Failed GTT test, did I screw it up?
AnriaLedou
member
So I got the call yesterday that I failed my 1 hr Glucose Tolerance Test and now get to come in and do the three hour. My husband and I are both pretty surprised at this because we have been really good about eating healthy, getting exercise and I have not gained a whole lot of weight so far.
He went online to see if there was something we did to make my blood sugar higher than it should have been and read that I should have been fasting. I checked on my bottle of juice that morning and it only said not to eat after taking the drink, so I had my normal breakfast of cereal and 2 oranges (my pregnancy craving is oranges...) and then about 10 minutes later took my drink. Would this have caused me to have more of a spike than I should have? I plan on fasting for 12 hours before the next tests (which is the standard time frame when getting a fasting lab drawn). Anyone been through this before?
Re: Failed GTT test, did I screw it up?
Just so you know, you cannot "cause" gestational diabetes by eating unhealthy food, gaining too much weight, or by doing anything else. It's caused by hormones produced by the placenta that cause insulin resistance. So unfortunately, having extremely healthy habits will not protect you from gestational diabetes.
Having said that, it's possible that eating cereal right before you took the test could have raised your blood sugar levels a bit more than they would've been raised if you'd eaten something with more protein and less carbs/sugar. You don't need to fast before the one hour test, but it's usually a good idea not to eat something that's high in carbs and sugar immediately before you take it. You do need to fast before the three hour test, and your doctor will probably give you a guideline of what your diet should look like in the days before the test as well. Make sure you follow it, because if you DO have gestational diabetes, it's definitely something that you want to know about so that you can manage it well and keep it from affecting your baby.
Eating the oranges probably didn't have much to do with your test. You either have GD or you don't. If you don't pass your 3 hour don't beat yourself up. GD is caused by hormones not bad diet.
I was at a luncheon drinking sweet tea and eating carmel chocolate cheesecake less than an hour before my test. I was afraid it might skew my results, but I passed with flying colors. I agree with the PP...the one hour test doesn't seem to be affected as much since it doesn't require fasting.
Hoping for better luck on your 3 hour!
If you have GD, the 3-hour is going to uncover it. That said, lots of people fail the 1-hour and end up passing the 3-hour, so only time will tell.
Cereal AND two oranges 10 minutes before you had the drink may have started your blood sugar higher than usual, but you won't know for sure either way until you get your 3-hour results. Good luck!
Oh, and nothing you did or didn't do can cause GD. Lots of people who eat healthy and didn't gain much weight get it. It is completely related to your placenta and out of your control.
My instructions were not to eat anything 3 hours before the 1 hour test, and not to eat a lot of sugar that day...
I'd say 2 oranges + carbs in cereal, then immediately drinking the Glucola would absolutely be more sugar than you should have had in your system.
Nothing you can do now other than take the 3 hour test which should require fasting.
If you have GD, you will fail it. If you don't you will pass. Just a PITA.
When I went to do my 1hr at Quest they asked me if I had eaten breakfast and then told me that they could not do the test because I had. They said to fast for 12 hours, not to even have water because it could dilute the drink. So I had to go back the next day.
I was surprised because with DD1 I ate lunch and then went to the lab, had blood drawn, drank the drink, and then had blood drawn again an hour later.
I guess every place has different ways of doing it.
Some doctors will give thier patients guidelines like "fast for one hour before the test" "dont' eat a bunch of carbs" "have a lot of protein the night before", etc- but just because they think it might help weed out some of the girls who might fail the one hour and pass the three hour.
When you take the three hour, don't fast for more than 8-10 hours. If you do, your liver will turn glycogen into glucose and you will have an abnormally high fasting sugar just like if you had eaten right before going in.
And pp are right- you can't cause it by eating wrong. It's caused by your placenta.
I went out to dinner right before my 1 hr not thinking anything of it because I wasn't told not to eat before the test. I border line failed the test. When I took the 3 hr test I fasted for 12 hrs and passed "with flying colors" as my OB stated it. No matter what anyone says I really do believe that they should tell you not to eat before the 1 hr test, I think that's why so many people fail the 1st but pass the 2nd. So there's a great chance you will pass the 3hr.
I just want to give a heads up ( I wish some one would have warned me) There's a chance the 3 hr will make you feel really yucky. About an hour into it I got really light headed and nauseous. After the 1st blood draw I told the lab tech I didn't think I could make it through with out fainting and that I wanted to leave. She had me recline and drink some water. After about 45 minutes I was feeling better and she said my color was coming back so I finished the test. It really caught me off guard and scared me a bit but the lab tech said about an hr in can be the worst because that's when you are getting the sugar rush from the glucose drink and not having eaten for 12 plus hrs it can make you feel pretty crappy. If I can get through it most anyone can so good luck and I hope you pass it!
