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Octavia Spencer shares the subtle symptom that signaled she had type 2 diabetes.The 55-year-old opens up about managing two chronic illnesses.She details the key takeaway from her campaign with Sofia Vergara, Detect the SOS.<\/p>\n2 min readOctavia Spencer shares the subtle symptom that signaled she had type 2 diabetes.The 55-year-old opens up about managing two chronic illnesses.She details the key takeaway from her campaign with Sofia Vergara, Detect the SOS.<\/p>\n
Octavia Spencer is busy. The Academy Award\u2013winning actor, producer, and author has a plethora of projects to her name, juggling each while managing type 2 diabetes. In fact, it was actually an acting job that led to her diagnosis. Here, the 55-year-old tells Prevention about the subtle symptom she initially missed\u2014and what she wants people with the condition to know about protecting their health.<\/p>\n
On her type 2 diabetes diagnosis<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt very symptom-free,\u201d she recalls. In fact, she only found out when she did because of an acting gig.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor any acting job, you have to have a physical. It was just a routine physical\u2026that I discovered that my blood sugars were high<\/a>,\u201d she explains. \u201cSubsequently, we tied the fact that I was constantly thirsty [to diabetes<\/a>]. But you can think you\u2019re constantly thirsty if you\u2019re not drinking a lot of water.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back, she realizes the sign was there\u2014even if it was easy to dismiss. \u201cI didn\u2019t really have symptoms, but in hindsight I did.\u201d<\/p>\n On managing multiple chronic illnesses<\/p>\n Spencer now manages both type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure<\/a>\u2014two conditions that often go hand in hand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s personal to me because I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, and what I\u2019ve learned as I\u2019m aging\u2014to control both\u2014it can be difficult,\u201d she says. \u201cIt becomes whack-a-mole.\u201d<\/p>\n To stay on top of her health, she uses tools like a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and prioritizes daily movement.<\/p>\n Why she\u2019s speaking out about kidney health<\/p>\n Because diabetes and high blood pressure may raise the risk of kidney disease, Spencer says education and early detection are critical. That\u2019s what led her to partner with the Detect the SOS<\/a> campaign alongside Sofia Vergara.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s personal to me,\u201d she says. \u201cI felt that I wanted to be a part of this public health mission to educate people who have these diseases; [tell them] that their bodies could be sending out an SOS, essentially, through the kidneys.\u201d<\/p>\n One simple test may help detect early signs of kidney damage: the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio test, known as a UACR.<\/p>\n