Questions to Ask About Diabetes
For anyone newly diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes, and for whoever goes to the appointment with them. The list follows the order the conversation usually takes with a doctor or diabetes educator: which type it is and what the numbers mean, medication and insulin, testing at home, food and exercise, lows and sick days, then screening checks, who looks after what, and cost. Each question has a note on what a useful answer sounds like or what to do with it, and none of it is medical advice.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Type and numbers
Which type of diabetes do I have, and how do you know?
Why ask it
A firm answer names the type and the result it rests on. If the type is not yet certain, which does happen in adults, ask what further blood test would settle it and whether your treatment would be any different while you wait.
What was my A1C, and what does that number mean?
Why ask it
Get the figure, the date and the unit, because some countries report it as a percentage and others in mmol/mol. It is usually explained as an average over the last two to three months, so ask where yours sits against the cutoffs your doctor uses for prediabetes and diabetes.
What A1C are we aiming for, and why that number for me?
Why ask it
Targets are set per person, and age, other conditions and the risk of lows all move them, so a number that comes with a reason is what you are after. If you hear 'as low as possible', ask for a figure and the blood test at which the two of you will check it.
What caused this, and is it something I did?
Why ask it
The causes doctors point to differ by type, and often several sit together, some of them outside anyone's control. If the answer leaves you feeling blamed, steer it to what is in your hands from here on, which is the part you can use.
Can this be reversed or put into remission, or will I be managing it from now on?
Why ask it
The honest answer depends on the type and on how long the numbers have been raised, and your doctor may say remission where you said reversed. Listen for what it would take in your case and how they would confirm it. Be wary of any reply, in a clinic or online, that promises a cure.
Besides the A1C, which blood sugar tests did I have, and what did they show?
Why ask it
A fasting test, a random test and a glucose drink test each measure a single moment, and the lab sheet should say which one you had. Have the doctor point to the result that made the diagnosis and say whether a second test confirmed it.
I was told I have prediabetes. How close am I to the diabetes range, and which way are my numbers heading?
Why ask it
Bring any older blood results you can find, since two or three points show a direction that one cannot. The helpful reply covers what would bring the numbers back down, when you will be retested and what result would change the plan.
I feel fine. Can high blood sugar be doing harm without my noticing?
Why ask it
A diagnosis that comes from a routine blood test, with no symptoms at all, is hard to take seriously. Have the doctor explain what the worry is over years and not days, and name the symptoms that would be worth a call if they did turn up, such as unusual thirst or blurred vision.
How urgent is this: do we need to act this week, or do I have months to make changes?
Why ask it
New diagnoses range from a hospital visit the same day to a recheck in three months, and from the patient's chair the two can sound alike. If treatment is starting straight away, ask which result or symptom makes it urgent.
Does my diagnosis mean my children, brothers or sisters should have their blood sugar tested?
Why ask it
The answer differs by type, so ask it once you know yours. If it is yes, find out which test your relatives should request and at what age, so you can pass on something more exact than 'it runs in the family'.
Medication
Do I need medication now, or is there time to try changes to food and activity first?
Why ask it
Doctors differ here, and so do patients' numbers, so ask which of your results tips the decision. If you are given a trial period without medicine, agree its length and the result that would count as enough before you leave.
Why this medicine for me, and what would you move to if it is not enough?
Why ask it
Reasons you might hear include your kidneys, your heart, your weight, the risk of lows and what your plan covers. Hearing the second and third steps now tells you there is a path, and it lets you bring up a newer option without sounding like you are complaining.
What is this medicine expected to do to my numbers, and when will we judge whether it is working?
Why ask it
You are looking for a size and a date: roughly how far the A1C might move, and at which blood test you will find out. With that agreed in advance, a disappointing result leads to a planned next step.
Which side effects are likely in the first few weeks, and do they usually settle?
Why ask it
Stomach upset is a frequent complaint with some diabetes tablets, and how the dose is built up or when it is taken can matter. Ask what to try before giving up on it and who to call if it does not ease, because stopping quietly leaves the doctor adjusting a medicine you are not taking.
Can this medicine cause low blood sugar on its own?
Why ask it
Some diabetes medicines can and some rarely do, and the answer decides whether you need to carry glucose, test before driving or warn the people around you. If you take more than one, ask about the combination and not only each drug.
What do I do if I miss a dose, or take it and then cannot eat?
Why ask it
The instructions are different for tablets, long-acting insulin and mealtime insulin, so get them for each thing you take. Have them written on the same sheet as your doses, since this is the question people end up searching for late at night.
