SPEAKER_01 0:00

I was diagnosed, I want to say nine years ago. And the only reason I found out about it was I thought I was having a heart attack. When I first started, I was a 10. Let's say eight years ago when I was when they switched me over to a T T D one. I was a 10 and now my last one, it was a 5.8. I've been an outdoors person. I love being outdoors, and people are telling me, well, you shouldn't do that. You're a diabetic. I'm like, why not?

SPEAKER_00 0:26

But I think even within type one, a lot of type ones don't understand how many nuances there are to blood sugar management. It's like the activity, the insulin, the food, the stress, the sleep, all this stuff. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

We're all in it together to help each other. And I really appreciate that. I just I couldn't have gotten where I am today, but right now doing what I'm doing without that community. And just being in my time's in range and being able to control my diabetes as opposed to it controlling me. I just feel like a new person because I now know that I can manage it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Keep going and keep up the fight. Well, excited to have you here, Dana, and talking about type 1 diabetes and obviously your journey uh getting things in line with control. But for those who don't know you, I'd love to kind of give them a little intro. Tell us a little bit about maybe how long you've had type one and are you on a pump or MDI, that sort of stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Okay. I I was diagnosed, I want to say nine years ago. And the only reason I found out about it was I thought I was having a heart attack. So they called an ambulance to take me to the ER. And when I got in the ambulance, the technician or the EMT was like, Are you a diabetic? I'm like, No, not that I know of. And he said, he took a three fingerprint pricks because he couldn't believe the numbers. They were off the charts. When I got to the hospital, it was like seven something, seven hundred and something. And they said, How are you still talking? You should be unconscious. I said, Well, I don't know. I didn't even know I had it. How how would I not? You know, anyway, that's how how the whole story started. And um then, you know, they first of first time they told me I was a type two, so I said, Okay, fine, you know, we'll deal with it. And then as it progressed, my numbers seemed to be more towards a type one. It's obviously doesn't run in my family, nobody has it on either side of my either side. So I would, you know, I was frustrated trying to find out what was going on. So I live in Jackson, Tennessee. I've been married for 47 years, have two children, grown, of course, gone, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Wow. So the type two diagnosis at first, I mean, did were you the one that kind of picked up on things not feeling right, or was it a medicine?

SPEAKER_01 2:58

No, it was actually my endocrinologist. And it's the same one that I still work with today, and she's the one that caught it. She said, These numbers don't add up for a type two. You you something else is going on, and so that's when they tested some more and and moved me to type one.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

So wow, I'm glad they caught that. Some people go without it getting caught for years and years.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

I know.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Goodness. Okay, and are you on a pump or MDI right now?

SPEAKER_01 3:25

I'm on a pump. I'm on the XCOM G7 10 day and the Omnipod 5.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

I wasn't, I used to be on the the tandem. I started on the tandem, but my endocrinologist is like, well, would you like, you know, would you like to do it be untethered? And I said, Absolutely. I won't go back to anything that's I'm tethered to.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

You know, I can appreciate that. I know. I tried omnipod uh or tried to get on it when I was first getting on a pump, and they're like, your insurance doesn't cover it, so it wasn't even an option.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

So no, that's not good.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

I know it's a bummer, but you know what? I ended up liking tandem. It's fine. I've gone back to shots a few times too. So whatever you gotta do. But yeah, so nine years. Um, I mean, I'm curious, what were you you're struggling with mainly before you were working with us? What was the the hardest part?

SPEAKER_01 4:22

The hardest part was knowing and just knowing what was going on. Oh, there were no it's hard to go to a doctor's office and ask questions if you don't know what to ask. And so, and I came across your face on Facebook. I came across your you talking about your book, and I said, Well, I'm just gonna buy it, listen to it. I listened to it online, and I was like, Oh my god, there's so much stuff out here that I don't even know, and why has no one ever even mentioned it? And that's how I got started, you know, just curiosity more than anything else. I just wanted to know what else I could do to be better, be better in life, and have not have the stigma over me that I'm a diabetic and you know, I shouldn't be eating this or doing that, or you know, whatever. I just I don't like that. I I've never been like that. I've been an outdoors person, I love being outdoors, and you know, people are telling me, Well, you shouldn't do that, you're a diabetic. I'm like, why not? I'm what's the difference here?

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Anyway, right, not letting it hold you back. I totally appreciate that. And you're right, I know that gap of like, why are blood sugars this way? And my endow told me, Oh, that's just how diabetes is sometimes. I was like, What? There's no way.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

So yeah, it's a curiosity, what uh led you to finding us. But I mean, honestly, I think is also kind of a superpower within diabetes, just being curious about why blood sugars are doing what they're doing, which enables you to learn about it, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Having that attitude uh versus just giving up and being frustrated, which I think a lot of us have been there too things like you know, doing things like I was doing it, you know. I just felt like I there was more to it than nobody was giving me any answers.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Right. Well, and when you were were dealing with that, so not knowing and just kind of having a bunch of question marks, what did that feel like for you? How did it show up?

