Patient Sorcy Apostol shares her experience living with type 2 diabetes. Sorcy offers helpful tips on living with and managing your diabetes.

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Transcript:

My name is Sorcy Apostol. I live in Elk Grove, California.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1986. I was first diagnosed with diabetes when I was pregnant with my second daughter and the doctor told me that it was gestational diabetes. I thought it was only during pregnancy. I was unaware that if I had gestational diabetes, the potential to develop type 2 diabetes is a lifetime risk for me, so I didn’t do anything.

As soon as I found out that I have type 2 diabetes, I had to call for a family meeting. We had to discuss it seriously because the doctor told me that both my daughters have a lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes themselves. I was motivated to make lifestyle changes because I was already feeling and experiencing the complications of diabetes.

To help lower my family’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes we have done several things. We do exercises together. We walk around the neighborhoods. I use the treadmill regularly. I play a lot of games and I do a lot of gardening.

After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I had to do a lot of changes with how I eat. I read labels now. I make sure that I eat either in a nine-inch plate or a bowl. And then I reduce my sweets and I also tremendously reduce my carbohydrates intake. If you were recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the first thing that you do is educate yourself.

I’m Sorcy Apostol and I’m managing my type 2 diabetes.