Hi
@CHURCH and welcome to the forum from another 71yr old. I put my Type 2 diabetes into remission by cutting down on the carbohydrates I eat. Proteins and Fats are essential macro nutrients, whilst carbohydrates are not (despite being though 'healthy' they are distinctly not health for us T2 Diabetics when eaten in the usual quantities).
The lack of information/advice is typical, but being given a BG meter, strips, lancer and lancettes is very unusual for a Type 2 diabetic.
As you might expect your current blood glucose readings are on the high side. It's probably best not to cut carbs too much at first if your HbA1C is too high (though I did) because rapid changes in BG can affect the focus of your eyes.
Just to be clear, all digestible carbs turn into glucose, so it's starches as well as sugars that need to be reduced.
With a BG meter it's easy to test if your meals are OK for you or not:
Test just before eating and then 2hrs after first bite. Try to aim towards a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol between the before and after readings either by replacing the most carby foods or by reducing portions. You can add calories from protein and/or fat such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, avocado, olives, nuts etc.
A good highest reading of a day would be 8.0 mmol or below.