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Um, I was depressed, you know. I just didn't, I just uh you know, because my everybody kept telling me, well, you got diabetes because you don't exercise or you eat too much sugar, you do this or that and the other. I'm like, it's an autoimmune disease. It can't that that can't cause that.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

How dare they, first of all.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Right, I know, but you know, that's that's what it's out there. I'm realizing that now, you know, that that that's how people think. They don't they have no no clue what they just think diabetes is diabetes, and type one and type two has nothing to do with it, you know, they don't realize that it's two different things, two different true.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

I mean, even medical professionals in some cases don't understand the nuances, right? They're like, this one needs insulin, this one sometimes needs insulin, and that's it. It's like, no, there's so much more. But I think even within type one, a lot of type ones don't understand how many nuances there are to blood sugar management, you know. It's like oh I know the activity, the insulin, the food, the stress, the sleep, all this stuff. It's crazy. Um so you mentioned you found us on Facebook and through the book. Yeah, I love that. Um what concerns did you have just kind of before jumping into the program?

SPEAKER_01 7:49

I don't know if they were concerns. I think it was more learning more about it, about the disease itself. Um I don't know. I don't know. Uh that that curiosity more than anything else, just knowing and you know, trying to find out what else I could do so that I could get back to what I like to do.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Absolutely. Well, I know for for some people they might have concerns of like some guy on the internet, you know, is it real? Um, or maybe it's something they don't know if they have time for or if it's gonna work for them. Did did any of those things pop up for you?

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Oh, yeah, some did. I mean, and and of course the price had had me thinking a lot when I was when I was trying to decide what to do. But um I felt that that I was in the at that point in my life, I was like, okay, I need to do something. And so I had to jump in all all, either I jump in all in all in or I don't do it. One of the two. And that's how uh that's how I've always been, you know, either I do it right or don't do it at all.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Oh, I love that. Yeah, it's so true. Don't just dip your toes in, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Right, yeah, because I don't get anywhere doing that, you know. I don't, I won't, I can't keep myself accountable by doing that, and so I just jumped in, and I'm so happy I did, because I've learned so much, you know, and the community has been awesome. You know, you get on there and vent and talk to them and laugh and cry and do whatever you want, and someone has an answer.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Well, and tell us a little bit about that, because obviously people watching this video don't know what it's like behind closed doors, they don't know about our community, right? So, what makes the community stand apart? What makes it special?

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Um, I would say that everybody is just so honest about their journey, about the what they've been through, and willing to uh let everybody else know, you know, or give suggestions, say this is what I've done, and this is what I, you know, I I can do. And I don't know. That's that that's what struck me the most about it is that you know, you take Michelle, she's been a diabetic since she was one, and then you have another lady that's been diabetic for 50 years, and you have somebody else that's been a diabetic for you know two months, and you know, we're all in it, we're all in it together to help each other. And I I really appreciate that. I mean, I just I couldn't have gotten where I am today, but right now doing what I'm doing without that community, you guys, everybody, even the coaches. I'm not saying just the you know, just the people that are in there, so absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

No, I totally agree. I mean, as much as I'd like to think like the coaches are the only good part, no, it's the community, you know, right for us as well, because all the coaches have type one, so we love connecting with the type ones in the community, right?

SPEAKER_03 11:09

Right.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. Um well, and I'm curious too, what made you take a chance uh on jumping into this thing? You know, some guy on the internet with a book talking about type one diabetes.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

I don't know. I just I you know, like I read the book. I don't know, did they call me? Somebody called me. I guess somebody called me after I wrote the I read the book and asked me if I'd be interested in in any kind of personal program. And I said, yes. I said, I think that would be right up my alley because that makes me accountable for what I'm doing. Not not just, you know, I'm not to spend, you know, some of some of it's really pricey, whatever. I thought it was pricey at the beginning. Now I don't say that. I think it was well worth it every dime that I put into it. So I just, you know.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Which part which part specifically was worth it to you? Like what are you most excited about as an outcome?

