WHAT IT IS
A first-person reflection from Maya — our app's primary user persona, a 38-year-old daughter caregiver who found out at her own annual physical that her A1C was 6.2 (prediabetes range). This is the prep she wishes she'd had going in.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
I went into my annual physical thinking it was about my dad. He's the one with diabetes. I'd already mentally rehearsed what I wanted to bring up about him. Then my doctor said "your A1C came back at 6.2" and the rest of the visit slid out of my hands. I didn't know what to ask. I nodded a lot. I left with a follow-up scheduled and almost no information about what 6.2 actually meant for me. The five questions I wish I'd asked, in order: 1) What's the trend — how does this compare to my last few A1Cs? 2) Given my family history, am I at higher risk than the number alone suggests? 3) What's the single biggest lever for me right now — food, movement, sleep, stress? 4) Should I be checking my blood sugar at home, and if so when? 5) When are we re-checking, and what's the plan if it goes up?
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR ASIAN AMERICANS
South Asian and East Asian adults develop type 2 diabetes at lower BMIs and at younger ages than U.S. averages assume. An A1C of 6.2 in a 38-year-old South Asian woman is not a footnote — it's a meaningful prediabetes signal that benefits from earlier action. Many primary care doctors using mainstream risk calculators will undercount this. Asking specifically about your background helps the conversation land differently.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Write your five questions down BEFORE the appointment — not in the room
- Bring your last set of labs if your doctor's office uses a different system
- Ask for a copy of the visit summary and your numbers before you leave
- If the doctor uses a calculator, ask whether it accounts for South Asian or East Asian risk profiles
WHAT TO ASK YOUR DOCTOR
- "What's the trend in my A1C over the past few years, not just this number?"
- "What's the single most important thing I should change first?"
- "When are we re-checking, and what counts as moving in the wrong direction?"