Glucose test RAGE plus question

mmemartinez · February 2016

So I am now sitting in a lab office...but I just need to vent. Got here nearly an hour ago to find out that I'm not doing a typical 1 hr test...my office ordered a two hour. Two problems: one, I was supposed to fast, which no one told me and two, I have a friend watching DS1 and she has other plans for the day. Thankfully my doctor is switching it to a one hour but I'm mostly mad that my office wouldn't tell me two very important details! And I'm more nervous now that if I fail I'll have to do the three hour. I didn't even know the two hour existed but I guess when you do that one they can tell either you have it or you don't. I'd rather have done that!

also, a question: any STM have GD the 2nd time but not the 1st??

emilyj77 · February 2016

I hear your pain. I showed up for my test and was told it was too early in my pregnancy to take this test. I was short by 5 days of the 24 week mark. I suppose I could be partly to blame for not knowing how many weeks I should be at the time of the test, but they should also know. They deal with scheduling and testing pregnant women all day every day, might be a good idea to look at my file before scheduling me!! I was so mad! I hope you pass the one hour one!

vinerie · February 2016

Sorry to hear about the inconvenience!! Very unprofessional. I have mine on Wednesday and was given no instructions, so your post as spurred me to call the doc's office and get some clarification.

Jbabylove2016 · February 2016

That is really frustrating! I have never eve heard of a 2 hour test before. I hope you pass your test and the rest of the day goes better for you!

kami09 · February 2016

I feel like some doctors say fast, others don't
I don't know if it's a preference thing on the part of your dr?? I did not fast with DS & fasted with this one. Passed both...so as far as fasting/not, I feel like you're fine

mmemartinez · February 2016

@vinerie I shound have asked more questions, I just assumed it would be like last time. Silly me! I'm glad someone can benefit from it!

Now that it's over and I'm out of there I feel a little better. I had just a cheesestick about three hours before the test so I barely ate, but I didn't want to fail the two hour.

lbachran · February 2016

You should be ok with just the cheesestick in your stomach. I think the fasting is suggested by some practitioners and not others (primarily so you don't eat 2 donuts, a bagel, and a soda right before). I have my 3rd one hour tomorrow. I passed my first early in my pregnancy and my second one...well, the nurse forgot about me and she didn't remember the blood draw until after I'd been there 1 hr and 45 minutes. So I now have to do it again...yay. I'm watching my carbs today and fasting after midnight just in case. I'm not drinking that stuff a fourth time!

emilyj77 · February 2016

The nurse forgot about you? How does this happen when they are administering a time sensitive test? I would have been irate!

araecasey · February 2016

lbachran said:

You should be ok with just the cheesestick in your stomach. I think the fasting is suggested by some practitioners and not others (primarily so you don't eat 2 donuts, a bagel, and a soda right before). I have my 3rd one hour tomorrow. I passed my first early in my pregnancy and my second one...well, the nurse forgot about me and she didn't remember the blood draw until after I'd been there 1 hr and 45 minutes. So I now have to do it again...yay. I'm watching my carbs today and fasting after midnight just in case. I'm not drinking that stuff a fourth time!

This happened to me last time, I was furious! I flagged someone down at the 1 hr 15 minute mark and put my foot down. The phlebotomist was was just chilling in her office eating a leisurely lunch and told me I should have piped up that I was waiting on her. Orrrrrr, novel concept, you can check your schedule and your chart of checked in patients. My midwife used that blood draw and didn't make me do it again. I'm sorry you have to have a redo!

lbachran · February 2016

@araecasey, I wish I could've flagged someone down, but I was on an ultrasound table covered in goo, sans pants, and waiting for someone to come in. The nurse was like "Well, we could give you the drink again and have you sit here for another hour, but two drinks might give a false positive and then you'll have to do the 3 hour." Apparently my doctor had called in sick that morning and no one told us, so patients were being shifted to the only doc present and being forgotten right and left. Hopefully they at least chill the damn drink tomorrow, it tried to find its way back to the bottle last time. Agh!

mmemartinez · February 2016

@lbachran you win! That's way worse! I would have been furious!

araecasey · February 2016

Omg, blech. Seems like a great policy, pumping forgotten pregnant women with ONE HUNDRED grams of glucose because of their mistake. I'm so grateful my midwife lets us take our glucola home to refrigerate it first. It really does make a huge difference @lbachran What a miserable visit for you.

