Anyone want to join in a support thread for those with gestational diabetes?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Since it seems to be reasonably common, I thought maybe we could have an ongoing thread where we could discuss issues relating to it, and maybe share ideas of meals that work for us to keep blood sugars down.

I was just over the threshold on my GTT nearly 3 weeks ago, and have been monitoring my bloods 4 times a day since last Thursday. Had my first visit to joint diabetic/obstetric clinic this morning, which I found thoroughly impersonal and demoralising, so am feeling a bit low about it at the moment.

I am nearly 20 weeks, so still have a long way to go. Am hoping to control it just through diet, but consultant gave me a prescription for insulin 'just in case I need it'!

Am having the most problem with my after breakfast reading. Have been told to keep it below 7 one hour after eating, but even with the cereals they have recommended, I am getting around 8-9. Dietician has recommended trying baked beans on toast for breakfast instead. Is anyone else struggling with this one, as they said it is a common one to find raised due to steroids produced by the body in the mornings?

yes I ate last night and no it wasn't the first sample of the day - but the second. MW said it didn't matter. Not sure how much confidence I have in that tbh. She says there's no need to check urine again now until next visit - in 3 weeks time.

Well as long as you eat sensibly over those 3 weeks then it's probably not unreasonable to leave it that long. At least your appointments are reasonably close together. But when you go to your next one I would try and take first wee if you can, so that you stand the best chance of picking up if there is glucose. And if there is, then make her refer you for a GTT straight away, rather than waiting for another +ve urine test.

thanks - I will do. I have been anyway since it first came up so will try to keep it up.

Hi there - can anyone tell me if what you eat in the evening, affects your blood sugar the next morning?

Yes it can TYAGN, esp if you have a total pig out . Why do you ask?

I'm having a blood test tomorrow at 11ish. I haven't been diagnosed with GD...yet but my story is this.

Blood test at 12 week scan showed raised glucose (had just eaten).

Called for GTT - normal results.

Random blood at antenatal last week showed raised glucose but I THINK I had just eaten again.

So - I want to eat normally tonight and tomorrow morning rather than pig out which I wouldn't normall do if it will potentially have an effect. I'm out tonight you see!

Aha - I see. Well if you don't have GD then what you eat tonight should make NO difference to the blood test result, but if you do have it then it might, so it might actually be better to pig out to help you find out . Is it just a finger prick test rather than a GTT?

I would suggest having your breakfast or a snack between 1 and 2 hours before the blood test in the morning too - just whatever you would normally eat in the morning.

That's a very good point!

If I'm borderline however, then I would rather go undetected !

i agree csws if you dont have it wont make no difference to the BS

how is everyone feeling?

JW thinking of you and your family and little katherine x

im of to mw today to finally get checked out

Good luck disney.

How was night out TYAGN? Let us know how your test goes.

I saw my midwife for my 16 week appointment and asked her when I would have the GTT, since I had GD in my first pregnancy. She said "oh no, we don't do the test routinely, only if you have sugar in your urine." I thought they tested if you had risk factors like previous GD? I really don't want to go looking for trouble, so to speak - found it incredibly stressful last time mainly due to the attitude of the health profs once I was designated "high risk" - but equally don't want to develop it an not know. I was wondering whether I could monitor myself. Can I ask all of you where you got your glucose meters from, did you have to buy your own and were they expensive?

This site gives some comment on when GTTs are usually done. I think that the standard is to send anyone with a risk factor (of which previous GD is definitely one) for a test at 28 weeks, but anyone with 2 or more risk factors should be sent earlier, around 16 weeks. These risk factors include high BMI, family history of diabetes, and previous GD. I've definitely read a good paper with more detail on this - will try and find it again for you later, as it would probably be helpful to help you to challenge your midwife.

My meter was given to me by my hospital after my diagnosis. I have no idea how easy they would be to purchase, or whether you could get the test sticks and needles without a prescription.

Thanks everso - urine test clear, blood results back in a couple of days.

