Weekly GD Check In!

DreadGamerWife

This weekly check-in is for anyone with Gestational Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, or other blood sugar issues during pregnancy.  If this is your first time posting, please let us know with a short intro.

 

New to GD?   Check here for a quick reference guide.  https://community.babycenter.com/post/a46582366/new_to_gd_quick_reference

 

Check In:   How is the diet going?  Any challenges that we can help out with?  Any new recipes/ successes that you want to share?  Rant/Vent about the lack of ice cream?

 

QOTW:    How has your family/SO reacted to your diagnosis (if it is new) and are they supportive?

DreadGamerWife

Diet is going well, but my fasting numbers are still all over the board (range between 85 - 120 over the past week).  Starting last night, my MFM is having me check my nightly numbers whenever I wake up to use the bathroom.  Nothing but a slow and steady drop throughout last night (122 at 10:30 - after snack and shot, 112 at midnight, 102 at about 3 am, 100 at around 5 am, and 95 when I woke up around 6:30).  I am to test throughout the night until Thursday to see if we can find a pattern or reason (other than I am just really insulin resistant at night).  

I even tried using the Snickers Ice Cream bars as bed time snack this week and even their magic didn't help with my erratic fasting numbers.  

DH gets annoyed at my diet but did comment that he lost almost three pounds last week (even with his cheats) and want to continue a modified version once Schroeder arrives.  We will see if he will want to keep with it when it is no longer medically necessary to do so (he is normally really bad about following diets and complains to no end when I am on one - and I normally don't diet - we are talking long term eating plans such as Weight Watchers). 

lrobi13

Well after having several god days, today my numbers have been crappy. I was really hoping the new dosage level was working for me.  Maybe my numbers are off today because I feel so awful.  I have been struggling all day and it is going to take all that I have to stay at work and get the massive amounts of work (already overdue done).

My DH has been great about the diet.  My other peeps haven't been around me too much so it has been a non-issue.  I did pass up wedding cake samples as I watched everyone else eat them at the bridal show on Sunday and that was tough.  But after seeing my lo looking so good at the u/s last week it made it worth it.

I get have to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared.  As long as I have the correct foods at my finger tips I am able to keep eating correctly. 

megaddie

Doing ok--still figuring this out! I have my first post diagnosis appointment Thursday. I'm getting pretty bored with food and tired of pricking my finger. Some days, I have a hard time getting enough blood and other days it fountains out. Walking after meals is hard because it's so hot and my legs hurt and we live on a hill but it really does help.
My husband doesn't follow my diet at all, but he is sensitive about my desire for and inability to eat sweets--pudding and icecream---and refrains. He wants to know my numbers, etc. I think maybe seeing me test has put a little fear in him because he hates needles and he was freakinh out over how artificial and high in sugar/carbs some "juice" he bought was

lrobi13

@megaddie My DH wants to know the numbers too but he actually pricked his finger one night.  It took him ten minutes to work up the courage and it was actually cracking me up.

He will always ask "can you eat this?" and I tell him to read the label so we are both aware of the facts.

Heartwood0519

I'm doing alright.  My numbers and insulin requirements keep going up and up and up.  Especially in the morning.  I've also realized that I can't eat Cheerios for breakfast anymore without my post blood sugar being way out of range.  I feel like I'm not doing a very good job, but my drs are reassuring me that I am.  I also feel like my endo isn't being aggressive enough with my insulin dosage changes.

The other thing that frustrated me was that I walked at least 3 miles on Saturday, but my blood sugar was high ALL day.

I've had Type 1 for almost 8 years, so my husband is used to it now.  He's pretty supportive about it, but it's just a way of life for me, so neither of us think twice about it most of the time.

