Diabetes Care: How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor’s Office

Advocating for yourself is crucial, but it can also be a bit tricky, especially when you're sitting in a doctor's office. However, self-advocacy is an essential part of diabetes care and can help you feel heard, understood, and empowered. Still, learning how to speak up for yourself can take a bit of practice. Here, we'll talk about why self-advocacy is important and a few tips for advocating for yourself both in and out of the doctor's office.

Why Self-Advocacy Is Crucial in Diabetes Care

Self-advocacy is especially important in diabetes care because diabetes is a chronic, highly individualized condition, and no one knows your body better than you do. Although your healthcare team is there to help you feel your best, it can seem complicated when your needs or concerns aren't being heard.

Advocating for yourself involves representing your interests as you manage life with diabetes. This doesn't mean ignoring signs or symptoms of diabetes-related complications, or going against medication guidelines. Instead, it's about making sure you feel respected and heard while discussing your condition with your doctor or diabetes specialists. This type of active involvement can help improve decision-making and long-term results while reducing the risk of passive care on health outcomes.

Preparing for Your Doctor's Appointment

While many people with diabetes go into their doctor's appointments with an understanding of their health goals, it's essential to be prepared. Learning as much as you can about your type of diabetes and various components (i.e., diet, nutrition, diabetes medication) can help you ask questions and understand answers. This is important regardless of whether you have type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or any other form of diabetes.

Keep a Symptom and Blood Sugar Log

Before you can advocate for yourself, you need to have a strong understanding of what’s going on in your body. Start by tracking your blood sugar highs and lows, symptoms, triggers, and medications. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can be extremely helpful for this. So can popular diabetes care apps, like mySugr, Glucose Buddy, and more.

Make a List of Questions or Concerns

Instead of walking into your appointment and hoping you remember everything, take time beforehand to write down your top concerns.

Some sample questions to consider:

• Are there other medication options with fewer side effects?
• How can I better manage my blood sugar after meals?
• Do I need a referral to a diabetes educator or endocrinologist?
• Is it safe to make changes to my diet or exercise routine?

And remember, if something isn’t clear, it’s okay to ask “Why?” or say, “Can you explain that in a different way?”

Know Your Lab Numbers

Before your appointment, make sure you have your most recent lab results available, including:

• A1c levels
• Fasting blood glucose
• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol levels
• Kidney function (e.g., creatinine, eGFR)

Your doctor may run these tests again, but having an idea of your lab numbers (and what they mean) can help you better understand your overall health.

Tips for Speaking Up During the Appointment

The biggest challenge for self-advocacy is when you're at an appointment, face-to-face with your doctor or medical team. It can be intimidating, to say the least, but your doctor can't read your mind. To get answers or help, it's important to communicate your care needs and concerns. To help, consider the following tips.

Don’t Be Afraid to Interrupt or Redirect

Although it may be easier said than done, if your provider veers off-topic or starts wrapping up before addressing your primary concern, it’s okay to speak up. Try saying:

• “Before we move on, I still have a couple of questions.”
• “I’d really like to make sure we talk about the low blood sugar I’ve been having at night.”

Being polite but direct helps you stay in control of your appointment. Plus, having a better understanding of your concerns or unanswered questions can help reduce the risk of diabetes complications over the years.

Ask for Personalized Care

Your diabetes care should reflect you: your age, lifestyle, activity level, work schedule, and any other health conditions. If something doesn’t feel like a good fit, speak up. For example, you could say:

• “That medication didn’t work well for me in the past. Are there other options?”
• “I travel a lot for work. What’s the best way to manage my insulin on the go?”

Don’t hesitate to request additional screenings, tests, or referrals when needed.

Clarify Next Steps

Before leaving your appointment, make sure you're clear about what happens next. You could discuss your action plan after leaving or gain clarification about when your next labs are due. It's helpful to repeat instructions back to confirm your understanding. You can also request a written summary if possible.

Tips for Navigating Disagreements or Feeling Dismissed

If you ever feel like you've been dismissed when talking with your healthcare provider, it's important to consider the situation. Although they may be an expert, diabetes is very personalized, and something that's bothering you shouldn't necessarily be written off because of its impact on someone else. To help you address these types of situations, consider the following:

Trust Your Instincts

You know when something isn’t right. If your provider dismisses a concern that feels important, try to stand your ground respectfully. If something feels off, you’ll likely want to find answers, so try letting them know that it's affecting your life and ask if you can explore it more.

Request a Second Opinion

Sometimes, the best way to advocate for yourself is by finding a provider who’s a better fit. It’s perfectly okay to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist or diabetes specialist. You can also try finding a different provider, if that's something that your insurance allows for. Still, it's worth checking, especially if you feel consistently ignored.

Bring a Support Person if Needed

Having a trusted friend or family member can make a big difference in advocacy. They can help take notes, ask clarifying questions, and make sure that your voice is heard in times where you may feel a bit intimidated. Plus, having someone there is a great way to gain emotional support when you need it most.

After the Appointment: Following Up

Once you're back home and have had time to process how your appointment went, take a minute to reflect: If you shared your concerns, were they heard? Did you feel like there was an opportunity for open communication, or like you didn't get a chance to speak? Living with diabetes means that you'll continue to have these types of appointments, and assessing each one can help you learn how to better advocate for yourself in the future. Some additional tips include:

Review Your Visit Notes and Instructions

If you took notes during the visit or received a summary from your provider, review them soon afterward. Organize this information in a way that’s easy to reference, and follow up on anything that needs clarification. Most providers also have patient portals you can use to send messages or review test results.

Track How Changes Affect You

If your provider recommended a new medication, lifestyle change, or insulin adjustment, pay attention to how it affects you over the next few days or weeks. Write down any side effects, improvements, or new concerns to bring up at your next appointment.

Build an Ongoing Relationship With Your Care Team

Having a long-term relationship with your healthcare provider helps build trust and better care. Use patient portals, email, or phone check-ins to stay in touch between appointments. The more your provider knows about your day-to-day experience, the better they can support your needs.

Extra Tips for Special Situations

There are also a few situations where self-advocacy becomes even more important. For one, if you find yourself in an emergency room or urgent care and doctors are suggesting treatment options or solutions that you know haven't worked or go against your preferences, it can be challenging to speak up. Emergency rooms and urgent care are very fast-paced, oftentimes with doctors and nurses rushing around. Try to stand your ground, and consider bringing someone along with you to help.

Another situation where you may need to stand your ground is during pregnancy or menopause, both of which can make diabetes management a bit more complex. Additional special situations include addressing cultural or language barriers with your provider and advocating for mental health support and diabetes distress.

Managing diabetes isn’t just about medication and meal plans; it’s about making sure your voice is heard and your needs are met. Advocating for yourself at the doctor’s office empowers you to take control of your care and make informed decisions that support your long-term health. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been managing diabetes for years, remember: you are the most important member of your care team. To help support your diabetes care plan, Byram Healthcare carries a range of high-quality diabetes products that can be discreetly delivered to your door.