How to prepare for a diabetes appointment
Bring your glucose diary or a report with your averages and any lows or highs, a list of your medicines and doses as prescribed, and a short list of questions. A one-page summary of the last few weeks, with notes about meals, activity and illness, makes the visit more useful.
What should I bring?
- Your diary or a report. Readings with dates, times and context for the last few weeks.
- A summary. Your average, your highest and lowest readings, and how many lows you had.
- Your medicines. Names, doses and times exactly as prescribed, including supplements.
- Your meter or sensor. Or its report.
- A list of questions. Write them down so you do not forget.
Which notes help most?
Unusual days: illness, travel, changes in food, activity or sleep. A line next to a reading is enough.
Questions you could ask
- What range should I aim for, and does it differ at different times of day?
- How often should I check, and when?
- What is my A1c target, and when will it be checked again?
- What should I do if my reading is very high or very low?
- Do I need any other checks, such as eyes, kidneys or feet?
- Is there anything in my diary that worries you?
After the visit
Write down what changed, such as new targets or medicines, and add the date to your diary so you can see the effect later.
Information, not medical advice. Talk to your care team about your own targets and treatment. Never use a converter or a diary entry to work out an insulin or medicine dose.
Frequently asked questions
How much data should I bring?
Ask your care team how much they want to see. A few recent weeks is a sensible starting point.
Should I bring my meter or sensor?
If you have one, bring it or its report, since clinics can often download readings. Bring your diary too, because it holds the context.
Can Glycove prepare a report?
Glycove will produce weekly and 30-day reports with averages, ranges and trends that you can export as a PDF or CSV file.
Keep reading
Blood sugar diary
A practical guide to keeping a blood sugar diary: what to record, why context matters, and a simple template you can copy.
Blood sugar basicsTime in range
Time in range is the share of the day your glucose stays between 70 and 180 mg/dL. How it is calculated and what the international consensus says.
Daily habits and self-careDaily foot checks
Why the CDC and NIDDK advise checking your feet every day with diabetes, what to look for, and when to contact your doctor.