Gestational Diabetes?
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BunBun85
Posts: 246 Member
I had a urine test come back positive for sugars, G+1. Afterwards I received a letter in the mail stating that I needed to come in for the glucose tolerance test. Before I could go in I was hospitalized for some light bleeding and contractions and while in there my urine also registered G+1 and ketones. My blood sugar levels are always normal though, low in fact, 3.9/3.7. I don't know anything about diabetes... can someone enlighten me as to what this might mean? I can assure you I will be asking and seeing my doctor about it, going in Monday for the test but I wanted to know if anyone else had experienced this?
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I haven't had this happen to me personally, but it's normal to leak a little sugar into your urine while pregnant. Not sure what your levels were. Also with the ketones, given that your actual A1C levels are good, it almost sounds like your body is breaking down fats. How much are you eating?0
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Daily I eat about 1900 calories. The morning the ketones were measured I had only been awake for 30 minutes before I was on my way to the hospital, one hour drive, and had only eaten about 5 rice cakes so maybe that was why. I'm really curious how things will turn out Monday but it's reassuring to hear that leaking some sugar is normal.
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If I recall correctly, another friend of mine had sugars in her urine at the end of her second trimester but passed the glucose tolerance test with flying colors. Good luck with the doctor, keep us posted!0
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Stuff is just so random.... I had no sugars in my urine but was a borderline fail on the GD test. I lived the GD lifestyle for the 3rd trimester and, if you need to do it, rest assured it's no big deal. I felt amazing the whole time I was on it and gained only a couple lbs total during those last 12 or 13 weeks.
If you do have it, you'll likely have to do a finger prick test several times a day and space out your carbs in a specific manner. It honestly took all of 2 days to adjust, and I ate more than I've ever eaten in my life! The test itself is no big deal, it's just the stuff you need to drink is not exactly wonderful tasting.0 -
After starving through 14 & 1/2 hours, 6 of them I was awake for, they told me I need to talk to my nutritionist before I take the test. So, I guess we'll see what she says on the 17th then. >.<0
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I was diagnosed with GD last week and it came as a complete surprise as I've NEVER had a problem with blood sugar. I had a 2 hour meeting with a nutritionist who was really informative and put me on a meal plan. Working in healthcare I thought I had a pretty good understanding of diabetes in general, but it seems that GD is a little different and I learned a lot at my appt. I've been following the meal plan for about 5 days and it's been a big wake up call. First off I'm eating more now than at any point in pregnancy, they want you eating every two hours to maintain stable glucose levels. I'm also more aware of what I eat, there's a magic protein to carb ratio that keeps things in check and it's been a bit of a guessing game to figure out that balance. My doctor wants my fasting BS in the morning to be less than 90 and my BS one hour after my three main meals to be under 120. I'm really struggling with the readings for my fasting level and for right after breakfast and it has me in tears everyday. I really do not want to go on insulin, but I feel really helpless. I've followed the guidelines to a "T" and am not sure where to go from here. I work in healthcare, but strongly believe in education, prevention and when possible natural remedies. I'd love to hear any advice from someone else who has been diagnosed with GD and found a way to stay off of medication. Thanks!0
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I had GD with my son who was born in January. I occasionally had a high reading, usually after meals but very rarely first thing in the morning. I talked to another mother who went to the same GD clinic as me and she told me that they cared much more about the fasting than the post-meal readings, I think because the diet could be adjusted at meals but the fasting might be more of an indication of what your body is doing on its own, if that makes sense. She did eventually have to go on medication because her fasting was always 95 or higher, no matter what she did.
I did not have to go on medication, which is good because I'm allergic to Glyburide and would've had to go straight to insulin. My baby was measuring big at one point for his abdominal circumference so I had to do non-stress tests twice a week and ultrasounds once a week, as well as seeing the doctor weekly earlier than I would have normally. I had a growth scan two days before he was born and his abdominal circumference percentile had gone down but his weight percentile had gone up. I went into labor on my own two days later, even though I was only 37 1/2 weeks. He weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz., which I guess is a little big for a baby born that early but he was also really long for that gestational age (21 inches, longer than my daughter who was born at 40 1/2 weeks). His blood sugar was fine at birth and the only thing I have to do yet is get the two hour glucose tolerance test to make sure I'm not one of the 2% of women who remain diabetic after giving birth.
