The GD thread for the GD Ladies

[CherLW]

Just a little group for the ladies with GD to talk, ask all the questions and be there for each other

Sorry @Bubbles1st cross post, I was typing very slowly!

@bewitchingnight ha it's ok, least reinforces it and makes me Feel like I have taken something in on the whole GD Subject 🙈

Well all my readings apart from breakfast were high yesterday & my fasting one this morning was also high, which makes me really anxious. So going to see how my breakfast & lunch ones are & then get in touch with the diabetes team.

Hate the thought of this affecting the baby in any way 😔

@GWhiteley I feel your pain, I had a complete meltdown on the phone to the diabetic nurse this morning. As 2 weeks after diagnosis and despite increasing levels of insulin I still haven't got my fasting reading under target.

She said that it might not be under target but it doesn't necessarily mean it's high or doing damage either, it's just an indication that I need more help to ensure I stay in safe levels as my tolerance keeps changing. She said it might feel like I'm chasing the target but that's ok.

I also said I was still struggling with eating properly some days for fear of high readings and she said that should never be the case. That we should eat when hungry and so long as we are making reasonable choices and effort which is demonstrated from the readings then if they end up needing to medicate to allow us to eat properly then that's fine also.

She also stressed to me that as my post lunch and evening meal readings are ok that I should worry to much if I miss the odd test whether it because I'm busy or forget. An overall picture is what they are after.

I'll be honest I don't feel any better about it yet but I think I'm having a very hormonal and emotional day so going to remember all she has told me and pull myself together when I have the energy and positive pants have been found again.

Point I'm trying to make, try not to stress or worry, they will support you and we can support and vent to each other and we can all get through this.

Sorry to hear you’ve got some high readings @GWhiteley @Bubbles1st there is just so much for us to get our heads round and sometimes there is no explanation for what’s happening.

Definitely important to try really hard not to stress and we all have each other for support and vent like you say. ❤️

I’m getting stuck even thinking about what to eat.. I stick to the same things most of the time and I have ran out of ideas for dinner, I just keep dreaming of a huge bowl of pasta or jacket potato! Any suggestions or tasty things you’ve all been having?

@CherLW some of my favourites so far have been

Steak and sweet potato fries
Burger with cheese in a protein bagel and a salad
Tuna and rice with cheese and salad
Chicken, bacon and mozzarella salad with coleslaw and crackers

However on most days I'm just so fed up and I'm eating a bagel or sandwich thin for lunch and then a salad for tea with a couple potatoes or bit of rice

I am loving Mayo on everything though !

Thanks @Bubbles1st some good suggestions! I was wondering what coleslaw would be like with the readings.

It’s hard with the carbs as I don’t want to eat them with every meal but I also don’t want to eat too many/not enough

Sending hugs @GWhiteley and @Bubbles1st.
When I saw the nurse on Friday to get the insulin, she said something about not depriving yourself of food... and I thought that its hard not to really.

@Bubbles1st I found that post you wrote very comforting / reassuring so thank you!

I have times like that too where it's so overwhelming that I just don't know what to eat and almost don't want to in case I get it wrong.

Some nice meals I've had to make things more luxurious (!) my technique is to add Mayo, avocado or halloumi to loads of stuff. For lunch I've been having big salads and then maybe having a more carby snack in between meals. Also like having homemade veg curries with small amounts of brown rice.

@AdventuresAwait thanks, it is hard no too, I do wonder how much of it is feeling sorry myself rather than finding it difficult though.

@bewitchingnight pleased to hear it offered some comfort.

I'm pleased to have a safe place here where we can rant and support in equal measure !

Hi, I haven’t been diagnosed yet, but wanted to ask about your results.

I was meant to have a GTT test yesterday. Got the the doctors for the first of my 2 appointments to be told the midwife had only requested a fasting test and not the double appointment test so they hadn’t ordered the special drink in.

So they did the initial fasting test that the midwife had requested. So I’d faster since 8pm the previous night and had the blood test done at 8am.

I’ve gone on my nhs app today to see if any results were in (as I also had my standard 28 week bloods done at the same time), and tk my surprise all the results were there already.

My standard tests were all ok.

But the other one it’s says:

Plasma fasting glucose level - 6.5mmol/L (3.4-6)

Above high reference limit if not known to be diabetic and if fasting with a glucose result of 6.

6.1-6.9mmol/L arrange Glucose tolerance test

Action required - speak to the nurse

So from that it seems I need to go back in to do the full proper GTT test. The surgery haven’t called me yet though. The nurse that took my blood said they’d call me if anything showed up etc. Should I call them? Or is the fact they aren’t phoning me a sign that they aren’t worried?

