The “Hidden Figures” actress learned of her diagnosis in the field.
Octavia Spencer has revealed new details about the health diagnosis that forced her to rethink her life decades ago.
The 56 year old man Hidden characters The star told Prevention that she learned she had type 2 diabetes during a routine medical exam required for an acting job when she was in her 30s.
Spencer didn’t remember the project she was about to shoot, but she did remember being stunned when fasting blood tests showed that her blood sugar was not only elevated, it had already progressed to diabetes.
Octavia Spencer said she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when she was in her 30s.
“Yeah, it was a shock,” the Oscar winner said. “But I also weighed almost three hundred pounds.”
The actress said she doesn’t visit the doctor regularly because she feels healthy, despite being heavier.
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“I’m a Southern girl and I grew up in Alabama,” she said. “I didn’t have any health issues that I could feel at the time. I was very overweight, but I felt fine, and that can be a dangerous combination.”
THE Help The star also learned at the same time that she suffered from hypertension.
Spencer said she weighed almost 300 pounds. at the time of his diagnosis.
“I felt good. Maybe a little headache every now and then, but I thought, you know, you have headaches,” she recalled. “I’m probably just stressed and tired, and I’m traveling all the time.”
Spencer was prescribed medication for his blood pressure and began working with his doctor to lower his HbA1c level, which measures average blood sugar levels over time.
Spencer first revealed publicly in January that she had been living with Type 2 diabetes for about two decades and also suffered from high blood pressure.
She told People at the time that keeping both conditions under control had become more complicated as she got older.
After dealing with her condition for decades, Spencer first revealed her diagnosis in January.
“I’ve managed to manage it, but as I get older I feel like I have to keep things in order,” she said.
It wasn’t until Spencer faced another scary health moment that she decided to partner with the Detect the SOS campaign, which encourages people living with diabetes and high blood pressure to ask their doctors about kidney screening.
After learning that her diabetes and high blood pressure also put her at higher risk for kidney disease, Spencer asked her doctor last year for a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, or uACR, test. A simple urine test can detect signs that the kidneys are not filtering blood properly.
“For me, I was terrified,” Spencer said of waiting for the result, which ultimately came back to normal. “And then I was completely relieved.”
The experience only strengthened Spencer’s new approach to preventative care.
“You want to know (these things),” she said. “And then you want to know how to change your behavior, which can help turn this situation around.”
Spencer now monitors her blood pressure and blood sugar daily, although she admitted she’s not perfect when it comes to all healthy habits.
Spencer is closely monitoring his health after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
PATRICK T. FALLON/Reuters
“Am I 100% aware of this? No. Could I be better? I could be a lot better,” she said. “I know my numbers! And I know they’re checked.”
The actress also made some practical changes to her routine. While filming his Prime Video series Ride or die in Prague, she often ate chicken skewers and salad, drank bone broth, and occasionally enjoyed pasta and prosciutto.
She also tries to walk at least 10 minutes after meals, stretches every morning, gardens, and starts her day with a few quiet minutes of prayer and gratitude.
Spencer seeks consistency rather than perfection when it comes to treatment.
Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters
Spencer said his goal was consistency rather than perfection.
“It’s about being consistent. It’s about being informed,” she said.
After quietly managing her diabetes for years, Spencer said she now believes her own experience can help other people recognize risks they might otherwise ignore.
“It’s my story,” she said. “And I want as many people to hear this story as possible.”
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