, yeah, I'm fine. And she freaked it out.

[Scott]

I was imagine. Yeah, she freaked out. She's like, great, this one's possessed. We gotta go.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, exactly.

[Scott]

By the way, Trundle Bed Inc. I can't believe this. Such a simple word escaped me. But since my kids both had one, it made me feel silly a second ago when I couldn't think of Trundle. So she thought you were possessed, obviously. Then you went to the doctor and. And they found out just diabetes. Although possessed by diabetes, really, if you think about it, it's in there now. You're not getting there. Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

I mean, I guess we could pray over you, but I don't think that's gonna work. So I think it's. I think it's gonna stay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Let me tell you. Let me tell you. Oh, this is part of the story. When I. So when I was in the hospital for three days when diagnosed, the last day I was in a room, I was not in the icu, is the name, right? Intensive Care Unit. So I was out of the intensive care and they sent me to a room. So I was by myself. My mom was not there. I think she went home to get clothes and change and whatever. And so someone knock on the door and she was like, can I come in? And I was like, yeah, but I didn't know this lady. So she entered the room and she asked me, but she couldn't, like really speak. She was like holding her mouth, like. Like trying to hold her cheek. And she said, are you senior? And I started freaking out, you know, like, what the heck? And I say, yeah, that's me. Who are you? And she say, I am the ER nurse. And when you got here two days ago, I really wanted you to make it, and I was praying for you.

[Scott]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. That's scary when you realize that somebody saw you and really thought that this girl's not gonna live.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And she told me that she had her wisdom tooth surgery that morning, and that's why she had, you know, like, pto and. And she. She did it at the same hospital, so she went to. To make sure that I was there.

[Scott]

Oh, that's nice.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So she found my room, she asked for my room, she went to my room and she told me that she was praying for me. And I really appreciate that.

[Scott]

Well, that's lovely. I guess you never know what's going on around you. Really? That's nice. Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I regret I didn't ask her name. I don't know.

[Scott]

Well, I think maybe you were a bit out of it. Sounds like you might have been a bit out of it still, so.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, yeah, no, for sure. Yeah. Everything was so weird, actually, when I got out of, you know, the hospital and, you know, I started doing better, and then they added the humalog this, bro. I remember that I was not feeling very well, and my hands start shaking, and I didn't know what was that? I don't know. Like, I couldn't relate the symptom to something like, associated.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And so I checked my blood sugar, and I was 104. 104. And I was like, okay, that's how it feels when you are having a low. I have not been in the hundreds for so long that now being in 104,

[Scott]

sure.

[Cynthia Robertson]

It's like, if I'm having, like, low blood sugar symptoms.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right.

[Scott]

Yeah. Does that. That doesn't still happen anymore, though, right?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, no, not at all. No.

[Scott]

Very nice.

[Cynthia Robertson]

No. But yeah.

[Scott]

Did you. I'm sorry, I. For the first time, looked at your notes. You had some surgeries. Why did you want to talk about those?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, yeah, well, surgeries I had, my wisdom took actually a couple months after I was diagnosed. They have to do one side first and then the other one because they did one side. And then I was like, 120. And so the dentist was like, you know what? I prefer you to come back so you don't be on a risk of a low because you cannot eat, obviously. So I was like, yeah, that's fine. And then they scheduled the other side of my wisdom, too.

[Scott]

I see.

[Cynthia Robertson]

In another day. That was one. Then I had a C section when I had my voice. I recovered very fast. No problems about the surgery. Then I had my appendix, also no problems. I was still using. Not using any technology at that time. Recently, I just did a hysterectomy, and the only thing I had to do was to put the activity mode on my omnipot.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And pretty much that was it. It worked perfect. I had not problems with low or high blood sugar during the surgery.

[Scott]

Very nice.

[Cynthia Robertson]

It was easy peasy.

[Scott]

How about the. I meant to ask you earlier, and I got away from me, but pregnancy with the twins, like, so is that a natural or did you use ivf? And what was the pregnancy like with diabetes?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, no, it was natural. So my dad's mom, she had multiple pregnancies that were multiple. He was the only child of. I don't know if 16 siblings or 16 pregnancies. I obviously, I didn't know. That runs in my family because my dad doesn't have siblings and my mom doesn't have twins. Siblings in the family. Siblings.

[Scott]

So.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So I was like, yeah, I don't know what it is. And yeah, nobody was natural.

[Scott]

Yeah. Did you not get pregnant a second time because you thought, I don't want four kids?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, I did not. And then I saw a couple of problems like fibroids and stuff, and that's the reason why I did the hysterectomy. But.

[Scott]

Oh, yeah, my wife's going through that right now.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, it's not fun.

[Scott]

No. Happy that you did the hysterectomy.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I am super happy. Best decision ever. I was having mild anemia before because of those fibroids and. And all, you know, the heavy, heavy bleeding.

