Are you doing the gestational diabetes screen? - Page 2

[warriorprincess]

I am getting it, b/c my mother had diabetes. But I just have to drink a Coke before I go to the MW.

[heket]

Well, did Wednesday and got the results today. All is fine (as I thought).

[babyintraining]

I'm doing it Tuesday. My dad's side of the family has a ton of Type 2 diabetes, and I have some borderline hypoglycemia, so I would feel better either diagnosing a problem and dealing with it or reassuring myself that all is well. I'm not worried about false positives, because that would just lead to further testing, not a run to the insulin syringes.

A friend of mine had 3 healthy babies and decided not to do the test with her fourth. That baby ended up dying before she was a week old. On her next pregnancy, she had the test, had GD, changed her diet for a couple of months, and had a healthy, happy daughter who just turned 2.

During pregnancy we go through a lot of unpleasant or uncomfortable changes and events to assure as best we can that our babies will be healthy. The test may be icky, and a false positive might lead to some temporary stress, but so what? That's minor compared to the possibility of a missed diagnosis and lack of necessary treatment.

BTW, my MW told me not to fast beforehand, so that may not be an issue for you. Along those lines, I don't understand the women who "cheat" on the test -- what's the point? It's much better to know there's a problem and deal with it than to pretend it's not there, and anyway you never really know in your heart that you're okay if you do something to skew the results. I'd rather know for sure one way or another. But if you're planning to cheat, I see no reason to spend the money and time on the test in the first place.

Gee, that turned out longer and rantier than I planned. LOL! Sorry.



Holly EDD 4/7/05

[Mizelenius]

I'm doing it. I didn't fast with my OB with DD and my MW also told me not to fast. I don't consider myself at risk at all, but my friend told me 50% of the women with it were not considered at risk . . .I got the u/s and I'll do this, which I don't see as extreme testing.

[natashaccat]

Originally Posted by babyintraining

BTW, my MW told me not to fast beforehand, so that may not be an issue for you. Along those lines, I don't understand the women who "cheat" on the test -- what's the point? It's much better to know there's a problem and deal with it than to pretend it's not there, and anyway you never really know in your heart that you're okay if you do something to skew the results. I'd rather know for sure one way or another. But if you're planning to cheat, I see no reason to spend the money and time on the test in the first place.

Gee, that turned out longer and rantier than I planned. LOL! Sorry.



Holly EDD 4/7/05

I totally agree, I think that true GD isn't something that you want to hide from. However, this was kind of a hard test for me to understand at first because it seems that every Dr/MW has a different approach to getting an "accurate" result. I considered "cheating" because I was concerned that my Dr.s approach (3hr fast prior to drink) seems much more rigid and structured than that described by most folks and I was conserned that her methodology might yield innaccurate results. After questioning her methods a bit I've come to agree with her reasoning and will probably go ahead and do the test as she's proscribed.

[Qerratsmom]

Last week at my appointment they found elevated sugar in my urine so now they want me to have the diabetes test. I'm very low risk otherwise, but I got kind of spooked about having gest diabetes. I still think I'm clear though. Haven't gone in for the test yet though.

[mrzmeg]

I posted earlier that I was going to do it, but now that it's only a couple of weeks away, I've decided otherwise. I have problems with low blood sugar (only during pg) and there's just no way I can fast for that long without passing out or getting really sick...the longest I've gone lately was two hours, and I nearly blacked out. I can't even sleep through the night without getting up to eat something. But the drs that oversee my midwives are being complete jerks---apparently, they made the last mom who said no leave the practice. Argh. The midwives are lobbying for me right now, but if that fails, I'm just going to have to fake it

[ctdoula]

Melanie, why do you have to fast????????? I ate a plate of scrambled eggs before I chugged the 'drink'. I didn't feel at all terrible from the sugar & passed w/flying colors. Even with my 1st pregnancy I didn't have to fast for the 1hr (I don't remember if I fasted for the 3hr).

[slightly crunchy]

Edited because Oops! I thought I was on the May board but went to April instead.

[julesmiel]

I'm not getting the test. My midwife/naturopath is suspicious of GD as a diagnosis and says there's no reason for me to worry because I'm healthy, active and showing no signs of problems. She is very willing to order the test for me if I want it, though.

