Diabetes Consultations in Kitchener

Who You Will Be Talking To

The pharmacist on duty — usually Nick. Not a call centre, not a form, and not somebody different every time. That matters more than it sounds: the second conversation is better than the first because you are not starting from scratch.

Our pharmacy team includes a Certified Diabetes Educator. That is a national certification from the Canadian Diabetes Educator Certification Board, earned on top of a pharmacy degree through documented practice hours in diabetes care and a written exam. It is not something every pharmacy has. If you would like your appointment with the educator specifically, say so when you book and we will arrange it.

The pharmacy counter sits inside Greenbrook Natural Foods, so if part of what you want to ask about is something off the supplement shelf, you are already in the right room and it is the same person answering.

Booking It

Ask at the pharmacy counter next time you are in, or call (519) 742-9955. We will find a time that is not the middle of the lunchtime rush, so you get a proper conversation rather than a hurried one.

This consultation is funded for eligible patients. Whether that includes you is our job to work out, not yours — ask when you book and we will check before anything goes ahead, so nobody gets a surprise at the end.

What to Bring

• Everything you take, in the original packaging if you still have it — including anything prescribed somewhere else, and anything you bought over the counter
• The kit you use day to day — meter, monitor, pens, whatever is part of your routine
• Your Ontario health card
• Your questions, written down if that helps — the ones you think are too small to bother a doctor with are usually the most useful ones here

Bringing the actual boxes beats bringing a list. It removes the guesswork about strengths, and it catches the things people forget they are taking.

What Happens When You Sit Down

You empty the bag onto the counter and go through it together, one item at a time, at whatever pace you want. You ask about anything you are unsure of — when you take it, how it fits around meals, what to do about the one you keep forgetting, why your routine is harder on some days than others.

Where something is a question for your prescriber rather than your pharmacist, he will say so plainly and help you work out how to raise it, instead of leaving you to remember it three weeks later in a five-minute appointment.

What You Walk Away With

The questions you arrived with, answered. A clear sense of what your routine actually looks like written out end to end, rather than as a set of separate instructions you have collected over the years from different places.

You leave with a written summary of what you went through. That is standard, not something you have to ask for — it is a lot easier than reconstructing the conversation from memory in the car park.

And a short list of anything worth putting to your prescriber next time you see them, in words you can actually use.

The Door Stays Open

The appointment is not the end of it. If something comes up next week, come back and ask. If your prescription changes, bring the new box in and we will go through it. If you thought of the question on the drive home, phone us.

You do not need to book a whole new appointment to ask one thing — a pharmacist is at the counter through the day. For a full run through everything you take, our medication reviews cover the lot rather than one area.