Gestational diabetes test

Sunnycloud

I just took my first one today and it wasn't pleasant. It tasted like a drink I may have had as a kid. But I felt so off after drinking it. I felt nauseous, light headed and uncomfortable! It was a long hour sitting there

ambercakes92

I'm going in for my test in the next week or so (whenever I happen to schedule it), and opted in to taking the sugar water drink or whatever it is my OB had! If you don't mind me asking, did everything go well with your test? I'm curious whether or not your discomfort after taking the drink was due to a complication. I hope I don't respond poorly! And I hope everything went just fine with you too.

surferP528

I took mine about a week ago and felt the same. I was really nervous because it made me feel lightheaded and funny, but my results came back fine.  I think my body is just not used to processing that high amount of sugar, and in that short of a time!

I think I might also have been looking for symptoms because I knew drinking it was weird. I was so nervous it would taste worse or that I would throw it up, but I didn't think it was too bad.

saladflambe

I am terrified of this test...because I am terrified of finger pricks. Yes. I am a wimp. A wimp!!! Give me a needle in the arm any day, but no finger prick!

PedsIsHardcore

Well something to know is if you end up having GD, you don't have to poke your fingers. I'm a nurse and I check my blood sugar on my forearm.

PrimRoseMama

Sunnycloud said:

I just took my first one today and it wasn't pleasant. It tasted like a drink I may have had as a kid. But I felt so off after drinking it. I felt nauseous, light headed and uncomfortable! It was a long hour sitting there

It's not uncommon.

PrimRoseMama

saladflambe said:

I am terrified of this test...because I am terrified of finger pricks. Yes. I am a wimp. A wimp!!! Give me a needle in the arm any day, but no finger prick!

They do arm blood draws. Not finger pricks. I've done the one hour twice & the three hour twice. Each time they draw the full vial of blood from a needle in the arm.

If you are nervous you can ask for a smaller needle/catheter combination. Each draw may take a little bit longer but the prickly sensation is less with a smaller diameter needle/catheter.

FinePlacentaPie

ambercakes92 said:

I'm going in for my test in the next week or so (whenever I happen to schedule it), and opted in to taking the sugar water drink or whatever it is my OB had! If you don't mind me asking, did everything go well with your test? I'm curious whether or not your discomfort after taking the drink was due to a complication. I hope I don't respond poorly! And I hope everything went just fine with you too.

No, it's common. I was very nauseous after my test, I actually wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep it down long enough for the blood draw. I've known several women that have been sick from it. Based on the date of your post, you may have already had your test, but I always tell people just to work to keep it down until you get through the blood draw! 

PrimRoseMama

FinePlacentaPie said:

ambercakes92 said:

I'm going in for my test in the next week or so (whenever I happen to schedule it), and opted in to taking the sugar water drink or whatever it is my OB had! If you don't mind me asking, did everything go well with your test? I'm curious whether or not your discomfort after taking the drink was due to a complication. I hope I don't respond poorly! And I hope everything went just fine with you too.

No, it's common. I was very nauseous after my test, I actually wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep it down long enough for the blood draw. I've known several women that have been sick from it. Based on the date of your post, you may have already had your test, but I always tell people just to work to keep it down until you get through the blood draw! 

Yes, I had to pep talk my test-mate to keep her drink down. In our office we have to fast for 12 hours as part of the instructions. So, if she got sick she'd have to start all over. Pure misery. So I made a make-shift fan and fanned her until our draws. You can't sleep either (affects blood chemistry). So she was just white as a sheet trying to  keep it together. Thankfully we both passed and made it out. I found the 1 hour to be more miserable than the three, but others have the opposite experience.

Its incredibly common to feel like crap when you drink the goo. Its a massive amount of sugar to test your system and yeah, feeling crappy is just part of the gig.

Hector33

I had my gestational diabetes test a few weeks ago and fainted 15-20 mins AFTER each blood test and then again after the test had finished and I had something to eat and drink.... it was awful. I thought for sure I would have gestational diabetes but my test results came back negative.

CompProf

Hector33 said:

I had my gestational diabetes test a few weeks ago and fainted 15-20 mins AFTER each blood test and then again after the test had finished and I had something to eat and drink.... it was awful. I thought for sure I would have gestational diabetes but my test results came back negative.

Are you hypoglycemic? (Or did you know beforehand that you are?) In hypoglycemics, the rapid intake of sugar (especially after fast) can cause a rapid crash due to simple metabolism, or "liver hoarding"
I've reacted very poorly to glucose tolerance tests in the past and know on the day of I'll need my test kit, a Snickers bar for after, and someone to drive me. . . My OB knows that I will refuse to leave "medical supervision" until my blood sugar is above 70.
The reason to do it anyway? Pregnancy is weird. There is a chance that my chemistry is now so different that none of the above will happen.

Hector33

Nope Im not hypoglycemic and prior to the gestational diabetes test they had to test my blood sugar levels to see if the gestational diabetes test could go ahead. My blood sugar levels were within normal range