How to ace your diabetic review!

Here are my top tips on how to ace your diabetic review and get the most out of it!

Keep a logbook

• Between your appointments note down any questions or concerns you have when they pop into your head. 

• In the UK we get a check in every 6 months, so it is super important to keep a logbook in order to ace your meeting. 

• If you have an on-going issue between appointments, for example if you notice your sugar levels rise slightly during your period, keep a record of your sugar levels, carb-counting ratio and insulin doses during this time. This way your team will be able to help you in the best way possible when you hand this information over to them. 

• Of course if this issue is urgent, reach out to your team before your next appointment as they should ultimately be there to support you through any issues. Keep their contact information in your phone, or in a safe place so you can contact them immediately. 

Write a question summary just before 

• Consultants are usually very busy, and can sometimes rush through appointments. 

• So the day before your appointment, make a bullet point list of all the topics you would like to discuss. 

• Don’t forget that these meetings are also for you to raise concerns, not just for your consultant to gather information. 

• Furthermore, please don’t feel rushed and skip questions you might not think are important. This is your time to seek guidance, so utilise it, you only get 1 or 2 appointments a year sometimes!

Be open and honest 

• Remember – if you don’t ask, you don’t get. 

• So be open and honest about how you are feeling, and any topic you might need a bit of guidance on, even if it feels like a personal subject. 

• Again, your diabetic team are there to support your journey and help you in anyway you may need, not to just look at your HbA1c. It is really important to talk about how you are mentally feeling about living with diabetes. 

• If your team cannot specifically help you with a concern, they absolutely should be referring or recommending someone who can help you. 

Source additional guidance if needed 

• If your team does recommend another professional, for example a nutritionist, it is your responsibility to contact them, in order to help yourself. 

• I always recommend reaching out and seeing what someone has to offer. Sometimes people can surprise you and really help you unexpectedly. 

• You owe it to yourself to find the guidance that you need to better your health. 

Thank you for reading my tips on how to ace your diabetic review! I really hope you can take something away and find my advise useful! Make sure you subscribe for more content and drop me a follow on Instagram!

If you liked this post, be sure to read How to set sustainable goals for yourself! and Myths vs truths about diabetes!