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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYour family doctor or primary care physician will probably make the initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. However, you'll likely then be referred to an endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in hormonal disorders. Your health care team will also generally include a dietitian, a certified diabetes educator, a foot doctor (podiatrist) and an ophthalmologist — a doctor who specializes in eye care. If your blood sugar levels are very high, your doctor may send you to the hospital for treatment.
Because appointments can be brief, and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for any appointments you have with your health care team. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what you can expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. If your doctor is going to test your blood sugar, he or she will ask you to refrain from eating or drinking anything but water for eight hours for a fasting glucose test or four hours for a pre-meal test. When you're making an appointment, ask if fasting is necessary
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated.
- Ask a family member or friend to join you, if possible. Managing diabetes well requires that you retain a lot of information, and sometimes, it's difficult to remember everything you've learned during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Bring a notebook and a pen or pencil, to write down important information.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. Many questions may be best answered by other members of your health care team such as a dietitian or a certified diabetes educator. For type 2 diabetes, some basic questions to ask include:
Glucose monitoring
- How often do I need to monitor my blood sugar?
- What is my goal range?
Lifestyle changes
- What types of changes do I need to make to my diet?
- How can I learn about counting carbohydrates in foods?
- Should I see a dietitian to help with meal planning at home?
- How much exercise should I get each day?
Medications
- Will I need to take medicine? If so, what kind and how much?
- Does the medicine need to be taken at any particular time of the day?
- Do I need to take insulin?
Complications
- What are the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar?
- How do I treat low blood sugar?
- What about high blood sugar — what are the signs and symptoms?
- When should I test for ketones, and how do I do it?
Medical management
- How often do I need to be monitored for diabetes complications? What specialists do I need to see?
- Are there any resources available if I'm having trouble paying for diabetes supplies?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
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:
- Do you understand and feel confident you can follow your treatment plan?
- How are you coping with diabetes?
- Have you experienced any low blood sugar?
- What's a typical day's diet like?
- Are you exercising? If so, how often?
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 guidance.
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