Care for You: Sharon Grubb
After three decades of fighting crime in Chicago, retired police officers James and Sharon Grubb headed south to plant new roots in Florence. They looked forward to a life of fishing and good weather, but complications with James’ diabetes led to two amputations.
This was a wakeup call for Sharon. After her husband’s traumatic event and with her own rising blood sugar levels, she knew she had to make a change. While she knew medications would help manage her sugar levels, she wanted to learn what lifestyle changes could help prevent the development of diabetes.
Moving her care to HopeHealth, Sharon found Dr. Lisa Lanning at the Medical Plaza in Florence. Due to some family history, Dr. Lanning listened to Sharon’s desire to not rely on diabetes medications. Her family members had tried reducing their blood sugar levels with medications but had still become insulin dependent and developed complications.
“I tell them all the time, ‘this is from diabetes.’ The congestive heart failure, the peripheral artery disease, the double amputation; that’s all from diabetes, and if you don’t heed the warning signs of diabetes, this could happen to you,” said Sharon.
She didn’t want to follow that same path. Seeing Sharon’s drive and commitment to improving her health, Dr. Lanning referred her to Caitlin Guess, a HopeHealth dietitian.
“I am so proud of Sharon!“ said Dr. Lanning. “She is a model patient.”
Sharon enrolled in the year-long Diabetes Prevention Program. The program was exactly what she was looking for.
“We had a fantastic group, and I started following what the instructor said: life-style changes and portion control. I was exercising and riding my bike every morning,” said Sharon. “The class really made me feel better and stronger, so I didn’t get that ice cream sandwich or bag of chips. We’d sit and talk and exchange different recipes and tips for making recipes healthier.”
For Sharon, the biggest surprise was each time she got on the scale.
“I was like, ‘What?!’ Five points, six pounds, 10 pounds! I was losing it, and I eat what I want, just not as much. The weight just started falling off!”
Completing her class in February, Sharon succeeded in lowering her blood sugar levels to a healthy range and lost 45 pounds!
“I’ve seen what changing my eating and exercise habits has done for my health,” Sharon said. “Getting control of my prediabetes was one of best decisions I have made.”
