The Not-So-Sexy Infertility Adventures of a Girl in the Big Apple

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Gestational Diabetes = FAIL!!

This past Friday I went into my OB's office for my 1 hour glucose test.  I have been kinda worried about this one ever since I read the book on twin pregnancies that said there is a much higher risk of GD for women with twins.  However, my OB wasn't too concerned and said that I could wait until my next appointment at 28 weeks before taking the test.

Well, as it turns out, the twin book was right and I should have listened to my gut and taken the test earlier.  I failed so spectacularly - my levels were 196 (non-fasting) and they want you under 135 - that my OB decided to just skip the 3-hour test and send me straight to the nutritionist.

So I'm now on a GD diet plan and testing myself 4 times a day.  I must say it's a bit of a bummer - one of my only food pleasures left was fresh fruit, and I now have to restrict that severely along with all the other foods I like (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes).  Boo hoo.

I also cannot STAND doing the finger prick testing.  For some reason I am finding it 10 times more difficult/frustrating than doing the IVF shots.  Despite soaking my hands in hot water, rubbing my fingertips to get more blood into them, etc. I can only seem to get enough blood out of them about 1/3 of the time.  This means I have to prick my finger an average of 3x per try, which is really annoying - I have already wasted a ton of test strips and lancets, and they ain't cheap!

The good news is that since I started testing 2 days ago, my blood levels are almost all under target (<100 fasting, <120 non-fasting).  The two levels that were over target were 121 and 124 (non-fasting) so they were only borderline over.  Hoping this means that diet will solve the problem, and I won't have to do insulin.  I also hope it means that my GD isn't really that bad, and hasn't had any negative effects on the babies.  That part scares me, since we didn't catch this until relatively late.

In other news, my mom was here last week and we had a really lovely time.  I don't think we've actually spent a week alone together as adults ever.  Seeing me healthy (GD excepted!) and happy quelled a lot of her anxieties, and I think she was very surprised to see how active I still am despite the size of this belly!

I am now 28, going on 29, weeks and in my third trimester! So happy to have made it to this milestone.  My OB said that she was very relieved that we were past the scariest time (24 - 28 weeks).  While of course we want the babies to cook much, much longer it's nice to know that every week that goes by puts us more in the safe zone.

Our apartment is slowly filling up with gifts from the baby shower that I have nowhere to store.  I am in the process of getting a closet for the nursery built, and it can't come too soon!  I also have new windows and drapes coming, as well as all of the nursery furniture/gear - it's going to be a bit of a hectic time getting all of these things coordinated.  My biggest fear is that the new windows are not going to make it in time - my installer gave me a date of Oct 9th, which is just before my due date and I'm very nervous about how that is going to turn out!  I may be asking for trouble.

I am getting a bit more uncomfortable now, and I can see that these last couple months are not going to be quite as smooth sailing as the past few have been.  The belly is definitely slowing me down more - I get out of breath and experience rapid heart beats much more when I walk around now.  My nose is always stuffy, and my husband has been teasing me about how much I snore at night now (he's one to talk, by the way!)  My hands and feet have also started to get numb and tingly because of all of the fluids/swelling.  But despite this I'm still doing pretty well - praying that I feel this good as long as possible!

I hope everyone is doing well - am SO SO happy for Sunflower and Jen and their recent BFPs!  And I have my fingers, toes, and everything crossed for MyFertilityBlog's upcoming cycle in Denver - everybody please send her best wishes!


14 comments:

  1. How come you had to skip the 3 hour test? I failed my first test and passed the second. Apparently if you eat badly the day or two before the 1hr test, you are more likely to get a false reading. The day before my test I had had a lot of junk food (barbecue with delicious delicious brownies). The days before my 3 hour test I had been eating my normal amount of junk, which isn't so much and usually includes a lot of fruit. I say if your glucose levels easily stay within normal range, ask to do the 3 hour test, even though it is a pain in the ass to get 4 blood draws in 3 hours (and you look like a junky), it can save a lot of headache and hassle if you don't actually have GD!

