Gestational Diabetes

prudence9-2

I count veggies. But some veggies have hardly no carbs so I don’t count it. 

You know how we can easily get to 175? Pizza and pasta. Haha. (In my dreams!)

they told me to increase insulin if i have 3 fasting numbers in a row high. But so far these two numbers were not day after day. So I’m hoping tomorrow will be normal again 

mamajudec2018

Haha right?! That would make it so much easier!

Oh good! Well I'm hoping it was just a fluke for you!

CecilB93

@mamajudec2018 yea that's weird that they don't check your numbers weekly, I also have to send mine in if I don't have an appointment scheduled. And per what I was told, 44g seems like a lot for lunch, I was told 2 Carb choices for lunch I think, so about 30g. I wasn't given a daily goal (that I remember...), but also remember my levels are supposed to be under 120, so you have more wiggle room than I do. Agree with @prudence9-2, same meal can give different results. I was told a meal is more likely to make you high at lunch even if it's okay for dinner (depending on the meal of course). If you've noticed the change in your breakfast coinciding with your lunch, definitely try going back to what you did before, but I feel like each meal is really independent of the one previously. And I feel you on wanting to avoid insulin, but I finally accepted the fact that my fasting numbers weren't going to go down without it, so in the end the insulin is better for you and baby if it comes to that. 

@prudence9-2 darn on the high numbers! How many units are you at? They started me at 20 but bumped me to 24 within a week and that small jump made a huge difference in my numbers. I've also noticed my evening snack can affect my fasting numbers, too.

prudence9-2

@CecilB93 for me it is the opposite. Dinner is the toughest meal for me! 

As for breakfast, I eat the exact same breakfast  every day! (Sometimes different over the weekends). But in general, I found a combo that works and I stick to it. 

Im on a very low dose at night. Only 6 units. I’m suppose to add by 2 units if I have 3 fasting numbers in a row of 95 and above. Luckily today I went down to 93. So my counting is back to zero. But since I’m starting to have higher fasting numbers, I have a feeling they’ll tell me to switch to 8. My prescription states that my dose is 6-20. 

mamajudec2018

@CecilB93 and @prudence9-2 Good news! I'm pretty sure it was my breakfast. My numbers have been way better today! It looks like I'm a scrambled eggs with cheese, milk, and English muffin breakfast person for the next 22 weeks haha!

@prudence9-2 Yay! I'm so glad your fasting numbers went down!

CecilB93

@mamajudec2018 yay for better numbers! Sorry it means monotonous breakfast though, I hate eating the same thing all the time.

@prudence9-2 man I wish my dosage was only 6 or 8 units!! My body didn't even think 20 was enough though, so meh. 

Im all sorts of confused with GD still as far as what it means for me after baby. A lot of people told me that since I failed the test at 6.5 weeks that it's likely I have Type 2 and just don't know it, but then when I did an A1C test a few weeks ago, it came back at 5.0, which under 5.6 (I think) is "consistent with not having diabetes". Ugh I hate this. Sorry, just needed to rant. I was explaining things to my HR lady today, so it's all fresh in my mind and I haven't ranted in a while lol.

prudence9-2

@mamajudec2018 glad you found the breakfast that works for you! I also stick with the same breakfast!

@CecilB93 from your A1C it doesn’t sound like you had type 2!  

I had higher than 140 numbers last two dinners. 145 today, 148 yesterday. And I’m eating less than what they want. I have a feeling insulin before dinner will be prescribed soon. Ohh and my feet are swollen. Could be pregnancy symptom but could def be diabetes related.  Ahhh

LLynde5

@CecilB93 Believe me I understand the pressure but you should give yourself a break.  Your a1c is within range and maybe you have teetered on the line of pre diabetic but for now you have this diagnosis and you are doing your best to manage it for yours and your babies health.  After the baby is born you will have a month or so where you will have great numbers as your body adjust from the added stress being gone!!  Yay to holding your baby instead of carrying!!  Then around 2-3 months after the baby is born you will be checked again for type II and make sure they check your thyroid too.  