Sockgnome78

I fell off the wagon yesterday. I was not wanting to eat at all. Finally found some spaghetti sauce and sausage crumbles and cooked up some noodles. Before that I had a bag of Cheetos crunchy. I did eat a late dinner of Taco Bell burrito. I only tested once durning the day. I am back on the wagon today. Fasting numbers have been good. We will see what my lunch time numbers are. Oh and I had my A1C checked and I was told that it is 4.9. Which is great. Now to keep doing what I have been doing.

ss265

Diet is going good. My fasting numbers are not as low as they were with my first pregnancy but I think with my first, I let more time go by between my night time snack and testing in the morning (ah the joys of a longer commute to work and a child that has to be at day care by 7am). Snickers ice cream bars resulted in fasting numbers in the low 90s so I might try pairing them with more peanuts or a slice of cheese. Otherwise, my other meals have been great! I even has lasagna one night and had super low numbers.

My having GD doesn't affect DH. I cook the same things I used to but eat less of the starch/carb. It helps that I usually cook meals so that we have a protein, carb, and veggie so I just eat more of the veggie and less of the carb.

 

lrobi13

@cantisa I would be so upset if the lab made an error.  I am sorry you are in limbo land!  The GD diet is not too bad.  FX that your results look good and you don't have to retake the drink.

deepnasingh

I've been trying to control GD through diet .. My fasting numbers are fine around 75-85. Sugar post breakfast n lunch seems fine too ( always below 120). I am concerned about my post dinner levels that go high in the 130-145 range. Major changes needed in my dinner menu

deepnasingh

Praying my obgyn will not put me on insulin

MagentaMouse

I'm doing well, I think. I think I said this last week, but I had my A1C checked last week and it was 4.7 after watching my numbers throughout the pregnancy so far. I'm nearly out of test strips for the month and I have 5 days left before my insurance will cover them, so I ordered the cheapo generic ones for my OneTouch UltraMini and they totally suck. I had enough of the brand name strips to compare to, and the generic ones are consistently 30 points above the brand name ones. The brand name strips are more accurate based on my A1C, so I'll just have to remember that when I'm trying to get by on these other little monsters.

I started taking 1.25 mg of glyburide at night about a week ago, and the days I checked my fasting number, I was in the mid-70s to low 80s.

I haven't been very good about dieting and I've been gaining a lot of weight. Like, for example, I'll have a cup of ice cream for lunch. That usually results in a 2-hr of 110 or so (and usually I like my postprandials below 100), and it's like almost 500 calories in one sitting. I need to stop doing that.

Family has been fantastic about the diet. I haven't had any problems with them and DH always thanks me for taking care of myself and the baby. It's nice to hear.

If you really want ice cream and aren't a daredevil like I am :-\" Breyers CarbSmart ice cream :x is reeeeally good. It has 5 g of absorbable carbs per 1/2 cup. And it's nearly as good as regular ice cream, and waaaaay better than no-sugar-added ice cream. You can go to their web site to see where you can buy it; it comes in chocolate and vanilla and it's not even more expensive than other ice cream!

lrobi13

deepnasingh said:

I've been trying to control GD through diet .. My fasting numbers are fine around 75-85. Sugar post breakfast n lunch seems fine too ( always below 120). I am concerned about my post dinner levels that go high in the 130-145 range. Major changes needed in my dinner menu

deepnasingh said:

Praying my obgyn will not put me on insulin

They put me on an oral medication.  They had to increase my dosage but it seems to be helping.  Just wanted to let you know there are other options before insulin.

MagentaMouse

PSA: Whatever you do, don't order Unistrip Generic blood glucose test strips! Just tested and my 2-hour postprandial was 146 according to them. I've never had one that bad! So I tested with my brand-name strips and I was 102. I tested 2 other times and the generic ones were always at least 35 points higher, but ranging from 35-50 points higher, so it's not even like I could calculate the difference confidently. Horrible. My A1C supports the 102...so I'm sending these evil strips back. I guess I won't be testing for the next 5 days... >:P

MrsL2B

I'm on my second week of insulin, and while I'm very pleased with how much more stable my blood sugar is (it was all over the place with the glyburide), it's still running high (fasting is around 110-120, most postprandials are 120-160). I turn in my logs twice a week to the MFM, and they increase my dosage every time, but it seems like my numbers are just insisting on climbing at this point. At this rate I'm going to have this baby before they get my dosage correct. I'm finding it really hard to resist the urge not to drastically cut carbs and increase my insulin to carb ratio. I've had a few meals where I filled up on protein and salad first and couldn't finish my starchy veggies, even though I'd given myself the insulin for them, and those postprandials have been my only good readings (100-120). Also, they don't have me taking any insulin with my snacks (15-20g carb), and I'm always 140-160 after those. Grr.