If I do need to go back for the full GTT, is an initial level of 6.5 not looking great?

I really hadn’t expected it to be anything other than totally normal. This is baby number 4 for me and while I’m older and my bmi is higher this time, I’ve never had GD before and naively assumed it’d be ok this time.

Any help or more insight would be so helpful now! Thank you

Hey @Moominmiss I’m not sure about all the levels which you’ve mentioned but if it were me I would definitely call them to get confirmation one way or another.. I think it would just go round in my head if I didn’t.

I had the full GTT with the awful drink! Before the drink mine was 4.6 and 2 hours after it was 11.3!!

Definitely give them a call tho, even just to put your mind at rest xx

@bewitchingnight I’m the same as you with avocado.. I love it so it goes with as much as I can! Halloumi is a good shout tho, I forget about that! I add cheese to almost anything!

I seem to stick to breakfast, lunch and dinner and then after my final after dinner reading I’ll have a snack. You mentioned having a carby snack in between meals? I’ve never done that, as I worry too much it might effect my readings… how is it? Sometimes I feel hungry between meals but don’t have anything as I worry.

@CherLW it's been OK so far, I've had two readings over 7 in the last week but they've both been when I got my meals a bit wrong. But with the snacks I've tried to make sure if it is a carb then I pair it with something. So if I have breakfast with no carbs, if I am hungry I'll have a (really small!) slice of wholemeal toast and peanut butter. I try and time it so it's a couple of hours after my breakfast reading and a couple of hours before the lunch one.

@Moominmiss I got a call about my results the following day so no harm in ringing to ask. My fasting bloods were 4 point something and were 8.0 after the drink.

@bewitchingnight that sounds like a good idea. The problem with mine is I have to do the blood before and 2 hours after I’ve eaten. So I feel I should say have breakfast- test in two hours- then have a carby snack 🙈 it’s so confusing!

@CherLW yes confusing for sure! I test an hour after meals so I guess I have a bigger window, my logic for spacing it out was that if I ate a snack sort of midway between meals then it would keep blood sugar levels quite consistent through the day... but that might be absolute nonsense. I have sometimes randomly tested an hour after having a snack if it's something I haven't tried before just out of curiosity. I have at least one snack a day though, sometimes two but if I have had bread or rice or whatever at mealtimes then I try and have a snack with no / low carbs.

@bewitchingnight I think I just need to try and experiment a little more as I need to find something that works for when I do get hungry and need a snack. I nearly almost have a snack after final reading tho.. like chocolate and nuts or protein yogurt and fruit or Cheese/Peanut Butter with apple/crackers 😍

I know not everyone's cup of tea but I've found pork scratching a real treat of a snack !

@Bubbles1st I’ve seen that on a website somewhere, I might have to give it a go! I would normally avoid them but now we’re allowed 😂

Thank you @CherLW and @bewitchingnight. I called the surgery. Nobody really had any idea. Apparently when you look at the results it says ‘normal’, it’s only when you open them up you actually see that it says to speak to a nurse and the results are high. So I doubt anyone would have called because it wouldn’t have even been flagged as an abnormal result!

So I’m glad I called. But still nobody really knew what to do, so they’ve booked for the midwife to call me on Thursday (her day she works at the surgery). So I guess I’ll wait and see!

That’s good that they have arranged for the midwife to call you @Moominmiss she will be able to go through things and tell you what you need to know. Hopefully it’s all ok but whatever the outcome it will be ok 😊

@Moominmiss, hi and welcome. My result 2 hours after the glucose drink was 8. So I was called regarding that but they also said my fasting result was higher than it should have been and they've been more focused on those than my post meal readings so far.
But they'll explain things tomorrow. I found those initial conversations really useful in understanding things.

@Bubbles1st, I love pork scratchings! Definitely getting some tomorrow.

@AdventuresAwait thank you.

So if my initial fasting result is 6.5 I’m assuming they’ll want me to do the full GTT test and have the drink etc.

I guess I’ll find out when my midwife gets back to me Thursday.

She’s known to be a bit blasé and a bit ditzy though so I can fully see her brushing it off as it all being fine.
If that does turn out to be the case, should I push to have the full GTT? I mean I definitely don’t want undiagnosed GD.

Is there anything I should perhaps do from now, just in case? Should I alter my eating habits? Are there any basics I should be doing? Or definite no no’s as far as things I should be avoiding etc?

@Moominmiss, maybe ask to have it. I'm sure they'd rather check.
I started by avoiding any added sugar and sugary foods/drinks & better carbs.
But not long until Thursday and then you'll now more x

@AdventuresAwait I think I need to do some reading up on it all. I have literally zero clue was good or bad carbs are.

I feel like everything I eat probably has added sugar to it?