Gestational Diabetes Check in

Rrrrrachel

The tyranny of dinner . . . worse than ever with GD.  Last night was stuffed cabbage rolls, tonight is thai curry with brown rice.

bootsiebabe

We're doing chicken stir fry.  I do 1/2 c. of rice and then as much of the meat and veggies as I want.  

About the pasta - I had chicken alfredo over the weekend and had no problem with it!  I did make sure to eat a moderately sized portion and had a salad with it, but I think because there was a ton of chicken and the sauce was very fatty (lots of butter and cheese) it helped out with digesting the pasta (which was not whole wheat or anything)?  I ate that meal twice and had readings at 115 and 100.  Might be worth a shot?  

Jesster11

Confession - my lunch numbers were high today, and I knew they would be.  132.

I work at a university, and today was Multicultural Day where they have food stands with dishes from different countries/continents.  Well, apparently the dishes that best represent the rest of the world don't believe in vegetables, or at least non-starchy ones.

I went in with good intentions (avoiding the biscuits, soft pretzels, pita bread, etc. and instead had a baracoa taco without eating the tortilla), but the samosas were just so damn good!  I should have stopped after 3 little ones (fried turnovers w/potatoes), but I went back for seconds.  And then I was still hungry and should have tried a cookie, but no, I had to have a slice of the flourless chocolate cake.

I've been doing great (this is my second high reading in the last 10 days with testing 4 times a day), so I only feel really really slightly guilty about it.  Overall, I feel really annoyed and defiant about my GD, so it's like "Ha! Take Chocolate Cake you stupid GD."

But now it's back to boring, safe food for the next few days.  Boo!

christinaramirez08

1. When did you get your diagnosis? I essentially diagnosed myself. I had GD with my son (diet controlled) so I was aware of what to eat and what not to eat. Around 14 weeks pregnant I start feeling really tired and having heart palpitations after eating a high-carb lunch. I asked my doc to send me in for the 1 hour and surprisingly I passed, but according to my glucose monitor my levels were high. Since then I've been seeing an endocrinologist and started taking insulin for my fasting glucose in early January. I don't have to take insulin for my meals, thank goodness. I'm also seeing an MFM as of 3 weeks ago and baby is perfectly healthy, but they say he's measuring in the 87th percentile. Well, we know how accurate those measurements can be. I'm having a repeat csection, so it's not that big of a deal anyway.

2. Are you diet controlled or are you on meds? Diet controlled except for my fasting. I have to take insulin just before bed to keep my numbers down in the morning.

3. What's helping you control your blood glucose numbers?  Any tricks you can give us? Eliminate bread, pasta, tortillas, white rice, etc from your diet. Eat lots of lean meats and veggies.
 
4. How are you doing?  How are you feeling about your diagnosis/treatment plan/blood sugar control? I feel fine. I figured I'd have it again this time around since I may be prediabetic anyway. But we won't know until after I have the baby. I was going to attempt a VBAC but after I was put on insulin I felt it would be safe for both of us to just do the repeat csection. Not to mention, there's a high chance I'll end up in a csection anyway since I never dilated past 6.5 cm with my son. My pelvis is just too narrow

Laroo0220

Well totally indulged tonight. It was my bday today so we went to the melting pot and ate fondue (pretty much no carbs except a few chunks of bread) and my 1 hr was 135. Not over my limit but dang close. That was bf the chocolate dessert fondue. Good thing it's only my bday once...

christinanoelle

Laroo0220 said:

Well totally indulged tonight. It was my bday today so we went to the melting pot and ate fondue (pretty much no carbs except a few chunks of bread) and my 1 hr was 135. Not over my limit but dang close. That was bf the chocolate dessert fondue. Good thing it's only my bday once...

Happy birthday!! Can't blame you for indulging tonight

amandamatt72409

Yeah happy birthday!!! My bday is Sunday and all my numbers are controlled except my fasting, and I just started insulin. Last night increased the dose because my fasting has still been high. I really think it's because in having such a hard time sleeping....I'm up at least 3 times to pee, always adjusting my pillows, or wide awake (like now) at odd hours for several hours at a time. We have our growth u/s in a few weeks, so hoping things are on track with baby girl and she isn't huge!

sweetmelissa0707

Good news ladies, went back to snacking/ testing as per my usual schedule and my fasting was at 85 this morning. No more vacation sleep ins for me I guess.

rockstarlaw

Laroo0220 said:

Well totally indulged tonight. It was my bday today so we went to the melting pot and ate fondue (pretty much no carbs except a few chunks of bread) and my 1 hr was 135. Not over my limit but dang close. That was bf the chocolate dessert fondue. Good thing it's only my bday once...

