Gestational Diabetes Support Group - Page 8

[brandyk]

Sigh. Canadians. JK!! Ok so our numbers that you see, you can divide by 18 to get them in your terms. most people i think are at 140 1 hr after eating. that is very close to your 7.5.

i don't have any special foods except i did get some SF jelly. my snacks usually contain cottage cheese, cheese, fruit, nuts, yogurt (fage, which is high protein/low carbs). like i said i made the SF cheesecake and got SF cherry topping for it. that's good. i have been able to eat chocolate (afternoons/nights only) when i balance it with other food. i use high fiber/protein pasta anyway, so that has been fine. i have been able to eat SF ice cream at night too. i do have snack bars (kashi roll & balance bar gold are both ok) so those are kind of special foods because normally i would eat a granola bar instead of a protein bar, but they are readily available.

i have been very successful when i eat a salad although i kind of dislike it. i make a point to use regular dressing (read the label though!) to entice myself to eat a salad. if you are a nibbler like me you might like nuts (although be careful with the calories since you are on bedrest). i like to pick at things. so during the day i am at every 2 hours for eating and and night it is more like every 1-1.5.

be sure you are eating good healthy proteins. i am sure you will soon find this involves a RIDICULOUS amount of dairy products. i sure wish i had a microwave at home because i would totally just nuke some lunchmeat. i should buy some to bring to work actually...

I am going to faculty lunch for the first time since this whole debacle. it should be interesting. hope there's something to eat!!

[kohlby]

We were out of town on vacation so I hadn't checked in for a few days. However, since then I've read that glucometers are not accurate for low blood sugar! Ugh - that was going to make me feel better to use one since I guess mine would be called "unawareness reactive hypoglycemia." (Yep, the medical term for hypoglycemia and not feeling it is actually unawareness!)

I've been reading some of your posts about your dieticians and I think your dieticians need to get together with mine and then maybe we can get a middle of the line one! I was not impressed with mine at all. (I did go after my insulin resistance was diagnosed but before the hypoglycemia). The diet she "put" me on had way too many carbs since I've been doing a diabetic diet for about six months before that. She had me eating 4 fruit exchanges a day even! She allowed anything from the carb exchange list, even regular pasta. (Though I know I can't handle even whole grain pasta and can only eat dreamfield's low carb pasta). Y'all not from the south are going to love this - even chitterlings were listed on an exchange list. (Chitterlings are pig intestines, usually served boiled in oil). I ate more healthy while not on the diabetic diet at all then how I could eat to still stay on the GD diet guidelines I was given. I use the basic GD diet I was given and make it a heck of a lot more strict. (More like south beach, but not phase 1).

[kohlby]

Originally Posted by brandyk

i have been very successful when i eat a salad although i kind of dislike it. i make a point to use regular dressing (read the label though!) to entice myself to eat a salad. if you are a nibbler like me you might like nuts (although be careful with the calories since you are on bedrest).

I've found that adding fat to my diet helped, so there was more reason to pick the full-fat dressings. (Also, the low fat ones often add more sugar). Nuts don't make me eat any more calories since they do satisfy me better. Also, once again, that extra fat does make me feel better. I haven't done any research to know if there's a reason behind it, but increasing my fat did help. (However, I've always eaten very low fat naturally so I'm still not eating a high fat diet by any means).

[avivaelona]

I found when I was eating way too much saturated fat it didn't help but that good fats seemed to be ok, and helped...so it was a balance thing, avocado, nuts, etc are good fats.

Hiya Sage, Sorry you have to be here too, the only special food I use is a pasta that is lower carb (it has lentil flour in it) and higher protein that we really like the taste of, its made by Bertolli don't know if they have that in Canada. I don't like most low carb stuff but I like this pasta. Otherwise I just stick to lower carb foods naturally or doing a lot of balance, other than fruit I don't crave carbs that much but I do eat way too much fruit. I just balance it with a lot of protein.

[Sage_SS]

I've hit a bit of a fork in the road. The only breads I can eat, or pastas, are made with whole wheat. I don't eat whole wheat because it irritates my excema and causes outbreaks. Do I sacrifrice the skin for the stomach?

*sigh*.. we get meals brought to us but I don't think I'll be eating them anymore. We get alot of lasagna, shephard's pie.. etc. Last night I didn't eat dinner until nearly 9:30.

[myrmom]

Thanks Brandyk! My mom brought me a ton of snack foods yesterday. I'm trying to enjoy them even tho they're all sugar free and low to no carbs, but some just taste like chalk.
She's been on the Atkins diet for about 5 years now, which is quite similiar to a diabetic diet. She's got lots of tasty recipes so I'm looking forward to some cheesecake on the weekend.