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Just being in my times in range and being able to control my diabetes as opposed to it telling me it controlling me. I was not able to do that before because I never knew, never even knew you could do that. You couldn't, you know, change your numbers, change your basal rates, change, you know. That was something I would have never done had I not read your book. Never. I would have never touched any of that. I'd have gone to my endow and I said, here you do it, tell me what I need to do, and off I go 15 minutes later, you know, because that's what it is. You know, but now I know that I can I you know I can do a test and see if it's right. And never knew that was possible.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yeah. Okay, so the the empowerment to do your own stuff, but also the agency kind of to know I can do this and I know how to do it. Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

And and the biggest thing I think is like I don't panic anymore. When I see my numbers go up, I go, Oh, well, I didn't pre-bolish for that, or I ate an apple, maybe I should have pre-bolused for that. But because I was low, I was like, Well, I don't need a pre-bolus because then I have instead of taking a tab, I'll eat an apple. But so anyway, stuff like that, kind of funny. But most of the time, I mean, before my blood sugars were up in the 400s, and there was times that I just I didn't know what to do. I didn't except let the automated mode do its job, basically. And that's what it was on, that's how I was set up. Yeah, and now I now I know I can get up and I can go do some exercises, or I can go do some squats, or I can walk on the treadmill, or I can, you know, do something to prevent it from going that high and to bring it down quickly.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Absolutely. I think that's one of the things that we hear most often is the understanding of diabetes, of like now I know why that happened. So A, it reduces frustration, at least for me.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yeah, it's not great. Frustration and and scary. I mean, it can be scary, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Very true. Yeah, if you know what's gonna happen or or very well how to avoid the scary parts, right? Um, but I think to some degree we just like understanding the reasons, you know, to to think that there is some organization behind the chaos.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

But uh, I mean, and I just I you know, nothing against my endocrinologist. I love her and I think she's doing you know, doing me good, but I I don't know if it's because she's governed by somebody that tells her she can only say this or she can only say that. I went to um I went to family practitioner because my endocrinologist is moving out of that practice and into a new practice, so we've kind of had you know our wires crossed, but anyway, and the family practitioner just told me, Well, why are you changing your basal rates? Who told you you could change your basil rates? I'm like, read this book, you can find out how to do it, and I'm gonna continue doing it. And she looked at me puzzled, like, well, then why are you seeing me? That's what I that's the impression I got. And I told my husband, I said, I'm never going back to a family practitioner. Sorry, they lost my business here anyway. Yeah, because she's just uh it's like she doesn't think outside the box. It's like, well, omnipod says this, and that's what you're supposed to do. Well, no, omnipod is not a medical person, it's not a you know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

I think that is the challenge with the medical system, is just that if they don't live with it, they don't understand that the template doesn't apply to all, right? Like it's not a click and cutter disease.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Yeah, that's I guess that's what yeah, she was getting at.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah, because in their book it's like A equals B, and they're like, okay, cool, A equals B. And then you're like, what about C? She's like, C doesn't exist. What are you talking about? So it's yeah, it's challenging because they want to help, but they they don't have the full picture oftentimes, right?

unknown 16:28

Right.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Um or the resources or time to do so, like you said, 15 minutes, it's tough to to cover all that you need in 15 minutes. I can acknowledge that. Um, but for you, tell me about the moment you realized this program was working for you.

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Um I guess after I started uh doing the lessons and you know, watching the videos and losing weight, I've lost 15 pounds since I've been on this program.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

So I'm oh man, congrats.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

So it's working. I don't know. I don't I can I don't know. I can't put one piece together and say this is the reason why. And everything goes together. You know, counting carbs, doing pre-boluses, which I didn't know about either. I was never told to pre-bolus, I was just told to eat low carbs, you know, and go low, eat fresh, whatever. Nothing like that.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

No, pre-bolus. Oh man, they're missing out on some big ones.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

Right. I know. So, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Oh my goodness. Well, obviously, that's one of the things that I'm sure it's did a number for your time and range, but I'm curious too, where were things before working with us and where are they now in terms of like metrics? A1c, time and range, all that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Okay, when I first started, I was a 10. That was nine, nine years. Well, say let's say eight years ago when I was when they switched me over to a T T D1. Um, I was a 10, and now my last one, it was a 5.8.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

Wow, congrats. That's true.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

I'm sorry, 6.4, 6.4.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Oh, still.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

But still, yeah, it's in you know, down below the range. So um what else? What else did you ask me?

SPEAKER_00 18:26

What about time and range? Where was that one before?

SPEAKER_01 18:28

And I have no idea. I never even knew that existed.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

Oh, fair. Okay, yeah. So I didn't want to talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Couldn't tell you what it was.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Well, let's talk about where it's at now then. Where was it? Uh and I know we talked about two weeks ago versus now.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

They've gone up. Uh they're I'm gonna say 83 percentile.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

83 percentile right now.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

And I'm just because I'm struggling, I'm having a hard time. So I mean, I start off real good, and then all of a sudden it shoots up to 218. I'm like, what? You know, so so it messes up my numbers, and then just yeah, I'm just frustrated because when it does that, it's been doing that for the past week now, two weeks.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

So and what I love about what we got to discuss briefly before this is that 83% time and range is considered rough for you. We're like, oh man, that's not so good. And a lot of people watching this would dream about having 83%. I know, I know, but that's it's amazing. Yeah, because you've reached, I think you were telling me 90 percentages is like your norm as of a few weeks ago, and then got back from vacation, things kind of flipped a little bit. But yeah, the fact that your floor is 83, like oops, I fell 83. I love that. That's so amazing. So, you know, just an amazing shift in standards, I think. So a lot of times endo offices, doctor offices, they'll tell you 70%'s the ceiling. Oh, as long as you can get to 70%. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Yeah, I didn't know that either.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

Yeah, and a lot of our clients go to the doctor's office and they're like, What the heck are you doing? You're at 95%.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Yeah, it's just a difference in standards that we hold ourselves to. So love that you're the kind of person that raised your standards and and obviously wants the best for yourself. Um so with blood sugars cooperating a lot better now, what is it like now that your problems are getting solved and like blood sugars are making sense? What does that feel like?

