Does anyone else find that all the meal plans/advice are not very realistic/ work friendly? Like taking a walk after a high number. If I just tested an hour after I ate, my lunch break is over and I don't have the ability to just get up and take a stroll.
Yuuuup. I even have trouble testing at the right times. It seems like I'm always scheduled for a meeting, a meeting runs over, or someone makes an impromptu stop at my desk. I'm worried it's a sneak peek of what pumping at work is going to be like.
@meggyme my sugars have to be around 120 after two hours, I've read online that numbers should be under 140 after one hour, but haven't read anything about it being 120 after an hour. That seems like a hard number to hit.
It goes back to the whole inconsistency thing between doctors when it comes to GD. It makes getting advise from others hard too.
We have two sleeping beauties in heaven. Jack gained his wings on 09/02/2016. Kali gained her wings on 07/28/2015. They will be forever missed.
@meggyme Mine have to be under 140 after an hour. 120 would be super hard! How many carbs are you eating at breakfast? I use coffeemate natural bliss coffee creamer. 1 tbsp = 5 carbs.
Also, I agree with the whole work schedule discussion. It just so happens that I have my prep immediately after lunch this year, so I can test at the one hour mark. Most years that is not the case! Either way, I have a meeting during that time 1-2 days a week and have to test in the middle of my meeting.
AFM, I have had 2 nights on insulin. My fasting numbers are a bit lower, but not under 95 yet. I know it won’t be immediate so I am trying to be patient.
@meggyme I’d say either cut back the carbs or up the protein. I think you could still eat the English muffin if you have a couple eggs too. I drink a Premier Protein drink with breakfast every morning. You could try those too if eggs are a hassle. I try to make sure my grams of carbs and protein are pretty equal.
@purpleteacher82 Yeah, now that I more or less ruled out the coffee I’m going to try that tomorrow morning. I made 8 bacon and egg sandwiches yesterday, so I hope they’re the answer I need.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
Ugh. Coffee and an egg, bacon and cheese sandwich. Still 15pts over. I’m going to try the breakfast I’ve eaten every morning for years of yogurt and fruit tomorrow.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@meggyme I’m still baffled by the 120 post meal number. If you got a 135 this morning that would 5 under for me. How many carbs was your sandwich? I eat the dannon light and fit Greek yogurt. It’s only 8 or 9 carbs.
ETA: What kind of bread was your breakfast sandwich on?
@meggyme I'm sorry! That's super frustrating. I will say bread just doesnt work great for me in general and I doubt I could tolerate it first thing in the morning (though I haven't tried) but yogurt works great so maybe you'll have better luck with that! I eat it plain with fresh berries, which took a little getting used to but tastes good now. I have it w eggs and breakfast meat for extra protein and its honestly the only meal I look forward to all day
AFM, my fasting was in range today! Hopefully that means we've found a happy insulin dosage at least for a while. H also brought in burgers and fries last night. I had a double patty no bun burger and some fries and was in range for my 1 hr. Twas glorious
I also usually try to stay away from fake sugar but no sugar added chocolate pudding brings me so much joy right now. I have it w a tablespoon of peanut butter and it tastes just like the real stuff
@purpleteacher82 breakfast was a total of 38 carbs with the whole wheat English muffin.
@lemieuxk yay for good fasting and a burger and fries! Hopefully you found your sweet spot with medication and diet. I’ve been doing sugar free puddings too. They’re especially good when I put them in the freezer for a half hour. I usually pair it with macadamia nuts and a cheese stick and was able to get away with some berries. A little cinnamon has been a good way to jazz up boring stuff like pb toast or plain vanilla pudding. I might start adding some to my coffee too.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@lemieuxk Yay for an in range fasting number! Mine was right at 95 this morning (should be under 95 per my doctor) and that’s the closest I’ve gotten! I’m hoping I’m getting closer is finding balance with my nightly insulin dose as well.
@meggyme Definitely try different things. I tolerate whole grain bread carbs okay, but not everyone does. I hope you can find something that works!
@purpleteacher82 macadamia nuts are a brilliant idea! I'll have to make H bring some, gonna go ahead and guess they aren't on the hospital room service menu lol
Feeling discouraged this morning. My fasting was 113 this morning as opposed to the 95 I got yesterday. I ate the same before bed snack and took the same amount of insulin. The only really difference I can see is that I slept though the night last night (minus getting up to pee) and the night before I was awake for about an hour in the middle of the night. I don’t know! I’m mostly just venting. I’m sure they will probably increase my insulin when I go in this week.
@purpleteacher82 that’s frustrating. I’m having a similar issue with breakfast. It seems like no matter what I eat I’m at least 10 over what I should be. I guess tomorrow I will try having no carbs for breakfast and see if that helps.
