Gestational Diabetes Support Group - Page 2

[kohlby]

Originally Posted by Mommy StormRaven

No white carbs at all. Nothgin but whole grain here.

I usually only have whole grain. I eat very healthy. Yet I was having hypoglycemic episodes and feeling quite off without knowing what the problem was. My fasting insulin was off the charts high, dangerously high. It was the morning after a dinner that included 100% whole grain spagetti. My fasting insulin was fine the next morning after a dinner that included dreamfield pasta. I met with the dietician recently and was surprised about all the foods allowed that I've been avoiding. (And feeling MUCH better when avoiding them). I will eat whole grain now, but I have to limit the carb count. Though the dietician told me to do exchanges instead of counting carb grams, I find I need to do a bit of both. I've had to give up all pasta unless I eat less than half a serving of whole grain. I don't eat rice. I don't eat white potatoes. I only eat low carb bread now. Dreamfield pasta has been wonderful for me due to the low carb count.

I was told that different people don't react the same to the same foods. One diabetic might not be able to tolerate any apples, despite apples not being super high compared to some carb foods. Another diabetic might have trouble with carrots. Another might be senstive to pasta, even whole grains. It's a lot of trial and error. I basically stick to things in the strickest sense and it's working well.

[kohlby]

Originally Posted by mamalemon

We are thinking of ttc #3 in 6 months-1 year. I had diet controlled GD with both of my previous pregnancies, but I was close to needing Insulin with #2.

I will see my midwife before we ttc, but I am wondering if anyone has any tips for things I can do now that will help keep my GD under control when/if I do get pregnant again. I really want a homebirth and would hate to give that up because of Insulin.

It could be helpful to go on the GD diet now, even before ttc.

[Munchkingirl]

except your numbers have to be lower during pregnancy than they do normally. So far my numbers are very good. (fasting in the low 80's usually, after meals under 110 usually)

Should my numbrs be this low always?

My fasting when I first wake up is 93-100 and after eating it is usually around 130 at 1hr. I modify meals, but not really on a diebetic diet (can't seem to stick to it long term in the application). I haven't played around with night time snacks vs. non or waking in the middle of the night to eat yet to work out fasting #/s, but I will. I just always thought that 140 or less at 1hr was fine and 120 at 2hrs was what I needed to look or, but maybe those are too high even if they are in the normal range...? Is that where the thoughts about gd are now, that high normal is bad? I just don't want to be on anything and if these #'s are bad I will work out the diebetic diet better.

[avivaelona]

The usual limits docs set is under 90 fasting and under 120 2 hours post meal during pregnancy. (under 100 fasting and under 140 2 hours after a meal when you arent pregnant) I don't know what the 1 hour numbers should be. Its not really clear how low they do have to be to avoid diabetes affecting the baby. I was just saying that was what my numbers have been not that its how low my doc said they had to be.

Mommy Storm Raven...thats your liver making sugar while you sleep, either because it just is, or because of the dawn affect, or because you are crashing in the middle of the night and your liver is reacting to that. I think its called "auto glycogenesis"? Something like that.

You sound so much like me in my last pregnancy. I remember finding that so incredibly frustrating til I did figure out what worked. I'd be so suspicious about PCOS if I were you...there is a really good PCOS resource on the web called "Soul Cysters" if you are feeling up to it you might want to read up a bit there and see if the testing that was done was what was recommended. You can have PCOS without showing the typical string of pearls cysts on your ovaries...a lot of times if its an RE testing they only look for that and maybe free testosterone and not at Insulin issues. If not now it might be something to look at once you get through this pregnancy.

After my sugars being near perfect this whole pregnancy I've been struggling a little the last couple of days. Its so irritating. Of course tonight it really was self-inflicted, I ate a huge huge dinner, and a kind of noodles I thought would be ok, and I think they weren't. (I thought they were bean noodles but they may have been rice, or maybe I just ate way too much in general)

I also can really FEEL it when I mess up and I hate the way it feels (though the food was soooo yummy its hard to regret it)

[Mommy StormRaven]

Originally Posted by avivaelona

You sound so much like me in my last pregnancy. I remember finding that so incredibly frustrating til I did figure out what worked. I'd be so suspicious about PCOS if I were you...there is a really good PCOS resource on the web called "Soul Cysters" if you are feeling up to it you might want to read up a bit there and see if the testing that was done was what was recommended. You can have PCOS without showing the typical string of pearls cysts on your ovaries...a lot of times if its an RE testing they only look for that and maybe free testosterone and not at Insulin issues. If not now it might be something to look at once you get through this pregnancy.