SPEAKER_01 20:34

Awesome, fantastic. I just feel like a new person because I kind of know where, you know, because I can I now know that I can manage it. You know, if I get into a situation, if it goes low, I know what to do. I know that I don't have to panic. Wait, you know, we'll work it out, it works itself out. If it goes high, I don't panic either, which I used to do before. I was like, oh my god, it's going up high. What do I do? You know, so wow.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

So peace of mind and confidence in that that's huge. So happy for you. I'm curious. You mentioned uh you've been married for quite a while. Does your husband see a difference?

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Yes, he does. He's he's he's excited that that I want to learn more, you know, about it so that I can share it with him, you know. Because he knows nothing about it or didn't know anything about it. He's learning with me as well. So but yeah, we're a team, we work together. After because if my blood sugar goes down, I like, you know, he goes, Are you all right? I go, No, I gotta go get something to drink, something that you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

So absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

I said, yeah, I'm all right. All right. I just have to go to the bathroom, you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

That's amazing. Yeah, you gotta have a good support system as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:08

Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

For those moments where you need them.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Beautiful. Well, and uh, I'm curious what you might tell someone who is on the fence. Maybe they're in the position where they're like thinking about the program, or even maybe before they reach out. What would you tell that person?

SPEAKER_01 22:25

I would tell them to read your book first. Either do it in on audio if they're a driver or whatever, they can do it audio like I did. I'm now rereading it just because I want to take more notes. But um I would say they to start there. That gives them a kind of a step in the door as to what you you profess or you're trying to get it out there. Um and then just talk to talk to us, ask more questions, you know. I I did we did notice on the members community that there were people that were thinking about doing it but couldn't afford it, didn't know what route to go. And I think that's that's valid, you know. Everybody's got different situations, but I definitely say they should start with a book, if at all possible.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

Yeah, absolutely agree. It lays a great foundation. And yeah, for some people it's a good foot in the door, like you were saying, just to kind of see what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 23:33

Right, I mean yeah, kind of gives you a big picture, and then you then in within that picture you can make your decision as to how far you want to go into the program.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

Absolutely. Yeah, I know we've seen thousands of type ones hit 90% just from the book, you know, and putting those things into practice. So it's very true. That's a great piece of advice. And looking back on maybe things that you've learned or epiphanies you've had, what's a golden nugget that you'd like somebody watching this right now to take home with them?

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Golden nugget. I guess be patient and trust. Trust, trust in yourself of what you've learned, trust it.

SPEAKER_00 24:19

So love that. Yeah, patience is huge. A lot of people ask, make it gonna be fixed tomorrow. No, it's gonna take some time.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

No, as every you know, anybody's a testament to that. You know, our numbers go up and down and around, you just have to be patient. It'll it'll work itself out, but you can't panic.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Absolutely. Oh man. Well, I'm really excited about sharing your story today, and it's something I wanted to point out too for anybody watching, but also say it to you, Dana, is that you know, we can provide information, but you're the one that took these things and put them into practice. You implemented the pre-bolus, you started reading the book, you did things on your own, and I wanted to acknowledge that. So, kudos to you for putting the work in to get the results. You deserve it.

SPEAKER_01 25:06

100%, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Absolutely. Um any other thoughts that you wanted to share? Anything else that we missed for today?

SPEAKER_01 25:14

I don't think so. I think we covered pretty much everything.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

I think so. Well, I'm really excited for you, uh, especially in seeing what's next. But uh, for everybody else, too, I'll add this in the description for you all, but I'll say it out loud as well. The book she mentioned, if you want to check it out, it's called the Blood Sugar Freedom Formula. You can find on Amazon, uh, TikTok shop. We'll put it in the description too. Uh, but we also have a free training on blood sugar formulas that kind of introduces this different concept that we teach. And you can find our free training at diabetesinaction.com. So uh thank you guys for watching. Dan, thank you so much for your time today. I'm absolutely excited we got a chance to chat and celebrate you. And I'm really excited about what we've got coming up next for you.

SPEAKER_03 25:58

Okay. Sounds good.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

All right, everybody else, thanks for watching. We'll see you in the next one.