Here is the second part of the discussion about my diabetic shadow. I appreciated the many comments from readers after posting the initial discussion. In case you missed the first part, here is the link to it:

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In the previous discussion about my struggle with Type 2 Diabetes, I really was not committed to taking charge of my health and making the necessary adjustments in my lifestyle. Once again, here are my previous lab results:
| Date | Cholesterol | HDL | LDL | A1C |
| 2014 | 218 | 42 | 154 | NA |
| 2015 | 222 | 41 | 162 | 6.4 |
| Feb, 2016 | 249 | 42 | 179 | 7.5 |
After my February, 2016 test results, my doctor began prescribing a cocktail of medications to address my condition. He was concerned that future complications could carry the risk of a major life-changing event.
My medications included:
- Metformin (500 mg): Control blood glucose
- Atorvastatin (20 mg): Control cholesterol
- Lisinopril (5 mg): Control blood pressure
I was dedicated to taking these medications as prescribed. However, the rest of my lifestyle wasn’t making other necessary changes.
I was missing two key elements in following a much healthier lifestyle.
- Proper exercise
- Healthy eating
I was making adjustments in my eating plan, but I wasn’t “all in” with what I needed to be doing. I was still consuming too much sugar as well as not significantly cutting down on my level of carbohydrates. Exercise continued to be pretty much the same as before—little or nothing.
My new lab results over the next 12 months showed some improvement, but not the breakthrough my doctor and I were looking for. As he told me, “sugar is poison” in your body.
| Date | Cholesterol | HDL | LDL | A1C |
| Aug, 2016 | 173 | 46 | 112 | 6.6 |
| Feb, 2017 | 155 | 38 | 105 | 7.4 |
While my overall cholesterol was improving significantly, the other numbers told a different story. The most glaring disappointment in these numbers was the drop in my good cholesterol (HDL) and the increase in my A1C.
The coming months were going to require a change in attitude about bringing my diabetic condition under control. In an upcoming final post, I will address how these numbers would change for the better.