Case Study: Mabel’s Journey with Diabetes

Following is another example of how Stability Health, working in close collaboration with clinical providers and their patients, is able to improve patient engagement that results in better health outcomes.

Patient Profile

When Mabel began working with the Stability Health team in February 2024, she was feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of managing her diabetes. She shared that her blood glucose (BG) levels fluctuated wildly, and it was frustrating for her to understand why. Her diabetes had been a burden for years, and she revealed that she had never received any formal education on how to manage it. She recalled a time 20 years ago when her BG reached 1317, causing her to lose consciousness. Mabel was not exercising regularly, and didn’t know how to create balanced meals to support her health. Her job cleaning houses helped her stay active, but her busy schedule also added to her struggle of managing her condition. She also needed guidance with her insulin, as she was following a scale not prescribed by her primary care doctor. On top of that, she was inconsistently taking metformin, only using it when her glucose was high, which caused stomach discomfort, and she often experienced hypoglycemia related to her not always taking her insulin as prescribed.

Stability Health’s Team Approach

Understandably, Mabel was stressed and concerned about her diabetes management, expressing that she didn’t understand her condition and that it felt out of control. This is where the Stability Health team, which included Susan MacLean CDCES lead specialist educator and certified health coach, Sofia Bardi, stepped in. They worked closely with Mabel’s primary care doctor. Together, the team worked closely to monitor Mabel’s glucose fluctuations and discussed her medication options in depth.

Mabel’s doctor was receptive to Stability Health’s clinical recommendations and worked with Mabel and the rest of her team to implement clinical changes.

In addition, Sofia worked with Mabel on her diet. Mabel had been consuming a lot of carbohydrates and drinking Gatorade throughout the day. Sofia explored ways to help Mabel balance meals, reviewing the nutritional label on Gatorade and discussing the plate method (a meal planning technique that uses a plate to guide healthy eating). Together, they looked at the carbohydrate content in her favorite fruits, like grapes and bananas, and found ways for her to enjoy them with a more balanced approach. Mabel was open to the idea of reducing her Gatorade intake, or at least diluting it with water, and agreed to check her BG after meals to see how her food choices were impacting her levels. Sofia and Mabel talked about having a nighttime snack with some protein and complex carbs to prevent hypoglycemic episodes, and Sofia sent her a list of smart snack options.

Patient Progress

By April 2024, Mabel was walking for an hour each day, and her BG levels had improved as she began controlling her carbohydrate intake and balancing her meals. She started drinking more water, eating her chicken soup with fewer carbs, and making better choices about combining her carbs. Despite these improvements, she was still afraid of hypoglycemic episodes and sometimes overtreated them when she wasn’t at home, leading to spikes in her BG. Susan worked with her and her doctor, doing a more in depth review of her medications to eliminate the extreme fluctuations and to address her hypoglycemia.

It was also noted that Mabel had been drinking Ensure at work, so Sofia and Susan reviewed the label with her and discussed the amount of carbs she was consuming, which helped Mabel understand how to read labels more effectively.

By May 2024, Mabel had lost 11 pounds and had increased her daily walks to an hour and a half. She felt more energized and joyful. While sugary foods and carbs remained a challenge, she began incorporating more vegetables and healthy fats into her diet, gradually reducing the amount of processed food in her daily meals.

By July 2024, Mabel was walking three hours a day, split into two 1.5-hour sessions. She had stopped drinking Gatorade, started bringing smart snacks to work, and was prescribed a Freestyle Libre (a discreet sensor that continuously measures glucose levels) to help monitor her blood sugar. She also began keeping track of her food intake and medications with a spreadsheet she created, which helped her understand how her choices were affecting her condition.

Patient Results

Mabel now says that what has made the biggest difference in her BG levels is her decision to stop snacking all day long and to choose healthy, smart snacks when she does. She drinks plenty of water, walks daily, and brings nuts and cheese as a snack to work. She no longer consumes Gatorade or Ensure, and she has cut out dessert after dinner. Instead, she’s adding avocado, fish, meat, and vegetables to her meals. Her current weight is 156 pounds, down from 178 in March, and she’s looking forward to seeing a lower A1C in her September labs.

Mabel feels a deep sense of gratitude and fulfillment from her experience with Stability Health’s program. She now understands how to take her medications properly and has gained insight into the fluctuations in her blood glucose levels. This newfound knowledge has given her confidence in managing her condition, and she feels more in tune with what her body needs to maintain balance. She’s also thankful that her doctor has worked closely with the Stability Health team to improve her overall quality of care.

Energized and healthier, Mabel is receiving compliments on her weight from friends and family, and she’s taking pleasure in her new diet, which is rich in vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. With a renewed sense of control over her health and diabetes, Mabel is now able to focus on the things that bring joy and happiness to her life.