Actually, when my RE tested she tested EVERYTHING. I got bloodwork done for all of my levels - the first time they tested things it was more than 10 vials of blood. and my FSH:LH ratio is still perfect along with everything else. And the testign that was done was for both RPL and IF issues having gone through multiple losses


All that said today I ate what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat and guess what - my numbers were int eh low 120's consistently all day long. After looking at my meals and what is "prescribed" I realize that I'm beign forced to eat MORE carbs on this diet than I normally eat in any given day, and less protein than I normally do as well and today - the one day I jsut ate on an "as needed" basis to my satisfaction and my numbers were more "normal" than they have been since I started this whole thing. So I'm goign to go with that. My carb intake in general was never REALLY high. At least not on food - my big "offender" was always regualr sugared soda. And I've cut that. We've always eaten sugar free desserts for the most part so I'm seeign tha tnurse on wednesday and goign over the whole thing.

I really think my initial results were very skewed. She asked me if I'd had anythgin to eat when she gave me the glucola drink. I hadnt' but I had drank an entire can of regular coke just before I got to the office and then she gave me the drink. Hmm.. that wouldnt 'ahve effected things at all now would it?!

So, I am goign to discuss things with her. I'm beign forced to eat more than my normal intake of crap that is causign a problem and it's only makign it worse. I'm also switching to a differnet doctors office (not because of the "specialist" because I've heard some not so good things about intervention happy - read knife happy - docs in this practice from local doulas) and I'm going over all of it with him again next week to see what his thoughts are.

[purplemama]

Hi all,

Glad to find this group. This is my fifth pregnancy, but this is the first time I've actually been diagnosed with GD. I've had to take the 3-hour test twice before, but have always passed. This time, I didn't. I'm so mad at my body for doing this.

My 1-hour glucose, I got a 171. For my 3-hour test, I passed the fasting and 3-hour blood draw, but failed the 1 and 2-hour ones.

I have an appointment with a nutritionist on Thursday, then I have to pick up a meter and go to a class to learn how to use it. I guess I have to prick my finger to get some blood and test it? And it sounds like I have to do this every day? How often each day does it have to be done?

I didn't think I had a bad diet. I eat lots of fresh fruit, and don't drink soda or juice or sugary drinks. Mostly I drink water, occasionally, tea. I love carbs, though, not sure if that's what did me in.

Anyway, it's great to have a support group! I have about 8-10 more weeks before the baby is here... I hope it goes quickly!

[avivaelona]

She asked me if I'd had anythgin to eat when she gave me the glucola drink. I hadnt' but I had drank an entire can of regular coke just before I got to the office and then she gave me the drink. Hmm.. that wouldnt 'ahve effected things at all now would

well yeah it might just a tad!

That's funny that you are eating more carbs on the plan...yeah then it makes sense not to follow the plan! I find that if I follow things exactly I just end up eating more food than I want to eat in general and that messes things up.

My lovely meal last night has me up at 4:30 in the morning feeling horrible and sick. Blech. Blood sugar is ok but my stomach is NOT.

Welcome Purplemama. Usually you have to test 4 times a day, when you first wake up and then after every main meal. Some docs ask you to do a bedtime one too others will feel that less testing is ok especially if you are borderline. The finger pricks don't really hurt...ask them to show you where you can use the meter...if you do it right in the center of your fingertip it hurts more than some other spots.

Don't be mad at your body, its a hormone thing and your body is supposed to have more insulin resistance in pregnancy, but sometimes it just gets a little overzealous. If your diet was generally good before than the changes you have to make aren't that hard, just balancing out those carbs with protein and fiber more.

[kohlby]

Originally Posted by Mommy StormRaven

Actually, when my RE tested she tested EVERYTHING. I got bloodwork done for all of my levels - the first time they tested things it was more than 10 vials of blood. and my FSH:LH ratio is still perfect along with everything else. And the testign that was done was for both RPL and IF issues having gone through multiple losses
.