Will I need insulin, now or later, and what would lead you to recommend it?
Why ask it
With type 1 the answer is yes from the start, and what is left to settle is how you learn to use it. With type 2, hear what result or situation would bring insulin in, so that it arrives as a step you were told about and not as a verdict on your effort.
If I start insulin, who teaches me to inject and to work out the dose?
Why ask it
This should be a booked session with a nurse or educator, with you giving the injection while they watch. A prescription and a leaflet is the worrying version. Leave knowing which insulin belongs to which time of day and who you can phone in the first week.
How should I store my insulin and supplies, and what do I do with used needles?
Why ask it
Cover the fridge, a hot car, a flight and a power cut while you are there. Disposal rules for sharps depend on where you live, so ask whether the pharmacy, the clinic or a local drop-off point takes the full containers.
Monitoring
Do I need to check my blood sugar at home, and if so how often and at what times?
Why ask it
Not everyone is asked to: it depends on the type and the treatment, and some people on tablets alone are told the lab test is enough. If you are given a meter, ask what each reading will be used to decide, because testing that changes nothing is hard to keep up.
What range should my home readings fall in before and after eating?
Why ask it
Write the two ranges inside the meter case, in the unit your meter shows. Ask too how long after a meal the second reading is meant to be taken, because the timing changes what the number means.
Would a continuous glucose monitor make sense for me, and how would I get one?
Why ask it
Whether a sensor is offered, and who pays for it, depends on your treatment, your insurer and your country. If the answer is not now, find out what would qualify you later and whether the clinic can lend one for a couple of weeks to show your patterns.
Can someone watch me do a finger-stick test and tell me what I am getting wrong?
Why ask it
Five minutes with a nurse, an educator or a pharmacist is usually enough. Unwashed hands, strips past their date and too small a drop are the slips they tend to catch, and each one produces readings that send you chasing a problem you do not have.
What should I record alongside the readings, and how do I get them to you between visits?
Why ask it
Some clinics want a paper log, some download the meter and some read an app. Find out which, then ask what else earns a line: meals, exercise, illness, missed doses. A reading with no note beside it rarely explains itself three months later.
Which supplies do I need at home, and how do I reorder before I run out?
Why ask it
Make the list together: meter, strips, lancets, needles, sharps container, glucose tablets, spare batteries. For each, ask whether it needs a prescription and how many the plan allows per month, because a strip limit set lower than your testing schedule is a common snag.
How often will my A1C be repeated, and who arranges the blood test?
Why ask it
Expect an interval that is shorter while treatment is being adjusted and longer once things are steady. Settle whether the order comes automatically or you request it, and whether the blood is drawn ahead of the visit so the result is on the table when you talk.
Food and exercise
Do I have to cut out sugar and carbohydrates, or learn how much I can have and when?
Why ask it
Many people arrive braced for a list of banned foods and leave with something more workable. Ask which approach the doctor favors for you, whether that is counting carbohydrates, a plate method or something else, and why.
Can you refer me to a dietitian or a diabetes education program, and how many sessions would I get?
Why ask it
Coverage, waiting times and the number of visits differ by plan and by country, so ask how it works where you are. If there is a wait, get one or two changes to start on in the meantime.
What would an ordinary day of eating look like for someone with my routine?
Why ask it
Describe your real week first: who cooks, the foods your family eats, the shift you work, the budget. Advice built on that is advice you can follow. If you are handed a generic sheet instead, ask to go through it against a day you actually had.
What kind of exercise helps most, and how much should I build up to?
Why ask it
Say what you do now, even if that is nothing, and what your joints, heart or schedule rule out. A good answer starts from there with a first step for this week. Ask too whether any activity should wait until your eyes, feet or heart have been checked.
Should I test or eat something before, during or after a workout?
Why ask it
Whether you need to depends on your treatment: on insulin or a medicine that can cause lows it is a routine question, and otherwise the answer may simply be no. If it applies, get the reading below which you should eat first, and what to keep in your pocket.
Would losing weight change my numbers, and what amount is realistic to aim for?
Why ask it
Skip it if weight is not part of your picture, as it often is not with type 1. Otherwise ask for a figure and a time frame, and what support exists beyond being told to eat less: a program, a dietitian, a medicine.
How does alcohol interact with my diabetes medicine?
Why ask it
For adults who drink. The reply depends on the medicine, and with insulin and some tablets the concern doctors raise is a low hours later, including overnight. Describe what you really drink, since advice fitted to a tidied-up answer protects nobody.
