My symptoms, in the months before this checkup, were classic signs of the disease: unusual thirstiness, frequent urination. I had been getting up to go in the middle of the night, which I never did before. My kidneys seemed a little off their game. I now know that when you have excess sugar in your blood, your kidneys have to work harder to clear it. Of course that’s just one of the many damaging effects from excess sugar ripping its way through your system.

I was overweight and felt sluggish—but that was nothing new. I figured that’s just how you felt when you’re middle-aged and heavy. That’s how we roll in fat America.

In addition to the pills, my days now include a pinprick, a drop of blood and a number on a tiny digital device that tells me whether I’ve been a good boy or not.

I had first learned about blood glucose monitoring in 2006 when my father was dying of pancreatic cancer, and I took time off from work and went to Arizona to help. A home nurse showed me how to do it and I took charge of pricking my dad’s finger each day, dipping the testing strip in the drop of his blood and reading the results on the little screen.

I remember one time my father’s blood sugar was over 300, which I duly reported to his doctor. I will always remember the kind way his doctor looked at me and said, “Yes, that’s bad. But that’s not what’s going to kill him.”

And so it was.

I learned testing your blood is easy. The monitoring kit comes with a little needle device that you can set for the slightest of punctures and you don’t need much blood at all.

At CBSNews.com we have tools that tell us the real-time traffic for any story or video on the website. Blood glucose monitoring is the same thing—it’s real-time information on how you’re doing with your diet and exercise.

If you, like me, believe that knowledge is power, than the glucose monitoring device is a powerful tool.