Glucose test - not as bad as people say

beforesunrise

I had my Glucose test this week and seriously, it was no big deal. Mine was a 2hr test, meaning I had blood drawn, drank the liquid, had blood drawn in an hour and had blood in another hour.  My doctor skips the 1hr since it gives so many false positives. Might be something worth asking yours so you don't have to go twice.

 A few things to note to make it even easier on yourself:

+ The beverage probably isn't what you would choose to drink, but you won't gag on it. It's like Hi-C, crystal light, Tang, etc. It wasn't thick and syrupy like I feared from some of the other posters. And it's not carbonated. You can down it really fast and the time they give you is plenty.

+ Schedule your appt for as early as you can. So, if you have to do the fasting one like I did, it's not too late in the morning until you are eating / drinking. I was having a cup of coffee and breakfast bar by 10:15a.

+ Bring something to read/play - book, iPad, iPhone, etc. to make the time pass fast. I brought my work laptop with me and "worked from lab" to make the most of the time. I actually got a lot done without routine office interruptions:) 

+ They only draw one vial of blood each time. With all that's been taken from my arms across this pregnancy, it really was over in a blink each time.

+ Bring a snack with you so that as soon as you're done, you can eat. No need to make yourself drive/walk hungry to get food after. 

+ You get your results back the next day. Compared to waiting for things like Materni21, you get closure really fast. 

Hoping you all get good results back with yours too and that this post helps you have less anxiety than I had about having it (from the posts I had read before going in). 

Babymeatball

Thanks for all the info. Glad you had a good experience :

astarisborn

Thanks for the information!  I go in in at 9:00 a.m. for my one hour glucose.  It is nice to hear this information beforehand! 

Abeja1226

Yeah that drink has 50 g of glucose in it, I got the orange and I had no problem with it. The 3 hr test uses a drink with a 100g of glucose in it and that is the one that is thick and disgusting and when you add fasting beforehand for 12 hours it really makes you feel sick.
They use the 2 hr because that identifies 90 percent of GD whereas the 1 hr identifies 80 percent of cases.

lindseylovestj

Thanks for posting...next appointment I have to do the 1 hour test. I didn't know the 1 hour one gave lots of false positives...fingers crossed that mine wont be positive at all but especially not a false one.

theonle1

It's really not.

Because I have PCOS, I get to do it twice!  I did it about 8 weeks ago, and will do it again in a few weeks.

 The drink is gross, but tolerable.

I've actually been concerned with some of the things I've been reading, suggesting people try to eat a certain way to "beat" the test.  This does not seem like a smart move to me.  The idea of this test is to determine if you have GD based on your normal diet- trying to eat something other than what you normally eat to beat a diagnosis is kind of missing the point.  I'm not a doctor by any means, but I think it's really important to stick to your normal diet so you get your ACTUAL diagnosis, not one based on trying to beat the system.....

kellyrn9956

I am having the one-hour, non-fasting, 50gram test on 12/19. Sounds like it might not be too bad...thanks for easing my mind a bit

CBomback

theonle1:

It's really not.

Because I have PCOS, I get to do it twice!  I did it about 8 weeks ago, and will do it again in a few weeks.

 The drink is gross, but tolerable.

I've actually been concerned with some of the things I've been reading, suggesting people try to eat a certain way to "beat" the test.  This does not seem like a smart move to me.  The idea of this test is to determine if you have GD based on your normal diet- trying to eat something other than what you normally eat to beat a diagnosis is kind of missing the point.  I'm not a doctor by any means, but I think it's really important to stick to your normal diet so you get your ACTUAL diagnosis, not one based on trying to beat the system.....

I was thinking the same thing.  I didn't know there were strategies for beating the test when I took mine.  Mine was scheduled for midday, and I actually ate half a sandwich before taking the drink because I didn't want to feel nauseous from not eating at my usual time.  I passed the 1-hr, despite the sandwich. But I agree, why would you want to "beat" the test if getting inaccurate results can mean not diagnosing something that can affect the health of your pregnancy???

thecarrotflower

I had the two hour test on Wednesday and it wasn't bad. I downed the drink quickly, which I would suggest, and just sat there and knit for a few hours. The test wasn't bad. That said, I don't want to give ladies a sense that it was a walk in the park either. I felt sick and rather off for the rest of the day. I feel like I couldn't get things back to a balance and ended up going to bed early. So even though the test itself wasn't bad be prepared that you might feel crummy for that day. Also, the drink did end up making me feel like I puking, unfortunately if you do puke they make you redo the test.

Pearls+Oysters

I'm glad it wasn't bad for you, but keep in mind that you had the 2 hr test and that some of us had to do the 1hr, 2hr, and will have to do the 3hr test. I personnally did the 1hr (failed), the 3hr (100g, thick and fizzy, passed by a hair) and will have to do the 3hr test again in two weeks and a half.

I fainted at the last 3hr test I did. As I said, good for you! And good luck to everyone else.

aeb20

Thank you for posting this. I have been dreading the test and getting anxiety but your post eases my mind a bit!

smurf605

I had the 1 hr test with DS and I had the same response that it was no big deal.  I have a sweet tooth though, so my body is probably used to occasional sugar highs! I've never had to do the 3 hr test though.

allforyou

I remember drinking the orange drink last time and I did not think it was too bad. This time however my OB gave me two alternatives to drinking the special drink... either eat 18 jellybeans or eat one family size 3 musketeers bar. So while I didn't think the drink was awful the first time, I would MUCH rather eat a three musketeers instead. Just something some of you might want to ask your doctors about if you are concerned about the drink

asibilrud

Thanks for the info! I'm a FTM and will be getting mine within the next 2 weeks!

beforesunrise

Oh, I forgot one more thing my doctor advised me. For the 2hr test like I had (which you fast in the morning before), it's really getting a sense of the past few DAYS of food I had eaten. So just having a low/no-carb dinner the night before would not have made a difference. 

Mother Meghan

Awesome, thank you so much for this post! I have a 2 hour test as well, my doc does it standard for the same reason yours does. I was a little worried that the drink was going to be super thick too, if it's thinner it should be easier to down.

Did you feel weird sitting there? Did you get all shaky since the only thing in your stomach was sugar?

Abeja1226

theonle1:

It's really not.

Because I have PCOS, I get to do it twice!  I did it about 8 weeks ago, and will do it again in a few weeks.

 The drink is gross, but tolerable.

I've actually been concerned with some of the things I've been reading, suggesting people try to eat a certain way to "beat" the test.  This does not seem like a smart move to me.  The idea of this test is to determine if you have GD based on your normal diet- trying to eat something other than what you normally eat to beat a diagnosis is kind of missing the point.  I'm not a doctor by any means, but I think it's really important to stick to your normal diet so you get your ACTUAL diagnosis, not one based on trying to beat the system.....

It's not a matter of "beating" the test, it's a matter of not getting a false positive because you ate like crap the day before.  You should eat a normal diet the days before, not pig out.  I think this is what people (including myself) are suggesting. 

DeannaSue84

The test itself isnt bad but boy does failing suck! Then having to see a specialist for GD! Hopefully you passed... Im dreading taking it

wherelifeleads

My doctor gave me the drink to drink at home, and then make sure I get tested exactly 1 hour later at the office. My only  concern is that I live exactly 1 hour away. Would it be OK to drink it in the car? I read some people get shaky and weird, what do you guys think?