Gestational Diabetes Support Group - Page 60

[LionessMom]

well i went to class the other day and got my meter and enough test strip till this morning. now i am fighting with the insurance company about paying. they are giving the pharmacy a run around. hopefully i will get it all taken care of by tomorrow. sigh.

i was told to test one hour after i started eating a meal.

that doesnt make sense to me as i am always 12 pts too high, but if i test 1hr after i am done eating i am within the limit. can someone enlighten me? i am following the carb guidline. eat this much but not too much and still over. getting frustrated. before i went to class i had heard the 2 hr rule but that was from my type 2 mom, and i know things are different for GD.

[octobermom]

Originally Posted by arabellalysette

What I have always been told was 1 hr after eating each meal.I will see what this new place says but for the past 6 yrs thats what I have been told.I was also told not to take my meds after eating,but at least 30 min prior to eating.

Who wants to feel like crap after eating then waiting for the meds to help.I don't lol so I try and guesstimate how much to take based on the food I eat.
If im eating just a salad I do not take any meds as there really much thats in it that might make my blood sugar to go high.

Yes I do believe the rule for GD is one hour. I'm a type 1 whos pregnat so its a bit diffrent for me. LAtely though I've been doing one hour checks.

Deanna

[Pandme]

My care providers clearly didn't get the one hour memo.

That would be undo-able for me anyway. At the hour point, I'm usually on the treadmill.

[LionessMom]

i just got my meter on tues. had enough stuff to test until after breakfast wed. went in yesterday to the pharm to get more. the ins company doesnt want to pay for it. i know for a fact that it is covered so i am not sure why the pharm is having a problem.. some stupid paperwork. it is causing me stress. and to tell the truth, it feels harder to me to stick to the diet when i dont have some stupid number looking at me holding me accountable. all i want right now is a huge glass of chocolate milk but that would be my whole snack and some of lunch. lol. they need to hurry up and get it. without ins the box of strips would cost $150, and the ketones and lancettes add another $30. i dont mind the $30 but i cant afford the $150. arrrgh.

and shopping for groceries is hugely annoying. all the stuff my family likes to eat is way too high for my diet! and they are eating healthy crackers and stuff. so annoying. i am not finding the stuff i can eat freely to be hugely appetizing right now either. sigh.

what do you eat for carb free sugar free snacks? like when it isnt snack time but you still feel hungry?

[Masel]

My class still isn't for 10 days. They send me some information but I still feel lost. It looks like there isn't anyway for my whole famly to eat together. My DD has a lot of food allergies which already limits our diets. At least I'm used to label reading.

Also, my office is always cold and I'm not supposed to have a space heater anymore. The last few days have been especially bad. It was so cold I had trouble getting a good stick. No blood in my poor fingertips.

I guess I'm still in denial about my dx and just want to whine about it.

[ellairiesmom]

Last pregnancy, after the GD diagnosis, my Dr. sent me to the nutritionist who taught me how to use my machine etc. The photocopies they gave me say to test 2 hours after each meal. ???

LionessMom-I am sorry about your insurance issues. We are currently paying for our own insurance ($1000/month for the family for a crappy HMO with $50 copays-grrrrrrrr) and I found out it doesn't cover strips either. I had to go through a supplier the insurance company works with to order & it reduced the cost to about half...still ALOT. My Dr told me as long as my #s are in check, she would be ok with me only doing the morning fasting & then 1 or 2 post meal tests/day to help cut down on the # of strips I use...

Oh yeah-forgot to add...I have been struggling with feeling like crap & only being in the mood for certain foods. Combined with the fact that I am 30 lbs heavier this pregnancy because I didn't lose all the weight from DD, I feel very restricted with food too. It's probably not the best health wise-but I do buy the Arnold Lite Whole Wheat bread (it used to be called low carb). At least it has no HFCS. That helps fill me up at meals & meets the 30 g or less requirements for 2 pieces. Other things I am doing for in between meals are hard boiled eggs, pieces of chicken or chicken cut up with some celery & light mayo (i have been craving chicken salad a lot-so weird). And cheese...I have a cheese stick or a couple slices as a snack & cut up a tomato with it & just eat the tomato plain. I also bought a low fat (skim) ricotta since I don't like cottage cheese & will eat a spoonful or 2 of that here or there with a small serving of fruit or some carrots. Hummus & celery have been very helpful as well.

