I didn't want to do it.
I knew it would be horrible.
The doctor made me do it...
I quickly chugged the entire contents of this horrible little bottle. Immediately afterwards I felt horrible, at one point nauseous even. Just one more hour and the blood would be drawn and this would be over.
It wasn't though; the next day I get a phone call from my doctors office.
"Hi Crystal, your test results came back and your glucose level was elevated. We will need to do the three hour glucose test. You cannot eat or drink anything but water for at least 10 hours before the test. We will take a fasting blood sample and then three more blood samples throughout the remainder of the test."
I winced, first they want all my urine, then they want all my blood. They would not stop until all bodily fluids had been drained from me completely. I scheduled the three hour for after the 1st of the year and did as I was told. They took my blood, I chugged the bottle of icky orange stuff again, and I waited. I scheduled my doctors appointment in the middle of all of this to keep myself busy and make time go faster. Finally they drew all the blood they needed and I was finally able to go home.
The next day I got the phone call from my doctors office. They were classifying me as a high risk pregnancy and I needed to come in the following Tuesday for an appointment. My levels were elevated too high and I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.
My fasting was normal at a wonderful 77, the one hour was 173 the two hour was 182 and the final blood draw was at 162. I've seen outrageous numbers before so these numbers didn't bother me too much. However with a blood glucose level that kept rising after two hours that meant the hormones in my body were blocking the insulin my pancreas was producing from doing it's job and my pancreas wasn't producing any more insulin to regulate those glucose levels.
My doctor prescribed a glucose monitor and the nutritionist called me to schedule an appointment to come in. I called my mother, who has juvenile diabetes and told her. She pulled the mom move and said, "I don't care that you grew up with a diabetic mother, you listen and do as your nutritionist tells you." I couldn't help but giggle.
My fasting was normal at a wonderful 77, the one hour was 173 the two hour was 182 and the final blood draw was at 162. I've seen outrageous numbers before so these numbers didn't bother me too much. However with a blood glucose level that kept rising after two hours that meant the hormones in my body were blocking the insulin my pancreas was producing from doing it's job and my pancreas wasn't producing any more insulin to regulate those glucose levels.
My doctor prescribed a glucose monitor and the nutritionist called me to schedule an appointment to come in. I called my mother, who has juvenile diabetes and told her. She pulled the mom move and said, "I don't care that you grew up with a diabetic mother, you listen and do as your nutritionist tells you." I couldn't help but giggle.
A few days later the nutritionist went over the diet plan. I had spent a few days mentally preparing myself for the "no more pizza, ice cream, junk food" talk for days. After talking to the nutritionist though I found out that I can still enjoy some of my favorite foods so long as I stick to serving sizes and keep active. I had to watch not just the carbohydrates on the labels but the fats and proteins as well. High fiber carbohydrates, like whole wheat bread or pasta would be better choices without giving up bread and pasta all together.
I immediately started taking control over my diet and started becoming more active to help regulate my sugar levels. I was not going to be put on insulin and I am positive I can control this with diet and mild exercise. I started watching labels for carbohydrates, fats and proteins. I started eating small meals throughout the day and testing a minimum of 4 times a day like the doctor wanted me too.
Three weeks later and recording my blood sugars religiously; the doctor is very proud of me and where my sugars are at. He actually thanked me for watching them so closely. According to my monitor my 15 day average is at 88. When I do give in to the craving for the high carbohydrate meal my blood sugar does jump up, but for the most part I have been doing extremely well.
According to babycenter.com and my doctor women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. So as a precautionary I have decided that after the baby is born I will have to make a few lifestyle changes to keep my weight under control to reduce that risk. I'm positive I can do what is necessary to make those changes and stick to them.
It's not hard to keep your blood sugars under control. I still have the occasional donut for breakfast, pretzels as a snack or ice cream before bed, I do not gorge myself and have only the serving size. If I find myself at Olive Garden chowing down on Fettuccine Alfredo, I make sure to get in some physical activity afterwards to help my body burn off the extra carbohydrates I consume.
I'm a relatively lazy person when it comes to watching what I eat, but if I can do it anyone can. If you find yourself diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes listen to your doctor and nutritionist. Do what they tell you to do and follow the diet. It's worth it to have a normal sized baby with no additional complications.
I immediately started taking control over my diet and started becoming more active to help regulate my sugar levels. I was not going to be put on insulin and I am positive I can control this with diet and mild exercise. I started watching labels for carbohydrates, fats and proteins. I started eating small meals throughout the day and testing a minimum of 4 times a day like the doctor wanted me too.
Three weeks later and recording my blood sugars religiously; the doctor is very proud of me and where my sugars are at. He actually thanked me for watching them so closely. According to my monitor my 15 day average is at 88. When I do give in to the craving for the high carbohydrate meal my blood sugar does jump up, but for the most part I have been doing extremely well.
According to babycenter.com and my doctor women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. So as a precautionary I have decided that after the baby is born I will have to make a few lifestyle changes to keep my weight under control to reduce that risk. I'm positive I can do what is necessary to make those changes and stick to them.
It's not hard to keep your blood sugars under control. I still have the occasional donut for breakfast, pretzels as a snack or ice cream before bed, I do not gorge myself and have only the serving size. If I find myself at Olive Garden chowing down on Fettuccine Alfredo, I make sure to get in some physical activity afterwards to help my body burn off the extra carbohydrates I consume.
I'm a relatively lazy person when it comes to watching what I eat, but if I can do it anyone can. If you find yourself diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes listen to your doctor and nutritionist. Do what they tell you to do and follow the diet. It's worth it to have a normal sized baby with no additional complications.
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