Commentary: How to ‘speak’ diabetes and get the most out of your doctor’s visit

Blood glucose … insulin … hyperglycemia.

Yes, that’s your doctor talking to you about your diabetes.

A1C … BGM … triglycerides … carbohydrates … metabolic syndrome.

Diabetes is a disease with its own language. But sometimes, the doctor is alone in speaking in this special tongue. Patients diagnosed with this chronic condition may struggle to understand — or, worse, may misunderstand — even the most common terms.

The upshot is that important information and advice — about the status of your diabetes and how to better manage it — can get lost in translation. You might come away from a conversation with