Closing in on my Goal

So today I got in a 30-minute cardio workout. It was short but intense -- lots of 12-14% inclines, reverse flys, shoulder presses, arm punches, and curls! The arms and shoulders got a good workout while maintaining a good walking pace.

Then I went to the doctor office with my wife for her follow-up visit. At the end of which, he says "Hey, why don't you just have your check-up today as well instead of coming in next week?" So that's what I did. And glad I did too! Because he laid out a one-month plan for me to get off my last diabetes medication so that by July, I will be off the meds and managing my diabetes through diet and exercise alone! (The good news being that my blood sugars have been 100% under control for the past several months.) Needless to say, he is thrilled with my progress, and especially my weight loss progress and exercise regimen.

So starting tomorrow, I only take 1/2 of the Metformin medication I have been prescribed. Then two weeks later, I cut that by 1/2 once more! Then come July 1st, if my blood sugars are still normal, I stop taking the Metformin all together!! WooHoo!! Couldn't ask for a better gift that that!

Why am I changing my lifestyle and eating more healthier? Why am I running and adding more exercise to my daily routine? Number One: to conquer my Diabetes so I can live a long, active, viable life. Number Two: to lose weight and fit into the suit I was married in. Number Three: to have more fun, experience less stress, and feel good about accomplishing something amazing!

I am closing the gap towards success!!! I will prevail!

Holy Week brings Good News!

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.