Alternative for GD test?

[Twinklefae]

I know that at my next doctor's appt. my FD is going to want to sign me up for a Gestational Diabetes test... the one with the icky orange drink and the empty stomach. Now here's the thing, I don't function well on an empty stomach and often pass out if my blood sugar gets too low (which it's likely to, either before or after this test).

So, are there any other options? Can I just get a moniter and test myself regularly? Any other suggestions? I really don't want to do this, but I worry about GD as well.

[AugustLia23]

You can have a large breakfast and monitor your sugar levels after that. I'm not sure exactly what you are supposed to eat, but it's been posted on here before. You could eat 17 brachs jelly beans(thanks for the correction), but that's not really better than the glucola.

For me I was happy after testing my sugars twice after eating a normal meal. My sugars were very healthy levels, that's all I needed.

[Emma's_Mommy]

it's not 50 brach's jelly beans it's 17.....17 of them has 50 grams of sugar in them.....which is equal to the amount of sugar in the orange crap!

[jocelyndale]

I tested myself with a glucose meter for a couple months. I started early (20-some weeks) and kept it up until about 28-29 weeks. My provider was happy with this.

I actually discovered that I wasn't eating enough, nor often enough. I felt a lot better when I increased my caloric intake. Amazing how having blood sugar counts that are up in the *normal* range can make one feel less nauseated and a heck of a lot more energetic. ;)

I can't have a lot of sugar at once--my diet is stricter than most GD diets. I have GERD and sugar is one of my triggers. The glucola would've left me with severe reflux and pain and sleeplessness for a week and I'd have been heaving constantly and unable to eat.

[ScootchsMom]

I became really ill after attempting to take the 3hr test with DD, so I instead tested my sugars with my normal diet for a week. I tracked what I ate and drank, tested when I woke up, then before and after every meal. Gives a much better view of how your body is doing and reacting to meals, in my opinion, then overloading it with sugar. I plan on doing the same when we get pg with #2 and refusing the 1 hr and 3 hr tests all together.

[aylaanne]

I'm simply refusing the GD test. My midwives told me that if they were worried, they'd have me over and feed me a healthy, balanced meal, take a walk with me, then test my sugar. In general, they want me staying away from refined sugars, and eating proteins, vegetables, and complex carbs.

[Debstmomy]

I would ask to do it non fasting. There is also a 50gram breakfast that is out there, and see if that is acceptable. Good Luck.

[LittleLlama]

Usually the first one (1 hour) is non-fasting. It's the three hour that'll get ya!

This time around, I plan on doing what a PP said, just start monitoring my sugars myself without doing the test. The monitors can be a bit spendy without an Rx, but maybe the doc can help you with that. They'd probably want you to write down exactly what you ate and how much and then test your sugars.

I think the diabetes classes are priceless. I want to go to one anyhow wether GD or not. The diabetic style of eating is actually quite healthy for anyone. Pre-preg I have hypoglycemia which is the opposite of diabetes... but lo and behold, during pregnancy that reversed! I can totally relate to the PP who said that eating more often made her feel better!

Others may flame but I think not testing because you "don't have symptoms" is a load of crap. In the GD nutrition classes I went to, every single woman there was skinny as a rail and had normal blood pressure. There was a good sampling of ethnicities too. Your pancreus not processing sugars and thus spilling over into the fetus does not have to have outward signs!

If you do eat healthy and don't want to do the test OR buy a monitor, just ask if you can come in to the office and have your Dr use a monitor on you. I'm certain they have one.

[sarabrynn82]

With my mw, the first time around she gave me the drink (fruit punch flavored, not orange, so it wasn't awful) but said that I only had to not eat after I drank it - no fasting before. But she was running late that day and couldn't take my blood in time, so the next time around she had me eat the jellybeans... but I was told to eat 27! 27 jellybeans in 10 minutes is a lot!!! ;)
Either way, I only had to stop eating for the hour in between the drink or beans and getting my blood drawn. So maybe that's an option for you...

[ice_queen]

it's interesting how different providers are.
my MW said to eat a REALLY protein-filled breakfast (she suggested 3 boiled eggs) exactly 2 hours before I come in, then drink the drink and they pull blood an hour later...
that's what i'm going to do. Hope it works out.

[Twinklefae]

Thanks for all the suggestions and different points of view. I do have Diabetes in my family and think it would be good to test, but I would be a wreck for at least a week if I took the test fasting. You only do the 3 hour one here if you fail the 1 hour, so hopefully I will find a comprimise that works for me.

[cynde]

I also checked and regulated diet through meter - no test. if you test postive this is what they would ask you to do anyway - unless it was startlingly high - then insulin - but you would be able to see something dramatic with metering just as well or better than a one time test.

[puffingirl]

Funny how different providers have different protocols... I'm due for my test at my next appt and was told to eat a normal breakfast (making sure it's high protein) and then have 6 or 8 oz (I have to double check my paper!) of apple juice and 1/2 a banana 1 hr before my blood draw. I was given the choice of various amounts of different juice/banana combinations (16 oz OJ plus 1/2 banana or 6 oz. grape juice and a whole banana, etc). The real food options make me MUCH happier about this, since some juice and a 1/2 a banana sounds like a pretty good snack to me.

[Twinklefae]

Thanks for all the advice ladies! I had my appt. today and I will, for 3 weeks running, be going into the hospital fasting, then eat breakfast and test again. This sounds reasonable to me!

Thanks for all the ideas, I hate going to the Doctor's unprepared!