Glucose Screening

JStill0603

Pretty sure I’ll be diagnosed with GD at my appointment tomorrow. I have done 3 weeks of home monitoring now, once at 15 weeks, once at 22 weeks and now at 28. First two weeks were totally fine. This week my after meal sugars are fine but 3 of the last 5 days my morning fasting numbers were high and I’m sure it’ll be high tomorrow since I ate out for lunch today and it’s been up since. I do think I can manage with diet and monitoring at home but I don’t even want to know what else the OB is going to make me do. I am over the appointments on top of appointments. 

m6agua

@jhysmath So I had to go in 3 or 4 times between 30-40 weeks and I think they tried to get me to come in 1 or 2 other times and I refused. That was on top of my regular OB visits. When I went in I would meet with the registered dietitian first and she would make copies of my log and download my numbers from my glucometer. Then the doctor (endocrinologist I think) would come in and basically say everything is good. They would always tell me to eat more carbs to because I was eating under the recommended amount half the time. But that is what worked for my body. I never went on insulin, it was completely diet controlled and a waste of my time. I seriously could have just emailed my chart and numbers and had appointments if there were concerns. Also they only offered appointments 2 days a week to service every diabetic through this practice. Which is one of 3 major practices in my area, and probably the biggest one. I worked in another city so it was hard to get in at convenient times. If I get it this time and stay diet controlled I am really going to push back to just go over my stuff with my OB and if there are concerns then I will do an appointment with the clinic.

@rox7777 Yeah I don't get the screening either. I took my blood sugar an hour after dinner and I was at 91 last night. I'm taking it today again just to gauge where I'm at and prepare me for what to expect tomorrow.

@jstill06063 What have your fasting numbers been? I know the range varies depending on the doctor. Some say under 90, some under 95, and some under 100. I guess what you have the night before can really effect it, that is why they recommend a protein snack just before bed usually.

jhysmath

@m6agua that sounds awful I'm glad mine allowed me to just send the info into the office once a week. I also didn't eat a ton of carbs, the person I worked with gave me "max" numbers for carbs and didn't care that I didn't hit those max numbers often. For breakfast I'd have eggs and meat and that was about it so I think 4g of carbs from the maple sausage? I tried a breakfast sandwich which was 30g of carb from the english muffin one morning and had a high reading so decided I wouldn't do that again. Since I joined a new GD group on facebook I see so many people saying that they have a carb amount they have to reach or go higher than and that seems so counterproductive in the diet. This group, I think I will also have to unjoin if I get the GD diagnosis again because everyone is always posting they're eating things that are definitely not GD appropriate and "cheating" the diet every other day. I need to have positive influences around me to keep me on task. 

m6agua

@jhysmath It sounds like you probably ate similar to me as well, if I noticed some particular carb would spike my sugar I would avoid it. That group sounds like they are perfect patients for my diabetes clinic since they think you must eat within the government recommended amount, even if your body doesn't like it. Honestly I think the clinic wants to just put everyone on meds and be done with it. They tried to get me on insulin after 1 week of slightly high fasting numbers (88, 90, 95, 98, 92 I think), I refused and got them to give me another week. They showed me how to use insulin anyway expecting I would be on it the next week. The next week my numbers were fine and in the 70's and 80's. After some research I later found out that week of pregnancy (36/37) weeks is when the placenta is starting to get old and stuff and hormones are adjusting in preparation for labor, so it was totally normal to have wonky numbers around then.

jhysmath

@m6agua it does seem like we did the same thing. My person was great and if I had some high numbers for fasting she'd ask why they were high and I'd say something like I slept like shit the night before and she was okay with that. I had a 95 fasting limit though and my highest fasting was like 103 or something so it wasn't that bad. I also learned quickly if I fasted for too long that my numbers would get too high so I made sure that I tested at the 8 hour mark and got up and ate something. 

How many people have been diagnosed GD so far? Should we start a GD thread I'd love to be able to help other with meal plans and such. 

rachelg777

Add me to the failed 1 hour test club. Boo. Just waiting for the call to schedule my 3-hour test. 

shamrocandroll

@rachelg777 Booooo.... If you have it as an option, doing my 3 hour on a Saturday morning worked out great for me.  The lab was open from 8-12, and there was almost no one there, so it was nice and quiet.  It almost would have been relaxing if it weren't for the being starving and getting stabbed 4 times in 3 hours part...

rachelg777

@shamrocandroll I wish it was I would have much preferred Saturday since I feel like I've been having to take so much time recently at work but this lab is only open Monday -Friday. So I went ahead and scheduled for Monday morning. 

shamrocandroll

@rachelg777 Boooo, that sucks.  That was my reasoning for going with Saturday, too.  So much missed work time lately and I need to save my PTO for mat. leave.  I guess that's one advantage to my OB practice being in a major hospital.  

splashmountain

@JStill0603 I second @m6agua, a snack before bed always helped my fasting numbers. I would have a slice of grainy toast with peanut butter right before bed and my numbers would be perfect in the am.