I try my best not to worry to far in advance.  (I often fail at this). I will add one thing.  I was so worried that my DD would have sugar related issues because of my GD.  I watched everything I ate and walked as much as I could.  My DD had low blood sugar and was under 7 lbs when she was born. I beat myself up for weeks because watching them draw blood on an infant is the saddest thing ever.  I am not sure if keeping my sugar low deprived her or not but the point is their is always something to worry about or blame ourselves.  I have never heard someone with GD saying that it was easy or didn’t cause them extra stress.  I think as Mom’s we are always too hard on ourselves.  Keep tracking those numbers and loving on that baby!!  I think you are doing an amazing job!! 

CecilB93

@LLynde5 aw thank you for your kind words!! I'm honestly past stressing about it too much at this point. My numbers are finally looking great more often than being high, so I'm feeling really good about right now at least! I figure at this point there's not much reason to worry about my future since nothing can be done or tested until baby is born anyways, so until then I'm (trying) to just focus on the present! Definitely easier said than done!

manyhands

I'm lurking from the January 2018 group. I've been eating low carb for about 8-9 months and have lost 40lbs. I'm continuing to eat this way through my pregnancy. I haven't had my GD test yet. Many women who eat low carb tend to fail the test, so I'm trying to educate myself and read stories from others.

I don't know if this would help anyone but we make sourdough bread and pizza crust which is reported to not affect blood sugar that much. I've never done any testing so I don't know how true it is. I will say the pizza crust is soo good, better than store or restaurant made, although much more time consuming.

CecilB93

@manyhands hmm...I'll have to try sourdough. I actually really like sourdough bread! I'm totally willing to try things and experiment, and my OB knows it lol. I have found a pretty decent keto crust recipe though! It's made with almond flour, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, an egg, and seasoning. When you do take your Glucose test, good luck!! Eat a protein rich breakfast!!

I did manage to eat 2 slices of frozen pizza and added enough movement (walking upstairs and downstairs enough times) to keep my numbers below 120! Woo!

manyhands

I've had the fathead pizza crust and I thought it was pretty good too. I drool over the sourdough crust though. Just beware the store bought sourdough is not always true sourdough. My dough is fermented overnight.

I'm 13 weeks right now. I'm not for sure about when my OB will order my GD test. I did read somewhere else about eating a protein rich breakfast. I normally eat eggs and bacon almost every morning. The first one is a non fasting test?

CecilB93

@manyhands as far as I know yes! The one hour is non fasting. If you have to do the three hour though it's fasting. Bacon and eggs would be a great breakfast! 

Do you have a sourdough recipe you like best? I've never actually made sourdough! 

manyhands

The first step is getting the starter going. You weigh the ingredients to make sure your make a 100% hydration dough. I think it's 25g water 25g flour. There are a lot of you tube videos that will explain it better I think. It's really not that hard but it does take dedication.

prudence9-2

As of tonite I will also have insulin before dinner (in addition to insulin before bedtime)

i still haven’t asked the “can I eat pizza” question. But on Friday I’m going to meet one of the diabetes nurses. So I’ll ask her about it

CecilB93

@prudence9-2 sorry you have to add the insulin before dinner. As for pizza, it's really a matter of how your numbers respond. Thin crust is better than hand tossed or pan, and my dietician said to just 100% avoid Chicago style pizza. Sometimes doing one slice and something else may work, more meat as toppings is better, no pineapple topping ( ). It's kind of trial and error honestly.

prudence9-2

@CecilB93 oh yeah, thin crust is what I like anyway. But they told me to avoid non whole wheat types. And yeah, a slice might work. But to be honest, a slice will be worse than none. Haha. I’m more of a whole pizza kinda girl  

ive been making pizza on bread lately. Just use the bread I usually eat and put it in the oven with cheese and some toppings. It actually comes out not bad  

prudence9-2

So after the first dose of insulin before dinner my number was 146. Ahhh. And I didn’t even eat that much. No way pizza will be ok for me. 

