Discouraged!1

First, by way of translation, since you are in the UK the unit of measure for bg is milliMol/Liter (or mM/L). In the USA and many other places the unit is milligram/ deciliter (or mg/dl). Both Metric, just different for whatever reason. Anyway the conversion factor is 18, so to go from your measure to ours multiply by 18, to go from ours to yours divide by 18. So your earlier test of 17 x 18 = 306, and your later 20 x 18 =360. That should make things clearer.

Yes, a reading taken after breakfast opposed to one without breakfast will be quite a bit higher in most cases. Breakfast tends to raise bg levels more than other meals because our bodies release stored energy to help us get up in the morning, and then the breakfast adds to them. It's usually best to eat a breakfast of mostly protein and fat, with MUCH less carbohydrates. So if you are eating bread, other bleached flour based baked goods, or fruit juice you are boosting your bg greatly. Avoiding those and eating animal proteins, especially fish or fowl products, can help keep you in better ranges. DO eat breakfast though, since if you don't your system will keep releasing stored glycogen until you do. Waiting until lunch to eat would make things even worse.

We can understand your feeling about blood tests taken from the arm. We've all been there, it doesn't seem like what ANYBODY could want. Don't worry though, you'll get used to it eventually. It still won't be fun, just another necessary detail for a better life. The Gliclazide can help you, hopefully very much. It is a stimulant for the pancreas, which makes it produce more insulin. Normal therapy for a new Type 2. Having snacks handy since your schedule doesn't give you free choice of when to eat is a reasonable idea. Get used to it, it's best to always have some handy from now on. I question having a multigrain bar, though, since that would be absorbed slower and that isn't the point when we have a low bg level. Fast acting carbs are in order then, such as glucose tablets or small candies. Perhaps she said the multigrain bar should follow the glucose tablets by about 15 miniutes or so? If so that would help sustain you until the next meal, since glucose doesn't stay with you long.