[Scott]

Yeah. How about during the period? Was it painful, too? Did you have pain?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Just a little bit. You know, the first couple of days, but not too bad.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

It was. This was a laparoscopic, robotic, assisted.

[Scott]

So how long did you do this?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Not. Not very invasive. That was in January this year. Oh, so just a couple months ago.

[Scott]

Well, let me just ask questions that are just for my wife but not for anybody else. How was the recovery? Because they. They make it sound like the recovery is pretty long.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. So they usually give you six weeks. That's kind of like the.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Like the regular. I start feeling better after the second week. Like, start feeling myself. Like, okay, I. I'm. I'm cine again. Obviously. The first week was horrible. Not horrible, like bad bad. But you cannot do anything.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Sleep.

[Scott]

Some pain medication and sleeping. Right.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Exactly.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So, yeah, after the second week Like I say, you start feeling yourself again. And then I went back to work, which I actually, I work remotely right now. I do go to work, like to the office a couple of times during the month. But like I say, it's just an office work, you know, like.

[Scott]

Yeah, yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Sitting all the time. So the first days, I was actually using one of those seeds for people with hemorrhoids. I don't know what they have.

[Scott]

The. The donut. You use the donut?

[Cynthia Robertson]

The donut, yes, yes, I use it like two days. And I was like, okay, I'm fine. Kind of like I push myself to get used to, you know, be sitting for longer hours. Because at the beginning they felt. I felt like I cannot be sitting, you know, like not even an hour. So I was taking breaks. Yeah, breaks. And yeah, everything work out. I. If you ask me, do I recommend if you having serious problems with waited. Yeah, do it.

[Scott]

It was worth it.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I can tell you it was worth it. Yeah.

[Scott]

Well, that's good to know. Thank you. But going back to your pregnancy, though, like, were there adjustments made for your diabetes? Did your care change? I mean, I'm trying to do the math. Were you using MPH still during your pregnancy?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes, yeah, Yeah, I was using NPH and Lispro. And yeah, there were changes. I had to increase my nph and I did not increase, I think, the Lispro. I think it was only the nph. Like, longer, like higher doses of mph. I actually, they had to use estrogens by the end of my pregnancy to develop the lungs of my babies. And I can tell you that it did not affect my blood sugar, which is weird because I know that some estrogen. That's the name, right? That's how they call it.

[Scott]

Steroids.

[Cynthia Robertson]

You have to use steroids. Yeah.

[Scott]

Yep. And what was. What were the problems? The babies had no problems. No problems, no problem.

[Cynthia Robertson]

They tried to use that before the end of the pregnancy because they don't. They didn't know if they. If they could be in Spanish is macrosomico, which means that they will be big babies.

[Scott]

Did you have. What was your A1C like through the pregnancy? Do you know?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, I hit the fours.

[Scott]

Oh, you were that. No, no kidding.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I was like 4.9. Yeah.

[Scott]

Oh, so big, big babies. Because they were worried about you because there's two in there, not because of your diabetes.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. So they were checking in every month or every like three weeks. They run the A1Cs every three weeks just to make sure that I was doing fine. But the thing is that if you are running high, like, with high blood glucose during your pregnancy is when you have the risk of having a big baby, like heavy baby. Because I don't know and don't trust me about this. There's some doctors here that could say how it really works, but. So it's like the baby is trying to send insulin for your high blood sugar.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

So I don't know how that can affect the baby and make it big,

[Scott]

but that was one of the concerns.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Okay, that was one of the concerns, which thankfully that didn't happen. I had very good A1Cs during the pregnancy.

[Scott]

Did your insulin needs change very quickly after you delivered?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I don't remember.

[Scott]

You're like, that's a while ago.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I don't remember. Yeah, I don't remember. But I do remember I had to adjust, but I don't remember how fast it happened, like if it was right away or. Or not.

[Scott]

So your memory of this is really just you kind of followed along with what the doctor said and. And things worked out well?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. Yeah.

[Scott]

All right. That's nice. Are you still. Are you a Cornhuskers fan? Do you still go to games or was that a one time thing?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, we are going to all the. To every time we can. We go and we watch them. Yes. Nice farmhousker family, I would imagine.

[Scott]

And your kids, your kids play sports or anything like that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

They do. They do wrestling, football, and soccer.

[Scott]

Oh, my gosh. So you're always somewhere on a court or in a. On a field or something, huh?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Which do they like tell you? Resin. Resin is the one that can affect my blood glucose the most.

[Scott]

Why? Because. Do you get upset or excited?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, no, I, I get excited. I get like, you know, every time they get in the mat, he's like, oh, my gosh, I don't know what's gonna happen here. You just don't want to see.

[Scott]

But I have to see you get nervous for them.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Do you. Oh, that's nice. That's very nice. That. Which one do you think they like the best of the sports?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Football.

[Scott]

Football. You don't. Do you mind them banging into other kids? Are you okay with that?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, no, I'm okay. They've been doing that since long ago. Since they were born.

