On October 8, 2011, I went to see my doctor for my 3-month diabetes check-up. That was the day my HbA1c test results showed a 5.8 reading -- a reading that indicated that for the past 90 days, my blood sugar was levels were at a non-Diabetic level. That was the day I was told I no longer needed to take medications to control my blood sugar, as long as I could maintain proper glucose levels through diet and exercise. I posted about it in an article entitled "Good News Today! Diabetes Managed".
That was the first day of the rest of my life!
Of course, that meant I 'actually' had to continue eating right, watching the fats and sugars, and keeping active one way or another. The results for failing to do so were unacceptable.
On October 10, 2012, three days after running my first Full Marathon, I went to the lab to have blood work done in preparation for my annual physical scheduled for October 17th. As I sat there, watching the lab tech filling multiple vials, I thought "Hey! This is the first anniversary of my D.E. (Diabetes Emancipation)."
So today, October 17th, was the big day: the Annual Physical. I met first with the nurse, who wrote down all my stats: temperature, height, weight, blood pressure, and pulse and asked me a boat load of questions. So far, so good. Then my doctor came in. The first question he asked was "So how was the Marathon?" I love my doctor! :) He just ran the Twin Cities Marathon so we talked about our races, and running in general, for a few minutes before getting down to the matter at hand.
Physically, I am well. Heart, Lungs, Feet, Ears, Legs, Gut, etc were all good. Because of diabetes, and because of running, he always checks my feet. He says I have great feet. He wanted to know what I use to moisturize my feet because they were in such good shape. LOL I told him "Zim's Crack Creme (diabetic formula)" Hey! No wisecracks about the name because this stuff works wonders!
Then we reviewed all the lab work. First things first. My fasting blood glucose level was 83 (normal is between 69-99). My HbA1c rest result showed 5.7! That was better than a year ago! Woo Hoo! I couldn't be happier with that news! A reading of 6.0 or higher indicates Diabetes. To put this into greater perspective, my HbA1c test result in April 2010 was 11.3 and my blood glucose level was 297. Yikes! So today's 5.7 result is truly a blessing!
Next up was to check on my cholesterol levels. Again, it was great news! My HDL (sometimes called the good cholestrol) was 70. The higher the number, the less the risk for heart disease; and any number above 60 is considered OPTIMAL. My LDL (sometimes called the bad cholestrol) was 88. This is the stuff that clogs arteries so the lower the number, the less the risk. Any number under 100 is considered OPTIMAL. Triglycerides are the chemical fats in the body. My number was 55 (150 or less is considered normal)! My Total Cholesterol value is 169, where less than 200 is considered Desirable. So I was REALLY happy to see these numbers! More info on Cholesterol numbers can be found here.
As far as my weight goes, I am hovering around the 240-245 level. The doctor told me that at this point, he was not worried about my weight. He said that there are so many indicators showing how healthy I am right now, and that is what he is so pleased to find. He knows I want to lose 40 more pounds and he supports that. But he also said that marathon training is not always conducive to weight loss because you have to fuel the body to be able to manage the training requirements as well as perform during the races themselves. He says the weight is shifting from 'fat' to 'muscle' and that is a good thing to see. So I will continue towards my weight loss goals, but also to be mindful of the 'larger goal' of being healthy, strong, and active.
I am ever so grateful for my life right now, and the chance to live it more abundantly! Between the good news from my physical and the achievement of finishing my first Full Marathon, I have to say that October 2012 has been a PHENOMENAL month in my life!
Are you a Type 2 Diabetic like me? Are you overweight like me? I want to encourage you to take that first step towards a healthier YOU. In April 2010, I was 351 lbs and taking several meds for Diabetes and Cholesterol. I decided to make changes, a little at a time, to my eating habits and my lifestyle. And after 2.5 years, my Diabetes is under control, I am meds-free and living a very different life. I am just a regular guy with a desire to live. If I can muster up the courage to take that first step, so can you! Take the journey with me!