Brandy Smalley shares what pushed her toward more pro-active steps to manages her health condition

Brandy Smalley is no stranger to diabetes. It’s long been part of her family’s medical history.

“As an adult thinking about my own health care, that connection to diabetes was always in the back of my mind,” said Brandy, a dental and vision associate product manager at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

During an annual wellness exam in 2011, the thoughts about diabetes quickly became top of mind when her doctor suggested a test to check her blood glucose levels.

“My weight had steadily been increasing over several years, and I’d recently noticed changes to my vision. So, I wasn’t totally surprised when my doctor told me the test showed I had diabetes. But it was still a shock,” she said.

Facing some early hurdles

Learning to manage a chronic condition, while trying to lose weight to help with that, wasn’t easy.

“I was admittedly a fast-food junkie when I was diagnosed with diabetes,” Brandy said.

She participated in a diabetes education program through a hospital. She learned ways to help lower her blood sugar and set goals related to her diet.

She also began getting screenings recommended for diabetes management, including blood and kidney tests and retinal eye exams. She’s stuck to the screening routines over the years. But she found it hard to manage other aspects of her condition.

A tipping point and then a turning point

“I had a lot of difficulties early on. I wasn’t doing everything I should,” Brandy admitted.

She was prescribed several medications to lower her blood sugar. But she wasn’t properly managing her diet or physical activity, and her blood sugar levels reflected that.

Her doctor next prescribed insulin. She also recommended that Brandy see an endocrinologist.

“Going on insulin was a wake-up call,” Brandy said. “It pushed me to do better.”

Finding her path to managing diabetes

Brandy joined a weight-loss program with a support group for those with diabetes. That’s been an immense help, she said.

She’s also getting more regular physical activity. She’s lost more than 50 pounds since taking these steps. That’s led to reducing the insulin and blood pressure medications she takes.

She still works at not giving in to temptation and recognizes the things that can set her back in managing her condition. She uses the diabetes management program offered through her health plan and is appreciative of the health planners sent by BlueCross to remind her and other members about recommended health screenings.

She encourages others to stick with the recommended care and screenings for diabetes. And when you make progress in managing diabetes, recognize those wins, no matter how small they seem, keep moving forward even if it’s hard.

“It’s still rough sometimes,” Brandy said. “But I look back at a photo of me at my heaviest when I wasn’t managing my diabetes and know that I don’t want to go back there.”

Screenings recommended for those with diabetes

• Hemoglobin A1C blood tests every three months
• Annual eye exams to look for signs of retinal disease
• Annual screenings to check for kidney disease
• Regular exams of the feet and hands for nerve damage
• Blood pressure checks as recommended by your provider

Get more information about specific health terms, topics and conditions to better manage your health on bcbst.com. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members can access wellness-related discounts on fitness products, gym memberships, healthy eating and more through Blue365®. BCBST members can also find tools and resources to help improve health and well-being by logging into BlueAccess and going to the Managing Your Health tab.