Totally been craving the Melting Pot! Agh!

newter135

So riddle me this...Last night DH and I went out to a nice restaurant that was offering a deal on a 4 course menu.  I had a popover, salad, pork belly with maple grits, steak and fries, with red velvet cake and strawberry gelato for dessert.  This morning my fasting number was too low at 68.  Mind you we did not eat dessert until almost 10 and I went to bed pretty much as soon as we got home.  it makes no sense to me.

christinanoelle

@newter135 i've given up trying to figure it out! I'm testing and taking insulin and doing everything I can..I figure there's only a few weeks left so i'm taking it day by day. 

rockstarlaw

Day 3 of this diet and I am miserable. Low carb does NOT suit me. I've not had one number over my limit (limit is 120) and most have been substantially lower. If it was just me is be calling BS on this diagnosis and eating what I want, but I feel like Worst Mother Ever doing that. Instead, I am left being a hungry, cranky bitch. ARGH!!

haziedaze

@rockstarlaw what are you craving? when do you get hungry? There may be things that are hard to replace (I would give my left arm for a pint of B&Js), but we may have some suggestions/ideas, worth a shot!

newter135

rockstarlaw said:

Day 3 of this diet and I am miserable. Low carb does NOT suit me. I've not had one number over my limit (limit is 120) and most have been substantially lower. If it was just me is be calling BS on this diagnosis and eating what I want, but I feel like Worst Mother Ever doing that. Instead, I am left being a hungry, cranky bitch. ARGH!!

I know just how you feel. The first week or so is tough but as you somewhat get a handle on your numbers you will realize where you can allow carbs in and where you can't.

newter135

Melody*W* said:

@rockstarlaw
Are you a cheese eater? I wasn't before, but now I nom on hunks of delicious sharp cheddar when I'm starving. I seriously go through a brick a week!

Not to be crass but doesn't all the cheese back you up?? That's my biggest issue with cheese I love it but it does not love me back

Rrrrrachel

If your numbers are good it's ok to add more carbs.

rockstarlaw

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the support. I'm just getting overly emotional about it today I think. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that we're having a birthday lunch at a restaurant I like but is total carb-central. They have the best macaroni & cheese and the thought of eating a hamburger with no bun or one of their boring salads is almost pushing me to tears. Not to mention I'll be skipping the cake. I love cake. Chock it up to the hormones I guess.

I definitely need to come up with some better snack ideas and pack better for work. I'm just so hungry! I don't really like meat all that much - I eat it in moderation, but not quantity and it's definitely not something I ever crave. Even when we go out for steak I look forward to the potato more than the steak! I need to buy a block of cheese - I can definitely do that.

Good, filling snack suggestions (pack able to take to work) would be very welcomed!

Thanks again. I'm sorry to be such a whiner. Obviously I am not the only one going through this. I just need to suck it up & adjust. I appreciate you all letting me vent.

Rrrrrachel

A hamburger with a bun is totally legit. A bun is only like 30 carbs plus a little from condiments. I've had that several times and never been close to over. As long as there's not something else crazy on it (the bonsai burger at red robin, for example, has pineapple and teriyaki and is 100 carbs!). I do skip the fries. Also you could have the cake and try to take a walk after. There are ways to make it work!

Rrrrrachel

And for snacks cheese, nuts, Greek yogurt with fruit are all go tos for me. I will also just have a regular meal food but a smaller portion. I probably tend to have larger snacks and smaller meals because that works better for me. I eat a lot of eggs, too.

Jesster11

For lunch and dinner, I've been handling carbs/starches I like in smaller doses by keeping it close to a cup portion-wise (like mashed potatoes, couscous, etc.).

Homemade Shepard's Pie has also been a good dinner option b/c it has my protein, veggies and starch all in it.  Then I have a bowl of strawberries/blueberries with whipped cream for dessert.

Also, I found these long thin crust flatbreads (I think the company is Flatout) at the grocery store, and they only have 26 carbs for an entire one.  It makes an awesome pizza substitute, it's a pretty good size, and you get to eat the entire thing.  I top mine with a little pizza sauce, tons of cheese (b/c that counts as a "meat" on my plan), and whatever veggies we have around.  You could also add some meat for additional protein.  Then berries/whipped cream for dessert.

