Yesterday morning I went for my three hour glucose tolerance test. I decided to just go and get it overwith. A few observations.
This time my drink was also orange, but it was carbonated. It went down MUCH easier. If you have a choice, take the carbonated one. It tasted like Minute Maid Orange soda to me and I had no problem drinking it down, even though it was at room temperature. When I took the first test and only had to drink half as much (but it was not carbonated), it took me twice as long to choke it down. The one hour test actually made me feel worse than the three hour. Go figure.
I had read on a board to take along a movie and it would make the time go much more quickly. I brought along some magazines, a book, and a movie. The first hour I felt a little off so I mostly walked around the room and read a little of my book. The second and third hour I distracted myself by watching You’ve Got Mail on my laptop (with headphones). It made the time pass much more quickly and kept me from sitting there thinking about how bored I was or how I was slowly slipping into a sugar crash.
So that’s the good stuff. Now the bad stuff.
I failed my test.
The only reason I know I failed is I signed a release form and went back to the hospital a few hours later and picked up my results. My OB’s office was closed yesterday because of the holiday so I imagine I will get a call from him today. I wanted to know the results beforehand so I could do some research and such before I talked to him. I also wanted to know how badly I failed so I could have some idea of what might be appropriate for the next step.
So I went through several hours of crying and the obligatory “why me” and “what if I’ve hurt my baby” and “I can’t believe how much this is going to screw up our lives for the next eleven weeks”. I have to admit that this was a little hard to accept on top of something else we have going on in our personal lives that I haven’t really written about on my blog. I asked God – why this too? Our faith is really being stretched right now. Then I got into rational research mode to figure out what was going on.
So to all you kind GD ladies who offered to help, here’s my situation. (And to anyone else who finds modern medicine both confusing and fascinating.)
My scores were:
fasting: 79
1 hour: 184
2 hour: 182
3 hour: 151
The reference limits they gave me at the hospital were:
fasting: < 95
1 hour: < 180
2 hour: < 155
3 hour: < 140
So according to their scale, I passed one, just missed one and failed two. However, looking around online I also found out that there are several other scales and they vary. (Which is part of the problem with the whole GD thing – there are no standards, per say, and it seems that everyone does what is wise in their own eyes. Ahem.)
This scale put out by the National Diabetes Data Group is also used by the American Council of Obstetricians and Gynocologists. It is:
fasting: < 105
1 hour: < 190
2 hour: < 165
3 hour: < 145
So according to this scale, I passed two, just missed one and failed one. That scale makes it seem not quite so bad. The problem is they don’t give you any ranges above those scores. So is a miss of 5 points considered a failure, but manageable by diet and exercise? Where do you draw the line between yes, you failed so we’ll tweak a few things in your diet and yes, you failed, proceed directly to insulin/medication and do not pass go? Can you see how confusing it is?
From everything I’ve read, it sounds like once you are diagnosed you are really at the mercy of your OB, dietician and/or endocronologist and whatever their perceptions and biases are. You are subjected to many, many more doctor’s appointments, fetal monitoring, and have a much higher rate of “interventions” during delivery because your pregnancy is now considered “high risk”.
However, reading discussion boards it blows my mind how much variance there is in terms of what different experts recommend for their patients. Even the women discussing it can hardly believe what some of the others have to do or what some of them get away with. Many of the women have a terrible time trying to follow the diet and keep their numbers within the ranges required by their health professionals.
The thing that strikes me over and over again as I do reading and research on this topic is that there is NO UNIFORM STANDARD and there is very, very little evidence that these strategies really make a difference. Instead, it seems that for many, many women a diagnosis of GD greatly increases the stress in their lives during the one time in their lives when they should be avoiding stress as much as possible.
What is the tradeoff? Yes, I do believe there are some women who are seriously diabetic and they and their babies need intervention. But I also wonder about the incredible amount of stress this puts of a lot of other women and whether the added physical problem of the stress itself actually undoes any of the supposed good achieved by trying to control the GD.
Well, that’s enough for now. My goal is to have a low-key day today (as much as possible since I have to talk to my doctor). Poor Little Miss Peanut got put through the wringer yesterday between the 12 hour fast, the glucose, and then an upset mommy. She needs a break! 🙂
Thanks for letting me ramble. And if any other GD moms have suggestions for food/snacks, let me know. According to almost everything I read, I eat completely wrong for a diabetic. I don’t eat badly – we just eat the wrong things such as homemade granola and grape juice for breakfast, etc. I haven’t even started on the diet and I’m already bored with it just reading about it! LOL! Have a great day! 🙂
Sallie:
As disappointing as it is to have a complication during pregnancy, there is a lot to be thankful for. By God’s grace and goodness, you found out early enough in pregnancy that you have GD and can now start taking the necessary steps to keep yourself and the baby as healthy as possible. Also, you live in a day and age where there is modern medicine and technology that can screen and treat such pregnancy related issues, such as GD. Your doctor will be screening you and the baby more, not to be an annoyance, but because he or she wants you to have a healthy baby as much as you do. If at any point there seems to be something wrong, you and your doctor will be on top of the situation because you are receiving more frequent and intense observation.