Julie

[natashaccat]

Originally Posted by ctdoula

Melanie, why do you have to fast????????? I ate a plate of scrambled eggs before I chugged the 'drink'. I didn't feel at all terrible from the sugar & passed w/flying colors. Even with my 1st pregnancy I didn't have to fast for the 1hr (I don't remember if I fasted for the 3hr).

My Dr also instructed me to fast (3hrs) prior the 1hr screen but I think that this isn't normally how this test is administered. According to her if you don't fast the glucose in your pretest meals can interfear with the results.

[Qerratsmom]

Well I didn't pass the 1 hour an now I have to go in for the 3 hr which is a real hassel since I have to bring my 2 year old with me to the hospital. I'm also kind of worried about not passsing this test and then what....?

[natashaccat]

Can you find the time to do reg exercize for a week prior to 3 hr? Also maybe concentrate on eating a low carb diet during that week, from what I've heard these are the things that are typically the first line of defense in treating GD so perhaps they might be helpful in passing the 3 hr. I've heard the monitoring blood sugar levels at home can be an alternative to the three hr test.

[Qerratsmom]

I'm trying to excercise regularly. They have me on a higher carb diet than I normally eat for threee days prior to the test.

[danaalex]

Originally Posted by Qerratsmom

I'm trying to excercise regularly. They have me on a higher carb diet than I normally eat for threee days prior to the test.

i'm sure you'll pass the three hour screen. and if they let you walk around the hospital. just chase after your son for the three hours. that is bound to make you metabolize the sugar .

i'm not really sure why they'd want you on a HIGH carb diet for three days before hand. i'd think they'd want it the other way around? i'll be sending you 'passing results' vibes!!!!!!

[LiminalOne]

It's interesting how many permutations of the test there are. I decide whether to do it, but my mw gave me a kit to check my blood sugar before and after a high carb/sugar breakfast (pancakes and syrup). It's not a situation where I'd risk out if my sugar was too high, so I'm going to do it.

Another reason why I'm liking my midwife...

Angie

[Qerratsmom]

thanks for the good vibes danaalex!

[1boy1babyonway]

I had the test done with my first and going to have it done tommorrow. It is a good thing to have done weather you think you have it or not it is not a stupid test. The drink aint that bad either the kind they gave me taste like orange soda.

[julesmiel]

I knew I had some info about GD somewhere, and I just found it. Here are some tidbits from Ina May Gaskin's book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth:

• "The test, unfortunately, is not very reliable. Between fifty and seventy percent of women, if retested, will have different result than they got from the first test."
• "The best evidence we have says there is no treatment for GD, either with diet or with insulin, that improves the outcome for mothers or their babies. In short, the anxiety that is often produced by this test simply isn't worth the information gained from it. Sometimes, when the test is positive, you may be urged to undergo further expensive tests and treatments with no proven benefit."

She says that she does routine testing with urine dipsticks in her practice, and if levels vary too widely or moms have symptoms/risk factors they use a glucometer. She says, "We usually find that they have been eating something that they don't tolerate well during pregnancy--sugar and white flour, for instance. In the short term, the best way for the woman to bring down the sugar level in her blood is to get up and exercise if possible. For the rest of her pregnancy, her best bet is to completely eliminate white flour, pasta, other starchy foods, and sugar from her diet."

So I guess this GD thing doesn't have to be such a big deal, even if your sugar tests high.

[natashaccat]

So I guess this GD thing doesn't have to be such a big deal, even if your sugar tests high.

One thing to think about though is that if you have GD, stasistically (at least this is what I'm told by my Dr) you are somewhat more likely to get true diabetes later in life and undiagnosed diabetes can be pretty hard on the body. So knowing that you have GD would presumably give you the knowlage that you need to make sure that you are making diabetes preventive lifestyle choices later in life.

They have me on a higher carb diet than I normally eat for threee days prior to the test.

This sounds terribly suspicious, like they are setting the test up to be extremely rigorous in catching a borderline case. I'd suggest researching this further and eating the way you feel would give the most realistic results based on your normal diet.