[Scott]

Yeah. Oh, I was gonna say. Right. They're. They. They're probably. Probably so interesting to raise twins. My neighbor had two sets of twins and.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, my gosh.

[Scott]

Yeah. One was. One set was boy and a girl. The other set was two girls.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Okay.

[Scott]

Yeah. It's a Lot. Because they all. They all come due for college at the same time, you know?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Right. Yeah, that's. That's the next. The next journey here in a couple of years.

[Scott]

Yeah. Do you think they'll go?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, yeah, we're planning on it.

[Scott]

Very nice. That's nice. Well, is there anything that I haven't asked you that I should have or anything that got missed?

[Cynthia Robertson]

I think we cover everything. Yeah.

[Scott]

Yeah. You feel good about this? Were you happy with how it went? Yes.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, I'm happy. I'm happy. Oh, I'm glad, really. I wish I could say more about, you know, the teenage years that, like I say, if there's a new. A new kiddo diagnosed, you know, when you're a teenager, you're gonna get there.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I wish I didn't worry it as much as I did at that time, you know?

[Scott]

You were very worried as a child. Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. I used to cry of my. When I. When I went to my nieces and nephews in Mexico, pinata parties. I used to be like, am I gonna have kids? You know, And. And I was so worried about it,

[Scott]

but all worked out okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I was not, you know.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Take care of yourself. Right. Keep up with trends, do a good job, and go live your life. Right.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Exactly.

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Robertson]

And they have it easier now with all the technologies, so.

[Scott]

Well, and that's you talking from experience. You. You find it just easier to exist this way than it was previous.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes.

[Scott]

Yeah. Do you imagine there's even, like, a side of, like, you know, a cure? Do you imagine that there's easier than this to be had? Or is it hard for you to imagine anything being as good as what we have now?

[Cynthia Robertson]

You repeat that, Scott, do you think

[Scott]

that technology will get better again, or do you think that it's about as good as it's going to be for diabetes care?

[Cynthia Robertson]

Oh, no, I definitely think they will keep improving. Yeah. Every time they come up with something better, you know, so.

[Scott]

Yeah, it's happening faster.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah. I mean, the idea will be like, hey, we don't need the technology anymore, you know, because there's a cure.

[Scott]

Yeah. But until then.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yes. Yeah. And it is great that old improvements, you know, being able to watch. To use a watch to look at your blood. Blood glucose is even.

[Scott]

That's amazing. Yeah. No, I agree with you. Okay. Well, I appreciate you doing this movie.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Did you watch that movie where this little girl has a watch and she could see her. Her blood glucose on it?

[Scott]

No.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Remember that movie?

[Scott]

No. Is it recent?

[Cynthia Robertson]

No, it's a Very old movie. I don't even remember who's in it. And like, in the name of it. I just remember that they kind of like, they bought a house and he had an elevator and there were two people who was trying to get into the house. And at the end, I do remember

[Scott]

very well, she grabbed Panic Room with Jodie Foster.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And she grabbed a bunch of needles and start, like, put it on the. This person trying to, you know, like, kill him or something.

[Scott]

Yeah. How did I remember that?

That was awesome of me.

From your, Just by the way, from your description, no one should have been able to get that. I'm very proud of myself right now. Your description was like, you know, she had a watch with her blood sugar on it and they. People were trying to get in the house and I'm like, oh, Panic Room with Jodie Foster. You know, I think the, the, the girl in that movie is the. Is the. The vampire girl. Hold on a second. Panic Room actress. It's gonna tell me. Jody. Kristen Stewart. I knew it. Look at me. I win again. Yeah, Kristen Stewart was the little girl in that movie.

[Cynthia Robertson]

I never associate her with that movie. Yeah, I didn't know it was her.

[Scott]

2002. That's a long time ago. Wow. We're old. Jesus.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott]

I'm seeing a. I'm 54, but I'm looking at a recent photo of Jody Foster here in one of her in 2002. And I thought, oh, my life's almost over. That's what I thought. That's what I thought when I saw that. I remember her being a little girl in movies. This is a problem. Anyway, all right, I'm gonna let you go. And I do really appreciate you doing this with me. Thank you. Can you hold on for just a second, though? Don't, don't, don't hang up. Okay.

[Cynthia Robertson]

Yeah.

[Scott]

Okay. Foreign.

Diabetes Care, the Eversense 365 and touched by Type 1, who you can learn more about on Facebook, instagram [e-mail] head now to tandem diabetes.com juicebox and check out today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. I think you're going to find exactly what you're looking for that link. Link including a way to sign up and get started with the tandem mobi system. I'd like to thank the Eversense 365 for sponsoring this episode of the Juice Box podcast and remind you if you want the only sensor that gets inserted once a year and not every 14 days, you want the Eversense CGM Eversensecgm.com Juicebox 1 Year 1 CGM thank you so much for listening.

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