I'm a 10! :(

     Last week I had a visit with Natalie, my Physician's Assistant. She told me I was a 10! I was stunned. I mean, I had lost a few pounds but, wow. A 10?

Well, that's how it felt when she told me.

     CUE RECORD SCRATCH!

     She was talking about my A1c number!

     The A1c is a test that measures a person's average glucose level over the past 2 to 3 months. Here's some perspective from WebMD on what a "10" means.

     For people without diabetes, the normal range for the hemoglobin A1c test is between 4% and 5.6%. Hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7% and 6.4% indicate increased risk of diabetes, and levels of 6.5% or higher indicate diabetes.

     So, while in everyday life a "10" is associated with perfection, when it comes to the A1c a "10" is associated with the possibility of future blindness, neuropathy, and even amputation. And in the short run it means your doctor wants to add an injectible medicine to your daily regimen. Translation: When it comes to the attractiveness of my current health situation, I'm more Dudley Moore than Bo Derek.

     And it's my kidneys that are suffering. I'll explain it this way. Diabetics can't make use of all the valuable glucose in their system, and when too much glucose hangs out in your bloodstream with no good place to go it's like a bunch of aimless teenagers hanging out in the streets at night. Sooner or later that loitering gang - once filled with so much promise and so much positive, useful energy - are going to mug your kidneys.

     So we struck up a bargain, Natalie and I. I've got three months to shave 3 points off my A1c. She made it clear that fixing runaway numbers with diet alone was not her plan A, but she was encouraged by the fact that two years ago I quickly got down to 7.1 by changing to a vegan diet. And, as she rightly said, "It's your body. I can't force you."

     Now comes the great test.

      Dr. Neal Barnard, who briefly appears in the excellent documentary "Forks Over Knives" (which will make you punch the next hamburger you meet) claims that diabetes can be reversed without drugs. Through diet alone. Sometimes I wonder if my particular case is too far down the road, but my earlier efforts have proven that, at the very least, a vegan diet can produce dramatic change. And quickly, too.

     In fact, I have been amazed at how forgiving my body is. I removed meat, dairy, and all processed sweets a few weeks before meeting with Natalie and since that time I've lost 9 pounds and my blood sugar numbers have dropped dramatically; almost all are within range and, at Natalie's instruction, I've reduced one of my medications by half.

     But can I ever be a 5? For the first time in my life I'm working really hard to be come half the man I am today.