Dear farlife05: I cannot relate directly to your BG readings as mine are in mmol/mol, and I never see readings as high as yours - my meter readings are closer to 8.6, 9.1 etc. But I do get the impression that you have had little or no information from your medical practice about what your basic aims are - mine, for example, are to keep my HbA1c figure to below 59mmol/mol - and I am expected to achieve that basically by controlling the amount of carbohydrate I eat. Strictly speaking, for me, this would mean NO cereals, NO starches, as I am insulin resistant. I agree with the advice of NewTD2 - the Diet Doctor pages are worth looking at for lists on what foods will raise your blood glucose a lot (for me, bread, pulses, root vegs), and which ones have low carbohydrate value (again, for me, that means greens and plants grown above the ground). A big disappointment for me is having to forego most fruit - although as the Diet Doctor points out, I can still have berries and a few other goodies. I also miss the convenience of a muesli or granola breakfast!
For years I have followed medical advice about my diet (low glycaemic index, low calorie, low fat, high fibre - whatever the flavour of the year is) and my diabetes has worsened. I have been on Metformin for several years, with all the usual diarrhoea problems ruining my social and home life, and decided to stop taking it a week ago. I have reduced my carbohydrates (yes, again, even lower than previously) and am now achieving better blood glucose levels than on Metformin. My diet is a bit tough, but I am staying in good control by increasing the number of blood gluclose tests I do per day. I am essentially following the advice of the Type2Testing programme - and if my numbers are good, I allow myself a small apple with some cheese (no crackers, of course!); or a small new potato with my roast dinner. But essentially I have to accept I just cannot allow myself the carbohydrates I used to be able to eat pre-diabetes.
Doctors and clinic nurses are so pushed for time that it is not a great surprise one gets so little useful information when one is first diagnosed with diabetes (or even with successive visits over the years); but I really don't feel you understand the full impact of your condition; and it is hugely important that you understand why you will have to reduce your carbohydrates - perhaps significantly reduce them.
I was given some sheets entitled "Food Portion Guide for Type 2 Diabetics" - I have been following it religiously for the past year, but it has made no difference, and when I visit my clinic, my clinic nurses don't believe I can possibly be following their programme - or of course my blood sugar would be getting lower, wouldn't it?
Do look at Diet Doctor, as NewTD2 suggests - they are the most useful pages I have come across to help you manage your diet - manage your condition. The whole palaver of evaluating every darned thing I eat at the moment is a pain - but I can already seen some positive results, and you will too, once you are more confident that you are doing and eating the right things.
All the luck in the world to you.