* If you are planning a trip, get a letter from your doctor about the medications you are taking. See Travel Letter and Your Traveling Medical Record for more details.

* Should you get your pneumonia shot? Pneumonia shots are probably needed only once (unlike annual flu shots), and most people with diabetes should get one. Maybe you can get it at the same time as your flu shot this coming autumn, but perhaps you should get it sooner.

* Do you have identification that indicates that you are now on insulin? MedicAlert is one option that I strongly recommend, but if you don't have anything else as ID, ask your doc for a wallet card and other forms of ID (such as a plastic "dogtag") that he/she may have available to hand you as a freebie.

* How often should you be visiting your personal doctor or your diabetes team? For most folks on insulin, it's recommended every three months.

* If you are seeing a general physician who hasn't yet referred you to a diabetes nurse educator and a diabetes dietitian, ask about whether it might be helpful to get an evaluation from a diabetes team. And if your control is more of a mess now than before insulin was started, you should probably be referred to a diabetes team that includes a endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes, as well as a diabetes nurse educator and a diabetes dietitian.

Sure, this sounds like a lot to go over. But you can print out this list, and mark the ones that are most important for your situation. And maybe even fax the list to your doctor before your visit, so the staff knows what questions are most important for you to have answered.

And congratulations on your success on insulin!