Does gestational diabetes have symptoms?

[TrudyCampbell]

I feel like an idiot asking this question. I pee a lot and I'm thirsty a lot, but I can't tell if that is just normal pregnancy stuff. I feel extremely sensitive to changes in blood sugar lately. If I don't eat very often, like every 2 hours, I get sick and light headed. I feel like I can feel my blood sugar rising after I eat and falling again later on. 

…I sound like a freak, don't I? 

If I have GD this pregnancy is RUINED!!!!! 

irishsara orriskitten 

[Faevantastic]

I had GD but I never felt it. It was a huge shock to me.

[sunshineluv]

My friend that had it, had no symptoms and when she found out at 30 weeks was in disbelief for a while.

[irishsara]

I don't think it technically have the same symptoms as regular diabetes. I can definitely tell when my blood sugar is low and feel relief when it goes back up, but I don't think it's a "sign."

I'm sure you are fine!

The good thing about having gd is extra monitoring. Extra u/s and it's easier (at least it was for me) to drop the weight afterwards.

Don't stress! I think drinking and peeing is just a pregnancy thing, not a gd thing!

[TrudyCampbell]

Dec 3, 2013 20:22:54 GMT -5 irishsara said:

I don't think it technically have the same symptoms as regular diabetes. I can definitely tell when my blood sugar is low and feel relief when it goes back up, but I don't think it's a "sign."

I'm sure you are fine!

The good thing about having gd is extra monitoring. Extra u/s and it's easier (at least it was for me) to drop the weight afterwards.

Don't stress! I think drinking and peeing is just a pregnancy thing, not a gd thing!

Ugh, it would probably be the only thing that would get my weight in check. 

But no more ice cream!!!!!!

[kkfeb04]

Dec 3, 2013 20:24:35 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Dec 3, 2013 20:22:54 GMT -5 irishsara said:

I don't think it technically have the same symptoms as regular diabetes. I can definitely tell when my blood sugar is low and feel relief when it goes back up, but I don't think it's a "sign."

I'm sure you are fine!

The good thing about having gd is extra monitoring. Extra u/s and it's easier (at least it was for me) to drop the weight afterwards.

Don't stress! I think drinking and peeing is just a pregnancy thing, not a gd thing!

Ugh, it would probably be the only thing that would get my weight in check. 

But no more ice cream!!!!!!

CarbSmart! It's yummy in my tummy

[Chrisx2+1]

After eating I would feel like my heart was going to explode. That was my first sign that something was wrong. When my sugar was under control I didnt feel that way at all and haven't felt it since.

[carawestt]

I often feel similar to how you're describing and I don't have GD. When is your test?

[TrudyCampbell]

Dec 3, 2013 21:31:54 GMT -5 carawestt said:

I often feel similar to how you're describing and I don't have GD. When is your test?

I don't know. Soon probably? 

[carawestt]

Dec 3, 2013 21:34:49 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Dec 3, 2013 21:31:54 GMT -5 carawestt said:

I often feel similar to how you're describing and I don't have GD. When is your test?

I don't know. Soon probably? 

I had mine at 28 weeks this time.

[TrudyCampbell]

Dec 3, 2013 21:27:22 GMT -5 Chrisx2+1 said:

After eating I would feel like my heart was going to explode. That was my first sign that something was wrong. When my sugar was under control I didnt feel that way at all and haven't felt it since.

Hmmm… like heart racing? Because I've been having that a lot. My heart racing keeps me awake sometimes.

[laurack]

I've been having similar concerns. I told the midwife and she asked if I ever suffered hypoglycemia and I said no .. I don't think so.. But she said not to worry.

If I don't eat very often I get the shakes and occasionally after eating I have weird episodes of feeling lightheaded and hot/cold flashes, cramps etc then it passes.

Also if I eat something like a couple oranges/ some sugar or carb and nothing with it I feel weird for a while.

[TrudyCampbell]

Dec 3, 2013 22:00:09 GMT -5 laurack said:

I've been having similar concerns. I told the midwife and she asked if I ever suffered hypoglycemia and I said no .. I don't think so.. But she said not to worry.

If I don't eat very often I get the shakes and occasionally after eating I have weird episodes of feeling lightheaded and hot/cold flashes, cramps etc then it passes.

Also if I eat something like a couple oranges/ some sugar or carb and nothing with it I feel weird for a while.

This sounds a lot like how I feel. I don't remember feeling this way with Violet's pregnancy.

[laurack]

Dec 3, 2013 22:01:04 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Dec 3, 2013 22:00:09 GMT -5 laurack said:

I've been having similar concerns. I told the midwife and she asked if I ever suffered hypoglycemia and I said no .. I don't think so.. But she said not to worry.

If I don't eat very often I get the shakes and occasionally after eating I have weird episodes of feeling lightheaded and hot/cold flashes, cramps etc then it passes.

Also if I eat something like a couple oranges/ some sugar or carb and nothing with it I feel weird for a while.