The internet can be a scary place (my doctor’s own words). You can find information to support or refute just about anything. That’s why all the stuff you’re reading seems to be inconsistent and contradictory. God lead you to the particular OB-GYN you’re seeing for a reason. Trust your doctor. When you have questions, call the doctor. That’s what he or she is there for. The doctor has been with you since the beginning of this pregnancy and knows your situation better than any internet sight.
Micki
From what I understand, those are not terribly bad numbers – they may “qualify” you for a diagnosis, but that might just mean closer monitoring.
During my test, my 1 hour numbers were up around 400 and I don’t think I ever got below 200. I went on a lower carb diet and was able to manage the GD with that – I never went on insulin.
You’ll be okay, and we’ll keep you in our prayers…
I was never diagnosed with GD although with my second child I did have to go for the three hour test. I do the one hour test at my next appointment, so we’ll see with this one.
I did have a friend who had it and she was able to control it with a lower carb diet as well. But really, that is all I know about it. Although what Micki Santiago had to say about it sounds reasonable.
I’ll be praying for you.
Sallie…thinking of you and praying this goes smoothly for you. Rest assured little miss peanut is fine. She’s got one sweet mama.
Thanks, ladies!
Ellen – WOW! 400! I didn’t know the numbers could go that high! The highest I’ve read about was in the upper 200’s. That helps give me some of the perspective I was looking for so thank you!
Micki – I hear what you are saying and for the most part I agree with you. I guess my frustration stems from the fact that you would think there would be more uniform guidelines for something like this, especially when you are talking about putting pregnent women on insulin and/or medication when it is constantly drummed into our heads to not take ANYTHING you don’t absolutely need – not even a Tylenol – when you are pregnant. I’ll give you another example of conflicting advice. When I had my herniated disk last year I was so desperate for relief from the pain I actually went to a chiropractor a few times until I could get into the orthopedic specialist. She told me absolutely I COULD NOT lay on my stomach in bed because it would worsen my condition. Well, ironies of ironies… After I saw the specialist and went to the physical therapist the CORNERSTONE of his treatment for me was based on extensions that start with laying on your stomach! And they worked beautifully! At the same time, the specialist and my regular doctor had me on and off so many medications for the pain that it totally screwed up my body for months. I know I have a sensitive body and I have to really pound that into the heads of the medical professionals I work with because they usually don’t take it seriously until after they see the results of what it does to me. After these incidents I was more convinced than ever that I have to be my own health advocate and I have to go with what my gut tells me to do. Of course I want to hear from my doctor and seriously consider what he wants to do, but it has to be a PARTNERSHIP and I have to be firmly convinced he is LISTENING to me, not just hearing me and dismissing it because I’m not a professional.
Thanks!
Do hang in there, Sallie!
Alexander MacLaren, a distinguished Manchester preacher (1826-1910) wrote, “What disturbs us in this world is not trouble, but our opposition to trouble. The true source of all that frets and irritates and wears away our lives is not in external things but in resistance of our wills to the will of God expressed by eternal things.”
from Unto the Hills by Billy Graham, Devotional from “September 29th” entitled “Learning from Adversity”
God’s perfect love will take care of you, your little baby, and your husband!
Emily
When I did the three hour test I was on the borderline. I sort of expected it because other two babies were larger than average (first was over nine pounds and second came two weeks early, thank goodness, and was almost nine pounds). It was a relief to understand my weight gain in spite of a careful diet 🙂 I was just told to watch my sugar intake…or else 🙂
I’ve had friends who had GD with every pregnancy and they said it wasn’t too bad. They had to be careful about their diet and undergo more screening, but no major intervention.
What a bummer….but I know you’ll be able to have a healthier pregnancy now, so Thank the Lord they found out there was a small problem that is easily *it seems* resolved.
You enjoy those 11 weeks! That relaxing really does make babies happier and healthier IMHO. =)
Loved the baby pic below this post…..sweet!!!
Christie
Hey girl – I’ve had the joy of having GD (ha ha). I’ve had more GTTs than I care to remember lol. Yes, the diet is drab and I truly expect you can control it with a few changes in that arena. Something that helped me also was walking (which you probably do already). I would walk every night and that seemed to make a bigger difference than diet actually.
Yes, doctors vary on this (I’ve had a few different docs from different states even). I’ve never been on insulin though. From what I understand, you don’t go on that unless they can’t control the GD with diet and exercise. Of course, I’m sure there are cases where the docs bypass that altogether.
Just wanted to send you some encouraging hugs – it’s a tad inconvenient and yes, does add stress but is definitely manageable.
PS – I’ve had all the various drinks and the orange carbonated is my favorite lol.