Welcome.

First of all, you were NOT handed a death sentence. In fact, you can use this diagnosis as the motivation to become healthier than ever. Like you, I have watched many family members suffer from the effects of this disease, but that was because they let the disease control them, rather than control the disease. It does NOT have to happen.

I'm a researcher by nature, so when I was diagnosed I ready many books on diabetes and its management. It never hurts to educate yourself. I've found forums where people who are actually living with the disease to be more helpful than books written by doctors who may treat the disease, but don't have to live with it on a daily basis.

The key is finding what works for you. Not what works for me. Not what works for the people writing books on the subject. But you. We can all learn from each other, but this is a very personalized disease - every diabetic is different. That said, there are some things every newly-diagnosed diabetic can do.

1) Take your medication as prescribed. Just because you have to take medication now doesn't mean you'll have to take it forever. You might be, and there's nothing wrong with that, but you very well could get it controlled to the level that medication is no longer necessary. But it is important, upon diagnosis, to work with your doctor to determine the correct medication/dosages and take it faithfully as directed.

2) Monitor your carb intake. Carbs are our greatest enemy. Not only do we need to limit our carb intake, we need to be careful of the type of carbs we eat. All carbs are not equal. You'll have to make up your mind on what glucose levels you want to achieve and maintain, and figure out how many carbs your body can tolerate and stay within that range. Don't just take the doctor's word on it. Your body might need less, or your body might be able to handle more. Which brings me to my next point.

3) Test, test, test. Did I mention you need to test? Testing is crucial, especially at the beginning. It is the only way we have to determine how a certain food affects our glucose. Once again, decide what is acceptable to you. I won't eat anything that puts me over 140 at the one hour mark or over 120 at the two hour mark. Those are my standards. Figure out yours. I burned through thousands of strips and hundreds of dollars at first, because I tested myself three times (before, one hour after, and two hours after) for every new food I ate. But know I know exactly what I can and can't eat, and don't have to test myself nearly as much.

4) Exercise. Every little bit makes a difference. I've found that my morning readings are 10-20 points lower when I have exercised the day before. That's huge. Start by doing what you can and slowly build on it. You'll be amazed at the progress you can make.

5) Stay positive. I think we all go through a wide range of emotions when diagnosed. With my family history, I wasn't shocked at diagnosis, but I bounced back-and-forth between being angry at myself and being depressed for a week or two before I settled on being determined. Determined that it wasn't going to beat me. I was going to beat it. Anger and depression are normal, but they are not helpful. Determination, motivation, and positivity is.

The good news is that you caught it early and your A1C isn't at a crazy, out of control number (mine was a whopping 14.2 at diagnosis). The time to attack this is now. It will only get more difficult if you wait. It is much easier to prevent damage than it is to repair damage. You'll probably start to feel better soon, too, so hang in there. Your exhaustion probably has a lot to do with your body getting used to the Metformin and your glucose levels trying to stabilize. I was in a fog the first couple of weeks - really miserable - but one day it just lifted and it hasn't come back.

You can do it. It takes a lot of upfront work, work that is hard and work that sucks at times, but before long it becomes second nature and gets much easier.

Best of luck to you.

Welcome to MFP and our group. Not much more I can add to Travis and Chipper other than "ditto". I do feel this has become a blessing to me and my family as Travis mentioned. I think we pretty much all know that sooner or later our eating and lack of exercise would catch up with us. Sooner is better in this case AS YOU CAN GET IT UNDER CONTROL!!!

Best of luck.

Your post could have been written by me just a couple of months ago. I actually thought about changing Drs. because it didn't seem like she had much information to provide me so I really appreciate your posting this. The answers you are receiving are benefiting several of us.

Thank you.

Been T2 since about 2006. The struggle is real folks, and no one can offer more meaningful support than a fellow diabetic.

Let me just get a plug in for swimming as exercise. When I was diagnosed (January) my doc said start with 30 mins of daily exercise, whatever type you want, and increase by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. Then he went on to encourage walking. I think they do that because its sort of the path of least resistance. Doesn;t require gym membership, workout paraphanelia, scheduling, etc. I was miserable after my first two days of walking. It was freezing outside, yet I was still sweat-soaked. I was exhausted, sore, and out of breath.

I decided to try swimming. Most exercise is harder on your joints being large. Swimming is easier because I float. Swimming keeps me cool, and I don't sweat, or at least I don't feel sweaty. Indoor swims mean I am not affected by the weather. It burns more calories, which means it burns more glycogen, and has more benefit on your glucose levels. I can go at my own pace. I just generally feel refreshed instead of worn out after a good swim.

I'm a little unsure of the asthmatic aspect. Initially I'd suggest using backstroke where your face stays out of the water so you can breathe as needed. But will the chlorine fumes negatively affect the asthma? Eventually I would think the 'breath control' aspect of swimming might actually improve lung function and help with the asthma. But it might be an obstacle to start.

Agree with everyone here. The keys for me was getting back to basic & a low carb diet. As for exercise I've tried many things but gardening, swimming, hiking & just plan walking have worked the best for me.