It could be worth it to ask to take the glucose test again. A can of soda would have definately screwed up any results for me. Also, you can have insulin resistance without PCOS. I was tested for tons of stuff due to RPL too. They don't usually check insulin levels. My RE did it based on my history and that's how we caught the problem. I went on metformin while ttc and was going to stay on it for first trimester. (But I think it made my hyperemesis worse so I went off of it a few weeks ago). There are studies that show even a low dose of metformin reduces the chance of a first trimester loss. (And studies that show a drastic reduction in the number of women who get GD if women are on metformin for all the pg. Personally, I'd rather not take meds unless I thought I really needed them though).

If you retake the test and it comes back fine, then at least you won't have the GD label. When I was pg with DS, my OB thought there was a chance that I had slipped through and had undiagnosed GD despite passing the three hour. To help me avoid the GD label, she told me to go on the GD diet but not worry about anymore testing. I ended up induced due to the placenta calcifying at 42 weeks and he was huge - but not built like a GD baby. If I had that GD label, there's no way I would have been able to wait until 42 weeks.

[Mommy StormRaven]

I'm switchign docs after my NT scan on monday. I knwo my RE did test for IR becuase when he prescrbed metformin for me he said that "the bloodwordk gives me no indication of IR but if you want to try it we can - it wont' hurt you"

I'll ask to retest when II see teh new doc. I talked to my old mw yesterday and she thinks the results are way off too. My "diabetic Educator" actually had teh nerve to sit ther and tell me that my "high fat diet" was effecting my glucose levels. umm I can't eat a high fat diet - i have no gallbladder! I sat there and told her that when I cook meat it's in a dry fry pan with no oils added and she looked straight at me and said my fat intake was causign a problem becaseu I was coolign in oil - did she not hear me say I don't use oils? um what fat intake? she equated high protein with high fat and duh - you can eat lean meat! um chiken? turkey? Roast beef? lean ham? Steaks? duh - but then she called kidneys thingies and said I was poisoning myself with protein because I eat more of it than carbs normally. umm yeah - I don't NEED that many carbs, I havent' eaten that many carbs for over 10 years! DUH people! She simply cannot seem to get that I'm an INFORMED healthcare consumer as opposed to a sheep.

I'm soo done with the practice...

[Katerz2u]

Hi everyone, guess I am joining you. This is my 3rd pregnancy and my first encounter with GD.
I failed my 1 hour glucose by 6 points and did the 3 hour yesterday. My results today showed my fasting and last (3rd hour) draw were excellent but my in between (1hr and 2hr) were off the charts.
I met with a dietitian/educator this afternoon, went over meal plans and got a meter. It looks like the meals will be easy its just quantity I need to watch. Im also HORRIBLE with eating at regular intervals, sometimes I skip breakfast or go 6 hours without eating..its affecting me badly. I am optimistic I can control this with diet, I hope, because if I don't get it under control Im going to have to go to insulin.
Im so worried but at the same time, Im motivated! Wishing you all luck on your journey too!

[lifeguard]

I found out today that I failed the 1-hr. I'm doing the 3-hr on Saturday. Actually I BOMBED the 1-hr. The doctor doesn't think there is much chance I could pass the 3-hr. I'm devastated by this & kind of angry.

I have pcos so I knew my risk was higher but I didn't know until I did more reading today that staying on the metformin throughout greatly reduces the risk. Why did they tell me to go off it then?

I'm angry at myself for not doing more research earlier & for not being stricter about my diet & exercise throughout. I find the eating every couple hours a major PIA - I always have & so I've been slipping. I'm just NOT hungry & it is SO much work.

It looks like the OB will want me to go right to insulin. But here's the MAJOR complication right now. I'm supposed to leave for a 3 week trip home 1.5 days after the earliest I can get the test results. There is no time to fit in any appointments (as if I could get them that fast) before the trip & I'm soooo stressed I'll have to cancel the trip. I've been looking forward to this for months (in fact it's been the only thing holding me together).

DH left yesterday for home & our phone is cut off (my goodness I hate this country some days) AGAIN. I feel so alone & overwelmed.