My husband is mostly supportive. I tell him what I can eat, and he works with it. But occasionally when I try to explain something to him, like how the different insulin types work, I can tell he isn't really interested. Then I gently remind him that he's my only real support person, and he focuses a little better. I'm glad I'm not around the rest of my family too often, because most of them are clueless about nutrition. After five years of my insistence that eggs and cheese are low-carb, my MIL still can't grasp that concept and keeps trying to encourage me to eat crackers and potatoes instead. I think in her mind there are only "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods, and anything with fat in it must be "unhealthy."

Heartwood0519

I had an appointment with my MFM yesterday and he said that I was the best controlled diabetic patient that he's had in years.  Whoa, really?!  That made me feel SO much better!

miriamm08

Hi Ladies,
I posted on here Monday that I didn't pass my one hour glucose test. I had my three hour test yesterday, and I didn't pass it. So, I have a meeting with a diabetic specialist, and a dietitian next Tuesday. It's not the news I was hoping to hear, but I think it explains a lot because I haven't been feeling the greatest for the past two months, and this month it was getting worse and worse. I did pass out at one point. So, I'm just going to try and take it in my stride, and hopefully start feeling better.
I did start my iron supplement for the anemia, and I have noticed just this morning a small increase in energy. So at least that is good.
Also strange question, but I'm wondering if any of this has to do with why LO is always hiccuping? It's happening about 8 to 10 times a day. I know it's normal for it to happen a few times a day, but it just seems like a lot for it to be 8 to 10 times.
Anyway, I hope things are going well for you ladies, and I will try to keep y'all updated as I can (mostly a mobile bumper).

DreadGamerWife

@miriamm08 - making sure that I don't eat too many carb has helped me feel better - especially in the mornings.  Looking back, I would spike and crash if I ate many carbs (and not enough protein) at breakfast and then feel horrible for the rest of the day.  Given that our normal weekend breakfast was pancakes with maple syrup, not surprising I would feel horrible for most of the weekend.  

miriamm08

@DreadGamerWife thanks for the tip. I have been eating Greek yogurt with Special K and fruit for breakfast almost every day, and I usually do feel a crash about mid-morning. Especially more lately, to the point where I would have to take a nap at about 11:30 everyday. I'll try switching to maybe eating some eggs in the morning instead.

NavyFlyer

Hello All!

Diet and exercise is going good for me. As I've said, I haven't had to change anything from pre-diagnosis because I ate really healthy and worked out a bunch anyway. This has also meant no changes for DH so no problems there.

I still think it's wierd that my numbers are so low all the time. Fasting low 70's, high 70's after breakfast, 80's and 90's after lunch and dinner. Occasionally have a spike over 120 (it's happened twice) but I made horrible food choices (like cheesecake lol). 

I have an appt on Monday to show my doc my food/sugars log. Interested to hear what he has to say. 

megaddie

@navyflyer mine are pretty good, too. As I try more things out, my numbers fluctuate but it's rare, so far, for me to be over 120 after meals, unless I skip a walk. Not as low as your numbers, but well within range! I've been close or at 130 maybe 2 or 3 times. I'm going to experiment with when I have fruit....someone suggested having it at snack rather than meals.

I have had to change things because I'm lazy...and I live for fruit. I wish my legs didn't hurt so much or I'd walk more.

lrobi13

I have had a rough couple of days.  My fasting number was my highest so far.  It is really tough.  I did have Mexican takeout last night but swapped their tortillas for my carb smart ones and only had a few bites of the rice and beans.  it is so frustrating. 

