How I Navigate Type 1 Diabetes as a Registered Dietitian

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Welcome to the Diabetes Digital Podcast.

I’m Wendy.

And I’m Jess, and we’re best friends, registered dietitians and diabetes educators.

Through our telehealth platform, Diabetes digital.co, we offer accessible and personalized virtual nutrition counseling for people with diabetes and pre diabetes.

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Visit diabetesdigital.co That’s Co to book your first appointment.

We accept insurance and offer affordable self pay options.

Now let’s get into today’s episode.

Welcome back to another episode of the Diabetes Digital Podcast.

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Today we’re trying something new and we’re focusing on one dietitian’s lived experience with type one diabetes.

So Jenny Fernandez is a passionate Latina dietitian dedicated to simplifying diabetes management.

Her journey in the field began at the age of 8 when she was diagnosed with type one diabetes.

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Jenny’s nutrition philosophy centers around intuitive eating principles and a weight neutral approach.

She believes that our health is about more than just what we eat.

It’s about seeing the whole picture and making changes that truly support your overall well-being.

Yes.

And we are so excited to talk to Jenny.

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She’s one of our diabetes digital dietitians, actually the first dietitian that we hired.

When we interviewed her, we were like, you’re literally hired on the spot.

We fell in love with her.

She’s incredible.

We love her approach.

And we wanted to talk to her about what her experience was like being diagnosed with type one diabetes as a child, how her family approached this because there’s so much to manage, especially with type one, because you have to be on insulin.

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And you know, for people who don’t have experience dealing with these things, it could be a lot, not just for the person being diagnosed, but for the caretakers.

So we spoke about family dynamics, also partner dynamics like how that affected her dating life and her current relationship, some of the most useful information that she received as a child being diagnosed with type one diabetes and how she uses this information now as a dietitian in her practice.

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We also spoke about burnout, like having to deal with all of the components related to diabetes, having take care of yourself, having to test your blood sugars, go to the doctor.

What are some strategies that she has found to be helpful with dealing with burnout?

And we end the episode by going over Jenny’s favorite resources for people that have diabetes.

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I learned about Diabetes Camp, which I didn’t even know it was a thing, and it sounds like just such a great resource.

Jenny has actually been a camp counselor in the past, so we speak a little bit about that and so much more.

So make sure that you tune in for the entire episode.

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Also, if you have not already, please head on over to iTunes or Spotify and give this diabetes digital podcast presented by Food Heaven some love.

Whether it is a review or giving us five stars, we really appreciate it.

It helps our podcast reach more people.

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And with that we’re going to jump into the episode.

Welcome to the podcast, Jenny.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

OK.

So first, can we start off with just learning a little bit more about you in terms of your age, where you’re based and how long you have been living with diabetes and then also what type of diabetes?

3:23
Yeah, so I am 29 and I’m originally from Tampa, FL but currently living in Austin, TX and I got diagnosed when I was 8 years old.

So I’ve had diabetes for about 21 years now I believe.

So yeah, it’s been a while.

3:40
And can you share what type of diabetes you have?

Yes, type one.

I was diagnosed with type 1.

Type one diabetes is not as common as type 2.

And, you know, even like getting a diagnosis can be really hard.

I’m sure, especially as a kid, you might not be sure what’s going on.

3:57
So tell us about how that happened.

Like, how were you diagnosed?

Were there symptoms that you were having?

Was your family concerned about anything in particular?

Yeah.

So some of the symptoms I started having was like frequent urination.

Like all the time I was always asking to go to the bathroom.

4:14
I was always tired.

And there was like one key, like, incident that happened.

We were at Disney World and as soon as I got there, all I wanted to do was sit down and not do anything.

And my parents are like, we’re at Disney.

Like, what is wrong?

Like, why are you so tired?

Like, we just got here.

4:30
We haven’t walked much, so I remember that.