Fruits are different for everyone but my sugars have been good after the following fruits: (when combined with cheese)
strawberries
oranges & grapefruits
kiwis

I did learn the hard way that I absolutely cannot do maple syrup-LOL. no matter how little & how I try & compensate for it. It shot me up over 140 & I felt so sick & felt like my vision was blurry for an hour after.

[Pookietooth]

It sounds strange, but kale chips are a great carb free salty snack substitute for potato chips. There are a ton of recipes out there -- some of them are from the raw foodists, some from the traditional low carbers -- but basically you want to put some sort of oil or marinade on them (vinaigrette), then toast or dry them to make them crispy. You can bake them in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes or put them in a food dehydrator for a few hours. They come out really yummy. Oh, and seaweed -- most kinds have almost no carbs and lots of protein. And sprouts, like broccoli sprouts, on a bed of mixed greens with a bit of dressing. Chicken or salmon or tuna salad (made from low mercury tuna) on lettuce. Cole slaw with the dressing sweetened with stevia. Certain nuts have virtualy no carbs (walnuts, almonds).
Here's a link: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/snacks.htm
A lot (but not all) raw vegan recipes can be adapted to low carb.
Meat and cheese have no carbs.

[applemaid]

Hi everyone --- I am at 32 weeks with my first and just got diagnosed with GD. My numbers on the 3hr GTT were really high, up in the 200s for the 1hr, but my midwives told me I could try to keep my numbers down by diet and exercise first. Early on in my pregnancy I was super-anal about not eating anything processed or sugary, but it all went to hell when we were house-hunting and moving throughout the second trimester.

The day after I got my diagnosis from the midwives, I went to see the dietitian and got the meter and the food plan and I've been pretty scared stiff for the past few days as I started watching my numbers trickle in...my midwives want to transfer me to a high-risk OB if I have to start glyburide, and my goal is to stay below 95 at fasting, and below 140 for 1hr post meal testing. I've been eating meals and then immediately heading out for a vigorous 20-30 minute walk, which seems to help, though it makes me a bit antsy and obsessive. Of course walking never hurt anyone, but still. It's a big habit change for me -- I've only been doing weekly water aerobics and yoga up to this point.

Anyway, I am so glad I thought to come here and read through the thread about GD, experiences vary so much and it has been SO HELPFUL to read. At first I had been following the dietitian's plan like it was dictated by god and now I read that my suspicions were right -- maybe it is too carb-heavy for what I can tolerate, and it's okay to tweak it until it starts to work. I also wasn't given any information about how not eating the evening snack can make my fasting levels high in the morning -- fascinating stuff. I just assumed that food was the only thing that could spike my levels -- obviously not true, as I have learned reading here. Also the thing about watching handsoap ingredients -- I now wonder if that's been affecting my morning fasting numbers.

It's interesting how every dietitian seems to have a different outlook. I went to what is generally considered a cutting-edge and somewhat progressive hospital (OHSU in Oregon, they have a midwife unit) and I assumed I was getting pretty up-to-date advice. But do I really need to eat that much in carbs? I don't think so, especially not if it's not my natural dietary habit. Maybe it's my fault for thinking I had to follow her diet advice EXACTLY, but now I realize that every person's GD diet is a little bit different. Before I thought this would be "cheating" but obviously it's more important to eat what feels (and tests) in the right range, not to follow some inflexible guideline that leaves me feeling bloated or sugar-heavy.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for sharing their stories. I am feeling a lot more positive about this diagnosis (and hopefully avoiding the final transfer to a hospital OB) after reading about how many different ways people have had to adjust as they figure it out on their own. I will check in with the dietitian and the midwives next Tuesday to get an initial sense of whether things are going well. Wish me luck!

[octobermom]

what do you eat for carb free sugar free snacks? like when it isnt snack time but you still feel hungry?

pickles broccoli, cucumbers. lettuce, orange and green peppers and red in moderation mushrooms zucchini lots of veggies can be had with little or no effect on blood gloucose.