I don’t see my diabetes coordinator for another 2 weeks but have been consistently over my limit for breakfast all week. Should I go ahead and just reach out to her?
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@meggyme I would try low to no carbs for breakfast for a couple days first and then contact her if you don’t see an improvement. It’s funny because my post-breakfast number is the easiest for me to control. However, my dietician said it’s usually the hardest for people, so you are not alone. GD is a tricky thing!
My body really doesn’t tolerate carbs or fruit for breakfast. I have two scrambled eggs or egg whites and half an avocado for breakfast and my numbers are usually under 105. After I test I have my mid morning snack of half an English muffin and pb. I’ve tested a few times after my snack to make sure it stays low and it always stays between 110 and 125.
My fasting numbers are the hardest for me. My doctor told me pregnant women without gd have fasting numbers in the 70s but I’ve only gotten that twice. My insulin dose has to be increased almost weekly. I started at 8 units and I’m up to 24. My fasting number was 102 this morning so pretty sure they will increase it again tomorrow. I can’t wait until this is over.
@meggyme that's awesome that you were able to get your number down for breakfast!
I had an ultrasound today and my fluid is still low, baby is still measuring in the 29th percentile for growth (and an even smaller abdomen), and my BP is almost too low. Apparently someone forgot to tell my body that I have GD, since I have the opposite of all the expected impacts. It's so frustrating having all these competing complications that I'm trying to manage.
@lemieuxk that is frustrating. I hope they can get it all under control soon so you can go home and continue your bed rest.
I often wonder if I’ll end up with a bigger or smaller baby with treated GD as opposed to the untreated borderline GD I had last time. DD1 was 8lbs13oz.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
Decided to have a latte this morning instead of my regular coffee with half and half. My normal low 100s post breakfast magically became 139 (I need to be under 140). So i guess I wont be doing that again! GD is so unpredictable
Fasting numbers are teaching me a lot of patience and radical acceptance. They make no sense
@lemieuxk I agree about fasting numbers! So frustrating! Mine aren’t going down with insulin. I have an appt on Thursday, but I may call today to see if I should be increasing my dosage.
I agree, it's very unpredictable. I need to take a better look at all my nutrition info from yesterday's magic breakfast and compare to today, because I was over again today despite only eating my same coffee drink and a baked veg and egg scrable with cheese. Same number of carbs as yesterday.
@lemieuxk I make my latte with unsweetened almond milk, but depending on what type of milk they use it might be the culprit. I've heard of people making them with heavy cream for lower carbs, but it makes it a little too thick for me.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
I got some of that ice coffee they have by the orange juice to try and save money. My two hour sugars are through the roof. I guess I won't be trying to save money and will stick to my coffee shop latte.
We have two sleeping beauties in heaven. Jack gained his wings on 09/02/2016. Kali gained her wings on 07/28/2015. They will be forever missed.
Just got off the phone with my diabetes coordinator about my breakfast number. She offered that I try some different types of carbs for breakfast (potatoes, oatmeal, etc) instead of limiting them to get my number down and then when we meet in less than 2 weeks if it's not controlled we'll talk breakfast insulin. She also suggested that I try to walk after eating, which might work if I didn't have to wrangle a toddler into a car and get to daycare/work. I honestly don't know how I would even attempt to squeeze that into my morning schedule. The other day I had to test my sugar in the car because I was stuck in traffic. I reeeeally don't want to start insulin, especially during the busiest part of my day. Lunch, dinner, hell even first thing in the morning I could easily make that work. I really hope switching to a different carb will help.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@meggyme I have had good luck with low sugar oatmeal. I have also done okay with the jimmy dean breakfast bowls that have some potatoes in them.
My dr. has increased my insulin twice this week to help my fasting number. After increasing my dose last night, I had my highest fasting number this morning of 118! I decided to try poking another finger and got a 95. So, I did third finger and got a 103. This all made me very skeptical of the accuracy of my meter. From now on, if I get an out of range number I am going to test on another finger. I may message the dietician to ask about it.
@purpleteacher82 I know most meters have an accuracy of +/-20 mg/dL, but that does seem like an outrageous swing. Do you have any of the control fluid? I've not used it before but it might help to tell you if your meter is out of whack. I'm going to try some oatmeal tomorrow and see how I do. Looking back though, wheat bread does seem to spike me. The few times I've spiked after lunch have been when I've had a sandwich of some kind.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@meggyme I don’t have the control fluid. I might have to look into that. I decided to go with the 95 and make note of my other 2 readings. +\- 20 mg/dL seems is such a big swing. That could make or break someone when it comes to starting insulin/meds. So frustrating!