JoMunson · February 2016

Anyone else think the glucose test is just kind of dumb? I know there are women who have GD and it is serious, but I am a bit upset that they're just routine plugging me into this test. Sure, don't ask me about my weight or body type before I got pregnant, what foods I eat on a regular basis, how often I eat sugary foods, or even allow me to do something other than a nasty preservative filled drink (did you know 26 jelly beans or about one soda has the same glucose as the drink?). And definitely don't look at my body now and notice that I haven't gained weight anywhere but my stomach, or think about the fact that you asked a vegan to cut out two important parts of her diet before the test (carbs and fruit). I'm a healthy person and I don't like all this pressure around the test! Okay, rant over.

PinkLady2015 · February 2016

JoMunson said:

Anyone else think the glucose test is just kind of dumb? I know there are women who have GD and it is serious, but I am a bit upset that they're just routine plugging me into this test. Sure, don't ask me about my weight or body type before I got pregnant, what foods I eat on a regular basis, how often I eat sugary foods, or even allow me to do something other than a nasty preservative filled drink (did you know 26 jelly beans or about one soda has the same glucose as the drink?). And definitely don't look at my body now and notice that I haven't gained weight anywhere but my stomach, or think about the fact that you asked a vegan to cut out two important parts of her diet before the test (carbs and fruit). I'm a healthy person and I don't like all this pressure around the test! Okay, rant over.

Lurking from July

Uh, no. Not dumb. You can be 100% healthy, vegan, eat no sugar and be a completely normal weight and still develop gestational diabetes and have zero symptoms. The ramifications for untreated GD affect not only you but your baby and potentially for his/her life time. It's 2-3 hours out of your life to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Schedule it first thing in the morning when you wake up and then go on with your day. It's seriously not a big deal.

JessicaB0627 · February 2016

JoMunson said:

Anyone else think the glucose test is just kind of dumb? I know there are women who have GD and it is serious, but I am a bit upset that they're just routine plugging me into this test. Sure, don't ask me about my weight or body type before I got pregnant, what foods I eat on a regular basis, how often I eat sugary foods, or even allow me to do something other than a nasty preservative filled drink (did you know 26 jelly beans or about one soda has the same glucose as the drink?). And definitely don't look at my body now and notice that I haven't gained weight anywhere but my stomach, or think about the fact that you asked a vegan to cut out two important parts of her diet before the test (carbs and fruit). I'm a healthy person and I don't like all this pressure around the test! Okay, rant over.

Uhhh, what?? So you think women get GD because they're unhealthy and eat sugary foods?? That has absolutely nothing to do with it. You can be as healthy as possible and still end up with it. Lifestyle choices have zero effect on gestational diabetes. You can also "not gain weight anywhere but your stomach" and still have it.

If carbs and fruit are such an important part of your diet then knowing whether or not you have GD is crucial. Both of those foods can significantly (and dangerously) raise your blood sugar and cause your baby long-lasting problems. It isn't just processed sugar that is a problem. Plenty of very healthy fruits have a high glycemic index. They load you up with such a high dose of sugar because they need to see how your body is processing and breaking down the sugar, not because they think people are going to consume this much in one sitting on a regular basis.

yogahh · February 2016

JoMunson said:

Anyone else think the glucose test is just kind of dumb? I know there are women who have GD and it is serious, but I am a bit upset that they're just routine plugging me into this test. Sure, don't ask me about my weight or body type before I got pregnant, what foods I eat on a regular basis, how often I eat sugary foods, or even allow me to do something other than a nasty preservative filled drink (did you know 26 jelly beans or about one soda has the same glucose as the drink?). And definitely don't look at my body now and notice that I haven't gained weight anywhere but my stomach, or think about the fact that you asked a vegan to cut out two important parts of her diet before the test (carbs and fruit). I'm a healthy person and I don't like all this pressure around the test! Okay, rant over.

Nope. I don't think testing to keep my baby and myself safe and healthy is dumb.

