glucose tolerance test.... - Page 2

[starrynight]

My midwife told me to eat protein the day of the test too. My appt. is at noon, so I figure I'll have a cheese omelette for breakfast. I hope it all turns out all right. I've already had enough worries in this pregnancy (a positive quad screen for downs that turned out to be false after an amnio.) I'm just tired of being stressed.

Caroline - there are big babies in my family too, so I'm assuming that's it. My petite 5'2 mom gave birth to a ten pounder, plus my husband weighed about ten pounds. It has concerned me a bit though, measuring so big. I keep hearing and reading how gestational diabetes typically has no or few symptoms, so hopefully we are just experiencing some kind of sugar sensitivity and not GD. I've got my fingers crossed......

[sistermama]

Originally Posted by Kabes

I've been told that alternative drinks and Jelly beans(some places will let you eat a specified # of a specific brand) are not accurate.

50gms of glucose(carbs) is 50gms of glucose(carbs) no matter how you get it - your body doesn't know the difference between glucose drink and jelly beans or whatever. You just can't have too much fat at the same time, because fat can slow the rate of glucose absorption, which could skew the test. 50gms of glucose is actually 50gms of carbs, because carbs change to glucose in your body, so my midwife just has me eat a 50gm carb meal before the test.

I actually go ahead and do the test, because it makes things easier for my midwife if she gets audited by the state. I don't mind being a little cooperative, because she fudges things like my weight, since technically anyone in Florida more than 30 lbs overweight risks out for homebirth.

[JenInMpls]

I had my test today and didn't find the orange stuff that unpleasant, at least it was VERY COLD! but holy cow, it was sweet, the sweetest, or perhaps the more purely sweet thing I have had in a long time. But it went down fairly easily.

But OH BOY WAS I HYPER!!

I've had way lotsa sugar today. Eep.

j

[Mom2baldie]

Sarah,

Man! What else can you be risked out of a homebirth for in Florida? 30 lbs doesnt seem like enough to force a person to give birth in a hospital! Around here, it seems like different midwives will attend just about anyone. Some will attend women with breech babies, VBA2Cs.........and others wont.

Jen,

I took the test with my 1st pregnancy and I didnt really mind the drink too much either. I dont see what the big deal is about the taste.

[cottonwood]

"50gms of glucose is actually 50gms of carbs, because carbs change to glucose in your body, so my midwife just has me eat a 50gm carb meal before the test."

But different carbs do this at different rates, right? I mean, for instance, I do pretty okay with whole wheat, but potatoes, uh-uh.

[msrog]

At my appt, yesterday, I was excited to hear my doctor prefers the natural meal method of testing glucose levels. My test is in 3 weeks. I fast the night before, then go in early for blood draw. Then I go out and eat a big balanced breakfast, come back in two hours and have my levels checked. Doc said (what I thought all along) that it is unnatural and unhealthy to dump a load of pure junk sugar into your system like that when you're trying to grow healthy babies. Yay! I'll go to my favorite restaurant and pig out on eggs, sausage, grits, orange juice, pancakes and such.

[hjohnson]

I prefer not to drink the orange glucola but I like the way my doctor's office pricks my finger to know right then and there instead of drawing blood and sending it off to the lab. I hate having blood drawn anyways.

[sistermama]

Lynsey - I won't complain to much about Florida, because at least the state forces Medicaid and ALL private insurance to cover home birth in full!!! And even if you transfer, as I did, they still have the pay the midwife's full fee, and the hospital.

Linda - About the carbs absorbing at different rates, I think that is why I'm supposed to eat that big meal 1-2 hours before my appt. Which always seemed more realistic to me - why judge my body's handling of glucose based on a amount I would never consume in 5 minutes on my own?

[cottonwood]

Exactly, Sarah, which is why I don't understand why the results of most glucose tests are even considered relevant.

[Kabes]

Than you for the info. I'm seeing more and more how my midwives just act like Drs. Maybe I'll skip the test. It always makes me feel really sick anyway.

[starrynight]

Just thought I'd do an update here. I was talking earlier in this thread about how I've been having sugar sensitivity issues with this pregnancy, even to good sugars like fruit. Well, I just got the results back from my GD test and all is normal. My score was in the 90's.

When I was telling my midwife about some of the things I've been noticing, she was suggesting I might be having a sensitivity to oranges, since orange juice, smoothies, even some orange scones I made have been bothering me. The thought is I might have an allergy to them I didn't know about and the pregnancy is just bringing it out more. I thought this was interesting, since I noticed that drinking the lemon-lime glucola stuff (yuck) didn't bother me in the least bit, and I worried it might. Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there in case it's pertinent to anyone else.

[Lazuli]

Well, I went ahead and had the test done. Had it this morning. I drank the lemon/lime stuff. Ick. It was like way to syrupy flat sprite, it made me feel a bit sick. But I didn't get hyper or sleepy or anything, now I have to wait for the results, bleah! I go back to the doctor in 4 weeks, then get to start going every 2 weeks, which seems rather excessive to me....Oh well!

Lazuli

[banana girl]

alternatives

My midwife offered me the option of taking home a (glucometer?) and testing my own blood (finger prick) first thing in the morning followed by a big happy normal breakfast. test again in an hour (finger prick) and perhaps in a few more hours.... Basically she felt that would give us more accurate and realistic information. And it leaves ME in control of sharing that info with anyone, including her.

She also said it was totally fine with her if I declined to test. I'm only 26 and don't seem to be at risk...

food for thought...
Anna Banana

[hjohnson]

I passed the test this time which means I don't have GD this pregancy. What a surprise. I was for sure I was going to have it again since I had it with the first pregnancy. What a big relief! My doc had me drink the glucola and then they pricked my finger. They told me they rather have the results right away than wait on the lab.