[purplemama]

Originally Posted by Katerz2u

Hi everyone, guess I am joining you. This is my 3rd pregnancy and my first encounter with GD.
I failed my 1 hour glucose by 6 points and did the 3 hour yesterday. My results today showed my fasting and last (3rd hour) draw were excellent but my in between (1hr and 2hr) were off the charts.
I met with a dietitian/educator this afternoon, went over meal plans and got a meter. It looks like the meals will be easy its just quantity I need to watch. Im also HORRIBLE with eating at regular intervals, sometimes I skip breakfast or go 6 hours without eating..its affecting me badly. I am optimistic I can control this with diet, I hope, because if I don't get it under control Im going to have to go to insulin.
Im so worried but at the same time, Im motivated! Wishing you all luck on your journey too!

This sounds like me (except I failed my 1 hour by a lot more than 6 points). But my 1 and 2 hour were high. I also frequently go without a meal for long periods of time. I skip breakfast regularly and last eat dinner around 7-8 pm, then eat lunch the next day around noonish-1. Needless to say, it's done a number on my body, too. I need to start eating a night time snack (which I never do) and eat snacks between meals and eat breakfast at a regular time.

I just had my nutritionist appt today and learned how to use my meter today. Doesn't seem too hard, but doing it four times a day and exactly 1 hour after each meal will be difficult to do.

Hopefully, I will give birth in about 7 weeks, so I won't have to do this for a very long time.

Hope everyone is coping with their GD okay.

Lifeguard- Good luck with your 3-hour! I hope it goes well for you and your doctor is wrong! And sorry the timing sucks.

[avivaelona]

Originally Posted by lifeguard

I have pcos so I knew my risk was higher but I didn't know until I did more reading today that staying on the metformin throughout greatly reduces the risk. Why did they tell me to go off it then?

DH left yesterday for home & our phone is cut off (my goodness I hate this country some days) AGAIN. I feel so alone & overwelmed.

I'm sorry your time is being so stressful. How far along are you? Can you talk to your doc about just going straight to monitoring rather than subjecting yourself to the three hour? If you get the monitor you can take it with you on your trip and just watch your diet, its unlikely to be so bad that you need immediate insulin if you are careful with your diet and a single day of monitoring should give you an idea if for some reason it actually is that severe.

You didn't eat or drink anything before the test did you?

The reason they didn't have you stay on the metformin for the whole pregnancy is that metformin is not proven safe for pregnancy in the second or third trimester, thus far there are no studies that prove its not safe but there are concerns it might not be. It is standard practice to take women with PCOS off of it after the first trimester. I took metformin throughout my last pregnancy and am doing it this time too, I have reasons to worry that my second trimester loss was caused by going off of it at 13 weeks in my first pregnancy and so I'm willing to take on the risks, my doctors feel the evidence on it goes both ways and left it up to me to make a decision about it, but they made it clear that I was accepting a certain level of risk by doing so.

If you think it would really benefit you, you could go back to your endocrinologist and talk to them about it, however there are other medications that are considered safe in pregnancy and some people try that before going on insulin (I think glyburide is the most common) you could ask your doc about trying that too before insulin.

Personally what I'd do is get that monitor and see what your blood sugar is doing on your NORMAL diet and skip the three hour GTT. The GTT tests are remarkably inaccurate since most of us rarely chug that much sugar at once on an empty stomach and if you have PCOS and failed the one hour that badly the three hour is likely to make you feel pretty ill.

Welcome too Katerz2u.

[lifeguard]

I didn't eat or drink anything before my test but I realize now I screwed a couple things up that could have made things look worse than they are. I fasted for 13 hours instead of 8 - I understand fasting for too long can make sugars rise as the body finds alternate sources of glucose. I also had not been eating or sleeping very much for a couple of days & was quite sick when I went in. I didn't know those things could also affect the sugars & make them higher.

My hands are tied as far as making any decisions between now & Monday as it is Mother's Day here & everything is closed tomorrow. I am going to do the 3 hour on Saturday as I will be able to get the results on Monday & then we can plan from there.

I'm 29 weeks on Saturday so I'm looking at about 11 weeks of this I guess. I know in theory we can just do diet & monitoring but the doctor right away was talking about insulin which I guess scared me. I don't actually have an endocrinologist (I haven't needed one since I moved here) & there is no way I can get in to see one before I'm supposed to leave on Wednesday.