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  2. Oh no - bummer about the GD diagnosis. But its good that with testing it seems to be better in control. I can imagine you missing fruit though :-(

    Happy that you had a nice time with your Mom. I am sure all the nursery things will fall into place and really happy that you are now at 28-29 weeks. Every week counts and I am sure you will do just fine. I can understand it getting physically uncomfortable now in the last few months. But you will do just fine. You have kept such a great attitude throughout your pregnancy, so laid back and calm. I need to use you as a role model :-)

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  3. Boo on GDM, by yay almost 29 weeks! I'm with you OB - relieved you are past the scary early times. Can't wait to see your nursery come together! I had that numbness and tingly stuff going on with my hands recently and went to the doctor and he said it was pregnancy related carpal tunnel. You can buy braces at Walgreens to keep your wrists in a neutral position when you sleep.
    I hope that your blood sugars stay under control with diet. I know it's hard to be restrictive when you are pregnant, but the good thing is you won't have alot of extra weight to lose afterwards and you can eat pretty much anything you want after the babies come!

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  4. Sorry you have to worry about GD now. I agree about the finger sticks. My DH is diabetic, so I've tried out his meter a few times, and yes our fingers are much more sensitive than where we do the IF injections. Just hope your blood sugar remains under control and you can continue to enjoy this wonderful time in your life! You're getting so close!

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  5. Ugh - sorry to hear about the GD diagnosis, but glad you found out so you can address it. I switched lancets because the first ones I was using hurt so much. I am now using the onetouch delica and really really like it. it feels much less painful to me, and it has a dial at the end so that I can change the depth of the prick to what works to get enough blood w/o too much pain. FWIW, I've also found that my index finger is useless, so I don't even try on that finger anymore, and that the tips of my fingers seem to have a lot more blood flow than the pads...wanting to pass along anything that might help.

    yay for almost 29 weeks!!!! isn't so amazing we've gotten this far? I am still in disbelief (not for you, but for myself). But yay!!

    xo

    Mo

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  6. Oh no! I am so sorry about the GD :(. But so happy that you and babes are doing great and are past the scary time, now they just need to grow big and chubby! Hope you stay relatively comfy for a few more weeks so that that last little while is not too hard. So happy for you guys!

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  7. So sorry about the GD. It totally blows! I hear ya. I was brought to tears for the first few days pricking myself multiple times to get enough blood. After the first fees days my fingertips ached. Someone suggested I try my palm, which I haven't yet, but maybe that will work for you. The other thing that eased the frustration of the waste was that the endocrinologist changed my initial prescription to testing 6 time daily instead of 4 so I was able to get a buffer on my supply. Lastly, my dietian says I can eat fruit, I just need protein with it. Two common snacks for me that have been working out ok are a peach or plum with two cheese sticks, or Greek yogurt with fruit. I am missing my lemonade though, that is for sure. I am all about lime seltzer now. Good luck. Sounds like you're doing great so far.

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  8. PS. My target is under 130. I hate that medical opinions differ so much on these things! It makes life so confusing.

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  9. Thank you sweetie! You are awesome! And I'm sorry about this GD but I'm happy for you that everything seems under control. I hate the feeling when you knew something and didn't go with your gut! Argh!

    Congratulations also in making it this far!!! I'm so incredibly excited for you Newbie! You have no idea! xoxo

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  10. Thanks for mentioning me - so sweet!! That stinks that you failed the GD test but it sounds like you've got it under control! Those babes will be here before you know it!

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  11. YAY for 29 weeks! Sorry to hear about the GD, adds another step in this process but as you know already it will be worth it. Glad everything else is going well, your babies will be here before you know it!

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  12. Hi there,

    I stumbled upon your blog.. I will become a follower for sure :)
    I'm a 2nd time gestational surrogate and currently in my 2ww. I am 5 days past a 3 day transfer and I'm hoping to have a positive pregnancy test soon!! Blessings...

    http://lifeasaluce.blogspot.ca/

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  13. ekK! The GD sounds awful - but you'll power through it. Watching carbs can be really hard - look into Flatout warps- I found it a good replacement for bread.

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  14. You are getting closer! I'm so glad you've reached the safe zone. I had a few freinds with GD and it is no fun. I have a major sweet tooth...

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