I have been feeling really run-down the last few days ( I think it is due to painting our kitchen cabinets) and I am wondering if that has been affecting my numbers. 

babygadd14

I had my one hour test last week and failed and I go tomorrow for the 3 hour test. Is it possible to fail the first test and not fail the 3 hour test ? If I do fail the 3 hour test does that mean I will definitely have to prick my finger several times and day and possible insulin shots ?

DreadGamerWife

@babygadd14 - many people fail the 1 hour and pass the three hour.  If you fail the three hour, then yes, you will need to check your blood sugar multiple times per day and at the very least, follow a specific GD diet.  Some women are able to control their GD through diet and exercise alone, other needs some type of medication (oral meds or sub-q insulin).  I include a link at in the opening post for people who are new to GD to learn more about it.  Most women seem to find it helpful.  

lrobi13

@theresat858‌ . I test 2 hours after my first bite.

heathera1979

I've really tried to be very strict with the guidelines I've seen online (the link at the top of the page is awesome!) And it's really starting to pay off.... since I was diagnosed my post Parandials have been anywhere from 130-180s, but yesterday I only had 1 above 120 and it was 121! All others were <100! My fasting today was 71, first time it's been below 95. I'm a night shifter so I'm still an hour away from my first post parandial of the day. Have my diabetic counseling app in the morning (after working all night and before working the following night, ugh!) So maybe I'll get more specific guidelines for myself.

DH is very supportive. He was diagnosed type 2 8 years ago and controlled it well in the beginning, but has fallen off the Wagon in the last few years. I'm hoping my experience with GD and being so strict for myself will help him get back on track.

Sockgnome78

I must be out if the norm. I am testing fasting, pre-lunch, pre - dinner, and bedtime. I just got too busy with life for 2 hours after and could not remember what time I started eating. The pre testing has helped a ton. But still not doing bedtime. I need 2 meters to remember to test. One in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. Hmmmm maybe.

Justabean3

Sockgnome78 said:

I must be out if the norm. I am testing fasting, pre-lunch, pre - dinner, and bedtime. I just got too busy with life for 2 hours after and could not remember what time I started eating. The pre testing has helped a ton. But still not doing bedtime. I need 2 meters to remember to test. One in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. Hmmmm maybe.

Is that what they told you to do? That stricks me as odd because they want to see process

I just set the timer on my phone

Justabean3

I was diagnosed at 20w and I am just so over it now and ready to be done!

I cheated this morning eating a small bowl of cereal and my 2 hr was 189 and my 4 hr was still 166

I ate a lean cuisine herb sweet potato ravioli and it went down to 116 at 2 hrs.

megaddie

@theresat858 Kaiser's word is one hour after you start eating, and it should be below 130.  Fasting should be below 95.  They advised one to take a fasting level within 15 minutes of getting up and eat within an hour of getting up and to try and eat within 15-20 minutes.  If you can do a latte, I would maybe count that as part of your snack, two or three hours later OR try to drink it with breakfast, but mostly they advise no milk at breakfast because it sometimes spikes blood sugar because of the natural sugars within...same with fruit.

Justabean3

And no cereal

Sockgnome78

Justabean3 said:

Sockgnome78 said:

I must be out if the norm. I am testing fasting, pre-lunch, pre - dinner, and bedtime. I just got too busy with life for 2 hours after and could not remember what time I started eating. The pre testing has helped a ton. But still not doing bedtime. I need 2 meters to remember to test. One in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. Hmmmm maybe.

Is that what they told you to do? That stricks me as odd because they want to see process

I just set the timer on my phone

Yeah. They worked with me and this is what is working. They still see the process going on. It is just much easier for me also.

MrsL2B

For my postprandials, I usually check two hours after the start of a meal or snack. If it's a high-fat meal that I suspect is keeping my blood sugar up longer, then I check it again in another hour just to make sure that it's coming down.

ashes0219

Hi Ladies! I'm on  day 2 of checking my levels and so far so good. *knock on wood* 

I went to my doctor yesterday and she said she was surprised I failed my glucose tests, and expects my numbers to stay low. So far my numbers are staying between 70-95. I really have been watching what I eat, but let myself slide here and there on snacks. It really hasn't been as hard as I thought it was going to be. Only for a few more weeks is what i keep telling myself.

