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<\/p>\nThe \u201cHidden Figures\u201d actress learned of her diagnosis on the job.<\/p>\n
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Octavia Spencer has revealed new details about the health diagnosis that forced her to overhaul her life decades ago.<\/p>\n
The 56-year-old Hidden Figures star told Prevention<\/a> that she learned she had type 2 diabetes during a routine physical required for an acting job when she was in her 30s.<\/p>\n Spencer could not remember which project she was preparing to film, but she remembered being stunned when fasting bloodwork showed her blood sugar was not just elevated\u2014it had already progressed to diabetes.<\/p>\n Octavia Spencer said she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in her 30s.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it was a shock,\u201d the Oscar winner said. \u201cBut I was also close to three hundred pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n The actress said she had not been visiting doctors regularly because she felt healthy, despite carrying a higher body weight.<\/p>\n Get a First Look<\/p>\n Sign up to receive news and updates from The Looker<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Southern girl\u2014I grew up in Alabama,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have any health issues at that point that I could feel. I was very overweight, but I felt good\u2014and that can be a dangerous combination.\u201d<\/p>\n The Help star also learned at the same time that she had high blood pressure.<\/p>\n Spencer said she was almost 300 lbs. at the time of her diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt OK. Maybe little headaches from time to time, but I thought, you know, you get headaches,\u201d she recalled. \u201cProbably I\u2019m just stressed and I\u2019m tired, and I\u2019m traveling all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Spencer was prescribed medication for her blood pressure and began working with her doctor to lower her A1C, which measures average blood sugar levels over time.<\/p>\n Spencer first publicly disclosed in January that she had been living with type 2 diabetes for about two decades and also had high blood pressure.<\/p>\n She told People<\/a> at the time that keeping both conditions controlled had become more complicated as she got older.<\/p>\n After managing her condition for decades, Spencer first disclosed her diagnosis in January.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been managing it but as I\u2019m aging, it\u2019s getting to feel like whack-a-mole keeping things in order,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t until Spencer faced another frightening health moment that she decided to partner with the Detect the SOS campaign<\/a>, which encourages people living with diabetes and high blood pressure to ask their doctors about kidney screening. <\/p>\n After learning that her diabetes and high blood pressure also put her at greater risk for kidney disease, Spencer asked her doctor last year for a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, or uACR, test. The simple urine test can detect signs that the kidneys are not properly filtering blood.<\/p>\n \u201cMe, I was terrified,\u201d Spencer said of waiting for the result, which ultimately came back normal. \u201cAnd then I was completely relieved.\u201d<\/p>\n The experience only strengthened Spencer\u2019s new approach to preventive care.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to know [these things],\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then you want to know how to change your behavior, what can help turn those circumstances around.\u201d<\/p>\n Spencer now monitors both her blood pressure and blood sugar daily, though she admitted she is not perfect about every healthy habit.<\/p>\n Spencer keeps a close eye on her health levels after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n PATRICK T. FALLON\/REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cAm I 100 percent on top of all that? No. Could I be better? I could be a lot better,\u201d she said. \u201cI do know my numbers! And I do know that they\u2019re controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n The actress has also made practical changes to her routine. While filming her Prime Video series Ride or Die in Prague, she often ate chicken kebabs and salad, drank bone broth, and occasionally enjoyed pasta and prosciutto.<\/p>\n She also tries to walk for at least 10 minutes after meals, stretches every morning, gardens, and starts her day with a few quiet minutes of prayer and gratitude.<\/p>\n Spencer strives for consistency rather than perfection when it comes to treatment.<\/p>\n ALESSANDRO BIANCHI\/REUTERS<\/p>\n Spencer said her goal is consistency rather than perfection.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about being consistent. It\u2019s about being informed,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n After quietly managing diabetes for years, Spencer said she now believes her own experience can help other people recognize risks they might otherwise ignore. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is my story,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I want to get as many people to hear this story as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.<\/p>\n What’s IncludedUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rate – Save 47%Unlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. 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