CecilB93

@prudence9-2 man I'm sorry and yea, I'm more of a whole pizza kinda girl too lol. All or nothing! Definitely try the fathead pizza crust! It's a keto recipe, best one I've found yet that isn't regular pizza crust.

prudence9-2

@CecilB93 the pizza I’m craving is in restaurants here in SF. At home I can make pizza on bread. It’s good enough to satisfy my craving. 

I guess the next real pizza I’ll have will be after delivery 

mamajudec2018

@prudence9-2 I'm so sorry about having to add insulin before dinner and the fact that your numbers were still high! How frustrating! Maybe it takes awhile for your body to build up as much as it needs? Like a couple days or something?

I had a dizzy almost fainting spell today after physical therapy. I called my OB office and just asked if I could come in because the buildings are next to each other. They hesitantly and while snickering said I could. They treated me horribly. Checked my blood pressure twice. Didn't even check the baby. Only had a nursing assistant come in who relayed information. I wasn't even check by a nurse or doctor and was sent home after like 30 minutes. I'm so upset that they didn't check the baby. Oh and the nursing assistant came in with fruit juice and said the nurses sent her with it. Since we aren't allowed to have fruit juice as people with GD, I'm thinking they didn't even look at my chart.

prudence9-2

@mamajudec2018 oh no!!! Did you check your BG level when you felt that way? Maybe your levels were low?

so crazy that they didn’t check the baby!!

i spoke to one of the nurses. We will give it few more days. And if my numbers are still high, we will increase the dose.  

mamajudec2018

@prudence9-2 I didn't even think to check my levels. I should have. I just was in shock that they weren't checking the baby and now I'm so worried.

Ugh I'm so sorry about that! Let's hope it starts working so you don't have to increase!

CecilB93

@mamajudec2018 that is a horrible way to treat a patient. Definitely check your levels if you feel lightheaded or dizzy, it could mean low levels, in which case 4oz of fruit juice followed by a low carb/protein-filled snack is okay! But they should have checked your levels before ever giving you the juice anyways. Did you tell them you're GD and the juice is a no-no?

mamajudec2018

@CecilB93 It wasn't a nurse or doctor who gave it to me and by the time she gave it to me I was so frustrated that they were being so uncaring and not checking on the baby that I just said ok and left it sitting on the counter.

@CecilB93 and @prudence9-2 What would be low numbers so I can check for that in the future? I am having dizzy spells every day but today was by far the worst. It's so scary and I'm so uneasy about if the baby is ok. I wish I would've gone to the ER so I could have some piece of mind.

prudence9-2

@mamajudec2018 I think if you have below 70 it counts as low. 

Do you count how many carb you’re having every day?

mamajudec2018

@prudence9-2 I did for one day after you told me we need to eat a certain amount each day. That day I ate enough but I've had to cut back on breakfast and lunch carbs so I'm honestly unsure if I'm still meeting the daily that you said. Do you think that's making me dizzy? I don't feel like they're doing a good job of monitoring me or my gestational diabetes. The only thing they've done is scan through my numbers at 16 weeks. (I've had it since 12 weeks and I'm 19 weeks now.)

CecilB93

@mamajudec2018 I'd be considering a new office/doctor if you don't feel like they're monitoring enough. I think my dr says under 60 is low. I usually start feeling shaky at about 65 I think, but if it's under 70 he wants to see the number going up honestly. 

I don't actually keep track of carbs, at least not a true number. I've finally learned how to gauge how much will put me over mostly just based on how my body reacts to certain foods. I don't recall being told I have to eat X amount per day, but every office is different.

mamajudec2018

@CecilB93 I've honestly been wondering today if I need to look for other OB's. It sounds like so much work to find a new one and get situated but I mean I want to be taken care of. Ugh I'm not sure what to do. Doesn't it seem like they should check on my numbers and everything more than once a month? I also think it might require me to switch hospitals I'm delivering in but of course if it's the smart thing for the baby I will.

The next time I feel lightheaded I'm going to test my numbers and see if that's the issue, because if so and it's happening this frequently, I obviously need to make some changes.

prudence9-2

@mamajudec2018 it seems like they are not treating your diabetes at all. Once a month is really like not checking at all. The least they could do is tell you to monitor your BG levels and let them know if you have any elevations. 

