GD Support Thread

lmudra

Yes, it was a carb explosion.  Does one bad day make a huge difference?  Man I hope not...
Sending all the Easter candy to work with my husband.

Stankonia2014

@LAMCH1980, I honestly ate like crap today.

awoodruff27

@LAMCH1980 I had a bad lunch (including a cupcake), but my dinner was on point but my number was still high. So not sure whats up with that. So far today my fasting number was fine though. Hopefully i'm back to normal today.

EmeraldNC

I didn't even check 4x a day this weekend Bc I knew it'd be bad... I plan to tell my Endocronologist the same thing when she asks why those numbers are blank on Thursday.

EmeraldNC

Just finished first growth scan! Baby boy is 3 lb 1 oz and looks great! Very active! Foot is already 2 inches long! And he has hair!

Stankonia2014

EmeraldNC said:

I didn't even check 4x a day this weekend Bc I knew it'd be bad... I plan to tell my Endocronologist the same thing when she asks why those numbers are blank on Thursday.

Ha.  I'm pretty honest with my doc too.  I'll put little notes like "ate my feelings". Yay for a great growth scan.  What %ile is he in? I have my growth scan next week, I'm anxious to see how he measures.

rmarble23

One thing the nutritionist said to me is " no one is going to yell at you for a bad number" that is words to live by. Yesterday we had a later lunch and with desserts I didn't even eat dinner just a snack before bed so I didn't test for the after dinner period.  Not sure if that was the right thing to do.  Thankfully numbers were right there like 1 point below the limit so I say yesterday was a success. Now I destroy all the leftover goodies without killing the whole week 

lmudra

Going up to 34 units of insulin tonight.  My after meal #'s are SO good but these damn fasting #'s won't budge.  

awoodruff27

Another question. The nurse who taught me how to use the meter said that if I get a crazy number I should try again on a different finger just to double check, then go by the lower number. I haven't had too because my only above range number was after I had a cupcake and way more carbs then I should have for lunch. So knew that one would be high. But today I had my normal lunch and it was high, like 20-30 over where i'm normally at for lunch. So I did re-check. It went down over 12 points, putting me in range. Should I note that it was a repeat reading? Is there a reason why a reading from another finger 1 min later could be so different? I'm going to bring it up at my appointment but I was wondering if anyone else had this happen?

Stankonia2014

@awoodruff27, it could be something really silly like the meter touched your skin or meters in general can be off by 20% or so my manual says. Sometimes if I still have alcohol on my hands or if I use a scented soap my numbers vary greatly. Even food residue can cause your numbers to be off.

EmeraldNC

@Stankonia2014
78th percentile... the ultrasound tech said that was perfect. 90th percentile and up are typically the 10 pounders, but Bc of preeclamsia with my last baby they worry about being too small in size, which obviously we don't have to worry about! 

awoodruff27

@Stankonia2014 I would have never thought soap. I have been washing my hands like crazy today with pumpkin scented soap, so that could have been it. 20% difference is a lot but good to know. I should probably read my manual. I haven't done that yet ha.

rmarble23

@awoodruff27 the RN that showed me how to do my machine told me to always wash before hand b/c even the fruit juices from the food you prepared can throw it off.  I work at the hospital so I "borrowed" a box of alcohol prep pads for on the go testing to make sure that doesn't happen to me.

panzyo3

Yeah, I just started using my new meter I got through my insurance (Onetouch Ultra 2) and its reading 10 points higher than my Freestyle....ugghhh...I know the numbers can vary but its a pain.... All I want right now is to stuff my face with a giant plate of nachos with everything on them...

awoodruff27

@rmarble23 I do use alcohol pads before but maybe I didn't clean it well enough? Who knows. 

Stankonia2014

awoodruff27 said:

@rmarble23 I do use alcohol pads before but maybe I didn't clean it well enough? Who knows. 

If it's not totally dry after using alcohol that can mess with it too.

beckij34

I started checking my numbers today finally. I didn't get my fasting number because I couldn't get the meter to work right. I called my mom on my way to work & she didn't think I was putting the test strip in all the way (she was right). I got it to work for my after breakfast & lunch checks (106 & 147). I'm still waiting for time to pass so I can check my after dinner number. My dietitian told me that bath & body works soap can have a lot of sugar in them & to be mindful about using them when checking my numbers. 

LAMCH1980

It's scary to think that it's the norm for the meters to be 20% off, but at the same time, doctors will put you on insulin if your numbers are just a little bit off. I wonder if there are a lot of women on insulin that didn't need it because they were using the wrong soap, or had innacurate readings. 

lifeislove87

Has anyone had any placenta changes noted because of the diabieties. My numbers are perfect, my diet is perfect but my placenta is looking very old/ thick. Baby is in the 10th percentile so officially IUGR. 