TattoosandLace

I just got the call from my OBGYN's office and I passed the one hour!! I've never passed the one hour so I am beyond shocked and was anticipating having to schedule the three hour.

TattoosandLace

@rachelg777 dang it!! I feel you. I don't think our lab allows Saturday ones either, but I would've taken it if it was an option so I could've saved some sick days too. Solidarity, momma.

mamaj1220

Passed the one hour! I was nervous because the lab told me almost everyone they had seen for the past month had to do the three hour.

@rachelg777 boo I’m sorry I hope the three hour goes well.

JStill0603

My fastings over the last week were between 91 and 109. She is giving me a week to get it “under control” and then wants to talk about insulin. It was 100 this morning. I am very nervous about going on insulin with a 100 or less fasting. She asked me about a dietician. The dietician in town is the same one I saw 15 years ago when I was struggling to lose weight. I refused that. I need to figure out my night time snack. I know the longer I wait to test, the higher it goes like someone above mentioned. Peanut butter is a good suggestion. 

ETA: words are hard 

jhysmath

@JStill0603 halo ice cream was something that was great for me as a snack, and if I wasn't in the mood for food, I went with Fairlife chocolate milk mixed with their whole milk half and half I want to say it ended up being 20g for the pint glass or something.

Looks like I'll be taking the one hour again next week, they said if it's over 200 they're going to say automatically I'm diabetic and skip the 3 hour, if it's not then I can choose to self monitor or to take the 3 hour when I questioned how I would know if I was diabetic or not because when I monitored with dd my numbers were good because I ate as I was supposed to she said maybe for peace of mind I should do the 3 hour of it comes to that. 

m6agua

So I failed the 3 hour.
Fasting: 86
1 HR: 216
2 HR: 238
3 HR: 96

I just don't understand since my numbers from testing at home the day before, and then lunch and dinner that day have been well under the required ranges. I'm interested to see if they continue to be completely fine as I keep testing. With DD it was a bit harder to keep them in range, but I still did.

They've already scheduled me for 2 appointments. The first one is one hour long with the dietitian where she goes over how to test, the numbers, the goal carb counts, and all of that. I already did this with DD and know what to do so I think it is a waste of time. But they say I have to do this appointment before I can start going to the "diabetes clinic" with the MD's. Well I scheduled it for March 3 (March 9 with the clinic) and convinced them to refill the prescription for my supplies now. I picked them up yesterday and am going to test between now and then. If my numbers are completely fine and not even questionable then I plan on canceling the appointments.

So far my 2 hour post meal numbers have been near 100 or similar to fasting numbers which is well below the 120 threshold.

soprano19

@m6agua that’s a bummer, I’m sorry. Hopefully you can continue to manage it on your own without too much interference from the clinic, since it sounds like they weren’t very helpful to you in your last pregnancy either.

rachelg777

@m6agua I’m sorry the 3 hour didn’t go well. It sounds like the test doesn’t work well for you and that you know your body and normally eat well for it. I hope the numbers continue to show that. I failed the one hour spectacularly (217) and I was pretty surprised. Since I found out I failed so badly I bought a cheap all inclusive test kit yesterday and all my fasting and post meal numbers so far have been well within normal range eating as I normally do. I’m not expecting to do well on the 3 hour but it’s a little bogus because even with eating more carbs/sugar than recommended with GD I’ve been fine. 

jhysmath

@m6agua you and I both know we don't normally eat 100g of straight sugar in a typical meal we're testing. This is the main reason I feel the need to do the 3 hour to check because I think a normal diet wouldn't show i actually  have gd. 

sunshinesea22

@m6agua So sorry you failed... It seems you’re taking it in stride though and feel prepared to handle the GD again. Good luck!

bananapanda

My test is tomorrow morning and I just realized that probably means I should hold off on all the extra sweets today which stinks because I made my favorite peanut butter chocolate bars last night to bring in for a coworker's birthday.  I had one this morning before I realized I probably shouldn't.  I also have lunch plans today and going out for dinner for MIL's birthday tonight.  Poor timing on my part I guess, and I'm sure I'll end up failing the 1 hour anyway.  With DD1 I passed by like 1-2 points but was also about 15lb lighter so we'll just see how this plays out I guess.

m6agua

@bananapanda Good luck tomorrow!

TattoosandLace

@m6agua with DD1 I failed the 3 hour and then when I followed instructions to limit orange juice, sugar, etc my numbers were too low. I was able to maintain my regular diet and my numbers were fine. Hopefully monitoring your numbers is all that's needed. Hugs, momma!

jrouge12

So at my OB check-up today they told me I failed the 1-hour by their standard by 1-point. But I passed by the national standard by 4-points. They want me to do the 3-hour which I'm not happy about at all. 😔

pourmeanothermocktail

jrouge12 said:

So at my OB check-up today they told me I failed the 1-hour by their standard by 1-point. But I passed by the national standard by 4-points. They want me to do the 3-hour which I'm not happy about at all. 😔

I'd be declining that. But I'm a rebel.

jrouge12

@pourmeanothermocktail I'm so back and forth. I have to call today because I forgot to request a note for my maternity leave, but I at least want to understand their logic behind stricter standards. 

