Talking with your health care team

Communicating well with your health care team is a big part of managing your diabetes successfully. Your primary care physician and the other members of the team need to know how you are feeling and how you are doing with your treatment.

Bring up concerns right away.

If you think there might be a problem, let someone on the health care team know about it.

For example, if you notice changes in your eyesight, make sure that you let your eye doctor (ophthalmologist) know right away.

Don't wait until your next appointment to bring it up. That goes for any kind of discomfort you may have, or general worries about your condition.

Ask questions!

Asking questions is the best way to find out what you want to know. And if you don't ask, your health care team will think you know - even if you don't!

It's a good idea to write down questions when you think of them. That way, you can bring a list of the questions to your next appointment and you won't forget to ask them.

It's also a good idea to take some kind of notepad to your appointments. Taking notes can help you remember what health care providers say.

Here are the kinds of questions you should feel comfortable asking:

It's okay to ask your doctor or any other member of your health care team if you can bring someone with you into the office or the examining room, if that's what you want to do. Having someone else listen to your health care providers can help you remember what they said.
It's okay to ask what your medicine is for or how it helps you.
It's okay to ask if any other medicines you take have any effect on your diabetes medicine. That goes for any kind of medicine at all, even if it's not prescription medicine.
If the doctor changes your medicine or anything else about your treatment, it's okay to ask why.
If you have heard about other ways to treat diabetes, it's okay to ask your doctor or other health care providers what they think about them.

Say what's on your mind.

It's very important to be honest with your health care team. Being honest is one of the best ways to help them give you good care. Here are some examples of things your health care team would like to know:

If you're having trouble testing your blood as often as you should, let your health care providers know, and tell them why it's difficult. Then you can talk together about making a plan to help you test more frequently.
If you think it's hard to stick with your eating plan, talk about that with your dietician or doctor.
If some of your medicine makes you feel bad, let your doctor or nurse know, so that you can talk about it. But don't stop taking a medicine without first talking to your doctor!
If you sometimes feel upset and want to stop the blood testing or insulin shots, tell your health care providers how you are feeling before you skip these treatments.

Being open and honest is the best way for you to help your health care team help you.