LAMCH1980

@lifeislove87, Ugh. I'm sorry you are hearing this already. Did they give you a plan of what they will do? 

lifeislove87

@LAMCH1980 thanks, they've upped my monitoring to twice weekly NST's and weekly ultrasounds. If the blood flow is impacted or baby stops growing then immediate delivery. I'm 33 weeks and they said 35 is the goal and will not let me go past 37 

awoodruff27

@lifeislove87 I'm so sorry! Grow baby grow! Hopefully you can make it to at least 35 weeks. 

@LAMCH1980  I was thinking the same thing. 

I've decided that this whole monitoring blood sugar is witch craft. Either that or my body is just crazy. I just feel like my numbers are all over the place with no rhyme or reason. My fasting # was 79 this morning. But yesterday my normal on plan lunch was 114. I'm interested to see what my Dr says, but I don't have a follow up until May 1st.

Stankonia2014

@awoodruff27, it's a total crap shoot. There's been zero change in my diet or insulin and all of the sudden this week my fasting numbers are normal. 

@lifeislove87, I'm sorry to hear that. So far my placenta looks normal, but they are monitoring it for calcification.  FX baby makes it to 37 weeks. Keep us posted.

LAMCH1980

@awoodruff27, was the 114 a bad number? It sounds good to me! 

EmeraldNC

@awoodruff27 You're not alone. I told my Endo this is all pseudo science Bc I'm on 60 units of insulin at night and my fasting numbers are the same as when I wasn't on any.

lmudra

Can you guys explain the placenta thing?  They haven't mentioned it being a potential issue before so I'm in the dark.  Tia!

Stankonia2014

@lmudra, this explains it well: https://www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/gestational-diabetes-placenta/ 

Heliumgirl717

Stankonia2014 said:

@lmudra, this explains it well: https://www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/gestational-diabetes-placenta/ 

this was really interesting. I'd never heard of most of these as being issues,  except for stillbirth. Thanks @Stankonia2014

lmudra

Thanks for posting that article.  I'm guessing if I'm having weekly u/s they would see something like this?

Stankonia2014

lmudra said:

Thanks for posting that article.  I'm guessing if I'm having weekly u/s they would see something like this?

They should. I know at my weekly BPPs, she checks my placenta and measures my amniotic fluid, then checks the baby over (breathing, movements, extension/flexion). My ob showed me portions of my placenta that showed calcification, but overall my placenta looked fine. I would think they'd be looking for issues with the placenta weekly.

awoodruff27

@LAMCH1980 yeah for me at least normally my after meal numbers are 80-100. 

LAMCH1980

I just had a growth scan. I'm 33w4d and he's measuring 5 lbs 12oz already. Doc says it's 70th percentile, but it seems bigger than that to me, no? If he gains 1/2 a lb a week, that would put him around 9lbs. He's gained an average of 8.3oz a week since the last scan, so that would be even more. It's never accurate anyway, but I'm just curious if the percentile was off. 

tmrussell

Stankonia2014 said:

@lmudra, this explains it well: https://www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/gestational-diabetes-placenta/ 

This was a good read. Thanks for sharing!

lifeislove87

@lmudra sorry to scare you, they watch very closely for changes to your placenta when you have GD and when they notice not good things they watch you very very very closely. 

lmudra

I'm already having weekly u/s so no worries, not scared. Just didn't know that was a thing lol.  I'll ask my ob on Monday to explain more/see if they have concerns!!  Good luck with everything!

mezalune

It's truly amazing the sense of victory I feel when I eat a lunch that I know has more carbs than I usually attempt at that time of day, I walk a mile during break at work, check my levels and get a great 1 hour number!!!  Only 9 more weeks of this crap!

Heliumgirl717

I just had my refill picked up for my test strips and they upped the price over $10. There's no apparent reason, but I'm ticked for the sudden change. I am paying almost $50 for 150 strips....

LAMCH1980

@Heliumgirl717, It's so expensive. My copay is $70 or so for 100 strips. I have earned a new empathy for people who have these copays forever. 

EmeraldNC

1. My favorite endo doctor that I see has left the practice I go to.
2. The endo doctor I don't really care for gave me this huge lecture about how these blood sugar checks are for my baby, and not for me, and I really need to be mindful of that. (This is because I missed several checks this week.... but hey, I am off my schedule and it is Spring Break, yo!  Plus also, I have NEVER had a blood sugar out of range after a meal - and of the ones missing, these were the only ones.)  It took everything in me not to seriously roll my eyes.

Heliumgirl717

LAMCH1980 said:

@Heliumgirl717, It's so expensive. My copay is $70 or so for 100 strips. I have earned a new empathy for people who have these copays forever. 

$70 for 100 strips??! That's highway robbery! It does make you think about the relationship between those who don't take care of their diabetes and the cost they'd have to pay to take care of it....