I also remember having really, really bad headaches, like horrible, to the point where I would just like just start crying from how like painful they were.

And then after just like about a month, I want to say of having these symptoms, my mom like it was, I remember it was like at night.

4:48
And she’s like, we’re going to urgent care right now because none of these symptoms make sense.

Like I don’t understand why you’re feeling this way.

So we went to urgent care and at urgent care there, they took my glucose at that time and they said it was like above 300.

And they were like, OK, we think she has type one diabetes or maybe some type.

5:09
Yeah, just diabetes.

And she needs to follow up with an endocrinologist tomorrow and start seeing them to see if this really is type one diabetes.

So that is how that started.

But yeah, I do remember my parents being always really concerned and just worried about like what was happening and why I was feeling the way I was feeling.

5:29
Did you have any family history or anyone else you knew who had diabetes, especially type one, because sometimes that can have more of a genetic component?

Or was it just, like, completely out of the blue?

Yeah, as far as like both sides of my family, no one has ever had type one.

5:44
Now type 2, yes, but not type 1, which is something else that I remember being really surprising for us.

Like, how did this happen?

Did your parents know what type one diabetes was?

Because there’s a lot of adjustments that have to be made.

You know, I’m assuming they started you on insulin shortly after that, and it could be just a lot to juggle.

6:03
Like now you have to manage your kids, you know, medication regimen.

You have to be more aware of their food choices.

So how did they handle it?

Was it, like, stressful for them?

And how are you feeling as a child, too?

Yeah, definitely.

They had really no idea what everything that came with type one diabetes.

6:23
They knew what diabetes was, but they didn’t know like the whole, OK, I have to take insulin now.

I have to watch what I eat.

And at the time, it was like just a lot of change, right?

So I do remember them being, like, really worried and concerned.

You know, I was still in school.

6:38
I was really young.

So that that was another big factor.

Like, like, how was I going to take care of myself when I was not around them?

Right.

And then for myself, Yeah.

I think I just, I really did not understand what was going on.

I can just remember just, like, them telling me, like, OK, you’re going to have to start taking insulin now and giving yourself shots.

6:58
And I remember them showing me like an orange and saying, like, OK, practice injecting.

And you have to, you know, check your blood sugar now.

And this is how you prick your finger.

And I just was kind of going with the motions.

Like, as far as my memory goes, it was kind of like, OK, like, I have to do this now.

So let me just learn and go from there.

7:15
How prepared do you feel like you were?

Because even as a dietitian and diabetes educator, I still feel like there’s so much more to learn.

And I’m always wondering, how do patients, how do we expect them to understand the insulin and the types of insulin and the dosing and the frequency and how to inject?

7:34
Like, I just feel like that even us taking classes on this for years, it still feels like a lot.

So how did you and your family navigate all of these changes?

Yeah, I mean, like you said, I think still to this day I’m still learning.

But it was a lot like luckily at the beginning, you know, I got to work with my endocrinology team really closely.

7:57
So I was there for a couple days with them.

I saw an RDA registered dietitian too for a little bit.

So I feel like we had some type of support, but there was still so much learning and so much like confusion about why did my blood sugar go high after I ate something or why was I going low randomly in the middle of the night.

8:15
And I remember those type of like incidents were really stressful and very like just like my parents were always just concerned like am I going to go low on a day that I’m not by them or by somebody that knows that I have Type 1.

It was very challenging.

But I think and at the time even like when I think back to like we didn’t have as much technology, social media as we do now.

8:36
So I do remember like we went to the bookstore and we bought like a couple books and kind of try to like read that way, but it was still constantly, always just learning.

And what about with your friends?

Because you know, like, let’s say you’re going to someone’s house or you’re sleeping over.

8:52
It’s like it kind of changes everything.

Or even being in school and kids are so curious.

So they might be asking you questions like how did that affect any of like your friend relationships at all, especially in school?

I do remember trying to explain to people that I had diabetes and of course, again, such a young age.

