++500 glucose In urine

[Whototalkto1]

Evening!

I home urine test a few times a week due to pre eclampsia in previous pregnancy. This evening I have a reading of ++500 glucose. I have had sugar in urine before on tests. But never that high.

do you think this is a call triage tonight one, or just wait for my midwife app next Thursday?

27+4 weeks pregnant

Midwife’s aren’t slightly concerned abbot me and the diabetes midwife won’t talk unless I am under her care..

Managed to get hold of a blood sugar machine and I am testing at 11.2 after just over an hour. Panicking!

Has your midwife refused to send you for a gtt?

That does sound like you might have GD. It’s v important you get help. Keep tracking your sugars after meals if you can and I would be tempted to raise it with the midwife supervisor for not taking you seriously.

it won’t hurt to start the GD diet, but with GD you are meant to have growth scans at 28, 32 and 36 weeks and under consultant care. Although I would take any scary growth with a pinch of salt, I was told both times that my 6lbers were going to be 9+lbers 🙃

please keep pushing. Ask for a new midwife if need be.

11.2 is quite high. Tbh I think I'd go to triage if no one is listening, I feel it might be the only way.

I’ve tested after 2 hours and still at 9.8.. I’ll call triage back again tomorrow, not happy about this to be honest. My community midwife has completely shrugged this off and made out I am being anxious, and I won’t be tested as I don’t meet the criteria.!

I'm so surprised noone is listening to you OP. 11.2 is really high. I would contact Triage and if not you need to escalate to a manager/via PALS if need be. It's really important GD is managed properly for yours and baby's health

I am thinking tomorrow triage call. Even if to get a glucose test booked in.

I have previously had preeclampsia and I believe GD can cause it again. I really don’t want that.

@Whototalkto1are you on Facebook? If so, join the group “Gestational Diabetes UK”, their advice is invaluable. I stayed diet controlled with my first pregnancy, but I was on overnight insulin for my fasting sugars (when you wake up - they should be <5.3) with my second. Managed my daytime sugars with diet.

It’s not as scary as it sounds. It’s temporary and for most women it goes away as soon as you’ve birthed the placenta. It’s hormonal and nothing to do with your pancreas like normal diabetes.

I agree with the gestational diabetes uk facebook page it was incredible during my first pregnancy. Although i passed my gtt i constantly failed urine tests with +++glucose so in the end the midwife told me to just act as if i had it.

Thank you, I’ll have a look at the Facebook page.

I am going to test in the AM when I woke up, hopefully it’s under 5.3

I am feeling very stressed now and disappointed, I raised my concerns with the midwife and was put down

Have you managed to get any support? I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. Meanwhile they're pushing me to start insulin with an average fasting blood glucose of 5.4... my highest ever post meal reading was an 8.3 after a lunch out. It is shocking to me that they aren't taking your numbers seriously!

I attended triage on Monday after they were concerned with my number but the diabetic nurse has still to call me, I have chased. I am beyond disappointed and feel so ill

readings after meals yesterday were

breakfast -8.4
dinner- 9.8
tea -11:4

and fasting bloods this morning 9.8

I Am following a GD diet since Sunday now, and levels are still this high.

thanks for the update OP, I’m sorry you’re having such a shit time.

those numbers look like you need to be medicated. They will try you on metformin first and move up to insulin if they don’t come down. I personally didn’t like the side effects of metformin and some say it hardly made a dent, I went straight onto insulin and it worked straight away.

I think it’s time to call PALS and make a complaint, I don’t mean to scare you but untreated GD can have fatal consequences. I’m really shocked they’re not taking you seriously!

The midwife in triage said the same, it looks like my body isn’t processing insulin (I think?!) over night and I’ll likely need medicating straight away.

I have heard terrible things about metformin and I think I’d rather go straight to insulin.

I have purposefully been following a GD diet since the weekend with a food diary to show the team when I eventually see them!!

I was told I would be call first thing yesterday, never called, chased never called. Still haven’t called…. Very disheartening

I reckon you'll need insulin OP. I'm so sorry you're having such a rough time accessing basic care. Have you a number or email for the diabetes midwife? I'd be hounding whoever you can. Why didn't triage arrange a GTT? Doesn't make sense to refer to diabetes midwife but not do GTT. Could you phone back triage and say how concerned you are and still have not heard from diabetes midwife? I would also contact PALs and get them on the case.

I didn’t realise triage could arrange the test, they just said they would get the diabetic team to call me asap.

I'm going to give it another a
hour or two and call again, I only have triage number.

Well I find it's easier for them to arrange things than it is for the patient, even if it's not normally something they do. I work in a busy hospital and if someone's hit a roadblock trying to access care I just ring the necessary department and organise it on the patient's behalf. It's common decency in my eyes but I guess you're encountering less than helpful individuals which I'm sorry to hear. They should be offering more help tbh.

I don't think you need a GTT with those numbers, you're clearly diabetic, but you do need treatment. Likely straight to insulin with those numbers as metformin wouldn't be enough. You being left without proper care is awful, I am so sorry. I also think you should make a complaint.

I am not sure if it being a BH didn’t help. I’m not making excuses for them, because I am furious. I first raised this with the community midwife a week ago who just told me off for dip testing my own urine!!

Just a note about metformin, should you be prescribed it - there is a form called Metformin SR (slow release) which doesn’t have the horrible side effects of the more basic version. It makes a huge difference.

Really hope you can get this issue sorted soon - good luck.

Thank you this is great advise

Update- still no call from diabetic team. I have called them 3 times today and rings out, triage said I need to wait for a call.

I feel I should have been offered a GTT already. I am seeing my midwife tomorrow for 28 week appointment and I am tempted to go in starved, so they can potentially send me straight over to where ever I need to be!

You might not even need to do a GTT, your blood glucose levels might be enough to diagnose you.

The midwife will take a blood sample but they’ll need to have the glucose drink on hand. personally I wouldn’t recommend it unless your appointment is first thing. The test is horrible, you get a huge spike and crash. I came home after my second bloods, puked everything up and slept for the rest of the day. I had to call in sick 🤣 GD is easier to deal with than the GTT!

I can’t believe you’re having such a hard time. I had a great GD midwife in my second pregnancy, but in my first they basically just had the initial phonecall to say “we’re the GD midwives” and then told me to keep checking my sugars and get in touch if they were raised (which they never were with my first).

please contact PALS, this is not on. Leaving you untreated is dangerous.

Doing the gtt test would just seem like putting your body and the baby through unnecessary damage just to prove what you already know. I should think your fasting bloods should be sufficient to diagnose at this point.

Sorry you have been having such a shit time. I'd be tempted to tell the midwife thank God you had the smarts to trust your gut and test your urine too

Ok I didn’t realise I was under the impression I would need a GTT to officially be diagnosed, but you are right the numbers on the glucose test don’t lie. Along with symptoms.

i have barely slept for over a week now due to this, worrying non stop.

I am seeing the midwife today for 28 week appointment and my partner is coming with me to try and help get some answers