@meggyme Yay!!! I’m glad it worked well for you. I’ve had two 95 fasting numbers in a row. Not quite under the 95 threshold, but much closer. I’m on 24 units of insulin at night. I’m curious if they will want to bump me to 26 just to get it under that 95 mark.
I’m 34 weeks and my night time insulin was increased twice this week because my numbers were still out of range the first time they increased it. I went from 24 units to 28 to 32. My number at 3:30 am when I got up to pee was 104. Then at 6:15 (my normal wake up time) it was 91. I don’t like my baby getting so much sugar all night.
I started giving insulin in my arm this week because it’s getting harder to pinch fat on my belly. I know it’s slower to get to your blood through your arm or thigh so I may try and take it an hour earlier to see if that helps.
My nurse said this increase in fasting numbers is pretty normal because my placenta is still growing but she said it means the placenta is healthy and doing it’s job. She also said it should level off around 36 weeks.
I made this brownie recipe with some extra chopped pecans and it’s not half bad. I haven’t checked my sugar yet, but this and a glass of milk is around 25g of carbs and 10g of protein and so far I don’t have the slight chest tightness/ heart racy feeling I get when I spike.
https://www.lowcarbspark.com/keto-brownies
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@meggyme glad you found something that worked well! Hope it sticks for you!
@purpleteacher82 so much fasting frustration solidarity. I'm up to 20 units and STILL never in range. I'm usually 1-5 over but they are still chasing a normal fasting reading. Its crazy-making because all my other numbers are beautiful.
I've been noticing my numbers are super sensitive to stress. I had my first post prandial number out of range in almost two weeks the other night after my daughter had an epic meltdown at bedtime and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. It took like the whole hour to get her calmed down and then my BS was 160. I've also noticed higher fasting when I've been stressed the night before. It makes me wonder if my GD would be significantly easier to manage if I weren't under so much stress and werent activity restricted. I'll never know, though, because I'm definitely done making humans after this one!
@lemieuxk did you have GD with your daughter? It’s interesting because before 2nd tri of this pregnancy I could totally see our family with 3 kids and now after the exhaustion of being pregnant with a toddler and now dealing with GD is making me reconsider. DD2 is already my troublemaker.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@meggyme I didn't. I didn't even have to take the 3 hour last time. The educator I met with said it would be almost certain to recur in future pregnancies, though. It's a small part of the equation but the biggest factor for us is the other complications Bedrest, having a preemie, and being in the NICU are things I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy and are emotionally, physically, and financially extremely taxing. I've always been drawn to adoption so if we decide to expand our family in the future I think we would consider that.
I took my insulin an hour earlier than usual and got good numbers. I usually take insulin at 9:15, eat a snack at 9:30, and test at 6:15am. Last night I took my dog for a 15-20 minute walk at 8:00, took insulin at 8:20, ate a snack at 9:30. My number at 3:30 was 86 and it was 83 at 6:15. I think the slow acting insulin just needs a little more time to kick in with me. I’ll try the same thing again tonight. 🤞
@lemieuxk I’m sure that all of your other stressors definitely effect it! It’s so frustrating!
@meggyme Was your fasting number higher this morning? Usually if my fasting number is higher my breakfast number will be higher. I eat pretty much the same thing every morning and it can vary depending on lots of different factors.
AFM, my fasting was 90 this morning! My first number that has been in range! Yay!
@meggyme I’ve learned I have to go really easy on my breakfast. Same thing every day and my numbers usually stay below 110–two scrambled eggs, half an avocado, and I just sip on a coffee with skim milk for the hour until I test. It’s not much to eat and I’m usually still a little hungry.
After breakfast I get ready for work and then have my mid morning snack earlier than most people probably. Usually it’s half a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter or an Atkins bar and I finish my coffee. I sometimes test to make sure I’m not spiking after my snack and my numbers are under 130. For some reason if I have carbs right when I wake up for breakfast, my numbers are out of range, but if I wait to have them as my mid morning snack I’m fine. 🤷♀️
So frustrating.
My my doctor said splitting up meals isn’t cheating so you could try that too. eat part of your breakfast, test, then eat the other part. She said it’s about keeping your glucose steady and in range, so spreading your meals out might help.
Re: The GD Thread
It goes back to the whole inconsistency thing between doctors when it comes to GD. It makes getting advise from others hard too.
Jack gained his wings on 09/02/2016.
Kali gained her wings on 07/28/2015.
They will be forever missed.
Also, I agree with the whole work schedule discussion. It just so happens that I have my prep immediately after lunch this year, so I can test at the one hour mark. Most years that is not the case! Either way, I have a meeting during that time 1-2 days a week and have to test in the middle of my meeting.
AFM, I have had 2 nights on insulin. My fasting numbers are a bit lower, but not under 95 yet. I know it won’t be immediate so I am trying to be patient.