I still have to get the finger poker but I was told I have to keep it below 7.5. Is this the same for everyone else? What do you do if it is higher?

I try and stay away from sugar free stuff and eat real snacks in moderation and with balancing other foods...much tastier in the end.

In Canada For GD your recommended numbers are

Fasting 5.3 or lower
1hr 8.1 or lower
2hrs 6.7 or lower..

good luck

[Sage_SS]

I'm sorry, bear with me. I don't know what that means. I hr, and 2 hr? Do you mean post eating?
I'm on full bedrest and can't go to the diabetes clinic. My OB just told me to keep it under 7.5.

So what happens if its higher? Do I not eat anything for awhile? Should I eat something specific right away? Stand on my head? Do the hokey pokey?

[avivaelona]

If it goes too high, eat something that is just protein, drink a bunch of water, and do some excercise....except I know you can't do excercise but theoretically you'd go take a walk or do the hokey pokey ....and don't eat whatever it was again. I'd avoid the whole wheat if it gives you excema. You can have lasagna, just have a little lasagna and eat it with a big salad with some nuts or hardboiled egg on it.

Yeah she means one or two hours after eating, whichever one your doctor told you to do, there is no real consensus.

Sage I'm sorry I know this is so doubly complicated for you because you can't just jump up and cook your own food and you can't go take a walk, and so forth. Do what you can to control it with diet but if you need to take insulin than do it. I forget what you said, are they willing to try glyburide or metformin with you?

[Sage_SS]

My OB... grr...

No. He hasn't really told me anything. I don't even think he's clued into the fact that I have the GD because of my pancreas yet. He switched me to heparin instead of fragmin because of the enormous difference in cost. Ten days of fragmin - $130. Three months of heparin - $15. Jeez...


I've barely eaten today. I had a piece of toast this morning. And a cup of coffee. I've had three cups of chamomile tea and some water. I'm having problems swallowing and chewing (stupid ear). It just occured to me that this might not be great for my blood sugar. I can't taste anything, my sinuses are fully blocked. The thought of eating an egg, or some cheese makes my stomach roll. Nuts would probably rip my throat up.

Really, this is just starting to seem quite ridiculous.

wait.. is excersise one of the main ways to handle gestational diabetes? I kept seeing it on the various sites I perused to research it, but I assumed it was a suggestion. Like its just an obvious way to keep healthy.

[JamieBrewHa]

My sister just got the phone call that she has GD. Her #s from her 1-hr test were 227, so they said they wont even bother with the 3 hr-test. She's freaking out and pretty lost. So I'm just trying to find information to help and support her. Wanted to say hi! I 'm sure I'll have questions.... I'm gonna go back and read the whole thread!

[SPACE07]

I was dx last week with GD and have an appt with the dietition for meal plan and bs monitoring. I feel so much better after reading this thread! And so much more informed going into this!! Thank you!!

[avivaelona]

Tell your sis not to freak, it will be ok.

Welcome Space.

I wouldn't worry too much about one day not eating Sage, try some of that sugar free Jello. When you can handle some dairy again, smoothies made with yogurt and/or soymilk are good, and chicken soup or tofu miso soup is good if you don't have too many noodles.

excercise helps, especially long slow excercise like walking, but I can't excercise either you know, and I do manage. Not having a chef in the house is harder. Snack plates of nuts, cheeses, boiled eggs, a little fruit or just a few crackers, chef salad? (trying to think of things hubby can leave for you to eat) Let mom help you figure out what is ok, but ask if she'll stick more to "real" food and less "lowcarb" stuff you don't want to go quite as low carb as an Atkins diet.

[kohlby]

Originally Posted by Sage_SS

My OB... grr...

No. He hasn't really told me anything. I don't even think he's clued into the fact that I have the GD because of my pancreas yet. He switched me to heparin instead of fragmin because of the enormous difference in cost. Ten days of fragmin - $130. Three months of heparin - $15. Jeez...

How is the cost of lovenox? I have a clotting disorder so I looked into heparin/lovenox - though they ended up thinking I didn't need it. They generally prescribe the lovenox here until the end and then switch to the heparin.

*Exercise helps level out blood sugar levels. So, it's more than just a healthy habit.

[brandyk]

Oooh I have been busy and missed so much!

Despite the nutritionist being psycho about doing low fat anything, I have also found that a good helping of fat helps significantly with my blood sugar.