Thanks for all the heads up. With so many different rules I read about I just wondered if I forgot something before doing the test. I had gone 5 weeks between my previous appt when they counseled me on taking the glucose drink and honestly forgot what they told me about eating, but the instructions on the bottle didn't say "you can eat" or "don't eat" before the test - so that is why I am concerned.
My other concern (upon getting upset and trying to prep myself for what I will need to do should I fail again) is that all of the things they recommend doing to help keep your blood sugar low (eating healthy, exercising, etc) are all things I have been doing normally, so will that mean I will have to start taking insulin since it is still high?
Eating healthy isnt what keeps your blood surgar down. Eating bread fuit pasta deserts all those have carbs that are turned into surgar the big thing is to keep that surgar level at a good level and not have it go up and down.
To do that you eat about every two hours or so depending on your meal plan. you eat the normal three meals and three snacks each meal or snack will have how meny carbs you can have. One orange is one carb cerial ( depending on the kind) and milk ( milk raises surgar ) is more. meat and veggies have very lil carbs.
you will need to test your surgar level and keep a log of what you ate and what your level is at ( 2 hr after you eat).
Hope this helps have had gd with three of my four pregnacys ( this is my 5) went for the 3 hr ( i never pass the 1 hr this late in pregnacy) yesterday at the best its really boring and tiring (even the times were i didn't have gd i took a good long nap after ) bring something to eat for when the test is done you will be crashing by then.
agreed. I ate 2 eggs and sausage (all protein) 2 hours before drinking my glucola. Eating cereal (carbs) and oranges (natural sugar) certainly wouldn't have helped your blood sugar.
Lurking...but not necessarily. I had GD and it was more about HOW I ate and in what combinations that what I was eating compared to before I got diagnosed. Like things that are 'healthy'...juice, fruits, pasta, bread/bagels etc needed to be limited and/or eaten WITH protein to balance the sugar spikes. So instead of an apple for a snack, it was apple with cheese or nuts. Instead of juice with breakfast, it was fruit in a yogurt smoothy with extra protein powder added.
My lab said the same thing when I called to schedule mine. Had eggs and bacon, passed with a 77.
That's funny. Apparently each Quest differs as well, since that's where I went, too.
No, you do not follow a diabetic diet. Your breakfast is FILLED with carbs. Milk, cereal and two oranges. Lots of sugar. My guess is that is likely over 4 or 5 servings of carbs and very little protein. If you are diagnosed with GD, you will have to monitor your carb intake and change your eating habits. Then if you can't control it with a GD diet plan, they will start glyburide or insulin.
First off -- failing the 1hr test doesn't mean anything's wrong or that you have GD.
Second -- yes, absolutely, having a high-carb breakfast like you did (cereal and fruit are both very high-carb!) will get your blood sugar levels higher.
Third -- While my doctor didn't tell me I had to fast before the 1hr test, the lab techs were appalled that I hadn't been told to fast (and therefore, obvs, was not fasting) and actually called the doctor twice to confirm that the OB still wanted me to take the test at all. The lab techs said that the vast majority of women who fail their 1hr and pass the 3hr only failed the 1hr because they weren't fasting for it.
Fourth -- if you DO have GD, you cannot "fool" the test by fasting. All you can do by fasting is keep yourself from getting a false positive and having to come back for the 3hr.
Fifth and last -- The 3hr suuuuuucks. So badly. I strongly recommend bringing two kinds of snacks with you for when you're done with the test -- something carby/sugary (like your oranges, or some OJ) and something proteiny (like nuts, peanut butter crackers, one of those Lunchables meals) -- and take some time to eat them and sit down and drink some water before you attempt to drive anywhere! Don't be afraid to have your DH/SO on call to drive you home if needed.
♥ Married since June 2009 ♥
TW: Living children & Losses:
Pregnant after 4 losses via IVF/FET with daughter "Gamma" (EDD Oct 2, 2019)
Well good news is that the 3hr test came back normal, so no Gestational Diabetes! Yay!
That said I would advise people to probably err on the side of caution and go ahead and fast, its just the one hour test. Having to go through the 3 hour was awful - they said not even to drink water after I took my glucose drink (so no water for 3 hrs!) and I have awful veins so they had to stick me 6 times to get the 4 sets of bloodwork. Guh!