Breakfasts and lunches have been pretty boring, but those two have been my most satisfying dinners so far.

alysemci

It's tough to tell, it's different for everybody. Some people can eat the bun, others can't. You'll have to test out what works for you alone. I can't take much advice for what to eat because if I eat half a pita even with plenty of veggies/protein/some fat my numbers get up into the 170's and in on insulin twice a day. Find out what works for you, maybe you'll be able to tolerate the bun or have icecream at night! I hope you can

bootsiebabe

@rockstarlaw - I agree with @rrrrrachel - eat the bun!  Or skip the bun and eat cake!  A cheeseburger (with bun) is my go-to when I just want to eat some junk food and my numbers have never been close to 120 after that.  I do skip or go sparingly on the fries if I'm eating the bun though.   

haziedaze

@rockstarlaw I'm loving flavored almonds as well and they are really low carb. I have them with an apple, some berries, or a small square of dark chocolate (>/=65%). I love corn chips with guacamole as well, I just count out my chip portion carefully. Wasa crackers are great (18g carbs for 2, not subtracting fiber), I put cream cheese on mine then sprinkle with sea salt/onion powder. I also do a lot of plain greek yogurt with truvia to sweetened and then berries or a small portion of granola.

Did you get carb targets for meals/snacks? Mine were 15-30g breakfast, 15-30g snack, 45-60g lunch, 15-30g snack, 45-60g dinner, 15-30g bedtime snack. It's actually a good amount of carbs!

SoulTermination

@rockstarlaw Seconding what PPs have said in that you have to try things and find out what works for you.  Don't forget, nobody's perfect at this right out of the gate, it's a learning process. *huggle*  As far as the cake, I know it's probably late for your meal today, but in the future you can also try scraping off any frosting that's on it and topping it with Cool Whip instead.  That'll help reduce the carbs, my nutritionist told me that a reasonable-sized (thinking maybe 2-inch by 2-inch square) piece of cake without frosting is about 15g of carbs.  She told me I could easily eat that as a snack at my baby shower next month, and then even take home a second piece to eat after dinner or something.  That way I wouldn't feel like I was being deprived on a special day.

As far as learning what you can tolerate... for example, I've learned that I absolutely CANNOT eat the Minute Maid fruit juice popsicles, even though the ones I have are only 19g of carbs.  My blood sugar is sky high even hours after one.  But I can eat a glazed doughnut that has 29g of carbs and be fine. *shrug*  I'm still testing veggies with hummus, the one time I tried it my after-dinner reading was a bit high even though I was below my carb limit.  My body may just not like something about the hummus.  I can't do yogurt premade with fruit, even Greek yogurt, but there are several ladies on here who can.  I can tolerate dairy and fruit pretty well separately, so I may just try plain Greek yogurt sweetened a bit with stevia and a few slices of fruit mixed in.

I do like a lot of the snack suggestions, they're great!

newter135

So last night I had a burger and a big salad for dinner and my fasting number was off the charts at 120. This is a meal I've had a million times with no problems...I give up

Rrrrrachel

I'm sorry newter that's so frustrating!

christinanoelle

newter135 said:

So last night I had a burger and a big salad for dinner and my fasting number was off the charts at 120. This is a meal I've had a million times with no problems...I give up

How long after eating did you test? I was advised to test after 2 hours and my goal was to be under 6.7 (I converted 120 and it seems to be 6.6..) so to me that would not be a bad number 2 hours after dinner.. What are your guidelines?

newter135

christinanoelle said:

newter135 said:

So last night I had a burger and a big salad for dinner and my fasting number was off the charts at 120. This is a meal I've had a million times with no problems...I give up

How long after eating did you test? I was advised to test after 2 hours and my goal was to be under 6.7 (I converted 120 and it seems to be 6.6..) so to me that would not be a bad number 2 hours after dinner.. What are your guidelines?

That was my fasting number this morning. I didn't test after dinner as my dr only has me testing twice a day, my fasting and then after one meal, and I had tested after lunch already. I'm just so surprised how high it was. It was down to 89 aftery breakfast (fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and a scrambled egg with ricotta) but still disheartening for it to be not just over this morning but drastically over. I'm hoping it was a fluke

haziedaze

newter135 said:

So last night I had a burger and a big salad for dinner and my fasting number was off the charts at 120. This is a meal I've had a million times with no problems...I give up

How long after eating did you test? I was advised to test after 2 hours and my goal was to be under 6.7 (I converted 120 and it seems to be 6.6..) so to me that would not be a bad number 2 hours after dinner.. What are your guidelines?

