Somewhere between the diagnosis visit and real life, you were supposed to receive the master list: which checkups a person with diabetes actually needs, how often, and why. Almost nobody gets it. Instead the year arrives one surprise at a time: the eye clinic that wanted you dilated annually, the urine cup you didn't expect, the podiatrist referral you didn't know was standard. Here is the whole year on one page, so you can book it on purpose instead of discovering it.
A1C: every 3 to 6 months
The A1C test is the anchor. The ADA's general cadence: every 3 months when your treatment is changing or your glucose is running off target, stretching to every 6 months once you're stable at your goal. In practice this is also your regular diabetes visit, where everything else on this page gets ordered, so when you book the A1C you're really booking the year's scaffolding. If you're between visits and your numbers have drifted, that's a reason to move the appointment up, and your care team would rather hear about the drift early.
The three annual exams: eyes, kidneys, feet
Dilated eye exam, at least once a year. Diabetic retinopathy damages the retina before it touches your vision, and it's treatable when caught early, which is the whole argument for a dilated eye exam at least annually even when your eyes feel fine. An optometrist or ophthalmologist dilates your pupils (or in some clinics takes retinal photos) and looks at the blood vessels directly. If a prior exam was clean, your care team may stretch the interval; findings shorten it. Two practical notes: eye clinics in many areas book out months, so schedule this one now, and the exam is usually covered as a medical visit, billed to your health insurance rather than your vision plan.
Kidney check, once a year, two tests. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease in the US, and early kidney damage is completely silent, so the annual check is how it gets caught while there's the most room to act. It's two tests, and you want both: a urine albumin test (the albumin-to-creatinine ratio, or uACR, which catches protein leaking into urine) and an eGFR blood test (which estimates how well the kidneys filter). One can look fine while the other flags a problem, which is why NIDDK and the ADA both call for the pair at least annually. It usually rides along with your regular lab draw, so the ask is one sentence: "am I due for my urine albumin and eGFR?"
Comprehensive foot exam, once a year, plus your own checks. The annual exam covers sensation (often with a thin monofilament you'll feel as a light touch), pulses, skin, and nail health. Nerve damage arrives gradually and steals the pain signal that would normally warn you about a blister or cut, which is how small injuries become serious ones. Between exams, the ADA's standing advice is to look at your own feet regularly, daily if you have any numbness or prior findings: soles, between the toes, any redness, cracks, or sores. A sore that isn't healing is a call this week, not a note for the annual exam.
The steady drumbeat: blood pressure, lipids, dental, vaccines
- Blood pressure: every visit. It's free, it's fast, and diabetes plus high blood pressure multiplies risk to your heart, kidneys, and eyes. Know your numbers and your target.
- Lipid panel: at least annually. Cholesterol and triglycerides ride the same cardiovascular-risk math, and the results drive real decisions with your care team, so it belongs on the yearly draw alongside the kidney tests.
- Dental cleanings: twice a year. Gum disease and glucose run in both directions: high glucose feeds gum infection, and gum infection makes glucose harder to manage. Tell the dental office you have diabetes; it changes what they watch for.
- Vaccines: flu every year, and others (pneumococcal, hepatitis B, COVID, shingles) on the adult schedule as your care team advises. Diabetes puts most of these in the recommended column earlier than for the general population.
The whole year on one page (screenshot this)
- Every 3 to 6 months: A1C and diabetes visit (3 months if treatment is changing or numbers are off target, 6 if stable).
- Every visit: blood pressure check.
- Once a year: dilated eye exam (book now, clinics run long waits).
- Once a year: kidney check, both the urine albumin (uACR) and the eGFR blood test.
- Once a year: comprehensive foot exam, plus your own regular foot checks at home.
- Once a year: lipid panel.
- Twice a year: dental cleanings.
- Every fall: flu shot; other vaccines per your care team.
On coverage: if you're on Medicare, most of this list is covered, including the dilated eye exam, the kidney labs, foot exams when there's nerve damage, and an array of supplies and training; CMS publishes the full rundown. Commercial plans generally cover these as routine chronic-condition care, though dental usually lives on a separate dental plan. The two appointments to book earliest are the specialist ones: the eye exam and, if you see one, the endocrinologist, since both routinely book out months.
How Kite handles this
A year with this many moving parts is exactly what Kite keeps in one thread. Text it your last A1C date and it reminds you when the next draw comes due; tell it "eye exam booked for October" and it nudges you before the appointment and afterward for what came of it. Every result and visit you text gets logged, so before each checkup Kite turns the thread into a one-page summary of what happened since last time, and what's still unbooked. It keeps the calendar honest; the medical decisions stay with your care team. Text Kite to start.