In moderation sugar free jello, the snack pack sugar free puddings (around 9 carbs a serving) or ones you make your self and can portion better..
deli meats (may want to avoid during pregancy though) sliced pepperoni canadian bacon (also may choose to avoid when pregnant
unsweetened Almond milk
unsweetened soy milk
cheese sticks/string cheese

Deanna

[mama2myloves]

Originally Posted by applemaid

But do I really need to eat that much in carbs? I don't think so, especially not if it's not my natural dietary habit. Maybe it's my fault for thinking I had to follow her diet advice EXACTLY, but now I realize that every person's GD diet is a little bit different. Before I thought this would be "cheating" but obviously it's more important to eat what feels (and tests) in the right range, not to follow some inflexible guideline that leaves me feeling bloated or sugar-heavy.

I agree with this. I don't eat many carbs - never have - so I couldn't imagine forcing myself to eat as much as the dietitian recommended. I ran it by my doctor and she's completely fine with how I eat.

[mama2myloves]

Re: testing times

I test 2 hours after meals.

[LionessMom]

Originally Posted by octobermom

pickles broccoli, cucumbers. lettuce, orange and green peppers and red in moderation mushrooms zucchini lots of veggies can be had with little or no effect on blood gloucose.

In moderation sugar free jello, the snack pack sugar free puddings (around 9 carbs a serving) or ones you make your self and can portion better..
deli meats (may want to avoid during pregancy though) sliced pepperoni canadian bacon (also may choose to avoid when pregnant
unsweetened Almond milk
unsweetened soy milk
cheese sticks/string cheese

Deanna

i went out and bought some of that stuff. but i am not hungry for it. it just sits there looking unappetizing. sigh. all i want is to drink milk. sigh.

Originally Posted by mama2myloves

Re: testing times

I test 2 hours after meals.

if i test 2 hours after i am fine. if i test 1 hr after i am high.

[octobermom]

i went out and bought some of that stuff. but i am not hungry for it. it just sits there looking unappetizing. sigh. all i want is to drink milk. sigh.

totaly understand lately veggies are soo un anappealing to me and they taste really bitter for some reason. Milk seriously raises my blood sugar but for many it doesn't so honestly if it doesn't do huge damage for you then go ahead and drink it there are much worse things you could be having.

Deanna

[Im7kidsMom]

Well here I am again. I took the 1 hour test on Wednesday and got my results yesterday. The cutoff was 145 and I got a 157! This was better than during my last pg (178) but still not good enough. I actually expected it to be higher so I talked with the midwife about it at my appt. If it was really high then I could opt to skip the 3 hour test and go straight to monitoring. Now I get to decide if I still want to do that or if I want to try the 3 hour test in hopes that I manage to pass it. I am having trouble deciding so I am looking for opinions. What would you do if you were me?

Roxanne
Mom of many

[Junegoddess]

Originally Posted by Im7kidsMom

Now I get to decide if I still want to do that or if I want to try the 3 hour test in hopes that I manage to pass it. I am having trouble deciding so I am looking for opinions. What would you do if you were me?

Roxanne
Mom of many

I am probably going to be faced with this soon. I'm being tested early and often, as I've had really big babies. I passed my first screen (at around 10 weeks) with flying colors. But I'm due for another one in the next couple of weeks. I occasionally monitor myself at home (I'd test more, but I'm paying for the strips out of pocket at the moment) and my fasting sugars are creeping up. On one hand I want to avoid the GD diagnosis, if I can, because of all the interventions it sets up. But on the other hand I am so weary of this fight... of the stress of wondering if/when I'll fail the test.

So, part of me would love to skip the 3 hour and just monitor at home. I really, really don't want to suffer through the 3 hour, anyway. Especially if I fail this next 1 hour test, because then, even if I pass the 3 hour... I'm guaranteed to be tested again at the 28 week mark! So, I might have to do the 3 hour AGAIN. No thank you!

I don't know. Has your GD been a problem in past pregnancies? I mean... did you have large babies? Did they get stuck? Was it hard to control your blood sugars with diet? Did you ever need insulin? Does a GD diagnosis change your birth plans? If the GD was real... not just failing a test... I'd skip the 3 hour, accept the diagnosis, and move on. If the GD diagnosis in past pregnancies never seemed to fit, and after the test your blood sugars were always fine, I'd take the 3 hour in hopes of avoiding the diagnosis.

