You Are at the Center

You are the most important member of your health care team. Doctors, nurses and educators help, but you live with diabetes every day.

Your daily experience counts. You notice how food, activity, stress and sleep affect you. Those notes help your team plan with you.

Bindu holds a folder across from three smiling people: a doctor with a stethoscope, a nurse in a cap and an educator holding a meter. Notes kept at home: the folder stays shut and the nurse's head shows a question mark, with the words Your team never hears it. Notes shared: a note reading Food, activity, stress, sleep flies to the nurse, who turns green and hands back a sheet with a tick that reads Your team plans with you.

Share your log, goals and worries. Your team plans with the details you give them. Your log is like a notebook of your blood sugar checks.

Your team can only help with what they hear. Bring your notes, even small ones, to each visit.

Steps through what to share at a visit: your log, your goals, your worries and your questions.

Ask your team how often to check and what to write down. Ask questions until the plan makes sense. Write questions down before each visit.

Still unsure? You can ask for a second opinion. That means getting another health professional's view. You do not have to leave your doctor to do it.

Key takeaways

• Your daily experience is an important part of your care.
• Share your logs, goals and worries with your team.
• Ask questions until the plan makes sense, and a second opinion is fine.

Try it

Write one question for your team on paper, and bring it to your next visit.