Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases and often occurs after the age of 30 - 40 years. Living with T2DM and making lifestyle changes can be described as a continuous struggle. In order to handle the condition, every individual have to accept life changes and need to keep control over their life habits. Self-care education is considered important in the care of patients with T2DM. It is also important that the education and teaching is offered by competent and pedagogic healthcare professionals for the patient to experience well-being. In order to provide better care health professionals need to find out what factors can facilitate or hinder the patient to manage their self-care. Aim: To describe the patient's experiences of factors that may affect self-care in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Method: A qualitative literature based study was chosen for this paper. An analysis of 13 qualitative articles was carried out by using Friberg's five step model. Results: Four themes and 14 subthemes were revealed. The themes were 'Experiences of resources', 'Experiences of powerlessness and anxiety ', 'Experiences of lifestyle changes' and 'Experience of taking your own responsibility'. Conclusion: The result showed both positive and negative experiences of factors that may affect self-care. Support, information, instructions and good knowledge of the patient's experiences of self-care are important for healthcare professionals to offer better care.