I had my first of many appointments with my new OB Endo (Dr Endo). We went over my 3 GD tests and it was officially confirmed that I am indeed, gestationally diabetetic.
She spent time taking my history, looking over my sugar readings from the past week and then as I suspected spoke the magic words...you.need.insulin. My fear has come to life. Luckily for me, I had already begun researching other options and asked about Met.formin (my favourite of all IF drugs), she was quite receptive to the idea and we decided to give it a try. I am to take 2 pills (breakfast and dinner) everyday for a week while maintaining my GD diet with each meal followed by at least 10 min of walking or other exercise. We will re asses in a week and may push me to 3 pills a day (however I suspect that if zero improvement is shown, then I will be on insulin faster than I can say, I hate needles).
Dr. Endo also asked about my weight gain, so far at 30w3d I have put on 20 pounds. She said that is right on target. An average weight person needs to put on 20-30 pounds total during pregnancy and she will be monitoring my weight very closely for the remainder.
I have come to terms, unwillingly but none the less with my GD. It definitely sucks, but after all that I have been through to finally get to this place, its not the end of the world and I am going to suck it up and deal.
So enough about my GD, here's the important info for those that may find themselves in a similar situation:
- failing the one hour glucose test does not mean a GD diagnosis - many people pass the extended test
- you are a higher risk for developing GD if you:
* a previous diagnosis of GD or delivery of a large baby
* being a member of a high risk population - Aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian and African descent
* being 35 years or older
* being obese
* a history of PCOS
(I met none of this criteria, so don't think you are automatically spared)
- the first course of treatment is diet and lifestyle changes.
* daily exercise, especially after each meal
* eating 3 meals a day combined with snacks between meals
* eating a bedtime snack (most important snack)
* counting carbs - limiting the amount of carbs per meal
- you may be required to check and monitor you glucose levels (I check 4x a day). This is done by a finger prick and is not painful
- if diagnosed with GD you have a 1/5 chance of developing Diabetes Type 2 within 8 years, therefore regular monitoring and lifestyle/diet changes should be continued
- there are different drug treatment options available and you should speak with your Dr on what is appropriate for you
- the dietitian told me about the 'pizza theory', basically even if you portion out the carbs exactly, use low fat cheese and whole grain crust, you will still get a high reading. Therefore - pizza not the best option for a GD diet.
- the most important: YOU DID NOT CAUSE GD. It is directly related to your hormones and how much insulin your pancreas is producing. Eating shit food while pg did not cause this.
- I am working on some new lower carb recipes and thinking of some higher protein non-meat related snacks, if you have any ideas I would love to hear them.
-R.
(Please remember that I am not a medical professional, just passing along the info I received.)
Thanks for sharing this info! I'm doing my one-hour glucose test tomorrow and am kinda freaked out because today at my OB's the sugar in my pee came back high when I hadn't even had anything sugary all day! Your post really made me feel better that even if I do have GD, it will be okl :)
ReplyDeleteVery informative - thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm just catching up and am so sorry to hear about this diagnosis. I like what your mom said--you have to be gestational to have GD. I hope you are able to adjust to the necessary changes while Little Miss IT continues to grow. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteR- I am so sorry you are dealing with this. You deserve to have a nice simple enjoyable pg after all you've been through!
ReplyDeleteI've taken metformin for years. I take the entire dose at night in an extended release tablet (or 4 of them, actually- 2000 mg!)
Hoping that the met does the trick and you don't need to go on insulin. If you want some tips to met, feel free to email me and I'll tell you a few of the things I wish someone had told me! :)
Sounds like you're being managed very well. I have my GTT coming up and this is all very reassuring.
ReplyDeleteI hope the metformin works for you!
My favorite high protein snacks are edamame (super easy to just steam in the microwave), hardboiled eggs, egg (or eggwhite or egg substitute) scrambled up with some veggies, nuts, also the obvious cheese paired with some veggie slices.
I love to make my own hummous (sp?) I am pretty sure chick peas are high in protein and considered low carb. I drain a can of chick peas and reserve some of the water they're packed in. Chuck it into a food processor along with garlic (to taste), a little olive oil, lemon (to taste), sea salt (to taste) and parsley for looks. I whiz it around until it's the right consistancy and taste I like. If it's too thick I add some of the reserved water it was packed in. I prefer my cold and I like to dip veggies in it.
ReplyDeleteMy sister had GD with her second baby (first one was large) and he is going on 15 and she hasn't got diabetes now.
I had GD with my first pregnancy. Was on glyburide. Worked very well for me. Am also GD with this pregnancy but not needing any meds. Hope the metformin works! Sounds like you're doing a great job.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you have to deal with this R, but I know that you are going to handle it just fine! I hope you don't have to resort to needles, but just think that it is all for a good cause. I too used to hate needles, but was amazed at how I overcame my fear when thinking about the goal. In your case, you have a very concrete goal because you are already pg! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're having to go through all this. :( The info is great, though; thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI never knew how hard being a diabetic was until my mom got it a few years back. Talk about planning and math - all the time. I encourage you through this whole thing. Of course you will deal but I sure wish you didnt have to mess w it.
ReplyDeleteI was borderline w Toddlerina. I have a feeling it will rear its ugly head this time too. What a relief to read you cannot cause it yourself!
Hang tough Preganini!
Well, it all sounds complicated but you seem to be coping really well, R. I hope that the metfor.min does the trick and that you can avoid the insulin injection. In terms of low carb snacks, I love a hard boiled egg or slices of smoked tofu.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pain. I'm glad you're dealing ok with it, and I think your attitude is a good one.
ReplyDeleteNut butters are a good way to add protein - I was using them on toasted millet bread when I first went gluten free, but you could combine with lower carb options too.