Um, no chitterlings for this southern girl, thanks!!!

exercise helps with your blood sugar. so does being well hydrated. drink a good amount of water all day long like you are supposed to. eat things with fiber when you are doing regular meals but if your BS is just high try eating protein. try to not eat carbs again until it is less than 5.5 (slightly higher than your fasting).

try to eat some high protein yogurt (the greek yogurt/fage) or cottage cheese with your toast. i got some protein shakes to have for when i needed to balance stuff and didn't feel like eating cheese eggs etc. i have lunch at work several times a week so i just eat a bunch of salad and down a shake. no its not whole foods etc but we do what we can. i am very busy now that school is back in.

don't eat WW just because they tell you. you can get an idea of what you can eat by checking out diabetic exchange lists or just going by the carbs. i eat 30-45 g of carbs at a time. your body will react differently to different things. weird thing i have found - i have less rxn to breads than i do whole grains!!! what's up with that? NO IDEA!

[brandyk]

boo. my numbers have popped up by 10 pts or so over the last few days. today's fasting was over 100. i haven't been eating fruit etc and have been eating very little again to try to keep the numbers low. yesterday was a full on crying jag for hours (damnit i was freaking HUNGRY but my sugar was at 120 something so i couldn't eat). this is driving me nuts. i had like a week of happiness. despite starving i also gained 3 pounds over the last couple of days. going in soon for my 28 weeks appt with my condescending OB. tired of this crap. very tired of it. BLAH!

[kamesennin]

Originally Posted by brandyk

boo. my numbers have popped up by 10 pts or so over the last few days. today's fasting was over 100. i haven't been eating fruit etc and have been eating very little again to try to keep the numbers low. yesterday was a full on crying jag for hours (damnit i was freaking HUNGRY but my sugar was at 120 something so i couldn't eat). this is driving me nuts. i had like a week of happiness. despite starving i also gained 3 pounds over the last couple of days. going in soon for my 28 weeks appt with my condescending OB. tired of this crap. very tired of it. BLAH!

If your blood sugar is at 120, isn't it ok to have protein? Protein (not in the form of milk) doesn't significantly raise blood sugar, so I think it would be ok to have a handful of nuts, an egg, chicken breast or something similar. It makes me sad to think that you are crying because you are hungry.

[avivaelona]

brandy you really just might not be able to do his with diet alone

If you are hungry, eat, sometimes eating, especially if you choose something high in protein will trigger another insulin burst and bring your sugar down anyway.

[brandyk]

i have been trying to do it with diet because i am wary about upping the glyburide. yesterday just sucked too much so i ate more today. i talked to the OB. they aren't really keen on upping the G either because of the hypoglycemia. but we are waiting a few more days before doing anything.

alas, protein is not really a hunger killer for me. i can spend ALL DAY eating egg, cheese, nuts etc. and still be hungry. the carbs might make my blood sugar wonky (and me go crazy) but they also make me not hungry. 5 days ago when my BS was fine after eating it was like, ok, time to eat again NOW. now it is like OH MY GOD MY BLOOD SUGAR IS SO HIGH AND I CANT EAT ANYTHING BUT I AM FREAKING HUNGRY. BTW i have gained no weight so no, i have not eating too much (dr was actually amazed about how sensitive i appear to be to carbs during pregnancy. like totally wow). my situation a few days ago was much more preferable (the smorgasbord).

but i will keep the protein thing in mind if it will keep the insulin up so i can eat again and not feel like i am starving. it makes me SERIOUSLY cranky.

here's to string cheese (at least it's fun and my dog likes it too)!

[kamesennin]

Originally Posted by brandyk

i have been trying to do it with diet because i am wary about upping the glyburide. yesterday just sucked too much so i ate more today. i talked to the OB. they aren't really keen on upping the G either because of the hypoglycemia. but we are waiting a few more days before doing anything.

alas, protein is not really a hunger killer for me. i can spend ALL DAY eating egg, cheese, nuts etc. and still be hungry. the carbs might make my blood sugar wonky (and me go crazy) but they also make me not hungry. 5 days ago when my BS was fine after eating it was like, ok, time to eat again NOW. now it is like OH MY GOD MY BLOOD SUGAR IS SO HIGH AND I CANT EAT ANYTHING BUT I AM FREAKING HUNGRY. BTW i have gained no weight so no, i have not eating too much (dr was actually amazed about how sensitive i appear to be to carbs during pregnancy. like totally wow). my situation a few days ago was much more preferable (the smorgasbord).

but i will keep the protein thing in mind if it will keep the insulin up so i can eat again and not feel like i am starving. it makes me SERIOUSLY cranky.

here's to string cheese (at least it's fun and my dog likes it too)!

Ok how about increasing the fat in your diet? not like butter, but olive oil, flax oil, coconut oil, that type of thing? String cheese is usually low fat, it would be better to eat the full fat cheddar. maybe that will make a difference? You are doing great, don't let the GD get you down too much!

[avivaelona]

Avocados ...good fat, very filling, guacamole is awesome and you probably can even have chips with it?