This is what I’ve been eating the last couple days. A little over 30g of carbs. I’m supposed to have 15-30g.
morning. You could try those too if eggs are a hassle. I try to make sure my grams of carbs and protein are pretty equal.
ETA: What kind of bread was your breakfast sandwich on?
AFM, my fasting was in range today! Hopefully that means we've found a happy insulin dosage at least for a while. H also brought in burgers and fries last night. I had a double patty no bun burger and some fries and was in range for my 1 hr. Twas glorious
I also usually try to stay away from fake sugar but no sugar added chocolate pudding brings me so much joy right now. I have it w a tablespoon of peanut butter and it tastes just like the real stuff
@lemieuxk yay for good fasting and a burger and fries! Hopefully you found your sweet spot with medication and diet. I’ve been doing sugar free puddings too. They’re especially good when I put them in the freezer for a half hour. I usually pair it with macadamia nuts and a cheese stick and was able to get away with some berries. A little cinnamon has been a good way to jazz up boring stuff like pb toast or plain vanilla pudding. I might start adding some to my coffee too.
@meggyme Definitely try different things. I tolerate whole grain bread carbs okay, but not everyone does. I hope you can find something that works!
I don’t see my diabetes coordinator for another 2 weeks but have been consistently over my limit for breakfast all week. Should I go ahead and just reach out to her?
My fasting numbers are the hardest for me. My doctor told me pregnant women without gd have fasting numbers in the 70s but I’ve only gotten that twice. My insulin dose has to be increased almost weekly. I started at 8 units and I’m up to 24. My fasting number was 102 this morning so pretty sure they will increase it again tomorrow. I can’t wait until this is over.
I had an ultrasound today and my fluid is still low, baby is still measuring in the 29th percentile for growth (and an even smaller abdomen), and my BP is almost too low. Apparently someone forgot to tell my body that I have GD, since I have the opposite of all the expected impacts. It's so frustrating having all these competing complications that I'm trying to manage.
I often wonder if I’ll end up with a bigger or smaller baby with treated GD as opposed to the untreated borderline GD I had last time. DD1 was 8lbs13oz.
Fasting numbers are teaching me a lot of patience and radical acceptance. They make no sense
@lemieuxk I make my latte with unsweetened almond milk, but depending on what type of milk they use it might be the culprit. I've heard of people making them with heavy cream for lower carbs, but it makes it a little too thick for me.
Jack gained his wings on 09/02/2016.
Kali gained her wings on 07/28/2015.
They will be forever missed.
My dr. has increased my insulin twice this week to help my fasting number. After increasing my dose last night, I had my highest fasting number this
morning of 118! I decided to try poking another finger and got a 95. So, I did third finger and got a 103. This all made me very skeptical of the accuracy of my meter. From now on, if I get an out of range number I am going to test on another finger. I may message the dietician to ask about it.
I started giving insulin in my arm this week because it’s getting harder to pinch fat on my belly. I know it’s slower to get to your blood through your arm or thigh so I may try and take it an hour earlier to see if that helps.
My nurse said this increase in fasting numbers is pretty normal because my placenta is still growing but she said it means the placenta is healthy and doing it’s job. She also said it should level off around 36 weeks.
@purpleteacher82 so much fasting frustration solidarity. I'm up to 20 units and STILL never in range. I'm usually 1-5 over but they are still chasing a normal fasting reading. Its crazy-making because all my other numbers are beautiful.
I've been noticing my numbers are super sensitive to stress. I had my first post prandial number out of range in almost two weeks the other night after my daughter had an epic meltdown at bedtime and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. It took like the whole hour to get her calmed down and then my BS was 160. I've also noticed higher fasting when I've been stressed the night before. It makes me wonder if my GD would be significantly easier to manage if I weren't under so much stress and werent activity restricted. I'll never know, though, because I'm definitely done making humans after this one!
@meggyme Was your fasting number higher this morning? Usually if my fasting number is higher my breakfast number will be higher. I eat pretty much the same thing every morning and it can vary depending on lots of different factors.
AFM, my fasting was 90 this morning! My first number that has been in range! Yay!
After breakfast I get ready for work and then have my mid morning snack earlier than most people probably. Usually it’s half a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter or an Atkins bar and I finish my coffee. I sometimes test to make sure I’m not spiking after my snack and my numbers are under 130. For some reason if I have carbs right when I wake up for breakfast, my numbers are out of range, but if I wait to have them as my mid morning snack I’m fine. 🤷♀️
So frustrating.
My my doctor said splitting up meals isn’t cheating so you could try that too. eat part of your breakfast, test, then eat the other part. She said it’s about keeping your glucose steady and in range, so spreading your meals out might help.