Last week, I was in final prep for my 5K Run but at the same time, I was preparing for a doctor visit for my quarterly diabetes check up (having been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes last May -- another motivator for living a healthier lifestyle). Last Monday, I had blood drawn to perform a HbA1c test (a test that reports your blood glucose level over a 90-day period) as well as tests for cholesterol, Lipids, liver functions, etc. Then on Thursday (Maundy Thursday) evening, I was supposed to meet with the doctor to get the results and determine if any changes need to be made to medications, etc.

I was all set to leave work to go to my appointment, when Christi told me the Doc wanted to get in touch with me. That scared me a bit... why would he need to talk to me before I even got to his office? Was there something really wrong in the results that he needed to respond to immediately? So of course, I called his office ASAP to find out the scoop.

So he says to me, "I don't think we need to meet today. Your bloodwork was so good!" At this point, I am grinning from ear-to-ear. This was the best news ever! He told me my A1c level was 5.5 which is a normal level for non-diabetics. My blood glucose level was 83 (anything under 100 is considered normal). ALL of the tests performed came back solidly NORMAL! W00t!!!!

Then he told me that he is canceling one of my two medications (Glyburide, which made me very happy). And in three weeks, if everything continues to look good, he will reduce my other medication (Metformin) by half. In six weeks, he might even cancel that one!

He said, "Rick, you are curing your Diabetes with your changes in diet and exercise. I could not be happier." So by summer, I may not be on any medication and managing things by lifestyle changes alone. This is such exciting news for me! My diabetes was found early and my aggressive actions to address it means that I have experienced none of the side effects of the disease, and as long as my counts are normal, I should not expect to in the future.

So for those who doubt it is 'worth the effort' to make the decision to live an active lifestyle , exercise, and learn to make better dietary choices, I am here to tell you to reconsider. This news has made Holy Week and the celebration of New Life on Easter even more significant to me.