Sep 21, 2021 Reporting from Niles, MI
An entirely new outlook - Denise Mahler
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/how-we-compare/our-patients/Detail/an-entirely-new-outlook/
Sep 21, 2021
Sep 21, 2021
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
St. Joseph resident, Denise Mahler, was raised in the same house that she now owns today. At 60 years old, three children, and four grandchildren later, she has made improvements to both her home and her health after being diagnosed with type 2 diabe
An entirely new outlook - Denise Mahler
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/ResourcePackages/SpectrumHealth/assets/img/sh_white_logo.png
An entirely new outlook - Denise Mahler
Sep, 2021
St. Joseph resident, Denise Mahler, was raised in the same house that she now owns today. At 60 years old, three children, and four grandchildren later, she has made improvements to both her home and her health after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
After deciding it was time to focus on her health, Denise was able to lose 100 pounds through consistent exercise and healthy eating. She was excited to share the news with her primary care provider at her yearly physical. Realizing it had been four years since Denise last had her blood drawn, she agreed to a standard blood panel to ensure all of her numbers were in the correct range. The blood test revealed some startling news. Denise had diabetes.
“I was shocked to hear this,” said Denise. “The hardest thing for me was the unknown. I was never educated on what living with diabetes meant. My father had diabetes and I knew that it ran in the family, but it wasn’t something we ever talked openly about.”
Denise is proud of her weight loss, and she realizes that she should have taken her health more serious earlier on in life. Driven to become even more health conscious, she searched for resources to help guide her on this journey.
“The diabetes program at Spectrum Health Lakeland is fantastic,” said Denise. “I’m so glad I discovered the class soon after being diagnosed with diabetes—it has made all the difference for me.”
The three-day diabetes education class encouraged Denise to focus on exercise, diet, and proper medication use. Having the opportunity to talk to diabetic educators, such as clinical education specialist and dietitian, Courtney Dixon, and other community members who were experiencing a similar diagnosis, made Denise feel like she was in a safe space to ask questions and not be judged.
“The classes taught me how to properly read food labels,” said Denise. “I also started cutting out carbohydrates, which was very hard because bread is a staple in our family.”
Before finding out she had diabetes, Denise’s hemoglobin A1c levels were at 9.6%. As of June 2021, her glucose levels have decreased by 3.4% thanks to consistent exercise and working closely with a dietitian.
She is currently down 130 pounds and committed to continuing to make healthy lifestyle choices. But, that doesn’t mean she won’t enjoy an ice cream cone with her grandchildren every now and then—because as her diabetes educators taught her, it’s all about balance.
Focusing on her health has also motivated Denise to get back to the hobbies she enjoys such as summer concerts and walking more frequently with her grandchildren to the park. She remains passionate about educating her family on what it means to have diabetes, so that they can take preventive measures as well.
Overall, Denise has an entirely new outlook on life and encourages everyone, no matter what age, to take their health more serious.
Diabetes is a complex disease that requires daily self-management in addition to working closely with your care team. Spectrum Health Lakeland offers multiple resources for people with diabetes to help reduce risks for complications and manage lifestyle changes. Learn more here.