Ooh - it wasn't just a fingerprick test then.

dez - from the NICE guidelines here
1.2.2.4 The 2-hour 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) should be used
to test for gestational diabetes and diagnosis made using the
criteria defined by the World Health Organization4. Women who
have had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy should be
offered early self-monitoring of blood glucose or an OGTT at
16?18 weeks, and a further OGTT at 28 weeks if the results are
normal. Women with any of the other risk factors for gestational
diabetes (see recommendation 1.2.2.1) should be offered an OGTT
at 24?28 weeks.

you can but self tests from chemists at around £7 to £20
replacement blood strips approx £24
needles same

just got back from mw

BS still to high at 12+ before lunchtime

NAD in urinhe was happy about that

BP 140/70 now to me thats high but she said its ok what do you guys think?

painful legs apparantly baby has turned from breech and now ceph with his back to my left
but as he has fused skull bones its very painful for me with him presin down

bad bruising from injections apparantly to be expected

increase on insulin now on 52 units of novomix a day

funny thing is they will induce me at 36/37 wks but not do my section till 38
so if i refuse induction and try to wait i might go into labour in the meantime then im kinda stuffed as i will have to go through with it
my dillema is my baby is not well now the surgeon has already been told and they are aware he has holes in the heart
surely the stress of early induction will stress baby out
i dont know what do right now
any suggestions?

CSWW, thanks for the links. I did think it was a bit odd.

disney, thanks for that info - I will have a look and see what I can find.

Been reading your thread ladies (sorry but couldn't bring myself to read all 14 pages!) and it's really helped me with tips for diet control and birth plan writing.
I'm fairly new on MN, spend most of my time lurking!
I'm 36 weeks now, been GD since OGGT at 28 weeks. Seen 3 different diabetic consultants - last one said that actually I'm not GD but have Impaired Glucose Tolerance. Does this mean anything to anyone? Should I now be less worried about birth complications etc? Any advice would be really great - as you've all said many times in this thread, there is never enough time to ask questions!
PS Diet controlled, I must aim for under 6 as a fasting score, and below 8 2hours after meals. Now just testing twice a day.

Just popping in with my blood glucose result - taken mid morning after a normal breakfast of toast and marmite (but I was starving again by the time they took the blood). It came out at 4.1, so huge relief all round! Thanks for the support, listening to my panics and answering my silly questions!

wow 4.1 is very very good
if im on 4 im not with it all on a hypo

i had toast and marmite and mine was 11.4 2 hours after
mine was kinda controlled with this insulin till the last week now my reading are in double figures all the time
im gettin a 8-9 before breakfast
feeling quite ill too
im seeing consultant monday and having a growth scan
baby was normal size till recently
im 34 weeks now hes the size of a 38 wk baby

jacobs im sorry i dont know what you were asking i was a type 2 before pregnancy and swithched to insulin as soon as pregnant really
im asking about the birth complications myself monday so il let you know what they tell me

Oh good lord - just had the diabetic midwife on the phone wanting me to do a GTT because me random blood test was 7 (within an hour of eating crappy lunch with half a pint of fruit juice) DESPITE my last blood sugar being 4.1 2.5 hours after toast & marmite and no glucose in my urine.

I asked her to convince me properly why i should go through the faff of it all and to give me the physiuology but she coouldn't / didn't / wouldn't.

My understanding is that in a non-diabetic individual, normal glucose levels reach about 8 after eating.

Where did you get that figure of 8 from TYAGN? I don't think it's correct tbh. My diabetic midwife explained and drew me a little graph which showed that a non-diabetic varies very little from a reading of 5.

Your 4.1 result was great though - I never get that low.

On the one hand I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do the test to get them off your back, but OTOH I agree that it shouldn't be necessary to do tests just to satisfy hcps. Hmmmm. What do you think you will do?

disney - I'm away for a couple of weeks from tomorrow (may get chance to pop on at some point whilst away, but can't guarantee it), but want to wish you luck whilst I'm away. I have a suspicion that you will have your baby, one way or another, before I return.

Jacob'sPrincess - I'm glad that this thread is proving useful to more than we necessarily realise . I can't see why your consultant has called it 'Impaired Glucose Tolerance' - surely that is what GD is?! They have been very generous with the glucose levels that they have asked you to achieve. Not sure if you'll have seen the discussion very early on in this thread, but we talked about them then. I, and many others, have to achieve below 7 within one hour of eating, which is much harder!

normal glucose levels

Blimey - less than 10 90 mins after a meal!! They'd have me on insulin in a trice!
Those seem very very high indeed, or the GD medics have been torturing us for their own evil entertainment
Anyway 4.1 was excellent - have a pat on the back!
I must pack, I must pack, I must pack....
off on hols for a week tomorrow, have many piles of objects but no real plan for packing them hence mumsnet as distraction!

I'm a bit at the levels they suggest on that site. They all seem ridiculously high and easy to stick to tbh. The hba1c stuff is the only bit that sounds sensible to me.