How do I manage days when my routine breaks: travel, night shifts, a religious fast or a holiday meal?
Why ask it
Pick the one that is coming up soonest and ask about that, with dates. Fasting and time-zone changes in particular can mean adjusting doses or timing, which is a plan to make with your team beforehand and not on the day.
Lows and sick days
What does low blood sugar feel like, and at what reading should I treat it?
Why ask it
Shakiness, sweating, hunger and sudden irritability are the signs commonly described, though yours may differ. Get the number in your meter's unit, and ask what to do when you feel low but cannot test.
What exactly should I eat or drink to treat a low, and when do I test again?
Why ask it
Have it spelled out as an amount of a specific thing, such as glucose tablets or juice, plus the number of minutes before the recheck. Then put that item in your bag, your car and beside your bed today, because a plan that needs a trip to the kitchen fails at night.
When is a low an emergency, and should someone at home have glucagon and know how to use it?
Why ask it
For people on insulin this is often a yes, and it comes with a prescription and a short lesson for whoever lives with you. If you brought a companion, this is the part they should hear firsthand, including the point at which to stop trying and call an ambulance.
What reading is too high to wait on, and what do I do when I see it?
Why ask it
You need a number, a duration and an action: recheck, drink water, take a correction dose, call, or go in. 'Call if it stays high' leaves you guessing at midnight, so ask how high and for how many hours.
Should I test for ketones, and when?
Why ask it
Ketone testing comes up mostly with type 1 and with certain medicines, so you may be told it is not for you. If it is, find out whether you get urine strips or a blood meter, what result means act, and which symptoms mean going to the emergency room without testing first.
What is my plan for a day when I am ill and cannot eat or keep fluids down?
Why ask it
Sick-day rules cover which medicines to keep taking, which to pause, how often to test and how much to drink, and they differ by treatment. Have the plan written out before you need it and keep it where the person looking after you can find it.
Is it safe for me to drive, and do I have to tell the licensing office or my insurer?
Why ask it
Licensing and insurance rules are set by country or state and often turn on whether you take insulin, so your doctor may point you to the licensing office for that half. The medical half is theirs to answer: whether to test before driving, and what reading means wait.
Should I wear a medical ID, and what should the people around me know?
Why ask it
Work out with your doctor the two sentences a coworker, teacher or coach needs: what a low looks like and what to hand you. You do not owe anyone more than that, and if your treatment cannot cause lows, you may hear that the ID is optional.
Ongoing care and costs
Which complications are you watching for, and has any sign of them shown up in my results?
Why ask it
Eyes, kidneys, nerves, feet, heart and blood vessels are the usual list. Go through it item by item with your results in hand: clear, not yet checked, or needs watching. 'Nothing so far' is worth hearing said out loud.
When should I have my eyes examined, and who books it?
Why ask it
The exam in question looks at the back of the eye, usually with drops or a retinal photograph, and a glasses check may not include it. Ask whether the first one is due now or later for your type, and whether you need a referral.
How should I look after my feet, and what should I report?
Why ask it
A foot check takes the doctor a few minutes with your shoes and socks off, so offer if nobody asks. Come away knowing whether your sensation and circulation were normal, how often to look at your own feet, and which kinds of sore or color change they want to see the same week.
How do you check my kidneys, and what did the last urine and blood tests show?
Why ask it
Two tests are usually involved, one on urine and one on blood, and both are easy to miss in a long results list. Have the numbers read out and ask when each is next due. If either was never done, that is your prompt to request it.
What are my blood pressure and cholesterol, and do you have targets for those as well?
Why ask it
Many doctors treat these as part of diabetes care and not as a separate matter, so the targets may be tighter than they were for you last year. If a pill for either is suggested, ask what it is protecting and how you would know it is doing its job.
I may want to become pregnant. What should be in place first?
Why ask it
Raise it early, even if pregnancy is a year or more off, because the planning doctors describe happens before conception: targets, a medicine review, sometimes a referral. If your diabetes was found during a pregnancy, the version to ask is whether you will be retested after the birth, and when.
This has been a lot to take in. Is there someone I can talk to about the strain of managing it?
Why ask it
Say what it is doing to you in plain terms: lost sleep, dread before testing, skipped doses. Many clinics can point to a counselor, a support group or an educator who has heard it all before. An answer that amounts to 'try harder' is a reason to ask again, or to ask someone else.
Will you manage my diabetes yourself, or should I also see an endocrinologist?
