When Carol Koeppel of Cape Girardeau learned she had Type II Diabetes, she wasn't exactly rational about it.

"I left the doctor's office, went straight to a restaurant and had chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes," she said. "I walked around home saying 'I have diabetes.'"

Koeppel did not have a family history of diabetes, but she did have symptoms. She knew what the symptoms were, she said, but did not associate what she had with diabetes.

Once it sunk in, Koeppel said she learned to watch her diet and keep control of her blood sugar. She exercised. She cleared out her kitchen and got rid of all the forbidden foods, and changed the way she prepared meals.

She is losing weight and making sure her cholesterol and her A1C numbers are in safe range. Diabetes is life-changing.

"It's going to be with me the rest of my life," she said. "I'll do anything to keep my numbers in check."

She takes medication for diabetes, and wants to continue to control it through pills, diet and exercise to avoid having to take insulin shots.

Koeppel believes education is important in managing diabetes.

"I'm a label reader now," she said. It takes me twice as long now to buy groceries."

She attends diabetic support groups and education programs for the eduction they offer and for the uplift they give her. She also thinks positive.

"I have diabetes," she said. "It's not cancer. I'm not going to die from it. If I behave myself I'm not going to get sicker. I can control it. It's not going to control me."

Diabetes self-management eduction is available by calling 651-5844. Also, the Diabetes Support Group, 331-5136.