Octavia Spencer 'Felt Good' Before Receiving Life-Changing Diabetes Diagnosis: 'It Was a Shock'

Octavia Spencer's life changed when she found out she had type 2 diabetes.

In a new interview, the Hidden Figures actress described what it was like being diagnosed and explained how she's managing the condition today.

Spencer has lived with type 2 diabetes for several decades now, but when she found out, "Yeah, it was a shock," she admitted.

"But I was also close to 300 pounds," she added. "I’m a Southern girl — I grew up in Alabama. I didn’t have any health issues at that point that I could feel. I was very overweight, but I felt good — and that can be a dangerous combination."

The star, 56, found out during a routine checkup ahead of filming one of her many projects, which was given for insurance purposes.

At the time, health was on the back-burner for Spencer.

"So first, I had to get that controlled," she told Prevention.

It turned out her A1C, i.e. her blood glucose levels measured over time, was high. "See, you don’t [always] feel bad when your A1C is high. There’s no pain," she explained. "So I had to get that down to textbook [levels]."

These days, Spencer is extra vigilant when it comes to her symptoms and overall health. "I had to shop around for the doctor who was going to deal with my histrionics because I can’t be nervous all the time," she said.

She also makes sure to get all the tests that are appropriate so that she can have a full picture of her health.

"Let’s say you get a diagnosis that you’re borderline — borderline can be helped!" she said. "And even if you get a diagnosis that says right now you’re in kidney failure, wouldn’t you want to know that? There’s stuff that can be done!"

Spencer continued, "You want to know [these things]. And then you want to know how to change your behavior, what can help turn those circumstances around."

The star tries to eat a wholesome diet and exercise whenever she can. "Here’s the thing. Am I 100 percent on top of all that? No," she confessed. "Could I be better? I could be a lot better."

The most important thing she does is stay on top of her "numbers" and take her health seriously.

Another step Spencer takes is to get uACR tests, which are urine tests that detect kidney issues.

She starred in a related ad campaign with Sofía Vergara for Detect the SOS, which is aligned with her personal beliefs.

"I hope that my face being on it, knowing that I’m a Southerner and I don’t do anything that I don’t believe in and that doesn’t resonate with me, that isn’t truthful to me [helps give the campaign credibility]," she explained.

"This is my story," the movie star continued. "And I want to get as many people to hear this story as possible."