[BrianSCohen]

Robin,

I am really impressed with your questions. Many people simply go through life accepting what they are told by supposedly authority figures like Drs. In truth, you have Diabetes. You may very well be able to change your diet, exercise and lose weight and achieve normal blood sugars for many years. However, you still have some impairment and if it gets worse or your diligence drops off, your blood sugar will rise.

In fact, you caught it at an early stage (relatively). You can do something about it and steer yourself away from suffering complications. That is great news! I think everyone should primary responsibility for their health care decisions related to Diabetes. The Dr. is your advisor, find one who gives you advice you can be confident about. It is entirely reasonable to use medication to help you normalize blood sugars. Metformin is the most common first medication. I take it and it has helped.

You will get varied dietary advice. Most everyone would agree that the ADA is out of date. I follow a very low carb diet. You don't actually need any carbs. It really helps keep my blood sugar load low. Others elect higher carb diets. Whatever you choose, you will need to learn about carbs in your diet and how they effect your blood sugar. Everyone is different. You should learn to eat to your meter, use your meter to monitor your blood sugar, but also to learn all your individual responses to different foods.

Best of luck finding an Endo and working with your dr.