GD, High fasting numbers. Feeling frustrated :(

MrsSmith414 · July 2013

Hi gals,

Wondering if anyone else has gestational diabetes that is battling high fasting numbers (95-100, they want me under 95)? My during the day numbers (I test 2hrs after eating) are all under 120 where they need to be but I just cannot get my fasting number down. Feeling really discouraged, meeting with the doctor on Monday of next week but wasn't sure if you ladies had any tips or advice? My after dinner snack has been a cheese stick and some wheat thins.

elishabelle · July 2013

My fasting # was the hardest to get under control. I would ask the dietician about what might work for you as your last snack of the day. I tried all kinds of different things, but after 2 weeks of fasting #'s from 89-107 I was put on a small amount of glyburide before bed. Hormone flux can also cause you to have a tougher time with keeping your numbers in check.

kerip5 · July 2013

The fasting number was the hardest for me too. My doc even suggested leaving out the night time snack to see if that might help - nope. I just started glyburide two nights ago and so far that has done the trick. I was really not wanting to go on meds but unfortunately that's all that would work for my body.

katiesept24 · July 2013

I was having the same trouble with my fasting numbers. No matter what I ate I couldn't keep them down. I didn't want medicine but ended up on insulin at night only. My doc didn't insulin instead of a pill because insulin doesn't cross the placenta like pills do. It sounds scary but hasn't been bad at all, the insulin pen makes things a lot easier! If you do have to go on medicine do not think of yourself as a failure, that's how I felt. You really cant control it and its best to do what the doctors suggest so that the baby is healthy. My Endo doc said that vanilla ice cream is the best snack at night, in fact she said a Klondike bar is great because it is the perfect amount of carbs, that's what I eat every night!

staceymack · July 2013

Test

SeaConquest · July 2013

I also had fasting numbers that wouldn't come down and started Glyburide. I wasn't happy about it at all and was worried that it meant that my natural birth plan would be doomed or that baby would have complications. But, at 39w, all is well with baby and I. I am very happy I took the Glyburide and stopped beating myself up over something that was truly outside of my control. My numbers were in the 90s and sometimes in the low 100s, but after Glyburide they were in the 70s and 80s throughout the rest of the pregnancy. Try not to be too hard on yourself. There is a good history of use/safety with Glyburide, so I went with it over insulin. Best of luck!

Starofd00m · July 2013

For me, a frozen yogurt bar or skinny cow chocolate popsicle seems to do the trick to keep my fasting number down. Any other dairy (cheese, greek yogurt etc) seems to send it up. Someone else on the Oct 2013 board also recommended ice cream as an awesome solution to keeping that number down, and that wasn't the first time I've head that. Also keeping carbs down on the lower end of my recommended range for dinner has helped as well. If this has been going on for more than a few days I'd call your doc and see if she can give some other diet specific advice, or maybe recommend meds.

Don't worry about feeling frustrated! You're doing all that you can.

hpatalano · July 2013

I'm early in my pregnancy and in the same boat. All my other numbers are around 110 but I wake up and have a 95 - 110. I am seeing a high risk doctor tomorrow who has already told me that I need Glyburide. I completely understand your frustration. I eat very healthy, exercise and lost a large sum of weight before trying to get pregnant and yet I still feel like this is my fault. I know it's not rational but it still is SOOOOOOO frustrating.

MrsSmith414 · July 2013

Thank you so so much ladies. It feels so good to not be alone in all this. I have been beating myself up for days over this because nothing I do is getting them down. Maybe its just not in my control. I'll try leaving out the milk/cheese tonight and see if that helps but it seems like I will probably be put on some type of medication also. My appointments Monday. I do feel better knowing that I am not the only person who has had trouble! It is driving me crazy that I can't regulate that number with diet/exercise

5dogs · July 2013

How long are you going between eating and testing with your fasting? You may have a sweet spot in testing, depending on how long you're going.

What type of night time snacks are you doing?

Some people do better with different portions (2/3 carbs to 1 protein), some do better with ice cream (full fat, which helps sustain the breakdown of sugars through out the night), and others do better with an all-protein snack.

MrsSmith414 · July 2013

I've been having a cheese stick and crackers about 8:30-9ish I test around 6am ish Any thoughts?

5dogs · July 2013

You may be going too long between snack and testing, which will cause your body to release extra glucose to compensate which will cause your numbers to go up. I aimed for no more than 8 hours between eating and testing because that was my "sweet spot." If you're not getting up until 6am, trying eating right before you crawl in bed.

Your snack may not be enough oomph to get you through the night. I usually did a serving of full fat ice cream + sliced almonds (and melted peanut butter on top) with a cheese stick, or a fiber one brownie with peanut butter added on top + a protein. Some don't do well with dairy (cheese/yogurt/ice cream). I found I did much better with foods that had fat in them like ice cream, full-fat yogurt, etc than trying to keep things "skinny." You can also play with the portions - 1 protein to 2 or 3 carbs, or 1:1.

Starofd00m · July 2013

I dealt with some of that guilt too..."what if I changed this??" or "maybe if I had exercised a LITTLE bit more before I got pregnant and lost a little more weight!" (even though I was normal BMI). Sometimes you do all the right things and for whatever reason your body stresses a little more than others when carrying around a baby for 10 months. And we can thank those lovely pregnancy hormones....not jut for emotional outbursts

Just do what you can with the food game, and in the end just know that there are ways to help control it so you and baby will be ok.

MrsSmith414 · July 2013

Thanks ladies.. so last night I had dinner then MH and I went for froyo about an hr later. My reading after that (another hr) was just fine! I was so full so I decided to forgo a snack and my fasting reading was 88! Are you flipping kidding me!

Anyone not able to have a night time snack? Maybe this is it? Or maybe it was the froyo? Its the guessing game that is driving me crazy.

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GD, High fasting numbers. Feeling frustrated :(

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