The most important person in your diabetes care is you. Your diabetes health care team members may be the best, but they aren't there all day to advise you. At home, at work, or at play, you are in charge.

Teamwork

Your health care team are experts on diabetes, but you are the expert on you. It takes all of you to adapt diabetes care to your life and to adapt your life to diabetes care.

Learn about diabetes. If you are new to diabetes, ask your health care provider to refer you to a diabetes education program and dietitian. Even if you have had diabetes for a while, diabetes education can bring your knowledge up to date and help you with any problems that you may be having.

Tell your health care provider what your goals are. Ask for your provider's opinion. If your goals are not the same, ask why. Then devise a plan for your diabetes care to …