My main advice to you is to find the foods that make your blood sugar go up. I found that even if I was in the carb limit, my blood sugar might still go up and it might not go up even if I was over, depending on the food. The foods I absolutely could not have were sweets (I tried a small brownie before bed on Thanksgiving and that was a disaster), rice, and flour tortillas (which sucked because I was totally craving Mexican all the time). But I could have bread, pasta (I usually did whole grain but even occasionally had regular and I was fine), and corn tortillas. So sc_flora, maybe yours is going up because you're eating a food you can't tolerate, even though it's in the limit? Worth looking into.0 -
I was diagnosed with GD last week and it came as a complete surprise as I've NEVER had a problem with blood sugar. I had a 2 hour meeting with a nutritionist who was really informative and put me on a meal plan. Working in healthcare I thought I had a pretty good understanding of diabetes in general, but it seems that GD is a little different and I learned a lot at my appt. I've been following the meal plan for about 5 days and it's been a big wake up call. First off I'm eating more now than at any point in pregnancy, they want you eating every two hours to maintain stable glucose levels. I'm also more aware of what I eat, there's a magic protein to carb ratio that keeps things in check and it's been a bit of a guessing game to figure out that balance. My doctor wants my fasting BS in the morning to be less than 90 and my BS one hour after my three main meals to be under 120. I'm really struggling with the readings for my fasting level and for right after breakfast and it has me in tears everyday. I really do not want to go on insulin, but I feel really helpless. I've followed the guidelines to a "T" and am not sure where to go from here. I work in healthcare, but strongly believe in education, prevention and when possible natural remedies. I'd love to hear any advice from someone else who has been diagnosed with GD and found a way to stay off of medication. Thanks!
I just want to say hugs first of all. I had some risks for it, but I was still surprised when I was diagnosed as I didn't feel bad (and I didn't my entire pregnancy unless my numbers were too low). I had GD with my son 2.5 years ago, but not with my daughter 15 months ago.
I'm sorry you're in tears in the morning. I did not have troubles with my fasting numbers - they were always good, but breakfast was my main struggle. Mostly I liked "breakfast" foods like waffles/pancakes/cereal all the carb like foods. HATED eggs and protein for breakfast. I found out I really couldn't eat any of these things. I really did have to eat only 15-30g of carbs for breakfast, and closer to 15 if I could help it. To me it's the least forgiving meal of the day. I could eat 45 g of carbs for lunch and be just fine.
Have they told you to walk after meals? I was told to eat, immediately go for a 15 min walk and do BS an hour after I started my meal. So it was eat, walk, test. It was good for me and all, but obnoxious if the weather didn't cooperate and I couldn't do it after lunch at work - I was a teacher, there was barely enough time to eat let alone go for a stroll! But they said just try to get on your feet in any way you can.
As for fasting? I'm afraid I have no good news. Most of the moms I talked to that couldn't control their fasting had to go on meds - some just a pill and some insulin. The only thing I can think of is my doc told me to try to beat the test (haha, she's awesome, but it wont help if you really are diabetic) is to eat some protein with fat before bed and not to fast more than 8 hours. Are you eating a bedtime snack? I was told breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. She suggested something like a cheesestick things like that. Also the snacks were supposed to be 15-30g of carbs. Maybe if you're going 10-12 hours after dinner before you test in the morning it's just too long? It's at least something to try if you haven't already.