That was my fasting number this morning. I didn't test after dinner as my dr only has me testing twice a day, my fasting and then after one meal, and I had tested after lunch already. I'm just so surprised how high it was. It was down to 89 aftery breakfast (fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and a scrambled egg with ricotta) but still disheartening for it to be not just over this morning but drastically over. I'm hoping it was a fluke

Did you wash your hands and recheck? I've had a couple of highs that resolved with rinsing my fingers off and drying them vigorously. Did you have a snack? I'm higher if I fast too long also. GD sucks... sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

newter135

haziedaze said:

newter135 said:

christinanoelle said:

newter135 said:

So last night I had a burger and a big salad for dinner and my fasting number was off the charts at 120. This is a meal I've had a million times with no problems...I give up

How long after eating did you test? I was advised to test after 2 hours and my goal was to be under 6.7 (I converted 120 and it seems to be 6.6..) so to me that would not be a bad number 2 hours after dinner.. What are your guidelines?

That was my fasting number this morning. I didn't test after dinner as my dr only has me testing twice a day, my fasting and then after one meal, and I had tested after lunch already. I'm just so surprised how high it was. It was down to 89 aftery breakfast (fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and a scrambled egg with ricotta) but still disheartening for it to be not just over this morning but drastically over. I'm hoping it was a fluke

Did you wash your hands and recheck? I've had a couple of highs that resolved with rinsing my fingers off and drying them vigorously. Did you have a snack? I'm higher if I fast too long also. GD sucks... sometimes it just doesn't make sense.


I did not wash and re check but if it happens again I will try that for sure!

christinanoelle

Oh I see! Yes, that would be a high fasting number for me too.. Sorry, it is really frustrating! Washing your hands is definitely a good tip. I wash them each time before I test lol my nutritionist advised me there could be sugar residue on our fingers from the food so it may compromise the reading.. I'd rather have all the chances on my side

Rrrrrachel

I'll bet you just had some food residue on your hands and that threw the test way off. I always wash and retest if I'm over and it can make a big difference!

Laroo0220

Well my #s have sucked the past 3 days. I had 124 after breakfast which is not over my limit but I've never had anything over 100 after breakfast. Plus I tested over twice in the past 2 days. I'm starting to worry its not going to be such smooth sailing anymore. Does this continue to be harder to control even from 34 wks until the end? (That's where I'm at now)

Rrrrrachel

It just depends. I think for a lot of women 34 weeks is kind of thigh water mark. Hopefully it at least levels out now!

flywithdee@yahoo.com

I'm a bit frustrated. I've been great for 3 weeks and yesterday and today I have ketones (small amount 15). I have to wait until Monday to talk to my nutritionist. I have yet to get a high test on my meter.

rockstarlaw

I didn't sleep at all last night. Honestly, like maybe an hour - we stayed at my parents house and I don't know what the cause was, but the result was NO sleep.

My fasting blood sugar this AM was 73. Went to breakfast for my mom's birthday and splurged - ate a grilled veggie omelette and half of a waffle with syrup. My sugar 2 hrs after meal was a record-high 160. Clearly, waffle & syrup are out from here on (insert sad face).

Then, my mom & I went to Target and I started feeling really sick on the way home. Like pull over I'm going to puke sick. My question is: does a high blood sugar count ever make you feel nauseous? Highly possible that the ill feelings are strictly related to the lack of sleep. I was just curious if anyone has any tangible physical adverse effects when sugars are high? Then again, I thought regular diabetics were supposed to average around 150 (gestational just gets allotted even less)?? I'm guessing the lack of sleep is the culprit? Then again, for all I know, the omelette didn't agree with me!

I apologize if this is a really stupid question. Like I mentioned, no sleep.

Rrrrrachel

High sugar can definitely make me feel sick. Even moderately high sugar often makes me feel sick.

Dr Quarters

I can always tell if my blood sugar is "high" because I feel sick and get kind of shaky. It's only happened a couple times but it was definitely unpleasant.

rockstarlaw

I will say that this forced diet has really opened my eyes to the fact that all I want to eat/crave are carbs & sugar. Here's hoping: (a) I don't develop non-gestational diabetes, as this is really difficult for me to get used to, and (b) hopefully I will pick up some better eating habits and (as I've mentioned before) this will assist in getting some of the baby weight off in 10 weeks when he gets here.

SoulTermination

Dr Quarters said:

I can always tell if my blood sugar is "high" because I feel sick and get kind of shaky. It's only happened a couple times but it was definitely unpleasant.

This is exactly how I feel when my blood sugar is low.  I don't notice any effects at all when it's high, but boy howdy, can I tell when I need to mow down several Skittles for a temporary boost until I can eat a snack (usually this happens when I'm out running errands with DH)!