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So they didn’t know what that was or if someone did, they would say, like, my grandparent has that.

And I do remember also just it being like, so at the beginning I started with insulin injections and then over time I had a pump.

9:26
Once I had the pump, obviously something physical on my body, you know, kids in school were like, is that a beeper?

Like, what is that like?

Why do you have that?

They had a lot of questions about it.

And then I do remember like when I went over to friends houses, a lot of time it was like close friends that already like knew and my mom would like talk to their parents about like me having diabetes.

9:46
But I do remember like, can you have that?

Can you eat that?

Like getting those questions a lot.

So that was also like part of it as well.

Yeah, We’re going to ask about the questions and like some rebuttals a little bit later because I’m sure there’s so many people who have diabetes, get a lot of unsolicited concern.

10:03
But one thing I’m also curious about is just the cultural landscape at that time.

So you were diagnosed.

You said it was about 20 years ago.

So like the early aughts, I guess they’re called what was happening in terms of diabetes in the media or socially, was it something that felt taboo, like a stigma?

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Did you feel that telling people or did it feel more neutral at that time?

The part of telling people is just more of I was really hesitant even as a kid because I didn’t want to go into explaining to them what it was every single time.

10:41
But then when I think about like my family, like I remember my parents being really open with my family and telling everybody like hey, she was diagnosed with type one and and explaining it to my family and it not being so like taboo or anything like that.

But what I do remember that is really funny now to think about is how much we changed our foods.

11:01
So my parents come from Panama, Honduras.

We eat a lot of tortillas and we eat rice.

And I remember completely cutting that out.

Like we just stopped eating that because we were told like, we should limit our carbs.

I do remember that was the probably the biggest cultural change.

11:17
I’m curious about, like, how this has been for you with dating or being in relationships.

You know, because when you have an intimate partner, like, that’s a whole nother component to things.

And especially if you know you’re sharing the same space together, you’re cooking together.

11:34
So how has that been, I think?

When I was younger, I would really hide my pump for a while and not really bring it up until like somebody mentioned it or was like, hey, what’s that?

You know, even like in relationships.

And then once they like were like, oh, what is that?

11:51
Then I would explain and it’d be a whole conversation if I think about like my current partner.

Now like I think from the beginning I was just like I have diabetes and he already understood, you know, we were much older.

So he kind of knew what that was.

But still it’s still like having to explain like if I have a low blood sugar I this is how I might react.

12:11
If I have a high blood sugar, I might be cranky, you know.

So having to also deal with those things and him being aware like, OK, maybe something’s not OK or something’s going on, that’s been probably one of the most learning curve within a relationship.

Yeah, I’m.

12:27
Curious, as somebody who has diabetes, what advice would you give for other people to best support somebody with diabetes, whether they’re newly diagnosed or you’re meeting them for the first time?

Maybe like some advice for people who are newly diagnosed, how they can support and then like when you’re meeting someone with diabetes, like what to do, what not to do?

12:49
When you’re meeting with someone with diabetes, it’s really important not to judge them for what their blood sugars may look like for the food that they’re in taking.

Just not judge any of their choices.

Even if you think that might not be the best choice for them.

I think that’s really, really important.

13:05
And then for loved ones, it’s definitely, I think, something important that they should ask the person how they can best support them.

You know, I know maybe might come in the best intentions to tell somebody, like, hey, you should try this food or you should try this workout and they’re just looking out for the person’s health, but they should really first ask like, hey, is there anything I can do as a family member to help you?

13:31
Or what do you think you need from me to help you better manage your diabetes, or just feel your best, or even take your mind off of it, ’cause it’s something we’re thinking about 24/7, so.

As a dietician, looking back at all of the nutrition advice that you got, was there something really right that like, resonated for you out of all of those recommendations that, like in retrospect, you would currently recommend to someone who’s been diagnosed with diabetes?