When you were diagnosed was it after the 1 hour test? What was your number?

just for comparison, in my clinic I need to submit once a week my numbers and all the carbs that I had. For all meal and snacks. And they get back to me a day or two later with suggestions or tweaks. Or, this week, by adding insulin before dinner (in addition to the bedtime insulin that I’m already on)

The symptoms that you’re describing sound like low blood sugar. 

mamajudec2018

@prudence9-2 Well I mean I test 4 times a day but they only check my numbers once a month at my OB appointments. I was diagnosed after the three hour test 7 weeks ago. I definitely have it. Some of my numbers were quite elevated. They are just a very lax office but to me it is way too lax.

I'm going to test the next time I feel extremely dizzy and see if it's low blood sugar. My husband also suggested I just have an honest conversation with my OB (I have an appointment a week from today) and say I don't feel monitored and I'm quite upset with how I was treated. I have reached out twice now about this dizziness. Once through email last week and then going in today and they just completely blow me off. I'm just shocked because my sister in law also goes there and loves them. Of course she doesn't have complications. But I love the doctor herself, the nurses just have horrible bedside manner. Depending how the conversation goes next week I may try to find a new OB. I want to be monitored because I have gone through so much just to get pregnant and I want to make sure this little munchkin is getting the best care possible. I think I might start asking around in this coming week to see if people like their OB so I can get ideas if needed.

CecilB93

@mamajudec2018 I would definitely have a discussion with your OB regarding everything. Bedside manor of the nurses is definitely a big deal, but I agree that it doesn't really sound like they're monitoring your glucose levels at all.

My regular OB doesn't monitor the GD in any special way other than asking how my numbers have been at each appointment (so right now about once a month). I do see their high risk OB in a different office though, I think some ladies call this MFM for reference. He/his office is who truly monitors my GD. I send them my numbers weekly (I don't be include carbs like @prudence9-2 though, I just make notes on my high readings), they adjust or add medication as needed, and his office does all of my U/Ss, including the anatomy scan and weekly ones I'll eventually start in October to monitor baby's growth. Meanwhile, their office doesn't focus on the "normal" pregnancy stuff like my regular OB does. 

It sucks that the office hasnt been listening to your concerns, especially since you like your OB. I would start looking around at least for potential back up though, and a big thing to look at at this point would be how they handle high risk patients. 

CecilB93

Trying Pizza Huts gluten free pizza tonight! It's got 15 g carbs per slice, so I'm hoping it works for me! Regular crust usually puts me around 140-150, so I'm hopeful since the GF has half the carbs of regular! FX!! I'll report back later!

CecilB93

Success!! I ate two slices of pepperoni GF pizza from Pizza Hut and blood sugar was only 115. I was even sitting most of the two hours after, so minimal activity! 

prudence9-2

@CecilB93 good job at stopping after 2 slices

so wait, you test after 2 hours? I’m supposed to test 1 hour after a meal!!! That explains why your doctor wants 120. I think I have less than 120 after 2 hours too. 

CecilB93

@prudence9-2 yea, I test after two hours. I guess I assumed everyone was testing after two hours! Now I kind of want to test after one hour out of curiosity, then again after two just to see the progression. So you have to be under 140 after one hour, correct?

prudence9-2

@CecilB93 yes, I have to be under 140 after 1 hour. Try testing after 1 hour for a day and see where your numbers are. Please report back. I’ll be interested to hear if you’re below 140

mamajudec2018

@CecilB93 and @prudence9-2 I also test after one hour under 140. I'm so trying pizza hut gluten free! Thanks for the tip!

bmac2015

Checking In - I was diagnosed with GD at week 36 with my first pregnancy (passed the 1 hour at 24 weeks but my new doctor made me test again at 36!). This thread has me wondering why my current doctor (Doctor #1 from first pregnancy) hasn't tested me earlier than now (20 weeks) like some of you. I'll ask at today's appointment. 

prudence9-2

@bmac2015 yeah, I would ask to be tested earlier. But maybe since you got it so late last time he’s not worried you’d get it early?

they let me test so early because of my age. I’m 42.5...