I was diagnosed as diabetic three years ago, almost by accident. My fasting glucose levels have always been fine, I'm not overweight, and my diet was good. But when I went to an endocrinologist and she found out I had gastroparesis (paralyzed stomach muscles, meaning food stays in my stomach for several hours), she decided to do a GTT.

I was angry when I found out I was diabetic, because the implication was that type 2 is always the result of poor lifestyle, and I had had a healthy one. But I found out that heredity and having an autoimmune disease can also lead to diabetes. I'm sure you already know that gestational diabetes can sometimes lead to type 2.

Anyway, I went to a few diabetes management classes and tweaked my diet just a bit. My doctor added a small amount of medication to help me out more. I got my glucose levels completely under control in a matter of weeks once I knew what to do, and I've not had problems with it since.

The situation may not be as dire as you suspect, especially since your a1c is not elevated. Once you learn what you need to do to stabilize your glucose levels, you may or may not need some medication. The more serious complications of diabetes can usually be staved off if you follow your doctor's recommendations and make an effort to preserve your health.

The people I know who lost limbs to diabetes were drinkers and would not eat properly or exercise, and some quit taking their meds and going to doctors, even when they knew something wasn't right with their circulation. One of the things you will be taught as a diabetic patient is to check your feet every day and to let your doctor know right away if you have any problems. Also, you can protect your feet by wearing shoes, even indoors (I wear comfy slippers with a good rubber sole on them).

For the low glucose levels, like the others said, avoid going more than a few hours without any food, and carry a quick source of glucose with you at all times in case you have an episode when you're away from home. To avoid high levels, doctor or nutritionist can help you figure out how many total carbs you should consume at each meal and how many times a day you should eat. If you can tolerate vegetables, they are an excellent source of nutrition, and you can eat a lot of them without going over your carb limit for a meal.

You can get through this. It will take some time to adjust, and it won't be fun, but you can get the hang of managing diabetes easier than you think.

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