Ok so as you’re aware those levels are too high ideally. (Ps it’s not %. U.K. mmol for the hba1 levels. % is the USA unit and will usually be single figures). It’s also quite a lot of medication.
The way most of us in here control our type 2 most successful is monitoring and limiting just the carbs we eat Rather than starve and eat ever smaller portion. So that’s not just sugar but anything else too that becomes glucose (sugar) in our blood once digested. This includes the pasta and rice you mention. Brown or white isn’t a huge difference in glucose effects, although better for fibre. Brown thing digest a little slower maybe but they still break down into glucose and still keep your glucose higher than it should be. Possibly a little less high but for longer instead most likely. Crisps (potatos) and savoury stuff (pastry) are all red alert items. . Real meats, fish, full fat dairy, non starchy veg, salad, nuts, seeds are all great to eat.
A good place to start understanding this is the page here in this link dietdoctor.com/diabetes. It sounds daunting and the opposite of what you’ve previously been told but it works. There are so many success stories in here and in other groups as well as scientific research supporting it.
The way to see which foods are good and bad for you is to test before you eat a meal and then again 2 hrs after. The basic goal is to be within 2mmol or less of the start point. If it’s a lot higher there were too many carbs. No bias, no agenda, just facts.
The only things you need to be aware of is the canaflozin is what’s known as an sglt2 type of medication and it’s not a good idea to go too low carb on these as it can cause issues (euglycemic DKA) in rare cases. But you sound really quite high carb right now so there’s room for some reduction before that becomes a worry. I’d personally make this the first medication to stop as a result so you don’t have to keep carbs that aren’t helping you. Then there’s the possibility of hypos with the gliclazide (which is why you’ve now been given a meter and strips or should have been). Cutting the carbs significantly can reduce blood glucose a lot and fast and that will mean your current prescription can become too strong fast too. Which is ultimately what you want in order to get it reduced and bloods under control. But monitoring is essential to make sure you keep them matched well. Don’t let a nurse/dr tell you to increase carbs to match the medication. It should be the other way around Ie Drugs to match your chosen diet - especially a diet that improves the outlook for blood glucose control, weight, blood pressure and many other things.
Stress is a noticeable factor and it sounds like you’ve had a lot of it. Be kind to yourself. The exercise where you can manage it can be beneficial for mood and socialising as well as fitness.
Keep coming back to these forums and asking questions and reading about the experiences of others. There’s loads more information below this post in my links in red if you want more reading material.