I need some hopeful advice, I guess...u

((((Hugs)))) and prayers. It IS overwhelming at first but you CAN do it.

YES - it is possible for some people to control Type 2 with just diet and exercise - especially early in the disease process -my DH lost 35 lbs and his numbers improved a lot.

BUT - some people need medication even with diet and exercise - I was diagnosed 2.5 years ago after probably 15+ years as a prediabetic. I lost 40 lbs in teh first year, increased exercise, improved my diet and still needed metformin (it works by helping the body use insulin more efficiently). At my last visit, the doctor added a second medication (Glipizide) that will help my pancreas make insulin more effectively. In my case - the disease (diabetes) is progressing and I need more medication - the next step for me is insulin and I'm hoping to hold off on that as long as possible.

As for shame and guilt - there's a genetic component as well as a lifestyle one - you only have control over the lifestyle aspects and you can make a positive impact by changing those. My kids are screwed...with two parents and 3 out of 4 grandparents with Type 2...they're almost certainly pre-disposed but I'm teaching them to make good lifestyle choices now that'll serve them well in hopefully postponing a diagnois and then treating and living well with the disease in the future.

After you take that class and get educated on the matter........see if you can see a doctor who specializes in diabetes.
So many general physicians really are not educated in treating diabetes.

Subscribe to the magazine Diabetes Forecast. It has wonderful information on new thoughts about the disease, as well as some hints/recipes etc.

I can't say enough about exercise helping the situation. Walk at least 1/2 mile per day.

I have a few, actually a lot of relatives with type 1. A few thought they were type 2, but no amount of work did the trick and they were changed to type 1. A lot of type 2s have remained on pills, and never had to switch to injections. And a few who were able to wean off medication entirely.
The good thing is that those pumps are super advanced now. There is constant monitoring of blood without the pricks, and can self administer.

I've been an RN for 20 years and have known probably thousands of people with diabetes at this point. Folks who get the education and are able to really make the lifestyle decisions that impact their diabetes can do amazing. Honestly, I have known diabetics that being diagnosed changed their lives for the BETTER because they have adopted a much healthier lifestyle, take meds that they need, and they feel better than they have in years! I am sure you are overwhelmed, stressed, scared, but don't despair, you can manage this and do great. There is a learning curve, but you will get the hang of it. Sorry the news was so upsetting, I am not trying to minimize that at all, but know you will be okay.

Laura

    I agree 100% with what Dazeepetals has written above. This book targets Diabetes specifically.

   I'm pretty sure the documentary "Forks Over Knives" follows the same diet which is a whole foods, plant based diet, because I've read many, many testimonies of people who have reversed their type 2 diabetes by following this diet. In the film this is mentioned. I would read this book, and watch this film personally before going to any conventional diabetes programs. Simply because the success rate is so much higher. There is also a website at www.forksoverknives.com You can read the success stories there under "Articles". Look for the ones that mention "diabetes". I didn't have diabetes when I started this diet 3 years ago, but I did lose 66 pounds and my cholesterol dropped from 220 to 150. If you decide to go forward and give this diet, which really isn't a "diet" as in eating this way for a short while but diet as in eating a certain way for the rest of your life a try, then I encourage you to buy the book, "The Forks over Knives Plan" which is a step by step guide for the first 4 weeks, and "The Forks over Knives Cookbook". 

It isn't difficult. It really isn't. Having diabetes to me is. I love eating this way much more than I did what I was eating before. I enjoy the taste of the food so much more. I also love the way I feel. Try it for 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days. That gives your taste buds enough time to adjust to not eating dairy or meat. You'll lose your cravings for cheese which by the way is one of the worst foods you can eat, and one of the most addictive. Here's a book I just came across that really helps explain all of that. "The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy by Neal Barnard. Ha, look at that. Same author as the one Dazeepetals recommended. 

BTW, you don't have to buy all of these books. Check your local library. Mine has all of them and that's where I started. 

There are some hospitals that are using this approach rather than trying the former conventional approaches with huge success rates. Something like a 98% success rate of complete reversal of diabetes 2 patients. What's happening is the word is not getting out because Big Pharma doesn't want it too. There's big money in treating chronically ill patients-like diabetics in the USA, and the rate of people with diabetes 2 in this country is rising steadily. It's huge. They don't want that profit margin taken away from them, obviously. 

DH has type 1, so he does and will need medication/insulin his whole life (MIL has it, her dad had it...) Honestly, the only thing he really changed was going to diet soda from regular. I wish he would make the other changes, but he doesn't seem to care.

About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes.  I've been on Metformin ever since then.  With taking Metformin and watching my diet I've been able to control it.

I joined Weight Watcher's about a year ago and have lost about 20 pounds.  Since that weight loss my A1C is now in the pre-diabetic range.  (I'm continuing to take the Metformin, and will probably do so the rest of my life.  It's on the $4 drug list so it's not expensive at all.)

Being diagnosed with Diabetes isn't the end of your life.  I still eat sweets and other things I love.  I just watch my diet more closely than I have in the past.