This sounds a lot like how I feel. I don't remember feeling this way with Violet's pregnancy.

I can't even remember if I felt like this but I don't think I did at least not as bad anyway. My heart also seems to beat really loudly. When I lie in bed sometimes it drives me crazy like my whole body is beating!! Aah. Probably all that extra blood pumping ?

[fusion]

I remember feeling that way a lot with Anna and no GD. I also would get SO tired after eating, where I felt like I could pass out anywhere. I think in general mo' pregnancies, mo' physical problems. This pregnancy is already killing me, I'm just trying not to think of the next 6.5 months too much. Did I mention we are done, cause yeah, we're DONE.

[TrudyCampbell]

Dec 3, 2013 22:05:33 GMT -5 laurack said:

Dec 3, 2013 22:01:04 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

This sounds a lot like how I feel. I don't remember feeling this way with Violet's pregnancy.

I can't even remember if I felt like this but I don't think I did at least not as bad anyway. My heart also seems to beat really loudly. When I lie in bed sometimes it drives me crazy like my whole body is beating!! Aah. Probably all that extra blood pumping ?

Ahh yes it drives me nuts!

[creamsiclechica]

I had this wih C and not A, and I didn't have GD with either of them. Maybe it's just like fusion said, because it's a second pregnancy?

[Deleted]

Dec 3, 2013 23:38:14 GMT -5 creamsiclechica said:

I had this wih C and not A, and I didn't have GD with either of them. Maybe it's just like fusion said, because it's a second pregnancy?

Yes, me too.  I only had the low blood sugar thing, lightheadedness, etc with DS2.  Hopefully it's not GD for you TrudyCampbell

[eav2c]

I have felt all of the ways Laurack explained with both pregnancies and no GD. With C it was particularly bad in the 2nd trimester and I had a few incidents where I for sure thought I was going to fall over. I don't feel that way much these days but I found it to be a thing in 2nd tri. Sounds like it is for everyone else too. Try not to stress.

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Dec 3, 2013 20:07:41 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

I feel like an idiot asking this question. I pee a lot and I'm thirsty a lot, but I can't tell if that is just normal pregnancy stuff. I feel extremely sensitive to changes in blood sugar lately. If I don't eat very often, like every 2 hours, I get sick and light headed. I feel like I can feel my blood sugar rising after I eat and falling again later on. 

…I sound like a freak, don't I? 

If I have GD this pregnancy is RUINED!!!!! 

irishsara orriskitten 

I had GD in the third trimester and I felt it. If I ate gummy bears or something, I felt like complete and total ass. Hard to explain, but yes, I did notice.

[Chrisx2+1]

Dec 3, 2013 21:36:52 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Dec 3, 2013 21:27:22 GMT -5 Chrisx2+1 said:

After eating I would feel like my heart was going to explode. That was my first sign that something was wrong. When my sugar was under control I didnt feel that way at all and haven't felt it since.

Hmmm… like heart racing? Because I've been having that a lot. My heart racing keeps me awake sometimes.

Yes heart racing. On the plus side I didnt think GD posed an impossible diet change. It was a bit of an adjustment at first but not bad.

[PatBenatar]

I had GD and I didn't feel any different.

If you do have it, the diet isn't as bad as I thought it would be

[skwcm80]

I thought I would end up with GD because my dr had warned me that my blood sugar was on the high side a year before I got pregnant. And like you, I could feel changes in my blood sugar. I didn't have GD and I was shocked.

[orriskitten]

GD usually has no symptoms or can sometimes be explained as other things that are just normal during pregnancy. Basically when I first got the literature saying "You probably have high sugar if..." for non-pregnant diabetics, literally EVERYTHING was crossed out and the nurse wrote in big letters "This does not apply to you. You are pregnant."

Normal pregnancy stuff that a non-pregnant diabetic will have are: thirsty, peeing a lot, random hot/cold flashes, racing heart, light headedness and about a dozen other things. Try not to stress.

If you're still stressing, I have a glucose monitor that I don't use (2 actually, my dad got a whole monitor + strips in a brand neither of us use and gave it to me and I'm on a new monitor that syncs with my pump until the end of my pregnancy) that I'd be happy to pass along to you. Checking your sugar when you feel off can't hurt you, but can ease your mind. Honestly, from the symptoms you described that are not usual pregnancy feelings, it sounds like you might have some slight hypoglycemia. I say slight because you're not passing out or anything and it usually takes that to be called severe hypoglycemia, from what I've been told.

Let me know if you want the glucose monitor and it is yours. You might just have to buy some extra lancets which are super cheap at the pharmacy.

But try not to stress! I know for me, I do not feel a high blood sugar and most women don't feel it. Some do, as PPs have said, but that is not always the case.

[orriskitten]

Oh! And ice cream is not off limits! You just have to do a lot of portion control and I won't bore you with all that, but if you do have it, I can pass on about a bajillion tips to make eating really kinda easy.