Preventing Diabetes: Questions for the Doctor

Diabetes is a chronic (long-term) disease. When you have diabetes, there is too much sugar (called glucose) in your blood. There is more than one type of diabetes, but type 2 diabetes is the most common.

People are more likely to get type 2 diabetes if they are overweight and inactive, or if they have pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes means the amount of glucose in your blood is higher than normal.

Diabetes can cause disability and death – but the good news is that you can do a lot to prevent type 2 diabetes, including:

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– Watching your weight
– Eating healthy
– Staying active

Talk with your doctor or nurse about steps you can take to prevent type 2 diabetes.

What do I ask the doctor?

Visiting the doctor can be stressful. It helps to have questions written down before your appointment. Print out this list of questions, and take it with you the next time you visit the doctor.

  • Am I at risk for pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes?
  • How can I find out if I have diabetes?
  • Are there any warning signs of diabetes I should watch for?
  • Does my weight put me at risk for diabetes?
  • If I’m overweight, how many pounds do I need to lose to prevent or delay diabetes?
  • How much physical activity should I get to prevent or delay diabetes?
  • What changes can I make to my diet to prevent or delay diabetes?
  • What are some healthy ways to lose weight and keep it off?
  • What are my blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels, and what should they be?
  • Do my blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels put me at risk for diabetes?
  • Is there any information about preventing diabetes that I could take home?
  • Are there any local diabetes prevention programs that you could recommend?