Best of Luck!0 -
I was going to mention the walking too and forgot. The walking definitely works. I saw my blood sugar drop dramatically (30 points) after one ten minute walk.0
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I was diagnosed with GD last week and it came as a complete surprise as I've NEVER had a problem with blood sugar. I had a 2 hour meeting with a nutritionist who was really informative and put me on a meal plan. Working in healthcare I thought I had a pretty good understanding of diabetes in general, but it seems that GD is a little different and I learned a lot at my appt. I've been following the meal plan for about 5 days and it's been a big wake up call. First off I'm eating more now than at any point in pregnancy, they want you eating every two hours to maintain stable glucose levels. I'm also more aware of what I eat, there's a magic protein to carb ratio that keeps things in check and it's been a bit of a guessing game to figure out that balance. My doctor wants my fasting BS in the morning to be less than 90 and my BS one hour after my three main meals to be under 120. I'm really struggling with the readings for my fasting level and for right after breakfast and it has me in tears everyday. I really do not want to go on insulin, but I feel really helpless. I've followed the guidelines to a "T" and am not sure where to go from here. I work in healthcare, but strongly believe in education, prevention and when possible natural remedies. I'd love to hear any advice from someone else who has been diagnosed with GD and found a way to stay off of medication. Thanks!
I agree with the ladies that said a protein packed snack at bedtime!!! I usually did wheat toast with peanut butter or a cheese stick with some wheat crackers. I think that really helped. The nights that I didn't eat a bedtime snack, my sugar was higher in the morning, but I was still under 95 (not by much though so I really made a point to get that snack in). I was able to eat sweets as long as I ate them with a high protein lunch or dinner. I didn't have them all the time, but I made out okay. I could not eat potatoes or white anything - wraps, bread. I could not eat bananas unless I had them as my carb with eggs - couldn't do eggs, wheat toast and a banana. I would save it for my afternoon snack and would walk for a bit after I ate it. The walking really helps, I think. I had to check my blood sugar 2 hours after a meal, not 1hour like most of you. I'm not sure why that is?0 -
Thanks so much for the support and advice just talking to other people who have been there really helps. It's hard not to feel like I've done something wrong as a mother already. I've been keeping a food journal so I can pinpoint trigger foods and you guys are right, there are certain things I just can't have at all including any form of rice or bread. On the other hand I've been okay with tortillas and wheat pasta, so that's something. I will definitely kick up the walking. I normally do 45 min on the treadmill or elliptical everyday, instead I think I'll break it up into 15 min sessions after eating. Thanks for that suggestion. I had a phone meeting with the Dietician yesterday and she wants me to start eating a cup of butter pecan ice cream right before bed and then to set an alarm to wake-up at 4 am to eat some peanut butter and crackers. This sounds nuts to me but she said I'm suffering from Dawn Syndrome, which I guess is a drop in blood sugar overnight that ultimately leads to high blood sugar in the morning. She also told me to prepare myself to go on insulin because typically people with high fasting blood sugars aren't ever able to control them....
Thanks again for the support guys!0 -
Thanks so much for the support and advice just talking to other people who have been there really helps. It's hard not to feel like I've done something wrong as a mother already. I've been keeping a food journal so I can pinpoint trigger foods and you guys are right, there are certain things I just can't have at all including any form of rice or bread. On the other hand I've been okay with tortillas and wheat pasta, so that's something. I will definitely kick up the walking. I normally do 45 min on the treadmill or elliptical everyday, instead I think I'll break it up into 15 min sessions after eating. Thanks for that suggestion. I had a phone meeting with the Dietician yesterday and she wants me to start eating a cup of butter pecan ice cream right before bed and then to set an alarm to wake-up at 4 am to eat some peanut butter and crackers. This sounds nuts to me but she said I'm suffering from Dawn Syndrome, which I guess is a drop in blood sugar overnight that ultimately leads to high blood sugar in the morning. She also told me to prepare myself to go on insulin because typically people with high fasting blood sugars aren't ever able to control them....
Thanks again for the support guys!