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And was there something that you’re like completely repelled by where you’re like, why would a dietician have told me this?

I think dietitians that have been non judgmental about the food that I choose to eat have been the best.

14:17
And I’ve had those and you know, I had the ones that are like, you know, you can eat out, you can do this like it doesn’t feel so limited, right?

Or doesn’t feel like I can be just like everybody else.

Because as a kid it it felt that way a lot of times.

So you know, when I first got diagnosed, I was told like, essentially don’t eat any carbs, especially like, high starchy carbs.

14:39
So for a while, like, that was my thought.

Like, I was eating really, really low carb until, like way until, like high school.

And then that’s when I was kind of told, like, no, you can enjoy all these foods.

Like, let’s just talk about how you can best enjoy them to manage your blood sugar.

So yeah, that’s great.

14:56
One question that comes up a lot or one concept that comes up a lot is the idea of burnout, and especially for people with Type 1 who’ve been diagnosed when they were kids.

As you said, you’re thinking about this 24/7.

It seems like it’s always on your mind.

There’s always comments.

15:13
I know now there’s more technology, right, that makes it easier, but I’m just curious, like, have you ever experienced burnout from having diabetes?

And if so, like what are some tips or things that you can offer other people who may be in a similar space to help them get through it?

From the age of 10 till about two years ago, I was on a pump.

15:33
I was kind of just tired of always being on a pump.

You know, sometimes technology malfunctions, sensors fall off, things like that.

And it was just really frustrating.

So something I decided to do was talk to my doctor about that.

And they were like, do you want to take a pump break and get on like the pen for a little bit and try that out and see how you feel?

15:52
And so I did that and now I feel like, OK, I’m in a better place.

I can try a pump again.

So like my advice is like if you’re feeling that burnout with technology or even like you know you don’t have to stay with the same type of therapy forever.

16:08
You can talk to your doctor about trying a different pump, a different sensor, you can even get off the pump and try pens and multi daily injections.

Like there’s so many options of what therapy can look like for you.

Of course pumps are there to help you and they can make life easier, but for me it was giving me burnout.

16:25
So recognizing that and then being vocal to my doctor and letting them know that that was happening really helped me find like a solution that I felt a little less burnout with.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I love that you offered that as an option because you know, in my experience, like in clinical settings, the pump is seen as, you know, like a more new age alternative to the pen.

16:47
But that’s a great point.

Like you might be burned out from the pump and like the pen might actually be something that’s way more practical.

So yeah, I love that you said that.

And I’m also thinking about this like you making this career choice as a dietitian and you’ve always since becoming diagnosed with type one.

17:05
I’m sure like you’ve just had to think about food a lot more than someone who doesn’t have type one would.

So was that part of the reason why you became a dietitian because you want to, like, just learn more about these things, or was it a combination of different things?

I really remember like day one after I was being diagnosed, I met with a dietitian and I thought it was so fun that all she got to do was talk about food all day long and she had all these, like, food models and just like all these like little tools that I thought that was so cool.

17:32
I was like, I want to do that.

I want to teach someone that just got diagnosed, like how to enjoy food and it kind of started from that.

And then even then like throughout I I got on the pump and then I worked with another Rd. who taught me how to be on the pump and how to make that function for me.

17:48
And I also thought that was really cool.

I was like, this is so cool.

I want to teach people how to do this.

I want to teach people from the perspective of someone having diabetes because that was one thing I have never had, never had an Rd. that also had diabetes.

So I thought, I feel like people would really, really love and resonate with an Rd. that’s going through the same thing, same challenges that they are going through.

18:11
Have you found that to be the case?

Like what is the feedback that you typically get and do you always disclose to clients that you do have type 1?

I would say I don’t always disclose unless it’s something that I feel like I can, especially because in sessions I feel like it’s all about them and I don’t really want to sometimes like insert myself into it unless it’s kind of brought up somehow, you know.

