I'm sorry for your loss. You simply don't know what would have happened if your brothers diabetes had been managed differently. Not everything is diabetes :?
However, my dad died last year, aged 81. He'd had T2 since his early/mid 50s, I guess, he had his first heart attack at 58. He died of a bowel infarction, a known complication of insulin use and heart failure. He had numerous health problems, almost all known diabetic complications.
I was diagnosed earlier this year, not a surprise. I'm motivated by not wanting to end up like my dad, his quality of life was very poor in his last few years. I have brought my HbA1c of 7.8% at diagnosis down to 6% and I'm aiming for normal blood sugars, but my dad never quite got the hang of managing his blood sugar and went on to insulin about 3 years before he died. I'd like to have the same health risks as a non-diabetic and I think keeping my blood sugar at normal levels is the way to do it.
Regarding your current health worries, I have had some problems with my feet, not all diabetic related (I had a foot injury about 2 years ago), but I had some loss of sensation around the time I was diagnosed, as well as temperature senssations. Since I reduced the blood glucose numbers the sensation and temerature sensations have all improved, as have loads of other niggly little health problems.
Take a look at
http://www.bloodsugar101.com I found it a really helpful resource and it gave me real hope that I could manage my blood sugar and my health. Then I found my way here, by a very happy accident, and the support here has been great