I found that if I didn't look at having GD as a bad thing it wasn't so bad. The good thing is it is temporary and it is only for 3 months. I like you was not able to eat white things - bread, potatoes, rice. I tried to fill up on extra veggies and protein. I hope that adding in your snack in the early morning hour helps. Keep us posted on how your #'s are looking. You are doing everything you can and that is all that matters. I know too many people who see the insulin as an excuse to eat whatever and I find that to be so selfish. If all your other #s look good, how often would you have to take the insulin?0 -
You have absolutely not done anything wrong! GD is NOT your fault, the hormone shifts of pregnancy are to blame! You're trying to control it, learning about trigger foods, etc... and that is the best you can do! Please do not be hard on yourself. I had it, too. And all turned out just fine.
I finally told my OB and my nutritionist to "cut the crap" and tell me how risky it really is...and it's NOT a big deal. Other countries don't even screen for it! Yes, there are risks but the statistical occurrences are small. I sat thru more non stress tests and ultrasounds than I could possibly count, only to have a C-section not because of a big baby but because she never dropped (even with a C they required a vacuum assist, I swear she was gripping my ribs or something!)
Do your best. Know this is only temporary and even if you don't want insulin (because really, who does?) it just might turn out to be the healthiest choice for you & your baby!Thanks so much for the support and advice just talking to other people who have been there really helps. It's hard not to feel like I've done something wrong as a mother already. I've been keeping a food journal so I can pinpoint trigger foods and you guys are right, there are certain things I just can't have at all including any form of rice or bread. On the other hand I've been okay with tortillas and wheat pasta, so that's something. I will definitely kick up the walking. I normally do 45 min on the treadmill or elliptical everyday, instead I think I'll break it up into 15 min sessions after eating. Thanks for that suggestion. I had a phone meeting with the Dietician yesterday and she wants me to start eating a cup of butter pecan ice cream right before bed and then to set an alarm to wake-up at 4 am to eat some peanut butter and crackers. This sounds nuts to me but she said I'm suffering from Dawn Syndrome, which I guess is a drop in blood sugar overnight that ultimately leads to high blood sugar in the morning. She also told me to prepare myself to go on insulin because typically people with high fasting blood sugars aren't ever able to control them....
Thanks again for the support guys!0 -
^^^ I agree. I feel like they got me all worked up and for what? My baby was born at 37 1/2 weeks so early, sure. But he only weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. so he was not huge like they were saying he was going to be. (He might have been if I went to full term though). I found the whole process to be really stressful because I have PCOS, which is like a cousin to diabetes but I had to go off of my medication after the first trimester due to the pregnancy. The medication I was taking is a diabetes drug as well. Anyway, I knew my glucose would be high due to the PCOS. Once I started the diet, my blood sugars were almost always low. But they determined that the baby was big based on one ultrasound and then the diabetes clinic staff kept saying "We don't know why he's so big". And each time I would explain that I have PCOS and wasn't really following any kind of diet between 14 weeks (when I went off the meds) and 30 weeks (when I was diagnosed). And they'd say "Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, we want you to go for these five million tests because we can't figure out why he's big". By the second growth scan, his abdominal circumference percentage had dropped by 10% and I was excited because it was back in the normal range but they just kept saying "Well, he's big and we don't know why". I kept imagining he was going to come out looking like a sumo wrestler but he looks totally normal!0
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I would so not be thrilled about a 4am snack, but if that's all it took for you to avoid medication then I would be all over it. I have heard of the dawn effect. I hope that's enough for you to get a lower fasting number, please keep us updated!
AH! The size estimates! Fun! Fun! Fun!
The specialists that were evaluating him (for different reasons) had him projected to be like 8.5-9 lbs.
I was freaking out at one of the OBs at my clinic. She had a feel of my tummy and the baby. She estimated him to be 7.5-8 lbs. Told me he wouldn't be a huge baby.
He was born 13 days late at a whopping 7 lbs 12 oz. But my sugars were well controlled the entire time.
