About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffAfter you've been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you'll need close medical follow-up until your blood sugar level stabilizes and your doctor determines the proper insulin program and appropriate doses of insulin for you. Diabetes care is generally coordinated by a doctor who specializes in hormonal disorders (endocrinologist), but your health care team likely also will include a certified diabetes educator, a nutritionist, a social worker, a doctor who specializes in eye care (ophthalmologist) and a doctor who specializes in foot health (podiatrist).
Once your blood sugar is under control, your endocrinologist likely will recommend checkups every few months. A thorough yearly exam and regular foot and eye exams also are important — especially if your diabetes isn't well controlled, if you have high blood pressure or kidney disease, or if you're pregnant.
Because appointments can be brief and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared. Additionally, your appointment may include visits with several members of your health care team as well as your doctor. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and to know what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any concerns you have as they occur, and take that list to your appointment. Once your diabetes is in good control, the initial symptoms of diabetes should disappear. However, you may have new issues that you need to address, such as recurring low blood sugar episodes or how to address high blood sugar after eating certain foods.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes. Many factors can affect your diabetes control, including stress.
- Make a list of all medications, vitamins and supplements you're taking.
- For your regular checkups, bring a book with your recorded glucose values or your meter to your appointments.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time with your doctor and the rest of your health care team. For type 1 diabetes, topics you want to clarify with your doctor, dietitian or diabetes educator include:
- The frequency and timing of blood glucose monitoring
- Insulin therapy — types of insulin used, timing of dosing, amount of dose
- Insulin administration — shots versus pumps
- Low blood sugar — how to recognize and treat
- High blood sugar — how to recognize and treat
- Ketones — testing and treatment
- Nutrition — types of food and their effect on blood sugar
- Carbohydrate counting
- Exercise — adjusting insulin and food intake for activity
- Medical management — how often to visit the doctor and other diabetes care specialists
Don't hesitate to ask any other questions that occur to you.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- How comfortable are you managing your diabetes?
- How often are you having low blood sugar episodes?
- Are you still aware of when your blood sugar is getting low?
- What's a typical day's diet like?
- Are you exercising? If so, how often?
- On average, how much insulin are you using daily?
What you can do in the meantime
If your blood sugar isn't well controlled, or if you're not sure about what to do in a certain situation, don't hesitate to contact your doctor or diabetes educator in between appointments for advice and guidance.
- Diabetes mellitus (DM). The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec12/ch158/ch158b.html#sec12-ch158-ch158b-1105. Accessed Feb. 22, 2011.
- Standards of medical care in diabetes — 2011. Diabetes Care. 2011:34:S11.
- Eisenbarth GS, et al. Pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home.index.html. Accessed Feb. 18, 2011.
- Heart disease and stroke statistics — 2009 update. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/123565990943909Heart%20and%20Stroke%20Update.pdf. Accessed Feb. 22, 2011.
- Roberts AW. Cardiovascular risk and prevention in diabetes mellitus. Clinical Medicine. 2010;10:495.
- Your guide to diabetes: Type 1 and type 2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/index.htm. Accessed Feb. 22, 2011.
- What people with diabetes need to know about osteoporosis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Conditions_Behaviors/diabetes.asp. Accessed Feb. 22, 2011.
- Bergenstal RM, et al. Effectiveness of sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy in type 1 diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine. 2010;363:311.
- Wahabi HA, et al. Preconception care for diabetic women for improving maternal and fetal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2010;10:63.
- Tieu J, et al. Preconception care for diabetic women for improving maternal and infant health (review). The Cochrane Collection. 2010;12.
- Robertson RP. Pancreas and islet transplantation in diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home.index.html. Accessed Feb. 22, 2011.
- Stem cell information. National Institutes of Health. http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/chapter7.asp. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
- National diabetes statistics, 2011. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/PUBS/statistics/DM_Statistics.pdf. Accessed Feb. 24. 2011.
- Hypoglycemia. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/index.htm. Accessed Feb. 22, 2011.
- Diabetic ketoacidosis. National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001363. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Use of hepatitis B vaccine for adults with diabetes mellitus: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2011:60;1709.
Find Mayo Clinic on