JoMunson · February 2016

Okay, sorry if I offended.

araecasey · February 2016

@JoMunson I looked into alternatives because the glucola made me feel so miserable. The research says that even the jelly bean, pancake breakfast, eating 50 grams of sugar in whatever form isn't as sensitive a test as the glucola, which means some moms with GD will go undiagnosed and therefore untreated. I too questioned the validity of blanket testing every pregnant woman, so I did some reading on it. I'd encourage you to do the same. I don't think it's bad at all to question the value of a test, I like to weigh risks and benefits of any medical test or treatment I get.

I asked my midwife if I could do anything to slow my sugar crash, and she gave me permission to have a little protein an hour before I had the drink. Maybe your provider would be willing to let you do something similar? My midwife also knows I'm more naturally-minded and offered me non gmo glucola without food dyes. I feel more comfortable doing the test this time around, and I'm glad I asked questions.

JoMunson · February 2016

araecasey said:

@JoMunson I looked into alternatives because the glucola made me feel so miserable. The research says that even the jelly bean, pancake breakfast, eating 50 grams of sugar in whatever form isn't as sensitive a test as the glucola, which means some moms with GD will go undiagnosed and therefore untreated. I too questioned the validity of blanket testing every pregnant woman, so I did some reading on it. I'd encourage you to do the same. I don't think it's bad at all to question the value of a test, I like to weigh risks and benefits of any medical test or treatment I get.

I asked my midwife if I could do anything to slow my sugar crash, and she gave me permission to have a little protein an hour before I had the drink. Maybe your provider would be willing to let you do something similar? My midwife also knows I'm more naturally-minded and offered me non gmo glucola without food dyes. I feel more comfortable doing the test this time around, and I'm glad I asked questions.

Thank you! I don't at all doubt that GD is dangerous for women who have it and their babies, like you said I'm concerned about blanket testing without looking at the whole person and not offering alternatives. I'll ask if I can have non gmo no preservatives!

doozer1345 · February 2016

JoMunson said:

Anyone else think the glucose test is just kind of dumb? I know there are women who have GD and it is serious, but I am a bit upset that they're just routine plugging me into this test. Sure, don't ask me about my weight or body type before I got pregnant, what foods I eat on a regular basis, how often I eat sugary foods, or even allow me to do something other than a nasty preservative filled drink (did you know 26 jelly beans or about one soda has the same glucose as the drink?). And definitely don't look at my body now and notice that I haven't gained weight anywhere but my stomach, or think about the fact that you asked a vegan to cut out two important parts of her diet before the test (carbs and fruit). I'm a healthy person and I don't like all this pressure around the test! Okay, rant over.

No.

newlvgirl · February 2016

I did not have GD with my first two kiddos and did have it with my third and currently have GD. I have gained 6 pounds so far at 28 weeks and baby is growing at a healthy steady pace. If I wasn't tested each pregnancy, I would not have known that my pancreas isn't keeping up with the demands of pregnancy. I can certainly make good food choices and exercise, but neither of these will stop me from being GD. Just sharing my experience and perspective.

zanaerob1 · February 2016

JoMunson said:

araecasey said:

@JoMunson I looked into alternatives because the glucola made me feel so miserable. The research says that even the jelly bean, pancake breakfast, eating 50 grams of sugar in whatever form isn't as sensitive a test as the glucola, which means some moms with GD will go undiagnosed and therefore untreated. I too questioned the validity of blanket testing every pregnant woman, so I did some reading on it. I'd encourage you to do the same. I don't think it's bad at all to question the value of a test, I like to weigh risks and benefits of any medical test or treatment I get.

I asked my midwife if I could do anything to slow my sugar crash, and she gave me permission to have a little protein an hour before I had the drink. Maybe your provider would be willing to let you do something similar? My midwife also knows I'm more naturally-minded and offered me non gmo glucola without food dyes. I feel more comfortable doing the test this time around, and I'm glad I asked questions.

Thank you! I don't at all doubt that GD is dangerous for women who have it and their babies, like you said I'm concerned about blanket testing without looking at the whole person and not offering alternatives. I'll ask if I can have non gmo no preservatives!

I find it really weird that after Everyones comments, you still say you're 'concerned about blanket testing without looking at the whole person and not offering alternatives'. People have already explained why this is necessary, but let me just reiterate, from the point of view of a medical professional who treats people with GD.