So I agree with PP, don't let them necessarily scare you about size. I would rather trust a doctor or midwife to have a feel than an ultrasound. Ultrasounds will be much more off than the people that have felt babies for years. But that is my opinion.0 -
My nutritionist recommended against the glucose drink so instead I have to finger test once after waking up and then an hour after my breakfast for five days. So far my numbers have been
Tuesday: 3.6-5.9, pancakes with butter, strawberries and milk
Wednesday: 3.9-6.4, oat cereal with milk and strawberries
Thursday: 3.7-6.1, pancakes with butter and a cup of tea with artificial sweetener
I'm starting to feel pretty confident that I don't have gestational diabetes and that the ketones were caused by normal sleep fasting and then the 3-4 hours of only 2 rice cakes while testing was occurring at the hospital. As far as the sugar, I keep getting told and reading that it's normal to leak a little in the 3rd trimester. My hba1c was 4.2% so everything is checking out. I see my regular doctor on the 27th/34 weeks, fingers crossed!0 -
The doctor did tell me that they have changed the criteria drastically - so it used to be that only 2% of women had it and now 20% of women have it because of the new criteria. For the three hour, I passed the fasting and the first hour and slightly failed both the two and three hour. I think I might have passed under the old criteria. But I can tell you that I also had symptoms before I found out - if I ate something sugary, I would feel lightheaded and weird. That stopped happening after I changed my diet.0
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My nutritionist recommended against the glucose drink so instead I have to finger test once after waking up and then an hour after my breakfast for five days. So far my numbers have been
Tuesday: 3.6-5.9, pancakes with butter, strawberries and milk
Wednesday: 3.9-6.4, oat cereal with milk and strawberries
Thursday: 3.7-6.1, pancakes with butter and a cup of tea with artificial sweetener
I'm starting to feel pretty confident that I don't have gestational diabetes and that the ketones were caused by normal sleep fasting and then the 3-4 hours of only 2 rice cakes while testing was occurring at the hospital. As far as the sugar, I keep getting told and reading that it's normal to leak a little in the 3rd trimester. My hba1c was 4.2% so everything is checking out. I see my regular doctor on the 27th/34 weeks, fingers crossed!
Glad to hear all is checking out just fine!0 -
You guys are so full of good advice and support and it's meant so much to met the last week.....seriously. I think most of you are right and they use scare tactics to some degree, which bothers me, because I wind up crying hysterically at every appt. Last week they did put me on nighttime insulin as nothing I did could control the "dawn effect" and my high fasting blood sugars. My post meal numbers have been pretty well controlled with diet and that 15 min walk you all recommended, so I'm hoping that I won't ever have to use the fast acting insulin they gave me. Fingers crossed. Right now I'm checking my BS 4 times a day and recording every bite that goes into my mouth so if there's a problem I can email them my logs and they can tell me where I went wrong.
I also appreciate you reminding me that it's a short term problem and it's whats best for baby, so that's helped me get a grip. Taking the insulin isn't as traumatic as I thought, although it weirds my husband out a little...lol, and seeing those lower fasting numbers in the morning makes me feel better.
Again ladies, thank you so much. It's amazing how much the kindness of essential strangers can ease your mind. Feel free to add me as a friend!0 -
I'm sorry you had to go on some insulin, but so glad it's only at night and that it's working so well! I didn't cry during my appointments, I was able to wait (I don't know how!) until I got to my car. Then I would SOB and call my husband and cry all over again. Then he would yell and cuss and tell me never to go back to those doctors again, but when they scare you that you could damage your baby you have to keep going! Ugh. Hopefully everything will stay how it is now and you'll be well controlled the rest of your pregnancy! It's hard to get perspective sometimes when the doctors make it a huge deal and you're full of pregnancy hormones, I know I kept feeling like I had the worst pregnancy. I was very fortunate to not have any major problems (just GD, and GBS + which required 4 bags of antibiotics and things like that). What helped me was knowing that at least the problem was with ME and not the baby. My son also had some bad scans and I felt so helpless that he wasn't well. GD? I could do a lot to control that and not effect him, so that made me feel so much better in comparison.0