TattoosandLace

@pourmeanothermocktail I just.. there's a difference in the standard? I've noticed there's a pretty big difference in the instructions before and during both tests. I struggle with questioning the validity of the tests with such differences in prep and "rules" during.

pourmeanothermocktail

TattoosandLace said:

@pourmeanothermocktail I just.. there's a difference in the standard? I've noticed there's a pretty big difference in the instructions before and during both tests. I struggle with questioning the validity of the tests with such differences in prep and "rules" during.

I struggle with the 1 point difference and the fact that so many offices seem to have different rules and use the SAME numbers as each other. And, (not for me, I don't eat great over here with two very picky kids!) I know others have brought up that the actual test is so unlike most peoples eating habits that it's not really testing your true life normals. And such a large percentage of people fail one hour and pass 3 hour....so if it's that close, I personally would just say no. I'm not trying to say everyone needs to or should say no, but I just couldn't find it worthwhile, for me. Especially knowing that the "standard" diet instructions if you are diagnosed still have minimum carb numbers to hit, etc, it's just seeming like being too nit-picky for me. 

I entirely support people making their decisions and I understand why many people would just get the test. But I can't even fast overnight anymore without being weak and shaky with low blood sugar symptoms. And I pass out from most blood draws. And can't both have childcare AND a ride to and from doctor. So unless it seemed like my 1 hour was a huge concerning number off, especially if it was within national standards, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But that's again, just my opinion, just for myself.

sunshinesea22

What (if anything) have people been eating for breakfast before the 1 hour? I usually have a bowl of non-sugary but still carb heavy cereal but I doubt that's advisable. I did a 1 hour early on due to my weight and had a banana before, but I'm concerned that might not be the best choice either. I am allergic to eggs, so that's not an option. I have considered just having a big spoonful of peanut butter to hold me over...I don't do well with no food so I'm really hoping to pass the 1 hour and not have to do the fasting 3 hour

heyybritt

@sunshinesea22 I had some plain greek yogurt and blueberries, but only like two spoonfuls because I woke up late and my appt was first thing in the morning so poor planning on my part

mamaj1220

@sunshinesea22 I had a breakfast sandwich and some juice.

m6agua

I had eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast with avocado on it. But about an hour or so before my test. I passed the one I did around 9 weeks, but failed the one at 28 weeks. 🤷🏼‍♀️

lisush

@m6agua making me nervous with the pass then fail!

I also did eggs but with avocado and cucumber. Maybe some breakfast meat with avocado and veggies since you can't do the eggs? @sunshinesea22

allie456

@sunshinesea22 I was thinking of doing a banana, a couple of cheese sticks and a nut Kind bar before mine on Monday.

m6agua

@lisush If it makes you feel any better I've been testing my blood sugar at home for about a week now with my normal meals and even some higher carb meals and I am beginning to think that I don't actually have GD. My numbers have been so much better than I expected and completely normal... even better than normal. But things can change as it goes along. Part of the reason why you can pass early and fail later is that later on when the baby and placenta is more developed they actually start producing their own insulin on top of the insulin you produce yourself.

shamrocandroll

I ate breakfast (egg and cheese omelette with hot sauce) immediately before I drank my drink and missed by 4 points, so I would recommend leaving a little bit of time after you eat before drinking the drink.  I was in a rush and didn't have time to wait in between.  I passed my 3 hour with no issues.  

sunshinesea22

@shamrocandroll good call, the protein can keep blood sugar high for longer

catem07

I'm pretty sure I passed with a level of 76. My portal doesn't have a reference number but all research suggests that's much lower than any threshold. 

In case anyone was wondering, I ate eggs for breakfast at 7:30 and drank the drink at 9:45. I ate normally yesterday). I usually also have toast with breakfast but skipped that today.

queenklau

shamrocandroll said:

I ate breakfast (egg and cheese omelette with hot sauce) immediately before I drank my drink and missed by 4 points, so I would recommend leaving a little bit of time after you eat before drinking the drink.  I was in a rush and didn't have time to wait in between.  I passed my 3 hour with no issues.  

Agreed, even though you don’t need to fast prior to 1 hr test, my doctor advised to not eat anything 1 hr before the test. I had 2 boiled eggs, wheat toast and peanut butter for breakfast (8am). My GTT was at 11:20. Let’s see what happens...

m6agua

@catem07 That is a great number, basically a fasting number! I've been looking more into information from Lily Nichols (RDN) and her approach to GD. I've seen her say that there is research out there that says pregnant women (without GD) will typically have blood glucose numbers 20% lower than they normally have.