[mleigh23]

I just took the 1 hour test this week. And they told me that my glucola was elevated enough to go ahead and diagnose me as having gestational diabetes instead of taking the 3 hour test. I'll be 28 weeks on MOnday. I know I don't have long to go but it's still very scary.

[lifeguard]

I'm sorry mleigh. Sounds like we're close to same point.

[kohlby]

Originally Posted by lifeguard

I found out today that I failed the 1-hr. I'm doing the 3-hr on Saturday. Actually I BOMBED the 1-hr. The doctor doesn't think there is much chance I could pass the 3-hr. I'm devastated by this & kind of angry.

I have pcos so I knew my risk was higher but I didn't know until I did more reading today that staying on the metformin throughout greatly reduces the risk. Why did they tell me to go off it then?

.

There haven't been enough studies that make drs feel comfortable with keeping women on metformin during the entire pg. I have seen the research that shows that women are much, much less likely to develop GD while on metformin. But metformin use during pg is still a gray area. I don't have PCOS, but do have insulin resistance. My dr was initially against me doing met and staying on it while pg. But due to my losses, she agreed. I did have to go off of it when I got too sick during first trimester, but I still feel metformin benifited me.

I've also seen a study that showed strict diet can control insulin resistance better than metformin. I'm on a diabetic diet for the rest of my life - whether I have GD or not.

What did you get on your 1 hour? I had a 180 when pg with DD but managed to pass the three hour easily. (Though, if you read my post a ways back, my insulin resistance did cause problems then). I felt terrible during my one hour with DD and actually felt better during the three hour - if that makes any sense! My RE does wonder if my insulin resisance is auto-immune related, which could effect the tests way too much. Also, I wonder how much what you eat in the few days before effects it.

[Katerz2u]

Just updating..
So far my numbers on the meter have been good. Ive been well below the limit of 120 (101, 99, 81) so hopefully I am going to be okay with diet only.

Does anyone else have to do daily keytone strips for a few days? Doc wants me to test first morning for the next 5 days. I was negative this am, never had a positive dip at the clinic so hopefully that stays good too.

[avivaelona]

I had high ketones in my last pregnancy so they are having me monitor this time. So far they are fine. Sounds like your blood sugars are great!

[Mommy StormRaven]

Well, Again - I ate exactly as I was "supposed" to per the diet and I spiked my glucose level big time.

I refuse toe take the glyburide again - she had me on it at dinner and right before bed. Takign it had my heart palpatating severely and I coudl barely catch my breath even sitting or lying down with NO activity - obviously NOT a good thing. My "nutritionist" is full of it I'm convinced and after talkginw th my old midwife and previous doctors and them knowing my medical history I'm thinking I was probably misdiagnosed at least a little since under "normal" circumstances my levels are fine, when I eat the diet they are not. The diet has me eatign more than double my daily intake of carbs - my body is simply NOT used to that much sugar in a day .

Needless to say I fired my OB practice and am goign to a more natural birth friendly practice that was recommended to me by several local doulas and I will go over everythign with him at my appointment on tuesday and will happily retake the test under what is a "normal" circumstance for me dietarily.

I dont' mind if this IS the problem but I'm not willign to accept this Dx when it was given under dubious circumstance and the result of doign what the meal plan says does nothign but elevate my levels. So I'm done with them. The nurse couldn't so much as use proper terminology and when DH and I brought up studies that long contradicted what she told us all she did was clam up and tell me that I was goign to do what I wanted anyhow soi she wasnt' goign to say anymore and got very belligerent with us both.

I'm sorry but a caregiver that isnt' willign to listen and adjust for the fact that I know my body and dietary intake better than she does is not a good caregiver IMO. She actually had the nerve to tell my I was eating a "high fat" diet when I told her I was frying boneless skinless chiken breat in a pan with nothign more than a garlic rub on it. She sat there looked me int he eye and said I was cookign with high fat oil - umm I had directly said I wasn't using oil - I never have. Clearly not a caregiver woth her own salt. So on to Dr. Barry Campbell at St. Joseph East - thsi hospital is actually building the first freestanding birthing facility in KY and he had provided backup for homebirth midwives too (which arent' even legal here!) so I feel much better about seeing him.