Why ask it
Either can be the right setup, and it often turns on the type and on how hard the numbers are to steady. Whichever it is, pin down who adjusts the doses and who you call about a problem reading, so two offices are not each assuming the other has it.
What will my medicine, strips and other supplies cost each month, and is there a cheaper way to get the same thing?
Why ask it
Prices and coverage depend on your plan, your pharmacy and your country, so have the office or the pharmacist check yours. Speak up if the cost would make you stretch doses or skip tests. Doctors hear it often, and there may be a different brand, a larger supply or an assistance program.
What does the first year look like: which visits, which tests, and who do I see for each?
Why ask it
Put the answer in a calendar before you leave: blood tests, eye exam, foot check, education sessions, the next review. Ask which of them you book and which the clinic does. Dates are easier to keep than intentions.
Getting the most from a diabetes appointment
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the appointment
Bring the results that led here
Ask for a printout or a portal copy of the blood tests behind the diagnosis, with dates and units. If older results exist anywhere, bring those as well. They show whether the numbers have been climbing or holding steady, which the newest test cannot.
Write down a few ordinary days
For three or four days, note what you ate and drank and when, any exercise, and how you slept. It does not need to be tidy or flattering. It gives the doctor or dietitian your real routine to work from, where otherwise they would be guessing.
List everything you take
Include prescriptions, inhalers, creams, injections, vitamins and anything bought off the shelf, with the dose. Some medicines can affect blood sugar, and the doctor can only allow for the ones they know about.
Choose your questions by stage
At a first visit, the type and numbers group and three or four on medication are plenty. Supplies, screening and the first-year schedule fit better at the follow-up or with the educator. Ask at booking how long the appointment is, so you know how many to bring.
Find out who else you can see
Much of the teaching in diabetes care is done by nurses, educators, dietitians and pharmacists. Ask whether a longer education session exists where you are, because the questions about meters, injecting and food get fuller answers there than in a short visit with the doctor.
Keeping track of the numbers
Learn which unit you are reading
A1C is reported as a percentage in some countries and in mmol/mol in others, and glucose in mg/dL or mmol/L. Advice found online may be written in the other unit, so check before you compare your reading with a figure you saw somewhere.
Keep one page of your own
On one sheet or one note in your phone, record each A1C with its date, your blood pressure, cholesterol and kidney results, and the dates of your last eye and foot checks. Update it at every visit. It is the page a new doctor, a pharmacist or an emergency department will ask you for.
Get the targets in writing
Ask the doctor to write down the A1C target, the home reading ranges and the number that counts as a low for you. Spoken targets blur within a week, and a relative who was not in the room cannot check a number they never saw.
Agree what counts as a pattern
Home readings move around, and one odd result is hard to interpret alone. Ask your team how many readings out of range, over how many days, they want to hear about, and which single readings are an exception that needs a call straight away.
If you are going with someone
Agree your job beforehand
Ask the person what they want from you: notes, a second pair of ears, or the questions they are too rattled to ask. Hold the list and write the answers under each question, with the numbers exactly as they were said.
Learn the emergency parts yourself
The plan for a low, the sick-day plan and, if it is prescribed, how to give glucagon are the parts someone else may have to carry out. Ask to be shown, not told, and ask where the written version will be kept at home.
Leave the food policing out
What goes on the plate is for the person with the diagnosis to decide with their team. Ask how you can make it easier, such as cooking one meal for the whole household, and keep comments on individual choices to yourself unless you are asked.
With a child or teenager
Let them ask their own questions first. Then ask what school, coaches and other caregivers need in writing, and how much of the daily routine someone their age usually handles alone. The rules schools follow differ by place, so ask how it works locally.
After the visit
Check what you came home with
By that evening you should be able to put your hand on your doses, your targets, the plan for a low, the sick-day plan and a number to call. If one is missing, message the office that week. Do not leave it for the next appointment.
Put the plans where they will be used
The sick-day sheet belongs on the fridge or in the medicine cupboard, the low treatment in your bag and by the bed, and the contact number in your phone under a name you will think of when unwell.
Book the checks straight away
Eye exams, blood tests and education sessions often have waits. Booking them in the same week as the visit is the difference between a schedule and a list of things you were meant to do.
Take what you read online back to your team
Ask which websites or patient organizations your clinic trusts, and start there. Bring claims about diets, supplements or cures to your next visit before acting on them, and show your doctor first any product that says it can replace your medicine.
Start the next list
Questions arrive in the weeks after a diagnosis, usually at inconvenient moments. Keep a running note, mark the ones that cannot wait for the next visit, and send those as a message.