It's been 45 days since the doctor uttered the word "diabetes." Unfortunately, I happened to be in the room at the time.

A month and a half. Six weeks. 1,080 hours. 64,800 minutes. Of course, several months ago I think I knew, without really knowing, that something was amiss.

Three days ago, on Day 42, I took my blood sugar reading five times. Two days ago, Day 43, it was six. Yesterday, Day 44, it was eight.

My fingers hurt - all of them. My mother thinks I'm nuts. You only need to take it twice a day, she says. Stop worrying so much.

Still, today (Day 45) I have taken my blood sugar reading five times. By the time I go to bed, it will be seven times. I tell my mother, my friends that I'm learning about my body, how it reacts to different foods, exercise, stress, illness. I need to do this, I say. They nod, agree, turn away and probably roll their eyes.

Am I obsessing? Well, yes, of course. But I need to know. I need to know if my blood glucose readings reach normal range 2 hours after eating. I need to know if they spike higher than 200 during those two hours. I need to know where I stand before I eat, before I add more fuel to the fire.

Besides, when I choose to obsess, I do it well. Forty-five days into my new world, I have:

• Bought 12 books on diabetes: 3 cookbooks, 4 nutrition/diet books, 5 reference books. My favorites? Diabetes for Dummies and the Diabetes for Dummies Cookbook, with The Prescription Gourmet cookbook hot on their heels.

• Not cooked one recipe from any of my new books, but have enjoyed looking at the pictures.

• Dug out every low-fat, low-cholesterol, healthy cooking book I own (about 15 altogether).

• Surfed endlessly and found a wealth of information, some good and some bad (Like the fact that diabetes is becoming an epidemic in the United States. That Type II Diabetes is no longer known as "adult onset" -too many kids are being diagnosed). But that researchers think they may be close to helping solve Type I diabetes.

• Joined two e-mail lists: the oldest list in existence and a low-carb-oriented list.

• Discovered there are a lot of folks far worse off. (I don't even have to take medicine.)

• Received far too many e-mails in a single day. Removed myself from two e-mail lists.

• Probably alienated a few friends and acquaintances by talking endlessly about diet, carbohydrates, blood sugar, and health issues. (Big time TMI.)

• Attended a day-long diabetes education class taught by a registered nurse and a registered dietician, both delightful people.

• Decided that, while nutritionists are highly educated and are very smart at what they do, they don't know everything about every body. And diabetes is highly individual.

• Spent major bucks on a glucose monitor (the Ultra One-Touch, the newest one out there); a blood pressure monitor (an Omron wrist model, no less), new Ryka cross-trainers (for pronation issues and an inflamed Achilles tendon), heel inserts (for the Achilles problem), two weight scales (the first one too common and hard to read; the second, a nifty battery-operated digital version).

• Downloaded software for my Palm that analyzes and monitors blood sugar readings. Turned around and downloaded companion software that monitors diet, exercise, and weight loss. Continue to obsessively enter data.

• Learned that I can eat anything I want - provided I understand how it will affect me and plan accordingly.

• Discovered that some foods are tricky. Potatoes, lima beans, and corn, while technically vegetables, are really starches. But I can have 1-1/2 cups of strawberries as a serving.

• Visited the health food store three times in one week. Bought stuff. Began eating salmon and tuna burgers. Actually enjoyed them.

• Decided puffed wheat (organic Kamut, actually), isn't as horrid I as once thought.

• Eaten more salads prepared in more ways than I ever thought possible.

• Learned it's expensive to eat "well" in restaurants.

• Saved $25 a week by eating breakfast at home, and another $15-20 by eating more dinners at home. No breaks on lunch, though.

• Began walking 2 miles a day, or at least every other day.

• Landed on a nutrition plan that simply "feels" right - 40%-30%-30% (carbs/protein/fat). Increased my energy level within two days.

• Really began to understand calories, kilocalories, micronutrients, "diet" and how they all work together.

• Lost 28 pounds. Yes, 28 pounds.

Diabetes. Should I have been more careful? Well, of course. I have a Type II parent and had a Type II grandparent. I am overweight. I ate poorly, on the run, too much. I love starchy foods. Sweets? I could actually do without them, although I enjoy chocolate as much as the next person. Stressed to the max over the past year and traveling, on average, twice a month.

Should I have heeded signs? Probably. But everything I read tells me that diabetes is sneaky. I'd been tired. Falling asleep at the computer, even - but also burning candles at both ends. A little lethargic during the day, drinking a lot of water - but trying to do so. Finding it difficult at times to roll out of bed, to put one foot in front of the other quickly. Needing a bathroom break in the middle of the night (all that water). Waking up sweaty on a cold night. Beastly headaches in the mornings - usually after eating too late or drinking too late, especially fruity drinks or carbohydrate-laden meals. Blurred vision (computer close-up work). Stress levels lightening, but still there. Blood pressure moving a little higher than I like. Cholesterol levels out of whack.

So here I am, 45 days later. Obsession is turning to understanding. Every day my new world is more familiar and comfortable. I can eat this way. I can exercise regularly. I can test my blood sugar, keep track of my blood pressure. I want to look better, feel better, be better. I can. I will. Life is good.

See? My obsession was useful, I tell my mother. It served its purpose. I am wiser. I know my body -- perhaps not as well as I should, but much better. But now it is time to let go. Tomorrow, Day 46, as my doctor recommended, I will check my blood sugar only twice. But I'll check my body's mood every minute.