For those doing a week of home blood sugar monitoring vs the glucola test

[DeChRi]

The one OB practice in town that takes my insurance requires testing for GD if you are going to remain under thier care and not have baby stuck for no reason when born, etc. Anyway, last baby I had my OB was fine with me doing home monitoring 4x day for a week and calling it good. This was fine with me, as I feel horrid after drinking the Glucola. DH and I are fitness nuts, so we had a grand time doing nutritional experimentation w/ the blood sugar monitor. BUT, the kicker was that they made me sit through 4 HOURS of "diabetes education" to learn how to handle diabetes, before they would content to issuing me a monitor and accepting the results. So I sat through 4 hours of a woman taking to me about "my diabetes" although I kept telling her I was not diabetic, lol.

Anyway, I have my 28 week appt in a couple weeks and I plan on just telling her I am monitoring at home again, but NOT sitting through the one on on education session. My problem? For the life of me I cannot remember the right timing to test, lol. I know one was upon waking, before eating. I THINK the other 3 were an hour after my 3 biggest meals, but am not sure. I just want to know what is "normal" so when she asks if I need "re-educated" I can say no thank you.

Now she is WAY more laid back with me this time than last time, as we have became decent friends outside of the Dr office between kids, BUT, I know that is the practice rules and I just want to make sure I have my "know it all" in a row.

Anyone have this info on hand?

Thanks!

[Oztok5]

I just finished doing this for my midwife, and she asked me to test before I ate in the morning and two hours after a normal meal. I just had to get in 5 morning and 5 after meal readings over the course of the two weeks I had the monitor, so I didn't have to worry about about the three biggest meals of the day or anything like that.

I would think that you could test an hour after eating a meal instead of two hours, but you would just expect to see higher numbers. I've heard of people doing both.

I think I would just ask your doctor how many hours he wants you to wait.

[Kellyh_01]

Routine monitoring is a fasting blood sugar in the morning before eating, then one hour after meals, so 4 checks a day total.

[MyFour]

I'm doing this now, today is my last day. I test in the morning before eating and, for the most part, 2 hours after a meal.

[MyFour]

Why can't I edit my post, hmmm. Just to add, I test 2x/day.

[DeChRi]

Thanks so much for the feedback!

[Tiffanoodle]

I just discussed this with my OB, too. I have some of the risks for diabetes and had a borderline number with my 1 hour test with my last pregnancy. It ended up that I was fine. This time at my first visit I told my OB that I didn't want to do the Glucola or the jelly beans. I don't flush that much sugar into my system at one time and feel utterly miserable when I do. She said that was fine. She asked that I had my Ha1c tested right away, and that came back beautiful. At 26 weeks, she wants me to get a couple weeks of good sample numbers. Fasting and then some at 1 hour after meals, not necessarily 4 every day, but some after each meal. She also wants to get another Ha1c just to be sure and if all looks good, we'll call it done. Thankfully, I didn't have to go through the education. We did that with dh when he was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. Yick.

[umsami]

Usually, they'll do fasting and two hour post-prandials (after meals) if it's GD or diet-controlled GD. Sometimes with insulin or pre-existing diabetes, they want one-hour postprandials.

Fasting numbers... usually they're looking for below 95. Everybody varies slightly... some want under 100, some under 90.

For post-prandials (2 hour), usually under 120. My endocrinologist wants under 110... but he's the only one I've encountered with that. All of my MFMs have been under 120.

Good luck.

[Luv2bemommy]

This was my third pregnancy refusing the GTT... I have them draw my A1C levels and I check my levels at home for a week.. First morning fasting, then 2 hrs after each meal, usually two meals. So that's three times a day.