Managing Diabetes

Healthy Habits for a Brighter Future

While in her 40s, Lydia Ortega figured she had time on her side when it came to developing health problems. Although type 2 diabetes ran in her family, none of her relatives had been diagnosed with the disease until their late 50s.

When Ortega celebrated her 50th birthday in August, there was no apparent cause for concern. But several months later, after drinking two glasses of wine at a family New Year’s Eve party, Ortega remembers feeling strange for several days. “I felt lightheaded and thought I was coming down with a virus,” says Ortega, a Fairfield resident and services director for Bank of America in Concord.

A visit to her Sutter doctor, however, revealed that she had diabetes. “I knew a bit about diabetes, but I didn’t know enough,” she explains. “I thought I might be a candidate for it someday. I had no idea that I had already developed it.”

In hopes of avoiding insulin dependence, Ortega enrolled in Sutter Regional Medical Foundation’s comprehensive Diabetes Self-Management Program. “I needed to learn what to eat and what not to eat. And I started walking for exercise,” she says. “My whole life has changed. This program helped turned my life around.”

The lessons Ortega learned from watching her father, Benito Barajas, cope with diabetes also contributed to her transformation. “I realized that diabetes played a role in his death three years ago,” she says. “Because I have high blood pressure, my risk for heart disease is even greater.”

Today, Ortega has embraced her healthier lifestyle. She continues to set an example for her three children by working to lose weight and going for three-mile walks, four days a week. “I look forward to watching my kids grow up,” she says. “And if you don’t take care of yourself, who will?”