Welcome to Your Best T1D Year Ever
Managing Type 1 Diabetes doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Welcome to Our Best T1D Year, a podcast where we focus on practical strategies, mindset shifts, and a little humor to make T1D easier. In this first episode, I’ll share: Why I...
The episode, word for word
Hey, I'm Neil Greathouse, and this is Your Best T1D Year, where managing type 1 diabetes doesn't have to feel like an exhausting, never-ending struggle.
If you've ever felt like diabetes is stealing every moment of your life, this podcast is for you. Each episode is just 5 minutes, quick, practical, and maybe even a little fun. You'll get simple T1D strategies, real talk, and a little encouragement to make life with diabetes feel easier, one small habit at a time.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 33 years ago today. Today is my 33rd diaversary. I was in the air force and during flight training, really a dream job of mine - my pancreas shut down. I didn't know what was going on. I kept going, pushing through all the pain of it. Lost a lot of weight, was peeing nonstop, drinking water and dr. peppers from the vending machines relentlessly and one weekend after I kept throwing up - I went to class with my roommates, we were walking back from training and I just shut down. I stopped on the side of the road, sat down on the curb and said, if you don't call an ambulance, I think I'm gonna die. They took me to the hospital, checked my blood sugar and it was 1800. I got wheeled up to an ICU room, they put a ton of potassium, electrolytes in me, got me on an insulin drip and I spent a week in the hospital recovering. I went blind for a few days - everything was blurry. My commanding officer came in the room, i'd only met him one other time and he said "your flying career is over, son" and that was it. Because today is my diaversay - that means I've spent over 12,000 days making blood sugar decisions (and messing up plenty of them). For the first seven years after I was diagnosed, I ignored my diabetes completely. Just injecting insulin, eating whatever I wanted, dropping low, going high, all willy nilly...and I finally woke up. Realized - I can't keep doing this. In the words of Top Gun - I was writing checks my body couldn't cash.
So I started researching, digging in and figuring out how to manage Type 1. I spent years learning how to simplify the chaos, because I refused to let diabetes steal every moment of my life.
Here's what I wish I had back then:
Someone who got it.
Clear, no-BS advice.
Simple, doable habits that actually make a difference.
That's why this podcast exists. It's not about perfect blood sugars, it's about learning how to manage T1D in a way that works for real life.
Let's kick things off with a super simple habit that could change your diabetes game this month:
Treat your lows with a glucose tablet.
I know, I know. Your brain wants that peanut butter sandwich or those handfuls of cereal at 2 AM. But hear me out:
Glucose tabs work faster than most snacks.
They won't spike you later (like that 'just one' cookie usually does).
They're exactly measured, so you don't have to guess how much you need.
Plus, if you replace all your low snacks with glucose tabs for one month, you could save yourself thousands of extra calories, and probably avoid a few rebound highs.
This month, we're doing a challenge: February is all about switching to glucose tabs for low treatments. Every episode this month, I'll give you tips, science, and encouragement to help make this a habit.
Listen, T1D is a lot, I don't have to tell you that. But you don't have to do this alone.
If diabetes has ever made you feel like you're failing, you're not. You're learning. You're adapting. And every small habit you build is making things easier in the long run.
This podcast? It's here to remind you that you're not doing a bad job, you're doing a difficult job.
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so if you want quick, simple T1D strategies to make life easier, hit subscribe.
And if you want free resources to help you along the way, go to yourbestt1dyear.com and sign up for the newsletter. No gimmicks. No bait-and-switch. Just real, helpful stuff I wish I had when I was diagnosed.
Alright, see you in the next episode. Remember, you got this! Nobody remembers easy, what you're doing is pretty much incredible. I'm excited to hear about Your Best T1D Year Ever.
Week 2
2 - Feb 17
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.