18:33
But I do feel like that’s the feedback when I talk to other people with diabetes, Like they wish they were around with people that also understood what was going on and how they felt.

And they felt like their providers sometimes weren’t as I guess like empathetic about what was truly happening and and the daily things that people go through living with diabetes.

18:53
Yeah.

I’m curious because you lead our diabetes support group for diabetes digital.

Did you tell participants that you have diabetes?

Yes.

So in that space I did because I did want to be open with them and let them know that I’m right there with them.

But at the same time, I did make sure it was like this is about you guys and you know, connecting and sharing and it’s, it is a space that I wish I had when I was first diagnosed.

19:18
I mean, even to this day, I’ve never had a space like that.

So yeah, it’s really good.

You’re such a great clinician and you would be my dream dietitian if I had type one diabetes as a kid.

I love your approach.

Absolutely, yeah.

19:34
What are your favorite resources like for people who have been diagnosed with diabetes?

You mentioned that you’re also from Latin America, so it would be good if you have any Spanish speaking resources too that you would recommend or just like resources in general.

So nowadays I feel like you can just go on Instagram and type in like type one diabetes and find so many, you know, whether it’s R, DS or just other people living with type one diabetes that again just make you feel like OK, I’m not the only one going through these struggles.

20:06
And that’s been a big thing for me.

Like, ever since I got my Instagram, I just started following lots of RD’s, lots of other people going through diabetes.

But one of my favorite things as I was younger was diabetes camp.

So the American Diabetes Association has a diabetes camp.

20:22
And I wish I did it when I was like more like newly diagnosed.

But I did do it like later as almost an adult.

And I went back as a counselor and just seeing the kids, you know, talk to one another and and they all understood, like, why we were all checking our blood sugars.

20:38
Like, it really, really, really created such a really nice space for them to also learn more about diabetes and get curious, even just amongst one another.

But yeah, going back as a camp counselor was like, I learned so much from them.

20:55
Even like, they were not scared to, like, inject themselves at the time, I was still sometimes scared to inject myself.

So, you know, being exposed to other people, going through the same thing and doing things that maybe you’re afraid of.

It’s just, yeah, something totally.

I highly recommend looking into the camps.

21:12
Oh my God, this is so cool.

I’m loving this conversation.

I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of people who would love to work with you who either have diabetes or pre diabetes.

Can you tell them more about how they can work with you and also more about the group that you are running with Diabetes Digital?

21:29
Yeah, so with Diabetes digital, which I am so happy to be a part of, I am a registered dietitian and you can meet me there through the membership program that we have going on.

But the support group, really fun space, lots of amazing people who are really just there to get to know other people that are going through similar struggles as them.

21:50
And we’ve really created a space that’s like, it’s just a fun little hangout, right?

And a lot of topics that we want to cover in there have to do with feelings around diagnosis, feelings about food with diabetes, eating out with diabetes, what stigma looks like, even cultural traditions.

22:08
How do you bring that into diabetes and your management?

So there’s just so much room and so much to talk about that I think it’s a great resource for anybody that wants to connect with like minded individuals.

So amazing.

And we hope, yeah, we hope to do even more groups for folks.

22:28
So if anyone is interested, we have now opened up the group not only to our membership self pay people but also to insurance.

So anyone who is working with a diabetes digital dietitian, even if you’re not working with Jenny, you can join Jenny’s group.

You can head on over to diabetesdigital.co slash patient to fill out all of our intake and we will verify your benefits and let you know if you qualify for insurance or self pay membership and then you can join the group and or work with Jenny.

22:56
Thanks Jenny, This was amazing.

Yeah.

Thanks for joining us for today’s episode.

If you’re interested in nutrition counseling with one of our expert dietitians to help improve your pre diabetes or diabetes, visit us at diabetesdigital.co.

23:12
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Co and TuneIn every Wednesday for practical, inclusive and culturally humble diabetes insights.

23:32
We’ll catch you later.

Bye.