So here I am, six months after getting my diagnosis. I’ve had some positive responses—and some lapses. If I had to give myself a grade for how I’ve responded in the past six months, I think I earned a “B-”. The walking was a huge change for sedentary me. I’ve adjusted my diet a lot. The other night I had fish and chips, and subbed salad for the chips. I really wanted those chips, but I subbed salad. On the downside, fried fish is not the greatest meal because fried foods elevate your blood sugar and make it stay high for a longer period of time.

I’m hard on myself in that I have not lost the weight that I wanted to. When I got the news in June I weighed 238 lbs.; six months later I weigh 235 lbs. Three pounds in six months is not a game changer. I could tell you that I feel a little firmer in my thighs and butt from the walking, and that my pants are a little looser. But for a 6-foot-tall man, I should be closer to 200 lbs.

So there’s room for progress on the weight-loss campaign. I blame my buds gluttony and sloth. I tried to kick them to the curb. But like most pimps, they’re hard to shake loose. They hang around.

When I told friends about my diagnosis, a common reaction was a look of concern and “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

I quickly realized that I didn’t see my situation in those terms. The fact is, I feel much better now than I did six months ago. My kidneys feel better; I’m not getting up in the middle of the night. Whether from the pills or the walking, I feel peppier.

I’ve gone from a bleary state of feeling that something was not right to a clear-cut proposition: If I value my health I will take certain steps—and if I don’t, I won’t.

I would highly recommend to anyone reading this piece to go get checked out whatever little thing is worrying you in the back of your mind. If it’s nothing, then you don’t have to worry about it anymore. If it’s something, then you have concrete choices, options and decisions to make. I think that’s preferable to nebulous unease.

Because if there’s one thing I believe more than anything else in life, it’s this: knowledge is power.

If you’ve read this far, you must have some interest in diabetes. Will you share your experience and insights in the comments area below? I’m especially keen to hear from anyone who has gotten off the pills completely.

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David Hancock
David Hancock is a home page editor for CBSNews.com