[ZoraP]

To answer the questions above, I had a GD diagnosis in both prior pregnancies. I did self-monitoring and my levels were controlled with diet alone. Both babies were under 9 lbs (8 lb 11 oz and 8 lb 3 oz) and were fine at birth. (No jaundice, macrosomia, etc.) My births were uneventful except for the first being born in posterior position, but that didn't happen because of the GD.

Now with my third pg I haven't been diagnosed (haven't chosen to do the test, which makes me feel awful!), but I am monitoring my numbers. I'm able to keep my postprandial numbers in line with good eating, but this is the first pg I've had trouble with my fasting numbers. Starting around week 26 I've been having numbers at or close to 90; before this I've never had trouble with them. My postprandial values are still fine.

What I've been wondering is how much I should worry. The last time I had GD and went to a diabetes educator it wasn't very helpful (I understood the dietary issues better than she did), so I haven't wanted to go this time. My only reason would be to get on drug therapy if I really needed it but I'd rather avoid that. Any thoughts from others' experience with this?

[Junegoddess]

What does your provider think your fasting numbers should be?

During my last full pregnancy I was supposed to keep mine under 100, or 105. Very liberal- I was seeing a team of nurse midwives. One of the doctors I spoke to during my daughter's stillbirth thought that was astronomically high and I clearly had GD. Well, whatever Mr.... you weren't my doc. He actually said he wanted moms to stay in the 80s and would treat with insulin for anything higher.

The fact is, there is no standardization about what the blood sugar levels should be.

I have no idea what causes complications. No one has actually proven causation between high (but reasonable, not like 200) fasting sugars and dangerously big babies. However, I had not-so-good fasting sugars and I did have a big baby and he got stuck. He ended up with no long-term damage, but it was a traumatic start for both of us.

My fasting sugars had been marvelous this pregnancy... in the 80s. Now they are consistently around 92 (but that's with a new box of test strips that has been testing 5 points higher than the last box... I tested them side by side for a bit, because I got the new ones off Ebay.) So, I guess technically it's still ok. But I'm only 17 weeks, so any blood sugar problems at this point are MINE, not GD.

I personally, with no real facts to back me up (since there aren't any) would be ok with using insulin if my fasting sugars were consistently over 100. I think. Ack. Hard choice. Using insulin won't change my birth plans any, but I'm just really wanting to avoid it... I have a chip on my shoulder against getting diagnosed with GD, I guess. I want all the uppity, scare-tactic-using, ego-maniac doctors to be WRONG!

What were your fasting sugars, in general, during your previous pregnancies? I know it doesn't prove anything, but it'd be interesting to at least know one instance of "fasting sugars of 85 = 8 1/2 pound babies."

[LionessMom]

i didnt have GD last time but DD was 8lbs 12 oz.

[crwilson]

Just wanted to stop in and say hi. I had gd with my last pregnancy and assume that I'll have it with this one too. I'm only about 5.5 weeks along, but I'm going to start the diet & monitoring my blood sugar. Last time, I was able to regulate with diet & exercise. DD was a little under 7 lbs when she was born.

The thing that always made my numbers shoot up was stress. We're in the midst of a move (buying our first house), and this pregnancy was unplanned. I'm just a wee bit stressed right now to say the least, so I don't know what to expect in terms of my levels. Does anyone know how early gd will kick in? Do I have to worry about it yet?

[ZoraP]

Hi Junegoddess,

My fasting numbers were in the high 70s to low 80s before. (Babies weighed 8 lb 11 oz and 8 lb 3 oz as noted above.) My fasting target is 90, so I worry if I'm even a point or two over, although I know the risk doesn't increase exponentially or anything. In your shoes I would probably try to talk to an endocrinologist I really trusted (if your fasting numbers go too high) considering that you've dealt with what may have been consequences of glucose issues during pg in the past. (I don't know your history, this is just a guess.) I also strongly want to avoid it, but insulin therapy isn't actually too bad and if it prevents other problems it's definitely worth it.

Crwilson, I was worried about my GD kicking in early this time -- similar to you, this pg was unplanned and stressful, and we just moved into the first home we ever purchased. Plus, I'm now officially "AMA" (40 years old). Anyway, I found that my numbers were just fine in the early days and only started to show signs of glucose intolerance around week 22 or so. YMMV, of course, but I'd say just keep an eye on things and don't stress out about that until you have to.