Diabetic Newbie

Hello! I’m new at this so please excuse my ramblings and questions. I was just diagnosed T2 last week. My A1C was 9.6 and fasting BG was 206. I have been put on 2000 mg of Metformin (currently just starting the 1000 mg phase).

This diagnosis was a true scare for me. My sister has it, my Dad died from its complications (at 62), and most all of my aunts/uncles/cousins have it. At 36 years old, 370 pounds, and my wife expecting our 6th child, I can’t help but freak out over this. I’m afraid of everything from leaving my family behind to over-managing my disease to loosing my feet and everything else in between. I guess what I’m looking for is some assurance and/or comfort.

I’ve been testing like mad over this past week, mostly to experiement with what my levels are doing throughout the day. I have drastically changed my diet from 100-200 g of carbs per meal to < 100 g of carbs per day. I’ve lost about 12 pounds and my fasting BG levels were at 146 this morning. My premeal level is anywhere from 135 to 145 and 2 hour PP is around 150. Last week, everything was 225 or higher (I peaked at about 280 after a grapefruit). God himself only knows how high my levels were before I started testing and eating better!

Earlier this week, my BG levels would spike during exercise, now they drop. Last night, after supper and a 30 minute walk, it dropped to 104, but then rebounded back to 145 where it presumably stayed all night.

Am I freaking out too early and I just need to calm down? Is this good progress or should the levels be coming down faster? What are the signs that would indicate needing insulin therapy (instead of diet/exercise/metformin) for control?