My downfall for today is, I got my TDAP shot yesterday, this morning I came into work, started to eat my breakfast and immediately had to run to the bathroom to get sick. I'm not sure if it was from the shot, the oatmeal i was eating or what, but now I'm afraid to eat again, and I have to test my numbers within the hour. 

DH has been very supportive of everything and is helping me time my meals and really watch what I'm eating. He thinks I should splurge more because he knows how much I love my chocolate, but gets why I don't. 

imagine7696030614

I had failed my 1 hour test, passed my 3 hour test, and I'm now at the lab waiting 2 hours for my 3rd GTT. I had created a discussion here a couple weeks ago explaining that I had to retake the test at 30 weeks and asked if I should start with the 1 hour or just go straight to the 3 hour and the majority said I should just do the 3 hour. I think some mentioned the 2 hour test so I brought that up with my Dr. And she said I could do that. Well, whe I got here the lab tech acted so confused at my taking a 2 hour one. I explained the situation but she kept going out and asking other techs and finally came back to do it. Doesn't make me feel very confident. Good thing is I only have to get my blood drawn twice (one fasting and one after the 2 hours, as opposed to getting it drawn 4 times with the 3 hour). I'm just REALLY hoping the 2 hour test option is sufficient and was done properly because I cannot handle that drink for a fourth time

imagine7696030614

Oh, and I had tested my numbers for about 5 days a couple weeks ago. Pay Endo wanted me to track them because of the 1 hour fail so he gave me the testing kit. My fasting numbers were usually good 70s/80s but my numbers 2 hours after meals were all over the place! Once I had a peach snapple with lunch and 2 hours later the number was 158... Besides that they'd range from in the 80s to 130s. So confused. Wish they'd just send me to a nutritionist.

megaddie

I'm kind of freaked out--my doctor said my numbers were good, etc. at my appointment this morning. So, of course, my 1 hr after dinner test tonight was 200!!! Wth? I've never gone over 133. I had a half of a banana after dinner and forgot if had had half an orange earlier today. The only other new thing I had was steamed zucchini. I went out and took a walk after I got the reading:(.

It scared me because the doctor specifically said going over 200 was bad and could lead, in some rare cases, to "fetal demise"....

Justabean3

megaddie said:

I'm kind of freaked out--my doctor said my numbers were good, etc. at my appointment this morning. So, of course, my 1 hr after dinner test tonight was 200!!! Wth? I've never gone over 133. I had a half of a banana after dinner and forgot if had had half an orange earlier today. The only other new thing I had was steamed zucchini. I went out and took a walk after I got the reading:(.

It scared me because the doctor specifically said going over 200 was bad and could lead, in some rare cases, to "fetal demise"....

You would have to do that at like every meal and be over 200 a whole lot

But I'm not sure what you would have ate to be that high. Did you drink juice or eat something more sugary? I wouldn't think half a banana would do that. What else did you eat or drink?

No judging just asking. I got a 239 my first week but I ate half a small Snowcone

megaddie

A chix patty (fake chicken), two pieces of whole wheat, Swiss cheese, mustard, sm glass of milk, and steamed zucchini with a tsp of butter. Plus the half a banana. So weird! Maybe my body just can't handle bananas. I usually have berries for my fruit. I've not tried a chix patty before, actually, just a veggie burger. The patty has 16 g carbs. Maybe that, plus the bread, screwed me up. I'm just surprised it was by that much.

Note--stick to veggie burgers!

Justabean3

Milk 2% 1 cup is 12g sugar and 11 carbs, it's really sugary and some bread kills people.. That in combo with the banana

megaddie

Yea, I think if I'd had a veggie burger and berries instead of the chik'n and banana, I'd have been more normal bc I usually have a small glass of milk with dinner I guess live and learn! I tested again, two hours after starting the meal and I was at 133...better, I guess!