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October 2015 Moms
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GD...blood to watery/runny to test?

BlinkbabyBlinkbaby member
in October 2015 Moms
32 weeks and *technically* passed my 3hr, but due being high risk and being borderline they're treating me as if I have GD which means testing me blood sugar.

However, I'm having a hell of a time with getting the samples to read. My blood is super watery and it won't read on the test strips. I've pricked every finger multiple times as hard as I could and i can't get a good blood "droplet".

Has anyone else had this issue?
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Re: GD...blood to watery/runny to test?

  • BlinkbabyBlinkbaby member
    Also...

    My husband wants me to just give up on it and not test but instead just follow the diet recommendations.

    I only have 6 weeks left to go and I already know I'm having a c-section. Thoughts?
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  • jenspeakejenspeake member
    I was having a hard time getting enough blood to pop out so my mother in law showed me a trick last weekend as she's diabetic.  From the bottom of your finger take your thumb and push up towards the top of your finger to help get the blood up there.  Then poke.  It has stopped me from having to try multiple fingers for one read and I'm getting more blood out.  But if your blood is watery...not sure on that one?
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  • MamaOwl15MamaOwl15 member
    I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions on how to get your blood to work, but if your doctor wants you to test, do it. You may very well be able to control your sugars with diet, but if not, you want to know so you can get on meds or insulin as needed.

    6 weeks isn't much time to have to deal with the inconvenience, but it's long enough for something to go wrong if your blood sugar isn't controlled.

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  • tpete12tpete12 member
    Are you poking the side or middle of your finger? If you are poking it in the middle, your finger naturally has a clear liquid there that mixes with the blood when it comes out. If you are testing in the middle, try switching to the sides.
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  • kaza512kaza512 member
    Ha.. I just had this problem this morning. I agree with pp about only using the sides of your fingertips. Also, I was taught by my nurse to first massage my palm to warm them up, then using slowly squeeze the bottom of the finger you prick and move up, like a tube of toothpaste, to get more blood. Also stay hydrated! I would keep testing. Since GDM is hormonal based,even if you follow the diet strictly, your numbers can creep up and then they want to know that so they can out you on medication. The macrosomia is covered by the csection, but the baby could still have its own blood sugar issues if you have high numbers, and you are making yourself more susceptible to have type 2 later on in life every time your numbers are high and you don't know it :/
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  • whitemn04whitemn04 member
    The watery is most likely interstitial fluid from the tissue in your finger. Let your arm hang to get better blood flow and you may need to set your lancet to go deeper. Also, wipe away the first drop or two of blood to get a better sample. Milk your finger like an udder too, if you find yourself squeezing hard to get a drop, you will get more watery fluid than blood.
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  • felycidadfelycidad Just Joined
    It is completely coincidence that I found this post while I am pregnant therefore am able to respond because I searched due to an issue my Dad is having and this is the only post I have found which discusses this issue. He has stroke damage in the area of his hypothalamus which corrupts the signal from his brain to his endocrine system. One strange symptom is a type of "spell" he has in which he feels terrible/lethargic and the only factor he has identified is his blood becomes too runny to test his bs. There must be an explanation for these spells which is connected to some imbalance in his endocrine system but because the underlying cause for him is a corrupted signal it resolves for him as quickly as it occurs. I hope in your case you are able to get a reading by sticking your finger differently and it is not an endocrine issue. I know my response only poses more questions rather than an answer but I felt like it was worth mentioning to you. If your blood continues to be watery and especially if you are experiencing lethargy and just blaming it on the pregnancy you might ought to consult with an endocrinologist to test your hormone/neurotransmitter balances. Please if you do discover a specific chemical imbalance this is related to will you update this post? Since his spells do not last long enough to test the exact underlying cause in his case it is very hard to help him. Well, I just realized this post is from 2015 so my response is not much help to you but on the off chance that it helps someone else I'm still going to post this reply.
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  • felycidadfelycidad Just Joined
    Upon further research in combination with the information about interstitial fluid from Whitemn04 and my Dad's observation that although his core temperature remains normal his extremities and surface temperatures drop... I asked him if there were stress triggers proceeding his spell. He had multiple stress triggers correlating. Found articles linking high cortisol levels to a drop in the temperature of extremities as well as increase in interstitial fluid. My Dad said he uses the area on his forearm to obtain blood for testing his sugar btw. Anyway if anyone else is having issues with "watery blood" unable to get a reading for blood sugar consider potential causes of cortisol increase such as stress or allergies. Try to reduce worries, focus on one problem at a time, simplify surroundings/schedule, meditate and identify allergic triggers. Try not to freak out or get frustrated about testing blood sugar or having high blood pressure because that can make it worse. Hope this helps someone.
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