1. GD is an incredibly dangerous condition for mum and baby, so it's incredibly important to detect it and treat it. This requires an effective strategy to find the highest percentage of people with GD, without causing harm.

2. There is ABSOLUTELY no individual characteristic that can be used to safely determine your risk of GD. Fat people get it, thin people get it, meat eaters get it, vegetarians get it, vegans get it, athletes get it, young women get it, older women get it. There is no way to determine who is at risk with enough accuracy to make it remotely safe to not test some people. Blanket testing is the only safe way to make sure you don't miss many, many cases.

3. There are no safe, accurate alternatives. Some places will let you eat jelly beans or something instead of the drink but will clearly explain to you that it makes the test less accurate and puts you and the baby at risk of having undiagnosed GD, or being wrongly diagnosed and being treated the rest of your pregnancy. The 2 tests we have (the 1 hour and 2 hour) have shown to be safe and accurate to detect GD. It's a one-off test, it won't hurt you to drink a nasty drink once in your pregnancy.

I know this sounds like I'm having a go at you OP, but it really bothers me when people post uneducated stuff like this about medical tests that are designed to keep you and your baby safe. If you have doubts, then do some research - you can find plenty of evidence about the enormous harms of GD, about what the test is and why it's necessary for everyone. Your post savours strongly of 'I'm a really healthy person, I don't see why they can't take that into account and why I have to take this test with all the ordinary people who might have GD because they're unhealthy'.

yogahh · February 2016

zanaerob1 said:

JoMunson said:

araecasey said:

@JoMunson I looked into alternatives because the glucola made me feel so miserable. The research says that even the jelly bean, pancake breakfast, eating 50 grams of sugar in whatever form isn't as sensitive a test as the glucola, which means some moms with GD will go undiagnosed and therefore untreated. I too questioned the validity of blanket testing every pregnant woman, so I did some reading on it. I'd encourage you to do the same. I don't think it's bad at all to question the value of a test, I like to weigh risks and benefits of any medical test or treatment I get.

I asked my midwife if I could do anything to slow my sugar crash, and she gave me permission to have a little protein an hour before I had the drink. Maybe your provider would be willing to let you do something similar? My midwife also knows I'm more naturally-minded and offered me non gmo glucola without food dyes. I feel more comfortable doing the test this time around, and I'm glad I asked questions.

Thank you! I don't at all doubt that GD is dangerous for women who have it and their babies, like you said I'm concerned about blanket testing without looking at the whole person and not offering alternatives. I'll ask if I can have non gmo no preservatives!

I find it really weird that after Everyones comments, you still say you're 'concerned about blanket testing without looking at the whole person and not offering alternatives'. People have already explained why this is necessary, but let me just reiterate, from the point of view of a medical professional who treats people with GD.

1. GD is an incredibly dangerous condition for mum and baby, so it's incredibly important to detect it and treat it. This requires an effective strategy to find the highest percentage of people with GD, without causing harm.

2. There is ABSOLUTELY no individual characteristic that can be used to safely determine your risk of GD. Fat people get it, thin people get it, meat eaters get it, vegetarians get it, vegans get it, athletes get it, young women get it, older women get it. There is no way to determine who is at risk with enough accuracy to make it remotely safe to not test some people. Blanket testing is the only safe way to make sure you don't miss many, many cases.

3. There are no safe, accurate alternatives. Some places will let you eat jelly beans or something instead of the drink but will clearly explain to you that it makes the test less accurate and puts you and the baby at risk of having undiagnosed GD, or being wrongly diagnosed and being treated the rest of your pregnancy. The 2 tests we have (the 1 hour and 2 hour) have shown to be safe and accurate to detect GD. It's a one-off test, it won't hurt you to drink a nasty drink once in your pregnancy.

I know this sounds like I'm having a go at you OP, but it really bothers me when people post uneducated stuff like this about medical tests that are designed to keep you and your baby safe. If you have doubts, then do some research - you can find plenty of evidence about the enormous harms of GD, about what the test is and why it's necessary for everyone. Your post savours strongly of 'I'm a really healthy person, I don't see why they can't take that into account and why I have to take this test with all the ordinary people who might have GD because they're unhealthy'.

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