I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last March. Like Grace, I take metformin, watch my diet, and exercise. For me, exercise has been especially helpful. And everyone has already given you excellent advice--classes, testing, and learning as much as you can.

It's not a disease to take lightly, but it is manageable. My overall health is better now than it was before I developed diabetes, because now I'm motivated to take care of myself. I lost 70 pounds and went from being unable to stand for more than 15 minutes without horrible back pain to being able to walk/jog 3 miles in under 40 minutes. And I went from a size 22 to 8, which is kind of cool.

The potential complications are scary, and diet management is kind of a pain. But hang in there! It's something you can control.