GTT tomorrow and stressed

[vvviola]

Just looking for some advice/thoughts.

I've got a GTT tomorrow. I did a glucose challenge test about a month ago - and was told if I didn't hear anything within two weeks that it was clear. Went in to my appointment yesterday to be told that I should have got a letter and that I needed to get the GTT done "ASAP" (I'm almost 31 weeks).

The only person I know who has had the GTT tells it like a war story - how hard it was, how awful she felt, how she nearly fainted and threw up everywhere. So I'm getting a little stressed about it. Also, it seems quite late to be being tested... is there much I could do about it at this stage (DD came at just over 36 weeks, and doc reckons similar is possible this time around). I didn't have GD last time around - although reading the symptoms in babies, DD did have blood sugar issues and jaundice, which we put down to difficulties with feeding - is it possible it could have been missed last time?

I'm really not looking forward to this....

There are HUGE differences in GD ? and in fact in the levels that GD are diagnosed at across the country.

Despite having a GTT result of 7.9 after two hours, I've been diagnosed with GD (in some parts of the country the threshold is as high as 9, here it's 7.8 ? gutted!). I've been blood sugar monitoring for almost two months, all my readings are normal, yet the diabetic nurse at the hospital insists on seeing me every two weeks (I'm now 36 weeks). I haven't needed insulin or tablets. To be honest, it's more annoying than anything else to have to keep making these extra appointments. I've certainly never thrown up or fainted!

I still eat ice cream, fruit, white pasta and my levels are fine. Even if they weren't, there's plenty you can do to keep your levels down ? mix your carbs with protein, that really works, so scrambled egg on toast for breakfast is a real winner.

I really wouldn't worry ? if you don't have GD, you're stressing for nothing. If they do diagnose you, it could just be a really mild case, easily controlled. I've no idea what your friend must have been doing to make herself so ill, but over on the support thread for GD I've never heard of anyone having such a rough time!

Good luck, let us know how you get on ? and join our thread if you need to!

Hi vvviola! I have mine next week and am dreading it too. Just the fact that you can't have anything to eat for 12 hrs is concerning me...not eating for 4 hrs makes me feel faint and in a cold sweat!!

A friend I spoke to about it had to have the test when she was pregnant last year and she said it wasn't too bad...the stuff they make you drink isn't too tasty and the waiting around is tedious but she didn't describe any of what you were told! Perhaps the person you spoke to had a particularly bad reaction...yes - I'm trying to convince myself as much as you!!

I was considering cancelling appointment as I thought if I had GD I would know about it but have been told that's not necessarily the case and it's best to be checked (even though I have already had 5DCs without needing to be tested before!)

Hope that it goes ok for you...and someone comes along with some reassuring advice before you have to go tomorrow xx

Hubbahubster...it does seem crazy that the diagosis of GD or not GD depends on where you live. And that you have to be tested every two weeks must be annoying (on top of your other antenatal appointments) if you are managing it ok..and your levels are steady.

Can I ask if you know if there's there any link between having GD and then going on to have diabetes after...I have a long maternal side family history of it?

If they tell me I have GD next week and tell me that I can't have chocolate I will actually cry! :(

Thank you for the thread tip..reassuring to know there's support in the absence of chocolate! :o xx

another one to join the'i have mine next week club.'

my mother in law said it wasnt so bad on saturday and from what I can work out the worst thing for me will be the sitting around as I'll get so bored.

I had the GTT a few weeks ago and it really wasn't that bad. I don't like Lucozade so that bit was pretty nasty but I didn't faint or feel particularly sick, the only adverse effect was that I bleed a lot when pregnant so when they took the second lot of blood it took longer to stop the bleeding.

I apparently don't have GD but glucose does show in my urine every time I'm tested, they told me some women just don't break it down effectively so pass it that way. That's why I had the test so early, so we could rule it out later on.

I hope it's not as bad as you're expecting and passes relatively calmly for you.

It'll be fine. A quick blood test, drink the very very sweet drink and then read the paper in the waiting room for the rest of the morning....it's fine!

And if you do have GD (I was at 34 weeks) then yes, you'll be monitored every two weeks or whatever, and have to watch your carbs etc, but it's not too onerous, nor is it forever.

Emjay I believe they do make a link between family history and GD, but it's not hard and fast ? there's no diabetes in my family, yet I've been diagnosed, while an Afro-Caribbean mate of mine has lots of diabetes in her family (and ethnic background is also a factor), yet she came back clear.

You don't have to test every two weeks ? you just have to go to extra appointments to check your blood glucose readings with a nurse (I have to test mine 4x a day and make a record). Which is a bloody tedious waste of my already-limited time when the readings are fine and I'm in and out in two minutes flat, but it takes me an hour round trip to get there! For me at least, it's just an inconvenience but nothing to worry about :)

The etest itself is fine, I'm presuming its first thing in the morning for you. Go in get blood taken, drink the drink, I took my own Lucuzade after the MW warned me the drink my HCT provide was "bogging". 500 ml original. Wait 2 hours (I MNed from my phone while waiting! Another blood test and then you can eat. Make sure you can either buy food where the test is done or takes something with you. Also you can still drink water so bring plenty, expecially in the warm weather we are having just now. I had mine in Feburary so no need to worry there. I had 2 during my pregnancy at 16 and 28 weeks because of a history in my family and they were both fine.

So my top tips, brign a book/mag/phone to MN, water, and the food you want to eat as soon as they take that final blood sample. Good luck!

Thanks everyone - I'm feeling a bit less stressed about the whole thing now!

I think the combination of the doc saying the test had to be done ASAP and my friend's comments (to be fair, 90% of her stories are either "complete disaster" or "amazing miracle"... so I should learn to filter a little!) had me a bit worked up.

I'll pack my kindle, my knitting and my phone (free wifi at the hospital... I love Belgium sometimes!) and hope that the 3 hours goes fairly quickly.

My diet is already feels fairly limited (toxoplasmosis concerns here...) so I'm hoping that even if I do have it, I can tweak my diet without having to cut too much more out.

Well, the test went fine - between my knitting, free wifi at the hospital and my book, I barely noticed the time go.

Now just to wait for the results...

See piece of cake! Hope results are fine and you can still have cake! Or seeing as youare in Belgium, waffles yum!!

And within 2 hours of leaving the hospital, I got an email to say all clear

So I can still indulge in the tasty Belgian waffles and pastries...

Thanks for the support everyone!

Glad to hear all came back clear. Enjoy your waffles!